Hello everyone, Lazersword88 with the quick follow up update. Thank you for the continued support everyone. Nine reviews (ten if you count Mookiebear accidentally reviewing as a guest) is not bad, especially considering that two of my former regular reviewers (Keeper and PandaHero) have not been active recently and D.T. is still on a prolonged hiatus until April. I did receive a few more votes in my poll, but 7 people voting is still not enough to show me there is an interest in my lists or anime reviews. Therefore, neither of those will be returning this chapter. However, I have decided that if a character dies in a chapter, they will get their breakdown at the end of that chapter instead of the beginning of the next one. Hopefully this will give you guys even more to talk about in your reviews.
Without further ado, let's take a look at reviews from last chapter:
HellKing666: We'll see more Xandra and Kurt reactions very soon. It seems opinion across all the reviews is split over how genuine Kurt's actions were. Interesting… I still have more planned for Xandra, Cassie and Denise, but it might surprise you. Thanks for the review!
Mookiebear12 (covering both reviews): Did you forget which story you're reading? Characters in Dead Delinquents almost never catch a break! I hope the fight this chapter amongst the two inmates and Bradley doesn't disappoint. As long as I keep it semi classy, I don't mind people getting the warm and fuzzy feelings from my stories. Thanks for the review and good luck on your stories! I might check them out, but my own story and college might make it so that I can't.
ShinBP: I know it is the worst to see your character die, but thanks for taking it like a champ. Don't worry, your OC bloodlust will be satiated soon enough… I appreciate you taking the time to leave any review my friend!
Lost Church: Thanks for the compliment! If you turn down the lights for this fight, I'll bring the popcorn! Thanks for the review!
AcediaPrototype: You can tell me who you think killed Reiss in a PM, but don't go revealing it here! You think I'm that critical and vindictive? I know I can be brutal about who character's weaknesses are exposed, but I don't think I'm as bad as you make me out to be. I thought I had more than enough valid points to justify Reiss's death. If you are able to round up enough support, the anime reviews could return you know! Thanks for the review and hope to see you again this chapter.
AddictedToAngelic: Do you like it? I'm honestly a little iffy on the pairing, so we'll see if I keep it. I hope you enjoy the battle! Thanks for the review!
Bunnyeria: You don't think it's as emotional? I can kind of see how you would think that, but I think all of the romance going around would be emotionally sufficient for you. You'll find out everything in due time… I don't plan on revealing all of my secrets all at once. Thanks for the review!
Giggity090: Yes, I've been trying to update more frequently now so that when my semester inevitably starts to pick up I'll either be already finished with this story or I'll have made enough progress on it to fall back on my usual 2 updates per month average if I miss a window or two. Thanks for the support old friend!
Gambit Hawk: I'm used to you being the last review in, but I think this might be the first time your review has been the longest. However, I enjoy replying to long reviews so keep it up! I'm glad at least one person appreciates the subtle nuisances of developing characters through various seemingly trivial scenarios. In my universe, you do turn into a zombie quicker than 5 hours even if not bitten. The reason Reiss stayed dormant as a zombie for so long was that not much noise was made during the night. I think the answer to your question about the fight may surprise you. Despite being a degenerate (my name for the advanced zombies, you'll find out more later) and having a few extra tricks up his nonexistent sleeves, Bradley is still confined to the same 100 point skill allocation system as the rest of the characters. Thanks for the review!
Awesome D.T.: Welcome back! Thanks for the reviews! Because they came in so late and if I answered any of it I'd spoil some things, I'm going to skip leaving a long response this time. However, next time expect a longer response from me.
Speaking of Bradley, I think a lot of you would be fairly interested to know what you're going up against when it comes to Bradley. Therefore I give you a bonus segment from an anonymous in story character…
?'s analysis of Bradley Horada:
Offense:
Strength: 7. Strong, but never observed using a heavy weapon.
Speed: 10. Unlike his zombie kin, Bradley is the fastest character in the story.
Agility: 8. Fast, but somewhat slowed by his metal appendages.
Dexterity: 3. Lacks control over artificial parts of his body.
Awareness: 10. He seems to be capable of sensing anything within the sight of another zombie.
Coordination: 3. Heavy artificial appendages make coordination a problem.
Skill: 7. His sword techniques are no joke.
Jump: 8. Is capable of leaping inhuman heights into the air with a single bound.
Defense:
Toughness: 7. Capable of surviving being shot through the chest with no major consequence.
Block: 7. Has been observed blocking many attacks.
Dodge: 5. Dodging ability a function of his speed, not necessarily an overabundance of planning.
Parry: 7. Parrying ability assumed from Bradley's sword mastery.
Elusiveness: 3. Prefers to engage targets directly without much subtly.
Stamina: 10. Indefinite stamina afforded by undead makeup.
Non-combat:
Leadership: 0. Commands zombies around him forcibly and without much nuance.
Teamwork: 0. No know teammates.
Luck: 5. No relevant information known.
Recovery: 0. No known zombies have a healing ability.
Creativity: 0. Bradley seems to prefer charging into battle, surrounding his foe and defeating them head on. No creativity is implied from his lack of strategy and used weapon.
Persuasion: 0. Prefers to let his fists do the talking.
Perks: Slide, quick get up, rear perception, parkour, costless agility.
Weaknesses: Stiff movement, uncoordinated, easily pinned/trapped, not a leader, not a team player, no recovery, not a puzzle solver, untrustworthy.
