Realistic or Modern Patient Zero (A Zombie Survival RP)

[Maj]

​

The day before
November 21, 2020
The Lodge

Her hands still trembled and so Andy kept them in her jacket pocket to keep Hector from noticing. The rage that had filled her moments ago when shooting Renzos was fading quickly and in its place exhaustion and fear settled in. There was so much about the encounter that had unnerved the girl. First the primal fear that had consumed Vanessa, second the subtle threat that Renzos had given her and lastly, the absolute ease at which Andy had let the arrow fly.

Hector was right behind her, heeding her request to speak. She was relieved when she entered the shed to find that Vanessa had left it sometime during the altercation. Andy briefly considered the possibility of what Vanessa would have thought about how she handled the situation, but she quickly pushed that thought from her mind.

“Don’t lecture me for not killing him.” She addressed Hector without looking up at him. She busied her shaking hands with unstringing her bow, laying the wooden shaft on the work table. In reality, Andy wasn’t sure what Hector thought about her decision to let him live. His feelings on morality were often hit or miss. Sometimes he thought killing zombies was a breach of his Hippocratic oath, other times he felt killing people was the most logical course and it was as simple as that.

Her heart was still racing when she finally turned to look at him. Her arms crossed her chest in what would appear as a defiant stance, but in reality, it was just to help ground herself as she spoke. She sighed, face still pink with rage and kissed by the cold air, and met his gaze.

“What’s done, is done,” she finalized.

The doc tilted his head quizzically for a brief moment at her words before ultimately shrugging a shoulder.

"No lecture. I certainly wouldn't have let him go but as you said. It's done." He responded neutrally. The man would have preferred to ask some more questions and get the most crucial ingredient for survival. Information. After that was extracted, it would be prudent to dispose of him then but Hector chose not to voice those thoughts.

The girl clearly was shaken up by the situation. She hid it well but signs of anxiety and fear were bubbling to the surface. It was understandable. After all….

"I can tell you have no idea who he is but he certainly seemed to know you. That should be cause for some alarm. Is that what you wanted to speak about?"

She had hoped that he hadn’t noticed that. The intruder had used her full name and as far as she knew, Andy had never even introduced herself by her nickname. Had Beth talked to him before they had arrived? Even so, how would the blonde have known her real name? No one called her Andrea except Luca.

“No,” she said after a moment, dismissing the conversation entirely. There were a million things his use of her name could mean, none of which she wanted to explain. “I wanted to talk to you about Vanessa. It’s clear that me and the girl have no love for each other.” Andy shrugged as if to say this was common knowledge. “However, I understand her a little better now. We are about to go on a run through monster-infested wastelands tomorrow. I see the way she looks at me sometimes Hector.” The redhead leaned up against the workbench, breathing deeply. It was as if she was just now beginning to catch her breath.

“I don’t know if she even realizes it herself, but I know the look of someone who wants to hurt me.” The gravity of that hung between them, unspoken. She was about to be going alone, with Vanessa, and there was a good chance that Vanessa would turn on her if the stakes got high enough.

"Given your sharp tongue, I'm surprised it took this long." He replied without blinking. His stone-like features didn't flinch at the information nor did they hint at the half-joke he just told. Andy didn't smile, but her eyes lightened in amusement.

The older man rubbed the ever-thickening growth on his chin. His eye cast its icy visage to the wooden planks beneath their feet. Vanessa was certainly becoming more unstable. Her response to an intruder that she seemed to know was clear evidence of that. The acrobats outbursts always had meaning or reason behind them. Flawed or misinformed as they may be. If the female twin was going to go on an outing with the harlequin in tow, the probability of things going south between them weren't zero.

The doctor had his doubts about the likelihood of this. However, being the intellectual he was meant that covering for all possible outcomes was a staple in his thought process. The fact that Andy was coming to him with this information meant that killing her or leaving her for dead was not an option she wanted to take. The redhead wanted something more… subtle. Non-lethal.

"A sedative, perhaps?" He mused aloud, his gaze not moving from the floor.

"Yeah," Andrea agreed. It had been what she was thinking, but she didn't have a firm grasp on what kind of medical supplies they had left. She was happy to defer to Hector on those matters. "As long as it's strong enough. The last thing I need is a drugged-up' murderous, carnie to deal with."

He nodded in response but remained silent for a moment before crossing his arms and verbally offering his thoughts, "Sedatives are not easy to come by. Even before the outbreak, they were something of a luxury good. Only ever used in extreme cases. I have precious few of them on hand. These would be used for emergency surgeries like Owen's. You realize what this entails, correct?"

It didn't need to be said aloud. They both understood. Using a sedative to prevent a fatal outcome for Vanessa was the equivalent of denying someone a potential life-saving surgery further down the line. Someone who could perhaps offer more to them than the acrobat ever could. This isn't to mention the fact that, as Andy stated, there was no love lost between the two young ladies.

"We would be saving a life either way," Andy confirmed. "With any luck I can bring it back to you unused." The girl shifted uncomfortably in her boots. She may not have felt this way twenty minutes ago, however that was before she had looked deep into Vanessa's multicolored eyes and saw what laid underneath.

"She's scared Hector," she stated, put off by how much knowing that had affected her. "And unwell. And I just don't believe she deserves to die for that. Not if it can be avoided."

The doctor stared at Andy briefly, studying her for any signs of confusion or doubt. "Her condition can be treated but that means she will be more than just another mouth to feed. She will be a constant drain on medicine. She hasn't been here long and hasn't had a chance to truly prove her worth. I acknowledge that. But what she has proven…" the man let that hang for a moment before continuing. "Ultimately, you will be the one in the field Ms. Jordan. The decision will be yours to make and the consequences will be yours and yours alone to bear."

Both the twin and the doctor were sporting some ugly new scars as a testament to the Latino's statement. The military raid had not been kind to either of them.

"That along with a million other things," the huntress muttered darkly. The gravity of Luca's decision to put her in charge of the lodge was still buzzing around in her skull.

"Use it only as an absolute last resort." He affirmed sternly. "Remember, this could mean life or death for someone else down the road. Someone you love, Andy."

The girl had known this to be the case before she had made her request of Hector, but having it said out loud caused her chest to ache and her throat to tighten. Owen's smiling green eyes filled her consciousness. He had a knack for throwing his life into the line of fire on what felt like a daily basis. He could die the next time if Hector couldn't put him under to save his life. Luca's piercing azure eyes broke through her thoughts. He had been mostly unscathed thus far but now he was weak and fighting demons that she could never understand. The sedative she was asking for could potentially help him if his recovery went south or if his weakened state caused him to get careless. Even Hector's analytical grey hues came to mind. If he needed surgery, she wasn't sure who would be able to help him. He was the greatest medical mind they had, but that aside the thought of losing him made it suddenly hard to breathe. Was she really prepared to lose any of those people because something in Vanessa's gaze had shaken her up?

"It's a lot to ask, I know." Andy swallowed her feelings down, hands trembling once more. She thrust them in her pockets. There was no room for hesitation. Whatever she decided had to be done so with conviction because she couldn't take it back. She had never mistrusted her instincts before and the fact that she and this place still stood was proof enough to the woman that now was not the time to start.

"I wouldn't ask unless I was sure."

"As long as you can live with it." He finished with a slow nod. "I'll go prepare the sedative now."

As he turned to leave, he paused and added, "It goes without saying but proceed with caution, Ms. Jordan. It could very well be your own life that you're trading and if you die…" A pause in the old man's words. A hesitation to continue the thought, "Chances are that our only hope for a cure dies with you." The old man's expression was an indescribable one. Even to himself. A strange blend of solemn and ice as he spoke the words.

With that said, he turned and left the shed to prepare the anesthetic.

Andy stayed behind, turning to place both of her trembling palms on the work table and let out a long breath. Finally alone, the girl allowed herself a brief moment to let her stinging eyes settle before she also went to greet the icy winter air.

Collab: shadowz1995
Mention: TheMightyRedLemon Brax

 

[shadowz1995]

Current day
November 22, 2020
The Lodge

Vanessa might as well have been dead, as still as she laid. She hadn't stirred since Andy had pulled the syringe Hector had given her from her boot and injected it into her neck. Her hands were tied behind her back, legs bound much like Andy had bound prey in the past. The acrobat looked like she was ready to be put on a spit. However, she was still breathing. Her chest fell and rose lightly with shallow but obvious signs of life.

"I'm not sure how much longer she is going to be out," the red head admitted. "I stuck her about two hours ago. We put her in the trunk in case she came to and tried to kill us while we drove back." She scratched her head thoughtfully. "I am confident in my knotwork but after seeing how quickly that other circus psycho was able to slip out of his bounds I didn't want to take any chances." She looked back up at Hector and realized that neither of them were in any condition to be hauling Vanessa around, despite her thin frame.

"Aaron!" Andy yelled for her new companion. After everything they went through together he had more than earned his keep. The Texan would have a place to hang his hat as long as Andy did. She knew he was exhausted but would have to lean on him a little more.

"Come carry this crazy bitch for me?" It went without saying her bloodied shoulder was useless for such a task.

Aaron shook himself out of his daze, the combination of the blood loss, days events and the blow to the head weren’t exactly conducive to carrying out anything other than rest and rehabilitation. But he wasn’t going to focus on himself until Nessa was safely stowed away, she’d proven the danger that she could bring, and right now he wasn’t sure what was more dangerous, the undead or their sociopathic carnie. She didn’t weigh much, scrawny little thing really even with her being a dead weight. Fully trussed up she was slung over his shoulder easily, feeling her steady rhythmic heartbeat against him. As long as he knew she was somewhere secure when she woke up, cause that was going to cause all kinds of problems.

“Where do ya want her? You’re goin’ to want somewhere secure, padded preferably. She’s goin’ to be all kinds of crazy when she wakes up,”

"She's bound well enough and Hector is about as comforting as a padded room," the girl drawled dully. "Just put her down in the cellar. If she needs any medical attention once that wears off that will be the best place for her. Plus, like Leliana said she should take a look at your wounds." She watched as Aaron walked off, fulfilling her request.

"Aaron," she called, waiting for him to pause. She gave him a rare smirk. "Thanks for having my back." Andy had been so exhausted at the fair grounds that she hadn't had the chance to properly thank the mechanic. Her gratitude was the absolute least the man deserved.

Aaron managed a grin, and shrugged his shoulders. “And thanking you for a place to rest my weary head. You’re goin’ to need the gardening and housekeepin’ team to take a look over the place, right mess since this mornin’,” He managed a chuckle, though quickly regretted it as pain flared up in his ribs. Something else to add to the injury list. “Nah no need for any of that, you had mine after all,” Adjusting Nessa for a moment he lugged her off towards her temporary abode.

Wincing, she turned back to Hector. She knew that eventually she would have to sit down and unstick all these soaked cloth strips from her wounds and be stitched up. However, there was a lot still to do. Aaron was right, the place was in shambles and the people who lived here even more so.

"I'll let you get settled downstairs and then I'll come down and we can see how bad the damage is," she said, nodding her head toward her mangled shoulder. "Maybe we should ask Leliana to come down and help. If it's not as bad as it looks I'm sure she can handle the grunt work so you can rest."

Hector began to type out how Andy's injury wasn't lethal or crippling but it was bad enough that the scientist wasn't comfortable letting the blonde take over in this situation. As he was articulating that message, the idea to make Leliana skilled enough to do so came to his mind. So he deleted what he wrote and made a new message.

"Ironically, it's usually easier to fix bullet wounds than animal maiming. Assuming there was no damage to internal organs. The bullets win out there. This could actually be a good opportunity to teach the girl. I'll do half the work and supervise her for the rest. It would take some of the weight off of me and considerably increase our chances for survival."

“I’m not vain enough to care about scarring or the like so I’m happy to play guinea pig. I’m going to check in on some of the others. I’ll meet up with you all when you are done with Aaron.” It went without saying who she planned to go see. Luca still hadn’t come out to greet her. She gave Leliana a polite wave and then headed back in toward the lodge.

RayPurchase FireMaiden TheMightyRedLemon Maj Brax

 

[Brax]

Andy had wanted to go find Luca straight away upon her return to the lodge. When she had left the Italian hours ago, he hadn't been in the best state and after reading Hector's recount of the events that had unfolded in her absence, she was even more anxious to lay eyes on him. Andy had temporarily forgone getting her shoulder looked at, both because Hector had his hands full already and because she was now convinced that she wasn't in any immediate danger of bleeding out due to the fact Hector had let her leave without medical treatment in the first place. The woman didn't need a mirror to know she looked awful. Her fair face was streaked with dried blood and dirt, her hair was loose from its braided bounds, frizzy curls framing her tired green eyes. Each labored movement reminded the woman that her shoulder was covered in blood-soaked bandages and without a doubt, the redhead smelled of sweat and copper.

Despite all of that, when she opened the bedroom door to see Luca's frame she felt nothing but relief. If the day’s events were an example of what supply runs were like without Luca, she wasn’t going to be going again without him anytime soon. She stepped in and closed the door, dropping her quiver to the ground, no longer a bow to accompany it.

"I thought you were going to make sure I had something to come back to," the twin greeted, although her voice was void of its normal bite. Her thin lips held a hint of a smirk. "Although I guess technically, this counts."

It didn’t take much to wake Luca; in fact, his eyes had shot open the moment he heard the door creak open. Light hues moved from the ceiling as he tilted his head to the side, catching a better view of the woman who had been interrupting his nap time. He moved awkwardly to lift himself from the mattress, the tell-tale sign of the injuries he had succumbed to after blows were traded from the undead warrior-monk God of incels. The man had been silent momentarily in his response; rather, he waited until he got on his feet to audibly reply.

“If that something you were looking for was a shit show, I am glad to keep my promise.”

The tone of his voice was dull, much like the expression on his face. He was happy to see Andy, but it was extremely obvious that she had gone through her own plight while away on business. Under normal circumstances, the man would have asked more questions. Perhaps it was his inability to clearly think. It could be attributed to the irritable nature of his demeanor given the fact that he had been trying so desperately to kick his nicotine habit. However, this was mostly due to Andy’s disheveled appearance. He had the opportunity to ask questions later. For now it was enough to see that she appeared to be her usual self.

