I Hear A Choir || Open

[Charlotte Rose Nelson]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2uhqrzc.gif);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]YOU ONLY GOT ONE LIFE TO LEAD[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]SO DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THE LITTLE THINGS[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;]It appeared that with each passing day in post apocalyptic London, life was getting tougher. Charlotte had picked up a rumor on the wind that the zombies were mutating into much faster, agile creatures. Not only that, but some exploded some spat....It was terrifying to think what these monsters were now capable of. As usual, Charlotte plodded on, doing her worker's duty for the Safe Lands and trying her best to keep her timid mind calm. Though with this new information she was growing more restless and panicky. It was just after three o clock in the afternoon, and Charlotte had just finished her duties for the day. She felt downbeat, tired, and slightly miserable. Christmas had just passed, her first Christmas in the Safe Lands, her first Christmas without her family, It had been a horrible past few days. She had spent her Christmas day eating food that was once taking for granted, having a few glasses of cheap wine that the scavengers had found, and sharing a few stories with other Safe Landers. It didn't feel 'Christmassy' at all - no decorations, no carol singing, no turkey or sherry. It was just another day with more privileges. As Charlotte left the school, she took a detour passed the leisure centre and the church. Her footfalls stalled upon seeing the ornate, imposing building, her arms gripping her body tighter to ward off the cold. She recalled memories of her parents dragging her to church as a child. She could remember saying the same old faces, hearing the same old songs and seeing the same old face of the elderly minister. Charlotte was not entirely religious. In fact, she rarely paid attention to religion. However lately she felt like she had a stronger faith than before. The apocalypse had changed the way of life, and ultimately changed the way Charlotte thought about things. What would happen after death? Was it really just a black void? Or was it something more? Pulling her navy coat closer to her body she headed into the church, using all of her might to tug open the doors. Nobody was around, though the church floors were littered with evidence that people had been in here. There were litter, empty boxes and dirty marks on the pews. With careful steps, the woman paced the aisle, peeking into each of the pews to see if there was anything of interest. Nothing. However the presence of a large, scintillating gold cross caught her attention, hanging right over the altar. Blue eyes widened with awe and respect as she looked up to it. For a few moments she just stood in silence, her body rigid. Eventually she closed her eyes over, just to relish this moment of peace and solitude. The woman had such a wild imagination, and in her head she could hear the swirl of angelic voices, like a choir, playing in her head. She kept standing there for a few moments, silent at first, but eventually emitting a very soft hum in time to the voices she could hear in her head.[/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[samwise]

Samwise sighed to himself, rolling his shoulders and letting out a silent yawn. He felt what seemed like every one of his bones crackling like twigs under a heavy foot and groaned. It had been a very busy day indeed. Patrolling the Safe Land’s borders was never a walk in the park, but today it had been especially difficult. The walking dead had thought it would be good fun to assault the Barriers and it had been a closely fought fight to repel them. Not without cost either; more than a few of his fellows had been killed or bitten and had to be… taken care of.

Grabbing the long handle of his sledgehammer (still covered in the drying blood of the dead) and stretching out his aching arm muscles, the giant German gave out another sigh. He felt like an old man, sore all over and creaking like a tree in the wind. Taking a walk to cool off had seemed like such a good idea back on the border when he was still pump up on adrenaline, but now it had burned off he hurt everywhere. It would be good to get some rest back at The Last Shot.

Just as he was about to turn back, Samwise caught sight of the old church. He had seen it a few times, but had not really felt any desire to go inside. He really was not much of a religious man. But… if he could rest a little while there, he would not be opposed to saying a prayer of thanks. It would only be polite. He would be resting in God’s house, after all.

So he approached the old building at an easy pace, placing his sledgehammer over his shoulder to give his hands a little time to get the blood flow back into them properly. As he got closer, however, he was certain that he could hear something coming from inside the church, a lightly humming tune. He was no more a superstitious man as he was a religious one but the sound spooked him a little nonetheless. It may have just been his worn out state manipulating his thoughts, but if you heard some angelic like singing coming from an abandoned church, you ran in the opposite direction.

Still, his aching muscles told him to stop being a big scaredy cat and just go inside and so he went to investigate the humming sound, pushing the heavy door open without much hassle, despite his sore limbs. In the church, in front of a golden cross, he spied a small woman (although to be fair, a lot of people were small in comparison to him) alone among the pews, humming quietly to herself. Not wanting to interrupt her and enjoying the sound of her voice, Samwise did not announce himself, choosing instead to lean against the doorway and listen.

