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| Dead Men Walking | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,893 Views) | |
| DoctorYerishi | Sep 10 2015, 03:58 PM Post #2746 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“But… but I can help,” Connor protested. “Honey, do what Brandon says!” Annie said. Staying low, she put a hand on his and Kelsey’s backs, ready to guide them away. Eli turned and noticed. His mind flashed back to Connor aiming out the side of the van, having just taken out one of Cory’s gun-toting motorcyclists. The kid wanted to help more, and this morning – before it was tragically interrupted – was about making sure he could help more. “Wait,” Eli turned and grabbed Connor’s arm. “Stay low. Go to my room, bring me my bag and my rifle.” If this thing dragged out, he could the ammo in the bag and the AR for backup. “Eli,” Annie’s tone and look was venomous. “I can do it!” Connor protested again. Then, without waiting for permission, he broke free from his mother’s touch and scrambled away. Annie looked helplessly from him back to Eli again. There was even more venom in her expression now. Hopefully later, when she calmed down, she’d remember this is what she wanted. “Go!” Eli ordered. BANGBANGBANGBANG! A bunch more shots rang out, none of them his. Then Emily’s voice screamed over his radio. Eli looked back at Brandon and shook his head. Fuck that. These guys, whoever they were, had come to the wrong place at the wrong time and had started shooting. There was a price to pay for that. BANGBANGBANG! * * * No! Jimmy thought, anguished. Emily had put enough bullets into his windshield to bring the whole thing down. Not my truck! * * * Hank had never owned a gun. His dad had owned plenty, but he personally never got the appeal. Before all this, Andy had tried converting him a couple times, even took him shooting once, but it didn’t do anything for him. He found them overly loud and was actually kind of sickened by their purpose. He had changed his mind over the last month or so. Guns had proven to be a necessary and important tool against biters. But against humans? Living humans? Hank still wasn’t convinced. So it was with great inner conflict that he accepted the Glock 17 that Noah held out for him. “Stay down,” Hank told everyone else in the RV – even Alma, who seemed the least eager to do it. Noah, meanwhile, headed to the front and rolled down the window. He aimed his Remington Model 998 at the truck where most of gunfire was originating. Hank thought back to their first meeting, when Noah had the Remington slung over his shoulder, but it was out of ammunition. He claimed to have owned it since before the biters showed up. He also claimed to have owned his knife – a four inch stainless steel beauty, with a handle inlaid with natural ironwood and mother of pearl – for even longer. Noah’s friend, Lowell, also came with several weapons, including three handguns – a Glock 22, a Taurus Judge, and the SIG Sauer P220 he was firing now. Hank didn’t know if he had owned them before or not. He never volunteered that information. Hank tried to find a vantage point of his own. He didn’t relish the thought of actually aiming and shooting someone, but if it was them or his family, it wasn’t much of a choice. He hesitated when a female voice screamed out. An order to stop shooting. Tagged with an insult. BANG! Noah fired back at the truck, taking no heed. BANG BANG BANG BANG! Hank’s gaze swivelled forward. He saw Lowell empty his magazine and switch to his Glock in an instant. BANG! Andy leaned out from the cover of his car door, unleashing another shotgun round, this time in the direction of the house – where even more gunfire had come from. * * * Eli ducked as glass sprayed out from over him, a shotgun blast having torn apart the window he was hiding under. He gritted his teeth and rose again a moment later. BANGBANGBANGBANG! He sprayed the Thompson like a gangster in an old mob movie, tearing the enemy truck apart. Both of the guys near the truck got down. The younger, skinnier one disappeared under the dashboard. The older, bigger asshole hit the floor. He was outgunned, and he seemed to be realizing it. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 10 2015, 04:18 PM Post #2747 |
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Is that so?
