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Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,873 Views)
Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"Well your brother would have a hard time with that." Willow mused and laughed for the first time since this conversation started.

"Unless he looked like you. He didn't look like you, did he? I don't think I'd ever recover from the shock of there being another Brandon out there. Most girls only dream of that."

She closed her eyes and let that question hang in the air for a few seconds. Before Brandon could answer though, she found herself talking again.

"My mom would probably get over it pretty quick. My dad would just be furious for every reason in the book. That was before all this though. If they're still out there somewhere right now... then this whole thing has probably put a lot into perspective for them, you know? They'd probably just be glad I was alive. I owe them one hell of an apology."
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"I hope they're alive too. I want to meet them. Thank them for giving us all you." Brandon whispered, kissing her on the cheek,

"As for my btrother I've definitely always been prettier." Brandon chuckled.

He smiled fondly as he thought about his brother.

"Kyle was bigger though. Taller and wider, like the men on my mom's side. Took after my dad with his appearance though, not great for him. He was funny though, really funny. Had a steady job and all that. Just had his stuff together a lot better than me. When it came to women I had an easier time, if I were just out for a hook up or something. Helped that I went for girls who were clearly up for it, or too drunk to notice I hadn't actually even said a word to them... just kind of started grinding on them..." he reminisced fondly but quickly moved on as he touched on information Willow probably wouldn't want to know.

"Anyway, he always got the better girls. You know, nicer, smarter, kind of girl you marry. I think if we had both met you at the same time, it probably would have been him you would have prefered. Although he did always warn me about girls with colorful hair. Said they were trouble, all kinds of crazy, so I might have had a clear shot at you."
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Is that so?
"Me? Trouble? The most trouble I ever got in was drinking or smoking a bit too much, which admittedly did get me in trouble on occasion. But I wasn't much the party type or anything unless my friends dragged me there. And even then I didn't have many friends; I was pretty anti-social, irresponsible and, to top it all off, kinda boring."

Willow sighed.

"Just from what I hear, your brother never would have given me the time of day. I'd never held a job, never wanted to hold one, seldom went out after High School... I didn't have much going for me except for my family's money. And God knows I was probably not going to see much of that, even before this pandemic. He sounds like he had his shit together, there would have been no reason for him to waste his time with me."

A somber smile crawled across Willow's lips. That was a pretty harsh assessment of herself. She had always been good looking, but the motivation and the drive was never there to back it up. She didn't have the charisma or charm of some women, nor did she have the self confidence of others. She didn't have a job, she didn't have motivation, the only things she had were things that she had been lucky enough to be born into.

"You and I though?" She turned her head to look at his profile. "We're kinda like peas in a pod. We're pretty damn hot, you and I -- and we're pretty damn lucky too. In a sick and fucked up way."
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"Two peas in a pod. Two hot peas in a sexy pod..." Brandon mumbled salaciously as he reached over slowly and began unzipping her jacket, a big hopeful grin on his face.

They weren't exactly sure of their safety in this place but they were still in a hotel room, and their guns were still within arms reach. They'd make sure there was a pistol under the pillows tonight.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
A while after they had gotten set up, Annie left Connor alone in their room. When they got here, she had reminded Brandon to talk to Emily and Willow, and Antonio to talk to Nolan, and that reminded her of something else. Something she had been undecided on. Something she still felt undecided on, even as she knocked on his door.

“Doc,” Jimmy greeted her with a grin, the white scar along his jaw stretching in a familiar way.

She heard some noise from the back of his room. She poked her head in curiously, finding the bathroom door closed. She looked at Jimmy, confused. Who was he…?

“That would be Emily,” Jimmy clarified. “Apparently this place gives her the creeps.”

“Oh,” Annie said, leaning back out of the room. “Well, she’s not the only one.”

“I gather,” Jimmy said, looking her over. “But I don’t think you’re afraid to stay in a room by yourself, so… you know…” He mimed chewing on a carrot. “What’s up?”

Annie rolled her eyes. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“You know I’m always up to hang out with you, Doc,” Jimmy said. “Would you like to come in?”

Annie looked over Jimmy’s shoulder, and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “In private.”

Jimmy cocked his head. “Ooh, sounds serious.”

“It kind of is,” Annie said, shifting her weight back.

