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| Dead Men Walking | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,890 Views) | |
| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 13 2015, 01:55 PM Post #2791 |
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Is that so?
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Antonio nodded; so Hank was a contractor. It made sense, he and his friend gave off that kind of vibe. "I can definitely take a look at it." Antonio agreed without any hesitation. "With some luck, we can get her back up and running." Luck was always a factor these days. He didn't have many tools and there was no telling how much damage had been dealt during their little gunfight. But, best case scenario, it could be as simple as slapping a new tire on it and calling it a day. But nothing was ever as easy as that. Especially these days. * * * * * "I don't actually know." Willow admitted with a shrug. "He just kind of... asked. We haven't had much of a discussion on it since then. I guess Antonio will be overseeing it, being a priest and all." Willow stopped walking; they had reached the root cellar. The heavy wooden door, which was framed by rocks and foliage, was closed. She grabbed the handle and pushed it open, cringing as the effort sent a wave of pain through her back despite the painkillers, though she welcomed the wave of warm air that greeted her. "Despite the fact it's all just silly formalities at the end of the day, I am still looking forward to getting married officially." I am actually getting married. It hardly feels real. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 13 2015, 02:44 PM Post #2792 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Annie bit her lip once again. There was a lot to unpack there. Eli’s tone – and the fact that he had apparently literally said ‘my way or the high way’ – was extremely worrisome. That he was hiding the cure was just as bad. These things would need to be addressed, and soon. They couldn’t continue on this way. There was a little bit of naiveté on Brandon’s part, though, and she decided to address that quickly. “Brandon, of course he thinks he’s in charge,” she said, her voice low – she didn’t want the others overhearing any part of this discussion. Especially Riley, who was hesitantly getting to work on a dead rotter about a dozen feet away. “We’ve been complicit in that. We’ve all let him be in charge, ever since Randall. Since he decided we were going to Iowa to look for Nolan, he’s been behind the wheel, usually literally. At first he asked for advice, let the majority rule, but…” She paused a moment to look around conspiratorially. Riley was still busy disassembling her rotter. Kelsey and Emmett were busy smearing some bloody goop on the main house. “He’s going down a bad path,” she continued, looking back to Brandon. “He’s been acting progressively more unilaterally. Dealing with Wendy and her friends, he made all the choices himself. Then after your uncle’s house, he decided we weren’t going through Rock Springs, and he decided that Cory needed to die, and that Darren did too.” The memory made her pause. That man posed no threat, and Eli murdered him for nothing but revenge. It was chilling. It took her half-a-second to recover. “Brandon, we need someone to issue orders,” she said. “When the stakes are high, when there’s no time to debate or vote… we need someone to have the final word. It just… I don’t think…” She shook her head, and instantly resolved to stop hedging and hesitating. She had to be serious. “It can’t be Eli,” she said. “Not anymore.” * * * “Thank you Father,” Hank nodded his appreciation. “And please, if you need any recommendations for energy efficient lighting – you know who to call.” * * * “Well – nice,” Noah said. “Good for you guys.” He sighed as the first door opened, and a brief gust of warm air hit him. But he also noticed Willow react with pain, so he stepped in before she could open the second. “I can take this,” he offered. “Just, you know, be ready for biters.” He pulled it open. More warm air. He turned and gave the crew – which was quite a crowd in this small space – a reassuring smile. He noticed Lowell was looking at Emily again. He snapped to get his attention. “Here we go,” he said. “They’re the ones with the weapons,” Lowell said back. Noah didn’t respond. He just grabbed the handle with the third door, shoved it open, then stepped out of the way. They were greeted by darkness. They’d need a flashlight or a lighter to see what they were doing down there. Noah was about to suggest getting one when he heard the groan – low but getting louder. There was a biter down here. Through the three doors, it probably hadn’t even heard them coming. It must have just been rallying now. Five seconds later, a spindly corpse in a tan work shirt – with a ‘Department of Agriculture’ label on it – walked unevenly into the sun. |
