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Last of Us: Finding Paradise[fieldbox=Sam Morgan; Mechanic-Scavenger, Plum, solid, 0, Book Antiqua]
Jackson County, Wyoming
The Dam
April 11, 2040
It’d been a few years since Sam found this place. The Dam for the lack of a proper city name. Following her dad as they made their way from Wisconsin. They started out as a big group, but not everyone was so fortunate. The spores, infected, and the bandits whittled them down until they were a ghost of their former selves. Sam lost her mother along the way. Bitten from an infected. Sam did it - put her out of her misery. It was the right thing to do than to let mom roam around as one of them. At first, her dad resented her. Hated her. It was only recently that they were able to talk again. Thankfully. Though her words weren’t as tender like they used to be, she needed him as much as he needed her. They were the last of the Morgans for all she knew.
Hearing a high pitched whistle coming from somewhere nearby, Sam wiped away at the sweat condensed on her forehead. Carrying out her responsibilities as a mechanic, she was assigned to the water filtration works - a sorry looking building that was connected to the side of the Dam’s central hub area. Ever since she impressed the foreman with her affinity for the trade, she’d been invited to stay on. She accepted. It kept her mind busy.
“Morgan! What the hell’s that sound?” Sam popped her head out from underneath the catwalk. She was wondering the same exact thing. Albert - another mechanic - studied a gauge. He tapped it with a gloved finger. “That coming from your end? Too much goddamn noise goin’ on around here.”
Looking around, everything seemed in place. “Nothing here. What about Cory? Did you ask him?” she replied. “Squealing’s not really the best sign, Al.”
“No shit princess,” Albert replied as he walked towards her. “What? You’re working on the processing unit, right? Yeah, that don’t sound like the trouble. Gotta be comin’ from one of these pipes. Look around and see if you can’t spot it. I’ll check in with Cory. Shit, gotta tell the foreman too.”
“Better than the whole unit going down.”
Albert rolled his eyes. “Gotta knack for pointing out the obvious, huh?”
Sam smiled. “I try my best. Now, I got a pipe to find. So, um, off you go.”
Dodging a friendly slap on to the head, Sam laughed as she disappeared into the labyrinths of the processing unit. Taking a flashlight out from her utility belt, Sam crawled all about under the catwalk. Traveling in the direction where she thought the noise was coming from, she felt more moisture condense on her skin as her ragged green long sleeve shirt became even more drenched. Why the hell did it have to be so hot in here? Some fans would've been nice.
Squeezing between a pair of pipes, Sam sighed as she took off her yellow construction helmet before looking up. She tapped against the grate. “Al!” When the man didn’t look her way, she hammered the grate. “Al!”
Looking down, her coworker blinked in surprise before crouching down. “Anything?”
Sam shook her head. “Nothing. Everything looks okay. Did Cory say anything?”
“Yup. Nothin’ useful though. Sonnovabitch.”
“Wow. Okay. Did you tell the foreman?”
Albert rose an eyebrow. “What the hell do you think, princess? We’re calling in some extra hands to--”
“Old man!” Sam looked towards the source of the voice. It was Cory. “Who the fuck is down there? Sam? Get your ass out of there!”
“Wh--?”
“Steam pipe! Fuck, I messed up. Sam. Move!”
Not waiting to be told again, Sam bolted as she scurried from underneath the pipe maze she traversed through. The fear in Cory’s voice told her all that she needed to know. If she didn’t want to get steam boiled alive - a really really shitty way to go - hauling ass was the only way out.
Yelping in surprise as a bolt came loose, Sam continued to move faster as a warning alarm added to the pulse of the chaos. Terrified. Hysteric. That’s what Sam felt as she crawled towards safety.
When the way up came into view, Sam clammered towards it as she saw a gloved hand reach down. “Come on, princess! I don’t need someone gettin’ cooked where I work!”
Reaching for Albert’s hand, Sam barely made it in time as the whole corridor down below filled with white mist. Steam. Harmless looking, but Sam knew better.
