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Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,934 Views)
DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli lit up at Jen’s sudden re-appearance, and then nodded quietly at her report. He was glad she was okay and equally glad she had been so successful.

His feelings were more mixed about the content of her report, however. He didn’t suspect for a minute that Wendy would truly come alone and unarmed, but the confirmation still left him unsettled. It made him realize there was no turning back. There was no chance this was going to end peaceful.

“If the sniper’s on the roof, she obviously doesn’t plan to take us during the swap,” Eli theorized out loud. “After, maybe, when she’s already got her man.”

He thought for a moment, and noticed Brandon slipping a gun down the pants of a newly gagged Gorski. It was a smart idea. When he thought about it, it was even the last piece of the puzzle.

“Jen, there a spot somewhere up here you can get a line on that sniper?”

Jen confirmed that there was, so Eli took a breath. He reached into his jacket pocket for the radio. He pressed the button.

“We’re close now,” he said into it. “Where are you?”

Wendy’s voice crackled back a moment later. Her words were predictable. “Fourth floor. See you soon.

Eli didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to Willow and held out the radio.

“Jen, take Willow to that spot, then get back to the car,” he said. “Willow, bring your rifle. Don’t do anything until I contact you. But when I give the signal, don't hesitate. There's only one reason they'd plant a sniper there. Understood?”
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"Understood." Willow nodded as she accepted the radio from Eli.

The whole situation did not really sit right with her, but it was too late to go backing out now. And even if it wasn't, Eli would have none of it. He was leading them into this potential deathtrap. The rest of them were just dumb enough to follow suit.

Jen tapped Willow on the shoulder. The two young women nodded to each other in silent acknowledgement before Jen turned and led the way for Willow to follow into the office building.

* * * * *

Antonio remained in the truck. While everyone else was preparing for a fight, he refused to take part in this senseless violence. He had tried to preach to them and show them the error of their ways, but they would have none of it. They were dead set on their path and nothing would change that. As cold as it felt for him to say, if they died it was truly nobody's fault but their own. In the worst case scenario, he would be able to recover the cure and head towards San Francisco himself. God's plan for him in all of this was becoming increasingly clear; He had not led Antonio towards these people. He had led Antonio to the cure.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli watched the two young ladies slip away into the building. He exhaled again before turning back to the van, which Emmett had just exited. The big man was walking towards him with just the hint of a limp.

“Good luck,” he said, when he got close.

Eli nodded his thanks. Emmett nodded back.

Brandon and Gorski were in the back of the van. Antonio, Annie and Connor were in the truck, wanting nothing to do with this one. There was no one else to say a parting word to. Eli took his place in the driver’s seat and turned the key.

* * *

Eli could practically feel the sniper’s lens on him as he made the approach towards the parking garage. He was pretty confident that Wendy wouldn’t start shooting until she had Gorski back. But pretty confident wasn’t totally confident. Without meaning to, he held his breath right up until he entered the darkness of the building’s entrance.

He kept driving, his eyes scanning left and right for any sign of the rest of Wendy’s party – the van full of people that Jen had seen drive up and disappear. He stayed alert as he rotated the wheel all the way around, slowly turning the van onto a ramp leading up.

There was sign of them on the first floor. Or the second. Or the third. Their absence was unnerving, but Eli put it out of his mind as he rounded the corner of the last ramp.

There she is, he thought, as he arrived on the fourth floor. It was her and her tall acne-scarred Hispanic right-hand. Jules, Gorski had called him. Real name was Julien. Wendy was smiling, but he was deathly serious. Behind them – the stolen minivan, its windows obliterated from earlier that day.

They were both standing a few feet in front of the van, and next to a pillar. It was a convenient place to duck, maybe, if Eli or Brandon started firing or if they tried to run them down.

Eli didn’t do that, however. He simply rolled the van to a slow stop a good 10 metres away. He opened the door and leaned out, not exposing himself unnecessarily.

“You’re unnarmed?” he asked. His voice echoed across the distance.

“Hello to you too,” Wendy’s voice echoed back.

Before Eli could retort, Wendy held back her jacket with her elbows and turned around. There was nothing on her waist, at least.

“Your boy, too,” Eli shouted.

Wendy nodded to Julien, who did the same thing, if a little reluctantly.

