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Kade Murphy Pearce

"As long as I'm not assigned to any important roles, we'll all be fine."

0 · 573 views · located in New York City, The Apocalypse

a character in “Virus”, as played by Thadine

Description

Kade | Murphy | Pearce



ImageImage


| Nickname |

He has no nicknames, except those from his family, and he would never tell them to anyone. Partially because they’re embarrassing, and partially because they’re reserved for his family, and no one else.

| Age |

23

| Gender |

Male

”Some people call me a girl though...”

| Role |

Immune. He’s not going to let anyone know that anytime soon though.

“I have reasons to keep it a secret.”

| Appearance |


ImageHeight:Image

Kade stands at an even 6 feet tall. His height may seem menacing to a few, but combined with his lack of muscle, and thin build, he just appears lanky and hardly strong.

Hair:

Kade's hair is a natural colour, undyed and hardly tampered with. It's a chestnut brown when in sunlight, yet is seen as a regular shade of light brown while in low-lightning. It's cut unevenly, with many layers and small strays sticking out, for he cuts his own hair rather than wasting money for someone to cut it for him. It goes to about the nape of neck, roughly, and can be seen in many different styles. His bangs are usually put off to the side, or non-existent. When it is unbrushed, it has slight curls that bunch up, making it appear slightly shorter. It is like this most of the time, and appears unkempt and messy to anyone else. On rare occassions, he'll style it so that it looks neat and uncurled. His hair often gets in the way of his vision, so he's seen fiddling with it often.

Eyes:

They're really nothing special. Usually, they appear to be just a light shade of brown, a colour almost similar to his hair. When the sun hits it right though, shades of green, gold, and brown can be seen throughout. The skin surrounding his eyes though is oddly darker than the rest of his skin, and no matter how much sleep he gets, there always appear to be bags underneath his eyes. He looks completely exhausted half the time, even though he might be energetic and awake on that certain day.

Facial Structure/Skin:

Kade's facial features neither make him look espeically mature, or young. In a way, they all kind of balance out. His chin is slightly squared, and though this may make him appear more masculine, the hair that frames his face makes it appear a bit more thin, taking away that trait. His nose is small, yet if you look closely you can see that it's slightly crooked, due to the few times he had broken it in his youth. His lips may appear thin, however when he smiles, it exceptionally wide, and lights up his entire face. Though his cheekbones are neither high or low, they are especially prominent, giving him an almost skeletal appearance in certain lighting, or while doing various facial expressions. Most of his emotions are reflected in his eyes, as attention is drawn to them right away due to how dark the skin is around them. The rest of his skin however is not ghostly white, but of a natural, lightly-tanned shade.

Clothing/Style:

Kade has an odd, slightly formal, slightly 'I don't care' style in the way he dresses. Wearing corduroy jackets and dress shirts, you'd think that he'd look like someone who takes great care of himself. Honestly though, it's like he couldn't even see the clothing he chose every morning. Going around with clashing colous, plaid and stripes, dirty sneakers and the finest jacket, you'd think he was blind. Kade just happens to see things differently...his current clothing is a tan corduroy jacket with a dark purple dress shirt, blue jeans, and black high-tops.




| Personality |


“Geeky, introverted, socially-awkward...I don’t like talking about myself. Can we just skip this part?"


Image
Kade can be described with a number of words. Some admire him for his intelligence and patience, but others see only his clumsiness and difficulty with people, and instantly characterize him as the typical ‘nerd’ or ‘geek’. A diligent student, Kade got into medical school as soon as he could. With no other hobbies besides puzzles or reading, he had lots of time to study and learn. Seeing the world with an open mind helped him during school, and he became some of the teacher’s favourite student. Though he approaches learning without any fear, his take on regular people is much different.

At a young age, his awkwardness and intelligence made him the target for many school bullies. He’d come home with a bleeding nose, and wake up with bruises. Though resistant to their words, the physical injuries left scars. Because of his difficult trek through middle school and high school, he became even more withdrawn than he already was. Now, he hardly speaks unless spoken too, and lacks any sort of self-confidence. Because he’s not around people often, he can’t read emotions or facial expressions very well, so may come off as a bit cold. Really, he’s just clueless.

When speaking with others, many of his bad habits will start up. He’ll tap his fingers, play with whatever is in his hand, bite his nails, and look around the room nervously. He tries to avoid contact with people as much as he can. When he does talk to people he doesn’t know, he tends to stutter, or direct his eye contact somewhere else. He often has many good ideas, and likes to do what he can to help people, but doesn’t stand up for himself and won’t speak up, in fear that he will be attacked verbally by other people. He thinks very low of himself, and only finds himself comfortable around authority figures, leaders and adults. In a way, his mind set is a lot like a child, looking up to those with leadership. Also in the fact that he’s...an extreme pacifist. Whenever he was getting pushed around, he never fought back, not once. At the time, it was just because he didn’t have the strength. Now, he believes that violence of any sort is wrong. Therefore, seeing these things out on the street that look so similar to humans...he would never dare harm them, unless forced to.

