the smoke clears (M/M open)

Clive just grinned at Lita when she had made the noise. It was sort of cute in her own special way. He leaned his head back to get supported onto the wall, "Sleep tight Lita." He spoke before he slowly ended up falling asleep.

His sleep ended when he heard gunshotsand immediately took a defensive position to aim at the door. Asmost as quickly as he moved, the gas mask was effortlessly pulled over his face. Every fiber of him wanted to keep Lita from doing something that he would qualify  as stupid, but was already gone by the time he could raise his voice in protest.

He took his crouched position at the door and waited. His rifle aimed up to fire at anything thatwas going to shoot back at him. Only Lita had walked in instead, covered in blood, "Is it safe to assume most of that isn't yours?" He asked as he lowered the weapon.

Lita raised a brow and rocked her head to the side and looked at Clive as he took off his armor and environmental protection, he looked good. She could easily admit that. Sighing softly she closed her eyes and made a small noise showing she had heard him. After a while Lita fell into a deep sleep, waking up early in the morning Lita carefully rolled herself off of the trunk and stretched her body out. Glancing at Clive she shook her head a little and headed for the container door but stopped as soon as she heard gun fire, "Damnit" she said and dashed over to Clive. Lita reached out and patted his leg, "Stay in here, they wont hunt you. If they ask, you killed the Reject who lived here" she said quickly before running out of the container as soon as the gun fire sounded closer to them. After a moment or two a group of men came into the container and pointed guns at Clive, they were geared up to protect themselves. "His one of us, lets go" one of the men said and left the container. After a while Lita ducked back into the container banged up and with blood on her, looking at Clive she grinned at him "I see the Sweeps left you alone" she said with a laugh.

Clive took a gulp of the bar before wrapping what was left in the wrapper, "Thanks for the offer missy. But if you don't mind I would rather lay back on the wall. Less fucking around if shit goes down." He replied before unbuckling the armor around his torso. His environmental protection followed after in a heap next to him. Under the hulking mass of armor and clothing, it was clear that he was rather fit for being an explorer of the toxic grounds, "Just holler if something comes in." He spoke as he rested himself on the wall with his rifle up against his shoulder and the gas mask in his lap.

Lita watched as he chewed on the chocolate bar, tipping her head to the side a little Lita thought for a moment. "You get some sleep. In the morning, if the Sweeps haven't come through, I'll help you find what you need so you can be on your way" she said as she got off of the floor and closed the lid of the trunk before sitting on it, pointing to a mattress with pillows and blankets on it Lita laid down on top of the trunk. "You can sleep over there" Lita said to Clive, she was being nice by giving him the mattress she normally slept on. But Lita was trying to show him she wasn't as bad as people were making Rejects out to be and that she could be as nice as a Normal was.

Clive was chewing on a chunk of the candy when Lia mde her comments, "Then it's mutual. You think we're the bad ones because we shoot at you guys, and we think you're the bad guys because of all the rumors and bodies that you leave behind. In all respect, we're even on that note." He joked with a chunk of chocolate stuck in his cheek.

Thst grin however was what made him shiver, "Yeah, I've noticed. More or less." He then bit another large chunk form the bar and quickly got to chewing the swee material, "So what now?"

Lita listened to Clive carefully as he explained everything to her, she had never known that the labs weren't helping their own people, frowning at him when he asked if she would go to a monster for her help she rolled her eyes a little. "The way we see it, you are all the monsters. You Normal's create us and when we don't meet your expectations you all try to kill us" Lita said bluntly, reaching into the trunk Lita pulled out a canteen and took a drink from it before she looked back at Clive. "Besides, we're only monsters when we need to be" she added with sly grin.

Clive laughed at the question about the labs, "Oh that's rich." He shook his head with his laugh, "We've tried that. The boys just start shooting at us when we try that. Lost about thirty men to that shit storm. We didn't even provoke them." One hand reached for the pocket that had carried the chocolate bar that Lita gave him before.

