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| Dead Men Walking | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,896 Views) | |
| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 7 2015, 02:57 AM Post #2701 |
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Is that so?
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"We should at least wait until it is safe to move Jen again." Nolan answered Brandon quickly. Willow thought Nolan's concern for her was kind of sweet. Though she couldn't tell if his actions were fueled by affection or guilt. She guessed it was a mix of both. If there was one thing she had learned about him in their short time together, it was that he could be fairly hard on himself. She tried to push the issue of Jen aside and consider the needs of the group right now. Food and water were already accounted for. They had lost a lot along with their vehicles and would no doubt need to pick up as much as they could when they had a chance. But if they rationed them, like Annie had suggested, then they should be good for at least a little while longer. It was a concern, of course, but a concern that everybody was fully aware of. That was why Jimmy was planning his excursion back to the hotel, after all. Likewise, ammo was taken care of as well. That only left Willow with one main concern when it came to supplies. "I think we should look into getting sturdier vehicles this time around." Willow suggested to the group. "The van was nice for carrying people, but it was pretty worthless and vulnerable in a fight. We can't really afford to settle on things like that anymore. Maybe if find another big truck like Jimmy has or see one of those civilian Hummers sitting around we can take them instead of just the first thing that works. The world is so violent, odds are we will be attacked. We should plan our choice of wheels around that fact now, you know?" |
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| Strompy | Sep 7 2015, 03:20 AM Post #2702 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Civilian hummers are fuel guzzling codpieces on wheels, they'd buckle just as easily as that van. Pity Cory had to take that thing with him, that was military grade. If we could find a security van that'd be another matter. Or maybe a SWAT van, we'd have to head into dense urban area for a chance at finding either of those. I think our best bet is to make our own modifications." Brandon suggested. Their brush with that monster of a truck had left him inspired. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 7 2015, 03:55 AM Post #2703 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“A better set of wheels,” Eli agreed. “It’s on the list. We’ll get into it as soon as this horde situation is resolved.” He looked to Nolan. He felt a tinge of guilt at almost getting into a fight the other night. He didn’t feel guilty over what the fight was about – he knew he was in the right, and that Nolan was just acting out of grief – but Nolan was Randall’s son, someone he had gone to great lengths to find and protect. He didn’t want to hurt him. “And hopefully, Jen will be in better condition,” he nodded to him. “Fair enough, jefe,” Jimmy said. “Are we about done here for now?” Eli shook his head, then looked to Connor. “One more thing,” he said. He remembered seeing the kid’s face at the tail end of that war on the highway. Connor had put a couple bullets through the helmet of a moving target – had even defied his mother’s orders to do it, Eli had since learned. Eli didn’t see it at first, but this kid clearly had potential. That potential needed to be moulded. Brandon’s shooting lessons were a great start, but there was more to surviving than that. “I’d like to get some training in with the kids,” he said. That included Kelsey. She was even younger than Connor, but probably tougher, and she needed moulding too. “Uh, okay,” Annie said, taken aback. “Training is good, Eli, but I don’t know if now is the time. We’re all pretty tired.” “They need to know how to fight, even when they’re tired,” Eli said. “Rotters don’t care that you’re tired.” “I know that, but…” Annie still tried to argue, for reasons Eli couldn’t quite fathom. “Isn’t this why you’re here?” Eli interrupted. “Isn’t that the whole reason you volunteered to come along? You wanted your son to learn how to survive. So let me teach him.” Both Eli and Annie looked to a few of the others – for support, of either of their cases. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 7 2015, 04:30 AM Post #2704 |
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Is that so?
