Name: Alice Harper

Age: 25

Physical Description: Alice has short brown hair and blue eyes. She is average build and height. She has pale skin and is covered lightly in freckles.

Personality: Alice is strong willed and brave. She doesn't take 'no' for an answer and will ensure she has exhausted all options before moving on. She is strong and uses her strength to help her in her survival. She is a bit of a loner, and especially since the outbreak she's not used to small talk.

Cain gives off the impression of being aloof and somewhat cold but when he sees you as a friend, he will follow you the whole way through. He tends to keep his feelings to himself unless asked or when in times of great distress. Otherwise, it will be shown through nonverbal expressions like through eye-contact or a small encouraging smile.

He easily falls into routine when he finds the options that are most favorable to him in the current events around him. He likes to think of multiple instances that may be caused by an action before deciding what to do.

The echos of her footsteps created a kind of serenity Alice has become accustomed to since the outbreak. Music was dangerous as it could hide noises in the environment and any loud sounds would attract unwanted attention. She stepped lightly, looking through broken windows for any hope of scavenging but stores had been looted a long time ago.

It felt like the entire outbreak happened a long time ago. She remembered watching the News Emergency Broadcast as it interrupted her study session; "A warning to all citizens - there's a virus epidemic. Do not go outside you home. Do not touch infected people..." the broadcast went on and on with updated from reporters, doctors, the military and Leaders around the world. It was horrifying just how quickly it took people; but Alice supposed in a city it would spread like wildfire with just how crowded it was. She had stayed indoors for the first week, trying to ignore the screams and smell of death near her window, by the second week she was running out of food.

And now, it had been four weeks, almost five. The weather was calm, the world empty. She ducked into a barbershop - one of the few places that wasn't completely destroyed. Alice picked up a few pairs of scissors and placed her backpack on the ground while she searched through drawers and jars. She walked through to the back and found a surprisingly clean bathroom and a first aid kit hanging on the back of the door. It had been a good run, some days she didn't find anything useful, her ears heard a small crunch as if someone stepped on broken glass.

Of all the things Alice was thankful for, it was the fact she took boxing lessons before the outbreak, she was undeniably strong - with less fear than was probably safe she grabbed the baseball bat she carried with her and steadied herself round the corner of the bathroom door...

Cain had hoped that this day was going to be like the rest: no unforeseen incidents and surprise visits from the zombies. He did get a surprise visit from humans though, but that proved to be luck working against him. They were loud like a bunch of seniors partying in a library; and they were breaking down his wooden boards unceremoniously, screaming about zombies coming to get him if he didn't open up.

"Of course they're coming. You idiots are screaming your heads off." He muttered before leaving through the back window only to be greeted by a group of zombies who apparently received the invitation.

He had thought that his bad luck had been over when his bow string snapped just as the last zombie went for his extended arm. But with a little bit of head bashing and a bloody compound bow, he came out of the 'epic battle' unscathed. This prompted his visit to the archery store which still had a few items in stock and then the barber shop that he claimed his own.

The first thing he noticed was the door that was opened just a little too wide, then the missing scissors that he knew the smart survivors would go for, and lastly, the backpack on the ground. He took two steps towards the bag with his eyes trained on the bathroom door before he heard and felt the glass break under his boot. "Shit!" He cursed angrily to himself before grabbing his compound bow from his back and aiming it at the bathroom door.

He reached for the bag while his eyes were still watching the door and moved it behind him with a kick. "I have your bag." He called quietly, knowing that whoever was in there was listening for any sound he'd make. "Come out if you want it back. No weapons."

When a voice came from the main shop it confused Alice more than it should have - she knew she wasn't completely alone in this city but hearing another human's voice was something she had forgotten. "God damn it..." she muttered, knowing all of her supplied were in that bag, she'd be dead without it. She thought for a few seconds, the tension between them building slightly before letting out a defeated sigh.

She dropped her bat to her side and raised her other hand up in defeat, stepping into the main store she spotted a man with a bow. "Alright, alright... I'm not dangerous. I just wanted some gear" she said finding it hard to look at another person in the eyes after all these weeks of solitude. She spotted her bag just behind his leg and eyed her surrounding cautiously; they had enough problems on their hands without having to deal with fighting other humans.

"Give me my bag back" she said, extending her hand. "I'm not going to fight you." Alice wasn't sure what this mans intentions were but he was battle-worn, with marks on his clothes and small cuts and scrapes on his face. He'd been through just as much as she had.

Speaking of which - there was a lone zombie struggling through the streets behind him, it was missing an arm. Alice pressed a finger to her lips, signalling this stranger to keep quiet. Normally these bastards didn't notice you too much if you were stealthy and calm. Alice whispered; "There's one behind you" and pointed just over the mans shoulder. "Stay or fight - your choice. Either was I want my bag back" she continued in a hushed whisper.

