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A lot to talk about. That was an understatement. The first thing that he wanted to ask concerned the whereabouts of Thana. It would otherwise make sense to send a scout down first, if they were unsure. Hence, the young woman with the very familiar eyes that he remembered from almost a year and a half ago. Before the Outbreak, he likely wouldn't have given her a second thought. Nowadays, meeting new people was a much rarer occasion that tended to stick out in one's memory. Though he remembered her with both arms fully intact. What the hell happened to them over these long months? Was Thana even alive?

The ultimate goal was Mexico Beach. These people were the way in. Either Thana was there, she was going to be there, or she wouldn't ever be. Ash was going to do his part, for his people and for himself. Until those he cared about and for which he responsible were in relative safety, his concerns were secondary. It was best to try to put it out of his mind entirely (good luck) and push forward. "That we do. Brief me in the truck." This aimed at the familiar hazel-eyed lady with the missing hand. This Colonel Martin (which he was sure was not a coincidence) was in control of this situation, but Ash still had his own agenda and duties to fulfill. He didn't stop being who he was because someone promised them a meal and a safe place to sleep.

Ash had already removed his pack and fully disarmed. If they wanted him to personally place his items into the chopper, no problem. That was the price for admittance. He was careful and open with his movements, keeping to what was the standard for military protocol when there was was still a military to speak of. There was one point, however minor: Ash removed the dog tags from around his neck and held them out. There were two sets, slightly different in appearance. As he was given his cursory search, he said, "I gave my word I'd return one of these personally." He looked to Maddog and nodded solemnly, then dropped them both into the back pocket of his pack and stepped away. "I'm responsible for the people behind me. The ones coming up that road," he motioned in the direction from which the Eden group were arriving, "were supposed to meet up with us at Mexico Beach. The cat's kinda with us too, but he makes his own decisions. I don't know them," he continued, nodding in the direction of Wayne, Hank, Nigel, and Erica, "and the kid with the dog is not one of mine. Thank you, sir. I'll be in transport."

The jog over to the obviously modified vehicles was paused only for a half second as he paid admiration to the lead truck; a thing that was very much like a spiritual relative to his own dear, departed, post-apocalyptic roadbeast. He missed his Hordebuster. Already his mind was churning with possible design modifications that could be done on the moderate quick, such as a reinforcing exoframe connecting the front wedges to the greater body of the truck that would take two, maybe three days to implement; such a thing would increase the impact velocity that the truck could withstand at minimal cost to visibility, and when coupled with additional ballast would actually make the truck handle easier over rough...

Ok, he had to stop. Ever the Engineer. No, Ashton continued to the middle vehicle and climbed aboard, giving one last look out to his fellow survivors. This was it. Time to go.

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Thalia was a little more hesitant than the rest of her group to just give up everything she had at the drop of a hat. As it turned out, it was really just a token second or two before she fell in line herself, and this after Beatrice had caught up and began unloading, herself. It was with a heavy sigh that she also began to remove her gear, mostly just stuffing it into her green denim backpack. She unslung her shield fully and set her pack down upon it like it was a shallow bowl full of survival gear, then scooped the whole thing up. Thalia gripped one side of the rim in her functional hand and let the other side rest on top of her otherwise pointy makeshift prosthesis as she carried it over to the growing cache of everyone else's belongings.

Finally, as she could not remove the sharp implement from her artificial arm without an investment of a little time, Thalia unbuckled the whole apparatus from her transradial stump and set it with the rest of her belongings. There was less trust than the others likely had within her, but Beatrice was right. This was their best shot for survival. That was one thing that Thalia had become: a Survivor.

She almost died a few times since all of this started. A couple of times before as well; one in the car accident that did claim her mother's life and another when she first started to work for her uncle. She was very green, a little naive, and got herself shot. After the Outbreak, she was mostly on her own, for a long while. Her underdeveloped wilderness skills almost claimed her life again. Were it not for the intervention and disciplined training of the Shieldmaidens of Fairburn, she would likely have been another victim. Since then, she had thrived out in the world, so long as she kept her head about her. The fact remained though, that she had been away from civilization for a very long time. Longer than anyone else on this stretch of road they all stood upon. Literally years. And the last place she called home was fairly primitive, though with some technological perks.

Could she even be comfortable behind walls anymore? Would she be able to trust food that she did not forage, scavenge, or kill for herself? Or was it finally time to come in from the cold? When the world knocked her down, she had people to pick her back up and teach her what she needed to survive. Ranger, Pathfinder, Survivalist. Now she was missing almost half of her arm. While she had gotten better, there was a way to go before she was at her best. And her prosthetic was not exactly cutting edge. Thalia needed help again, as much as it pained her to admit it. A better arm, and a weapon that could fit effectively with it. New skills. She needed time to train her old skills to compensate for her new limitations, too.

Oh yeah, and she could see that damned can of SpaghettiOs peeking from Bea's pile of stuff. She was getting Dem O's. "Ahright, I'm in. Let's give it a shot." Thalia submitted to a patdown like the others before her, though she was not a fan of being manhandled by unfamiliar people. Well, it was what it was. As she made her way to and into the transport, she made a request, "Heya, Bea? Introduce me to your friends. We all gaht stuff to talk about." The woman she affectionately called "Navy" was part of that, and additionally these people shared their lives with her friends and family during their last days. She wanted to know more.

Somehow, that goddamned rubber duck got itself stuck to her bag in the confusion. This was a thing she might not be rid of for a while.

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The nanosecond that Panama referred to Nigel as "Sport", Hank felt a overwhelming obligation to cough out the syllables, "...acus. <ahem> Sorry there, it's ah, seasonal. Allergies." There were maybe two tense seconds of quiet from Hank before he couldn't contain himself any longer, giving a quick and simple, "Sportacus," just for clarification in case he guy at the gun couldn't decode his ever so masterful cypher. There wasn't a whole lot that was going to bring him down right then, even the sudden, nigh psychic insight of the fellow old guy barking orders by the helicopter.

"Yeah. Roger that there, 20/20. County Sheriff - Cheshire, New Hampshire. Deputy before that." There was a touch of impatience in his voice, but it didn't stop him from forking over his belongings for later perusal. Hank held his arms out to allow for an easier search, continuing, "Ya know, this is a hoot and a half, let me tell ya, but I've got a real hankering not to get my ass chewed on by the multitude of Dead Assholes that I'm sure think that chopper's a dinner bell. If you ladies and gentlemen will excuse me, I'll be over there with the caravan of badass vehicles." Hank began his own quick and easy saunter, eager to get inside of something metal now that he was unarmed.

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Amelia was continuing to be amazed by the things happening right now. Frankly after the fall of Newnan, she never expected they will find another organized group of people, even be they the military despite Ash's opinions on the subject while they were moving towards this place. She had half expected that all of civilization was more or less wasted, but here she was proven wrong... for now anyways. What they were told wasn't something she was happy about hearing though... Giving them all their weapons and supplies... How could they be sure that these guys wouldn't harm them all later? Hell how could they be sure they would be treated as humans even! Amelia was clearly concerned about it as Riley led her to the arriving transports. She couldn't bring herself to trust those people... She stuck as close to Riley as possible.

The only reason she complied with it all was because Riley did it and she herself did trust Ash enough to follow his directions on even this. By no means did she like it though! She was brought to trembles when she had to put down her baseball bat and was nearly suffering from a panic attack by the time she was waiting for the search. Aside the clothes on her back, she had nothing left! She had to half hide behind Riley, half press as close as she could for some peace of mind. She didn't damn like this! All that passed through her mind were the worst case scenarios that her paranoid psyche could formulate.” I don't like this... what if something goes wrong and we've got nothing?!” She asked out to Riley. Frankly she wasn't even sure if she would be able to stand the body search...

"Riley, please stay close to me... I will protect you if something happens..." She said quietly to her love and threw panicked looks around. She now knew well enough that nothing was really safe... even the safety these people promised! She wasn't going to blindly believe... until proven wrong. If proven wrong that was. She just hoped they wouldnt ne used as slaves or food or anything. Her mind was continuing to create bad scenarios for her to paranoidly concern herself with.

Temperature: 89F (32C)
Humidity: Fucking High (Around 99%) - Raining off and on all day
Wind Speed: 7 MPH (11 KPH)
Cloud Coverage: About 66% covered with thick dark clouds

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Atlas stepped around the helicopter and was heading over towards Maddog when Hunter spoke. The man looked over at the kid slowly and stopped in his tracks. "Kid, shut the fuck up before I shove my trust up your ass," he said frankly before he continued over to Double O who was chuckling a bit as he patted down Hank. Spots picked up the bag that Jack had set down and rummaged through it for a bit before shouldering it and continuing to pat down the rest of that group. She looked over towards Thalia and her group. Seemed the numbers were growing, it was a good thing that Maddoc had called in for Alpha team, they needed the bus right now that was for sure. One by one she patted each of them down, checking their belongings and what they kept on them before moving over to the bus.

At the bus, Spots gave a knock and the door opened. And older woman with platinum blonde hair and dark blue eyes dressed in army khaki pants and a t-shirt came down the steps to look the group over. "The bag is clear for the kid," Spots said as she handed the diaper bag back over to Jack. The woman nodded as Spots headed off to helicopter and then the other side so she could help him deal with the last of the groups that were coming together.

