Paranoia

[Adrian Bennett]

Adrian sat still as he watched the people rustle on by, busy with their day to day routine. He sat leaned over a small ledge over one of the broken down buildings around the club district. Most of the people below were all drunk or aggressive. He could even spot a few Doomed among the masses. They'd become much easier to spot these days. Or perhaps, he'd simply gotten more paranoid. It didn't really matter though. He was smart, he knew that. And it was a lot better to be careful than what it was being reckless. He enjoyed planning ahead. He liked being safe.

Even if his sister found it suffocating. He didn't care. At least they were safe. For now.

Leaning back, he rubbed the back of his neck and issued a low sigh. He didn't really know why he was here. Boredom, maybe. Or maybe he just wanted to see how the Doomed (if that were what they were) acted around people. Maybe he wanted to study the people and their reactions.

In the end he supposed it didn't matter. It didn't change anything. It didn't really mean anything. He was just another boy, watching the world as it fell apart piece for piece. Man, he felt gloomy. He felt like one of those lost little children in a story he'd heard as a child. Shaking his head, he jumped down from the small ledge and ran his hand through his hair. It was far too hot outside today.

As he swirled around, he nearly bumped into someone. Immediately, as if by instinct, Adrian took a few steps back and raised his fists, his brows furrowing as he held his breath. He could feel his heart hammer in his chest and for a second, he was afraid that everyone around him could hear it. As if it was some kind of beacon.

[Alice Kimball]

What was she even doing here? Her thoughts wandered as she milled through the crowd of people. Many of the forlorn faces around her reminded her why she had come. There wasn't enough food in her bag to please her. The establishments like this usually had plenty to choose from, but a lot of these people appeared as unfed and unhappy as she herself was. Several of the doomed seemed to stand out among the crowd. She was all too familiar with them now. Alice frowned as she passed one, hoping that the resting bitch face she constantly wore was more than enough to frighten them from talking to her, or looking at her for more than a brief moment. 

The bigger question I need to address right now is whether to take what I want or get it the "right" way. She scoffed at the thought. Demanding food would be easy enough. So few people bothered to mess with her when she made a request in such a manner. But demanding food seems so... weak. As soon as the thought ran through her head, she dismissed demanding. Food will always be one of those things that she would buy. Her stomach growled at the thought. Alice placed her hand over her flat stomach, her frown turning into a grimace. She might have food back at camp, but she was truly craving a good meal. There weren't many to be offered these days. She sighed, releasing the frown. 

Her gaze wandered and she stopped paying attention, lost in thought. A collision with her right side broke her from her day dreaming. Almost immediately, her bitch face returned as she gazed upon the unfortunate soul that had managed to ruin her few minutes of mental solace. He was young, but not much younger than she herself. A baby face complimented with a mop of blond hair. His young features were marred by an expression of anxiety, coupled with his raised fist. 

"Look kid," she began as a sinister looking smile crossed her face "put those down before you hurt yourself." A mirthless laugh parted her lips as she took a step closer to him. "You look like a frightened animal trapped in a corner and you don't even know if I'm hostile yet." She found her amusement for the day. Messing with this kid suddenly made everything feel like it wouldn't be so gloomy. Maybe even a bit... fun?

[Adrian Bennett]

He looked the woman over, his golden brows furrowing slightly. In another time, he wouldn't have been phased. He would have looked at the girl and merely scoffed. But this wasn't another time. This was here, in this world. Everyone was a threat. Everyone was to be watched carefully and treated as full fledged Doomed in its last stage. The girl didn't look sick, but that hardly mattered anymore.

The smile only brought out a blank stare from the boy. Maybe she was one of the Doomed after all. The smile was wicked enough he'd consider her batshit crazy. "That's classy," he replied, pursing his lips. Although, he did what she said. Lowering his fists, he rested them against his hips. "Albeit a tad cliche, no?" He shook his head. The last thing he needed to do was pick a fight with a crazy chick. "Look around, Sweetheart," he began. "Everyone in this world is hostile and you're stupid to think anything else."

He cocked his head at the girl, looking her over once more. She couldn't be more than a few years older than him. She was pretty too, despite the obvious personality disorder she had going. He couldn't really flaw her for that though. This world made everyone a bit crazy - along with jaded and cynical. The sinister way she smiled at him was something entirely new though.

