Marcus said nothing and just smiled half heartedly as she stood before him with a smile and her hand on her hip after barking out order; though in truth he felt slighted and her rebuke at him taking a drink or two only furthered his sense of isolation.<br/><br/>“The names Marcus …” he half mumbled and glared at her back as she disappeared into the gloom of the store.<em>Dammit</em>; he thought; the worlds going to hell in a handcart and a guy can’t enjoy a drink, where’s the harm.  Purposefully he took the flask from the back pocket of his jeans and flipped the lid and took a draught from it before closing the lid once more.  He swirled the flask around and heard the faint slosh of liquid inside; at best it sounded half full, so it wouldn’t be long before he<em>had</em>no choice but to lay off the booze.<br/><br/><em> “Best suited watching the door…” </em>he mocked her and stared for a few moments at the door; he smirked, as he was pretty sure it wasn’t going to do anything untoward and turned his attention to the asphalt whereon lay the scattered assault course of abandoned vehicles and recently deceased deadheads.  He cradled his shotgun in his arms and took a few steps outwards from the door.  He looked up towards the sky and as he stared wistfully at the great blue he became lost in thought …Sure; he had no military discipline …couldn’t shoot straight when sober let alone drunk; in fact, and he wasn’t likely to admit it to his two new companions, but the rot that he had taken down with two blasts from his shotgun had actually been the first zombie he had despatched on his own volition.<br/><br/>But when it boiled down to it, he had survived where so many hadn’t, including Jake’s and the newly introduced Corporal Parker’s respective units of highly trained soldiers…So that had to count for something …didn’t it?  He sighed and walked a little further away from the store, but not so far as to be unable to bolt backwards should he need to.<br/><br/>Marcus slowly swivelled his head as he took in the scene; he had seen the same thing repeated in every town or enclave he had flown over, the eerie sense of hopeless desolation and if anything that chilled him deeper than anything.  It was as he was faced towards E.High street where the column of smoke still pooling into the air that he thought he caught sight of some movement; it was difficult to get a fix on anything at that distance.<br/><br/>