"Morning. You all look like you have been through hell. No worries now. I'm Margarete, code name Daytona and I'll be your driver today. Just climb on up, have a seat and get comfortable in the air conditioning," she said before stepping back into the bus fully and having a seat in the driver seat. She wasn't lying. The air conditioning was blasting and the old bus was nice and cool. She turned slightly and motioned from her seat for people to go ahead and start climbing up.

Tatiana stood there timidly and took a deep breath before looking at the woman and then making the climb on board the bus after Jack and Ash had gotten on first. Walking back to where Jack was she took a seat next to him and leaned against him slightly, curling their baby close to her chest. It was the first time since winter she felt cool enough not to break a sweat. She had to admit, it was a nice feeling.

"Well he'll get clean or else," Maddog said as he patted down Hank, then Erica, then Sportacus, then the kid. Wayne just smirked as he stood there. Erica wasn't lying she had tried to get him clean for ages now it seemed. "Kid, seriously, you are a stones throw from getting shot, just shutting up for five seconds," Maddoc said before motioning for Spots to come over more fully. She nodded and jogged over quickly. "Take the dog," he ordered. "They're all yours Atlas." Spots came over to the dog easily and took a few minutes to let the dog get her scent before slipping a rope around her neck. dog didn't seem to like it but went along and was lead to the back of the last truck and put inside the truck bed before getting tied down so she couldn't jump out.

"Alright, over to the bus, we're leavin'," Atlas said in a gravely voice before leading the remaining over to the bus and pointing inside. Wayne was strolling and grinned a cheeky grin at the woman in the drivers seat. Daytona smiled and waved them on in as Atlas left to climb back into the lead truck.

"We'll hey there, damn, okay find an open seat. I'm Margarete, you can call me Daytona and I'm your driver. It's about an hour drive so get comfortable," she said as they loaded up. Wayne didn't have to be told twice, he was up in that shit fast as a fat kid on a cupcake and grabbed the first open seat he could find. Patting the seat for the J to his mother fucking PB. As the last person entered the bus, she closed the door and honked twice.

Now that everyone was loaded up and ready to go, Maddoc finally made his way back to the helicopter. A voice came in over an entercom in the bus. "A'ight, we are loaded. South to home base. ETA 30 minutes," Maddocs voice chimed in as the helicopter took off. If one looked out of the window they could see Spots in her seat with an orange tabby in her lap seeming to eat up the attention.

The lead truck started to pull out before Daytona threw the bus into gear and drove behind it, the last truck pulling up the rear. Seemed things were taken care of for now. All their gear they had turned over was in the helicopter that was flying off ahead of them. The small convoy was heading south. What awaited them, they didn't know but things were definitely changing. I mean shit, they were in a vehicle, not having to walk, in the A/C. All things considered, this was probably the best five minutes any one of them had had in over a year.

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Jack turned and looked at his wife, putting an arm around her. He couldn't help but enjoy the air conditioning. Part of him was having a wild fantasy that this bus would take them back in time - maybe to the 80's? Was there a woman named Miss Frizzle around with magic powers who could make that happen? At any rate, he and Tatiana could get a small starter home. He'd get hired on as a police officer in their town and he would buy her a dance studio if he could one day. Little Jamie would play with kids his age once he was old enough.

It was so tempting to just get lost in the fantasy. "It's like a dream," Jack mumbled to his wife. They had a doctor at this settlement or base, whatever it was going to be called. Jamie would get the medicine that he needed. He'd be able to stay in one location, no longer forced to move around each and every day. After Newnan, Jack hadn't been certain if they'd ever be able to relax again and enjoy simple luxuries. He supposed it shouldn't have been too strange to think that there had to be other groups out there that weren't like Eden.

"I love ya, solovey," he then whispered to her. He knew that even in this safety, he couldn't afford to let his guard down again. He had nearly lost Tatiana and Jamie last time. That wasn't allowed to happen again.

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Beatrice hoped that Thalia would sit with her, as silly as it may have seemed. She hadn't imagined that today she would be back to the old high school worries of who would sit with who on the bus. Who would be the cool kids sitting in the back? Who would be the lonely nerds up front, learning to socialize with the bus driver? The worries and concerns felt alien - but even then, Beatrice had to admit that they had seemed odd back when she was growing up anyways. Granted, her childhood had been fairly atypical. She had gone in and out of juvi regularly in Justice.

"I'm not sure I'm their friend," Beatrice admitted to Thalia, thinking back to her request to introduce everyone from Newnan. "Friends aren't really my area... But the couple there, their names are Tatiana and Jack. She's shy and he's an idiot. Navy's boyfriend - Ash, he was in charge of Newnan before it died," Beatrice said, reflecting back on that pivotal day. "He was best friends with James. Then the blonde... I think her name is Riley, her twin sister was a hot mess. And then the ginger is Amelia. She's pretty quiet from what I remember."

Beatrice couldn't help but notice more than who was there who wasn't there. Tiffany - she had been friends with the lawyer. Ray - he had been moderately amusing, lacking both limbs. It wasn't surprising to her that he didn't make it. Froggy - the doctor of Newnan, old, so again, not too shocking. There were more she didn't see as well, but the names weren't coming to her just then, only the faces.

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This was as surreal as Alexander was allowing himself to believe without claiming that this was actually a really bad dream, or a very good nightmare. He had been through so much shit already, and not just after the world ceased to exist like he knew it. With the help of Manny, the first and best doctor the old veteran had been around since all of that began, whom he trusted a whole lot to not leave him like he perhaps should have, Alexander silently limped his way to the ever growing group of people around the chopper. Manny had spoken to him, but Panama had told them to shut up, and he recognized the same intent behind those words from his Sergeant. Then they were herded into a school bus of a Gun Trucker's wet dream.

This was real. They were getting onto a bus and getting the Hell out of there. An older lady with the codename pulled straight of a Chris Rea album would be their driver, but other than that it felt reminicent to Alexander. Did his world repeat itself, just in the very long run? It felt like he was boarding the bus taking him to the airport to finally take him out of 'Nam, and back home. With the help of Manny, Alexander managed to get onboard and support himself limping down the aisle, giving Daytona an appriciative smile and a "Ma'am."

Alexander wanted to stick close to his own people though, and sat down behind where Beatrice ultimatly would be seated, making space for Manny to sit beside him. He wanted to say something, ask something, tell something, but in the comfortable seat and the A/C'ed air, the tired old man just sat down and took a breather. But he did look at Manny and gave him a smile for his words earlier. "Yup, fellow Baby-Boomer. Tied to the hip. Are worse parts to be tied to, or people." That much was true, as Alexander looked briefly at the others entering the bus. He knew none of them like he did with Manny, Thalia, Beatrice and...Thana...wherever she was. But they were safe, and to old soldiers who had been out there, safety was more than one could ask for. So ol' Sparky from Chicago looked out the window, deep in thought.

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Nigel "Hadrian" certainly wasn't as optimistic as the old man with the redneck-made pegleg was, though he knew better than to argue. He admitted himself for the pat-down by Maddog and for them to take his things, before walking towards the bus. Did he, or any of them have much choice? Wayne and Hank were more than happy to join those military people, while Erica had told him that it was a leap of faith. It surely was, and one Hadrian felt he had no other choice but to leap head into alongside her...them. They had appeared sincere in their offer to be allowed entrance and safety, at least for a short while if they did as they were told.

But Hadrian really, really hoped he would get back his belongings. First of all they were his, and secondly they couldn't possibly appricate how much effort had gone into crafting all of it. Barbarians, the lot of them. Including the young soldier who appeared to have a death wish. He liked the dog though.

Nigel "Hadrian" boarded the bus as well, keeping silent as he walked and found himself a seat. Was it in defiance to his new 'masters'? In protection of himself and the others he trusted against those he didn't? In truth it could be that, but what else was there left to say? Nigel and Erica had already asked Maddog several questions, and recieved no answers. To him, it wasn't their turn to speak. Though he figured they would get more questions in return before the wool was pulled off their eyes. Nigel found a seat behind Wayne, though more out of safety than preferance. If they were going somewhere, might as well do it together. Even if his name surely would change in not too long.

He really needed to come up with some good names for those two, though he still didn't know what Shovel-Knigth was.

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Riley looked towards Amelia and nodded towards her girlfriend, she could understand her worry and concern, but she'd rather not have a bullet in her, or be left behind while the others were taken to safety. "You know i'll always have your back Amelia." Riley whispered towards her girlfriend, as soon as she stepped into the bus she closed her eyes feeling the AC going on all around her. It felt like it was a very long time since she stepped into a car with a working AC unit. "Thank you." Riley said towards Daytona as she looked around and found a seat, taking the window seat and gently patted the spot next to her.

Riley looked at the other faces, she only recognized Beatrice' face hearing her comment about her sister made her clench her fist ever so slightly. But Riley didn't say anything as she watched the Huey taking off and seeing Schrödinger curled up in Spot's lap, Riley then turned to look over at Amelia. "We will be fine Amelia." Riley said softly as she looked out towards the window as she heard Maddog's voice over the radio, a nice hour car ride with AC would certainly be the best.