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In a split second, they had gone from mourning the loss of a friend to fighting for their lives. That was the way the world was now; there was never any time to mourn. Willow knew that better than anyone now. KA-BOOM! POP! POP! POP! The booming sound of Willow's rifle was followed up by a few pops from Nolan's fancy-looking autorevolver. He had since joined everyone else in the cabin and had taken up shelter near the same window Willow was at. Gunshots were erupting everywhere, windows were shattering, and in the chaos Willow would hardly tell how the fight was progressing. "WHY ARE WE NOT STOPPING THIS!?" Antonio yelled over the cacophony. Nobody answered. Even Willow had steeled herself. She didn't want to talk this out either. Not anymore. She popped from behind her cover and lined up another shot in the direction of the stopped trucks, where the gunfire was originating from. KA-BOOM! |
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| Strompy | Sep 10 2015, 05:43 PM Post #2748 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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Brandon felt something he was not used to. He was completely indecisive. Eli was shooting. Willow was shooting. They were shooting back. He couldn't get past what Emily had said. She told them to stop. She believed there was another way out of this. Just moments ago they buried Jen. Just hours ago he thought he was in paradise. This was a fucking nightmare. He lined up the other truck. Switched to fully-automatic and put his finger on the trigger again. It doesn't matter how this started or why. Your friends... and Jimmy, are in danger. Today could have been great. He began firing mercilessly on the Jeep. ... "Jimmy, get us the fuck out of here we're sitting ducks." Emily yelled and she opened fire blindly over cover in the Jeep's direction. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 10 2015, 06:21 PM Post #2749 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Probably not bad advice, Jimmy thought, and would have said too, if not for the deafening gunfire. He stayed ducked as he put his truck back into drive. He pressed down on the gas with his knees and rolled away. * * * Hank’s jaw was tight and his frown was deep. The fire from their side had completely died off, except for Noah shooting after the truck, and missing. The fire from the other side, meanwhile, was constant. When he looked forward, he could see Andy’s Jeep shaking from the relentless barrage. It was remarkably fortunate that Andy and Lowell hadn’t yet been shredded along with it. “We need to go!” Riley said, as she ducked for cover under the steering wheel. “We can’t leave them behind,” Hank leaned down next to her and replied. And that’s what going would entail. He highly doubted Andy’s truck – which had served them so faithfully up until this point, had gotten them so far – would make it more than a couple feet after sustaining so much damage. “Shit!” Noah said suddenly, taking cover. A stray bullet had struck one of the rear view mirrors, surprising him. “Can we win?!” Riley asked. Hank's frown deepened. * * * Eli ran out of ammo, just as Connor returned with his bag and AR-15. He gave the kid an encouraging smile as he traded rifles. As he took a break from firing, he also realized no one was firing back. Their enemies were either pinned down, stuck reloading, or both. “Keep us covered,” Eli yelled over his shoulder to Emmett. The big guy was crouched behind him, waiting in the wings with his MAC-10. “Everyone else – Nolan, Brandon, Willow – advance!” he said. He wanted to seize this moment. End this battle decisively. He cleared the glass away from the window sills with the stock of his AR, and readied himself to get outside that way. Before he made the leap, he noticed Connor – the look on his face and the Browning in his hand. “You too,” he said. “But stay behind us.” With that, Eli swung his legs out the window then hopped outside. Emmett wordlessly took his place and kept the truck’s occupants suppressed. BANGBANGBANG! Eli ignored it and raised his rifle, ready to annihilate either the beefy guy or the young guy, whoever popped their head out first. “Wait!” another voice spoke up. Eli quickly adjusted his aim, setting his sights on a man emerging from the RV behind the truck. He was scruffy and shaggy haired, and holding his pistol by the barrel with both hands raised. Eli tensed his trigger finger regardless. “We surrender!” the man shouted next. It was enough to give Eli pause. He lowered his rifle slightly. But maybe it’s a trick, he thought. Maybe killing him now is the difference between losing someone else and not. Eli raised his rifle again. |
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| Strompy | Sep 10 2015, 07:02 PM Post #2750 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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Brandon gave looked from Connor to Eli with an expression of absolute outrage. WHAT!? "WH-" Brandon was about to demand when another voice cut him off. They gave up. Brandon was too wound up over everything that had just happened to be relieved. He slung his carbine. Nobody had reported any wounds but that didn't mean they hadn't been hit. Before they could do anything about that though they still had to deal with the potential threat these people posed. "I'm going to go talk to them. Antonio, can you please come with me? I could use a level head out there with me." he said looking at Eli as if he didn't recognize him. "Everyone else cover us, and do NOT shoot first. We're going to act like humans today." he growled as he opened the front door and began limping towards the Jeep and the RV. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 10 2015, 07:12 PM Post #2751 |
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Is that so?
