<div style="text-align: center"><i>The year is 2019. The virus has infected the world for three years. Less than 1% of Earth's original population remains. To begin, it is early morning. The sun rose at 7:20 am and will set shortly after 6:00 pm. It is early February.<br/>
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<b><span style="font-size: 18px">Katherine Gallagher | 22 y/o | Female | seeking Survivor Colony</span></b><br/>
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The night was always a struggle. After sundown and before sunrise was hell to any who dare leave the confines of whatever safe hole they'd managed to sneak into. Katherine, like any other intelligent creature in those times, spent it tucked away and trembling. Waiting. Watching. And when the sun came, she unfurled from her hiding place like a bird from its nest. Her muscles stretch with their usual tired ache as the young woman stands to her feet and shuffles out of the previously locked-down bathroom. A yawning, brindled dog follows languidly at her heels.<br/>
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It takes her less than ten minutes to be ready completely, hair tied back in a messy ponytail and a worn-in gray shirt tucked firmly into her jeans. Quickly arming herself with her normal travel bag and her assortment of weapons- some strapped at her waist, and one or two near her shoulders- she heads towards the door. It takes a long moment to unlock it, an assortment of clicks and ticks sounding before sunlight graces her face once more. She steps outside with a quiet command of, "Sterling, heel." The dog doesn't need much encouragement and trails her silently as they venture outside. They are slow but precise as they head down the cracked pavement, eyes scanning in separate directions like programmed soldiers. The birds chirping overhead and the clear shining sun are the only things giving the pair a semblance of calm at the current moment. For now, Katherine's focus can be on hunting instead of being hunted. Though, with the overgrowth of the forests, either were pretty likely prospects.<br/>
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"I have to admit," she whispers breathlessly-quiet to her companion, "I'd rather be eaten by a bear than those demons." A shudder wracks its way down her spine. A twitch of his ear is all that gives away his listening as they trek on. After a few long minutes of walking, the buildings begin to grow taller and less homey, and the dark lines of the city meet the tangling overgrowth struggling to reclaim the abandoned land. They slow, and Sterling's nose trails the ground. Even in the middle of downtown, thick grasses overrun the streets and the brush that breaks through is unruly. The skyscrapers that race towards the sky never make it, and are entangled by thick vines and trees, being pulled back to the ground by the roots. Despite the chaos that seems to lurk in every shadow and in every crevice, just waiting for an opportunity, the streets seemed tranquil. Always diligent, the brunette came to a quick and silent halt as her canine companion froze before her. One of his front paws slowly lifted until he poised perfectly, nose pointed dead ahead of them and eyes alertly focused.<br/>
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With the timed practice of two wolves on the hunt, Katherine tugged her rifle quickly and quietly from her shoulder and did a quick sweep through the scope before stalking after where Sterling had begun to move slowly forward through the tall grasses lining what used to be the sidewalks. A few birds chirped from above the treeline, scattering somewhat slowly as the pair pressed further down the street. The young woman was more than glad they didn't cause a big commotion because when she turned to peer carefully around the rotting bumper of an old vehicle, her eyes locked onto the herd of deer Sterling must have scented from afar. Three does and a fawn, all of their heads down in the grasses and weeds sprouting through the asphalt. Lifting the rifle to take aim, she squeezed her left eye shut and focused on the deer farthest from the fawn. Gently pressing the trigger, she prepared herself for the telltale kick of the gun against her shoulder and the booming sound that cracked and echoed through the alleyways.<br/>
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<i>Pow!</i>​</div>