Sophie Wilde's Story

Sophie slumped in one of the comfort chairs, she hadn't slept all night as images of cranks plagued her dreams. She was safe here she new that, but the Cranks were always out there waiting and that thought weighed heavily on her mind. She rubbed her temples slowly trying to relieve the slowly brewing headache, she knew they had some paracetamol in stock at the infirmary but she didn't like to waste supplies, best they make it last then send more people out to scavenge.

Thinking of the infirmary she should be getting back, luckily there is no major sickness or wounds to be tended which is rare, the quietness of it all made her nervous. She curled her legs up on the chair and hugged them to her chest tightly as she tried to banish the thoughts from her head, she had to stay positive if not for herself but for the others, if she showed her emotions then it would only make them worry too. Closing her eyes she tried to think of more pleasant times.

Jack knew many languages, but, he couldn't speak, so his lingual dexterity was pretty much useless. He couldn't sleep the night before, since he had been bombarded by the sight of his grandfather, dead. He wasn't afraid of the cranks, but, instead he was afraid of what he didn't know they could do. Could they still read? Could they still operate guns and bombs? If so, how much time until the group's little oasis was invaded? They couldn't stay here forever, could they?

He was in the second red chair, next to Sophie. His hair was neat and in it's usual design. He rarely needed to comb his hair, since it usually conformed to the shape it was used to. Jack was usually the one teaching the young children how to do jobs. He had taught one child about computers, and that child could now do more than Jack could. Jack had been working on a project lately, but, he told no one about it. He worked on it in the room designated to be his and Sophie's, so she could have seen him working on it. He had been drawing out schematics for a generator, and grabbing books from locations around the mall pertaining to energy. He couldn't rely on the power in the mall to be on forever, so he would need to create his own source of energy. Perhaps solar panels would work, but it would be a pain getting them onto the roof and setting up the power system.

Jack carried his laptop with him everywhere, in case he needed to note things around the mall. He kept a list of the supplies the "RMK", or as he dubbed the mall, had every week. "RMK" stood for "Redbrook Mall Kids". He opened up a new document on his laptop and began typing something quickly, looking over at Sophie while writing this. He hadn't told anyone about his being mute, since he had thought that his condition was a normality. However, it became more apparent that he was different from others from the day he's first been at the mall. Might as well tell someone about this. Who better to tell about his condition than the head nurse and his roommate? Hee noticed that she appeared to be in distress, so he opened another document and began typing furiously fast. His revelation could wait, this was more important. The new document read "Excuse me, but do you need help?" He hated not being able to voice his question. He stood from his chair and carried his laptop with him. He then went to the girl, tapping her shoulder lightly when he approached. He pointed the laptop's screen towards her. He had a worried expression on his face. She seemed like a nice enough girl, but he rarely spoke to people.

Sophie was roused from her daydreaming and opened her eyes to find her room mate Jack before her. Since sharing a room together Jack hadn't spoke a word to her, at first she thought maybe he didn't like her but she soon realized it wasn't just her, he wouldn't speak to anyone. Her latest theory was that before he found this place something traumatic had happened to him , most likely to do with the cranks, and that this was just his way of dealing with it. Maybe she was right, maybe she was wrong, either way she couldn't ask him, everyone needed their privacy and she wasn't going to be so rude as to invade his.

He's smart though. She knew that right away, she didn't need him to tell her that. He like her seems to have trouble sleeping, and sometimes she catches him drawing up designs that mean nothing more than scribbles to her. She mostly leaves him to it not wanting to disturbs his concentration and instead goes for a walk to clear her mind.

She looked up from the chair still hugging her legs tight. He was holding his faithful laptop that never left his side, he had typed something "Excuse me, but do you need help?". He must have seen her musing through her worried thoughts, her expression giving way to what she was thinking. She smiled up at the boy, his expression portraying that of hers only a few moments ago. "I'm fine, just a bit of a headache coming that's all, probably just need to get some rest"

Jack had a varied amount of skills, but he wasn't particularly skilled in one skill. He could fix machinery, but it would take him longer to fix it than it would an expert engineer. The plans he wrote out every night were simply backups, since most of his work was stored on his laptop's memory. He didn't want to accidentally break his laptop and have to redo all his work. He planned on passing on his work to someone more skilled in machinery than him, so said person could advance his work.

He was not used to having to do stuff on his own, since his grandfather usually guided Jack. He expected to be told what to do from the day he came here, but, he just slipped into the job of Oddjob Leader. Ironic, isn't it? Having a mute as a leader. At first, he had no idea what to do, but he eventually started doing his own things, helping out when needed. He managed to get by being a leader by simply using hand gestures and sign language to those who could understand him. When confronted with a task he didn't know how to do, he would try figuring out how to do said task by learning from a master or from a book.

He looked at her face once she looked up, hoping to not see a tear-streaked face. His laptop was mildly heavy, but, he was strong. He felt relieved that she was smiling, but, he quickly noticed that she could just be hiding her emotions. "I'm fine, just a bit of a headache coming that's all, probably just need to get some rest." She said "probably" which probably meant she knew that rest wouldn't help get rid of a headache's cause. Sure sleep could get rid of the headache itself, but rarely could it get rid of the cause of the headache. Acupuncture could work, but honestly, he would kill her if he tried doing a thing like that. He had many skills, but acupuncture just wasn't one of them.

