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| Dead Men Walking | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,941 Views) | |
| Strompy | Jul 7 2015, 11:08 PM Post #2026 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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Brandon slept like a log. When he wasn't getting elbowed by Willow as she shifted restlessly. He'd spent more than a few night sleeping on the ground, so this wasn't an entirely new thing for him. He and Willow hadn't had a chance to alone that night and the result was that he got fairly handsy in his sleep which would have only exacerbated Willow's discomfort. He reached out and his hand only grabbed cold dirt. The sudden realisation of something missing stirred him. He grumbled quietly and sleepily got to his knees. He placed a little more wood on the fire to keep it alive and ran a hand through his frwshly fropped hair. Finally he'd gotten around to getting that haircut and it was now shorter than he'd had it since high school. Very short, by his request as he remembered how much it hurt when that rotterhad taking a fistful of it. He was taking no chances that it might happen again. With the same drowsy weight to his movements he came back to their spot and lay back down, spreading himself out a luttle more as he lay on his back now that Willow wasn't there. A few minutes kater he was snoring quietly. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Jul 8 2015, 01:04 AM Post #2027 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Eli looked back to Willow and considered her offer. He opened his mouth to say ‘no’. He could manage it, and she needed her rest. He caught a glimpse of the sympathetic look on Emmett’s face, though, and sighed. “Okay,” he said, sounding defeated. “Just be on your toes. And thank you.” He slid off the hood of the car, and then gestured to Emmett. “Get some sleep, 'mano, we’re officially relieved,” he said. After a second, the big guy moved. They both headed closer to the van and the campfire. Eli stopped a few strides in, however, to look at Willow and remember the way he snapped at her earlier in the day. He felt a little bad about that. Not bad enough to apologize – not when he was in the right, and she had broken his trust – but bad nonetheless. Like him, Willow had gone through a lot. She knew Randall longer than he had, even, and had probably cared about him just as much. And now that Kelsey had gone to make a home in Flint, she was the last representative of Mount Kisco on the mission. She had found people to balance out the losses – Brandon, obviously, and Jen and her seemed to hit if off – but the pain must have still been fresh. Then there was the pain from her injury. She had been shot three times. Had almost died. He should remember that. “Hey,” he whispered, taking a step towards her before she had the chance to go wake Jen. “I haven’t – I mean, we haven’t…” He fumbled for the words and sighed. “You doin’ okay?” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jul 8 2015, 01:31 AM Post #2028 |
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Is that so?
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For a second, Willow almost told him that everything was fine. Just wave off everything and tell him that nothing was wrong and she was doing alright. All things considered, she wouldn't be lying. But there was still a lot on her mind. She appreciated the thought though and smiled somberly to show him that. "If you mean being physical wounds, then I'm running thin on painkillers and I'm starting to feel it. If you haven't been shot before, I don't recommend it. Just in case you were thinking of trying it out." She had never been the best at telling jokes or teasing or sarcasm -- her delivery had a tendency to come across as too deadpan for a lot of people's tastes. Most people thought she wasn't actually joking or, worst case scenario, straight up insulting them. "But emotionally..." Willow sighed and pressed the fingers of her left hand into her forehead. "I don't even know. Everything's so conflicting, you know? I wake up and I have an awesome boyfriend and a great group of friends. And I'm happy. Despite all this shit, a part of me is happy. But then I remember everyone that isn't here and that goes down the drain. And I feel like crap for even letting myself be happy in the first place. And I know it doesn't excuse my fuck ups the past couple of days, but ever since Randall and Glenda died, I've just... it's been hard for me to get a grip on myself." |
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| DoctorYerishi | Jul 8 2015, 02:30 AM Post #2029 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Eli frowned slightly as sympathy washed over him. He didn’t want to excuse the fuck-ups she mentioned – it was just as important as ever that they didn’t happen again, and that he could keep trusting her – but he didn’t want her unsteady, either. “I understand,” he said, with full sincerity. “But don’t – don’t feel crappy. Glenda, Randall – that’s not what that they would want for you. Think about that.” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jul 8 2015, 02:51 AM Post #2030 |
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Is that so?