[Charlotte Rose Nelson]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2uhqrzc.gif);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]YOU ONLY GOT ONE LIFE TO LEAD[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]SO DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THE LITTLE THINGS[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Charlotte had an eccentric streak that often made her stand out. At university she dyed her hair the oddest colours, whilst teaching she burst into song and often did a little jig to accompany it, even recently she acted out a scene from Les Miserables with one of her worker friends. She was always up for something animate and lively. However right now, she was just standing at peace, her eyes closed over her bluish green eyes and a song humming from her throat. She really was in her own world to begin with, but right now, she felt like she was escaping the harsh reality of apocalyptic London. The song she was humming began to take shape. It turned out to be 'Morning Has Broken', a hymn she remembered singing at the Sunday service when she was in private school. As the song got louder in her head, so did her humming. Charlotte could remember the words so clearly, and soon enough, they started to escape her lips. "Morning has broken...like the first morning...blackbird has spoken...of the new day!" It was probably the catchiest hymn she had ever heard, and she started to sway her head to an imaginary beat. If anyone were to see her right now, she must have appeared as a right weirdo. Though she did not think that right now. She continued to sing, and even ended up moving her body like she was doing a little graceful dance. Of course she didn't know she was no longer alone. She continued to sing like she was some star performer on stage. Unfortunately she didn't have the skills of a star singer. For the words she could not remember, she hummed then again, or sang out 'do do de doo dooo.' in its place. It was entertaining and comforting. It great to break away from reality every so often. She did a fluid spin on her heel and finally opened her eyes. Eyes fell on a very tall man standing in the doorway. "Oh! Hello there," she greeted him with surprise. Her cheeks flushed when she realised she had had an audience, but she was not sure on how long. However, the blood drained quickly. She was not entirely ashamed of it. She did things like that often. It was just Charlotte. She was probably embarrassed when she realised she was not alone. "Beautiful church isn't it?" She remarked, spanning her arms out for a moment then dropping them at her sides.[/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[samwise]

“Guten tag, frau”, the giant German replied politely. Seeing slight redness appear on the woman’s cheeks, Samwise quickly nodded in agreement with her statement about the building they were in, glancing up and around. “Ja, it ist very beautiful indeed. As vas your singing. Sehr schön! Very lovely.”

Allowing the door which had been propped up against his back to swing closed gently, Samwise slowly entered the church proper, looking around at the structure of the building itself. It was, as the woman in front of him claimed, rather beautiful. Disagree with religion all you like but if there was one thing they could do, it was inspire the construction of incredible things. Paintings, glasswork, mosaics, wood carvings, metal sculptures; there were many awe inspiring pieces of art made by religiously driven artists.

Of course, not all of it was intact. It saddened the large man a little to see one of the windows smashed, the picture it had depicted destroyed forever. Samwise was the first to admit that he liked to break things, but that was mostly faces. To see something that some poor soul had poured hours, weeks, maybe even years of hard work and love into shattered so easily and with such impunity… it was something he did not like to think about too hard.

Finally reaching the woman, the giant plonked his sledgehammer down head first onto the hard floor and leaned the handle against the side of the pew he was across from. Stretching his arms into the air, he looked down upon her face and gave her a warm smile, hoping that he was not scaring her. He did that sometimes, although he often did not mean to. When he meant to… well, there were more than a few people out there that had browned their trousers when he actually put thought into being scary.

“Mein Name ist… err, my name is Samvise”, the big man introduced himself. “But you can call me Sammy. I came in to haff a quick rest before I vent home. I’ve had a rather exhausting day.”

Suiting words to action, the German squeezed in next to his weapon and slumped down onto the seat with a groan of relief, tilting his head back and closing his eyes for a moment as the wooden bench creaked in objection at the sudden burden of his weighty frame. Realising that he was being rude, though, he sat himself back up straight and looked at the woman, whose name he still did not know.

“I hope zhat you do not mind if I rest for a vhile?” Samwise asked politely. “Just until I haff recovered my strength?"

