Claire sits quietly in the back observing Ethan's body language. He seems calm, cool and collected. His moves are carefully calculated. She turns her attention to Sofia. She seems collected as well but less uptight. Probably because she isnt the leader...at least, so it seems, she thinks to herself. As she observes her surroundings, Claire notices the blurring trees as the car accelerates and she can't help but wonder what is so important that they must get and remain a secret, yet someone they just met can be one of the first few to know of the treasure.
Colton-Gas Station-Aubrey, Scott, Hemsworth, Christopher
Colton listened intently to the girls story, and got interested when he heard the name of the man that had once trained him. He wasnt sure it was the same guy, but if it was then Damien needed to know. So did all of the people under Damien's command. Colton looked at the woman with an annoyed look before he climbed down from the truck. He holstered his pistol and held his rifle across his chest. He walked over to Scott and talked to him quietly, making sure the woman couldnt hear him.
"That academy he wanted us to check is crawling with biters."
"Damien wants us there," Scott said in an almost warning tone.
"She says she was with someone named Enrique," Colton began, breezing past Scott's remark, "If it's the same Enrique I know we need to get that gas and report back to Damien immediately. Then find out where the hell this girl came from. If this is the same guy then the whole Haven community needs to know too."
"Alright, we'll get this gas and go." Scott was blunt and kept an eye on Colton, "This guy... You think he's watching us? Like she's a decoy or whatever?"
"Shit," Colton said raising his rifle and checking around. Scott did the same, Hemsworth and Christopher noticed the quick movement and raised theres. There was no presence of any danger but Colton knew better than to assume this wasnt something Enrique was capable of.
"The fuck is going on?" Hemsworth said in a hiss.
"Get that gas, lets get going..." Scott said his rifle checking the area for anything, "Some spook might be around."
Hemsworth and Chris quickly finished getting their gas from the lines and tied them off. They stood and jogged to the pick-up and set the jerry-cans in the bed. There was an air of panic as Scott got in the drivers seat and Christopher took shotgun, Hemsworth hopping in the back seat. Colton quickly climbed into the bed and closed the door behind him. He got low and held his rifle above his head as he watched the area, making sure no one came out and started gunning them down. Scott turned the keys in the ignition and the small group began driving away. Scott radio'd in the situation.
"Damien, we got the gas but the Academy is crawling with uglies. Colton says the girl mentioned some guy, Edwardo or Edmundo or some shit. Said if it's the guy Colton is thinking of then we are in some trouble."
After getting some distance from the gas station Colton relaxed and looked at the girl. He drew his pistol and put it to Aubrey's head.
"Puerto Rican, scarred up, slight limp, dangerous look in his eye?" He waited a second before the next question, "Did he have an axe?"
Myriah's door flew open, revealing the bespectacled woman who stared at Rob with wide eyes. She had a travel bag wrapped around her shoulder and at her waste was a holstered pistol. She stared at him for what felt like a very long second before reaching forward and pulling him into her apartment. She shut the door behind in a rush and peered out through the peephole in a paranoid haze. "Why would I care about that?" Myriah asked, even though she knew her actions defied any sort of innocence on her part. Without waiting for an answer, she turned back around and began ushering Rob further into the room.
Her apartment was in disarray, signs of a panicked departure strewn throughout. The only thing that seemed in order was a collection of items on the coffee table, neatly arranged next to an open backpack. Myriah moved to continue the action of placing the items neatly away, not speaking again until she was well into the action. "Did Danny tell you? About our history? Maybe you just figured it out. Doesn't matter, Rob." She paused to hold a locket in front of her, a small silver oval that reflected the light of the room's overhead fixture. Myriah allowed herself a moment of quiet contemplation, lightly squeezing the object into the palm of her hand. If there was ever a time Myriah needed strength, she felt it was now.
"As you guessed, I'm leaving," she muttered, not realizing she sounded bitter. "Cover for me if you want. I don't want Elliot or Rudy - I mean, Danny - to know until I'm long gone." She tossed the locket into the backpack and felt content with its contents, picking up the object by a strap to test its weight. Nodding, she zipped up the pack and moved to throw it on her back, taking off her travel bag for a moment to get it done. Once she was settled, she looked up to meet Rob's eyes and let out a small sigh. "I'm sorry we didn't get to speak more often."
