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Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,844 Views)
Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"Remember how you begged for mercy before? That was great." Brandon said as he drew a pistol from behind his back and leveled it at the man's head long enough to see the fear in his eyes again.

"You're all full of shit." he declared with a thoughtful expression.

He seriously considered pulling the trigger but decided against it. Instead he ejected the magazine and then the cartridge in the chamber. He loaded the catridge back into the magazine and then tossed the gun on the ground in front of Jesse. He then placed the magazine on the train out of the reach of the wounded man.

"In case there are rotters. Or if those ghosts come back you might want to go out on your terms." he explained.

He cracked his neck and looked back at the cars. They'd stayed long enough. He gestured for Emily and Connor to start heading back.

"If you do anything silly with that gun your bad day is going to be a lot worse." he warned the two surviving cultists before walking away.

...

Brandon approached the Kellys as cautiously as possible. It felt like he was defusing a bomb or something and the wrong move could mean they'd blow up in his face.

"It's time to move on, guys. We'll get moving once you've said goodbye to him." he informed them.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli looked over the lines Kelsey had drawn. They seemed sensible. It was enough to make him believe that she had overheard them discussing their route, that she wasn’t just imagining it or trying to justify going down this crazy path.

“It makes sense,” he admits. “But we got no way of knowing they’re going to stick to this. As far as we know, their plan’s changed and now they’re going to Alaska. We could end up chasing our tails all the way to the border.”

* * *

Hank felt empty by the time Brandon approached him. Between the tears of despair he had shed over Andy’s dead body, and the tears of relief from recovering the rest of his family in one piece, he was pretty much depleted. All he could manage was a small nod.

“Where are we even supposed to go?” Riley looked up and asked – her eyes were also red from crying.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"Alma has family in Mexico. She really wanted to go look for them. I overheard her talk to Nolan about it while we were driving." Kelsey informed Eli.

Of course, there was the fact that Kelsey had shot Alma quite a few times. If she died, Kelsey had no idea if Noah and Lowell would keep going. It wasn't their family down there after all. But she wasn't going to share that doubt with Eli -- it might give him more incentive to give up and turn around.

And Kelsey couldn't accept that possibility.
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"We need to go to Elko. Nevada. Eli went to find Kelsey and said he'd meet us there. If you want to keep on with us, you're more than welcome. If not then I can't blame you. There's a place in Flint, Michigan that's got walls, power and water. You could go there. The people are good. If you ask for a guy called Jeff or a guy called Marcus, you can tell them that I sent you. If Jeff asks for proof you can tell him he owes me a cigar when I get back from California. If Marcus asks, tell him we hunted down the last bastard responsible for the attack that killed his sister and girlfriend." Brandon explained.

"You don't have to decide right away. You can follow us for a while until you decide what you're gonna do." he added.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“We’re supposed to go all the way to the other side of the country?” Riley’s eyes got dark as she responded. “We barely made it to Salt Lake City, and that was with Andy.”

Hank stared at the ground as he considered it for himself. He was finding it hard to consider anything right now. He tried anyway.

He concluded that Riley was right. They weren’t ready for that kind of journey. They didn’t have the supplies or the right kind of transportation. And if they were attacked on the way, that would be it for them. He was feeling ambivalent about Brandon right now, for reasons he would have to contend with later, but the fact was he now relied on him for protection.

“Riley’s right,” he said, resignation in his voice. “We’re not prepared for that kind of trip. I’ll have to… I’ll have to think about it. In the meantime…”

He paused to blink hard, and then rubbed the corner of his eye with the crook of his thumb.

“Help me get him in the trunk,” he said, pointing to Andy without looking at him. “He deserves a proper burial. But not here.”

* * *

Alma. Eli suppressed a sigh at the mention of her name. That would be the same Alma that Kelsey put a couple rounds in. Who knows what kind of condition she’s in?

“Fine,” he said, despite his impulse to argue. “We can try. Gimme a minute and we’ll go.”

He retrieved his chef’s knife before heading to the bathroom. Just in case.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
Kelsey nodded her head as Eli took off.

While she waited for him, she grabbed the map and folded it back up to the best of her ability. Then she stuffed it inside her coat. It was a shame there wasn't more food around here for them to take. But at the same time, she really wasn't really all that hungry.
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
Emily lead the convoy forward. The sun was well and truly up now that they'd been on the road an hour. Brandon sat in the passenger seat and Willow sat in the back. Brandon's arms were folded across his chest and he dozed sporadically as they drove. Everytime he seemed to be on the vergeof actual sleep he would snap awake and keep looking out at the monotonous flat terrain around them. He and Willow never seemed able to keep their hands off each other before, Emily wondered what was different now.