How would your character go about dealing with Bradley? Let me know in your reviews below. Now, on to the chapter…
Prison Entrance Morning Z day + 1
"Denise!" Cassie yelled, joining the reeling girl's side along with Ai. "Come on, you have to snap out of this!"
Denise continued to shake violently, her troubled stirs increasing in frequency when she saw Bradley jump over the incomplete pile of zombies.
"We don't have the time for your damn hippy trip!" Robin barked, breathing deeply from the grueling work. "If we want to have any chance of walling out these zombies, we need Denise's help".
"Shut up Robin!" Ai yelled, causing Robin to snarl in disgust. "You're not helping".
"It's not my fault that your on and off decided to spaz out at the worst possible time!" Robin scoffed. "How about you quit wasting your time and start helping me move these bodies! It's bad enough we have one person whose strong enough to throw these assholes incapacitated. We can't afford to have you slacking off too!"
"You selfish little bitch!" Ai howled.
"Calm down Ai!" Adam said, coming between the two girls. "I'll watch over Denise. You two get back to making this wall".
"Wow, good call Adam" Robin remarked. "I wouldn't have expected something so mature out of a burnout like you".
"Maybe if you spent less time angry, you could hear all my good ideas" Adam jabbed.
"What, all four of them?" Robin joked back with a slight grin.
"I hate to break up your comedy hour, but we could really use you getting on building that wall!" Raul exclaimed, bashing another undead in the face with his spade as Ariana stood behind him, whipping her bicycle chain out at the occasional approaching zombie.
"Alright Denise, just breath for me" Adam said, laying Denise on her back and supporting her head with his hand. "I'm here"…
On the other side of the entrance, a tense stare down was reaching its climax.
"When you're swinging that flail around, just make sure I'm not in its path" Beck suggested to Ichihiki, who coldly shrugged off the advice.
"How about you just stay out of my way?" Ichihiki complained, an angry stare directed at his companion in the upcoming battle.
"Heads says I attack first" Beck said, flipping his coin into the air.
However, before the coin could hit the ground, Beck dashed towards Bradley. Still distracted by the coin, Bradley only saw Beck near him when Beck was nearly within striking distance. In a panic, Bradley swung his blade in a horizontal full swing chopping motion towards his target. Predicting this, Beck let himself fall to the ground and slide along it using the speed he had built from his dash. After Bradley's blade passed harmlessly over him, Beck quickly bounced back onto his feet and unleashed a brutal flurry of stabs with his sickle and pruning saw combination. However Bradley was equally fast to adapt, pivoting his foot and absorbing the brunt of Beck's assault into the center of his well-crafted blade.
Not on the same page with his partner's well timed deceit, Ichihiki began to swing the large shot put ball like mace ball around his body. As his flail began to gain momentum he held the grappling hook side of the flail weapon in one hand, using the swinging chains momentum and his own movements to coil the chain around his body. Ichihiki handled the specialist weapon like a trained master combatant, perfectly able to keep his chain at this preferred length as he stepped towards. As Beck and Bradley sparred and traded attacks, Ichikiki leaped into the air and let his chain expand out to his desired length as he swung it around and down.
Seeing the heavy cast iron ball rapidly moving towards him from above, Bradley quickly reacted and blocked the oncoming ball. However, Ichihiki used the directional influence on the ball from the deflection to swing it around to his right low to the ground. This time the ball went slightly past Bradley's legs and the chain wrapped around them, forcing his legs together and causing him to fall onto the ground. Without any hesitation, Ichihiki's furious dance like martial art continued. The dark black haired boy, pulled the chain until it was tight and then used the momentum from his movement to pick up Bradley and fling him over his head and across the room. As the chain around Bradley's legs released midair, the sentient zombie flew across the room and crashed into one of the buildings walls.
Bradley was on his feet again within seconds, but Beck was already right next to him by the time he got up. Bradley swung wildly with his blade, still dazed by Ichihiki's grapple. However, Beck ducked under Bradley's swipe and uppercutted him in the gut. Beck's strike launched Bradley into the air a few feet and as Bradley fell Beck swung with his pruning saw, slightly cutting into Bradley's back.
However after colliding with the ground and howling loudly for a moment, Bradley was back up on his feet again. Ichihiki began to swing his flail around him again, building momentum for another attack. However, Ichihiki couldn't find a good opening to attack Bradley with Beck right in the way. If Ichihiki tried to trap Bradley again but hit Beck instead, it could be disastrous for both inmates. Ichihiki then decides to let Beck wear Bradley out before he continued his assault. After all, Beck was expendable to Ichihiki.
Now on his feet, Bradley unleashed a barrage of sword strikes. Luckily for Beck, all of Bradley's strikes could be dodged despite his close proximity to the former thief's guild member. After another missed flurry of attacks, Bradley swung down hard in a vertical slice. Standing his ground this time, Beck sidestepped the strike and caught Bradley's blade between his sickle and his pruning saw. The two combatant struggled for a few tense seconds as Beck tried to angle his sickle so that it would pry Bradley's blade away or break it. However Bradley's superior strength won out as he freed his blade, knocking Beck's weapons away from him and causing them to slide away in opposite directions across the floor. In one fluid motion, Beck smashes Beck in the stomach and sends him tumbling into a wall next to a unmoved corpse.
As Bradley approached Beck to make his kill, Charlie's attention turned from the zombies she was currently dealing with to her friend in danger.
