When the car came to a slow stop, Nate looked the man in the road up and down, taking particular note of the gun belt and cursing Michaels for taking his. Illuminated by the glow of the headlights, Elijah Craigh looked even more menacing than he normally did. Damn it! This wasn't how he wanted it to go. He wanted time to prepare. At least enough time to get a gun. 'Damn it,Freddy!' he thought to himself. Nate watched Craigh for a long moment, only half paying attention to what Vin was saying to him. Eventually, he glanced at the new guy for a second then turned to Vin and said "When I get out of the car, lock the doors. And if this goes sideways...run." The normally happy-go-lucky Nate seemed to be gone and he was now deadly serious.

Stepping out of the car, Nate slammed the door shut behind him and held an arm across his ribs as he moved around to the front of the car, stepping into the glow of the headlights. "Elijah motherfucking Craigh." he said with the slightest hint of a smile as he came to a stop at what he felt was a safe distance away from Craigh. "Haven't drunk yourself into an early grave yet I see."

Nate felt on edge but tried not to let it show. This could go either way and probably depended on how Eli felt that day. Nate had always been somewhat paranoid and these past few weeks with all the craziness and the people trying to kill him or arrest him or both had only made him worse. But standing here, face to face with Eli Craigh, he was more on edge than normal. Eli had the potential to be dangerous. Nate didn't know why the message had told him to find Eli. Maybe it was a set up. Maybe he was here to kill them. Or maybe not. Maybe it was all in his head and Eli was here to help. Either way, Nate was ready for a fight if he needed to be.

"He's scared. He ain't as stupid as he makes himself out to be." Eli thought to himself with a smile. "It ain't through like of trying. I see no one has managed keep a leash on that toung of yours." Eli said before a drag of his cigarette. "Don't worry Hunter, if I was gonna kill you, I'd of done on one of the bridges. How'd you find me? I don't much see you as the mountain type and I damn sure don't see you thinking I need to my ole buddy Eli." Eli said his hand gripping the handle of his pistol. Something in his gut was making Eli nervous. Something wasn't right here.

It was only partially true, what he said about the bridge. It was an ideal place to pick someone off, but there were much better place to pick people off. Places where they would never be found.

"Why is he reaching for his gun?" Jennifer nervously shifted her weight, causing a sharp pain from somewhere in her midsection to leave her nearly breathless. "Fuck...I don't think he's safe. I know he said for us to stay in the car, but we're sitting ducks here. Besides, I can't run away if I wanted to, not like this..."

She looked up at Vin, then to Jack sitting in the front seat who hadn't bothered to say a word either. "You two are unbelievable."

With much effort, Jennifer sat up and opened the backdoor of the vehicle. She shook off Vin's hand as he reached for her asking her to stay inside, but she wouldn't have it. She wasn't risking her life to save Nate, but she wasn't going to sit around and likely get shot by some stranger because he hadn't had enough cups of coffee for the day. Did she plan it through? Definitely not, but she couldn't think straight with the injuries she had, and her pain and anger had become a deadly mix at this point.

At the idea of him ever deciding that he actually wanted to see Eli Craigh, Nate couldn't help but laugh a little. He scratched the back of his head and and looked down at the ground, tilting his eyes back up to look at Craigh. He noticed the other man's hand move to his gun holster and he tensed, ready to move. But Eli was right. If he wanted to kill him, he probably would have made a move already...Probably. But Nate was no idiot, despite what he led others to believe sometimes. He could read the situation. Craigh was just as tense as he was. Which only raised more questions. All of that meant that Nate's fate probably depended on how he dealt with this situation.

Nate tried his best to look relaxed, dropping both arms to his sides and trying to ignore the pain shooting through his body. "I was led to believe you had answers to some questions." he informed Eli. "But here you are, waiting for me, with no idea why I'm here. Someone told you I'd be coming, didn't they? Just like someone told me where to find you. Strange coincidence...isn't it?"

As he said it, some things fell into place for him. Someone wanted these two to get together. The only question was who. Well, maybe not the only question but it was definitely one of the important ones. As he thought about it, he heard the sound of a car door opening behind him. He didn't bother turning around as he knew exactly who it was. He made a mental note to put the cuffs back on her if they both made it out of here alive. Instead, he looked around Eli and spotted a young girl sitting in the passenger seat of his truck. He arched an eyebrow and said "Awful strange company you're keeping these days, Opie."