He erased what he typed earlier and began typing again, with the same speed but not as much haste. "Do you know what's causing your headache? Migraines? Stress?" He could probably figure out how to help, probably. He had some experience in the medical field, but it was mostly physical wounds that could be healed in one or two hours. He wasn't licensed, so he could end up making a condition worse than it originally would have been. And, he doubted surgery would be of much use. His grandfather used to have migraines, but there were usually pills to help.

He then thought to add something, "Would you rather I leave?" He knew that privacy could help, since most people didn't want to be seen in a weak state. He guessed that stress was the most probable reason for her headache, with the new virus and all. He didn't want to pry in her life, unless she particularly wished to talk about her own life. He had listened to the stories of many of the people in the mall, since he appeared as a humble person who wouldn't gossip.

Still holding herself together she watched as Jack spun his laptop around and started to type, his fingers hitting the keys becoming a blur."Do you know what's causing your headache? Migraines? Stress?" Sophie thought for a moment, she new it was from the lack of sleep and all the worrying shes being doing lately, but should she really tell him that? She was the lead nurse, she should be strong and positive for everyone, and she hated burdening others with her own problems. Sophie had always been a good listener, but when it came to her own problems its best to keep them in her head.One of her favorite quotes she ever read was 'When you talk you are repeating what you already know. But if you listen you may learn something new', she cant remember which of the many books she read it from, but it was a line that had always stuck with her.

Before she could even reply to Jack questions his hands dashed to the key board again working fast "Would you rather I leave?"He knew. She could see that he obviously understood that there was more than just a headache spinning around in her head, she really had never been good at acting. That was it, that was all it took. She could feel the pressure in her eyes threatening the spill her tears. She was over exaggerating, she was safe, she had supplies and friends around her, that's a lot more than most people these days.

She ran her hands through her hair ruffly avoided looking up at Jacks face. Quickly she reeled in her emotions, forced her tears not to spill, and lifted her face giving him her best attempt at a million dollar smile. "I'm fine seriously just hope I sleep better tonight, are you sleeping okay lately?' That's it she thought, talk about him. Listen to him.

Quincey Coyote
With an awfull sickness Quincey walked into the social area. The lack of proper food wasn't good for her pregnancy. Sure, there was enough food, but just not all the right things for someone carrying a baby. She knew that she couldn't do anything about it so she didn't really think about it. All she hoped was that the kid would be alright. She let out a sigh as she sat down. On the chair a few meters in front of her Sophie was sitting. You could clearly see that girl wasn't feeling too well. Quincy could catch a few words of her conversation with Jack. Enough to hear that she didn't really want to talk about it. So Quincey just left it.

She suddenly felt a hot flash coming up. Trying to cool down she waved with her hand in the direction of her face. The heath was starting to make her feel dizzy. She wanted to get some fresh air, but she knew that it wasn't possible. She'd be killed of immediately.

Jack didn't only listen to the response, he also paid attention to how long it took her to respond, the tone of her voice, and many other things indicating her current situation. He knew that she probably wouldn't come out and tell him what was causing her migraines. In all honesty, he probably wouldn't either. However, the mall couldn't have a head nurse who had emotional problems. He was still trying to decide between pushing harder or letting Sophie resolve her emotional problems on her own.

He had tried asking a different question, to better understand her situation. He was probably getting close to the source of headache, but then again, nothing was ever that simple. He probably should have stopped, since he wasn't completely sure of his mental state. She started ruffling her hair, a sign of nervousness. So his suspicion was correct, she did have some form of stress. "I'm fine seriously just hope I sleep better tonight, are you sleeping okay lately?" She seemed to be forcing a smile, but, he couldn't be sure. It was obvious to him that she was trying to advert his attention. This tatic would work on most people, since people were self-centered. However, he wasn't one to bother with self-pity and holding on to emotions, or at least that's what he told himself. He erased the previous text and began typing lighly, with a serene smile on his face. "Quite frankly, no, sleep is a pretty hard thing to get for anyone these days. However, I shouldn't be saddened by my condition, others have it much worse than I do. I'm lucky I managed to get here." He was finished. His fingers prepared to tell the girl about his grandfather, but he stopped and decided not to mention that. He shouldn't act as if he was a pitiful type of person.

He didn't notice the other female(Quincey) walking into the Social Area until he turned around and saw her fanning herself, seemingly tired. He thought that she was pregnant, but, it would be quite rude for him to ask. He quickly turned around the laptop so it faced him, then began typing. "Sorry to cut our meeting short, but I don't think that girl is too well." Jack put the laptop on the table next to Sophie and turned it towards her. He didn't care if she looked around his computer, since all of his private information was written in a code that only he knew how to decode.

