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| Dead Men Walking | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,796 Views) | |
| Strompy | May 12 2018, 11:00 PM Post #4201 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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Emily cocked an eyebrow at Riley's uncharacteristic display of civility. She could swear she even smiled a little. "Alright, everyone get comfortable, just not too comfortable." Emily said. She considered who the search party might consist of. Brandon was out of commission, Willow didn't have the lung capacity for too much activity, Emmett was still fucked up and the Kelly's kept to themselves. So that left Connor and Annie. Emily doubted that Annie would be thrilled to have her teenage son going on a search and rescue with a bunch of strangers possibly, possibly involving a hostile group armed with suppressed weapons. Annie herself was a high value member of the group and with so many of them wounded she might need to stay behind for their sake. But if Antonio was hurt he might need her help even more. On top of that she might be more of a liability in a fight. Well, the decision was Annie's so she may as well ask. "Anybody who wants to join the search follow me, I'm gonna go meet up with Church." she declared. |
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| DoctorYerishi | May 13 2018, 12:28 AM Post #4202 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“That’s me,” Hank said right away. And just in case he needed to explain away any surprise, he followed it up with: “Antonio would do the same in my position. He’s a good man and he needs all the help he can get. My family will be safe here.” “Me too,” the next volunteer was Connor. “I mean, I’m coming, not that I’ll be safe here. And mom, before you…” Annie cut him off. “Are you sure you’re okay? After everything that happened with Brandon?” Connor didn’t answer immediately, and his hesitation betrayed him – he didn’t seem sure, at least not 100 per cent. But Hank was impressed, because the kid summoned enough bravery to nod. “I’m okay. I can help.” Annie sighed uneasily, but nodded back anyway. “Then I’m coming too,” she said. “Antonio was bleeding. If…” She stopped to cringe. “When we find him, he will likely need medical attention.” She then turned to the largest man among them and spoke before he could. “Someone needs to stay and watch Brandon and Willow, and Riley and the kids,” she said. “I should be going with you,” Emmett replied. “You’re more valuable here,” Annie assured him. Hank wasn’t entirely sure that was true, exactly, and from the look of the big man he didn’t buy it either. But he was still in recovery. It wasn’t too long ago that he had spilled pints of blood, before they had gotten Annie back from the New Dawn just in time to save him from hypovolemic shock. If they got into another fight and he got injured, he likely wouldn’t be so lucky again. Annie had given him an honorable out, though. His shoulder slumped as he reluctantly accepted it. “I’ll stay,” he said. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | May 27 2018, 01:51 AM Post #4203 |
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Is that so?
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"Wait, I'm being sidelined?" Willow frowned. Deep down, she knew it was for the best. She hadn't handled herself very gracefully against the rotters, and she was pretty sure she had torn a few of the stitches in her leg while doing so. Sitting down and resting was the best thing she could do. And Brandon... she had to be there for Brandon, of course. But not being able to participate and help... it made her feel a little rotten. This cross-country journey she had taken had changed her a lot. The Willow from Mount Kisco probably would have wanted nothing more than to sit this one out. "Whatever happens, I'll keep an eye on them." Winona assured her. "No, you've had a long night." Nancy reminded her. "Plus, your old man is a little ticked off about the whole 'running out and getting caught' thing. Pretty sure he intends to keep you grounded in camp for a while too." "What!?" Nancy raised an arm to silence Winona before she could continue. The young woman fell silent and let Nancy continue. "That being said... I will be joining the search. Laurie's disappearance has fired the community up. There will be no shortage of people that want to help find her. Your friends..." Nancy glanced to Willow and Emmett. "They will be safe with us. I guarantee it." "I'll be there too." The young Shoshone woman whose voice they had heard over the radio before -- Brianna -- piped in as well. "Grandma's missing, I can't just sit around and do nothing." Willow frowned, but she did feel a little better knowing that a few capable fighters would be there alongside her friends. She may not fully trust these people yet, but the more she saw of them, the more she felt like they were genuinely just trying to help. Given her current condition, Nancy and Brianne were probably far more capable than she was. Or at least that was what Willow found herself saying to convince her that it was okay if she stayed behind. "Just... be careful out there." Willow scratched the back of her head and looked at the ground. "Okay?" Edited by Make-7-Up-Yours, May 27 2018, 03:33 PM.
