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Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,923 Views)
Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"Hm, smart you got her, I'd have been alllll over you." Brandon admitted moving in closer.

To emphasize his point he leaned in and kissed her. He only meant to give her a quick peck on the lips, but then it became two, then three and then he dropped all pretense and let himself get carried away. He wanted a thousand more moments like that. Somebody cleared their throat loudly nearby. He didn't know who but he got the message. Time to go.

"Alright, let's get a move on then." he said giving Willow a coaxing pat on the backside.

Once outside Brandon guessed from the sun's position that it was around nine or ten in the morning now, they'd lost over an hour on this stock up but it meant not stopping again for a while. Whatever the road had in store for them he was confident they had a solution for it now.

"Whoah, look at the civilian." Brandon remarked as he caught sight of Emily in her new clothes.

She answered him with a slightly unamused look.

...

They were all in for a very long drive. Under normal circumstances, the drive would probably take them around seven hours to complete. Now though, with their additional concerns, they'd be lucky to make it to Estes Park by nightfall. They could press on into the night a little though, if they didn't quite make it in time, no sense stopping so close to their destination when they had a guaranteed roof over their head and a few couches and beds once they got there.

Nebraska wasn't much of a scenic drive, at least along this stretch of road and seven hours was a very very long drive, even for an adult's attention span. Some slept, others talked, they made rest stops every so often and switched drivers a few times. Brandon availed himself of some of the art supplies Kelsey secured to add to his sketchbook. He now had a decent likeness of Nolan in there and Jen. He'd have to add the others later once they made camp, that is if Annie or Antonio would welcome his attention.

It was hard not to stew on things on long drives. Like the events of the previous day. Any distraction was welcome. At about two in the afternoon they had a strange encounter. A car went speeding past them in the opposite direction, booming a deep bass heavy track. It looked like a street racer, though it went by too fast for Brandon to identify. They pulled over to the side to wait and see if they had turned around to follow them. Satisfied they weren't being followed the convoy took off again, it had been just another traveler like them.

Brandon kind of missed the sound of dubstep. He wasn't overly enthusiastic about it, but it reminded him of better times. The more derivative stuff, sloppy remixes of chart music, that sort of thing. R&B, Christ he missed that. Nothing made picking up easier than alcohol and the right track. He missed drunk chicks. He missed crappy pizza.

"You know what I miss? Greasy pizza after a few too many drinks." Brandon lamented lightheartedly.

Things that he missed. That was a depressing line of thought. Why did he do that sort of thing? He should be thinking about hings he didn't miss. Like the internet. He didn't miss that.

"I don't really miss the internet though. Crazy helpful, but also really toxic. Turns people into assholes or at least removes the getting to know you part of discovering somebody is an asshole. Facebook? To hell with it. Spent too much time stalking people I was jealous of, wasn't healthy. Not glad it's gone, I just don't miss it.

There's an idea. Keep up some conversation.

"What I am glad to be rid off though? Ricky Gervais. Hated that guy. Can't stand his stuff and he was kind of a prick. I know it's bad taste to be glad somebody is dead just because you didn't like them, but I'm legitimately relieved that he is probably dead." he said with a happy little smile.

"How about you guys? Something you miss, something you don't miss, something you're glad to be rid of? And no family or friends, that goes without saying. Keep it light." he asked as they began filing back into the van.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
It was Nolan who answered first.

"I don't miss Adam Sandler. He wasn't even funny, the fact that he kept getting work and getting paid millions of dollars was actually insulting to me at an instinctual level." Nolan explained as he got into the driver's seat of the van -- it was his turn to drive now. Kelsey claimed the passenger's seat in response. "And I'm sorry to anyone that actually likes him, but I never really did. The fact that I never have to see an advertisement for one of his movies again is probably the best thing to come out of all this."

Willow smirked a little bit at his explanation. His acting was pretty subpar. She couldn't say that she was glad he was dead, because right now she would even settle for an Adam Sandler movie. She leaned her head on Brandon's shoulder.

"Well on that note, TV." She said after a pause. "I even miss the fact there was never anything on TV. Just flipping through the channels and looking for something to watch wouldn't be so bad right now."