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"I understand the need for refinement, but I don't think now is really the best time." Antonio spoke his opinions. "We are exhausted both physically and mentally right now." "But this may be the best time for some pointers that we have." Willow countered his point. "It's quiet out here. Isolated. If we're waiting for our injured to heal and recoup our losses, then we have plenty of time to spare. I think it would be helpful for the kids to learn as much as they can about survival while we have this time." Antonio frowned. It appeared that even Willow was starting to be swayed by Eli's more militaristic opinions. She had rescinded her disapproval of the massacre at Lincoln and taken a more neutral stance on the matter. And now she was seeking to push the kids during a time that was stressful enough for them already. Admittedly, it was difficult for most people to approach these subjects clearly after everything they had been through. Antonio figured it was up to him to be that guiding light that these people so desperately needed. "All the more reason to give them a break now. You said it yourself, Willow; we have the time. We aren't training them how to draw or sing. We are teaching these children how to kill. We cannot take that responsibility lightly." |
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| Strompy | Sep 7 2015, 04:55 AM Post #2705 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Kelsey. Connor. How do you guys feel about it? Up for some practice?" he asked them. It was pretty inconsiderate for them to exclude them from the discussion. He'd become close to both of them and his philosophy was always to treat them with respect. "I'm totally for it, by the way. I've been lying down long enough I could use something to do. I'd like to help out even if it's purely supervisory." Brandon said looking at Annie as he said the last part. He could supervise the kids was the obvious meaning but the subtext was that he could supervise Eli. Eli's behavior had become a little concerning and he could understand why Annie might have reservations about letting him influence her son. Despite Brandon's slip up with the jewelry store and his actions with Wendy's crew Brandon hoped Annie knew she could trust him completely with the kids. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 7 2015, 03:18 PM Post #2706 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“Padre, por favor, I already addressed that,” Eli said, frowning in annoyance. He nodded reluctantly at Brandon’s question, though. This conversation would probably be over a lot quickly if Connor and Kelsey went ahead and volunteered. “I can do it,” Connor said. Annie looked from Brandon to him. “Are you sure?” Connor nodded. Eli was pleased to see it. The kid had grown a lot more eager in the last couple days. It was an encouraging sign. “There you go,” Eli said, then turned to the younger child in the room. “Kels?” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 7 2015, 03:23 PM Post #2707 |
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Is that so?
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"Sure." Kelsey volunteered herself freely. "But only if Brandon watches." Willow noted that Nolan didn't put up much of an opinion on the idea. It must have been hard for him trying to focus on a meeting at a time like this. If Brandon was going to be supervising the children with Eli, that might give her a chance to talk to him a little. It looked like he needed it. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 7 2015, 03:53 PM Post #2708 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“Yeah, great,” Eli said, standing up. “Then it’s settled. Let’s go, unless there are any more objections.” At that, he looked to Annie expectantly. Annie looked at him right back, her expression uneasy. After a beat, however, she gave him a relenting nod. “Maravilloso,” Eli said. He turned again, to Jimmy – who was leaning casually near the door frame. “And Jimmy…” “I know, I’m on it,” Jimmy said, pushing himself off the wall by shoulder. “See you in a bit.” He left the room first. Once he did, Eli turned back to Connor and Kelsey. “Alright, kids, come on.” * * * Eli waited with his arms folded as Connor and Kelsey retrieved their weapons, and as Brandon limped his way outside with the help of his new walking stick. Annie also joined them. Once they were all feeling the chill of the morning air, Eli led them away from the main house and towards a nearby shed with a closed door. “So you guys have gotten pretty good with guns,” Eli said as they approached the shed. Around them was nothing but grass and other low plants suitable for grazing animals. The sun was still new enough to light the horizon orange. “But as you know, that ain’t all there is to survival,” he continued. “Guns have a lot of downsides. They make a lot of noise, they don’t work sometimes, sometimes you run out of ammo. Point is, you can’t rely on ‘em.” “Brandon was teaching us how to use knives,” Connor said. He didn’t sound confident about it, though. Eli had gotten a glimpse of that lesson himself, and noticed Connor hadn’t been so adept. And that just wouldn’t do. “Good,” Eli said. “That’s important.” “Where are we going?” Connor asked. That was about when Eli stopped. “We’re going to go practice some more,” he explained. “I have some dummies set up down-range that we’re gonna work on. Just need some tools. You see, sometimes you don’t even have a knife to rely on. Sometimes you gotta improvise. For example, the other day, Brandon killed like a dozen rotters with pretty much every item in the home improvement aisle.” Connor looked surprised and impressed. “Really?” “Sure,” Eli said. “Now it’s your turn. Connor, Kels, go get some stuff from that shed. Whatever you think you could down a rotter with.” * * * Jimmy poked his head into Jen’s room for the second time. Jen was still asleep, unfortunately, but Jimmy chose not to let that faze him. He wasn't there for her. Brandon had said this was where he’d find Emily, and sure enough… “Hey there, officer,” he said. “Willow and the quarterback are on their way to relieve you, I believe. I’m about to head off and do a little reconnaissance, and could use a second. You up for it?” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 7 2015, 05:10 PM Post #2709 |
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Is that so?
