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| Dead Men Walking | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (71,048 Views) | |
| Strompy | Mar 3 2015, 06:46 PM Post #421 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"That man needs a full night's sleep." Brandon commented, shaking his head slightly. Randall and Kelsey were a source of encouragement. Not even a week ago they'd lost Elaine. Despite what Kelsey had been told Brandon suspected she wasn't fooled, that maybe she played along as much for Randall's sake as her own. They didn't have any time to grieve properly, nobody did. Brandon had been immobilized for several days in his grief in the time before he found Mt. Kisco, even so the pain was almost unbearable now. It'd be with him the rest of his life. Everyone was like that though. All of them had lost so much. How many brothers and sisters, parents, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends had they lost between them? Randall and Kelsey still had each other, and that gave Brandon a sense of purpose in all this. There was something to preserve. "You still got those cigarettes?" he asked Jeff hopefully. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Mar 3 2015, 08:05 PM Post #422 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Jeff gave Brandon something of a side-eye in response to the question, but quickly relented and dug the pack from his jacket pocket. He hadn't even found them himself, after all, so it didn't seem right to hoard them. "Tell you what, dude," he said, as he thumbed open the half-empty pack. "Trade you for one. In exchange, you teach me the finer points on how use this thing at my hip. Some of us were raised Democrat, you know?" He looked down at the Ruger 22 Target. The carbine he had gifted was lost in the back of the SUV forever. Eli hadn't thought to hand it to him during the firefight, and Jeff couldn't blame him. He was out of it. That's why he needed the lessons. So next time the shit went down, he'd do a little better than a goddamn mannequin. |
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| Strompy | Mar 3 2015, 11:49 PM Post #423 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Deal, and so was I actually. My parents found their gun rights were less important than a mixed economy or universal healthcare. You know the saying; hope for the best but prepare for the worst? That was them. They didn't kick up a stink about the new gun laws, they just accepted them and very quietly broke them." Brandon explained with a chuckle, gratefully taking a cigarette. Julie sank into an armchair by the window. After hours of sitting she thought she'd be uncomfortable going straight back to it, but once she stretched her legs out she found she could easily stay right there. She placed her pistol and kukri on the table next to her. There was a picture there. Two children, a boy and a girl riding a horse, the man holding the reins presumably their father. She lay the photo face down, she couldn't stand the photos. Every house she'd stayed in or searched told the same story in different ways. Shattered lives, an end to something beautiful. Death, horror and misery. The children's rooms were the worst. It had all happened so fast, there wasn't any time to adapt or accustom herself to the new state of the world, if that were even possible. In the moments before sleep as the dark and the cold fully enveloped her, it was all she could do to stop herself from crying in despair at the bleak empty future ahead of them all. In her heart she couldn't deny that this was the end. "Willow? Do you think this cure is real?" she asked, desperate to believe she was just being pessimistic. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Mar 4 2015, 01:05 AM Post #424 |
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Is that so?
