Wood watched as many of the bands played, and noticed Alex play a few songs herself. She seemed to be caught up in the moment, so Wood left her be. While he was there, he noticed Kim walking about. Wood approached her.
"Hey Kim, have a minute?" He asked.
"For you? Two. What's up?" She asked.
"My wife Rachel came to the settlement today, with our daughter. I was wondering... well.. if there was someplace for her to work? Is there any openings in the field hospital for example?"
"Yeah, we only have one or two people who are able to handle that kind of stuff. Another would be a huge help, especially after the attacks a few weeks ago. We still have a few people recovering. However, most of the fighters are back to fighting shape."
"Great, I'll let her know." Wood said, turning to leave.
"If your daughter wants to do something, I could use an assistant. Or if she wanted to fight she could join the guards. They take trainees." Kim suggested.
"Oh... uh... I'll let her know and give her time to settle in. Oh, Kim, one last question. Different topic." Wood added, walking a bit closer. "Why aren't there any other settlements in this massive city? I passed through other cities and some had up to a dozen small settlements or groups."
"Well... if I'm being honest...the fighters here didn't let there be any competition, so to speak. They cut off other settlements from supplies and told them they had to join up or else. That's how we helped repopulate the base after the attack, the one a year or so ago. Alex doesn't like to talk or think about it because the soldiers and guards at the time made that decision without her. However, so that there wasn't any ill-blood, the guards let the other settlement leaders make a council. The council has authority second only to Alex. They handle a lot of the more mundane aspects of running the settlement." Kim whispered.
"Oh... wow. I didn't know that." Wood commented.
"You wouldn't. Just know that if someone is on the council you don't want to make them angry." Kim finished. Wood nodded, thanked her, and headed off to go see his family.
--------------------------------------------
Daemon, on the other hand, had gone to spend some time with Yao's group. Most of them were off enjoying the evening, but Daemon was planning to do some more scavenging runs. He walked over and took a look at the map of Los Angeles and the outlying suburbs. He noticed that it was already covered in X's marking former runs or attempted runs. He began to look at it, trying to figure out where to head.
"Trying to find the next buried base? Or looking for something more mundane?" Yao asked, coming in behind Daemon.
"Just thinking what could be a good place to find some goods for the settlement... and to get a handsome pay day if possible." Daemon explained. Yao rubbed her forehead.
"You're welcome to check anywhere not marked with an X. Any ideas?" She asked.
"Well... any colleges nearby?" Daemon asked.
"Several. All were the scenes of violence and sad acts. People came from all over the country but suddenly couldn't get home and couldn't get food, shelter, water, and more. It ended very quickly for them. Cal Tech and USC are the closest."
"Maybe I'll try Cal Tech then. If it's a technology college, perhaps they had some salvageable electronics or generators." Daemon commented.
"Welcome to try. Our typical suggestion is to tag each building you enter, move portable valuables to a nearby roof or deserted floor, and to take a sampling of everything there that's worth something. You going tomorrow?" She asked.
"Yeah, I think so. Maybe I'll get Wood to come as my backup. I'd like his eyes watching my back." Daemon commented. Yao marked the spot on the map with an X.
Mercedes walks around the old university for a way out, preferably the front gate. He whips out his kitchen knife and thread slowly to the quiet unknown. Lots of debris and moss around the area. There have been signs that there have people made a shelter there, only to be abandoned. He sees something shiny on the ground. A pretty necklace. It hasn't been stained with blood. He likes what it looks so he shoved it inside his school bag.
The corridor is pretty messed up. There are signs of a fight. Not made by zombies but by man. Mercedes thinks about the reason why there aren't people here. Maybe outlaws ravaged the survivor? Or the survivors fought amongst themselves? The reason why he is alone and not in a group is because he experienced having more people will cause more discord. He walks through the corridor without any problem.
He eventually reached the auditorium. There are alot of broken tents and shattered lamps. The people here must have used the auditorium as their main base. Mercedes can hear moaning and grunting, typical sound of the undead nearby. He doesn't risk looking around and goes the other way.
The front entrance should be there. Just a little bit longer and I am leaving this depressing place.
Mercedes eventually found the front gate but suddenly, his survival instinct kicks in and it tells him to hide. He hides behind the wall and peeks out to see what is going on. He can hear trucks moving around the area and sees armed men walking pass the university. Based of his experience, Mercedes cannot let himself be spotted by these people. He doesn't know what they are and what they are doing.
Ugh... The most dangerous in this world is not the mindless zeds, but the living who are organized... Can't risk meeting them alone.
He suddenly heard multiple gunshots from the front entrance. Zombies have their sight of that group. The noise may have attracted the other zombies that have been chasing Mercedes. He continues to hide until the shooting is over. Whatever it is, this clears out one problem for Mercedes. The zombie activity has been reduced thanks to the mysterious group. He can't be sure yet, so he stayed there for a long time before deciding to leave.
LunaKimXo[2738137] · #123 · edited
"this is it... your not leaving here unless you tell us what you know... where are you from?" Zeke asked.
"im not telling you a thing" Lilith looked at him and smirked "you wont have a thing on me"
theres then a gunshot outside then a few more
"holy cr... what the?" the door is then kicked down.
"Z put your hands up!" Jensen aimed his rifle.
"come on. we're getting you out of here. get up, grab your bag and gun. lets go!" Ren held at the door then came over and took the cuffs off Lilith. "we need to go quick before everyone catches onto the bluff and we miss our chance"
"ah-alright..." Lilith got up, grabbed her stuff and followed the two.
"on me. if we get to a car then we're fine..." Jensen walked to the main depot where the Jeeps and the two vans were stored. "get in that jeep. i'll disable this lot. get it ready. keys should be in ignition. or at least they should be"
the two girls got into the jeep, ren got into the driver's seat. after a few minutes, Jensen followed. "drive!"
just as they left, another vehicle came in so the gate was still wide open, "Go through!" the car got through the gates
"FIRE ON THAT CAR!" one of the members of command shouted.