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Kelsey wanted to stay here. Last night had been scary. They were shot at by a lot of bad people who were trying to hurt them. And they had. Being able to stay on this ranch, maybe the bad guys wouldn't be able to find them up here. She liked Willow's idea of staying here. But Kelsey also knew that they couldn't. They had to deliver the cure and stop all of this. Nothing was more important than that. Dad had died for it, so she knew it was important. Kelsey waded through the overgrown weeds with Connor and approached the old shed Eli had pointed out. There was a rusty key lock hanging from the door, but it was open. Kelsey was able to pull it out and toss it into the nearby grass. Mindful of rotters, Kelsey carefully opened the door and peered inside of the old shed. * * * * * "How are you holding up, QB?" Willow was taking a scenic route back to Jen's cabin with Nolan. He had wanted to go straight back, but Willow convinced him by reminding him that Emily was with her right now and telling him that she wanted to talk to him a little bit. After that, he only reluctantly agreed. "QB?" He asked her quizzically. "Jimmy calls you quarterback. I thought QB was a pretty good way to shorten it." Willow shrugged off his question. "I know it's hardly original, and you probably heard it a lot from the guys on the football team, but I kinda like it. Has a ring to it." Nolan managed a weak smile, but remained silent. It wasn't much, but it was a small improvement in his demeanor. Kelsey always put up a front when she was scared or worried. She tried acting stubborn or tough to dissuade anyone from thinking differently. Nolan, she had noticed, put up a similar facade. He was more grounded than his sister, but it was still there in a way. However, that facade wasn't very strong today. He was too emotionally drained to care. "What was your number?" "Lucky number 7." Nolan said as a small measure of pride beamed through his haggardness. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 7 2015, 06:24 PM Post #2710 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Eli remained in place, arms still folded, as he watched Kelsey and Connor approach the shed and Kelsey toss the lock away. He didn’t move when they opened the door. And he didn’t move as a rotter lurched forward suddenly, pushing the door back and knocking Kelsey off her feet. “Kelsey!” Annie cried out. Her eyes went wide. The rotter – lanky, and sporting denim overalls – rounded the door and pounced on the fallen girl. It pinned her to the ground with its superior weight, then went in for the bite. “No!” Annie yelled again. Eli saw her going for her gun. Then he moved, holding out his arm to stop her from drawing. The look she gave him in return was a combination of fear and confusion at their highest levels. Connor had to act instead. Eli glanced from his mom to him, saw the gears going in his head. He practically saw the shock and fear fade on his features, replaced by a surge of bravery as he kneeled down and tried pushing the rotter off of Kelsey with all his might. Too late, though. The rotter had already gone in for the kill. Its mouth wrapped around Kelsey's shoulder. |
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| Strompy | Sep 7 2015, 07:01 PM Post #2711 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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Brandon's world shrank around him as the rotter fell on Kelsey. He was lagging behind the others as the scene played he dropped his cane and lurched forward, running as fast as he could. Adrenaline pumping through him let him push past the pain. As the rotter wrapped its mouth around her shoulder his eyes widened. This isn't happening. He had to be imagining this. Eli would never do this. Nobody would ever do this. This could never happen to her. Wait. This could never happen. Even if he was acting strangely the last thing Eli could ever do was bring harm to these kids. There was a reason for this. It has no teeth. Brandon recognized what was happening. It was close to what he had suggested just the other day. Practice with a live rotter under controlled conditions. His heart was racing as he came to stop near Eli and Annie. He breathed heavily and steadied his his trembling hands. He put his hand on Annie's shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay. It's under control. It has no teeth." he said quietly to her, as much to calm himself as her. ... "Can't you see I'm engrossed in an article about a bespoke Ford that hasn't broken down even once?" Emily asked incredulously, holding up the magazine for Jimmy to see. She sighed and placed it on the nightstand. "The sacrifices I make for you people. I'll be with you once I'm relieved." she said deadpan. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 7 2015, 07:18 PM Post #2712 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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The rotter rolled off of Kelsey, but tried immediately to back on. Connor stopped it. The kid drew his knife and gripped it with both hands, before falling to his knees and angrily stabbing it in the head. When the blade bit into its brain, it stopped struggling. Like Brandon, Annie surged forward. She angrily shoved past Eli to do it. Eli walked after them, more calmly. Connor immediately looked to Kelsey, his eyes wide with worry and his arms shaking. He blinked in confusion at what he saw. So did his mom, a moment later, once she arrived to examine Kelsey. They both turned to Eli. The rotter had bit down on Kelsey, sure. But it couldn’t do much damage without its teeth. Eli had stayed up all night kicking those out. If the others looked closely at the dead rotter, they’d find its fingers had been manually sawed off too, to prevent scratching. Eli kept walking forward. A second rotter tried shambling out of the shed, but Eli arrived in time to casually shove it with both hands, pushing it back inside. Eli closed the door on it and turned around. “So, what’d you do wrong?” he asked, looking down to the kids. Annie was aghast. Brandon had already figured out the truth and relayed it to her, but it hardly seemed to quell her anger. Her gaze fixed on Eli. “What is wrong with you?!” It was the second time he’d been asked that in 48 hours. Again, Eli recognized that it wasn’t a sincere question, so he moved on. “This is how we learn,” he said simply, and kept looking down at the kids. Connor was still on his knees and Kelsey had also yet to get up. “So?” * * * “They’re on their way here, and I’m on my way out,” Jimmy said, smiling. “Come on, your Ford story will still be here to captivate and enthral you when you get back. The pining will just make it better.” He kept looking at her expectantly until she relented. Soon enough, they were on their way to Jimmy’s truck. |
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| Strompy | Sep 7 2015, 07:29 PM Post #2713 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Eli. For fuck's sake." Brandon said shaking his head. He approached the kids and offered Kelsey his hands to help her get up. Brandon understood the motivation behind this kind of guerilla instruction, but some kind of warning for he and Annie at least would have been considerate. Out there the kids would have gotten used to being in danger, but they were supposed to feel safe with them. It was... mean. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." he grumbled. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 7 2015, 07:38 PM Post #2714 |
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Is that so?
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"Why didn't you try to play in college? Word on the street is that you were pretty good at it." Willow had heard from his father at one point that he was a really good player. Randall seemed to think that he could have gone on to play at the college level if he had wanted. Of course, it was always hard to trust the word of a proud father about these things. But he must have at least been pretty good at the very least to make the team. "I'm pretty sure you didn't walk the scenic route with me so you could talk about my high school football team. That's all old news." Nolan let out a long sigh. "What is this all really about?" Well, I suppose I should have seen this coming. "You know what this is about." She told him. "I figured. Well, what is it then?" "I dunno. You just looked glum and I wanted to try to cheer you up a little bit. I know how you feel, but Jen would have wanted you to smile and push on no matter what happened." Willow shrugged. "Annie is the best damn doctor I've ever known and Jen is one of the toughest ladies I have had the pleasure of befriending. If she had a chance to pull through, then she will." The pair were walking along the wall of the ranch. The houses were a few minutes behind them by now. Despite the overgrown weeds and grass, it was still pretty easy to navigate back here. Even the brisk wind was not a big deal; though she kind of wished she had nabbed a beanie back at Walmart; Nolan was wearing his right now and it looked like it kept his ears pretty warm. "Is Annie the one that patched you up?" He asked suddenly. "I mean your back. Your leg. Your armpit." "How do you know about that?" Willow furled her brow. She answered her own question pretty quickly. The little incident at the hotel. She barely remembered it through the haze of her high, but she remembered enough of it to be embarrassed. "Ah shit, that wasn't part of the drug trip, was it?" Willow