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Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (71,007 Views)
Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"I'm trying not to be." Brandon mumbled in response to Jeff's question.

Who the fuck was honking that horn? Brandon had been very well asleep until that comparatively loud noise interrupted him. People talking wasn't a problem, the sound of birds outside wasn't a problem, the machines nearby weren't a problem, but the horn meant people and that got his attention. There were no sounds of alarm outside so he assumed everything was fine.

He rubbed his eyes and woke up a bit more anyway. One big bonus of being awake that Willow was right there. It was weird that he wasn't getting tired of looking at her even a little. She was sitting up now, that must have hurt. Brandon knew she must have wanted to be up and about as soon as possible. That mettle was a huge leap away from the stoner of image he had of her at first. This ordeal, he reflected, probably wouldn't have changed her but allowed her to be who she really was.

Brandon was the same. He felt restless whenever he had nothing to do now. That wasn't always the case. Before the outbreak he was a typical slacker. Life had no real purpose those days, and he filled that void with alcohol, women and his own vanity. His mom hated the idea of him enlisting since his dad had done the same and Brandon suspected she blamed the ten years she and dad lost on his decision to enlist rather than go to college. Dad seemed indifferent to the military, Brandon had never asked why that was. Whatever they felt though, Brandon felt draw to that life because it promised to give him purpose. He had only realised all this recently though, something he had everyone else to thank for. His life had meaning now.

"I'm awake though." he said, gently slipping his hand underneath Willow's and threading his fingers between hers.

...

Julie let Eli off the hook. Poor guy got a lot more than he bargained for. Once again Julie was left to her own devices. Her first and most immediate concern was seeing the doctor, or anyone at the clinic really, she only needed to make a request. She checked herself in the mirror before making her way towards the clinic.
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Make-7-Up-Yours
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Is that so?
Something about seeing Kelsey and Annie's son, Connor, playing Mortal Kombat struck a chord with Randall. It didn't last long, but for a brief moment, everything almost felt like it had before. Like an after-school play date with a friend. The old days that felt like they had been so long ago, but in actually had been only a month and a half ago.

"You could almost forget about the world out there looking at something like this." Randall sighed at the thought. "I know I keep talking like this, but it's a lot to take in. It's... really good to see."

This is why we need the cure. To bring this back.

* * * * *

"Look who decided to grace us with his presence today. At least one of our scavenging parties knows how to get back in a timely manner."

Geraldine could practically feel the disdain behind Ethan's forced smile; his stressed pitch belied his true feelings. Their inability to get alone was already well known, but even if Ethan held nothing but contempt for Jimmy, he still respected him and would dare not berate him personally for his behavior. Ethan built the walls, but it was Jimmy that had gotten him the supplies to do it with. Although Geraldine knew that Ethan would never admit it, Jimmy was the best at what he did.

"Welcome back, Jimmy." Geraldine greeted Jimmy, knowing full well he probably didn't care one way or another.

"Another good haul as always, James." Ethan mused as he looked over the bounty.

Oh fuck. Not again.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
"I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're talking to the mouse in your pocket," Jimmy said to Ethan, refusing to let him put a dent in his cheer. "And I'm gonna give you your gift anyway."

He reached into a plastic bag he returned with, and handed Ethan a couple magazines. Playgirls, with shirtless sultry-eyed men on the covers.

"Don't worry, Gerry, I got something for you too," Jimmy looked up.

He retrieved the other item in his bag. A harlequin romance novel with a Fabio-looking model on the cover cradling a long haired woman in front of a beach backdrop. He handed it to Geraldine.

Behind him, the grumbling of the dead continued and grew louder.

"You guys should really take care of that," Jimmy said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

* * *

"Yeah, cool," Jeff said. He was sounding a little awkward again. The edge of excitement had temporarily left his voice. "You just missed Willow, but I'm sure she'll be up and at 'em again 'fore we know it."

He paused, looking at the ground for a second. He psyched himself up. He wanted to enjoy their newfound luxury but something had been eating at him for a while now, and he didn't think he'd get a better shot at getting it out of the way.

"Somethin' I wanted to ask you 'bout though, while we got the time," he started. "I know it feels like a million years ago now, but back at the police college. You had a gun, and you used it to save me an' not Randall. I know it worked out -- you know, relatively speaking I mean, by the standards of this fucked up new status quo -- but still."

Another pause, a little bit shorter than the last one. He looked down and then up again. He looked a little reticent, a little sheepish. He felt awkward asking.