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| Strompy | Sep 13 2015, 04:40 PM Post #2793 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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Annie was right. About everything. They had let this happen. He had. That was a burden he never wanted to lay on Eli. He just felt he was backing his friend up, not following him. Brandon just assumed Eli would have done the same, now though he had to wonder. He didn't know they needed somebody in charge though, maybe he just never noticed that need until now, until it had become a problem. He'd unconciously reaffirmed everything. Now they were talking about knocking Eli off that perch. Despite how harmful it was proving to be for Eli's mental well being, despite how necessary it might be fir everyone's sake it would still mean turning on his friend. He doubted Eli would see Brandon was acting as much to help to him as anyone else. Even if this self-asserted leader role was bad for him Eli was going to resist any attempt to free him of it. Eli didn't trust anyone to know better. "He's my friend." Brandon lamented helplessly. This was too heavy. They'd have to talk to the others about this first, and for safety's sake they'd need to find that cannister first. Not a job for right now at least. There was still one more issue he needed to talk to her about. "Connor has been acting concerningly lately too. He killed a man when we were being chased and a moment ago he looked like he was getting ready to join the fight. I feel responsible for this. I'm the one who'sbeen teaching him this stuff, it's only natural he's going to want to prove himself. It's going to keep happening." Brandon informed her of what she almost certainly already knew. He was her son she knew him better than anyone, Brandon just wanted her to know she had an ally in this situation. "I don't want to tell you your business or interfere where I'm not welcome, but if you like I could try talking to him. If it comes from me or one of the other big kids it just might be harder for him to ignore than if it came from his mom. He's thirteen, pretty soon he's going go be doing everything you don't want him to do just to spite you." he offered. ... "Nolan you up to taking this one?" Emily asked as she blew a big purple bubble wigh her gum. She drew her machete with her right hand and her flashlight with the other. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 13 2015, 05:12 PM Post #2794 |
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Is that so?
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Willow reached to her belt and unsheathed Glenda's former knife; the one foot long blade that felt more like a short sword with the word "KIDDO" seared down the length of it. Courtesy of Brandon. Willow had been practicing with it recently, but she was nowhere near as good as Glenda had been. She remembered that Glenda could pierce the skull of a rotter 100% of the time with it from almost any angle. Willow never really appreciated that technique until she learned how hard that actually was to pull off. It required precision and strength. "You can use this." She flipped the blade and presented it handle first to Nolan. To her knowledge, all Nolan carried on him was that revolver. He didn't have anything for when the rotters got up close and personal. In fact, Willow had never really seen him go toe-to-toe with one before. This might well be a first. He looked at the offering contemplatively for a moment and then finally accepted it by the leather-bound handle. He stepped forward to meet the slowly approaching rotter. Instead of going straight for the kill, Nolan drove the knife between the ribs of its chest, and then kicked out one of its legs and forced it to the ground. Now in the superior position over it, Nolan pulled the knife out of its body cavity and ignored its flailing arms, which were doing little more than grasping futilely at his coat sleeves. Then he brought the knife down onto its head, but the blade did not pierce the skull and instead tore the skin across the rotter's forehead. The second time, Nolan brought the knife down into its eye and that time the rotter fell silent. "Not bad for a first try." Nolan tried to assure himself as he got back to his feet and handed Willow her bloodied knife back. "A little sloppy, but not bad at all." Willow assured him; she leaned down and wiped the knife off on the rotter's tan work shirt. "Just remember to wipe off the blood after you finish next time. A lot of knives are rust resistant, but not rust proof." "I'll remember that." He acknowledged. Willow turned her attention back to the root cellar. She whistled sharply into the darkness and waited to see if anything was 'alive' down there. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 13 2015, 05:55 PM Post #2795 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“Nice,” Noah gave it up to the guy, Nolan. It wasn’t really that nice – pretty messy, even, but Noah saw the value in being friendly. “Yeah, nice,” Lowell echoed dryly and insincerely, maybe not seeing that same value. When there was no response to the whistle, Lowell stepped aside to let Emily lead with her flashlight. * * * Annie was going to bite a chunk out of her lip if she kept at it. Brandon wasn’t kidding when he said there were problems. Plural. “You’re probably right,” she said, hesitantly. “Maybe you should talk to him. He might be more receptive if it’s coming from you.” Brandon reminding her Connor had killed someone was particularly bothersome. She knew it was the truth, but hadn’t really thought through the effect it might have on him. He wasn’t acting like it had any, so it had been too easy to ignore. She resolved