She wasn't exactly what Cain was expecting. And with the look in her eyes as she studied their surroundings in the short time between leaving the bathroom and standing in front of him, he knew that she'd been surviving this hell with her brains, not like those idiots who just strap on guns and think they're invincible with it.

He noticed her look outside, a small movement of the eyes, but it was enough. He looked at the reflections on the mirrors by the wall and gave her a nod when he saw the zombie. He turned on his heel and calmly moved towards the door, peeking around the corners to check for any other stragglers. And with a decisive pull on the bow string, the arrow sailed, silent and quick. There was no loud twang from his bow or a whistle from the arrow as it pierced through the air and into the zombie's brain. All there was was a soft thunk as the string hit the bowstring stop and the familiar thud of a zombie falling to the ground.

He walked to the zombie and was grateful that it was dead... permanently and retrieved his arrow. He looked at both ends of the street once again before reentering the barber shop. "817 grains. Makes the arrow silent in exchange for the shorter range." He snapped it back onto the side of the bow and shortened the strap that connected the bow to the strap of his backpack and let it hang by his waist. "Added a few silencers too."

"Are you friendly or will I have to ask you to leave?" he'd hidden a few packs of food and medicine in the walls. Having other people find them was not an option.

She had to admit, watching the mystery man shoot a zombie in the head with an arrow was pretty cool, she raised an eyebrow, impressed someone like that live here in the city."Impressive" she said with a small smirk, "I'm friendly. Just looking for supplies." while he collected his arrow Alice picked up her bag and lifted it on to one shoulder. She kept the scissors she had taken.

"I was planning on scavenging the pet store just down the road if you wanted to join?" she asked, although why she asked was a mystery. Alice enjoyed being on her own, she had almost been in her element since the outbreak - no one to call or text. No meaningless meet ups or gatherings. It was calm. An now she was the one requesting company. Strange. She gathered anything else she left behind and looked at him once more; "I'm Alice by the way." she said extending her hand, "I guess it's nice to meet someone friendly in the Hellscape"

She headed out the door gracefully despite the clumsiness of her combat boots. The pet store was only a few doors down and it didn't take long to reach it, a quick glance proved that the store was completely abandoned aside from a couple of bugs. Alice checked out the area with flea treatment for more medical supplies that could be used on humans. She wasn't very knowledgeable in this area but figured that certain things would make do in an emergency. She walked round the next aisle to find a body lying in a deformed way, dried, old blood surrounding it. Alice cautiously walked toward it and checked for signs of infection, she kicked the head to the side and noticed it's skull was partially missing.

"Good. We don't have to worry about this one" she said, thankful that she didn't have to cause a scene - her fighting methods were much less clean than a swift arrow to the head.

Cain took notice of the pair of scissors on her that he kept in the shop but did not voice out any plans to retrieve it. She probably needed it more than him and he'd already looted the shop a week into the apocalypse.

"Cain." he answered as he took her hand in his for a second before releasing it. "I wouldn't mind coming with. Just wait for a bit. I need to get all my stuff." He moved towards the bathroom and took the first aid kit then handed it to Alice before prying the mirrors off of the walls.

He had carved out some space behind some of the mirrors when he had the time and knew that no one was near and hid some of his things inside. Biscuits, noodles, and a few cans of soup were stowed behind one mirror and a few bandages and pill boxes in the other. He took a bag from above one of the cabinets and placed everything inside before following after his new companion.

"All the pets are gone. Either someone set them free or went grocery shopping in here because I can't see any fishes in the tank." he frowned as he inspected the numerous tanks and cages. His frown deepened even further when he noticed how clean the tanks were and how no dust had settled on any of the shelves. " I don't ... I think we should leave."

Alice had felt a strange and eerie aura in the pet store; which considering the circumstances shouldn't be totally out of the ordinary, but this time it was giving her the chills. She kept checking corners and flicking her eyes back and forth; it felt as if something, or someone was watching her. Cain seemed put off by the lack of dust on the shelves and Alice had to agree it was strange.

"Yeah, I don't like this place" she said, agreeing with Cain's decision to leave. She headed toward the entrance only to hear a cracking sound behind her. She launched herself towards Cain and tumbled gracefully into a fighting stance, bat-in-hand and poised for attack. Whatever made that noise was still somewhere in the shadows at the back of the store. "Agree to just get out of here?" she asked, stepping backwards.

The cracking sound happened again and Alice decided it was better to just leave that risk a fight; she grabbed Cain's arm and dragged him out of the store. "Unsafe. We'll search somewhere else" She stopped and looked around, wondering where to go next. "Do you have a base anywhere?" she asked, "I used to just stay in my flat but recently the ground floor has become infested so it's too awkward to try and get back inside." She had been spending most nights by simply breaking into other peoples houses and sleeping there. Often they were safe enough so long as you used the upper storey and locked all doors and windows.