The three of them headed out, stocked up with water, food, and medicine for any survivors they might encounter. They had talked with Mr. Carrog before leaving, and the old man told them that most survivors would likely be in the South of the city.. Marem and Mark headed to the south, hopeful that they could find others before sunset.
Leo headed up to the North, as he figured that if they split up, then they could cover more ground. Before they left, Marem had discreetly checked in on Philips. He was still unconscious, yet he was in good condition. Despite his improved condition, she wanted to return soon so as to not leave him alone for so long.
Leo continued his search in the same manner as before, calling out loudly in the hopes that someone will respond. This obviously wouldn’t be seen as the rambling of a madman, at least, Leo hoped it wouldn’t.
His hopes had come true this time, as with only 30 minutes left, he found more survivors. From the second floor of a restaurant came a call in response, as he looked up to see a woman who demanded his attention.
“Ya tellin’ the truth?” she asked.
“Yes, the monster is dead. Me and a couple of friends have set up camp and are looking for others,” answered Leo.
She proceeded to shut the window she was talking from and closed the blinds. Leo didn’t know what to do, as he stood there and waited for some response. Right as he prepared to continue his journey, he saw the doors of the restaurant swing open with a thud.
There stood a muscular woman with a light green tint to her skin. Her clothes were ragged and bloody, as if she’d been injured recently. Leo also noticed the crossbow that she had pointed squarely at him, as he could help but realize this was the second time someone seemed to threaten his life in this city.
His first instinct was to flinch, as most people would do at Crossbowpoint. It took him only a moment to remember that this woman wasn’t anywhere near a threat to him. He couldn’t let himself get robbed when there were still people that needed help.
“Come here,” ordered the woman.
Leo wanted to know more before he acted, in case this was a group that needed to be dealt with and not one woman. Even worse would be if she had hostages. He followed her directions and entered, as he kept his eyes open for anything of note.
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The interior of the restaurant had been hidden from the outside, with drawn curtains that blocked the view. There were overturned chairs and destroyed tables, alongside splattered blood that covered the floors and walls. The only lighting was from the opened door.
The centerpiece of the room was the giant spider that lay dead against a nearby wall. Its body was riddled with arrows and cuts, as it oozed out a dark blue blood. He looked back at the woman, who held the crossbow at him. He wanted to go grab it from her, but he noticed her hand seemed to be trembling slightly.
“Alright, take out and throw yer weapons, you raider piece of shit,” she spat out.
Leo realized that she wasn’t some thief, but rather someone who thought he was one. He conceded that his setup was definitely a bit odd, as he still wore his damaged clothes that were torn to hell.
“Ma’am, I promise you that I’m not a raider. I really am here to help, just put down the weapon,” he pleaded as he raised his hands.
“Big strong man walks around looking for survivors, sounds like a solid crock of shit to me. Now drop your shit or I’ll drop you,” she snarled.
Leo didn’t want to turn this into a fight, as he slowly took off his backpack filled with supplies. He tossed it to the ground, and gave it as gentle of a nudge as he could. When the bag rolled a few feet away, he could see her barely illuminated face relax just the slightest.
She shouted, “LILY, get down here.”
Leo heard a panicked rush down some stairs, until he saw a young girl emerge from the back. She had dark green skin, and her clothes were stained with blood. She looked awkwardly at the situation before her, as she was uncertain on what to do.
“Check the bag, be careful to not get cut on any weapons,” demanded the woman.
Leo watched as Lily nervously walked up to the bag, as she began to look through it. She sorted out the food, medicine, and water until there was nothing left.
“Mama, there’s only foods, water, and health boxes,” she said to the woman.
She shot Lily a confused look, as Leo began to speak.
“It’s like I said, I’m from a small survivor’s camp that’s trying to find other people. We’re gonna figure out what caused this, but we want to make sure the people still in Faelde are safe first,” assured Leo.
The woman considered his words for a moment, until she ultimately lowered down her crossbow.
“Sorry for actin’ so hostile, but I just spent the night fighting off that damned spider and I’m a bit on edge,” she apologized.
“Honestly there’s not any need to apologize, it’s not like you’re the first person to threaten me in this city,” he laughed.
With the tensions eased, Leo walked over and recollected his supplies and backpack.
“Would you like to come with me to the camp? We have more than enough supplies, and if not, then I can give you whatever you need right now,” he offered as he gestured to the backpack.
“Sure, I’ll go back with you to your camp. Let me go grab my things first,” said the woman as her daughter followed her upstairs.