"Why'd you do that?"
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Strompy
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"You were on the ground, Randall was armed and standing. You were in a worse position. Simple as that." he explained, a little confused by the question.

Brandon wondered at the question for a moment. He was right there, he knew the situation as well as Brandon did. It was a clear choice between two bad situations and he chose to deal with the most dire. He chose between two people. The penny dropped.

Jeff didn't think he mattered as much Randall. It's true that Randall was maybe a little more valuable to the group as a decision maker and fighter, and there was also the fact he had a daughter, but his life wasn't more important than Jeff's and he wasn't more important to Brandon either.

"You're thinking this is a merit thing? Like naturally I'd help Randall because he's more of an action-man?" he said raising a querying eyebrow.

In that same situation, all things being equal and it were him and Willow, or Kelsey, Brandon wouldn't have made the same choice. Those were the only two people he deemed more important than anyone else.
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Is that so?
Most of the bystanders went to work immediately unloading Jimmy's truck. The supplies would be organized by content and then sent to their respective locations.

Raw supplies like metal and gasoline found their home in a dirt lot north of the clinic and west of Eckinger Street; near the diesel generators that supplied power to the community. The food, which was all non-perishable by now, was temporarily stored in an old storage unit that had been abandoned nearby there even before the plague. It would then be cataloged and rationed out appropriately. Managing their food reserves, especially with the upcoming onset of winter, was a high priority. Commodities like books, games, electronics, toys, were distributed on a case-by-case basis.

Nevertheless, on the sidelines of it all, Ethan and Geraldine remained, their new found 'prizes' in their hands. They looked exacerbated by the time Glenda found them and joined the two of them.

"Do your scavengers always make this much noise?"

"No." Geraldine let out a long and very drawn out sigh. "Just Jimmy. He has a flair for this sort of thing."

A few of the guards at the gate began stabbing at the rotters approaching through the bars, using knives and pointed sticks. This was a common occurrence, especially with Jimmy. The guards always kept a few extra sharp weapons around now just in case.

"Do either of you ladies want these magazines?" Ethan spoke through grated teeth and held out his recently acquired Playgirls.

"I'm not that desperate yet." Glenda was quick to decline the offer.

"I am." Geraldine admitted. "And I'll give you an extra carton of coffee if you promise to never tell a soul about it."

Ethan handed the magazines over and Geraldine swiftly hid them in the interior of her dress coat; and the book too. "Deal."

"Didn't peg you as the type." Glenda inquired innocently.

"If you had to run a community like this day in and day out, you'd become the type." Geraldine assured her.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“Well yeah,” Jeff seemed as confused as Brandon. “I mean, between the two of us, I know who I’d save from the burning building first. If I were someone else, I mean.”

He sighed. He had his answer, at least. It could stop nagging away at the back of his mind. He could start appreciating this place without reservation.

“Anyways… Thanks,” he said. “Dunno if I’ve said that yet.”

* * *

Jimmy was just about ready to declare his antics complete when he saw a face he didn’t recognize. A moderately attractive lady, maybe 10 years his senior. Her outfit was clean and fairly standard – and probably found in Flint, if he had to guess – but her demeanour and expression betrayed a hardness that Jimmy was attuned to. This was a lady who could take care of herself. If he met her on the road, he’d make sure to keep an eye on her.

“We have a guest!” Jimmy declared, approaching the trio with a smile.

He held his hand out to shake.

“Jimmy Weston,” he introduced himself. “Pleasure.”
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Is that so?
"Glenda."

She answered him simply as she clasped his hand. Geraldine and Ethan had already expressed a sort of weariness towards this man. It was one that she could understand; but even after only seeing him for a minute or two, she could tell that he could take care of himself. But he was... different, for lack of a better word. Reckless and dangerous.

"Glenda will be staying with us for a few days while her group recuperates." Geraldine explained to Jimmy. "You can probably expect to see a member or two of her group to accompany you on your next run."
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli didn’t bother with his holster. He just removed the Supergrade from the nighstand, then tucked it behind his jeans as he jogged for the west gate. He slowed down only when he saw the friendly scene playing out before him.

Geraldine and Ethan were already there. So was Glenda. She was clasping hands with a new arrival – a dark redhead with a trim haircut and beard. As Eli got closer, he could make out what seemed like a spear around his shoulder, not to mention a holster on his hip where he was open-carrying some kind of pistol.

“So we have guests, plural,” the redhead said over Glenda’s shoulder.

