Location: Eden, Armory Skills: Handguns, Shotguns, Fast Reflexes, scavenging
Things as usual, seemed to still be going to hell. Even though most of the fighting had stopped, a lot of loud noises were present, and the building could fall apart at any time. But as long as it held long enough for them to escape he should be fine. Though, if they got out, what would this group do with him? What if they still thought he was still apart of this Eden group? That could... present problems. Though he had fought with them for what seemed like forever now. Surly they wouldn't think that he was still apart of them? He had killed at least... several... At least four. He wasn't sure now. That thought made him uneasy, and he felt like a teenager again, in one of his brawls that in several situations people didn't walk away from. Though it was never by his hands, he knew that every fight he got in that someone died he had a hand in it, even if not directly. Doctors in any field take an oath to do no harm, Manny broke that long before he became a doctor, and many times after. Sometimes by accident, sometimes because he decided it was for the greater good to deal with a problem more aggressively then passively. He tried to tell himself that this was one of those times, but he still felt sick. For now he would be fine though.
As he and Alexander moved up they explained the situation to the dark haired girl. Alexander told how he had killed one of the cultists, and that one shot another one. With that in mind, does that mean that they might still think he is one of them? Going through whatever he had to do to stay alive? Or maybe pulling a deep cover job? He wasn't a skilled soldier, but what if they thought he was still an enemy? He would have to let things play out. Alexander asked Manny about his kills, as if they were something like a game to keep a score with. "Before the hole? I got one, I thought you got the other two though. Guess I was wrong." He knew violence was sometimes what needed to happen, it doesn't mean he liked it at all.
Manny tried to move on from the conversation, Thinking about firing those shots and killing so many people today, was only making him sick even more. He followed the others into the supply room, and seeing inside reminded him of the armory in his old community. Though this one seemed to have a lot more ammunition then the one he saw in the past. The more he looked around the more he realized this wasn't just an armory, this was the main supply cache! He saw guns, ammo, clothing, food and drinks, but something he noticed after looking around was a severe lack of medical supplies. Were these people so crazy that they went for survival of the fittest without any concern of what would happen if someone got hurt? Though thinking about it, they did do cage matches tot he death... so that made sense thinking about it.
Manny moved on for now, he could come back eventually to see what he could see. Moving into the next room gunshots went off, with his last good breath he ran in shotgun raised, seeing the last two members of his new group, weapons drawn on an old man who now fell dead. "Holy shit..." where the only words Manny could draw, though now his body had enough. He keeled over and threw up what few contents his stomach had. His mind and body have had enough, physically he had nothing left, mentally he was pushed to his limit. There wasn't much, but the point was made. "I can... clean this up... after I take a breather..." Manny walked back to the storage room. He didn't think they would be around long enough for him to actually clean that up, and with the building so unusable he figured it wouldn't matter anyways. But he figured saying something and doing nothing was better then walking away without saying anything.
Once back in the armory section, Manny felt better. He felt relaxed when around firearms. Though he only really did target practice with shotguns, it felt nice to be around these. Though it also helped that now these wouldn't be used to hurt innocents. Unless these people were rival bandits who are using Manny... He didn't think that was likely, but he still was not sure. He still felt sick, and now weak, but he would recover eventually. Manny looking through the armory found a familiar sight that made him feel much more relaxed, and overall happy. He set down the pump action he had grabbed before, and pulled a double barrel 20 gauge shotgun from the rack of guns. It was vary similar to the one he had before the world fell apart. A nice over under barrel, a perfect long barrel, and comfortable sights. He held it, looking down the sights smiling. "It's been a while." He said holding the gun.
Manny grabbed a strap for it so he could hold it on his back and now have to always walk around with it in his hands. He found shells pretty easy, the 20 gauge was not as common as the 12 gauge, but most people preferred 12 gauge, so there was little competition for 20 gauge. Manny would grab a small bag to use for holding bullets and food, nothing fancy, but something so he could get the shells he needed if something happened. He took the shell holder from the pump action he had before and put it on the stock of his new 20 gauge. Finding more .357 wasn't too hard either, but there didn't seem to be a lot of that. Not as common a bullet as most handgun rounds, and this one was pretty popular with pistol shooters. He was great full to have more then 4 bullets in his revolver.
Once Manny had his new gear he found something to eat. He was weak, starved, and the fighting seemed to be over. At first he didn't take a bite of the canned chili he grabbed, still thinking about all those people who died today. Then his stomach gave into weakness and he started eating. He needed to be careful otherwise he could put his body into shock, and make himself worse. SO he ate slowly and drank water a couple sips at a time. "Dig in folks, war's over. battle's won. All there is to do now is to enjoy life a little before the next big event kills us all." He enjoyed his chili, though thinking about it, how would they leave if the hallway was blocked with a huge hole?
Riley continued to look out through the back of the Buster seeing the still massive herd of walkers behind them, hearing their loud groans still as well. Riley closed her eyes letting out a low groan herself she didn't want to die out in the middle of nowhere with a massive herd behind them. Riley was still very glad that Ashton's driving wasn't shit anymore like it was the day before when they were all trying to escape. Riley stumbled back to where she was sitting before, and rubbed the back of her neck looking up at the night sky feeling the cool air hitting her as well.
Riley looked back over towards Amelia for a moment she was still quiet, most likely in shock still or something Riley wasn't really sure at all anymore. Riley then held on tightly as she felt the Hordebuster turn, as she leaned forward slightly seeing what looked like a possible blockade of cars. She wasn't sure if it was a real thing or not, or they were just piled there for no reason, she was just glad that she wouldn't get thrown out like what happened earlier and nearly getting impaled.
Raymond Mendoza
Location: Sharpsburg, Main st. (E11) Skills: N/A
Raymond gave Amelia a friendly smile and nodded towards her, he was glad she offered some company if he did need it but they all needed some rest however Amelia especially since she had been carrying his deadweight ass around since Newnan fell. "Yeah of course, just get some rest and i'll wake you if I need anything." Raymond said towards Amelia as he watched her turn around and made her way towards the sleeping bag and gave her a slight wave and smile. "I will don't worry you have my word." Raymond said towards Amelia towards her last question. Raymond leaned back as he looked out the window as he looked outside and ran a hand through his hair letting out a slight sigh as he relaxed enjoying the quiet for now.
A few minutes later Raymond then heard an explosion go off towards the back of the building, he quickly got up and hobbled over towards the boarded up window. Raymond could hear cheers and hollering from outside as he could see some fire and a group of men, and quickly moved over towards Amelia. "Hey I heard something outside, one of the buildings behind us is on fire by some men." Raymond said quietly to wake her up, and then proceeded to wake up Sam as well as Medic and Guy as well to warn them.
Erica turned her head slightly to see Preslee catching up to her, she nodded just remain quiet so that the dogs wont really notice them which was probably a sound plan for now. She took the time and listened to the blonde as she told her a little bit about herself and what she did before the outbreak happened. "Must have been fun working there with animals right?" Erica asked, as Preslee told her that she was from Manchester England she personally never left the states at all, but she always did want to go there when she was younger. "I was a detective for Detroit PD, which I also grew up and raised there." Erica answered, she didn't really want to reveal anything else like her husband and daughter who died a very long time ago due to the outbreak.
Erica then stopped for a moment as she heard the loud groans of two walkers just up the road who had caught their attention and started to make their way over towards the two of them. "Take out the other one i'll take out this one." Erica said as she then took out her own knife and started to approach one of the walkers, they looked like they had seen better days. Erica twirled the knife in her hand as she approached one of them, she managed to side step out of the way from one of them that tried to grab her.