"Stay away from him!" Charlie exclaimed, taking her jagged tipped spear like pole and throwing it straight at an unprepared Bradley.
The pole struck Bradley dead on and pierced all the way through his chest, causing him to fall to his knees.
"Thanks… Charlie…" Beck said a bit weakly as he began to get up, his cheeks blushing a bit as he thought about the girl he had always had a crush on.
"Your pathetic attempt amuses me…" Bradley proclaimed, pulling the pipe from his chest and returning to his feet. "Let's see how well you handle this same pipe through your chest!"
"Somebody help!" Charlie proclaimed, unarmed and defenseless.
"Be gone you demon!" Jack said, using his speed to rapidly intercept Bradley with his shield like crucifix before he could reach and impale Charlie.
"Jack?!" Charlie said confusedly. "Thanks for the save! Can you cover me while I go for my pipe?"
"I can do my best…" Jack mumbled as he deflected Bradley's assault.
"We could use your help here with the normal zombies!" Alex proclaimed, running her knife through the face of a walker.
"If we make a big push, we can finish the wall now!" Amelia proclaimed.
"And lock ourselves in here with Bradley?" Raul protested. "That's not a good idea. We should try to defeat or drive Bradley out before we finish the wall".
Meanwhile, Beck begins to find his center again. Out of the corner of his eye, he eyes a shiny object buried in the coat pocket of the corpse next to him. Pulling the object out, Beck's eyes widened as he saw it was a fully loaded and seemingly functioning revolver that was already fully loaded.
"Your time is up Bradley!" Beck shouted, picking up the revolver and priming it while he knelt on the ground.
"You don't know when to stay down do you, foolish human!" Bradley howled, leaving Jack alone and charging for the larger threat.
As Bradley charged, Beck fired off the first round which echoed in the room with a loud clap. The bullet missed over Bradley's right shoulder. Beck fired the re-primed towards Bradley again, the bullet this time grazing Bradley's side but not slowing him. As he fired his third shot, Bradley leapt into the air and avoided the shot. With his fourth bullet, Beck pointed the gun upwards and fired off the shot. This time, the bullet went under Bradley since Beck hadn't compensated for Beck's forward motion. As Bradley started to descend down the arc of his jump, Beck fired off his fifth shot which hit Bradley square in the chest. However, the impact only caused Bradley to flinch momentarily as Bradley readied a downward swing of his blade. Beck primed the revolvers last shot and pulled the trigger…
*Click*
"It doesn't matter anyways…" Beck mocked.
Bradley's blade came down straight onto Beck's skull, smashing it and splattering the pieces like a shattered watermelon. The enhanced zombie's blade continued to slice through Beck's limp body until he had sliced about half of the length of Beck's body into two halves. From there Bradley quickly fell to his knees and sunk his teeth into the fresh gore exploding from Beck's mutilated corpse, making slurping and chewing sounds as he chewed into the corpse like a dog would a piece of fresh steak.
"No… Beck…" Charlie said, a few tears streaming down her face.
"I'm getting you out of here" Jack said, almost immediately with a hand around the grieving girl. "Come with me".
As Jack guided Charlie back to the basement entrance, Bradley continued to chew on his fresh kill. Ichihiki stood almost still at a safe distance and observed the Bradley devour Beck's corpse.
"I guess you didn't have what it takes Beck" Ichihiki droned…
Away from Bradley, Adam continued to try to help Denise. While the others were only making slow progress on the corpse pile's height, Adam was slowly calming Denise down.
"Just take deep breaths" Adam said as Denise opened began to stop shaking.
"I think I'm ok now…" Denise said.
"Just take it slow" Adam suggested. "Do you want me to help you back to your cell?"
"Are you guys sure you can finish this wall if I'm not here?" Denise asked weakly.
"I think we can manage it" Adam said.
"I can take her back" Laz said, having gotten up from his tired stupor and shambled his way over to the duo.
"Why the hell should I trust you with that?" Adam protested.
"Because if you don't start helping your friends we're going to get overrun" Laz said a bit tiredly. "I'm not of much use right now to fight, but I think I can take care of this".
Adam looked over at the rest of the survivors and saw that the number of zombies jumping over the corpse pile was steadily increasing.
"Fine, I'll let you take her" Adam said with a distrustful glance. "But if anything happens to her, I'll personally kill you. That's my best friend's girlfriend you're holding there".
Laz and Adam helped Denise to her feet and Laz guided Denise back down towards the prisoner's cells.
"I hope this doesn't blow up in my face…" Adam moaned.
As Bradley finished devouring Beck's corpse, he slowly returned to his feet. The monster felt weak from the two bullets that hit him, wincing a bit when he stood upright.
"Now's my chance!" Ichihiki said, swinging his flail out at Bradley and striking him with it again.
"This… is a battle I cannot win…" Bradley growled as he returned to his feet. "Cursed you foolish humans…"
With a quick sprint and a high leap, Bradley bounded over the now complete corpse pile and fled to safety on the other side. As he does so, the number of zombies that were climbing over the top of the wall of rotting flesh seemed to dwindle.
"Now's our chance!" Raul yelled. "The three of you better step it up and complete that wall!"
"Don't rush me!" Ai shouted back, heaving another bullet ridden corpse to the top of the pile.
"I might be able to finish this damn thing if you guys could cover me for five seconds!" Robin howled, carrying two of the bodies at once and throwing both to the top.
