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Post by D on Nov 2, 2012 2:31:44 GMT -5
Amanda glanced at the beast. It seemed like she didn’t have the option to disagree with Meryl. She was about to toss the chain over to Meryl, but a zombie decided to interrupt. Without hesitation, Amanda shoved Meryl aside and swung the chain into the undead skull. A satisfying crack was heard during the connect and carefully, she pulled back the chain.
“Heh.” She grunted back, as a response to Meryl’s gratitude, and then she got ready for the oncoming charger. The monster tripped over the trap they set and naturally, the hulking brute also dragged the women down. Amanda fell and slid across the floor. If she was in the best of conditions, she would have gotten right up, but unfortunately, she wasn’t and so, the sudden fall had winded her.
However, her incapacitation lasted shortly. When she noticed the other woman quickly get back to her feet, Amanda rolled onto her stomach and slowly got up. With difficultly and as much sluggishness as the situation would allow, she assisted Meryl in pulling the chain. What came next was shocking, if that was the right word, to Amanda. Their attack revealed that the monster was a product of a parasite that had nested in its reproductive system.
If Amanda had the time to think, she would have questioned the reasons behind the parasite’s choice of place to settle in. Maybe she would have questioned if the parasite was capable of spreading through reproductive processes, but at the moment, none of those thoughts ever crossed her mind. Instead, she thought about and acted out a dodge. Amanda rolled out of the way of the penis parasite’s range and away from the other zombies.
While allowed herself a breather, Kendall suffered from trying to fend of the dead. “Fuck!” He yelled, as some would get close. Just as he was about to yell for one of the ladies’ attention, he saw Merly come over. “Good you’re What are you do-“ Without much of an exchange of words, he was lifted and swung about. When he touched ground again, all he did was roll himself aside so he could think about what just had happened.
“…Idiot…” She muttered, after seeing Meryl’s use of Kendall. Not thinking any more of it, Amanda got up and reentered the fray. As soon as she did, the large brute of the undead charged at her once more. Again, she rolled away, but this time, she was beginning to notice all the aches and pain in her body. “…Guh…inconvenient.” She held her side and remembered the earlier ordeals.
Being dragged by a motorcycle was definitely something she never wanted to do again.
Amanda blew out some air and looked at what was left. It seemed that Meryl had quickly finished the monster and all that was left were four zombies. The shambling shufflers moved after the loudest of the trio, so while Kendall distracted them, Amanda picked up the chain again. Quickly, she finished them off and what she was done, dropped it quickly.
Above them, the club stared, astonished, by how they managed to fend of the creatures. Whispers spread between the people; they questioned whom the people bellow them were. None of what she heard surprised her. Instead of listening anymore, Amanda took advantage of the adrenaline she had left and slowly, but painfully climbed out of the hole. “Move.” She muttered quietly when she got to the top. She pushed passed a few people, before she had to stop and cover her mouth and nose. Even though the club’s stench didn’t bother her earlier, it seemed to bother her now. With no warning, her stomach’s contents were spilt out and onto a few people. After emptying her stomach, Amanda quickly pushed passed people and out of the club.
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Post by B on Nov 4, 2012 3:06:58 GMT -5
The four remaining zombies were easily dealt with. When it was all said and done Meryl looked up at the crowd above looking down in gaping awe, one guy Meryl instantly recognized, when he saw her look at him he quickly turned and disappeared. Meryl's eyebrows furrowed for a second before she decided to let it go for now. She turned to see Amanda climbing, her companion still chained up. Amanda would leave anyone behind, friend or foe. Meryl walked passively over to Kendall and knelt down beside him. "If I have to save your ass one more time, I'm tossing you into a crowd." She warned as she started undoing the chains. Joking was evident but it was clear that she was not happy about having to fumble with master locks. It only took a minute to get him out and then they started climbing. Meryl reached the top first, obviously, she wasn't injured. To save him any more pain from the climb, she turned and bent over the railing to pull him up. Suddenly there was a massive shift in gravity, at least for the patrons. Earth's center had shifted ever so slightly causing people to lean over the side, eyes trying their hardest to see what was under curtain number one. It was too late, however, as Meryl was quick in pulling Kendall up and over. Earth retained its normal center and everyone sprang up like children's inflatable boxing toys. Meryl glanced ahead towards the now open door. Amanda was out there, walking weakly. "You'll need to carry her. I know you're injured, too but someone's gotta keep watch to make sure no undead or plagas get the jump on you. Just follow my lead. She may be resistant but I don't think she'll have the strength to fight." Meryl said to Kendall as they walked down the parted people as if they were Moses parting the red sea. Meryl didn't think Kendall would argue, after all, he owed her one.