"What I did?" He asked as he unwrapped the bar, "Was a patrol unit for the militia. I was nearly one of the thirty that got gunned down by lab security. Hence the glass eye here." He tapped the bar to his head, "Forced to retire after that."

He was about to take a bite from the candy when Lita asked about going to the Rejects for help, "Here's the thing. Every day we're told about the vicious monsters that take human shape." His hand waved the bar around to elaborate, "Would you go to a monster for help?"

"They picked my name" Lita said with a small wave of her hand, as he explained that he was a scavenger she made a slow nod of her head. "Why don't you just ask the labs where the experiments are done? They have medicines" she said with a shrug of her shoulders as she got comfortable sitting on the floor, "What did you do before you became a scavenger?" Lita asked curiously. She had always wondered what Normal's were doing outside their safe zones, "And why don't you Normal's just ask us Rejects to find the things you need? Some of us have been out here for a couple of years and we tend to collect everything we find" Lita stated as she gestured around the metal container.

Clive felt some sort of accomplishment with the fact that she actually shook his hand, "Inteesting name you've got there." He commented when she pulled her hand away from his. His rifle was then propped up against the wall, "Food, maybe. Supplies, no. We only have a finite amount of medicine for instance so a few of us have to go out here to find more." There was a small chuckle in his throat after the explanation, " But I'm just a scavenger. I pick up what I can an use it. Whether it's ammo, foo, medicine or whatever else. Well, after I took a round to the eye I went scavenger." He pointed to thewhite eye in the socket.

Lita shook her head a little before she took the gas mask off and gently placed it beside Clive as she listened to him, looking at him when he extended his gloved hand Lita hesitated slightly before she reached out and shook his hand quickly before she let got. "Lita" she said with a small frown, getting up she moved back over to the trunk and dug around inside of it for a moment before she pulled out a glass jar with a single bloody bullet in it and she dropped the clean unfired bullet into the jar as well. Sitting back on the floor Lita studied Clive carefully "Why are you out here anyway? We were always lead to believe that you Normal's had plenty of food in the safe zones".

The male chuckled at the lookon Lita'ns face when she saw what he looked like under the mask, "We wear masks because the air outside the safe zones is questionable to be be breathing unfiltered. Rather not die of toxin exposure out in the toxic regions."

The new wonder that Lita had on her face on examinaion of something as simple as a bullet was honestly rather amusing to watch, "Go ahead. I've gotmore where that came from." He tapped the armor where more magazines were carried. The wonder only seemed to expand when she grabbed the mask.

"Granted what you are, that doesn't surprise me." He watched her put themask to her facethough his eyes wandered around the storage unit, "Clive by the way." He extended a still gloved hand out to her.

Lita leaned forwards eagerly as he took off the gas mask, seeing that he looked pretty normal she sighed and leaned back her interest seemed to have vanished. "I always thought Normal's looked weird...I thought that was why you all wear masks and things" she said with a sigh seeming disappointed. Listening to him as he explained that the rifle was almost always loaded she made a small nod of her head, looking at the bullet that had come out of his rifle Lita got up. Moving near him she crouched down and grabbed the bullet, glancing at him Lita held the bullet up "Can I keep this?" she asked as she stayed crouched and moved back a little so she was only just out of arms reach. "I don't have one like this" Lita added after a moment as she turned the bullet around slowly studying it, looking at him Lita pocketed the bullet before she reached out and quickly grabbed his gas mask and held it up over her face with a grin. "Never seen one of these up this close really, last one I saw was when I was being shot at" Lita said as she continued to hold the gas mask over her face.

The male chuckled at Lita's question before reaching up to the gas mask, "I look human if that's what you mean." First the helmet was unclipped and the gas mask followed suit.The male's face looked rather ordinary outside of one of his eyes being a solid white.