Then he looked around. His eyes locked on Eli, and his smile widened. Eli was close enough now to detect the movement in his pupils, and he could practically feel himself getting a once-over.

“Jimmy Weston,” the redhead said, extending his hand to Eli as he approached. “Pleasure.”

Eli quickly surveyed the others. They seemed annoyed, but nothing worse than that. Eli accepted the shake.

“Eli,” he introduced himself back. “You must be one of the scavengers.”

“You could say that. But me, I like to think I’m more than just one of anything,” Jimmy responded. His devil-may-care grin grew even wider, stretching a thin white scar that ran along his jaw. “But speaking of…”

He released his grip on Eli, and then turned back to Geraldine and Ethan.

“Are Alex and his team back yet? We had kind of a bet going, and I’m willing to venture that I won.”

* * *

Annie gave Randall a quick courtesy tour as she led him upstairs, but then stopped in front of the door to the third bedroom. She never really showed people this. Almost everyone knew what was inside – in the early days, she needed help transporting him here, after all – but few had actually seen him in the past month.

Annie thought it was important that Randall did, though. So she opened the door and stepped inside.

The volume on the machines was turned down low, but in the silence, the constant beeping was easily audible. They signalled the ventilator was working, and the tube in the patient’s neck was still pumping air into his lungs.

The sight of him was kind of reminiscent of Willow this morning, after Candice and the others finished cleaning up. Unlike Willow, though, this patient wasn’t about to open his eyes any time soon.

“This is Chase,” Annie said, allowing herself a small frown as she stepped inside. “Connor’s father.”
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Strompy
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More posts, more Busey.
"You're my friend, you don't have to thank me. But since you said it anyway; you're welcome." Brandon explained with a genuine smile.

"Oh, I just remembered. Meant to give these to you yesterday." he said sticking his hand into his pocket and fishing out the tin of cigarillos he scavenged the other day.

With all the good news now was a perfect time to enjoy them.
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Is that so?
Geraldine shook her head slightly at Jimmy's inquiry. Alex's team had decided to go east and verified the plan with Geraldine beforehand. They wanted to check out some of the big shopping centers that were near the freeway; like the Walmart and the Courtland Center. Jimmy and Alex had a weird sort of rivalry, although Alex saw it as more of a rivalry than Jimmy did, since Jimmy always won. Jimmy just went along with it because he liked winning.

"Not yet." Geraldine told him. "He should be back this afternoon at the latest."

* * * * *

"Until we can implement our solar power plan, we turn off the power after 11 to conserve fuel for our generators. Annie's clinic and house are on separate generators that can run 24/7."

Geraldine's words from last night echoed inside Randall's head as he saw this man, Chase, lying in bed. Comatose. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it, but now he understood why her house needed the 24/7 power. This was the reason that she was the exception to the rule. Geraldine had her house wired separately to accommodate... this. In a community that seemed to value efficiency and resources, this looked like an exception to the rule. Geraldine was a lot softer than she let on.

"I'm sorry if this seems kind of rude... but what happened?"

His question was sincere; his heart felt for her pain because he could imagine what this felt like. It felt like Willow not waking up, but mixed with Elaine. Randall was no expert, but even he could tell this man had been here for a while. That could not have been an easy burden to bear.
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DoctorYerishi
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
“Meningitis,” Annie answered, shaking her head. In her mind, at least, it felt absurd to say. “It happened months ago. Well before all this chaos with the… rotters, as you call them. I’m told it started like the flu, but then hours later he fell asleep and never woke up. Now he’s in what’s called a persistent vegetative state.”

Annie circled around the bed, looking down at Chase and feeling sadder for every moment she did.

“The truth is, if he was going to wake up, he would have by now,” she said. “It’s not impossible, of course, but… I have to admit, I don’t have a lot of faith. But that slim chance keeps me from turning these machines off, and keeps me coming in here every night to check on him.”

She shook her head again, then finally mustered the resolve to look Randall in the eye again.

“I’m spending a lot of resources and power, and I don’t even believe he’s going to wake up,” she confessed. “And here’s some more truth – he’s Connor’s father, but he’s not my husband. Geraldine doesn’t even know that. We had finalized our divorce the week before he fell asleep. He was living with his girlfriend at the time. Still, I can’t bring myself to pull the plug… metaphorically and literally.”

She exhaled deeply. A small part of her wanted to cry at the memories she was dredging up, but she successfully fought that part of her back into the bottle, where it belonged.