---
"She has been gone a while. That woman was strong but I fear too bold. It is not yet passed time that she said but it is getting close." He looked at a window and walked up to it. "We're wasting our time here." This is something you'd rarely here coming from a native. Patience was one of the most important things in Kuse's arsenal and yet the world has changed, times have changed and time is important. He turned to look at Nessa, his mask resting comfortably on top of his head. She seemed to agree, he didn't doubt that she would, not after what they have been through. "It is settled then, we've rested here long enough. Take some of her supplies, just in case and-" He stopped talking and appeared to be distracted. "A strong one, indeed." He withdrew his tomahawk and went to the door. He didn't hesitate opening it. Down the cracked street were two figures, one larger than the other but it was easy to make out that bigger figure was actually two only one carrying another. The area was thick with a misty fog one whose cold bit your cheeks annoyingly. "One of them is wounded." Kuse said to Nessa. He pulled his mask down then went out to help. Meryl was biting her lip, it was freezing, especially in the shit she was wearing. In her hand was a broken piece of a gate that resembled a spear and, consequently, was used as one, too. They didn't run into too many undead but it only takes one to end someone's journey through life. "See? Told you I'd be back." Meryl said shakily from the cold. Kuse grabbed Amanda from Kendall, lifting her complete as opposed to Kendall's shouldering. Meryl turned to Kendall with a grin. "Yeah don't ask. The mask is theatrical but I find it rather posh in a native american-y way." She patted him on the shoulder then moved quickly for the house they were taking shelter in. She couldn't wait to get into some real clothes, hell, to get some sleep.
Kuse put Amanda on a dusty brown couch and moved to open up their supply bag, no doubt Vanessa was moving to administer first aid, might as well have it all out for her. Meryl, meanwhile, disappeared into one of the rooms, the room Kuse remembered that she had put her stuff in. "Were you followed?" Kuse's question came out without a emotion. It was as if he didn't really care for an answer but he stared at Kendall as if the question was a matter of life and death, technically, it very well could be.
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Post by D on Nov 4, 2012 12:38:21 GMT -5
“Well, I won’t need anymore savin’ after this, promise!” He grinned at her and stretched out for a moment. “Ah yes, this is good.” Kendall got to his feet and climbed after Meryl. It was a slow climb but eventually, he got up and over the railing just fine. After Meryl had helped him up, he thanked her and followed after while nodding in agreement.
It didn’t take long for them to catch up to Amanda. They found the young woman leaning against a wall, barely holding herself up. She looked sickly and pale, but that didn’t surprise him. “Hey, love, why don’t I help you there?” Despite her weakened state, he caught a glare from her. “Ain’t a bad thing…” Kendall grinned at her and picked her up.
“Sod…off…” She tried to convey what she meant but she was tired. When he hoisted her over his shoulder, all she managed to do was grunt in disagreement. Somewhere along the way to wherever they were going, she passed out from fatigue and blood loss. Kendall knew when she did when he suddenly felt all her weight on his shoulder.
--
Vanessa watched her friend walk over to a window. He seemed worried. “ Ok…” She got up from where she was seated and moved over to the door to Meryl’s supply room, but stopped when Kuse opened the main door. So the woman did return. “… Is she dead?” She asked quietly as Meryl entered, but after seeing Kendall come in, she already knew the answer. Nessa shook her head rolled her eyes.
Amanda’s fuck buddy had found her after all.
She let Kuse pick Amanda up and put her onto a couch while she looked over their supplies. “What happened?” She asked.
“She got messed up.”
“Clearly. How?”
“Dragged through the muck by a motor and chain.” Kendall looked over to Kuse. “No. Even when she’s fucked she manages to put on enough of a display to make normal people want to run.”
She shook her head and tossed Kendall some basic supplies to tend to his wounds. “Why are you here? You’re not from this branch.”
Kendall looked away from a moment before he spoke. “The target was her.” He opened a package and slowly he began to clean himself. “You, of all people, should know that I wouldn’t be able to end it between us. I like the way things are.” He winked at Vanessa and in return, she made a disgusted sound. “Are you going to let her bleed all over the couch?”
She looked down at the younger woman while she held supplies in her hands. She was tempted to let Amanda bleed and die. After all that the other scientist had put her through, but she knew that doing so would be a terrible move. “No.” She went over and began to treat Amanda, but not before putting on things to make it a bit safer and cleaner for the two. “I’ll deal with this, Kusagra..”