Dead bodies, burning bodies, scary war veterans, and scary rednecks. What he did know is that even though Eli's methods were not... ideal... he was getting things done. And if Eric decided to pop Eli in the back of the head would that make him any better? Maybe there was something Eric wasn't getting. Eli had good intentions, that much Eric could tell from his thoughts. Not much else sadly.

Eli mentioned for Eric to go back to his place and grab some guns, guns he had. Not a lot but he had some. Though not a lot of ammo. He was just hoping that Christi was alright... who knew what was going through her head after now... He should have?! ...so why wasn't he? That... he would have to figure out later, now, he needed to prepare. Eric knew there were more people like Christi's brother. A few of them tried to find him in the woods just this morning. One of them shot at him!

Going back to his own place wasn't easy, his truck was still at his place. Meaning it was one hell long of a walk. With a shotgun in his hands none the less. By the time he got back his 12 gauge was on the floor where he left it, still loaded. He grabbed his 30-06 from under his bed and checked ammo. He had about 25 shells for the 20 gauge, 18 shells for his 12 gauge, and about 12 cartridges for his 30-06. Though it only held one shot at a time. "It's not enough..." If things got really bad, a couple shotguns and a single shot rifle wouldn't do a lot for them. Especially with the amount of ammo he had.

Eric not being in a situation to go out and buy ammo, went to the one place he could think of to get some decent weaponry. Eric put the ammo into his backpack with some other basic survival supplies, then he put the guns behind his seat, and drove over to his Uncle Felix. Or at least his old home.

When he got to his uncle's place his uncle's car was parked out front shining in much better condition then the rest of the house. The house it self was old, but standing, the car looked new, but it was old. Eric ran in to the house with his truck parked on the lawn, he found his uncle watching TV in the living room. "Uncle Felix! I need guns! Something bad is going down." His uncle just looked over to him. "Bad as in world war three started, or bad as in you fucked up and aliens are invading?" Eric wasn't sure how to answer this. "Uhh... The second one." His uncle nodded. "The combination to the safe is 1-2-3-4-5...7. Remember I'll be making you work for what ever you can't replace." Eric was almost gleeful, then he remembered that he was grabbing guns because he may die...

Inside his uncles gun safe was a collection of guns, ammo, and other things that his uncle should probably not have. Eric grabbed his duffle bag and through in a .22 bolt action, a twelve gauge with a pistol grip with out a stock, he then grabbed his uncle's semi-auto rifle, looked kinda like one of those old M1 Grands. Then he decided to grab one of his uncle's scoped rifles, figured it wouldn't hurt. Unless someone asked him why he had all the guns. After the guns were loaded up Eric started throwing in ammo, lots and lots of ammo.

Things were starting to look tense at the meeting place. Eli had a hand on his gun, there were... a notable amount of people in the new car here, a few of them already out, and here was Eric, his frame lanky, scrawny, and with a 12 gauge in his hands. Behind Eli's truck he was safe if things started to happen, but he was in easy site of anyone in this little get together. He wasn't sure if he came across as threatening, or as goofy, but he didn't care. Other then Eli's pistol, Eric had all the guns here. He wasn't seeing any with the new group of people. "Oh goody! more people... Does that mean someone here knows what's going on?"

“Jennifer wait just a fu-” The girl who he was crazy about and yet really wanted to strangle at the moment slipped from Vincent’s grasp and closed the car door behind her. Vin shook his head, and reached for the door handle to open it.

“Fuckin’ chicks…” He grumbled, looking over at the new guy Jack, who seemed to be more interested in what was going on outside the car. Vin shrugged and exited the car, catching up to Jennifer.

“Geez, JJ...I mean what the hell? You act like I don’t even care about the situation” Vin said, keeping his voice to a whisper as he curled an arm around Jennifer’s waist to keep her steady. “We’re all in this shit together, so just let me help you, because I don’t want to los-” He paused for a moment, wishing he hadn’t even spoke, because telling her how he felt may not even matter in the end. “...Just take it easy.”