Erica could see the weird murky slime that was over them from being in the swamp, as Erica then thrust the knife into the skull of one of the walkers that was close to her. Letting out a low groan as she felt the dead weight of the walker now on her knife as she started to struggle to get it out. Erica watched the one getting closer to her as she quickly decided to drop her lodged knife as the body fell down onto the road looking over towards Preslee for a moment. Erica also took note of the noise that was surrounding them in the distance was getting a little bit louder.
The two survivors continued down the abandoned road, walking over leaves that fell from lonesome trees. The surroundings were still and quiet, even in the presence of lost souls consigned to oblivion. They drowned in waters once brimful with life and beauty - now smothered in death. However, a conversation sparked some positivity when Hadrian broke his vow of silence and revealed a little bit about himself to Robert. Despite being truths of evil men and their horrific actions, Robert was glad to see Hadrian was still human inside. "I'm glad we met Hadrian. The people we meet, the love that we share with them and our faith is what defines us. When we let our circumstances change who we are, that's when we stray from the path. You're a good man," Robert responded, believing in his core that people were good - that if given the opportunity, they could display that righteousness and pay it forward in the eyes of their Lord and Savior.
Anyway, their kind exchange came to an end as the soldier entered a mode of defense. Robert's act of kindness - a friendly offering of food - was blocked by what Hadrian labeled imminent danger. Robert could hear the truck clearly now, but his visibility of the vehicle was obstructed by the tree line and his age. As Robert put away the food, he became worried by Hadrian's call to action. The word 'chase' might have derived from his necessity to act, but it was surely out of character. It could have also been a lack of understanding between the two men, but Robert interpreted his words as assault.
"They may need our help..." Robert asserted, holding optimism over fear yet again. He moved around Hadrian to take the lead and continue towards the vehicle ahead. He could see the silhouette of a single lost soul, but his eyes were fixed on the possibility of finding someone alive - his wife even. He picked up his pace despite Hadrian's obvious desire for stealth and moved at a much quicker pace. He removed his round dowel from his backpack's cup holder and prepared himself in case of an emergency. "Know this Hadrian, the most selfless thing we can do in this world is to help someone else. I think that's my purpose here. I hope you can understand that."
Tiffany wasn't paying to her surroundings so much as she was the map in front of her. She couldn't do much other than direct Ash anyway. So she did, especially with Ash asking for new directions. "All right, let's see." Tiffany studied the map, looking for the best course that would allow them away from the Horde. She looked up as they passed another Baptist Church. "They were really religious around these parts. See what good it did?" Tiffany said that more or less to herself, as she went back to the map.
They would pass a store and there were cars in the way. "Go South. Should be a road we can take that's better than that last one." Tiffany didn't know for sure, but she had to hope. And sure enough, the road was clear. They would be out of town and getting away from the Horde. Tiffany didn't want to risk a look at Jack. He was probably not doing too hot considering both Riley and her knew where their loved ones were at. But Tatiana's voice sounded on the radio. She had to be ok.
Location: Eden - Woodhallway before Adamms Wing --> Addams Wing Skills: Pistol, Stamina
Beatrice nodded - she wasn't sure how many more Edenites they'd have left to face, based on Alex's explanation. However, there was another problem that presented itself - if the structural damage had killed about seven Edenites, would they even be able to exit the way they had come? Her eyes flickered towards the wound in her thigh. She didn't know if she'd be the best person for jumping through holes or whatever method of creative escape they'd need to undergo, but it was a problem for later. There could easily still be more Edenites lurking and they were a huge concern to focus on - though she didn't like the idea of their only known exit potentially being compromised.
Beatrice went along with the boys as they headed down the hallway. They were still keeping Thalia and Thana's backs secure, and with the three of them reunited, she didn't see any big issue in pressing forward. She couldn't help but smile slightly seeing the stash. It reminded her of this kid Arnie from one of her foster homes - he said you always knew life was about to fuck you over if you were given a bunch of helpful items right before hand. It was like collecting a bunch of HP packs in a video game - whatever was coming next, it couldn't be good.
They then pressed onwards again, hearing the sound of gunfire. As they finally caught a glimpse of Thana and Thalia, seeing the dead man on the ground, Manny did something that made Beatrice laugh: he vomited. It was as if all of the stress and tension she had carried in her finally decided - fuck it, this guy decides to vomit NOW? That's funny. She didn't make too much of an effort to contain the chuckles. Once he returned, Beatrice had finished laughing but she still didn't feel comfortable. "Just because the boss is down doesn't mean we're out of the woods - for all we know, there's more of them somewhere," she pointed out.
Jack Hudson
Location: the Buster Skills: N/A
Jack supposed in a way, it was a bit funny. As they were running for their lives with fear, he couldn't help but notice that despite most of them living in this part of Georgia for a while now, it was only just striking them how many Christian sect churches there were in these parts. Of course, it wasn't like they had gotten outside of Newnan very often. The community was very much self contained. Going beyond the walls was a risky business - so why make a routine thing out of it? "Well, they didn't pick the right one," Jack commented. "I'm Jewish, t'be fair," he then added.
It was a nice little reprieve, the commentary on the religiousness of Georgia, from his worries about Tatiana. Ash's reassurances were helping Jack a little bit and he nodded, the grip he had on his seat loosening slightly. Of course, his faith hadn't exactly down much to stop the end of times either. His mind didn't hold up on the distraction much longer, thinking on what Ash had said about the car blockade being placed there intentionally. What if someone had nabbed Tatiana? And that was why there was no answer? His heart started to pound and his grip on his seat tightened.
"Ya don't think if someone did this that....that they uh....might've nabbed some of our people?" Jack asked, voicing his fear. If it was anyone, his money was on Eden.
Location:Sharpsburg , Main st.(F11) Skills: Sneaking
There was her falling asleep and then there was all hell breaking loose again as she jumped up at the sound of explosions. Amelia felt terror fill her very being as she felt like the nightmare from earlier was resurfacing again to take them all to hell. Ray was near her presumably to wake her up, but at hte sound of explosion it wasn't exactly common to not wake up. She blinked a few times at him and nodded." Alright..." She mumbled, lacing anything else to say at hte moment as she slowly crept to the window at hte direction of the noise.
There was indeed fire and burning and noise outside. There were four men by the looks of it. For the presence of fire it was quite hard to see details about the men, but she clearly saw they were armed. She shivered at the prospect of fighting them given they had barely survived the day earlier and were all still recuperating from teh fatigue and wounds they had recieved. Without much more to do she moved back to Ray and hte others.
"There are four of them... armed. Big guns..." She said quietly to the others. She highly doubted the men would hear them speaking quietly in the house, considering how they were shouting their lungs out outside." They don't seem to have noticed us for now. What should we do? Hunker down and wait for them to pass?" She asked the others, she wasn't really the person to speak with when it came to combat situations.
Preslee kept pace with Erica as the two walked away from the snarling feral dogs and further towards the finishing camp site. The blonde smiled faintly as she heard Erica bring up how working with animals must have been fun. ”I think fun is subjective. Sometimes getting DNA samples from cougars was a pain in the ass. There were times when we thought the sedatives brought them down but nope. Those jerks were still alive and catty. I have a few, but faint, bumps on my leg from where they dug their nails. Rookie mistakes.” As the two walked, Preslee listening to her companion give only a brief explanation of what she previously did before hell decided to take over. ”Detroit is pretty far up north, isn’t it? I always wanted to go to Niagara Falls, although I don’t know how close that is to you.”
