“We... just got together...” Amelia replied to Meg quietly. She smiled slightly though it was quickly replaced by the shadows of what had transpired an the thoughts of those they lost today... in the span of few hours. Just few brief hours...
“I got drunk last night... and managed to gather up some courage to ask her out.” She explained, thinking about her only remaining best friend from the old shelter that had become her girlfriend now. Event the mere thought of having a girlfriend was unusual to Amelia since she was always too shy to get into relationships until now. Then she remembered Riley was out on a run an shivered at the worst of possibilities.' Please... return safely...' She prayed in her mind, holding her hands across her stomach. She felt her entire body into some kind of weird unwell mess. The stress of the loss of friends, the nerves and the fact she was worrying about Riley too just made her feel sick. She took a few deep breaths in vein attempt to make the sensation in her stomach go away.
“Maybe this is a mistake... can I just return to help the dig?” She asked, wanting to bury herself in work again.
Jack wasn't sure what to say. He didn't understand the situation himself. All he knew was that they had gotten Miss Sally to medical and then Froggy had stepped out, shaking his head. There was no chart to look at and examine. There weren't details that had been shared yet. Miss Sally was here and then she wasn't, simple as that, as much as it broke his heart. His face fell as Tatiana appeared to crumble and lose the last bit of happiness she was clinging to. He moved over towards her and wrapped his arm around her tightly, nodding at Ray to let him know that he should take the call. Tatiana wasn't in any shape right now to put anyone else's needs first.
"I'm so sorry, solovey," Jack whispered, taking one hand and using it to gently stroke Tatiana's hair. He wasn't sure what he could do beyond simply be there for her, but he felt guilty nonetheless, as if this was somehow his fault. He wanted nothing more than to spare his wife from this pain but he couldn't do it. All he could do was hold onto her tight and stroke her hair while she cried it out. He knew how much Miss Sally meant to her, how much she meant to everyone. A few tears started to fall from his face, dropping onto Tatiana's head.
"I don't know what happened. Froggy came out and...she was gone," Jack explained softly. "She's in a bettah place."
Beatrice Decker
Location: The Meeting (Three-way intersection near the Hershall Norred Water Plant)
Beatrice frowned when she heard the calamity, uncertain as to what was coming their way. With all of the noise it was making, she imagined something like Ash's pride and joy, the Hordebuster. At either rate, she had one hand on her gun, the other one free. Gavin had already slipped into the trees and Ryan was using a door as partial cover. She didn't like the idea of staying inside the truck and she slipped out quietly. It'd make it easier to make a quick exit. She'd have more freedom of motion by foot. And with the thaw not completely set in, she figured the walkers wouldn't be especially active quite yet.
"Fucking hell," Beatrice said breathlessly, her eyes widening as the spotted the tank. She blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what she was seeing. She thought Justice had thoroughly prepared her for the end of the days, but this was something she hadn't expected to see. Sure, tanks weren't that out of place at the start, when the army was still existing and trying to combat these threats but now...It had been years since she saw one operating. Just who the hell was on the other end of that phone call?
The appearance of the not-Australian woman only further confused Beatrice. Sure, some people had lost their sanity. Maybe she had been stuck in the tank for months, accounting for her seemingly crazed nature. The other one who hoped out and began to move on foot, Beatrice felt like somehow, they were a little saner. They were less threatening, at any rate. She could deal with people, but a tank?
"Iris, I think this is above our pay grade," Beatrice said quietly. She wasn't going to bail - not yet, at any rate. But still...a tank?!
Chloe & Ravi
Location: Building 6 (the Armory)
"The mixture can vary, but it tends to contain formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, methanol, and other solvents. They're relatively harmless and easy to dispose of, since it's all organic material, but they unfortunately don't seem to be on hand," Ravi answered. He realized that it could be difficult for those without a scientific background to recognize the chemicals. "They should have a strong scent, something like a container of nail polish remover, since that's acetone based. Most organic solvents smell rather similar."
Chloe's nostrils flared for a moment as she heard Ryan's voice. It hadn't been the first time in her life that she had seen and heard things that weren't there. She had spent most of her early to mid twenties attempting to get that to happen. It didn't occur to her that this could be an effect from psychological trauma. No, Chloe considered only one explanation.
Somehow, the cocksucker had fucking drugged her.
She wasn't sure when Ryan had put the drugs into her system, but she figured it was his own weird form of saying goodbye. She had been clean for years, only for Ryan to give her a dose of something while on his way out of Newnan. Maybe it had been the prick of a needle just before he left, though she figured she would've felt it or noticed it. But it was the most logical explanation. The motherfucker tried to get her high.
"I'm gonna kill him," Chloe whispered under her breath.
"Pardon?" Ravi asked, before nodding and waving at Riley as she left. They were about ready to go as well, but Chloe looked like she was about to bite someone's head off. The girl really was a spitfire and if she wasn't so attractive, Ravi might've been a little more wary around her. Pretty, intelligent girls were his weakness, despite Gavin's constant insistence that Ravi plays for the other team. He half expected the Gavin hallucination to make a comment to that effect, but he seemed more insistent on Ravi being useless with a knife. Typical. Even an imaginary Gavin had little faith in his fighting abilities--
But it wasn't like imaginary Gavin was wrong.
"Nothing," Chloe snapped. She paused for a moment, looking at Jim. She couldn't help but wonder if they had drug testing kits, but she wasn't about to ask for one. It'd ruin the little trust Newnan had placed in her. Her best bet would be to ride out the effects and attempt to hide the eventual detox. If she could do it in prison, she was confident she'd more or less get away with it here. "Come on. Let's get this shit over with," she grumbled, motioning for Ravi to follow her to the gate where the others were waiting.
Location Building six:Armoury->inside the wall, waiting by the gate
Was it foolish to want to hear Sophia’s voice again? Even though she knew that it would just be painful and counterproductive for her in the long run, she wouldn’t mind being crazy to hearing Sophia’s voice again… plenty of crazy people functioned quite normally. She had, for most of her life… mostly. ”Sophia… “ she said softly under her breath, barely a whisper, and as the name passed her lips, Niesha shuddered. She spent so long trying to make sure she didn’t utter the name… She closed her eyes tightly. She hadn’t been able to save her, either. She hadn’t known Sophia was in trouble… but she should have been with her…
The infirmary had needed her though, Victor had needed her, and she’d answered the call, without hesitating. Because she’d wanted Sophia to be proud of her, wanted to show her that she could, somewhat, make amends… And she’d already spent months going through this in her mind. She’d been in a good place…
”I’m sorry, but… “
The community…. She’d found a place, she’d built something steady, something stable… She’d made something of herself, here. She couldn’t-wouldn’t- let it be taken away by the memory of the woman she’d loved… still loved.
”I can’t lose my mind now… maybe in nine months, after the baby is born.” Still muttering under her breath, she sighed heavily. Catching the sound of footsteps, she opened her eyes, looking up to follow Riley’s path to her. She shrugged at her question, silent for a few moments, ”As well as ever. Miss Sally… I wish I could have done something more, you know? It always makes me wonder, when we lose someone like that, if we had the technology…. Maybe they’d still be here. Everyone goes on about how much we’ve lost- television, mobile phones, illegal downloading, but… I’d give anything for the technology back that helped saved lives… We aren’t in the position our ancestors were, discovering things, we already know things exist, but we can’t get out hands on them, and that, I think, is more frustrating” She said, trailing off to a stop when she realised she was rambling.
When had that started? Sure, she rambled in her head all the time, but she generally kept her words more concise… maybe it was just because she was upset, she was frustrated. Or maybe it was just her brains way of staying active, and not letting her think about things she shouldn’t think about. ”Sorry. Rambling” She said, running a hand through her hair, ”Been a long day, I guess. And I am a little worried, about going outside the walls” She admitted, figuring that it was Riley. She could talk to Riley, much as she could with Kristina, although she’d prefer Kris… Riley was okay. ”But I guess everyone does, right? How are you holding up?” She asked, turning the conversation onto Riley for now.
The Captain stood inside of his house, sticking near to his door. It was interesting to him that Thana seemed to make herself at home rather readily. Faster then he did originally, now that he put some thought into it. It was a good thing, though. He felt the corner of his mouth tighten into a small smile. Hallucinations be damned, Ash considered himself a passable judge of character. And objective enough that the fact that he had opened up to someone both physically and emotionally for the first time in a very long while wasn't going to cloud that judgement in any meaningful way. A slice of happy for himself wasn't going to make him forget about the security and stability (insomuch as anyone's life was stable) of his people. It was a quality that made him a decent leader, even if he greatly wished that Leann was still alive to handle the job.