Myriah lingered just long enough to flash Rob a smile. She moved quickly to her front door and pulled it open without a moment's hesitation. She stepped briskly out into the hall, moving at a pace that suggested she was afraid of what would happen were she to stop at any moment. She was practically ready to start leaping once she reached the stairwell, but a window that offered a view of the community's front gate made Myriah pause. She pressed her face close to the glass to spy the crowd that had gathered, realizing she could pick out both Rudy and Elliot. It wasn't as if she felt waltzing out the front gate without being seen was going to work under normal circumstances, but all the activity outside meant she would have to sneak out a back entrance.
It meant leaping over a wall.
Myriah turned around and searched the hallway for Rob, hoping he'd followed her. "I will need your help," she would tell him.
As Emma sat in her room, she contemplated the situation at hand. She had mixed feelings about this place. Those guys from Alexandria made her want to stay because Fan now had allies. However, she knew that Hank was not exactly looking out for anyone except himself.
She was just the slightest bit scared. She'd seen Enrique in action multiple times, but Hank was a mystery to her. He scared her because of his deep gaze and strong build, but if her brother's death had shown her anything it was that even the biggest of men could be stopped with a bullet. Hank had lost his element of surprise in case he did go forward with taking the apartments over now that Emma had heard it all. Part of her wanted to leave and forget all of this. She wanted to get away from danger and live in the mountains away from all of the troubles that cities brought with them.
Presently, she forced herself to push the worries to the back of her mind. She left her apartment and walked into the hallway. She stopped when she reached Monica- err, Myriah - and Rob standing in the hallway. The woman was geared up and packed like she was about to leave.
"Monica- I mean... Myriah, you're leaving?" She asked, disappointment audible in her voice. She couldn't help her disappointment. The woman had helped her and she'd grown to like her. The child in her wanted to beg her to stay here, but the mature part of her understood the woman. Emma noted the look in her face probably meant she was being secretive about it. She nodded, then said, "I know a place where you can get over the walls." She said, waiting for the woman to either accept the offer, or tell her off like everyone else over eighteen had been doing recently.
Inside the bar in Fayette, Anastasia sat on a stool behind the counter, her eyes staring blankly at an English children's book. The Russian girl stared at the letters on the page, completely clueless at to what any of them meant. She picked the water bottle that sat by the book, using her finger to wipe away the ring of condensation that wet the table.
She closed the book with a sigh, looking at the cover, which in English read, "Go, dog! Go!" To Anastasia the words meant that she was a terrible learner with a sixty-foot-tall language barrier.
"Hey Annie." A man named Craig said, using the nickname that most people of Fayette used for her, as he stood up, placing his guitar on the table. "Can you hand me that bottle of Vodka behind you?"
She grabbed the word "vodka" from his sentence, her ears perking at a familiar word. She nodded, turning around and looking at the long row of liquor, wines, beers, and other assorted drinks. She selected a familiar label, a popular Russian brand of Vodka, and handed it to him, grabbing him a cup to go with the bottle.
"Sp-" He said, his eyebrows drooping. "Uh - Spas-buh?"
The girl frowned, looking quizzically at the man. "Eh?" She asked.
"Spa-sehbuh?" He repeated, trying again.
Anastasia's eyes widened as she realized what he was trying to say. "Ah - Спасибa?" She asked, using the Russian word for "thank you." She released a laugh at his butchering of the word. "Eh, you - welcome." She said with a smile, her accent beyond audible when she spoke.
The man nodded, taking the drink with a smile. She returned to her seat as she listened to him pick at his guitar. Presently, she opened the book up to try again. She looked at the words and sighed, "Боже мой." She muttered, looking at the pages.
Aubrey - Gas Station/ On the Road - Colton, Scott, Christopher, Hemsworth
The feeling of unease could easily be seen in Colton's eyes as Aubrey's words registered with him. The young woman looked on, confused as to why he had reacted the way he did. She held her comments and questions to herself though as she watched the men scramble about, looking paranoid as they all took out their weapons and had them at the ready.
'What are they so afraid of?'
"What did Enrique do..." Before she could finish off her question, the blonde had found herself looking at the barrel of a gun, which caused her to jump and scoot back a bit. "Um, maybe? He was Hispanic, he did have scars, didn't really look too dangerous to me." Her words came out quick as she answered his questions, her tone had gone up an octave or two. "He did have an axe. Said he had been in the military? He stayed back at the apartments with Hank. I left them and I've been alone ever since." Aubrey continued to watch Colton as she tried to say something to make him lower his gun. It helped that she kept her eyes locked on his so that she wouldn't get nervous and completely break down.