"Well excuse me princess!" Adam mocked with a cocky smirk. "Would you like me to get you tea and a pillow with that?"
"Shut it" Robin replied, glaring at Adam. "I don't see your scrawny behind helping to throw these corpses".
"Keep going Roby!" Alice gleamed from the top of the rubble pile. "You're almost done".
"We just need a few more to completely seal off the room!" Kurt yelled. "Keep them off me you two".
"Got it" Lexi said, swinging her twin knives and plunging them into the back of zombie's skulls with ample finesse.
"To your right Lex" Amelia called out as she took another shot at the zombies jumping over the barrier with her crossbow.
"This is the last one!" Robin said, picking up the corpse and throwing.
"Got it!" Adam said as he jumped into the air behind Robin's throw and pushed the corpse to the top of the pile, wedging it in between the roof and the rest of the pil
A hard thrust threw the head from Raul's shovel finished the last of the undead. As Raul scanned the area, he could hear Ariana slightly gag as she held back the vomit from what she had just witnessed. Turning to see what was wrong, Raul looked straight at the mutilated corpse that had once been Beck.
"Come with me Ariana, you don't want to be looking at that mess" Raul said, guiding Ariana with his arm as they headed back towards the cells.
Iris saw the pile of gore and cringed a bit as she walked back to the cells. It reminded her a bit too much of the same kind of blood that would drip from her arms and legs when her parents would torture her. However a warm arm around her turned her attention away from the mess on the floor.
"It's ok Iris" Adam said in a comforting tone.
"Yeah, I know" Iris whispered back, leaning back into Adam's chest. "Let's go get showered together".
"I don't think that's the best idea" Adam said with a hint of regret.
"What do you mean?" Iris questioned. "No one here's going to stop up from doing it".
"Listen Iris, I need to tell you some things" Adam said with a sigh. "Last night I might have caved in and given you what you wanted, but I don't think I'm the right kind of person for you".
"What the heck are you talking about?" Iris asked, think Adam was being rash. "I've wanted to get with you for almost as long as I've been stuck in here".
"I just don't think it's right Iris" Adam replied. "You're three years younger than me. Don't you see how that could be weird for me? Other than the fact that we both love to smoke and want to get out of here, what do we have in common Iris? Even though it was with good intentions, I know that you would go as far as to kill someone for something you believe in. I on the other hand am not even supposed to be in this damn place. I just feel like if we're together you'll up making some stupid decision that would contradict my beliefs. I love you, but more as a sister then anything romantic. I hope you can understand that…"
Iris pushed away from Adam and walked forward towards the entrance of the steps down to the cell blocks. Her long dark black hair crested over her head and covered her pale creamy scar ridden skin as she continued to walk. Her honey brown eyes were sullen and much less bright then before.
"You know, it must feel really good to pretend you're so superior to the rest of us" Iris hissed. "I've spent my entire life caged up like an animal. First it was a home and now it's at this prison. And now the one time that I wanted someone to chain me down, they decide they're too good for me…"
"Iris…" Adam said as Iris walked down the stairs without a reply. "I really messed that one up…"
"You could benefit from acting like less of a snob" Robin said as she walked past Adam. "It doesn't matter if you committed the crime or not, cause you're here now".
"What did you say to me?!" Adam roared.
"Nothing you scrawny little twig" Robin said, giving the black haired teen a little shove. "I actually have to look after the people who are important to me. Try actually looking after the people that are important to you, rather than distancing yourself from them".
"Roby!" Alice said, running up and hugging Robin before looking up at the staring Adam. "Is there something wrong with us?"
"No Alice, it's just Adam being Adam again" Robin said with a piercing gaze right at Adam. "Let's go get a shower. I'll wash your hair…"
As Robin walked away, Adam let out an audible sigh before walking down into the basement himself. Forrest was the next of the inmates down the stairs, with everyone giving him distance. He stared for a brief moment at those who remained in the room before proceeding down the stairway himself.
Ichihiki continued to stand silently next to Beck's corpse, staring cold and lifelessly at it.
"I guess you were not meant to be the true test of my skill" Ichihiki said.
"There are many ways to measure skill you know" Molly said dryly, her ginger ponytail swaying behind her as she walked. "For instance, in terms of intellect, barely anyone is my superior. However, I will concede that you are one of the strongest in terms of combat".
"My goal is to find someone that can truly be a test of my strength" Ichihiki stated, as if talking to himself. "So, what does a genius like you need a fighter like me for".
"For protection and for some…" Molly said, moving her thin frame closer to Ichihiki. "…Experiments".
"What did you have in mind?" Ichihiki said, blushing only slightly.
"Come with me and you'll find out" Molly replied, her freckle laced cheeks flush red as she pulled Ichihiki up the pile of rubble and to what remained of the second floor classrooms.
"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do…" Ichihiki moaned.
As soon as the classroom door had shut, Molly pulled the taller dark hair teen up to her in a very robotic and methodical fashion. Pushing Ichihiki up against the wall, she planted her soft pink lips against his and kissed him for a second.
"I'm sure you want to see more" Molly said, pulling off her prison top and bra in one motion to reveal her small and pale chest.
She tossed her removed clothing into Ichihiki's face as she walked up to him again. However, as Ichihiki removed the thrown clothing from his face, he felt the sharp prick of a needle entering into his neck. As he fell to the ground, the clothing parted with his face and revealed a topless Molly who had a huge smile on her face.
