Cain watched the pretty boy's entrance and exit of the CVS. It was largely uneventful, and lacking a dog. That meant that whoever owned the hound was still- A figure came into view, scanning the area. Cain readjusted slowly, training his weapon on the new arrival. She must have seen him, because she disappeared as quickly as she appeared. Then there was a flash. She flung back up, bow drawn, and time seemed to slow. Cain's eye focused in on the target, as the woman loosed her arrow, Cain squeezed the trigger. He ducked behind the barricade before confirming his shot, hearing the thud of the arrow in his makeshift nest. The air went silent, no death throes, no screams. He had missed, and he instantly regretted taking the shot. In the distance he could hear moans, hissing and shuffling. He peered over the barricade, more than a dozen husks were all staring up at his vantage point. He noticed the note wrapped around the arrow while observing the husks. Snatching the hastily scrawled greeting he huddled back below the barrier. There were a lot of them, but he was safe enough in his upper floor fortifications to take some time to plan his next move.<br/><br/>What he heard next made his heart skip a beat. Tapping, slow and methodical, coming from behind him, from the stairwell door. Cain's breathing became heavy, suddenly he wanted nothing more than to watch the advance of the rotters on the ground. He closed his eyes, turning slowly. When he opened his eyes all his fears came crashing down over him like a wave. Pressed up against the thick window of the stairwell door was a face, wide eyed and grinning, a horrible, lip less grin. The stalker was tapping on the glass, over and over while watching Cain from the stairwell. He stood up and the stalker stopped tapping. Cain had to make a choice fast, a sudden impact on the other side of the stairwell door made up his mind. Cain threw his rifle over his shoulder, spun around and vaulted over the barricade, enduring the twelve foot drop and hitting the ground rolling. He lost his footing on impact and barreled out into a clumsy spin. It only took him a moment to recover. He leapt to his feet, husks closing in around him and the distant sound of trucks rumbling in the streets. Clouds had passed overhead, dimming the sunlight that previously flooded the city streets. Cain looked back up at his barricade, slowly falling back into the CVS.<br/><br/>Gray fingers gripped the edges of his table fortification, then came the top half of a face, lustful eyes peering down at Cain from the nest. The tune of some long forgotten nursery rhyme echoed in the air. Singing, why the fuck was it singing? He turned away, ducking into the CVS after the unidentified archer. The eerie song seemed to follow him through the open storefront. His eyes burned, he was on the verge of screaming. After so much time in this world he thought he'd have hardened against anything it could throw at him, but he could never get used to stalkers. He bounded through the drugstore, barely catching a glimpse of two people parting through the drive through window. Cain squinted, watching the archer quickly fade into the distance. He held his position while the young man and the dog left. A steady stream of husks struggled toward him. The sickly song of the stalker grated on his sanity. Finally the boy left, and Cain vaulted through the window, the husks only a few feet behind. He took off down the street after his assailant.<br/><br/>Not long after abandoning the CVS Cain followed the woman to a sewer grate. She quickly dispatched a couple husks then pried open the grate and disappeared into the sewer. Cain approached the edge of the entrance slowly, peering down inside. It was nothing but darkness and the echoing sound of the woman's footfalls.<span style="font-style: italic">Always the fucking dark... Why can't the path ever be well lit? A nice grassy path with flowers, and maybe some sheep or some shit. But no... It's always gotta be dark.</span>He lowered himself slowly into sewer, careful to make as little noise as possible. His feet touched down on the concrete and he drew his pistol, clicking the barrel against the wall and forcing a rushed whisper.<br/><br/>"Hey! Artemis, hold up."