Where Hope has Gone

@ SemeleDoes
Rae's hand had grown comfortable within Eric's and she seemed to have calmed down even more and was just looking out the window watching the trees pass out. "I think we are close. I haven't been here in years. I don't really count miles either." She said apologetically. "Lilith would know." She mumbled looking back at her sister. She sighed and mumbled, "I hope Aunt Jessie is okay." She bit down on her lip again, her hand squeezing his without taking much notice.

Jason heard Rae and said, "Is gas low?" He asked Eric having heard his question as well and then looked at the trees and said, "Well, if we do have to walk, I can carry Lilith, but I don't think it we can carry everyone and the things in the car." He said knowing that that would mean they'd have to keep the stuff in the car -- in the car.

Eric looked at Jason in the mirror and nodded. That might have to happen if they didn't arrive soon. He started seeing cows instead of trees and got hopeful. They went for about five more minutes before the car started to slow and it wasn't because he wanted it to.
"Alright guys looks like it's time to walk."
He coasted the car down the last hill and then needlessly put it in park. For the first time in hours Eric let go of Rae's hand, but this was just to pile bags on his shoulders. He grabbed his own and Jason's and then stepped out of the car.

@ FlyAway;

@ SemeleDoes
Rae frowned at the thought, but knew they could just come back and get their stuff with Aunt Jessie. She felt the car start to slow and nodded her head hearing his words. She got out of the car and grabbed as much stuff as she could knowing she still needed to change to get the blood off of her clothing. She sighed before taking a deep breath and led the way to Aunt Jessie's. "Since there are cows, we are close." She told Eric and Jason glad that she was wearing her adidas since they had a trek.

Jason got out of the vehicle and stood up before picking Lilith up and put her on his back making sure his hands were underneath her legs to keep her situated properly. He nodded his head and followed Rae and Eric. He said, "I'm just glad she's not that heavy." He said popping his neck gently as he walked down the path. He watched the cows and gave a smile. If it were any other day he'd be pleasantly surprised.

Eric grabbed one if the baseball bats from the back of the car and shoved his rifle in one of the bags. He figured it would be better to save the bullets, there couldn't be that many people out here so the crazies might not have even reached here yet. They walked along for a while before Rae pointed out a house, and Eric could almost feel himself sigh in relief. The sun had set hours ago and he hadn't slept since around noon the day before.

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@ SemeleDoes
Rae was starting to get tired from walking so long and was glad when they had finally made it to the house. She sighed in relief and her pace got faster and faster until she ran through the gate, hopping over the fence with ease just had she had done years ago and into the doors. She made it into the house and called out, "Aunt Jessie!!!" She looked around calling out over and over hoping to find her aunt. She sniffled running a hand through her hair bounding upstairs. She used to run cross country and track.

Jason carried Lilith easily on his back for awhile, and then he started to get rather exhuasted. He was so happy when he saw the tip of a house and blinked seeing Rae get faster and tried to follow but she started running and whistled when he saw her jump the fence like it was nothing. "Damn." He muttered and shook his head before stepping over the fence and shared a look with Eric before walking into the house slowly. He saw the couch and gently set Lilith down and took a breather.

Eric almost sighed in relief when Rae pointed out her Aunt's house. Thank everything they were almost there. He watched Rae get faster and faster and found that he couldn't keep up with her, which left him mildly impressed. Mildly turned to extremely when he saw her vault the gate. Deciding there was no way to keep up with her, he stepped behind Jason. Hos hands were a little full and if anything happened he wouldn't be able to do much.
When they finally reached the house Eric let himself fall to the floor with a groan.

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@ SemeleDoes
Rae frowned searching every room she could. She didn't find her anywhere. She then left the room and went downstairs before going outside into the barn and looked around calling out for her before going around the whole farm and panting. She ran back to the house and walked inside and breathed heavily looking at them and shook her head. "I can't find my aunt anywhere and i searched the whole farm. I don't know where she could be there." She mumbled frowning before taking another breather and sitting down on the floor taking deep breaths and controlling her breathing. She ran a hand through her hair before standing up again and getting a shirt and going into the bathroom and changing into it so she wouldn't have blood on her. She came back and sat down on the floor looking around.

Jason helped Eric get everything into the house once he had put Lilith down hoping she woke up soon and then ran a hand through his own hair before watching Rae run out the house and watched her run back in and blinked and frowned hearing her words and sat down on the couch beside Lilith taking a breather for once and then let his head fall back against the couch relaxing.

