Who knew I'd find a decent human? (Serenity)

[God Mike]

Mike sat on his Death-Cycle, being out on yet another 'solo adventure,' as he called it. It was pretty fun, going solo sometimes. Joe always planned ahead, and they usually ended up going to some city, where they'd drink and have fun, and Mike would get into bar fights and get locked up for three days. But when he went solo, he found a lot of shit, he had to admit. After all, last time he went solo, he found that BFSR, or Big Fucking Sniper Rifle, for those who didn't speak Mikean.

So, there he was, in the ruins of New York, looking around. He had killed the engine of the Death-Cycle, as he didn't want to attract any zombies or Marauders at the moment. Like he always did when he entered cities on his own, he got off the Death-Cycle and pushed it into an alley, before covering it with some junk that he found lying around. It was hidden pretty well, and Mike nodded in satisfaction, before making his way out of the alley.

Like always, Mike had only remembered to bring his piece-of-shit machete, instead of the new one he'd found. He also hadn't brought his .50 cal revolver or his TMP, so all he had was his .44's, his shotgun, and his swords. Of course, he also had his large assortment of blades with him, but they didn't do much against zombies.

“Man, I've become a bit of a coward lately,” Mike muttered to himself. There was a time when he wouldn't even think twice about charging into a zombie horde wielding nothing but a pair of knives, but now... “Must be appreciating life a bit more, I guess... And now you're talking to yourself, Mike... Ah well, they say crazy people tend to talk to themselves, so... Hey, Mike, how are you? Oh, pretty good, thanks. And you? Oh, I'm just fine. A bit bored, though. Me too.”

Mike continued talking to himself as he walked through the city, noticing that there was a surprisingly small amount of zombies out in the streets for some reason. Whatever, Mike was happy about that, as he could just take a small detour around any zombies he saw.

He made his way into what used to be Harlem, and found an apartment building that his Mikey Senses told him would contain shiny things, so he went in, humming a tune to himself. Well, technically it was five different tunes merged into one horrid tune, but still... He danced his way up to the third floor and made his way down the corridor, reaching an apartment door that had the number '306' on it. Since it contained a 6, his lucky number, he shrugged and opened the door, walking inside.

The apartment looked as though the owner had left in a hurry, which was good, as that meant that they couldn't have taken everything they owned with them, which in turn meant more free stuff for Mikey! Grinning behind his gas mask, Mike entered the bedroom and found a dresser in the back of it. He walked up to it and opened it, starting to look around. In one of the drawers, he found a straight razor, which he immediately pocketed.

Mike couldn't look around anymore, though, as he tensed up when he heard footsteps entering the apartment. Slowly, his hand lowered to one of his revolvers, and he gripped it softly, listening to the footsteps. As soon as he heard them entering the bedroom, he drew his revolver and spun around, aiming at the stranger, who turned out to be... a normal human?

“Hey, hey!” Mike said happily. “I didn't attract a zombie! Joyous day!”

[rawrquel]

Ren stared straight at her old home town in front of her. She gulped and stared at the place. She hadn't been back since the outbreak had happened. Of course she had thought about returning before but the fact that her parents had died here disturbed her a bit. Ren sighed heading into the ruins seeing the broken into gas station, a few buildings with shattered windows.

Each vehicle she passed she scanned the insides of them, most of them had been cleaned out as expected. She shrugged though seeing a crowd of Zombies in an alley feeding off of an animal or even another soul like herself. She snuck by quickly though, knowing they would catch her scent at some point.

It wasn't long before she found herself in front of some apartments. She looked up and frowned a bit. This place looked familiar. She thought then glanced around pulling out her gun from her side. She slipped inside the front of the abandoned apartments, listening for any intruders inside. She walked slowly scanning the counter then heading up the stairs since well the elevators didn't exactly work anymore.

Ren blinked as she headed up the stairs, till she heard someone and blinked. A smirk slid onto her face and she held her gun up ready to shoot a bullet through anyone's head. Well at least anyone worthy of receiving one of her bullets.

Ren turned a corner into a room and rummaged through some of the drawers, pocketing a few things she found here and there. But nothing was really to that great importance. She heard movement again and moved towards the room, with the sound. Ren spun around inside, pointing her gun at the man, who in just moments had his gun pointed at her as well.

“Hey, hey!” The man said, who seemed to be happy...“I didn't attract a zombie! Joyous day!” He said and she raised a brow, not lowering her pistol just yet. She wasn't quite sure if he was an enemy or not.

"Yes....but do you trust me enough to honestly be that happy.." She asked staring at him still, scanning him a moment. "Because I do not trust you." She added staring him down, keeping her gun aimed and ready.