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Post by B on Nov 6, 2012 2:13:12 GMT -5
Kusagra nodded silently and backed off, allowing Vanessa some breathing room. He went back to the window, looking out like a guard dog, no, more like a statue. An hour passed, Vanessa had finally finished patching the other woman's wounds, the cuts had to be the hardest, there were a lot of them. Kuse was now sitting on the floor, seeming to meditate. The back room opened and Meryl stepped out, her hair back down, covered by a black beanie. She also changed out of the school girl outfit, taking to warmer clothes, a thick dark green coat and black jeans. "Muuuuch better." She grunted to no one in particular before sitting on the floor, the couch was bloody. "Good evening, everyone. Well.. No... I guess it's morning." The light was over the horizon but the night's activities were enough to tire anyone out. Meryl looked over at Amanda and considered asking Vanessa if she'd be okay but in the end decided it was best not to waste time with a question she knew the answer to. There was silence. "What a shit day..." She finally said and the silence broke out again. Vanessa made a comment on how people treat the end of the world. "Yeah... It's rare to see someone willing to help other people and when you do it's usually a lie. Like the club we went to, they'd rescue a survivor only to cage them and turn them into gimps." She got some confused glances, probably didn't know what that meant. "Basically some... pretty fucked up sex slaves. Any others they deem unsuitable are thrown into the pit." She shook her head, remembering being in that pit with the zombies and the weinis. "The mercs used to work with the group running High Haven. For supplies we'd capture their creatures for the pit. Hell, I heard of one merc who traded a person for a box of wine." "That is no way to live. That is an evil that has tainted your spirit. When you die, you will not join with Mother Earth." Kuse said calmly, without opening his eyes. His voice was as emotionless as always and his tone wasn't one of mocking but of wisdom. Meryl had to pause in order to understand what exactly he meant. "Hey! I never agreed with it." "And yet you allowed it." Meryl was silent for a moment before turning her eyes away. "Yeah... I suppose you're right." "Nothing is more important than ones own spirit. You can go your whole life doing nothing and yet have a spirit as dark as a murderer's. By hiding, you have failed to stop the evil that you know of, as a result, more evil followed. When you have a chance to do right, you must take it. The worst you will lose is your body. Your spirit, however, will live forever." Meryl didn't know quite how to respond respectfully. She felt it was a load of bullshit, but in the back of her mind, she was enjoying the display of culture that the world lacked so much. Outside, the fog was still thick. There was a pleasant smell coming through the cracks of the windows, the smell of fresh, yet cool, air. It beat the smell of rotting corpses any day. Meryl rubbed her leg a little, it was an unconscious thing to do to fatigued limbs after a hard fight. She knew she must have had a massive bruise from the Weinis Sheath flinging her, but she has trained herself to consciously ignore it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small yellow package. "Gum anyone? Found it a few weeks ago. Tastes like... Well I dunno. Kinda bitter, actually. But it's something." She slid one of the blue strips into her mouth before holding it up in an offering motion. Kuse didn't budge.
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Post by D on Nov 7, 2012 0:09:47 GMT -5
She discarded what she could as soon as she was done. “All there’s left is rest.” She announced before she leaned against a wall and crossed her arms. Vanessa furrowed her brows while she looked down at Amanda. It had been a while since she had seen the younger woman. Amanda seemed thinner and sicker than before. What exactly had the woman gone through?
Vanessa rolled her eyes; she didn’t care. The unconscious woman on the couch still had wronged her. She wasn’t sure why she was so angry about the stolen project, but she was, and she knew that she had a grudge. Vanessa turned her eyes to the ground. Would Kusagra say anything? She hoped that he wouldn’t; she didn’t want to talk about it.
“Are you going to check me over?” Kendall grinned.
“No. You can take care of yourself. The end of the world hasn’t changed that.” She chuckled and got up from the wall. “Funny…” She uncrossed her arms and stuck her hands in her pockets to warm them. “You know… about what it has caused people to do.” She heard Meryl speak up about the club and about the mercenaries. Vanessa opened her mouth to respond, but it seemed that Kuse was faster. While she didn’t completely agree, she nodded her head with acceptance.
While the others spoke, Kendall found his way to the supplies so he could return the extra wraps that Vanessa had tossed him. “Heh…” He turned to the ladies and Native American. “No one seems to want any gum…” He jabbed a finger toward Amanda. “Sleeping beauty might… but you know. Anyways, we left that club with too much haste and we don’t have enough supplies. I’m heading out, but first… is there a map? I’d like to see if there is an ARC outpost near by.”
He grabbed the map offered and gave it a look. “Well, looks like we’re in luck. Old ‘post or not, stuff’s bound to be around there.” He folded the map up again and headed out of the door. It wasn’t too far away from the building when he stopped at a tree. He tested a branch and then with a little effort he broke it off. “All set.” Kendall grinned back at whoever was following.
Without wasting another moment, he headed toward the ARC outpost. It was supposed in the middle of a forest, but the forest wasn't too much of one anymore. It was as dead as the land around it. That was normal, but that changed when the outpost came into view. The place was ruined and ransacked. Metal was stripped from the structures and the vehicles were gone.
Kendall's eyes narrowed as he approached the outpost. He stepped over some debris and entered through the breach in the outpost wall. "Oh..." The place smelled of death, but it wasn't surprising when there were corpses around. "Well, nice then..." Even though he knew that the chances of finding anything in raided ruins were slim, he still searched the dead.
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Post by B on Nov 9, 2012 4:06:50 GMT -5
Nobody seemed to want any gum, Kendall noticed this and said a really stupid joke whilst pointing at Amanda. Meryl just stared and he was quick to change the subject to supplies. Meryl glanced at Vanessa before turning back to Kendall. She opened her lips to speak but closed them quickly, she wanted to tell him that he hadn't even gotten a look at their current supplies. She reached into her pocket and tossed him a folded map. On one side was a US map that wasn't too detailed, on the other side was a map of their current state New Jersey. They were up north, bordering that of New York. If they were to drive for a few hours they'd be able to see the massive skyscrapers of New York City. Kendall studied the map and pointed out an ARC base site. Meryl wanted to have a look, plus, she wanted to get him alone. "Alright, I'm going with you." She stood up and turned towards the door where she kept her supplies. "I have a second..." She heard the front door open and she turned, Kendall had exited. Curiously, she followed after, telling Kuse and Vanessa that she'll be back. Once outside she saw Kendall by a tree. "Hey, I have a se-" He cut her off again and said he was all set. He stood, confidently brandishing his... twig... (And not that Jilly, you sicko). Meryl didn't know what to think of this, perhaps he felt he had something to prove since his embarrassing incident at High Haven? She shrugged and shook her head. "Alright then, this should be interesting."