The thought of Lt. Colonel McCormick caused him to reflexively move a hand up to the collar of his jacket. It used to belong to the woman, and her grandfather prior to that. If anyone from his old unit could see him, Captain Ashton Jameson Holloway of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Combat Division, parading around in an old Army Air Corps flight jacket, they'd hit the floor laughing. He might flatter himself to believe that he was as qualified to handle this extended emergency as well as Leann did, and it took him a little while to grow accustomed to wearing it.
Waxing introspectively, it seemed that he had been surrounding himself with strong, capable women as of late. Leann, Alicia, Zoie, Bridgette, Astrid, and now Thana. A moment of sadness passed over him. All of these women had one thing in common, except for Thana: They were all dead. Worthy of surviving, but lost to a world that didn't deserve them.
As Thana returned, Ash snapped out of his thoughts. Maybe it was the shock of being referred to as "Captain Tight Pants". Back when that series was running, he was still a Lieutenant. He didn't become a Captain until all of this mess started, and by then no one was really talking about cancelled shows from the FOX network. Then again, the principal protagonist in that series started out as a Sergeant, so he was doing just that much better than another specific ex-military man caught up in constant dilemmas of one form or another, fictional though he was. "I remember that show..." he said in an almost sleepy tone. "I liked the pilot. Good guy."
Shaking his head, Ash picked up his pack near the front door. "Standard bug-out ruck. Useful for fast exits or extended runs." He probably didn't need it, especially with the choice of transportation he intended. If everything was normal, roads were clear, and there weren't people trying to eat you (living or dead), it would have been a mere jaunt up the road and back. Life wasn't like that anymore, though. They might want something from the pack if circumstances forced them to find another way home, or God forbid, were forced to maneuver on foot for a prolonged amount of time. "Alright ma'am, let's get you armed and outfitted for a scouting run. We have a little more ammo a Mossberg with a bayonet mounting you might find interesting at the Armory. How are you with a scattergun?"
Ash stepped outside, slipping the bag over one shoulder. He gave Thana a lingering look of admiration before stepping off of his porch, beginning to lead the way to the Armory.
James & Thalia
Location: The Meet (Three-way intersection near the Hershall Norred Water Plant)
Mild annoyance gripped Thalia as Lola took point, again, and kicked off the conversation with some of the most outlandish bullshit she had the pleasure to witness. It was Lola's way, controlling the conversation by starting things with raw shock value. Shook a lot of people up. She could stay cool and collected while people struggled with a conversation that kicked off with a "dafuq?" moment. Sometimes it was useful. But Thalia's mild annoyance was due mainly to the fact that her friend hijacked the opening salvo on an exchange involving her family. She opened her mouth to assert herself into the conversation when the man in the center of the intersection spoke, breaking her confidence in what remained of humanity as a rational, sane species.
"Oooh, lordy-lord no, little lady. Y'all don't wanna hit Eater's Cleaning offa 85. They like to dress up Cocker Spaniels in yo best undies, then make those inter-species erotic movies with 'em. No ma'am, you ain't gonna catch a man like me yonder, 'less they's got strippers givin' 'way free hot dogs in the parkin' lot an' the cameras're pointed somewheres else, get me? Now, Reese's up on Brown Street? They the shit." He waved his satphone in front of him, then slipped it in his pocket and adjusted his stetson hat upon his head. "But beggin' yo pardon, Miss Kiwi, there ain't no reason to be cussin' muthafuckas out. I'm very much that dick on the phone."
Thalia was not about to let these two get into a lengthy conversation about what amounted to verbal one-upmanship. In a loud, clear voice, she blurted out, "How did she die?" She wanted to cry, wanted more to stay stone-faced, and partly wanted to unceremoniously put a bullet in each of these people and wander off in the woods alone. "If you're for real, you would have told me on the phone if Alicia was okay. So how did she die? Then tell me how her father went, and why the fuck you're still standing if those two aren't."
James's mildly amused look vanished. "Damn, girl. You really one o' them, ain't you?" he took off his hat and held it in front of him, bowing his head slightly. "She went out with a gun in hand, helpin' someone else survive. I was there. Sumbitch made it, too - that day." Tears welled up in his eyes, thinking back to how he was powerless to do anything but watch her die. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, girl. Muthafuckin' horde took her. Her man wound up puttin' her down after she turned, luck had it, and it damn near broke him. They buried her next to her pops." There wasn't a hint of mirth on the man's face, humor having drained away, leaving someone obviously under emotional strain.
Her own tears forming, Thalia stepped closer. She stuck her own phone back into a pocket and asked the follow up of, "And how did 'her pops' go? Huh?"
"Same day. We was under attack from these fuckbats from Peachtree City, usin' the dead folks as cover and distractin' us. They waited till we had supply teams out and pinned us under fire. In the mess, half a goddamned Walker slipped offa the top of a building. Big Daddy Caesar shoved this girl name o' Meghna out the way, took the hit himself. Bad muthafucka knew he was goin' out, just went full-out monster on all the dead folks 'tween us and the armory. He went out givin' us a fightin' chance. In the end, though, he asked this girl Zoie to bleed him out quick and put a blade in his skull. No way he was gonna put his folks in danger. Kinda man he was. That an' scary beyond all reason."
Thalia just nodded. "Thank you." she spoke quietly.
Alexander wanted to take back everything he had said against himself, figuratively punching himself for making himself look like an ass-hat. Whatever he had said to make Thalia dislike him the way she did, couldn't possibly stand a chance against what the looney of a Kiwi was doing right then, stuck between a rock and a hard place. While the other strangers might not have seen the old soldier or what he was doing, he gave himself a good ol' facepalm. First she decided to join the fray by walking towards them, then she called them 'spotted dicks' and said she had to get her nails done, before promptly swearing at them. Okay the last one was uncalled for, she was a Kiwi after all, but the rest? How in the world had she not gotten herself killed yet?
The scene involving Thalia and the black guy however, now that was something different. Very, very different. Alexander couldn't see her face, but it wasn't hard to understand that this wasn't easy for her to do. And yet she did it. "God damn, that girl's something." he whispered to himself, seen as Thalia and the Kiwi loony had gone off without him. He wasn't going anyway. The tank was the best cover right now, not that it stopped him from leaning more and more out of the hatch to hear what was being said. And it was painful to listen to. Alexander struggled to keep back a few tears from running down his cheek. He had never met these people before, but it sounded all too the same as what he had experienced himself. Loved ones dying because of mistakens being made. Loved ones being put down by those who loved them. Put down by himself. It was good that he was still at the tank, because he didn't want to see him that way.
Riley looked over towards Niesha for a moment as her friend spoke, she was going to miss the old woman as well one of the few people that Riley actually did respect. She leaned back and looked up at the sky for a moment closing her eyes and sighed slightly, she certainly did miss all the things that they had before the outbreak happened. "I really do miss music on the radio, I mean we do have a collection of music. But I do miss listening to radio stations, and also performing." Riley said softly, they certainly. "Miss Sally was a pretty amazing woman, she is certainly going to be missed I will certainly miss hanging out with her." Riley said as she looked over towards Niesha.
She could tell that Niesha was upset about what had happened to her, and she couldn't blame her either the last several hours have been pretty rough. When Niesha asked how she was doing Riley gave a slight shrug, she wasn't one hundred percent on how she was feeling, but she could be better. "I'm dealing alright I guess, so much death and then four people leaving that I wasn't expecting honestly." Riley answered, she was also pretty concerned with Niesha being outside of the walls, though she knew Neisha was capable of handling herself out there. "You will be fine you got me and I always got your back." Riley said giving Niesha a gentle but friendly nudge.
Meghna Kumar
Location: The Graveyard
Meghna gently patted Amelia she was really happy to hear that they were now dating, and continued to make their way over towards Tatiana's place, that was the most likely place that she was going to be at she thought. "Well i'm sure that Riley will get back safely for you, and you can spend the rest of the day with her if you'd like." Meghna offered, then she raised an eyebrow slightly when she heard Amelia ask, and shook her head slightly. "This is an order from your boss, I want to make sure that you are alright is all." Meg said, she was really worried about Amelia's mental state. "Besides the holes will be there when we get back they aren't going to get up and walk away either."