He’s not completely useless, however. Though often just a bundle of nerves, his patience allows him to think things through, and make good decisions for the benefit of himself, and others. His intelligence is spread throughout all fields, and he knows a little bit about almost everything. Though he may seem overly negative towards himself, he is optimistic for other people, and can always find something good in even the worst situations. Rarely, he’ll even be a bit silly in order to cheer someone up. If he manages to get comfortable around people, he can become quite the opposite of his outside-self. He will make jokes, be encouraging, and even smile every once in awhile. He's not so great at taking jokes though, however. Kade has an odd form of innocence. While he's seen blood and guts during training to be a surgeon, he would never understand the most basic dirty joke, or even sarcasm for that matter.



| Likes |

  • Reading books on almost anything.
    They comfort me...take me away from the world.”

  • His family.
    “They take care of me, pay my student fees, and encourage me, for the most part. What more could I ask for?”

  • Medical School
    "One day, I’ll be a surgeon. I’ll save lives. Plus, everyone there accepts me.”

  • Children
    “They can be annoying sometimes, but they are fascinated by the smallest things, things we take for granted. I admire that.”

  • Puzzles/Mind Games
    “After figuring something out that no one else understands, I kind of feel proud of myself.”

  • Tea
    “A healthier alternative to coffee.”

  • Baseball
    "The only sport I can play, somewhat.."


| Dislikes |

  • Violence.
    "In violence, we forget who we are."

  • Chocolate
    “Just another thing to add onto my list of odd quirks.”

  • Sarcasm
    “I’m not really good at picking up on it, and people tend to use it a lot when they’re around me.”

  • Impatience
    “I don’t understand why people get so stressed over having to wait for just a little while...”

  • Animals
    “I can’t pick up on their patterns...they’re just completely unpredictable. Especially cats. What’s wrong with those things?”

  • When people use ‘A lot’ as one word.
    “Doesn’t that bother you?....No?”



| Fears |

  • Guns
    “Well, more the person holding the gun.”

  • Large Crowds
    “I start to hyperventilate...I think I’m slightly claustrophobic.”

  • Losing his family
    “I kind of depend on them. They’re the only people I’m comfortable around...if I lost them, I don’t know who I’d turn to.”


Image


| Weapons |

-Baseball Bat: From his childhood. Baseball was the only sport he played, even if he only did it for a year. He keeps this as sort of a memory of his family, and as an excuse. He doesn’t want a real weapon because he doesn’t know how to use one. This keeps the zombies away if he needs some space. He’s still reluctant about hitting anything with it though.

A Revolver: Almost brand new, with a modern swing-out cylinder and lots of ammo in his bag. Too bad he doesn't know how to use it. Kade keeps it on him, but hidden underneath his jacket for no one to see.




| Inventory |

-Medical Supplies: Basic things such as gauze, disinfectant, supplies in case an injury needs stitching, pain pills, etc.
-Food: Only a few canned goods, as those weigh him down. He has many things that take a long time to go bad, but are light. Such as granola bars, raisins, etc.
-Two Books: A collection of Shakespeare’s various plays, including ‘The Merchant of Venice’, ‘Macbeth’, ‘A Midsummer’s Night Dream’, and the classic ‘Romeo and Juliet’. All in one book, just for convenience. As well, he has the entire Lord of the Rings collection. These items weigh him down on his travels, but take him on an escape from the real world for awhile. Everyone needs something to lift their spirits.
-Blanket: Just a simple knitted blanket, chocolate brown.
-Pen: Who knows when he’ll have to jot down a note about the creatures? Or leave a message.
-Water: Can’t live for more than a week without it.
-Clothing: Not very much. He brought along another shirt and pair of pants. He figures that he is fine with the jacket he’s wearing, and the shoes he has.



Skills:

-Knowledge of Injuries, Wounds, and Medical Supplies: No matter what the injury, he’s got you covered. His good memory has allowed him to pick up most things he reads from books. His strong stomach also helps when he’s faced with blood and gore. He could diagnose or fix almost anything, with the right tools.
-Lack of Emotion: This may seem bad, but because he can’t read people very well, or connect with them, he feels almost nothing when they’re lost. This allows him to carry on easily, while others will stay in the same state, mourning for whatever happened. However, if he has managed to get close to somebody, and feels comfortable around them, he might be the one that ends up being most affected.
-Endurance: Running away from bullies in school had some positive effects. It allowed him to build up his endurance. Though he’s not extremely fast or strong, he can run for longer than most people, and continue doing an action like lifting or holding on for a large span of time. He is also able to be with injuries for a long time, and withstand moderate amounts of pain better than most.
-Patience: Give him a gun, and he might just have hands steady enough to actually get a good shot. His ability to focus on actions he is doing gives him deadly precision, though not enough speed. He will also take the time to learn things, though making several mistakes, hardly ever quits in any of his endeavours, and may end up becoming useful.


Image

Weaknesses:

-Lack of self-confidence: Due to this, he won’t speak up in conversations amongst groups. He feels his ideas aren’t really valued, even though they might fix the problem.
-Clumsiness: His height combined with little muscle, and no coordination has him knocking things over when he’s not paying attention, tripping over his own feet, or running into doors. Though when he puts all his focus into an act, he’s the complete opposite.
-Pacifism: Though this means he won’t hurt people on purpose, it also means that he won’t hit those zombies either. It’s not so much a choice now as an automatic response. They still look human, and if he had himself shooting one, or hitting one and killing them, he would be overcome with guilt.