Ignoring Fan's baffling question, Hank shook off the aimless discussion they were having. At this point, Hank could care less about her backstory or what she had gone through. In his perspective, he'd gone through worse. So instead of answering her meaningless question - one in which the answer was apparent - he was drawn to what Cutter had announced. In accordance to their lack of defense, a set of people were making their way to the gates without being apprehended. They approached quickly and no one seemed on high alert but the large biker and Hank himself.
"You need to get some people down here now, defend the gates," Hank ordered Fan without knowledge that the people approaching were actually allies to them. Not seeing her move, Hank turned to Cutter instead. The elder man stood inches taller than him, wearing a leather vest that seemed similar to the one Floyd wore from time to time. Opposing popular belief, Cutter was not this slow giant. He actually seemed to be the brightest of the bunch since he was the only one to call out incoming threats. Everyone else in the community seemed to be sitting around on their asses talking about what they'll have for dinner or whatever.
"Do those vehicles back there work?" he asked Cutter, specifying the cars that were recently struck by a fierce Aubrey. His plan was to move the vehicles in font of the gates to set up a barrier behind the entrance. Use them as shields if and/or when a duel of bullets would incite. All this still coming from a man who was not the person in charge.
Hank then realized Fan was still standing there behind him, still not acting. He turned back to the woman in command, noticing her look wasn't one of worry but instant frustration. Hank's face numbed. "I'm guessing you know who they are." he stated, coming to the realization that her inactivity and lack of urgency was because either the group approaching was not hostile, or they were and she understood there was nothing she could do.
Calling the group over, Thom would give directions to his people.
"Here's the plan; Able and I will Radio in to the Apartments, let them know we're near. We then play it by year. We'll be back."
Motioning for his second in command to follow, Thom released, sighing deeply. Walking to a clearing Thom would ops himself on the ground, working on the radio has he made small talk
"So about this girl, what happened?"
As they discussed the plan, Abel grabbed his bike, leaving it off but rolling it along at his side. He wouldn't even dream of leaving it behind for some dirty thief to grab while he wasn't looking. When Thom asked him off Aubrey, he shrugged lightly.
"I was headed up from the interstate and saw her sitting on a car hood. She needed help getting into an Academy Sports, so I helped her clear the roamers. We got in and she started looking for a bow, but we had to leave because of roamers." He said, leaving out the part where he'd been distracted by her and the roamers had gotten the drop on him.
As the approached Fan's road, he looked to his friend. "Let's do this, Sir Thom." He said, ready to assume his character just as Thom had done on his previous visit.
"Nah, drop that. I know that's what "the queen " wants, but we're not doing that. We can talk about kingdom and shit, but no "character" stuff. "
Thom was having minor trouble find a signal, cursing under his breath, he kept messing with the radio.
"By the way, thanks for taking my night watch last night. Nina really wanted to spend some time together before I left. "
Thom stopped as he mentioned the woman. She was one of the "common" folk. She was the woman who kept the corps coming, cows eating, and the food tasting great. Thom and Nina had been both Knights, before she step down for personal reasons. Not many people knew they were a thing. It was mostly just Abel. Nina and Thom both had reasons as why they didn't want to share.
As Thom spoke, Abel released a laugh. "Thomy, you know I live to serve the Queen." He said in an obviously sarcastic tone, noting his bike. The leaders in Alexandria were very uptight about keeping appearances, so his bike had not been well received, but he'd basically told them to stick it, and now he had a bike.
"Don't worry about the shift, we both no I don't have a girl to worry about." He muttered.
"And you act like the queen doesn't chew my ass off about the bike."
As the young man looked at the older, he saw that the radio was being uncooperative. "Look, Thomy if it doesn't work, I'll ride up and give them a heads up." He said. "From what you told me, you're last visit wasn't the most pleasant. Besides, we both know friendliness is kind of my thing."
Thom sighed, the radio wasn't working. It looks like It was Abel's plan to go with.
"It was only rough for the first few days. I get why I was on lock down. When they see you, Drop all your weapons, and put your hands up. Tell them Thom is on the way."
Abel nodded as Thom instructed him to go to the apartments. He turned and swung his leg over the red and black frame of his dirt bike. He stomped on the pedal ignition and pulled off, turning the street corner and pulling onto Fan's road and into view of the apartments.
He stopped about thirty yards from the building and turned off his bikes, deploying the kickstand. He walked about five yards from his bike and stopped as he saw a small number of people on the other side of the gate. He proceeded forward, raising his hands in the air. He stopped short of the gate, unbuckling his belt and laying his weapons on the ground. When the people inside the gate saw him, he put his hands back in the air. "Greetings from the Queen." Abel said, assuming his character. "My name is Sir Abel, I've come ahead of Sir Thom to let you know the supplies we promised are nearby."