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Eli is using Connor as a soldier now? The thought struck Antonio hard, but his prayers were answered when the fighting stopped before it could reach its final chapter. Before he knew it, the other side had issued a surrender and Brandon was telling him to help negotiate. "Absolutely." Antonio nodded in agreement and followed Brandon out the door. He had been unsure of Brandon before, but it seemed that, at least now, he was beginning to understand the need for diplomacy over violence. A small part of him was proud of that, though the price that had been paid to get him here was great. Still, Antonio knew firsthand that nobody was perfect. Whatever started this mess, there were better ways to settle it. This was not like Green River. Or at least, they did not know whether it was for sure. "Are you sure about this?" Willow asked pensively. She had jumped outside the window alongside Eli without so much as a second thought. Even Nolan had hesitated and was still inside the house. With her injuries, she was really in no position to be leading any sort of charge. "Just watch us." Antonio told her sternly as they passed. "Brandon is right. It is time to act like human beings today. And Connor; go back inside. Your mother is worried about you." |
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| Strompy | Sep 10 2015, 07:20 PM Post #2752 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"You too." Brandon said to Eli as they passed. A half-crippled man and a soft spoken priest presented a less aggressive face for them. If they were going to calm this situation down Eli needed to stay away. He was too unpredictable and it was showing, his presence would only increase the chance of somebody doing something stupid. He was intimidating, and scared people were dangerous. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 10 2015, 07:28 PM Post #2753 |
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Is that so?
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Willow frowned. This could be a trap. All they had was one guy saying that they surrendered, and they were going to go down there and talk to them!? Normally, she might not mind it, but Brandon was already halfway in the ground thanks to another group of people they had just met. And Jen was in the ground. The thought of leaving themselves open to that again left a bad taste in her mouth. "Arms up, weapons on the ground." Willow shouted as loudly as she could; which was admittedly not very loud. "Try anything weird and I will shoot!" |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 10 2015, 08:04 PM Post #2754 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Eli paused again, taking a breath just in time. He was a second – half a second, even – away from pulling the trigger and blowing this man away. Then Brandon interrupted. * * * Hank’s heart was beating hard and loud. Any harder, he worried it would burst through his chest. Riley’s heart was probably just as noisy about now. She stayed in the RV behind cover, but a moment earlier she had grabbed his sleeve, tried to stop him from leaving. He had to shrug her off and walk out regardless. Somehow, out of nowhere, it had come to this – this or the death of Andy and Lowell. Ahead, a Hispanic man with large biceps and a large purple shadow around his eye held a rifle to him. One twitch of his finger and he could have turned the lights off. His finger didn’t twitch, though. Hank thanked God for that. Around the man, several others fanned out. One of them was just a kid, couldn’t have been older than 13. They all looked like they had taken a beating, even him. Some were worse than others but their injuries only made them scarier. What the hell did we just walk into? Hank had to wonder. The kid, at least, took instruction from the larger of the two Hispanic men. Frowning, he lowered his pistol and backed up. Then the girl with pink-hair barked an order, and Hank sucked in his breath again. Another moment of truth was upon him. Slowly, he lowered his pistol to the grass and stood up again, his arms out. * * * “Hey, hey, hey!” Eli did not go back inside. He was furious as he stepped forward in front of Brandon, shoving him backwards in the shoulder with his elbow. Not hard. Not enough to hurt. Just enough to get the message across. He wasn’t in charge here, and undermining his tactical authority in this situation was just stupid. Just fuckin’ dumb. They still didn’t even know how many people were even in the RV. The moment they let their guard down, for all they knew, five people with guns could pop up and mow them down. After everything they had been through, Brandon should have known this was not the time to get careless. Not the time to get soft. Willow was being smart, at least. If they were going to accept a surrender – and that was a big if – that’s how it needed to start. Not with division in their ranks. “That goes for the husky motherfucker under the Jeep! And the guy huddling inside!” Eli added to the order. “Toss