History:

Born into a middle class family, with a happy mother and father, most of his childhood was carefree. At the age of 8, his sister Emelia was born. Everything was fine until he got into middle school. Naturally a quiet boy, he didn’t make many friends. Class presentations and speeches were extremely difficult for him. It wasn’t long until his stuttering habit and constant clumsiness attracted unwanted attention from aggressive students. He became the outlet for whatever anger they held inside, and soon, Kade was going to the hospital almost every month for broken or fractured bones. Afraid that people wouldn’t take him seriously though, he never spoke a word about how he got the injuries to teachers or parents. Kade learned how to lie to those that were close to him, and through the pain he experienced, built up an endurance to it. Through the many visits to the hospital, he came to admire the people that worked there. He decided then and there that he wanted to be a doctor when he was older, and help people.

It was a child’s ambitions, yet it guided his decisions in classes through high school, and later on. It pleased his mother, and made his younger sister proud, yet his father wasn’t impressed. He wanted a son that was the leader of the football team in Highschool, who had tons of friends, and was independent. Everything opposite of Kade, pretty much. Kade managed to somehow ignore this though, and continued doing what he loved, though still feeling slight guilt at not fitting the image his father wanted.

It was while he was in school he heard whispers of people talking about their family and friends acting weirdly. Automatically sceptical of anything supernatural-esque, he paid no mind to it, and continued his life on normally. The attacks started quickly after that, the next morning. One moment, everything was perfectly regular. The next, his family was being attacked by people. He thought it was some freak accident that happened only to them, until he glanced outside and saw the shadows of dozens of people stumbling down the sidewalks.

They left their house unharmed, grabbing what they needed, and driving as far away as they could before the vehicle ran out of gas. Planning to find a boat and get away from the city as soon as they could, they moved their way towards the coast. One night camping out though, his sister wandered out too far from the group. All he heard was an ear-piercing scream from far away, and Kade bolted to help her. Emelia had encountered one of the zombies, and without thinking, Kade pushed it away before it had time to latch onto her. It managed to sink its nails into his arm though, opening a fresh wound, surely infecting him.

He didn’t tell his parents that he had been injured. After getting Emelia back, they packed up and left before the zombie, or any others could come after them. After travelling for another night, and setting down to rest, Kade fell asleep, exposing his injured arm. Though he had cleaned most of the blood off, the strength of the creature had been strong enough to leave bruises. His father knew that this wasn’t from anything natural. Concerned for the sake of the rest of the family, he left Kade with a few weapons and supplies, and left for the docks without him, taking the rest of the family with him.

He’s been wandering for quite some time now. The only way he’s stayed alive is travelling by rooftop, mostly, and being able to heal himself whenever he has been injured. Usually, he would resent human company. Now, he wishes for it more than anything else.

So begins...

Kade Murphy Pearce's Story

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Character Portrait: Kade Murphy Pearce
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#, as written by Thadine
At the beginning, it had seemed like a dream. Those days travelling with his family towards the coast had felt like an out-of-body experience, almost as if he was watching his own actions from another place. Merely a spectator on what was happening, watching everything through a television screen. It was like he was walking while asleep. He expected to wake up at any moment in his bed at home, staring up at the blank ceiling, everything completely back to normal. When his family had left him though, that dream-like state ended suddenly, and reality came crashing down. Now, he knew it was real. The stumbling bodies that looked like corpses, the millions of dead people on the streets, the abandoned buildings and desolate streets...it was all real. It wasn’t an illusion or a nightmare, no matter how much he wished it would be.

Survival was never something he had to deal with before. He hardly even had to worry about getting enough money for schooling, or getting his own place. His mother and father did most of it for him. This sudden change of events threw him into a world he was unfamiliar with. Although he knew that there were people alive, and they were trying to deal with it too, he felt completely and utterly alone. It might have been the fact that he had seen absolutely no one ever since this happened. Kade had seen glimpses of groups of people, but didn’t bother to approach them. Whenever he noticed groups with lots of weapons, and a lack of supplies, he bolted in the opposite direction. After all, he didn’t have much, but it’d be enough for someone to kill him for. Having enough problems dealing with the infected, he didn’t want to worry about regular people either. No matter how much he wanted human company, he was going to wait until he was desperate, or he found someone who didn’t seem to be a threat.

The thought often crossed his mind that he might have possibly looked over people who could have become his allies. Kade’s paranoia often kept him away from people of any sort though, and he quickly eliminated his doubts. There was so much worry in his head all the time, so many fears. Some he could look over, and some he could not. His mind was a very selective thing when it came to people, situations, and decisions. One of his better decisions was to travel mostly by rooftop. So far, because of this, he had been able to avoid conflict with the infected, finding himself physically unable to harm them. They still looked human, and he would never hurt another person. Plus, he wasn’t even sure if his blows would be strong enough to harm them or keep them down. So far, Kade had only killed a few, and it was mostly from indirect means. Dropping heavy things off of buildings down into the streets where they walked, for example. Most of the time, he was able to escape their pursuit, or trap them somehow. He knew his ways with the infected wouldn’t sit well with most people, who found guns and knives much easier. Because of this, he was ready to lie about his skills and weaponry with people if he ever found them. Kade kept his gun hidden, and carried his baseball bat without much purpose.

Despite all his seemingly unnecessary preparations, odd ways of fighting the creatures, and quick judgements of people...he was doing fine.

“Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!"


A cold voice answered: 'Come not between the NazgĂ»l and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye.’


A sword rang as it was drawn. ‘Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if I may.’


‘Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!’


Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. ‘But no living man am I!’”


Kade shut the book, closing his eyes and breathing in the air. It seemed silly to be reading a story in a time like this, but a chapter a day kept the insanity away. The fantasy of his favorite story took him away from the world he was in now. The very tale may be what kept him going on every day. Something that helped him continue to believe that there still was a lighter world outside of this one. That was why he was trying to leave New York as quickly as he could. Get up north, or south, or...anywhere. He didn’t actually know where, however. In fact, it seemed that he might actually have to resort to other people’s knowledge to see if they knew if survivors were being gathered anywhere, or something similar. Kade liked to do things by himself, but he was almost tiring of distrusting people, and was beginning to come to terms with his decisions to avoid everyone he came by. Perhaps organizing a team would be the smart thing to do?

He sat still on the rooftop, staring up at the bleak gray sky, pondering the thoughts that crossed his mind. Part of him was still questioning the idea. The world was different now. It changed people, turned them into something else. Friends became enemies; people were only interested in keeping themselves alive. It was possible that there was no one left with compassion anymore. They only saw the supplies and weaponry they could get from people, they didn’t care about the person’s name or intentions. Only what they could gain. What if everyone was like this?

Kade reached around him, grabbing his leather messenger bag slung over his shoulder, and slipped his book inside, also grabbing one of the few water bottles he had inside. Twisting open the cap, he tilted it upwards towards his lips and swallowed a few sips of the water, putting it away soon after. He rose slowly to his feet, raising his arms into the air and stretching languidly. Staring out from his spot on the top of the building, he watched the streets below. Most of the creatures had slow movements. However, he had seen...different ones. Quick moving ones that would crawl and leap into the air, ones that would let out ear-piercing screams that alerted others. At the thought of them, he shuddered slightly, grabbing the edge of his brown corduroy jacket and tugging it closer to his body, as if a cold wind had come upon him.

He would go on about his way like usual along the rooftops, through buildings and alleyways, hoping that maybe someone would come along who wasn’t just after his supplies. Kade started towards the edge of the building, peering down onto the street. Glancing upwards again at the building opposite to him, he wondered briefly if he could manage to find a way to avoid traveling by ground. He turned to look over his shoulder, brown eyes scanning the area around him until he spotted a short metal ladder, propped up against the entrance he had come through to get onto the roof. He began towards it, grabbing the edge and dragging it behind him towards his destination, hoping that it would be long enough to reach over the span between the two structures. Kade let go, and looked over it for a moment before seeing that it could be extended. Reaching down for it, he grabbed the end and pulled as hard as he could. The metal squeaked and whined, then suddenly loosened. Kade stumbled backwards, catching his balance just in time, ladder still in his grip. He stepped forward again, bending down slightly, pushing it towards the edge. He continued to do this, making sure to keep enough weight on his end so it didn’t topple and fall into the alleyway below. Eventually, it reached the other side, barely resting on the edge of the opposite building.

Kade stared forward, taking in a deep breath, and letting it out slowly. His hands were numb from the work, and his stomach was in knots. He hadn’t tried to cross over like this before. What if one end slipped? If he fell...he was going to die. Or, at least, break some bones and be left for the dead. But going on the roads was probably worse than this. He had even less of a chance there, because there was an oddly large amount of undead roaming the streets. He couldn’t stay put either, he would be here forever waiting for the infected to clear out. This was his only choice. Kade lifted a foot, setting it down on the first step of the ladder. He peered down, and suddenly, the world seemed to twist and turn, the fall seeming a lot further than it actually was. Vertigo washed over him, and he retreated suddenly, shutting his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.

He tried again. This time, he kept his attention focused upwards. He put out one foot, feeling the ladder bend the slightest under his weight. He bent down to keep his balance, and continued to move along the steps of the ladder, slowly, his hands running along the edge, guiding him. Eventually, he made it to the other side. As he stood up on solid ground again, he let out a strangled breath of relief, then turned and retrieved the ladder again, dragging it behind him the rooftop. He could travel for quite awhile like this...If he could ever gather enough courage to cross it again.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kade Murphy Pearce Character Portrait: Caitlynn Reilly
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#, as written by slcam
Going to New York City was most likely the worst decision they could have made. 'The city that never sleeps' was a perfect breeding ground for the virus, with hundreds of thousands infected, and Caitlynn and her group were just not equipped for that kind of madness. They were also desperate for certain supplies that were unlikely to be found elsewhere. Cat had not cared either way, and went without a care. She did not realize how quickly everything could go wrong. How quickly everything did go wrong.

Before the day was through, nearly everyone had been fatally injured, left behind one by one to the swarming hoard. Now it was only Cat and Greg, but even Greg did not have much time left. He had been bitten. At the time, he and Cat were able to fight the zombies off, scaling a wall to escape. However, it was quickly apparent that he was not immune. She dragged him into the alley entrance of a restaurant when he fell unconscious, knowing exactly what it meant, but not ready to admit it yet. Resting his head on her lap, she watched helplessly as his pulse slowed and stopped. She cried, terrified both of what she had to do and of being left alone.