His body dropped to the ground and his rifle was proped up in his lap, "Is it loaded?" He askd as though the the thought ofit not being loaded was some sort of foreign concept, "Almost always is. Especially when I have to take trips out here." To emphasize the point he pulled the chrging handle back and a single bullet wasshot out from the side of the rifle harmlessly.

Something in his mind started working when he finally got the chance to sit down, "Something you said ealier. Different. What was that about?"

Lita thought for a moment when he asked her if it was safe to breath she made a nod of her head, "Of course" she said before she sat down on the floor properly with her legs crossed and watched him curiously. "Do you look like other Normal's under all of that?" Lita asked with a frown as she continued to study him with curiosity, thinking for a moment Lita pointed at the rifle that was now slung behind him. "Is that really loaded?" she asked tipping her head to the side a little, she had seen and touched old rifles and guns but they had never been loaded. The only experience she had with the guns that Normal's carried was when they pointed them and fired them at her. Lita was curious if he really did carry it around loaded like some of the Normal's did.

The male followed Lita cautiously through everything that Lita had put him through until the metal storage container came into view. It was sort of strange to see it just out of no where, but shelter was shelter and he wasn't about to complain. He slowly slipped through the door, his weapon still raised as though expecting some sort of ambush. When it didn't come he slung his weapon behind him and walked his way inside. Surprise struck once again when he was thrown a couple bags of chips, "Is it safe to breath in here?" He asked after she asked if he wanted something to drink.

Lita scurried through the brush easily and stopped every now and then to look around for a moment before looking back at the man, frowning a little she would continue moving. After a little while they reached an old large metal storage container, grabbing the door Lita managed to force it open enough for her to get through and she looked at the man again. "In here" Lita said before slipping inside, the place was decorated with different things she had scavenged. There were old children's toys, blankets, mattresses and clothes as well as candles; grabbing a box of matches she had found Lita lit some of the candles and walked over to an old trunk at the back of the container. Opening she dug through it for a moment before she pulled out a couple packets of chips she had found the day before, crouching beside the trunk she threw them towards the man once he was inside and Lita watched him carefully as she stayed crouched beside the trunk "Want something to drink?" she asked after a moment.

The mass glanced down at the chocolate bar that tapped his boot and then back to Lita. Slowly the crouched down and picked up the rare treat while keeping his rifle aimed at the female in front of him. Then it started sounding like a case of a dangerous animal. A reject more afraid of him then he was of them. Plenty of rumors told him about blood thirsty beasts in human skin and yet now he was getting a lecture from a young female after she gave him a candy bar. He then perked his head up at the mention of food, his stomach growled in response to the reminder, "This is a very bad idea." He spoke to himself before following after Lita. What possessed him to follow her he'd never know.

Lita moved her head back a little and went cross eyed trying to look at the rifle that was now pointing at her head, shaking her head a little she returned her attention to the man. Continuing to hold the chocolate bar out to him she pointed at her own face with her free hand, "Reject. Not a weapon. I didn't pass the last test" she said with a smile. Shuffling her feet a little Lita looked down at the ground before she glanced at the man and smiled a little before she crouched down and gently tossed the chocolate bar so it lightly hit his shoe, standing back up she clasped her hands behind her back and moved backwards a little, "You're like all of the Normal's who come out here. Scared of us. When in reality we're more scared of you, you all want to kill us but we don't want to kill any of you" Lita said as she chewed on her bottom lip. "We only kill to protect ourselves and even than, we give you Normal's a burial out of respect" she added with a frown, glancing around Lita began shuffling her feet more looking back at the man she frowned "Lets go. Move quickly. More food" Lita said quickly before she started to head back into the brush and waved for him to follow her.