[Charlotte Rose Nelson]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2uhqrzc.gif);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]YOU ONLY GOT ONE LIFE TO LEAD[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]SO DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THE LITTLE THINGS[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Charlotte honestly anticipated an English accent to fall from his lips, but she was mistaken the moment he spoke. German? There was an element of surprise in her light eyes as he spoke. She loved hearing different accents. She loved culture and different nationalities. As the man spoke, she was a little confused at a few of his words. She caught the odd German word but she assumed it was probably a turn of phrase. Charlotte wasn't familiar with German. Italian was more her forte. She wrapped her coat tighter around her body, keeping her arms crossed and pinned to her chest. It was cold in here. The odd smashed window in the church gave way to a flow of cold air from outside. Besides, the church was huge. Even if the heating were on (which Charlotte assumed it wasn't) it would take a hefty amount of time to heat it. She always remembered the church to be a cold place. She recalled shivering in the pews when she attended church as a child. "It's lovely, but its very cold," she added in, her body quaking with a visible shiver. Charlotte was just continuing the conversation. "And thank you," she said appreciatively. As the German man approached her, Charlotte found herself taking small steps backward. She knew at first glance he was tall, but seeing him much closer he was gigantic. Her light eyes scanned the length of his body, as if she was a tourist looking at a tall monument or building. She mirrored his smile, just to be friendly. Although he was smiling, Charlotte felt a little intimidated by him. She was even more intimidated by the fact she was alone with him. The woman was not sure about him. She actually felt uneasy. Fingers reached up and tucked away a stray portion of flaxen hair behind her ear. "Oh," she muttered out of surprise. "Samwise. Nice to meet you," she bobbed her head in greeting, still clutching her folded arms to her chest. "Or Sammy," she giggled very nervously. Now she was being timid around him. She couldn't help but be. It was hard to be comfortable around a colossal man wielding a sledgehammer, even in the middle of a church. The woman was about to introduce himself in return, however he appeared to repose in his seat. Feeling she should not disturb him, Charlotte took that as he cue to leave. She took a few light steps toward the exit, trying her best not to make too much sound against the hard floor. Unfortunately she didn't get far. Samwise had opened his eyes. Momentarily she straightened her back, alert. "I don't mind at all!" she blurted out. "The church is free for anyone to use," she added in. Charlotte contemplated for a moment, and wet her bottom lip. She hadn't completely forgotten her manners. "I'm Charlotte." She finally introduced herself, tapping her chest with her fingers. "Are you German? I like your accent," she asked. Just making conversation. Maybe it would put her at ease a bit.[/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[samwise]

It was not exactly difficult for Samwise to notice the shock this woman held at his above average size. It was something he was accustomed to seeing in people’s faces when they saw him in the street or behind the bar at the Last Shot. He considered teasing the cute blonde about her obvious discomfort, but he held his tongue. She did not seem the type to react well to friendly prodding from a stranger, so he chose to not comment on his gawking.

He observed the slight woman shivering and stripped his jacket off, looking up into the sky as he heard an odd yet faint banging. A bird perhaps, that flew in through one of the broken windows and could not find its way out again? Shaking his head of these thoughts Samwise reached over to the girl and offered her his coat, leaving himself in a tank top.

“Charlotte. It ist a pleasure to meet you! You look cold. Bitte, take zhis. I do not need it as much”, the giant German said kindly with a smile. “Zhe cold does not bother me so bad. Und ja, I am from Germany! Zhe brawn from Berlin, ha!” Samwise finished jokingly, flexing his (rather considerable) muscles that were now on display due to his tank top exposing his arms.

Chuckling deeply at his stupid little joke, he only just managed to hear the faint banging noise once more. Frowning, the giant twisted himself around to look for whatever it was that was creating the noise, but he could not identify it. He considered investigating further, but he was just so tired. Besides, it was probably just a wild animal that had gotten itself trapped inside the church and was looking for a way out.

When it persisted, however, he wondered if his new friend could hear it too. It could have just been in his head; he was exhausted, after all.

“Vhat ist zhat noise?” Samwise asked, looking around in his seat again. He looked over at Charlotte, scratching his bald head. “You do hear zhat, don’t you? Zhat banging sound?”

