All That Remains

[Hell0NHighWater]

Hearing Neil's voice, Gospel snapped from her thoughts and shut the water valve off quickly.


"Yeah I'll be out in a sec-!"


Her feet slipped on the tiled floor, grasping blindly at the counter as a string of curses flew from her mouth. Steadying herself she grabbed her towel and pulled it around her. She paused half way through drying off, noting the fact that he had called her by her real name again. It had been so long since someone, besides her father recently, had called her by that name. She had almost forgotten that it was her actual name instead of Gospel. She guessed though that it was alright for him to call her by that name, it seemed to sound better coming from him anyway.


Getting dressed, she walked out of the bathroom still wringing the water out of her hair with a towel. A small smile floating onto her lips as she looked at him laying on the bed.


"Since when did you start calling me Jess?"


Gospel asked him teasingly, raking her fingers through her hair in place of a brush. She stood at the edge of the bed with a raised eyebrow trying to deduce what had him so philosophical like this morning. He had that elsewhere look on his face and she was debating with herself whether to ask him if something was on his mind that he'd like to talk about.


Placing her towel on the armchair across from the bed, she sat at the end of the mattress, committing how he looked to memory. Tilting her head to the side, she waited for an answer while moving all of her hair over one shoulder so that it could dry a little more before she swept it up her her ponytail. Gospel had been fortunate that no one or nothing had grabbed onto her hair over the years but that didn't mean it could happen. Which just meant that she was even more cautious about it, hence the 24/7 ponytail that only stifled the risk a little bit. Worse case was that she cut it, something that Gospel wasn't too thrilled about. Derailing her thoughts back to Neil laying on the bed, she looked back at him ready to go just not really wanting to leave. Leaving would mean that they were back in the group and it wasn't just her and Neil anymore. She sighed lightly, still trying to place how she felt about Chris in this whole thing though she knew she didn't feel anything remote to what she knew she felt for Neil. The attraction to Neil was.......more than just psychical for her, though the fact that he was handsome didn't hurt.


Moving over towards where he laid she rolled over so that she was on her side but facing him, arching a single eyebrow.


"I mean, I could start calling you Hardwhick if that floats your boat."


Gospel teased again, her voice hinting at an underlining message to that statement.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil turned his head over to look at Gospel as she teased him about calling her Jess. "Well I don't know what you prefer. I thought I'd experiment with it" he said with a smile. Turning back to look at the ceiling his mind strayed off back to the dream and the upcoming war. He wondered if one had to do with the other. Once again he tried convincing himself that the dream meant nothing. But he wondered if this girl actually existed. If she did why were Neil's dreams depicting her shooting him and people he cared about. Neil then thought about the war and how unprepared he was for it. He hadn't thought of what he was going to do about it.


Then there was the safe zone. he was certain they were alright but he couldn't help to feel like they needed him to come back. He assured himself that the war was the limit. He wouldn't come back any later than after the war, but he would try to go before it started. Something else crossed his mind. He needed to get a razor. They were probably hard to come by now but he needed one desperately. His beard was starting to get out of hand, mainly on the neck, and he wasn't going to lie he could use a minor clean up downstairs too.


Neil looked as Gospel laid next to him and faced him. He smiled and wished that they didn't have to go. He wanted to just stay with her in the comfort of each others' presence. He knew once they got outside it might be a while before they were alone and Chris probably wouldn't ship them. Thinking about Chris trying to get Gospel made something in Neil's brain a bit angry. He relaxed though reassuring himself that Gospel liked him more. He calmed down fully when she spoke again, although calm wasn't the right word seeing as another type of emotion took over.





"You can call me Hardwhick when you find out why thats my last name" he said giving a playful wink. Although he wasn't a pervert and he wasn't a great poet sometimes he was good with his teasing and/or dirty talk. He rolled over off his back so he could be facing her sideways. He smiled, his hormones slightly toning down now. He put his hand on her cheek, wanting to get one last feel of it before they had to leave. He really wished he could poke his head out and tell them to leave without them...but it was their truck and the bikers were probably not gonna be happy with walking.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Shades of dusty pink defiled her pale cheeks, staring at him as the full meaning of his retort hit her like a ton of bricks. Her stomach curled in on itself, failing to keep the stunned look off her face from his wink. Of all the things that she had expected from him a wink wasn't one of them.


Gospel slowly regained her composure as he rolled over to face her. She leaned into his palm when he placed it on her cheek, still struggling to ignore those damned butterflies reeking havoc in her gut.


"Have you been waiting to use that one or did you just randomly make that up?"


Gospel questioned him with an arched eyebrow, his dork-ness elevating a few points from the dirty dirty pun he used on his own last name.


She continued to glare at him playfully, only the slightest bit annoyed that he had made a dirty comment only for her to have nothing good to come back at him with. Leaning forward she placed a small kiss on the bridge of his nose, forcing herself to actually pull away. She really didn't want to leave the bed or his embrace, but the sooner they hit the road the sooner they could get away from the memories that resided in the city only a mile or so away. Standing, she tied her damp blue hair back into a messy bun figuring that it was worth the change every once in a while. Grabbing her jacket off the chair next to her used towel, she shrugged it on over her shoulders before zipping it up all the way. Looking back at Neil, she smiled again still feeling the loopy effects of last night.


He was going to be the death of her.


"Come on. The further we get away from Woodsrow the better."


Gospel stated, making sure she had everything before walking out of the motel room. She cast a glance around the near empty parking lot. The sky had light brushes of pink and blue across the grey shroud, a sign that the sun was just starting to come up. Biting her bottom lip, she thought for a moment, trying to remember what month it would have been and what day. It had been a while since she had looked at some sort of calendar, but if she was right they were somewhere around May 23rd. Which could only mean that she would be 22 as of midnight. She could have been wrong though, it was always hard to remember what month was what anymore now that it wasn't that big of a priority. All she knew was that they were in a season that was really rainy, spring. Sighing softly, she made her way towards one of the abandoned cars, peering thorough the passenger side window before checking the door to see if it was unlocked. Smirking lightly as the door popped open, she leaned into the vehicle starting to go through the odds and ends of the glove compartment.


Cigarettes. Most likely stale.


Junk papers.


A lighter. One of those gas station cheep ones.


Gospel's face turned bright red, pulling out a small blue packet. Apparently someone was prepared in case of condom emergencies. Clearing her throat at the very unexpected find, she placed it discreetly in her bag before searching the rest of the car but finding nothing of real use. Standing straight up, she bit her lip again, heading over towards the last car. She assessed the broken blood stained window carefully, slowly kneeling down to check under the car since she couldn't see inside it. Last thing she needed was something grabbing hold of her ankles and taking a big bite out of her. Carefully pulling her knife from her boot, she held it at the ready, placing her hand on the door latch and jerking it back fast.


Empty.


A sigh of relief escaped Gospel slightly, placing her knife back in it's place she searched the car. Not turning up much besides a few CD's to add to her own collection and a map of the area which she took just in case. Gospel had learned to always take the maps if she could, she had gotten lost too many times for comfort. Something she was sure Neil knew very well about her. She missed GPS's, being able to never having to worry about taking the wrong turn was something that she wished still existed.