The sudden halt from Erica made Preslee look up from the ground, her eyes narrowing as she realized why they had stopped. Two of the dead had managed to see or sense the two women and had began to make their way towards them. Erica was the first to take action, a small protest managed to make its way out of Preslee’s mouth before she caught herself and swallowed her own words. As she watched Erica struggle, Preslee made an attempt to reach the other walker but couldn’t make her way around the fallen two. A small sense of panic and fear starts to set in as Preslee fumbles around to try and reach the other walker slowly shambling towards them. ”Damn it...” The frustration was clear to see as she finally managed to step over and around Erica before walking straight to the other walker. Unsheathing her machete, Preslee managed to drive the blade into the soft skull of the walker in a matter of seconds. The blonde left the hit the floor as she turned on her heel and went back to Erica, squatting down to offer her help.
*This is our last update before we go through some major changes. Please note a little time change. (After some thinking on it and reviewing - those in the Swamp, your date remains the same but the year is now 2012. You haven't time jumped, I am just making a fix. So, 2012, not 2011. This will help me in a lot of ways for the time jump update for those that were in Eden/Newnan. I should have just started you off in 2012, I wasn't thinking that was my bad. So mark this down - April 1st, 2012 is your current time and it will be the date in the next update, not this one but next, for EVERYONE.)
The girls seem to be doing good. Two walkers down and no others have really taken notice of you. Nothing to worry about currently. You are still hearing that sound from the east but are not able to figure out just what is causing it but it has to be something human, that or a hell of a horde you want nothing to do with.
Now to the men folk - shit is going to go south if you don't move. The sound of that truck has gotten the attention of the walkers in the walk and they are fighting now to get out. Not only that but the walker at the end of the road in the middle of the highway has you in its sights. The truck is back firing and looks to be nearly stalling. By end of your current round you will not be close enough to see their faces but you can make out that there are two people in the cab and you can hear one of them bickering at the other. "Ahh I fucking told your ass this piece of shit wouldn't hold up for another twenty miles! I swear to fucking Christ my life is nothing but swirling toilet that refuses to flush."
Google Map Okefenokee Reference - you can pull this up and zoom in as much as needed. This area can go into 3d view, feel free to use it.
Arnco Mills - You seem to be doing fine, making the turn to finally start heading south again. There is a slight problem. Once you reach as far as the rolls let you this time you got a small problem. That radio you grabbed? Well apparently it has been on and it has over heated. It has started smoldering in place and wires are melting! FUCK!!!! The cab is filling with smoke and god is it hard to breath! Take care of that shit!
Click here for Drive Info - You will start at Jen-Nor Arabians. You are heading west on Handy Road - then turn south and end post at Camp Jim Stephens.
Sharpsburg - You all look to be some lucky fuckers. The asshats that lit the building on fire across the street are not noticing you and are running off further down the street now. A truck passes and they jump in. You can hear the fuckers driving further and further away. Question is now, do you go and try to put that shit out to keep from walkers being attracted, get the hell out of there, or hunker down until morning and pray for the best.
Rolls have determined you all are in the clear as far as the Edenites go, but that building structure? Well having a back wall taken out by a tank is a bit of an issue, you can hear beams snapping where it happened. The place feels stable for now but you wouldn't want to hang around too long. (And you won't - we are wrapping up this round. Where you will be come the update, who knows. Enjoy - no rolls will be needed this round but if you want to search, you will need to pm for details.)
Eden
Location: Eden: Addams Wing Skills: Survival
It was a quick end to what Thana had heard had been a long and drawn out torture by the people of Eden. Glancing towards Thalia she gave a nod, it was better this way. She was about to let the man draw her into a monologue to find out about her sister but no, she didn't need to know what type of torture this fucker had put her through. She didn't even want to imagine how bad it had been to be part of this settlement, if that was what one could call it. It seemed more like all the levels of hell wrapped into one and spit out onto Earth. Taking a deep breath, Thana made a quick check of the rest of the floor they hadn't checked before and returned to where she had been, just staring blankly at Adamms body.
"I hope my sister has you dressed in a french maids costume and is shoving a pineapple up your ass every hour on the hour," she said coldly before spitting on the corpse. Turning her back she finally took a moment and in that moment it hit her. Gavin was dead. A man she had cared about deeply many years ago. Someone she never thought she would see again had waltzed back into her life that morning only to die protecting others today. Figured. The man had been a Texas Ranger, didn't matter who was getting shot at, he would have dove to take the bullet.
"We need to gear up and get out of here. I made a promise I intend to keep." Her voice was shaky spoke but she held it together as she wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve and then grimaced. She had been shot and now that the adrenaline was wearing off, it was starting to hurt like a mother fucker. "I need some patching up." Holstering her weapons, she gripped her shoulder above the main shot and tightened down on it, it seemed to relieve some of the pain and took the edge off but now that things were calmer it was best to have it looked at.
Alexander appeared to react last to the commotion and gunshot last of the newly-formed trio, feeling the same fist of dark matter clutch tight in his stomach that had taken hold of him when Thana got shot, Gavin died, Lola died, and too many more to mention. To many it might have been odd to feel this kind of attachment to people he'd known just a few hours, but time didn't matter like that to a soldier. You took care of, trusted and protected the guy beside you in a firefight, no matter if he was a greenie or your bestfriend from downtown Chicago. The same applied to the group of misfits in what used to be Eden, now to become a ruin like it deserved.
The tragedy of the situation shrank upon hearing Thalia's voice, watching Manny's rookie-breath (throwing-up) and hearing Thana speak. Was it over, like Manny suggested? Probably not. The battle, or war if they even that lucky might be over, but there were always other hostiles to fight. Other enemies that need be taken out. Alexander had lived through the Cold War, Vietnam, various banana-republics, the two Gulf Wars and the war on terror, just to name a few. Finding enemies was easy. Finding allies was hard. But for now, the battle might be over.
Alexander turned his attention back to the weapons stash he had already searched, but payed closer attention as he began to search through it again. The creaking and breaking of wood he heard was a clear indicator of what was to follow, and it wasn't good. The big ass hole was probably putting enough strain on the whole building by itself, not to mention the little Hell the TANK had raised already. So who knew how long the building was going to be left standing? Alexander searched throught the stash, checking for any signs of 5.56 that would fit the AR-15. This felt all too familiar. Too familiar for comfort. At first he didn't find anything, but behind a case of spagettios - not the brand he liked anyway - he found them. Two boxes of 5.56mm rifle, intact too. Alexander shoved both boxes into the bug-out bag, before making his way to the rest of the trio pluss two. "The big ass hole cut of our entry point. Any other way out of his hellhole?"
"Deorum mihi vires..." Nigel muttered under his breath as he and Robert continued down the road, heading towards the main road where the truck was coming down. It wasn't that he had anything against people of faith. In-fact he had plently of friends who were religious back in the day before the world went to Hell, but the thing that got to him was the overly-zealous attide he got of Robert. Having a purpose and helping everyone they might run into? Perhaps it was apocalypse that had hardened Hadrian, but being cautious was his preferred approach.
"Right now I understand that there's people down that road, some who might be friendly for all we know, and equally hostile. That's how I understand it. Vigilance and alterness is key, Robert." Nigel continued to say as he prepared his gladius again, this time directed towards the one walker which took notice of him and Robert. "Quick, we need to get closer before we..." was all he managed to say before the unexpected happened; as Nigel took a step forward to meet the walker half-way, getting ready to intercept the grappling and stabbing it between its eyes, he met a far more dangerous and cruel enemy.
His own two feet.
Nigel, the usually disciplined Roman soldier fell flat on his face, landing hard on the road they had been going down. It was as if Fortuna herself laughed Nigel straight in the face as he lay there, sword sliding away from his a good 15 fifteen feet way from him and all the contents from his previously carefully packed satchles now littering the road. This was bad. It was worse than bad; it was shameful and not fitting any true Roman, certainly not Nigel or Hadrian, whatever you called him. Looking up from lying flat on his stomach, Nigel could no nothing but sigh and look to Robert, shame in his face. "Well shit..."
