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Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,808 Views)
Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"Yeah, though it's probably mostly to do with the murder." Emily answered.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“Which you got yourself – and every one of us – involved in by sneaking in there in the first place,” Riley countered.

Hank didn’t want an argument, so he stepped in. A small part of him regretted filling his sister in on everything that happened, and giving her the ammunition to even try to start one.

“We’ll get ready to go,” he said, literally moving his shoulder between Riley and Emily. “I’m glad Brandon’s stable.”
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Strompy
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Having just very nearly lost a childhood friend Emily could sympathize with what Riley was feeling, she was still raw. However having just nearly lost a childhood friend, she had almost no tolerance for Riley's shit. She was about to bite her head off when Hank diplomatically intervened.

Hank had lost a friend just the same as Riley, and he was handling it with grace all things considered, so how much of a defense was it for Riley's standoffishness? Woman had a real chip on her shoulder considering she was almost entirely dependent on them for protection. She and her family had better start acquainting themselves with weapons if she was going to entertain any notions of striking out by themselves again. Part of Emily wanted the Kellys to go their separate way and leave them with four fewer things to worry about, but she was still a cop in her heart of hearts and she knew they wouldn't be safe out there. So she hoped the Kellys would be coming with them.

"I'll give Antonio the word." she said, leaving the Kellys to their packing.
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Is that so?
Antonio returned to the room he had claimed with a heavy sigh. He was secretly glad that Emily had taken the liberty of breaking the news to the Kelly family. Today had been tense and he wasn't about to turn away a few minutes to wind down, even if all he was doing was stuffing belongings into bags.

This room had probably belonged to a child in the past. The bed was small and a colorful desk was set up in the corner. It had been kind of an uncomfortable place to sleep for a grown man of Antonio's size, but it was only place to sleep last night that had not been claimed. On the desk, there were two bags. The bags of the most recently deceased members of the group; Jennifer and Nolan. After having a few drinks with Willow last night, he was feeling brave enough to finally try sorting through their possessions. Now that the two of them were no longer here, somebody needed to decide what to do with them.

And he hadn't decided what to do with any of them.

Mostly, they were just clothes and other personal effects. Jen had the artbook she had been drawing in -- which Willow had looked through at length before -- as well as some assorted knick-knacks like soap, pencils, notepads, and a few random articles of clothing. But the only troubling thing was a single sealed envelope with Nolan's name inscribed on it. He had considered opening it to read the letter, but considering the relationship that had been budding between the two of them, it just felt wrong. Even if they were both dead, it felt like an invasion of privacy.

Nolan's possessions were similar to Jen's. Random clothes, soap, and a little bit of weed. He also had a pair of binoculars that he would sometimes stargaze with in the evenings. Even though all of these things were so trivial, it felt wrong to get rid of them. He couldn't help but be reminded of Willow's comments from the night before about how she really hardly knew anything about anyone, and why it felt insulting to know so little.

Frankly, he understood the sentiment. He couldn't throw these things out. These things were all they had left of the people that had fought alongside them. He returned all the possessions to their respective bags, though he placed Jen's note in Nolan's bag. He wasn't sure why, but it felt right. It was intended for him anyway. Then, he threw both of the bags over his shoulders and grabbed his own

As he turned to leave his room, he saw Emily standing in the doorway.

* * * * *

"Where is he?"

Willow's voice was laced with concern. Willow had never actually been inside The Lion during her time in Elko. They had a lot more space here than she could even imagine. However, though it was impressive, her mind was already focused somewhere else.

"He should be through that door there." Antonio motioned toward a nearby door.

She noticed a few familiar faces lingering around this area, including Connor, who thankfully looked physically unharmed. She didn't stop to check up on him though; she slid through the people and, without even knocking, cracked the door open and peered inside, unsure of what she was walking into.

"Brandon?"
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
Brandon was dreaming about Kyle. Nothing special, just a comfortable nonsense dream, but Kyle was there and it gave him a feeling of total security. There weren't any rotters or people out to kill them. His big brother was with him, what could happen?

Brandon?

His eyes fluttered open and the first thing he was aware of was that Kyle was gone, and he clearly remembered that Kyle was dead. Just like their parents and probably the rest of their family too. He remembered immediately that he'd found other people to care about. He reached up to rub his eyes with both hands and was reminded again that he only had the one left and he was completely blind in one eye. Blearily he turned to look toward who woke him and made out the fuzzy but unmistakable blonde and pink of Willow's hair even in the gloom. A warm smile crept over Brandon's lips.