[Charlotte Rose Nelson]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2uhqrzc.gif);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]YOU ONLY GOT ONE LIFE TO LEAD[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]SO DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THE LITTLE THINGS[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Although she had a light coat on, she could still feel goosebumps arise on her pale skin. She tried her best to conserve what little she had in her body by wrapping her coat tighter around her frame. No such luck. This church probably hadn't feel heat in some time. However Charlotte was not going to be troubled by the cold for long. The gigantic man had pulled off his own jacket. Charlotte did not picked up on the faint thumping sound. She was too occupied in watching this man act rather suspiciously in front of her. She took a light step backward. However, as he offered her his coat, there was an element of surprise on her delicate features. Her hand reached out reluctantly. Charlotte was freezing. She was beginning to feel her fingertips go white and numb from the cold. She took his gesture as an act of kindness and appreciatively took the coat form him. "Oh, thank you," she said, looking at it in her hands. It looked massive. Charlotte pulled it on. It was heavy and gigantic. It slumped at her shoulders and the sleeves covered her hands with inches to spare. Animately, she giggled at herself. "Well look at that!" She spanned her arms out. "You're lucky then. I feel the cold all the time. And I guessed so!" She spoke through a smile, looking at his arms as he flexed them. She was still intimidated by his sheer size. He was built like a tank. In silence Charlotte started to wander, paying closer attention to the altar and examining the intricate details on the edges. She felt odd standing around this man, but she could not leave. Not now. Besides, she had his jacket on. This time, a sound did catch her attention. Charlotte slowly straightened her back. At the same time as Samwise, she uttered the same question. "What is that noise?" With widened eyes she looked to him. "I do! It's coming from over there, I think," she pointed toward the door on her far right. For a moment she was frigid. She didn't want to move. Though Charlotte had an instinct to check it out. She didn't think for one second it would be something dangerous. Charlotte had not come face to face with a zombie since settling into the Safe Lands. She thought it was a survivor. It was, she would be happy to help them out. Slowly she paced down the steps, approaching to the area where the sound was coming from. She pressed her ear against the door. There were a few groans inside, followed by gentle thumps. "Someone is in there!" she exclaimed, looking to Samwise. "I think they're hurt!" Well, why else would they groan? The woman then pulled on the door handle. Suddenly, a gruesome looking zombie lunged out, hands reaching for her body. Charlotte fell back and gave a loud shriek as it attacked her.[/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[samwise]

As the slight woman took his jacket, Samwise could not help but smile as she emphasised how it was on her by lifting up her arms and revealing how her hands did not even poke out of the cuffs. The giant could not help but be reminded of his Löwin and his mind wandered briefly to her, wondering what she was doing right now. Probably tending to some of the wounded in the Safe Lands; she was a talented doctor before everything went to hell, or so she claimed. The fact that he was still walking proved that beyond all doubt. She had saved his life when they had first met, despite the severity of the injuries he had.

When Charlotte admitted that she too heard the noise and moves to investigate, the German pushed himself to his feet slowly.

“Vas zhis area swept for any ozher zombies?” Samwise asked. Seeing her taking off quickly, he worriedly called after her. “Be careful, please! Ve don’t vant any accidents!"

The scream sent a surge of adrenaline shooting through Samwise and he reacted instantly, sprinting at full tilt towards the ambushing zombie, his fatigue seemingly forgotten. Leaping over the pews, the giant delivered a powerful kick to Charlotte’s undead attacker, sending the walking corpse across the floor and landing flat on its face. In a flash he was on top of it, pinning to the ground with his knee. It writhed, trying to reach back and grab him but its arms were trapped beneath it. As it thrashed, Samwise noticed that its neck was badly damaged. Feeling the absence of his sledgehammer keenly, the giant took a tight hold of the dead man’s head and pulled with all of his might.

After a moment of heaving, the object came and the flailing body moved no more.

Deciding he was not going to take any risks, Samwise made his way to one of the church’s walls and slammed the head into it. It turned into a gooey pulp with one strike and he dropped what was left on the floor with a satisfied grunt. Turning to help Charlotte back up, he realised that his hands were covered in a dead man’s blood and looked around for something to clean them on. Spying a basin, he approached it and was relieved to see it was full of water. He knew that it was a vessel for holy water, but he needed it for a different use right now. He dipped his blood soaked hands into the liquid, giving them a good scrub.

Shaking his hands dry, the German made his way back to Charlotte and gave her a warm, kindly smile, kneeling down to her level and offering his hand.

“Are you alright, Charlotte? Are you hurt?” Samwise asked, examining every inch of her body he could see for any scratches or wounds.