Ash actually let out a scoff when Tiffany made her crack about religious people. It was a tiny irony; Ash had been raised in a household that was pretty religious. Churchgoers apparently, when they weren't making illegal hooch. Well, his and his father's generation did a fairly good job of legitimizing their people in the eyes of the law. Mostly his father. Still, no matter what horrible things were going on around them, personal loss, or awful goddamn collapse of an entire community full of people just trying to make it in a world that shared a zip code with Hell, Ash was a man who, deep down, still believed in God. He just wasn't sure what he'd say to God if he met the guy today. Probably something that would get him in trouble.
He kept a solid demeanor going for the sake of his people, though. They had a plan, it had no obviously major flaws, and Ash meant to follow it. Part of that plan might have been mentioned in front of Jack and Tiffany, then again it might not have. Now was about a good enough time as any to review. "Known hostiles in this area are from Eden - Peachtree City - Fairburn and Franklin joined up with us." Though he didn't say it, in hindsight maybe they would have been better off on their own. Scraping by was better than joining The Horde. But he continued on a positive note. "We have a team hitting Eden right now. If nothing else, they're going to be too goddamned busy to deal with the likes of us." Yeah. Them or the wall of the Dead slouching unerringly toward them. One problem at a time.
Following Tiffany's navigation, Ash took a left onto the first respectable street that came along. South... It wasn't quite east, but it was more productive than traveling the opposite direction of where they wanted to head. They'd fully course correct soon enough. Just a question of when. Unfortunately, that last chunk of positive thought was cut short by a bout of coughing. Ash recognized that smell; plastic wire casing due to an electrical fire. "Shit. Radio!" he exclaimed through a cough, moving his left hand to open the window (but not the window grate) next to him, "Turn off the radio! Batteries out!" he elaborated, trying like hell to maintain level and forward motion in regards to his vehicle. He slowed but did not stop. Their urgency had to be tempered with safety. Lives were at stake; theirs and others.
Thalia Carmichael
Location: Eden Skills: N/A
Thalia was a huge fan of the concept of gearing up and blowing town. Now that the big guy, the asshole in charge, was kind enough to have accepted her offer to eat a bullet in exchange for raiding their supplies, Thalia intended to do just that. Weapons and food. She had all the weapons a girl could ask for, including a lent Beretta that she would have to return, but ammunition and as much food as she could carry out of that place would suit her just fine. "Hey there, Navy..." she started, looking over Thana, Yeah, you could use some stitches and a shot of mescal. Let's get out of here." First things first, though. Addressing Alexander, she simply said, "Window." and motioned to Thana's rope.
There were a few things of hers back in that tank that she needed to get. Actually driving that thing out of here, while it would had been extremely helpful these past few months, was not an option. It would be best to disable the mobile weapon and salvage what they could, which in her case meant her backpack and crude spear. It was silly, but she liked that length of fire-hardened stick. Damned useful too, as humanity in general had found out, utilizing similar technology since its dawning. And the backpack; she had been traveling light as of late. Plenty of room for ramen, MREs, and cans of SpaghettiOs. Come to think of it, Lola kept a decent stash of foodstuffs back there, herself. Then it hit her: Lola.
Her best friend in the world was dead. Her only friend. The last person she fully trusted was laying dead in this place, and there wasn't a single thing she could do about it. At least she got the chance to put a blade into her brain. It counted for something. Thalia felt like crying right then and there, but stifled hard and fast. Not yet. Almost there, but not yet. Thalia looked to Thana. The Navy chick had people she needed to get back to. One in particular, if the promise she shouted across that newformed ravine meant anything. "We have more supplies in the tank. This place has got to have a couple of working vehicles somewhere. I say we load up, and get back to the truck. Whoevah wants to part ways afteh, fine. We don't owe each other a thing." She looked back down the way they had come, in the general direction of the cache, "And it looks like your people are gonna need all the help they can get."
Looking back to Thana, she continued, "I've got someplace I need to get to. Just to see if it's still standing. Just so I know. It's a long, long ways from here though. Before I do, I'm going to help you get back to your guy. Okay? You and most of the stuff in that room." She smiled, trying to add a touch of levity to the situation. "Except for the SpaghettiOs. I already called dibs."
Thalia kept one of her pistols out as she returned to the cache. Everyone seemed to be helping themselves, which was the prudent thing to do. Especially considering that it was a very orderly ransacking of the supplies. No one trying to hoard or divide the good up for themselves. It was the first step in trust; if not trust then cooperation, at the very least. No one was trying to Alpha their way through it nor pull weapons yet. This was good. As long as they were all getting along nicely, Thalia would join in on the looting. She grabbed a bag and deposited a couple boxes of 9mm NATO rounds inside, as well as some spare clips and a good knife. Following that was as much food and bottled water as would comfortably fit. No sense in overstuffing and being greedy. She turned to the others, "Navy's got herself a problem, what with all that blood she's losing. Beatrice here's got what? Slug still in that leg? I can use some bandages myself. And we got to get these supplies to people that need them - I got more in that tank. I'm willing to bet that Asshat back theah has some goodies in his quarters, too. We got work here still, and those of us that can walk okay without major blood loss need to do most of it."
She didn't order, she didn't bully. Thalia had her own plans that just now coincided with this group of people, and survival was more likely if they were all in their best condition possible, and as thoroughly equipped as possible. It was almost a movie trailer tagline, but Thalia had somewhere to be.
Riley started to pick along her nails as she looked up at the sky for a moment as she started to relax trying her best to try and ignore the horde of walkers that were still after them. Riley started to wonder what Chloe would be doing right now, she was certainly in a better place now than down here most likely. Riley then started to get a small weft of smoke hitting her nose, which made her roll around and then turned towards the cab seeing some smoke coming out of the rolled down window. Riley started to get worried, as she looked towards Niesha once more.
"Hey you guys okay there?" Riley yelled out now that the window was opened, she wasn't even sure what exactly was in there that would cause the smoke to happen within the cab. Riley, made sure that she had all of her things ready just in case things ended up turning to shit as well. Riley just hoped that they wouldn't end up getting into a car wreck or anything, she rubbed the back of her neck as she made sure that she was ready to get out if shit hit the fan.
Raymond Mendoza
Location: Sharpsburg, Main st. (E11) Skills: N/A
Raymond moved over towards the boarded up window to look through and to confirm that there were four men armed what looked to be rifles of some kind. He didn't like the odds of it one bit either as Raymond moved back further into the building just as they finished and packed up and drove off. Raymond sighed slightly as he moved over and sat down looking over at Guy and Medic for a moment, the fire would certainly draw attention of whatever walkers there were in the area. And maybe even more people who could see the fire in the night which would also be troubling.
"I say we pack up and leave, the fire is going to get big and it's going to draw attention of walkers over here to us." Raymond said, he didn't really think that anyone else from Newnan would be coming they would have sounded off on the radio by now. Or if they had bugout bags they would certainly have came to the Sharpsburg safehouse by now. But it was ultimately up to Guy and Medic as well now anyway, and it was going to be a long day regardless at this point as well if they ended up leaving now or when the sun comes up.
Erica struggled a little bit more to get her knife out of the walker's skull, she eventually started to twist the knife a little bit around as she watched Preslee go for the second walker. As the second walker went down Erica barely managed to pull the knife out of the walker's skull as she stumbled back slightly. Erica ended up falling down on her ass and groaned quietly to herself, as her attention turned towards her partner as she came over towards her and pulled herself up with the aide of the blonde. "Thank you Preslee.." Erica said quietly as she picked up her knife again.