“In all honesty, I have been out of commission. The others stepped up. Still, it’s good to see you.”

"I came back mostly in one piece," she agreed as she studied his face. It was true that he didn't look very good. Luca's blue eyes were sort of sunken and dark in a way that only came from exhaustion. With everything he was going through and what the lodge had to deal with while she was gone, Andy was honestly surprised he didn't look worse.

“That's my girl.”

"I was just on the radio with Owen," Andy said. Her voice sounded sort of weak. There was nothing the redhead wanted more than to just shower off all the blood and crawl into bed. However, she knew that removing her bandages without getting medical treatment would be suicidal. Instead, she just sighed and sat down on the end of the bed, struggling to take off her boots. Each time she stretched down to try to undo the ties she felt pain shoot through her shoulder. She grunted through the pain as she addressed him.

"He said he'd be back in a few hours with some medicine for you and for Vanessa."

The Italian had lifted a hand to brush his open palm down vertically from the top of his face before slowly trudging his way into the bathroom. He ran the water, moving to splash some of it over his eyes at a rate similar to a sloth. His digits grasped the bottom of his shirt to lift it and dry whatever dampness had been left over before rotating his neck around in a circle, attempting to stretch his muscles a bit.

“What happened to Vanessa?” He asked. It was not odd that the girl was injured, he was inquiring more about what condition she had been in. He had been better off staying back at the lodge, with the understanding that he was in no shape to traverse even prior to them leaving. This was against his own judgement.

At the very least the ex-capo had faith that Owen knew what medicine to bring him back, especially to help with his own withdrawals. That was when he remembered that Hector hadn’t been in good shape since he last saw the doctor. “Have you seen Hector? What condition is he in? What about Colt?” Luca walked back out of the bathroom moments after studying his face in the mirror. He was a ghastly version of himself, though rightfully so. He had to fight the urge to cross his arms over his chest. His ribs would not allow him to move as much as he had been used to.

“Leliana has been drowning here, I am sure of it.”

"I saw Hector first thing. I almost shot him to put him out of his misery, dude looks a lot worse than I think he actually is. He's moving around, although slowly. Owen is alive, although being weirdly short with me. Something happened while he was gone he doesn't want to tell me." Her twin had always been awful at keeping secrets, especially from her. A problem she had never struggled with. "As for Vanessa, she's fine." The half truth came from her lips effortlessly. Someone had told her once that the secret to a good lie was to leave as much truth in it as possible and the advice had served her well over the years. "The girl has been suffering from delusions of some sort according to Hector. She had a mental break while we were out. I've got her recovering down in the doctor's cellar."

“We knew Vanessa was dealing with delusions far before you two went out. It was not my call, nor would it have been my suggestion to take her in the first place.” Sometimes, things need to be learned the hard way. The man was more than accustomed to this route of existence.

"We wouldn't have found the generator without her," the woman defended truthfully.

Andy chose to omit the part where Vanessa had tried to kill her twice and allowed a lion to maul her. The redhead had been worried about telling Luca about Vanessa before because she had been worried that he would be upset at her for accidentally provoking the acrobat, now however, she worried more for Vanessa's safety than anything. Luca had killed for far less than trying to murder his girlfriend, no matter how bitchy she could be.

Luca fell silent as Andy continued.

"Leli definitely has her hands full. She's seeing to Aaron now so that he can get back to the generator. The new one will serve us a lot better. Once she has a moment I'll go get stitched up myself." She felt like she was giving a report on the days events, being forced to recount them yet again for Luca. However she didn't mind too much, she knew that being forced on the sidelines couldn't have been easy for him. Although, by the looks of him, it was the best call either of them could have made.

It was then that the woman began the struggle of sliding out of her mauled leather jacket. The shoulder was torn to shreds from the Lion's claws, but had still done a decent job of holding in her body heat on the trip home. Her left arm came out easy enough, but the right was a different story.

He watched as she struggled to remove her jacket, an eyebrow raised at the condition it had been in. If Andy had been scraped by the zombies, she would have mentioned it. Given Vanessa’s mental condition, it was a possibility that the two had gotten into it - but with the information not formally given to him, he did not have the strength to follow up on the validity of this quickly formed theory.

She hissed and cussed as her destroyed shoulder scraped against the inside of the form fitting garment. With great difficulty she finally got it off, angrily tossing it to the floor with a damp sounding plop on the hardwood. It was then that the full extent of her injuries were apparent, even to her.

Blood was dried to her face, neck and collarbone in the places the wet bandages didn't cover. They were doing their best at containing the injury but her plasma still bubbled up, soaking into the strips and her shirt alike. The tank top was black and hid a lot of the crimson fluid. However when her hand touched her side it came back with pink hues.

"You look like shit," she commented with a weak smirk.

“The mirror is in there.” Luca gestured with a nod toward the bathroom. While he was slightly banged up, his condition was self-placed. Hers, on the other hand, had been the result of seemingly numerous plights. He wanted to help her but he had not been in any condition to properly move around, let alone stand straight for extended periods of time. It was important for Leliana to tend to her wounds, but she needed to get cleaned up immediately.

The man slowly made his way over to the girl, lifting the arm opposite of his injured ribs to cradle the side of her dirty face. There were not any words of encouragement exchanged. Part of him was thankful that she was concerned. However, Luca had been more concerned with her condition than his own.

“Go get cleaned up, amor. Then find Leliana and see to it that she tends to your wounds.”

"Yeah yeah," she said absently, leaning in to his touch. "I'd hate to bleed all over you." With a sigh she stood. There was no putting off her treatment any longer it would seem. She wasn't looking forward to it, but knew it would heal better once it was done.

"Unrelated, but how do you think a Lion head would look mounted above the headboard?"

“I would be more curious as to how you got your hands on one.”

Featuring: Maj

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[Maj]

​

Between Hector and Aaron, the harlequin was laid down on the table that once held a dying David. There had been an attempt to clean the blood and gore that once inhabited the surface of the piece of furniture. It was mostly clean but the floor was a neglected detail. Given the doc’s condition, it would have to be forgiven.

The young woman was strapped in tightly to assure no chance of release. Escape artist or not, the bonds were made to mimic the restraints rarely ever used in a hospital. The older of the two men turned to the younger and gestured for him to take a seat across the room. A lone chair awaited Aaron that had somehow survived the train wreck that was David’s transformation.

At a glance, Hector could tell Aaron’s condition was not too serious. Painful, annoying, and even slightly debilitating but nothing that required a serious look. His one-eyed gaze swept the room until they found Leliana. The man nodded to her before limping over to check on Vanessa’s condition himself. He had measured the amount of sedative necessary for her height and weight but given the report Andy had given him, it would come as a shock to no one if there was some complication. People usually thought that an injection was as simple as 1, 2, 3. The reality was harsher. If there was so much as a bubble of air when the sedative was given, things could get very complicated.

There was a lot of movement and thrashing that jostled the medication around. It wasn’t too far of a stretch to assume this could have backfired.

Aaron nearly fell back into the chair. The weight of the events catching up with him as he took the weight off of his feet, the dimmer light down here was a godsend for his throbbing head. It was no time to relax though, he had paid the price for that. She may be out like a light, trussed up like a turkey and heavily outnumbered, but he had seen first hand what sort of stunts Nessa could pull, and even all of those things together didn’t fully put him at ease.

“Make sure them restraints are tight. She nearly killed both of us, and I hate to think how much damage she could cause in a cellar like this,” Aaron looked up towards Leliana. “You can work your magic on me, but if Nessa so much as moves a muscle I’m goin’ to be haulin’ ass towards her so just make sure you don’t find yourself in the crossfire,”

"Was she really that bad?" The nurse asked, her eyes on the unconscious woman. Leliana had justs been observing for a bit, watching Hector. Leliana still wished she could do more for him but his reservations were correct. She didn't have the necessary skills to actually do much more than she already had. She felt guilty, honestly, but Leliana would just have to deal with it. Anyway, the nurse shook her head. It wasn't hard to imagine that Nessa was capable of causing trouble, especially given the way she acted normally. Though at the same time, what little she had interacted with the harlequin, she had been fairly civil. Maybe not the most stable, but civil. So despite what Andy and Aaron we're saying about her, Leliana couldn't help but feel bad for her.

In any case, her attention finally focused on Aaron. She had brought down the bag with "her" equipment, the stuff she was comfortable working with and what she knew was sterile. Not that she didn't trust what Hector had, it was just...easier this way. Right? "So what happened? All three of you look like varying degrees of hell."

Aaron grinned as he closed his eyes for a few moments. “Well it involves a crazed Carnie, a Lion and a Bear, and no this ain’t the punchline for some terrible joke. To be honest all of this” He waved his hand in the direction of his face. “Was the Carnie,” The gouges down his cheeks from Nessa’ clawing attacks still throbbed, he hadn’t really had the chance to take a look at them, the journey in the Humvee passing in an adrenaline filled blur. It was the blow to the head from the crash that had him the most worried and was probably going to be a longer term problem. You can stitch a cut, but you can’t stitch a concussion.

As Aaron spoke, Leliana was prepping something to clean the wounds on his face. Just some rubbing alcohol but it would do the trick. But a lion and a bear...the nurse didn't know if she should believe him or not. Honestly it was a little far fetched. Though if you thought about it, what happened earlier was far fetched. And what reason did Aaron have to lie? "That sounds very exciting. Though I hope you all got your fill," Leliana said, moving forward. With a gentle touch, she started to clean his cheeks, making sure she got as many foreign particles out of the gouges as she could.

“I for one,” Andy began, standing at the top of the stairs to the cellar. “Have had more than my fill of the circus for a lifetime.” Between the zombies, the animals and the now restrained acrobat, the redhead was convinced that she could go the rest of her life without ever seeing the multicolored tents again. Her shoulder was bare as she slowly came down the stairs. The bandages that she and Aaron had so hastily torn and wrapped around her had been disposed of in the bathroom trash can in her room. With Luca’s assistance, she had cleaned some of the dirt and blood off, at least that on her face but now the reality of her wound could be seen.

Thankfully, the blood didn’t pour from the gore of her shoulder like it did back on the fairgrounds, but it did seem to weep as she moved. There were defined claw marks from the base of her neck down to the top of her breast. She was still in the blood-soaked tank top from earlier. In all honesty, Andy had tried to change out of it, but was unable to lift her arms to do so. Likely it would have to be cut off and she would have to wear much baggier clothes while she healed. Her face was paling, her emerald eyes surrounded by sunken dark circles from exhaustion and blood loss.

She took her normal seat on top of the deep freezer, already frustrated with how much more difficult it was without her second arm to help pull her up and onto the appliance. The twin would wait her turn, Aaron had served her better than she could have ever asked for and she wouldn’t be able to rest until she knew that he was okay.

“He banged his head pretty good,” she commented. “Not all of the redneck’s wounds are visible.” The female was smirking though, in surprisingly high spirits for someone who had just about been mauled by both a lion and a carnie.

Aaron smirked, mostly through the pain emanating from his cheeks, that sting of the rubbing alcohol causing his eyes to water. “My old Chem teacher will be proud, he always said one day somethin’ would end up gettin’ through my thick skull. Probably didn’t quite imagine it like this though,” He looked towards Nessa, still motionless on the table, peaceful almost, first time he’d seen her like that and a world away from the clawing beast she’d turned into at the carnival.

"I imagine you have a history of people commenting on that big ol' head of yours," Andy teased with a smirk. There was something almost relaxed about her tone despite being injured. It was clear that she was comfortable to be herself among her current company. Each of these people had saved her life at one point or another. The redhead was suddenly overwhelmed with how quickly these people had grown on her. She wasn't sure how she'd handle it if any of them were taken from her. Wasn't there a term for that? Battle buddies or something? When you risked your life with someone enough, you were bound to create bonds.

"So uh," the woman coughed to clear her thoughts. "I'm ready when you guys are." She made sure her hair was pulled to the side to keep the crimson locks from sticking to the wet wound.


Leliana couldn't help a light-hearted laugh. "You have a concussion, but since your speech is pretty clear and you were able to walk down here on your own, it's not too bad. So that thick skull came in handy." She teased a little. Which means he wouldn't take nearly as long to recover from it as Hector would. Leliana was still worried about him. If Ralph was there...well, no. He wasn't that kind of doctor. She had wished that she knew more so she could help him but that just wasn't in the cards for her. Anyway, while Aaron's wounds were concerning, they were mild, and Leliana was able to take care of them rather quickly. So when Andy spoke up about being ready whenever everyone else was, the nurse couldn't help but glance at Hector. What did he have in mind? She knew Andy's wounds were a lot more serious than Aaron's. But Hector knew that Leliana at least he some sort of skills right? She wasn't completely incompetent...so, if he wanted her help then he should know that he'd be in good hands. Or at least, hands that knew what to do.

The banter between the young ones was a good sign but Hector couldn't help a disapproving shake of the head when Leliana verbally confirmed Aaron's head injury as a concussion. Without an X-ray, one could only examine symptoms and take an educated guess. Aaron had only just arrived. There was no real way to know.

Alas, that was the folly of not having work experience in this field. These things were learned with time and Leliana wasn't able to get her shot at it before the outbreak.

Luckily or… unluckily, Hector was going to change that. For everyone's sake.

Collab: shadowz1995 FireMaiden RayPurchase
Mentions: Brax TheMightyRedLemon

 

[The Mad Queen]

On the Road​

Ralph moved closer and closer to the lodge with every minute that passed but, needless to say, it had taken him a while. Even with the rental's disguise, he had stuck to back roads. With his brown eyes fixed on the road, he noticed a shape just off to the side. Expecting another infected, he almost drove right past them but slowed the car to a stop at the sight of a familiar face.