When he came alive again, she knew she had no choice. Greg was depending on her. How many times had he said he would rather die than become one of those monsters? Now, if she did nothing that is exactly what would happen. She hesitated, but was finally able to act when his fever began to rise and agonized moans escaped his lips. Knowing she would not be able to help him if she had to stare at his grimacing face, she covered his head with his jacket, whispering a feeble, "I'm so sorry." With that, she took her ax and hit him repeatedly with the blunt end, sobbing hysterically, until she felt his skull cave in. She stood there, hatchet held limply in her hand, sobbing and panting.

Without another word, she replaced the weapon in her pack and walked out of the large kitchen, slowly weaving through the tables. She accidentally knocked over an end table, breaking a large vase. Shocked, she looked up to see the soulless eyes of one of the infected staring at her. She watched in horror as the monster opened its mouth wide and began screeching, instantly attracting the attention of several others that had been ambling around nearby. The Alarm began pounding and clawing at the large glass windows. Cat wasted no time in darting back to the kitchen, hearing several more zombies pounding by the time she reached the swinging doors. Running back to the door she and Greg had entered through, she heard the glass shatter as she ran out without a backward glance.

She ran as fast as she could, hearing terrible moans and predatory growls not far behind. The still screeching Alarm was quickly drawing a hoard. Cat flew out of the alley, haphazardly trying to untangle her bow from her pack then fumbling for an arrow. She nocked her arrow as she reached the building across the street. She saw several undead sprinting at her out of the corner of her eye as she whirled and shot at the closest. The arrow buried itself uselessly in its shoulder, and the beast screeched in frustration without stopping. She turned and sprinted to the revolving door, whirling through and running haphazardly through the building. The flimsy door did not stop the quickly growing hoard for long, and they were in the building as well within seconds.

Not seeing any other exit, Cat burst through the door leading to the stairs, wishing she could lock it, before propelling herself upward. She slung her bow over her head and under her left arm so her hands would be free. Several flights of stairs later, she found the roof access door. Luckily, locks were on the inside and she quickly unlocked the door and flung it open, already hearing moans echoing from below. She locked to flimsy lower bolt, anxious that she could not lock the deadbolt as well. It would not hold them long. Cat slammed the door shut and leaned on it, panting heavily. She looked around on the roof, desperate for some means of escape.

The man standing there with a ladder caught her completely off guard. This stroke of luck was so unexpected that Cat absently wondered if he was some sort of angel, or maybe if she was dreaming. She snapped out of her shock, her desperation now tinted with unexpected hope. Skipping formalities, she breathlessly said, "Hey, no time to explain. All you need to know is zombies are coming, there are a lot of them, and we need to get off this roof." She did not wait for a reaction before she grabbed a side of the ladder and began dragging it to the edge of the roof the man was facing. "Help me!" she demanded, already judging the distance between the two buildings. It would be long enough... probably.

Finally, the ladder was in place, and Cat hurried across, trying not to look down and failing horribly. She looked back at the man, who she still thought of as her guardian angel, and yelled, "Hurry!" Just as she got across, she heard the door bang open. She held a hand out to the man, desperately beckoning. When he came in reach, she forcefully yanked him across, seeing the opposite roof begin to fill with undead. One was already clambering onto the ladder. As soon as her angel was safely on the roof behind her, she jerked the ladder, dislodging it from the other roof, gasping as the zombie's weight pulled it down and still trying to hold on to the ladder. With a loud thud, the zombie hit the wall and lost its grip, falling several stories into the shadowy alley.

Cat gave a small laugh quickly followed by a groan as she attempted to pull the ladder back up. "Little help here?" she said, wondering if her angel had already disappeared. When the ladder was safely on the roof, she collapsed in a laughing heap, completely hysterical. She watched as several of the mindless undead flung themselves off the other roof at them, falling to the ground with distinctive thuds.

It was only a few moments before her laughter subsided, turning into gasping, dry sobs. She covered her moth, uselessly trying to stifle the loud sobs. She had lost far too much in such a short time, and the effects were unavoidable.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kade Murphy Pearce Character Portrait: Caitlynn Reilly
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#, as written by Thadine
Kade set down the ladder for a moment, looking down at his red hands. Maybe he would just wait for a bit before going across again. After all, even the slightest discomfort could lead to a slip, and a fatal fall. That last journey across the gap between the buildings had definitely been nerve-wracking, and he wanted to make sure that he made no future mistakes. It would be horrible to die now, he still had to find his family. They had to still be alive. He didn’t know how far they had made it when they decided to leave him, but they were strong. They were survivors. He was mostly concerned for his little sister and his mother, in fact, the thought of his father hardly crossed his mind. In a way, he wanted to return to where he had been left and see if he could try to track his family, but logic told him otherwise.

He reached down for the ladder again, assessing the building ahead to see if it was long enough. He’d use the same tactic again. Kade took a step forward, but then suddenly stopped, turning to look over his shoulder. Something echoed far away. No, not far away...under him. It was almost as if he could feel the movement below, like an earthquake was starting. He narrowed his eyes, then shook his head, whisking the thought away. Nothing was happening. The odd noises weren’t a threat to him, so he wasn’t in danger. Maybe he was just imagining things? Kade chuckled to himself quietly. He should have read a bit more of that book. This was proof that he was going insane. He spared a glance across the street though, and did a double take. Were those...was that a horde? Heading in the direction of the building he was on? He hadn’t been making any noise, as far as he was concerned. Why were they coming after him? Panic gripped him for a moment, until he remembered that the door was closed. He had shut it behind him, it was going to take a little while for them to burst through. He had time. Still wondering how he had attracted their attention, he faced the building ahead once again, ladder in his grip.