As Meghna turned up on Jefferson Street, she heard Ray's voice over the radio. "Hey it's Meg was wondering if you were able to take a session for Amelia right now?" Meghna asked, looking down at Amelia for a moment she knew that her friend really didn't want to go. But still she just wanted to make sure that her friend was safe. Then she heard that he would be able to meet with them and nodded. "See you in a bit." Meghna said over her radio.
Raymond Mendoza
Location: Building F Tatiana & Jack's Home
Raymond sighed slightly to himself as Jack gave the news, he would probably find out from Froggy later on what had happened exactly, Ray gently gave Tatiana a friendly pat on the shoulder doing his best to comfort her. He heard Meghna's voice over the radio looking over at Tatiana and then Jack. "I'll take care of them for you." Ray said as he reached over for the radio, hopefully Tatiana didn't mind taking over for Amelia and Meg and see what they wanted. "I'm over at Tatiana's place, i'll i'm free so i'll meet you guys there." Raymond said as he handed back the radio.
"Jack is right Miss Sally is in a better place now, probably watching down at us right now." Raymond said giving Tatiana a comforting smile and looked towards Jack. "Would you guys like to have a moment to yourselves?" Raymond asked, he wasn't sure if they wanted to have a session in their home right now with Amelia and Meghna they both seemed to be pretty shaken up about everything that has happened so far.
Kristina Smith
Location: Graveyard
Kristina twiddled her thumbs together as she sat on the edge of the grave that she and Amelia had been digging, biting her lip for a moment and turned her head to look up at Tiffany as she asked if she was alright. She really wasn't alright, sure she had gotten a promotion job wise. However she lost two people today and she wasn't even sure she would ever see Black James ever again, sighing slightly to herself. "No not really, i'm not even sure if i'll ever see James again." Kristina admitted, the man took her under his wing after her sister died and looked up to him as a father figure.
"I've lost so many people, first my father, then my mother in the earliest days. My sister protected me and we just traveled together for a very long time." Kristina said softly as she looked down and gave a slight shrug. "Then we met Lorna, and sometime after that Dick before we got to Newnan. They were on a run together and only Dick came back, and was told that my sister died then it was just me and Lorna after that. A few months later we happened to meet Ashton and my sister again, we were brought back to Newnan just as Eden attacked and then lost her again. James looked after me after that, and now feels like I just loose people who are like family to me." Kris said softly.
She listened as Kristina spoke. A few noteworthy bits were taken. Especially talk of Eden. She had heard the name before, of course, but not to any great extent. Not wanting to drag up old memories that were already on their way in, Tiffany sat alongside her. "When all this started, I was on a bus going out of Massachusetts with my fiance. We were attacked and eventually made our way to a school, where we slowly built a community. Eventually, the people in charge got too big for their britches, as it were, and it turned into a prison. We escaped, but not before we lost many people. My fiance himself was taken from me. And this is how I found my way here and eventually with everyone here."
"We are living in a world of great uncertainty. We don't know if the next day will be our last or if when we go out for supplies we will get bit, or shot, or stabbed. It's a sad truth, but it's a truth we must accept if we have any hope of living through this. Hope isn't enough though. It's why I am glad I am a part of this community. It's that need of belonging that drives me. Knowing I have people like Ray and Meg and everyone else that depends on me and vice versa that gets me going. It's why we have to continue despite the loss, despite the uncertainty we will ever see our friends again. Because if we don't...."
"We are no better than the walking corpses outside these walls."
It is about lunch time for most of Newnan currently, so those that are not on cases or anything might want to grab a meal or something if they do not have anything else going on. Those not directly in cases or specifically involved in the rest of the update - pm me for rolls to see if your character hears or sees anything else that others are not.
Case Name: Trip to North Newnan Lead Reason: Getting embalming supplies Secondary Reason: Maybe a casket Recruiting: Nope Time: 1-2 hours, depends (Will probably be 1-3 cases to complete.) Group: Chloe, Ravi, Niesha, Riley
Okay, you are leaving the walls of Newnan to go just north to the Funeral Home. Ravi will know what needs to be looked for to embalm Miss Sally. You are to make your way there and back. PM me for rolls once you get inside of the Funeral home and descriptions. You also might want to see about caskets because you will need something to put the body in. Most of the time in Newnan they aren't even put in a wooden one, just straight into the earth. Considering that there will be an actual funeral for Miss Sally, a casket might be a good thing. Plus, if you get one of those carts from the funeral home you can probably put the chemicals in the casket and wheel it back. Who knows.
Counter for this is 7 days from today. Good luck girls.
Case Name: Date Run Lead Reason: Get Ash's Head Cleared Secondary Reason: General Run Recruiting: Depends if they run into anyone Time: Rest of the Day most likely, could be longer - depends (Will most likely be 3-5 cases to complete) Group: Ash, Thana
Get your gear and shit together and head out. You are heading outside of the walls to a location to be revealed in the post. Main goal is to get Ash thinking straight. If you are able to bring anything back, great. If you are able to get back alive, that's what matters in the long game. You have 7 days to start.
Gavin, Ryan, & Lola
Location: The Meeting
Ryan nodded a bit in Beatrice's direction. "Yeah, anything beyond breathing I think is above my pay grade," he said with a bit of a smirk on his lips. A fucking tank was above most everyone's pay grade these days, that is if they were getting paid. He couldn't take out a tank but hell the women were close enough now that if they tried anything he could probably take them out. Granted he wasn't an ace shot like some and could end up hitting James as well. This was a shit situation all around.
Lola laughed brightly. This man was a nuts as she was. "Well shit mate. That sounds like right proper things to know. Will make note of it. Any suggestions on where I can get some lip stick?" she asked with a sly grin but then went oddly quiet. It wasn't something she did often but she knew how important this was to Thalia so she kept her trap shut as best she could while they spoke. Quiet for her though meant dancing around a bit and singing to herself. It was the best anyone could hope for.
Ryan listened and groaned a bit. That was one hell of a lot to dump on anyone right then. Gavin was keeping a close eye on the group. So much in fact he didn't notice a body beneath him. It wasn't any typical body. A walker was melting beneath the tree and had worked itself free. Gavin didn't hear it. Melting snow wasn't making a lot of noise right then and even Gavin could hear Lola clear as day from where he was. She was pretty much drowning everything out right then.
Slowly it came out from under the tree and because Gavin was looking through his scope and keeping things fixed between Lola and Thalia, he couldn't see what was happening below him. The Walker rambled out of the snow bank and towards the group slowly. Most walkers tended to start all looking the same after a bit of time but this one stood out. Blonde hair, in braids, leather bodice, a shield on her back. Seemed that one former member of Newnan was coming to say a final hello. Ryan didn't notice it at first but when he did he hardly could believe what he had seen. He hadn't exactly known a certain Viking woman when she left Newnan injured to go die in her own way but he had heard of her and seen the tribute that Tatiana had built for her and the rest.
"James.... turn around...." he said as he slowly stepped out from behind the door of the truck and started to take aim. Astrid was behind James, a good thirty feet still and she was moving slowly. He still wasn't sure of his shot, so he didn't take it yet.
Tatiana Korvo
Location: The Newnan's House (Building F)
Right then it seemed that Tatiana was inconsolable. She was weeping freely as the call came in to Ray asking if someone could take a minute with Amelia. Normally Tatiana would have pulled herself together and done her duty but there were extenuating circumstances. So much loss, and while there was nothing that could change it Miss Sally passing away seemed to be the straw that broke the small ballerina's back right then. She couldn't even answer when Ray asked if they would like a moment alone. But her actions were probably speaking louder than anything right then, it was more than clear she was in no condition right then to speak to anyone and it was probably best if her and Jack had some time alone.
Even if her crying wasn't enough to get the point across. The fact that in a single moment she ended up pushing away from Jack and bounding down the hallway probably was. One could hear the door slamming shut behind her and shortly after that the sound of the towns moral officer losing whatever she had eaten in the last twenty-four hours into the bathroom throne. Seemed the combination of stress, loss, and being pregnant had all finally come together in a perfect storm and triggered what most would have called morning sickness. Sure that was the name for it but it could hit at anytime and even though it was lunch time, it was hitting her right then. Probably better now than earlier or even later. At least right then she was home.
Amealia felt off right now. The sick sensation in her stomach wasn't going exactly away. Her hand still felt like she lacked any ability to sense touch with them or express much degree of strength. She didn't feel like talking about this... didn't feel like burdening someone else with her emotions and inability to express them more than that. She really wanted to just help dig... drown herself in something to do, not that it was working when she was digging. The fact she was denied to retreat...
