River Light

The water was black as the world in the city. But if Nicole could recall correctly, the river had been clear, of course, not breathtakingly clear, but relatively. The light blonde haired girl glanced back at the Murky Mart, powerfully strong flashlight in hand. She hated being coped up in such a small place, her nature as a sniper meant she'd rather to be in open places.The light from her flashlight, and a bit of the light from the Mart would most likely keep any night crawlers away.

Sighing in mild contentment, Nikki sat on the sandy beach, drawing her knees close. She had drawn her nearly white hair into a pony tail, thankfully, her hair was just long enough to stay in without it falling out. Any and all tan she had was lost since the beginning of the apocalypse, making her look like a ghost, matching her hair. Nicole let her eyes slide shut, to dream of her home, and to dream of a world where she would possibly have a future.

ooc;yes i know the title is bad shhhhh

The water didn't run in the supermarket. Much to Harvey's dismay, that kind of stuff didn't work after civilization went to shit. So when it came to shit, as well as drinking water, a good bucket and the adjacent river was all you could use. So long as you didn't use the same bucket for waste as you did drinking water, and so long as you didn't dump your waste into your drinking water, so long as your waste stayed far away from your drinking water, Harvey knew they would be fine.

So when he carried an empty bucket out to the sea, it had in bold letters Drinking, and a flashlight was wobbly in his hand. The bucket was kept far away from his second bucket when in the mart. They are two buckets that should never mix.

He plunged the bucket below the water, filling its steely enclosure to the brim. He didn't want to go out for some more for the rest of the day. Or night. He stood once more, and turned around.

Harvey noticed the girl on the beach, but only her beam of light. Nightcrawlers growled in the distance, but not too many enjoyed the beach, the coursing water before it or the inebriated walk that sand gave to you when you were going for the hunt. Harvey's only real worry was the other beam of light. He shined his own at the person before him.

Feeling the bright light out of the corner of her eye, she hesitatingly opened her eyes to stare at the source. Nicole couldn't see him very well, as the light was shinning in her face. However, she knew that he was wayyy older and taller than she was. After a few moments of consideration, she remembered him as the doctor who stepped in to help that red head when she was stabbed by the coyote. Thus she judged him safe enough to be around, and turned her eyes onto the coursing waters of the river, her chin resting atop of her knees. If Nikki could actually talk to him, she would've greeted him. Unfortunately and most frustratingly for her, she couldn't. There was nothing wrong with her voice box, she just couldn't speak to people.

It was a girl. Furthermore, it was a girl Harvey had seen in the Murky Mart before. She was safe, as far as he knew, but he'd never heard her speak. He waved a friendly wave, daring not to yell, as to not attract the nightcrawlers. They did not like the beach, but they weren't repelled from it.

The rushing water seemed to fade into the background, and she gave the older person a small wave. Her lips seemed to be frozen in a small smile, or a grimace, depending on the person's perspective. Either way, Nicole's lips were locked, and they didn't seem like they were going to move any time soon. Putting her hands back down to the bank's sand, she let them skim across the top of the sand, creating a small flat area of sand next to her. Nikki continued to mess quietly with the ground as she thought. She and adult seemed to be at a stand still, like one of those awkward conversations that she usually has with people who don't know she can't talk. Well, to call it a conversation is a stretch, it was always a one sides conversation full of head shakes and nods from Nikki. It was very seldom that one would hear a word from her. Only the ones she'd trust from the bottom of her heart will hear anything from her. It's not like Nicole could help it though.

Harvey smiled back. He recognized that is was time to go back inside, as being outside the market was not too fun for him. He couldn't remember the last time he left for longer than a second, and he felt his hand shaking from a fear he did not know he had. He began to walk back up the beach.