“And Gorski?” she asked as Julien finished his 360.

Eli was satisfied. He leaned back into his seat and rolled the van closer and turned it sideways. He turned the engine off and slowly got out himself, raising his own jacket and turning around in much the same way. Neither Wendy nor Julien flinched, so he went ahead and knocked on the van’s side. It was Brandon’s cue to come on out and show them what they won.
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Is that so?
Jen had taken Willow up a few flights of stairs to get them at a good angle. Jen seemed to be managing pretty well, but Willow's leg was hating every second of the trip, especially since she was hauling her rifle up with her. But eventually they reached a shadowed window in the corner of the building that offered a pretty good view of the garage. Not too high up to prevent Willow from getting good shots inside the garage, but high enough that they could watch the roof. The window was already shattered as well to make aiming a little easier.

"That corner right over there." Jen pointed to one of the corners of the garage.

"I see him."

Barely. The sniper, Moe was his name, was barely visible on the corner of the building. From ground level, it would have been difficult to get a shot at him. Thankfully, they weren't on ground level. And it didn't look like he was looking in their direction anyway, instead keeping his eyes trained on Eli's van, which had just disappeared into the garage a moment earlier. Willow gently placed her sniper on the windowsill and set her sights on their sniper. Unlike the last time she used the rifle, she had time to set up her equipment properly and was aiming at a stationary target. This would be an easy shot.

As she made her final adjustments, she peered through the scope and was immediately taken aback. The person she saw through the scope was not what she expected. Their sniper, Moe, was actually a young woman with auburn hair. She was likely no older than Willow herself.

"What's wrong?" Jen picked up on Willow's brief surprise.

"Their sniper just... looks different than I imagined." Willow admitted. "More X chromosomes."

"You shouldn't be surprised." Jen shrugged it off. "We women can be just as dangerous as the men. And just as stupid. Hopefully, though, this little trade can go off without a hitch and we can just go our separate ways like nothing ever happened. Remember, we are just here for insurance."

Willow didn't have a response for Jen. In truth, it sounded like something Glenda would jave said to her. And that thought alone didn't help Willow feel any better. So she leaned her head back down and focused her sights on Moe. And anxiously waited.
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Strompy
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"Here goes nothin'." Brandon said to Tom, the only person who had more reason to be anxious then them.

Tom came out of the van first. Brandon was careful to make sure he did so in a way that didn't expose the pistol tucked into his pants and then followed him out always within arms reach. He lifted his jacket to show that he had no gun on him in front or back just like others. At all times he remained just one foot behind Tom, ready to go for that gun.

"All in one piece. Now how about you show me yours?" he asked with grin.

He would be surprised if they even bothered to bring the supplies.
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DoctorYerishi
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Wendy bit her lip a little at the sight of Gorski. A part of her was angry to see him like that – bound and gagged, looking like he’d wandered drunk out of an S&M club at four in the morning. Another part of her was relieved – on the whole, he didn’t look too roughed up.

“Behind us, pretty boy,” she said, giving him the blonde kid a friendly smile that she hoped would be unnerving.

Indeed, that’s where their van was. It was looking pretty shabby after all the holes Eli and his sniper chick put into it, but the engine still started and their stuff was still inside, as they’d find out shortly.

“It’s fully stocked, like we discussed,” she added. “One catch – you get the guns back, but we keep the ammo.”

“That wasn’t the deal,” Eli responded immediately.

“It’s the deal now, soldier,” she said. “And come on – if the bullets were in there, what would stop us from gunning you down right now? Or stop you from gunning us down as we drove away? You have to admit you’ve set a precedent.”

Eli was silent for a moment, clearly stewing on that.

“Let’s get this over with,” he said finally.

Wendy shrugged and maintained her smile. “Sure,” she said. “But I think we talked about a search first. Like I said – precedent.”

Eli frowned but took a couple long steps forward, halfway clearing the distance between them.

Wendy took a couple steps of her own, meeting him in the middle. She started patting him down – more slowly than she had to. As she did, she looked up and saw Eli nod to his blonde ally, and then to Julien.

“Him first, then the van,” he instructed.
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Strompy
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"You think I'm pretty?" Brandon responded sarcastically.

The smile left his face immediately after, replaced by a very annoyed look.