What happened next was something he did not expect. Kade could have sworn that he heard a noise behind him, and quickly turned to see the cause of it. In an instant, he saw a flash of movement as someone entered the door. Their eyes locked on him, and suddenly they were rushing towards him. He hardly had time to even wonder who it was, and how they had gotten up here. He hadn’t seen anyone enter the building from the front, and that was the only way-

It all connected suddenly. He hadn’t seen her do it, but she had lead the creatures into the building, and now, was leading them onto the roof he was currently on. Kade parted his lips to question her, but before he could even muster a single word, the girl came and grabbed the other end of the ladder. He lurched forward as she began moving, hardly able to hold onto it while she seemed to take control, and do what he had done on the previous building. He hadn’t even heard her speak amongst his own thoughts, and the noise that was now coming from the door. Letting go of the ladder as she placed it between the two structures, he watched her go across, then set to doing it himself. Whatever doubts he had in his mind, whatever questions, were now gone. All he knew was that he had to get across.

He looked behind him, catching sight of arms bursting through the door, clawing the empty air. Suddenly, the door seemed to shatter, and the undead came rushing through, straight towards him. Kade set foot on the ladder, his heart beating so quickly he felt as if it might burst. It creaked underneath him, and though tempted to look down to see were his footing was, he resisted, and stared up at the girl who was already across. He could hear the monsters behind him, their feet pounding against the ground, snarling and growling. He wasn’t going to make it. One of them was going to grab his ankle, and pull him towards the horde. He was going to be torn apart, eaten alive...killed. His body broke out into a cold sweat, and adrenaline took over. Kade pushed himself forward suddenly, raising a hand into the air to grab onto hers, and suddenly, he was on the solid ground of the rooftop across. Though his vision was blurred, and he was hardly standing, he could still register her words, and turned towards the edge, grabbing the end of the ladder and helping her pull it up.

The object clattered onto the rooftop, and a wave of relief washed over Kade as he realized that he was safe. They were safe. Whoever this girl was had risked his life, but saved it at the same time. He ran a hand through his brown hair, letting out a heavy sigh, and stared at the girl, who seemed to be entertained by whatever had just happened. The extreme feeling of excitement that had gotten him moving on the ladder, had left, and he found himself questioning the girl’s intentions in his mind. Was she going to try and loot him? No, she was a bit younger than he was, certainly she couldn’t have been corrupted by this disastrous world just yet. Rather than leaving him for the creatures either, she had actually helped him across. Did she have a team? Maybe she had been separated from them. Perhaps this was his chance to find a teammate or two to travel with.

Her laughing seemed to shift into cries though, into sobbing that almost sounded like she was in pain. Rather than doing what a normal person would do, and ask if she was alright, he stared and stood awkwardly, not comprehending what was going on in front of him. Had she been injured? Was she traumatized by something? He clasped his hands together behind his back, watching her from a few footsteps away, analyzing the situation like he would with a puzzle. After what seemed like forever, the idea arose in his mind that maybe he should ask if she was feeling okay.

Kade cleared his throat. “Are you....okay?” He asked quietly, his voice shaky. He took a single step towards her.

“I mean, I know you’re probably not okay. I’m not either. Who is at a time like this? I mean in the current...situation, because you don’t sound so good. I still don’t know if you’re crying or laughing, but I’m leaning more towards the idea that you’re distressed. T-thank you, for helping me though. I guess it was you that lead them there in the first place, but...” He trailed off, realizing that rather than being concise and quick, he was almost speaking aloud his very thoughts.

Kade shook his head, starting over. “Have you been injured?”

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Character Portrait: Kade Murphy Pearce Character Portrait: Caitlynn Reilly
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#, as written by slcam
Caitlynn's sobs began to fade into odd little hiccups. The sound was far too silly for how she was feeling, but she could not seem to stop. The man's voice startled her out of her hysterics, at least somewhat, and she began to realize how awkward this must be for him. On the other hand, she should probably be careful because he could be dangerous. Cat discreetly inspected him as he spoke, still occasionally hiccuping. Her little hiccups that sporadically punctuated his sentences would have made Cat want to laugh, if they were not so irritating. He was going to think she was little more than a child.

She tried hard to compose herself, noting how nervous the man seemed. She did not think that he had any evil intentions at the moment. When he mentioned injury, she quickly checked herself, wiggling toes and fingers. "No, I..." she said, uninterrupted by another hiccup. She took a couple deep breaths, waiting for any other hiccups. Hopefully they had finally stopped. She continued, hoping not to be interrupted again. "I don't think I have anything worse than some... scrapes and bruises." Another zombie threw itself off the adjacent roof and Cat gave a slight wince. For the most part, the undead were losing interest, unable to reach their prey, and were shuffling away as different noises caught their interest.