Jensen kneeled on the passenger seat and began firing at the gaurds on the gate, a bullet hit his chest, close to his heart "F~ck!" he sat back in the seat and passed the gun to Lilith, holding his wound.
the car sped off into the distance. after the first mile, Ren pulled the car over "Adam!"
"I'm fine. just keep driving" He groaned
"he needs meds... theres a med-kit in the back. you drive!" Ren helped Jensen into the back seat then ran to the back of the jeep and took out a small medkit, she then ran to the backseats and sat next to J.
Lilith got into the driver's seat and started to drive. "Is he alright?" it began to rain, the raindrops splattering onto the metal roof of the jeep.
"it'll be alright... just keep moving..." Jensen coughed
*Fresno state had seen better days, but that was an unfair criticism when everywhere had seen better days. The campus was deserted, but doors pulled out of the hinges to make wider exits spoke to extensive looting. Nevertheless, he figured it was worth investigating. He passed by dorms and lecture buildings, and sought out the more industrial looking structures. The battered wanderer strolled down the trash covered boulevards of the campus, in a sort of grim parody of college students heading to class. He walked past the ruined and filthy greenhouses of the biology wing, and the brick edifices of anthropology. No doubt there were useful things in these buildings, but not what he sought at the moment. Eventually, he found one labelled Engineering Mechanics and Technology.
That'd do.
He pushed his way through the broken in front door. It was a mess inside. The entryway was a large hall line with double doors. It had once been spotless tile, now occasional bloodstains, broken furniture, and blowing trash dominated the space. He sighed, and resigned himself to checking every single door. Most were lecture halls in variable states of disarray. When confronted between the choice of going up and down, he picked down. Eventually, this tedious process payed off, and he found the machine shop.
Well, what was left of it, anyway.
It was a large, boxy concrete room. A loading door was built into one wall, and this had been ripped off its hinges. Much of the equipment was tipped over, stripped, or missing. He walked amongst the chaos, and tried to inventory was was left, what was operational, and what could be made operational. This took over and hour, then another three or four hours as he moved things around and tinkered.
Some things were good. He had a functional welder, a functional lathe,a semi-functional milling machine, and a great deal of assorted scrap. What he did not have was anyway to power these things, or anything to work on to start with. Truthfully, he didn't know what he wanted, but he knew it needed to be large, and a vehicle. He pondered for a moment, and then continued scrounging. He was rewarded with a Mr. Coffee coffee machine.
That was something at least. He chose to search for a power source, and headed back outside. *
Daemon went with the guards for as far as they would take them. He had waited a day or two before heading out, since the guards were doing a cleaning mission nearby. Periodically, groups of guards would be sent beyond the walls to clear out nearby structures and buildings of the infected. The purpose was twofold. It kept the infected from being drawn by the noise and sounds of the settlement, and it made a dent, however small, in the infected populace of the city. Los Angeles was a city of nearly 4 million people, or at least it was before the fall. Now, Daemon thought it would be generous if there was a thousand living people in the city. Many chose to live in small family groups, hiding in their homes and scrounging what they could from the nearby houses. Those who didn't tended to stay in the settlement. Daemon finally got around to asking someone the name of the settlement the other day. Apparently, the council called the settlement "New Dawn." Probably because they hoped it would be a shining future or something like that Daemon thought.
"Well, this is as far as we take you. We have that row of homes to clear out today." One of the guards said.
"Feel free to show me if you find anything good. I'll make you a good offer for it." Daemon said. The man nodded before heading off with the rest of the squad. Another notable fact about the squad was that they all carried handheld weapons, with pistols as a side arm. They had found it was best to go quiet and quick through each house. Smashing a skull with a hammer or cleaving off a head with an axe made a lot less noise than several shots from a rifle. And, as much as Alex and other settlers hated to admit it, ammunition was going the way of the dinosaurs. There would be days on the horizon where the last bullet was fired. And then a lot of people would be in trouble.
Daemon kept to the alleyways and side streets until he reached the main gate of the campus. Much like other places, it appeared that the main gate was blocked by a few cars, but little else. The free, open-air style of colleges made them an easy target for infected and raiders alike. Daemon doubted he would find anything of true value, but he thought it would be a good idea to check it off the list. He hopped over the cars at the main gate and headed for the nearest sign. He had to dust off some foliage that had fallen and creeped over the sign, but it appeared the science building was... well... everywhere. Almost every building was labeled as a lab. Daemon sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Alright. Let's do this a simple way. Find the tallest building, climb to the top, and see what can be seen." Daemon muttered. He looked and saw a big building nearby. The door was open. Well, smashed open. He stepped over the broken glass and began to make his way up a flight of stairs. He had to go down halls a few times to access the higher floors, but finally, he got to the roof access of the building. A simple chain lock seemed to be the only defense, and with some deft picking. Finally, Daemon was out on the roof and could see a decent portion of campus. He pulled out a set of binoculars and began to look around. He was startled out of his scouting by gunshots to the North. He zoomed in and waited for a moment, before he saw a half dozen or so soldiers move through. At least, they looked like soldiers. Most wore some sort of combination of gear and carried military grade assault rifles or snipers. They seemed to be leaving one of the buildings across campus. Daemon got low and kept an eye on them. He couldn't hear them from here, but it looked like they could be trouble. He tucked the binoculars back into his backpack and hurried downstairs, anxious to get back to the settlement.
*Strange pondered as he walked. He needed a portable generator and fuel for it. Most of the engineering buildings would have been built with large backup generators, but those were likely gone and would frankly attract too much attention if he could even get one up and running. He needed a department with less budget, and a need for portability. He headed for the biology building, and the greenhouses he had seen earlier.
This turned out to be a bust. The green houses festered with mildew, and he could not bear to be inside them, imagining some fungal growth emerging from his lungs. A search of the outside of the building revealed the massive diesel generator he had expected. Tapping on the fuel tank, he was rewarded with a full thud, rather than a hollow ring. So he knew where he could get some diesel. That was good, but not immediately helpful. He leaned against this while he pondered. After awhile, it came to him. Archaeologists were a type of anthropologist, and they were often out in the middle of nowhere digging holes. They'd likely have small generators. He set off with renewed determination.