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The moment Erica stepped into the bus she let out a sigh of relief as she could feel the cool air against her skin and sweaty shirt, wiping away the little bit of sweat. If parting away with her gear and having to be pat down by a complete stranger it was pretty much worth it. Though Maddog's comment did make her worry slightly about Wayne, the guy did have drug problems which would be a liability if it ended up being also on their group's responsibility. She gave the woman codenamed Daytona a friendly smile and nod towards the woman as she walked over and sat down next to Nigel figuring that he wouldn't mind at all.

A few seconds later the bus started up again, and leaned back in her seat as she looked at the men and women of their rather large group now. She didn't know any of them or seen them before either aside from Nigel, Hank and Wayne, as Erica watched the helicopter taking off she wasn't sure what to ask. She figured that they would end up getting some answers right now, or someone would ask a question, she still wasn't sure what to think of the group they were pretty well off it seems though which was probably also a very good thing as well.

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Manny was as giddy as a kid in a candy shop. "Oh my god we're going to a safe zone!" He was ready to meet all the people the world had to offer, he was ready to help anyone and EVERYONE he could, and he was looking forward to sleeping in at least a pile of blankets again. Though if they had transportation like this then surely they had cots or if he was really lucky REAL BEDS! Damn he liked that idea. Thrown on top, this place was so close to where he used to live that maybe he could actually go home at some point and see what was left? Maybe even find someone he used to know! Part of him trailed back to the stadium from the early days. How that had been overrun, and all the people that didn't make it out. But many would have had to have made it out. Part of him wondered if Susan might have been here. He knew the chances were slim beyond reason, but the idea still excited him. Though what would he say? Sorry for losing you in the parking lot?

He was doing it again. Dwelling on the past. Nothing would be the same, and he knew that the likelihood of meeting anyone he used to know was next to nothing. He needed to move on. Sitting himself and Alexander in adjacent seats he was ready for the long ride. The chair felt nice, the air felt nice, the overall situation felt nice. He hadn't been this relaxed since... he was in the fort. "What do you think this place will be like?" He asked Alexander, though openly enough so that others could answer if they wanted to. "Do you think that there will be a lot of people? It has to be a decent amount with just how many people are here to pick us up. And to not be concerned about our numbers right? I wonder where they are holed up? Do you all think it's an old stone fort? Or maybe a school or university? Oh my god... what if it's a Walmart... Those things have drop gates don't they?" Manny was giddy and excited, and he had a lot of trouble hiding it. He was ready to find his new home.

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Hunter didn't feel ready for this. These were new people who had the means to do some real damage if they wanted to. But Hunter got the idea, time to shut up. Even if it meant that he'd be separated from his dog. She seemed comfortable enough with these new people though, and if she could tolerate them maybe they can be trusted. Once his gear was turned over, and he was pat down, he made his way to the bus. He found the vehicle to be a little over the top for his liking, but if it kept the dead out then he was happy with that. What he wasn't excepting was an actual working AC unit. He had found cars int he past that had them but the cars had suffered so much wear and or sat so long that the AC units went. And they tend to be a pain in the ass to fix too. "wow..." But now, he was in a confined space with a lot of people he didn't know and was now disarmed. He was anxious now and it was starting to show.

Hunter made his way to the back of the bus so he could keep everyone in his line of sight. This helped him relax a little but not as much as he would have liked. He sat, watched as each person entered the bus, both of his hands clenching his seat. What if everyone on this bus was infected?! What if everyone was in on it and decided to turn against him? Could he take them all? Maybe a couple with his back against the wall, but not all. But what then? They had Izibell?! Even if he got out of here they had his dog... So for now, he would behave... fearing for Izibell. And who know, maybe this place was going to be okay. Maybe Izibell would be fine. And who knew, maybe his family had been here this whole time? Maybe on their way to their old camp grounds they were in his situation and were safe and he would see them again. He smiled at that thought, the idea of seeing his siblings again was nice. The idea of seeing his parents and grandparents again was amazing. He just... needed to get through this. How hard could it be? Act nice, play along, meet the people, and if they turn out to be what he thinks they are he will fight his way out. But so far, he felt okay in the idea that he wouldn't have too.

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Air conditioning. Just damn. It was an incidental luxury, something that would have been utterly taken for granted a few years ago. Even complained about in the summertime, if it wasn't performing up to snuff, or worse - broken. No, that simply wouldn't do. But he had been raised as a sort of outdoorsy type. Rural-ish, at least. There were many a time that he spent warm nights in front of the lake after a swim, or counted fireflies from his front porch with his father and brothers, all without the use of freon enhanced atmosphere. He got spoiled in his late teens, though. If Ash hopped in his truck and couldn't get it to spit frigid air at him, he was pissed. The Army cured him of that, and in a hurry. Getting stationed in some godawful unstable portion of América del Sur made him extremely grateful for any occasion for life's little luxuries. The first time on site he got his hands on a Coke, you'd have thought he had discovered gold. This moment was the first since the untimely death of his Hordebuster that he had access to the bounty of a functioning AC unit, and it was appreciated. A lot.

After the initial bout of thankfulness for the rarity of climate control, not to mention the anxiety of being out in the open abated, Ash took a look around the interior of the bus at everyone present. A second of doubt plagued him, but only a second. He was taking a lot on faith here, and betting the lives of people he had come to regard as family (be it fairly dysfunctional) in the bargain. But they were safe now. Their situation likely wouldn't change for another hour, and he was seeing this through. So he took a little time to just observe these men and women who, despite all of the differences among them, had at least one thing in common: They were alive. After the last five years, that counted for much.

One of his observations was that most of these people had paired off, in a manner of speaking. Almost everyone had somebody they were close to in one way or another. Jack and Tati had each other (and their baby), Amelia and Riley, Beatrice and the hazel-eyed woman; even the two older men had a hetero-lifemate vibe going on. Both pair of them. The younger man didn't seem to have anyone, but memory had him as protective of a dog that was with him earlier. Human nature, he supposed. Not that Ash was a psychologist or sociologist, nor anything of the sort. But it did make him a little self conscious of the fact that he was supposed to be meeting up with someone. He had a promise to keep. Rather than tip his hand by starting a conversation right then, Ash continued to merely observe, both the people inside the bus and the area outside of it, just in case.

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For his general agreement that they had a lot to talk about, and his insistence that they do so on the bus, the Army Captain didn't pursue conversation with Thalia nor Beatrice right away. Instead, he seemed to be watching people. That was either smart of him or downright creepy, and because she didn't really know the man, Thalia pegged it as equal chances at both. She had her own agenda for wanting to talk to him; that was going to wait until stuff was settled on her end a little and she could tell if he was stable. Some people weren't meant to be outside of walls for very long anymore.

Instead, she followed a piece of his example and setted in with Beatrice. It was best to keep to her own and figure stuff out for a minute before making a social event of it. And there were a lot of people on that bus. More than she had seen in one place in a while, and it made her a little uncomfortable. Large crowds weren't Thalia's thing. This was hardly large, but it was still a little irksome.

Thalia responded to the air conditioning with a mix of reactions. Awe was in there, but simultaneously she instinctively tried to huddle up a little, shielding herself as best she could against the abrupt temperature change. She had been outside for a long while now. This would take adjustment. Thalia focused on listening to Beatrice as she made her rounds describing the people of Newnan. While she had asked for an introduction proper, she conceded that these baby steps were probably a good idea. "Tatiana, Jack." she repeated quietly, making mental notes. "Ash," she already knew his name, but it didn't hurt to cement it. "Riley, Amelia. ...thanks." These were the people who were supposed to be their allies when they got to where they were going. A lot can change in a year or so, though. She knew the four of her group had each others' backs, and would find out soon enough if the Newnan people were solid.

Right then, she was going to take advantage of the relative safety, even if it was short-lived. Thalia settled up against Beatrice and crossed her left arm over the stump of her missing right, murmuring, "Hey bitch, gimmie a nudge if one of them comes our way." Thalia closed her eyes, content to take respite and conserve her strength while she could.

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When he stepped into the bus and got over the fact that it was a comfortable temperature, the first thing he noticed was that there were more older people like him onboard. A couple of them might even be able to call him 'sonny' or 'sport' or 'champ', if they could get away with it and not get their dentures forcefed to them. Well, one. The point was, he and Wayne weren't the oldest people in the room anymore, and that was surprising. They must be tough old bastards, else these younger, more "Thunderdome-y" people were looking out fir them. Or both, hell, it could easily be both. Either way, the presence of these men, and alive, was a damn good indicator of the character of the people on the bus.

Now he could start ignoring them.

Of course, it wasn't entirely true that he noticed them first. The platinum blonde lady driving the bus diverted hus attention for a little bit. He gave her a silly smirk and continued inside to find a seat next to Wayne, because hell, they had set off together an epic quest to retire in Florida like men in their fifties were supposed to epically quest for, and goddamnit, they were going to arrive together. "Hey there, Maldonado, bus ride in, huh? If there's a crab boil and a beer waiting, I'm completely sold. You?" He'd play the whole "getting to know you" game with the others later. Hank wanted to arrive there first.

Temperature: 93F (34C)
Humidity: Fucking High (Around 99%) - Raining off and on all day
Wind Speed: 7 MPH (11 KPH)
Cloud Coverage: About 64% covered with thick dark clouds

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Daytona kept pace with the truck ahead of them and was flanked at the rear by the other truck. The helicopter was in the sky and climbing higher and higher and pulling further and further away from them. Seemed it was headed in the same direction but wasn't worried about keeping pace with the trucks below. One couldn't exactly blame them if that was the case. They could get back a lot faster than the trucks and bus could and alert those back at the buses destination what was up. Or they could be setting up an ambush. It was a toss up at this point as those that were now in the bus with the older blonde had really no idea what to expect and had to just see if their leap of faith paid off.