[God Mike]

"Yes....but do you trust me enough to honestly be that happy.." Mike grinned when he saw the woman not lowering her gun. She was a pretty suspicious person, it seemed. Not that Mike blamed her. Not everyone was as friendly as Mike was. "Because I do not trust you."

“Well, can't really say I trust you yet, love, but I'm Howlin' Mad Mike. I'm always happy,” he said, still grinning as he holstered his revolver as a sign of non-violence. “But, here's the thing, lady,” he continued as he pulled off his gas mask, clasping it onto the side of his backpack. He grabbed one of the throwing knives sheathed in his belt and pulled it out, twirling it between his fingers.

“You see, I throw this knife, it lodges in your throat, and you drop your gun and bleed out on the floor. This results in a dead pretty girl. You shoot that gun, I fall and bleed out. This results in a dead Mikey. That option is just as bad as the first, if not worse, because you see, that gun will make a big boom, a boom that will attract zombies. So even if you fire that gun, you lose. So, why don't you just put it down and introduce yourself? Hell, I'll go first.”

Mike grinned widely. “I'm Howlin' Mad Michael Andersson, the self-proclaimed most handsome Swedish multilingual ninja in history. I am also a self-proclaimed ace pilot and all around madman,” he introduced with a deep bow. As he came out of the bow, he sheathed his throwing knife again. “So, what's it gonna be? Big boom and zombie rush? Or friendly conversation?”

[rawrquel]

Serenity stared at him as he looked at her, a grin still on his face. “Well, can't really say I trust you yet, love, but I'm Howlin' Mad Mike. I'm always happy,” He stated and then she raised a brow especially when he place his gun back on his side. “But, here's the thing, lady,” With that he pulled off the mask he wore, hanging it off the side of his bag, then he pulled a knife. Ren's brows Knit together and she raised her gun a little higher again, aiming it for his head.

“You see, I throw this knife, it lodges in your throat, and you drop your gun and bleed out on the floor. This results in a dead pretty girl. You shoot that gun, I fall and bleed out. This results in a dead Mikey. That option is just as bad as the first, if not worse, because you see, that gun will make a big boom, a boom that will attract zombies. So even if you fire that gun, you lose. So, why don't you just put it down and introduce yourself? Hell, I'll go first.” Was he serious? She lowered her gun just a bit and looked at him a bit confused by his attitude. Over all though he was right about the situation.

His grin was wide and indeed happy...“I'm Howlin' Mad Michael Andersson, the self-proclaimed most handsome Swedish multilingual ninja in history. I am also a self-proclaimed ace pilot and all around madman, So, what's it gonna be? Big boom and zombie rush? Or friendly conversation?” Ren stared at him a moment longer and then slowly spun her gun in her hand, slipping it into its holster.

Ren sighed and took a couple steps closer, but she moved slowly. "Serenity." She said simply. "Serenity Dawson....some....well my family use to call me Ren" She stated staring at him closely, just in case he got any ideas. "You talk too much you know that." She added, sometimes she couldn't exactly help but say what was on her mind. "You always so kind to strangers?"

[God Mike]

"Serenity." The girl said finally after spinning her gun on her finger and holstering it. "Serenity Dawson....some....well my family use to call me Ren" she said, moving closer to him. Aaah, so she was one of those people who had lost her loved ones during the zombie outbreak. Mike could somewhat sympathize.

"You talk too much you know that." Mike snorted at that, smiling. That was, by far, the understatement of the year. Joe had told him many, many, many, many, many times that he talked too much. Sometimes, Mike even shouted random stuff in Japanese in his sleep, which, considering their bedrooms were right next to each other, startled Joe awake every time. "You always so kind to strangers?"

“Only the pretty ones who don't try to put a bullet in my head,” Mike said with a grin, which faltered slightly. “And the ugly ones. And the normal ones. And even those who try to put a bullet in my head... You know what? Yes, I am always so kind to strangers. Mostly. It depends on my mood, really.”

Mike took off his backpack and opened it, reaching into it and pulling out a can of spray paint, before turning to the wall. “You know, I think I'm gonna call you Say. It sounds good, doesn't it?” he asked as he started painting his 'crest,' a gas mask over two crossed swords, before writing 'Mike wuzz here, bitches!' under it. “I've always been good at naming things. Those big zombies that can jump? Call 'em Jumpers. The gassers are Trippers and Para-Zoms, then there are the Gliders, and the Big Fuckers.”

Mike hummed to himself as he stared at his work, before turning to face Say again, hopping up to sit on the dresser, on which his backpack stood. “Can you tell I don't talk to a lot of people, save for my friend and roommate?”