The anthropology building was a squat brick affair. He did not immediately enter, but instead paced around the outside. This was twofold. Going into buildings was dangerous. and he might find a more promising entrance. In this case, he found something better out, that he did not even need to go into the Anthro building. Out back of it was a smaller, squater structure labeled as Archaeology Annex: Labs and Curation.
That seemed like the ticket. It had a large garage door one one side, and after requisitioning a piece of steel railing off the anthro building, he levered the garage door open. The air in the lab was musty, and it seemed that the garage door went straight into the lab. The "lab" was really just several long work tables, a fume hood, and equipment storage it looked like. He entered, and heard an all-to-familiar groan. At once he reached for one of the equipment racks and grabbed an entrenching tool, just in time to stick it between him and a well-rotted zed that pounced on him. He was bowled over, but managed to keep the blade of the little shovel against the Zed's chest. Too far for a bit, but close enough that its foul limbs could club at him. In a panic, he kicked out and upwards, driving the creature back and allowing him to regain his feet. he swung the little shovel like a baseball bat, and the zed fell to the floor. He wiped his brow with a sleeve, and spoke to himself.
"The only thing I like less than fighting zeds, is fighting them in someway that approaches fair." *He regarded the entrenching tool as he spoke, and decided that it was worth keeping. He then began digging through the equipment piles when no other zombos came after him. It was mostly shovels, rocker screens, mattocks and the like, but after busting the lock on a supply closet, he was rewarded with a small petrol generator, and even some gasoline for it. His smile was broad. He also took a moment to look over the fumehood. It's impelor motor was still present, and he helped himself to that as well. He didn't know exactly what for, but it sure couldn't hurt, could it?
He headed back to his new lair on the engineering mechanics building. He had some wiring to do, and then some more hunting. *
Now that the front gate of the university were passed by the mysterious group, Mercedes backs away in the meantime. Since the zombie activity has now reduced, exploring the old university can be done without worry. Just that he has to worry about the zombies that were still trapped inside the auditorium he checked out earlier. The areas he thought to check is the cafeteria or the university local general store.
He inspects himself to check if he is ready to go. He has granola bars and bottled waters in his back. A flashlight for him to explore dark areas. A sets of lockpick if he comes across a locked door or a safe. His two crowbars to pry the door open and remove nails from nailed doorway. Screwdrivers to remove screws. And wrenches to remove nuts or bolts. He is prepared to explore.
May there be fun loot lying around here.
He walks carefully and minding he doesn't make any noise. He has been doing this for years so his sneaking is much faster and more silent than a normal survivor. He use his hearing to listen behind walls and doors. He picks paths that have less noise. If any zombie is blocking his way, he would pick something on the ground and throw it far away from him, to the direction opposite to where he is going. Zombies don't notice him when he is hugging the wall since he wears something dark.
If ever a zombie with a strong sense of smell caught a whiff of his smell, Mercedes immediately rushes to knock that zombie down and crush it's skull using his crowbar. That moment, he needs to run away before other zombies comes back to check the commotion. It is a wonder why he is carrying a kitchen knife if he could just use his crowbar as his weapon. He isn't a killer but a thief. His attack is sloppy but he is good at killing zombies. He mostly rather not kill zombies because of their blood being splattered on to his parka, which is disgusting.
He enters a building with a huge venues inside. By the looks of it, these were used to be lecture halls. Alot of husks of the dead are lying everywhere. The moss and mold grows from the old ruins. Mercedes pokes around for a couple of minutes to only find a comic book. It is Captain Underpants. He chuckles as it relieves his childhood memories. He stuffed it inside his back.
He walks out of the building to find the demolished green house in the biology wing. Mercedes wonders how the green house gets destroyed. By the looks of it, it is definetely not stomped off by zombies. Otherwise, the green house plants should be crushed or stomped upon, not plucked. Some weird looking plant is growing in the green house. Mercedes wouldn't dare to inspect it without a proper countermeasure.
I feel like someone went through here a while ago...
Mercedes noticed a trail of footprints on the pavement. It goes to one of the building. It is only one set of footprints. Curious of what he will find, Mercedes follows the footprint. He sees a shovel nearby. He lifts it and the handle is separated from the spade. He sighs in disappointment. He somehow a spray bottle containing some kind of substance. Whatever it is, it looks like he can use it, since it smells like a typical alcohol.
He continues to follow until he reached a building labeled Engineering Mechanics and Technology. He swallows his saliva and his heart is beating fast. One look at the entrance and he knows...
I can find something useful inside.
Mercedes bravely enters the building...
His fate will be decided by either blessing or misfortune.
Daemon made it back to the settlement with minimal issues. He asked for Diane when he got there and explained what he saw.
”Military gear? Rifles and snipers… damn, that sounds like the Gunners. But they’re waaay out of their territory. They apparently take up about two hours to the west of LA. They shouldn’t be anywhere near here. The council should hear about this. I’ll see you around.” Diane said, heading off to report to the council.
Daemon didn’t see her for the rest of the day and spent his time cleaning his room and doing some small jobs around the New Dawn to accrue some favors. He only saw Diane the next morning when he sat at the mess hall eating some oats.
“Sorry for the delay. I spoke to the council about this and they said that it doesn’t bode well, but that we’re not going to kick up a fight about it. After all, there’s plenty of stuff to scavenge and get around this area. If they don’t come any farther south into the city then we’ll leave it as is.” Diane explained, unaware that Alex had commissioned her own little expedition into Gunner territory.
”Right then. I’ll check out USC instead then. Should hopefully have what I’m looking for then.” Daemon commented.