“Alright...” She only replied. It was an order... An order she wanted to reject, but her rationality was telling her not to.” Just... for a little... I...”
“I... how did all happen so fast...” She mumbled quietly, her fingers trembling as she clenched them in a fist, hiding it in her pockets. She had no idea if it was the cold or the stress. She couldn't even go into denial about it. She had seen the bodies... James leaving... Heard from Riley that Miss Sally passed away.
Suddenly her attention was pulled away from little something about 10 feet away on the groun. It was an arrow.' Must have been burried by the snow... luckily no one stepped on it.' She thought, planning to go grab it when she suddenly froze in place as someone walked by her towards the arrow, picking it up and then looking at them. "Sana..!?" Amelia exclaimed out loud in surprise and panic as the woman walked away and behind a building. Amelia was frozen in place, staring at the place where she had just seen her deceased friend. Before suddenly heading towards the place Sana went.
"Yeah, yeah, mo' alone would be awesome," Jack said quickly, before bolting after his wife. As he heard the door slam initially, he was worried that Tatiana wouldn't even want to be around him. He wouldn't be able to comfort her then and the thought of that was killing him a little bit inside. As the retching started, he realized exactly what was going on and darted back for one of the radios, just in case he needed to send for Froggy. All of this stress couldn't be healthy for Tatiana or for the baby.
Jack knocked softly on the door, not sure if Tatiana needed complete privacy or if he'd be able to come in. The very least he could do was hold her hair while she vomited. "Solovey? You okay?" He bit his lip. This day was just too much for any person to deal with. Tatiana had dealt with so much - she could handle this, right? She was unbreakable. She was titanium. If there was anyone Jack believed in with all of his heart, it was her.
"Should I call ovah someone from medical?"
Beatrice Decker
Location: The Meeting (Three-way intersection near the Hershall Norred Water Plant)
Beatrice listened to the tragic tale that James told Thalia about her family. Her more cold and emotionless side was a bit impressed that he managed to keep it so brief, so quick, so short. But deep down, Beatrice knew how much pain Thalia was going through at the moment. Most people had either already found out what happened to their loved ones years back. Either that, or they'd never know what happened to them. She didn't know if her adoptive parents were still out there. She doubted she ever would.
Beatrice followed Ryan's line of sight, before spotting the walker. She hadn't met Astrid. The odd attire was the only fact that tipped Beatrice off that she likely was a former Newnan resident. There used to be a little clan of vikings up until the day she had arrived in Newnan, from what Beatrice understood. Of course, it didn't make sense that this one was dead and walking. Newnan always tried to take care of their dead, prevent them from coming back. The woman must've died in a way that made it hard to put her down. That was what Beatrice had to conclude.
"Which one was she?" Beatrice asked simply, doing a quick scan of the rest of the area. It was cold enough that the walkers were significantly slowed down, but she wouldn't be surprised if the Kiwi's racket was drawing a small hoard towards them. There already was one walker in their vicinity, after all. And not everyone had a tank to protect themselves with.
Location: The Meet (Three-way intersection near the Hershall Norred Water Plant)
Though Thalia had thanked James, her mind was partly in denial. How dare this complete stranger say these things about her family? Alicia and Caesar were the two biggest badasses she knew. There was no way that she outlived them. It just didn't add up. Either he was lying or... or Thalia was being foolish. She knew that they were dead and just needed to find out for herself. This odd man in the middle of the road had no reason to lie to her. They were gone. The piece of her personal quest that kept her in what used to be Georgia was done. Thalia had already mourned their loss. What she had now was closure. Finally, she was free to go.
James wasn't sure what else to say to her. Or the Kiwi. He stood there for a couple of dry seconds before stretching his hand out to the both of them, saying, "Hey, we missed introducin' ourselves. Name of James Mandingo Grady. Most folk that know me call me Black James, tout suite..." It was the general, optimistic greeting he gave when he was meeting new people, though this time the words were a little more lackluster. "I just wish there was something I could do for y'all. Most folks get tea or somethin' after bad news..."
He wanted to say more, extend some measure of comfort, but before he could think of anything, James heard Ryan urge him to turn around. The moment that he did, he really wished that he hadn't. Braided, blonde hair, leather armor, roundshield slung across her back. The lady in question was long dead, but that tiny detail didn't stop her from walking toward them.
Thalia craned her neck to see around James, taking a step to her side to get a better view. She caught herself, an audible gasp preventing a sob from escaping. In the still of the cool air, she could just barely hear the woman back at James's truck ask a pointed question as to the woman's identity. A tiny bit of shock came over James and a little more than that came over Thalia. Their voices intertwined as they both spoke simultaneously, only partly in answer to the question:
"Astrid." "Astrid."
A half second of total disbelief smacked them both, mirrored on their faces, each. They locked eyes for that half second and immediately returned to the corpse shambling at them. It was enough to knock the displaced Gonzalez back into the here and now. She noticed that the man who had brought James's attention to the very familiar Zed was now pointing a firearm at it. "Wait! Please. Astrid was a Shieldmaiden. I stood the Wall with her. She deserves better than that." Her voice was suddenly fierce, but colored by grief. She risked a step forward, asking everyone on the other side of the intersection, "I pull a weapon and handle this, are we all going to be cool?"
Who knew what Gramps was missing out on? The old soldier hadn't managed to push back the tears that the whole scene pushed upon him, even if it was a good distance away - and no, he has good enough sight for his age, thank you very much. He had disappeared back into the tank for a moment, choking the tear and sobbing with his hands as best as he could. Firstly he didn't want to be heard by any Walkers out there, old habit if you can call it that.
Secondly, he didn't want Them to hear him.
The voices outside brought him back to his old self though as he heard the conversation suddenly doubled up for no apparent reason. To hell with the tears, who knew if something was afoot? The moment Alexander popped up from the hatch of the tank again, he wondered if he'd lost his mind...again. It was a woman wearing a shield, shambling towards one of the strangers. And Thalia asked them to let her take care of her because she knew him?
Seriously, these days he could be as mad as Lola and not even realize it.
Meghna listened to Amelia she did feel a little bit bad for forcing Amelia to do something that she didn't want to do, but it was something that was necessary for her to do. She looked towards Amelia she was really upset herself and doing her best to try and hold back her tears as well after hearing the loss of Miss. Sally. "I know you really don want to, but it will make things better." Meghna said softly. As she looked towards Tatiana's and Jack's house that was on the end of the street, when she heard Amelia mentioning something about Sana. Meg looked at her with a confused look and raised an eyebrow towards her, she didn't see Sana as far as she could tell and knew that the woman was now dead. Then she watched Amelia suddenly darting off towards another building letting out a slight sigh as Meg quickly followed after her. "Amelia wait up!" Meghna yelled.
Raymond could tell that Tatiana really wasn't taking this well, he watched her getting up and making a mad run towards the bathroom, Ray looked at Jack for a moment and gave him a slight nod. It was probably for the best, Jack did know her the best and he could do better at calming her down then he could. "If you need me just come and look for me alright?" Raymond said as he got up and started to make his way towards the front door. Ray took a moment and looked around before seeing Meg and Amelia, however Amelia seemed to suddenly dart off the opposite direction then Meg going after her.
It took a little bit longer then he could but Ray eventually caught up to Meghna and looked at her. "Is everything okay?" Raymond asked, Meghna looked at him and gave a slight shrug. "I'm not really sure." Meghna answered as she continued to follow behind Amelia.
Kristina Smith
Location: Graveyard
Kristina turned her head to see Tiffany going over and sitting down next to her, and gave her a soft smile as she started to listen to her as she brought up some of her past. Kristina gave a slight nod, but she truly did hate losing everyone around her that she cares about but she did have people in Newnan that had been looking after her. "You are probably right. I just hate losing people who I care about is all." Kristina said softly her eyes slowly wondering back towards the grave that she had been digging, she felt her stomach starting to growl slightly.
[color=cyan["I'm a bit hungry, should we go and grab some lunch?"[/color] Kris asked, she hadn't really eaten to much today and after everything that has happened today she needed something to eat. Then when they finished eating then they could go back and finish up digging the rest of the graves, as well as start up on Miss Sally's as well figuring that they would get that out of the way. "Then we can start working on Miss Sally's as well when we get back?"
Tiffany could understand where Kris was coming from. She didn't like losing people either. She never did. She would often cling to people since she lost her parents. Now, she was...mature? Was that the word? She hated losing people, would mourn and cry at their loss, but it was something inside of her that told her to move on quicker nowadays.
It made her slightly sick.