to pay closer attention moving forward. “I appreciate everything you’ve taught him,” she added. “Don’t get me wrong about that. I just don’t him to a part of… Well, anything he doesn’t have to.” She gathered some rotter guts in her hand, and prepared to stand up and deliver them. They would certainly resume their talk of Eli soon, but not now, not in the open. They would have to discuss bringing the others in on it, for example, and that would very likely start with Antonio. Another thought struck her, however, and she bent down again. Brandon had shared his concerns about Connor, so she realized she should probably return the favour. Gently. “There’s something else,” she said. “About Willow. I was thinking about what you were saying earlier, and I… I think it’s time we started weaning her off her medication. Slowly at first. But I think it’s time.” |
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| Strompy | Sep 13 2015, 09:15 PM Post #2796 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"I don't want Connor to be part of any more fights either, I'll talk to him. I'll talk to Willow too." Brandon assured her. He sighed heavily. This was a lot heavy stuff, and a strange time to have to deal with it. He looked around at the faces of the strangers with them. As concerning as all this stuff was they still had the additional concern of whether they could trust these newcomers. He reminded himself that so long as those rotters were still coming they probably didn't have anything to worry about. At the moment Eli might even be a bigger threat to the peace than them, it was just so hard to predict him lately. "Nothing like the imminent threat of being eaten alive to bring people together." he observed with a small bitter chuckle. He slapped another wad of stinking gunk on the wall and began slathering it on. ... "You guys stay here for a second, I'm going to take a quick peek and then give you the okay." she instructed the others before entering the gloom. The air was still down there, and stale. That creep had been stinking it up for a while. Like everywhere else here it was a slice of frontier life, the floor was earthen and the shelves were hand made. It wasn't big. There was literally nowhere for any rotters to hide after she checked the couple spots one might fit. "It's cool. let's see what we've got in here." she said to the others. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 14 2015, 09:48 AM Post #2797 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Noah smirked as he followed Emily’s order, and found that what they got down here was a lot. His theory was that the dead employee behind them saw the disease spreading, panicked, and brought an armload of supplies down with the intent of waiting it out. He must have already been bit, though – which Lowell confirmed, kicking him over to reveal more than one bite mark on the back of its shoulder. That was the theory, anyway, but all that mattered was the stuff. There were some of the traditional canned goods that everyone had gotten used to wolfing down over the past couple months. But there was a lot more – endives, cabbages, apples, carrots, tomatoes and various spices. Stuff Noah would have tolerated at best in the old days, but looking at them now, he found his mouth watering. He kept smirking as they showed the windfall to the others, Noah seeking out Riley and Andy in particular. Surprisingly – maybe just surprising ‘cause I’m sexist, Noah admitted to himself – Andy was the real chef in their little convoy. He had proved it once, after a windfall in the cabinets of a cabin the group passed by. With permission from their new overseer – that Eli guy, with the intense look on his face – several people were excused from their jobs and were allowed to clean up and cook. Noah and Willow were assigned to replace them on construction and gore duty, while Nolan, Lowell and Emily went back to searching the ranch, with Hank telling them to keep an eye out for spare tires. “How was that?” Alma asked him when he joined her at her station. He had a board and nails, she had a bucket full of dismembered biter parts. “Pretty damn good,” Noah answered. “You didn’t see what we found?” “I saw,” she said. “That’s not what I meant.” She gestured to Nolan, Emily and Lowell as they disappeared again into the grassy distance. “Oh,” Noah shrugged. “They seem a’ight. Willow’s pretty nice.” She arched an eyebrow at him. “She’s nice?” He smirked again. “Don’t worry, she’s off the market,” he said. “She’s getting married.” Alma was surprised and quieted by that. She looked thoughtful as she went back to grossly painting the walls. * * * Eli was too hyped up from his argument with Brandon to immediately return to work. Instead, he took a walk. His aim was to clear his head, but he missed, and he returned to the house with a mind no less tortured. He didn’t know what he was expecting to find or what he was expecting to say when he found him, but he went looking for Jimmy. He opened doors until he found his room – and interrupted him doing karate katas. To Eli’s untrained – and highly surprised – eye, his form seemed pretty good. “Dios, what the hell did you used to do before all this?” Eli asked. “Sea captain,” Jimmy said with a smile. Eli rolled his eyes, but a part of him couldn’t help but marvel at Jimmy – how relaxed he was, how nothing seemed to faze him. He walked through the raindrops, and Eli wanted to know how. Except, he knew how. Jimmy just didn’t care. He had that me valde madre attitude. Eli didn’t have that. That’s my problem, he thought. I care. I give a fuck. “So what’s going on?” Jimmy asked. He stopped what he was doing and Eli noticed a backpack on his bed and some varied supplies spilling out of it. It looked like he was also in the midst of packing. “Maybe I should be asking you,” Eli said with a frown. Jimmy saw what he was looking at, then smiled wider. “You worried I’m leaving you?” Eli didn’t answer. “Don’t worry, patron,” Jimmy said. “I’m leaving my truck behind, so you know I’ll be back. I was just planning to wait all this out in the hills with a radio and a sniper rifle. That way, I can give you guys a play-by-play. When the first wave is starting, when it’s ending, when the second wave is about to begin – you get the picture.” Eli’s frown subsided, but he was still confused. “You want that?” “I could use the fresh air,” Jimmy said. “And alone time has never bothered me – if it did, I never would have left Flint. Besides, Hank and his friends were kind enough to return my poor lost Walkman and cassette collection. I’ll bring enough batteries stay entertained.” Eli scratched his chin. “Okay,” he conceded. “Then we’ll see you tomorrow?” “That’s right,” Jimmy said. “You know, unless something goes wrong.” * * * The work was done and dinner was served. Andy and Riley, with an assist from Ruby, prepared most of it in the main house, once they got the wood-burning range in the kitchen working. A lot of the fruits and vegetables in the root cellar wouldn’t last long on the road, and only so much would fit in the RV’s fridge, so there was no reason not to go wild. With this many people, it was more of a BBQ-style system, it wasn’t a meal like you’d be served in a restaurant. The people in the kitchen just cooked up everything they could and mixed and matched it in whatever ways they thought might be appetising, and they offered it up to whoever wanted it. By the end, everything they cooked was eaten, and Noah – at least – was full. It had been a while since he’d been full. He missed the feeling. He wondered if it was enough to make this pit-stop worth it – if being full was enough to balance out being shot at and losing Andy’s truck. “T-minus 20 minutes, guys,” Jimmy’s voice crackled over Eli’s radio. “They’re coming.” “We should hunker down,” Eli said a moment after. “The house and the two cabins are all ready.” At first glance, it seemed to Noah that mostly everyone was around to hear the order. Though, he didn’t know this group so well, so he might have been discounting a few. “Okay,” Noah said, after looking around. “How are we splitting up?” |
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| Strompy | Sep 14 2015, 10:33 AM Post #2798 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Kids and their families here in the house, there's a few beds to be shared. A few more people camped in the living room, taking turns on watch two at a time." Brandon suggested. Not as if there was much to watch anyway. Still, having two sets of eyes and ears open at all times was a good habit to get into and stick to. "Wounded are going to need beds." Emily pointed out in a reproachful tone, tilting her head at him. She was worried he was going to be pushing himself again. He learned his lesson though, he was hurt bad, he needed good rest if he was ever going to be of any real use again. "Yeah yeah. I had the smaller cabin to myself last night. Willow and I could take that one. There's also a comfy looking rocking chair in there for whoever wants it. Even once the hordes pass us we should probably stick to whatever setup we decide on until dawn so that everyone knows where everyone else is in case something turns the horde back around. Emmett will need the bed in the other cabin. How is the other cabin for space anyway?" he asked. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 14 2015, 02:20 PM Post #2799 |
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Is that so?
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"It's got two rooms. One for storage while the other looks like it was a bunkhouse for the farmhands." Nolan told everyone their findings from that cabin. They had looked at it briefly before when they first arrived, but it wasn't until earlier today that they had really investigated it. Not that there had been much to see in the first place -- the storage area had been decently cleaned out and the bunks in the other room were pretty self-explanatory. There might be some cool stuff tucked away in there though that they hadn't had time to gather, so who knows? |
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| Strompy | Sep 15 2015, 02:37 AM Post #2800 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"So that'd be Annie and Connor in one room. Nolan and Kelsey in another. Ruby and CJ in the third with Riley and Hank in the living room. I'm okay to rough it in the living room with one other on watch." Emily offered. "Would the bunkhouse fit everyone else?" Brandon asked. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 15 2015, 01:02 PM Post #2801 |
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Is that so?