Behind them was Antonio driving with Connor riding shotgun and Annie tending to Emmett in the back. Behind them were the Kellys with papa Kelly at the wheel. Emily wondered if there was a single even half-smile to be found in any car. Seemed appropriate though. It was really just the silence she couldn't take anymore.

"Don't forget to have Annie look at your shoulder." she told him.

He nodded slightly but otherwise didn't respond. They continued driving in silence for a few minutes.

"I need to ask. What was that about back there? We were going to talk them down or at least into a better position." she asked.

"Stop." he told her.

"I think you at least owe the Kellys an explanation." she informed.

"No, stop. Stop the car. Pull over." he explained.

Emily followed his gaze down the road. He was looking at a car far ahead of them. On the back window of the blue sedan the word "help" was written in big block lettters. She pulled over to the side of the road. Brandon stepped out of the car and scratched his chin as he contemplated the message. Emily could guess what was going through his head. The last time they answered a call for help wasn't exactly a positive experience in the end. What the said last time about it being a trap could still be true here. Brandon looked from her to the others, he obviously wasn't sure what to do.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Annie had gone through half her bag treating Emmett, but she wished she could do more.

Since driving away from the site of her rescue, she had placed a nitroglycerin tablet under his tongue to reduce his heart’s workload and improve blood through the coronary arteries. She had also given him some aspirin, found a vein, and set up a makeshift IV bag with all the dopamine she had in her one vial. Now all she could do was make sure his feet stayed elevated and his body stayed warm, and just hope that his heart levelled out and his pulse got stronger. She tried not to worry about long-term organ and kidney damage. She told herself that she could deal with that kind of stress later.

Then Antonio stopped the car, and she had a different kind of stress to contend with.

Damnit,” she whispered, when she climbed out of the backseat and saw what was going on.

She probably didn’t need to remind anyone that the last ‘help’ message they answered was from Gregory. Thanks to him, she had spent half a day in darkness, in fear for her life, wondering if she would ever see her son again. It was enough to make her hesitate.

She stepped forward anyway, approaching Brandon. She and Antonio were the only ones to do so. Connor maintained his distance and kept his eyes on the stopped car ahead. None of the Kelly’s got out of their car.

Annie came to a stop at Brando’s side and took a breath. It was difficult to stick to her principles after what she just went through, but she didn’t believe that difficult meant not worth doing. She couldn’t accept that Eli’s paranoia and isolationism was the right way to go. She had to overcome her trepidation.

“We don’t have any food or water to spare,” she said. “And I don’t see any rotters nearby. But if there’s something we can do – if they’re hurt, or if they have car trouble, or something else – we should try. We can’t let those people…”

A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about the so-called ‘New Dawn,’ and what Willow said they were planning on doing with their captives.

“We can’t let them change who we are.”

* * *

Eli kept one hand on the wheel of the Camry, keeping it aimed forward, in the direction indicated by the lines on Kelsey’s map. The other hand he used to rub his tired eyes.

“You get much sleep last night?” he asked as he did so.

He didn’t bother to spare a look at his passenger, even to gauge her reaction. It was one of those questions he already knew the answer to.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"I agree." Antonio took Annie's side.

Since leaving, his mind was still cluttered bu doubt and negativity. But he didn't let it overwhelm him -- he just kept his mind focused on the task at hand, which was putting as much distance between themselves and Salt Lake City as they could. At least until they reached Elko.

"If we give up on people because of what happened, then Leonora and her cult win."

"How does that mean she wins?" Willow somberly broke her silence. "The last time we answered a plea for help, look what happened to us."

"Well we only fell into that trap because none of you listened to my warning." Antonio snapped back at her. "We let ourselves be taken advantage of. But we learned from that. And we won't fall for the same trick twice."

Willow pursed her lips and cast her eyes downward, but didn't argue the point. Antonio let out a sigh of relief -- maybe he had gone too far with his comments. But he wasn't wrong in what he said either. Even Willow must have seen that.

* * * * *

The silent drudgery in the car was only just now broken by Eli. Kelsey shook her head.

"No." She told Eli. "I couldn't sleep. I tried and closed my eyes, but my brain wouldn't turn itself off."
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"Kind of thought you were above 'I told you so's. Anyway, it was their mistake in the end. Won't go any better for these people either if this isn't on the level. Antonio, you, Annie and me are moving up. Annie has a kind face, and people trust priests... usually. Decreases our chances of being shot, and if somebody needs medical attention or this is some kind of car trouble we'll be able to help them and be on our way asap, so doctor's bag and tool kit come too." Brandon said and turned around to face the Kelly's car.