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"That is what I always tell myself. But telling it to yourself and actually believing it are two different things. It helps to hear that from someone else though, so thank you." Willow wanted to keep talking to him, but he looked exhausted. If anyone needed a night of rest, it was definitely him. Even more so than Antonio, because it was clear that Eli's mind was on something else entirely. And Willow was pretty sure she knew what it was. "And no offense, but you've been a bit crazy-eyed recently and it's frankly kind of scary." Willow decided to be brutally honest with him before he retired. "And I kinda get it. But everyone's noticed it. I know this is the pot calling the kettle black, but I don't think Randall and Julie would want you doing this to yourself either." |
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| DoctorYerishi | Jul 8 2015, 03:51 AM Post #2031 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Eli shook his head. He had stopped to provide Willow with some assurance, and not the reverse. She meant well, but she didn’t understand. “Randall and Julie would want us all to get through this,” he said. “An’ they’d want to see that cure delivered. That’s what I’m doing. What I gotta do.” He sighed, then took a step out of the way so she could pass. “You better get Jen,” he said, making it clear with his tone that he wasn’t looking for any follow-ups. A moment later, he reconsidered. As Willow started walking, he opened his mouth and furrowed his brow. “An’ Willow,” he said. He reached out to lightly grab her arm and stop her in place. He stood still and looked at her seriously. “I don’t know what comes next, but I know it’s not going to get any easier from here. Be happy. But be ready.” Then he started moving. Away from Antonio’s truck and towards the bag with his extra clothes, which he planned to use as a pillow. He had put it off too long. He needed to sleep. * * * That morning, the nightmares hadn’t stopped, not even after he had woken up. For an hour, the visions danced in his brain. His mind returned to them like flashbacks, like they were things that had actually happened. He had done some good. He had saved Nolan, sent him and Kelsey to safety, did right by the Phillips family. He hoped that would earn him some respite. It didn’t. The terror still came in waves. He still saw the soldier he killed, saw Evan, saw Maxwell – so riddled with gushing bullet holes he was more red than pink. Each of their strangled cries echoed around him. Then there was that elevator. That fucking elevator. So large in life but so small in his head, and getting smaller and smaller with every second, until it crushed him. Then there was Randall. He saw him like he never saw him in life – chunks of flesh torn out of his arms and back from the mad dash back to the generator. He was bleeding out and ravaged by pain as the beeping over the lab’s loudspeaker counted down to his annihilation. When he thought it couldn’t get worse, Eli saw Julie. She was pale and unmoving, like she was that night in their bed. And she was pregnant. Seriously pregnant, like she never had the chance to be in reality. Her stomach swelled. Eli watched it until it was torn open, and then he watched some more, unable to turn away. A hand – small but bony – clawed through it from the inside. Then Eli woke up, and none of it went away. Not until later, after he had some food and drink, heated by their fire. Not until he was on the road again, gripping the steering wheel for comfort. Then his thoughts finally calmed. It was the worst sleep Eli had ever gotten, and Eli hoped that meant it was the worst he ever would get. He dared to think he had reached a peak, and it would get easier from here. His team was leaner now, and he trusted them all. He didn’t have Kelsey or Nolan's safety to worry about. And time would dull the rest of the pain, as it always did. He had to believe that. The buildings of Waverly loomed in the distance, silhouetted by the stark morning sunlight. Eli planned to drive through them until Annie offered a suggestion – she and Connor were back in the van now, their spot in Antonio’s truck now occupied by Emmett. “You said we should be worrying more about gas,” she said. “Maybe we should take a few minutes to gather some, before we get to Lincoln.” It wasn’t a terrible idea. Eli considered it as he waited for input from the others. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jul 8 2015, 01:08 PM Post #2032 |
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Is that so?