Jimmy regarded her suspiciously, then relented, stepping forward and closing the door behind him. “I guess I’ll come anyway.”

* * *

They had headed down the hall and stopped in the stair well. Jimmy waited while she looked up and down for any signs of intruders. Then, he listened to what she had to say. By the time she was done, his smile had faded into one of his rare frowns.

He rested his chin in his hand and sighed. “Why are you telling me?

“Because you’re part of this group,” Annie said, sounding a little offended by the question. “And because Eli…”

“I heard you,” he cut her off. “And I’m not saying I disagree.”

And he understood. He was thinking a lot about Eli himself. About how he seemed to be standing on a razor, shifting closer and closer to the edge with every passing night. He wasn’t thinking about displacing him, though. He was thinking about something else.

“Then you’re on board?” Annie said. “You’ll help talk to him. Convince him that this is the right move.”

“I don’t think Eli’s going to be much interested in talking,” Jimmy said.

“I know, that’s why we have to force the issue,” Annie said. “This isn’t good for us or him. He needs to be made to see that.”

“I said I heard you,” Jimmy said.

She stared at him. “So?”

He didn’t answer. Just kept frowning. He hated frowning. Hated this feeling. This was not what he signed up for. This was the opposite of what he signed up for.

“I’m not part of your group,” he said finally.

“Jimmy, of course…”

“Annie, I’m a freelancer,” he interrupted her again. “Have I ever said anything different? Ever?

Annie frowned now – a stunned, sad frown.

“I thought after everything we’ve been through…”

He didn’t need to cut her off. She just trailed off.

“That I liked you? That I cared about you?” Jimmy asked.

Her frown got sadder.

“I do,” Jimmy said, and she blinked in surprise. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to change who I am. I’ve told you my philosophy, right?”

She sighed. “Don’t worry, be happy?”

He nodded. “What you’re proposing – it doesn’t really fit.”

“You could change,” she said.

“Maybe,” Jimmy shrugged. “Point is, I don’t much want to.”

She stared at him. Her sadness was turning into frustration, he could see it in her eyes.

“So what? You’re not going to participate? Is that what you’re saying?”

He shook his head.

If they went through with their plan, it didn’t matter if he was a conspirator or not. He’d get dragged into the drama. In a way, he saw this coming. Eli’s problem and its inevitable outcome was on his mind all that time he spent staked out in that hill, watching as waves of deadheads rolled through into the farm.

“So you’re going to just go?” Annie asked, angry now. “You can’t just keep leaving when things get uncomfortable.”

“I can’t?” Jimmy asked.

Annie stared at him for another long moment, flashes of emotion dancing across her features – melancholy, frustration, disappointment. He stared right back, looking unfazed.

Without saying another word, she lost the contest and headed upstairs. Jimmy kept staring ahead.

Damnit.

* * *

Annie was angry at herself more than anyone else. The others warned her. She didn’t listen. She thought she knew Jimmy longer, so that meant she knew him better. She was wrong. What she was feeling – that was on her and she knew it.

She wanted to discard her frustrations, bottle them up and keep them sealed. She knew that didn’t work, however. She tried before, and she remembered the torture she felt when it all came spilling loose.

So she knocked on Eli’s door. She didn’t know what she was going to say, but she needed to say something.

He didn’t answer. So she kept knocking.

He still didn’t answer. Her knocks grew louder.

After a solid minute, she rolled her eyes violently, then tested the knob. She found it unlocked, and stormed in. She looked around and found nothing. The bathroom door was open, he wasn’t in there either. He was gone.

* * *

The guard in the lobby was easy to dodge. After watching him discretely for almost an hour, Eli realized he wasn’t moving except to replace his bottle of water from the tank on the reception desk. After he had filled it up, Eli moved, sneaking past him to the back door.

Night time had crept up on Salt Lake City while he was indoors, and he used its cover to move quickly down the street. He found a plant with a perennial flower a few buildings over, and figured that would have to do. When he arrived at it, he looked around in all directions, finding nothing and no one nearby. Then he listened – for anyone scuffing the pavement as they walked, or even breathing heavily. Again, nothing and no one.

He dug a hole in the soil and that’s where he placed the cure.

This was how it needed to be now. Only he could know it’s location. That’s the only way he could keep it safe.

