Setting
A small homestead on a rural road.
Minimap
northwest |
north |
northeast |
west |
You are here. |
east |
southwest |
south |
southeast |
The Homestead is a part of 
Somewhere in Kansas.
2 Characters Here
Bridget Deaney [18] Where the wind blows...
Rachel Seigner [17] No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.
Start Character Here »
He was intimidating, that was for sure, but his demeanor and attitude were alright. She sighed audibly, releasing the tension that had built up in her, and actually managed to smile when he said he would look at the bus for her.
She hadn't gotten as close as he did, but she could smell a whiff of what he did. "Erm, well whatever was available at the gas stations, to be honest. Some pumps didn't work, and some did. Really couldn't be picky about octanes, you know," she said in a neutral voice, trying to sound like she knew something about the bus, when in reality the first hours of her driving it were pretty terrifying. Plus, she didn't want to seem like a moron if the thing ended up needing diesel, or something.
She looked up and down the road. "Is that your place off the road there?"
She hadn't gotten as close as he did, but she could smell a whiff of what he did. "Erm, well whatever was available at the gas stations, to be honest. Some pumps didn't work, and some did. Really couldn't be picky about octanes, you know," she said in a neutral voice, trying to sound like she knew something about the bus, when in reality the first hours of her driving it were pretty terrifying. Plus, she didn't want to seem like a moron if the thing ended up needing diesel, or something.
She looked up and down the road. "Is that your place off the road there?"
With Carrie Underwood blasting through the speakers, using up the last of the iPod battery, the couple drove down the dirt road. Rachel noticed Axel squinting his eyes, trying to look far into the distance. "Is that a school bus?" he said, partially to himself. He chuckled quietly. "Maybe there's some survivors after all."
Axel sped up until he was about one hundred feet away from the bus. He noticed two people standing by it, a man and a woman. He honked his horn as he drove up. "Need some help?" he called out the window. This wasn't like a movie or TV show. You could trust people in the real world... or so they hoped.
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," Rachel muttered. "Maybe you should just drive by. They might be dangerous." Axel wasn't listening though, and he cut the engine on the Ram, and stood up, sticking his head through the sunroof.
Grant's eyebrows went up as yet another person approached. "You people followin' me? This is weird." He looked the newcomer up and down; the guy looked kind of dirty, with an unshaven face and worn clothes. "Yeah, we friendly too...Russianinsky." He flashed the guy a thumbs up.
He took a step back and took a wide look at everyone that had gathered. "Well we can probably head up to the house. I was planning on heading up to Fort Yates soon, since me n' the chick that lives there are out of food. Maybe we can head up there together, watch each other's backs, gather more supplies that way. C'mon."
Once they got up to the house, Grant slowly went in, looking for Abby. "Mom? I found some dogs, can I keep them?" He joked.
He took a step back and took a wide look at everyone that had gathered. "Well we can probably head up to the house. I was planning on heading up to Fort Yates soon, since me n' the chick that lives there are out of food. Maybe we can head up there together, watch each other's backs, gather more supplies that way. C'mon."
Once they got up to the house, Grant slowly went in, looking for Abby. "Mom? I found some dogs, can I keep them?" He joked.
Abby tousled her hair dry as she made her way back to the small house. She smiled as she saw Grant wondering how he had been so fast. Her face soon turned to confusion at his remark.
'What are you talking abo-' she peered through the open front door inspecting not only two vehicles but a small group of people, slowly she turned around to face grant smirking 'You went for food and you come back with this?' She laughed 'Unless of course THIS' she gestured outside to the strangers 'is your idea of food, in which case i am not game my friend' she tried to hide her laughter. She couldn't believe it, she hadn't spoke to anyone in weeks and within a hour of meeting this guy another four people turn up.
'What are you talking abo-' she peered through the open front door inspecting not only two vehicles but a small group of people, slowly she turned around to face grant smirking 'You went for food and you come back with this?' She laughed 'Unless of course THIS' she gestured outside to the strangers 'is your idea of food, in which case i am not game my friend' she tried to hide her laughter. She couldn't believe it, she hadn't spoke to anyone in weeks and within a hour of meeting this guy another four people turn up.
Grant chuckled at Abby's remark. "More like I went down the street and found this. Apparently your house is where all the cool kids are hanging out these days." Grant turned around to face everybody. "With that, though, I should head into town to go grab food. Anyone wanna tag along?"
Bridget couldn't help but hold back a smile at the amount of people gathering, and how nice Abby seemed to be. As Grant was asking about going into town, she cleared her throat and spoke up. "Well, if I could get some help moving it all, that bus I rode in on has quite a few boxes of bottled water and cans of food, chips, even some bread that's not stale yet. I'm happy to share it if I can stay here for a few days or a while," she said, watching people for their reactions.