Looking over at her husband, Tatiana nodded and whispered back to him, "I love you." She didn't say anything else, just leaning against him slightly and keeping Jamie held close to her chest. Looking out the window of the bus she glanced around before turning her eyes back to the bus itself. Her shoulders were hunched and curled forward and she looked like a nervous little bird about to be eaten by a cat as her eyes darted around the place.

Wayne seemed a lot more calm about things than Tatiana did that was for sure. He was slouched down, legs spread slightly in the seat and feet under the seat in front of him as his head rested on the back of his seat. "Like going to summer school," he chuckled before his head turned and he looked at Hank. "Fuck man, where's there's sea there's gotta be sea food." He sounded like a bad imitation of an old war comedic drama from the 70's and 80's when he said that.

The woman driving the bus reached up and pulled down a small black handheld speaker microphone attached to an old cord. "Morning everyone," she said and it echoed over the intercom on the bus. "Now that we are on our way I am going to give you a quick run down of things. Sure you all have a lot of questions but please hold them until after we arrive and you are all settled in. There is going to be a lot covered between now and then and it should answer at least most of them. So let's just be patient, listen, and try to relax a bit," she said at first before taking a short break to breath and continuing.

"I'm Margarete, most call me Daytona. I am a member of Alpha Team. Former Army Nurse. We are headed for Mexico Beach Florida currently. For those that have lost track of time it is July 15th, 2012, zero nine hundred fifteen. 9:15 A.M. to you civilians. Before the outbreak Mexico Beach was a summer vacation spot and retirement town. Small and is roughly an hour and a half straight drive from Panama City Beach, an old Spring Break place for the college folk. It is now known as Camp Mexico Beach and has been turned into a Pseudo Military Encampment which is run by military law and overseen by the General. We are a community of nearly 300 people and have done well over the last five and a half years due largely to singular cooperation and placing the survival of the over all town above individuality."

She paused for a moment and let what she said sink in. Wayne quirked a brow and looked over at Hank. "Fucking christ," he muttered under his breath.

Tatiana bit her bottom lip as that was a lot to take in. She hadn't said much really but the fact that they were a settlement of nearly 300 was huge. Even Newnan at it's largest was only a fraction of that. How had they managed to get by with so many survivors? They had to be something right, or something really bad. She wasn't sure yet.

"Our town is surrounded by a high wall on three sides that runs into the Gulf Of Mexico. Our gulf side is protected by netting and patrol to keep what we call Necrotics out of the base. We've done well for ourselves and yes we welcome new comers there will be a lot for you to learn as well as a lot to do. Don't worry, it will be a lot to take in but we have a 95% acceptance rate to our community." She seemed to be about to continue but then radio came in.

Fuck me," Wayne grumbled under his breath. That meant there was a five percent chance of getting the boot even if he wanted to stay. He wasn't exactly a people person. Tatiana looked worried, last thing she wanted was to have to be sent on her way but if it was chosen for her to go and Jamie to stay she would leave him behind if she felt it was a safe place for her son. A mother did what a mother had to do to give her child the best chance of survival.

"ETA 5 minutes," the voice of the man known as Atlas came in.

"Rodger that," Daytona said before going back to what she was saying. "Okay, we will be arriving shortly. As I Said, just relax and hold all questions until after we arrive and you are settled in. You will be given a chance to ask questions but don't expect answers if you are impatient," she warned as they started to come to a town that looked deserted. That was until as they continued down the highway that went through the area a wall came into sight. It cut right through the town and blocked off what one could see further out. It ran right into the water if one could catch a glimpse. In the highway was a large gate and people standing on post along the railing on top that ran along the full length of the wall.

The bus pulled to a slow stop behind the truck in front of them and the gate opened slowly to the side, sliding along the outside of the wall until the truck, the bus, and the truck behind them had enough room to pull in. It looked like a staging area that was larger than the width of the wall. A self contained space between two gates. The lead truck went first and the gate closed behind them. Daytona waited until the gate opened again. The truck was no longer there. "Welcome to Camp Mexico Beach," Daytona said as she put the bus into gear and pulled slowly up. A man with large duffel bag came into view, he was dressed all in black and his face and detail was covered by the shadows cast from the wall. He was motioning for her to keep pulling forward until they were in the staging area fully. The other truck waited outside of the wall as she pulled to a stop and the outer gate closed behind them.

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Eventually after the searches they finally got into the bus. Amelia was still a tad nervous about it, but she had to admit that having AC was a blessing. She couldn't quite remember the last time she had a ride as comfortable as this! She was smiling at Riley the entire time, but her attention still wandered to the surroundings around and their hosts mostly. She still wasn't sure if trusting these people was a good decision.

Eventually they finally had arrived at their destination. It all seemed and sounded a little bit too good to be true. She observed the dead city by the window and eventually spotted also the wall. That was an impressive wall. She gulped as they were getting closer to it. From the windows you could spot people on patrol on it. Amelia really wasn't a fan of being defenseless here, despite what that Daytona woman was saying. Actually her little speech about acceptance rates made her frown ever more. The mere fact they could be separated because of some demand by these people.

As the bus was moving into the staging area in the wall, Amelia gulped as her hands sought Riley's and held it tightly. She was nervous as she heard the driver speak. She looked at Riley.” It's going to be fine... right? We will be staying together no matter what?” Amelia asked with a near whisper, clearly stressed out now. The worst scenarios were crushing her and the lack of proper explanation wasn't helping her little paranoia settle down. They were inside the wall now, there wouldn't be any escape from here on. She could only hope this place wouldn't turn out to be Eden or even worse...

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Riley looked over towards the woman Daytona as she started to speak, listening to her as she started to tell the group about Camp Mexico Beach. She wanted to ask so many questions, but Riley didn't want to make a bad impression Riley wasn't even sure if the woman was doing some kind of preliminary thoughts on if they were good enough to join them or not. Riley looked at the group, she noticed that Ashton was sitting by himself which she did feel bad about. Riley rubbed the back of her neck as she enjoyed the cool air going over her as she felt Amelia reaching for her hand. Dayton also mentioned the year, Riley had honestly lost track of it all since she didn't have any access to a phone or TV, or even a calendar that said the date.

Then Daytona said their acceptance rate, which was fairly high but there was the 5% chance that they would end up getting the boot which didn't sit well for her. Riley looked at Amelia, she would have to make sure that they would be in that range as well as she could understand her girlfriend's concern. "They will accept us, if they don't i'll follow you no matter what." Riley said to Amelia as she looked up, and bit her bottom lip slightly, she didn't really like the idea of it being fully military run. It took a very long time for her to open up to Ashton after all as well, she now was pretty good friends with him now.

Then they got close to the town, and noticed the massive wall in front of them, even when Daytona told them the population of the camp was pretty impressive. The front gate opening for the lead car, as she watched it close behind it and then a few seconds later the gates opened again Riley noticed the man in the small gap wondering what his job was and noticed the duffel bag that was there as well.

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Erica occasionally look over her shoulder at the guy who chose to sit in the back who had his dog taken from him, she wasn't sure what to think of the guy. After all he did question the group a lot, and ended up getting chewed out a little bit as she looked over at Nigel for a moment. Before Daytona started to speak up, she didn't have any issue with the community being run by military, some of her old colleagues did come from some sort of military background after they left the military. As Erica listened in she eyed Wayne for a moment the 95% acceptance was pretty good, but it was probably a lot lower now for Wayne. Knowing his problem and all that, she also looked at Hunter as well wondering how he would get in.

She then leaned back looking out the window as she could see the beach, Erica hadn't been to the beach in a really long time, and it started to remind her of their vacations with her family before the outbreak. Then Erica noticed the large wall, she wasn't expecting to see one that big. As Erica leaned forward a little bit, they were certainly better off if they survived 5 1/2 years as Erica looked over at the others in the group with them thirteen in all was a lot. Erica remained quiet and nodded she would hold off any questions until they were allowed to, for now she would follow whatever orders were asked of her.

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As tired and exhausted as Jack was, he picked up on Tatiana's body language and he sat up a little straighter. He didn't want her to have to be afraid, but he knew that this was a dicey situation they were in. If they were lucky, this settlement would be the answer to all their problems. If they weren't, then they were wading into a disaster that could rival Eden in size. He really hoped that none of those assholes had somehow made their way down to Florida. The Eden team had made it out, at least partially from what he could tell, but he didn't know if any of the actual Edenites had.

"Alpha team," Jack whispered quietly. So they had a team structure, then, he had to assume. That made some sense to him. In Newnan, they more or less had had departments. And if the military was running this operation, alpha team sounded about right to him - he could picture Ash yelling something like that in his sleep. It was his usual test for if something was military enough - could he imagine an Ash screaming in a nightmare say it? If so, it was right as far as Jack was concerned.