[rawrquel]

Ren stared at this man, he was strange but amusing none the least. She hadn't exactly had much human contact for years, and when she did it was usually someone who didn't want her company. It was kinda weird that Mike here, was up for the chit chat. “Only the pretty ones who don't try to put a bullet in my head,” Ren looked up from her thoughts then and smirked slightly. His grin faltered a bit though, and he continued..“And the ugly ones. And the normal ones. And even those who try to put a bullet in my head... You know what? Yes, I am always so kind to strangers. Mostly. It depends on my mood, really.”

Serenity couldn't help but laugh a bit at that. Well he had a sense of humor that was for sure. “You know, I think I'm gonna call you Say. It sounds good, doesn't it?" He said suddenly, and she thought about it. Where in the hell did he get 'Say' from. She shrugged though and watched as he began to spray paint the wall, stepping back, the smell of the paint filling the air around them. “I've always been good at naming things. Those big zombies that can jump? Call 'em Jumpers. The gassers are Trippers and Para-Zoms, then there are the Gliders, and the Big Fuckers.” She really didn't need to speak to keep him occupied. The more she stood there, the more he thought up to talk about.

“Can you tell I don't talk to a lot of people, save for my friend and roommate?” Ren chuckled and walked over looking at his work up close. "A little....you definitely have a lot to talk about." She said then smirked a bit.

"So....which one am I?" She asked raising her brow. "The pretty one....or the ugly one?" She asked with a raise of her brow. A hint of a smirk remained on her lips though. "I mean I was gonna shoot you in the head....so....wasn't sure which one I qualified as." She said with a shrug, her green eyes glancing up at him.

[God Mike]

"A little....you definitely have a lot to talk about." Say said as she walked up to the wall, looking over the crest that he had painted, while Mike stuffed his spray can into the backpack again and put it on. He stared at her for a while, then shook his head ruefully.

“I really don't, you know,” he admitted. “I don't have many interesting things to say, so I just, you know, say whatever pops into my head. It's pretty amusing, and it is very effective when it comes to confusing people. I mean, if you stand in a bar and suddenly say, 'Spatula!' people will definitely wonder what the hell you're talking about, and so you become the focus of everyone's attention.”

Simple Mike logic. Don't have everyone's attention? Grab it. Simple as that. "So....which one am I?" Say asked with a raised eyebrow, a small smirk on her face. "The pretty one....or the ugly one? I mean I was gonna shoot you in the head....so....wasn't sure which one I qualified as."

“Well, I did say that if I threw a knife into your throat, we'd have a dead pretty girl, so... pretty, I'd say. But I dunno, the lighting in here is pretty bad,” Mike admitted, never one to say something simply to please someone. Therefore, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a flashlight. The sunlight was shining in through the windows, but it was still a bit dim. Therefore, he lit his flashlight and shined it on her face, humming. “Yeah, definitely a pretty one.”

Mike turned off his flashlight and hopped off the dresser. He walked over to the window and looked down at the street, seeing only a single zombie out there, but he knew more were in the buildings lining the street. “You know, you seem like one of those people who consider the zombies to be a curse, rather than a blessing. Why is that, exactly. I mean, I don't understand your reasoning.”

[rawrquel]

“I really don't, you know,” He stated and she looked at him curiously. “I don't have many interesting things to say, so I just, you know, say whatever pops into my head. It's pretty amusing, and it is very effective when it comes to confusing people. I mean, if you stand in a bar and suddenly say, 'Spatula!' people will definitely wonder what the hell you're talking about, and so you become the focus of everyone's attention.” He had interesting logic. She was just never really one to take others attention though. She traveled by herself and really actually didn't everything on her own.

“Well, I did say that if I threw a knife into your throat, we'd have a dead pretty girl, so... pretty, I'd say. But I dunno, the lighting in here is pretty bad,” He said and she rolled her eyes, she didn't stop smiling though. Men. He pulled out a flashlight though and then flashed it in her face making her squint a bit. “Yeah, definitely a pretty one.” He stated turning off the flashlight and jumping off the dresser. Ren raised a brow and watched him, turning and sitting on the dresser a moment.

“You know, you seem like one of those people who consider the zombies to be a curse, rather than a blessing. Why is that, exactly. I mean, I don't understand your reasoning.” He asked and she stared at him thinking about that for just a moment.

"Well.....I wouldn't say it as so much of a curse." She shrugged then looked out the window. "I just have a grudge against them because they took so much from me." She stated, unsure if she should really be sharing her life story with this guy. Ah what the hell. "I..lost my mother and father, and my brothers to the outbreak. I also....was.." She sighed. "I was pregnant at the time." She said but didn't say anymore than that. She moved over to the window and looked out. "Things happen....who knows why this happened to our home....but....I have a reason to dislike these .....creatures of sorts." She said with a sigh.

