Running in Circles

Beginning Once More

Natalie wasn't religious. She never was, and she most likely would never be. Even as everything and everyone around her rotted and withered away, she never prayed. She hoped that things would be alright, and she hoped that, say, she wouldn't be shot down or eaten alive when she took one foot out of some unhinged door. The fact remains, however, that she never prayed, and that fact would remain true for a great majority of its time prancing and frolicking around in the lush green of her thoughts.

Natalie thought she was alone as she wandered the gory sight that was the long abandoned streets, but, when she turned the corner into an alley out of some bored whim that had made itself suddenly known, she found that she had been proven wrong. Natalie stayed just at the entrance of the alley, watching onwards as a woman with short, blonde hair dry-heaved into an already over-filed trash can. She only had her red knife with her, which she clutched tightly in her left hand. Natalie had no intention of attacking the woman or robbing her, but you can never be too sure in the unfortunate setting she unwillingly found herself in.

The woman leaned back and ran her fingers through her mildly tangled bob-cut and kneeled to pick up her bow and quiver. She froze when she finally turned to her left and caught sight of the other nervous, shaking woman. She didn't act out violently, didn't threaten Natalie, but instead spoke with that soon-to-be familiar, slightly raspy voice of hers, "Why, hello. It's been a while since I've seen another living person."

Natalie stood straight, but it took a while for her to gather the courage to spit out a response. "Um, h-hello. Hi."

"You're not dangerous, are you? You don't look like it."

Natalie's eyes darted around, and she grew embarrassed. "Are you?"

The woman laughed a little. "No. Don't worry 'bout me." She walked forward, holding the bow in her left hand. "Your name?"

Natalie relaxed and let her hands fall to her sides. "N-Natalie. Your's?"

"Rose, darlin'. I'm Rose."

Natalie wasn't going to lie; after the introduction of their names, it was pretty awkward. Neither of them seemed to know where to go from their. Offering to go with each other- too soon, but just leaving- rude. The line between "too soon" and "the right time" were blurred for Rose, however, and she decided that she would go with Natalie. After all, there wasn't a point in wandering endlessly unless you had someone there to wander endlessly with you. Natalie reluctantly agreed but was a bit intimidated by Rose's all-too-friendly behaviour. Maybe she was just lonely, but, Natalie wasn't going to lie; she was pretty lonely, too.