"How many people do these apartments house?" Colton asked keeping the gun aimed at her face, "How long ago did you leave them and what kind of situation are they in there?"
Cutter-Apartments-Hank, Fan, Thom, Others
Cutter listened to the new guy as he tried to suggest they move the cars, though some of them could work if Cutter put some time and parts together but they were not functional now. Cutter didnt respond to Hank, the way he was bossing Fan around didnt make Cutter happy. Cutter walked through the front gate as the dirtbike stopped, the large man's hair was tucked back behind his head under his leather doorag. He walked forward and greeted the other man, putting a hand out to shake.
"Howdy," Cutter said calmly, "I'm Cutter, Fan's inside. When Thom gets here with that food y'all can negotiate whatever."
Aubrey gave Colton a blank stare as he kept pressing for information, the words coming out in a jumble as she tried to answer him. The panic was beginning to set in as he held the gun to her face, still. When she finally began to speak normally, there were a few words she stuttered on as she tried to dig into her memory.
"Um, I, I, I don't know how many. I left them this morning, I've been out for a couple hours. They were all well off. They have guards, they have eyes in the sky.... Um, they have weapons inside the complex and food. They've got at least twenty-five, I didn't keep count."
In her times wandering the ruins of Natchez, bold and brave enough to risk her ass for the welfare of Morgantown with little appreciation, the name of that community had shockingly escaped her. For how long the muzzled lunatic had made Natchez her base of operations escaped her frantic mind, yet the tall brunette figured it had to be at least a month. Of course, granted, she mainly kept to herself, dwelling deep in dark apartments and sewers, places most normal survivors would avoid out of pure fear and unsavory environments that Skinwalkers might lurk in. Tilting her head, the woman's hair bopped lightly, the blond man able to briefly see the scarred engravings along the woman's neck, a particular nasty burn mark, looking akin to a branding near the base of the neck. Taking one step forwards, Joselina had her head limply tilted, like some curious dog.
"Mmmm...." she groaned underneath her metallic muzzle, slowly raising up her rifle. Abruptly, however, she held the Mosin-Nagant by the barrel and butt, as if she were presenting the firearm to the man. Grabbing the bolt of the archaic rifle, Joselina pulled at the bolt mechanism, the rustic bolt showing signs of clear wear, on the verge of bolt itself snapping off. More interestingly, however, was Joselina pointing into the exposed barrel of the World War-era rifle, before harshly, desperately rasping out one word.
"Emp...pttty...."
Pushing the bolt back to cover the inner firing chamber, Joselina slung her rifle over her shoulders, looking still at the man warily. However, she seemed calm, not hunched over like some fierce barbarian ready to rip another human to shreds. In fact, if it wasn't for the scars, grime, crimson, and miasma of filth covering the psychopath, Joselina would surely look almost presentable and friendly. With her dark, drooping eyes gazing past the man at the car, Joselina lifting her right hand, pointing eerily at his company and the car.
She moved back up the stairs to speak properly with Rob, but found herself staring at Emma instead, the teenager likely having wandered out into the hall sometime during Myriah's descent down the stairs. The girl sounded understandably confused, curious about what Myriah was up to. It was hard not to miss the hint of disappointment that accompanied her curiosity. Myriah could only let out a sigh as she haunched her shoulders and fixed Emma a sad smile. "Yeah," she mumbled, leaning against the rail of the stairwell. "This just isn't the place for me."
Her eyes narrowed as Emma's demeanour changed, the girl nodding as if she already understood the gravity of the situation. Myriah's eyebrow rose in wonder as Emma offered to help her get out. Even though Myriah had lied about her name for the time they were together, it seemed Emma still held some trust between them. After spending any time with someone these days, it was hard not to start picking up on the subtle parts of their personality, and it seemed Emma had learned how to pick up how Myriah was feeling admirably. Stepping away from the stairwell, she gave Rob a nod and gestured for Emma to lead the way. "Thank you. Really. That would mean a lot to me, Emma."
Danny - Apartments/Front Gate - Elliot/Fan/Cutter/Thom/Abel/Hank
Great, he sounded like a fucking idiot.