Sucking in gulps of air, Sam willed her thundering heart to slow, but it didn’t. Again finding herself running, she felt the refreshing wind of the outdoors as Albert sat her against the Dam’s walls.
Malfunctions. If what lay beyond the walls didn’t get her first, she was sure mistakes like these would.
---
Stabbing the cold venison with her spork, Sam couldn’t stop thinking about the incident. What happened was that Cory dropped the ball. Thinking that he could increase the pressure within the pipes to increase the filtration rate, he forgot to take into account that the pipes were old. Really old. While the mechanics and engineers could’ve repaired them, Cory didn’t tell a soul about his change. There wasn’t enough time to accomodate. Now? The whole water filtration unit was down. News pipes had to be made. Maybe a supply run or two. Needless to say, she was glad she wasn’t Cory. The foreman was pissed. Rightfully so.
Hearing someone fall into the chair opposite of her, Sam looked up. “Hi Al.”
“Don’t ‘hi Al’ me,” Albert said as he took a drink from his flask. Sam wrinkled her nose. “How you holdin’ up? I shouldn’t have sent you down there.”
Sam shrugged as she chewed on another piece of venison. She’d be sure to thank the hunters. She loved deer meat. “Didn’t die, so I guess I’m holding up just fine.”
“Don’t have to act tough Sam.”
Raising an eyebrow, Sam swore Albert’s blonde hair grew grayer than what it was this morning. “I’m fine. Really,” she said. “You think Cory’s going to be alright?”
“Hell no!” Albert said. “Good idea, but he gone done fucked up. I gotta run. Foreman wants to talk along with the other heads at the dam. I have to clean up all this shit. Jesus.”
“You need me to come along?”
For the first time today, Albert’s perpetual frown disappeared. “You keep on eatin’ Sam. You been through enough, ya hear? Now cool them heels. Got it?”
Sam smiled. “Got it.”
Seeing the chair scrap the wooden floor, Sam watched Albert leave as she was once again alone. There were a few folks settled at the surrounding tables, but Sam wasn’t feeling too social.
Sighing, Sam continued to pick away at her dinner. She wished she’d asked Albert for a sip from his flask.
[/fieldbox]
Last of Us: Finding Paradise
Jackson County, Wyoming
The Dam
April 11, 2040
It’d been a few years since Sam found this place. The Dam for the lack of a proper city name. Following her dad as they made their way from Wisconsin. They started out as a big group, but not everyone was so fortunate. The spores, infected, and the bandits whittled them down until they were a ghost of their former selves. Sam lost her mother along the way. Bitten from an infected. Sam did it - put her out of her misery. It was the right thing to do than to let mom roam around as one of them. At first, her dad resented her. Hated her. It was only recently that they were able to talk again. Thankfully. Though her words weren’t as tender like they used to be, she needed him as much as he needed her. They were the last of the Morgans for all she knew.
Hearing a high pitched whistle coming from somewhere nearby, Sam wiped away at the sweat condensed on her forehead. Carrying out her responsibilities as a mechanic, she was assigned to the water filtration works - a sorry looking building that was connected to the side of the Dam’s central hub area. Ever since she impressed the foreman with her affinity for the trade, she’d been invited to stay on. She accepted. It kept her mind busy.
“Morgan! What the hell’s that sound?” Sam popped her head out from underneath the catwalk. She was wondering the same exact thing. Albert - another mechanic - studied a gauge. He tapped it with a gloved finger. “That coming from your end? Too much goddamn noise goin’ on around here.”
Looking around, everything seemed in place. “Nothing here. What about Cory? Did you ask him?” she replied. “Squealing’s not really the best sign, Al.”
“No shit princess,” Albert replied as he walked towards her. “What? You’re working on the processing unit, right? Yeah, that don’t sound like the trouble. Gotta be comin’ from one of these pipes. Look around and see if you can’t spot it. I’ll check in with Cory. Shit, gotta tell the foreman too.”
“Better than the whole unit going down.”
Albert rolled his eyes. “Gotta knack for pointing out the obvious, huh?”
Sam smiled. “I try my best. Now, I got a pipe to find. So, um, off you go.”