However, she was also hungry, and lunch sounded good. "Yes, lunch sounds great." Tiffany wouldn't acknowledge making Miss Sally's grave. Not yet.
She stood up and walked with Kristina to the Mess Hall. As she walked, Tiffany heard a voice she didn't expect to hear from in a while. "You really think you belong here? Come on, we have always been a bit on the outside. Not as much as Dick was but still. Really think you will ever be fully accepted here?"
Now she was hearing voices? That was troubling. Was Beatrice dead? She shuddered a bit. But the voice had a ring of truth to it. Was she accepted here? She thought she was, but maybe they were just tolerating her? She instantly felt sad, as if all the sadness she was holding back was now coming forward. She could feel the sting of tears coming, but no she would not let them fall.
Niesha was silent for a few moments as Riley spoke, a few thoughts rolling around in her mind. Finally, she said very softly, "Sometimes it seems that we have these months of okay day to day life, and then something happens, like a switch flipping, and.... everything just seems to go to hell" She let the words trail off, falling silent once more, looking back the way they had come, waiting for Ravi and Chloe. Once more, she let herself think on what they were doing. And why. Going beyond the walls was nothing, not when you compared it to the reason, to giving Miss Sally a proper send off.
That was what mattered, and she wanted to be gone, to be back so that they could give her the proper burial she deserved. It was a chance to be reminded that they were all human, and human traditions needed to be respected, that reminder... so maybe they could all heal. "But doing this is right, and I know we will come back"
Riley listened to Niesha as she spoke and gave a slight nod, except for yesterday everyday seemed to be a living hell to her at least in her eyes. The only things that she cared about now were her sister and Amelia both still alive and well within the walls, with her. "Things will get better, and then go bad its an endless cycle." Riley said with a slight shrug as she picked up her supplies and strapped them over her shoulder looking over at Niesha.
"Are you still okay, I mean going out there that is?" Riley asked, she had been on a few runs in the past but nothing recent that she could remember, she then looked forward as she crossed her arms over her chest as she patiently waited for her sister and the new guy Ravi to swing on by and they could finally get on with this supply run. "Also are we going to be getting anything else while we are out there?" She knew that they needed embalming supplies but that's about it, she wasn't sure what else they would actually need.
Niesha gave a shrug, "I'm okay. It's for a good reason, and I'll be fine out there. I was for a long time before being brought in here, after all" She said, her tone light, before she shook her head, "No, i don't think so. just the embalming supplies... and... hm. Do we get a casket? Might be hard to bring back though. I guess we can see" she said thoughtfully, before shrugging once more, "Whats taking them so long, we should be gone"
"We're right here." Chloe said bitterly. She and Ravi had just made it to the gate. They had taken a little longer to arrive, mostly because both Niesha and Riley split off early. And of course, the entire way over, Chloe was wordlessly checking herself for symptoms. If Irish really had drugged her, she didn't expect the hallucination to be a one time thing. It made her be a little bit crabby in general. "Let's move," Chloe muttered, before marching off already.
Ravi looked at Riley and Niesha a bit apologetically. From what he could tell, Chloe was getting crabbier by the minute. Had the world not gone to hell, he would've suggested a Starbucks run in order to get her some apparently much needed coffee. Instead, all he could do was stand around and feel a tad bit awkward.
Riley looked towards Niesha when she mentioned a casket and gave a slight nod, it would be more respectful if they could find one but that's if they were able to actually find one while they were there. "A casket would be nice, that's if there is one there we will find a way to bring it back." Riley said as she heard her sister her eyes looking over towards Ravi and gave him a friendly smile, she instantly however picked up Chloe's attitude and wondered what was wrong with her.
Riley waved for the guard at the gate to let them through and started to follow along side Chloe, she gently rested a hand on her shoulder and looked at her with a concerned look. "Whats wrong Chloe? You look like you want to eat someones face off."
"Nothing. Everything's fine," Chloe said. She didn't exactly want to tell her sister that she suspected there was an unknown drug in her system. Everyone had a lot on their plates and she didn't feel like destroying the trust that had recently been formed.
Use to mere indifference from Chloe, over the last few months, Niesha found it particularly unpleasant to be on the end of her bitterness. She turned to the other woman's retreating back, and said "You don't have to like me, but if all you're going to do is bite our heads off, then just shut up. We aren't here for you, we aren't here for any of us, we are here for a woman who died, a good woman, who gave her all to this community, and if you can't appreciate that, if you can't focus on that, then what the hell are you doing here?" More then a little annoyed, Niesha started off, but stay as far away as she could get from Chloe as was reasonably possible. She didn't know why Chloe didn't like her, and right then, she didn't care.
She turned ehr thoughts to their mission, and getting what they needed, in and out as quickly as possible, perfectly without losing anyone. Just a run. She'd done plenty of them before, before finding Newman. Easy. Right? She hoped so. She sighed, shifting her things into a better position on her back, ready to grab the borrowed bow at the slightest sight of anything dangerous. Focus on the mission.
That was all she could do right then.
Chloe raised an eyebrow at Niesha. She hadn't, in her opinion, said anything of the sort. It was just more evidence to her that Niesha was too emotional to go outside of the walls at the moment. "When the fucking hell did I say any of that? When did I bite your head off, huh? Do you want me to be a bitch to you, because I can be a bitch. I'm proficient in bitch-craft. Get angry at me for the things I've done, but never fucking accuse me of things that I haven't. Not once have I said this was about me. Not once did I say it was about everyone else. Hell, all I've done is try to fucking help. I get you're hurting, but don't take this shit out on me. "
Chloe wanted to march off, but she felt like an intense fire was burning through her. This was anger, new anger and old anger, all at once. "I didn't have to come and fucking help with this. But this isn't for Miss Sally at the end of the day. It's for the people who are still alive. The dead don't give a shit because they don't know shit. Death is something that happens to everyone else, not the person who died. It's awful that Miss Sally died, but it's shitty that everyone died. Those tributes Tatiana made for the dead? They're for the living. Don't forget that."
Ravi wasn't sure whether or not he should intervene. He didn't know the two gingers had history, but this fight wasn't going to help anyone outside of the walls. "I'm not trying to be a git, and I don't know you two, but you need to stow it, both of you," Ravi said bluntly. "The more energy you put into fighting with each other, the less you'll be focusing on getting the job done."
Riley's eyes wondered between both Niesha and Chloe, she could easily feel the tension between the two once Niesha had spoken she rubbed the back of her neck letting out a slightly annoyed sigh. Then Chloe snapped back at Niesha, this was certainly going to be an interesting run a new guy and her pissed off sister and Niesha. "We all need to work on this shit together, we are all hurting today but we really cant afford to be at anyone's throats now like the new guy said. We need to just stow it and get this stuff done and the sooner we can all get back."
"You can still respect the dead, and thats what this is. Respecting her. Your tone was biting, and that is that" Niesha replied, before she feel silent, turning away from Chloe. she just wouldn't deal with her. Worked so far, so well. She walked a little bit away from the group, deciding right then that that was for the best. She just wanted to get this over with. She wanted to get back to those she cared about.
She sighed, taking her bow in her hand, so that she was at the ready should anything sneak by, turning her energies to that task.
Chloe was walking on ahead. She had heard what everyone said and she honestly didn't have anything else to say. She hadn't disrespected Miss Sally, but it was clear to her that Niesha was just an emotional mess. As soon as this was over with, she was going to head on home, find anything in the house that she could smoke, and blow off some steam. If it wasn't for Riley, she'd likely have left Newnan that day, with or without Ryan. She was ahead of everyone else by a fair few paces, scanning the road ahead of them.
"Right. Now that that's settled, does anyone know what the funeral parlor should look like?" Ravi asked.
Riley shouldered her crossbow over her shoulder and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she watched Chloe and Niesha walking ahead of her and Ravi. "Sorry about my sister, she really isn't snippy like that, neither is Niesha." Riley said towards him as she kept her eyes very close to Niesha and Chloe as the two walked ahead of them, she would have to check up on Chloe when she had a free moment during the run or when they got back behind the walls. "I've walked past it a few times on a few other runs, its a big white building looking like a southern manor back during the civil war times or something like that."
"It's no problem, really," Ravi replied, smiling kindly at Riley. "I've traveled with a crazed Texan for more than a month now. I can handle two distressed ginger girls."
As they continued to walk, Niesha kept her gaze out for the funeral home, letting Riley do the talking for now. As the large white building came into view, Niesha was relieved that they arrived safely. Guessing that it would be dark in the building, she automatically reached for the borrowed flashlight.