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| DoctorYerishi | May 27 2018, 10:07 PM Post #4204 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“Of course, I have a family to get back to,” Hank replied. “I think everyone else feels the same way. Between our two groups – we’ll get everyone back and home safe.” He hoped that saying it would make it so. And he hoped that acting confident would make him feel confident. He knew, at least, that Riley would never forgive him if he didn’t return safely. He turned to the Shoshone women who had volunteered. “Shall we?” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jun 13 2018, 01:22 PM Post #4205 |
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Is that so?
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"And how does coyote taste, exactly?" Church furled his brow at the strips of drying meat that were hanging from a clothesline. A much younger Shoshone man, who appeared to be somewhere in his 30's with a long face and a prominent nose, plucked another piece pre-cut meat off a bloodied mat and hung it alongside the others on the clothesline. "It tastes like garbage." The man answered. "There's a reason we humans prefer to eat rabbits or deer. Prey animals taste better and are better for us. The higher up the food chain you go, the worse the meat gets. I find coyote is stringy, and I just don't like it. Normally." "Normally?" Billy arched an eyebrow. "Well, I did meet another hunter once out on the plains. This was years ago." The man hung another strip of meat up to dry. "He swore by the taste of coyote and invited me to have some that he had prepared. It was actually really good. Wouldn't have known it was coyote at all is he hadn't told me. He prepared it in a crock pot for eight hours, added some veggies and fruits to it. I tried to copy it later, but it didn't come out quite the same. Guess I don't have that magic touch with the stuff." The young man's name was Travis Two-Deer. He and his wife, Caroline Two-Deer, were the best hunters and gatherers in the community and responsible for keeping everyone fed. Billy did not often get the opportunity to catch up with them, as they were often out setting traps, snares, or otherwise gathering the food that the community needed to survive. Billy did not like leaving the agrarian needs of the community solely on the shoulders of two people, but he had to admit that they were no doubt up to the task. While Travis continued to dry the meat from their recent coyote kill, Caroline sat nearby. She was sifting through wild rice, seeds, berries, and a variety of nuts and roots that they had laid out in large bowls. From what Billy had learned before, she was inspecting the food for any bugs, fungus, or anything else humans didn't want, while also washing them of any impurities. Billy, despite his age, had never been much of a hunter. He was more in the business of managing and overseeing than he was hunting. "Any way that you could try recreating that recipe?" Billy asked. "I mean... I could try. I can't promise it'll come out good though." "That's fine. We brought in a handful of outsiders. We should attempt to make them feel welcome with a special meal. Something a little more exciting than coyote jerky, rice, and berries. Especially if coyote is as underwhelming as you seem to say it is." "I'll give it a shot." Travis shrugged. "You up for the attempt, Carol?" "I was kind of tired of jerky anyway." Caroline answered simply, not even looking up from her own work. "I think if we cook it with rice, roots, and spices, we can make something decent out of it." "I'll have Winona help you out. It'll keep that woman out of trouble." Billy crossed his arms and glanced over his shoulder. As he did, he noticed a group of people approaching him from behind. Travis and Caroline had set up a series of rugs and instruments in the field in the center of town, so it was not difficult to find them at any given time. It was almost like a little public kitchen where they could prepare food; they had pots and pans, a fire pit, and storage space for any spices or anything they would need. The group that approached looked to be a lot of those outsiders, headed by Nancy. Billy turned around to face them as they approached. "They got comfortable a lot sooner than I expected." Billy commented dryly. "They just want to find their missing person." Nancy explained. "Just like we do." Billy rubbed his forehead and sighed. He knew she was right, but it didn't help him feel any better about any of this. "Alright, so what can I do for you then?" |
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| DoctorYerishi | Jun 14 2018, 01:11 AM Post #4206 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Hank was taken aback by Church’s question. He looked around at his present companions – Emily, Annie, and Connor, not the most formidable bunch of their party – and realized he didn’t have an answer. His objective, as far as he had thought it through so far, was search. “I think we were hoping you could tell us that,” he said, sounding a little more meek than he meant to. He cleared his throat. “You know the area. If the ones who took Antonio and your people are still around…” He trailed off and thought back to the scene of the crime. There were no foot tracks because they had been snowed over, but there were also no car tracks, which a few hours of snow wouldn’t so easily hide. Emily had theorized earlier that the people who had taken Antonio had taken him on foot. Hank thought she was right. He hoped she was right. “…and we have to assume they are,” he continued. “Where could they be holed up? We need to start our search somewhere.” He looked to Emily before looking back to Church. She was a cop, so maybe she had more pointed questions to ask, or her own idea for a first course of action. |
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| Strompy | Jun 17 2018, 08:18 PM Post #4207 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"I overheard mention there were signs of a struggle? Obviously not enough for you to assume murder though, so she was taken alive. There wasn't enough blood on the scene to indicate Antonio is dead either. This is probably a ransom, if we stay put they might make contact but we've run into traffickers recently so maybe it's something more nefarious. If we wait around we could just be letting them walk off with our people. The way I see it there's two most likely places to start, local sheriff's department and anywhere with trains. If it's ransom they'll want somewhere secure to hold them, like a cell and if it's the New Dawn it's a good bet they're using trains again." Emily mused out loud. There was nothing concrete to go on, for all she knew they could be anywhere in this town. They'd notice them if they went looking door-to-door and just take off before they got there. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack if the needle could move and easily kill you. "That's all I've got unless you can think of anywhere else a kidnapper might want to hide out." Emily added genuinely hoping Church had something more substantial to work with. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jun 19 2018, 02:12 PM Post #4208 |
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Is that so?