"Exactly who I needed." he said reaching for her.
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Is that so?
"Oh God..." Willow covered her mouth with her hand.

It was gone. His left hand and lower forearm... gone. It was painfully reminiscent of what happened to Randall. And worst of all... it was her fault. If only she had been there, if only she hadn't been debilitated by withdrawal symptoms... then maybe, maybe she could have done something. Maybe she could have gotten there faster than Connor did and helped him before this happened.

"Baby, I am so sorry." She knelt down at his bedside and embraced him as best as she was able and kissing him gently on the forehead.

First the incident at Green River and now this. Under these conditions, his body couldn't possibly last. He had lost half his eyesight and an arm in two separate engagements in a time span of less than a week.

I need to step up. She told herself as she held onto her boyfriend. I can't keep going like this. I need to start carrying my weight.

* * * * *

Antonio found Annie resting outside of Brandon's makeshift hospital room. He could not help but admire her strength; after being a prisoner for an entire night, she still had the wherewithal to patch Brandon up and save his life. It was a mental fortitude that many people did not have.

"We've got all our stuff packed up and we're ready to go." He told Annie. "When you think it is safe to move Brandon, we can leave and put this whole mess behind us."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Annie was dozing off when Antonio approached – after the night and day she’d had, she needed the rest. She awoke early enough to hear what he had to say, however. She rubbed her eyes a little before answering.

“Brandon’s eager to get going,” she said. “Obviously, the more rest the better, but he can handle the car ride. We can leave right away.”

She stood up and stretched her arms. As she did, she considered her conflicting feelings about going. This place was safe, well-stocked, and the people weren’t evil – just dangerously reactionary. But there were also a lot of bad memories, built up in just a short amount of time, and she didn’t feel too bad about leaving those behind.

And if she was never locked up in a dark room again, it would be too soon.

“We should probably stop by town hall again on the way out,” she added, as the thought occurred to her. “If Eli and Kelsey make it here, that’s where they’re going to look for us.”

She felt a pang of guilt when she realized how she phrased that. She looked up at Antonio apologetically.

“I didn’t mean to say ‘if,’” she said.
Edited by DoctorYerishi, Jun 23 2018, 10:58 AM.
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Strompy
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"I'm okay. I'm okay." Brandon reassured Willow as she held him.

He was suddenly struck by the realization he'd never be able to hold her like he did before, and it pained him. He tried to remind himself he was fortunate to even be alive right now, to little avail. The thought opened the floodgates and he couldn't help but think about just how many things would be either incredibly difficult or even impossible for him now. He thought just how drastically missing a hand would impact the odds of his continued survival and his ability to protect the people around him.

"We've both got some missing pieces now." he remarked.
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Is that so?
"Yeah..."

Willow thought back to the first time she woke up in Flint. That was the first time she met Annie, who promptly reminded her that she had almost died and that she had removed half of one of her lungs during the procedure. At the time, it was an almost surreal experience. She couldn't see it physically missing, though she could definitely feel it when she inhaled deeply or overexerted herself. Brandon, however, his injury was on display for the world to see. But there was no doubt he was experiencing the same feeling of helplessness that she had.

"Yeah, we do." She held him a little tighter.

* * * * *

Antonio nodded his head at Annie's suggestion.

"That's a good idea." He chose to ignore her usage of the word if; he couldn't blame her for that. "It would be good to leave a message for them in case they slip through the radar of Saxon and his people."

He got to his feet. He was glad to hear that Brandon was doing well and was eager to get going. Since that was the case, he needed to speak to Saxon one last time about getting supplies.

"I'll go find Saxon and make the arrangements for our supplies." He informed her. "Sorry for interrupting your rest."

Antonio left Annie to her rest and made his way toward the closest guard that he could find.

"Excuse me." He didn't know what his name was. "I think we are going to get ready to leave soon. Would you please point me in Saxon's direction?"
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Strompy
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Brandon felt safe again. There was nobody to fear, no reason to have a gun within arms reach. Nobody who wanted him dead. Nobody to be afraid for or to protect. He was with somebody who'd do anything to protect him, somebody he could be vulnerable with. His facade slipped.

"They took my hand."

He didn't weep or wail but the words were the bitter surrender of somebody who had been utterly defeated. He didn't know who they were; Donnie and Alex, the rotters, the world maybe, but he'd been pushed to the edge and then pushed right over it.

"They took my fucking hand."

...

Dwight smiled at Antonio as he passed him on the way out of Saxon's office. Saxon noticed Antonio through the open door and beckoned for him to enter.