"Maria?"
The warrior simply ignored him, continuing to walk by. Switching off the engine, Ralph opened the door and hobbled towards her. "Maria, why the heck are you all the way out here?
"Fuck off, Doctor Friendly. Don't give me 'a reason to drop ya." She hissed

Ralph took one step back, raising his hands
"What happened?"
"What happened..." Maria laughed "Is that your buddies at the lodge are just as bad as that c***, Simon!"
"Hey!" Ralph snapped "Now I may not agree with all of their methods, but that's a bit far..."
"They wanna use a wean as a test subject. Fuckin' David got 'er. They wanna watch 'er turn." She hissed once more, taking a step away from Ralph "I tried to stop 'em, but..." Maria rested two hands against her head
"Slow down. Tell me what happened."
"What is there to tell? Huh?" She scoffed "The people you've been livin' with are just as bad as the guy I had to talk ya outta killin'. Look, I knew I said I'd try to keep an eye on 'em because ya were at the uni but I can't do it, Ralph. Not after today."
Her eyes turned onto the road before her.
"I'm goin' back to the safest place I could find in Aurora. You can come with me, if yer wantin'."

"Maria, I..."
"They're not worth it. And ya said it yerself, they don't value you."
"I said one person doesn't value me."
"Well, he seems to be callin' the shots. How long do ya think they'll keep ya around? All they see ya as is a useless cripple. The lot of 'em."
"That's not true!"
"And do ya really want to stick around with a group that experiments on children? What if it was your daughter?!"

He took one step back, his eyes wide.
"Look, come with me or don't. Just keep yer distance from 'em. For yer own sake."
He remained silent, his eyes now facing the ground.
"What do ya even owe 'em, anyway?"
"They saved my life. More than once."

Colt, during the battle of the lodge. Leli, stopping him from bleeding out. Hector, keeping what was left of his knee in one piece. Shinoa, opening the door for him at the motel, picking him up when his knee had given out as an infected was inches away. Jenna, getting him back on his feet.

"I don't know exactly what went down today." He shook his head, glaring at Maria "But I intend to find out. If they have in fact, decided to turn Milly into a lab rat then I'll put a stop to it. Whatever the cost. Also, there's another child there, an infant that's just been made an orphan. If everything you're saying is true, then what kind of man would I be if I just ran away from this?"
"Yer gonna get yourself killed, ya idiot!"
"I don't think so. With perhaps only the one exception, the people within those walls trust me."

Maria reached out, taking Ralph by the hand.
"I trust ya too, but yer makin' a big mistake. Come with me. Caoimhe's gone, Ralph. I dunno where so...You're all I've got."
"Then come with me." He pleaded "Come back to the lodge. And if..."

She shook her head "They'll kill me."
"Maria..."
"I shot Hector."
He raised an eyebrow
"It was an accident. But I don't think they'd buy that. The fecker had threatened to blow my head off, after all. That's why I ran."
"I buy it. I might be able to convince them."
"They think you're an idiot and a cripple." She scoffed once more "Why would they believe you?"
"For starters. I'm a very bad liar." He smiled "Secondly, it's only one person that thinks I'm an idiot. And that's the same person who performed surgery on my knee. If he really thought I wasn't worth it, he wouldn't have bothered."
"Yeah, and that's the guy I shot!"
"By accident. Have you ever fired a gun before?"

She shook her head.
"Alright then. Please get in the car. At least give me a chance to straighten this out."
"What if it doesn't work? They'll murder me, Ralph."

His smile faded, his brown eyes staring directly into hers.
"If they want to kill you, then they'll have to get through me, first."
"Ralph..."
"You saved me too, don't forget that." He opened the passenger door for her "I certainly won't."

Mentioned: Colt and Milly Rumble Fish Leli FireMaiden Hector shadowz1995 and Shinoa (not gonna bother tagging)

 

[shadowz1995]

CELLAR CREW


The old scientist let out a small groan as he straightened and made his way over to Andrea with his tools in tow. The red head's shoulder was going to take some time to heal and he couldn't tell if it would ever be the same again. Hector knew some physical therapy techniques and exercises but it wasn't his forte. He just hoped the girl would be able to shoot her bow in the future like she used to.

Hector was tall enough that he didn't need to ask the Jordan twin to hop down onto a chair. He held up two fingers before opening and closing them repeatedly. He was going to have to cut the remains of her tank top free and while that wouldn't leave her bare for Aaron to see, it was professional to let her know. The procedure needed her to be as comfortable as possible.

"I have a bra on," she verbally answered Hector, understanding his improvised sign language with ease. "I'm not uncomfortable, and if Aaron is he can avert his eyes. I'm sure my blood smeared cleavage is exactly what he's been waiting for." She tossed Hector an exaggerated eye roll. Just because she had made a comment to Hector who had barged into her room while she was sleeping naked he apparently felt the need to treat her like a copy child.

"Just do what you need to do."

She watched as he snipped the tank top free, exposing her torso to the elements. She shivered slightly, the heat in the lodge almost non existent in the depths of the cellar. The bra she spoke of held by one strap, the other broken in the Lion's assault. It did its job of keeping her more private bits covered.

“Blood stained cleveage… god that’s what it’s come to these days is it? Still better than ogglin’ some weeks old walker. If that happens just put me down right there and then,” Aaron did avert his eyes however, gazing at the confines of the cellar. “You need me to hold anythin’ or grab whatever just let me know doc,”

Hector nodded to the other injured male for a brief moment before turning back to Andy.. Once the cloth was free, the doctor set to work. He quickly numbed the area with local anesthesia which drew a hiss of pain from the patient. The old man paused and observed Leli's work while he waited for the anesthetic to work its magic.

Several minutes later, the grey haired Hispanic's expertise showed itself in full force. The lacerations were wide and far from clean but it didn't seem to affect Hector's work very much. Hell, there was very little that seemed to affect his efficiency and dexterity. Half his eyesight was gone, his shoulder was dislocated not too long ago, his vision swam if he moved his head too quickly, his larynx may be permanently damaged, and every breath he took was a task.

Yet, there he was. Suturing Andy's shoulder back together with a precision and grace that rivaled an Olympic figure skater.

Andy did her best to keep her composure as the doctor worked. The aesthetic definitely helped, but with so little to go around and her resistance to it, the drug only dulled the white hot pain that courses through her shoulder. She had been like that since childhood, once a dentist had to numb her mouth six times before it took. He had told her that was a trait more common in people with naturally red hair.

It was painful. Excruciating even, but Andy was used to pain.

Her face twisted a few times and her breath was either held or labored at times. She would hiss through her teeth or exhale sharply from her nose but she didn't cry out. Once her eyes watered up and for a horrifying moment she was afraid she was going to cry in front of these people, but her tear ducts held. Hector was kind enough not to make mention of it.

There was a pause in the doctor's work as he examined a wound that was seemingly related to the lion attack but was inconsistent with the pattern. It was also far too clean. The big man dipped his head to look at it closer before realizing that it was a knife wound. He looked up into the red head's eye with the question clear on his face.

'This isn't an animal wound.'

"What?" Andy asked, despite understanding fully. "I don't speak mute."

"Knife.." he croaked out.

"Yes Hector," Andy mocked. "Very good." She spoke as if she was the announcer of a children's show, slow and falsely enthusiastic. The pain was beginning to grate on her nerves which caused her bark to have a little more bite. He tugged on her stitch causing her to wince and let out a small squeal, despite her best efforts. A silent command to knock it off and give him the information he was requested. There was still a smirk across her lips. There was nothing Andy loved more than knowing she had gotten under Hector's skin.

"Unless you know of someone that can teach lions to wield weapons," Andy said dryly. "That really only leaves one explanation doesn't it?" The girl nodded over to Nessa. The acrobat was still out of it, but the signs of life were becoming ever more prevalent.

"She tried to keep Aaron at gun point and let the lion eat me. When I managed to kill said lion, she took that as a good opportunity to try and finish the job." That was the sparknotes version of course. The crazy bitch had all but slammed a knife down into the already existing lion wounds. Hector's petty stitch pulling had nothing on the agony that had caused.

It wasn't long before Hector was a little more than halfway done. About 70% if he was being honest. It was a good time to make good on his original plan to teach Leliana to suture this kind of wound.

Fingers coated in a healthy layer of the red head's blood, he gave Andy a look and gestured with his eye to the blonde nursing student. The huntress's time as a guinea pig had arrived.

"Alright blondie," Andy called. "Your turn." Her voice was laiden with controlled pain. She wondered if the girl was nervous. Leliana was very skilled, in fact many of the lodge would be dead or far worse without her. Herself included.

Maj FireMaiden RayPurchase TheMightyRedLemon​

 

[Hyped_Taco]

Laying down on the floor as he had done so for the last few minutes, Michael’s mind had been blank for the entire time. Perhaps it was due to how dull his body felt after the adrenaline rush he had had during his fight with David was all but certainly gone now, or could it have been due to how unfathomably bored he felt right now?. It didn’t actually matter which one of the two suspected causes might have been since both led to the exact same outcome.

Continuing to look at the ceiling, Michael began wondering inside his head about several uncertainties he had. During the fight, had he actually been taking the correct decision or had he just been lucky?, Was the virus expanding through the rest of the US?, Would he really have to live the rest of his life in fucking Colorado from all places?. And the most important of all: Was he destined to never be able to finish One Piece?. The neckbeard faintly shuddered at the thought of the last question.

But before he could continue laying on the ground doing what amounted to absolutely nothing, Michael was abruptly interrupted by Leliana. It took the neckbeard a moment to get back into reality before he could hear the nurse’s request. From what he had managed to actually hear, she wanted him to clean up the vomit he had left behind the sofa. While a reasonable request to ask of somebody, Michael didn’t really feel like doing it. Yet as usual, even against his own personal wishes, he would oblige to the whims of a woman.

While Leliana exited the room, Michael gave her a thumbs up, to confirm that he would do what she had asked of him. The neckbeard, with all his remaining strength, began attempting to stand up. And after a few seemingly torturous moments, he actually managed to stand up!.

Although the victory would not actually last for long. His legs started to give out rather quickly. After all, his body had just given out a few minutes ago after the battle with David had ended, so it was really no surprise his body decided to basically give him the middle finger after he attempted to force it back into working after all the physical activity he had just gone through.

Deciding to try and not fall flat on his ass again, Michael made his way to the nearby sofa. Surprisingly, he actually made it to the furniture this time around. Once he finally was on the sofa, Michael decided that if he could not really get up as of the moment, he might as well take a nap in the meantime. It wasn’t like the vomit would be going anywhere, so he should take the chance now that he had it on a silver plate right in front of him. Closing his eyes, Michael began to lose consciousness faster than usual, although this could be attributed to the tiredness he had felt for the last 10 minutes or so.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The neckbeard then woke up. While he wouldn’t exactly call it as suddenly waking up, since there were seemingly no outside factors for it to have caused it, it just kind of happened. Rising up into a sitting position on the sofa, Michael still felt rather tired from before, so he’d probably not slept for that long. Or perhaps he had but it had simply been a pretty shit sleep, but hell if he knew.

Suddenly, Michael remembered something. Outside on the now upside down RV, he had left an item of grand importance. Given the situation they were in, the neckbeard decided he should probably go fetch it as soon as he could.

After standing up from the sofa, he remembered halfway through his way to the front door of the task Leliana had given him before. Deciding to finish it as fast as possible, Michael changed his direction from the front door to the kitchen. There he looked for paper towels till he found them in a cabinet. Now equipped with the paper, Michael ripped several sheets from it and half-assedly threw them from a distance at the vomit of before.

Now that that was out of the way, the neckbeard exited the lodge and began walking towards the RV. While on his way there, remarkably, the sky was a clear blue, with no clouds in the distance. After all the shit they had had to go through today, the least they could get was a nice looking day.

Once he’d made it to the RV, the neckbeard got confused for a second at the sight of no doors to get in, until he quickly remembered that the whole thing was now upside down. Feeling pretty embarrassed at having forgotten such detail, the man quickly made his way towards the broken front driver’s window, which now served as the only entrance to the vehicle.

Before entering the inside of the RV tho, Michael noticed that not all of the window was gone. While at first glance it was as broken as he had left it, the broken window still held several sharp edges from which he could cut himself if he wasn’t careful. Now looking at some of the rather long shards of the window, the neckbeard wondered how he had avoided getting cut while making his act of bravado during the fight with David. To be honest, to him it now seemed quite convenient he’d avoided cutting himself by accident.

Still, he wanted to avoid the possibility of getting cut as much as possible, so the glass needed to go. The neckbeard began to look around for something to knock the glass out with. And after a full minute of searching, he found it. Near the edge of the woods nearby, he found a fallen branch which while not as long as he would like, still would probably do the job just fine.

After spending a few minutes taking out the remaining glass from the now-empty driver’s window, the entrance was safe to pass through. Re-entering the RV, Michael was met with the same look of the inside as before. Everything inside remained pretty much the same, with everything that had not been glued down now finding itself on the left wall, which now technically counted as the floor.

Now with nothing left to stop him, Michael began searching for what he had come for. It didn’t take much to find it, since it still found itself near the kitchen’s sink.

Grabbing the nearby chopping board, Michael put the chicken he had cooked in the morning on it and made his way outside, where he would start walking towards the lodge. As expected, the chicken was now cold and a bit dirty due to all the movement that had transcurred in the RV. But due to the talk he had had with Ralph he would try and waste as least food as possible, so he should at least attempt to fix it first instead of throwing it away.

Once he made his way inside, Michael noticed from afar that several people returned to the lodge. One of them being Andrea along with… along with… a military guy whom Michael had never interacted with before. They looked in pretty bad shape from what he could tell, so it would probably be better to just ignore them for the moment.

Now that he was in the kitchen once more, Michael examined the chicken further. It wasn’t really in bad shape, it simply looked unappetizing for the moment. Nothing that a simple clean over with a paper towel and reheat wouldn’t fix. He would still probably need to add the butter and salt again later, but for now, that wasn’t an issue.

After he was done with cleaning the chicken from whatever dirty stuff it looked to have on it, Michael considered his work to be done. The neckbeard didn’t heat it so that it could be stored for later.