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As the van trudged down I-80, Willow felt a little bad about getting on Eli's case last night. As she had been on watch with Jen, exchanging the occasional bit of small talk, she had a chance to think about it a little more. And she couldn't really compare herself to Eli. Eli had lost Randall and Julie, his best friend and his lover, back to back. Sure, he had never told anyone about it, but Willow and a few others had a pretty good idea about what was going on between Eli and Julie. It would be the equivalent of Willow losing Brandon and Jen within 24 hours of each other. There was no guarantee she wouldn't break down like Eli had if that happened. The thought scared her on multiple levels, but also reminded her of what Eli had been enduring all this time. Annie's idea to stop for gas kind of snapped Willow out of her little daydream. "Yeah, that sounds good." Jen was quick to agree. "If we can find some gas cans, maybe we can stock up on some in case we run into any problems in the desert." "Considering our luck with cars, I think putting containers of something that explodes in here with us would not be the best idea." Willow rebutted. "Oh? And what are we carrying in the bed of Antonio's truck?" Jen suggested confidently. "I'm just saying, we should take any opportunity we can to stock up. Cause it won't be long before we start getting into the desert and hit a lot less towns and cities. That means less rotters, but also less places to stock up." |
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| Strompy | Jul 8 2015, 06:31 PM Post #2033 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Waverley seems small and quiet enough that it'd be about as risk free as anything can be lately." Brandon said in support. Everyone present got mediocre sleep or worse that night. He imagined it was he and Emmett who had the best sleep. Once they were clear of Lincoln and they could afford to rest a little he'd take the wheel and let them catch up on some shut eye. He didn't think suggesting the change now would work, Eli looked like the only thing keeping him awake was the instant coffee and having something to do. He wouldn't be content to rest until he'd seen them safely through Lincoln. Looking to his right Willow looked about ready to drop. He was glad now that he hadn't had an opportunity to talk to her about that thing that'd been on his mind, he didn't knowic her system could take it at the moment. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Jul 8 2015, 10:38 PM Post #2034 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“Okay,” Eli said. There was some reluctance in his voice, but he couldn’t deny Brandon’s words. If they couldn’t stop in a place like this, where could they? The interstate let off later, by the tail end of town. The land was flat enough that he could have easily offroaded his way in, but he didn’t see a reason to do that if he didn’t have to. He could spare the gas, after all. They were about to find more. * * * Wendy Gutierrez was caught off guard by the banging on the bar door. Hector was supposed to warn them if roamers were incoming, and Gorski and the others weren’t due back for another half hour at least. “Wendy, it’s me,” she recognized Julien’s voice, dulled as it was by the reinforced oak door keeping him on the street. She frowned in annoyance, and then waved to Tina – who was busy counting their battery supply for the third time that day. She was literally obsessive about that. Before the downfall, she had revealed to her in confidence she was getting professional help. Tina got the message, and stood up from her chair. Wendy went back to cleaning her Beretta 92FS, which she had field stripped on the desk in front of her. “Wendy!” Julien’s voice repeated excitedly a moment later, clearer now that Tina had opened up to let him in. “Julien,” Wendy repeated dryly. She didn’t turn away from her work. “Do we have to have another talk about using our indoor voices?” “There’s – there’s nothing around for miles,” Julien said, sounding flustered by her sarcasm. “And this is important.” Wendy rolled her eyes. There was nothing around for miles that he knew of. If he had missed the sight of a roamer or two on the way back, his yelling had given them their next destination. She would need to drill that into his head later. “Fine, go,” she said, finally swivelling around in her bar stool. “What’s so important that you rushed back here?” She was confident it was nothing bad. At least, not too bad. His tone would have been different if Gorski or any of the others took a bite on the road. “We spotted another group on the interstate,” he said. Wendy arched an eyebrow as she studied Julien’s tanned and pockmarked face. “A group?” “A minivan and a truck,” Julien nodded. “They got off and ducked into Waverly. Gorski’s still there, watching.” Wendy glanced to Tina, who was listening to the exchange with rapt attention. Then she glanced down to the pile of batteries on Tina’s table. It was pretty low. Most of their supplies had gotten pretty low. “Okay,” Wendy said, nodding and looking back up at Julien. His expression was a curious crossroads between hopeful and reticent. “Let’s go.” * * * Eli emerged from the gas station with two more empty red cans in hand. He also had candy bars nearly bursting from all his pockets. Unlike the vast majority of the buildings they passed, this one had suffered one round of looting at most. “Yo,” he said, catching Antonio’s attention, and then tossing him the empty gas can. Brandon turned at the same time, so he passed him the other. “Let’s get to filling these up.” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jul 9 2015, 01:52 AM Post #2035 |
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Is that so?