"Don't worry my friend" Molly said in her usual dry tone. "You will be unconscious for the whole thing. However, I need to account for any controls in my experiment. I don't want anyone messing up the experiment process. If it makes you feel any better, I have a needle for myself too".
With this, Molly pulls a second needle out of her shorts and pulls the safety cap from the syringe. Plunging the needle into her own neck, a visible wave of pleasure rushes through her body as her posture loosens.
"I won't be needing these anymore…" Molly proclaims, practically ripping her shorts and underwear down off of her body and tossing them aside to reveal her slender nude form.
"Let the experiments begin…" Molly mutters as she rubs between her own legs and lowers herself down to pull the incapacitated Ichihiki's pants off…
Back on the 1st Floor…
Ai walked up to Xandra and Cassie with a nervous tension apparent from her inconsistent walking speed.
"Hey… Cassie…" Ai said nervously. "Do you mind…"
"What the heck do you want?" Cassie growled, turning away from Xandra to face Ai. "Don't you think you've caused enough trouble already?"
"Yeah, go away!" Xandra parroted.
"Well, I was wondering if you could say something to Denise for me" Ai said hesitantly.
"If you're going to try to make up with her, you're going to have to do that yourself" Cassie replied bitterly. "Until then, you can be sure that I'm not going to forgive you".
"Fine!" Ai yelled. "I'll do it myself!"
"Let's go have fun in the showers Cassie!" Xandra exclaimed, clinging to Cassie from the side.
"Sounds great, my lovely little freak" Cassie said with a sinful grin as the two proceeded down towards the cell block floor.
"I should have known it would come to this…" Ai mumbled, heading down to the basement.
This only left three inmates on the first floor. Kurt paced back and forth as the two girls next to him stood to the side with their hands intertwined.
"How she I tell her this?" Kurt rambled. "You know, without her trying to kill me in the process".
"I'm not sure" Amelia pouted. "I'm not too good at forgiving people when I'm angry, so I might be much help".
"Hmm…" Alex thought, thinking deeply and rubbing her chin.
"What is it Lexi?" Amelia asked.
"I think I have an idea…" Lexi said with a confident grin…
Men's showers…
Most of the guys had quickly rinsed off in order to be ready for lunch or had skipped their shower for the moment. However, Forrest stayed behind and let himself soak in the steamy room by himself. It had been a long past couple day for the former school murderer and the rest of the group probably didn't want to see him around anyways. From out of nowhere, something was touching him from behind.
"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you…" the soothing voice said, as Forrest felt a body press against his back.
Forrest could tell that it was a girl because her small breasts were pressed up against his back. The girl continued to press herself up against Forrest as she coiled her leg around Forrest's and rubbed her sensitive area against his leg. He then felt her teeth gentle bite the tip of his ear.
Forrest slowly turned around to see Iris standing before him, completely naked.
"Iris!" Forrest said with a blush, beginning to fall to the ground.
"Is it a problem seeing me like this?" Iris asked, catching Forrest before he fell.
"Not at all babe" Forrest said in his smoother and deeper voice.
Iris pulled Forrest in and their lips met. They were both around the same height, so their lips met without any intrusion. Soon their lips parted ways and their tongues danced around each other's mouths in a frantic and lustful manner. As they broke the kiss, a strand of salvia hung between their mouths like a piece of spaghetti.
"I don't care if you want to freak with me, but aren't you Adam's girl or something?" Forrest asked, putting one hand on Iris' breast and another in between her legs.
"Not anymore" Iris said with a lustful gaze. "I just want to make some bad decisions".
"Then you certainly came to the right place" Forrest said with a devilish grin. "You have some guts to come alone to the guys shower room all by yourself. I should warn you. If you're not a freak now, I'm going to make you a freak if we do this".
"I wouldn't be so sure you can handle me" Iris said, sliding each of her hands in between Forrest's legs on either side of his crotch. "All the torture I've been put through has taught me a thing or two".
"Really?" Forrest barked in delight, letting his hands go anywhere they wanted on Iris' frame as she presses her nude body into his. "Then let me show you why you should be my plaything".
"Show me" Iris said, turning on the rest of the showers to flood the room with steam as Forrest grabs her and pushes her into one of the stalls…
Denise and Ai's Cell…
Denise lay motionless but alive in her bunk as Ai watched her sleep from the cell's entrance.
"Well, here goes…" Ai said. "Denise! Wake up!"
The well-muscled girl didn't stir from Ai's yelling. Ai frowned and then lay herself on top of Denise. Ai tried to shake Denise awake, but to no avail. Ai tried to think of a way to wake Denise up before a huge blush came to her face along with a naughty grin. Ai slipped her thin frame underneath Denise's snug sheets and parted her hair to the side. Next Ai unbuttoned Denise's pants and pulled her underwear down along with the pants. Licking her lips in anticipation, Ai got to work as Denise started to slightly twitch. After a few minutes, Ai heard Denise's breathing quicken and the occasional sigh escaped her mouth. Suddenly, Denise's hand ripped the blanket off the reveal what Ai was doing.
"Ai, what are you…!" Denise muttered before Ai's lips slammed into hers.
"Shut up sexy" Ai replied. "I'm trying to pay you back for the trouble I've caused you".
"Wait before you…" Denise mumbled before the pleasure hit her again. "Never mind. Don't stop doing that".