Danny's outburst had garnered a mild reaction at best, though the comment from Cutter had made Danny feel outright embarrassed. Already red in the face, Danny hid his feelings well under his anger, letting out an exasperated sigh at the proceedings. He lowered his hands and stared at his hands for a moment, knowing how utterly childish he was being. Hell, he had no parents to scold him and no best friend to call him an idiot, he could be as stupid as he wanted, right? Maybe. No. "Fuck." Danny ran his hands through his hair and pivoted to face the gates nearby, realizing that a few of the crowd had started to get antsy about something.
He weaved through the others milling nearby to stand before Fan, Cutter, and Hank, watching as the latter of the three began to bark out orders toward some incoming threat. Once Danny realized what the guy was fussing about, he pinpointed the obvious sight of what appeared to be a caravan led by horses. Like out of a goddamn period piece. Danny instantly realized this was supposed to be Thom, the guy they had been expecting from that other community. Most of the others had been informed of his incoming arrival, so no one reacted like Hank was, and all seemed confused he was giving out orders at all. As one of the few to have dealt with Aubrey's parting gift, Elliot was at the gate to open it wide for Thom and his friend. After watching this for a moment, Danny turned to Hank with another sigh, sounding less annoyed this time.
"Jesus, dude, don't worry, we were expecting them. Let Fan lead her own shit."
He turned back to the gates watch Cutter make first contact with the pair and Danny quickly decided he wanted to be there as well. Anything to take his mind off the shitty situation that was Fan letting Enrique stick around. Danny stepped forward and sidled up next to the tall leather daddy that was Cutter (It kind of amused Danny to imagine what Cutter would think of that description), crossing his arms as he looked over Thom and his friend. Danny's eyes lingered on the bike in Abel's possession, looking obviously interested in the vehicle. He tried to help it, but ended up breaking out into a small smile upon hearing the pair refer to each other as 'Sirs'. Christ, were these people for real? "Ah, well then," Danny began, bowing slightly. "You may refer to me as Sir Surly Dog. I am quite distinguished." He topped off the comment by flourishing his hand like he'd seen so many classy olden times guys do on television, holding it out with with his palm extended.
Danny couldn't be entirely sure he hadn't fried his brain in anger earlier.
The trip along the 98 had been an ultimately uneventful one. Caleb couldn't say he knew the people he was travelling with too well and he wasn't feeling up for hitting them up for casual conversation much. There was Adam, of course, but Adam had not been the most reliable of people as of late. Irritable, moody, and just downright unpleasant described him far too well these days. Things just hadn't been the same since the fighting with Tremblay's people-- Ever since Tina and Elyse had parted ways with them. Caleb had been surprised that Adam didn't decide to stay with Elyse considering the apparent bond they both shared, but Adam had insisted on travelling back up to Baton Rouge to assist in the fighting. It had seemed to Caleb that Adam was the kind of guy that itched to get into harrowing situations, a trait he hadn't realized about his friend before. Of course, there seemed to be a lot about Adam that Caleb hadn't realized about him.
Then there was the matter of Becca. Becca unnerved Caleb, if he had to be honest with himself. She'd been a part of Tremblay's group; a group that Caleb and his friends had lived in fear of for quite a long time. It may have turned out that the group itself consisted of more than just hardened thugs, but it was almost impossible to ignore the sinking feeling in Caleb's gut whenever Becca's presence made him think of the late Tremblay. He didn't want to feel this way, for he knew Becca seemed to be a sweet and honest woman. Her medical knowledge had been invaluable in the long trek up to Natchez and few could say they disliked Becca as a person. It was a tough pill to swallow, but Caleb knew it would take a while longer before he felt comfortable around the woman.
Of the other three, Caleb couldn't say much about them. Aiden had accompanied them from Baton Rouge, but Caleb could scarcely recall sharing a conversation with the guy. He'd been a part of Hank's group, and that guy had never really gelled well with the rest of the group. In any case, Aiden was probably as much of a mystery to Caleb as John and Jake were. They seemed pleasant enough, but you never really knew these days. He was sure Tyler would be looking to ask his opinion of them once this was all over, so he knew he was going to have to make the effort eventually.
Not that Caleb didn't get along easily with people. He was known to be an easygoing sort of person, and his soft Southern drawl tended to put people at ease. He could recall moments where people thought him even emotionless considering little he got angry. Caleb didn't really get how people got so angry sometimes. Life was just so much easier when you tried to stay relax and in control of your situation... which apparently was easier said than done for most. Perhaps Caleb was just blessed-- he'd always known both his dad and brother to be a little hotheaded, so who knew where he got it from.