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Church rubbed his jaw. "Well, I didn't tell you everything we knew. You were holding my granddaughter hostage, so forgive me if I didn't feel like divulging everything to you." The old man's words were dripping with sarcasm, but they quickly returned to normal. "You're right in your assumption, young lady. Signs of a struggle to be sure, but no blood. We have no reason to believe that she is dead. What is strange is that we saw no entry points in the wall. No way that anybody could have gotten in or out." "They probably scaled the walls." Travis interjected, still casually drying out the coyote meat. Church realized that these outsider had not been formally introduced to "This is Travis. He and his wife, Carol, are our only remaining hunters. Likewise, this is Emily and her survivors. They lost one of their own as well." "So I heard. But as I was saying, to get in and out without leaving any evidence behind would mean that they either had tools to help them -- ladders, ropes, whathaveyou -- or they are extremely athletic." Travis explained. "Carol and I checked the outside of the walls this morning, but we couldn't find any tracks either. Not only did they get in, incapacitate one of our own, and get out without being detected, but they were also good enough to hide their tracks. Whoever they are, they are good. Why someone with that kind of skill set would be kidnapping people, I honestly couldn't say. If they are really after a ransom, why here? It's not as if we have anything worth taking. We never have." The young hunter paused briefly and scanned the surrounding landscape, as if affirming to himself and everyone else here that there was truly nothing here of any worth. Church crossed his arms; he hated to agree, but he had lived here long enough to know that there was very little here that anyone from the outside would be interested in. Though, ironically, maybe now that the outside world had collapsed, they had more here than they realized. He couldn't rule ransom out as a possibility. "I'll have the community keep their eyes open for anybody trying to deliver a ransom message. Just in case." Church informed them before he turned his attention back to the hunter. "That being said, there was something I noticed at the hospital though. Which is actually my reason for coming here to check up on you, Travis." "Oh?" Church reached into his pocket and pulled out the shell casing they had found at the scene. He handed it to Travis. The man gently accepted the casing and rolled it between his fingers as he looked it over. "That military airplane crash you found last month. Would you happen to remember if this bullet was on the plane or could have been used by any of the rifles you saw?" Church asked. "5.56 NATO." Travis said without a moment of hesitation. "Standard round for all manner of American military rifles, including the M4 and M16 series. Without a doubt this could have come from the plane. But, admittedly, this is a fairly common type of cartridge that is used in a lot of guns. There is no guarantee that it is from there." "When was the last time you checked the airplane?" Church followed up. Travis stopped his idle working and focused his attention fully on Church. "Right after you told us to ignore the weapons, ammo, and potentially life-saving equipment on board." "We aren't having this discussion again, Travis." Church snapped back. "When was the last time you saw the airplane and did it look like anything was missing from it at the time?" Travis let out a guttural sigh and rolled his eyes. "About a month ago. If there was anything missing, I didn't see it. If you think that our mysterious attackers are using the military-grade equipment from that crash, then we are already hopeless outmatched. Though I guess it was only a matter of time before someone else found it." Church scowled, but said nothing. He had a feeling that this might happen. Even at the time, it had been a topic that he and Travis had very much disagreed on. Edited by Make-7-Up-Yours, Jun 19 2018, 02:16 PM.