Onward they went, they encountered some undead but not many and none when they hit the forest. "We're lost, aren't we?" She asked, he didn't respond, she decided not to be THAT GIRL. Eventually there was a structure visible passed some trees. As they approached it was clearly a wall... Well... It would be a wall if it wasn't just standing poles without the wall part. Skeletons of buildings sat before them, around those were the bodies of those who inhabited the place. As they approached closer, the smell beset before them. It was no longer the fresh misty air of morning but the raunchy smell of the dead. "Good god, even living practically your whole life in it isn't enough to get used to it." She murmured after his own comment. He went to looking at the bodies. He had the look of someone looking for something but he wasn't searching them for any item. He was looking at the bodies themselves. Meryl took to patting down an ARC soldier, his skin horribly misshapen, was he even human anymore? She got a full two clips. "Odd..." She grunted. "Who strips a whole base but doesn't bother to take the ammo from the bodies? That seems more important than just some scrap metal." Kendall seemed genuinely surprised by that, too. She felt a cold sting on her cheek, and then another one. She looked up, the clouds made it clear what was going to happen. It was going to rain but for now it will just torment them with misty sprinkles. She reached back and pulled the hood of her jacket over her head and turned towards Kendall to see what he was doing. He was checking the bodies for ammo now, too. She backpacked the mags and then walked over to him. "Hey, we need to talk." She said, her tone serious. He was still checking the body but he gave the go ahead for her to start speaking. "I know what you're planning. Taking what you can so you can slip away with Amanda." She turned away from him and started walking towards another unchecked body. "You didn't know what we had but you were quick to yell supplies. I'll respect that you weren't planning on taking shit from us but you're not letting her get away from me." Without letting him speak, she continued. "I tracked her from West coast US all the way here on foot traveling through empty towns and HEAVILY populated cities. If you think I'm going to let some piss head ARC prick take her then get her killed then you're heavily mistaken. And you WILL get her killed, we've seen the extent you can do to protect her." He responded, questioning her belief that he's going to take her somewhere then noted that everyone dies eventually and that Amanda knew that. Meryl scoffed. "Dying in your bed or dying holding a survivor settlement is much different from getting mauled by a horde because two people were stupid enough to go out alone. With judgement like yours you might as well just shoot her now. Oh wait, better get poking." She mocked the fact that he decided to use a tree branch as a weapon. She knelt down and began pulling pockets inside out, a lighter, gum wrappers. She started checking the armor pouches, 9mm bullets, can't get enough of those. She can feel the rain drops get a little heavier on her head, it wasn't bad yet but it is likely to get worse later. They may have a hard time on the way back if it starts raining hard, East coast was known for its erratic weather.
"You look upon her with fury." Kuse said, breaking from his meditation and looking to Vanessa. "You even seemed reluctant to give her medical aid. Yet you followed that woman, Meryl, you followed her knowing that you will find this woman. That other man had already taken from this woman what you were meaning to destroy. Why, then, did you choose to follow?" His curiosity was odd. Vanessa knew all too well that Kuse wasn't one to pry or even question but he seemed concerned with the current circumstances. Him and Amanda were in with people Kuse did not know, reckless, reckless people. Yet they are there and something is bothering Vanessa deeply, Kuse could feel it. "I know you may not feel comfortable to speak of it but you must make a choice." He uncrossed his legs and stood up and walked over to where she was now sitting. He knelt down on one knee in front of her and held out an open hand towards where Amanda was unconsciously lying. "To let the emotions of your past rest and look on to changing the future." Then he held out a hand to her, as if he were asking her to put her hand in his. "Or to forget it, leave it all behind, and allow time to make our course. Neither choice is correct nor incorrect but either will put to rest the demons of your past." If she took too long or was resistant or confused from making a choice he would respond. "We have a saying; 'Those who have one foot in the canoe, and one foot in a boat, are going to fall into the river'." To stay with them and watch over Amanda, or to leave them and let whatever happens to them happen. This was the choice that Kusagra had given Vanessa. He knows why she came, not because she hated Amanda but because she still felt some fondness towards the smaller woman, yet there is also resentment. Kuse believed that such an internal battle could only lead to a breakdown of ones spirit, it absolutely had to be dealt with. Either way, he knew he would not leave her.
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Post by D on Nov 9, 2012 13:26:56 GMT -5
“Shoot, but tick, tock.” He waggled his finger at her and then went back to checking the body. He mentally noted the corpse’s condition. “Aren’t you a sharp detective…” He shrugged and then moved onto another after he had finished picking off the little supplies he could. As he listened to her, he nodded from time to time, but he wasn’t completely listening to her. Kendall had already seen many people like her and they were all the same; they all had nothing interesting to say.