A calm demeanour was a boon for a trip that was likely just to be a boring supply-gathering affair. They'd passed Washington first, a community that consisted of about only two roads at Caleb's estimation, and then came upon Cranfield, but that place was gone even before Caleb had read the sign pointing it out. From there was a long stretch of road, silence filling the truck they'd pulled from Morgantown's parking garage. Caleb damn well missed the radio. While the ride couldn't have taken more than forty minutes, it somehow felt so much longer.
Their first proper stop was in the small town of Roxie, a location that probably sustained such a small population that Caleb doubted they would run into any of the undead while here. They ended up parking the truck at a place called the Tastee Shack, which was quite literally a shack that probably served as a rest stop for anyone coming off the main road. A quick look of the small joint revealed the place had been cleaned out at some point, though that was not entirely surprising considering its location and size. Caleb eventually reconvened with the others at the truck, placing his hands on his hips as he looked up at a large sign towering over the shack, advertising some kind of Grand Hotel up in Natchez.
"Pretty small town..." Caleb said slowly, feeling a bit of a buzz under the heat of the sun above. The forecast had been pretty bleak recently, leaving this sunny outlier of a day to be a bit of a surprise. "Could probably split up, take a few roads to sweep... Anyone got any objections?"
Emma - Apartments - Myriah/Rob
Emma nodded as Myriah accepted her help. She led the two towards her apartment, opening the door and walking inside. She walked past her bed, which was covered with the contents of her backpack. She slid open the window and stepped out onto the fire escape. She led them down into the alley below the escape, hopping off of the ladder with a grunt.
The girl pointed to the other end of the alley, at which a dumpster stood against the back wall of the facility. She'd used it last week to get over the walls. "There."
Breaking her silent nearly permanent silent demeanor, she reached out and gave the woman a hug. Still disappointed at her leaving, she pulled away and muttered, "Be careful."
The Helena outpost was secure before Damien left with a few others. Their original plan was to check a few of the other areas on the map they had obtained from Stewart. Verona obviously tagged along with her boss, and a few others who were in the back seats of the car. Damien had somewhat of a serious expression as they were driving down the highway 65. Rubbing his chin ever so slightly, glancing from one walker to another, as they occassionally past by their car.
The usual supply run was canceled for the time being, due to what Colton and the guys had found. A person that may perhaps be beneficial to them. "Something the matter, Damien?"? Verona curiously asked while driving, glancing over at him. "Well, I am curious.." He casually responded. They were on their way to meet the others, and since they drove down the same highway, they'd meet them halfway. There was no need for the one they had captured to see the outpost, unless death was a certainty, at least in his books. For now, assessing the situation, and using the person if possible was the big question, or maybe not.
"About the one Scott and the rest found?" Verona kept on inquiring, or rather, the woman, was more interested in what the boss had in mind. Possibilities were endless, and the one they had captured was not the only one Damien had personally seen before, but during his life since the outbreak, or whatever that lets the dead walk the earth, he had killed many. Too many to count. "They definetely found more than just fuel out there.." Damien joked, before he continued. "We've driven far enough. Use the radio and ask for their position, we shouldn't be far of anyway." He ordered, and Verona complied.
"So where should we meet you boys?" The woman was excited, wondering how the one they captured was being handled. "By the way, is the person still alive?" She asked again, waiting for either Scott, Colton or anyone that left for the fuel run to respond. Damien however, pulled up his Magnum 500. A very rare handgun, which he actually was familiar with, since before he found it, due to his past life before the world became what it currently is. A useful weapon, which he used only if neccessary.
Spinning its barrel, he slowly pushed in the bullets before strapping the gun behind him. "Well then, lets see what this new fellow has in store for us." There could be many reasons. Damien knew, and had even heard rumors about more communities spread around their outposts. Perhaps this was one of his lucky days.
Colton groaned, Enrique had people and weapons. This could end so poorly. He heard the radio and watched through the back window of the truck. The window of the cab of the truck slid open and Hemsworth's head popped through.
"We're meeting up with Damien just down the road, we should be there shortly..." Hemsworth pulled his head back in the cab and shut the window. Colton looked behind the vehicle to make sure no one was following, then looked ahead with the scope of his rifle. Soon Damien's vehicle came into view and the truck pulled over. Colton quickly undid the latch, and moved Aubrey to the edge of the truck bed before helping her sit on the edge of the bed.
"Stay quiet until he asks you a question, don't fuck with him either." Colton said looking into the girl's eyes, "Don't get snippy either."