LunaKimXo[2738137] · #129 · edited
"whats happening with rifles and military gear?" Alex walked over to Daemon and Diane. even though she was just about ready to fall asleep being stood up. and people would cleaarly be able to tell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Adam! talk to me!" Ren bandaged his Wound and gave him a shot of morphine
"I'm fine..." He said, weakly "Agh" He held his chest "well... that was to be-"
"Save your strength!" Lilith said, looking back then looking back at the path
"You just keep... keep driving..." Ren blinked, looking at Jensen "It'll be okay..."
The Jeep finally reached the city. "We're close by... just another half an hour and we're there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The SUV swerved around a few wreckages then drove past the clear streets and the settlement's watchtowers
"Well... we're back... welcome to the Los Angeles haven for plague survivors..." Anderson smiled and looked to Mia
"Your going to be safe here. that. i can just about gaurantee... well. just as long as you dont wander too far from these walls of course."
the truck pulled up to the gate, it was dark out and raining a little bit. but not as heavily as it was if he was just outside the city.
"Daemon was up by Cal-Tec and saw some heavily armed individuals. By my estimation, it sounds like that group called "The Gunners" that the traders mentioned to us earlier this week. I talked to the council about it and they've ordered a non-aggression stance on it. We're not going to fight or confront them about their infringement into our territory." Diane explained to Alex. She then turned to Daemon.
"USC is much larger. Be on the lookout for any hidden survivors in that sector. It's such a large campus that some wild game moved into the area. Not much, mind you, but rabbits, some deer. Would make some sense that some small families might be hiding out around there. They won't make it through winter out there, though, so if you see any, could you extend an offer of peace and welcome to them." Diane asked.
"Sure. So long as they don't kill me first. Anything else I should be on the lookout for?" Daemon inquired. Diane paused to think.
-------------------
Meanwhile, Wood had been working out some details with the scavenging team. He was trying to requisition a truck from them. Not the heavily armored military trucks that were used for combat, but a pickup truck. He debated with them for a bit, before he told them where and why he needed it. All Wood had to promise Yao was a few pounds of the most tender and choice meat they got, and the next morning a truck was waiting for them at the gate. One of the scavenger's tossed Wood the keys.
"Good luck out there. I would really love some fresh meat on the table, so make sure to catch a bunch!" He said with a laugh. Wood nodded. He then looked over at Jess.
"Ready to do some hunting?" He asked her.
"Yeah, I guess." She said. He hopped in the driver's seat, and as soon as the gates opened, Wood drove them out. Once he had swerved past some of the initial barricades erected near the harbor area, he headed for the nearest highway. He figured he would take it out as far as he could before heading to the backroads. As they made a turn, Wood handed Jess a map.
"Now, usually your mom was my co-pilot, but I think you're old enough for the responsibility. And being co-pilot means you not only handle directions, but the tunes." Wood said. He nodded his head to the side. In the passanger door was a half-dozen assorted CDs. Jess smiled and laid the map on her lap.
"I haven't heard music in... wow.... a year? They used to only play announcements at the last settlement. And the first one we went to.. I can't remember any music there either. Maybe I haven't heard anything since before the outbreak." She said, looking at the first few CDs. She selected one and popped it in. Classical music began to play.
"I never understood this. No... Justin Jackson or Michael Bieber, or whoever it was that was the music of your day?" He asked with a laugh. She snorted.
"I think you just aged another five years, but no. Those guys are awful. These guys... wow... I honestly get goosebumps listening to them. And ya know what, I think it's even more justified. Most of these guys are 200... 250 years old. Yet I can still listen to the music they wrote today. I think that says something." She commented, leaning her head against the window.
"You got me there. I wonder how much we'll have when this is all done." Wood commented as they began to head towards the highway.
LunaKimXo[2738137] · #131 · edited
the jeep finally turned down the main road. "We're here!" Lils shouted, drifting the jeep around a wrecked truck.
"STATE YOUR BUSINESS HERE UNIDENTIFIED VEHICLE!" one of the guards yelled, aiming his rifle down at the car. Lilith poked her head out of the window
"Let me in dumbass! we have two new people, one of 'em needs medical attention. urgently!" she said, then sat back down and closed the window
"open the gates!" The guard said again.
the large gates then finally opened and the jeep came in, parking next to the main medical building. Lilith then got out and opened the right back door of the car, helping Jensen out and Ren not far behind.
"hey... you alright? what happened? and who are these two?" Anderson asked, walking with the three.
"I'll fill you in later. just let me do this..." Lilith said, walking with the two. anderson stopped and watched them walk off.
It was obvious the new two were gunners. any normal survivor wouldnt be wearing custom kevlar armour with a Gnrs on the back and two guns shaped as a religious cross on the chest.
All eyes were on them. Ren stopped "will he be fine?"
"With our doctors... he should be okay..." Lilith said, stopping with her.
"Alright... i'll stay with the car and grab mine and his stuff. there should be some guns and weapons and such, i mean we did steal the supply jeep ment for the Cal-Tech outpost... so... you know..."
"Thats fine... you go do you. i'll be out in a few minutes..." Lilith then kept walking, Ren turned around and walked to the car. she took out her's and Jensen's bag then looked around the jeep. There were Flare Guns, Glocks, D. Eagles, Tazers, A box containing a few bottles of tequila and a another box of meds and food.
~~~~~~~~
Alex looked at DIane. "Alright... you got it"
Just as she was about to walk off to her residency, thats when the gaurd yelled and the olive green Jeep came through the gates.
"What on earth?" Alex rubbed her eyes and pointed at the car. "Can one of you two see what th... what that car..." She yawned. "Can you... okay i'm just gonna go sleep..."
(If you are looking for me Game, I'm in Fresno and not LA. They are about 220 miles apart.)
*The first step to wiring in the apocalypse was limit your ambitions. He could leave the wiring as it came sure, but his little generator would then try to power the entire building. If that did work, which it would not, he would be inviting death. A veritable lighthouse for riff-raff to come pick his bones clean. So he payed a call to the breaker box, and began wrenching out breakers. The main was gone, lights were gone, HVAC was gone, so on and so forth. He then spliced the connections he wanted to keep together with large nails. This was not up to fire code, but it wasn't his building.