asked with a flushed face. "No, it was not." Nolan reminded her. "Your elbows are also pretty hard. I don't know if you remember knocking me in the temple while I was trying to hold you down for Jen." "Don't remember it at all." Willow frowned. Shit, no wonder everyone was mad at me. I wonder what else I did while I was out of it now... It was embarrassing for sure, but she consoled herself out of it pretty quick. It was hardly the end of the world. After enduring the living hell out of the North American wasteland and surviving multiple attempts on their lives, something like that hardly seemed like a big deal anymore. It didn't take more than a few seconds for the initial shock to wear off; then she hardly even cared any more. She was more disappointed in the fact she had made everything so difficult for everyone during a crisis. "Well, I guess it's only fair, I guess. Jen and I saw you back at the Twin Lakes while you were cleaning up. We were down the shore relaxing behind some trees when you showed up. I didn't think anyone was brave enough to go dipping in that freezing lake." "Well, I'm pretty stupid sometimes. And that shit was cold." Nolan tried not to make a big deal out of it. "I guess that explains why Jen was acting pretty chummy with me later that day. I always thought it was weird how quickly that started." "She had a crush on you even before that. I think seeing you in the buff just gave her a big reason to start trying." Willow smirked at her own ribbing. This was good. He was talking a little bit more now. Sure, the conversation had to degrade into naked people for it to happen, but she felt like she was getting somewhere with him now. Maybe now she could get into what she really wanted to get into. "Can I ask you something, QB?" Willow's mood became somber again. "I guess I don't have much left to hide." Nolan admitted. "What is it?" "I know this might not be the best time to ask, but what exactly did happen between you and Jen?" * * * * * "What's going on out here?" Antonio rushed from his cabin, shotgun in hand. He was still in the living room where the meeting was being held when he was drawn outside by sounds of shouting and screaming. It was the sound that was always accompanied by the appearance of the fallen. His face went pale when he saw the rotter biting into Kelsey's shoulder. It wasn't until after the rotter was killed by Connor and pushed aside that he began to figure out what had happened here. Apparently this was some sort of test? Had Eli removed the teeth from these things? He thought he heard Brandon say something like that just a moment ago. Even if that was true though, it was pretty messed up. Even for Eli it was messed up. He approached Annie, eventually coming a stop near her as he watched Brandon help Kelsey up off the ground. "What the heck is Eli doing now?" He asked Annie with an annoyed edge to his voice. * * * * * "I was expecting the rotter." Kelsey grumbled as she accepted Brandon's hand up. "But it was stronger than me." It took her a few seconds to recover from the shock. She had managed to hold it off pretty well, but the fact was that the rotters were just stronger than her. She had gotten trapped underneath it and it was simply able to overpower her from that position. Even as frantic as she had been, she couldn't hold it off. Eli knew the rotter had been in there the whole time. He told them to go in there as a trap. A training exercise. Kelsey kind of understood it, but she was still a little mad about being scared half to death by it. "My mistake was trusting you." She added quietly. |
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| Strompy | Sep 7 2015, 08:14 PM Post #2715 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Everybody just take a moment. Breath. There was no harm done. It was big scare, but that was the entire point. Am I right?" Brandon suggested, also for his own sake. The shock had gotten him riled up. Now that it was abating he was acutely aware of how sore he was going to be after that little sprint before. The point of the lesson was how to act under stress. Eli could have warned some of them at least but Kelsey and Connor were both fine and they'd be alright after a moment to calm down. He'd shown them some of the tricks he knew about how to take out rotters during one of his sessions. This situation proved they were still inexperienced enough to forget about that. After this they wouldn't freeze up. It was a necessary scare. "Remember what I showed you about going for the legs? Rotters aren't good on their feet. Don't let them use their size against you, bring them down to the ground and you can keep them there." he said as he limped back over to where he dropped his cane. |
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7:28 PM Jul 10