* * *

Emmett found cover around a corner as Eli returned to the hotel. With his black clothes – from his gloves to his boots to his leather jacket – he was well concealed in the darkness. And he expertly kept his breathing shallow and silently as he stayed on the trail. Eli never noticed him.

When Eli was gone, Emmett moved. Supressing his grunts of pain, he headed to the plant he watched Eli hovering over only moments ago.

* * *

Eli opened the door to his room and instantly drew his Supergrade. A figure was standing over his bed. Eli was about to drop him.

“Easy ’mano,” Jimmy said.

Eli let out a long sigh and lowered the weapon.

“You were this close,” he said, frustrated.

“Oh, I know,” Jimmy said. “Believe me, my heart skipped a few beats.”

Eli noticed he wasn’t smiling, which was a pretty goddamn unusual sight. He holstered his pistol and closed the door before turning back to him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

Jimmy shrugged. Eli was pretty confused.

“Is there… something you need to tell me?” he arched an eyebrow.

Jimmy’s expression flickered. For a second, Eli could swear he was frowning. Again, pretty goddamn unusual.

Eli approached slowly, cautiously. “Jimmy, what the fuck…”

Jimmy took a step forward to meet him, put a hand on the back of his head, and drew him in for a kiss.

Eli shoved him away. Just like the first time he tried that, when they were in that search party outside of Flint. In that dark stadium, where Eli couldn’t see more than an inch in front of him. While they were waiting for Brandon and Glenda to turn the lights on.

“I told you…” he said.

Jimmy leaned forward again anyway.

This time, there were no lights to turn back on.

* * *

Emmett knocked on Antonio’s door with one hand. With the other, he kept the cure stuffed in one of his many jacket pockets. He didn’t like the way it felt around his fingers. He kept knocking.
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Is that so?
Antonio used a dirtied washcloth to finish drying off his face and head. He was in the bathroom of his room, cleaning himself off after a shave -- the scruff that had accumulated on his cheeks and face was replaced by smooth skin and the finely tended goatee and moustache he had grown fond of. Ever since he had joined these guys, there was more to do than ever. Maintaining his appearance was becoming slightly more difficult with the extra work. But he didn't regret coming; God had given him a sign that He wanted Antonio to help these people and he had. And Antonio felt like he was doing good in the world, even despite everything Eli was doing to combat that.

When the knock rang through his room, he tossed the washcloth by the sink, picked up the candle, and headed for the door.

"Emmett." Antonio acknowledged the larger man.

He stepped aside and pulled the door open to make room for him to enter.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Emmett didn’t move from his spot. He simply removed his hand from his pocket and held out the canister for Antonio to accept. Once he had, Emmett gave him a solemn nod then turned and walked away.

It’s done.
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Is that so?
Antonio was stunned for few moments after Emmett put the cure in his hands, but when he regained himself, he was quick to close the door. He was honestly surprised by Emmett. Even with his injuries, he was still as quiet as ever. And he was able to get the cure from someone as paranoid as Eli.

Now I have the cure.

After Wendy's group had been mowed down, he had a thought. That maybe God had sent Antonio here to take the cure from these people. To free them from its burden and take it on himself. It was a convincing argument. Had this cure fallen into his hands like this around that time, he probably would have taken the opportunity and slipped away to head westward on his own. He had been fairly confident at the time that he could deliver it safely. But after what he saw at Green River, he was no longer so sure of that. So much could go wrong before getting to San Francisco. Running off on his own would have been a foolish risk. But now he knew that a lot of the others didn't want Eli calling the shots either. And that gave him hope. Now that he had the cure, the rest of them had some leverage in negotiating with him. If Eli willingly stepped down... then this group would be the best shot at getting this cure to San Francisco.

Antonio slipped the canister away. Tomorrow, first chance he got, he would need to have a discussion with Annie about their next step.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli rolled over and his eyes blinked open. Visions of Randall, Julie, and the men and women who died at his hand faded into nothing.

It was morning – he could tell by the light that filtered its way through his window. As he slowly regained his senses, he remembered to be surprised that he even slept a little bit. If there was a night to forego it, was this one. When he passed through the gates, he pledged to not let his guard down until they were gone.

He was frustrated that he broke that pledge. And that it wasn’t the only one he broke.

“Jimmy?”

He held onto that frustration as he looked around the room, then got to his feet and made it to the bathroom. It was empty.