[Alice Kimball]

She found that her amusement had vanished. His use of the word sweetheart made her face go dark. Everything he had said before after and during went in one ear and out the other for Alice. She was too fierce for anyone to have a pet name for, even in an argument. She would have handled bitch much, much better. The young man before her didn't realize what he would get himself into if he kept it up. She had very little patience and very little enthusiasm for games.

Alice took a step closer, her brows knitting together in the center. She enunciated every syllable she could through her rage. "Let me explain myself very, very clearly." Her smile hadn't returned, and it wouldn't until he ran away frightened. "I am no one's sweetheart. And you'd be the stupid one to call me anything like that again." She took another step closer, her hand closing around the collar of the kid's shirt. "Got it, asshole?" It hadn't been her intention to get in a fight today. But, maybe that was what she needed to get herself out of this weird mood she was in. 

A fight for Alice was about as high as you could get in this world. Yes, a fight was what she needed. This kid would have to be either very smooth or very tough to get out of this without some broken bones. But, so far, Alice had never lost a fight. She was smarter than your average bear, by far. This kid, judging from his eyes, seemed to have at least more intelligence than she was used to dealing with. Most of the people she fought with were too stupid to do anything other than fight. A battle of wits, she thought, was much more stimulating than a battle of fist. "Say you're sorry, and I'll let you go." She purred, winking at him. Playing a man's hormones was always a sure fire way to win. A man that could ignore their hormones was a worthy enough challenger for her. She already felt the gazes of onlookers. People were always interested in a fight. Or they ran with their tail tucked between their legs. 

[Adrian Bennett]

He noticed the change in her features. The way her eyes almost bore holes in him. He hadn't really expected her to take the name well, which was saying a lot. He wasn't really looking for trouble, but testing the people you surrounded yourself with was always a good idea. This one was a loose gun, ready to explode. Whether she was infected or not didn't matter anymore. She clearly wasn't her to play tags.

Adrian watched her, and despite his common sense, he didn't move when she drew closer. She spoke, clearly mad about what he'd called her and within seconds, she'd grabbed a hold of his collar. She now stood so close he could feel her warm breath against his skin. He looked down at her, considering that she was much shorter than he was. "For the record," he began, pursing his lips. "I didn't call your anyone's sweetheart. I simply used the word sweetheart." Hey, it was true. Maybe not the smartest point he'd ever made, but whatever. "And seeing as how I highly doubt either of us have any interest in meeting up again, going for a hike and ending that lovely date with my head on a spear, consider it a deal." Fuck, he couldn't even help the smug, almost sheepish smile that formed on his lips.

He was such a smartass.

"I'm sorry." Adrian never considered himself particularly prideful. He had no issue admitting when he was wrong. "Bad force of habit." The wink however, confused him. It made his brows furrow. Seriously, was this girl bipolar or something? She seemed to go from bored, to pissed off and to flirty awfully quick. It was terrifying.

[Alice Kimball]

The young man's smug response to her threat made her nostrils flare in anger. Testing her was not smart. In fact, it might have been the dumbest thing he'd do all day. His comment about his head ending up on a spear sounded accurate to her, almost pleasing. "Word or pet name, it doesn't matter. You should probably learn to keep your mouth shut. You'll say the wrong thing to the wrong person one day. You're lucky you caught me in a relatively good mood." She let go of his shirt after his apology, but didn't move away. She had a feeling her closeness intimidated him. Intimidation alone had often won her a fight or two. 

Alice ran a hand through her blond hair with no regard for how it looked. "Apology accepted." She looked him over once more. He had several inches on her in height, but he seemed so young to her, especially with the small smile that crept over his face before he had apologized. It almost made her think she couldn't hurt him. She would never let him know that, but she knew that if it came to it, she would have to restrain herself. She couldn't kill a kid. Hurt, yes. Terrify, definitely. But anything beyond a broken arm wasn't something she could do. But in reality, he probably wasn't much younger than she was. 

Alice's expression shifted back to boredom, looking him over carefully. I wonder if he has anything useful on him? Would he even fight for it? She could probably charm him out of anything she wanted from him. She lifted her chin and looked him directly in the eye. "You look a little young to be travelling about by yourself. Your folks not around? I bet if they were any where near here you wouldn't have been stupid enough to say any of that, am I right?" Most people in this world had lost her family, as she had. The pain from asking about it, along with the insult to his manliness would surely be enough to get some kind of idea about what he had on his person that she might find useful. All men, especially young ones, were more than susceptible to stupidity when they've had their heart strings tugged.