Ai continued for over a half an hour before Denise was finally satiated.
"If I do this for you every night, will you forgive me?" Ai asked with a nervous smile.
"Deal" Denise replied. "How about I return the favor?"
"Sounds good to me…" Ai said as Denise stripped her down.
The two continued for another hour in a frenzy of passionate lovemaking. However an unexpected guest came up next to the bed and looked at the two.
"Oh, that looks like some fun!" Xandra squealed, peeling her own clothes off.
"Xandra!" Denise exclaimed.
"Guess who else is here?" Cassie exclaimed, already naked due to not wearing any clothes out of the shower room. "What, did you not think that I wouldn't come to claim what you promised me?"
"Promised her?" Ai asked in confusion.
"Yea… I kind of told her that we could make love every night if we made it…" Denise explained.
"However tonight, I want you and Xandra to get closer" Cassie said with a soft tone. "I think Ai deserves some more punishment".
"Whee!" Xandra said as she pulled Ai off from on top of Denise and climbed into her place.
"Glad to see someone's having fun…" Ai said, rolling her eyes as she stood back up.
"That's a really cool tattoo you have there" Denise complimented, looking at Xandra's tattooed eye.
"Thanks" Xandra exclaimed, rubbing her breasts against Denise's. "You have all sorts of cool tats. You're almost like a comic book character!"
"Umm… thanks" Denise said, taken aback by Xandra's weird comment. "Here now, let me make you feel nice and good".
As Denise began to have her fun with Xandra, Cassie climbed up to the top bunk with Cassie.
"So, I don't suppose you have anything pleasant in mind…" Ai said nervously.
"Oh don't worry bitch" Cassie said with an angry sneer. "After I'm done, you won't walk properly for a week!"
"As long as it makes you not angry at me" Ai said, propping her bottom up and her face against the bed so that Cassie could do as she pleased…
The Prison Alter room…
"Do you want to talk about it?" Jack said to Charlie as she wept. "I never realized he was important to you".
"I guess I had a secret crush on him" Charlie said as she let the tears out. "I was always thinking of a way I could let him know how I felt, but he was just too thick and disinterested".
"Some people are that way" Jack replied, rubbing Charlie's back innocently as he sat next to her.
"I guess it's not all about Beck…" Charlie said, the tears starting to slow in frequency. "All the people around me who keep dying have been very hard on me".
"That's not the only thing that's been bothering you, right?" Jack said perceptively.
"It's about Forrest too" Charlie said. "I had no idea he was such a cruel and violent person. I always thought of him as clueless and harmless. I can't believe he'd ever volunteer himself to get blood on his hands…"
"Don't worry Charlie, I'm here for you my friend" Jack comforted, offering Charlie a napkin to dry her face. "Tell me Charlie, what are you continuing to fight for?"
"Excuse me?" the girl with flashy hair design asked.
"I mean if we survive this place, what do you intend to do after?" Jack confirmed. "What keeps you driven to survive?"
"Well, I guess making sure that Robin and her little friend survive is part of my plan…" Charlie said as she thought, rubbing the knitting of her ski cap. "I guess my goal for the long run is to one day see my sister again".
"Do you mind telling me a little more about her?" Jack asked with interest in his eyes.
"Well, she is my younger sister" Charlie explained. "I didn't like either of my parents, so she's the only family I hope I see again. Who knows what Scar looks like nowadays, but back when I got arrested she had blonde hair…"
"Your sister's name was Scar?" Jack softly laughed. "That's a bit of an unusual name".
"Shut up!" Charlie yelled.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean any offense by…" Jack soothed.
"No it's fine" Charlie replied, cutting Jack short. "I sometimes lose my temper when I shouldn't. My sister's real name is Scarlet, but I think it's easier to just call her Scar".
"So it's for the same reason everyone calls you Charlie instead of Charlotte" Jack assumed.
"Yeah, you've got it" the shorter girl replied. "My twin and I used to paint graffiti together. If they knew what we were doing, my parents and my big sister would never approve".
"Does your twin sister ever come to visit you?" the blond haired former priest in training asked.
"No" Charlie answered. "My parents probably stop her from trying. On the night that I got captured, Scar was with me".
"So she got away?" Jack questioned.
"Only because I pushed her into a bush and the cops missed her" Charlie chuckled. "I still can't believe the cops didn't see her there".
"Now that you mention it, I actually got arrested for the sake of my sister too" Jack reminisced.
"What happened to her?" Charlie asked.
"I'm she was fine until these corpse monsters came along" Jack said. "She was probably just living a normal teenage life. I can only pray that those things aren't everywhere by now. It's kind of funny to think that now my sole reason for going on would be something that I shunned years ago".
"Why?" Charlie asked confusedly, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder as his palm cupped his forehead.
"I always used to blame my sister Rose for my mother's death, since she died during her childbirth" Jack said in a regretful tone. "It took me quite a long time for me to realize that Rose was the last gift my mother ever gave me".
"You act as if Rose couldn't escape if those things came for her…" Charlie began.
"She couldn't because she's in a comma" Jack answered.
"Oh my goodness Jack" Charlie said, hugging the former priest trainee. "I can't imagine the stress you must have. If you don't mind, could you tell me how this all happened?"