"I'm sure that you got some interesting stories with your partner then huh?" Riley said as they got to the funeral home, she stopped for a moment as she noticed in the parking lot that there looked to be a set of tank tracks? Riley walked over to get a closer look at them and knelt down to get a better look. "Looks like someone is driving something big around here." She said to herself, before getting up looking over towards Ravi, Chloe and Niesha.
Ravi blinked for a moment, hoping that partner was meant the way it was in western films. If she had the impression that he and Gavin were more than just mates...He opened his mouth to protest for a moment and to remind everyone that he was, in fact, straight. But he closed it abruptly, only to gawk once more at the large tracks left in the snow. Beyond the general size of the contraption, the tracks didn't tell him much. He didn't have the luxury of asking a forensic tech to match the prints in this scenario.
"Fucking hell," Chloe frowned. "What made that? Another Hordebuster?" Chloe snorted. "Shit, maybe we aren't alone in the world after all. It could be aliens." She wouldn't have been too surprised at this point. As angry as she was, the entire day had been insane. There hadn't been any return to normalcy, so why would that happen now? It was foolish to expect that.
"I know you guys are still pissy at each other but please stay close and pay close attention." Riley said looking towards Ravi. "Stay close as well." She said as Riley opened the door, it opened rather easily, seeing that all the windows had been boarded up it was pretty dark inside taking out her flash light Riley started to take a step inside so far it seemed to be Walker free.
*EVERYONE PM me here or on Discord BEFORE you post! Cases, every round pm for rolls. These will be to check to see if your characters are seeing or feeling anything, as well as anything else that might be going on. You might just get a "Nothing, keep moving" from me or something much more. Will depend on LLA at the time. Case Name: Funeral Home Lead Reason: Getting embalming supplies Secondary Reason: Maybe a casket Recruiting: Nope Time: 1-2 hours, depends (Will probably be 1-3 cases to complete.) Group: Chloe, Ravi, Niesha, Riley
Continue as you are. The main area seems clear. It is pretty clean, just some really old boot and shoe prints in the carpet. Probably from the last time this place was cleared. This place is large, has a lot of rooms, and multiple floors. Ravi will know the stuff you are looking for is probably in the basement - most mortuaries do their work down in a basement that has been refitted because of drainage.
Another 7 days
Case Name: Date Run Lead Reason: Get Ash's Head Cleared Secondary Reason: General Run Recruiting: Depends if they run into anyone Time: Rest of the Day most likely, could be longer - depends (Will most likely be 3-5 cases to complete) Group: Ash, Thana
Continue, get outside of the walls and go on your way. Time to see what the hell happens.
You have another 7 days
Gavin, Ryan, & Lola
Location: The Meeting
Ryan looked over towards Beatrice slowly and shrugged a bit as he held his gun where it was. "Well that ain't Bridgette," he said with a sureness in his voice. He had never really met Astrid that day but Bridgette had watched over him when he was in the cell in the main building for a bit when he first showed up. He'd know Bridgette's face anywhere, dead or alive. When James and Thalia spoke together, he was confirmed that it was the other Viking woman, Astrid.
As Thalia spoke his eyes went to James. 'Fuck if I'm lowerin' this," he stated flatly as he kept his toothpick held between his teeth. He wasn't pulling the trigger, figuring someone closer could take the woman out but if she was going to draw a weapon he didn't trust her not to try something.
Lola gawked a bit. "Well flipping fuck. Where the fuck did that come from? Jet... you got this?" she asked as she stood there, her hand falling to her side and her fingers wrapping around the hilt of her knife. Seemed Thalia knew the woman, seemed Spotted Dick did too.
Gavin pulled back his eye from the scope when he started seeing people reacting to something. Looking in the direction he grunted. "Why's things gotta piss in my grits?" he muttered. Looking back in his scope he redirected his aim and put the walking Viking woman in his crosshairs. Looking back up from his scope he spotted Ryan looking in his general direction and shaking his head no. "Irish better know what hes fucking doing...." he muttered as he kept the weapon aimed where it was but kept an eye out on the group in general.
Tatiana Korvo
Location: The Newnan's House (Building F)
Tatiana gave Jack a bit of a thumb's up between the vomiting spurts but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. It wasn't that she didn't want to speak or that she was holding anything back. It was just that the throwing up was leaving her gasping for breath and by the time she caught her breath to try talk she was leaning over the toilet again and throwing up once more. Everything she had eaten the day before was gone and at this point she was just dry heaving uncontrollably. When Jack asked if he should get someone from medical she was at least able to shake her head no in answer before another wave of upchuckery hit her.
It was a bit before she finally fell back from her kneeled position and against the wall of the bathroom, her feet sprawling out in front of her as she reached up and grabbed a hand towel that was hanging from the wall to wipe her mouth and nose. She was broken out in a cold sweat, face flushed, taking deep long breaths to try to calm herself and keep from going through it all over again. "гребаный ад," she muttered under her breath. It wasn't exactly something she had taught Jack yet. Tatiana wasn't one to curse a lot but when she did, it was normally in Russian. So even if he didn't know what she said, he would know at least it was a curse word or phase.
Looking slowly over to him she forced a smile. "Do not vorry. Morning sickness. It normal." Even though she was still gasping for breath a bit, her voice was kind and reassuring as she spoke. She grimaced a bit before pointing up at the sink. "Please, vater in cup, toothbrush, toothpaste.... ugh..." she managed to get out. She wanted to get the bile taste out of her mouth and off her teeth as quickly as possible but she wasn't about to stand up and try to get it herself. She was half afraid if she stood up she would get dizzy and it would start all over again.
Ash & Thana
Location: Building A (Ash's House) -> Hoardbuster
Thana skipped down the steps a bit as they headed for the armory, letting Ash take the lead since she really hadn't been given the full tour as of yet. She shrugged lightly at the question. "Fair enough shot."
"Yeah, nutin' likes yer sis though ares ya?"
Shaking off the comment in her mind she looked over to Ash patted her side arm. "I prefer my Beretta. If you have some general 9mm, I should be fine. Not really looking forward to using any weapon I haven't had a chance to clean and check myself," she said before directing her eyes forward as they walked.
"I respect that." responded Ash. "We're a little low on ammunition, but we should be okay on 9 mil NATO." To say that they were "a little low" was an exaggeration; 9mm ammunition represented the only really reliable source of ammo they had left, with shotgun shells in the running at second. "I have been considering switching my main sidearm to a Nine for some time, myself. But I think I'm the only person who uses a .45 pistol in Newnan. Probably better off."
"Most likely," Thana said in agreement. If he was the only one, it probably was better if he stuck with what he had.
As they crossed into the parking lot of the bank that Newnan was using as their principal armory, Ash mentioned, "I believe you've been here before. We shouldn't be but a minute."
"I believe you are wrong." Thana quirked a brow. She hadn't been to the armory at all yet. When she arrived she had been ushered straight into Ash's home. From there it was meeting the town, back inside, the wedding, reception, back inside, exiling James, back inside, agriculture, green house, back to the scene of the crime, medical garden, back to agriculture, and then once again back inside Ash's house. They had kept her moving so much she had barely had five bites of food since she arrived. The armory hadn't once showed up on that list. "If it hasn't had to do with home, the wedding, or growing things I have yet to be privy to it. So that is most of the town I would suspect."
He glanced back at Thana as he spoke, slowing his pace for a moment. The idea of disappearing with her for a few hours, doing something productive (and possibly a few things that weren't) outside of Newnan stood out as one of the better ideas he had agreed to in a long while. The satisfied look on his face may have given him away. Motioning to the Armory doors, he optimistically remarked, "After you, ma'am."
Nodding slightly Thana headed into the armory and glanced around. Jim looking up from his clip board as he was double checking to make sure everything had been written down and accounted for. "Oh hey Thana, Boss," he said in passing before making a few quick notes and setting the clip board back down. "You two heading out as well?" he asked as he leaned against the counter. Thana perked a brow, who else was heading out? There had been no announcement.
Ash noticed this as well. Generally, he preferred to know where his people were and when they were going on a run. Beside it being common courtesy, a supply or exploratory run generally required some discussion beforehand, a general time table, etc., not to mention approval from a Lead who got approval from himself. "Morning, Jim." he started. The words were generally positive, but the tone was authoritative and direct. "We're going to need full, spare clips for a Beretta 9 and a .45 ACP Detonix. Also, I'd like my bow and a full case of arrows. While you're on that, please fill me in on this unauthorized "Away Mission", if you'd be as kind." He turned to Thana, nonchalantly asking, "Did I miss anything?"