Just in case, Michael would like to announce that this time it was him that made dinner for everyone else, to seek for a little forgiveness from the rest of the lodgers for having basically eaten a few days worth of supply last time he had been here.

After taking a quick look around, Michael didn’t see anyone nearby. While weird, it wasn’t that surprising. The group had several people in bad shape, so they were probably being checked by the few medical professionals they had in the group. While it was just an assumption for the moment, Michael decided to check Hector’s cellar first, just in case.

Luckily for Michael, it seemed like he had been correct since he could hear voices nearby the entrance of the cellar. Making his way down the stairs, he considered the way in which he would announce the meal he had made. While maybe he should wait since they are being checked for possible injuries in a closed environment, the neckbeard just really wanted to do it right now cause hell, he was hyped to do it in this instance.

Once he had reached the bottom of the stairs, Michael waited for a moment before opening the door excitedly to announce what he had done. “Yo, I-”, he said before being stopped by something he was now seeing in front of himself. It was the Neckbeard’s arch-nemesis itself in flesh and bone, the pair that whenever he saw it stopped him from whatever he did to observe them. It was no other thing than a cleavage in front of him, and to be more specific, Andy’s cleavage.

It was… beautiful, a beautiful sight indeed. While sure, he didn’t exactly enjoy blood being smeared over her cleavage, this was exactly what he’d been waiting for, at least since he had met her at the university.

Yet Michael remembered a tiny little crucial detail. That last two times he had spoken to the girl, she had instantly gone for the throat punch, so continuing to stare at her magnificent boobies would probably not be wise in the long term.

“Sorry for interrupting”. Michael said in a meek voice before deciding to tactically retreat from the cellar just in case.

Mentioned: Andy Maj Aaron RayPurchase Leliana FireMaiden Ralph The Mad Queen and Hector shadowz1995

 

[Maj]

​

Leliana had, truthfully, zoned out a little while watching Hector work. She hadn't gotten any closer, and kept her hands together in front of her so they wouldn't need to be cleaned again. After he was about a fourth of the way done, that's when Leliana started to zone out. Staring off into space, mostly thinking about everything that had happened that day. Which of course brought her back to the 13-year-old upstairs. She wasn't showing any signs of getting sick or turning, which was a relief, but Leliana had to wonder why Maria was just so against giving her that chance. Regardless, that woman was gone so Leliana didn't need to worry about her anymore.

Andy's voice drew the nurse out of her thoughts. Right. Okay. Leliana was admittedly a little nervous, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. So with a soft, reassuring smile to Andy, she finally stepped closer and took her place. The wounds were different than what she had dealt with previously, sure, but in terms of depth...Leliana had stitched up Maria's shoulder after the fighter got stabbed. So, similar-ish. But she could tell Andy was in pain. Leliana had heard about that red-head thing because she knew Hector wouldn't be doing this without giving her something for the pain or to numb her. Taking a break would just prolong the pain, so Leliana just gave her another smile. "I'll be as quick as possible, I promise."

The older gentleman was going to have to bite the bullet on his mute act and speak as best he could. This wasn't something that could be done by showing written work to a pupil currently in the act.

"Take the needle holder." He grunted. It was clear speaking was doing wonders for his pain levels but he bore it well. "Nylon sutures." He explained as she grabbed the tools from his bloody fingers. The tensile strength was a little different than other materials but it should have been what was used to practice on dummies in her classes.

The lacerations were too long and too wide to just use skin adhesive for. Nylon was good for pulling skin together as they were non absorbent and needed to be cut free. Andy's saving grace was that the wound wasn't too deep. Otherwise, surgery was unavoidable to repair the damaged muscle.

The young blonde set to work under Hector's guidance. He mostly let her work in silence and chirped up now and then to nudge her in the right direction or to break any bad habits that had formed since the apocalypse had started. He was also using a different stitch than she was used to and needed to be taught that for the size of the wound. The girl wouldn't have done any trials on humans while she was in school after all.

The redhead did her best not to squirm. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to retain the stoic demenor that she had so far. When Leliana moved through the motions, then Andy finally broke, a groan of pain escaping through clenched teeth.

"It's not you," she assured the blonde. "numbing shit never works long on me." That was mostly true. However, the girls slower and more careful sutures were also part of it. Hector had a more fluid and practiced motion, but that was not fault of Lelis either. As the nurse hit a particular sore spot, Andy lurched, the pain shooting through her nerves like electricity.

"Fuck me," the archer growled and then smirked apologetically at Leli as she regained her composure. "Sorry, I know me moving around isn't helping much."

Leliana knew how to stitch someone up. And she knew what the nylon was for, it was the only thing she used. Well, now at least, she had been forced to use some thread in the past. The nurse had taken care to clean it as much as possible however so...maybe it wasn't that bad. Emergencies, right? Anyway, despite knowing, she stood there and let Hector guide her, not in the mood to fight the doctor. As she got started with his guidance, Leliana found she had to adjust slightly away from the typical suture she normally would use. The first few were a little slow thanks to that shift, Leliana taking her time at first to make sure she had it correct before moving along on her merry little way.

When Andy's composure broke, the nurse's blue eyes darted from the wound to the redhead's face, a hint of concern on her features but her attention shifted back rather quickly. Andy may or may have noticed that despite the fact Hector was more efficient, Leliana had a lighter hand. The nurse had promised she would be as quick as possible, and now that she had a rhythm going, Andy wouldn't have to suffer much longer. "It's alright, you don't have to pretend like this doesn't hurt." Andy was trying to keep up that tough girl act, and while Leliana understood why she also didn't see the point.

Then, when Andy lurched, something interesting would be revealed about Leliana's hands. She was able to keep the stitch in about the same place as Andy moved, and had come to a complete stop just to give Andy a small break while she settled a bit. Andy's smirk would be greeted with a sweet, warming smile. "It's okay Andy, don't worry about it. I've had to patch up a drunk or two and they move a lot more than this. And between you and me, Beth doesn't do switches that well," Leliana chuckled softly as her attention turned back to her work. "You only have to sit here a little longer, I'm almost done I promise."

“It’s really not your fault,” Andy assured her through clenched teeth. “you are much gentler than our resident cyclops." The redhead gave a smirk over to Hector who was hovering and inspecting Leliana's work. "I wasn't worried, you've saved me from worse." That was true. It was only a few weeks ago she was in and out of consciousness with the blonde woman being the only thing between her and death. However, despite her brave face, the next stitch hurt. They were close to the most painful parts of the injury, near her shoulder bone. Andy let out a yelp, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "Just do what you have to do."

Andrea must have been exclaiming much louder than she thought because the restrained form in front of her started to stir. Emerald eyes stayed fixated on the acrobat as she tried to wake, the restraints keeping her from stretching as she did so.

As the groggy carnie attempt to stretch failed, her eyes shot open in a panic as she began tugging at the restraints wildly

"Nyet.." She began to mutter in a shaky tone. "Nyet.. nyet nyet nyet. Ne snova…" Terror continued to build in her chest as the restraints held her tight, offering no sign of budging.

Through her struggling a faint laughter fell on her ears. Though she could not tell where it came from, she knew the voice well. As her eyes scanned about the basement, a new sense of dread stirred deep within her. She could feel many eyes on her but all she could see was the face of the old russain man staring down at her maliciously.

Vanessa's lips parted to scream but the sound became caught in her throat as she tried and failed to gasp for air. Her chest began to feel tight and heavy, as though someone had placed a heavy weight over her lungs.

Andy watched her move, she was sure the restraints didn't help the panic that was obviously taking the woman as she came to in a strange place. The redhead took a breath and waited for the blonde to finish her sutures. She didn't understand russian but she didn't need to be fluent in the language to understand fear.

"Nessa!" Andy barked, voice laced with pain and irritation. The ache of her shoulder and her head was finally starting to drain on her patience.

"You aren't in some communist carnie camp. Chill your fucking grill before I knock your ass back out."

Andy's voice was an unintelligible garble to the panicking woman. As she continued to struggle against the restraints, Vanessa tried to stretch her fingers down to the handle of a knife strapped to her leg to no avail.
'It's useless' Yuri's voice rang out mockingly inside the acrobats head

It was the shouting that had grabbed Aaron’s attention, his concussion clouded mind not picking up on the rustling movement as Nessa awoke. Thankfully the next few steps were down to muscle memory, didn’t need his brain or senses at all for it. His hand went down to his waist, unclipping the handgun that Nessa had been pointing at him earlier that day, and rose from his seat, his legs wobbling slightly. The barrel of the handgun remained unwavering however pointed just below Nessa, and his eyes remained fixed, the blue of his irises shining as they met Nessa’s own. He didn’t put any faith in those restraints, not after all she had put them through.

"Calm yourself…" the doctor croaked. His head hadn't turned but his eye was now watching Aaron carefully. Everyone in here other than Leliana was his patient now and he wasn't about to have violence erupt between them.

Leliana didn't notice the carnie at first, focusing on Andy. She only had a few sutures remaining, and was trying to get them done as quickly as she could. Though she didn't want to hurt Andy more than necessary, Leliana always did her best to avoid that no matter who she was working on. But as Andy opened her mouth to address Nessa, the nurse winced a little. That was right next to her ear. "Andy, take it easy. You'd be panicking too if you woke up tied to a table," Leliana pointed out with a small sigh as she finally reached the last suture. Once Leliana was finally finished, she checked to make sure they were all secure. "She doesn't know where she is, I'm guessing the last thing she saw wasn't...pleasant."

Andy scoffed, which caused pain to surge through her shoulder as it jostled. Her eyes summersaulted.

"Of course it wasn't." The red head agreed matter of factly. "But I have a feeling it's better than whatever that crazy bitch thinks she's seeing now."

As the terrified harlequin attempted to regain some control over her breathing, the conversation between the two women started to come into focus. Confusion flooded the acrobats mind immediately.

Vanessa tried to recount the events in her mind. She could recall the circus, grabbing Aaron's gun. She had stabbed Andy after the Lion lay dead. They wrestled on the ground. Andy had stabbed her in the neck. The woman visibly shivered under her restraints.

"W..why?" She finally choked out. "How… am I alive?" There was clear fear and confusion in the acrobats voice. As she understood it, Andy and Aaron had been planning to kill her at the circus. Now she was alive and strapped to a table. "Y..your going to have doc experiment on me… aren't you?" She asked, voice trembling. It was the only logical thing she could conclude, given the order of events in her mind. "..turn me into one of them…?"

Aaron shook his head, regretting it as another wave of nausea hit him from the rapid movement, his lip curling slightly, those lights sure seemed to be getting brighter. “She’s still talkin’ a load of horse crap. Main reason you’re still alive is that Red said so. I’m still undecided but it ain’t my house,”

Andrea didn’t say anything at first. She waited patiently for Leliana to complete the work on her shoulder and tie off the stitches. Her entire shoulder and torso seemed to throb with each one of her heartbeats. She could feel the pain with each breath, each beat a rhythm on her temples. When the blonde was done she put a thankful hand on her shoulder, offering her the rarest gift she had. A warm smile.

The woman slid off the freezer, letting her boots hit the dirt floor of the cellar and cleared the distance between herself and the restrained acrobat with slow, methodical steps. With Hector mute, it almost seemed like the others were waiting to see how she would respond. Aaron was right after all, the only reason Vanessa was alive was because Andy had fought to keep her that way. No one would have blamed her if she had killed Vanessa. Hector tried to warn her against using valuable medication to save her life, Aaron had gotten injured in their attempts to save her, even Luca, who liked Vanessa the most out of the lodge members would have understood why Andy had killed her.

And yet, she had made it a priority. The cause was only half understood by even herself.

She towered over the acrobats restrained, beat up, and frightened form. Her emerald eyes were almost neon in the limited light. It seemed to dance across her corneas which were void of any visible emotion. In spite of the pain, she bent over so that her face was close to Vanessa’s, locking eyes with her so that she had no choice but to look at her. It was akin to hours before when they had locked eyes as Andy had slowly injected the sedative into her neck.

“It doesn’t matter why or how you are alive, Thumbalina,” Andy spoke smoothly, inches away from Vanessa’s ear. The redhead gestured to the people sitting around them. Aaron, Leliana, and Hector all looked at them while she spoke. “If anyone besides the four people in this room ask what happened to you, play dumb. If you want to keep your life intact, you lie. You should be good at that as a performer.” Andy rose abruptly, knowing exactly how threatening she sounded. It was important though. If Luca found out that Vanessa had lost it and tried to kill her, he would murder the girl. If anyone else found out exactly how unstable she was, they would question Andy’s decision to keep her around. Hector had been right, Vanessa was Andy’s responsibility now. No one else's.

She said nothing to the others as she turned on her heels and left, back up the steps and into the kitchen.

Collab: Rumble Fish RayPurchase TheMightyRedLemon shadowz1995 FireMaiden
Mention: Brax

 

[Hyped_Taco]

​

Andy tried her best to keep her composure as she left Vanessa and the others behind. The pain was starting to take hold in ways the girl would rather ignore and fatigue pulled at her every movement, trying to lull her into a comfy spot to sleep. Her emerald hues landed on the wide form of Michael. He was standing near the back door, looking almost guilty. Was that a blush in his cheeks? There was no going what was going on with the weeb, if memory served he was something of a pervert to begin with.

And yet, this man was the reason that her house still stood, even if it was on its last leg. It was his bravery that ensured the lives of Hector and the others. A smelly fat perv he may be, but now he was one that deserved at least a little more respect.

"Michael," Andy called to him. She had forgotten the fact that she was still mildly exposed, one side of her bra fully visible from the opened side of her cut tank top. It was like green and stained now with blood. Her shoulder looked a mess and while the medics had done their best to clean her, there were still smears of carnage across her chest and neck.

"You doing okay?"

Michael climbed the stairs of the cellar he had merely a minute ago been at thinking of one, and only one thing. His luck. Not only had he slayed a beast that the rest of the lodge had almost fallen to mere hours ago, but now, for all his efforts, he had been compensated with a sight he had longed to see for a very long time. Andy’s magnificent bust. Andrea Jordan’s motherfucking tits.