Colton was silent as Scott approached Damien and began explaining the situation, Colton would wait his turn to tell Damien about Enrique. Though he knew he'd probably have to wait until after Damien spoke with Aubrey. If things went well Colton wouldnt be cleaning blood out of the truck bed.
Sighing with relief once he realised that her weapon was empty. Cricin watched her as she slowly pointed to the car. It crept into his mind that while something horrific had obviously happened to her. She was certainly more filthy then anyone else he had ever met. Something about how the unsettling nature of the woman made Cricin even more curious. He supposed it was kind of like seeing a feral cat or dog. Wanting to feed it and heal it.
He thought for a moment. "If you want to," He announced after some thinking. "You can come into the car, Front passenger seat" He hoped she knew what that was. Only place she could go really, he didn't trust the others not to shoot her on reflex. Or for her not to scare them. "We still need to perform a scout run. But then we're heading back to Fayette. You can come with us if you want" And if she did want to go back to Fayette, Cricin would see if she would be accepted.
A gut feeling told him she would be, He knew Ethan a little bit. Enough to know that he would be interested.
And with that, He walked back to the vehicle. Seemingly careless on his surroundings. "Are you or not?" He asked as he opened a door.
Suddenly stopping to a halt as soon as they reached the gates, Ethan opened up a door. "Wait, for just a moment please" He told, before stepping out and pacing into the bar. Which was close to the gates. Walking up, to some of the members who were off scouting duty for the meanwhile. Drifting past him. He leaned on the counter. Anastasia seemed quite involved in, when Ethan peered over. A children's book. He felt himself hiding a smile.
"Hello?" He announced, "Anastasia" He waved his hand. "You" He pointed at her. "Come with me" He pointed at her, then gestured for her to follow. Tapping her on the shoulder and slightly guiding her to the exit. Perhaps he needed to find a capable person who could speak Russian. It felt somewhat unfair to her. But one must adapt to survive.
"Get in the vehicle" He told her. Smiling, so she wouldn't worry. Getting back into the front seat. He sighed, "Sorry about that. We're nearly late..."
Aubrey had kept her mouth shut after she had answered Colton's questions, her eyes shutting afterwards so that she could get her mind off of the gun.
It hadn't taken them long to arrive to who knows where, so they could meet a so called Damien. By now, a real fear had settled in the young blonde and she was looking around like crazy, trying to find a way out of the mess she had gotten in. 'Why did they take me? They should've left me there tied up.' Aubrey finally looked back at Colton when he began to help her sit near the edge of the truck's bed. She had looked at him with pleading eyes, seeing as how now he didn't exactly seem to be the hard ass that he was before. He had given her small tips on how to act around this Damien man, and she had accepted them with immense gratitude. The young woman nodded twice to him before turning back to look at everyone. She wanted to cry in a way. Guilt and remorse were eating away at her at the same time that fear and panic began to wash over her. Yet, even though she had the turmoil going on within her, she managed to remain composed on the outside, only letting her doe-eyed look give away the fact that she was confused.
Lia sat on the floor, across from the bed inside her apartment room. She kept one leg outstretched, and the other leg close to herself as she gazed upon the bed like it were some kind of alien vessel. Even though she had been staying in the apartments for two weeks already with Joe, the blonde still hadn't gotten used to sleeping in beds again. It was a luxury she had lost for so long, her body just wasn't used to them. Her back felt sore, and she felt much more comfortable sitting on the floor. Although, there was the chance that she wasn't sore from the bed--perhaps she was imaging it--and that it was entirely to do with the car accident she had lived through.
The young survivor didn't remember much from before her accident. She remembered getting in the car with Joe and that was it. She hardly remembered what they talked about or even who had been driving at the time. She only knew what had happened because of what Joe had explained to her after she woke up. Lia had been out for a few days and was shocked to learn what had happened, but truthfully was grateful to Joe. He took her to safety, got her help, and took care of Renegade while she was out. She wasn't grate at expressing gratitude, but she hoped that Joe could tell she was grateful simply by the fact that she had opened up a little more to him lately.
However, Joe had been the only person she had begun to speak more with. Just because there were other occupants in the same building didn't mean that she allowed herself to become friendly with any of them. No, Lia wasn't the type of person who would very easily trust anyone. A few of them may have seemed nice enough, like Fan for example, but Lia's cautious personality continued to be a wall keeping out most individuals.