Thana shook her head but kept her mouth shut as Jim shook his head as well. "Nothing Unauthorized Cap. Doc approved it. Froggy is wanting to hold a funeral for Miss Sally. Chloe, Niesha, that new kid Ravi, and Riley are heading to the funeral home just two blocks north to get embalming stuff," he explained. It was odd having Ash assume anyone was doing anything unauthorized in the place. Everything was run past the man that needed to be and anything that wasn't discussed with him right off the bat was approved by another Lead before hand. In general, no one had to ask permission to leave Newnan, it was open about that. "Did something change to where we need to clear anyone leaving the gates with you first?" he asked, a bit confused.
The head shaking continued down the line with Ash, adding his own neck-propelled horizontal face wagging to the room. "Yeah... I must be distracted today." Amongst other things. "Of course, Doc's got this. Good idea, too. Hell, I wish I'd thought of it first... Thinking on it though, I wouldn't mind getting a more organized sign out sheet together. But for now, if you would please, Ms. Martin needs some ammo, and I need to get at my box."
"Sure thing boss," Jim said quickly and went to getting everything together that Ash had listed out. "And don't worry about it. Think everyone is a bit distracted after what all's gone down today. Hell I might go out a bit later once people get back. Would do good to clear my head," he commented as he continued. Thana glanced over to Ash for a moment before stepping away and checking out the armory a bit while she had the chance. She hadn't been in the building before and it was nice to see such a stock pile. Ash said they were low on some things but looking around it was better outfitted than anywhere she had been since she had left the base near Savannah.
A light touch grazed the back of Ash's neck and a warm breath filled his ear. A wafting of hot sauce coming with the words that were spoken. "Outside the walls, inside the walls. Just determined to bang the ranks right out of that chica as much as possble aren't ya?"
Startled, almost unbidden, Ash slapped a hand to his neck. His eyes went wide and an involuntary grunt escaped him. Staying as still as possible, he darted his eyes around to see if anyone noticed his little transgression. "...mosquitoes are early..." he mumbled, trying like hell to remain casual. He was usually good at it, too. This was a new experience for him, though.
Tactile sensation, Captain. The situation is escalating. This is an excellent time to reflect on what you know is true. You don't believe in ghosts. You put down her corpse yourself. Either you're really going mad this time, or there's something else happening.
Jim brought over what he had gathered and set it down on the counter. He hadn't noticed what was going and thankfully neither had Thana it seemed. She was looking at various small arms on the walls which included a couple that were very familiar. Picking them up she examined them and found on the grip two sets of letters letters... Z.M. & M.M. Taking them both she went over to the counter and laid them down. They were two Para-Ordnance pistols, .45 cal. "I'm keeping these," she said. It wasn't a request and her voice was firm. Looking over to Jim as he quirked a brow. "They were my fathers."
That revelation earned her an eyebrow raise from Ash. He had no reason to think that she was lying. Point of fact, if those pistols were once in Zoie's possession, that would absolutely make sense. And if this new, albeit tiny piece of drama get his mind off of the increasing difficulties with his questionable sanity, all the better. "You're going to need some ACP ammunition for those, then, Thana." He turned his attention over to Jim, saying, "She's going to need some holsters, too." He gave Thana a sober nod, and moved to retrieve his bow and a full case of good, straight arrows. "Thank you, Jim. You're a hell of a guy."
Jim nodded and gave Thana an understanding smile. "Right thing boss," he said to Ash before going and grabbing what was needed and handing it over to Thana. She took the holsters and ammo, loading the clips up quickly and with an ease that showed she familiarity with the two guns.
"First gun I ever fired," she said pointing to a scratch on the barrel of one that was rather deep. Shrugging she slipped it and then the other into the holsters. She wasn't used to being this armed but it didn't bother her. There was a bit of a calmness that took over her features and a bit of a surreal smile that came to her lips as her fingers ran over the edge of the grips. Letting out a short sigh she let the expression fall and trip down memory lane to exit her mind before turning her attention back to Ash. "Ready when you are sir," she said before turning and stepping out of the armory.
Jim watched Thana leave before looking over to Ash. "That seems to be one hell of a woman if you don't mind me saying boss," he said with a grin.
"That she is, Jim." replied Ash. His voice was agreeable, even despite his trademark stoicism. He gave the barest hint of a smile from one side of his mouth, turned, and followed Thana back out of the armory. "Alright, Ma'am, next stop: The Hordebuster."
Accessing Ash's frightening personal conveyance required a little bit more of a walk. Two blocks up and two over, between the inner and outer wall. "We keep a number of vehicles on premises for longer runs in our Motor Pool, but gasoline is notably scarce." he explained as he neared the nearest gate on the Inner Wall. "We keep a stash on hand, and like ammo it is a priority on runs." As they rounded the block, the sight of the collection of serviceable vehicles started to become apparent on a gravel parking lot, behind a low chainlink fence. Towering over most of them sat a thing that was better suited to a no-holds-barred redneck demolition derby, piloted by a drunken train engineer. Ash could be seen beaming at the prospect of getting behind the wheel of it again. "There she is. Hop on in, I'll give you the nickel tour."
"It's like a monster truck had sex with a dump truck and was ramrodded by a snow plow and this was their baby...." Thana commented in passing. She was even toned as she spoke, there wasn't any harshness to her tone. A slight smirk though did come to her lips before she walked over to the passenger side and literally climbed into the vehicle. Taking a seat she glanced around as she stowed her bag on the floor board between her feet.
There was the feel of a curling hand on Ash's shoulder. "Puta better watch her mouth talking about Bessie like that."
Ash could actually feel the pressure of her fingers on his coat. This was not good. Not good at all. Then he mentally righted himself. Time to cover. "Yeah, she's not much to look at. This old girl saved a family business from back Before, and then a distillery full of people After. You've seen a few of them around town. Just listen for a Virginian accent." He tossed his own pack into the 'Buster and hauled himself up, settling into the driver's seat with no small amount of satisfaction.
The engine growled to life as Ash hit the ignition, then settled into a respectable hum. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. Oh, gun please?"
Thana glanced over to Ash and raised a brow. "Have you heard or seen anything else since you handed it over?" she asked flatly. He had entrusted her with his weapon of choice for a reason, she wasn't just about to hand it over because they were leaving the so called safety of the walls. He had a knife, he had a bow, they were in a large vehicle that he was going to be driving with her in the navigator position and more than fully armed. It would take more than a simple request for her to hand it back over.
"I have," he admitted, speaking slowly and sizing up his passenger. "Understand, there is the definite possibility of unfriendlies out there. If a situation breaks out, be fast about tossing it over. Okay?" Ash gave over a small smile, followed by a nod. Thana was looking out for him. Probably herself, too. A guy with questionable grip on reality might want to keep his personal armament to a minimum. Out there, priorities may be different. "Ready?"
"Not yet," Thana said as she sat there. Looking at the space between the bucket seats she turned her legs and moved, rather quickly. It wasn't but half a heart beat that she had turned and planted herself side sitting in Ashs lap with her hand resting along the side of his neck. The rest of the heart beat was spent pulling him in as she pressed her lips to his and planted a kiss on him passionate enough to launch a thousand ships.
The suddenness of it surprised Ash, who gave a millisecond's worth of surprise-motivated resistance before relaxing and letting it simply be. His arms found their way around Thana's waist, one sliding up the fabric of her top along her back, holding her fast to him. This was real. The touch and scent of her, the instantaneous need that coursed through him. This was no hallucination, and if it had to, this moment would save him from a multitude of artificial sounds and sensations as an anchor holding him to a reality he desperately wanted to stay in. He answered her kiss in turn, yearning translating to urgency in less than a second.
Slowly Thana pulled away from the kiss and smiled towards Ash. "Thank you," she said softly, her hand coming from his cheek and dropping to one of the newly acquired sidearms. It was a simple thank you that she didn't explain but her face spoke volumes. Slipping out of his lap she got back into her seat and fixed her hat before smirking a bit. "Now I'm ready to go sir."
Amelia barely reacted as Meg called up behind her. She just couldn't believe she saw her dead friend... she saw the body. They were burying her for god's sake! What was this!? A spirit? A ghost?! A phantom placed there to torment them!? She couldn't think, she just wanted to see her friend again. Was it to prove to herself this was truly just a fragment of her imagination, she wasn't sure herself.