"Rose was violently mugged on her way home from Sunday school one weekend" Jack muttered. "I don't know the full extent of what they did to her, but after we founder her she was in a comma. At the time I was trying to train to become a priest, but I decided to drop it all in order to get back at the gang who did that to her. That's what led to me getting arrested".
"Well it seems that we both have sisters that we care about even more then ourselves" Charlie said.
"How about this Charlotte" Jack said with a small smile. "If we both happen to make it out of this alive, I'll help you find your sister if you help me locate mine".
"Sounds good to me" Charlie replied.
"Good to hear" Jack said. "Listen, Raul swung by earlier and told me he wanted everyone to meet up after lunch to discuss some things, so you'd better… Charlie?"
As the two sat next to each other, Charlie had moved her hand on top of Jack's and held it softly.
"Could you do something for me Jack?" Charlie asked. "Could I spend the night with you?"
"Charlie… I…" Jack said, completely caught off guard.
"No, I don't mean in any lewd way" Charlie explained. "It's just with everything that's happened recently, I just want someone I can trust to be there. I don't want to feel any more insecure…"
"Charlie, you don't have to always go around acting like the tough girl" Jack said, interlacing his fingers with hers. "It's ok to be emotional and let others see how we feel sometimes".
"So will you stay with me?" Charlie asked again.
"You can count on it" Jack replied as the two hugged innocently…
The Hallway…
"You did what!" Denise howled, trying to reach for Kurt but being held back by the combined effort of Cassie, Ai, Xandra, Amelia and Lexi.
"I'm sorry" Kurt said in a sullen voice. "I truly mean it".
"How can you just say that?" Denise growled. "You can't just clap and bring him back. Do you even know how much he meant to me?"
"I honestly didn't know ok?!" Kurt said, meeting Denise's anger with anger of his own. "I was stuck in that damn dark cage for two years out of my life. What, was I supposed to turn down an offer that could make it so I didn't rot in that unkempt cell until I died?"
"Well… if you put it that way it kind of…" Denise muttered. "That still doesn't change that…"
"Look, you can either hate me forever or you can let me try to make things as good as they can be" Kurt said eloquently. "What's done is done. I can't change the fact the Murph's gone or make you feel any better about it. However, I do want to make you one promise".
"What's that?" Denise asked.
"I'm going to find this Bradley character, and I'm going to bring you his head" Kurt said as he showed a confident smile…
The Cafeteria…
"Thank you everyone who decided to attend this important organizational meeting" Raul explained to the inmates in attendance as Ariana tallied the votes. "Does anybody have any idea where Ichihiki is?"
"I have no idea" Molly said with no emotion.
"Ok, he's probably off sulking somewhere anyways" Raul concluded. "Are the votes tallied yet?"
"Yes they are Rau" Ariana said cheerfully. "Ok, so the overwhelming win to manage the facility is Molly".
"Figures" Molly said dryly.
"Care to show a little more emotion there, Mrs. Zombie?" Cassie joked, to which Molly flipped her off.
"Next we have Raul as our supply manager!" Ariana exclaimed.
"I'll do my absolute best to insure we last as long as possible" Raul stated in a very professional manner.
"Hey, we still all want a slice of that personal stash we all know you have" Tico proclaimed.
"It's funny you should ask for it, since I know you take almost all of my cigars from there" Raul said in a frustrated tone.
"Oh wow boy scout, you caught me" Tico mocked as he pulled out one of said cigars and lit it as he crossed his legs.
"And finally we have… a tie for the position of leader between Amelia and Denise!" Ariana exclaimed.
Denise stood up rather abruptly and walked over to Amelia before offering her a hand.
"I think that you'd be the better leader, so I'll let you have the position" Denise said honestly.
"Really?" Amelia asked with enthusiasm.
"Yeah" Denise continued. "Your leadership helped get all of us through the first day of all this. Meanwhile all I did was nearly get a few people killed and have a panic attack. I don't think it's even a question".
"Thank you!" Amelia stammered excitedly, shaking Denise's hand. "I won't let you down!"
"Finally, we have the first night shift for tonight" Ariana concluded. "As we agreed, each night we will have a random drawing of the cards we made here from this bowl. No two people will be able to guard on consecutive nights, so if you are chosen your name will be removed from the bowl the next night. So tonight's two guards will be… Adam and Robin?!"
"What!" Adam and Robin both yelled in unison…
Late night Denise and Ai's room
Denise lay in bed asleep with a sleeping Ai on top of her. However a tap on her arm awoke her from her light sleep.
"It's time to go" Cassie said before planting a kiss on Denise's forehead. "Laz wants to talk to us now".
Denise got out of her bed, careful not to wake up Ai as she departed with Cassie. Following Cassie through the halls, Denise eventual found herself in an otherwise nondescript cell where she found Laz waiting for her.
"I'm glad you could come" Laz started. "Thank you for bring her here Cassie. You've always been one of my most invaluable allies and friends. If you wish you can head back to your cell now".
"No, I'd rather be here with Denise just to make sure she takes all of this alright" Cassie said, looking Denise in the eyes.
"Very well" Laz replied. "Then allow me to tell you the story of where you came from before this prison and how I figured into all of this mess…"
3 ½ years before Philadelphia, PA
A young teen pushed his way through a crowed pack on a port dock. He did so not out of disrespect for any of the people in front of him, but to get as far away from the cruise ship he had stowed away on as possible. The boy was lanky with deeply tanned skin and blond hair, patched clothes and a famished build.