"Guns aren't much use without ammo. What're you gonna do with it? Rob more people or loot their corpses? You know exactly what's stopping us from gunning you down. You've got your sniper somewhere nearby, for sure. This deal is shit, Eli. They're going to kill us." Brandon said as if they hadn't already figured it out.

He feigned reluctance as if the situation wasn't exactly what he was counting on as he walked forward with Tom in front, passing him over to Eli. He came and met Jules and lifted his arms to allow him to pat him down.

"Hello beautiful." he greeted him.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Wendy looked over to Brandon as she kneeled down to feel Eli’s ankle for a hidden holster. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” she asked him.

She spared to glance to Julien, who didn’t share her amusement. He glared at Brandon angrily as he started roughly feeling him up for guns and knives.

“Rest assured,” Wendy said, concentrating again on Eli as her hands climbed up his legs and didn’t stop when she reached his thighs. “You don’t do anything stupid, and we won’t do anything stupid.”

As far as she was concerned, she was telling the truth. Avenging Turner and proving to her men she could be counted on to stand up for herself when she had to – that wasn’t stupid. That was the smartest thing she could do right now.

Her hand was perilously close to Eli’s groin now. She looked him in the eye and smiled as she kept feeling. He pulled a gun from somewhere around this area last time. He wasn’t going to pull that off a second time.

For his part, Eli just stared back at her, his face deadpan. She didn’t mind. His lack of reaction just made her want to provoke him more.

“All clear,” she said, when she was beyond sure that it was.

Her smile widened as she took a step back, then lifted up her arms.

“Your turn,” she said to the stone-faced man in front of her.
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Strompy
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"What have we got here?" Brandon asked as he patted Julien down.

He knew what it was. A pack of cigarettes. Brandon reached into Julien's pocket cobfident he we do anything unless Wendy told him. The objective was to do everything he could to piss Jules off. If it came to a fight he'd focus on hurting Brandon which would leave Eli with Wendy who he had a significant physical advantage over, and possibly a bound and gagged Tom. Growing up sparring against somebody three years his senior made Brandon supremely confident he could take Jules in a grapple and use him as a human shield, considering he knew exactly where their shooter really was.

In fact if it came to a grapple in any circumstance their shooter would hesitate to take a shot, a high velocity round like they'd be packing would punch right through whoever it shot and hit the person they were grappling. That would give Willow a huge window to take them out.

"Chesterfield. Nice. May I?" Brandon asked giving the packet a little shake.

Without waiting for a response he opened the pack and withdrew a cigarette and a lighter from it. That confirmed it. No way would that guy take this if he wasn't sure he was about to get a chance to do whatever he wanted to Brandon.

"Consider it a last request." Brandon mumbled with the cigarette between his lips.

He lit up and considered blowing smoke in his face, but that would almost definitely set him off, and Brandon didn't want this to start until Eli was ready. He placed the pack back in Jule's pocket.

"He's clean." Brandon declared.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Wendy could tell Julien was bristling under the abuse. A quick glance at his face revealed his deep frown lines and the furl of his eyebrow. Wendy was confident he wouldn’t do anything that would light the fuse too quickly, however. He was easily annoyed, but not easily made to overreact.

Meanwhile, Eli’s pat-down was professional, free of the lasciviousness that characterized the one she gave him. Wendy’s smile persisted. She could tell by the twitches in his stony face that she was getting to him, somewhere deep down in his head. He wasn’t totally immune.

When he ducked down to get her ankles, however, she got a good look at Gorski. He looked sincerely worried, and not at all like his usual snarky, restless self.

She actually felt bad for him, like she felt bad for Turner, who Eli and his group had also wronged. Neither were her favourites of their little band of merry men, but they were still members of the band and that meant something. She had pulled them out of a fire when this all started, and – like hers – their lives hadn’t been too rosy before the fall. They were people for whom society and community had done no favours. People willing to say fuck society, and fuck community and join a post-apocalyptic crew of outlaws.

Wendy was drawn to people like that. She was drawn to Eli too. In another life, in another roll of the cosmic dice, he might have been a part of her crew. He might have even been something more.

In this life, unfortunately, he was her enemy. He had shot one of her crew, kidnapped another. She could have her fun with him, but that fun would have to end real soon.

