[hr][hr][center][h1][i][b][color=orangered]Bridgette Vinters[/color][/b][/i][/h1] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d5/b4/78/d5b478ac0063ce48f5bab3cb5648b0a1.jpg[/img][/center] [hr][center][b]Location:[/b] Building [b]1[/b] (Courthouse, Office) -> Between Building [b]9[/b] (School) and [b]F[/b] (Tati & Jack's House) -> Gravesite, within Outer Wall [/center][hr][hr] Bridgette chose to ignore the scene around her. She was a hardass by most people's reckoning, including her own, but she really didn't need the distraction of kids huddled together in what used to be a building dedicated to criminal justice, fearful of being shot at by persons unknown. This was just wrong. If she could secure the safety of her new clan by ripping the insides out of the abdomen of someone who deserved it and strangling them to death with their lower intestine, she wouldn't hesitate. Hell, she may even make some manner of pithy remark (that included liberal amounts of sarcasm the use of the word "fuck") in the process. Set an enemy in front of her to destroy, Bridgette was in her element. Playing games with an entire town that meant them no harm, targeting children? Not her thing. And this was a lady descended of a culture of raiders and berserkers. Over her time tutoring their Captain on boxing (or the more brutal, less structured version [i]she[/i] used), she had come to get to know the man. He's the kind of guy that would shoot a man dead without hesitation if he thought he was a threat to people for which he was responsible. At the same time, Ash would extend help to the deserving and take in the downtrodden. He was no threat to Eden, and they must know that. If her guess was correct, Ash and Newnan were going to be a threat, and fairly soon. Back to business. She located a free walkie and clipped it to her belt, near her big seax. It would suffice for now, though she was not a fan of having something brushing against the elbow on her shieldarm. Carefully, she rotated the ON switch, and checked in with the radio network while quickly returning to her horse. [color=orangered]"Ash, it's Bree. Headed to get the kids first, going to bring the one to the gravesite. I'll check in when I'm back Inside."[/color] Bridgette led Cadence back out of the Courthouse and fluidly mounted the charger. Hand still clutching her spear, the Nordic woman spurred her mount back to the general vicinity of the kids' soccer game from earlier. The little blonde girl's body still lay there, cold and unmoving. She was particularly grateful about that last part - unmoving. She slowed her horse to a walk and peered into windows nearby. Catching some movement, her voice broke the tense stillness of the streets. [color=orangered]"C'mon kids! Spotters have the Inner Wall clean. Doubletime your little asses to the Courthouse! I'll take care of stuff here. ...I'll take care of her..."[/color] Slowly at first, children removed themselves from two nearby structures. Some craned their necks to try and catch a glimpse of their fallen friend, but Bridgette had positioned herself and Cadence between them. A disapproving glare or two later, and the younger Newnanites were on their way. [color=orangered]"Straight to the Courthouse, damn it!"[/color] she called after them, then turned her attention to the walkie. [color=orangered]"Schoolkids coming to the Courthouse. Head count's going to be short one."[/color] Bridgette gathered up the body of the little blonde girl in a bit of nearby blue construction tarp and slung her across Cadence. With a forlorn expression, she led her horse over to the gate from which she entered earlier and gave a half-hearted wave to the gatekeeper. Once Cadence and herself were in the more open area outside the wall, she crossed over to the grassy patch they used to bury their dead. Zeroing in on the last hole dug (the one for the elder Lily), she located the shovel she had left, still in the pile of upturned earth next to the hole. The very empty hole. A sense of alarm crept into Bridgette. She carefully removed her newest addition to the site from Cadence and lay her slowly down on the ground nearby. She recovered her shotgun, dual wielding it with her prized spear, and set herself to look over the grounds. Just in case someone had moved her to dig the hole deeper or to leave a gift with the body, she didn't want to bring further discord if it was a non-issue. This time though, it was better to be safe than sorry. She knelt and set her spear down, easily accessible but with the freedom to utilize her radio. [color=orangered]"Um... Captain?"[/color] she began, eyes scanning her surroundings, [color=orangered]"Lily's body is [i]gone[/i]."[/color] [hr][hr][center][h1][color=firebrick]Black James![/color][/h1] [img]https://v.cdn.vine.co/r/avatars/6AE78329E91063505631975227392_pic-r-1396533712688c4afde8ecf.jpg.jpg?versionId=ZnGOSit0zozlhxpJk0w6QVx4cSozVRdq[/img][/center] [hr][center][b]Location:[/b] Building [b]1[/b] (Courthouse Lobby, Tower) [/center][hr][hr] James was glad to hear that the kids were okay. [color=firebrick]"Alls I counted was three. Four shots fired. One'um still out there, somewheres."[/color] He continued out of the Lobby, now determined to hit the Tower. As a word of encouragement, he called back to Niesha and Kris, [color=Firebrick]"Don't you go a'worryin' about no Walkers, now. Those assholes wanted us to see them kill folks. Someone probably already got to it, didn't have a radio to tell nobody."