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| DoctorYerishi | Jun 19 2018, 10:31 PM Post #4209 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Hank scratched at his beard as Church and this new guy – Travis – exchanged comments. The talk of the plane made him remember the night before, and the supplies they had scavenged. He was pretty sure they had come across the same wreck. Annie seemed to think so too. She was one of the three who had volunteered to explore the crash-site initially, along with Emily and Antonio. She spoke up: “We may have come across the same plane,” she went ahead and volunteered the info. “Everyone was dead – as in, truly dead – except for the pilot, who was a rotter. We found some pistols, a couple grenades, some ammunition. This was yesterday.” Travis said that Church ordered him to ignore the supplies. Church’s reply made it seem like he didn’t want to discuss it, but the idea flabbergasted Hank. They just ignored all that armament and equipment? Left it for someone else to discover and take? In this day and age? “You really just left everything where you found it?” he blurted the question out. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jun 20 2018, 01:19 PM Post #4210 |
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Is that so?
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"Of course I did." Church shot back defensively. "Look at what we have here!" Church held his arms out, as if proudly showing off the barren landscape around him. "Our ancestors survived on this land for thousands of years, using nothing but the tools that the earth provided for them. They didn't need modern innovations like electricity. They didn't need artificially created medicines. They didn't need high-tech weapons of murder like the automatic rifles at that crash site. They didn't need any of it." He told them assuredly. "Everything we need to survive has already been provided for us. Perhaps if the white man learned to respect nature in the way that we do, the outside world wouldn't be in the state that it is in today. Because I assure you, what's going on out there is no natural phenomenon. The wendigos... they were created." Behind him, Travis visibly shook his head and rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Instead, the hunter and his wife went back to preparing the food they had found. "Anyway." Nancy spoke up in an attempt to ease the tension in the air. "How we got into this situation doesn't really matter. What does matter is that we are in it now. It sounds like the place was looted. So we should assume whoever is out there is using military gear. Maybe we could narrow down our search area by prioritizing areas in town that would have enough space to store a lot of equipment?" |
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| DoctorYerishi | Jun 20 2018, 05:46 PM Post #4211 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Hank marvelled a little at Church’s reply. Winona had warned them he was traditional, but the conviction was still surprising. The way the world was, turning down free guns and free medicine seemed borderline nuts. It was also dangerous, as they were maybe discovering now. If they truly were thinking of the same plane, then it was barely a half hour drive from here – so anyone who did find it, it wouldn’t be long before they were in a position to use it against the reservation. And if what Emily had recovered was just the scraps, like Travis was implying, then there was a lot to use. Hank’s dismayed expression let on what he felt about the situation. Church didn’t seem like he was willing to entertain arguments, however, so he bit his tongue. “We can’t discount the New Dawn,” Annie said. “They’re well organized and well-armed, whether they came across the plane or not. And if they had a mind to do it, I’m sure getting over your wall and back wouldn’t be a problem. Then again…” She trailed off, seeming less confident in the theory the more she spoke. “Stealing people in the middle of the night isn’t their modus operandi as we understand it,” she said. “They like their victims to come to them. It could be a reaction to what happened in Salt Lake City, but if so, I don’t know why they would have stopped at Antonio. If they wanted revenge, they likely would have pressed their advantage. And if they were just taking people to bring back to their farm, I don’t think he’d be the most desirable target among us. One of their men told our friend Willow that they needed women, something about bearing the fruit of the next generation.” She stopped talking, twisting her face in a sour expression. She took a second to shake the foul thoughts from her head, and then continued on. “I think this is a different group, with different aims,” she concluded. “So where should we start looking?” Edited by DoctorYerishi, Jun 21 2018, 03:20 PM.
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jun 20 2018, 07:28 PM Post #4212 |
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Is that so?