While he originally thought that the day would never arrive, it seemed like it only took the end of civilization as they knew it and for her to have a seemingly both terrifying and dangerous experience just for the neckbeard to have a glimpse at her cleavage. While on an ideal scenario, it would have been due to the neckbeard having done brave and courageous action and with the girl showering him in praise, he was happy with the outcome nonetheless.

It seemed as if Michael had executed his retreat flawlessly. No one had called out for him after he had busted into the room nor had they turned their heads to face him in the approximately 10 to 20 seconds he’d been in there. Plus, knowing the fact that he had indeed stared at Andrea’s chest for a brief time, he knew very well the consequences that would come his way if she had noticed him.

His last two encounters with the red head had ended in disaster. In the university, she somehow was able to see through his flawless plan to get her to pose for his hentai manga, while during his second encounter with the girl on the lodge also ended badly. The neckbeard still wasn’t sure what had made the girl become aggressive during their second encounter, since from what the man remembered, he had not been able to even blurt out 2 sentences before their chat ended in less than a ceremonious way. Fact remained that his throat had been aggressively punched twice by the red head, and he was not looking forwards a third punch.

Yet when everything seemed to have gone perfectly, fate decided to shat on Michael’s luck once more.

He had made it halfway across the stairs that led outside the cellar when he heard the voice of the person he least wanted to hear from at the moment. With his name being called out behind him, Michael realized that he had fucked up, majorly fucked up.

Andy Jordan had followed him outside the cellar while she was being checked by the venezuelan doctor, was her anger truly that great to stop the medical check up just to pursue him?. Fear came into Michael’s body, stopping him dead in his track and leaving him unable to continue his way outside the cellar room.

Being stuck in place, Michael was unable to turn around and face the woman face to face. He was unsure on what to exactly do now. If he attempted to run outside she could more than likely catch up to him in a short amount of time, and he would never try to fight her 1v1, even though he could probably win in that fight, he’d been raised better than to do that. His only real option left was to accept whatever the girl decided to do to his throat at this moment.

Yet she seemed to go against any and all of his original expectations with three mere words. had she… Had she really just asked him how he was doing?.

Still profoundly sweating and not having turned around to face her yet, Michael blurted out a response while giving the girl a slightly shaking thumbs up.

“Y- Yeah! t-t-Totally”

"It sounds like you guys had quite the adventure while I was away," the redhead observed dryly. There was a hint of a smirk across Andy's lips. Michael had taken down a behemoth monster of a zombie with a sword but being near her made him shake? What an absolute incel. However he was an incel that deserved her thanks, and so she swallowed the retort as it tried to bubble up and continued.

"And it sounds like I have you to thank that we aren't worse than we are." She reached out and gave Michael a pat on the shoulder. "Thank you. I'm not sure how you managed it, but I'm glad you did."

“W- we sure did!. Although… more than an adventure, I would personally describe it as a terrifyingly 20 minute long shitshow.”

The neckbeard responded to the red head’s statement in a slightly amused tone. From the nine people that had been at the lodge at that time, the previously pregnant lady got blasted straight into a wall, the Irish sounding girl was now technically M.I.A after running the fuck away,that one girl got her skull cracked and Hector… well shit, Hector got straight up fucked in several different ways in the span of a quarter of an hour. If there were any better way to describe the events from earlier, the neckbeard would be all ears.

And now he was being thanked by the girl. While, to be honest, it did warm his cholesterol filled heart, it still did not fully calm him down from his suspicion that she was a moment away from throwing a punch straight to his jugular again.

“W-well, no need to thank me… and stuff. Even I’m not sure how I did it hahah, If I’m honest,it mostly came down to luck.”

Andy let out what might have been a small laugh, then winced as the movement in her chest caused her wound to ache. Her gaze returned to the half drugged and tried expression it once held and she gave him a soft pat on his shoulder.

"Well for all our sakes," the redhead began "I hope you keep being lucky. Good work."

And with that she left him to go find a comfy spot in the couch to collapse in. There would be lots of repairs to be done soon, but right now she desperately wanted to close her eyes for a few moments.

 

[TheMightyRedLemon]

What is Owed​

Hector took a slow survey around the room before nodding to the stairs. He needed a talk with this one and he couldn't do that efficiently right now if someone talked over him.

He then pulled one of the free stools and took a seat beside the restrained young lady. It was several seconds of silence before Hector finally spoke, "Do you know why you are here right now?"

The acrobat lay silent for a long moment before she looked towards the old doctor. "B.. Because…" she began, but faltered. Her voice was shaky and uncertain. "Because I tried to kill Andy…?"

"No." He answered gruffly. "Why are you here?" The old man emphasized with a few taps on the table she was bound to.

She looked away from his gaze, still very confused. Why was she here, strapped to the table? She thought it was because she attacked the others, but could he have been asking for a lie, like Andy wanted her to give the others?

"I don't know…" she admitted after a moment of consideration. "I was only trying to protect myself… I thought they were going to kill me!"

"For all intents and purposes, they should have Vanessa McUlann. You -"

A wrenching fit of agonized coughs interrupted the old Hispanic's words. Verbalizing his thoughts, for however briefly, was starting to take its toll. "You should have been killed for attacking them. You are HERE, Vanessa, because Andrea Jordan spared your life."

The doctor paused to make sure the fact of that particular matter fully sunk in before continuing.

"But they were whispering to each other about killin me back at the circus!" She argued, still trying to piece the situation together. "I heard them outside the tent.."

Hector's eye narrowed dangerously at her response, "Were they? Or did you just assume? Perhaps the 'voices' told you as much?"

"No, I heard them talking about me.. The.. The voices just kept reminding me about it…" she admitted.

"About you. Not about killing you. You heard wrong. You assumed incorrectly. The evidence of that is clear because you are still breathing." The grizzled man said with a threatening tone of finality.

"She used very valuable medicine to render you unconscious instead of putting you to sleep forever." His strained, gravelly voice explained. "As anyone else would have done. As I would have done given the circumstances."

The large man held her grey gaze with an icy one of his own that showed no dishonesty nor hesitation in his words. Hector rarely ever lied but one could tell he was being doubly serious now.

"That sedative she used is something we could have used to save someone's life, Vanessa. A life-saving surgery that I have already had to perform more than once in my short time here."

The doctor then sat up straight, his growing irritation becoming clear in the furrow of his brow. "And yet, for some unknown reason, she still chose to save you. You."

Vanessa averted her eyes from the doctor's gaze. "Then she should have saved it for someone important."

"Apparently, you are that someone Vanessa. Congratulations." He retorted before standing up from his stool and leaning over the smaller lady, forcing her to meet his eye.

"And you tried to kill her despite that."

The doctor let a finger sit on the cold metal beneath Vanessa's restrained form. He slowly limped around to the other side of the table, dragging his finger along the steel and filling the air with its unnerving ambiance. "Do you have any… ANY idea what the consequences of your actions would have been had you succeeded?"

Vanessa's multicolor eyes began to dart around nervously as she tried her best not to squirm under her restraints. Every muscle in her body was screaming at her to run, to find someplace safe to hide, but it was useless. She could not escape. She silently watched Hector as he hobbled around her, the fear of not knowing what the doctor would do was causing panic to build back up inside her.

"As it stands right now, she is the only hope we have of finding some kind of answer to this virus. Are you aware that you just tried to exterminate what is potentially the only hope this entire city has?"

"I.. Well no…" the acrobat said, her voice trembling. The one-eyed old man was beginning to scare her a good bit, and she began to tug at her bindings again.

Hector lapsed into silence for some time after her response. The older gentleman stared cold daggers at the woman, his large arms loosely crossed against his chest while he glared. A relaxed posture with a calculated menace emanating from his form. "Clearly not." He coughed.

"Do you understand exactly why Ms. Jordan told you to lie?"

The acrobat thought for a moment, not wanting to give no response again.

"..to protect me?" She finally asked meekly.

He nodded gravely. "She's protecting you. Still. Even now. Because if the man that you owe a 'life bond'," he gestured with air quotes, "Were to find out what you did, he wouldn't hesitate to end your servitude. " his accented voice stated with a hint of malice.

"Permanently." He punctuated.

"Is that how you repay life debts, Vanessa? By trying to kill their partners?"

"No.. I." The carni stammered, "I thought she was going to kill me… I was scared… surely anyone could understand as much….?" She practically pleaded. It was obvious that she was wrong now, but in the moment, Vanessa truly believed they had planned on killing her.

"Would they now?" He asked with a pseudo-quizzical title of the head. As if it was a genuine question. The fact of the matter is that no one would side with her on this. Not even Andy. That was why she decided to keep it a secret from the others. If someone didn't kill her, they'd have to at least kick her out. No one would trust her with that information floating around.

"I don't know…" she admitted.

The doctor raised an eyebrow with genuine curiosity now. The woman was ill but she wasn't completely gone. There was some rationality left in her rattled mind. A broken psyche still trying to hold itself together.

"Ms. Jordan saved your life at the expense of her own and has sacrificed the life of another person some time in the future. She knows about the value her life has to humanity and yet, she still chose to save you, Vanessa. I want you to realize that."

Hector paused for a moment before continuing, "There is no guarantee this virus is localized. It could have gone beyond Aurora. We have no idea what the scope of this is. It's possible Andy risked the entirety of the human race to spare you. At the very least, every person in Aurora. Infected or otherwise. You don't just owe her a life debt now. You owe her at least 382,742 lives. That was the weight of her choice. That is what you must now repay. And you owe us, the witnesses a debt as well. Our silence keeps you alive as much as she does."

The doctor then slowly outstretched his hand towards the young girl, prompting her to flinch away. It seemed as if he was going for her throat until he reached past her and undid the first restraint.

"We've gotten you the medicine you need to make the voices stop. You're going to be a constant drain on our resources from here on out. If you have any semblance of duty or responsibility. You will not only pay back your debt to Ms. Jordan. You will cease to be a burden to us all."

Hector then undid another restraint. "Am I clear, Ms McUlann?"

The acrobat nodded, glad to be almost freed from the table. She wanted to get out of the cellar and some were up high to hide away and think.

The older man's hands worked on undoing her bonds but his touch lingered on the last restraint across her feet. He was lost in thought for a moment, contemplating some events unknown to the acrobat. It was a few moments before he blinked back to the present.

"I'm choosing to trust Ms. Jordan's judgement, Vanessa. I'm choosing to trust your potential to be useful."

He then leaned close and forced her to meet his gaze once more, "I am choosing to trust you. Do NOT make me regret that decision, McUlann. I promise you that death will seem like a mercy if you do."

Her wide dual-colored eyes stared into his own grey orb. She was clearly terrified of the older man now. "R..right…" she managed to stammer out.

With that, the final restraint came off and the carnie was now free once more.

Or as free as one could be under Hector's ever-vigilant gaze.

"Stay out of sight for now. When I call you to take the medication, you come without argument or fight…."

He nodded his head towards the stairs that everyone else vacated from. "Vete."

No sooner had he released her had the harlequin rushed up the stairs and out of the door.

 

[The Mad Queen]

Making A Case
The following is a collab between myself and Maj ​

The beat-up rental, still smeared in the blood of the undead approached the lodge. Ralph sat behind the wheel, his eyes facing the front. His usual smile was gone and the man looked perturbed. He was alone in the car, his only company being that of a walkie-talkie sitting in the passenger seat.

"Doctor." Maria's voice called
He slowed the car to a stop and placed it in his hand "Pulling up now. Stay well out of sight."
"I'm not an ejit. So what's the plan?"
"Hector will not listen to me but I know others that will. I have a few friends here, friends with sway."

Colt, Leliana, Aaron. At one point or another they had all said they'd have his back. Those were the three he could count on but everyone else or rather, everyone else left was either an unknown or had too little sway with the lodge. Even with Luca, the former criminal seemed to respect Ralph but there were no guarantees. He hadn't even seen Luca in a very long time, even before he'd left for the university.

He sighed and stepped out of the car, limping towards the front door with his cane striking the earth with every step.
"I'll let you know how it goes. But, if I can't manage it I suggest you run."
"Run where?"
"Try the university. I'll be heading back there from time to time anyway. At least, in that case you won't be alone. I'll always try to be in touch with these but I'd need to keep it under wraps."

A quick glance showed that the once rather homely building had been steamrolled. Broken windows, doors that had been obliterated. The infected had taken it's toll. For once, Ralph wasn't thinking about an autopsy or learning from one of the dead though, for his eyes moved towards smeared blood into one of the corners in the room.

A smear of blood, guts, bone and cloth lay before him and it only took the Doctor a few seconds to work out who it belonged to given the floral patterns on the cloth. He turned pale, followed up by doing something Ralph hadn't done in a number of years. He gagged, limped towards the sink and threw up.
"Oh God..."

There was nothing he could do for her. He'd accepted that on the drive over. Composing himself and focusing on the task at hand, he called out.
"Hello? Is anyone here? It's Ralph."

Andy had been watching the windows for a while now. When she had heard the sound of a car, she had hoped to see Owen coming up the driveway, however it was the view of ralphs car instead. This peaked her interest. The doctor had been gone for a while now, at the University she uses to call home. As far as she knew he had been working independently on a cure due to some dick measuring contest that had happened between him and Hector. She wondered how far long he had gotten, if he even knew about her blood being resistant. She shrugged and watched as he approached, only coming to the door way (now void of a door due to the fight with David) and greeted him.

"Sup doc?" She saluted him weakly, flicking two fingers from her temple in the form of recognition. The poor girl looked gastly.

Fresh out of surgery, her shirt was still cut back exposing half of a lime green lace bra. Thankfully it was rather conservative and so nothing but some dries blood covered clevage was exposed. Her shoulder was now stitched but red and angry and still bloody looking in places. Her face was dirty and her jeans still stained with blood and mud.