"Let's just get to the camp." Erica said quietly as she whipped off the nasty blood mixed with brain, and bog shit on the pant of her leg and continued further towards the camp. "Detroit isn't really close to Niagara Falls it's connected to Canada and New York, my family owned a small fishing cabin out by the lake we went there every summer that we could." Erica said once they were at the camp, she started to go towards the first small fishing cabin.
Erica noticed that there was a rather large box and approached it, as she moved over towards it Erica pulled off the lid of the container and took a few steps back as she saw a bunch of worms and crickets. She only had a can of spam left in her pack as she looked over towards Preslee. "It's probably not that satisfying but theres some worms and crickets I guess." Erica said as she went to search among the rest of the camp. She could still hear that weird sound out in the distance. There was a small road that led back to 177 which was good they could easily make it back to the main road if they could.
The fall took Robert by surprise. The soldier, along with all of his possessions dropped directly in Robert's path - forcing an unnatural reaction. Unfortunately, swiftness was not one of Robert's acquired skills. The older man attempted to jump over Hadrian as he fell, but his knees were NOT the same as they were 20 years ago. One of Robert's boots caught Hadrian's attire, forcing the man forward as though someone had pushed him from behind. Stumbling, Robert moved his feet rapidly - forcing them to catch up with his pivoting shoulders. It was as though the dirt beneath him had a gravitational pull on his big head. His hands juggled his wooden dowel, attempting to catch it in mid-air - regrettably, he'd never played football or any other sport that involved catching, so the task appeared impossible.
The stooge didn't last long as the lone walker, now nicknamed Splitty, decided to be the hurdle in Robert's lane. A second before impact, Robert managed to grip his weapon momentarily and thrust his dowel through Splitty's eye. The weight of the crash was Robert's return to balance, stopping and regaining his footing upon meeting the unmovable force. However, the day's unpleasantness was just beginning as Splitty split at the waste. The impact had shoved Splitty's upper body backwards. Guts and insides spilling all over Robert's boots. Robert looked down to notice he had stepped on Splitty's toes, holding the dead legs in place as the the remainder of the body tumbled to the ground and emitted a putrid smell.
Robert sighed and bowed his head, shaking it left and right as he doubted the realization that all that had really happened. He looked back at Hadrian with that same facial expression. "Hmm," he muttered in disbelief as he stepped off of Splitty's feet, allowing the reunion of the walker's body. Robert scratched the back of his head questioning the reality of the situation - it all seemed too foolish to have really occurred, but then again the dead were walking. He shook his head again and removed his dowel from Splitty's motionless skull. Returning to Hadrian's side, he extended his hand to help the man back up. "C'mon, before we lose them or ourselves," he joked, still not accepting the events that just unfolded or simply being embarrassed by their performance.
Managing to finally get all Hadrian's belonging back in his bag, Robert took to the trail once again. He heard the uproar of moans coming from the waters - a clear message that the dead were eager to eat. He then heard the voices that came from the truck at eyesight, seeing two moving silhouettes, but unable to put a face on either. Robert hurried forward - again going against Hadrian's desire for caution. "Hey mister! Need a hand?! We got four!" Robert called out, attempting to get the attention of what he most definitely believed to be a man. "I've got food."
Location: Eden, Armory Skills: General medical, general surgery, fast reflexes
People were starting to take note of Manny's little incident. He didn't care, he was no soldier, and killing people wasn't something that was common for him. With that in mind, he tried to run the numbers, and he's pretty sure he killed about as many people in the last hour as he had in his life. That idea, scared him a bit. He worried about what would happen to him if he became too used to the idea of killing people. He was clenching the 20 gauge now, not sure if it was out of anger, or if it was because it was one of the few things that made him relax, holding such power in his hands. It didn't take too long to relax. Soon enough he could think strait again, soon enough he could come back to reality, and not think about the kind of person he could become.
After taking yet another moment to calm himself down he took in the situation again. The fighting for now was over, but more were bound to come. For now, he had his new shotgun, plenty of bullets, enough food to keep him going a while, and hurt people he needed to make feel better. He almost wished he had suckers to give, partially for old times sake to bring some normality to the world, and also because he liked picturing the faces on adults when he gave them kids treatment. He found it funny. "Alright humans, let's see what the damage is and get the hell out of here." The girl he worked on before, the one they called Navy, she would be first. He had worked on her, at the cost of the young man, and the idea of losing her so soon after Manny chose who to work on first scared him. She asked for help anyways, and she was pretty banged up as it was.
Manny went to "Navy" as they called her and grabbed what medical supplies were left from the kit. "Ma'am, I'll need to take a final look at your injuries, they're probably worse then the rest we have here. And I hate leaving a job unfinished." He tried to be polite about it, though if she said no Manny would get louder, he was insistent when he wanted to be. But she cooperated easy enough, which was fine by Manny, made his job easy. Well, easier. "Ive worked on your twice now and I still don't know you're name? I'm Emanuel Newman, most people call me Manny though. It's easier on the little's and is a bit more catchy." Her shoulder wound was harsh, so he needed to put some light antibiotic ointment on the wound, and redress it. The belt was a poor short term solution, and he liked the idea of having one again, so he would put some tight bandaging on it and make sure the medical gauze was packed well. He was too tired to do proper stitching, but it should hold otherwise. It had been too long anyways, if he stitched it now it may cause infection.
Once finished he put his belt back on and smiled. "That should do for now, keep it under wrap, if possible change the bandages daily, and clean that wound. It's the worst of all of them and honestly as long as the rest are cleaned you should be fine. Keep me in the loop and if it gets discolored find some strong antibiotics, few will still be in date but in your case it'll be better then nothing." She had other wounds, but that arm wound was the one that really needed attention. The rest should be able to be taken care of without his help. He was tempted to give her pain killers but he didn't think aspirin would really cut the trick. At least not in a dose that wouldn't kill her. "I can't do much for the pain, there are some basic meds but I don't think it'll make any difference." He moved on. Others were still hurt and he was the only person not combat wounded. Funny how that worked sometimes.
Next on his list of almost but not quite dead people was one of the younger girls of the group. She seemed kinder then the rest, but only time would tell. She had a pretty harsh leg wound though that if the blood wasn't slowed soon could become a problem. he went up to her hoping she would let him fix up her leg. "So I'm Manny, the local doctor, I was hoping I could get your name and permission to stop that leg from getting any worse then it already is." After a short bit, Manny would give up his belt to slow the bleeding for a while and bandage and patch up the wound on her leg. It wasn't too bad as far as Manny could tell, but he was only a dentist, so only time would tell.
Manny was sad to see his belt go again but he could find a new one. Maybe the girl would give it back once her blood pressure was stable again, that would be nice. If the bleeding hadn't killed her yet then she shouldn't need it too long. Just enough to keep the bleeding down low so she didn't bleed out while walking. "That should hold for now, I don't have much for the pain but it shouldn't get infected. Just do what you can to keep it clean alright?" After a brief pause he stopped and thought. "Manny, if you didn't hear before. What's your name so I don't have to keep referring to you as young lady?" He hated not knowing anything about the people he was working on. Mostly because it made him work harder to keep them alive when he knew them. He wanted to do that more with everyone he worked with.