[Charlotte Rose Nelson]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2uhqrzc.gif);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]YOU ONLY GOT ONE LIFE TO LEAD[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]SO DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THE LITTLE THINGS[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Charlotte offered Samwise a confident smile. "It's doubtful," she replied to him hurriedly. Charlotte ignored his plea not to approach the door. For those few moments, she was ignorant to any other zombie activity. She honestly believed the church was void of the undead. This was the Safe Lands, right? Surely the braver members of the Safe Lands had secured the area some time ago? However the moment her palm graced the handle of the door, it was too late. Charlotte's curiosity could have been the death of her. The moment the being lunged out, she screamed so hard her throat hurt. It's hands reached for her, fingers digging into the soft pale flesh of her throat. It hurt. For that split second, she thought herself to be dead. However that second was over the moment the zombie flew away from her. Feeling herself free from the grip of the zombie, she scrambled across the floor on all fours, the long coat almost tripping up her lousy movements. Charlotte set herself against the wall, sitting on the floor like a lopsided rag doll. She was yelping behind her hand, witnessing Samwise, her hero, pinning her undead attacker to the ground. The woman watched with horror and disgust. Eyes rapidly flicked to where his sledge hammer was sitting. Charlotte considered on fetching it for him, however she was so terrified she decided against it. The moment Samwise decapitated the zombie with his very hands, she squeaked, hands firing up to quickly conceal her eyes. Charlotte could not back up against the wall any more. Her feet were shuffling around, her knees were high and the crown of her head pressed firmly against the wall. Her body was quaking. Clearly she was shaken by this ordeal. As Samwise approached her, she stared up at him with watery, wide eyes, suddenly feeling frightened of him. Charlotte recognised him as her saviour, but something made her wary of him. He was powerful and incredibly intimidating. Thankfully, as he left her side to go douse himself with water - possibly holy water, to her horror - she felt her frigid body relax a little. However, as he returned, she felt her muscles tense up again. Eyes glanced around quickly. "No, no, I'm fine," she managed to squeak out. Hand reached out slowly, and she clasped onto his own, feeling her body lifting onto her shaky feet once more. Her sweaty palm left his momentarily and rested on her forehead. Charlotte was breathing shallowly. "I thought I was dead for a moment there," she said faintly. Hand left her forehead. Her fingers gently touched the soft flesh of her neck, shakily prodding around where the zombie had gripped her. "I might have a few bruises," she spoke gravely. "But I'm alive....." Charlotte paused for a moment and found some courage to look at him. "Thank you."[/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[samwise]

It did not escape the giant German’s attention that the pretty woman was looking at him in a completely different way now. Before it had been wary, but that was a natural reaction people had when they first absorbed his size. Now… now there was fear in her eyes. He shrugged it off, though. She had just got grabbed by a member of the living dead. That shook up a lot of people that were not prepared for it.

As he helped her back up to her feet, Samwise could not help but marvel at how light she was in his arms and he made a special mental note in his head to be extra careful around her. He felt that if he was too rough he might accidently break her. He smiled as she thanked him in a timid voice, wanting to set her mind at ease. But then he saw the marks on her neck that she was prodding and he frowned in concern, moving closer towards her.

“Allow me, bitte”, he muttered to the blonde in a kindly manner, reaching out his hands and running them gently along her neck. The marks were simple bruises and did not seem to break the skin, which was a relief. Sighing and smiling, his ham sized hand retreated. “Everyzhing looks gut here”, he finished.

Looking her over closely once more, Samwise noticed how shaken she was by the encounter with the stray undead. Kneeling down so that he was face to face with her, the giant placed a hand lightly on her shoulder, hoping to steady her and keep her focus on him rather than the dead thing on the floor.

“Are you sure zhat you are alright? Vould you like me to escort you home? I vould be only too happy to, if you vish me too.”