 

[SnowStorm42]

"Came up with it on the spot actually" Neil said proudly. He was always one to come up with a witty comeback. Usually with Gospel he couldn't but when he finally did it usually left her unable to give him a good retort. Neil smiled as she kissed him softly on the nose. He really didn't want this to end here but unfortunately it had to. The bikers were eager to get back and there were other things to sort out as well. Neil got up after her and checked his hair in the bathroom before leaving, making sure that it was where it needed to be. He was picky about looking good in the apocalypse.


He looked at Gospel as she told him to come on so they could get out of Woodsrow. "I'll be right behind you" he said. He made his way to the end of the bed where he sat and tied his boots. He looked at the floor as he tied his combat boots. He was still a bit concerned about the days to come. He wished the war was already over so he could maybe take Gospel back to the safe zone and just live in peace. Sadly that wasn't going to happen. Not yet at least. As Neil finished tying his laces he wondered for the third time now about the woman with the black hair. It bothered him that she had reoccurred twice in his dreams now. It couldn't have been a total coincidence.


He got up and walked out of the room, taking one last look at the bed where he and Gospel had slept. He smiled and closed the door gently behind him. He looked to see Keith preparing the truck and Gospel looking for whatever she could find in the abandoned cars. Chris hadn't come out yet. Neil took the moment to go back into his room and grab his backpack. Thankfully Keith had picked it up on his way out of the labs. Neil would be lost without the pack. His old mask, his shotgun, and his bat as well as some medical supplies and a bottle of jack daniels were all in that bag. he put the pack on his back and walked out. At the same time he closed the door, an echo sounded as Chris also closed the door to his room.


The two made eye contact but said nothing. Chris made his way to the truck and sat in the back. Keith sat in the driver's side giving a map one last look to make sure they were on the right road. Neil made his way to the truck, but before getting in the back he looked down the road they came. He wondered what was of the General.

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​

The sound of heavy boots rushing around on tiles echoed through the halls of the laboratory. Heeled combat boots also echoed among all the other footsteps. The heeled boots were a lot slower sounding than the other footsteps which sounded rushed. The clacking of the heels suddenly turned into splashing noises as they made contact with a puddle of blood. The Janitor lay on the floor covered in bullet holes and its legs completely cut off. Its head moved as it gave a low growl. "You just don't want to stay dead do you?" a soft voice whispered. A gunshot rang, following three more that shattered the Janitor's skull in a few spots.


"The General and Pinkerton are nowhere to be found ma'am"


"Did you check the ENTIRE building?"


"Yes ma'am. No one. We are checking security footage now"


"Ok. Good"


The heels when from a splashing sound to a clacking sound again as they moved toward the stairs to the offices and up. A group of soldiers in high tech looking armor stood around the camera monitors. The heels clacked toward them, just as a certain monitor that was playing back last night's footage was on. She pointed to it and paused it as a group of people could be seen escorting and dragging Pinkerton and the General. Only two faces were actually visible. She pointed to a bearded blonde male with her index finger, and using her pinky pointed to a blue haired woman. "Use our sources in Pawnee, Brevington and The Projects. Find out who they are. Group B, search the roads of Rotterdaime. Check the ditches and towns and motels. I want to find out where the General and Pinkerton are. If they're dead...we make these individuals suffer"


The soldiers all got chills down their spine, not because of the order given by the soft female voice, but by the sick, twisted grin that accompanied it.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel turned towards the rest of the group, her eyes landing on Chris and Neil as they may their way back to the truck. She let out a small sigh, heading towards them before sliding into the passenger seat. Something told her that this was going to be one of the most tense car rides ever. Turning to look at Chris dead in the face, she held up the pack of cigs.


"Hey Mr. Grumpy-butt. Got a present for you."


She stated, tossing the half-full pack at him. She figured it would calm him down if he wasn't a smoker already, at least the tobacco should take a little bit of the edge off his attitude. Gospel arched an eyebrow at him hoping that he had removed the stick that was placed firmly up his ass from yesterday. Gospel had always thought that she was the hot headed one now that Neil had mellowed down, apparently she was wrong about that. Turning back to face forwards, she put her new CD's in a black case that was inside her own glove compartment which held stolen items that she had smuggled out of Pawnee when they had left. Glancing over at Keith, she nodded back towards Chris.


"Grumpy-butt has to share if you want one. Just keep the windows open. Last thing my baby needs is to stink."


Gospel mused slightly, in a pretty good mood considering everything that had happened in the past 24-hours.


She felt the car engine roar to life, the hum of the engine was a nice feeling especially since it meant that they were going somewhere far away. The further away the better. The smile slipped from her face, attention turning towards the window and the scenery that started to rush by as Keith drove. Again, she was tempted to tell him to stop the car and let her drive, but for some odd reason she felt it was best. Like it gave him something to do instead of sit back there with Chris or Neil. She briefly glanced in the side mirror, barely seeing Neil's profile from the way he was sitting.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Chris was feeling better after his whole fiasco last night. He had bandaged up his hands a bit from the glass shards and emotionally he felt he got the rage out of his chest. When Gospel offered him the half a pack of cigarettes he couldn't help but cheer up. He hadn't had a smoke in a day three days and that wasn't good considering he didn't have any cocaine in even longer. He wasn't a drug addict but he had a tendency of taking things that took the edge off, in moderation at least. He happily took the pack from her hand. "Thanks Gospel" he said. Taking one out and sticking it between his lips he offered one to Neil.


Neil shook his head. "No thanks. I'll only smoke it if it has cannabis"


"You know weed is unhealthier than cigarettes right?"


"Ya but weed comes in moderation, and its hard to come by in the apocalypse"


"Fair enough" Chris said with a slight chuckle. Neil hadn't smoked a joint in the longest time. Maybe the last time he smoked was when he was with the coyotes. Even though it was only weed every once in a while. Neil a little into the apocalypse tried staying away from anything that could weaken his physical abilities. Thats where Chris differed. Chris didn't care what he took into his body and how destructive it was. He had plenty of muscle and his lungs may not have been the best but he wasn't an acrobatic ninja like Neil.


Chris tapped Keith on the shoulder with a cigarette. Keith opened the window, then took the cigarette all with one hand, and not keeping his eyes off the road. "Got a light?" Keith asked. Chris searched his pockets. Empty. Neil reached into his bag. He found a bic lighter that could be purchased from literally any deli or small grocery store. He handed it to Chris who after lighting up, in turn gave it to Keith. Keith took both hands off the wheel, but steered with his knees. He cupped the flame and lit the cigarette, allowing all the death to enter as he inhaled. He put his hand back on the wheel and handed the lighter back.


Things were less tense now as they got closer to Dranesville. Chris looked over to Gospel and smiled. "Thanks not so Grumpy-butt" he said jokingly. "What's the plan when we get back? You two staying with us or..?"

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

A deep scowl rooted itself on her face watching the guys light up in her baby. It was absolutely horrid to think of that stale smell sticking to her leather seats. She hated narcotics, hell she hated alcohol just as much if not more. Her experiences with the substances weren't usually good anyway. Crossing one leg over the other, she lifted herself from her daze to look back at Chris. His comment about her not being a Grumpy-butt almost made her smile. Looking to Neil for a moment she shrugged trying to think about a logical response to his question.