"Glad to see you in one piece. "

"I wish I could say the same for you." He sighed, taking a quick glance at the state of her injuries before looking away so as to not appear he was staring. They didn't seem to match the wounds inflicted by an infected; in fact it was as if she'd had a run in with a wild animal. Even if it was some kind of new sort of volatile, much like the Librarian and the creatures in the vents Andy wouldn't have been standing.
Just what had been going on in his absence?

"Glad to see you're still breathing at least." He tried to offer his usual smile but it fell through. The events of the day wouldn't allow for it.

"Better than some," she responded gravely. Emerald hues glanced over to the covered body on the ground. The red head had never really interacted with the young woman who's body was now laying in her drive way, but Shinoa has been living at the lodge as long as any of them. She couldn't help but wonder if she had been here instead of at the circus that maybe there would have been less casualties. With Owen and Colt gone, Luca on the mend and herself and Aaron gone, she hadn't left the base with much fire power.

"I assume that's why you came back," the huntress said. "I know you and the girl were close."

He nodded, looking away "Started off as that. To see how everyone else was doing, as well. I do care for everyone within these walls, even if I don't get on with all of you and even if I do drive some people crazy. It's been a long drive and I've had to think about the other reasons." He glanced at the floor, sighing once more "Something happened at the university and although I'll spare the rather heinous details of the nightmare factory, it means I can't just leave it open for someone else to use it."

He finally turned to face her "I suppose I've just been wondering where I'm the most help. That, and a hundred other things. I know for a fact I couldn't have prevented this, in fact I'd most likely have died trying to save her but it's even more difficult to drag myself away now."

He threw up his hands and started to pace around the room "One volatile did all this." He muttered "Just one."

"It's a waste of brain space to blame our selves for every life lost," Andy commented, sighing deeply. If only it was as easy to take her own advice. "I'd like to think that just by protecting this place and by doing our best to pick up others as we are out and about that we have saved more lives than we've lost. I try hard to focus on that." It was a moment of honesty from the girl who often used harsh words and confidence to hide from any real emotion. But she was tired and hurt and she didn't have the energy to do anything other than exist.

"I wasn't here either. The ones that were did what they could. That's all that can be asked of them. The baby is alive," she assured him, voice lightening some. "I guess Bethany happened to have her out when the attack happened. So there are positive things we can focus on." Her eyes flittered back over to Shinoa's body. "But we can mourn too. It would be inhuman not to."

She sighed heavily and ran her fingers up her forehead and into her hairline brushing the red hair away from her freckled face. Her exhausted visage looked up to the man once more

"As for you," she began again. "The group of people I can trust is small. No matter how badly you think we got off I can assure you that you are part of that group. However at the end of the day, you have no obligation to this place. If there is work to be done at the University that can't be ignored then I trust you to do that. Honestly, as much as I do not want to admit it, we might not be far behind you. We need more space and as much as I love this lodge," another heavy sigh. This lodge was all she had left of people she loved that were gone forever. All that remained of the happy memories of her youth. Abandoning it felt like abandoning them. "I think the university is better suited to house us anyway. Greenhouses, better generators, actual med bay. Not to mention more beds and space in general. It won't happen anytime soon but, if I was going to relocate us, that's where I'd go."

"I accepted years ago that I couldn't save everyone. The final nail in the coffin of that rather childish and naïve idea was Ebola." There was a tiredness in Ralph's eyes. He wouldn't mention the child, for it would only render the Doctor emotional and he was struggling to hold it together enough as it was. As much as he tried to conceal it with his pacing and lack of eye contact, he was aware it was a somewhat futile effort.
"Still..." He cleared his throat, composing himself "I do try. I didn't quit my job when I came back home because I had to keep trying. Some days you can save everyone but it's as rare as say...Kuru?" He rested hand on his chin, stopping his pacing "Wait, that's far too rare. Things aren't that bleak." He muttered to himself

He finally turned towards her, his eyes, watery meeting hers.

"It's good to know that you trust me. I never held that against you, by the way but felt it was better to give you space from Doctor Friendly." He managed a smile, the nickname was starting to rub off on him. "I trust you too. There's probably only two people here I distrust outright. One's an idiot and the other turned into a volatile and did all this before someone put him down. So I suppose all there is really, is Michael. The kid isn't malicious but he's just a bit...Darn, how do I put this? He's just a bit of a moron. Apparently he was a big help during what happened here though, so perhaps he's starting to come around."

His smile faded once more "The university really made me realise who I can and I can't trust. Won't lie, my own circle of trust is starting to shrink." He found a chair and sat down, still facing Andy. Due to all the pacing, his leg was starting to get to him.
"That said, the place would be good for a base. Especially given the lodge has taken a bit of a beating. Unless the damage can be repaired, I don't think some people will be able to survive the winter and you could almost say it's Winter all year round in Colorado. And while we're on the subject of trust, there is a rather sensitive matter to bring up with you. I know it's been a long day but sadly this cannot wait."

"I've known the fat-" Andy paused mid insult and changed trajectory. He had done well while she way away and deserved more respect. "I've known Michael for a few years. He's sort of an incel," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "But he's not maliciously stupid. He has a good heart." When he mentioned something serious to talk to her about, Andy resisted the urge to sigh. This day has been one absolute disaster after the next and she wasn't sure how many more fires she was capable of putting out before she got some sleep. Instead, she eased herself down to sit on the cracked wooden porch steps. The porch swing that she normally frequented was hanging ajar, only up by one chain.

"Hit me," she said tiredly.

Ralph raised an eyebrow at the word Andy used for Michael. It was not a term the Doctor had really heard before. Now was not the time to ask, though and he had to choose his next words very carefully.
"So, on my way over I ran into Maria on the road. Apparently she accidentally shot Hector during the lodge's attempt to bring down the volatile. She'd never fired a gun before and it was a tense situation." He cleared his throat, leaning forward "I'll be the first to admit that running after accidentally shooting someone would make anyone look suspicious, even myself."
It wouldn't be running so much as it would be hobbling to freedom in his own case though, Ralph thought.

"I know I wasn't here but I do know Maria. She saved my life at the wretched nightmare factory that was the University and even..." He paused, was he really willing to tell someone else about what had happened with Simon? How close he'd come?

If it helped Maria's case, there had to be no doubts.
"She even stopped me from making a very costly mistake. Murder." His stomach turned as he admitted it "It's a very long story but there were people at the University running experiments. Infecting people and turning them into lab rats. Dozens of them. Even tried to do the same to Maria, but..."

He took in a deep breath "We stopped them. Together. Whole reason I had to stay was in case someone else got similar ideas and used that place and it's resources to start all over again. That way I can study, in a way that's a close to humane as possible."

His stomach turned even more as he continued, getting closer to the truth.
"The brains behind the operation was a former colleague of mine. When I found out that he wasn't an unwitting participant, held against his will I came close to shooting him dead. He was unarmed, he wasn't a threat anymore given we'd wiped out the operation and yet I came this damn close to ending him..." He turned away, his head lowered in shame.
"She talked me down. That to me doesn't sound like someone who shoots an ally on purpose and then runs away."

Andy listened intently to his story, her eyes fixated on his face while he spoke. Hector had already briefed her on the entire situation long before. In fact his account had been incredibly detailed. When Leliana's own recount has matched the doctors she had no choice but to take it as truth.
"It sounds like you've had quite the adventure since your time away from the lodge." Andy could relate. One run to the circus had been enough to turn the redhead into an agoraphobix.

"When it comes to Maria, I already know about the situation. Hector is incredibly detailed in all parts of his life, story telling not excluded. Let it be known, I do believe you Dr. Fisher." She sighed, hands moving idly as she talked. Slender fingers gripped a long stalk of grass near the steps and snapped it off. She broke it in increasingly smaller pieces as she continued.

"But it ultimately comes down to my trust of her. I know you trust her, and I'm not even saying that you are wrong to do so. But we are forced to weigh the strength of her word and first hand accounts. You are right, you weren't here. The ones that were feel very differently."

"Did she tell you that she tried to kill Milly?" The red head inquired.

He leaned back in the chair, paying attention to every word. "She did, actually." He sighed "David, well the volatile got a hold of her and managed to get his teeth into her skull. So I heard."

She'd filled Ralph in before he drove up to the lodge and needless to say, he hadn't taken it too well.
"How is Milly now? We both know what a bite can do. I pray she doesn't turn." He leaned in, his brown marbles filled with concern. "I don't know about the depth or even if the skin was broken. All I know is that the big bastard had that little girl's head in his mouth and bit down!" He snapped.
He took in yet another deep breath, composing himself. Part of him wondered, even if just at the back of his mind just how many times in the past few days that he'd cried or lost his temper.

Ralph dreaded going into the basement and seeing what state Milly was in. If the girl had turned then someone would've told him by now, right?

The image of the undead behemoth with his arms, his jaw wrapped around Milly, or even Sarah had filled his mind. Even if all he could do was picture it, it was not an image he would soon forget.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"She's fine," Andy said, shaking her head to let him know that he had nothing to apologize for. "Hector always disables the jaw when someone dies, just in case. He bit down, but there was no bottom jaw to actually bite her. The skull has taken some damage, but other than being a little woozy, I think the girl is going to be fine." She sighed, looking up at the elder man.
"That is what I mean though. She wanted to kill a little girl without even ensuring she was going to turn. If she is that unpredictable and illogical in the heat of battle then having her around is a hazard. The battles aren't going to stop."

Ralph looked down at the floor, defeat in his eyes. Hearing that Milly was going to pull through should've filled the man with joy or at the very least, an overwhelming relief that they weren't going to lose another child that day. Instead, he was filled with something else at Andy's words.

Neverending battles, a war almost between the living and dead seemed to be all that awaited those in Aurora, as well as a fight against the very government that was meant to protect and serve the people. Ralph's government. How long would it all go on for? Months? Years? Decades, even?

"I think..." He began with a sigh "I think what happened at the university has affected her. She didn't want to talk about it..." He looked up from the floor "And you know how much I press..." He chuckled, sadly "At the same time though, you have to understand that given what she did for me back there I can't exactly throw her to the wolves, as it were."

Using his cane, Ralph pulled himself to his feet. "So, what do we do about this situation? Can't throw her away, but she can't stay at the lodge. Even if she wasn't unpredictable, I don't exactly think some of the others would appreciate her being around. May not be able to see the shooting as accidental and even so, there's Milly. Having her and the child under the same roof is just going to cause hostility. Hostility nobody needs."

"Because I trust you, and you seem to trust her," Andy began, the tiredness ever evident in her tone. "I wont look for her, I wont let anyone go after her for some sort of petty vengeance. That's the limit of the kindness that I am willing to offer. However, I think it's fair to say that she isn't going to be welcome here and if she comes here then I'm not going to be able to help her. There will be people that want their pound of flesh. If you want to keep her safe, I'd say that keeping her as far away from the lodge and its inhabitants is a good start , what you do with her is up to you. I don't really care what happens to her. But if she is stupid enough to cross any of our paths again, our prerequisite relationship wont save her." She crossed her arms over her chest, wincing as she felt the stitches tug against her wounds.

"If she is stupid enough not to heed that warning," She shrugged. "Whatever happens to her isn't on my head anymore. It's on her own."

The Doctor nodded in response, a light smile on his face "Thank you, Andy. I have an idea as to where she can stay." He reached into his coat, producing the radio "And we can keep in touch with these. For now. I'll let her know what the situation is."
At least with the radio, she wouldn't be entirely alone. Still, isolation was preferable to a brutal death at the hands of some of the lodge's inhabitants. Hector had worried him the most. Any good surgeon knows at least one hundred different ways of putting a human being back together, so it was a fair guess to say they'd know one hundred different ways of pulling a human being apart.

He looked around the room to check if he and Andy were alone and, upon seeing that it was just the two of them he lifted the radio to the side of his face.
"Maria, are you there?"
"Aye."
"The lodge isn't going to work out, I'm sorry but we cannot guarantee your safety."
"And I told ya as much on the way over. I told ya it was a waste 'a time."
"I had to try." He sighed "Head for..." He paused. Even if the room was empty there was always a chance someone had been listening in. Someone who would be out for Maria's blood "Head for the place you scattered those ashes. I'll be heading back there eventually."
"Back there? Are ya joking?" She snapped
"Safer than anywhere else in this godforsaken city. And it's far enough away from the lodge."

The other end of the radio went silent for a few moments.
"Ralph?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks for tryin'. You're one of the good ones."

The other side went quiet once more and Ralph pocketed the radio. Glancing up at Andy he nodded "Thank you, again. I mean it."

"I didn't do anything worth thanking me for." Andy shrugged her shoulders absently. "In fact, all I did was nothing at all. There is plenty of stuff that does need action though, the lodge is in shambles and few of us are in any condition to do it." Her arm was still bloodied but there were bodies that needed burned, windows to barricade and hopefully a bottle to crawl to the bottom of. "If you plan to stick around for a while, we could use the help, if not stay safe out there. The city is getting more dangerous to traverse by the day." And with little else to add and her warning well received Andy stood and walked back inside the lodge.

Ralph stared at the battered lodge for a few moments, the building gazing down at him. Just how many had died within it's walls?

If Fisher had been a superstition man, he would've called it and the woods surrounding it cursed.
Stepping inside, the first thing Ralph got to work on was laying Shinoa to rest.


Mentioned: Hector shadowz1995
Colt, Milly Rumble Fish
Leli FireMaiden
Aaron RayPurchase
Luca Brax
And Shinoa (but no tag for Kawa)

 

[Maj]

​

November 22, 2020
The Road Home
7:55 PM

Owen’s emerald eyes stayed focused on the road ahead. The old highway was silent in the dark without the sounds of other cars. The yellow hue of his highlights illuminated the road, reflecting off of the odd abandoned car or the occasional wandering corpse. With his high beams on, the man was able to avoid the obstacles with ease,

He had rested at Charlotte's place for a bit, the exhaustion of the last few days finally catching up to him, his red hair felt greasy and was sticky with dried sweat. He fantasized about the hot water waiting for him back home. It was clear he needed it, each time he caught his own reflection in the rearview mirror the man sighed. It was impossible to tell freckles from dirt from blood. All of it dried to his pale flesh in a splattered pattern.