"Opa! Hahaha!" Vlad replied, he hadn't understood a single word except 'tag along' and 'food' and he bumbled in his own language as he followed them like a lost puppy. They hadn't shot him, robbed him or yelled at him yet and that was enough for him to do his best to befriend them.
"Privet. Ya ostavlyu svoye snaryazheniye zdes' ty ne protiv?" Vlad asked Abby, pulling his camping backpack off his shoulders and dumping it by the house of the door and pointed at it. "I sleep outside, I no bandit, I friendly." The russian nodded a few times to make sure she got the point and turned around, smiling stupidly at Bridget & Grant. "Privet!"
Then finally, he turned around to face Grant and moved to pat him on the shoulder. "Tag along?"
"Privet. Ya ostavlyu svoye snaryazheniye zdes' ty ne protiv?" Vlad asked Abby, pulling his camping backpack off his shoulders and dumping it by the house of the door and pointed at it. "I sleep outside, I no bandit, I friendly." The russian nodded a few times to make sure she got the point and turned around, smiling stupidly at Bridget & Grant. "Privet!"
Then finally, he turned around to face Grant and moved to pat him on the shoulder. "Tag along?"
Abby smiled at Bridget 'Sure you can stay! I'm Abby by the way'
The house was small with only one bedroom, a living room, bathroom and a small kitchen/dining area, still she could make room for everyone to camp down. She was just glad for the company.
'Ican help you move everything'
Stepping onto the porch she could get a better view of the obviously foreign guy, she couldn't really talk she was was from England but she definatly couldn't speak Russian. Her face turned to confusion as she tried to interpret what he was saying before he turned to face Grant and Bridgett. She leant around the Russian so they could see her and raised her hands questionably 'Privet?' She mouthed at the pair.
The house was small with only one bedroom, a living room, bathroom and a small kitchen/dining area, still she could make room for everyone to camp down. She was just glad for the company.
'Ican help you move everything'
Stepping onto the porch she could get a better view of the obviously foreign guy, she couldn't really talk she was was from England but she definatly couldn't speak Russian. Her face turned to confusion as she tried to interpret what he was saying before he turned to face Grant and Bridgett. She leant around the Russian so they could see her and raised her hands questionably 'Privet?' She mouthed at the pair.
Bridget smiled at Abby, and followed her out to the porch, watching the group heading towards town. It was so strange to see so many people after being alone for so many days. She turned to her host with a small smile, and offered her hand. "I'm Bridget, by the way. Thanks for letting me stick around."
She watched the retreating backs of the trio, and then looked around the small home and it's surroundings. Off to the side near a garage, she saw what seemed to be a large fuel tank, half dug into the ground. "Is that fuel there?" she asked, cocking her head and thinking. "I have a generator with me, we might be able to get some electricity going, a little anyway."
She watched the retreating backs of the trio, and then looked around the small home and it's surroundings. Off to the side near a garage, she saw what seemed to be a large fuel tank, half dug into the ground. "Is that fuel there?" she asked, cocking her head and thinking. "I have a generator with me, we might be able to get some electricity going, a little anyway."
Abby shook Bridgets hand and returned her smile.
'No problem, i'm grateful for the company. Being alone isn't much fun when your world is crumbling.' Her smiled faltered slightly as she looked away, her sadness creeping into her eyes. Taking a deep breath and plastering a new smile upon her face she snapped herself back together, running her fingers through her hair she watched the men disappear down the road.
Lost in her own world again she almost didn't hear Bridget. 'Fuel?' she followed the womans gaze till she spotted the large fuel tank. 'Oh yeah i think so, i'm not sure how much is in though'
She turned away from the tank to face the other woman standing nearby 'Hey, im Abby' she gave an awkward wave but paired it with a genuine smile.
'No problem, i'm grateful for the company. Being alone isn't much fun when your world is crumbling.' Her smiled faltered slightly as she looked away, her sadness creeping into her eyes. Taking a deep breath and plastering a new smile upon her face she snapped herself back together, running her fingers through her hair she watched the men disappear down the road.
Lost in her own world again she almost didn't hear Bridget. 'Fuel?' she followed the womans gaze till she spotted the large fuel tank. 'Oh yeah i think so, i'm not sure how much is in though'
She turned away from the tank to face the other woman standing nearby 'Hey, im Abby' she gave an awkward wave but paired it with a genuine smile.