"What about hamburgers?" Nolan retorted. "I'm not talking about those crappy ones you get at fast food joints, no. I'm talking about a freshly grilled, homemade burger... with all the condiments and a pair of lightly toasted buns. Where it actually crisps when you bite into it."

"You're making me hungry." Kelsey whined lightly.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
After Eli had returned to the van with the last of the supplies he cared to salvage, he just waited there. He told himself he was keeping watch. Deep down, he was worried he had other reasons. Inside, he knew the attitude was light. He thought some people were even enjoying themselves as they looked around for supplies and tried on clothes.

That’s good, Eli thought. That’s what he wanted for the group.

He just didn’t know how to be a part of it right now.

When the others started filtering out into the parking lot, Eli unfolded his arms and started opening the doors of the van.

“Well, well, look at you guys, wearing people clothes,” he heard Jimmy say. “Guess we’re not rebooting the Village People after all.”

Eli looked up to see Antonio out of his cassock, and Emily out of her uniform. Jimmy was right, sort of – they looked like regular survivors now, not like the priest and the cop they once were and probably liked to think they still are. Eli figured that was for the best. There wasn’t much room for those roles out here in the wilderness.

He was about to look away when he spotted Kelsey. She was sticking close to her brother, and Eli looked at him too. With every step he took, his face hinted at a cringe – Eli was sure it was involuntary, and maybe Nolan didn’t even notice it. Maybe most people wouldn’t. But Eli could. He knew he was in pain, and he knew that if he continued down this path, there would be more pain to come. Eli would do everything in his power to try and stop it, but the world had proven many times now that everything in his power wasn’t enough.

Eli looked from him to Kelsey and back a couple more times, his gaze intense from his troubled thoughts. When they got close, he finally looked away, taking his driver’s seat in the van.

Hours later, after the encounter with the stereo-blasting survivor – if it could even be called an encounter – Eli was still in his own head. Brandon was keeping the conversation light, and Willow and Nolan were playing along, but Eli’s mind was somewhere else.

At first, it was with the mystery driver. It didn’t seem like he – or she, perhaps, nobody got a good look – had any interest in returning, but just the possibility made Eli tense. People scared him now. He couldn’t deny it. It wasn’t a paralyzing fear, but a motivating one. It sparked angry determination in him.

After so long without any sign of the driver, however, his restless mind had moved on, but moved on to nowhere good. He was glad when he saw something in the distance. One of those high-standing billboards, planted far away, on a grassy hill overlooking the train tracks parallel to the highway. The distance made it too blurry to make out the advertising, but Eli could tell it had been painted over with spray-point.

“Hey,” he interrupted the conversation suddenly, rising from his position in the back seat. He raised his arm between the middle seats and pointed his finger at the billboard. “Can any of you read that?”
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
Nolan was enjoying the levity of the conversation. It distracted him from the potential threat of other humans. It distracted him from the thoughts of his lost friends and family. It distracted him from the fact that he had shot down Jen's advances -- even if it was only temporary, he felt bad giving her an answer like that. She seemed happy with it, and that made him glad, but Nolan wasn't pleased with it. But that temporary levity was broken as Eli spoke up and pointed to the sign coming up ahead of them. He was right, there was something written on it. He couldn't quite make it out either though, but he had a pretty good idea of what it did say. He squinted his eyes and it became clearer.

"Alive in Salt Lake City." Kelsey confirmed out loud as soon as he as able to read it.

Nolan silently pursed his lips as he looked at the sign they were approaching. He still didn't know what to think of Salt Lake City. If something sounded too good to be true, it probably was. Especially in these days. He hoped that he was wrong though.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“S’what I thought,” Eli said, leaning back again.

Now he didn’t have to take Jimmy’s word for it – or the word of that Sergio guy Jimmy mentioned. The signs were real. Which meant they were worth worrying about.

“Nolan,” he said as he stared at the roof of the van. “Think it’s time we get goin'.”
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
They were running only slightly behind which was incredibly fortunate given the nature of travelling lately. They had already crossed into Colorado. The monotony of the trip was probably driving the kids to distraction, probably wasn't much better for the others. The times when they had to stop to move something were a welcone break to stretch their legs. Willow dozed away some of the journey with Brandon contentedly acting as a human pillow, occasionally drifting iff himself momentarily.