“You might call that compassion. I’d call it something else. I know what it’s like out there. I’ve heard the stories, and I’ve seen the consequences first hand. People – multiple people – have turned into rotters, right in front of me. Most people around here don’t understand, not really. My son definitely doesn’t understand. I don’t think even I understand – but I want to.”

She was talking a little faster now, building to her conclusion. She had planned this speech a little before he arrived, but it had gotten off track. She was rambling a little, which she absolutely hated to do.

“When I saw you and your friends at the gate, I saw the same things Ethan did. You and your people, you understand. You know what it takes to survive out there, and you know how to do it without sacrificing your humanity. Flint, these walls, I don’t know if they will last forever. I hope they do, but if they don’t, I want my son and me to be ready. And I want you to teach us. Help us understand.”

She finished talking and inhaled. She looked to Randall for his reaction.

* * *

Jeff’s hesitation faded, and he could practically feel the awkwardness evaporating into the air.

“Score,” he said with a smile. “I’ll meet you outside.”

He gave Willow one final warm look before he moved.

* * *

“Typical slowpokes,” Jimmy remarked.

He glanced behind him, where some of the guards had sprung to action. He gave an approving nod in that direction.

“Well then,” he said to everyone assembled. “I guess I’ll collect my winnings when Alex returns. It was nice meeting you all. I look forward to seeing you again real soon.”

He said that last sentence to Glenda and Eli – but Eli in particular. And as he walked off, the look he gave the Hispanic man couldn’t rightly be called innocent. Pretty far from it, in fact. Innocent was probably a couple layovers away from the look Jimmy spared him. To get back to innocent, he’d probably have to spend an hour killing time in an airport in Munich.

Au revoir,” he concluded with a wave, then started strutting back home.
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Strompy
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"I'll be with you in a little while. I don't want to leave until Candice gets back." Brandon pardoned himself for the time being.

For the moment he and Willow were alone again. A nasty selfish part of him wanted to wake her up so they could talk. She was spent after that marathon surgery. What the doctor described seemed really extensive. The thought of Willow being cut open like that was upsetting. He wondered how many stitches they had to put in. That got him curious about what else was under Willow's gown.

It was loose around the neck, he could probably lift it up a little and have a look. Just a little peek. She grabbed his cock last night, this was a few steps down from that, that was fair. His hand hovered in front of him as he considered what he was doing. He could practically feel Willow slappinf him if she woke up. Would it be worth it? Yes. Would it be worth violating her privacy by oggling her anatomy like a piece of meat while she was unconscious when she was probably feeling incredibly self-conscious and lose regard with her if she caught him...? No...

He clenched his fist and set it down firmly on his leg. This was agony. He hadn't so much as touched himself for almost a month. Worst case of blue balls ever. Willow was so close and it seemed likely willing, but so untouchable. It was agony but he liked it. The anticipation just made the reality more and more exciting. When, or rather if, Willow was ready it would all be worth it. The idea excited him so much he had to cross his legs and think of Al Gore.

Mercifully, Candice returned and Brandon almost gladly went outside to join Jeff for a smoke. As he was about to light up Julie came by the clinic.

"Oh hi, Jeff. Oh hi, Brandon." she said in her best Tommy Wiseau impression.

"Oh hi, Julie, I didn't know it was you." he returned.

The two exchanged stupid grins and Julie made her way inside.
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Is that so?
Randall inhaled sharply. This was certainly a lot to take in. A lot to process. He had a lot that he could say about the situation, but it was probably nothing that she didn't already know. Above all of it though, it was dangerous; if he died and turned during the night, they would have a rotter in their house before long. It was always a risk. But she was a doctor, she must have known that. And if Randall was in her shoes, and it was Elaine that was hooked up to those machines and lying in that bed, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be doing the exact same thing.

"I'm really sorry about your ex-husband. I haven't been there personally, but I think I have a pretty good idea of what you're going through now." Randall shook his head. "It's... pretty heavy."

He took a deep breath.

"But... to answer your question, I'll do what I can. Your fears are..." Randall thought back to Mount Kisco; the safety they had behind the walls and how quickly that was snuffed. "Your fears are not unfounded at all. The hardest part is keeping that humanity you talked about. I'm not really a good teacher, but I'll do my best to make sure you guys are prepared."

* * * * *

The day dragged on. The supplies Jimmy brought in were organized and, once again, he had exceeded everyone's expectations with his haul. Ajay and Candice looked after Willow for the rest of the day, but her recovery came as a bit of a surprise to Ajay, who had secretly been more pessimistic on her outlook despite what she told Annie. After leaving Annie to her own devices, Randall ended up spending most of his day relaxing, just like everyone else. It was a well needed respite after being on the road for almost a full week. He knew he would have to work tomorrow, but it didn't bother him that much. He was beginning to feel a little antsy and thought that the work could help him with that.