Eli was alone.

* * *

Annie stood alone in the hallway, feeling tired. She slept last night, but she wasn’t restful. There was too much on her mind. Willow, Eli, Jimmy… She was doing something about the first two. And maybe she just hadn’t done enough about the third.

She knocked, for the fifth time.

“Jimmy, come on,” she said, her voice low – she didn’t want to wake up anyone else. “We’re not done talking.”

She knocked a sixth time. No answer. She tested the knob – unlocked, once again. She went ahead and twisted it open.

“Jimmy…”

She took a step inside. She found Emily sleeping on the floor, and the bed empty. The bathroom light wasn’t on.

As Emily stirred, Annie backed away.

“Sorry,” she said, as she turned around.

She had a bad feeling in her stomach, followed by a bunch more – the same ones that ran through her in the stairwell last night, when Jimmy told her where he was at. Disappointment was chief among them.

When she arrived in the hallway, she found Eli standing nearby. When she got over her surprise, she pointed to the room she had just exited.

“Jimmy, he…”

“I know,” Eli said. “Wake everyone in our group, we need to have a meeting.”

His face was unreadable. It was like he’d wiped it clean of emotion with a washcloth. It was unsettling. Annie found that she preferred the dark intensity he’d been wearing the past couple days.

She didn’t get to study it long before he turned and started walking in the other direction.

“My room,” he said. “Five minutes.”
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"Hey, Nolan?"

Kelsey's voice pulled him out of his own thoughts. The young man glanced in the direction of his little sister. Underneath the indifferent mask she was wearing, he could tell that she was concerned.

"What's up, Kels?" He asked her.

Eli had roused the two of them a little over five minutes ago. They were already late for this meeting he was calling, but both he and his sister had to empty their bowels first and they lost a bit of time that way. Though they were on their way over right now, Kelsey didn't seem to be in any sort of hurry to go.

"Back in New York, you were always kinda... yourself. Mom and dad liked it, but also didn't like it. They said it made you hard to handle and stuff because you would always want to do your own thing in your own way. But you're really... different now. You're more quiet."

Nolan pursed his lips together uncomfortably. There wasn't exactly an easy answer to that question. In fact, how could he answer it? Two years ago, he went off the college on his own. He had barely seen Kelsey during that time. He was studying to be a physicist, something Kelsey wouldn't even understand at her age. It was a lot of work. And while it was different than his high school life and the life he had in New York... he found himself really enjoying it. He made new friends and had a new routine. And then this global pandemic struck and everything changed. His friends were massacred. His family was decimated. Everything that he had poured himself into was wiped away in the blink of an eye and became useless. The fact that the dead came back to life and started eating people just made everything worse. He had invested everything into a future that would never come. People like Brandon and Eli; they had skills that helped them not only survive in this world, but thrive. They were strong, they were the definition of survivors. Nolan... he didn't have any of that. He could barely shoot a gun or swing a knife. He was smart. He was athletic. But he was not a survivor. Not like them. This new world had hit him like a knife in the gut and sapped away his confidence.

"That is... complicated." Nolan explained cautiously. "The short answer is that I've changed. I dunno... maybe I'm more mature now or something."

But there was no way he could really explain that to Kelsey. Not in a way that made sense. And even if he could have done so, there wasn't enough time. If she was insistent on that topic, then it would have to be a topic for a different time. But for now, that answer would have to stand, though she was clearly displeased with it. She could probably tell he was lying. If there was one thing Nolan knew about his sister, it was that she was sharper than she let on. She had always been that way.

"Hey, look." He tried to change the topic. "What about you? You never did tell me what happened at the farm the other day that made you cry."

Kelsey frowned at the memory. The young girl hesitated for a moment before she answered; "It was Eli."

Eli? Before Nolan could question her any further, they came within earshot of Antonio. The priest waved them down and greeted them with a nod and a gentle good morning.

"Everyone else is already inside." He informed the two of them.

"Is this about-"

"No. Not about that." Antonio cut him off and opened the door. "Come on, we've been waiting for you guys."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli looked over at Nolan and Kelsey as they appeared in his room, then immediately looked back to the map he had splayed out on the table. The one that had already been marked up several times, and had Chicago – and then San Francisco – circled repeatedly.