out your weapons now! Not a request!” There was a pause. Eli re-aimed again at the Jeep, but looked to the unarmed guy by the RV. The guy looked back. “It’s okay!” he said. “Andy, Lowell – come on! Toss out your guns!” “Can’t do it!” a gruff voice answered. It was the guy taking cover on the ground. “They’ll kill us!” “We’ll kill you if you don’t!” Eli shouted. “Don’t make me count down from five!” “Andy,” the RV guy said. “Please.” Nothing happened. Eli shook his head, annoyed. He just asked them not to make him do this. And yet... “Five," he yelled. “Shit – okay!” the guy said, and Eli saw his shotgun slide out in front of the wheel. A couple tense moments later, two pistols were tossed out the passenger’s side window. The scrawnier guy sat up, his arms outstretched, looking the opposite of happy about it. The bigger guy under the truck, in the tall grass, also rose slowly to his knees. His hands went up the same way. “Are we good?” the RV guy asked then. He seemed nervous as hell. “Not yet,” Eli said. “I saw a rifle sticking out your RV a minute ago.” The man turned, gave a pleading, cautious look to someone inside. “Noah,” he said. “Your rifle.” “Them first!” another voice – Noah, probably – answered. “That’s not how it works, shithead!” Eli shouted back. “Four! Three!” “Shit!” Noah said. He was the second one of his crew to curse right before acquiescing, and his rifle flew out the door a moment later. Eli let out a deep breath. Finally, this surrender possibility seemed real to him. They were lucky he didn’t keep counting down – the RV guy in particular. If Eli got to zero, he really would have killed him. |
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| Strompy | Sep 10 2015, 10:05 PM Post #2755 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Never put your hands on me. We're going to talk after this. All of us." Brandon promised Eli quietly. Brandon kept his carbine slung over his shoulder. Somebody had to give them the impression they weren't going to die. "Everyone in the RV come out with your hands where we can see them. We're going to search both vehicles so don't try to be cute. I promise you we don't want to hurt any of you and we don't want your stuff, we just want to be sure we're safe from you." Brandon spoke loud and clear, and waited for them to comply. ... Emily gave Jimmy a consoling pat on the back as she surveyed the damage to his truck. "Come on. Let's see what we've got." she said opening the door and joining the others. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 10 2015, 10:28 PM Post #2756 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Jimmy rubbed a hand through his beard as he assessed the damage for himself. “Yeah, yeah,” he said, shaking his head, following her. Just ahead, the fighting seemed to have stopped. A positive sign, at least. * * * “It’s the truth,” Eli spoke just as loud. “So everyone out.” He ignored Brandon’s adolescent whining. Never put your hands on me? Seriously? What was this, Boyz n da Hood? He put it out of his mind for now. “How many you got in there?” Eli asked, nodding to the RV. The scruffy middle-aged guy answered nervously. “Five – sorry, six. None of them armed.” “We’re about to find out if that’s true,” Eli said. “Come on, hurry up.” The man turned back to the van and wordlessly gestured to the first guy, Noah. He was a Native kid about Brandon’s age – he was also good-looking like Brandon, and even shared his current limp. He walked out with his hands up, looking resentful. A girl was next. A tough looking Hispanic chick. The man called him Alma as he held out his hand to help her down, and she ignored it. If Noah was resentful about the surrender, he had nothing on her. Her scowl was something else. Still, she complied. “Riley, bring Ruby and CJ out,” the man instructed next. “It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.” He turned back to Eli. “My son’s only five-years-old, and he has hearing problems,” he briefed him. “Can you not… scare him? Any more than he already is?” Eli exhaled through his nose at the request. Hearing that was the kind of thing that made it hard to stay angry, but he tried holding on to his anger anyway, because it kept him sharp and alert. “And what’s your name?” Eli asked. “Hank,” he answered. “Alright Hank,” Eli said. “I can be cool if you can. If all your people can. But if you’re not…” “We will,” Riley – or who Eli assumed was Riley – said quickly. “We’ll be cool.” She had just emerged with a teenage girl that looked a little like her, and a very young kid who hung onto her side, looking confused and frightened. Eli aimed his rifle at the ground, finally. “Willow, check the RV,” he instructed. Then he pointed at Andy and Lowell, as Hank had identified them. Andy was still on his knees beside the driver’s side. Lowell was still in the passenger’s. Both of their hands remained up. “Brandon, padre – search those two.” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 10 2015, 10:54 PM Post #2757 |
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Is that so?
