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| Dead Men Walking | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (71,002 Views) | |
| Strompy | Apr 23 2015, 02:57 AM Post #1111 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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"Well, we'll hold off on celebrating until we find your friends of course. But... hell yeah. That's a lot of food." Brandon said with a satisfied smirk. It reminded him of when they retrieved all the supplies from his house. It felt really good to be helping people. That objective had sort of taken a back seat in his mind over the past few days though. So had the cure. More and more he found himself concerned with the safety of the group above all else. The extreme of that mentality was exactly what he'd judged the border bandits for just days before, this was a good reminder that he wasn't like them and that he shouldn't want to be. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Apr 23 2015, 03:22 AM Post #1112 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“Hell yes it is,” Jimmy happily agreed. “Feel free to call dibs on anything you want right now. I’d say we earned it.” Eli regarded the truck’s contents neutrally – without judgment, but without as much satisfaction as the others. He must not have been big on cheese curls. Jimmy returned his attention to Glenda. “Don’t worry, we’re not far,” he said. “We’ll take it with us. Maybe you and…” “I got it,” Eli said quickly, for the second time in as many minutes. With surprisingly quickness and deftness, he reached out and swiped the ring of keys from Jimmy’s hands. “Okay,” Jimmy tilted his head, taken aback but still happy. “Eli’s got it. Everyone else, let’s move.” Before going back the way he came, Jimmy moved a bit further into the bay to check through the front window of the truck. Eli followed behind him. “Hope you’re good at driving stick shift,” Jimmy said when he turned around. He led the way back through the entrance, leaving Eli to figure it out. When they emerged into the sunshine once again, they found Emmett standing not far from where they left him. Only, there was a knife in his hand and at least six new corpses at his feet. He was cleaning off his blade when he turned to note their reappearance. “Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked. “We did,” Jimmy said, scanning over the bodies with a look of approval. “Good,” the bearded man said. Nearby, another heavy engine roared out into the quiet morning. A moment later, a delivery truck crashed through some chain link fences and appeared in the parking lot, a bald Hispanic guy behind the wheel. Jimmy chuckled. He knew he saw some signs of life in Eli. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Apr 23 2015, 04:09 AM Post #1113 |
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Is that so?
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"Least he can clear out any rotters we find real easy." Glenda simply said. A truck that size could clear the roads very easily. Considering how little they had found on the street so far, she doubted it would be that important. "We have momentum, let's keep the ball rolling." * * * * * Ethan stood alongside Randall, outside the walls of the encampment alongside about ten construction workers and two more guards with guns. He had just finished detailing the specifics of the wall (although it felt to Randall more like he was bragging about it). He tried not to judge too harshly, since they had very limited supplies to work with, but he was not a fan of how Ethan had the operation set up. A few men nearby were welding together cheap pieces of metal that would make up the majority of the new wall they were setting up; while Marcus and another man worked on planting wooden poles into the ground to serve as a sort of temporary anchor. "All I want you to do..." Ethan finally got the Randall's job. "Is make sure these guys don't fuck up. Making a wall is hardly rocket science, but you'd think it could be sometimes." "And what are you going to do?" Randall eyes Ethan suspiciously. "I am a busy man, Mr. Phillips. With someone halfway competent like you around, hopefully I can spend less time babysitting construction workers and more time focusing on improving other facets of life here." Ethan lauded himself. "I already told you about my solar power plan, right? Of course I did, we discussed it just the other morning." Ajay's slip still echoed in his mind. About how Ethan had been harassing Annie. Randall liked Annie. He did not like Ethan. The man thought far too highly of himself. He seemed to think he was the most important person within the walls and had no problem telling others that. Randall didn't know if he was harmless or not, but Ethan's presence was a little unnerving. He seemed to unconsciously radiate an air of authority about him. He was a dick, but he made himself sound like he was right. "If you have any questions, send someone for me." Ethan told Randall before confidently striding back towards the walls, not even once turning back. "Man, just ignore him if ya can." Marcus stopped working on one of the posts and walked over to Randall. "I think we're all glad to have ya here replacin' that dick out here. His plans ain't as good as he thinks they are, but they've worked so far, man. And they are pretty efficient for how little we put into 'em." "Yeah... maybe..." Randall sighed. He felt kind of worthless. His job as foreman was literally to stand around and give people Ethan's orders in his stead. He wasn't sure what else he had been expecting. "You need a hand over there with those poles?" Randall asked. "Yeah man, come on. As many hands as ya got." "Only one." Randall smirked. Having one hand had its drawbacks, but he found he enjoyed messing with people on it. "Ah, right... sorry, didn't mean it like that." Marcus coughed awkwardly. "We cool?" "Yeah, we cool. I was just kidding with you." "Ya know, I think I gotta take back what I said about you now..." |