"Whatever happens, I can't go back to Pawnee. Unless of corse I have the opertunity to muder every single bastard there."


She hissed under her breath, still clearly upset by the loss of her best friend and mentee. A person just didnt get over that in 28 hours or so. Pulling her eyes back out the window she waited for Neil's decision, not really giving it much thought as to where they wanted to go.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil looked as smoke started to fill the truck a bit. Despite the open window it lingered. Neil could only imagine how bad even the second hand smoke was for his body. When he was younger he didn't care for being muscular and fit and healthy. Now though was another story. Now he needed it. The last thing he needed was to run from a group of clickers for who knows how long and run out of breath, making him their next meal. However he convinced his brain that this one instance of second hand smoke wouldn't destroy his lungs. He looked at Chris and then Gospel as the question of what they would do next arose.


Neil was a bit disappointed that Gospel didn't really have an answer. That means he had to come up with one. He thought for a bit. He didn't really want to go back to the safe zone just yet, if he had to go back soon anyway. He figured they could stay in Dranesville for one night, scavenge some stuff and then bring it to the safe zone just he didn't feel empty handed. "We could stay in Dranesville, help plan for the war and do a bit of scavenging. I was thinking of going back to my safe zone after that" Neil said.


Chris nodded. "Thats good. We have plenty of room and I'm pretty sure the Irish are stopping by to celebrate our new partnership. You two can stay and enjoy" Chris said, remembering that the Irish were due to come today. It was scary to think that they might be partying today and that in a few days they would be going to war.


Upon reaching Dranesville it had become noon and the truck was still on the outskirts. A few more miles though and they would be back at the biker headquarters.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel kept her eyes on Neil's figure in the mirror, listening as he proposed a plan of action that she figured the both of them were following. After last night it didn't seem too probable that he was willing to let her go off on her own, not that she would have wanted to anyway. He was stuck with her for the remainder of the near future, however long that was until one of them keeled over or got tired of the others presence. Her lips curved upwards at the thought despite the urge to flip out over the smoke smell that would probably linger in her car for the next few hours or so. Her pointer finger drummed lightly on the door, liking the feel of the fresh air against her face while she thought.


"Sounds like a plan."


She had never been a big fan of safe zones or people. But, now that all the people were gone she kind of missed them...the good ones anyway. Gospel kept track of the scenery, not really adding to anything they were discussing. She was too busy thinking about everything that had happened in the past few days. It was as if life just suddenly decided to get interesting.


Blowing a strand of blue hair out of her face, Gospel stuck her arm out the window her boredom getting the best of her. Keeping her fingers closed together, her wrist moved in an up and down swimming motion. Enjoying her dolphin in the wind, Gospel barely took note of the amused expression on her face. Obvious that something so trivial amused her so greatly.


As the road became more populated with abandoned cars, she pulled her arm back in not taking the chance of losing it. Keith weave the truck carefully down the road, slowing as they approached the Angel's Headquarters. Her leg bounced, itching to get something to do, like going out for a new sword. Or some other little shopping runs for things that she needed. Honestly, Gospel just wanted to get out of the car. The confining space was making her feel like a caged animal. Puffing her cheeks slightly, she watched their gates open before Keith drove in.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil was trapped in his thoughts concerning the dreams and Gospel and the previous day. It was only when he noticed the abandoned cars that his train of thoughts broke, realizing they were in Dranesville. Chris was excited and happy knowing a party was awaiting them. Keith on the other hand was more excited about the fact that he was going to be able to plop down on his bed and relax. As the gates opened and the garage opened Keith pulled up in front of the garage, not having enough room inside the actual garage to park the truck. Chris immediately got out of the truck, and Keith followed after killing the engine, and handing the keys to Gospel.


Neil followed them, and watched as an army of bikers came out of the garage with smiles and cheers. Chris started hugging them and embracing them. Chris laughed and looked at all of them. One of the bikers yelled "Chris the Irish are here!" Chris smiled. "Good. Then lets drink and see if their livers are as good as they say" Chris exclaimed. He was about to start walking when he noticed the look on some of the bikers' faces. It was Neil and Gospel that drew their eyes. "Ah yes. These two will be our guests..and know one is to lay a hand on the lady" Chris said with a grin. The group laughed and started hollering making their way back inside. Chris looked at Gospel and winked before following his men in.


Neil was disgusted by the whole thing but at least they weren't ripping her clothes off right now like the coyotes would be. Hell Neil might even be a victim if these were coyotes. It was like prison in Pawnee; didn't matter who you were, you drop the soap you are inviting everyone in. Neil then clicked another thought. The Irish were here. That meant Jimmy-O was probably near by. His thoughts broke off when Keith spoke to him and Gospel. "I'll lead you guys to the guest rooms. Make yourselves at home and feel free to do whatever after you two settle down. And don't worry no one will put a hand on either of you" he said reassuringly to both of them.


Neil followed Keith through the garage, already seeing some Irish men getting festive with some biker girls. Neil looked back at Gospel waiting on her, not really wanting to go alone in case Jimmy-O was there. On the other hand, Jimmy-O was a predator that liked to get to his victims first before devouring them. With Gospel with him he could only imagine the words that would come out of Jimmy-O's mouth.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel drew a small breath, pushing the door open. She was relieved that they had made it back to realitive safety. It was better then being in a very exposed motel that did wonders for her paranoia. She still couldn't help but think that the best nights sleep she had ever had since this whole thing started was when she was in Neil's arms. Brushing away the odd feeling in her chest, she grasped the keys handed to her. It was good to be in control of one thing at least. She had gotten so used to giving orders that her dislike for authority figures was pretty intense.


Swiping away at those thoughts as well, her feet came to an abrupt stop as a bunch of men came rushing out to greet Chris. Gospel watched curiously as Chris greeted his men that seemed to really look up to him. The display of such strong loyalty and kinship kind of gave Gospel a warm feeling. Her blue eyes shifted to Neil, watching him while he watched the other bikers. Some of the cheers died down after Chris's comment on partying forcing Gospel to shift her gaze from the object of her affections. A lot of the guys were staring at her, though their gazes didn't seem to be too focused on her face.


Gospel's ghost of a smile disappeared completely, a look of utter disgust and irritation replacing it. Her jaw clenched at the pure lust on some of the guy's faces. Even though Chris testified that they were guests and that no one was to lay a hand on her she honestly doubted that they would follow orders so blatantly when alcohol was factored in.


Uncomfortable with being the source of attention she gave Chris a small glare in response to his wink. She just prayed that her tough gal exterior would work out for her in the end. Last thing she needed was a repeat of what had almost happened to her after Neil had left. At least the scum wasn't alive anymore...


Following after Neil and Keith quietly, she stayed within arms reach of them. Desperately trying to ignore the similarities between the Angels and the Coyote's. The women were whores, just things that guys could stick their dick in. Honestly it scared her half to death that something like that could happen or would have happened to her. Letting out a small breath, she bit her lip still struggling to expel those thoughts from her poor brain.