He kept on picking out important pieces of information - it was a large settlement. Huge, in fact. With that large a population, Jack had to imagine that the age groups might include some people Jamie's age. He smiled a bit at that thought. Maybe they'd finally get that white picket fence life that Jack had always wanted. However, the needs of the many over the few raised a slight alarm bell. It was a good policy, but it gave him a bad gut feeling. Then there was the news of an acceptance rate. Newnan had taken just about anyone - even criminals. He remembered the Rejects House and wondered if they would have taken in Dick, Chloe, and Ryan here.

"They'll take ya, solovey," Jack whispered reassuringly to her. "Jamie too," he said. He just had a gut feeling that his family would make it inside. And if Jack himself was denied? Well... If they were good people, then he'd leave - stay nearby, just in case - and let Tatiana and Jamie enjoy the safety they deserved. He wouldn't leave just Jamie there, however. He didn't trust anyone but Tatiana with his baby. Maybe Ash.

His stomach twisted with nerves as they pulled up to the settlement. This was it then - time to see if they were deemed worthy to join the community or not.

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Beatrice couldn't help but smirk slightly, seeing Thalia's physical reaction to the temperature change. She reminded her of the stories about the domestication of cats: that the cats themselves had been implicit in it, unlike dogs. Thalia was definitely a creature of the outdoors and the wilderness, willingly submitting herself to the horrors of air conditioning and group survival. However, the amusement faltered for a moment. She could easily describe herself the same way. Hadn't she essentially domesticated herself, sticking around even when it wasn't optimal for survival? Would her past self even recognize her? Would she still be able to survive on the streets of Justice, if the world was restored tomorrow?

"Got it, punch you in the twat if one of them comes our way," Beatrice murmured in agreement. She noticed Ash was looking around the bus, seemingly sizing things up. She expected as much from him. From what she remembered of the ex-leader of Newnan, he was distant, stoic, and professional. She couldn't even remember a time that she had seen the man smile. Apparently, however, he had found happiness with Thana. Their mannerisms were similar enough that it made sense to Beatrice, but she didn't know how to gently tell him what he likely feared.

"Ash - last we saw her, she was fine," Beatrice called out to him. Her gut told her not to tell him what her opinion was - that Thana was either dead or an asshole. He looked like he had been through hell.

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Manny didn't like the sound of individualism being suppressed for the sake of a group. He knew that things were desperate at times, but that idea still made him uneasy. Maybe things weren't as harsh as Manny took it from those words, but now he knew to be ready for the worst. Manny felt less comfortable now without his shotgun, but he wouldn't complain about it. But now, the bus was starting to remind him of his cage in Eden. He was starting to feel trapped, feel like a prisoner. When they were told that this was going to be like a military town did that mean everyone served in the armed forces? Manny supposed that wasn't too far out of the question for someone like him. Though he was an aging man, and even though he could keep up physically and he could handle a shotgun well, he was no soldier. Though the idea of a military structured community with a general figure in charge made Manny even more worried. "God... I hope this isn't another military dictatorship..." Manny had met enough people who tried for this plan. Though the ones that have tried in his communities could rarely come up with enough support, and were very quickly put down before they could become a problem.

But Manny trying to stay positive, tried to think of the pros. This community had a lot of people! Manny may be able to resume his practice as a dentist and help bring back basic hygiene back to the apocalyptic wasteland! Granted he would probably still serve as a general doctor, but it would be nice to help people medically for things that were not life threatening every now and again. With that, if Manny was understanding this correctly this was an old summer vacation spot. Meaning it probably had a couple decent luxuries. Manny wondered if there was a beach. It had been a long time since he had swam, but the idea of swimming was nice. It was one of the few forms of exercise he could keep up for long periods of time without straining himself too much. Sure that was over five years ago, but still! Manny had a glimpse of hope yet again.

As they pulled up tot he community he noticed the large stone walls. No horde could force their way past it no matter how many there were. Gates were harder to say, but watching the each vehicle enter in one at a time through what was like an airlock from a science fiction movie helped suppress the idea that the main gate here was weak. "I suppose as long as the government here isn't too harsh, this place could work Alexander." Though Manny wondered if he would be deemed too old to stay. He had acquired a lot of information and skills over his lifetime, but he was still an old man who had long since passed him prime.

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From what Hunter was hearing so far, he was liking this new place. It was well fortified, and well structured. His main concern was if he would be allowed in, and if the leaders of this community were total ass faces. When he heard that they had a military structure with a "General" figure in charge it brought back bad memories. Mostly of the early days of the apocalypse when his former Captain had convinced the survivors of his company to kick out the refugees and then become "Independent" from the rest of the army. That didn't matter as the army had long fallen at this point. But Hunter pictured this General person to be like him. A power hungry maniac who uses military force to get what he wants. Hunter was liking this place less and less by the second. He also feared that a dominant military power could sour things extremely fast if left unchecked. What were the terms of power for civilian people? In what way does the individuals voices matter? That question was answered though when the comment of town over individuals came up. "Well that answers that..." he said to no one in particular.

Then he heard the acceptance rate. 1 out of every 20. He did a quick look around on the bus and saw a decent amount of people. Not quite 20, but close enough to concern Hunter. He was already on pretty shitty terms with a couple of these new people. Some from this community and some just joining at the same time he was. Hunter had it figured if things didn't go well, or if someone was kicked out, it would probably be him. He debated if he should start planning his next move. First, he would probably take whatever whatever method these people used to determine who they liked, then while he was being judged start planning there. Did he even want to stay at this new town? If his family wasn't here he wasn't sure. Granted, they were probably dead. He had gone town by town clearing what he could, checking bodies, making sure none were them, and moving on. The process was messy, but it seemed worth it.

If he was allowed to stay, maybe he could have a sense of purpose again. He would like that. Seeing the walls, and hearing how many people there were, Hunter felt a little better. Even if he wasn't a fan of the terms of the whole thing. Worst case scenario, they shot him dead. If they were total assholes, he might still be able to leave later. He watched as the first vehicle entered the door, and it closed behind it. Then the gate opened and the bus entered. The solid concrete walls could take a hit from just about everything that still existed. The exception being helicopters and jets maybe. But these people had those too. Or maybe just the one, but still. The idea was there. They controlled the ground, the air, and if patrols meant what he thought they did, the seas. Seemed like a big operation. He decided that no matter what was going to happen he would learn all he could about this community and their defenses. "I wonder what we'll have to deal with once inside..." he spoke. Only realizing he was sitting alone a moment later. "Riiiiight....". If he was accepted, his next step would be to not draw attention, and learn what he could. He could decide his full opinion on the place later. Who knows, maybe these people are decent.

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Alexander didn't ignore Manny per say when he didn't look back at his fellow baby boomer to answer his questions, as he spoke back to him all be it in a lowered tone. "The only thing I guess about this place, is that they know their shit. Can't pull vehicles like these out of their asses, after all. That's good." Alexander answered Manny, leaning his head against the window as he felt the cool A/C blow on him. On all of them in the bus. Thalia and Beatrice were both talking behind them, but his thoughts were drifting further and further away with the bus, the cool air, the tired ol' bones of a man who'd been through a whole lot of shit.

This all felt familiar...



Alexander was brought back to reality with Daytona talking over the intercom like a tourist guide would when arriving to Disneyland, if they did that he didn't know having never been there. The gist of it was that they had a significant settlement in Mexico Beach, lead in a military fashion by the "General". Their induviduality forsaken in favour of survival. Yup, that was the military for you. "Me neither Manny, me neither...But if someone's going to weather this shitstorm, it's a military." That's when he saw the town roll past them, the massive wall that certainly was the perimiter defences of the camp and the gate. First truck went through, gate closed and was gone when it re-opened. Camp Mexico Beach. "If we don't get the boot from the General, it sure could Manny...I'm getting to old for this shit..."

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Nigel's stoic look around the bus continued throughout the first better part of the bus ride to wherever Daytona were taking them, wherever and whatever their base of operations were. It had to be decent at the very least, with all the organisation that had managed to pull off with helicopters, trucks and radio. But Nigel "Hadrian" was looking around the bus at the various clusters of peoples resting in their seats. He wasn't in the mood to day-dream like Hank and Wayne were about beer and summer vacations, although perhaps he should? His guard was up, though the presence of the sane Erica did help.

Nigel "Hadrian" eventually settled down with looking out the window alongside her, trying to calm down after the initial meeting. Maddog had offered them safe passage and shelter after all back there, and his words had appeared true and honest in nature. So he was uncertain of what to feel about Daytona's talk about the settlement. Military-run small town with good walls and large numbers of living people. Military-run meant efficient and strong, but not always merciful. The 95 % acceptence rate was another double-edged sword. He caught sight of Erica looking at the boy in the back, and he couldn't help but possibly think what she did.

"Been to Florida before, Erica?" Nigel "Hadrian" asked his fellow survivor by his side, turning from the others to look at her, attempting to make normal conversation. Normal conversation in a desperate and unormal situation, but with a small smile. "It looks nice, if it wasn't for all the Undead. Never got the time to travel here, wish I had now." He continued, looking from Erica and out the window again as the wall and gate came into sight. "Reminds me of the Aurelian Walls. These guys really know their construction. Only people with good siege weapons can get through that." Nigel "Hadrian" commented, partly to himself but also to Erica, if she listened. To her he could talk like that without being called a nerd, which was refreshing.

Looking back at Erica, he pulled a smile as he straightened himself in the seat. "Let's hope Fortuna is on our side this time."