Harvey stopped. There was something ahead of him, just barely visible, yet he could see it. It stuck its long neck out from behind a kiosk, and it was dark, dark with rotten yellow eyes. What was that thing? Harvey froze, thinking himself insane. He never took his eyes off it. There were other creatures out there he knew of, but this thing was a whole new breed of nightcrawler.

Perhaps it was a mirage. It was so far away. Perhaps he was crazy. It's long neck disappeared once more behind the kiosk, soundlessly, a whisper in the dark, and it vanished from his sight. He shook at the ominous sight, more so than he did before.

Slumping back into her previous position, Nikki was glad he didn't strike conversation, it almost always ends up embarrassing.  She heard him turn and walk away, his footsteps on the sand. However, they stopped too soon for him to be back at the mart. Slightly confused, Nicole turned to see him lightly shaking. Immediately on alert, she rose to her feet, grabbing her rifle out of the sand in a swift motion. Slowly, she took a few steps forward before halting. Nikki only caught sight of the creature for a few seconds, when it disappeared. Suddenly a bit frightened, Nicole glanced between the kiosk and the medical student. 'Did he see the same thing I did?'

Harvey had never seen that thing before. It had to be an illusion, a trick of the darkness. Nightcrawlers were the only monsters that existed, at least in Murkwell. There wasn't anything that big. He glanced over to the girl and pretended her shock was at something different, something unrelated, and began to walk up the sandy beach rapidly, awkward in the soft ground. He just wanted to get into the Mart, and was so involved with this idea that he did not notice the figure forming behind him, in a large shadowy loom.

'B-but he saw it too, right?' Nikki wondered, letting her rifle drop an inch or so as she looked into the darkness, searching for the creature. 'Maybe I just imagined it...' With that thought set, she took a step to turn, back to her flashlight and her comfortable spot on the beach. What stopped her, was the movement, it was the same thing she saw earlier. This had to be a night crawler. Cursing her ever silent voice, she could only warn him one way. With practiced speed, Nicole lifted her rifle and shot at long necked creature. She didn't have time to aim, she just had to warn him.

Harvey ducked from alarm, the shot ringing in his ears. It was close, and he was convinced for a second that the girl shot at him, but the powerful jaws that snapped at the space above him told him otherwise. The pure force of the chomp sounded like a guillotine, and the raspy growl of the beast was terrifying. Harvey looked up to see two dead, yellow eyes, and scrambled back panicking, away from the beast and towards the mart. It approached him, not even minding Nicole, silent past the powerful bite.

While she was glad Harvey hadn't had his head bitten off, there still was that slim chance. He needed to move. Once again cursing her muteness, Nicole lifted her rifle and fired three shots at the creature. While she was great with her gun, and she took the time to aim it, Nikki wouldn't be surprised if her recoil made one miss. With ears ringing from her shots, she turned back for her flashlight. If she couldn't fight it, she could try and scare it off. Or, rather make it back away so they both could get back into the mart.

The monster didn't falter at the first shot. It lunged for Harvey again, who rolled along the floor. It was the second shot and third shot that irritated it, that caused it to turn to the girl in a silently disapproval, opening its mouth and bearing razor teeth, knives longer than the teeth of sharks. It changed direction, and Harvey struggled to his feet. He couldn't let it get her, and hoped she would run. This thing was powerful, and he'd never seen it before. Was there more than one monster species!?

Bending down, Nikki swiped up her flashlight, only to turn around and see the monster turning away from the older boy and towards her. Whatever it was, it was very creepy, and she didn't exactly enjoy the length of the teeth, which added to it's creepiness.  Yelping, she pointed the flashlight at the creature, while drawing her small hand gun as she left her bulky rifle where she picked up her flashlight. Both hands out, one holding a flashlight and another firing the small gun. it was getting closer, and Nicole wondered if the creature could actually be killed with bullets. Was it actually hurting the creature? Or was she wasting time, and ultimately her life? Glancing over at the black haired boy, she sent him a look that said 'I-swear-to-whatever-god-is-out-there-do-something'.