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"I dunno." Willow had moved from the couch to the floor of the same room as Julie. She figured this would be a good place to sleep tonight; although this room felt awkward. Probably because, deep down, she knew she was in the room of a dead child. "I want to, though. Maybe it's just... wishful thinking, you know?" Willow shrugged. "My mom always used to say 'if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is'. A cure for all of... this? It honestly sounds too good to be true, I can't help but be wary. But on the other hand, I don't want to live in a world like this anymore." ********** Maxwell laid down on the now vacant couch. Nobody had really talked to him or anything, he got a few weird looks, but he didn't really care. It was warmer in here than it was out there, and the couch was fairly comfortable. All things considered, it was a net gain for the man. He was asleep within minutes. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Mar 4 2015, 01:14 AM Post #425 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Jeff offered Brandon a smile at that, then took a cigarette for himself before pocketing the pack. He fished out his lighter next, then stared out the window. "Sorry 'bout that shit back at the hospital, by the way," he said. "Freezing up and all that. Won't go down like that again." He held the cigarette in his mouth as he flicked his lighter on. When he achieved blastoff, he offered a light to Brandon. "How ya holdin' up, by the way? What with that hole through your side, there." |
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| Strompy | Mar 4 2015, 02:43 AM Post #426 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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Julie pulled the pillow out from behind her and offered it to Willow who was roughing it on the floor. Julie wouldn't have given up her spot on the couch if it were her. Maybe she just wanted to keep close to Glenda who slept awkwardly on the small bed. Julie didn't know what the story was with those two, if they knew each other before all of this or not but they seemed tight. That's nice... she thought her last coherent thought before sleep took her into nonsensical meanderings. ... Brandon shrugged at Jeff's apology, he figured a lot of people reacted like that the first time it hit them how fucked up everything had gotten. "You're not the first to freeze up. Today was completely messed up. I'm still processing what happened. Those people... that's not how this is supposed to go. When things like this happen we're supposed to help each other. Isn't it bad enough that those things are out there? I can't make sense of why they'd do this. As for the hole, it hurts like a motherfucker." Brandon vented his perplexity as he held the door for Jeff, cigarette hanging limply in his mouth. Once the door was closed Jeff offered Brandon a light which he gave a grateful grunt for. He inhaled deeply and stifled a cough. He hadn't had a smoke in months and even then it was only at parties or when he and Kyle would go clubbing in NYC. They were stale on top of that. His body fought it at first but soon the familiar tingle kicked in, and everything felt a little less awful. "What did you do before all of this?" Brandon asked, a strange curiosity coming over him suddenly. He hadn't really asked anybody about themselves before the outbreak, he was content to just learn about them through their actions never giving much thought to what came before. He could trust them and that was really all that had mattered. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Mar 4 2015, 03:27 AM Post #427 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Jeff cracked a smile at his own expense as he took a drag. "Good fucking question," he replied. "Never really found a good answer to it. This and that, really. I mean, I made rent making deliveries for this grocery company. Before that I installed cable for a while. That kind of shit. When all this bullshit started, I wasn't doing much of anything." He waved at the emptiness around them when he said 'bullshit,' but then he shrugged. "Well, that's not entirely true. I got talked into buying this truckload of fake leather jackets. Thought I could flip them on the street to tourists. Wasn't going so hot." He turned to Brandon, and cocked his head. "What about you?" he asked. "Or were you still in school? How old are you anyway?" |
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| Strompy | Mar 4 2015, 05:22 PM Post #428 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"22, and pretty much the same story. I got decent grades but never went to college. I was going to enlist with the army when the news broke. My parents ordered my brother and I home from our crappy apartment. It was the weekend anyway so why not spend it with the folks? We figured they just wanted to spend some time with us and the outbreak was just an excuse. Then the news got worse and we ended up staying. What happened after that you already know." Brandon explained as he walked around the side of the house at a leisurely pace, keeping one eye on the darkness. "What are you going to do if we end all this?" he asked. When. When we end all this. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Mar 4 2015, 05:37 PM Post #429 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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"Oh right, the cure," he said. "I guess reap the benefits of being a world-saving hero, right?" He didn't know what to think of the cure. If pressed, he'd have to admit he didn't have a lot of faith. The only reason he had even joined this quest was because the alternative was going back to camp with Andre, who would be sure to make life hell on him until the others got back. He figured he'd rather road trip for a couple days with two cars worth of supplies and people who weren't likely to take a swing at him next time he opened his mouth -- he figured that would be the easier option. Christ, had he been wrong. "So hey," he said again, changing the subject to the other thing pressing on his mind. "I was thinking when everyone gets up tomorrow, before we head out we have some kind of, like, memorial for Mac. I know you didn't know him too well, but just seems like the least we could do." |