"Just so we are on the same page, if you get wasted I will not be there to patch you up from any drunken fights."


Gospel mused slightly referring to past experiences where these things used to happen almost every night. Her tease didn't really have any threat behind it considering that they both knew she'd still he there if he was puking his guts out and totally unable to form a single coherent phrase.


As they walked down the hall towards the set of guest rooms she noted the sounds of cheering and laughter erupting from a few of the rooms. She guessed that there was a party before the party. Which was something she'd never come to understand. Partying was never truly her thing especially when she barely had enough tolerance to hold a single glass of whiskey.

 

[SnowStorm42]

As they walked through the lobby/bar thing Neil took notice of his surroundings. Some guy basically chewing away at some woman's throat. She was obviously too high off her ass to put up a fight. There were bikers pushing each other and drinking. The room was crowded. he could tell who the Irish were, and they were also talking with some bikers, laughing and drinking. There was a set of double doors to the side. Chris was walking through them with two bikers and two ladies, while a group of Irish waited on the other side. Those were probably the bosses. On the left of the Irish head honcho Neil noticed Jimmy-O. He further noticed that Jimmy-O had noticed him back. The smile Jimmy-O gave Neil made his stomach turn.


He turned his attention back to his surroundings as He walked with Keith and Gospel up a flight of stairs. Neil was surprised to see two girls, dressed like they couldn't find anything larger to wear, making out on the stairs, taking intervals to breath and giggle. A biker stood further up the stairs, sipping a beer and just watching, not even smiling or anything. Neil pretty much felt like he was in Pawnee again. The bikers were literally just missing a strip club and masks.


As they reached the top floor and made their way down the hall Neil listened as Gospel spoke. he laughed out loud a bit. "That's not good because i'm probably going to end up in a fight even if i'm not wasted" he said. He figured she remembered the history he and Jimmy-O had. Practically brothers, but enemies at the same time. It was complicated but he knew that by the end of the night He and Jimmy would end up, outside, shirtless, surrounded by a circle of people watching, throwing fists, kicks, and spitting blood. To anyone watching it was just some "guys having fun, blowing off steam". It went deeper than that though. Neil knew it and he knew somewhere in that bipolar weird mind of Jimmy's he knew it too.


The sounds from the other rooms weren't comforting. Laughing cheering, squeaking and moans. Neil really felt like he was in Pawnee now although there they didn't have the decency to hide behind closed doors. Neil was glad that he had kept Gospel away from that life by taking her under his wing. She showed enough spunk to not be a whore but Neil knew if it wasn't for taking her under his wing then the vote would've passed for her to just be another drugged up girl. There were few cases of it but Neil wasn't the first to do it. There were always some slightly virtuous men who stuck up for a girl and took them under their wing to save them from the life. Neil couldn't remember why he had done it. he was probably drunk and imagining Rachael in the situation, but he honestly couldn't remember. He was just happy that he did it. The night before might've not happened otherwise, and Neil probably would've been dead a LONG time ago.


As they entered the guest room which was basically empty except for some beds and trunks, Neil took the moment to look at Gospel with appreciation. He smiled and looked back to the room, grateful for all their time together both now and before. Keith looked at them. "Get comfy you two. No one else is using this room so you know..if you two wanna spend the rest of the evening and avoid inevitable flirting, fighting or drinking then feel free to stay here. Otherwise have fun and if you need anything I'll be in the room three doors down on the left" Keith said with a smile. he waved them off and closed the door behind him as he left.


Neil looked at the beds and took the one that was the longest and biggest, assuming he would need it. It was a perfect fit. He laid down and let out a long sigh, feeling relaxed and comfortable, his legs not dangling off the end of the bed. He assumed it was a King sized or a Queen sized then if his feet were on the bed. He looked at Gospel. "Party isn't going anywhere, maybe we should head out and do some 'shopping'" Neil said, not really wanting to stay with the drunks and the harlots.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel followed, slipping her hands into her cargo pants. She kept her guard up still not completely trusting their surroundings. The place reeked with drugs, alcohol, and sex. Though it hadn't occured to her that this was out of the ordinary it was just like Pawnee without seeing naked women every five seconds. At least there was some sort of decency here with closed doors and limited shows of lusty interactions. Gospel kept her gaze forward in an attempt to block out everything around her. Her eyes followed Chris as he moved through a set of double doors. She had almost stopped walking seeing a glimpse of someone that she hadn't seen in a very very long time. She knew Neil and Jimmy-O had a history with their brawls, she just hoped that neither would get hurt too badly. Last thing she needed was to apply her medical knowledge to either of the two guys.


Pushing forward she avoided her gaze by heading directly towards the stairs. Her scowl deepened at the sight of two women sucking face. Lesbian interactions always made her a little uncomfortable. She had nothing against gay people, she just found it disgusting that men got off on watching two women.


Slinking past them, she glared at the guy sipping his beer only diverting his gaze from the girls to look at her. It was like these men had never seen a woman in regular clothes for a very long time. Which, now thinking about it, was probably true. Keeping pace with the men Gospel headed into the guest room after Keith. It was a nice space, a few beds and storage trunks placed here and there. She cast a side glance at Neil, biting her lip lightly while she watched him head off towards the biggest bed they had. Moving her attention to Keith, she gave him a light smile.


"Thanks."


She replied watching him move out of the room and shut the door. Taking her time, she walked to the edge of the bed Neil had sprawled out on. Cocking an eyebrow at him, a smile tilted her lips upwards.


"Shopping doesn't sound bad actually. A girl needs new things after a while."


Gospel crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side as she studied him for the millionth time.

 

[SnowStorm42]

"Hell even a guy needs to do some shopping once in a few years" Neil said jokingly. He looked over at her and couldn't help but admire her. He wondered what they were going to do from this point on. Neil didn't have a plan at all but he was hoping when he came up with one it involved her. He didn't even know what was going on with the war which was now a bit more than a half a week away. He didn't want to pick a side if he didn't have to. He felt a bit of an obligation to Jimmy-O and a bit to Keith. Even Chris deserved some help after helping at the labs.


At the same Neil didn't want to fight anymore. He was beyond tired of it. He figured though he'd do it for Gospel and the people of the safe zone. Without coyotes both would be more safe. Ya the dead were still going to walk but Neil knew for sure things would get 75% better without the coyotes around. Neil realized that he had spaced out and he was looking at Gospel way longer than he thought he had been. He turned a bit pink but got off the bed and looked away a bit. Grabbing his backpack he looked at Gospel with a smile.





"Shopping..Ladies first" Neil said walking toward her, gesturing to the door and staying behind her. He said ladies first because he wanted her to take care of her things first because Neil's might take longer or what he was looking for probably didn't exist in Dranesville anymore.

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​

A black truck rolled hastily down the road in the middle of Rotterdaime. The soldiers from the lab sat inside and a black haired woman sat with them, while two, less armored soldiers drove. "Thats correct sir. We found lots of blood, a chair, and some of Pinkerton's blood....No sign of either sir..Yes we have surveillance footage from the labs, the scouts are getting information on the people we saw"





"Sir are you sure?"