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Observing people was generally a good first step in feeling out a new situation, if it was feasible to do so. Seeing as he didn't have but the one person from Mexico Beach in the bus with them, Ash primarily looked to the rest of those who were searched and directed into the conveyance along with him. In addition to mainly pairing off, they mostly all seemed to keep their snatches of conversation to themselves. Ash would catch the occasional spoken thought from around the bus, file it away in the back of his brain, and keep at it. Personal insecurities seemed to be the order of the day, and he couldn't blame them in the least. This was a huge change for everyone, in a world when uncertainty was far more common than hope.

Most everyone looked tired. He must look the same way, he figured, or worse. Distantly, he tried to remember the last time he gave himself a shave that didn't involve a field knife. The thought carried as he saw the walls of what looked to be a massive settlement (or what was considered massive these days) ahead of them, growing larger as they approached. If he was very lucky, he might find Thana in there. He would return her tags, find out where things stood between them, and be a decent goddamned human being no matter what the situation was. What he wanted was secondary, at best, to what was best for his people. Though the question burned inside of him: Why wasn't she with the Eden group? Considering the mixed company on the bus, he hesitated to get into a discussion about her. Or at all, for that matter.

His question was partially answered by Beatrice. She was someone else with whom he was unsure of where he stood, but in very different context. She was close to being one of those "lone wolf" types that he wasn't overly fond of, yet here Beatrice was, seemingly calling the shots in a small group. Time and necessity did change people. Maybe there was something of a leader in there yet. "Thank you." he said, nodding thoughtfully at her. His Virginian accent, though slight, was making an appearance. It was an indicator that he must be tired. Or strained. Or both. Ash appealed to Beatrice's sense of solidarity, such as it was, "Been a while. We should keep our people together, as much as they'll let us. Things to catch up on. With me?" Intelligent eyes looked over the others in her group. The mystery girl of course, and two older men, one of which he couldn't place at all.

Ash went over the numbers in his head, curious as to how readily his mind wrapped around these concepts so readily. July 15th, 2012, 0915 hours. Community of 300. Five and a half years. 95% acceptance rate. Quantifying as much as possible gave the impression that things were orderly and could be navigated if handled properly. Maybe it was an illusion and maybe it wasn't, but this settlement was their best bet at surviving. This was how his people kept living for now. As the gate closed behind them, it settled upon Ash that this was their reality. Mexico Beach. For better or worse, they had arrived. If they had to leave, Ash didn't have a backup plan worked out just yet. They would have to wait and see.

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Thalia dug her shoulder into Beatrice's side at the twat-punching comment, though she couldn't help but smile. Heavy lids closed over hazel eyes and stayed they way for the majority of the bus ride in. Though she rested, actual sleep was beyond her. Maybe a survival instinct that kept her at least partially alert in the midst of an unfamiliar situation, or alternately it could have been a leftover piece of training from her earlier days. Reasons aside, she found that her eyes opened slightly every time somebody within earshot spoke. Oddly, the less they tried to keep quiet, the less she gave it attention. But every so often her lids would part and eyes would point in the appropriate direction, mentally cataloguing details about whomever was speaking if she were within line-of-sight.

When Beatrice spoke, she assumed to Ash, Thalia could tell that she was speaking about Thana. She missed that uptight bitch, though if she was alive, well, and nearby? Oh, she had some explaining to do. Surreptitiously, she moved her hand over to Bea's knee (a phrase which she would later use to torment the woman, she vowed) and gave it a light, reassuring squeeze. She likely felt the same way about their Navy girl. Thalia noted that Beatrice kept things as vague as possible. Her statement was technically correct, but it provoked a series of other, related questions that thankfully Ash didn't ask right then. He was playing it cool too, else he was trying to save himself some emotional baggage until he could better handle it. Whatever worked for him, she didn't so much care.

It did strike her as curious that he wanted to see if their groups would buddy up when they got inside. Yeah, they should probably exchange information. After all, they were originally supposed to be two parts of the same group, each with a different objective in the same mission. The plan was to meet back up and regroup together after they were done, heading south to exactly this place eventually. Obviously the plan got screwed over somewhere. And it seemed so long ago. Were they still the same group? Sure, Thalia agreed to follow Thana's lead and complete the mission, which they did (at heavy cost, too), but she wasn't part of anything related to Newnan until just that afternoon. Oh, she had plenty of questions for the man, and fully intended to ask them. Maybe that was all he meant. If nothing else, they did need to compare notes and debrief each other. But damn, he reminded her of Navy, right down to her presumption of authority. Good thing she liked Thana.

As the bus entered the staging area, Thalia gave up any pretense at rest. She opened her eyes fully, stretched, and waited for the next part of this transition to manifest.

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"Yeah, I know what you're thinking, Wayne. With three hundred people, at least one of them had got to be a bartender. We're saved. Right there, buddy? Huh?" Hank shook his head, his generally cynical nature getting the better of his earlier assertion, "...knowing our luck, that would be a solid 'Nuh-Uh, fellas' and any beer they recovered is gonna be that fruity Canadian pisswater." he shrugged. Of course, he was speaking in the hopes of engaging Wayne in light, diverting conversation. The whole talk about a 95% acceptance rate got him thinking about Amish Country again. They were asked to leave Amish Country, for crap's sake. What would a military run community think of the pair of them? Okay, let's be honest: What would they think of Wayne? Hank wasn't going to abandon his friend because of some bullshit technicality, nor because he was a man with some difficulties that, while not really his fault in the first place, might deny him a place here in the "Apocalypse Lane Suburban Gated Community", probably complete with some bullshit HOA to tell them they couldn't keep pink, plastic flamingos on their lawns nor build a freestanding doghouse.

To hell with them and their probably totally fictional Home Owners Association. If Wayne was given the heave-ho, Hank was with him all the way. It was Florida, for crap's sake. Nothing said they couldn't find some old fishing boat and hang a line or two off the side to catch supper, like old guys do. But to say something uncharacteristically reassuring to the man, "Don't sweat it, Wayne. They need us. 'Sheriff Wright & Detective Maldonado'. Come on, it sounds great. Comic book title kind of great. And, ah, if they don't, we're going to pack up our gigantic brass balls and leave them in the rearview. Me and you, guy. I mean that."

Once the bus was secure behind a gate, Hank gave a sigh of relief. They got there. First part down. Now they had to see if both of them could stay. "We got this." he whispered to his friend confidently.

Temperature: 94F (34C)
Humidity: Fucking High (Around 98%) - Raining off and on all day
Wind Speed: 7 MPH (11 KPH)
Cloud Coverage: About 62% covered with thick dark clouds

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Daytona leaned back in her seat and watched as the man who had waved them into the gate walked over towards the door. He knocked a few times and the woman nodded a bit before leaning forward and unlocking the door brace. Turning slightly more she draped an arm over the back of the driver chair and motioned for some to come on. The door swung open and one could hear foot steps as he lugged himself up them to the front of the bus. Turning he faced the new group.

Pulling his sunglasses off his face he glanced around and appeared to be of middle age, if not a little younger. He had dark hair and eyes, wearing all black even in this heat. His sleeves were rolled up a bit and his cowboy boots clicked as he took a shoulder width stance. He was unshaven and his hair was spiked a bit. A cigarette was planted firmly between his lips and oddly enough there was a bible in his hand. Wait a minute, the man had a collar on. Not your normal collar but a white one. And a rosary around his neck. Clearing his throat he pulled the smoke from his lips and grinned at the new arrivals.

"Hey Y'all, names Atticus but you can call me Padre, or Preacher, or Father. Whatever floats your boat. I'm the Chaplain here. Catholic but don't worry. I can do services in all the others as well, but my Hebrew is a bit rusty," he said in a slight chuckle. The man had a bit of a southern drawl when he spoke but not Georgia Southern. This was more western southern. Not full on Texan but maybe New Mexico? Smoke curled up from his cigarette as he dropped the duffel bag next to him and opened his bible only to pull out a folded sheet of paper from it.

"I'll be in charge of you getting settled in for your first night. Know you probably have a lot of questions but right now just take a deep breath and try to relax a bit. Just follow directions and we won't have any problems. First things first. We need to get you all to quarantine. This is for the safety of our community to make sure you aren't bringing any big sickness in. Yer gonna stay there for a week. Sounds like lock up, fucking ain't. Just safety shit," he said before giving a nod to Daytona. The door of the bus closed and he braced himself as she gave a bit of a honk. The inner gate slowly slid open and she pulled forward, driving at a leisurely and safe rate of about five miles an hour.

As the bus pulled through the second gate, the Camp began to show just exactly what it was. Inside, it looked... Just like time had stood still almost. People were walking around, a golf cart or two drove passed them. People waved to the new comers as they passed. Most of the population looked to be older but there were some younger people as well. Some were dressed normally, others were dressed in military casual.

"As you can see, we're doing pretty damn well for ourselves. To your left you will see our main Hydroponic Garden where were grow things we couldn't normally due to no real soil around here. To our right you will see we are now passin' general housing for Enlisted and Officers. It's for folks that are military by nature or chosen to join the military aspect of our town since we formed. Now, back to your left you will see our schools. Look out for the Principle, she's a real piece of work," he laughed and Daytona gave the man half a playful smack. "Well she is," he added with another laugh before taking a puff from his cigarette.

