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Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,942 Views)
Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"So what's the plan?" Jennifer asked like a curious student once the car was lifted.

Antonio used both the stands on the front axle and locked the jacks in place on the back axle. Not a perfect fix, but at least now the van was elevated and he could get underneath it. Everyone else was starting a little campfire and relaxing. It was a sight that made Antonio smile. He enjoyed seeing them loosen up and enjoy themselves a little. Or most of them, rather.

"Are you sure you want to help me out here?" Antonio inquired. "I don't need any help, really. You could relax over there if you wanted."

Jen looked at him pensively; "I got a lot on my mind, to be honest. But I think above all of that, I just want to be more helpful around here. Apart from being some plucky comic relief, I mean. I can't be black and the comic relief, that's double jeopardy. I plan on living through this and getting old. And the more skills I have, the better my odds are."

Antonio laughed at Jen's colorful descriptions. "Alright. Well, I won't turn down the help if you're that determined to learn. It's a good trait to have. But if you ever want to talk about anything else on your mind, that as kind of my job before all this. I've been told I'm good at it."

"I'll keep it in mind." Jen smiled wryly.

"Onto business though, repairing a car takes a lot of searching and a little trial and error sometimes." Antonio explained as he pulled a bag of basic tools and replacement parts from the back of the truck and placed them on the ground near the van; it had been in the back of the truck when he found it and he figured it was all good stuff to have so he never got rid of it. And he was glad he hadn't.

"But it's a lot like being a doctor. The first thing you need to do is diagnose the problem. We know we are losing oil rather quickly. And we know from the burning smell that we are losing it somewhere hot and the oil may be burning. The most likely places for that are in the exhaust and the engine itself. Normally, that means a lot of looking around to find the source, but as we were driving here, I noticed some white smoke rising out of the exhaust. That means we are probably looking at a faulty piston ring. If that is what it is, then we don't even need the jacks. But I want to check a few things first just to be absolutely sure that the piston ring is the problem. This will be tedious, so I'll do most of the work. But I'll do my best to explain what I'm doing and thinking, alright?"

"Alright." Jen quickly agreed after Antonio finished his long-winded introduction.

"Hah, my dad would have loved you, Jen. He always talked about how hard it was to find enthusiastic employees."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Annie looked at Connor expectantly. His face crinkled and he seemed unsure. Out of the corner of his eyes, he looked back at her. Annie figured he was implicitly asking her for permission, so she gave him a nod and a smile.

“Okay,” he said, looking up at Brandon.

Annie had to smirk when she reflected a moment on what was happening. Two months ago, there was no way she’d approve of her son to head out alone with a guy like Brandon she had only met a week ago. She could be a little overprotective like that. And here she was now, encouraging it.

She looked up to Brandon, gave him a short nod of approval as well.
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"Cool, let's go." Brandon said casually before turning and walking off the way they came.

He didn't wabt to let on how big a deal he thought this simple act was. Connor had built himself a nice island the past couple days. Brandon couldn't blame him. Some people form bonds quickly in these situations, others prefer not to form them at all. Brandon frlt the former was better though. It had been an incredibly painful few days for everyone and they were all handling it differently. Connor didn't know either of them like Brandon and the others did, but after all the death at Flint everything must have left him pretty shocked. It would just be reassuring if Brandon could coax some sign of life out of him.

"Xbox or Playstation?" he asked as they were leaving the camp.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Connor looked up at Brandon thoughtfully as they walked. The question took him by surprise. It didn’t seem to be a lesson, which is all he had known the young adult to offer. Even if he didn’t mind the teaching too much – they were better than the constant affirmations he got from his mom, which he just knew was her attempt to keep him from getting too discouraged or sad – he found that he was unexpectedly glad for the change of topic.

“I used to have both, but Xbox had better exclusives,” he said. “What… what about you?”
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"Good answer. Xbox. Wanted a Playstation too for the exclusives but after all the other expenses of my family's shared interest in paranoia there wasn't a lot of money for everyday diversions. Halo series. I played the fucking shit out of those, God I miss destroying people. I was an asshole with rocket launchers, but that wasn't exactly hard." Brandon confessed.

That Xbox was about the most normal thing in his adolescence. He enjoyed the hunting and the camping, the shooting and the sparring. Any of those things on their own weren't odd, but even when they did that stuff there was always that agenda. That his parents were preparing for the world to end. It was not normal. His Xbox was something he had all to himself and it served no purpose other than to entertain him. It was hardly any wonder that he threw himself into drinking and screwing around as hard as he did once he graduated, in some ways he was as stifled and pressured as Willow had been.

Thinking about his parents again, now that they were gone put a real spotlight on everything they'd done. Ultimately they were right to raise him like they did. It gave him an edge a lot of people lacked. He wanted to do the same for everyone else but he may also end up subjecting Connor and Kelsey... or rather just Connor, to that same persistent sense of dread. Earlier that day he suggested that Connor and Kelsey should put down those two child rotters. He still thought he was right to suggest it, but the fact he didn't even hesitate to do so was worrying. Flint really was the better option for Kelsey, she could be a kid there. They all had to make time to do things that were just pointless. Talking video games was a good start.