[Adrian Bennett]

"So I've heard," he shrugged. He was glad that she'd let go of his shirt though. Smoothing out the dirty frills on his shirt, Adrian took a step away from the woman and huffed. "This is you--" he stopped himself, shaking his head. "Nevermind." He didn't really want to anger her again. Sure, he wasn't nearly as frail and weak as he looked, but something told him this chick had more experience than he did. Normally, Adrian strayed away from fights. He wasn't a fighter. He was a runner, if anything.

He nodded then, but didn't smile. He simply looked at her with an expression mixed with curiosity and confusion. He couldn't quite place her, nor was he sure if he wanted to. He didn't particularly enjoy the way she looked at him. As if he was some fragile little rabbit. Sure, he was, but he didn't like it. At the end of the day, Adrian was as intimidating as a kitten with its claws clipped off.

Sticking his hands into his pockets, Adrian took another step away from the girl - for good measure and rocked back on his heels. No way had he thought his day would end like this, and if Oliver had been around, he would have laughed his sorry ass off. Not that he thought Oliver would fare any better, but hey... It was a matter of perspective. "You'd be surprised at the amount of times people tell me that," he sighed, his head shaking. "My parents died when I was twelve. Nine years ago." He looked at her, hoping that she at least knew some basic math. "If they were here, I wouldn't have to be," he said, looking away as his eyes darkened.

[Alice Kimball]

Alice couldn't help but chuckle at his half finished question. She already knew what he wanted to ask her. "Yes, this is one of my better moods." She allowed him to take a step back, already feeling less feisty. She recognized that he knew he didn't stand a chance against her, and that was enough of a victory for her. A fight wasn't necessary for now, at least not with this kid. It surprised her, however, to find out that he was only four years younger than she was. And the dark expression that clouded his features at the mention of his dead parents was one she was all too familiar with. 

"You've got a baby face." That was all she said. His expression reminded her of her own whenever someone mentioned her parents. She chose to avoid the topic, for it had answered her initial question. If he had any valuables, they were on him. Her heart didn't break for his loss, for she knew it all too well. But, she did have a sense of empathy beneath all the rage she harbored. She looked him over again, taking a half step closer to him. If she was going to rob him, she might as well get it over with. Why was she hesitating? Because you know you don't need anything from him. She cursed her conscious internally, the frown returning to her face. Despite all her ferocity and anger, sometimes the little angel would appear on her right shoulder to remind her that she still needed to be good. At least sometimes. 

She sighed again, wishing she had a cigarette. Or something. Maybe she could try and find one around here. Alice looked back at the young man before her, unsure that he would have anything on him of that nature. He seemed to clean cut. Too... innocent to be smoking. But, she figured she would ask anyway. "I don't suppose you have a cigarette on you?" She almost felt ashamed for asking. Of course he doesn't. You sound like a fool for asking. So she felt the need to add "Because if you do, you'll be handing them over to me now."

[Adrian Bennett]

He nodded. He didn't see much point in saying anything else. After all, he wasn't about to question someone who could easily kick his ass. He was far too smart for that. Yes, he was a smartass and an idiot, but he was smart enough to know when he'd ought to back down. And honestly, getting his ass kicked by a girl was something he knew Oliver would just love. As much as he loved his friend, he didn't quite feel like giving him that kind of satisfaction.

He looked at her and nodded; Yeah, he knew. He knew he appeared so many years younger than what he really was. Heck, most people didn't even believe him when he said he was twenty-one. He supposed that was one of those things he'd just have to deal with most of his lives. It didn't bother him nearly as much now as it once had though. He noticed that the woman drew closer and his muscles tensed. He didn't move, but he remained in guard. Had she changed her mind? Was she going to punch him after all?

Adrian raised his eyebrows at the question - it was one of the most simple questions he could ever remember anyone ever asking him and it made him laugh. "No, I don't," he said. "That's a luxury I can't afford." He offered her a sheepish smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't reckon many people around here do." He took a step backwards so he could lean against the brick wall behind him. Cigarettes were one of those things you saw here and there, but rarely found while scouting for food and supplies. At some point one would think they'd run out of them. Unless people had started making them themselves of course. 

[Alice Kimball]

The young man raised his eyebrows at her question, it seemed to amuse him. He laughed and told her that he didn't have a cigarette on him. He wasn't wrong about it being a luxury that most couldn't afford. The few times she had come across them were usually hidden among rubble, half crushed or bent out of shape. Occasionally, she would find them on a raid, or on one of the people she was robbing. They usually parted with the cigarettes with the most hesitance out of everything she was taking from them. They were so rare, and so hard to come buy. The chemicals that went into them weren't around anymore. What was left on the earth, was most likely all they would ever have again.