[Charlotte Rose Nelson]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2uhqrzc.gif);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]YOU ONLY GOT ONE LIFE TO LEAD[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]SO DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THE LITTLE THINGS[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] She assumed that this man was familiar with fighting with zombies. From what Charlotte had just witnessed, Samwise didn't flinch an inch when fighting the undead. She was not sure what he did in the Safe Lands, but Charlotte was positive that slaying zombies were regularly on his agenda. When he reached his hand out, she recoiled slightly. The moment she felt his fingertips on her neck, she flinched. Charlotte was not entirely comfortable just now. She had just witnessed a zombie attack and now Samwise was touching her neck. She did know he meant well. He had just saved her life and it was natural for him to check that she was alright. She didn't doubt his good intentions for one moment. Charlotte still felt afraid of this man, however. His imposing presence still frightened the woman. When he pulled his hand away she blinked a couple of times. Charlotte forced a smile. "That's good to hear," she responded timidly. An element of surprise coloured her expression as he kneeled before her. Charlotte was used to kneeling down herself, when she was talking to children. As primary school teacher, she often bent and lowered her frame to come face to face with a smaller child. Today the tables had turned. Charlotte felt submissive as he kneeled before her and inspected her more closely. She felt his hand on her shoulder and her throat got dry. The blonde swallowed loudly. "I am fine," she half lied with another forced smile. "I-uh-...sure!" she blurted out. Was she intending to go home now? Perhaps. A cup of tea was what she needed right now. She needed to unwind and calm herself. The woman was still shaken. It was evident in her wide eyes and the subtle tremble of her frame. For a moment she avoided eye contact with him. "I don't think I can stay here any longer," she admitted meekly. Finally blue eyes fixed on him, still beaming widely like a rabbit's eyes in the headlights Charlotte was fearful that more zombies were lurking around in here. One was enough. No more. No more. [/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[samwise]

Samwise nodded in agreement with the woman's statement. After such an obvious oversight, he himself did not feel comfortable staying until it had been fully swept. He would probably volunteer to do it himself; with or without any help. He was confident that those people who decided these things would send others, however. Having a potential death trap slap bang in the middle of the Safe Lands was an unacceptable risk for the people living here.

The gentle giant stood back up straight from his kneeling position, making an over exaggerated grunt of effort as he did so. He needed to make sure that he had his weapon with him in case there was another incident like this, so he jogged back down the aisle and snatched up his sledgehammer. The weight of the heavy weapon in his hand was always comforting to him. After drinking, smashing things was his favourite hobby and it always felt good to have the right tools for the job.

Walking more slowly back to Charlotte now that he had his hammer in hand, Samwise noted mentally to himself that the slim woman still looked pretty shaken up after her ordeal. He was not too surprised; she certainly did not look like the fighting type, but too be fair appearances could be deceiving. Regardless, the giant had a good sense for the violent type of person, and Charlotte just did not strike him as one.

Reaching her position and slipping the sledgehammer back into the loop in his belt, the German giant gave her another kindly smile.

"Vould you like me to carry you home? If you zhink zhat you could manage, zhat is fine, but don't hesitate to ask if you feel veak", Samwise offered.

[Charlotte Rose Nelson]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] [STYLE=height: 250px; width: 460px; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.7; border-radius: 30px; background-image: url(http://i45.tinypic.com/2uhqrzc.gif);][/style][STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-style: italic; font-size: 45px; color: #E7E1CD; text-transform: lowercase; margin-top: -30px; letter-spacing: -3px; opacity: 0.99; text-shadow: 2px 2px 2px #000000;]YOU ONLY GOT ONE LIFE TO LEAD[/style][STYLE=font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-top: -10px; color: #CEC6AA; letter-spacing: 2px; text-transform: uppercase;]SO DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THE LITTLE THINGS[/style] [STYLE=font-size: 11px; font-family: arial; margin-right: 13px; margin-left: 13px; text-align: justify; background-color: #696969; padding: 13px; color: #000000; margin-top: 6px; opacity: 0.95; margin-bottom: 1px; border-bottom-right-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px;] Charlotte was perplexed at this man. Considering his enormous size and appearance, she found it difficult that this man could be so kind. The woman did realise that perhaps she was being judgmental on his appearance alone. She would tell her pupils not to judge a book by its cover, so why wasn't Charlotte practicing what she preached? It was hard to tell. The woman was too shaken up to think about it so clearly. She swallowed a wad of saliva that had been building up in her mouth. Charlotte had been staring at him for too long, rudely at that. When she realised this, her blue eyes averted from his own and swept to the floor. "Apologies, I shouldn't stare," she apologised sheepishly. Body was calmer than before, but she was still shaken.The woman doubted she could even sleep tonight. She would probably wrap herself up in her duvet, propped up with a torch in hand and her shovel lying at her bedside. A shovel. It was pathetic weapon, really. Charlotte was too weak to properly wield such a weapon, she would probably look clumsy, but she guessed it would come in handy. Looking at Samwise's weapon as he looped it into his belt, she could not believe the sheer size of it. Charlotte voiced her thoughts aloud. "How can you carry such a thing? You must have some strength," she speculated. She was speaking on awe at his power and ability. It was not surprising considering the size of him. She was taken back by his next proposal. Carry her home? The woman suppressed a laugh. She must have appeared like a right damsel in distress, but really, Charlotte was the epitome of one. "No, I think I can manage. I just want to get out of here," she breezed. At least, she knew that if she somehow collapsed, this giant German man would pick her up, probably with one hand, come to think of it. "Thank you anyway," she expressed her gratitude. Now it was time to get out of here. She wrapped the large jacket around her body even tighter as she started down the aisle, heading for the church door. She paused and turned to face him, a nervous smile tweaking at her lips. "Oh, I need to remember to give you this back," she reminded him as well as herself. She was not about to walk off wearing his jacket. [/style][STYLE=width: 400px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; color: #565656; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 0px; font-family: arial; letter-spacing: 3px; opacity: 0.9;]made by kiwii at btn & ote![/style]