These changes then needed to be reflected in the actual building circuitry, which took awhile, and required the use of a sledgehammer. Rude of them to put the wires inside the walls, truthfully. When this was done, he sprayed some lightweight oil into the intake of the generator and it yanked the pullstart.
It took a few tries, but the old girl sputtered to life after a moment. The building did not immediately burn down, nor did he hear any arc blasts. This was good. He flipped the switch on the lathe, and it obligingly spun up. Success. Now onto the next problem. He powered everything down, and hid the generator. He needed a vehicle, so he hit the streets. He wandered a bit absently, heading generally a bit east across the campus. Eventually, something caught his eye. an enclosure of low walls. The sign above it read Equestrian Center. He gave a sarcastic low whistle to himself. He commented something about rich college kids, and then noticed the hole in the fence. Tire tracks, good size ones went right through. He shrugged to himself, and followed them. Then went through the opposing fence, threaded the needle between two buildings, then cut across the experiment fields on the other side. They bounced over the sidewalk beyond the fields, and skidded across the roadway on the other side. He then spotted the culprit.
Skidded into the front of a farm market across chestnut street was a truck. A big truck. He let out an appreciative whistle as he walked over. 1970 something, painted in Fresno State colors, some hand-me-down in the agricultural program. He gave the wreck a walk around. An International Transtar, cabover with the flat top and no sleeper, and a grain dumper on the back.
A certified classic.
he climbed up and wrenched the hood upon with a practiced fluidity. Engine still in it, excellent. Turbo-diesel big block? He was giddy like a kid, he dared to have a peep over into the cab. 13 speed on the floor, over and under drive?
He'd found his rig, now he just needed to get it running....*
Rachel had been working in the field hospital when a new man was brought in. He was accompanied by a strangely garbed woman and what appeared to be a settlement guard, or someone who at least knew their way around. At the moment, she and another nurse were the only ones there. Rachel's first day had come as somewhat a relief, but also a drain. In the whole settlement, only she was capable of any real surgeries. Sure, the guards could dress their own wounds, do rough stitching, and disinfect cuts, but if there was any internal damage or any serious injuries... well.. those people often just died. She had spent her first day tending and stabilizing two of the more seriously injured from the bandit attack. How they had held on for that long was beyond her, but just when they were starting to look better, it appeared that she'd have another patient.
"Step aside. Move. Put him there." She said, indicating an empty table. They hoisted the man up on the table and she took a look at him.He was in bad shape, a red tag for sure, someone who needed immediate care. She put some gloves on, doused each in a bit of alcohol, and began to take the man's clothes off. It was immediately clear that, while he appeared to have a graze on his leg and a through-and-through on his left arm, the main problem was a wound to his upper left chest. She cleaned the wound off and let it bleed for a moment. One of them demanded to know why she wasn't doing anything.
"I need to know if the bullet is merely close to the heart or if it nicked any of the arteries. If it damaged or hit any of the arteries... well... it's the apocalypse. That's essentially a death sentence." She explained matter-of-factly. The blood continued to seep out, but there was no squirting or pumping, which indicated that his heart hadn't ruptured, at least not yet. She knew the bullet was too close to the heart to safely remove, so her only option was to pump him with some painkillers, some antibiotics, and some clotting agents, and hope he stabilized enough for a blood transfusion later.
Rachel deftly went to work and within an hour had the man laying on another bed, the bleeding staunched by a pad on his arm and on his chest. His bloodsoaked gear lay on a chair next to him. She stripped the gloves off and threw them out before turning to the other two.
"I'll be frank. It's likely he will die. He lost a lot of blood, and that makes him incredibly weak. We'll pump him with fluids and everything else he needs, but it may just be too much for his body. And while there wasn't a rupture of his heart, I couldn't confirm whether or not there was a tear. Even if he lives through this, he'll have to live a life of caution. No more fighting, adventures, high-intensity activities. He'll have to settle for being a farmer, merchant, or some other sedentary position. I'll check on him in a few hours, but for now, it's best to just let him rest." Rachel said with a sigh. She then went to check on one of the other patients.
------------------------------
Diane and Daemon had followed the occupants of the vehicle to the hospital. When it became clear that one of them was a Gunner, Diane grimaced.
"Damnit. This won't be good." Diane asked.
"Why? If anything, shouldn't this indicate that we could maybe earn some favors with their faction? So that they won't invade our territory?" Daemon inquired.
"No. Didn't you see that vehicle? It was clearly not one of ours, and I could tell even from a distance it was peppered with gunfire. Lilith and this new woman have some explaining to do." Diane said, waiting for the pair. Once the man was out of surgery, Diane walked inside and gestured for the two to follow her. Once they were outside the field hospital, Diane started in on Lilith.
"Whatever you just did, I know you probably think it was brave or smart, but it was pretty damned foolish. If you did anything to bring trouble down on our gates, know that I hold you personally responsible for the guards who will die defending this place. And you," Diane turned on Ren "I don't even know if we can trust you. So both of you better explain, quickly and concisely, what exactly happened." Diane explained.
----------------------------
Back at the truck, some guards drove it to the depot where they kept the other cars. Before moving it, some of them guided Mia into a small room. They brought her some water and some tea, in case she needed something warm, as well as a few crackers to snack on in case she was hungry. They explained that someone would be in shortly to explain the rules and expectations of the settlement, but until they did so, to just relax and stay where she was.
---------------------------
Wood considered it a blessing that he and Jess had made it about halfway before they ran into a major roadblock that took them on to the backroads. Taking the backroads brought their own challenges. For one thing, it was more prone to potholes and overgrowth, or being washed out by nearby rivers. Wood had to maneuver around several fallen trees on their way to the national park, which gave Jess ample time to select another CD for them to listen to. As the music played and she hummed along, it was almost as if those two or some odd years of separation melted away.