"Yes sir. I'll tell her"





"Mary..you have the go ahead"





The soldiers all grew quiet. The only sound heard was the wheels of the truck rolling down the road and the giggling of a woman. The soldiers were almost frightened about what they were in for now. The black haired woman looked at them. "Lets hope those scouts get to us quick. I want some blood spilled"

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel released a slow chuckle, keeping her arms folded neatly across her chest.


"And here I thought all men hated shopping."


She quipped, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. Gospel looked back at him, unable to stop the sensations of her heart thudding wildly in her chest. It was a bit disturbing how her heart seemed to have a complete mind of it's own.


Gospel forced herself to look away from him, her cheeks flushing involuntarily from the incomprehensible feelings of giddiness. She was slowly starting to realize that it was getting harder and harder for her to just block out everything she felt for him. Apparently her heart wasn't on the same page as her brain, then again logic never had seemed to been it's forte.


Gospel bit her lip slightly casting a glance back to where he laid on the bed still watching her, still lost in thoughts of his own. She had often wondered what went on in that noggin of his, what kinds of thoughts fumbled around in his brain, that made him space out like he did. Blinking, she unfolded her arms from her chest as she watched him move from his place on the bed. Gospel's smirk grew back on her face the second she realized that he bore a pink taint on his cheeks as well. Turning on her heels while he grabbed his backpack, she moved towards the door and automatically opened it. Her cobalt orbs casting a sideways glance at him, pondering more on this shopping event then she had while staring back at him on the bed. The only thing she really needed was a new weapon, a sword or a similar long pointy object, and perhaps some new clothes. Neither objective would take long given that they could find a weapons shop of some sort that used to carry swords. Given that a lot of people rush for guns she hoped that melee weapons would be in large supply. Another chuckle escaped her while she moved out of the doorway, finding his gentlemanly comment humorous. She walked quickly back the way that they had come, making sure to keep her gaze forward and level while she walked. Last thing she wanted was to be grabbed by some drunken bastard and flirted with until she knocked the poor sobs' teeth out.


Strolling into the main hall again, she briskly maneuvered around the public displays of affection and towards the garage. Gospel looked backwards to make sure that Neil was still following her and hadn't been sucked up by the extravagance of this high-class apocalypse party.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil smiled at her. "Either i'm special or I'm not a guy then" he replied. Having his pack ready he followed Gospel out the door. He looked at the hallway they were in. Once again the sounds of drugs alcohol and sex rushed into his ears. One couple decided to take their friskiness outside into the hallway up against the wall. Neil was extra careful when stepping around them fearing if he accidentally bumped into the biker he would start a fight or find Gospel more attractive than the broad he had with him now.


Continuing Neil was disgusted by the people gawking at Gospel, and he wanted to hold her so they would know she was claimed. But then again she wasn't. He just wanted to get them to stop looking. Upon pushing through the crowded lobby which was the center of the party people were no longer staring, too occupied with either nuzzling their faces in a pair of boobs or in a line of coke. Irishmen drank and bikers took hits. Neil, distracted by his surroundings bumped into something hard. Turning to apologize he realized he bumped into a black haired familiar face.





"Neil Ol' boy. Where you rushing off to?"


"Not now Jimmy" Neil said trying to get by Jimmy. Jimmy stuck his arm out stopping him.


"You didn't tell me you got another girl lad" Jimmy said now looking back at Gospel who was at the garage.


"You wanna fight over this one too?" Neil said. Before Jimmy could make a witty comeback with that smirk of his a whistle sounded. Jimmy and Neil looked seeing the Irish leader waving Jimmy over. Jimmy put a hand on Neil's shoulder. "Always good seeing you boyo"





Neil's eyes followed Jimmy out of the room. The history between them was something out of a movie. Neil would kill Jimmy if it wasn't for the fact that Jimmy knew everything, coupled with the fact that he had the Irish on his side. Neil also had a brotherly thing with jimmy, but at the same time they were mortal enemies. It was so complicated. Neil didn't want to think about it. He walked after Gospel. "Lets go" he said, a bit of his anger towards Jimmy slipping out.


Neil opened the garage door and slipped out into the streets of Dranesville. He hadn't been scavenging here in a while. He thought he recalled where to find a weapon store though. he needed ammo and he was sure that Gospel needed to sharpen her katana or get a new one. He looked at the almost faded street signs and made a right out of the driveway. "We go straight this way we should find a weapon store" he said to Gospel his voice a lot more calm now. The sun felt nice and warm, and the breeze of the just before noon air was nice and cool. The result was a perfect temperature that felt really nice. Despite the apocalypse the smell and feel of spring didn't change.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel stilled, wavering in the entry way as she looked back at Neil. She couldn't tell who he had gotten stopped by or what gang the person belonged to but she could tell that Neil knew the guy. Her eyes narrowed slightly, trying to figure out who the other man was when he departed almost as quickly as he had arrived. Taking her eyes off mystery man, Gospel's gaze switched to Neil's form striding towards her. He looked irritated, moving past her to head out towards the garage exit.


Huffing, she followed after him stretching her own strides in order to keep pace with him. "What was that about?"


Her eyes stayed focused on him, only shifting away for a few seconds at a time to make sure that she wasn't about to fall face first into the hard ground, not really expecting an answer to her inquiry.


Gospel stopped looking at him, her focus taken to the serenity of the world around them. It was easy to forget that some bit of beauty remained in the world now that pain and death was all it seemed to bring. The rivulets of sunlight cascaded around them, prickling her skin with a sensation of warmth that she had forgotten had existed. It had been a while since the last Spring was here and days like these felt few and far between. Shame it had to be ruined by flesh eating monsters and the evils of mankind.


She kept up with him, heading off towards the direction where he thought a weapons store should be located. The Coyotes usually didn't travel into Dranesville that often which meant that Neil was the one she was relying on as her portable GPS system. Just as long as he knew where he was going she didn't fear about running into a group of poachers or something worse with a dull blade on hand. Puffing her cheeks slightly, Gospel placed her gaze back on him. It was starting to become a bad habit of hers; stealing stupid glances at him while secretly hoping that he'd notice. Closing her eyes, she shook her head frowning at the thoughts crawling around in her brain.


"Ugh. I'm becoming girl-ified."





Gospel grumbled under her breath, more irked with the mushy thoughts than anything else. Unaware of her thoughts being voiced, Gospel continued walking in the direction of where the weapon store hopefully was located. It'd be nice to get something simply for once.


"I don't suppose that that bus is going to cause a minor detour in our shopping escapade?"


Her pace slowed a little, looking at the blocked intersection before them. A school bus must have crashed in the chaos leaving a pile on of cars and a toppled telephone pole in its wake. The cars were rusted, obviously already stripped of their resources long ago and some vines had taken the privilege of calling the faded yellow school bus home.


"Unless you want to go up and over."


