Children of the Plague

{Sure. But, I think all of the electricity is fried, so laptops won't work, and hacking skills aren't required. Sorry. ^^'}

Riley flinched when it looked like Lani was about ready to burst into tears and start crying. It seemed like she had a hard time talking about her family, especially their deaths. Of course, Riley didn't like to talk about his either.

She then smiled at him, and he felt relieved that she was feeling a bit better, and that he was helping her. " You're welcome," he smiled back. "And don't worry. I promise that I'll make sure you're never alone again. Now c'mon! My treehouse's back this way." he told her. He turned around, dismounted his bike, and started wheeling it down the sidewalk.

{Hope and Joesph (Lolx3 and almostinsane99) are at Joe's house, and they've formed an alliance together. Tyrone (Ersher) just helped a girl and her sister, and is at their house. Tyler and Charlie (Toko) are walking back to their house I think. Brandon (septus5) is at Riley's treehouse trying to figure out a way to get back inside. Steven (Lolx3) has just found an abandoned gas station, raided some food, and is carrying it all back in a large crate to...somewhere. Probably his house. You can read what Lani and Riley (Toko and me) are doing in this post, and I...wait! I'm forgetting someone...okay, I was thinking of Brandon. But there's also Steven's little sister Anne (Lolx3) she's...I think waiting for Steven to come back with the food. That's everyone.}

Lani was ready to burst into happy tears, but she wasn't sure how Riley would take it. She didn't want to scare him off. So she just followed him quietly.

((Ok thanks! Does this mean im accepted?))

(Yeah. And Hope and Joseph are at Joseph's house.)

((Thanks ))

Dasha pulled her leather backpack out of the closet. She had never taken the chance to see if anybody else was out there. She knew there was a town a few miles down the road and she had run out of supplies, she had never left her home for fear of contrating the disease or the possibility of being put in a foster home. But she was out of food and she couldnt hide at home anymore. She packed up her first aid kit, her old quilt her mother made her, a teddy bear her father had given her, her pocketknife, her favorite book, a lighter, candles, and a crucifix.
"Well, since I might not be back, I should probably pack some clothes." She packed pajamas and one set of clothes, the bag was too full for much else, so she dropped in her lockpick kit, just in case, and secured the flap on the top of the bag with a string and button.
She went to th garage and rolled her bike to the back garden, two mounds of dirt rose above the rest of the yard, a few little flowers popping up here or there. Two makeshift crosses at there heads. It had taken her a week to finish this burial project but she thouht she had done well. She placed a fresh bouqet of purple wild flowers on the mounds of earth and got on her bike. She rode down the dirt road from her house until she got to the main road, and peddled in the direction of where she hoped town was.

((Is this an okay post?))

(Yeah. )

(Yay!)

Dasha could see the buildings of the town not far from her. She had been to this town maybe a few times when her mother needed to go shopping, or when her father took her to work at his hardware store with him. She had the key to the store in her pocket but she expected it had already been broken into.
"Well, here we are." Dasha parked her bike on the side of a house that appeared abandoned.

"What're you doing, girl!" Some kid yelled.
"Yeah, get away from our house!" a girl yelled.
"But this house looks abandoned."
"Hey, I want that bike!"
"I don't want any truble, ill leave."
"Oh no you dont." Somebody grabbed her by her shoulders.
"Let me go! I don't have anything! Leave me alone!" She shouted.

Tyler and Charlie were making good progress when they heard a commotion. Knowing that they shouldn't get involved, they kept walking, but when Tyler spotted what was going on, he couldn't just leave. Walking over to the fight, he punched the boy who was holding onto some girl. The guy staggered back and glared at Tyler. The two got into a fight, until Tyler had finally beaten him down.

"Leave her alone," he called. The kids gave him nasty looks, but went inside. Charlie walked over to her brother and the girl, as Tyler got closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking her other.

"You ok?"

One of the kids had hit her in the gut before he left but she looked up.
"Umm, yeah, I guess I should probably not park my bike anywere I want." She said, dustin herself off.
"Thank you so much, though, I can't say I expected to see people, I wasnt sure if anybody else survived." She told the boy.
"I came into town to lock up my dad's hardware store and to see if i could find suppies, I ran out, and I didn't want to stay where I was much longer, somebody killed my cat last week, and I wasnt sure how smart it was to stay alone."
"Is there a food store around here or anything?" she asked

Charlie stepped up, seeing how her brother was looking at the girl a little funny.

"We were headed home, girl, but my brother here couldn't leave a damsel in distress like you here. Would you care to join us. I'm Charlie by the way," she said, holding out a hand. Tyler pulled away, his face feeling hot. "And this is my older brother Tyler."

Dasha blushed and Chuckled a little
"I'd love to join you, I'm Dasha, nice to meet you." She shook Charlie's hand.
"Where do you live? I could meet you there after I lock up the store." She said, pointing to the old store that looked like it was something out of an andy griffith episode. It was a blue building with a small porch on the front where her grandfather sat when he owned the store, and a screen door that had a pull-out metal frame to lock up. The windows also had the criss-cross metal grates.

"It'll only take a few minutes."

Tyler and Charlie looked at eachother and Charlie nudged him.

"Um...how about we come with you? That way we don't have to try and give you directions."

"Sure, it's right over there" She nodded in the direction of the store.
"Let's go!" She said, she began walking towards the od store, the keys jingling as she twirled them in her hand.

Tyler and Charlie followed her. Tyler hung back a little and glared at Charlie, who kept up her innocence appearance.

"What's wrong?"

"Don't play dumb. You don't need to force me on people."

Charlie just shrugged, which pissed Tyler off. Trying to ignore his sister, he catch up to Dasha.

"Oh hey, this is it. Umm, I'll start with the windows." she said aloud, tshe hopped over the railing on the porch in one graceful movement, she puled the metal grates over the two windows and locked them in place, then she hopped back up and did the same thing on the other side. She locked the windows on either side of the door, then the door itself.
"There we go. All done." She said.

Hope smiled. "Of course. I'm stupid." She laughed at her herself and blew on the still hot food.

~*~

Steven knocked on the door to his house. "Anne, open up." it was silent. "Anne?" He nudged the door and found it open. As it opened he saw everything, everywhere. He dropped the crate in the doorway. "Anne!" he yelled desperately. He searched the house desperately with no sign of Anne. He opened to door to their backyard and saw Anne curled in a tight ball in the middle of the yard. Steven desperately ran over to her.

"What happened, Anne?" Steven rolled her onto her back and inspected her for injury.

"Who are you?" She asked with a cocked head.

"I'm you're older brother Steven, silly." He grimaced as he saw her arm twisted at an awkward angle. He burned with anger at the people who robbed his house, but more importantly hurt his sister.

"Oh ya..." Steven lifted up her head to feel a large bump. "I'm Anne aren't I?"

Steven nodded. "You sure are." He gently picked her up, making sure not to bump her arm, he'd have to set it sooner or later though. He winced at the thought.

Tyler nodded and began to lead the way. Charlie hung back with Dasha. She was a little curious about her.

"So you didn't have any family who wasn't effected?"

Joseph laughed a little as he continued to eat. It was nice to talk to someone after all this happened.

"Naw, not that I know of, anyway. My cousins might be alive, but they live in Cali." She told them.
"But I'll probably never see them again." She looked around her.
"Adulthood will be awkward. you know, the whole recreation thing, but then again, let's not think about that."