When they got to the park, they pulled into a parking lot. Most of the cars had been broken into and scavenged away by people over the years and it was clear no one had been there in a while. Trash and rubbish littered the ground. Wood parked the car a little bit off the parking lot, behind a few trees and some foliage. It wouldn't fool a focused search, but anyone who happened to drive by wouldn't be likely to see it at all.
Once parked, he got his rifle and watched as Jess strung her bow. He held up a bottle. Jess took a smell and groaned.
"Deer piss? I hate that stuff." She said, kicking at one of the nearby cans.
"It'll hide our scents. You know this." Wood explained.
"Dad, we already smell awful." She commented. Wood raised his armpit and gave a sniff, and pretended to recoil. That got a smile out of her.
"Regardless, we smell like us. Humans." He rubbed some on himself and gave her the bottle, and she applied some as well. Wood slung his rifle over his shoulder and grabbed some wire and a small box from the trunk.
"I figured I'd let you set up as many small game traps with that as you can manage. Rabbit and Squirrel can taste good if you cook and season them right. I'll work on finding us a good location to maybe take down a deer or two." Wood commented. The two walked off. Despite wanting to give her some space, he never let her truly leave his field of vision, and he watched as she managed to make seven solid traps. She fumbled with the first two, trying to remember how to use the wire, but after those first two the others went up quickly and in good locations. As she was setting up the last two, Wood saw the tree line drop off and turn into a field. Wood smirked and gestured for her to come over.
"This is as good a spot as any. Let's see if we can find a stand or two left by someone generous." Wood said. Jess nodded. The pair walked the tree line until Wood spotted an old, but accessible tree stand, about 15 feet up. He gestured towards it.
"That one's yours. Here's a walky talky. Check in every half hour or so." Wood said. She nodded and began to climb. Wood only had to walk another quarter of a mile before he found a tree stand, this one a little worse for the wear. He had to really lean on the branch more than he would have liked, but at least it gave him a vantage point. He kept an eye on the clearing. The fields were grown thick and tall, but not so tall as to obscure the deer. Near the tree line on the opposite side of the field, perhaps a mile or a mile and a half away, Wood made out some small tents. Likely some campers or hikers, hunters like themselves who had picked the wrong day to go hunting. Like me. I went for a hike and came back to the end of the world... God.... how awful for Rach and Jess. He thought as he looked through his scope to see if he saw any movement, deer or otherwise.
LunaKimXo[2738137] · #134 · edited
"well... guess i'll have to find out some other way huh..." Jensen laughed weakly, being helped onto one of the medical beds. "It should be fine doc... i am tougher than i look"
"That you are but you still need rest" Lils said to him. "Thanks doc... i gotta go take care of something real quick..."
she then walked out. looking back and nodding. "Thank you... miss" Adam sighed, watching her leave the room.
Lilith then came back to Ren as she watched the car get taken and drive off.
"Its not her fault!" Ren said, holding her hand against Lilith's arm "she got spotted looking at our main camp. Me an Jensen broke her out..."
"I ha-" Lils was then cut off.
"its okay... allow me to introduce myself. I'm Rowena Irons. Me, Adam and Tom... we've been wanting out of it for a while now... and i guess we have it... i'm... i mean i think i... no let me try again. I'd be happy to help out and prove my worth ma'am... if you'd let us stay of course..." Ren held her hand out for a handshake.
"Listen... i know it seems stupid but... these two saved my life, Dee. I'm not joking..." Lils then looked at Ren and hugged her. "thank you..."
"Its okay... Anything to help" Ren then smiled back to her. "So... are we welcome to stay?"
"Please Dee! can we keep her!?" Lils said, resting her head on Ren's shoulder
Diane listened to the story. She looked down at Ren's hand, and then shook her hand.
"Well, welcome to New Hope. As for whether or not you can stay, that's not up to me. The council is going to want to hear about this. It's better they hear it from me rather than up the rumor grapevine. Until then, since we don't know if we can fully trust you, I'll have to put you in the stockade." Diane said, using the momentum of the shake to quickly ziptie the woman's hands.
"You're not in any danger. We won't kill you or anything. We just need to keep an eye on you until later. And before you say anything, Lilith, consider this a favor. Starting stuff with the Gunners might be enough to get you kicked from the settlement, but I'll just say you were captured while out scouting. But I want to hear the full story later." Diane said, leading Ren to the stockade. She put the woman inside a cell. It had a simple bunk, a washbasin with water, and a folded blanket. Diane cut the ties once the woman was inside and clicked the combination lock shut on the wire door.
"Right, I'm off. I'll be back by this evening to let you know what the council decides. Daemon, I'll see you later." She said, before heading off.
"Sorry, bad luck. These people are ok though. I've been here for a few weeks and they haven't been too rough. Just.. they need to know they can trust you, and until they're sure they can, they keep an eye on you." Daemon explained to Ren through the door.
LunaKimXo[2738137] · #136 · edited
"What the fu~?" Ren sighed, she walked with Diane. not really wanting to do so.
"DIane what are you doing?" Lilith looked at diane but she didnt get a responce. "wait!"
lilith then came over and hugged Ren again "i'll find you and help you" Lilith whispered. "okay. you can go"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ren stopped in the cell, the door shut behind her. "alright, thank you" she smiled and nodded to daemon as he walked off. "I'm sorry to say this but... its kinda pointless isn't it?"
"i dont understand. what do you mean?" one of the guards ask, looking at her curiously.
"this is what..." She takes the rifle off her back and slides it through the bars. "There. i will want that back though you know"
"tsk. fine" he snarked, taking the gun and resting it against the wall on the side opposite to the cells.
Ren sat down on the bed and looked around. stone walls and iron bars? hmmph. how decorative (!)
After an hour or so, Alex walked down with Lilith beside her "So your the girl who saved this crazy one?" Alex scruffed Lilith's hair and looked at Ren.
"Y-yes ma'am" Ren stood up, looking at the two.
"well then. theres something i might need you for. Hellman, open the door" Alex looked at the guard, he came over, unlocked and opened the cell door for Ren then walked back to his seat.