They even spoke with Geraldine and helped hash out some jobs for them to do tomorrow. Randall, with his skill in construction, believed that he would make a good foreman. Glenda volunteered to go with the scavenging party. Maxwell, Jeff, and Julie, who were either injured or not good at fighting, were offered jobs in helping catalog and distribute the food that Jimmy's group had brought in. And finally Kelsey would stay with Millie and the other kids in her daycare/schooling session.

The sun, which had once stood proudly high in the sky, finally dipped back below the horizon once again and left the world darkened. Most of the community was probably getting ready to sleep for another day of work tomorrow. Randall figured he should get plenty of rest now that he would actually be working. Especially now that he knew Willow was going to be okay.

"We needed this." Glenda said to him as they walked back towards the houses; they were coming back from visiting Willow again.

"Yeah. We really did." Randall was quick to agree. "It feels good to find a place in the world where we don't have to worry about rotters or being shot at. But..."

"But what?"

"I've been thinking a lot today. And a part of me thinks we should leave Willow behind at least. She's beat up pretty bad. She'd be able to live comfortably here and recover at her own pace rather than being forced back onto the road." Randall let the idea slip with a sigh.

"You know she wouldn't allow that." Glenda was quick to refute. "She's not the same girl she was back at Mount Kisco. You saw the lazy, unmotivated girl she became; but she's gotten her fire back and she's quite stubborn now. Even if you tried to separate her from Brandon, neither of them would allow it. He'd either stay behind to be with her, or she would crawl out of that bed and into the car to be with him."

Randall let out an amused sigh; "I suppose you're right. Chicago just feels so close. We could be there in less than a day and this nightmare could be over. But... it would probably be for the best if we did stay here a while longer. We were on our last legs out there. We really do need to be ready for anything."

"Now you've got it."

He also had a promise to keep with Annie. He needed to make sure that she could not only survive with her son outside these walls if it came down to it, but thrive. And do it without abandoning her humanity. He didn't want to leave without at least ensuring that. Even if this nightmare could be over, he still had to accommodate for the very likely possibility that it would take a long time to revert everything back. Rotters would likely be a threat for many more months.

"Say, where's Emmett been anyway? I haven't seen him since we arrived."

"I... don't actually know." Glenda was caught off guard by the question.

Not only had they both forgotten about a big man like that, they didn't even know where he had been. He really was like Batman...
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Strompy
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Positive.

Julie blinked.

Still positive.

Julie had discretely acquired the pregnancy test from Candice at the clinic and had dithered all day about using it. Finally she built up the nerve. It came up positive. She was pregnant.

The test fell from her hand and rattled around on the bathroom floor. She put out her shaking hand to grab the vanity for support. Her legs went to jello and she sank don to her knees. Silent sobs racked her body as the reality began to sink in. It was a huge development for any woman, but at a time like this? Julie was beyond terrified by this. Her broken arm made survival difficult, now she would have to contend with morning sickness, a frequent need to pee and anything else that may come up. She reflected in despair at how little she knew about pregnancy, she had no idea of what to expect outside of the most obvious things.

Even once her arm healed things would only get harder. How would she be able to get enough food for her and an unborn child? What if she lost the pregnancy later... would it turn into a rotter inside her? She had to get rid of it. Was that something she could even do? How would the father have felt about it? The child was Kevin's. It had to be, the timing didn't make sense for it to be Eli's.

I'm carrying Kevin's child.

As much as she wanted to look at this dispassionately she couldn't. It was Kevin's. It was a piece of him. After all that had happened, how could she be the one to take the last of part of him out of the world? As much as it terrified her, there was no way she could get rid of this pregnancy. She owed it to Kevin to have this child, so that he could live on.

Julie continued to cry silently in the bathroom for a while longer.
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“Randall.”

It was Emmett’s voice, sounding out from above.

He was waiting at the top of the stairs – he had been sitting there for a little over an hour now, waiting for the return of the others. It hadn’t been a pleasant wait. He had been alone with his own thoughts and stresses and nothing to do about them.

Civilization. A place like this. It was the answer, but he didn’t know if he could trust it. He had already found a community of his own. They seemed like good people at first, but it hadn’t lasted. Maybe it couldn’t last anywhere.
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