He walked towards the other girl(Quincey), remembering that he would need another form of communication. He checked his pockets and brought out a sketchbook. He then brought out a pencil and began writing in the notebook. His handwriting was careful and fluid, but he didn't take too much time writing. "How can I help?" He decided not to bother asking what was happening, since that would be a waste of time. He could worry about questions later. His voice would have been calm and collected, that is, if he even had a voice.

Her tactic had seemed to work, "Quite frankly, no, sleep is a pretty hard thing to get for anyone these days. However, I shouldn't be saddened by my condition, others have it much worse than I do. I'm lucky I managed to get here." His thoughts reflected that of hers. They did have it better than most, and for that she should be thankful. She smiled now, not using it as a mask this was a genuine smile, a perfect portrayal of her actual emotions feeling slightly comforted by Jack words.

She sensed his fingers ready themselves to type more but he seemed to hold back. Strange, what did he want to say? Before she could ponder anymore about it she saw his attention was now focused somewhere else. Just as fast his fingers were hitting the keys at a rapid pace again, whilst swiftly moving to place the laptop next to her, "Sorry to cut our meeting short, but I don't think that girl is too well." She snapped her head up to see him walked towards Quin who was attempting to cool herself down.

She and Quin both worked in the infirmary and got on well. Sophie was getting more and more concerned with the pregnancy each day, no one here had ever delivered a baby and the only knowledge they had on it was from the books they had managed to find in the mall. The food and the living conditions here were far from ideal for a pregnant woman, Sophie never let Quin work too hard in the infirmary, giving her rests throughout the day to try and keep her strength up. Sophie sped out of the chair and reached her just as Jack showed her a message he had scribbled in his sketch pad.

Elsy sighed and looked around. She was in the middle of the mall. She'd just been here for a week and she'd barely slept this week. Her nights were plagued with nightmares. She would imagine her mother's cries in her sleep. She saw a figure sometimes... She was never able to make out the face but she was certain it was the crank. Elsy idly shook until she came back to her senses. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and forced herself to move on.

Elsy walked down the hall and looked around. She didn't know what to do. She saw a group talking by the red chairs but didn't know if she should go talk... Elsy was shy... She bit her lip.

"C'mon Elsy! Go talk to them! Don't be a woos!" her inner voice told her.

Elsy started forward but couldn't get herself to continue on. She was nervous. She shook her head. She couldn't do it. She barely knew them... Elsy was too fragile... She couldn't approach people... She was just too nervous... To get a word out of her, you'd have to be the one to approach her. Elsy started to shake. She shook her head. "No!" she whispered and ran off. She ran past the gym and she glanced and saw a boy and a girl but she didn't dare slow down. She needed some alone time. She ran to the only place she knew she could be alone. She ran to the supply closet. She closed the door behind her and let herself slide down the wall into a sitting position. She looked down at her wrist. She stared longingly at the charm bracelet that had belonged to her mother once upon a time. She wiped a tear from her eye as she remembered that her mother was no longer with her. It was hard to believe some times but Elsy needed to get over it.

''Seriously, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine.'' Quincey said smiling a little. ''I think there's someone who needs help more than I do..''

She nodded at Hazel, who was crying. She walked to her and asked:

''What's wrong sweetie?''



( sorry short post but I'm very busy at the moment )

Jack listened to what the girl was going to say. "Seriously, you don't have to worry about me. I'm fine.'' She was smiling when she said this. Jack decided not to pursue the problem any further. ''I think there's someone who needs help more than I do..'' She stated. Jack had thought not to interfere any further into the lives of the mall's tenants. He was about to say something, but he forgot he couldn't speak.

He looked at the door, then decided to just leave to the room designated to him and the other girl. He was starting to think that this mall was harder than living alone, but then again, loneliness could be just as dangerous. He decided not to bother anyone else, and to just leave. He walked back to where his laptop was, then left with it in his hands. He made sure not to interrupt anything when he left, walking silently and efficiently. He then, went to room three,put his laptop away, and laid his body on the floor. If someone wanted him, they could find him in the room, but he doubted anyone would want him at this time of day. Unless they needed help with a job rarely anyone was skilled at. He usually went around the mall, listening to the mall's problems and trying to fix said problems. He had heard about the computers, but he quite frankly, didn't have enough time to get working on them. Perhaps he could if he had someone to help, but he doubted anyone was capable of helping.

Now that he thought about it, perhaps it would have been better if no one came to bother him, but he probably wasn't going to be that lucky.

Quincy the poor girl tried to reassure everyone she was fine, but that didn't stop Sophie from worrying as she stared examining the girl. Before she could say a word Quincy was walking away towards Hazel who she now realised was crying. Sophie made her way over to see what was wrong, but not before she noticed Jack slyly slip away through the door, why is he so quiet? This thought had been bugging Sophie ever since the two had shared a room, that's it tonight ill try to talk to him.

Happy with her decision she turned her attention to Hazel.

"It's just the movie making me emotional"

Sophie relaxed slightly and watched the flickering tv screen "I used to love titanic! No wonder your crying" Keira laughed it was true, Titanic could turn anyone into an emotional wreck. Turning away from the screen she glanced at the doorway, should I go find him now?