Lilith woke up not at all comfortable. This must have been one of the worst hangovers she had ever had, but she didn't even remember drinking the night before. She managed to open her eyes for a half a second and nearly lost it when she saw strangers. But the familiar room had a calming effect. This was Aunt Jessie's house, but why would she be here.
Managing to open both her eyes she looked at the man sitting at the end of the couch, "Just who the fuck are you?"
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Eric frowned at Rae's word and grabbed her hand again, he was sure this was helping him as much as it helped her at this point.
'Im sure she's fine, let's go look again."
He let Rae lead him around the farm, and couldn't hide his relief when they didn't see any crazies.

@ FlyAway;

Jason was relaxing when he heard a girls' voice. He looked over and saw that it was Lilith. He stood up holding his hands up in defense and said, "My name is Jason. You hit your head on the steering wheel of your car and I had to give you stitches. Your sister Rae is looking for your Aunt." He explained before sitting down across from her. "I'm a nurse. Well, was a nurse before the crazies started eating each other." He explained to her softly. "How is your head feeling?" He asked her gently.

Rae felt Eric grab her hand and looked up at him. She bit her lip and nodded. "I hope so." She whispered before leading him around the farm and every place she could think of her aunt might be. "You look tired." She observed softly. "What did you do before all of this?" She questioned him turning her emerald eyes up on him as she did so.

@ SemeleDoes

She glared at the guy, Jason, before growling back " My head feels like a cow stomped it, and if we're here with Rae where is she.?"
Realistically she knew she shouldn't be so angry or mean to this stranger but things weren't adding up in her head, and then she started to remember. Plans to go to the mall and eggs. Lilith sticking a knife in the posh looking lady. No. She would never kill someone. She let out a soft sob as she realized she had, because she would always choose Rae.
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Eric actually wasn't feeling so bad looping once again around the farm with the girl. But he smirked anyways when she asked, " I ran a gas station, one of my guys called out last night and had to cover. Got my keys right here."
He pulled his keys from his pocket and played with them for a minute. Actually this could be useful considering his morning shift had also called out so he'd been forced to close the store. It had the metal bars on the front and he was one of only two people with a key to get in.
"How about you?"

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@ SemeleDoes
Jason blinked hearing her and said, "I told you, she's looking for your Aunt. She went off with Eric somewhere, which is a - er - friend of mine." He saw her start to sob and his eyes widened before going over carefully and cautiously wrapped an arm around her and said, "I watched that girl clock a thing in the head with a baseball bat for you." He told her and rubbed her back. "If you killed one, i'm sure you had a good reason." He told her softly. "How bad is the pain?" He asked her gently.

Rae looked up hearing him and nodded. "That's cool I suppose." She told him before running a hand through her hair again before finding a hair band and gathering all of her hair putting it up into a pony tail at the top of her head, allowing you to see her beautiful face. She looked at him and said, "Working on getting my Masters degree in Marine Biology." She explained to him as she slowly made her way back to the house with him.

Lilith tried answering between sobs but that just wasn't going anywhere. She couldn't stop though, it felt like her world was over. Which technically she guessed that was probably true. After about 10 minutes she finally managed to calm down enough to speak.
"I can feel someone tapping my head with a hammer. They're people right. I killed person that's murder."
Shaking her head and wiping her tears she stood. Aunt Jessie was probably at her old neighbors house helping them as she was often found doing. Lilith walked into the bathroom and grabbed some medicine, she was sure it wouldn't make it all better but anything was helpful.
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Eric was about to ask the girl next to him a question when she pulled her hair back and he saw just how gorgeous she was. Without her hair in the way her eyes popped and for a moment he was mesmerized. He shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled at her.
"What got you interested in that?"
I hope Lilith is finally awake, he thought as they made their way to the farm house door.

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@ SemeleDoes
Jason shook his head hearing her trying to answer and said, "Let it out before you try and speak." He tried to be as gentle as possible as he rubbed her back very lightly and watched her as she spoke and said, "Well, that's not the worst pain. I don't think theyre people anymore.." He paused before answering the second part. He watched her and said, "Ibuprofen will be best unless she has some pain killers in there." He ran a hand through his hair not finding the energy to stand up. He had worked a 12 hour shift before this whole thing happened.

Rae saw his smile and gave her own for a moment and laughed hearing his question. "I've had panic attack ever since I can remember, so to calm me down my mom would put me in water and the water would always relax me and I would swim around, or float or just something. As I got older, that never changed, but I adore sea life and the ocean is beautiful and something about it calms me down." She murmured before turning back to him. "Though, I can't see your interest lying in a gas station. What else interests you?" She asked him before heading to the farm house. "I hope Lil is awake." She said softly biting down on her lip.