"Sorry, I did kind of lead them right to you. But you don't even know how glad I was to see that ladder." Realizing how rude that sounded, Cat quickly tried to make it better. "I mean, I was glad to see you with the ladder. It was rather useful... and you were too, of course. Oh, I mean.... Sorry, I am just making this more awkward. But no, I'm not injured. It's just been... it's been a long day." She considered him for a moment, letting out one last hiccup, wondering how much she should trust this man she just met. "I came with four others. We shouldn't have come. I'm all.... It's just me now." She slowly stood, cautiously offering a hand. "Sorry, you probably don't need to know that, why don't I just introduce myself. My name is Caitlynn, but call me Cat."

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Character Portrait: Kade Murphy Pearce Character Portrait: Caitlynn Reilly
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#, as written by Thadine
Kade found his eyes following hers as she looked over her body for injuries. It was an automatic thing he did, as if he figured that she would miss something while looking over, especially if she wasn’t immune. The thought entered his mind quickly, and for a moment, he was worried that if she did indeed have any injuries, then there could be a risk in her catching the infection. He had the urge to ask if she was indeed immune or not, though decided that it wouldn’t be wise to bring it up at the time. She was still calming down. Though he wasn’t great at social interactions, he had learned about timing. Sometimes it was good to talk; sometimes it was best to say nothing at all.

She seemed to be calming down, although slowly, and he felt his tense muscles relax slightly. Feeling rather awkward standing near her, he took a step back, and leaned up against the edge of the building, resting on his elbow. He turned his head slightly, looking out back at the building they had both just been at. At the very moment, one last undead had launched itself towards the building, its fingertips clipping the edge before it slunk down into the alleyway. Kade flinched slightly, his heart skipping a beat, and turned away from the building. He almost forgot that the girl was still near him, until she spoke up. Her voice almost frightened him more than the infected that had leaped towards the building.

Kade looked over to the girl, his brown eyes fixating on her. Listening to her voice and jumbled words, he could tell that she was just about as nervous as him, if not more. At her mentioning being glad to see the ladder, he found himself looking down at the ground where it rested. He hardly even noticed that she didn’t mention him, until she corrected herself. Multiple times. He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for her to finish. He thought for a moment about interrupting her and telling her to get to the point, though decided against it, not wanting to start off with a bad impression.

The girl made a remark about how she had been travelling with four others, and he felt himself grow hopeful. Maybe this was just what he was looking for. A group to travel with. Even though he wasn’t so big on the human interaction part, he would finally be a bit safer than just traveling by himself. This was his chance; perhaps he could mention it to her. He parted his lips to speak up, but stopped himself when she said that she was alone. Kade stared at her blankly, partly feeling sorry for her, partly disappointed for himself. As she extended a hand towards him, and introduced herself, he snapped out of his thoughts, coming back to reality. He reached forward, almost carefully, and took hold of her hand gently, giving it a quick shake before pulling his arm back towards his own body, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“I’m Kade.” He muttered quickly, turning his head to the side, staring off the building, avoiding eye contact with her. A lock of his hair fell in front of his vision, and he shook his head briefly to get it away. What else was he supposed to say? He wanted to mention that he was traveling alone, but would she even care? Would she offer him anything? Advice or companionship...maybe she was fine just going by herself. Some people took the loss of friends differently than others. It was possible that right now, the only thing she would want was to be left alone.

After what was a few seconds of awkward silence, he let out a quiet sigh, and nodded his head towards her.

“I’ll just...go now.” And with that, he turned towards the ladder on the ground, reaching for the end of it. She could find her own way off of the building if she was really desperate. What he assumed though, was that she would want to stay on the safety of the rooftop for a while longer, most likely alone. He wasn’t sure if his guess was right, however. Some part of him was bothered by the fact that he had passed up an opportunity to travel with someone. He hesitated slightly on the way to the other side of the roof, as if pausing, trapped in thought. A sound in the distane interuppted him though, and he looked up, searching for whatever had made that sound. He focused intently on the buildings far away, hoping to hear the sound again, yet nothing happened. Had that been...an explosion? He narrowed his eyes, but whisked the idea away, and continued on his way, glancing over his shoulder at the girl behind him.

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Character Portrait: Kade Murphy Pearce Character Portrait: Caitlynn Reilly
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#, as written by slcam
Cat was glad when Kade shook her hand, somewhat awkwardly, and quietly introduced himself. The way he avoided her eyes made her slightly nervous, and she wondered why he was so hesitant to make eye contact. Perhaps he was shy? Or maybe he was hiding something? Maybe he was hurt and did not want her to know, or had something of value he thought she might steal? With that, she realized he might just be thinking of taking her supplies. Her eyes never left his face as she reevaluated him. Something about him told her he was not the kind to be a thief. If he really wanted to take her things, he had plenty of opportunity while she had been hysterical earlier.

She adjusted her pack, half startled when he spoke again. When Cat realized he was trying to leave her, she quickly began to panic, throwing a glance over her shoulder at the scattered remains of the horde still on the adjacent roof. If he left her, she would be completely alone. How would she know what to do? Would she be able to find any other survivors to travel with or would there be no one willing to let her travel with them?

She felt her breath begin to quicken as her heart began pounding. Cat forced herself to calm down, taking deep breaths of the cool air. When he paused for a moment, she wondered if he really wanted to travel alone, or if he was just trying to see if she wanted to join him, but did not know how to ask. She hoped it was the latter, and decided to act as if it were. She opened her mouth, managing to squeak out a quiet, "Wait!" but her word lost in a loud thud that sounded like some kind of explosion. Cat immediately thought that perhaps the government had dropped a nuclear bomb on New York, but quickly realized that was not the case with a relieved sigh. It was far to small for that, and they would already be dead if that were the case.