Gospel moved her attention back to Neil, waiting for what he thought they should do. There was always a very high possibly that there were some dead littered in or between those cars. But being cautious kind of just sucked the fun out of life. Gospel started forwards towards the bus, already finding little nooks that she could use to climb up the side of the wrecked vehicle. Placing a hand on an open window she put the toe of her boot on the tire, using her upper arm strength to hoist herself upwards while grappling for the roof hinge of the bus. Managing to drag herself up to the top, she rolled over on her stomach before slowly getting up and looking down at Neil. A smile widening onto her face as she looked down at him. Gospel forced herself to look away from him and instead focus on the surrounding buildings. The skyscrapers loomed in the distance along with a majority of the taller buildings, so it was probably safer dead wise where they were at currently. Still, it did worry her that they hadn't seen at least one dead thing on their way over here.


"I see it."


Gospel stated, pointing over towards a brick building with a rusty sign clattering in the breeze. The words Bob's Weapons and Goods were faded but at least they were vibrant enough for her to make out the letters.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil walked with a brisk pace at first, remembering all the bad things from Jimmy-O to Rachael, to the reason he left the coyotes. Though every so often he glanced at Gospel and each glance calmed him down, until he was walking at a normal pace. He hadn't answered her question on what had occurred with the man because he was angry. Now it was simply pointless to go back to that question. He looked at Gospel once more finding that she had stolen a glance at him too. He turned away and smiled turning a bit pink.


The pink faded however when he noticed the pile up and the bus blocking the path to the weapon store. He had forgotten about that. Had he even gone this way? With how long Neil had been scavenging in all the cities it was hard to recall which ways he had gone and which ways he hadn't unless it was Yorkstown. At this point he knew that urban jungle like the back of his hand. Funny to think he hadn't been there his whole life. "I think we could climb it but is it s-" Neil didn't get the chance to finish before Gospel decided to become a monkey for a brief moment and she decided to climb to the buses' roof.


He smiled. Examining the bus he quickly calculated in his mind how tall it was roughly. Going to an end of the bus that wasn't blocked by cars he took a few steps back and ran at the bus. Placing on foot on its side he boosted himself a bit higher until his arms were on the roof. He then dragged himself up, hearing a hissing as he pulled himself up. Looking down a zombie fell out the window and onto its head. The splat that followed had become all too familiar with Neil. Bringing his attention back to Gospel he looked as she pointed. "Good eye skipper" he said.


This time he went before she could respond if she was going to. A smile on his face he grabbed the roof of the bus and flipped over himself so he was hanging off the side of the bus. He allowed his legs to extend, making him lower to the ground and he fell, bending his knees upon landing to ensure he didn't hurt his legs. Looking up and down the street he was concerned to only see two or three zombies. It was never this empty. Its as if half the zombies weren't even awake yet. He waited for Gospel to get down not wanting to go to the gun store on his own in the event that she fell, got grabbed or there were bandits in the store.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

She held her smile for a few more moments, opening her mouth to spew out her witty reply only for it to be cut off by him jumping off the bus.


"Skipper?"


She questioned, making sure to keep her voice down as not to rouse the dead that could be lingering around them. It was still odd though, how empty everything seemed. Nice. But it made her a little uneasy. It was the same thing with the dead at the labs, when there weren't a lot of them in sight or at least some of them moping about it always put her on high alert. Last thing they needed was another Janitor or some sort of zombie brute. Rolling over again, she slipped down the side of the bus using the open windows to put her feet in. Sometimes it sucked being short enough that climbing down resulted in getting creative. It took her an extra second before she was able to jump down the rest of the way, boots landing with a solid thud on the pavement. She turned, moving towards another car to hurdle over in order to get to where they needed to be. Carefully vaulting the hood of a stationary sedan, Gospel paused in order to climb up onto another hood of another car. Preferring to get through the wreckage as fast as possible. Finding a bit of a clearing in between three cars, she afforded another servery of her surroundings just to make sure that they weren't about to get over run the second they cleared the wreckage. There were a few Z's here and there, but nothing that couldn't be avoided or dealt with rather easily.


"Don't think I'm much of a Skipper, I hate thunder and I can't swim. Don't think the pirate's life's for me."


She chuckled, hauling herself up and over another car in the pile up mountain. Gospel kept her focus on what she was doing, struggling to ignore the sight of Neil scrambling up hunks of metal as well. Some little part of her knew that he was a distraction that was going to end up getting her killed or worse, but she wasn't really one to listen to that little part of her disagreeing with all the rest. Finishing her climb over the last car, she stumbled free of the metal obstacle course and over towards the store. Giving a look at a wizened corpse lethargically making it's way towards her, Gospel moved a couple of paces towards the store entry way waiting a few more seconds for Neil to step through before barging in head first. She didn't know anything about the area and the last thing they both needed was to get stuck with a couple of zombies in an enclosed space all because she didn't have the patience to hold off another minuet before busting in doors. She smiled at him again, unable to help herself, before climbing the few steps to reach the door of the store. Pushing it open, Gospel froze at the sound of the bell. Her eyes darting around the establishment for anything that might move at the sound. Hearing a few groans from outside the building, Gospel moved aside so that Neil could come in and shut the door.


Gospel kept her hand on the hilt of her blade, grateful for the light that filtered in from the busted roof. She looked back at Neil not wanting to say anything in case they weren't actually the only people or things in the place. Though the fact that the bell didn't rouse any unwanted attention probably meant that they were safe to get what they needed. For now at least.


Cautiously heading off towards the display cases, Gospel looked at the dusted glass that was completely broken in some places. Most of the guns were gone along with the knives, but there were still a few around though useless without proper ammo or sharpening tools. Heading around the counter, Gospel looked through some of the boxes that had been torn open in a panic. Grabbing a few small boxes of ammo, she placed them on the counter for Neil to look at, not really knowing the kind of bullets he needed.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil followed Gospel smiling at her grateful that she was with him right now and not back at the Angel's HQ. That place was just horrible, and that was the nicest way Neil could put it. The only difference between the Angels and the Coyotes was that MOST Angels didn't rape. They brought the women back offering "shelter" and thats when the funny stuff started. Coyotes would do both, usually raping then killing, but bringing back certain girls that made them especially happy. It was a sick world. Maybe this war would be for the better. If both sides eliminated each other that would be paradise.


Thinking about the things both groups did made Neil sick to his stomach and brought back memories of that day. He had seen shit before but this whole scene was a messy fiasco that made him leave the coyotes. He shook the thoughts off when the bell of the store rang. He checked their surroundings and smiled at Gospel seeing the bell didn't attract unwanted attention. Moving into the store he thought about how him always spacing out into thought would be the end of him. Then again though maybe him getting shot by a woman he never met before was going to be his end. And there it was again. Overthinking and spacing out. He could've gotten bit four times if there were any zombies in the store.


He watched Gospel browse around the store. He himself started to look around but found nothing of use. A few handguns but without ammo they were useless, and he preferred his magnum. He looked at the ammo boxes. Two of them were 12 gauge. Exactly what he needed for his shotgun. Opening the packs he was surprised to still see shells in there. he put the two boxes in his bag. He looked at the third one. .308 rounds. He didn't need those but they sold for a shit ton in the Projects. he put that in his bag as well. "Thanks Jess" he said with a smile. Out of the corner of Neil's eye he noticed something. A zombie moving slowly out of a back room, plaid shirt and trucker hat. The owner perhaps.