'Well originally i'm from Yorkshire, England, then i moved to Florida to study, then to Colorado for work until i ended to up here to survive.' She smirked at Rachel 'I get around a lot' she added sarcastically.
Abby lent against the wooden door frame of the small house and pictured herself back home, she sometimes had moments of missing it and this was one of them. Was everyone dead there too? did any of her friends (how few there were) of her past life survive? She looked up to the blue sky and let her thoughts drift away with the mid day breeze, no use thinking about it now.
Abby lent against the wooden door frame of the small house and pictured herself back home, she sometimes had moments of missing it and this was one of them. Was everyone dead there too? did any of her friends (how few there were) of her past life survive? She looked up to the blue sky and let her thoughts drift away with the mid day breeze, no use thinking about it now.
Bridget smiled at the both of them. "I'm from the suburbs of Chicago, never really left there until this all happened," she said quietly, looking around the place too. She looked out at the bus, which thankfully had stopped smoking up. "So I've got boxes upon boxes of goods out in the bus... I pretty much stopped everywhere that hadn't been looted along the way and grabbed what I though I could use."
'Thank god! I've been living of bean for a week got down to my last can' Abbys stomach rumbled slightly at the thought of food, she hadn't eaten properly in weeks trying to ration her portions. She was of average size before everything had happened but now she was slim, her bones more prominent, she couldn't really afford to loose anything else.
'I'll start to help bring stuff in shall I?' She stepped out of the doorway and made her way towards the broken down vehicle.
'I'll start to help bring stuff in shall I?' She stepped out of the doorway and made her way towards the broken down vehicle.
Bridget followed her out to the bus, her muscles aching for a warm bath of some kind, but the supplies came first. "So Abby, how long ago did you move to the States then?" she asked politely, boarding the bus after the red-head and looking around to see what to unload first.
Abby stepped up into the bus and searched through I few of the boxes before selecting one with various packets in before picking it up. It wasn't too heavy but she leaned it on one hip to keep it steady.
'About 5 or 6 years ago when I was 18, I'd just finished college back home and got accepted and Florida State Univeristy.'
Not really wanting to delve into her reasoning or her past she moved quickly on, she'd only just met them she was willing to pour her heart out to them. 'So what did you two do before everything happened?'
She shuffled past Bridget and jumped down from the bus turning to face them, she moved the box to balance on her other hip.
'About 5 or 6 years ago when I was 18, I'd just finished college back home and got accepted and Florida State Univeristy.'
Not really wanting to delve into her reasoning or her past she moved quickly on, she'd only just met them she was willing to pour her heart out to them. 'So what did you two do before everything happened?'
She shuffled past Bridget and jumped down from the bus turning to face them, she moved the box to balance on her other hip.
Figuring clean water was a must, Bridget found the box of gallon filtered water bottles. She picked up two in each hand after stuffing her pockets with sealed packets of beef jerky. The less trips, the better, she thought.
She stepped out of the bus, breathing in the cool air outside. "I, umm, was a kindergarten teacher," she said, sticking a thumb out at the bus. "Good thing I knew where they kept the keys..."
She stepped out of the bus, breathing in the cool air outside. "I, umm, was a kindergarten teacher," she said, sticking a thumb out at the bus. "Good thing I knew where they kept the keys..."
Abby couldn't believe what Rachel had just said. Unsure of what to do, how to comfort her she stumbled over her own words 'I- I'm so sorry Rachel. I can't even being to image what your going though' and she couldn't. To bring something so beautiful as a child into this world only for them to be taken so suddenly, Abby could hardly bear to think about it never mind living it like Rachel had to. She give Rachel a sympathic look even though she knew it would not be much comfort for the grieving mother.
Bridget was shocked as well, and set down the gallons she was holding, and walked over to give Rachel a hug. She knew it wasn't expected, and actually expected the woman to cringe or something. She couldn't help herself, she was a very empathetic person. "I'm so sorry Rachel," she said quietly as she let go, "I thought there wasn't anything worse than to know all the kids you spend hours a day with being gone, but your own baby..." she trailed off, hoping she hadn't said anything to make it worse for the poor woman.
Abby readjusted her grip on the box and made her way to the house. Once inside she placed the box onto the kitchen table and noticed one of her books had fallen on the floor. She bent to retrieve it wiping some dusk from the dog-eared cover, it was a George Orwell book, not especially one of her favourites but it held good memories of the first time she read it. Carefully she put it back into her rucksack and zipped it shut before making her way back outside. On her way back over to the van she saw Bridget walking towards her holding two gallons of water. 'Impressive' she smirked slightly impressed 'Carry on like that and your biceps will be huge!'
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