Despite his half-assed attempt at ignoring her, he caught the latter part of her little spiel. “You think I’m going to take her away? If I wanted her killed, she already would be, but, love, every one dies. She knows that.” He shook his head and allowed Meryl to respond. “Amanda knows that and she accepts it.” Kendall pocketed some ammo and then pulled at the soldier’s boot. He grinned at finding the handgun. “She wouldn’t mind if someone killed her right now… You see… anyone who claims to know Amanda knows that she lives for herself and that she would say,” He stopped searching for a moment to reload the handgun. “Useless. I don’t need them.” Kendall chuckled, but his grin disappeared “That said, we’re nothing to her and she has a death wish.”
“I am helping her with that wish of hers…” He scoffed. “She has a plan… but really, even if I wasn’t here, love… Well, she’s dying as things are.” Kendall heard the woman follow up and he rolled his eyes. He knew Amanda and considering the direction they had been ending, she wasn’t exactly done yet, but here was a woman, named Meryl, telling him other wise. “Quite the temper.” He looked up at Meryl when she walked over to face him. “Amanda and you would have probably made great friends in another world…But consider this. Amanda still hasn’t thrown me away…” He paused, pulled a keycard and a knife from the corpse. “Can’t say the same about you.”
He got up from his crouched position and headed toward the armory. Kendall expected it to be seemingly empty, but places like this had contingencies for certain misfortunes. One just needed to know where to look. Kendall touched the walls and felt them for an uneven part of the painted surface. He inspected it closely as it was difficult to tell, but after ten minutes or so, he found the spot. Carefully, Kendall chipped off the paint with the knife and made a square outline on the wall. “Ok…” With patience, he used the knife cut through the wooden board that covered the hole in the wall. Considering the fact that he wasn’t using a saw, he cut partially and pulled the rest of the wood away. With the wood covering mostly gone, he could see the newly revealed safe. Without wasting another moment, he swiped the key card and opened the safe to the weapons.
“I…” She wanted to disagree with him, but what he was saying was right. “It’s terrible to wish of something ill on her…” She sighed and looked away from the younger scientist. “I chose to follow… because I regret creating that project… It’s unrealistic and foolish…but I want to stop it…” Vanessa turned her eyes to the floor. The difference between Amanda and herself was that she had hope. She hoped the world would get better and that she’d be apart of that positive change, but the reality had struck her. Instead of that all, she was stuck with feelings of guilt. “Who…” Vanessa sighed. “Who knows what will happen now that he has it?”
She covered her face with her hands before she moved them to rub her temples. “Good thing I can swim…” She grabbed his hand and got up from the chair. “I don’t know how I’ll stop that man, but I’ll need some information… and…she might have a start.” Vanessa turned back to look at the unconscious woman. As much as she wanted to see the other woman die, she didn’t have the heart to let it happen. Vanessa was tired of seeing death happen.
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Post by B on Dec 1, 2012 14:57:02 GMT -5
Kuse took her hand and helped her to her feet. He listened to her talk about the man and he gave a slight smile. "Then it is settled, Vanessa." He took her hand again and gently lead her to the door of the house. "Come with me." No doubt she was confused but he would explain. He lead her outside, it was now raining horribly but Kuse paid no mind to the weather. They were at the door step now, the house had a patio complete with wooden support beams. He pulled his tomahawk from his waste and held it out to her. "Take it." He said gently. She was confused and hesitant but he shook his head. "Trust me. Please take it." She seemed concerned but she took it. "If it is what you want, to see that man defeated and that project destroyed, then today we must make our oath to put an end to it come victory or death. Today we will mark our sign of war against that man. This is more your fight than it is mine so it must be you. Our ancient tradition dictates that when an Apache declares war, he will bury his hatchet into a post only able to remove it upon victory. If it is your true wish to see this stopped then it would do us both a great honor if you would be the one to bury it." Finally understanding, she readied herself, Kuse took a calm step back, a rare smile on his face. With a strong and sure swing, she the hatchet was buried tightly into the wood, removing it would prove to be a difficult task for many, one that a survivor would find to be a waste of time. "The oath has been made and I pledge myself to help carry this burden with you. You look troubled by your past deeds but redemption can be found both through victory and through sacrifice. Ease your mind, now. The course is set, all you must do is walk it."
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Meryl scoffed when he said he hadn't been thrown away. "Funny words considering I was the one to 'dig you out of the trash' so to speak." He didn't comment he seemed intent on finding something specific. She decided to drop the subject for now and follow him. "You seem intent. Oh ARC and their secrets." She chuckled. If she had more knowledge of Umbrella, she'd see that ARC and Umbrella's tastes were closely aligned, as were their habits. When he had uncovered the safe, Meryl nodded with a smirk. "Good find. Backup weapons and ammo. There's a good amount in there, doesn't look enough for two people so..." She reached in pulled out a shotgun. "Auto, nice." She pulled off the grip which would normally serve as a pump. Inside the grip was a line of shotgun cartridges. "8 shots before reload." There appeared to be a few submachine guns, too, some of them seemed rather black market. An array of pistols and, sadly, only one assault rifle. There were even two mortars, old stuff. "Let me take those. You don't need a mortar to use them." Before she could continue she gave him the look that said 'I know how to use it.' She put her hands up in submission. "Sorreeey." She opened his backpack on his back and put one in then put one in her own pack. "The shotgun I picked up was already loaded. I'm sure I don't have to remind you to make sure the safety is on before putting them in your pack." She said before grabbing a few 9mms. She didn't care if he'd get annoyed by her warnings but she didn't know him and, to her, it's better to be annoyed than dead because you overlooked something simple. Any true soldier would appreciate the reminder but ARC was ARC. "Alright, that should do it. I don't think we're going to find much-" Before she could finish, she was grabbed from the back and felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. It was one of the ARC soldiers they had looted previously, he was undead. She growled and struggled before finally knocking him off. She turned and stomped the shit out of his head until he stopped moving entirely. She looked narrow-eyed at Kendall. "You are a prick. I saved you and you owed me but you just sat there. You wanted me to die." He seemed rather casual about the whole incident, and asked if she'd rather a bullet now or later. She laughed with a smug smile. "You'd like that but..." She rolled up her sleeve to her other arm, revealing a few old bite wounds which were now just "temporary scars" that would eventually go away in a year or so. "Who's thrown away now, smart ass?"