Neil took out his bat and approached the thing. As it reached forward to take a chomp out of him he swung sideways, splattering half its head on the wall. It fell to the floor. Neil looked at the back room. "Holy shit...you're gonna wanna see this" Neil said looking at a massive stockpile of weapons. Someone must've been holed up here. There was food, some meds, and most important of all, swords, clubs, pick axes, construction tools, and a few guns. Ammo was also neatly piled up in a corner. This was an old storage room. Neil wondered if the people who made this stockpile were still alive and around. If it was bandits he wouldn't care about taking their things. What if good people needed these. Then again. Someone would be standing watch and the zombie wouldn't have been in here.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel continued picking through garbage, pretty annoyed that this trip seemed to be a bust. She wasn't going to be happy with using a dull sword and a hunters knife. Those things usually didn't come in handy a whole lot when fending off a group of clickers. Glancing up at Neil as he pocketed the few cartons of ammo she had found, a smile filtered through her look of concentration. Her heart did a few misplaced beats at the sound of him saying her name again, before she headed back to looking through the already picked through boxes. "No problem." She mused, too busy to see the movement until the sudden bang of a baseball bat crunching into a dead man's skull jerked her upwards. Her eyes followed the corpse as it shrunk to the floor with a dull thud. At least he had been paying attention because she obviously wasn't.


Moving back around the counter, Gospel tilted her head to the side questioningly. Adrenaline still pumping from the unexpected zombie kill Neil had made. "See what....?"


Her question fell flat, peeking around Neil and into the storage space that seemed to have him all memorized.


The first thing she noticed was the cases, there were two that seemed to be in perfect condition, and to a weapon nerd like herself she knew exactly what they contained. Her features lit up, moving around Neil she scampered off towards the neat pile of sharp and pointy objects. Gospel all but ripped off one of the cases like it was Christmas morning. The packaging now torn away from the blade almost instantly, Gospel stared at the weapon in her hands admiring the faded turquoise hilt with dragonfly depictions carved delicately into the wood, and the long curved silver blade that arched a few inches longer than the one she had now. Sheathing it, she quickly replaced it with her old one taking her time to set the one that she had kept with her for so many years into the case. Working happily on opening up more packages and looting through more weapons she paused suddenly. Looking back at Neil with a look of amusement. Taking something from the box, she headed back over to him with a miniature looking sword concealed within a leather scabbard.


"Here. Consider it a present."


She mused, forcing herself not to blush at the gesture. Gospel went back to focusing on other things in the room and trying not to concern herself too much with the trade offs for finding all this. If there were people here they sure as hell wouldn't have left all this behind willingly. Though it was a bit concerning that this stockpile was the holy grail of the apocalypse. Leaving him with the dagger, she moved over towards the other nick-knacks that seemed to have been left around. Taking a box of band-aids, medical wraps, and neosporin, Gospel shoved them into her satchel wondering briefly on what karma they had both gathered in order to deserve this.


Her hand wavered over a sharpening tool, glancing back over at Neil who seemed to be concerned with grabbing as much of everything as he could. Letting out a small sigh, she took the tool and placed it firmly in the bottom of her bag.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil watched as Gospel came over and then started opening up new swords like it was Christmas morning. He smiled knowing she was probably enjoying getting a new sword. The other one had become dull and it was noticeable in the labs. Neil took out his bat and examined it. The thing was rusty and bloody in some areas. It was dented here and there. Maybe it was time to trade it in. He looked at the weapon stockpile. Unfortunately the people who were here before them didn't have bats but there was a crowbar. Neil was going to stick with his bat a bit longer. It probably wasn't going to break so maybe he'd be fine for a bit longer. He needed another bat though as much as he hated to admit it.


He then drew his attention to Gospel who presented him with a dagger. He smiled at the gesture and grinned seeing her turn a bit pink. "Thank you" he said with a smile taking the dagger off her hands. Examining it he put it in a extra place on his belt holsters. He looked at her in appreciation as she went back to doing her thing. He wanted to kiss her just for the gesture but he wasn't sure if it was the right time. He went back to rummaging through the supplies. Food and water. He put it in his pack along with some .44 rounds for his magnum. There weren't a lot.


None of the other guns interested him. He wasn't a fan of assault rifles because they were too noisy and they took a lot of ammo. Submachine guns were a similar problem. He only had his shotgun because some zombies needed the extra oomph to take them down. He preferred pistols and he was able to use a sniper well if he had to thanks to the coyotes. He thought of the ridiculous training it took just to learn to use one.


At that moment Neil snapped from his thoughts hearing what he thought was a truck. Getting low he got out of the back room and made his way to the front of the store, low to the ground and sticking to the shadows. There was a black truck driving down the street however it didn't seem like a coyote truck. Neil tried to look into the windows but they were tinted. The truck slowed seeing the bus blocking the road ahead. A sliding sounded on the other side of the truck and Neil heard the clacking of heeled boots. He saw the black boots laced up under the truck but the truck was in the way of him seeing an actual person. After a minute the heels clacked back into the truck, and the sound of a slamming signaled for the truck to go in reverse and go off to a side street.


Neil sighed, a bit out of relief really. He didn't know who those people were but if they had a truck and tinted windows they weren't safe. That applied both before the apocalypse and even more so now. He stood up and called to Gospel. "Ready whenever you are"

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Pulling the straps on her satchel closed, she took another moment to make sure it was secure before moving away from the rest of the now small stack of weapons. She had pillaged a lot of the knives, but guns were just not her sort of thing. She had only pulled a trigger twice in her life and both bullets had ended in someone she cared for dying. Her gaze flickered over towards where Neil had stood only moments before, finding nothing but the dusty air in his place. There was a small but brief moment of panic while her brain processed his sudden ghost like vanishing skills.


Hearing a sort a faint clicking, Gospel cautiously stepped towards the front of the weapons shop. Her eyes narrowed in thought, trying to place the light sound. It wasn't like any sort of clicker she had ever heard, besides clickers had that sort or gurgling undertone to their sonar inspired way of moving. This sound was more like shoes, the sounds a pair of pumps or a good set of knee-high boots made. A car door slam alerted Gospel to the fact that they weren't alone in the area and the sight of Neil crouched in the corner of the main room only served to increase her paranoia. She stayed quiet as the sound of tires screeching faded in the distance, eyes glued to the wooden door that she had just noticed was rotted at the joints. If there was a horde outside wanting to get in, that door would have been as good as a piece of paper for helping them keep all those dead out. Swallowing, Gospel shifted her attention to Neil as he stood and looked over at her as she wavered in the storage room doorway. Something felt off about what she had just heard, those people whomever they may be seemed to have a mission. From what she heard it sounded suspiciously like they were looking for something. Biting her lip, she pushed the thoughts aside for now thinking it best just to get back to the Angel base before anything bad could happen.


"Let's go."





Gospel almost mumbled, forcing herself to move from the doorway and towards the exit. Carefully opening the rotted door, her eyes darted swiftly around the area outside before stepping back out into the sunlight. It was starting to get later in the day, but she doubted they had missed much of the party going on back at Angel HQ. Gospel wasn't too into that kind of stuff anyway, too scared about getting drunk for the first time and waking up in the arena....though she doubted that the Angels were into the sort of barbaric sport the Coyotes took part in. Almost dragging her feet, Gospel maneuvered back through the maze of piled cars with ease glad to be small enough to squeeze past the tough spots.