The rest of the vehicle was equally as cheery. Drained faces met him from the backseat. Nile sat behind him in the backseat. The Camaro had very little backseat to begin with, and Owen’s hulking 6’3 frame took up most of it to begin with. While Liam was equally as large, he wasn’t quite as tall and since Nile had the shortest legs, even compared to Aubrey, he was forced into the cramped space.

His face looked about as exhausted as his own. With the drug hangover that was setting in on top of his concussion, the man could only imagine the headache that was beginning to set in. Aubrey didn’t have her chipper demeanor anymore either. The events at her sister’s house obviously sapping her of whatever feigned optimism she and tried to keep during this absolute train wreck of a run. Normally, the redhead would crack jokes to try and keep spirits high, but even speaking seemed like too much of a task at the moment.

The silence hung over them like a weighted blanket. Comforting to some degree in the unspoken agreement not to force conversation but also suffocating in the knowledge that all of them were at their limit.

“What a day huh?” Liam finally broke through the veil of shared misery. Owen only glanced up into the mirror to catch his gaze before fixing his eyes back on the road in front of him. Neither of the others seemed too keen in helping the newcomer keep the conversation flowing and so Liam looked out the passenger side window.

“Oh so we are all too good to make small talk, I see,” Liam grumbled. Owen only let his eyes summersault before reaching down to turn on the car radio. The stations hadn’t seemed to work since the lockdown, but his car was old enough that it still held a CD player. This one a mix CD he had created himself with illegally downloaded songs. He rolled down the drivers side window, the urge to smoke finally breaking him down. Wordlessly, he reached over past Liam into his glove box where his emergency smokes normally lived. There were two left. The redhead pushed the old car cigarette lighter in to allow it to heat and placed one of the stale cigarettes between his lips.

“Fine, fine,” Liam spoke up again. “I can take a hint.”

It was about that time that the song switched from some heavy metal love ballad to “I’m Walking on Sunshine.” The absolute irony of the moment would normally have gotten a chuckle out of the twin, but instead, he only grabbed the heated coil from the dash and lifted it to his cigarette. As he took the first drag, pulling the smoke deep into his still healing lungs, the man felt better. He sighed and parted his lips to finally speak when the radio began to skip.

“I’m Walking on Sunshine, I’m walking on sunshine, I’m walking on sunshine,” the damn thing repeated over and over on loop. This had been known to happen from time to time. Owen groaned going to turn off the radio, rolling the knob to the left to mute the volume. Instead, the air conditioner came on in its place, a wiring problem of Owen’s own design years prior. He groaned.

Aubrey normally would’ve kept up conversation with the newcomer, but as the beaten-down car rolled along, she couldn’t help but lull back and forth between consciousness and sleep. After figuring out her sister was still alive, the poor girl was unable to go to rest- so with the moon in the sky, exhaustion pulled at her mind. Her head occasionally banged against the tiny backseat window, waking her up before relaxing once more. It wasn’t until the radio blasted the cursed tune that she woke up to more of a right mind, “What…?” She mumbled, wiping her eyes as she groggily moved forward, “What’s happening?”

In response, Nile went into a coughing fit as a face full of dust was launched at him from the unused air conditioner. Sneezing, Nile futilely wiped his eyes as he tried to bumble his way towards the air conditioner controls. Succeeding in banging his head against Owen’s headrest, Nile went into a cussing tangent as he felt around with his hands. “Ow. Fuck. Ow. How the hell did you blind me trying to turn off the radio?” Nile said, no real anger behind his wheezy voice because he was too exhausted to feel much of anything.

“Try turning the left one. Or the right one. I don’t fucking know, I can’t see, and Jesus, that thing’s just going full blast, isn’t it?” Nile said, furiously wiping at his eyes as he shivered slightly at the onslaught of cold air.

Owen grumpily turned the knob the other way, which was successful in turning off the air-conditioning but only made the music louder. The redhead snorted in a way that spoke volumes about the last 48 hours. Pinching the cigarette between his teeth the man began the ancient art of getting car to behave.

"What the hell is wrong with your car man?" Liam let out a small chuckle. Owen's response came back dry and irritated.

"I was raised by a single mom, and I couldn't afford a mechanic," he informed the man, confirming that the disaster of a wiring job was in fact his own fault.

"I can take a look at it for you when we get to where we are going," the older gentleman suggested. Owen didn't have the brainspace to thank him or deny his offer. Every ounce of it was still consumed by the repetitive ear rape that was coming from his speakers.

Peering over Nile’s shoulder, she took a look at the console displayed before them. Aubrey swore that there were more buttons on it than usual, but she passed it off as sleep deprivation. Glancing at Nile’s powdered face, she decided to try and be his eyes.

“Did you press that one?” She muttered, pointing towards a random knob.

“Wha-That’s the cigarette lighter” Nile said, wiping his face of the dust one last time. “If you wanna touch that, then be my guest”.

“Right…” She muttered, biting the inside of her mouth. Examining the rest of the display, she pointed to a button-looking thing towards the bottom, ”Did you try that one?” She asked, glancing towards Nile once more.

“Yes, I’ve tried that one” Nile said, leaning through the middle to look at the display, not even looking to where Aubrey pointed.

“Okay, uh, What about...” Now more invested in trying to help fix the car, she squeezed half of herself between the driver side seat and Nile, pushing a button herself, “that one?”

Instantly, the windows began rolling down. “Wha-how does that even work?” Nile muttered, staring at the side windows in awe as they slid downwards.

The blonde was filled with a sort of child-like wonder as she turned a different button, almost forgetting the real reason they were fiddling with the car.

The sound of something popping out of place reached Nile’s ears, and as he looked to the back window of the car he saw the trunk dangling in the air. “What the fuck is wrong with this car!?” Nile said, amazement in his voice. “If you press anything else, I think the Muffler’s just gonna pop off, or torpedoes will fly out the headlights, or the thing will start flying. I dunno, it seems within the realm of possibilities right now” Nile said, still staring at the trunk.

It was obvious the thought of messing with the car more and seeing said muffler pop off interested Aubrey, but gazing at Owen’s face slowly molding into annoyance made her wiggle back into her seat, “I don’t want to break the car, we still have to get home- to the lodge, I mean…. Anyways.” The girl trailed off at her word choice, glancing to the others before sinking back into her corner.

When the car went through what felt like it's 200th time of "I'm walking on sunshine," the twin had had enough. He felt across the dashboard for the familiarity of the sweet spot he was looking for. Upon finding it, Owen balled up one of his massive fists and smacked down on the plastic. Much to everyone's relief, the music stopped and silence took it's place. The man sighed.

"There we go," Owen breathed thankfully. "Much better."

As if the universe liked to laugh at him in particular today, his headlights flickered for a moment before sputtering out completely.

He yelled a string of very colorful expletives that would have made even Colt blush. It was too dark to continue driving without the light and so with no other choice, Owen pulled the Camaro to the side of the road and turned off the ignition. He reached back into the floorboard near Aubrey's feet and retrieved his bag and new giant metal studded bat. He was still muttering death threats to his car when he pulled out the flashlight and turned it on, exiting the vehicle and slamming the door behind him. Liam joined him, although he was much gentler with his car door, as if he was worried of upsetting whatever demon possessed the old sports car. He joined Owen where the hood of the car was raised.

“How could you have possibly fucked up your car’s wiring enough that the radio turns off the headlights? Wha-How-The fu-How the hell do you even manage that?” Nile said in pure bewilderment as he peered over his open car door at the engine.

“I don’t know!” The twin said, exasperated and throwing his hands skyward. It caused the stream of light from the flashlight to uselessly go toward the stars. “Shitty youtube tutorials?” Liam gently reached over and took the flashlight from him, busying himself under the hood.

“Okay, okay, look, you have no idea what you’re doing. I’ll just take a little look, alright?” Nile said, closing his car door as he trudged over to Owen.

Peering his head into the hood, Nile fumbled around until he found the car battery. Picking at the wires, it soon became very clear that Nile had absolutely no idea what he was doing 3 minutes in. “You’re car radio’s connected to the battery? Where’d the alternator even go? Why-why does that wire just curve around the entire engine block? How does this thing work?” Nile said, confusion lacing every word that left his mouth. “I’m gonna be honest man, it’s a marvel of engineering that you still have a working car” Nile said, still trying to figure out was happening with the engine.

"Yeah," Owen agreed begrudgingly. "It is." He chose to walk away and let Nile and Liam sort out his best of mixed wires and youtube tutorial DIY fixes. He chose to keep an eye out on the road, cigarette between his lips.

The sound of a wire sparking hit the air, followed closely by Nile letting out a stream of curses as he realized it might be a good idea to disconnect the battery BEFORE touching the wires. With Nile’s torso blocking the view of the engine, all that could be heard was of rubber tearing and metal creaking and groaning. Seeming especially stuck up on a specific part, a none too gentle banging noise was heard before Nile nonchalantly closed the hood.

“Fixed it” Nile said, walking around the side of the car to get into the back, momentarily stopping to throw a mess of wires onto the side of the road. “Probably”.

“Great,” Owen said bitterly before sighing and intentionally softening his sour face to give Nile a thankful smile. “I appreciate it. Now let's all get back in the car so we can get the hell home. I want nothing more than for this day to be fucking done with.”

Collab: Corgi Togy

 

[Maj]

​

Andy sighed as she heard the familiar sound of her brother’s Camaro coming up the driveway. The fact that he hadn’t had his car when he left the day before was lost on her. She didn’t question it, the sound of the old beat up car was almost synonymous with Owen in her mind. It was getting late, and despite him being fairly communicative on the radio, that had caused her to worry.

She rose out of the arm chair in the living room. The movement caused white hot pain to shoot through her nervous system. The girl hissed, attempting to steel herself for the onslaught of Owen’s lecture she was about to receive. Even with the work of Hector and Leliana, Andy looked a mess and she knew it. Not to mention, the lion head she had hanging out on the laundry line out back. Ultimately, Andy knew that she would have a lot to answer for.

He had given her some heads up via radio on their way back. For instance, she had been informed about his argument with Colt. At least, she knew that the veteran wasn’t with him any longer. She also knew that he had picked up another newcomer, although he seemed to be pretty hush about the events that had led up to that event. After David and Vanessa she wasn’t exactly keen about another new person, but she had long past made the decision to take it easy on her brother. It was obvious that her twin was at his limit, irritation and exhaustion prevalent in his tone even over the radio.

What was left of the lodge had done it’s best to secure the broken windows and doorways, but Andy was secretly glad to have some muscle and Nile back to help construct a more permanent solution. Almost everyone here was injured in some fashion, which meant the lackluster boarding up of the openings was pisspoor at best. The woman pushed the plywood that blocked the doorway to the side, favoring her shoulder as she did so.

The power was back on thanks to Aaron’s hard work on swapping the generators. For that she was thankful, their death march to the circus hadn’t been in vain at least. The porch light was on, but only barely illuminated the car. She saw the top of her brother’s head, along with a small hoard of bags which meant that his supply run had also been successful. There was a small muttering of exhausted voices just out of her field of vision.

Hector wasn’t far behind her, finally skulking back up from his dungeon. With the power back on, he had been busy deep in the depths, working on the samples he had from both herself and David. It appeared that her brother’s arrival was enough to even drag him from the depths. That was no surprise. Owens' run had hit a variety of locations for medical supplies and medication. Some of which they were waiting on for Luca and Vanessa.

“Jesus Christ Andy!” Owen greeted, stepping into the light with his wide shoulders laden with heavy bags. “We need to work on your communication skills.” His sister didn’t verbally respond, instead she only raised an eyebrow at him. He looked at the wreckage of the lodge and whistled, his eyes finally settling on her.

“There was an incident but it’s handled’ does not begin to cover what happened here,” Owen complained. “And what the fuck happened to your shoulder?” He asked her. She didn’t respond, her pale face was still looking forward, eyes locked just past him. What was her problem?

“Man, I know you are all stoic all the time but I really expected you to at least be glad to see me.” What relief and optimism that had infected the man’s tone had gone immediately out at his sister’s lackluster response to his return. What had happened while he was away? The lodge was in shreds, Andy wasn’t much better and Hector looked like he had seen the underside of a baseball bat.

“Hello? Earth to Andy!” But the woman didn’t acknowledge him. Her emerald hues were still frozen in place, pupils widely dilated. Were her hands shaking? He couldn’t tell, she had crossed her arms over her chest, hiding them. Was she mad at him?

“Andy?” He gave Hector a quizzical look, as if to say ‘do you know something I don’t?’

“Owen, what…” his sister seemed to stammer through her words, voice soft and vibrating.

Finally, he turned to see where her gaze was locked and saw Liam standing just inside the circle of light provided by the porch. His arms were also weighed down by various bags of supplies.

“Oh sorry,” Owen began, confused by why the man's presence seemed to distract her so much. He had warned her that he was bringing someone new back with him after all.

“Andy I’d like to introduce you to…”

“What a stupid nickname,” Liam commented, sitting the bags down on the ground. “Andy?” He scoffed. “Ridiculous, truly.” How quickly the newcomers' demeanor had changed. The whole drive here he had been friendly, polite even downright paternal in his care of the others. His attitude toward his sister was truly unfathomable.

Andy couldn’t stop staring at him. Her eyes seemed to be locked on the man’s square freckled face. It was hard to see the spots through the thickness of his copper colored beard, but she knew they were there. She had memorized every pore of his complexion. She wanted to run, felt the familiar heat in her chest that she would normally squash with marijuana or alcohol. Her heart pounded as she finally looked to see Owen’s face twist defensively, ready to rebut on her behalf.

"Where the hell do you..."

"Owen," Andy cut him off, but her eyes didn't meet his. Normally his sister's bite wouldn't have stopped him, but something was different. She wasn't angry. Her brother studied her face, trying to put his finger on the ominous feeling he felt. Her gaze was still fixated on Liam, glued to him her eyes darting back and forth in rapid succession.