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Post by D on Dec 26, 2012 15:02:30 GMT -5
A hatchet was swung and a secret was discovered, but other than that, for Vanessa and Kendall, nothing else really happened in the days that followed. It was mostly quiet, but every now and then, they heard the sound of a helicopter above their heads. Meryl often told them that it was a helicopter searching for Amanda and it seemed to make sense. Vanessa and Kendall agreed that she was one of the most sought after people.
It was in the middle of the night, when Amanda woke from her unconscious state. It was dark and everyone seemed to be asleep. For her, that was a good thing and it meant that she had less to deal with. With little trouble, she sat herself up from the couch. Her body was sore and aching but it was only normal, considering the ordeal she had just been through. Despite the pain, she wanted to get up. Slowly, with the help of the couch arm, she got up to her feet, but it wasn’t done without a few grunts.
She looked around and saw that the closest door was the one to the outdoors. Perfect. Amanda needed to lean against the wall to get there. In this state, she knew that she wouldn’t get very far, so she had decided that escape wasn’t a good option, but a breath of fresh air was something that she wanted. It was something she wanted to clear her mind with. If she could do that then maybe she could figure out a plan…
Everything seemed to be going well until she took misstep. “Fuck…” She groaned as something crashed to the ground. The noise acted as a signal and from behind her she heard a voice. Amanda twisted her lips in annoyance and took a glance over her shoulder. It was dark and the glance had been too quick, so she couldn’t make out the figure, but she recognized the voice. “Where else?” She asked, but before the other could answer, she continued. “Outside for a breath. Do I need your accompaniment?”
Amanda reached for the door handle and unlocked the door. When she opened the door, she was met with the breeze of the cool night air. “Right. A helicopter. I doubt that it’s ARC’s.” She stepped through the door’s threshold and closed it behind her. Once she was outside, she leaned against a porch railing. Where exactly was she right now? She knew that the next step in planning was figuring that out.
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Post by B on Dec 26, 2012 23:47:36 GMT -5
They got back to the house, no mention of Meryl's injury or her immunity were made. Instead she gave a run down on what they were able to secure so that Kuse and Vanessa were aware. After that there was a lot of down time. Days passed. The helicopter was still patrolling the area. "It's likely searching for Amanda. There was a merc at the party. He recognized me and, no doubt, her. They'll be searching this area for a while." She told them. Their stubbornness amazed even her but they would know if any vehicle escaped the area. Which would make leaving difficult. Eventually they will find the house. They didn't get a rocket launcher from the base and the mortars are not likely to help fight a helicopter. That was an issue for another day, however.
---
She was cleaning one of the new guns, it was already in good shape but she had to be sure. She had been running the rag through the barrel for the last half hour, her eyes were starting to blur as she began to drift off. Thump thump. Her eyes opened but she didn't move. A grunt. She pushed herself off the bed and felt around to the doorway of the room, looking out at the living room couch where she saw a silhouette of a woman moving, she knew who it was. She stumbled slightly and knocked over something metal which made a crash. Meryl shook her head. "Where are ya goin' sleeping beauty?" She said "where else?" There was a pause and Meryl felt as though she had to say something even though it sounded rhetorical but before she could speak the other woman spoke again. Outside and it was clear she didn't want any company. Meryl shrugged. "Go ahead. Keep an ear out for a helicopter, though. It's been buzzing around this area for the last week." Amanda wasn't stupid, she knew it wasn't ARC. Meryl was going to tell her but figured she'd wait. The front door opened and closed. Meryl turned around and went into her room. Slowly she moved her foot around until she felt the leather thump of her boot and then bent down to pick them up, hitting her head on some bedside table. "FUCK ANUS SHIT!" She grunted, gritting her teeth at the pain. Frustrated she sat on the bed beside her and began to put on the boots and tie them, double knot. She grabbed her jacket at the base of the bed and slung it over her shoulders As she left her room, rubbing her head, she saw some movement where the others were laying, they were awake but likely trying to get back to sleep. She'd utter an apology for waking them if she cared enough but she didn't. She figured she had given Amanda enough time to herself. Knowing someone like Amanda, she was full of questions, answering most of them should put her a little more at ease. The front door opened and Meryl silently went over to the porch rail beside Amanda quietly. There was a silence before Meryl began speaking. "We're about 2 miles from the club. I have a map with our position marked to the dot. A month of food, 13 different guns with roughly 2 clips of ammo per gun. The people in the helicopter are merc extremists looking to infect you with the plagas. We've no plan or destination and all four of us are willing to follow you where you want to go. As I said there's a map inside, Kendall took the liberty of marking nearby ARC bases. As for vehicles there's a truck that shows promise at a house two blocks from here. You've been out for nearly a week. You should eat before you think or you might pass out." Meryl grinned and looked at Amanda. "Pack of cigarettes on the table by the couch you were sleeping on. The lighter should be there, too." She gave a wink before looking out at the fog that covered most of the area around the house. Moving around night to morning will give them cover from the helicopter but will leave them open to undead ambushes. It'd be a lot harder to dodge a gattling gun, though. Meryl spotted something moving in the distance, it was small and furry, barely visible in the fog. Judging by the way it moved it wasn't infected or else it would have easily scented out the people in the building, most animal BOWs would. No, this was a survivor, probably stronger than any human. Prowling through the streets avoiding zombies no different from how they avoided humans previously only now it was easier as they are slower. Meryl smiled slightly and thought to herself, wishing it were as easy for them.