"Don't tell your mom I was swearing around you. If she catches you swearing or something, you heard it from the other kids in Flint, they're all bad seeds. Especially the small ones." he added quickly.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Connor cracked a smile – his first in a while.

“Come on, I’m 13,” he said. “And I’ve seen a lot of movies. I’ve heard swearing.”
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"Okay. You still didn't hear it from me though. I'm a good boy. You ever get around to playing Far Cry 4? I heard it was pretty good..." Brandon asked as they continued.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
The hours ticked by as Antonio, with assistance from Jennifer, worked away at the van. Antonio was thankful for the cool breeze that they were being afforded because he was still working up a good sweat despite the cooler temperature. His fears had been confirmed pretty quickly; it was a piston ring that was the problem. And that meant not only getting to the engine, but then removing the cylinder head as well. Then he had to check and clean every piston and find the faulty piston ring. Unfortunately, he didn't have any replacements, so he had to try his best to repair it instead. At the end of the day, a piston ring was only a flimsy metal ring. But it was also the only flimsy metal ring he had so there weren't many other choices available to them.

Jen was patient through the whole ordeal. Despite the work and the time it took, she never left to go talk to the others. She stuck around and helped him out. Mostly 'help' translated to handing him tools and being an active listener, but she did both of those things admirably. She also got in the van and started it up a few times at his request while he looked everything over. Antonio was glad to have her help.

By the time he had replaced the ring, put the car back together, and refilled the oil, the sun was already gone and the last rays of light being reflected over the horizon were all the sunlight they had left.

"Eli!" Antonio slammed the hood down and motioned the man over. "Sorry about how long that took, but we're back up and running. My only concern is that we didn't have a replacement part, so I had to try and refashion the piston ring to make it work. I think I did alright. At the very least, it should be able to last us until San Francisco."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli looked once more at the sky and the sun, which had fallen almost completely. He was a little annoyed by how long it took, but he was more grateful the car had been fixed at all – at least for now.

“You say that, but you don’t know how far away San Francisco really is,” he said. “You haven’t been with us long, but you’ll find out soon enough.”

He caught himself being rude. He owed Antonio a little more positivity after everything he had done for them.

Gracias, though, padre,” he said. “Appreciate the hard work. If it gets us through Lincoln without crapping out, that’s good enough for me. We can keep an eye out for a replacement on the road.”

* * *

Annie was huddled around Brandon’s Dakota fire pit, absorbing all the warmth it had to offer. As the day wore on, it had gotten colder and colder, like she had anticipated. That was the bad news.

There was good news too, however. Since returning with Brandon and helping light the fire, Connor had been the most animated Annie had seen since he had left Flint. His transformation was nothing dramatic, but there was just the hint of a spring in his step, and a smile on his face. Annie was quietly enthused by the change.

“You know, Brandon, you should write a book,” Annie said, turning to the young man, who was nearby. “Now that there’s no Internet to source from, and libraries are hard to get to – your kind of knowledge is hard to come by.”
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
Eli's curtness was a little rude, but not entirely unforeseen. Antonio merely smiled and nodded his head as Eli went about it though. Patience was a virtue he had tempered significantly.

"It will definitely get you through Lincoln, I guarantee that much. It's unfortunate that this happened when there weren't many other cars around. Once I figured out the piston ring was the problem, I would have suggested just finding a new car. It would have been a lot quicker than tearing the engine apart." Antonio stated matter-of-factly.

Antonio ran his arm across his forehead. He could practically feel the grime and oil mixing with the sweat on his face. Everyone else was huddled around the fire; it must have been getting pretty cool, but he could barely feel it after toiling under the hood of the van for half the day. He felt like he had just gotten out of the gym. It was times like this that he missed having showers. After he wrapped up this conversation with Eli, he planned to head to the tributary and wash off his hands and face a little. It was the best he could do now, all things considered.

He could see Jen was already finished washing her hands and face. She was significantly less filthy than he was though, so it hadn't taken her long. As she approached the campfire with the others, Willow waved her down and she took a seat next to her friend and the two of them started talking. The sight was simple, but brought a smile to Antonio's lips.
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
Brandon sat by the pit with a sharpening stone resting on his leg, and several of the other's knives resting beside him as he sedately sharpened his kukri. Their weapons had all seen a lot of use lately, he'd have to make a point of picking up some cleaning supplies to attend to their firearms. He mostly kept focused on the task at hand, only looking up every now and then to eye-fuck Willow or join in on some conversation.

He enjoyed teaching everyone all of this stuff, maybe Annie was right. There was plenty of survivalist material out there, even one for surviving a vampire apocalypse. None of that told anybody the things what sort of things they had to know to make it out here. A manual or something would more appropriate. A guide to surviving in this situation. What you needed to have and what you needed to know. There were things they all knew that the people of Flint didn't. Things that nobody could have known before all this. How to take rotters down, what to look out for, how to approach a scavenging run. All of their experiences could save other people's lives, after they delivered this cure it would be invaluable in the event this ever happened again.