Emily was glad their route took then around Denver, she'd only gotten close to Chicago and came under attack, and from what she'd seen in Des Moines and heard from the others major population centres were a sight she didn't want to see. The sun was getting a little low by the time they actually encountered any mountains. The roads were thankfully free of any huge blockages but even do they couldn't quite make it by sundown, still with about an hour left until they reached Estes Park. Camping out again in the cold mountain air wasn't much of an option, and besides that the novelty of camping out had worn off for some.

They pressed on until finally they were presented with a gorgeous valley. Surrounded by mountains. They passed over a small lake on the way in, Lake Estes it was imaginatively named. It was completely still, offering a perfect reflection of the clear night sky with its cosmic marvels on full display in the stark lack of ambient light from the ground. This is what Brandon had promised. This was Estes Park.

"Wake up any sleepy heads. We're here." Brandon said, jostling Willow gently.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"Ooooooaaaaahhhhh!"

Brandon's prodding and Kelsey's audible awe at the sight pulled Willow away from the sandman and back into reality. It hadn't been a very deep slumber, but it still took her a few moments to regain her bearings and brush her hair out of her eyes. Only then was she able to see what Kelsey had been so riled up about. Even at night -- no, especially at night, this lake was a beacon of serenity in an otherwise chaotic world. But if there was one thing Willow had learned, it was that appearances could be deceiving. The truth is that despite its calm appearance, nobody really knew what was waiting for them in this quiet little mountain town.

"It is kinda pretty..." She groggily told Brandon.

Thunk thunk thunk.

Nolan rolled down the driver's side window. Willow could hear the light rumbling of Jen's motorcycle and see the driver of it herself just outside the window, the visor on her jet black helmet lifted up as she exchanged a few words with Nolan during their stop.

"I think it's best if we let Antonio lead the way from here." She suggested.

"Good thought." Nolan replied to her. "We don't know what's in the city. If we put Antonio in the front and Jimmy in the back, then we can keep the more vulnerable and crowded van better protected from anything unexpected."

Anything unexpected? They must mean ambushes or rotters or something. Willow was glad they were still thinking of the possibilities. Especially Nolan. But she shouldn't be surprised considering how tenacious of a survivor he had proven himself on being. That was why he was still here.

"Exactly!"

"What's Antonio think of it?"

"He's already agreed." Jen informed him. "Pass me the spare radio. We'll use them to have Brandon guide Antonio to the right place."

Nolan scooped the radio out of the cup holder and placed it into Jennifer's gloved hand. She nodded her appreciation and disappeared to deliver the radio to Antonio. As she did, Nolan rolled up the window on the van and cut off the cold night breeze.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“Kinda looks like we’ve stepped into a ‘Greetings from’ postcard,” Jimmy said, raising an eyebrow as he looked around.

“Yeah,” Annie agreed straightforwardly. She was in the passenger’s seat, while her kid had the two back seats all to himself. She leaned back to nudge him. “Connor, look.”

“Pretty cool,” the kid said. Jimmy glanced in the rear view to see him pressing his face to the glass of one of the windows. “The water’s like… really clear. I can see the stars in it.”

“It’s a nice change up from nothing but flat fields,” Jimmy said, looked back to the minivan in front of him. “I am not going to miss Nebraska.”

“Me neither,” Annie said.

Jimmy glanced at her out the corner of his eye. He got the feeling she was saying that for a different reason.

* * *

“It’s cold,” Eli said, to no one in particular.

He sat up straight in the backseat now, wishing he was behind the wheel. He kind of resented the loss of control. The others had made the fair point that they should switch up drivers to avoid anyone getting too bleary-eyed, and he accepted that, but he didn’t like it. That dislike was preventing him from enjoying the sights the way the others were.

“So how far ‘till your uncle’s spot?” he asked, leaning into the middle seats, where Brandon and Willow were positioned.
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"Not far. A few minutes. We're going to seven thirty-one Bighorn Drive." Brandon informed him.

With radio in hand Brandon navigated the convoy through the streets of Estes Park. It wasn't a big town, not for most of the year, but during the holidays it could sometimes get pretty crowded. A lot of people had holiday homes up here, many locals owned properties they would then rent out to people.