Next was the other young girl, the one who Manny is still pretty sure is tempted to execute him for being apart of the people of Eden, though she hadn't yet. She formed together a plan to gather up what supplies they could find and get the hell out of dodge, which he didn't mind that idea. Anyone that wasn't walking wounded was expected to help carry as much as possible, which meant Manny and Alexander mostly. Hopefully his patching skills would be enough to get others in the mix. She mentioned something about a tank, though Manny figured that was just a simile for a really big truck or something. Who the hell had a tank now a days anyways? let alone knew how to drive and operate one? But the idea was cool, though if they couldn't use it for bringing out supplies it seemed like a useless truck to Manny. Hopefully these bastards had something useful in terms of transportation. Maybe an RV, Manny wouldn't mind that, a bed on the road. And a place that maybe he could convert into a proper room to work on people.
She seemed a bit more resistant, but in the end Manny patched up her basic wounds. Nothing too extreme but definitely not pretty. "So miss Tank girl, you got a name or am I just going to call you tank girl? I don't mind either way but I find it better to know none the less." her wounds weren't bad, some cleaning and they would be fine. Alexander was the same way, Manny looked at his hand, but honestly there wasn't a lot Manny could do. He didn't know much about hands, he was a dentist. It seemed fine from his guess though, so chances are it would heal fine with the exception of some stiffness. "Keep that clean, alcohol wipes if you can." Manny wanted to keep Alexander alive especially, otherwise Manny for sure would be the oldest person on the planet. He wasn't a fan of that as kids he worked with called him that a lot.
By the time he was done Manny was pretty out of it. He would help move whatever supplies he could carry, but overall he didn't have a lot left. He also didn't like the idea of going out a window, but his options were limited. He would make due, and follow the others here until he figured out what he was doing with his life. For now, these people would have to do unless they decided to kill him. Then he figured he could put up a stand, but they all seemed more relaxed now that the main fighting was over. He would trust them for now, and see where it went from here. Who knows, maybe he would find someone to care about? He liked that idea, despite being scared of it at the same time.
The situation had turned dangerous fast, but at least their luck was slightly looking up... Then again it could crumble again at any moment and have everything crash around them, so Amelia wasn't going to consider all of them out of the woods quite yet. Still at least the bastards who caused the mess and were heavily armed left as soon as they appeared. It seemed they weren't looking for them or anything and were simply focused on vandalism. She sighed in relief when she heard the vehicle pass and them going away with it.
She sat down for a moment, feeling the cold sweat on her back from the tension from earlier. Then she heard Ray speaking and Amelia turned ot him with expression of mixture between realization and confirmation. How could seh forget that! There were bound to be many walkers who would be drawn to the fire and the noise like moths. Soon enough this place could very well be a death trap! If htey leave now they should be probably able to evade most dangers on the road though driving in the dark was a whole other set of challenges. Still she was on the same opinion with Ray." Yeah... we should be leaving before walkers are drawn to here right? If they gather up too much, it wouldn't be possible to leave in the morning if they fill the space between us and the cars." Amelia stated and looked at the radio though." Can we take it with us and assemble it at the next location too?" She asked and threw looks around before she moved to curl up the sleeping bag she used into a roll. They had to take as much as they could with them after all!
"Even if we do not leave now we should start gathering up our supplies." She said quietly, still trying to listen to sounds outside. It wasn't that she could not notice the sound of fire though. She highly doubted the fire would reach them over the road, but it could very well raise the temperature around.
At least Thana seemed to realize there was still a risk that there'd be others around and Beatrice would've gone to help her confirm her sweep, but her leg was starting to hurt more and more. Each movement was beginning to take its toll on her, despite her mental determination and grit. Knowing that there weren't any other enemies to anticipate - at least, assuming that Walkers hadn't started to swarm with the noise from all of the fighting - had allowed her to relax ever so slightly. She put the safety back on her pistol. She just nodded as Thalia suggested exiting via the window, as much as she doubted that'd be a fun experience for either her or Thana. And of course, there was Alex's hand. At least she was good at climbing.
Thankfully, their hopefully-not-actually-an-Edenite member had medical skills, patching up Thana before he moved onto Beatrice. She sized him up for a moment, before she nodded, consenting for him to take a look at her wound. Even she wasn't exactly sure what to expect with it - the bullet could have been in there, it could have been out. "Beatrice," she replied simply. She didn't appreciate being called young lady, but she knew the man was trying to help her so she didn't hold him against it - very much. "If you want, you can call me Trice," she then added, her tone still neutral but she was consciously holding back her usual ice. Once her leg was patched up, she went to the store area and grabbed a few cans of the Spaghettios that were there, stashing them in her bag. She was good on ammunition - food was something to consider.
And for now, she'd stick with the two gents. Her life used to always be about survival - but now, a small part of her wanted friends as well.
Jack Hudson
Location: the Buster Skills: N/A
Jack's heart stopped beating for a moment - Ash had sent a team to handle Eden? He didn't know that it had been Thana, James, Gavin, Beatrice, Ryan, and a few tag alongs they gained along the way. His mind instantly assumed the worst - had Ash sent Tatiana off to take on Eden? Or did the attack on Eden only anger them, causing them to go look for Newnan survivors amongst the wreckage? He was trying to stay calm, but his mind kept on generating more and more doomsday scenarios, most of them not making any sense or even being possible.
"Who did ya send?" Jack asked. But he didn't even get a second to process the question before the radio he had started to smoke. Apparently he hadn't turned it off properly or anything, as Jack squinted in an effort to avoid the smoke, coughing and pulling on the back of it, attempting to open up the case. Once open, he'd then tear out the batteries, putting them down next to him. He didn't want to waste batteries and he had no idea how something like this could have even happened. It was like some entity out there was just conspiring against them.
All he really wanted, though, was for Tatiana to be okay.
Tiffany kept the map up as Ash spoke about Eden. She had never had much interaction with them, but she had heard stories. Bad stories involving them. If there was a team hitting them, she hoped they cut off all the Hydra heads and burn the shithole to the ground. "Eden deserves it. Keep heading west on this road and then turn South..." before she could finish talking, smoke started filling the cap. At first, she thought there was a fire. But soon it became apparent the radio was overheating.
Thankfully, Ash quickly commanded Jack to take out the batteries and he did so. The smoke cleared and she uttered a few more coughs, waving the smoke away from her face. "We're okay!" she told Riley. She stared at Jack before returning to the map. "As I was saying. Go West and then turn South towards Camp Jim Stephens. We're doing all right, apart from nearly choking on smoke."
Out, deep in the woods of Georgia, as the kudzu grew like wildfire a scream ripped through the chattering of birds. Their songs going silent as the screaming was echoed with the flapping of wings as a flock of dark feathers lefts the trees and headed to the clouds rolling over head. There was nothing that could be done. They tried, how they tried. They had found each other once again on the road to Zebulon. It had been a happy reunion as hugs were exchanged and deep kisses of love. They never thought they would see each other again, even though voices had been heard on the radio, there was always doubt because if the people of Newnan had learned anything, nothing lasts forever.
In the end it didn't matter. Breath, just breath. Take a moment, see what you have, what you don't. A quick break to stretch your legs. We will get back on the road shortly. Just a few minutes. A few minutes. A few last minutes. A yell for help in the woods. It sounded familiar. They had to go. They had to see. No one that survived got left behind. Not today damn it. Stay together, weapons ready, but we are going. Move out.
A sound, another call for help. There, hanging off the ledge of a ravine. I see her. Rope, where's the rope? Anchor, hold your ground. Who is it? I can't see a face! No more words. Red hair. Tie me off. I got this. No I weigh less. By the time they got down to the body it was too late. Cries. It wasn't someone they knew. Pull me up. Hoist, pull! Shit! The ground! Red Georgia clay, it slips and once it starts, nothing stops it. Grabbing a hold of each other, grabbing a hold of the rope. Each trying frantically to save themselves and the ones next to them.