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The ride with Emmett had been about as quiet as Antonio had expected it would be. Which was fine with him. Antonio'd had a few weeks to get used to the sound of silence. And even when he worked, a lot of his job was just being a good listener. He didn't have any impulsive need to talk, and Antonio assumed that suited Emmett just fine. The decision to stop at the gas station was not a bad one. Gasoline was always going to be a concern and he supported stocking on as much as he could while they were somewhere safe. Or at least relatively safe. It was difficult to tell where one was truly safe these days. Their goal also achieved another purpose. While Eli had been looking through the small convenience store, Antonio helped himself to the small garage. There wasn't much there, but he was able to scrounge up a few extra tools and a couple of generic spare parts for the tool bag he had. From what he had heard of this group, car problems were pretty commonplace. And he had been on the road with them for less than a day when the van started having issues, which only served to highlight that point. Expanding his repertoire of tools was a nice bonus while they were here. He was just putting his newly filled tool bag back in the truck when Eli approached him and tossed the empty gas can his way. "Well, let's see if these pumps have anything left in them." Antonio shrugged. |
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| Strompy | Jul 9 2015, 01:54 AM Post #2036 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Willow there's a silo down the highway we need your eyes on that. Emmett if you've still got those binoculars keep an eye on that overpass to the west. Everyone else you give us 360 degree coverage on the ground." Brandon called out as he made his way to the manhole cover of the underground gas tank. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jul 9 2015, 02:08 AM Post #2037 |
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Is that so?
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Willow didn't even need Brandon's orders to know that. She already had her rifle on the hood of the truck with the sights aimed towards the silo. She didn't see any movement in its direction, but she wasn't about to let her guard down either. The surrounding area was flat and that silo would be one of the best lookout points in the area. But she could keep her eyes on it with everyone else watching the surrounding land. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Jul 9 2015, 02:22 AM Post #2038 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Emmett nodded to Brandon, then whipped out his folded pair of binoculars. He trained them on the overpass and watched stoically. Eli, meanwhile, kept an eye out on all directions as the others got to work. His vision kept returning to the underground tank they were siphoning from. He didn’t think about the past much – at least, not the distant past, from before people started coming back to life as rotters – but the sight reminded him of his old life. He was part of a crew that would drive SUVs with false bottoms over those tanks, lower a hose into them, and steal thousands of dollars of gas within minutes. They used to do it broad daylight. He and a few others – assholes, all of them – got away with it over and over again for months. Eventually, one of his so-called friends got pinched on an unrelated beef and gave everyone else up to cut some time off his sentence. He snapped out of that train of thought at the sound of a distant groan. He rolled his shoulder and drew his knife. He locked onto the source of the noise, saw it was a single rotter, and then headed its way. * * * Three rotter kills and 15 minutes later, the area was clear. Eli returned to the station, nodding to Emmett as he re-approached. He finished cleaning his blade as he arrived at the displaced manhole cover. “How we doin’ here?” he asked Brandon and Antonio. He was keen to get back on the road. His demeanour and tone made that obvious. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jul 9 2015, 02:35 AM Post #2039 |
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Is that so?
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"Hey, Jen?" Willow peered at the black woman, who was standing nearby looking out over the horizon. "What's up?" "I gotta take a dump-" "Wow, Willow, that's classy right there." Jen let out a brief gut laugh. "Yeah, yeah. Hopefully the bathroom is clean. I'll only be a few minutes. I'll be done before Eli gets back and we take off. Just, keep an eye on the silo over there for me, will you? I don't think anyone is over there, but if you see movement, let the others know." Jen shrugged and replaced Willow behind the barrel of the heavy sniper rifle. She smirked and looked down the scope, then picked up the rifle and held it in her hands for a few seconds. She then placed it back on the hood of the truck and nodded to Willow. Willow took that as her invitation to go take care of business while Jen covered her post. * * * * * "Just wrapping up." Antonio informed Eli. Both gas cans were filled up and both vehicles were back on full tanks. It turned out that since nobody had really been here, there was a lot of gas left. If they had more cans, Antonio might have suggested taking a few more as it seemed like a waste to leave all this gas here where no one may ever find it. What they had wasn't all that much, but it would be enough to keep them moving. And get them out of a pinch if need be. "Hopefully we won't need any of the tools or extra gas, but at least now we are prepared." |
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| DoctorYerishi | Jul 9 2015, 02:53 AM Post #2040 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Eli wanted to scoff. Prepared. As if you could ever be prepared out here. Instead, he gave Antonio and appreciative nod and collected one of the gas cans he had filled up. “Okay, then finish wrapping,” he said, heading back to Antonio's truck. “Hopefully, we can get some real miles in today.” |
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7:29 PM Jul 10