Vin looked at Nate, and over at the other guy standing near the pickup truck, both of whom apparently knew one another. He couldn’t quite make out what either was talking about, but he also hoped that this new piece to the puzzle fit a little better than the others had.

Eli looked over his shoulder at Christabell. He chuckled a little. "She killed her Daddy this morning, her brother swore up and down he was gonna kill or rape or whatever the kids are doing these day. Nice kid though, moves through the woods like a snake. It's incredible." Eli said before taking another drag.

"Speaking of strange company. Didn't think you traveled with people that dumb." Eli said pointing his smoking hand at the two who seemed to spill out of the vehicle. "If you'll tell your friends to hop in the back, Eric Miller back there will drive them to a little cabin off the Cumberland. Food, water and two or three warm beds. Me and you will take a ride and sort this out. I got a couple of answers." Eli didn't tell him that the ride was to burn the car in a gully. "Oh, gonna need them smartphones and such. I can't take a chance those will be traced. Don't say no to this Hunter, it's as nice as its gonna get. I gotta ask twice, won't be no talkin."

Eli really didn't want to shoot anyone, now wasn't the time to standing around killkng die the for the fun of it. The truth of the matter was, they didn't have the time to be nice. Knowing who was involved in whatever was going on, they needed to get out of the open and to a place where they could talk and figure shit out.

Damn it! He noticed. Of course he noticed. Nate closed his eyes and tried to keep from turning and yelling at JJ and Vin as Eli pointed at them. He also tried to keep his breathing steady. A job that was becoming increasingly difficult with the pressure in his chest. Eli wanted the others to go with some kid. An idea Nate wasn't entirely happy about. They were his responsibility. He had dragged them all into this and he wouldn't be happy if anything happened to them...Murdered...Raped...Eaten...They all seemed like legitimate possibilities in this part of the world. But he didn't exactly have a choice. Eli looked like he could shoot at any minute and the kid by his truck looked like he was ready for war. Nate wondered if he knew how to use those guns he had.

Nate stared at Eli for a long moment, weighing his options and making a clicking sound with his tongue. Eventually, he raised a finger and said "Gimme a minute." He then turned around and headed back towards the car, smacking the window next to Jackson as he passed, for no apparent reason. He moved around the back of the car and grabbed both JJ and Vin by the arms, dragging them down the road a little until they were only barely illuminated by the car's tail lights. Without even asking permission, he reached into both of their pockets and pulled out their phones. Eli wanted to make sure they weren't tracked. Nate had already disabled the tracking features on the phones after their escape but if it made Eli feel more comfortable, he would give him them.

"Both of you need to get your asses back in the car with Roadkill." He shout whispered at them. "Elijah's kid is going to take you to a safe house. And please, for the love of Hayek, don't do anything stupid!" He looked directly at JJ when he said that last part, knowing her tendency to run when things got even the slightest bit scary.

While Nate was doing whatever it was he was doing. Eli took a few steps back and turned to walk back to the truck. "Eric, I need you get them back to that cabin we met at earlier, the one near the river. Be polite, feed them, and make them comfortable. If they want to leave, let them and Eric, whatever you do, no matter what happens... You two stay safe." Eli said leaning in the truck. "And you just keep on keeping on jack." Eli reached to give a scratch behind the ears.

Eli opened up the door to truck can and reached behind the seat and pulled out his own shotgun. A sawed off twelve gauge, pump action shotgun. It had been a truck gun for so long, Eli more often than not forgot about it. He checked to make sure it was loaded to the brim. He looked up for some a second and met Christi's eyes. "Sweetie, you get uncomfortable, they touch you, they do anything to you that you didn't invite. Just let me know and I'll take care of it. Running ain't gonna help anything." Eli said looking her in the eyes. A nod was her reply. "Good girl."

Eli walked back to where he was standing before. He should have waited for Nate to get back but he wasn't gonna stand out here much longer. Eli started walking towards the Nate and the two others." Ya'll need to move, we gotta go. Longer we stand out here, worse things can get." Eli said holding out the sawed off for Nate.