[/color] He really hoped so, anyway. Ash gave everyone orders to damage the brains of their dead over the walkies, but in truth he did have a concern about that, himself. All the better to get his ass up to the Tower and check things out. He took off at a jog, holding his monster of a sniper rifle in front of him. Up stairs, past the landing, and up more stairs climbed the overalled blackneck protagonist, his woodaxe hanging by his side occasionally making scraping connection with the guard rails of the various open paths leading upwards. When he finally made it into the clocktower proper, James was greeted by the sight of yet another corpse. This one had, by the very nature of its initial demise, had his brain destroyed by a bullet. But the question still remained: Where was the shooter? James noted the angle the wound ran on the poor fellow. It was from across, and slightly upward. He took the dead man's rifle and leaned out of the open tower, as if he were taking position. Eyes sharp, he noted only one place that the bullet could have conceivably originated. There was, just outside the Outer Wall, the Historic Coweta County Probate Court building. It rose somewhat higher than any other building around, with a large clock and open area, large enough for a few men with rifles to pick off small targets below. The strategic value of the location was not lost on anyone; point of fact there had been plans in the works to incorporate the structure and corresponding block of buildings around it into Newnan, but other matters had more importance. That, and without enough people to effectively guard the land they already had, expansion was a dangerous waste of resources. Musings aside, something seemed different about the building. He was sure that there was a shape up there, facing him, that hadn't been there previously. James snatched the binoculars off of the dead man and set them to his own eyes, just as Bridgette's last message came through the walkie. His mouth lay agape as soon as his eyes could focus on what he was seeing outside of the Outer Wall. Nailed to a wide board hung the naked corpse of the elderly Lily, hanging from the tower of the higher building. A spear lay embedded in her side, partially pinning her to the wood. [color=firebrick]"Bossman? Done found Lily. Her body been crucified, sir. They got back into our home. Again."[/color] [hr][hr][center][h1][i][b][color=steelblue]Ash Holloway[/color][/b][/i][/h1] [img]https://31.media.tumblr.com/bcfab66a674d39bfaaddc28bd62d4470/tumblr_inline_ne41kcr5UN1s5par2.jpg[/img][/center] [hr][center][b]Location:[/b] Parking Lot between Building 6 (Armory) and Building E (Apartments) [/center][hr][hr] The excellent news that Ashton received about Zoie, and the mild elation that came with it, was swiftly knocked aside by [i]every other[/i] radio transmission that had come through since. He paused for a moment, taking in the reports from his people. This was what the distraction was for? A distraction that involved the murder of four people, to hijack the interring of a corpse and use it as a grotesque display of intimidation? What did that even accomplish for them? Surely by now, the people of Eden must know that they were taking in survivors, allowing them equal access to what they had built in Newnan. Some of them were given positions of authority among their settlement, a thing pretty much unheard of in this day and age. It couldn't be extortion, either. They hadn't sent any word of giving them supplies in exchange for [i]not[/i] attacking, and they hadn't stolen anything from the community either time they breached their walls. Also by this time, they had to know that Newnan was not a hostile settlement, and had no desire to conquer anyone. It made zero sense, from a conventional standpoint. Then again, Ash was an Army man. Spent a lot of time in various hostile places in the world, and witnessed the actions of zealots. They didn't need a reason, except to prove their own superiority to their people and make others fear them. What was more, they hid their own moral and ethical shortcomings behind a cloak of divine right, as if a deity suddenly appeared and gave them a huge list of exceptions and loopholes to their original philosophies. That being the case, all they wanted to do was hurt anyone that might disagree with them, and subjugate any who claimed to agree. If that were true, Ash had to make sure that a good number of people died. Probably not all of them; there might be an unseen number that were caught in their grasp and needed help. To be honest though, if it came down to it, Ash would order the deaths of every living soul in Eden if it meant keeping one of his safe. Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. It came from the courthouse, and flitted from building to shady spot on a course toward the Wall. It was a man, and moving more or less in his direction. He also noticed children just up the road, looking scared and helping each other go in the direction of the Main Building. They were unattended; likely the ones Bridgette shooed out of their hiding spots. It looked very much like the children and this mystery man were going to be within eyesight of each other very soon. Ash crept, low and quiet, to intercept the unwanted guest. His Detonix .45 was drawn, though he didn't want to have to use it unless it was absolutely necessary. He moved to peer around the corner of the building nearest himself, and caught full sight of the man who had just recently traded away stealth for speed. It was their Edenite guest, Ryan O'Reily. A firm set took hold in his jaw, and Ash stepped around the corner just in time to shove his gun into the face of the approaching Ryan. He motioned for the man to drop to his knees and stay silent, while stepping back a pace. In the event that this unwelcome houseguest had any tricks up his sleeve, Ash was determined to maintain distance needed to put a round in his eye before anything else could happen. Ryan complied, surprisingly without opposing action nor argument. Ashton waited until the children had passed by. They hadn't noticed the pair of them, off to the side. As the sound of their feet hitting blacktop pattered past them, a sort of whispering voice started in Ash's mind. [color=steelblue][i]Kill him kill him kill him fucking kill him he's one of them be safe not sorry kill him and let it be [b]done[/b].[/i][/color] Ash squinted his eyes and turned his head slightly. While he remained focused on his quarry, it was evident that he was trying to ignore something that was nagging at him, like a headache or someone giving incessant, poorly planned advice. When the sound of the last one abated, Ash began to speak in an eerily calm, low voice. [color=steelblue]"I had thought about what to do with you, Ryan. Thought a lot. One thing that came to mind, in case you started trouble anyway, was to bury you in a box. Run a pipe for air, of course. Maybe piss down it so you won't die of thirst, first few days. I could shoot you now, if you'd prefer, but I'll tell you, .45 ammunition is a finite resource anymore. I like the box idea."[/color] [color=steelblue]"Or you could make yourself useful."[/color] [hr][hr][center][h1][i][b][color=c0c0c0]The Great Bazhooli[/color][/b][/i][/h1] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0c830ac3-637e-4722-a654-d4192b0bd4c2.jpg[/img][/center] [hr][center][b]Location:[/b] Building 2 (Mess Hall) [/center][hr][hr] [color=silver]"Police and Construction Foremans... And circus performer. Ve are like first half of joke, da?"[/color] began the enigmatic Great Bazhooli, trying like hell to be cordial. This was a massively tense situation, him being in a new place with unfamiliar people, disarmed and almost helpless. He flashed a warm, genuine-seeming smile to the people around him, which was suddenly interrupted by she sound of Tatiana screaming like a dead guy was looking up her skirt. He quickly snapped his head around and reflexively moved his hands down to his belt before he caught himself, noticing the small grey rodent milling about on the floor. Then his genuine-seeming smile became an actually genuine one. He had to force himself not to chuckle. Instead, he continued his conversation with the other two, even as he moved closer to where the offending mouse was seen last, stooping for a better angle under things. [color=c0c0c0]"I vas on train, circus train, vhen all this began. Heard stories on news, thought most vas bolshevik. The day it got really very bad, I vas on train for two days. Did not know until ve try to stop for refuel. Army of Returned try to eat us. I say, '[i]Ve get gas, next town[/i]', but... here ve are."[/color] The Great Bazhooli spotted the little grey mouse, which easily evaded the moves of the big-armed Cossack. [color=silver]"Chert voz'mi!"[/color][sub]1[/sub] [hider=Translations] 1 = Damn it! [/hider] [hr][hr][center][h1][i][b][color=FF8C00]Schrödinger[/color][/b][/i][/h1] [img]http://coverphotosite.com/thumbs/young_orange_tomcat_stalking_in_the_grass-t1.jpg[/img][/center] [hr][center][b]Location:[/b] Building 2 (Mess Hall) [/center][hr][hr] From out of nowhere, a low, orange blur tore across the open area of the Mess Hall. It veered this way and that, never slowing, never stopping, unerringly pursuing whatever struck its mind as a thing to pursue. It skidded underneath tables, between chairs, pausing only long enough to use The Great Bazhooli's leg as a springboard to assist in a sudden direction change. In that fraction of a second, people nearby were greeted with the sight of a fuzzy orange tomcat with amber-green eyes, a look of feline joy (if such a things were possible) mixed with missionlike determination. This was a cat set to accomplish something. The ginger kitty slid under a table that was pushed up against a wall, where the adorable sounds of a tiny struggle was heard. A half minute later, the Orange Avenger emerged from under the table victorious, dead mouse held triumphantly in his mouth. He walked slowly up to the previously screaming woman and dropped the stilled rodent in front of her, looking up expectantly. The miniature predator sat on his haunches and made his eyes appear very wide. He continued to look up at the frightened lady, squeaking out a slightly warbling, [color=darkorange]"Meow?"[/color][sub]1[/sub] [hider=Translations] 1 = I have defeated the great beast that has plagued you so, and request physical attention in return. (roughly) [/hider]