She tried again as he looked back at her, her voice more confident this time. "Ummm, wait." She walked over to the edge of the roof, looking over to see the street still crowded with zombies. She decided to just be direct and ask. The worst he could do was refuse. "Could I.... Would you mind if I traveled with you for a while? I could leave if we happen upon another group, if you want. But you do kind of have the only way off the roof at the moment. I mean, I could figure something out if you just want to travel alone, but I would not mind company if you wouldn't. And I wouldn't mind sharing supplies either, if you need something. I would be glad to...." Cat quickly realized she was rambling and, when she heard desperation begin to creep into her voice, she was finally able to stop herself. She turned and looked at him hopefully, nervously waiting for his answer. 'What will I do if he says no, what will I do?'

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Character Portrait: Kade Murphy Pearce Character Portrait: Caitlynn Reilly
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#, as written by Thadine
Kade paused almost immediately, as if expecting for her to call for him. He turned to face her, secretly relieved that she had stopped him from leaving. Though he usually wasn’t one for human company, he was frustrated with having to resort to reading books to distract himself from the world. Perhaps some conversations, no matter how awkward, would keep him focused on something else. He often made big deals out of social situations with people, and usually planned out conversations and responses beforehand so he wasn’t surprised with anything. This encounter with her had been completely unexpected, which was why he seemed slightly dazed and acted withdrawn, enough to make him look suspicious of something.

He stared at her for a moment, his grip on the ladder loosening, hanging just barely from his fingertips. Yes, he wanted to travel with her. However, the words would not come out of his mouth; it was like something was caught in his throat. Curtly, he nodded his head, and gave a small, forced smile. It was as if he was trying to agree just with actions.

“I could...always u-use more food.” He muttered, inwardly cursing himself for having stuttered slightly within that sentence. He had been trying to get rid of that habit for years, yet it always showed up when he was nervous or afraid. Kade felt heat rise to his cheeks, and a light blush crawled over his features. He silently hoped that she wouldn’t notice. He always felt like he looked silly when he was embarrassed.

“And company.” He added quickly, trying to draw attention away from his slip-up before. “I’ve been traveling alone for...a while now. You don’t have to feel obligated to stay with me though, you could leave whenever.” Kade didn’t like looking at her for too long. His eyes wandered towards the street, focusing on the creatures below as they limped and stumbled along the pavement. Just watching them made him feel sick to his stomach, and he quickly changed his attention to his feet, staring at his black high tops. By the way he dressed, one could tell he was a student. However his odd colour combinations would have someone thinking he was colour blind.

Kade raised his free hand, tucking a strand of his light brown hair behind one ear, and turned towards the edge of the building, ready to continue along with the process of moving from structure to structure with the ladder. While setting it up to reach across, he felt his nerves already acting up.

“I don’t know if I can do this again.” He joked lightly.

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Character Portrait: Kade Murphy Pearce Character Portrait: Caitlynn Reilly
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#, as written by slcam
For one, sickening moment, Cat thought Kade would flat out refuse to travel with her. She stood there awkwardly, hands clasped behind her back and just under her bag. His slowness in responding made Cat want to scream. Finally, he gave a small nod and a hesitant smile that seemed forced. Cat was so relieved, she wanted to collapse and cry again, but she kept her composure. She returned the smile with a grin of her own and a small laugh that sounded as if she did not quite believe her luck. She did not know how she would have reacted if Kade had refused. Cat wondered if he felt irritated that she insisted on wanting to travel together. Perhaps he preferred being alone and she was just going to be a burden. Cat decided that did not much matter, she had gotten someone to travel with, whether he was thrilled with the idea or not, and she would not have to deal with the big decisions involved in surviving. Or at least she would not have to deal with them alone, and that was enough to make her much more relaxed.

When Kade spoke again, however, she heard nervousness in his voice instead of irritation. Perhaps she was misjudging him. In any case, she was sure he would be fine to travel with, and she was glad she had run into him. It was funny how offering food usually seemed to work when she wanted something. She was glad that her father had taught her to hunt and prepare the meat. Though she had not participated much in the skinning, she had gotten some basic knowledge, and had been able to work out solutions to what she did not remember. It had been invaluable, both in feeding herself and in bartering with other survivors. If only she could find her father. Was he even alive? And what about Kara?

Though she would have stayed with him either way, she smiled when Kade told her he would not mind her company. Perhaps they would be able to travel together for a while. It would probably be easier traveling with Kade than with her last group. Not to say they were bad people, but they only kept her around because she could hunt. She was always nervous they would abandon her if she did something they did not like. She felt that Kade would not be that way. He seemed far too timid.

She happily walked over to Kade with a confident smile, helping him with the ladder. She gave a small chuckle at his uncertainty and said, "Well, look at it this way, it can hardly be as bad as last time." She gave an emphatic nod toward the half a dozen zombies on the other roof. "At least this time we can take our time. Unless maybe it is easier when you have to just get across quickly...." When the ladder was secure, she continued, "Well, do you want to go first, or shall I?" She happily went along with his decision, and soon began yet another walk across the wobbly ladder.