Since she had been avoiding most of the group, Lia had spent a lot of time in her apartment room. Thankfully, recovering from her car accident was enough of an excuse to seem antisocial and hopeful to be left alone so she could rest. It was partly truthful, after all. She did need rest. She often had headaches since the crash, and still felt rather sore. There were times, now and again, when being around the others was inevitable though--now turning out to be one of those times.
Like a sudden burst of air in her face, an uncomfortable sensation struck Lia. She straightened her back and sat up for moment before quickly bending over and vomiting whatever she had in her stomach onto the floor. She shook as she sat back up wiping her mouth and muttering under her breath, "Ugh, what the hell was that?"
It wasn't often that Lia got sick, so she didn't worry about it all that much. Even after the world went to hell she had managed to retain her health most of the time. So why did something have to be wrong with her now of all times? These days, an infection or sickness could kill. It was nothing to take lightly, especially when she had no idea what it was. Did she come in contact with a stomach bug? Eat something rancid? Or was she vomiting due to an internal injury relating to the car crash? She wasn't sure if the last one could even be possible, but hopefully not.
Grumbling, Lia slowly stood up--being sure to shoo a very curious Renegade away from her vomit so she could clean it up--and made her way for the door of her room. She exited, scratching the back of her head as she tried to remember the layout of the area. "Ugh, where exactly was Fan again? Jeez, it's just not easy to think when you have a damn headache all the time," she thought before choosing a random direction to go. Lia walked along through the hallway before eventually spotting another person. Thank goodness.
"Hey you," Lia started, coming up from behind the male she had discovered. When Riley would see Lia, it wouldn't be hard for him to see that she wasn't exactly in tip top shape. She appeared pale, had dark circles under her eyes, and kept her messy blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. She was far from looking sickly--Lia had a lot of strength in her--but definitely didn't appear to be at one-hundred percent. "Do you know where Fan is? I need to see her," Lia added, waiting to see what he would say in reply.
As the caravan and Thom arrived, Thom noticed everyone gathering, Hopping off his horse, he'd move his way to Cutter and Danny. Sigh at Danny's joke, Thom couldn't keep his comments to himself.
"Look, You guys don't have to call us sir. We're just guys surviving, like you. We just ride horse and wield sword. We also have a dueling tournament every so often. Jokes aside, let's just forgot this knight stuff for now."
Motioning for his group the whole wagon in, Thom would see Fan as she walked her way over.
"Hey, got the stuff and the contract for you, Fan"
Fan would motion for Greg to help the knight unload.
"What did you bring us, Thom?"
"Got the steaks, pork chops, bread, Butter, veggies and fruit. We got grain, like flour. Our blacksmith also gave use leather and weapons. Few bows, you get the jest. The Queen was happy that we're giving the cow here, but this is an investment. It's in this group. In you all."
Pausing slightly, Thom would continue.
"However, we know we're much out of this, yet. That's why the Queen as requested you, and some of your "countrymen to meet here at the Castle for"talks".
As Ethan pulls over, Claire notices the girl walking down the road. Wondering what was going on, she unbuckles slides over to the other side as Sofia is riding "shotgun." She watches as he calmly talks to the girl, as he had with her and she willingly comes to the car, probably as eager and desperate for the company of others and a place she could maybe even call home. Claire slides back to her spot when they approach for the new-comer, although she was just brought in a few hours earlier.
"Ethan, where are we going? And why can't you tell us?" Claire started to worry. All the bad ideas and good mixing together as if her head was one big stirring pot. What if he's going to kill us? But if he was going to, why wouldn't he right there and then, and the same for me? Why are we not helping others? Why are we the ones he chose? What if we run into hostile people? I don't think I can kill the living... How am I supposed to react when I find out the surprise? What if I react wrong to it! What is going to happen then? Will I get punished?
Scared, she sits quietly while starting at back of the seat in front of her, keeping to herself, waiting to hear the answer she was expecting the most, "It's a surprise."
When Ethan entered the bar, Anastasia was still trying to read the children's book. When he drew her attention, she glanced up and shut the book. He gestured, and delivered a sentence. She picked out the word "Come" from his sentence and nodded, though unsure of why.
They reached the van and she garnered from his gestures that he wanted her to step into the vehicle. She nodded, the still slightly uncertain, and climbed in beside a girl who's name she thought was "Clara," or "Claire." Something along the line.
As Ethan started driving, Anastasia leaned up and spoke. "Ah - Ethan, where go?" She said, trying to get some semblance of a sentence. She waited for his response, hoping that she would be able to decipher what he said. She had been there about a month and a half, but Ethan still intimidated her. That, plus her language barrier made it quite a nervous situation.