Alice swore quietly, and began to chew on her nails. The oral fixation she had would usually present itself after a fight. It was very similar to those that needed a smoke after sex. Even though she hadn't fought the young man before her, her adrenaline had spiked and it was enough to give her the craving. Her green eyes stayed trained on him as he moved to lean against the wall. "Yeah," she sighed "I know. I used to have a bunch that I had found here and there. I had 'em saved up. But now..." she trailed off, chewing on her nails again. 

Her brows knitted together and the angry look on her face resumed in it's normal way. How did she end up making casual conversation with this boy? She must really be off her game today. Alice ran both her hands through her blonde hair, now too warm from the heat. She felt the fine strands of blonde hair clinging to the nape of her and the her forehead. She muttered about the heat of the day under her breath, to no one in particular. If she started ranting now, she would certainly scare everyone with in a mile radius of their little bubble.

She found it odd, that she was so absorbed in this space with this boy. Normally, she was very aware of her surroundings. But screwing with this kid, for some reason, had taken all of her attention. That bothered her a great deal. You never know when someone could attack. You've got a lot of enemies. You can't run around and forget that. You'll get yourself killed. You're immune; the only things that can kill you are freak accidents, old age, and other people. Her nail biting intensified as her thoughts wandered, blankly staring at the wall that was beyond the boy. 

[Adrian Bennett]

Nodding slowly at that, Adrian supposed he could understand where she was coming from. Although he still believed that in a world such as this, you were far better off being addicted to things you didn't really need. Maybe that was why Adrian stayed away from cigarettes, drugs and even alcohol. You didn't need those things and once you started needing them, you were shit out of luck. "Yeah," he said and sighed.

He looked at the girl then, watched her as she seemed to be fighting some inner battle. He didn't say anything. At least, not at first. He knew that pained look all too well. Everyone was trying so hard to appear strong. Being vulnerable would get you killed. Picking fights you couldn't handle would get you killed. Heck, anything around here could possibly get you killed. He wanted so badly for things to go back to normal. Not that he really knew what normal was. He'd never lived in a world before the Scorch, but anything had to be better than this, right? The world couldn't have been nearly this bad, could it?

"Look," he began, flicking his wrist. "I'm sure one of the bar keepers have some cigarettes." He nodded towards one of the bars. These places seemed to be open twenty-four-seven. And they usually stocked up on those kinds of things, along with drugs and alcohol. Not that he used any of it, but he'd found that the more knowledge you had, the better your chances of survival was. Heck, he wasn't even sure why he bothered to help her out. She'd just threatened to do bad things to him. Maybe he was a sucker for punishment.

He didn't even know why she bothered to stick around. She looked like she had no clue herself. Like they both were lost little puppies in a world far too bad for them. It wasn't too far off, honestly. Although he wouldn't exactly call the girl a puppy. In comparison, she was a rottweiler and he was a chihuahua. 

[Alice Kimball]

Alice returned her eyes to the young man before her. "You actually said something helpful." She hadn't even thought about the bar keepers. They usually traded booze in exchange for cigarettes when people wanted to keep drinking with no money. Sometimes they demanded cigarettes from the people or threatened to cut them off. Anybody that was a drinker in this day and age wasn't about to deal with being cut off. Might as well been the end of the new world. She chuckled at her thought process, shaking her head ever so slightly. 

Without hesitation, she grabbed the boy's wrist and began to drag him off in the direction of one of the bars. "Well, let's get to it then." No questions asked, and her grip was strong enough that he would probably know better than to remove his arm from her grasp. "You've been so helpful," her voice dripped with sarcasm as she spoke, "I think I'll hang on to you for a little while." She laughed at her stupid joke as she gave his wrist a slight squeeze. This poor kid probably thinks I'm a nut job. Pretty sure I am a nut job. 

What the hell am I doing? He had been helpful, but she usually toughed it out alone just fine. She didn't need the help of some kid to get a cigarette off the bark keepers. As they crossed the busy street, a memory hit her. Ah... Today, had been the day she had lost her dear friend on his raid. It seemed like ages ago, but her mind always seemed to remember the anniversary for her. She tried to forget about him. She had tried to forget about him more times than she can count. But the memory of his smile, and laugh haunted her. Alice Kimball, believe it or not, was craving human connection today. 