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| DoctorYerishi | Apr 23 2015, 05:35 AM Post #1114 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Their destination truly wasn’t far. Their convoy – now two trucks and a motorcycle long – passed by the gold club, a few more suburban streets, some office space, and then quickly arrived at an empty intersection where they kept pushing forward as the street turned from Davison to Genesee. They were in Lapeer’s city centre. They turned right onto the aptly named Main St, where a long row of businesses – restaurants, gas stations, shoe stores, and shopping plazas – stretched out before them. As they drove south, Jimmy couldn’t help but notice a lack of deadheads. On the face of it, that was a good thing. In his experience, however, it usually meant there was another shoe up there somewhere, just waiting to drop. And there it was. When they reached Summit Dr and turned right, Home Depot’s massive parking lot came into view. It was chock-a-block with deadheads – too many to get a quick headcount. Gun to his head, he might have rounded up to 75. Even if he wasn’t exactly accurate, the number was still distressingly high. He had a good idea what that meant for Alex and his team. But he wouldn’t know for sure until he could take a look around. He came to a sudden stop. In his rear view mirror, he saw the delivery truck and the motorcycle behind him do the same. He put the truck in park and hopped out. “Hey,” he said, waving at Eli and Emmett. Emmett turned off the engine of his motorcycle and Eli stuck his head out the window to listen. “So unless I’m hallucinating, that’s a lot of deadheads.” “You’re not,” Emmett was the first to respond for once. He was grimly appraising the mass of bodies as they started ambling towards the noise made by their arrival. “You’re the man with the plan,” Eli said. “So what’s our move?” Jimmy gave him a friendly but incredulous look. “What, you think I don’t have one?” “I’m listenin’,” he said. Jimmy shook his head. Eli still didn’t believe he knew what he was doing. Time to clear that up once and for all. “Big guy – Emmett,” he turned to look at the biker as he gave his orders. “We can’t investigate until that crowd is thinned out. That Harley makes the most noise. I want you to drive by a couple times, really get their attention, then slowly draw them south. It’ll take a minute, but circle back when you’ve gotten them at least three or four blocks out of the way. Eli – follow my truck around the corner and out of sight. Stay low in your seat until I say otherwise.” Emmett considered the instruction for a second, and then nodded. Clearly he, at least, believed the strategy was sound. Eli didn’t give him the same nod, but he did un-stick his head out the window and leaned back behind the wheel. No objections, at least. As Emmett’s bike drove off, making that distinctive loud Harley sound, Jimmy climbed back behind the wheel of his truck. He put it in drive and made a three point turn to turn around. He drove behind one building. Eli’s truck drove past him, stopping behind the next building over. Jimmy turned the car engine off, rolled up the windows, and relaxed. Unlike Eli, he didn’t need to stay low. A deadhead wasn’t about to spot them through their tint. “Now we wait,” he said. He sounded considerably less excited than usual. Waiting, while sometimes necessary, was his least favourite part of the job. He stretched his arms and rolled his neck. He looked to Brandon, who had taken residence in the passenger’s seat after Eli claimed the delivery truck. “So how long have you known your friend Eli?” he asked, affecting an air of casual conversation. “And is he always as much fun as he is today?” * * * Tupperware in hand, Annie exited her house for another day. Her chores had all been completed – she had checked in on Willow at the clinic, on Chase at home, had sent Connor off to Millie’s, had even done some housework she had been putting off. Now she was ready – excited even – to go see Randall before returning to her post at the clinic. There was a lot she wanted to talk about. |
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| Strompy | Apr 23 2015, 07:11 AM Post #1115 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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Brandon didn't know why but for some reason the question nettled him. It seemed kind of snide. It was a harmless enough comment but Eli was a friend and Jimmy wasn't. At least not yet. "A week. He's got good reason to be less than fun." Brandon said in a tone that implied there shouldn't be a follow up question about it. Brandon remembered what he'd said to Eli about killing Even. He regretted it now. Having Emmett around was a constant reminder of what he'd done. Eli had to be suffering with it and Brandon only gave that knife another twist. It wasn't his place to say any of that, Kelsey wasn't his daughter, Julie was a friend to them both and if Emmett could see his way to... whatever it was he felt about Eli, than really Brandon had no stake in the situation. He owed him an apology. Brandon pulled back the bolt on his FAL to chamber a round. With this many rotters around he may need it. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Apr 23 2015, 12:44 PM Post #1116 |
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Is that so?