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Church crossed his arms, his lanky, 6 foot tall frame hunching over slightly as he did. He absently stared at the ground for a few moments as mentally recalled every point of interest in the city that he could. "Winona didn't mention seeing anyone near the hospital." Winona's friend, Brianne, was the first to speak up, placing her hands at her hips as she did. "Although it's in the center of town, it's mostly residential in that area. A few blocks northeast of the hospital is Front Street, and I know Winona didn't go that far into town. Maybe they're hiding up there?" Nancy nodded her head. "There are a few large building up there. A supermarket. The fire station. The casino. A couple of inns." "And the drilling wholesale." Church added. "They got a pretty big warehouse and access to the railroad from there. Not to mention it's on the edge of town. But we shouldn't discount the industrial areas south of the 80 as well. Broad Street has the county sheriff's office, a couple government buildings, Newmont Mining Corp, and the Baptist church all right next to each other. A lot of open land and a lot of decently sized buildings that are also on the edge of town. Assuming they are operating out of Battle Mountain, those would be the two most likely areas for them to be hiding a plane's worth of equipment." Edited by Make-7-Up-Yours, Jun 20 2018, 07:29 PM.
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| Strompy | Jun 21 2018, 01:19 PM Post #4213 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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Emily felt a tiny urge to point out that Church's people were almost wiped out by white people and their weapons, and that his ancestors didn't hesitate to arm themselves with the weapons of their enemies. Leaving that gear was idealistic and shortsighted. What sucked most of all was that they seemed to have only just been beaten to a huge score too, they were running low on ammo and even with the supplies King had given Annie they could still use a lot more of the basics like gauze and penicillin with three severely wounded people. Although if they could take out this group that had attacked them then those supplies could be theirs after all. It was a stretch to assume the New Dawn were behind all this, Emily readily agreed, but if it wasn't them then that made the whole situation somehow even more troubling. Travis was also right to point out that ransom was an unlikely motive too, especially if this group did get their hands on medical supplies and military hardware from the plane crash; what could they possibly hope to gain through ransom that they couldn't get far more easily by themselves? Kidnapping women had some obvious benefits on its own, as disgusting as they were, but why take Antonio too? Maybe these people didn't even know what they were doing, they could have just been some lucky idiots who stumbled on a big find and are throwing their weight around without any properly thought out end game. That wasn't likely but she could hope. "Does the casino have a secure room that could make for a decent storage room or holding cell? If they have hostages and valuables, security is going to be a big priority. How much equipment was in that plane anyway, is this a couple crates worth or even more?" Emily asked. Edited by Strompy, Jun 21 2018, 01:19 PM.
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Jun 22 2018, 05:08 PM Post #4214 |
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Is that so?
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"We didn't do a full survey, but there was definitely enough so that whoever was in that plane would have been ready for one hell of a fight." Travis' wife, Caroline, spoke up for the first time since this conversation started; she didn't lift her eyes from the task at hand as she spoke, easily continuing to sift through and examine the various grains and seeds. "Enough to have armed every person on that flight if the need arose." Nancy noticed that Church seemed to be a little caught up in his own world at the moment, so she quickly took the lead on explaining what she knew about the casino. "Calling it a casino is a bit of a stretch. It's nothing like the grandiose things you see elsewhere in the state. It's a decently-sized lounge slash diner that just also happens to have slot machines." Nancy tapped her chin as another series of thoughts struck her. "From a security standpoint, it wouldn't be that bad of a place though; the diner side of it has a lot of windows, but the casino side does not. It's also entirely possible they would have some secured rooms in the back." |
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| DoctorYerishi | Jun 23 2018, 12:49 AM Post #4215 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Hank frowned deeply. He thought he had signed up for a search, not a war. He knew that violence might await them at the end, but this new information – that the kidnappers were heavily armed, enough for ’one hell of a fight,’ as Caroline put it – was starting to seriously shake his resolve. “I don’t know if we’re in the best position for a battle,” he said. “Our best fighters are all in recovery – except for you, Emily, no offense. But Annie’s a doctor, and Connor’s just a kid.” “I can fight!” Connor protested. Connor’s voice came out as an unfortunate squeak, which seemed to embarrass him. His gaze went went to the ground. “I’m sorry, Connor, I didn’t mean to say you couldn’t,” Hank said. “I know you’re a better shot than me – and that’s part of the problem. I didn’t even own a gun before all this. If it wasn’t for Andy, I don’t know if I would have made it out of North Carolina. And if it wasn’t for him and all you guys, I definitely wouldn’t have made it out of Salt Lake City. But Brandon just lost his hand, Emmett’s been running on empty since I met him, same with Willow – and I never thought I’d miss Eli so much, but here we are. How are we supposed to take on a gang of kidnappers armed to the teeth with military grade weapons?” Edited by DoctorYerishi, Jul 7 2018, 04:00 PM.
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