"Fine, whatever you say...boss," Jennifer replied sarcastically, giving Vin a gentle shove so that she was able to walk back to the car on her own. She was in a world of pain, not that they should care. What bothered her the most was Vincent's attitude toward her. He was a sweet man when he felt like it, yet as of recently it appeared to be that the last thing he wanted to do was be near her. Maybe he realized she wasn't an easy lay, who knows. When Jennifer reached the car, she eased her way into the back, sitting behind the driver's seat and making herself as comfortable as possible.

"They're gonna take us to a safehouse, so sit tight," she said to Jack, leaning her head against the window as her body demanded sleep. Jennifer wasn't hungry anymore despite the fact that all she had in her system for roughly the past 24 hours was a sandwich and a glass of wine. It didn't matter, she just wanted to sleep straight through the next couple of days until all this blew over.

Vincent snickered at Nate’s direct response toward Jennifer, but after catching her sour expression, wished he hadn’t, even moreso after she pulled away from him yet again. He couldn’t figure this chick out, but assumed it had something to do with the side effects and brutal damage that her healing had caused on her body and mind. It’s not as though he didn’t know what it was like to be in pain. He watched Jennifer struggle a bit to climb back into the car, and even when Vin attempted to help her, she pushed his hand away in protest and mumbling something incoherent under her breath.

“Really?...” Vincent huffed, leaning against the outside of the car crossing his arms and staring blankly into the wooded abyss ahead of him. He knew he’d been a bit rough around the edges lately, but he also knew he tried to be there for Jennifer. He wanted to be there for her, and yet he felt like she was hard-pressed to kill herself like no one else cared.

“I care...probably more than I should.” He said out loud to no one in particular.

He peered over at the pickup truck as well as the other truck that showed up shortly after. From his perspective, it looked as though the group was getting ready for a zombie apocalypse or a night out at a Rage Against the Machine concert. Of course, one was more plausible than the other, considering that band hadn't been together in years. Regardless, Vincent hoped that this dude “Eli” would come through for everyone, because no one needed more problems. He looked over into the passenger’s side seat at Jackson, who appeared to be unphased by the recent occurrences, and noticed he was half-asleep leaning against his propped up arm.

“Man, I wish I had that guy’s calm disposition.”

Nate was surprised when Eli extended the shotgun towards him and he hesitantly took it from him from him, looking it over. Shotguns were a little too clumsy for his taste. Too messy. He would much rather have something more precise but he would take what he could get. He was relieved that Eli was relaxed enough to give him a weapon but wondered why he thought he would need it. He had hoped there would be less need for weapons this far out from civilization but apparently Eli thought different. And that concerned Nate. Immensely.

When JJ stormed off, quickly followed by her loyal puppy, Nate blew a kiss at the back of her head in an entirely sarcastic manner. He knew it was probably only a matter of time before Jennifer probably snapped. She had been through so much in such a short time and he felt a little bad for her...A little. But he would have felt a lot worse for her if most of that stuff hadn't been her own fault.

After the others were back in the car, Nate checked the shotgun he now held to make sure that it was fully loaded. It wasn't that he didn't trust Eli...Well, no, it was exactly that. "So what's the plan her, Opie?" he asked. "I imagine if you were taking me into the woods to kill me, you wouldn't have given me a weapon."

"I told you, if I was gonna kill you. You wouldn't see it coming. Right now get your three amgios in the truck. Eric will take them somewhere safe where they can rest and eat. Me and you are gonna torch your car and meet up with them." Eli took his last drag put it in a small cylinder from his pocket. He didn't want to take a chance someone was gonna try to be smart enough to link it to him. This was paranoid even for him but he he had good reason to be paranoid.

"I got a phone call telling you were coming. Two actually. How did they contact you?" Eli asked as he walked around the driver side it Nates car. Eli stopped for a second, shake the feeling that something was out there watching.

It couldn't have been law enforcement, they were too clumsy in the brush. Guiderone's men might be that good but the fact they haven't started shooting yet gave him pause. There was little point in putting people out here just to watch and gather intell at this point.

As looked off into the trees he couldn't help but wonder if he was just being paranoid, he trusted his gut and it was normally right but something really bothered Eli right now.