"Antonio, how can I help you?"
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"I know."

Willow knew her words were hollow. She knew they took his hand, but she couldn't begin to imagine how that felt. She tried her best to imagine how she would feel if she had lost a hand. Like Randall or Brandon had. The feelings that came to mind were despair and uselessness. Was that how Brandon felt now?

"I'm here for you." She assured him softly. "I love you."

* * * * *

"Ah, Saxon. There you are." Antonio mused as he stepped into the man's office. "It can be easy to get lost in here."

He exchanged pleasantries with the older man. Again, Antonio was struck with the feeling of regret over everything that had happened over the past 24 hours. But he didn't have time to dwell on that regret right now.

"I came here to inquire about those supplies you mentioned before. We will be needing them." Antonio told him curtly. "Brandon is tough; Annie says it should be safe to transport him now, and we have no intention of lingering around here any longer than we have to. I know your people are probably anxious for us to move on after everything that has happened... and frankly, my people are too."
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Strompy
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"I understand. I was hoping you might take advantage of the time on offer and stay with us while more, but I think you're making the prudent choice. I'm sorry to say we don't know much about the locals in Battle Mountain other than they seem to be content to live and let live, at any rate they can't be any worse than what you left behind in Salt Lake City. I believe Byron is downstairs, he'll set you up with your supplies and you can take your leave whenever you wish." Saxon explained, wheeling his way around his desk and approaching Antonio.

"As unfortunate as this all was, it was good to meet you all, you're good people. I don't know what the future holds but I have to hope the people here will come around eventually. There's too few living left for us to keep turning people away." he mused as he gestured for Antonio to exit ahead of him.

"If at all possible, I'd like a word with Brandon before you go. If he'd be willing." he proposed.
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"Absolutely." Antonio exited the room ahead of the wheelchair-bound man. "Like I said, he is awake and talking, though understandably sullen after everything that has happened. Willow is with him now."

The priest waited for Saxon to make his way out of the office before falling in line alongside him as they walked down the corridor.

"And I feel the same. About meeting you and your people." Antonio responded to Saxon's earlier comment. "It is reassuring to know there are still good people out here just trying to get by. With all of the psychos out there now... it can be easy to forget that not everyone is like that."

Antonio pursed his lips and bowed his head. It would be a few minutes until they reached Brandon and the others, especially since Saxon couldn't move as quickly as Antonio could. He would have hated to let the silence linger in the air. It didn't take long before he found himself talking.

"You are probably unaware, but before we reached Salt Lake City, we were ambushed by members from another community situated in Wyoming. Their leader was one of these sadistic psychos. Brandon was captured and taken back to him as a prize. He was beaten to within an inch of his life; it is how he lost the vision in his eye." Antonio tapped the bone around his own eye for visual emphasis. "We mounted a successful rescue, but one of our own was gunned down in the process. And then we made it to Salt Lake City... we didn't know it was a cult at first, and that mistake cost us a few more lives."

Antonio sighed as he finished the brief synopsis of their recent events. They were not easy memories to relive; the wounds from them were still fresh in everyone's minds.

"I am not trying to justify Brandon's actions; I cannot condone taking hostages. But... you are a fair man, Saxon. I am sure you can understand why he acted the way he did, given the circumstances." Antonio looked towards the ceiling. "Before you go in and speak with him, I thought you should know that."
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Strompy
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"I knew you'd run afoul of some terrible people, but I didn't know any of the particulars. I know that compared with many others we've lead something of a charmed existense here. Mitch isn't the first we've lost, I know for a fact he won't be the last either. We do know loss, and we've had to stuggle hard for what we've built, so I do understand why he did it, I'm grateful though for all of us that he had somebody to counsel him away from the path of conflict." Saxon reminisced.

They finally reached the room where Brandon was recuperating. Saxon took a breath and turned to Antonio.

"I know it's a long shot, but I hope we meet again." he said giving Antonio's hand a firm shake.

...

Somebody knocked at the door, breaking Brandon's concentration as carefully studied the back of Willows hand as she lay cramped up next to him on the tiny bed, her hand resting over his. He looked over to see Saxon doing his best to peer in around the partially opened door.

"I apologize if I'm disturbing you. I was just wondering if I could speak with you privately for a moment, Brandon." he explained.

Brandon thought a moment before he turned to Willow and nodded. Willow left them alone, if she had any thoughts about Saxon she didn't air them. She probably just wanted to leave with as little trouble as possible.