He made his way to the trunk of the lead car. He pulled one of the bags toward him and winced slightly with the effort of shifting the weight. He opened it up and began pullling weapons out. He took his own carine and slung it over his shoulder. Connor still had the AR15, there was also the semi-auto shotgun from Green River, and the two AKMs. He cradled the guns under his right arm and made his way toward the Kellys car. He didn't like to be so blunt with them, but this was a matter of safety, and that was more important than anything he or they may feel about it.

"Guns in every pair of hands fit enough to hold them. Eyes looking every direction, full three hundred and sixty degree cover, nobody blindsides us. That means the Kelly women too. You know how to use these?" Brandon instructed them.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“I know what that’s like,” Eli said.

He kept staring forward, but used his free hand to reach for the cup-holder beside him. It had two bottles of water. He wrapped his fingers around the one closest to the dash. That was the one he had dosed. Back at the gas station, when he went to the bathroom, he had used the privacy to grind a couple of the ‘Simply Sleep’ pills into dust, which he dissolved in the water.

Kelsey was just a kid. She wasn’t like him – she wasn’t invincible. She needed rest or she’d get killed out here.

“You hungry?” he asked.

* * *

Hank couldn’t help but sigh when he saw Brandon approaching. Beside him, he noticed Riley’s reaction was even sourer. It just made him sigh harder.

“What? No,” Ruby answered Brandon’s question first.

“Why are we even stopped?” Riley asked a question of her own. “Don’t tell me it’s because of that car up ahead.”

Hank jumped in quickly – he didn’t want an argument right now, and he wasn’t sure where he would fall even if they had one. He just wanted quiet.

“I’ll help them,” he said quickly. “You can just leave the guns.”
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
Antonio wanted to retort to Brandon's comment toward him, but he had to restrain himself. There was the matter of the car with HELP written on it that demanded their attention. Plus he was aware that he wasn't entirely himself right now. It might be better for him to practice more discretion in the future with his words until he got a better hold of himself.

"Just... be careful." Willow cautioned Hank.

* * * * *

The young girl let out a quiet sigh as her gaze remained transfixed on the horizon.

"Not really." Kelsey said.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli finally did glance over to Kelsey, to see if she was just putting on a brave face. It didn’t seem like it. He wondered if she had a bite after he got locked up. Or maybe she was just too emotionally distraught to think about food – which might not be the worst thing, considering they didn’t have anything to eat.

“Well, uh, good,” he said. “But you gotta be thirsty, an’ even if you’re not – drink up.”

He raised the water bottle for her to accept.

“It’s important to stay hydrated, y’know.”
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"It might be time you learned how to use a gun. Anyway that can wait, you don't need to use it, just hold it and keep your eyes open. If anyone is watching us we want them to see we have a lot of big guns and we're alert. The safety is on so it's not goibg to go off." Brandon explained to Ruby.

He placed the guns on the hood of the car but didn't push the issue any further. He turned and looked back at the car ahead of them.

"Anyone who's coming, let's go." he said as he limped toward the sedan.

He drew the Supergrade but kept it lowered. His head swiveled back and forward as he scanned the area. The terrain didn't leave many llaces to hide but there were some divots where a person go prone. It also seemed strange to set up a trap on such a lonely stretch of road but he'd seen stranger behavior recently.

As he approached he could see a pair of feet. Somebody sitting down againt the car on the right side. Brandon got low and crept toward the car. He waited a moment to listen for other movement but heard nothing. He moved around the car with his weapon raised but what he saw disarmed him. It was a little boy. He was maybe eleven or twelve years old. On his right arm, an angry looking bite mark, in his right head a snub nosed revolver. There was a hole in the top of his head and a spray of brown dried up blood on the window above him.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
"Augh." Antonio cringed at the sight.

He had seem many deaths. It was difficult to even be affected by it all anymore. But it was different when Antonio was the one responsible for it. And it was also different when it was a child. Something like this... it reaffirmed everything he had come to believe about delivering the cure to San Francisco. Even if it was a fake, he had made the right choice to help deliver it. Something like this in the world was not okay.

"It can't be just him out here."

He diverted his eyes from the sight and glanced at the surrounding landscape. It was still as quiet as it had been before. This certainly didn't feel like a trap. Not anymore. And if it was, it was a pretty damn twisted one. When he didn't see anything else, he peered through the windows of the car instead.

* * * * *

Kelsey listlessly accepted the bottle from Eli and took a sip of the water. She was pretty thirsty, though she hadn't wanted to admit it. For the sake of rationing, she kept her drink fairly short before putting the cap back on and placing it in the cup holder between the two of them.

"You sound like Willow when you say that. Y'know?"
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