“So look,” he said, now that everyone in their group had assembled in the room. That meant no Hank and his family, and no Noah, Alma and Lowell – and no Jimmy either. “I know I’m not the only one creeped out by these guys. I think that’s something most of us can get behind. So I say fuck their train.”

He traced his finger down the route they had agreed upon taking through Nevada.

“We leave as soon as possible, on our own, and we go the way we planned,” he said. “Along the I-80, like we’ve been doing, through northern Nevada. It’s not all that populated, but there are towns spread out – like Elko, here…”

He stopped his finger on the word ‘Elko’.

“So if we run into any more trouble, or if our wheels crap out, we’ll have opportunities to resupply,” he said.

“What about vehicles?” Emmett spoke up softly.

Eli looked up at him, but Emmett didn’t look back. For some reason, he had been staring at the ground since he had arrived.

It was a good question, though. Hank and his family would almost definitely keep the RV. And Eli hadn’t checked yet, but he had a strong feeling Jimmy’s truck wasn’t in play anymore. Jimmy’s share of his own supplies had gone missing, and he would have needed a way of getting that stuff out of there. Plus, he loved that thing. He wasn’t likely to leave it behind.

“Salt Lake City’s a big place,” Eli said. “And I believe these weirdoes are keeping it relatively clean of rotters, ‘cause that’s in their best interest. So we’ll look around. An’ we’ll find something we can ride out on outta here. We always do.”

He looked at the other faces assembled.

“Is that all clear enough?” he asked.
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Is that so?
Antonio glanced at Eli as he finished explaining his idea, but immediately returned his gaze elsewhere. He understood Emmett's sentiments; it was difficult to look at Eli right now. Even if the two of them had their disagreements, snatching the cure like that still felt like a betrayal. And not only that, but what would Eli do when he found out?

"I totally get the whole 'fuck the train' thing." Willow was the first to answer him. "It sounds like a good enough idea to me."

"I agree." Antonio bluntly contributed.

He didn't want to spend any more time here than necessary. Nothing had happened over the night and nobody had come to see them yet, but it was only a matter of time now before someone showed up. And what happened after that, Antonio could not say for sure. The others could believe what they wanted, but this had 'crazy cult' written all over it in his mind. He didn't want to kill any of these people, but he also had no desire to be associated with them.

"Wait, shouldn't Jimmy be here for this?" Nolan abruptly asked.
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"I agree about the train, and if our luck with cars extends to trains then we should keep away from them for the rest of our lives. Are we just going to leave the Kelly's here though? Shouldn't we look into this place a little more before we take off and leave them with these people?" Brandon asked.

"We don't know they're staying." Emily pointed out.

"Yeah we do." Brandon replied, nodding his head slowly.

"It's Hank's decision." she retorted.

"He's desperate. He doesn't know what we've got. To him this is it. If he knew, he might be able to look at this situation with a more critical eye. We can't stay here, but I think we should at least stay close, while we're sorting out our own wheels some of us can wait nearby and keep an eye on these people. Watch them for anything that seems too suspicious to excuse. I just don't want to leave without at least making a little effort for them." Brandon said.

"And if nothing happens?" Emily asked.

"Then we leave. What else can we do?"
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
"Jimmy's not coming," Eli answered Nolan simply.

He rolled his eyes as he turned to Brandon and Emily next.

"The point of leaving is we leave," he said. "What good is it gonna do to have someone nearby staring at this wall? How are they gonna know if something 'too suspicious to excuse' happens? And what are they gonna do about it if it does? All that's gonna do is put one of ours in danger for no reason. No. Not happening. As for Hank, what he wants is safety, not to save the world. Going with us is the opposite of safe. You want to tell him about the cure, you go ahead, tell him all about it. I guarantee it doesn't change his mind."
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Brandon wasn't surprised Jimmy wasn't attending. He wasn't really one for team play.

"So you don't trust these people but you're still willing to leave Hank and his people here with them. There has to be somewhere nearby we can watch this place from, I don't know what we'd be looking for or what we'd do about it but I think we could figure that out once it happened. We wouldn't be endangering ourselves for nothing either, we'd be doing it for the sake of the Kelly's. I think they're worth it." Brandon said.

He got to his feet sorely with the help of his cane.

"I'm gonna go tell Hank about the cure. Might at least brighten his day." he said as he made his way out of the room.
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