"Oh, here we had admin and our hospital. We have damn good surgeon and medical staff, you," he said calling out the couple with the small kid. "Was informed you need the little one to see a doctor, that will be taken care of. Doc'll be meetin' with you once we get you settled." He seemed to be singling them out right then. Hopefully it was just to put them at ease. "And over here we have mechanics and fabrication. If we don't have it, we can make it. Heard two of you could be in use of some limbs, we can help ya with that," he added with a wink.

"We're gonna get some things taken care of first. Just hold tight while we get through it all." The bus came to a stop in front of what looked to have been an old small motel, not hotel, some time ago. Atticus looked down and then back at the group. "Alright, this is how it goes. Gonna hand each of you a bag," he said before leaning down and unzipping the duffel bag. From it he pulled a single plastic bag with something inside of it. It was small and folded. Holding it up he continued. "Each of you is gonna give me your name and I'm going to write it on the outside of this bag. Inside the bag you're going to find a dressing gown. Don't open this until we get inside and I direct you to the showers," he added as Daytona followed him to hand over another bag from the duffel as he worked his way through the bus. Looking at each person in turn. "Just stay seated until I get through all of you and then can lead you off the bus. We're gonna get you a nice hot shower before long and a meal later on. Hope ya like sea food."

Outside one could see Maddoc, Panama, and Atlas coming over to the bus and take a casual stance outside of it. They were armed and looked to be ready to take care of anything if something went wrong. Their eyes trained on the bus and watching. Daytona gave them a friendly wave and they nodded. Things seemed to be okay for the time but it was up to the new group to decide if that was going to change.

"Okay, what's yer name?" Atticus asked each of them in turn as he waited to write down their name on the bag and then hand it over.

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Tatiana looked over towards Jack and nodded nervously. Leaning in close to him she whispered. "Oni zaberut vsekh nas, ya v etom pozabochus'." Her voice was firm but so quiet when she spoke before she looked forward again and bit her bottom lip like a scared little bird. Her eyes darting around as the man walked onto the bus. Her brow raising slightly, the man had to be nuts to be wearing nothing but black right then, in this weather, then he opened his mouth and introduced himself. The man was a priest? A smoking, cussing, unshaven priest? She looked over to Jack and leaned closer to him as she held Jamie closer as the gate opened and Daytona pulled through, the gate closing behind them. Tatiana figured it was to bring in the last truck.

Looking out the window Tatiana's eyes widened and she tugged slightly on Jack's shirt sleeve. It was a community, a full blown community. People looked... Happy. At least content. People were working and things were running. Seeing the older folk it made her think back to Miss Sally. Sally would have loved this place. The woman had mentioned she loved the shore. Then Atticus singled them out and she looked back over to him as she held Jamie. Tatiana perked up a bit and looked over at Jack, a small smile on her lips. Hearing they had an actual medical staff seemed to put her a little more at ease. They had a whole hospital. That was good. All they had in Newnan was a few rooms but then again they didn't have the number of people that this place had.

As they parked and Atticus added some more of what was going on Tatiana swallowed. A shower would be nice. The bus smelled rank at this point, even with the AC running. Waiting for Atticus to get to her she kept looking around. She hadn't even thought about religion in a long time and had stopped praying to get through the night sometime ago. When he got to her she looked up at him. "Tatiana, Tatiana Newnan and... this is Jamie. James Newnan," she said in her thick Russian accent and watched as Atticus wrote down her name on a bag before writing Jamies down on another and handed them over. "Dank you," she added as he handed over the bags.

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Wayne looked over to Hank and chuckled a bit, swatting at something in the air but not saying anything about why he was swatting at nothing. Taking a breath he nodded. "Fuck, getting that man assholes together someone is getting drunk a lot. No one is dry on the fucking beach," he said as he leaned back in the seat and tried to get his knees up. Like he did as a kid riding the bus some several decades ago. He was too big now though and too damn old. His knees popping several times before he gave up and sat up straight again.

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned, a lot," he said towards Atticus. The man was damn serious seeing a priest. "Least I can get last fucking rites now," he added looking over at Hank. Not that Wayne was a practicing Catholic. More like a Lapse Catholic but hey having a priest around wasn't a bad thing in his book. At least not one that smoked and cussed. Reminded him of dear Father O'Leary back home. Fucker had a mouth on him and could drink most of his parishioners under the damn alter.

As the gate opened Wayne leaned forward and looked around. "Grab my balls and call me Sally. Hank... Tell me I ain't seeing shit," he said looking at the people walking around like the world hadn't come to a horrific end. Then Atticus said the magic words. Sea Food. "Oh fuck yeah, they can have my left nut. I'm check in. This is my Hotel California."

It wasn't long before Atticus was over to him. "Hey Padre, nice digs. Oh fuck, right, Maldonado, Wayne Maldonado," he said before taking the bag from the man and looking up at Daytona. "Hey hot stuff."

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Her nerves were strained about the uncertainty of the situation. Getting to a new place was always like this, so far first impressions were good, but that didn't guarantee they were anything more than a charade... She wanted to believe in this and Ash's goal to bring them here, but she couldn't... not yet. Not until it was truly proven to be a real safe place. Amelia thus was using Riley's presence to calm her strained nerves. The man who appeared also didn't make thing much better. She looked at him with a gaze filled with mixture of emotions from hope and surprise to suspicion. At the very least he did give some answers... well one answer really. About what was going to happen now.

Outside she could spot the near dream like settlement of people. There were even golf cars milling about. It truly seemed almost too good. If this really proved even as half as good as they were presenting it, it was going to be alright. As long as they were accepted that is. She squeezed Riley's hand as she thought about what would happen.” I will also follow you everywhere...” She whispered as more info was given to them. Info about the town and about what they would have to do in the meantime. A quarantine... not exactly the best, but she supposed a needed precaution. She wondered of the degree of 1 to 10 how bad the quarantine accomodation will be.

“Amelia... Amelia Payne.” She quietly replied to the preacher man and took herself a bag. As the man was giving bags to the others and writing names, she wondered if they have to wear the robes... what will happen with THEIR things? These people already took their bags... Will they also take the clothes under the pretense of cleaning or sanitizing them?

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These people certainly seemed organized. The welcoming committee seemed to be equal parts showy and easygoing, probably designed to keep people calm while herding them all in the same direction. Being out in the greater world as he and the rest of them had been, Ash was still a little suspicious. He was supposed to meet someone here, but more and more he began to question that. The one detail that put him on the right track for trust came when the priest asked everyone for names. If something immediately nefarious was going to happen to them, he doubted that the offending parties were going to bother getting too acquainted and then sorting their clothing by whose corpse used to own it.

The moment that they pulled into the settlement proper, Ash felt a pang of emotional pain for his lost home, Newnan. They made that city into something great. Truly great, in a world full of ugliness. These people look to have done the same, except it was less of a make and more of a preserve. To the casual glance, anyway. There was no telling what these people might have engineered in the past five years. A few bright minds and maybe three dozen hard workers turned Newnan into a highly livable place in a lot less time. Mexico Beach? They had numbers and time. If they had the right people with the right education, there was so much that was possible. Of course, this begged the question: Were most of these people behind the walls for all this time, or did they have to fight everyday just to survive?

Regardless, the relative opulence of the town was duly impressive. Ash just couldn't show it on his face right then. It wasn't hard, he was already bracing himself for hard news about Thana. At word of a shower, his resolve almost broke. It wasn't like he didn't try to keep clean out in the world, but hasty cleanups in natural water sources on the extreme quick while someone else stood watch over you just wasn't the same as standing in a tub and letting heated, steamy bliss rain down upon you. But Ash held firm.

When Atticus announced his profession, the Captain instinctively repeated, "Chaplain..." It didn't occur to him that the settlement might cater to the religious, but that was silly. The military has employed Chaplains for as long as there was a military, and they specifically handled these little formalities. It made sense, so long as you stopped thinking like a desperate survivor and started thinking like a community administrator. It was something he used to be, not too long ago, among other things.

As the black-garbed man of God came upon him, Ash straightened and looked him dead in the eye. Habit, as well as a need to establish that he was fully cooperative to both this man and his own people motivated this, though he was no pushover. "Holloway, Ashton." He stopped himself before going into rank and MOS. The Ops Officer already got that, and they had his tags anyway. "If you're good at 'Methodist in Crisis', sir, I might pay a visit later." His tone was flat, but Ash still managed to project a hint of sarcasm. Acquiring his bag, Ash concluded with a succinct, "Thank you, Chaplain." He was cooperating. But he still wanted some quiet time with the rest of his group, regardless.

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A priest. A Catholic Priest in the middle of the Apocalypse. That was interesting. There even ran a not-unheard-of chance that he knew, or at least knew of, her father. He was likewise ordained in the Church. It was an understandable rarity for a priest to have a daughter (okay, to have a daughter and still be a priest), but here she was. It very well might have gotten around in ecclesiastical circles. Thalia gave hard debate in the back of her mind as to whether she should mention something right to the man about it when he came up to her with that bag of bags.

When the gate parted and they rolled into the town proper, Thalia took in a breath. This place was beautiful. Well planned. And the people seemed to be going about their lives like they didn't have to worry things like killing their next meal quietly or lighting a fire in a hole so they didn't draw the attention of Zeds. Or random assholes. On the other hand, three hundred people? She used to pass that many people walking halfway to her favorite bakery, just up from her old office in Boston. Before the Outbreak, of course. More recent years had made Thalia wary of crowds. Anymore, lots of people all in one spot tended to make her nervous. Time and circumstance undeniably changed her.