Brandon had finished his inspection, and returned to Gorski’s back. Eli, too, had finished with her. He stood up and looked her dead in her eye. She looked back at him, dead in his, and reached into her pocket. The keys to the van jangled as she retrieved them.

She slipped a finger through the ring and held it out.

“These for Gorski,” she said. “That was the deal, wasn’t it?”

Eli shook his head. Her smile faltered a little from the surprise. Was he going back on the deal? Now?

“You’re forgetting one thing,” he said.

“And what would that be?”

“My radio.”

Her smile returned. Oh, she thought. Is that all?

She dug into a different pocket and retrieved it. She held it out with her left hand, and then clasped the keys with her right. She’d insist on getting Gorski back before she handed those over.

* * *

Eli accepted the walkie. His heart beat a little harder, a little faster, as his fingers wrapped around it. Still, he didn’t think for one second about turning back.

He looked into Wendy’s eyes as he raised the radio to his chin and pressed down on the button.

“Now.”
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Is that so?
The tension had been getting to Willow. The long wait and high tension was starting to make her feel nauseous. She repressed the urge and kept her sights trained on their sniper, who was scanning the surrounding area, but had yet to notice them. Willow tried to convince herself that Jen was right. Maybe this whole thing would go down without a hitch and their sniper was just a countermeasure.

"Now."

Willow's heart skipped a beat as Eli's order echoed calmly over the radio. Had there been gunshots? She hadn't heard any. Had a fight broken out? She cursed under her breath, there was no way to know. She had to trust Eli. Against her better judgement, she pulled the trigger.

KA-BOOM!

Through the scope, she saw a spray of blood as the .308 Winchester round impacted Moe's skull and dropped their sniper in a single shot. The sight and knowledge that she had ended someone's life in cold blood (which was a first for her) sent Willow's nausea over the edge. She let go of the rifle, doubled over, and vomited all over the floor of the hallway that she and Jen were camped out in.

"Shit!" She felt Jen pull her hair out of her face.

Jen continued talking, but Willow wasn't able to process anything that was being said to her. Every spasm sent waves of sharp pain into her back and lung. As soon as her vomiting episode stopped, she shakily reached into her jacket and pulled her tube of painkillers from her pocket. She shook a few out into her hand and then shoved them into her mouth and swallowed in a single, well-practiced motion. Then she sat still for a few more seconds, inhaling deeply as the guilt, the pain, and the nausea she felt slowly started to subside.

"... can take over for you if you need me." Jen's voice came back into focus. "Just sit down and-"

"I-I'm fine." Willow's answer came across as more curt and sharp than she had intended. "They need me. I can't be weak now."

She pushed herself off the ground, picked up her rifle, and lined up the sights again. She hadn't been out of action that long, just long enough for the show to start.
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Strompy
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That single gunshot was the start of the battle. That war Antonio had spoken about started long before they got there. It started the moment Wendy had decided to turn on them. This all had to happen for so many reasons. As soon as Eli gave the word Brandon reached for the piece on Gorski.

"Get down!" he shouted at the man, who despite having a hand in wronging them had won his life.

It was out in a flash and barked twice as Brandon drilled two holes in Julien's chest.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Jimmy turned down the volume on his CD player as he cruised along the I-80 through Lincoln, Nebraska. It was a boring town in a boring place, but his new passengers made it a little interesting. The little girl, especially. The chick cop and the older brother had interesting stories themselves, but nothing compared to what the young lady – Kelsey – had been through.

Her tale – as hesitantly recounted as it may have been – was all that had kept him from falling asleep at the wheel. Since morning, there hadn’t even been any deadheads to mow down in his pimped out Ram. After Omaha, the roads had been clear of them, and every one he saw in town had been killed already, which wasn’t much fun.

It also meant people and people usually meant danger. He didn’t mind danger, but he did prefer to be ready for it when it came. Hence, turning down the volume.

KA-BOOM!

The gunshot was soft and distant but Jimmy’s trained ears picked up on it. There was something familiar about the particular noise it made.

He pumped the brakes, and his truck came to a sudden halt, shaking him and his passengers in their seats.

“You guys hear that?” he asked, excited.

* * *

Eli let out a long breath as Willow’s gunshot rang out. Even after their talk earlier, he was afraid she might choke. Taking out somebody in the midst of a battle was one thing. Taking out somebody so there wouldn’t have to be a battle – that was something else.