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Post by D on Dec 28, 2012 15:34:45 GMT -5
“The plagas. Hm.” She raised a brow and then looked away before chuckling. The plagas was the least of her concerns. “There’s a base in Alaska.” She crossed her arms and looked out into the fog. “ARC…separatists, I suppose.” Amanda straightened herself up and stopped leaning against the railing. She gave Meryl one more look and then she turned around. She opened the door and pulled it open. “I don’t smoke.” Without saying much more, she entered the house again.
Amanda squeezed the bridge of her nose once she entered the house. She had lost all of her equipment when she was captured at that club. Was the other one dead? God, he head hurt. She leaned against a wall. Amanda knew that she was at a major disadvantage and she wasn’t so willing to have someone like Meryl around. Meryl was one of those people who thought for them self and Amanda preferred the company of people who were a step above complete idiocy. They were easier to use.
But that aside, she had more important matters to worry about at the moment. Just like Meryl had said, she could feel the hunger trying to overtake her senses. Amanda ran her hand through her hair before taking a look around. If someone was looking for them, then she figured that someone would have prepared. Once she realized that, she noticed backpacks in the corner. Struggling against that hunger, she made her way to the packs and picked up what she believed to be a granola bar. Without wasting another moment, she unwrapped it and started to eat.
It wasn’t until after she finished that she fully remembered Meryl’s block of words. “Where’s the map then?” Amanda walked back outside. “Show me the map.” After that command, she followed Meryl to where ever they had put the map. Amanda placed a finger on the map and traced over a few ARC locations. “I can’t remember how many… but some clicks north of this location. Umbrella built a rail station…That outpost is in a red zone…” She crossed her arms, but quickly stopped as it caused pain. "New york. Most of that state is in the orange or red."
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Post by B on Dec 28, 2012 15:58:36 GMT -5
Amanda left to eat and Meryl stayed outside, looking out into the fog. Amanda wanted to go to Alaska, Meryl thought that was a terrible idea. ARC separatists? what does that mean? Did they leave because ARC is evil or did they leave because they wanted to do their own type of evil? Either way, if they had a facility they had resources, no doubt Amanda wants to capitalize on that. Amanda came back out and asked about the map. Meryl nodded and reentered the house. "Marks I made are in blue pen, Kendall's are in red." She noted to the other woman, hoping it'd make the map easier to read for her. The map wasn't cluttered but in some areas the writing overtook some of the area names, luckily, those areas weren't important. Amanda followed the paths along the map with her finger, Meryl was looking over her shoulder. "A rail station? but most railroads are cluttered with debris." Amanda put that to rest when she mentioned it being below ground. "Umbrella... Of course." Meryl shook her head. Then looked at the map. "New York is a dangerous state. Ever since the infection began the infected have been moving out of New York City throughout the state. New York City itself is one of the most dangerous places in the world. Hell, there's so many variations of mutation there that even the plagas find it too dangerous to take over." Amanda probably knew all this but it was probably worth stating. While she was by her backpack, Meryl took out a bottle of water and passively handed it to Amanda. "Okay, I'm in. I know you'd rather it be only you and Kendall but even you can appreciate the dangers of a state like New York. I guess we're heading to Alaska. If it's a subway we may run into issues with power but knowing Umbrella they have their own generators. If they were turned off all we have to do is turn the breakers back on whenever we lose power." HUNK had taught Meryl what to expect from Umbrella facilities. After the fall of Umbrella most of the areas were "buried" and forgotten. A generator wouldn't have been on all these years, they would have been inevitably turned off but should be untouched as of now. Moving along the subway would be difficult but a thousand times easier than moving above land. "We'll move when you're ready. We'll have to deal with that helicopter, too. If we move at night we'll have to deal with the fog, making the infected more dangerous as they can ambush us but would give us perfect cover from the chopper. If we move at day then we'll see the infected better but we'll be open targets for that helicopter we can probably get around it if we stick to cover, though." Meryl didn't want to mention how slow that process would be, though. Also if the mercs are desperate enough then they might have called in some ground patrols around the area, also. None have been sighted thus far but Meryl wouldn't put it past them.