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One of the guards that was standing outside the walls, Randall believed her name was Jen and she had been there the night they arrived, walked up and smashed an encroaching rotter in the head with a baseball bat. It crumpled to the ground like the cheapest of suitcases, leaving Jen to twirl the bat with a silly grin on her face. She gave a thumbs up to Randall. "Anybody ever get bit out here?" Randall asked Marcus as he helped him and another man whose name he didn't know as best he could with one hand. "Nobody yet, man. Our guards are pretty good, they take care of that shit. If it's too much, we all just get back behind the walls. We got a system and it works." * * * * * "Ah, Annie!" Ethan caught sight of Annie as she exited the door of her home. He could not help but rush over to greet her himself. He noted she was holding Tupperware with food within. He wasn't sure why, but this made him uncomfortable. He got the feeling that the food was not necessarily for her. Could it be for that pink-haired girl? Or could it be...? "Where are you going?" Ethan asked, an uncomfortable edge in his voice. * * * * * Glenda sat silently in the back of the truck. This conversation felt very awkward. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Apr 23 2015, 01:07 PM Post #1117 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Jimmy arched an eyebrow at the way Brandon spoke. “Okay, I get it, touchy subject,” he said. “Let’s talk about something else then. For example, here’s something. How many deadheads – excuse me, rotters – do you think you’ve killed so far?” * * * Annie’s excitement dulled a little when she realized with an internal sigh what she would have to deal with first. She stopped outside her door, eager to get this encounter over with. “Not that it’s any of your business…” she started with uncharacteristic impatience, a response to the accusatory tone of his question. She clearly needed to make it clearer these daily visits were unwelcome. “But I’m taking some food to Randall. It’s his first day on the job, I thought it would be a nice gesture.” She withdrew her house keys from her pocket as she spoke. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Apr 23 2015, 01:29 PM Post #1118 |
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Is that so?
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"R-Randall...?" The name struck him like a shot to the gut. Annie had never even once brought him lunch while he was working out there. And what had Randall ever done for her. For once, he found himself without words, struggling desperately for some form of acknowledgement that never came. An insult he couldn't muster himself to say. How could he be rejected like this? After everything he had done for this community. For her!? "I- I... o-okay then..." Ethan straightened his tie awkwardly. "I will let you... go about your business then. I need to talk to some people." * * * * * "One hundred and fifty eight." Glenda announced with absolute certainty. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Apr 23 2015, 03:41 PM Post #1119 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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Annie watched Ethan turn and go, satisfied for once that he finally got the message. Then she turned around and locked her door, like she always did. A few minutes later, Annie was at the west gate near the clinic. It was open, which was unnerving, but it was guarded by four people with assault rifles, which made it less so. Still, she hesitated before stepping beyond it. She realized that she hadn’t been outside of Flint’s walls in almost a month. Even moving into the heavily guarded construction area on Delaney would be a big step for her. It was a step she needed to take, though. Soon, she’d get Connor to make the same one. They both needed to wake up to what this world really was. So she took it. She summoned smiles for the guards to hide her uncertainty and fear as she passed the current limits of their small community and emerged into the construction site, which was abuzz with activity. She clutched her Tupperware container like it was a life raft as she moved – it had a BLT wrap sandwich that would be good cold, as well as a frozen juicebox she hoped Randall wouldn’t find too juvenile. Her heart was beating a little faster from nervousness. Her skin prickled with the awareness that a rotter could come from any direction out here. It was the kind of feeling she knew she had to get over and fast. “Randall!” her smile turned more genuine and relieved when she found him among the workers, and made her way over. |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Apr 23 2015, 04:05 PM Post #1120 |
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Is that so?