It really was this kid's unlucky day. 

[Adrian Bennett]

Spreading his arms out, Adrian offered the girl a sheepish smile. "What can I say? I ain't completely useless after all." Well, he certainly knew that. She clearly, did not. It was for the best though. At least that meant she'd leave him alone. If he somehow proved himself useful, people would start to notice him, and god forbid, remember him. No, in this world is was far better to remain anonymous.

However, that didn't prove to be quite as true as Adrian would have hoped. Before he knew it, he was being dragged along by the wrist. "Woah! Hey! Wait--" he exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. "Hey, hey, hey, that's not quite what I meant!" What on earth was she doing? How was he supposed to help? It wasn't as if he worked as muscle. He was as threatening as a kitten, after all. Surely, she didn't mean for him to... Ah, what was the point? Letting out a heavy sigh, the boy did what any other good puppy would; he did as he was told.

Running his free hand through his golden locks, Adrian shook his head to himself. Man, how did he always end up in these kinds of situations? His eyes darted back and forth, looking over the various people they walked past, searching for any kinds of dangers. He wasn't sure which was worse - the fact that this girl pulled him along like a teddy bear, or that he was letting her. "Ah yes, bring the smartass. That's surely going to end soooo well," he muttered.

[Alice Kimball]

As Alice and the young man - she should really get his name soon - approached the nearest bar, she was mildly surprised to see that it was brimming with all sorts of people. After thinking about it a moment, she decided it wasn't too surprising. In this day and age, people needed to escape their problems almost constantly. What better way than with a drink or twelve? His protest amused her. As if objecting would get her to let go. She shook her head at the thought. Alice Kimball was entirely too stubborn. More often than not, she would do the exact opposite of what was requested. You had to have all of her respect or adoration to get her to listen to you.

She barely heard him mutter,  but the statement made her laugh. "Worse comes to worse, if someone won't give me a cigarette, you can distract them with that smart mouth of your's, kid." Of course she didn't mean it. Alice was more than capable of getting what she wanted by any means necessary. Flirting was her go to. A lot of people weren't as intimidated as they should be due to her height alone. She was a lot stronger than she looked and could outwit almost anyone. But flirting was the easiest. 

For the sake of being dominant in the situation, she refused to let go of the boy's wrist even once they were inside. It was crammed full of people, and letting go of him would surely mean they would be separated. Crowds weren't especially her thing, but she could hold her own. His wrist was acting as a tie to some type of situation she could control. And who didn't like being in complete control of a situation. 

In the sea of people, she couldn't tell which direction the bar itself was in. Turning to face the young man she had dragged behind her. "You're taller than me, can you see which way the bar is?" She raised her voice to make sure she was heard over the cacophony of people. The club was fairly large, there could have been multiple places to get a drink, but she wanted to closet one. In and out was always her style. She didn't like to linger in one place for too long. By now she had too many enemies. 

[Adrian Bennett]

Adrian opened his mouth to protest, but quickly realized that it probably wouldn't help his situation much. Shaking his head, he shrugged in a 'what can you do'-manner and sighed. "That's like the worst plan I've ever heard," he said, looking over the crowd. He felt uncomfortable with this. Not because of the girl or the scene (although that didn't help matters much), but because the girl had recklessly thrown them both into this without a steady plan. Or, she hadn't told him the plan anyways and he didn't like that. Adrian was the kind of person who enjoyed having a clear image of a situation. What to do, what to expect and what to make of it all.

It didn't help things much that the room was packed full. Likely by people who had either just started drinking or people who had spent the entire night and continued throughout the day. To Adrian, this was probably the worst time to be around. The heat made everyone agitated. And seeing as the girl was still holding him by the wrist, he couldn't very well turn around and leave either.

Running his hand over his face, the golden haired boy sighed. He craned his neck in an attempt to look over the crowd, assessing the situation and taking in all the small details as he did. There were two exits - the one they'd just come in from and a backdoor behind the bar. "Yeah, it's north east a couple of feet," he replied, not taking his eyes off of the bar. "But it's rather crowded. Seems like the bartender is busy arguing with someone who's had a bit too much to drink." Hey, at least she'd be prepared.

Adrian looked back down at the girl and shook his head. "Are ya sure about this? You can't crave a cigarette that bad, can ya?" He wanted to point out just how stupid and reckless she was being, but he quite enjoyed having his man parts intact and free of any pain.