As he pushed past the last passenger and made his way down a long series of alleyways that sprawled like a maze, the boy found that the city he was in was much larger and more frantic then he had anticipated. After wandering down one too many alleys, then thin boy was officially lost.
His lack of a sense of direction was interrupted by the rumbling of his stomach. He needed to find something to eat. However, the young teen was flat broke. Despite the fact that he didn't like to steal anything he couldn't give back later, the young man was forced into the position yet again.
Eyeing what looked to be a small street side grocery store, the young man made his way inside. Carefully watching his surroundings, the young man stuffed easily pocket able pieces of fruit and bags of crackers into his patched jacket. Careful to not drop anything, the young teen made his way to the door…
*Thud*
The young man's heart sank as realized he had dropped an apple.
"Thief!" the store owner cried as the store's security rushed over to grab the young man.
However no hands ever grabbed the young man as two figures dressed in black hoodies both punched the security guards in the face before drawing knives. A third figure, this one female, pulled a knife on the store owner. The female was quite muscular and had pale white skin unmarked by any tattoos or scars.
"What do you want from me, you scum?!" the manager asked angrily.
"Just some food" the girl said as her two cronies collected large stockpiles of food in black garbage bags.
The girl then looked straight over to the young man with a fierce and determined gaze.
"This one's not with us" the girl said.
"Leave him for the police" one of her cronies snickered.
"I don't think so" the girl contemplated. "He looks homeless to me. You there, what's your name?"
"I'm… I'm Lazarus" the young man said. "Don't hurt me! I just wanted to eat!"
"I'm not going to hurt you, see" the girl said, giving him a quick hug and causing him to blush. "My name is Melissa. Now if you don't want to get arrested then I suggest you follow us".
As the hooded robbers exited the grocery story, Lazarus followed them. After turning a corner into an alley , the group climbed up a fire escape and onto the rooftops. From there they ran across the close rooftops and avoided running on the streets.
"It looks like we're in the clear this time boss" one of the cronies said with a wide smirk.
However from out of nowhere a figure jumped onto the rooftop and punched the robber who was just talking in the head, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Shit, this is a problem" Melissa yelled. "Jeffery, grab his bag and take them both back to the hideout. I'll deal with him".
"You got it boss" the second robber said scooping up his comrades bad and continuing to run along the rooftops in a different direction.
"Why aren't we running too?" Lazarus asked.
"Because I don't leave any of my boys behind" Melissa said with a slight chuckle. "You have a lot to learn kid".
The figure that appeared on the roof walked out of the shadows and his figure became clearer. He was tall and lanky teenager with brown medium length curly hair, tan skin and a fairly well-muscled figure. He carried a blade holster on his right hip that made Lazarus concerned.
"You again..." Melissa grumbled.
"I told you not to cause any more trouble in my neighborhood" the young man said, drawing what looked to be a fencing blade.
"I don't have a choice" Melissa growled back. "I have people I need to feed".
"Unfortunately, good intentions don't justify what you've done" the man said.
"I don't have a problem with you Phil" Melissa pleaded. "Just walk away and no one gets hurt".
"Sorry, not this time" Phil replied, taking his stance. "Someone has to take the fall for that robbery".
"Fine" Melissa said, pulling a trench knife out of her pocket and sliding the brass knuckle onto her fingers. "If you want a fight, that's what you'll get"…
That's all for now! What did you guys think?
Now onto the dead character analysis! This chapter's unfortunate death is Beck. First off, Beck as a character was fairly solid and had room to grow somewhat. While he was not my personal favorite character, I do know he had some fans. However Beck was a character whose backstory was much more well detailed and interesting then the character himself. If you throw out his complex backstory, beck is just a loner thief with trust issues. I found myself prioritizing other characters in the plot just because I like them more, which is never a good sign for a character. As I'm sure some of you inferred (and because I referenced it in the chapter), I initially planned to pair Charlie and Beck together. However this pairing did not grow on me while others did, so I decided to scrap it. Overall, the character was fairly solid in a story standpoint, but he was neither then best nor my favorite.
Next we look at Beck's weapons. His fists and his treasured coin are both fairly irrelevant. Sure being a good to hand fighter has merits and the coin is good for a one time fake out, but I don't see them being useful. Beck's best weapons were his sickle and pruning saw combo. They were both cool alternatives to your standard knives at a close range but like some of the character we've already seen die, they were not a good fit with his skill point allocation.
The biggest nail in Beck's coffin was his skill set. In terms of perks Beck could slide, quickly recover, dual wield, had rear perception, could land critical blows and knock opponents into the air with ease, could parkour, could dodge roll and had the luck required to scavenge weapons. In terms of drawbacks Beck had very weak damage output, had extremely low health (0 toughness), could not block or parry, could not lead and was not persuasive.
Beck had an inherent advantage against projectile users due to his speed and long range evasion. In addition, both his critical hit ability and the fact that he was the luckiest character in the story kept Beck around longer then some of the other characters. However what doomed him in the end was his lack of a way to mitigate damage at his preferred range and his astonishingly low health. The way may combat system works has it so that if a character hits 0 health (base health is toughness times 10), they enter a doomed state in which they can be saved by another character. However if a character goes 5 points under zero, they are instantly dead. Since Beck has only 1 health (0 toughness), he can be instantly killed by a character that has 6 strength or higher. Unfortunately for Beck, Bradley was one of those characters.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please be sure to leave me a review with your thoughts!