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Randall looked up from the sheet metal that was currently being welded into a makeshift wall by one of the other workers. "Annie?" Randall saw Marcus give him a sly look and a grin from the corner of his eye before returning to his work nearby. He was one of a few that were planting the wooden beams in the ground that would serve as the start of a foundation for the wall and then stringing barbed wire between them to serve as a temporary block for rotters. "What are you doing out here?" In his surprise, he thought he might have sounded a little angry. Which was not the signal he wanted to send across at all; he was actually kind of glad to see her. "I didn't mean that in a bad way." He was quick to clarify. "I'm just... surprised is all." Nearby, the sound of Jen's metal baseball bat could be heard hitting another rotter with a sickening thud. Randall spared the scene only a quick glance and saw there had actually been two rotters; the other one had been smashed in the head by an older man with a police baton. Both of them wore the black jackets that the guards always wore. * * * * * Kevin loitered by Geraldine's house. Wearing his black jacket and twirling his Beretta M9 pistol. One of the new guys he had seen was sporting an identical one. He had to admit the man had good taste; it was one of his most used guns alongside the Glock 17. Kevin had used it a lot during his time back at the police academy. In his opinion, Beretta made some of the best firearms around. Nobody was better at killing than the Europeans, so nobody could make better guns. "Yo, Ethan." Kevin greeted the man in a suit as he came walking up to the place. "Nobody ever tries anything with Geraldine, why am I even here?" As he got closer, Kevin could see that Ethan was actually fuming. It wasn't as obvious as it was with a lot of other people, but his fists were clenched, his jaw was tight, and his face had a little more redness to it than it usually did. Maybe Annie finally told him to fuck off. "We're moving ahead with the plan." Ethan growled and pointed a finger at Kevin. "I want it taken care of now." "What?" Kevin was taken aback. "Right now? It's the middle of the day!" "She'll be gone for a while. Just approach from the back." Kevin could tell that Ethan was adamant about this. He was not going to back down. Kevin couldn't help but be nervous. "Come on, man. That's asking a lot. There is no way this is worth our original deal." "I don't care." Ethan narrowed his eyes. "I want it done now. Name your price. Anything you want in this community and I will make sure you get it." Kevin's look of fear slowly curled into a wicked smile. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Apr 23 2015, 04:37 PM Post #1121 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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“I take no offence,” Annie assured him. “Believe me, I would be the first to admit that this is not my element.” She then revealed and extended the plastic container towards him, offering it up. “I came to bring you lunch,” she said. “And I was hoping we could talk.” She took another look around and was comfortable enough, taking quick study of the welding, cutting, and installing that was going on. She took particular note of Jen and the other men and women working under Spencer. He and his men were also wearing those black jackets when they originally found her and Connor. Her mind wandered when she saw the rotters they had just dispatched. They looked different than the ones she had seen in town after they had just passed away. More grotesque. Less like people. Despite all she had seen in med school -- and all she had seen since operating as a medic here in Flint -- she had to shudder. She closed her eyes to the sight long enough to turn back to Randall. “Word got around about the cure,” she said. “How come you never told me?” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Apr 23 2015, 05:01 PM Post #1122 |
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Is that so?
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Randall took a moment to try and wrest the lid off of the container. With one hand, it was more difficult than he would have thought, but he eventually did find his way to the prize inside. It reminded him of his lunches when he was a child; he couldn't help but crack a reminiscent smile at the thought. The smile faded though as he had to answer Annie's question. "Oh, that?" He got the idea that she was upset at not being told. Otherwise she wouldn't have brought it up like that. The alone made him a little bit uncomfortable; Annie had helped them a lot so far and the fact that she found out he had been hiding something put him on the spot. "The truth is I only told Geraldine. I told her, Ethan, and Spencer on our first morning here while she was meeting with us. Then no one else. It isn't that I didn't trust you or want to tell you, but..." Randall paused. He looked to his left. He looked to his right. His tone of voice dropped as he continued. "Honestly, I didn't expect that it would leave that room like it did. The only reason I even told them was because our group is desperate for supplies and I thought that I could convince Geraldine to give us a little more help if she knew what was at stake. But I didn't want to give everyone here a false hope. Even if the cure is the real deal, and we don't know if it is, there's no guarantee that the medical lab we're taking it to is even still standing." Randall shook his head. "I got my doubts about all this still, but after what happened at Mount Kisco, I didn't have anything else to believe in." |
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| Strompy | Apr 23 2015, 05:48 PM Post #1123 |
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More posts, more Busey.
