Post Apocalypse

[muketsu_bara]

((yay!!! I thought this was dying))

Danny kept walking around the encampment, watching and listening to the others. She sighed softly and stepped into the supply building. She wandered around, studying the food supplies, and then stepped back out into the heat. She continued to walk.
"Danny!" a voice called out and brought her attention to a young boy running toward her. She smiled softly and scooped the young child into her arms when the boy jumped. "Danny, look what I found." He showed her a beautiful rock.
"Well done, Lucas, well done. Find four more of those and you'll have yourself a collection," she said and set him back down. She watched him run back to the group of young boys he was with and smiled.

[Genimay]

Spike was asleep, she had been asleep for most of the three days she had been at Fort Life. The teen didn't sleep in a bed or cot as most there did but against a wall in the encampment. It bothered her to be alone at any point in time though she couldn't place why. She had walked most of the way from Colorado on her own and that hadn't really bugged her. To be fair, she had to admit over most of her trek she had been to terrified to worry about much else.

With a jolt, the dark haired girl jerked awake. Fear grasped her heart for a moment but it was quickly calmed by the hot sun and seeing Fort Life around her. Nearby, Danny, just about the only persons name Spike knew, was watching a kid scamper back to a pack of the young rascals. Hunger roared in Spike's belly,forcing her to stand and approach the other woman. "Hey, there a place a girl can find some food?" her almost rough voice sounded happier than she felt and decades younger.

[muketsu_bara]

Danny turned toward one of the newcomers, a dark haired girl. "Aye, follow me," she said with a slight toss of her head. "I was just headed there myself." She shoved her hands into her pockets once more and started walking once more. "Welcome to Fort Life," a sign read off to the left.
Danny took a deep breath and she shook her head with her own thoughts.

[Genimay]

Spike gladly followed Danny. Her stomach was grumping at her and wasn't going to be quiet until she fed it. "Thanks Danny. I'm Spike, I don't know if you remember my name but you were there when I first got here. I think anyway. How long have you been here? Is it okay? Better than being out there?" Spike babbled as she almost galloped along side the older girl.

Though Danny's hair was white, Spike didn't figure her over 25 and probably younger. It felt good to not have to watch her back for once and Spike was exuberant about the fact. She grinned at everyone they passed, weather the other person smiled back or not didn't really matter.

[muketsu_bara]

Danny looked at the young girl and it dawned on her that she was there to help this one enter Fort Life. "Aye, I do remember you. Fort Life is a life better than what most have been living," she said softly. "I've been here for awhile. I quit counting the months awhile back." She was glad that the girl was in good shape. It was better than the shape she arrived in. "Well here we go, the mess hall," she said softly and pushed open a door.

[flying monkey child]

(I thought this was dead...oh well.)

So much had happened the past while. A few new girls, new guys, it all started to make Chip wonder if they had enough food to feed this people. Sure, they had thousands of canned food stored away, and more already packed into trucks just in case of a quick escape. However, it was still limited, and they could be there a long time.

But as the days grew on Chip felt himself losing that cynical, dark mindset he was in. In fact, and it may be too much to say this, but he almost felt happy. Hell, he even smiled for no reason not too long ago. It was almost as if a pessimist was slowly becoming an optimist, for the words "It could be a helluva lot worse" were constantly flying through his mind.

As Chip was walking around off duty he spotted Danny and one of the new girls, who he had not yet met, on their way to the mess hall and he figured he'd join them. He wasn't particularly hungry, but he didn't want to be alone. He figured he'd just get a drink of something, some water was starting to sound nice. Chip jogged a little bit to catch up with them and got there in time to hold the door open for them, "You wouldn't mind if I joined you for a while, Danny?"

[muketsu_bara]

Danny looked up and saw Chip. "Hey, Chip," she said softly and then introduced the two. "This is Spike. She's one of the girls I helped bring in the other day." She studied Chip quickly, slightly noticing that he was in one of his better moods. "Sure you can join us," she answered him.

[Mr Hyde]

(Are new people still being accepted?)

[Genimay]

Spike beamed at Chip. "Hey." she held out her hand to shake Chip's even as she kept walking.

As Danny held the door open to the mess hall a wave of dizziness washed over Spike. Behind closed eye lids flashes went off and Spike could hear someone screaming in the distance. Vaguely she realized it was her. In Fort Life, the girl just lost balance and closed her eyes before shaking her head and blinking hard. The episode was over before it started really and Spike was back to her smiley self. Only now her eyes looked a little stormier.

Getting to Fort Life was only the beginning of healing for Spike...if only she knew that...

[flying monkey child]

OOC: Sure, you can still join.

Chip reached out and placed a hand on Danny's shoulder when she started to yell to keep her from falling. Almost as soon as it happened it was over and, for the most part, Spike seemed like nothing was wrong. Years ago this would have seemed weird, however with how the world was now the fact that this girl had some sort of mental illness or just being entirely screwed to hell wasn't at all surprising. Hell, it was almost expected.

"Danny, there is something I've been meaning to ask you. A lot of people don't know this yet, but our leader is sick. Dying. It won't be long until he's gone. I'd rather you not tell anyone this, keep it here. I told you this because it is very likely that there is going to be a big split. Some people will want this guy in power while some will want someone else, and it could get just as dangerous in Fort Life as out." He paused, it was a lot to tell her. "I've got two armored buses and a truck filled with supplies ready to go on any notice, no one knows about them yet."

Another pause, he was getting to the point. "Despite our distance you are still one of my closest friends, and my question is this. Would you trust me enough to lead people out of here in case things go south?" Despite his good feeling you could tell this was an internal struggle. Chip did set everything up and prepared for departure, but he wasn't sure of himself to take the next step. The lack of confidence was obvious.