The mass of armor and gear kept the rifle aimed at Lita as she circled him. This creature was supposedly some sort of extremely dangerous weapon, yet now that he saw one in the flesh it was difficult to make a decision on the matter, "Well that's where we differ. I don't see many of your kind out here either. Now move along." He spoke. In that moment of zoning out he finally noticed that Lita had actually gotten close enough to actually touch him. He jumped back and took aim directly at Lita's head. Something nagged at him not to pull the trigger, the other told him to end the reject and move on. It took until the offer of a chocolate bar broke into his view that he snapped out of his internal arguement. It was so tempting to just reach out and grab, but the rumors of monstrous killing machines made to survive the toxic zones kept him from outright grabbing it from her hand, "I have to admit, you're not what I was expecting from a living weapon.

Lita tipped her head to the side as she looked at the person, or what she could assume was a person. Hearing his words she blinked slowly before she took a couple of steps towards him as she lowered her hands, it was rare to see a 'Normal' out in the toxic zones. She promptly ignored the rifle pointed at her and got closer to him and poked at the armors on his curiously, "Hm, I've seen Normal's before but they always wore lab coats and surgical masks" she said as she circled around him forgetting the fact that he had told her to get moving. Standing back in front of him Lita reached out to the gas mask and tapped on the coverings over his eyes, "Different" Lita muttered to herself. Taking a step back she narrowed her eyes and watched him for a moment before she reached into one of her pants pockets and pulled out a chocolate bar, they were so rare now-a-days that Lita had only seen one before but only in a picture. When she had come across it while she had been scavenging she had given a squeal of delight and had been excited to try it, but Lita had been planing to save it instead she held it out towards the man "Want it?" Lita asked raising a brow.

(Just giving you a head's up. I'm stuck to doing this on my bluetooth keyboard and phone.)

From the brush, a figure completely covered from head to toe in unidentifiable armors, protective gear and a gas mask slowly approached a car. Judging from the condition of the vehicle it was likely recently abandoned or something of the sort. Whatever the case it was ripe for the picking.

Slow and silent steps brought the hulking mass closer and closer. That was when the mass stopped and listened. Another set of footsteps could be heard, much less cautious than his. An amatuer maybe, new person to the hell hole? Didn't matter, supplies were limited and this was kill or be killed out here in the toxic zones.

Silently the figure began to circle around the car before it's eyes befell the source, the marks of one of the freaks experimented with. A click was all that was heard as it drew out a rifle and flicked the weapon to fire. That was when he got a real look at the reject, just a girl. Not a bad looker, but that was besides the point.

"Reject. Get moving." The mass spoke through the mask keeping him from being exposed to the outside. His rifle shifted to emphasize the point even if he kept his distance from the female.

Lita had been born after the apocalypse had occurred, it hadn't been attack of the undead or anything like that. It had been warfare. Someone had released a deadly virus and people had started dying, now the pandemic had calmed down somewhat and there were quarantine zones, Lita lived outside of one of the handful of safe zones. She lived outside the safe zone as she was a discarded experiment. Lita was one of the many children who had been taken and injected with different virus' to supposedly find a permanent cure to the virus that had killed many, but that was a lie. Lita while she had been in a holding facility had been tested on apparently the government was trying to create the perfect solider to wage war in toxic zones. Pushing her way through some trees Lita grunted softly and stopped in her tracks with a frown on her face when she saw a car which was used by the people in the safe zones parked in the middle of an old road.

Walking up to the car Lita's frowned deepened as she looked into the car and spotted a lab coat, those she had seen all of the time when she had been in the holding facility. Hearing foot steps behind her Lita paid no attention to them thinking it was just another reject like her wandering around, but she quickly gathered it wasn't when she heard a click. Turning around she saw a man pointing what she knew was a gun at her, other rejects didn't use guns of weapons. They did hand to hand combat or just used branches that were around, raising her hands a little Lita watched the man with a raised brow "I'm just looking" Lita said softly as she took a step away from the car. She knew the man pointing the gun at her would recognise that she was a reject by the tattoos above and under her left eye and on her left shoulder.