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Post by D on Dec 28, 2012 16:44:13 GMT -5
“Yes, but most stations aren’t deep underground.” Amanda tapped the map right on New York. Normally, red and orange zones didn’t bother her too much, but that state was one of a kind. All the ‘grime’ that had been contained in the City had spread and infected the rest of the state. It was insanity, but it was the type of insanity that Amanda found interesting. If her time weren’t so limited, she would have enjoyed studying the variations there.
She gritted her teeth for a moment while she thought about the task at hand. “The undead are the least of my concerns. Taking this route will get me to Alaska the quickest.” Amanda remembered that ARC had a few bases that housed aircrafts, but without any one to maintain the machines anymore, she doubted their reliability. Things in the sky were prone to crashing or being shot down, so Amanda wasn’t too keen in getting into another air vehicle.
“As I said not to long ago, the dead aren’t a problem.” She placed her hands on her hips as she stared down at the map. “There are too many things to worry about when dealing with the plagas or humans.” Amanda looked over to Meryl. She knew that they lacked so much information but even if it was limited, she felt that a decision needed to be made. “The night would be the best bet.”
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Post by B on Mar 19, 2013 19:37:52 GMT -5
Meryl nodded. "We can't leave right away, though. I know you're anxious to get moving but you're only going to get everyone killed in your current state. Besides, Kendall and I found a truck. It needs a little work done but it shouldn't take more than a day or two." Meryl considered going back to sleep but felt the sudden urge to get moving on working on that now. She moved by where Kendall was sleeping and kicked his foot. "Hey, we got work to do. We have a plan, Amanda's awake." She said quickly and kicked him again. "Get your shoes on, bud." She smiled when he moved his head away from the pillow to look at her. Successfully, she moved back into her room to get her shit together, too. There were tools in the garage of that house where the truck was. Fixing it up is going to be easy enough. As for fuel, the could siphon from nearby cars.
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The car was easy enough to fix up but that "E" on the fuel gauge told them they weren't going anywhere. Meryl cut a water hose up and took the tube with her, beckoning Kendall to follow. There was a sedan toppled upside down. The inhabitants were long dead and decomposed, they would never become the undead. "Hey, get the compartment open." She asked Kendall, patting her fist against the port where a fuel nozzle would go in. Most of those could only be opened via a button on the driver's console. He went around and did what she requested. She unscrewed the cork of it and smelled. There was definitely gas there. She put the tube in and sucked on it until the gas spouted out. Coughing, she spat out what got in. She held a finger out to Kendall. "No head jokes. Just don't." She said shakily, the horrible taste of gas still lingering. They siphoned fuel from two more cars before deciding that was enough for now. They refueled the truck and had a good halfway mark on it.
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Last day of preparation. Kuse, Nessa, and Amanda, if she was up to it, all worked at moving supplies into the back of the truck, whatever they could scavenge from nearby houses. Meryl and Kendall focused on filling up the gas tank more, even getting some extra. It was about a two or three hour ride to New York City from here but even that would eat up gas. It was late now, Meryl, Kuse, and Vanessa were around the truck. Amanda and Kendall were somewhere else, probably in the house. "We have a problem." Meryl murmered and went around to the front of the car, put the keys into the ignition (keys which were conveniently on a key holder inside the house) and revved it up. It growled angrily to the heavens before Meryl shut it the fuck up. "If we try getting out with this we're gonna draw attention. We need this thing to purr like a kitten." Kuse nodded. "Get some rest." He said and Meryl shook her head. "What?" "We had to make money somehow. A lot of us did mechanical work, I may be able to clean this, if not, I can get a new part from another car." Meryl shook her head again. "We're leaving tomorrow." "Don't worry." Meryl sighed and nodded. She didn't like leaving things in someone else's hands but she would have to this time. Besides, the last two days have been hell with working on siphoning and dodging zombies, trying not to start a horde.
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Morning came, it was about 2 a.m. No light and a shit ton of fog all over the place. Meryl got her shit together and moved to make sure everyone else was awake. Kuse was still awake, drinking water and relaxing. "Well?" "Go see." Meryl went out, holding a flashlight, to the garage, hopped into the cab and noticed the keys were still in the ignition. She wasn't sure if there was any fear of someone stealing it but she would never have left it like this. She revved the engine and then smiled as it purred freely. How did he even get a truck like this to purr? It's been about 6 hours since she left him to it. Either way, this makes things much easier. The group readied up and were in the cab no more than 10 minutes later.
Meryl drove first, being careful to avoid the other cars in the street. Keeping the lights on wouldn't be a problem with the fog coverage. A helicopter's searchlight would just blind the chopper more in this weather. The lack of hearing the rotors made Meryl believe that they either gave up the search or didn't want to risk it. An hour later and they were on the interstate, still moving slow enough to avoid any leftover cars, then speeding up when none could be seen. An hour passed before Meryl passed the wheel over to Kendall. She was tired, she wanted to sleep, and sleep she did.
(Can you take us to New York, please? =D)
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Post by D on Mar 19, 2013 20:04:11 GMT -5
They got to New York!
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