[Mr Hyde]

Name: Julias Hyde

Age: 34

Gender: Male

Appearance: A hard looking man with a raggedy beard and a damaged Kevlar vest.
History: Once the gunsmith of a small hunting town Julias was one of the few survivors after the initial wave of zombies. Seeking refuge at the nearest city the rest of his party was killed during the night. He first came to Fort Life after seeking refuge there while being hunted by a pack of wolf-like zombies.

Preferred Weapon: Modified shotgun with a hand loaded grenade launcher.

Personality: The years have not been kind to him. Driven by the many horrors he has witnessed and being alone for nearly three years he has social problems and isn’t used to taking orders.

[Mr Hyde]

Swearing as he heard the baying beasts behind him Julias Hyde charged around a corner and headed for the large building ahead of him. Hopefully it had some decent doors on it to give him some shelter. Taking a look back he swore again as he saw how much they had gained on him. Dropping down to one knee behind a concrete bench he raised his modified shotgun and fired its grenade launcher. A small round ball almost lazily flew through the air before hitting the hard pavement and exploding into a hundred pieces. The explosion echoed through the city as two of the wolf-like beasts were ripped apart by the explosion and another was hit by shrapnel but survived.

The remaining two continued forward undaunted. Leveling the shotgun he took careful aim and managed to blow one of their heads off. The second zombie leapt through the air and Julias barely managed to send a round through its chest, killing it instantly.

Standing up shakily he swung wildly around as the last zombie lunged at him knocking his shotgun aside. The Kevlar vest stood up to the brunt of the beast’s attack before it began trying to get at his neck. Scrambling over to where his shotgun lay he managed to bash it in its snarling face breaking many of its teeth. Using the butt of the gun as a club Julias began to mercilessly beat it to death while accumulating bites and slashes as the creature finally died. Dropping down onto the bench he breathed a sigh of relief before inspecting his new accumulation of wounds.

[Hiro Protagonist]

He had lost track of how long he had been traveling. North or south, day or night, it no longer matter. Most of the time, he was alone. Once, he traveled with a girl he found alongside the road. It had been great; someone to talk to, someone to watch his back. A few times, they had made love. Tucson had taken her from him, tore apart as he ran. So he continued to drive, bald tires etching the miles of dusted pavement. The road had become his only home.

"Two, and one more makes three," Alex counted, handing over the jugs of water.
"That's great," said the man who watched them being set at his feet. "But I think I remember saying four."
"Hold on a tick," Alex protested, raising in hands in frustration. "Never mind the fact that you've got me at gun point and just took most of my chance for surviving, now you've got to go and raise numbers on me?"
"Are you calling me a liar, you little shit?" The man raised his gun from pointing at Alex's chest to around the vicinity of his left eye.
It was Murphey's Law, Alex contemplated as he thought of his next move. Murphey's Law that as you're driving down the freeway, you just so happen to see a guy with his thumb stuck out at the road. Murphey's Law that as you so kindly pull over to see if you can give him a lift, he draws some awkwardly large piece of a firearm on you. Now he found himself outside some run-down diner giving the last of his precious water to a man straight out of Deliverance. That thought, as it went through his mind, really gave him the chills. Finally, after weighing his options, he gave his answer.
"Yes"
Alex reckoned that it was the butt of the pistol that had caught himself crosswise across the jaw and introduced him to the asphalt. He knew for certain that it was the man's boot that caught him in the stomach and threw him another two feet across the ground. When his grasping hand wrapped about something at the base of the wall, he hoped to God it was something hard. Turns out it must have been, for as he swung it against the guy's leg, he made an awfully girlish yelp and kindly gave Alex enough time to stand. Upon closer examination, he found he was now yielding a splintered but still serviceable two-by-four. Now he was on solid ground. Three years of college baseball connected into the thug's forehead and the sound that it made was soul satisfying.
As he stood over the fallen man's body, Alex contemplating exacting a little more revenge. Ultimately, he figured he had done enough. Well, almost enough. He grabbed his jugs of water and walked them back to the car. Then, he grabbed the gun and after fumbling about for a moment, assured himself that the safety was on. And finally, just for good measure, Alex tied the man's shoe laces together.
Working over the diner increased his good mood even more. Though the water was long dry and the food spoiled, a drawer gave him fresh batteries for the flashlight, the kitchen yielded an extra bottle of propane, and if lady luck wasn't smiling enough, he even walked out with a Playboy.

[muketsu_bara]

Danny turned and studied Chip. What he had told her was new news and slightly a shock to hear. She had known Chip since the first day she came here and had begun a friendly relationship with him. "Chip," she said softly and placed a hand on his shoulder so that they stood there with each other's hands on the other's shoulder, "you are my dearest friend and I would trust you with my life. I would help you with anything if you asked it of me." Telling him that took a great deal of guts which she wasn't sure she had.

[Mr Hyde]

Grimacing Julias surveyed his wounds. While they were nowhere near life threatening he’d half to bandage them up soon or they’d get infected. Gingerly rising from the now blood stained bench he slowly limped towards the large school like building. Finally reaching the rusty and damaged main door he grabbed the handle and pulled. Locked.

Raising his shotgun he aimed and then thought better of it. In the rare even someone still lived he it wouldn’t be a good idea to shoot a hole through their front door. At least not without knocking. Raising the butt of his shotgun he slammed it against the metal door once, twice, three times. The booming sound echoed through the dark hallways alerting any who could be inside.

[Genimay]

Spike watched the exchange between Danny and Chip uneasily. She was still an outsider here. There was a core family that she knew nothing of and wasn't sure she wanted to. Already, Spike had lost too many she cared for and her heart rebelled at the idea of getting close to more just to watch them die. Still, she grinned as she moved cautiously from foot to foot, waiting for the other two to remember she was standing there.