They gave the main drag of own a fairly wide berth, lots of boutique stores down that way, saw a lot of foot traffic. Probably crawling with rotters right now. Brandon remembered there was a goldsmith there. His parents went to them to have his mom's engagement ring repaired after the stone fell out when they came up for a week long visit. Brandon bit his lip in consideration. He couldn't justify taking the convoy that way after they had just stocked up. There were plenty of good scavenging opportunities but right now it was unnecessary. Better to get what they came for and leave first thing tomorrow.

It was a straight forward little journey, they just stayed on Wonderview Avenue until they came to Bighorn Drive. Brandon hadn't been back in years and it everything looked different at night even with street lights, but he got them there nevertheless. Big horn Drive. Brandon felt a pang of apprehension at the approach. He was worried what he might find, even if he'd made his peace with his family's likely fate, seeing it was another thing entirely.

"Okay, you're looking for a post with a wagon wheel leaning against it. Very easy to miss." Brandon informed Antonio over the radio.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
Thankfully, their trip through Estes Park had been relatively uneventful. Jen's concern had been proven to be unfounded, though Antonio could hardly fault the young woman for wanting to take a precaution. It was true that you never knew what people were capable of these days. That had been proven to him multiple times over the past few days. People and fallen were both dangerous.

"I got it." Antonio suddenly said into his radio.

The road they had been navigating was narrow. Only wide enough for one car at any given time and winding as it inclined upward through a rocky, forested area -- which was a nice contrast to the more barren lands they had found themselves entering not long ago. Thankfully the wagon wheel that Brandon had mentioned was still there, where it looked like it was secured to a post right by the side of the road; it was almost covered by weeds, but he was able to catch it. Thankfully he was driving slowly enough that he had enough time to turn left onto the driveway after seeing it.

The driveway was equally narrow, but after a slight curve, it widened into a larger driveway with a mountainside estate. It was difficult to get a good feel for the size for the house in the darkness. All he could tell was that the house was a pale green in color with a white garage door and a set of wooden steps that led up to an elevated front door. It looked quaint.

At the same time, Jen rolled up alongside the truck on her motorcycle and turned the bike off. Nolan pulled the van up behind the bike and Jimmy's truck came to a stop behind Antonio's.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
As they approached their destination, Eli thought about the day they left Mount Kisco. Brandon had taken them to his family’s home, then, and though he hid it relatively well, Eli couldn’t help but note the rough time he had of it. And here he was, leading them to another familiar spot from his past. Eli had to imagine that, once again, his good memories would be challenged by the current reality.

Eli held that thought long enough to give Brandon a light clap on the shoulder – a gesture that he hoped conveyed his solidarity. And with that done, he started considering the danger that might lie ahead.

“Does it look like anyone’s home?” he asked, struggling to get a good view of the house from his position.
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"Nah. Curtains are pulled back. If they were home they'd have them drawn so any passing rotters couldn't see inside." Brandon said as he exited the van, kukri in hand.

The few steps it took to reach the front door felt long. Exceedingly long. A sense of déjà vu came over him as he made his approach. Just like Patterson. A cold chill ran up his spine as he saw that old scene again. Would he find his aunt and uncle with his cousins? Their heads blown open?

Anxiously he reached toward the placard that hung from a nail by the door. Byars it read, his mother's maiden name. He reached behind it and found the spare key to the front door taped to the back of it. It was a good sign that the door was locked, wasn't it? He looked at the key in his hand, and then back at the others, almost wishing he was alone. Biting the bullet finally he slid the key in and turned it. The click of the lock could be heard from yards away in the relative quiet. Thedoor swung inward and for a moment everything was quiet. Brandon knocked on the door, not in a manner of announcing himself but in the manner they did when clearing out rotters. There wasn't any reaction.

"Uncle Sean? Aunt Tanya? It's Brandon." he called out, his tone was empty of hope though.

Only silence answered.

"Let's do a sweep." he said numbly.

The house and family that called it home were a picture of normality. Two parents, three kids and a dog. There were the twins Darren and Darrel from his aunt's first marriage, they were much darker than her and five years older than himself. Then there was Shari, the same age as him who Jen reminded him a lot of sometimes. The house had three bedrooms and two bathrooms including the ensuite. As they went room to room it became clear that his family weren't there for better or worse. They were just gone. Clothes were missing from drawers and one of the cars was missing. They'd left. The twins were living in Denver but Shari still lived at home, from what he could tell all three of them had packed up some of their things and left. They might still be alive... he didn't know how to feel about it.