Mention of fabrication facilities and the acquisition of new, serviceable limbs for herself and Mugsy did give her a feeling of anxious hope. Thalia looked to Alexander and gave him an encouraging nod. They could both use something more sturdy and permanent to replace their missing limbs. She had an idea of what she would need, too. Nothing amazingly elaborate, just a prosthetic that withstood shock well and would allow her to effectively grip her shield or maybe a katar. Hell, a steel gauntlet with a bayonet fitting might suffice. Even look badassed. Thalia let her mind wander with possibilities until the priest came up to her in turn. She gave him a second of quiet study, looking to see if maybe she had seen the guy in any of her or her family's old stomping grounds.

Lacking the memory one way or the other, Thalia decided that there was really no harm in asking, after the task at hand. "Thalia. Um, Thalia Carmichael. Mi Familia always called me 'Angel', though. Did you know a Father Benicio Gonzalez?" Regardless of outcome, Thalia was more than happy to take the bag, though it meant uncovering her partially missing arm. She was still a little self-conscious about it.

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Throughout all of this, the big reveal of the settlement and the news of a shower (okay, that was an awesome thing to look forward to), not to mention a solid meal, the thing that got his attention more than anything else was the fact that Wayne actually said, and out loud, that this place was his 'Hotel California'. But first things first: "Nope. Nope to the nopenope there, Wayne. I'm seeing it, too." That statement could be taken with a grain of salt, seeing as he did have a history of seeing things that weren't there. Nothing this grand in scope, and nothing since the very start of the end of the world, so he was pretty reliable that way. And of course, Hank tended to be significantly more stable than his counterpart, so he was a good first choice at a second opinion on the reality of a situation in front of them.

The mention of the song, "Hotel California", gave Hank a chuckle. One popular interpretation of the old Eagles song put it as an analogy for a State Mental Hospital in SoCal, a point which he jumped on. "You know, that would be damn poetic. No really, it makes sense - seeing as we started this bullshit out in an asylum, it'd be fitting to retire in one now. Good call, man."

Hank was very forthcoming when Atticus asked his name. "Hank Wright. That's Wright with a 'W', yeah that's the one..." He leaned forward, presumably to make sure that the man was spelling his last name correctly. Instead, he motioned downward with his head twice, and lowered the volume of his voice significantly. He spoke clearly but quietly, necessity being that he made his point with haste. _{"You see that guy over there? No, there, with the... that guy."} Hank made small movements with his hand, pointing out the person specific to his intent. _{"His name is Nigel, but I will owe you a small favor if you pencil him in there as Sportacus. No, really. That's Sport, followed by a-c-u-s. Sportacus. You're a pal there, Man In Black. Won't forget this."} Hank received his bag, after which he clered his throat loudly and finished off with, "Ah, yes sir! I in fact am a Johnny Cash fan, too. We'll talk later!"

He gave the man a thumbs-up while clicking his tongue twice, then settled back in his seat fully. "Yeah Wayne, I might just like it here."

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Entering the real life version of a science fiction airlock Manny could say with at least some certainty that these people have a decent idea how to stay safe. Alexander was right though, they knew what they needed to. Manny wondered if he was actually going to be as useful as he was originally hoping, with so many people he wondered what the chances that they had another dentist was. Alexander did ease some of Manny's thoughts, the ones that have the best experience and the best training and are familiar with the best equipment would be the military. Or what was left of the military. Manny still had fears about what the inside culture would be like, but at least they would be safe.

Before the bus left this real world version of an airlock a man came aboard the bus. It didn't take long for Manny to understand this man was a religious figure for the community, a Chaplain. The idea that the community was well off enough for this was pretty good in some regards, though Manny's personal experiences with religion have been... spotty at best. Though he has met plenty of nice people who were religious he has also met many who have hated him right on the spot before they got a chance to know him. "Okaaaay..." Manny said, trying to hide his concerned emotions. Manny was still excited about this new community, just anxious. He would try to stay positive about it.

Manny held his judgements for now, at first glance the new man who called himself Atticus seemed fairly nice. He explained what they
were going to expect from the next few days and how they would go about it. Quarantine, decent mean, new clothes? If the beds were better then an old blanket on the floor Manny would be more then willing to make this place work! Granted he would work without the bed if need be. When it was explained to them that they would be in quarantine for a week Manny wondered what it would be like. "Do you think they will pair us up in quarantine? Keep us in the same room? I mean it wont fit health standards, but even a community this large will have its limitations. Keeping almost fifteen people isolated from the rest of the community and each other takes a lot of space and resources." He wondered what it would be like, he hasn't been through it himself in any sense before, and he wondered if they would have any human interactions. Though if not, Manny hoped they would get at least books.

Once inside the walls Manny could see why things seemed to strict, they had so much to protect here. People were walking down the street as if things were normal still. It... Amazed Manny.

When the Chaplin came by to Manny for his name Manny froze for a moment. Still stuck in some of his mentality before the world fell apart. After what felt like forever he finally pulled out of it and spoke. "My Name is..." He was tempted to add doctor to his name as it was apart of his title, but he wasn't looking to stand out yet. "Emanuel Newman. But most people just call me Manny." He spoke in as much of a monotone voice as possible, and accepted his bag with a smile. He was going to assume Atticus was a decent person until proven otherwise.

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The sight of a Chaplin made Hunter feel a little more relaxed. His company had a Chaplin in it years ago before things went bad. Hunter always felt he was a good person who helped Hunter stay on track while in the military. He hoped for a long time that he made it out of that stadium, though he knew it was unlikely. Seeing this man now, Atticus, gave Hunter some relief. Then Hunter looked around, and saw he was the only one sitting alone. He noticed a few people give him a glance, but not much more. He stood out as the potential person to get shot out of all of them, and as the only one alone. Unlike the others, if something happened to him, no one would be there to back him up. He was no longer in a position to protect himself anymore.

He would need friends, he would need allies, he would need people who will back him up in situations. In his unit he had his fellow soldiers, but that went south too. Then the Chaplin came up to Hunter waiting for his name. "Uhh.... Hunter. Hunter Monroe." He said trying to sound Polite. He took his little bag and said a brief thank you to the man. Inside the walls however, threw Hunter off on a scale so harsh, he was pretty sure he had just lost his mind. There were personal vehicles, people working jobs, casual walking, people overall... exposing themselves to the world, care free. "Are these people... insane? The world ended years ago..." He was in disbelief to how these people were holding up so well. He had trouble grasping that people could actually be this safe and happy. On his list of things to do now, figure these people out, and figure out why they are willing to let themselves stay so weak.

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Riley couldn't help but smile softly towards Amelia and leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, she was happy to have her regardless. Riley then looked over towards the front of the bus as Daytona let in the man in all black, seeing the outfit that he wore she instantly knew he was a priest after seeing the white collar. Riley did have a major dislike for anyone who was overly religious, but seeing the way the man looked, he seemed to be pretty relaxed. As long as he didn't try shoving any religious mumbo jumbo down her throat she wouldn't mind him. As soon as the inner gate door opened Riley's jaw dropped slightly as she saw the community for the first time, even a few golf carts driving around.

They certainly did have their things together having a community this large they all seemed to be really and truly happy, Riley looked towards Amelia and started to wonder if they would actually have a life here together if they were accepted. She then started to wonder how Chloe would have reacted seeing this place for the first time. Her attention then turned towards Atticus as he introduced himself and started to tell them about Camp Mexico Beach. She did hear the guy's voice in the very back making a comment, but shook her head slightly.

"This place is amazing." Riley said softly as soon as the bus came to a stop, her attention turned towards the window seeing the three men from earlier and then turned back towards Atticus, as one by one started to say their names, and when he got up to her. "Riley Ridgeway." She said, as she accepted the bag, and wondered how the whole quarantine thing would work as well. "Thank you." Riley said towards him as she laid the bag on her lap.

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Erica turned her attention towards Nigel, as he asked her if she had ever been to Florida before. "Once when I was about twelve, I went to Miami for a day or two with my grandmother and went on a cruise through the Caribbean." She said, smiling slightly to herself remembering the time she was there and having the time of her life back then. She looked towards both Hank and Wayne for a moment, wondering if the two of them would be accepted or not. "So are we sticking together?" Erica asked, feeling like she could trust Nigel well enough as the man came onto the bus. She then started to wonder how the community handled whenever hurricane season came through and wondered whatever plans they all had in case of something happened. "They would need a tank to get through the walls."

Erica leaned forward with a bit more interest as she looked towards the window once the gate door opened it was like going back into time, seeing people walking on the streets a golf cart or two driving the streets. It was certainly a far cry from the previous community she had been apart of. Her attention turning back towards Atticus as he started to talk about the community, eyeing the building for the armed services people of the community. Then the bus came to a stop in front of a motel like building, seeing the group from earlier standing outside as Atticus told them what was going on next.

"Erica Monroe." She said, as she looked over her shoulder towards Hunter, seeing as he had the same exact last name as she did, which was surprising but then again Monroe was a common last name. "Also absolutely no relationship towards him." Erica said gesturing towards Hunter, just to make it clear as well.