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"With at least two people in the one-room cabin and 9 in the house, out of 20- er, 19, 18 minus Jimmy..." Nolan mumbled the numbers quietly to himself. "Yeah, you could easily fit seven people in the bunkhouse, they have more than enough beds." |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 15 2015, 02:39 PM Post #2802 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Hank looked around the room, but paid particular attention to Riley. When she nodded her approval, he spoke up. “We’re good with that,” he said. “Yeah, it’s fine,” Eli said right after. “But I’ll stay here on watch. There’s enough space in the living room, like Emily said.” That left six in the bunkhouse – Antonio, Emmett, Andy, Noah, Lowell and Alma. A few of those guys were pretty big, but the beds would fit them, and they had an extra room to stretch out if necessary. It was hardly five-star, but it could have been a lot worse. “Make that 15 minutes, guys,” Jimmy’s voice reported. Eli glanced from the radio back to the room. “Better get going,” he advised. Hank stood up and shook Andy’s hand. He was the only member of his family – and he was family – that he’d be separated with. “See you on the other side, brother,” he said. “Good luck.” Andy smiled back. “Don’t worry, it’ll be just like going to camp.” Hank hoped so. The plan seemed solid, but he was still kind of nervous, and didn’t look forward to being surrounded by biters. “You heard him,” Noah said nearby. Hank looked over to see him patting Lowell on the shoulder. “Let’s go.” They all started towards the door. Hank headed off Antonio briefly, shaking his hand too. “Friendly warning, Father,” he said. “Andy snores.” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 15 2015, 03:17 PM Post #2803 |
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Is that so?
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Antonio smirked at the warning as he shook Hank's hand firmly. "Duly noted. We'll make sure he doesn't fall asleep while we're surrounded then." He glanced in Andy's direction. It was going to be himself, Emmett, and then four of the new guys. This would be a good chance to get to know them a little better. He felt like he had gotten a good vibe from them during his time boarding the windows with Hank and Andy, but everyone apart from Andy -- that is to say Lowell, Noah, and Alma -- seemed like they were cut from a different cloth than Hank and his family. Though he doubted Hank would let them near his family if they were not good people as well. "I'll make sure they all come back safely." He assured Hank with a nod of his head. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Sep 15 2015, 03:40 PM Post #2804 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Annie quickly gathered the supplies she prepared, then returned to the living room. She was just in time – Antonio was still milling around the door with Hank. “Much appreciated,” she overheard Hank say, as they ended a handshake. After that, Antonio left. She gave Hank a small smile as she brushed past him, and then tapped Antonio on the shoulder, interrupting him again. “For Emmett,” she explained, before the priest could ask. “There’s some saline, some dressing, and some surgical tape. His wound will need to be cleaned and the dressing replaced in the morning, and I’m not sure how long I’m going to be stuck in here. Also…” She dug into her pocket and produced a baggie of white pills. There were only two inside. “He’s unlikely to take them – he’s stubborn that way – but just in case,” she said, putting the baggie in Antonio’s hands. As she did, she looked past Antonio and at the others heading for the two-room cabin. One of them – Lowell, the white guy with the dark features – was looking back at her. She didn’t quite like his expression. It was mostly blank, but the part that wasn’t made her uncomfortable. Annie looked up to frown at him, and to break his gaze. When he kept walking and didn’t react, she realized he wasn’t looking at her at all. She noticed Emily was standing in the doorway, watching everyone head out. When Annie looked around again, back at Lowell, she saw the back of his head – and she shook hers. She realized it was probably nothing. She was just in a paranoid state of mind. “And Antonio, listen,” Annie said, getting back on track. “After this is over, Brandon and I need to talk to you. As soon as possible.” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Sep 15 2015, 04:00 PM Post #2805 |
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Is that so?
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Antonio nodded knowingly as Annie handed him the supplies he would need to look over Emmett. He didn't have any formal medical training, but he knew the basics. Changing wound dressing and giving medication were easily within his power. Of course, the bigger question was always whether or not Emmett would let him. He was nothing if not quiet and stubborn. Still, he took pause when she said that she and Brandon needed to speak to him. There was something about the tone in her voice that suggested it was a serious issue on her mind. Unfortunately, that didn't really narrow down the list of topics she could have on her mind; danger was a universal constant these days as even God did not protect everyone at all times. If he did, Jen would still be here. He wished that he and Annie had the time to talk now, but with the hordes of fallen approaching, their time was already limited. "I understand." He said to the doctor simply. "Stay safe tonight." |
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