As she came running around the corner, she halted, not seeing anything. She looked left and right, but there was nothing. As she blinked she was suddenly frozen as she saw Sana, so close to her!” Sana?” She asked pushing through the confusion and fear, but then it happened.
Sana's mouth opened... no it went agape, her jaw unhinging like a snake. Her face... it was the nightmare she saw ever since this whole nightmare of a life started. The zombies... the decay. Them the scream that pierced through her ears.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Amelia panicked and screamed, in tears and fear as she moved backwards, trembling. She couldn't see the vision anymore, but she couldn't stop crying. She didn't want this. Right now she felt like hiding in a corner or a wardrobe. Just bury herself in a little hidey hole and cry until all the tears run dry.
Jack grimaced a bit, hearing his wife (he assumed) curse. He really wanted to go and get someone from medical for her, but if Tatiana didn't think she needed them, then he wouldn't. Froggy had been through a lot today and so had the rest of the team. They had lost their last patient, after all. He smiled weakly as Tatiana assured him that everything was alright - that it was just morning sickness. But given that it happened right after Miss Sally died, he wasn't too sure morning sickness was the only thing going on.
"On it," Jack said, smiling at his wife before heading to the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and filled it up with water, recoiling for a moment as a strange scent struck his nose. He crumbled a little bit on the inside as he recognized the scent: has and grease. Coughing a little bit, Jack felt like crumbling but his wife needed him. Making his way back to the bathroom, he set the cup of water down by Tatiana and then got her toothbrush and toothpaste. She had just felt the world give out beneath her. He'd just have to soldier on a little bit and deal with seeing/smelling/hearing Dick for the mean time.
Beatrice Decker
Location: The Meeting (Three-way intersection near the Hershall Norred Water Plant)
Beatrice arched an eyebrow. "Did everyone go to high school together?" she commented dryly, just low enough that only Ryan would be able to hear. There were too many connections between the newcomers and Newnan for her liking. While it was possible, she couldn't help but feel like it was improbable. The world was small, but was it really that small? She hadn't seen anyone she knew from before in ages. Though to be fair, her circle was on the West Coast. She had been in Coney Island when the outbreak started. It was a little more logical for East Coast people to run into other East Coast people.
"I won't lower this, but do what you need," Beatrice answered. She wasn't going to allow herself to be blindsided, but if this 'Jet' wanted to take care of the walker, then so be it. Someone would end up doing it eventually. And the sooner that was dealt with, the sooner they could figure out their next move -- which seemed to be offering 'Jet' and her friends more condolences over their losses.
Location: The Meet (Three-way intersection near the Hershall Norred Water Plant)
Thalia wasn't sure, but the thought she heard the name of another of her people mentioned, this time by the shifty looking fellow back at the truck. Her brain didn't even want to consider those words at that moment. But there was Astrid, confirmed by the strange man in denim overalls and cowboy hat right in front of her. She knew this woman. Fought alongside her. Learned a lot about living out in the wild from her, among others from their settlement in Fairburn. She wasn't as close to Astrid as she was her battle sister; a tall, foulmouthed blacksmith whom Thalia hoped was not just mentioned right in front of her. It would have made sense, though. Those two were closer than friends. She suspected closer than sisters. If Astrid was dead, there was an excellent possibility that her favorite sparring partner was gone, too. Thalia just couldn't bring herself to think, let alone speak her name right then.
At mention of the name, Bridgette, James seemed to instinctively know that it was damned well likely to trigger something more in the young woman in front of them. He dropped one hand behind himself and made a shooing motion, hoping that Ryan would take the hint about bringing up the names of more dead people this girl might know personally. This happening right now went well beyond bad luck or painful coincidence. It seemed like some sort of powerful, otherworldly force was having sport with this girl, torturing her in such a way that made James believe that she and Ash might have a lot in common. He had never mentioned having a little sister, but hell, with the coincidences he'd seen lately it wouldn't have surprised him any more. James stepped to the side a little and looked back at his people, then gave a surreptitious nod to the treeline and thumbs-up, blocked from the newcomers' view by his body. "I ain't gonna stop ya, girl. You do you."
Slowly at first, Thalia walked forward. She responded to Lola in a low voice, almost a whisper, "Yeah, Lolz. I got this." It felt a little strange stepping behind James's position, almost like intentionally walking behind enemy lines with the enemy staring right at her. She felt exposed. But she needed to do this for her trainer - give her the clean death of a warrior. Even though technically she was already dead, Astrid deserved to go out fighting.
She locked eyes with the two at the truck as she passed by, careful to keep a wide berth from all of them. Thalia wanted no chance of a slip or a miscommunication resulting in a firefight right then. If she suddenly felt the need to plug the entirety of them, she really wanted it to be a surprise. As she neared the corpse that used to be her friend, Thalia removed a folded entrenching tool from her belt with her left hand and retrieved a cutlass style machete from her back with her right. She gripped high up on the Etool, making sure her hand was covered by the wide, flat shovel blade. To her credit, it made for an interestingly effective improvised shield. She struck the flat of her machete against it, trying to draw the attention of the familiar Zed.
Finally, Thalia began to speak. "Lo there do I see my father. Lo there do I see my mother and my sisters and my brothers. Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning." It wasn't her religion, really. Hers was a little darker. It wasn't her culture either, though she lived as one of them for a time. It was Astrid's belief, though. And it did seem to draw her attention, even in death. Though in fairness, it could be that she was now the nearest living body making noise.
Thalia moved in, taking a textbook sword-and-board stance with her hardware. She looked Astrid in what was left of her eyes and completed the prayer for her. "Lo, they do call me, they bid me take my place among them, in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever." She slowed, allowing the Zed to close the last few paces toward her. When the first gnarled hand reached out to tear into her, Thalia bobbed low and caught its forearm with her Etool, throwing it out wide. Her other arm worked simultaneously, bringing the point of her curving blade beneath the jaw of the dead creature and up into its cranial cavity, not stopping until it struck bone on the inside of its skull. It was like turning off a switch.
Before the weight of Astrid's corpse tore her blade from her hands, Thalia snatched it downward and out of its decomposing mooring. It slumped to the ground face first in front of her. Thalia put her entrenching tool back onto her belt and knelt beside what was left of her friend. There were no more tears remaining to her. Everyone lost people. She lost hers a while ago and just didn't know it. Setting her machete on the ground next to her, she began the work of removing Astrid's shield from her back. As she worked, she spoke. Her voice was all business, colored by her New England origins.
"Ah right, James. It's James, right? Okay. Thank you very much fah telling me what I needed to know. I'm not going to ask why it is that everyone I know in this part auf the world came to your town and died. Shit happens. But I did heah the name Bridgette. I want you to tell me how. Just Band-Aid that shit. Then I want you to tell me who's responsible. And if you have anything stiff to drink, I'll be your best friend." she glanced back at Lola, quickly adding, "Second-best friend." She wrestled the strap from around the leather bodice, freeing it at last. She studied it for a couple of seconds and picked her blade back up, then looked back to James. "Ain't got all day, Chief. Reader's Digest."
James just sighed. "They volunteered to help some folk up the road a ways. Bring them back to our Doc. Ambushed, we guessin' by them same assholes from Peachtree City. Whole lotta dead people with 'em. Bree got herself bit a bunch, Astrid put a axe in her while her blood was still hot. She got bit too. Ol' girl left to die on her own terms, but I reckon you done did her a service."
"Okay." she replied, eerily calm. "Okay. I don't know about you, but I kind auf want to kill some people. Oh, not you guys. Now, how about that drink?"
Should he do something? Thalia had told him, or rather ordered him to stay in the tank while she took care of business. But should he go forth and help them? If it was just one Walker, then he was probably not needed there, especially not to add more strange faces to an already odd meeting of fate. Then again, Lola had earlier gone against everything Thalia had said and meant; considering he was starting to feel a nutty as the Kiwi, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad move?
That however meant abandoning their only ride out of that sticky situation, and especially Alexander giving up on an excellent piece of cover. It still didn't feel like he had been spotted by the strangers and their leader 'Spotted Dick', so that would be a bad move tactically. Now if he had been a tankman back in the Army…
Alexander dried the tears still coming down his cheeks, carefully looking as Thalia finally took down the Walker dressed up as…something; Alex had never really payed too much attention in history after all. He watched silently as Thalia went to pick up…a shield from the corpse, and more so as spoke with the strangers. But he remained in the tank. They looked like they had taken care of themselves, and that was his deal. Well, his deal with himself at least.