[samwise]

Watching the woman compose herself after her ordeal, Samwise reckoned that Charlotte had pulled herself together well enough to get herself home after all. Despite this being a good thing, the German could not help but feel just a tiny little bit disappointed that he would not be carrying her. He enjoyed showing off his strength whenever he could, and she was as lovely a woman as they came. He scowled at himself mentally at these thoughts, thinking to himself that this was hardly the time or place for such thoughts.

"Do not vorry", Samwise said with a chuckle as Charlotte apologised for staring. "I'm used to attracting all kinds of attention. I'm hard to miss, after all!" When she mentioned his sledgehammer, the giant patted the metal head of his weapon, smiling as he revised the ideas in his head to improve it. "Vell, some vere born to paint, or write, or lead. I vas just born to break zhings."

For the smallest of moments, an echo of emotion flickered across his large face, a look of what may have been regret or even pain as Samwise contemplated how he wished he was better for something other than hurt people, but it passed quickly as he shook it off, the warm smile returning as if it never left.

He managed to keep pace with his new friend as she made her way out of the church, his long strides allowing him to easily catch up. He waved her away when she mentioned his jacket, disregarding her offer to return it.

"Nein, you can haff it for now. Drop it of vhen you have some free time. I own the Last Shot pub. Just come by und return it vhen you can", Samwise assured her. If she was still suffering from shock, the last thing he wanted was for her to get sick. Besides, it gave her a reason to see him, and he was far from opposed to the idea of seeing her again.

[Charlotte Rose Nelson]

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[atrb=style, background-color: #1A1A1A; border-radius: 35px;] YOU ONLY GOT ONE LIFE TO LEAD SO DON'T TAKE FOR GRANTED THE LITTLE THINGS Charlotte found herself chuckling at his remark. "We need more people like you around here," she commented politely. "Those zombies don't stand a chance against a man of your stature and strength." Charlotte continued. She was giving him compliments, but they were also honest. How could a zombie defeat such a man? Charlotte was beginning to question if he was almost invincible. He could easily step on the heads of smaller zombies now she came to think of it. If all humans were to inevitably die, perhaps Samwise would be the last one standing. She cleared her throat, feeling it was still a little tight from the ordeal. The panic was still there, but rather than a full on attack it had diminished into mere shivers that tickled her skin. Attention turned back to Samwise. Charlotte watched him for a moment, and she did acknowledge the very slight change in his expression. The woman's first instinct was to ask him what was wrong, but she refrained as a smile returned to his lips. Charlotte grinned to herself, reassured. The woman was forever worried about the well being of others, from the best of friends to complete strangers, she had a lookout for anything that could be bothering them. Charlotte felt a wisp of cold air circulate her body. It was definitely much colder out here. Come to think of it, she was thankful that Samwise allowed her to borrow his coat for a little while longer. She should have layered up more. Her shoes clicked against the hard pavement as they paced away from the church. "Oh thank you," she muttered with surprise. "I will come by some time. I might even have a little drink whilst I'm there. I hope you have some red wine in stock," she almost whispered, her tone very quiet as though she was timid. Charlotte was still timid. It would take a while for her to completely calm down from this. She gaze up to the tall man with glinting blue eyes. "I'll probably pop on by sometime this week. I have gardening duties tomorrow," she informed him. Having the dual role of teacher and gardener kept her schedule busy, but the woman liked to keep occupied. made by kiwii at btn & ote!