Oh god no... We can't get to them. No, we have to go. The hoard is coming. Run! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. The hordebuster fired up and drove as fast as it could gain speed south. There was nothing that could be done. They were gone. We couldn't save them. Tears flowed and all was silent as they watched in the rear view mirror the hoard coming, knowing that at the bottom of that ravine lay three bodies. One of a woman they had never known, and two lovers still gripping each other for dear life even in death. The tears flowed freely for Tiffany and Ray that day. They had died trying to save someone else but in the end it didn't even matter.
Character Death Count: 48 Limbs Lost: 3
Zebulon, that was the destination. Yet, this would barely be a stopping point. Wiffs of white smoke rose into the air that could be seen for miles away. Pulling up to what was thought to have been a safe point, a moment to breath. It wasn't. The place was burned to ash and was still smoldering. There was blood, so much blood. Whoever had been there was now gone. Charred remains could be seen in the building. The smell, it was something that would not soon be forgotten. They were too late.
We have to wait, there could be more. They could be dead! You want to die! Maybe! The world was on fire. Could anyone save them? Could they save themselves? What was the point. More were dead and they didn't even know who this time. Sometimes even death couldn't provide closure. They refused to count these deaths, these bodies. They didn't know who they were. Maybe they were part of Eden. If so they didn't deserve to be counted among their dead. What hope was left? Hope springs in the least likely of places. Tied to a Speed limit sign, a pair of silk ballet slippers. Written in Blood...
J. South.. T...
Two letters, one word, a line of blood in the shape of a heart encircling it as the slippers waved against the sign in the wind. It was no destination but it was a direction, it was a course, it was hope. For now, it was a small light of hope as the winds shifted and ash caught up in it, dancing across the street empty of life, save the five of them. Time to go, we're moving out. There was a destination in the mind of one of them, and it was south. Keep hope going, for now.
Character Death Count: 48...+? Limbs Lost: 3
We're getting out of here and we are getting out of here now. That was the consensus. The building was crumbling, the Edenites were dead, the supplies raided. They had to move. There were five of them that remained even though they had come in with seven. Lucky seven was not so lucky. There would be no retrieving the bodies. No burying the cowboy and the kiwi. They barely made it out with the own lives. They couldn't go back. You could never go back. Give me your hand. No, I got you. You got this. Toss me the bag. Ready? Can you walk? This way. Hurry, let's get out of here. No, this way. No, I said I would go here! There isn't time! We have to run! Where are they all coming from? I don't know, just go! Which way? South, head south! I'm sorry, I tried but I just couldn't. We couldn't. I wasn't going to risk their lives anymore. You know where to find me. You better fucking find me. You made a promise.
Turn south. Keep going. We're out of gas. Okay we hoof it. We can't. You need to rest. No, we keep moving. We stop and things go bad, we don't stop, we don't ever stop. We have to. Some of us have to eat. Eat while you walk, it's in a can. Would you two stop fighting over a can of pasta? A crappy can at that. Fighting words? Keep moving. Fine, rest. We can rest here.
Walk. Rest.. Repeat...
Shit! What is it? A bear trap? Fucking hell! Get a crow bar. Hold on, we got you. We'll open it, you pull. Ready? Three, two, one! Fuck! Was that supposed to happen? Oh my god. Get the med kit! Fuck that, get inside. Lift the leg! Keep it up! Can you? No, it has to go. Get me a saw! This is going to hurt. Bite down on this! Ready? I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.
I found it, how's the fever? Well I found some meds locked in a glove box of an abandoned car. Hold on, just a little longer. Hold on. It was all we could say. Hold on. The cold wasn't helping, or maybe it was. Winter was hard, on anyone. To someone that had lost a limb it was agony but maybe it was what helped us keep the fever in check until we found medication. We might have lost a leg, left leg right below the knee, that winter but we did save a life. Sure, it is hard getting around but Alex is a strong one for an old grunt. Manny earned that can of O's.
Character Death Count: 48 Limbs Lost: 4
Two groups of known location, unknown to the rest. Team Newnan kept pushing south but had to start going west. Sometimes a week would pass, sometimes a month, but eventually a sign would pop up. Smeared in blood or clay. It told them to keep heading this way or that. They kept following. Somewhere around November, in the bitter cold and just over the Alabama border there was a sign. It was different from the rest and caused the hordebuster to come to a screeching halt on a slick road, thankfully the drivers skills had improved behind the wheel.
J. South.. T...
This sign was different from the others. This one had on another sign below it more written. James Sally Newnan, born September 17th. On the sign by the name were two tiny foot prints smeared in clay. Paper, who has paper? Press, carefully, carefully. Hold still. Your foot is in my eye. Just a second more. Got it yet? Almost! Hold on! Got it! They're alive! Somewhere. Maybe. September was a long time ago. Months is an eternity in this world. Come on, we gotta keep pressing on. There is still a promise to fulfill.
We Carry On
Each group kept pressing forward over the next months and through the new year. There were set backs, break downs, fights, walkers, people that crossed their paths, but the groups kept moving. One followed the signs, another followed a map. Both in the end have the same destination - Mexico Beach Florida. Neither group has managed to get there. Both are still pressing forward. Today is April 1st, 2012 and it is mid day. Now we pick up. Now we carry on. Now we are the Survivors.
There are now direct Latitude/Longitude maps available in the OOC - you can click on those and zoom in and around for more detail. Those below are just your detailed maps. Remember, there are more walkers out there, these are just the most obvious.
The truck comes to a full stop and sputters out where it is. It is no longer making any noise but you can see white smoke now coming from the hood. The girls are holding their own currently and things seem calm, you can no longer hear that odd sound that was coming from the west. Pm for rolls.
More in Waynes post below.
You have followed the signs and ended up in Alabama. The haul has been long. The Hordebuster broke down several times over the last year but you have refused to abandon it, spending days or weeks at a time to fix it, find gas, etc. It has been worth it though as it has saved your asses more time than you can count. You have been on the road since dawn but supplies are low and this is the first town you have come across in sometime that doesn't look like it has been through a war zone. It looks used but it is in far better condition than most you have seen. You haven't seen a sign from Tatiana in three weeks. Last one though was a pick me up.
J JS rolled over T
Alright, it was a long trek. You have been on foot for three days. Finding a house as the woods break was a blessing. You haven't rested since dawn. More details below in Thana's post.
Thana drew her pistol. She only had one of two left. They both had been her fathers, ones her sister had gotten a hold of and were left behind in Newnan when she died. Thana could do nothing about losing one of them but she guarded this second one as if it was a child. She would rather be using a knife right now but supplies were limited and all she had was the gun and all it had was one bullet left. If she had to use it she was going to make it count.
Looking around the front porch she was quiet. One never knew what could be waiting inside for them. Poor Alexander probably needed a rest right now. They all could use one. They needed supplies. Desperately. It had been a long trek into Florida over the last year. Her destination was Mexico Beach, Florida. It was a small beach town, retirement type place, about an hour east from Panama City. Somewhere she had gone as a child. Somewhere her father always told her if anything happened to go there. It was all she had left. She had made a promise to get there. She was going to.
Yet she had others to watch over now as well. There was the five of them. They had been through hell together but they had made it this far. She wasn't going to abandon them, not now, not even for Ash. That was even if he was still alive. She didn't know. She didn't try to think about it but she did from time to time. Late at night, when it was quiet, it would creep into her mind. They had only shared a day together but he was the last one she had shared any moment like that with. Gavin was gone. How he had died and she still lived perplexed her. If anyone was going to survive this shit storm of a world now, it was him. Yet he didn't.
