[Even with her head start, Ryder soon finds Teo coming up on her at a distressing rate. There's still plenty of time, she reminds herself, willing her hands to stop shaking as she whacks out a response to his own slap-call, only by winging an empty can away from her so that it dinged, clattered, and rolled to entice anything that might be lurking in a place she can't see.
They always move faster than she thinks they should, even if plenty of games and movies have done their best to prepare her for any number of variants. Fast, slow, mutated into exaggerated shapes, able to explode or spit acid. Truly, Ryder should have known what to expect, even if that was that this could have gone in a way no one had ever seen before. Don't expect shit. A few undead rush to the can and she does her best to make her movements less obvious. When two of them bump together and getting into the even sadder zombie equivalent of a slapfight, attracting the confused third towards them, Ryder uses the opportunity to move to the next point she can consider cover.
Shit. She almost wants to laugh as her stress spikes again, and though she should be listening for any hint of rasping of growling around her, what she's straining to hear is the next sign that Teo is still coming. Still alright. At least she's not too stupid to look around for immediate dangers. No undead that had been just out of sight before to give her a jumpscare, but there's glass on the ground ahead. Avoid that. She can't use that. With the end of Teo's sleeve, she covers her mouth. It's a little placebo telling her that nothing can hear her, it's time. It still smells like bodies and garbage, but there's still a faint scent of being worn by someone clean recently. Maybe that's her, actually. ...She's going to choose to believe it's him. With her other hand, she carefully reaches for her next object -- some little knickknack. The next piece of cover. That's when she'll throw it, so that she can make better time and not attract too much attention.
Oh god. God, this was so stupid. Why did she want to do this so badly? Holy shit. Teo would have been fine! Now she's -- ugh. But he has her back. Next spot. Just one next spot to the next next spot, until they could get back to the spot they could call theirs. Keep moving. ...But like, not too much. Don't be suspicious, and so on.
The chipped porcelain bird she tosses shatters to pieces that maybe some future survivor will have to make note not to step on. For now, the noise it makes it exactly what she needs. Keep their attention away. Let them bumble around until they could be swept into the rest of the horde. Because Teo was on his way.]
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They always move faster than she thinks they should, even if plenty of games and movies have done their best to prepare her for any number of variants. Fast, slow, mutated into exaggerated shapes, able to explode or spit acid. Truly, Ryder should have known what to expect, even if that was that this could have gone in a way no one had ever seen before. Don't expect shit. A few undead rush to the can and she does her best to make her movements less obvious. When two of them bump together and getting into the even sadder zombie equivalent of a slapfight, attracting the confused third towards them, Ryder uses the opportunity to move to the next point she can consider cover.
Shit. She almost wants to laugh as her stress spikes again, and though she should be listening for any hint of rasping of growling around her, what she's straining to hear is the next sign that Teo is still coming. Still alright. At least she's not too stupid to look around for immediate dangers. No undead that had been just out of sight before to give her a jumpscare, but there's glass on the ground ahead. Avoid that. She can't use that. With the end of Teo's sleeve, she covers her mouth. It's a little placebo telling her that nothing can hear her, it's time. It still smells like bodies and garbage, but there's still a faint scent of being worn by someone clean recently. Maybe that's her, actually. ...She's going to choose to believe it's him. With her other hand, she carefully reaches for her next object -- some little knickknack. The next piece of cover. That's when she'll throw it, so that she can make better time and not attract too much attention.
Oh god. God, this was so stupid. Why did she want to do this so badly? Holy shit. Teo would have been fine! Now she's -- ugh. But he has her back. Next spot. Just one next spot to the next next spot, until they could get back to the spot they could call theirs. Keep moving. ...But like, not too much. Don't be suspicious, and so on.
The chipped porcelain bird she tosses shatters to pieces that maybe some future survivor will have to make note not to step on. For now, the noise it makes it exactly what she needs. Keep their attention away. Let them bumble around until they could be swept into the rest of the horde. Because Teo was on his way.]