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| Strompy | Mar 4 2015, 07:02 PM Post #430 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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He really hadn't known Mac that well. Three days. Hell that was only one day less than the others. He liked the man but it was true, he didn't know him. Why was it that he cared so much then? Whydid he care about any of them? Need. The thought was so clear. Even though he only just met them, and he knew almost nothing about them there was a connection that felt incredibly strong. He needed them. Did they need him too? The realization did nothing to lessen the significance of that feeling. It was a primal kind of bond. "I think that's exactly what we should do. I also want to talk to Randall about setting out a little later in the day, give us a chance to maybe find some food. I bet there's a whole bunch of rabbits around here, good target practice too." Brandon said, unsure about how to broach the topic with Randall. Randall had another kid whose fate he wanted to discover. Would Randall tolerate any delays regarding that or delivering the cure? Brandon felt they needed to stop, but wouldn't defy Randall if he decided against it. Randall had more at stake than he did. "So. I tried this with Mac but he wouldn't say. We save the world right? We're big heroes, we're superstars, we're like royalty. Everyone wants you, you can have anyone you want. Let's say whoever you want, they made it, they're alive. Who do you start repopulating the world with?" Brandon asked taking another long drag. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Mar 4 2015, 07:46 PM Post #431 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Jeff chuckled a bit. He didn't expect to be doing that after the hell they had just been through. "You're just full of good questions," he said, taking a second before deciding. "How about... Julianne Moore. She seems nice. And how 'bout you, blondie? Who's your dream baby mama?" |
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| Strompy | Mar 4 2015, 08:16 PM Post #432 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Kim Kardashian's ass. Just the ass." he answered after a thoughtful pause. "Honestly though. Zoe Saldana. She plays a lot of badasses, that's hot. If she survived then it's probably because she IS a badass." he confessed. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Mar 4 2015, 11:05 PM Post #433 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Jeff smirked once again. After that, several hours passed, and passed quickly as Jeff and Brandon talked casually. Before their shift was over, Jeff made sure to draw his Ruger and get some tips about how to hold it properly, how to stand, and where to look when aiming. He didn't get to try it out -- people were trying to sleep inside, after all, and a gunshot would cause a panic -- but at least he felt marginally more comfortable with it. By the time Glenda and Julie took the next shift, daylight wasn't far away. Feeling a bit better somehow, Jeff claimed the spot on the couch and actually drifted to sleep. * * * The sun was up again outside when Jeff awoke and suggested a memorial to the whole group this time. Nobody objected. Of course, they didn't have Mac's body or his ashes, so they couldn't physically put him to rest. And none of them were devout enough to oversee a proper funeral. But Jeff had a feeling that Mac would have been happy with just a wake. Before sitting down, Jeff took the initiative of scouring the house for alcohol. He found a case of lime beer in the back of the fridge, behind of a wall of spoiled goods. It would have to do. "Look, I'm almost definitely not the right guy to eulogize Mac," Jeff said when it was time, and he was standing and addressing the group in the living room. "Of everyone here that he knew, he probably liked me least. I'm sure you all know, when I tried to take some supplies from the club and run, he caught me and he gave me these bruises, basically without thinking about it -- though it's been a couple days, maybe you can't see them anymore. But when I was in trouble, when I was one second away from losing a chunk of my face to a rotter -- he also stepped in then. Without thinking about it. He saved my life. Because that's the kind of guy who Mac was. He was protective of his people. He was dependable. He was unflinchingly loyal. He was good." He raised a glass of the warm lime beer he had scavenged. "To Mac," he said, then took a sip. After that, Jeff sat down to let someone else have the floor. He found himself a little shaken up by his own words. He really would miss that guy. |
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| Strompy | Mar 4 2015, 11:59 PM Post #434 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Hold up. If we're drinking to him, we're gonna do it right. Grab some glasses." Brandon said before ducking outside and rummaging through his bag. He came back in with a bottle in hand. He'd kept it with him for the past few days, since before he arrived at the lodge. Whyte & Mackay blended scotch whiskey, aged 13 years. He'd completely forgotten about it until now. He didn't know why he held onto it, at the time it was incase it all got too much for him and he wanted to go out on a high... the thought was uncomfortable. This was a better occasion. A perfect occasion. There was enough for just over a shot each. He offered it up to Jeff, as the leader of their modest ceremony. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Mar 5 2015, 12:56 AM Post #435 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Jeff returned to the room with three new glasses, having dumped his former one. He accepted Brandon's replacement with a somber smile, then raised the glass and sat back down. "Anyone else?" he asked, ready for the spotlight to be off him. |
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7:30 PM Jul 10