"You're a mutant?" Her eyes are wide, glued to the scar along his left jaw. It clenches, the muscle ticking.
"So what?" His words are bitter as he shoves himself off of her and stands. He reaches up to readjust his face mask, hiding his scar. "Are you scared I'm gonna bite you?"
"No." Ren forces the word out. She drags her gaze away from his face, and feeling like she has to even the score, Ren lifts the sleeve of her shirt an inch. Revealing her own mangled skin.
"That explains a lot." He murmurs. She glances up and he's staring hard at the scars on her wrist. His brows furrow and he steps forward, as if he wants a better look but she quickly pulls the sleeve back down. The movement makes him stop, and he lifts his gaze to her face.
"Is there a reason you stopped me from leaving, or can I go now?" Ren raises an eyebrow at him. She spots the knife and rat laying a few feet away and run to pick it up, not once turning her back on him.
His dark eyes narrows to slits, glancing down at her prize. "How do I know you didn't steal anything?"
"Jeez," Ren rolls her eyes, "like you have anything to steal in the first place." She snickers. "Unless you've got a secret snack stash. . ." She raises an eyebrow and glances around the run down home.
"You're not clever." He mutters. He waves behind her, "Open your bag."
"What?" She says, eyeing him suspiciously, "Who's to say your not about to rob me right now?"
"What was it you said earlier?" He asks as he reaches up to scratch the back of his head. "Oh, right." He snaps his fingers, "Jeez, like you have anything to steal in the first place." He even rolls his eyes.
"Oh, well aren't you a funny one." Ren mutters. "Stay were you are and I'll show you." She yanks her pack open and tilts it enough so he can see what's inside. Spare clothes, random tools, and a flask.
"Fine." He sighs, "You can go."
Ren grumbles about him being a pompous ass as she zips up her bag, and heads for the door.
"Oh wait." He calls after her.
She turns around with a huff, "What now?!"
"The dead rat stays." He says, pointing a finger at the rat still dangling on her knife.
"What?! No way!" She snaps. Who the hell does this guy think he is. Commanding her of this, commanding her of that. He just wants an easy dinner and she's not going to give it to him!
"You killed my pet, I have to bury him." He shrugs.
Pet?! There's no way a fucking rat is his pet! He doesn't even look mournful, he just looks put off.
"No."
"His name was Ratatouille, and your going to make me cry." He says with a straight face.
"I'm gonna stab him." Ren mutters. "I'm not giving you-"
There's a loud rumble and clatter, the ground shakes beneath them. Both of their eyes widen and then they run outside. A few yards away, a part of the lower wall has crumbled into the water gate. A hoarde of zombies crawl in, some being crushed by loose brick.
"It's just one thing after another, isn't it." The guy mutters as he glares at the broken barrier.
"Whatever, keep the rat." He gives a half hearted wave and starts to head further into the city and away from the dead.
"Hey, wait!" She runs after him and grabs his arm, "You can't go! What about the hoard?"
"I'm not getting captured." He says and shrugs her off of him.
"You think I want to?" She asks, incredulously. "Why did you think I wanted you to leave me alone? Being an IM is bad, but two is just begging to be caught." She glances back at the hoard, three are starting to walk towards them. Ren doesn't know, if the dead will still eat her when she's already infected, but she never gave herself the chance to find out. She doesn't want to start now. "But if we don't do something, an outbreak will happen and everyone will be in danger."
"Not us." He says pointedly. Well, that answers her question then. She should feel relieved but she doesn't. Maybe it's PTSD? Who knows, it's not like anyone's alive to give her a diagnosis.
"No. Not us." She agrees, "But in a world with few like us, sounds lonely. Don't you think?" She tilts her head.
"Whether we intervene or not the outcome is the same." He bites out. He yanks out of her hold and steps away, "Patrols take multiple rounds around a section, it won't be long until the next patrol comes."
Ren makes a sound of frustration, "But what if one gets away? This could cause the entire settlement to go down." And with no settlement, there's no place to hide. No place to acostumize herself with her new mutated body.
"I don't like you." He says. He walks past her, his shoulder knocking her back a step as he heads towards the hoarde of dead. He pulls out the sword strapped to his hip and like some dark infected prince, he cuts down the dead hobbling their way. They fall in quick succession, and Ren watches in shock.
"Don't just stand there." He snaps back at her. "This is your idea, after all."
The sound of heavy boots hitting gravel grows louder. It seems the patrol is heading this way again. Soon they'll see the broken wall and the infected crawling threw.
Ren bites her lip, the guy is keeping the hoard back with ease, and the patrol is coming to take care of the rest. So, is she really needed here?
What was it that he said, I'm not getting captured? Maybe that will bring his hauty attitude down. Ren turns and runs the other way from the dead, the mutant, and the patrol. However, before she can get far, she's tackled to the ground. Her cheek scrapes against the cement ground, and pain makes her groan.
"Well, you're just a little snake," He growls down from above her. Ren blinks in surprise, ignoring the blood that's escaping the rapidly healing wound on her cheek, "If I'm going down, you're coming down with me."