Eric was in a mess of situations right now. "Let... let me get this right... Take them to a theoretical safe house, in my two door truck with two seats, and a pretty decent collection of guns. Like... Really decent. Like if they get their hands on them I will be royally fucked. Then you want me to baby sit everyone? But don't babysit them? Like... I'd be a look out dog? I mean everyone could sit in the bed in the back, I could drive slow and that would work I guess." He looked at his own truck, it was in need of work, it broke down every other week, normally it was an easy fix but still. Eric wasn't too pleased about it. "I'll see what I can do, just hurry up and catch up. I don't want to be found in an episode of Law and Order."

Eric went over to the car full of his new Friends, his shotgun slung over his back. "So hello people, I am Eric, I am your new baby sitter, and I want you to know that due to some cargo that I am borrowing, you all will have to sit in the back of my truck there. I didn't know that was going to be the case or I would have brought a pillow or something." He looked back at Eli, who was giving a shotgun to his new friend. Who when Eric tried to listen in was only getting headaches. It was like there was a whole group of people trying to interact at once.

On his way over to the truck Eric stopped by Eli and his new friend. "I don't know what's going through your head, or what medication you might be on, but listen to some music. Preferably lyric-less music. It will make it easier for you to focus. And help my life by a lot. 'Kay, thanks... Bye now!" Eric strolled his way to his truck, throwing the bag of guns and ammo into the passenger seat.

Getting into the driver seat, he waited for everyone before he decided to drive off. "Al aboard, because shit is going to get real... and chances are we are all going to die." Eric starting up his truck, then driving to the cabin.

Great...

"Yeah, nothing like riding in the bed of a truck somewhere in the boonies well past midnight. Brilliant idea." Jennifer turned to look at Vin, her attitude not any better. As soon as she stared at him though, she couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty for giving him the cold shoulder a minute ago. She sighed in defeat, secretly cursing herself for getting involved with someone she'd known for less than a day.

"Can you help me get in the back of that truck, please? I know I haven't exactly been the ray of sunshine you were hoping for, but it's been a damn long day...for all of us."

She awaited his response, wondering whether she'd already burn that bridge. With someone like Vin, she couldn't really tell.

Vin wasn’t the least bit enthusiastic about climbing into the back of a truck that looked like it came from Fred Sanford himself, especially being driven by a kid who felt it necessary to pack enough heat for an army. However, these were, in fact unusual times for everyone, and desperation had a way of slipping into every situation, no matter how skewed it might be.

He turned to Jennifer as she apologized in her own way, and reached for her extended hand without hesitation, helping her out of the back seat of the car that the group would probably never see again. A few minutes prior, in bouts of pridefulness, anger, and despair, part of him really wanted to blurt out accusations that essentially said to her, Yep, it is you, not me., but those thoughts vanished when he met Jennifer’s glistening eyes again for the first time since they were back in Atlanta. Her expression was quite sullen and exhausted, and the mascara left small streaks of black running down her cheeks that Vincent wiped away with the sleeve of his shirt.

“You’re a mess...” He said with a wink and a smile, cupping Jennifer’s chin in his hand. “But aren’t we all?”

Vincent bent down, wrapped an arm under her legs and the other behind her back and lifted her up. Jennifer’s face appeared a though she were about to protest, but Vin cut her off at the pass. “And no, you’re not too heavy for me, and shut it...because I’m carrying you whether you want it or not.” He said again, his previous morose attitude replaced by positivity and a grin that didn’t seem to want to go away, as he walked over to the back of the truck, and placed her onto the lowered tailgate. Vin ran his fingers through her disheveled hair, pushing the tiny locks and strands out of her face, curling them gently behind her ears.

“And if our lives are going to be a fucked up tornado of chaos for awhile, let’s you and I be broken together from here on.”

A phone call? Eli had spoken directly to the people directing them? For a brief moment, Nate wondered if there was more than one group of people out there, pulling their strings. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that the cars out here probably weren't equipped with the same technology that his was and a phone was probably the most advanced piece of communication equipment he had. He wondered if it was perhaps best to get rid of all of his methods of communication and force the puppeteers out of the shadows if they wanted to communicate again.