Lilith nodded and grabbed the medicine, looking into the mirror on the way out made her frown. That was not going to be a pretty scar. She walked into the kitchen made two glasses of water then took her medicine. She took the other back to Jason and saw just how work he looked. Lilith handed him the water and then thought for a moment.
'Hey follow me, you can take my bed here and get some rest."
Then she thought, she could go check the neighbors for Aunt Jessie.
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Eric walked into the house with a grin on his face. " Hunting has mostly been my thing. The gas station gives me the hours I need to be able to do that all the time." He usually went every weekend, which meant he was probably more suited to handle the crazies than anyone in the house.
He felt the exhaustion hit him even harder and knew he was going to need some rest soon.

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@ SemeleDoes
Jason ran a hand over his face and stretched his neck hearing it pop a few timess and sighed softly as he woke himself up before looking over at Lilith and laughed softly shaking his head. "No offense, but I'd rather sleep on the couch, where I'm in the open." He explained. "I don't feel like sleeping in a closed in room. But thank you." He said giving her a sweet smile. "I appreciate it." he told her before looking over seeing Eric and Rae.

Rae heard him and wrinkled her nose a little. "Bambi is overrated, but don't shoot Thumper." She said giving a soft smile before looking over seeing Lilith. "Lil!!" She said before jumping over the table and clutching onto her sister hugging her tightly before she pulled back. "How are you feeling?" She knew she looked exhausted but she was more concerned about her sister at the moment to take into account her own health. She hadn't even realized she had a few bruises on her arms and her collarbone.

Lilith shook her head but left him alone anyways. When Rae came in she basically jumped on the girl, checking her over. She was covered in bruises and still had blood splattered all over here. Lilith clicked her tongue and pulled her to her old bedroom. "I'm just fine Rae, you on the other hand look like you could use some TLC."
She rifled through the closet and threw a shirt at Rae, then grabbed a pair of shoes from off the floor. She hadn't found any tennis shoes in her room and she was sure heels would not help right now.
"Do you mind if I borrow these?"
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Eric smiled at Rae and said, "No, no Thumpers not enough meat anyways."
He watched the girl get pulled of by her sister, when it was apparent they wouldn't be returning in a hurry he sat on a recliner and closed his eyes. The action of the last few days catching up with him.

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@ SemeleDoes
Jason chuckled seeing the two girls and watched Eric and knew that now the adrenaline was wearing off he was seriously exhausted. He closed his eyes before feeling sleep grab a hold of him and wrestle him into him crashing. He looked much younger when he was sleeping. He was laying down with his head being supported by the arm rest of the couch and his arms were crossed over his chest, his shirt having risen up to expose some of his nicely toned stomach.

Rae laughed and shook her head before waving at him as she went off with her sister. She rolled her eyes and laughed, "I'm fine." She tried to tell her before going with her. She saw the shirt and said, "I just changed my shirt when I got in here. No, I have my tennis shoes on." She told her running a hand through her hair. "Just glad they're new, which means they shouldn't wear out as quickly." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed as she sat down and whispered, "Your head hit the wheel, Lil, and I freaked.. I'm pretty sure the only reason we're here is because Eric and Jason helped us." Se told her. "I hit one of those - those things with a bat and then I couldn't breathe because Jason told me you needed stitches and they just got us in the car and helped me take care of you." She explained to her what had happened.

Lilith looked her sister up and down and noticed her shirt was the only thing that wasn't covered in blood was her shirt. Maybe her mind was a little more fuzzy than she thought.
"I'm glad they we're there then. Rae I'm so sorry. I should have been paying attention.. I could have gotten out killed. I am so sorry."
She sat down on the bed and put the shoes on.
______
Eric dosed in and out of consciousness for felt like years. Images of all the death kept flowing through his mind, not allowing him to relax. His thoughts drifted to his employees and he wondered if any of them had made it. Probably not it was miracle he had.

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@ SemeleDoes
(Can I skip Jason since he's asleep?)

Rae nodded and said, "Don't be sorry. I'm sorry that my condition makes me freak out at little things." She sat down taking her sister's hand and said, "You were paying attention to me, and if I had been calm that wouldn't have happened." She shook her head and watched her put her shoes on. "Are you going somewhere?" She asked raising an eyebrow before shaking her head. "No! You probably have a concussion and god knows what else. You aren't going anywhere!" She said her voice rising from her starting to worry.

(Definitely! Let's just agree unconscious means no writing xD)

Lilith looked at her sister with a frown, "Of course it's not your fault you can't help it. Besides we probably need them Rae. If I have a concussion I probably shouldn't be sleeping. We gotta find Aunt Jessie, and those two can't stay here alone in case she comes back."
She got up gave her sister a hug. She didn't want to but she really felt like she should go check the neighbors house.
"Look if I'm not back in an hour then you need to worry."

@ FlyAway;