"Thank you..." Ren exited and grabbed her rifle, lugging it over her shoulder
"come with me. both of you. we have something to do with your friends that have taken position in caltech" Alex led the two back to her office.
*It took a little doing. Obviously the body was banged up, but he wasn't too worried about that. He just needed it to run. This took several very paranoid hours of work, with constant checks up and down the street to see if he was about to be ambushed. No ambush came. He was under the impression the university was a sort of no man's land at the moment, and that worked for him fine. Eventually, with a great deal of poking, prodding, greasing, jumping, and some kicking, he got the engine to fire up. With a delicate, experimental hand, he tried shifting into first. Nothing. He tried, second, nothing, he tried third, no contact, he tried reverse, and it took.
Guess he was backing up all the way to the shop. Such was life.
It was a paranoid, stressful trip, as the truck had a backup beeper installed at that honked the whole way. Nothing seemed to take this bait, and for that, Strange considered himself very lucky. It made up for the fact he was going to have to tear the clutch and transmission down. When he arrived out back of the ruined loading dock, he set to this.
A lot of debris left inside the building. The way to the basement is caved in. Fortunately it seems that the footprint trail ended through the wrecked basement, meaning whatever is down there had been crushed. A sigh of relief, Mercedes begins to look around. The workshop and the science lab were both destroyed from the inside. Only the computer lab is left unharmed.
Mercedes thinks that there will be a communication device inside the house. Whether it will be a pager or a satellite radio, Mercedes looks every nooks and cranny until he found three radios that were still useable. He only needs one radio but the other two can be used as a distraction. He hangs the radios on his utility belt and went ahead to his way.
Mercedes eventually reached the cafeteria. One look at what is inside leaves Mercedes in cold sweat. Zombies... Dragging themselves without care, waiting for their prey to come. There are too many zombies inside the cafeteria. Mercedes has a second thought and moves on without risking to check the cafeteria.
Time to look for the general store.
Trying not to get the zombies' attention, Mercedes carefully walks slowly and quickly. He is careful to not step anything that can break like glass shards or soda cans. The school plaza he passed by is filled with garbage, blood and sprayed markings. There is a lonely flag fluttering with the wind, the flag of freedom and justice. Too much for justice that is for sure.
Few more zombies have been spotted in a distance. Mercedes looks up and notices a low platform to his left. He looks at the situation and sees there is a path ahead where there are no zombies loitering around. He looks for something to stand on and placed it on the spot where he will jump from. He steps on it and jumps as high as he can with his arm raised up high. He successfully grabbed the edge of the that platform.
He successfully reached the other path and avoided the zombies. Then he proceeds to peek out of corners to check if any zombie is in the way. Only one zombie. He only needs to not get spotted. He waits for a few seconds until that zombie faces the wall. Mercedes immediately swoops past that zombie and then, continues to find this general store.
Daemon thought Diane should probably be aware that Alex decided to release the Gunner without any real authority aside from her own. She certainly didn't go and ask the council about it, not at this hour. Daemon walked over to the gate and asked around, before finding Diane in the communication room. She stood over another map of the city. This one was highlighted and annotated as well, but with words like traps, raider attack, and infected.
"Hey, just wanted to let you know, Alex released the girl Ren. Alex, Lilith, and the girl then went off towards Alex's room." Daemon explained.
"I figured. That's why I put guards on the man, Jensen, I think I heard. If she does anything suspicious, he dies, and only a councilmember bearing an order from the council is able to move him from the field hospital. Anyone else who tries is to be told to leave, and after that, forced to do so." Diane explained. She rubbed the bags under her eyes and sat down at her desk.
"If Alex would just go play scientist in her labs and leave running the settlement to the council, it would be an easier job." Diane commented.
"Doesn't she get a say? After all, her and a bunch of the originals built this place, right?"
"Having a say and having the only say is a lot different. One of these days, Alex is going to piss off the council, and they're going to decide they don't care about a cure as much as she thinks they do. And when that happens... well... I won't be around for the bloodshed. For one reason or another." Diane finished. She then stood up.
"I need some sleep. Come find me if anymore trouble is stirred up. I'm counting on you Daemon." She said. Daemon sensed some real vulnerability in this request.
"I'll keep an eye out." He replied.
-----------------------------------
After waiting a few hours, Wood finally thought he saw some movement on the western side of the field. He used his rifle scope to hone in, and after looking for a few moments, he saw the horns of a deer. He used the radio to contact Jess.
"Jess. Do you see them?" He whispered. He waited only a moment before a reply was whispered back.
"Yes. I see a buck, a young male, a doe, and two other young. I can take down the young male from here. Do you want to go after the buck?" She asked.
"Yes. I'll give you a count. Let me scope in.... alright.... one...two...." He breathed out, and he had just heard the yell of one of the deers when he fired off a shot of his own. He watched the buck jump a few feet away and then crumple. It went to get up, failed, then stopped moving. He used his scope to look and saw the young male had fallen with an arrow in it's front leg and then another in it's neck. The females and young were nowhere to be found. Wood got off the stand and jogged back to where he had left Jess, who was already at the bottom of her stand.
"Great. We don't have long to clean them, so let's make it fast. If we do the same one together it will go quicker." Wood commented. Jess merely nodded as they approached their kill. The young deer was between 1 1/2 and 2. The buck was easily in his prime and would bring home a good 55-65 pounds of usable meat. The younger deer would probably only bring about 40, so altogether that was about 100 pounds of fresh meat. The cooks at the settlement would be happy with that turnaround.
About an hour later the pair had stored the meat in four large Coleman Coolers. Wood wished he could put it on ice but, sadly, the nearest ice was at the settlement. Wood and Jess were just checking the traps, most full with squirrel, when they made it to the second to last one. A crunching, tearing sound could be heard as they approached, and they saw a humanoid bent over, tearing the large rabbit to pieces. Wood chambered a round, but just as quickly, Jess fired off an arrow. This one went into the back of the creature's leg, sending it sprawling. As it tried to get up, she rushed forward with her knife and rammed it into the back of the skull until the creature went limp. She wiped the blood off on the rags of what was the creature's shirt.