"They hacked right into the car." he told Eli. "Sent a message right to the console, telling us to come see you." He paused by the passenger door, leaning his arms on top of the car as he watched Eli who was obviously distracted. If he didn't know any better, Nate would have said that Eli looked scared. He wondered what was out there in the woods that so worried Eli. He thought about asking but then realized there were more pressing matters to discuss. "They said there were people here who..." He paused for a moment as he thought about how to phrase this and whether or not it would make him seem insane. "...People who could do things...Strange things."

@AcerRo

"Yeah that sounds about for that bastard." Eli pointed over Eric Miller. "You gotta give that kid credit. I doubt he's worth a shit in a fight but the kids got sand. After burn this thing I'll explain everything, I don't feds or John Law coming around tracking us down. The ones pulling the strings already where we're gonna be." Eli said as got in the car.

When Nate did the same, Eli started the car. His foot looked for a clutch peddle only to find none. He scowled at the thought of an automatic transmission. There was something about them he never like.

As he drive forward and watch as the last of Nates group climb intobthe truck, Eli rolled the passenger side window down. "Eric, keep them safe and be smart. Don't stop until you get the cabin. We'll be along shortly." Eli didn't want for a reply before driving off.

The ride was mostly silent till Eli found a small opening in the trees. Slowly he pulled in, mindful every bumb and dip in the road. It seemed like an hour in this hardly visible road before Eli stopped the car just before what looked to a decent. He checked the fule gauge to see there was about a fourth of a tank left. There was more than enough to make sure no one could anything useful out of the car. He left the car running, put it in neutral. The only thing keeping it from moving was the parking break.

"Well this'll work. We'll start a fire in the back seat and let it roll. Road leads to a slurry pond I wouldn't worry about anything catching fire." Eli said before getting out of the car and lighting another cigarette.

Ten minutes later the car was on its way to the slurry and that feeling of being watch crept up on Eli again. From one of his pouches he pulled out two small but high powered flashlights. He held on our for Nate and the other he turned on.

"Down the way is a slurry pond. Coal ash and water from the mines. Shit is about as toxic as it get. Eats a body like it's nothing... So the car got hacked and told you to come here? I got a phone call on my sat phone. Man told me you and some others were coming. Later I got a second call telling me when." Eli said after a deep drag. "I don't wanna a tell this story twice so I'll hold off in telling you everything I know till everyone together. How bad are you hurt?" Eli asked knowing he was hurt from the very moment he saw Nate. No one in their right mind would greet him without both hands showing. Especially if they were worried about getting shot.

@Subject Zero

As he watched the car roll down the hill, slowly being consumed by flames, Nate was silent. This would normally be where he made some smartass comment but he just wasn't feeling it. He was too tired and sore for his usual shenanigans. It had been a long day and all he really wanted to do now was sleep. He didn't think he would have much time for that though and doubted he could, even if he had the chance. His face was almost completely emotionless, save for the occasional mild grimace of pain. He felt like he had been through a blender and he cursed JJ for not helping him out. Seeing how bad she got later when she healed Jackson kind of countered his annoyance though and he honestly wasn't sure how to feel about it anymore.

Eli was apparently eager to get back to his safehouse and handed Nate a flashlight. Nate was anxious to get back too. He wanted to check in on his people and make sure they hadn't been eaten by hillbillies. He would never admit it to either of them but he felt responsible for Jennifer and Vincent. He was the one that dragged them into this after all. He felt very slightly bad about the crap they had gone through. But only very slightly and he comforted himself with the knowledge that both of them would likely have been dead by now if it wasn't for him. JJ by the douchebag twins and Vin by his buddies in the alley.

When Eli asked how hurt he was, Nate's eyes narrowed as he replied "Not so hurt I can't fight." His statement worked on two levels. He was telling Eli he would be ready to fight their opponents whenever they showed themselves but he was also letting him know he was ready to fight him if he tried anything. Craigh gave him a smirk as he passed by and started heading back into the woods. Nate followed behind him. He didn't know this area. It was definitely Craigh's domain and he seemed to move through it like he knew every inch of it like his own back yard. There wasn't much talking. Mostly the two caught up on what the other had been up to since their last meeting, both clearly leaving out details they didn't want the other to know. Eventually they reached the cabin and Nate looked it over, looking disgusted as he did. "Real dream house you've got here, Opie." he informed Eli, mockingly as he headed towards the door.