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"Got it, boss." Willow slung the Ruger Gunsite over her shoulder and instead opted for the FNP. With all these people pulled out now, she couldn't help but feel a bit of a connection with them. Looking at them now, she got the feeling that they weren't like the people at Green River at all. They were scared. They even had a young child and a teenager. From the looks of them, they were just a small group of people trying to get by. That doesn't mean I can let my guard down. The interior of the RV was actually really nice. She wondered why they hadn't tried picking one up themselves -- they had couches, some seats, a table, a loft bed, a queen bed, a TV, a kitchen, a bathroom, a fridge, a shower. They were living like kings; Willow hadn't seen anything like this since Flint. Even if it was crowded, they had a shower. Though the shower was literally right in the middle of a walkway with only a curtain between them and the rest of the RV. That was probably a little awkward. Unless the bathroom door was used to block off the hallway? But then that would just split the RV in half and separate the bedroom from everything else? That felt like a weird design, but sure, why not? It wasn't a big deal; it was definitely better than no shower at all. No time to admire their ride, Willow. Look for weapons. She had to stop to remind herself of that. * * * * * Antonio nodded and took the man referred to as Lowell. Pale kid, a bit skinny, but with a ferocious look in his eyes. Antonio recognized him as a fighter almost immediately. It was unlikely that he would be too keen on the idea of being searched -- and likewise, Antonio was not too keen on being the aggressor here. "Yes, I do realize how bad this makes us look." Antonio conceded forlornly. He didn't get an answer. Which was probably just as well. Antonio patted the guy down, and it didn't take long for him to find a weapon hidden under his shirt. A Taurus Judge. He pulled the revolver out of his waist and swiftly hid it in one of his own pockets, away from Eli's sight. "He is clean." Antonio announced to Eli. "No weapons on him." "We really gotta get one of these things next time we are in town." Willow struggled slightly with the big step out of the RV; a visible show of weakness. "This thing is sick. No guns though; just some knives and a hatchet." |
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| Strompy | Sep 10 2015, 11:08 PM Post #2758 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"We've got kids too." Brandon mentioned to Hank as he and Antonio proceeded toward the two from the Jeep. It didn't mean these people weren't a threat, and it wouldn't convince them they weren't a threat. It was some common ground though. It at least meant neither were Cory's sort. It meant both would try to avoid a fight, if everyone could be trusted to be cool. Eli was far from cool right now, despite his assurances. He hadn't been cool for days now he was beginning to see. "We just buried a friend only a few minutes ago. It'd be really good if you could just... not make this day any worse." he told the big guy as he began patting him down. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 10 2015, 11:20 PM Post #2759 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“That’d be good for us, too,” Hank responded, and hesitantly sighed with relief. “Good,” Eli said, in response to that, as well as Antonio and Willow’s reports. “Good.” Looking at the group now, assembled outside their vehicles. Eli’s anger subsided even more. He could tell they weren’t a band of thieving malcontents, like Wendy and her crew. They were a family – literally, in the case of at least four of them. And one of them was a kid, even younger than Kelsey. Another was a teenage girl, younger than Willow. The biggest of the bunch looked like he could be trouble, but he didn’t protest as Brandon patted him down and found nothing. So far, so good. “Hey buddy, nice jacket,” Jimmy interrupted. Eli turned to see he and Emily strolling up to the scene. He was nodding at Lowell. “And by nice jacket, I mean ‘That’s my jacket,’” he added. Eli turned back to Lowell, who gave him a glare in return. What was this now? “I guess I don’t need to go looking for my supplies after all,” Jimmy said. * * * Damnit, Hank thought. Damnit, damnit, damnit. He never would have thought to be scared of this exact scenario when they were picking that hotel clean, that would be too specific. But of course, he was worried they would run into the owner and have to explain themselves. His hands were already raised at his side, but he raised them even higher – anything to display that he wasn’t a threat. It was looking like this standoff might end peacefully. He didn’t want this glitch to jeopardize that. “We had no idea,” Hank tried to assure the redhead with the trim beard. “We found some stuff in a hotel, it seemed abandoned. We’re not thieves.” “No?” the redhead raised an eyebrow. “Where you’re from, what do they call people who take things that don’t belong to them?” “Survivors,” Riley answered for him. Hank cringed a little – but was surprised to find the redhead smiling. “Fair enough!” he said. “Just, you know, I’m going to want some of that back.” “It’s yours,” Hank said – and he guessed that was true in more than one way. “Then I guess I should thank you for the delivery,” the redhead added. “I’d thank you a little less for what you did to my truck, but…” He gestured with two fingers at Andy’s Jeep Cherokee. It was scrap metal now – just totally riddled with bullets. “It looks like we’re even,” he said. Hank wasn’t really in a jovial mood, but he smiled nervously at the joke. At least, it seemed like a joke. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 10 2015, 11:52 PM Post #2760 |
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Is that so?
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"You get used to his sense of humor eventually." Antonio added sullenly in response to Jimmy. Willow sighed quietly and stepped aside as Jimmy and Emily returned and bolstered their manpower. They hadn't heard the news about Jen yet; now wasn't really a good time to break it to them either. She would need to wait until after this resolved itself. She had been angry a few minutes ago. Angry and worked up. She had been willing -- no, she was going to kill these people in the heat of the moment. But now she was ashamed of herself for even thinking like that. The anger had faded and was replaced with remorse. Remorse for everything. "Well, they've surrendered and given us their weapons." Willow was scanning everyone for any strange movements while she kept one finger on the trigger of her FNP at all times. "What now? Anything apart from 'let them go' seems pretty impractical to me." |
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7:28 PM Jul 10