"So....I'm guess this is all fun for you then? It makes life more interesting right?" She asked.

[God Mike]

"Well.....I wouldn't say it as so much of a curse." she said with a shrug, looking out the window as well. "I just have a grudge against them because they took so much from me. I..lost my mother and father, and my brothers to the outbreak. I also....was.. I was pregnant at the time." The left corner of Mike's mouth tugged to the side at that, while Say walked over to the window, staring down at the street.

"Things happen....who knows why this happened to our home....but....I have a reason to dislike these .....creatures of sorts." she confessed, sighing. Mike had to admit, this was a bit depressing. He didn't like it at all. "So....I'm guess this is all fun for you then? It makes life more interesting right?"

Mike grinned when the attention was focused on him. “Of course! I mean, it's not really fun to get shot in the ass by a Marauder, or shot at all, but this is the age to live in. Back before the outbreak, there were all these rules telling me what I could and couldn't do, what was right, and what was wrong, and usually, the things I liked to do, stealing, fighting, painting, etcetera, were illegal, so I got into trouble.”

Mike stepped away from the window and grabbed his gas mask again, putting it on. “Sorry,” he said, gesturing for the gas mask. “I feel kinda naked when my face isn't covered. Anyway, this new world suits me just fine. The only thing that sucks is that the zombies are evolving.”

[rawrquel]

Serenity hadn't meant to get all depressing, she hadn't exactly spoke to someone in a good while. Having a real conversation was nice she had to admit. She noticed how her story made Mike react but thinking about it as much as she did, was worse then actually talking about it for once.

His smile returned suddenly though, and she smiled a bit as well. “Of course! I mean, it's not really fun to get shot in the ass by a Marauder, or shot at all, but this is the age to live in. Back before the outbreak, there were all these rules telling me what I could and couldn't do, what was right, and what was wrong, and usually, the things I liked to do, stealing, fighting, painting, etcetera, were illegal, so I got into trouble.” So he was a trouble maker. Sounded fun. She had to admit life could get boring fast in this time and day. If she ever got bored, she would find a swarm of zombies, enjoying herself while she slaughtered every single one.

Ren looked up when Mike lifted his mask and put it on. Was he planning on painting again? “Sorry,” he apologized. “I feel kinda naked when my face isn't covered. Anyway, this new world suits me just fine. The only thing that sucks is that the zombies are evolving.”

Ren smiled and then nodded, "Its fine." She said then looked out at the few zombies again. "It is definitely funner than the old world." She said then smirked. "I have to admit...killing these suckers once in a while....is quite fun." She admitted then glanced at Mike.

"you said you have a room mate....So you actually have a home out here...a good place to stay?" She asked. Serenity had never really tried to settle down. She was a drifter mostly, moved along, gathered things and camped out a lot. She didn't mind it, but seeing as some people found homes, interested her a bit.

[God Mike]

"Its fine." Say said, looking out the window again. "It is definitely funner than the old world. I have to admit...killing these suckers once in a while....is quite fun." Hoh, so she wasn't just depressing, then? That was good to know. It would be boring if she'd just try to bring him down all the time with talk of the old world. He had only just gotten Joe to stop talking about it.

Speaking of Joe... "you said you have a room mate....So you actually have a home out here...a good place to stay?" Say asked, and Mike nodded.

“Well, it hasn't been my home for long, maybe just... a year or even less. I only stayed there a couple of months, then we started traveling the world, before coming back here a couple of months ago,” he admitted with a shrug. “It's this old military radio bunker a couple of hours' drive to the west. It's nice there, but I really do love being on the road.”

Mike grinned again, even though Say couldn't see it. “But I have to admit, it's really nice to actually have a dojo to train in again. Haven't had one in years. You can come with me, if you want? I'm sure Joe wouldn't mind a visitor.”

[rawrquel]

“Well, it hasn't been my home for long, maybe just... a year or even less. I only stayed there a couple of months, then we started traveling the world, before coming back here a couple of months ago,” Ren was a bit surprised to hear this but she nodded. It must be nice to have a home. At least one that is decently safe until the zombies finally make their way in.

Ren use to want a family, be married and everything. Now she wasn't quite sure it was possible. “It's this old military radio bunker a couple of hours' drive to the west. It's nice there, but I really do love being on the road.” He continued and she nodded looking outside again and staring down the road. “But I have to admit, it's really nice to actually have a dojo to train in again. Haven't had one in years. You can come with me, if you want? I'm sure Joe wouldn't mind a visitor.”

Serenity raised a brow, a bit surprised by the invite but she smiled and thought about it a moment. "Well....I don't want to intrude." She said thinking about it. "but I kinda would like to see it." She muttered again.