Steadying herself on the roof of a slanted jeep, she balanced before making the hop onto the top of the bus wobbling a little as she landed. Gospel sucked in a sharp breath, almost knocking herself off the edge of the bus. Her arms moved rapidly in a circular motion, gaining momentum enough at the last minuet to pull her weight forwards. Stepping more towards the center of the metal roof, she turned half way to look back at Neil.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil watched the truck as it sped off into the distance. He wondered again who those people were. He shook the thought off when he heard Gospel say for them to go. He hadn't even realized she had been in the room too. She was definitely a ninja secretly. Standing now knowing it was safe he followed her out the door. He didn't want to go back but the day was starting to leave them. The party was going to end badly. Neil could already feel it.


Following Gospel to the cars, he climbed up after her. He had a mini heart attack seeing Gospel almost fall but smiled when she had maintained her balance. He looked back once on top of the bus himself and saw that a large group of zombies had followed the truck. It was a good thing they were leaving. They wouldn't have lasted long in that store, and the area around it didn't seem secure either. Taking the lead now he climbed down the side of the bus and dropped to the ground once again bending his knees to cushion himself.


Making way back to the Angels HQ he could only think of the truck and those heels clacking. He wondered who those people could've been. His mind flashed back to Pinkerton's warning. They would be hunted down and the people they loved would be killed. Neil glanced at Gospel. He wondered for a moment if the truck was looking for one of them. Then again the truck only seemed to stop because of the road block. They had a set destination. Thinking about it they probably passed the Angels HQ. That was in the driving direction of Pawnee. Were they going there? Or further?


The only thing further was Yorkstown and then the ruins. The ruins were basically cities reduced to nothing or empty space. They were completely unoccupied and loot was nonexistent there..Neil had checked. Further past the ruins was the coast where Neil hadn't gone. He imagined nice abandoned tropical houses with a beach and ocean view, filled with dead people, but after a good cleaning it would be the perfect place to go. Then again the coast could've been a few shacks and houses and then just beach and crashed boats. Neil didn't know.


Neil did know about the South though. He had heard stories from people in the Projects who had been further south. It was apparently worse than the areas here. Factions battling it out, the infected were larger in number apparently. Neil wouldn't know though, once again. These were stories he heard while trading in the barren wastelands that were the Projects.


Upon arriving at the Angels HQ Neil saw a group of men waiting outside in front of the garage. Among them was Jimmy-O drinking and telling stories. Neil sighed. This wasn't going to end well. Neil tried quietly making his way around the group but he felt someone push him toward the crowd. Neil was angry but within seconds he realized he was surrounded by Irishmen and drunk bikers. Jimmy laughed. "I've been waitin' Neil. We 'outta make up for lost times right? All good celebration. You joining us in the war n'all"





"I'm not fighting you Jimmy" Neil said trying to make his way to the crowd.


"Afraid your gonna lose another whore to me?"


Neil started pushing through the bikers and Irishmen who laughed.


"It's alright Neil. Just go like last time...I guess I'll take care of Gospel tonight..." Jimmy said. Neil stopped dead in his tracks. The thought of Jimmy even trying to speak to her..He turned and walked back through the crowd, pulling off his bag and his shirt, revealing the few tattoos on his body including a skull indian war chief on his upper shoulder, his burned off coyote insignia on his back and a bear paw on his chest. His toned body seemed more muscular than usual as he walked toward Jimmy. Jimmy laughed.





"Same rules as-" Neil didn't give Jimmy the chance to speak anymore. His fist flew straight into Jimmy's nose sending a crack through the air that caused the Irishmen and the bikers to erupt in cheer. Chris stood at the garage entrance where it was a bit quieter and watched the fight begin.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Random bits of thought swirled around in her brain as they walked in silence. It was a comfortable quietness at least, neither of them had to say much to the other at this point anyway. They had started out as friends first before they had become whatever complicated thing they were now. She had the events of the previous night on her mind since she had woken up that morning in his arms, yet for the life of her it was still a little confusing with what had seemed to spark between them. The attraction was undoubtedly there, at least on her end it had always been, but that primal bit of instinct didn't help anything.


Gospel's eyes flickered to a small stone that her boot had kicked, watching the pebble roll down the asphalt for a foot or so before curving off the street as it hit a pot hole. She sucked in a quiet breath making a point of looking at her feet while they strolled towards the gates in the distance. Finally forcing herself to glance up at the man taking point a little ahead of her, Gospel studied him as he walked getting too swooped up in her own thoughts about him again to notice the mini mob of dunks loitering around just outside the garage.


Cerulean orbs pealed themselves from Neil's back and focused pointedly on the man with the thick Irish accent holding a beer in one hand and a cocksure smirk on his face. Seeing Neil get swallowed by the rowdy group, the corners of her mouth tilted downwards as her once normal blank expression swept over her features. There was no way she was making it through grope city unscathed, not without someone getting broken fingers at least. Gospel stood at the edge of the group for a few more seconds, unable to get her feet to move forward enough in order to push through. That was until she heard the roars, the cheers erupting loud enough to wake the dead. Gospel didn't need to be in that circle in order to know what was happening, she had been around enough of these type of things to know the instant a fight started. And this one, had her angrily shoving men out of her way in order to witness the spectacle.


The first thing she noticed was the blood, the drips of crimson cascading down from Jimmy's nose. The beer he had been holding smashed to the ground upon impact, the yellow liquor guzzling out from the shards of broken brown glass. The second thing her eyes focused in on was Neil's shirtless torso. She had only seen him without a shirt on a few occasions, but never when he was in a fight with his muscles tense and the adrenaline pumping. Her eyes scanned in everything they could from the distance and angle provided, her lower lip pinned fiercely between her teeth captivated by a man who she refused to allow herself to love.


Snapped from her swooning by the retaliation of the other man, Gospel spun around in order to force her way out of the makeshift arena. She didn't want to watch the match no matter what Jimmy-O had said to Neil in order to coax him into a fight. Gospel struggled with getting away from the tiny sea of condensed bodies. It was a mosh-pit of men, none of which had seemed to notice her until she had almost made it out. A large hand clamped down on her wrist, tugging her back into the mix with a pull that had her tripping over her own two feet.


"Where are ya goin' Sweet Thing? Don't suppose a girl like you should be out 'n about in a place like this. Could get dangerous."


A pair of stony blue eyes stared down at her, a shit eating grin plastered on the older man's face. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, the edges of his curly brunet hair fraying white. His grip tightened, bringing Gospel closer to him as he looked down at her with a glazed look in his eye. His breath stunk of whiskey and as he teetered she realized that the biker was too drunk to even think about what he was doing. Only that he had spied a piece of ass that wasn't in a skimpy outfit and made it his mission to get her out of it. A disgusted look crossed her face, repulsed by his grubby hands pinning her to his side.


"Remove your hands...and you don't walk away with a limp."