Dodging a friendly slap on to the head, Sam laughed as she disappeared into the labyrinths of the processing unit. Taking a flashlight out from her utility belt, Sam crawled all about under the catwalk. Traveling in the direction where she thought the noise was coming from, she felt more moisture condense on her skin as her ragged green long sleeve shirt became even more drenched. Why the hell did it have to be so hot in here? Some fans would've been nice.
Squeezing between a pair of pipes, Sam sighed as she took off her yellow construction helmet before looking up. She tapped against the grate. “Al!” When the man didn’t look her way, she hammered the grate. “Al!”
Looking down, her coworker blinked in surprise before crouching down. “Anything?”
Sam shook her head. “Nothing. Everything looks okay. Did Cory say anything?”
“Yup. Nothin’ useful though. Sonnovabitch.”
“Wow. Okay. Did you tell the foreman?”
Albert rose an eyebrow. “What the hell do you think, princess? We’re calling in some extra hands to--”
“Old man!” Sam looked towards the source of the voice. It was Cory. “Who the fuck is down there? Sam? Get your ass out of there!”
“Wh--?”
“Steam pipe! Fuck, I messed up. Sam. Move!”
Not waiting to be told again, Sam bolted as she scurried from underneath the pipe maze she traversed through. The fear in Cory’s voice told her all that she needed to know. If she didn’t want to get steam boiled alive - a really really shitty way to go - hauling ass was the only way out.
Yelping in surprise as a bolt came loose, Sam continued to move faster as a warning alarm added to the pulse of the chaos. Terrified. Hysteric. That’s what Sam felt as she crawled towards safety.
When the way up came into view, Sam clammered towards it as she saw a gloved hand reach down. “Come on, princess! I don’t need someone gettin’ cooked where I work!”
Reaching for Albert’s hand, Sam barely made it in time as the whole corridor down below filled with white mist. Steam. Harmless looking, but Sam knew better.
Sucking in gulps of air, Sam willed her thundering heart to slow, but it didn’t. Again finding herself running, she felt the refreshing wind of the outdoors as Albert sat her against the Dam’s walls.
Malfunctions. If what lay beyond the walls didn’t get her first, she was sure mistakes like these would.
---
Stabbing the cold venison with her spork, Sam couldn’t stop thinking about the incident. What happened was that Cory dropped the ball. Thinking that he could increase the pressure within the pipes to increase the filtration rate, he forgot to take into account that the pipes were old. Really old. While the mechanics and engineers could’ve repaired them, Cory didn’t tell a soul about his change. There wasn’t enough time to accomodate. Now? The whole water filtration unit was down. News pipes had to be made. Maybe a supply run or two. Needless to say, she was glad she wasn’t Cory. The foreman was pissed. Rightfully so.
Hearing someone fall into the chair opposite of her, Sam looked up. “Hi Al.”
“Don’t ‘hi Al’ me,” Albert said as he took a drink from his flask. Sam wrinkled her nose. “How you holdin’ up? I shouldn’t have sent you down there.”
Sam shrugged as she chewed on another piece of venison. She’d be sure to thank the hunters. She loved deer meat. “Didn’t die, so I guess I’m holding up just fine.”
“Don’t have to act tough Sam.”
Raising an eyebrow, Sam swore Albert’s blonde hair grew grayer than what it was this morning. “I’m fine. Really,” she said. “You think Cory’s going to be alright?”
“Hell no!” Albert said. “Good idea, but he gone done fucked up. I gotta run. Foreman wants to talk along with the other heads at the dam. I have to clean up all this shit. Jesus.”
“You need me to come along?”
For the first time today, Albert’s perpetual frown disappeared. “You keep on eatin’ Sam. You been through enough, ya hear? Now cool them heels. Got it?”
Sam smiled. “Got it.”
Seeing the chair scrap the wooden floor, Sam watched Albert leave as she was once again alone. There were a few folks settled at the surrounding tables, but Sam wasn’t feeling too social.
Sighing, Sam continued to pick away at her dinner. She wished she’d asked Albert for a sip from his flask.
[/fieldbox]
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