He blinked in surprise, however, at the gunshots that followed. He expected Brandon to draw, but not to be so hasty.

He refocused on Julien’s body – laid out so suddenly. His hand weakly clutched his perforated chust before going still.

Oh well, Eli shrugged mentally. Had to be done eventually.

He held out his hand to Brandon before he could fire on Wendy – his palm outstretched, indicating for him to hold off for now.

All of her sick amusement was gone now. She stood frozen in place, her eyes wide and glowing with shock and anger and grief.

“Looks like my sniper just took out your sniper,” Eli said.

The look she gave him was pure acid. It could have corroded steel. “You…” she started what was clearly a curse.

“Save it,” Eli warned. “Or this tubby motherfucker gets the next two rounds.”

Wendy looked at Gorski. The sight of him – still alive, unlike Julien – kept her boiling rage at a simmer. Her mouth stayed closed.

“I know you were going to take us on the street,” Eli said. “But where’s your backup?”

Her mouth still stayed closed. Eli could recognize the fury in her visage. He had felt the same thing before too many times, and always to disastrous result.

“Brandon,” Eli said. “Put that first round in his kneecap.”

Gorski’s squeal was muffled by his gag, but it was clearly frantic. Seeing Brandon put down his friend must have made Gorski believe that was an order Brandon would follow.

The sincerity of her teammate’s terror seemed to shake something loose in Wendy.

“Bottom floor,” she said through gritted teeth.

Eli considered that, and then raised the radio to his chin again. “Willow – we need you, Jen, and Emmett on the street, and we need you armed. Get ready to do some crowd control.”

He put the radio away and looked up to Wendy.

“Keys,” he said.

She glared back at him.

“Brandon,” he prompted.

Her glare intensified as she tossed – or more like pitched them at him. They jangled as they collided with his chest.

Eli then dared to turn away from Wendy for a moment, sure that an armed Brandon would keep her pinned in place. He returned to the front seat of the delivery van, where his bag – and the last of his ammo – waited.

His next stop was the minivan. With the keys, he popped open the trunk and quickly found what he was looking for – his AR-15. The firepower he needed to end this encounter.

He ejected the magazine and loaded all the rounds he had. After clicking the magazine back in place, he turned and aimed the rifle at Wendy, relieving Brandon of the burden of covering her.

“Tom goes back in the van,” Eli instructed his younger friend and ally. “Then we finish this.”
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"Let's go." Willow picked up her rifle and started down the stairs.

Jen pursed her lips and gave her a concerned look behind her back. Willow was pushing herself too hard. Not that she could blame the sentiment, but it was hard not to see her as frail after the brief display she had just put on. A minute ago, she had been hurling her guts out all over the floor, and now she was back on the move. How was this affecting her health? She pondered that as she glanced at the pale pool of vomit she had left behind.

There's no time for this now.

Jen took off down the stairs after her. Thankfully, Jen was more nimble than Willow was right now and had caught up to her by the time they reached the first floor. In the lobby, she broke on ahead, swiftly jumped on the motorcycle she had hidden inside, and brought the engine to life. Willow apparently got the message and seated herself on the back. As soon as Jen was sure she had a good grip, she slowly lurched the motorcycle forward, through the open door of the office, and onto the streets. She hooked a sharp turn and headed back towards where Emmett and the others were huddling down.

It didn't even take a minute before the motorcycle rolled up alongside Emmett and the others.

"They're coming out hot guys!" Jen sounded the alarm. "We gotta give 'em cover!"
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Strompy
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"You really do care don't you?" Brandon asked, genuinely surprised.

It caused Brandon a moment of uncertainty. A moment of sympathy. Then he remembered they had always been planning to double cross them. His group simply did it first, and better. This is what he was here for. Julien had to die, he may have rushed them if Brandon had hesitated, he was probably angry enough to do it. It was better to remove him.

That guy was scum. He was a thief and a killer. The world is safer without him. he rationalized desperately.

The world would be safer without Wendy too. And Tom, he suspected. It was very difficult to feel sure now that he had evidence that they had souls though.

"Eli, she needs to die. They all do, why shouldn't I just kill her now?" he asked solemnly.
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