"She's beautiful. You're fortunate to have someone. You'll need her. Whatever you do don't be such a fool as to let yourself get stuck thinking about how much better she deserves, because I guarantee she won't put up with it." he cautioned.

"That's not really your business." Brandon responded curtly.

Saxon merely chuckled.

"No, it isn't, it's my experience. That's why I'm here." he said.

"I don't need a pep talk. Thank you though." Brandon said looking at the ceiling.

"Ha, pep? Fuck pep, you just lost your hand you should be despondent and pissed." Saxon laughed.

"What then?" Brandon asked.

"I'm offering what nobody else can. Experience." he clarified.

"Because of..." Brandon said nodding at his wheelchair.

"Of course my legs. More accurately my spinal cord. Broke it a long long time ago. I wasn't old when it happened, but I wasn't exactly young like you. Still I had a lot to give and it felt like that'd been stolen from me. If I could tell my past self one thing, it wouldn't be to keep my chin up or soldier on, I'd tell myself that what I was going to go through was the hardest most crushing thing I'd ever face. Whatever you've been through, this is going to make ten times harder to bear. Don't ever try to feel better about this, just accept whatever it is you do feel. This alone won't kill you though you might even wish it did." Saxon stated bluntly leaning forward with an ominous look on his face.

"I can promise you something else though. You will find an unimaginable strength from it, something beyond what people who have never been through something like this likely ever will. You've been through so much already, maybe some of that work is already done. This won't kill you. Even with all this happening, this won't be what kills you. Your people need you. Don't fail them." he continued in dire tone.

Saxon made his way to the door after letting his words hang in the air for a moment.

"Goodbye, Brandon." he said as he opened the door and made his way out.

Brandon turned back to face the ceiling again as he absorbed Saxon's advise.

"Bye."
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* * * * *

It had been a little over 30 minutes since the last vestiges of Elko had disappeared behind them. Willow wished Saxon and his people well, but she was glad that there was finally some distance between them now. For the first time since before Green River, she finally felt like she could try and relax.

She lifted the two-way radio to her lips; "How's Brandon doing?"

"Still doing fine." Antonio's voice crackled back at her. "I know you're worried about him, but if something happens, I promise you will be the first to know."

Willow sighed and placed the radio on her lap. On this relatively desolate stretch of Nevada two-lane highway, there was nothing around them for miles except desert and, in the distance, jagged hills of rock and clay. There was a forlorn beauty to it. Or maybe she just enjoyed looking at an expanse of land with no potential threats in sight.

She was riding shotgun in one of the convertibles; Emily was driving and Emmett was sitting quietly in the backseat. Behind them was the gray sedan that Antonio was driving. Annie, Connor, and Brandon were riding with him. Willow wasn't necessarily a fan of having to be separated from her boyfriend right now, but Brandon needed Annie to be nearby in case something happened. And Connor, understandably, didn't want to be away from his mother. In the second convertible, which was behind the sedan, was riding the entirety of the Kelly family.

While Saxon's people had been gathering the supplies, Emily and Emmett had gone into town to retrieve that second convertible. Emily had hidden it in the city during her excursion into the Elko community. By the time they had retrieved it and gotten back, the community was getting ready to see them all off. But before leaving Elko entirely, Antonio wanted to head back to city hall. He left Eli and Kelsey a hand written note that told them they would be waiting for them further west in Battle Mountain.

By the time Elko was behind them, it was already mid-afternoon. By now, it was approaching late afternoon. She wasn't sure how much further Battle Mountain was, but it couldn't be too far now. She saw a green sign coming up on the right, but was disappointed when it had no information pertaining to Battle Mountain.

Emigrant
3/4 mile
No Services


Absently, Willow lifted the radio to her lips again and opened her mouth. This time she stopped herself.

He's fine. She made sure to remind herself.

"So, Emily..." Willow tried to break the awkward silence that had been hanging over the vehicle.

Unfortunately, she hadn't thought about what she was going to ask her. She had never really spoken to Emily at any length before. The two of them barely knew each other. Emily never seemed as easy to talk to as Jen had been. Willow wracked her brain for something to ask, anything. And the first thing that came to mind?

"What was your family like?"

And she instantly regretted her decision; that felt way too personal to suddenly ask someone without a proper explanation. Willow raised her arms slightly and immediately began to explain herself.

"Sorry. I'm not trying to pry or anything, I just... I don't know a whole lot about you is all. I'm trying to change that, you know? And for some reason, that was just the first thing that jumped into my head."

Willow glanced over her shoulder. "And you too, Emmett. I want to hear your answer, too."
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