"Well, I guess we won't be eating that one." She said with a brief chuckle. Wood was slightly stunned, but laughed himself.
"I guess not. Let's check the last trap and then I want to check one more thing." Wood said. They found a replacement rabbit in the last trap, and they took the five strung up animals back to the car. Wood loaded the coolers into the trunk and tied the squirrel and rabbit to the cooler's handles before driving the car off. He followed the wooden trail roads until, finally, they made it to the gift shop and information station. Wood went inside and came back out, smiling, holding an arm full of chips, bottled sodas, and the like. Jess gasped.
"Where did you find those?" She asked, cracking open a Pepsi.
"In the back. Most of the front had been looted, but I figured they had some cold storage. I was right. Must be running on a solar back up generator or something...this is a pretty great find honestly!" Wood laughed. He dumped the snacks in the car and then jogged back into the store. He came back loaded with more practical items. Hoodies, blankets, socks, and other clothes for the coming winter. Some compasses and maps of both the state of California, but the US and the national park itself. Wood went back one last time and moved some benches and fallen branches in front of the door. He got back in the cab.
"If we want to come back it would be good to have a base of operations. That looks as good a spot as any." He said. Jess nodded with a smile. Wood put the truck in drive and they headed off. Within a few hours they had returned, gave the meat to the chefs and smokers, and had returned the car. Wood was told that one man knew how to dry out the skins, and that he'd give them to Wood once they were done. He was already thinking of what to use it on as he sat in the canteen. While he was there, he saw Henderson and waved. He hadn't seen Anderson or Henderson since the hospital.
LunaKimXo[2738137] · #140
"hmph... theres no need for that... huh guys?" Jensen was a little amused by the fact that a few men carrying rifles came in the room, even though his wrists and ankles were tied "What you think i'm going to do in this condition? break these bounds and go on a murder spree?"
"No. but we've been told to watch you. your friend comes anywhere near here without permission and we put a bullet in your head... then her's"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"right... i have a little idea. you know about your teams up in the old C.T ruins? well... are they planning anything hostile?" Alex points at one of the many circled P.O.I buildings on a map of the city.
"I dont know... Norman heads up echo team... thats the group your talking about here. do you have... like a radio room or something?" Ren asked.
"uh... yeah follow me" Lilith walked to the door and held it open.
"I'll catch up. just gotta do something real quick" Alex said to her as Ren followed.
"Yes ma'am" Both Lilith and Ren walked to the comms room. after a few seconds, alex joined them.
"Here we are..." Lilith said happily. Ren looked around, a few of the radio operators looked at her. she waved, a few of them waved back, a few looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"Jaylen!" Lilith said, walking up to one of the few radio ops, smiling
"Hey Lils... long time no see... your never up here like you used to be... anyways how you been sis?" Jaylen gets up and hugs Lilith then sits back down. "Hold on..."
"hey..." Ren waved to Daemon and Diane
"tsk tsk. so. what did you need Lils?" J takes the headset off and places it on the desk.
"We need to use the radio for a moment... Rowena. whats the frequency... Diane. come over here. we could use this for the future..."
"I'm happy to help. the main command frequency for the gunners is T-A-7-8-9 enclosed. thats the main one. so if you wanna keep tabs on what they're doing, thats it. the closer team though, Echo squad... one moment..."
Ren came over and played with the dial on the machine, after a few seconds, the radio scatters then goes silent.
~~~~
"This is ES2, we have a few things here but... nothing decent yet... we cant find the prototype in the Doctor's lab... good thing though... we hav cleaned the building and most of them in a quarter quarter mile radius area of all the Z... if the nearby settlements were to find out of us being here... this could result in hostile actions, command..."
"Well then make sure they dont find out about it... we'll have a vehicle coming along sending some guns: mostly tazers but a few D.Eagles... they'll also be carrying a few med supplies... because... just incase... like... you never know... anyways we have sent out a few patrols into the city... there's been a problem. although its nothing we cant handle..."
"alright good. ES2 out"
"good luck Echo... and remember. when the tazers come in, get the technicians to dissasemble them... you'll need the electrical components to fix up the prototype... the vehicle is just a half hour out... going by this tracker, although its parked. as long as they arent for too long... its fine... this is KingFish... end of transmittion"
"you got it. good luck with that problem Dakota"
"thanks norm... now get to work... you cant stay there too long"
~~~~
"so... did we catch that... that jeep we took with us in the escape is apparently thier supply jeep... sh~t... no... that thing cant stay here long" Lilith sighs then walks to the door.
Ren quickly stops her by grabbing her hand she holds it closely. "wait! i have a plan... i... i'll take the car to them... see what this prototype is..." Ren then lets go of Lils' hand "s-sorry..."
"Its fine..." Lilith smiles and winks to her. "anyway... your not going alone... i'll join you"
{wood you can post something during / before this from diane or daemon. just wanted to use diane for this dialogue. thats it}
"The hell you arent!" Diane revolts against the idea of Lilith helping the new woman
"Listen. Diane... its a sound plan... if something goes wrong, i'll have Tarique {Anderson} and Jenny {Henderson} nearby" Alex says, approving of the plan
"Fine. but i dont like it... Jaylen... Keep that frequency on the gunner's command frequency... if theres anything outgoing or incoming, theres a perfect way of surveiling their comms... and if you hear anything. hit me on the Pager..." Diane takes a pager out of her pocket and shakes it, then puts it back into her pocket.
with the plan set, the team get into action. after a few short moments, the jeep leaves the depot, followed by a bike, both H and A on it.
as the gates upened up, the bike pulled up next to the window of the jeep. "we'll set up a sniper position on the roof of one of the buildings nearby."
"got it" Ren replied, driving the jeep through the gate, followed close by the bike. they're all off.