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Brandon craned his head at Glenda at her response. He had no idea she'd dealt with that many, or that she was the kind to keep track. "I never bothered to count. A few dozen dozen I'd say." he said answered neutrally. He'd killed two people though, maybe as many as four. He knew for certain that he'd killed two. There was a passing urge to ask Jimmy how many people he'd had to kill. Not measuee dicks like he may be trying with the rotter queston but out of genuine cutiosity. Was Jimmy's manner one ofssomebody who'd taken a life? As dangerous as they were, killing rotters was easy both physically and mentally. Killing people was a little more worthy of keeping track of, though not for the purpose of egotism. Killing people should never be treated lightly. "How many have you put down?" he asked despite not having to. Of course he would tell them anyway, but maybe Brandon's choice of wording would deflate some of the pride he might take in his answer. They were just rotters. |
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| DoctorYerishi | Apr 23 2015, 06:18 PM Post #1124 |
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Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
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What happened at Mount Kisco. Annie wanted to know what that was, but recognised this wasn’t the best time to get into it. She hadn’t just come out here to grill him about this ‘cure’ that his group was ferrying. If it was legitimate, it was a game changer, but she couldn’t put all her eggs in that basket. She still had her other priorities. “It’s okay,” she said, letting him off the hook. “I’m not mad. I hope whatever you have is real, but even if it is… I still want to learn.” She looked around. Walls were going up and there were lookouts and guards – but they were in the open. Even if the lab Randall was going to was standing and they were able to manufacture a cure, whatever that meant, she doubted that rotters would be going away overnight. She had to get used to this. “Out here, when those things could pop up at any second,” she started. “What do you… do?” It was a vague question. She considered it for a moment and then revised it. “What should I be looking out for?” * * * “Damn,” Jimmy said, in response to both their answers. “You guys really are badass.” He gave Glenda in particular a look of admiration for keeping track. “Sounds like we’re just about neck and neck,” he answered Brandon’s question. “I brought some improvised explosives on a couple runs and had some fun tossing them into crowds, so I don’t have an exact headcount. Unfortunately. Maybe I’ll just guess 150 and start counting from here.” He could hear the roar of the Harley even through the closed window. Emmett was giving it a loud vroom every once in a while, and Jimmy could already tell the vrooms were getting slightly further away. It was still going to take a while. “Got any favorites?” he asked. “Rotter kills, I mean? Any good stories?” |
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| Make-7-Up-Yours | Apr 23 2015, 06:50 PM Post #1125 |
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Is that so?
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"This is a harder question than I thought." Randall pursed his lips together. "It's like tying a shoe; it's easier to show you than to explain. But..." As Randall contemplated the question, he took a bite from the sandwich Annie had brought for him. He never had really thought about it before. Maybe it was best to start with the basics. But not too basic; she probably knew a lot about these things already. Even inside the walls, she was the doctor of this place. "It's more about... thinking one step ahead I guess. If you get careless, you can get surrounded. Get bitten." Randall glanced at his stub. "We move slowly when we can. We only move when there is light to see; we don't go somewhere dark or narrow without making some noise to bait anything hiding within out to us. After a while, taking care of rotters just becomes... automatic. A lone rotter or small group are pretty easy to deal with. They are slow and sluggish, as long as you see them coming they don't pose much of a threat." Randall let out a tired sigh. "What you really have to be careful of are other people and hordes." * * * * * "No." Glenda shook her head. "I've spent more time outside walls and among them than I have hiding. But I killed them out of necessity and survival. Not because I enjoyed it." |
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7:30 PM Jul 10