"I barely even read books, I don't think I have it in me to write one. Maybe a brief manual of the need to know stuff. The Rotter Survival Guide... maybe?" he suggested with a shrug.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli gave the priest a small shrug – a sort of ‘Hey, what are you gonna do?’ gesture.

“At least you got to figure it out undisturbed,” he said. “No rotters to speak of, no bandits. When you look at it that way, you could almost say we got lucky.”

He paused, looking around. He realized that without the light of the sun protecting them, those kinds of threats would have an easier time taking the campsite by surprise. Some extra vigilance was required.

“I should get to keeping watch,” he said, then reminded himself to be appreciative. He patted Antonio on the shoulder. “Thanks again. Seriously.”

* * *

Annie gave Brandon a smile. “Sounds like a best seller, as manuals go.”

Emmett appeared next to her all of a sudden – or maybe he had been standing there all along and she just hadn’t noticed. She might never get used to that quality of his.

“Hi,” he said, drawing attention to himself. Annie turned to look. So did Connor, who was on the other side of him. “I… found these at the church.”

He dug into the pocket on his leather jacket and produced a pack of playing cards, with the familiar and common ‘Bicycle’ brand logo on the cover.

“While we have some downtime… anybody want to play?” he asked.

The second part came after a short pause and what seemed like it could have been a gulp. Annie had to appreciate how much of a step this was for him – he was the opposite of a social type.

“Sure,” Connor surprised her by answering first, then by swivelling his head and finding Jen, talking with Willow nearby. “Jen, do you want to play cards?”

Annie had to smile.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
Jen smirked at the invitation. She didn't know what had happened while she was working with Antonio, but Connor seemed a little more upbeat. After as gloomy as he had been, it was a welcome breath of fresh air.

She rolled her shoulders in mock preparation for the game; "Oh, I'd love to. Just be warned, I'm good at card games. So none of you are allowed to cry when I kick your butts."

"Please." Willow egged her on a little. "I'd like to see you try."

"I'm talking real cards here, Wilma, your sick Hearthstone skills aren't going to save you in an actual card game."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
As some of the others gathered round to play card games, Eli equipped his assault rifle and sat on the hood of Antonio’s truck. From there, he could see over the tall grass and his surroundings. If a rotter or a human tried approaching, he was pretty confident he’d spot them before they got close enough to do any damage.

He concentrated on that. He glanced over at the campfire when he heard a girl’s laugh – Annie’s, maybe – but immediately returned to surveying the area. As the last rays of the sun died out, his vigil increased.

He was glad the group had found a moment’s contentment. He wanted that for them. More than that, he wanted them to be safe. He needed them to be. He had helped achieve that for Nolan and Kelsey, and now he needed to achieve it for everyone else.

* * *

The revelry – as muted as it may have been, considering – had long since died down and almost everyone was asleep. Eli’s body wanted to join them, but his mind wouldn’t let him. As heavy as his eyelids were, he kept them open, kept them scanning the horizon. His hands stayed grip to his weapon.

He could barely see now, as only starlight illuminated the area. It would have to be enough. If it wasn’t, he still had his ears. He kept them trained, waiting for anything besides the droning of distant crickets or the murmuring of his sleeping companions.

Emmett had stayed up with him. Two at a time, he said earlier. That was important. Eli glanced up at him. His normally stony features were softer than normal. His blank stare was a little dopier. He was clearly facing the same struggle to stay conscious.

“It’s okay,” Eli said softly. “It’s past time. You should get someone to sub in and get some rest.”

The bearded man looked over at him – without the curtain of hair, his soft eyes were more visible than Eli had become accustomed to.

“So should you,” Emmett said.

Eli shook his head slowly. “I’m okay.”

Emmett looked at him as if he didn’t believe that. He didn’t say anything immediately. Before he could, a groan came from near one of the cars – somebody stirring awake.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
Willow stirred awake for the nth time that night. It wasn't the chill of the cold night; between her heavier clothes, the meager fire, and Brandon huddled up against her, she was actually not freezing her tits off. Which was nice. The problem Willow had been having was with the hard ground. At least in the church, they were able to put some blankets down and rest on a carpet. It had bothered her back, but it was bearable. Here, the ground had to remind her that it constantly existed by agitating the still tender wounds on her back. The fact she had been cutting down on her painkillers to help extend her diminishing supply was not helping either.

Probably not gonna get much sleep tonight.

Carefully, she peeled herself away from Brandon's embrace and crawled back to her feet. Besides Eli and Emmett, who stood watch by the vehicles, everyone else was out cold. They seemed to be talking. Something about the next watch. She hugged her jacket a little closer to herself and made her way over to the two figures.

"You guys wanna get some sleep?" She asked them. "Jen and I can take the next watch."

She almost said that she and Brandon could take it. If it was just the two of them, there was a strong possibility that 'keeping watch' would be replaced with 'intense physical intimacy' after a half hour of nothing happening. While that would be awesome for her, the group might not take so kindly to it. And she'd let the group down enough times for one day. Besides... the possibility of danger was still here. Even in this sparsely populated area.
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