Everyone regrouped in the living room once they were done and Brandon sank into his uncle's comfy recliner. Time to decide sleeping arrangements he supposed. Funny how doing not much other than talking, driving and thinking could be so tiring.

"That couch folds out to made a pretty comfortable bed, but before we get to that, let's see about that ammo. Any of you see anything familiar?" he asked looking from Kelsey to the bookcase across the room.
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Is that so?
After discovering the that house was safe, everyone had taken a chance to settle down a little bit. Willow had slumped down on the couch, enjoying the feel of a soft seat that wasn't on the inside of a car. Antonio -- who was now sporting a decidedly uncool, yet practical, set of overalls over a red and black winter sweater -- leaned against the wall near the window and would occasionally glance through it as everyone talked. Nolan sat on a chair he had pulled in from the other room and quietly studied his new surroundings. Jen was tucked away in the corner with a pencil and sketchpad she had taken from Nolan's findings, sketching away at something unseen.

The interior was fairly brisk after not being heated for a long time, but Kelsey found it wasn't too bad. The jeans and red jacket that Nolan had picked out for her kept her really warm. More than anything else, she was just glad to be out of the car for the day. It was starting to make her restless and she was ready to camp out somewhere and move her legs a little bit before going to bed for the night.

"Is it the bookcase again?" Kelsey finally answered Brandon after a brief pause; she had cheated and followed his eyes to get a hint. "Does it turn into a gun rack here too!?"

"Wait, what?" Nolan asked the obvious question.

"Man, are you saying even your extended family was crazy prepared for all this? Why would they leave if they had as many guns as your folks did? Especially with how quiet it seems to be here." Willow was visibly trying to choose her words carefully.

Back at Brandon's house, she had said something pretty harsh. Even Kelsey remembered that. Willow humiliated herself by saying that his house felt like a tomb. She realized it immediately afterwards, too. Kelsey got the feeling she was trying to not make that mistake again. But Brandon and Eli were the only other people that would know what any of them were talking about. Nobody else from back then was still around. The thought struck Kelsey a little hard, she tried not to dwell on it too much.

"Maybe there was an evacuation order or something." Kelsey suggested.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“A book case gun rack?” Jimmy interrupted with a smile. “B, do you come from a long line of spies, preppers, or both?”
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"No, they weren't preppers or spies, my uncle had a competituve thing with my dad. Uncle Sean just collected guns. Used to love bringing them out bragging about how he haggled for them. He was more of a gun owner than a shooter. If I had to guess, I'd say they went out to the cabin. It's further south on much lower country. Very out of the way, probably spent this last month preparing for winter if they did. If they were even still alive." he said reservedly, not wishing to risk that hope.

Brandon picked up a book about the battle of the bulge. Inside the book was a magnet which unlocked the first of many hidden latches. He proceeded to open one comoartment after another revealing a considerable but slightly smaller collection if firearms. Uncle Sean bought expensive guns, some of them were genuine service weapons. That kind of history had a dollar value though.

"Emily!" he exclaimed.

"Huh?" she responded.

"Not you. This Emily. MLE. Magazine Lee-Enfield. God I love this gun! This is the real thing, not like most of the others this actually saw combat use." he explained as he gripped the weapon excitedly in both hands.

Emily along with Tommy, a service Thompson, were his uncle's most prized possessions, much like hus dad's FAL, though Brandon didn't think they'd ever been fired while in his uncle's possession. Maybe it was time to change that. The other items were all replicas which included a Savage Model 1907 chambered for .38s, a S&W Victory model revolver in .38, a BAR in .303, a .22 Winchester 1873, a Colt Peacemaker and a very old school looking M16. What got Brandon's attention was what was missing. A .308 hunting rifle, a shotgun and a Glock. Those were the guns that saw the most use, maybe his uncle sold them but he doubted it. The other guns were a collection but the missing guns were ones he used hunting. They had gone south. The missing guns settled it.

"Plenty of 45, 5.56, 22, 303, 38. A little 12 guage, and 308 left too." he said, looking over the ammunition.
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