Taking a deep breath she glanced over at the two other women in the group. "Shall we clean house ladies?" she asked quietly. Looking over her shoulder back at Alexander and Manny. Manny needed to stay with Alex. Alex was still healing, still getting used to walking with one leg. The girls were the brute strength of the group right now. Not that the guys couldn't fight. They were a hell of a pair, but it was better with the women taking point on checking out a new location. It was just logical.
Wayne Maldonado
Location: Okefenokee: F14 (Outside Truck) Skills: Not a damn one
"Would you shut for two seconds I gotta think," Wayne yelled as he rolled the window down and spat onto the ground. The spit clinging to his bottom lip he wiped it away with the back of his hand. There was a deep groan that came from him as he leaned back in his seat. "Huh, what?" he asked looking a direction where no one was at first before turning his head and spotting two other men. "What the fuck."
Wayne tried to open the door but it didn't move, then he shoulder checked it and came stumbling out of the thing on the driver side, falling and rolling onto his side. His face hitting the ground just in front of the truck. "No shit I fell, back the fuck off. I swear if you try to kiss my boo-boo I will wipe my ass with your blue fur," he yelled as he stumbled to his feet and jerked around, slinging a rather thick Feliz Navidad scarf around his neck and snucking up the snot in his nose.
Pulling out a small baggie of pills he downed some before shoving it back into his pocket and grinned psychotically. "Hey there," he said before swinging wildly at the air and starting to run around like he was trying to catch something. Maybe if there had been a bird there or a butterfly it would have made sense the way he jumped and swatted at the air but there was nothing. Get back here you blue buck toothed glitterfucker!" he yelled as he ran around the truck.
Alexander limped with the little remaining strength in his body the last distance to the home-looking porch, though it could have been a palace or even the softest couch in the whole of Chicago's best furniture store for that matter. It was a place to sit down and take a breather, which was more than Mugsy could have asked for those days. It hadn't been easy down to Florida that last year, and even less so with his leg sawn off because of that damned bear-trap. Hadn't it been for Manny and the walking stick they found, Alexander would have...
The old veteran didn't want to think about it. Right then and there he wanted to sit down. Alexander leaned on his walking stick and limped over to the wall of the house, leaning against it as he slid down and could finally rest his grunt ass on the floor. "Thanks, Manny." Alexander looked up at the man he had just a year ago threathened to shove a certain weapon up a certain part of his body. But now their medic was a friend, and a dearly needed one.
Alexander lifted up his left arm in front of him, watching the rosary wrapped around his wrist rattle with the movement before holding it in his hand and fiddling with it. After the loss of the pictures, this was the only thing from his old life, his normal life that he had left. The only link to his dearest One, but now...only a memory fading away. Alexander closed his eyes and kissed the rosary, taking the moment to pray, but more to just breath and rest his foot.
Hadrian was not sure what to think of the sight in front of him; it was either rather greekly comical, or damn impressive. In quick succession Robert had gone from falling over Hadrian's clothing to taking the walker with his lone stick, seemingly with the help of Fortuna herself. Okay, perhaps it was a good mix of the two, since anyone still living four or five years after Jupiter decided to cleanse the Earth had to be of a certain quality. Hadrian looked up at Robert and accepted his helping hand, getting back up on his feet. "Tibi gratias ago, sequens Scriptura."*
With his belongings gathered up in his satchels, the next order of battle would be to scout out the incoming truck on the road. But that plan was quickly crucified the moment Robert made their presence known, loudly declaring 'their' desire to help him and their posession of food. Great, now they knew they were both only two AND worth robbing. "Adiuva nos Deus..."** Hadrian sighed, before gripping his gladius tight in his hand and following Robert. "Fine…might as well get this over with."
The point about having a certian quality in order to survive Hadrian doubted for a moment, seeing the man exiting the now immobile truck in a rather peculiar way. The way of which he spoke to Robert and Hadrian, followed by a manic waving and chase of what he only presumed could be an invisible butterfly, made Hadrian make certain connections between the late Roman emperor Caligula and their man. Hadrian leaned over to Robert and whispered to him. "Be careful. He might be a little unstable, but that just makes them more dangerous." With that said, the Roman reenactor took a quick look around, anticipating the arrival of a horde worse than Attila ruining what was a meeting of survivors. But the look didn't give any results, only woods, dirt roads and the 'glitterfuck'-chasing man in front of them in sight. Hadrian then turned to the madman, pointing his gladius down to the ground and his hand up in a sign of peaceful greeting.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt...whatever you're doing, but if you can't hear it, there's a large number of Undead just in those woods. If you want to live, I'd suggest getting out of here as quick as possible."
*"Thank you, follower of the Scripture." **"God help us…"
Location:Headland, Alabama , E Main st.(D9) Skills: N/A
It's been a really long haul since they left Newnan. Amelia took a breath once they were in Headland Alabama. They needed supplies and this seemed like a good enough place to try to scavenge some as far as she could see. She could spot some walkers while they were arriving in town, but all that was normal given the world they lived in. At least she didn't spot any major hordes which was a huge plus!
Still now that they had arrived it was time to start thinking what they should be doing next. Splitting into a group to protect the horde buster and one to scavenge seemed like the usual plan in her mind, but she wasn't calling the shots. Ash was the one who did that. Frankly all things considered, Amelia really didn't want to let Riley go out on a scavenging run and she planned to try prevent it if she could.
“What is the plan for the moment? Should we be doing a scavenging run? The town looks intact enough to maybe find something.” She finally asked after a while. Her voice carried little on the way of shyness right now. After all that happened those around her were close friends of her and of course Riley. She didn't feel as shy around them anymore and she was focused on the task at hand.
The road had been long and hard so far, and Manny was glad to be able to rest soon. Manny looked over to Alexander, he was taking it well but Manny was still getting used to the sight of it. When he went in for medical school he more had plans of helping kids and elders keep their teeth safe and clean, pulling out infected teeth, and eventually enjoying retirement. But now? He was probably one of the worlds few qualified doctors. Manny had seen legs taken off people in the past, mostly to avoid bite wounds, but overall in Manny's cases people would arrive too late for Manny to do anything other then help them bleed out faster. He was no master surgeon, though he was glad as hell that Alexander survived. While walking up to the house Alexander had thanked Manny, he wasn't sure how to respond at first. "What for?" Was all Manny could really think to say.
Manny and Alex had become more of the reserve force for the group, supporting where they could, and providing assistance when needed. Though between the two they had a single double barrel shotgun with less then 20 shells. Manny chuckled at that though, he would use twice that in a single target shooting session years back, and now 20 shells is all that stood between them and death if a small horde came through. Manny figured he was a good enough shot with the thing he could make each shot count for a single kill. Though after that then what? They would be completely dependent on the girls? Manny wasn't a hand to hand fighter? not the way he used to be. He could hold his own for a little bit, but physically his body couldn't do that the same way anymore. Alexander would have issues too, he didn't know much about the military but he is pretty sure proper stand is a thing.
But things were looking up, other then a minor leg wound, everyone was healthy enough, well fed... ish. And if this house worked out, it would be somewhere safe to hold up until they could figure out there next move. Though, something Manny did feel great about, was being apart of a group again. with the exception of the months leading up to Eden, Manny had been with a group since the beginning in some way shape or form. Those months leading up to Eden were... harsh. Manny wasn't a professional survivor, he had skills, but on his own he could only survive so long. Now, he was with a group of people, and everyone had their role, and their job. Though he could tell Alexander felt like he was holding the group back. Manny felt he would need to work on that. He felt that the two were mutually dependent, Alexander had skills Manny lacked, and vice versa. With that in mind Manny liked the company when the group had to split up from time to time.