"You need to leave." Her voice cracked as she laid out the command. All of her cool under fire demeanor was gone. Owen looked back and forth between them, trying to understand. He had never seen Andy like this before.

"Andrea," Liam drawled in a soft, almost soothing tone. "there is no…"

"Don't call me that!" She shrieked, her voice high and warbling. "That's not my name and you aren't welcome here."

"But Andrea is a beautiful name, it's a family name after all." His voice was like honey. Sweet and sticky, trying desperately to lure them in. Owen's mind was reeling. How did he even know her name, what did that mean?

"Andy?" He called gently, confusion dripping from his voice.

"Owen, I…"

"You never told him," Liam confirmed, smirking slightly. "I hoped he was your brother when I found him, but when he told me about his mom I realized there was no way my sweet little Andrea would keep such a big secret from her twin."

"Stop it!"

“Andy, what in the hell is he talking about,” Owen asked.

Silence.

For a while, the only thing anyone could hear was the rapid breathing coming from Andy’s mouth. Owen tried to keep her eye contact, but her eyes kept darting between him and the larger redhead. She could feel her heart in her temples. The light from the porch was suddenly blinding, streaking hues of yellow into the darkness. Her ears rang so loudly, she didn’t realize Owen was calling her name until he reached for her arm.

On reflex she broke free from his grasp hard, pulling her arm back with such fever that she almost fell backward over the step behind her. Her eyes were wild as her brother came back into focus, worried, frustrated eyes on her. Tears welled up in the corners of her own, burning her irises.

“Andy?!” He had been calling to her for several moments, each reiteration of her nickname becoming more aggressive than the last.

“He needs to leave. Owen, please,” she begged softly. “Please, get him out of here.”

“Why? Who is he?” The question was useless, just for confirmation of what his reeling mind was already shouting at him. With the new information, the facts were hard to ignore.

“Go on Andrea,” Liam cooed. “Tell him.”

But she didn’t look at Liam, her eyes were locked on Owen now, as if he was an anchor. If she looked anywhere else she might lose it completely, and as it was Andy was hanging by a thread.

“I promise you,” she began, voice watery and wavering with each forced syllable. “That I will give you answers. But right now,” her body seemed to vibrate as she reached out to his shoulder, nails digging into his skin through his shirt. “I need you to trust me. Please,” the huntress begged. “Make him leave.”

Trust her? How in the world could he? Andy had been lying to him since she was sixteen. She had been shutting him out and barking at him and doing all she could to keep him in the dark for eight years. It had cost them their relationship. It had forced him to come face to face with his own father without even knowing it. Andy had given him exactly zero reasons to ever trust her. And yet...

“You need to leave,” Owen said, turning to meet Liam. He stood between him and his sister, looking lost. His voice was defeated, but firm, shoulders squared. When Liam didn’t immediately listen to his command Owen started down the stairs to meet him. If he wouldn’t leave on his own accord, he would be forced to physically make him.

“That’s it?” Liam asked, an amused expression consuming his features. “So you just always mindlessly do what your sister says?” Owen didn’t respond; he just gestured toward the driveway, insinuating the man should be making his way back up it.

“I have to say, I always thought reuniting with my family would be a more heartwarming experience. But to be fair, me and Andrea have met before, haven’t we sweetheart?” He called over Owen’s broad shoulders, but his sister made no reply.

“Nice to see you again as well Leliana,” he added when he was met with silence. Owen looked up, the top of the nurse’s blonde head could be seen just past his sister’s shoulder. What did she have to do with this and why did she look as freaked out as his sister did? He turned his attention back to Liam.

“I’m not going to ask you again,” Owen commanded coldly.

“You don’t have any questions? Nothing you want to say to me?” Liam asked, coming back to address him directly. Of course there was. Owen could think of a million things he wanted to say. The news had come so suddenly that the male hadn’t had time to process it all. All he knew now is that no matter who this man claimed to be, Andy needed him gone. He had never seen her look so vulnerable. So totally consumed by fear.

“Leave.” He commanded, numbly shoving Liam toward the driveway. His father only laughed sarcastically in response, but his feet were moving now.

“So sacrificial,”Liam commented. “You remind me so much of my sweet Mary.” Owen resisted the urge to call him on that. His mother had told him little of his father, but enough to know that she hadn’t been his for a very long time. That was all the dude was trying to do, bait him into talking. For one of the first times in Owen’s young life, he didn’t take the bait. Instead he only wordlessly continued to point until Liam walked far enough down the dirt driveway that his silhouette moved entirely out of view.

He spun, hands trembling in his jacket pockets, to confront Andy and ask for the answers she had promised him but she was already gone, and so was Hector.

Interactions: FireMaiden (Leli) shadowz1995 (Hector)
Nearby: Hyped_Taco (Michael) Corgi (Aubrey) Brax (Luca) Togy (Nile) The Mad Queen (Ralph?) RayPurchase (Aaron) TheMightyRedLemon (Nessa)

 

[FireMaiden]

​

Location: The Jordan Lodge
Interaction: Open (Kind of)
Mentioned: Rumble Fish (Milly) Maj (Andy, Owen, and Liam)
The sound of a car pulling up outside caught the blonde's attention, readjusting her grip on the broom with a small relieved sigh. It was like she could sense the relief from the redhead over the sound of splinted wood and broken glass. Her attempts to clean up earlier were interrupted by the return of Andy, Aaron, and the carnie. Granted, she had gotten most of the gore up already, and now was trying to make sure that the floors were as clean as she could get them. While still keeping an eye on the injured the best she could, even if two of them were stubborn as hell. Milly at least, was easy enough, her biggest worry was keeping the small girl warm enough. In any case, hearing the return of their other group lifted some of the stress from the girl's shoulders, and while she didn’t move to join Andy and Dr. Salazar in greeting them, Leliana couldn’t help the small smile on her lips. Despite everything that had happened today, they were still alive. A little beat up, but alive. Which was better than what she could have hoped just a few hours ago. Glancing up from the pile of junk on the floor as Andy pushed aside the temporary door, the nurse tried to take a peek outside from where she was standing. But the boarded-up windows kept that from being a possibility.

Not that it mattered too much, she could say hello in a few minutes. Grabbing the dustpan from the counter beside her, Leliana stooped down and started sweeping the small pieces of wood and glass into it, taking extra care to ensure she got all of it so nobody got hurt. Not that anyone in their right mind would walk around down here barefoot anyway. After a few moments, she stood again and stepped over toward the door. Beside it was an open trash bag, the one she had been using for the past little bit to clean up. But as she was dumping the broken bits into it, Owen's voice caught her attention. Then…Andy's. Something about the tone of it sent a shiver down Leliana's spine, which in turn causes the girl to put the broom down and step closer to the door. Peaking own, she first saw Owen, Andy, and the doctor. Andy was tense, it was evident in her shoulders. And for a few moments, Leliana had no idea why until looking past the group to the car.

Leliana had never felt so nauseous so fast. Those eyes, those horrid eyes, her legs tensed like she was going to run but Leliana found herself frozen. Her face paled as her blood ran cold, her breath halting. It felt like someone had their hand around her throat and wouldn’t let go. Just like the panic attack that had gripped her earlier, Leliana's rational side was quickly slipping from her grasp…she felt her heart jump as Liam spoke her name. Blue eyes snapped to his face, knowing the terror was clear on her face as she managed to look to Owen, a silent plead of the same request Andy had been making, flight suddenly took control of her. Pushing away from the door, her arms wrapped around her stomach as the nurse managed to take a forced, shaky inhale as a last ditch attempt to keep her composure.

It failed.

Tears blurred her vision, hands shaking as she did her best to keep it under control. Somehow, she managed to walk further back into the house, to the stairs. But even moving that far had taken it’s toll, and Leliana didn’t trust herself to make it upstairs. Instead, she managed to drag her feet and collapsed on the couch Tre once called a bed before the shaking became too much. Clutching her sides and hunched over, Leliana took another forced gasp for air, trying to get herself to breathe. Owen was making him leave. He was gone. He couldn’t come inside and if he did, she was still armed. None of these thoughts managed to stay…straight, however. A garbled mess as her mind raced. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, pulling back as she used them to pick at the patches of dry skin, the nurse managed to scoot back on the couch and pull her legs up on the cushion. This couldn’t be happening right? It was a bad dream, and Leliana would wake up soon. But, as her eyes seemed to glaze over, nails digging even harder into her sides, Leliana's mind finally fully betrayed her, a weak sob falling from her lips as she buried her face against her knees.

 

[TheMightyRedLemon]

Up in the rafters above the main entrance to the lodge sat the confused carni. It was from this spot that she watched the redhead as the light outside faded. The doctor had told her to stay out of sight, and after his not so subtle act of nearly making her piss herself, it was something she fully intended to obey. However, she could not stop herself from spying down on Andy.



Why had this woman chosen to spare her life? Vanessa attacked first, after all. Sure, she did have voices in her head saying they were planning to attack first, but what kind of excuse was that? Hector was right. Andy should have killed her. So why didn't she?



The harlquin silently watched as different people came and spoke with her saviour-nemisis. It seemed to her that most of the lodge was more focused for now on the events that transpired while they were getting the generator than on asking Andy too much about her wounds. This brought some relief to her, but she knew they would eventually start to question the wounded huntress.



Vanessa had almost fallen asleep when Andy stirred again, moving to the door frame just below the acrobat. It was then that she noticed the sound of a vehicle pulling up to the lodge. Curiosity bubbled up inside her as she watched the redhead step outside. Nessa positioned herself to jump down from her hiding spot to get a better look at who had arrived, but stopped just before dropping. Hector had come out to greet the vehicle as well, causing her to scramble back up onto the support beam and quickly out of sight.



Seeing as how she couldn't SEE who was here and what was happening, Vanessa strained as hard as she could to listen. She couldn't make out what was being said word for word, but she heard Owen's voice. She had heard it only a couple of times before but it was a voice she had already remembered. Then Owens tone changed as he began to call his twins name.



Curiosity began to overwhelm the young harlquin. What was going on? Did Andy collapse from her wounds?
Was she about to tell the giant she called a brother what had caused the wounds on her shoulder? That's when a sound that shocked Vanessa and chilled her to her core drifted through the air and met the unprepared ears of the acrobat. Andy sounded truely, and utterly terrified. But what sunk in even deeper within Nessa's mind, and disturbed her even more, was the familiar way the fear inhibited her voice. It didn't escape her notice that even the kind nurse seemed to become perturbed by who or whatever was outside.

It made the acrobats blood run cold.

She waited in the rafters with baited breath as she listened to Owen telling someone to leave. Nessa didn't want to even breath at this point for fear of being discovered. She felt as though she was hearing some secret horror that she wasn't ment to be aware of. Whatever was going on, Vanessa knew that no good could come of it.

 

[The Mad Queen]

Another Loss
Ralph
(open to interaction)​

There hadn't been much of the girl left to burry, Ralph had found. With her bones broken and most of her body reduced to a pile of gore, he'd spent the better part of the afternoon gathering what he could. That, combined with his knee meant that digging another grave gave the man some difficulty. He would've asked for help, but it seemed that everyone had enough problems to deal with. Wounded to treat and half the lodgers seemed to be in a bad way. For a change, he seemed to be one of the few able-bodied people around, at least in comparison to who was left.

Her grave, a shallow one given there wasn't much of a body to burry was placed next to Ray's and Rogue's. Seeing the makeshift crucifixes made the man simply shake his head. It seemed he was getting used to the death, something that he'd been afraid of happening. In all the years he'd fought the war against disease and the panic that came with it, Fisher had tried time and time again never to grow cold, to hold onto the kindness that had been instilled within him and he'd used to raise his daughter.

But as he stood over the shallow grave of one of their own and uttered his usual prayer and said his goodbyes, he felt a numbness wash over him. He'd never quite felt it before but he'd heard enough stories to recognise it. Luckily for the Doctor, however this numbness only lasted for a minute before it was replaced by something else. Anger.
Going into a fury, Ralph tossed the shovel to the side and started to kick the ground with his good leg. He'd never been one for swearing but he uttered every curse under the sun. He cursed the virus, he cursed David, he cursed his country and he even cursed God before his bad knee gave way and the Doctor fell to the ground.

The grass cushioned his fall and he let out a few deep breaths. As he lay there, looking at the night sky he attempted to pull himself up using the cane. The good Doctor was aware he could have called for help, but not only did he not want to trouble anyone after the events of the dreadful day but he'd also have to explain how he ended up on his backside after getting so angry he nearly injured himself.

Sitting upwards, he realised that in his fit of anger a letter had fallen out of his jacket pocket. One he recognised instantly. Ever since he'd received it, the Doctor had simply refused to open it. They were the last words of a friend after all and given the circumstances of her departure, it would have been like reading a suicide note.

Spoiler: Letter to Ralph

By the time you read this, I'll be gone. I feel like I know you well enough and the first thing you'll do is pick up that cane and go looking for me. Typical. For God's sake don't strain yourself. Sit down and read the rest because this is important.
I've learned an important thing in this short life. We always have a third choice, even when presented with the impossible and so if you're reading this it means I've found the third option. I'm spreading the message out there, alone. Brian has a pen drive full of dirt on the same people who shot up the school, who took your knee, who killed Ray and so many others. Plus, I'm going to gather what I can from Aurora before leaving. This virus and these people cannot be allowed to win.

You mentioned once that you felt like seven and a billion lives rested with you, now I suppose it's my turn. Warning people, preparing them for what's coming and bringing killers to justice. I guess I get to be the "disease-battling superhero" now.

I know we talked about it and I know you wanted to help, but you've got a family. What I'm doing here, it's just far too dangerous. I can't bring you with me, and I'd never forgive myself it something happened to you. They need you more than I do, so does the lodge. I do hope we all meet again, when this is all behind us. To be honest, I'd like to meet your family someday as well. Not sure how well we'd get on but I do promise I'll try my best not to swear. I'm sure you and my dad would get on well though, and I'll make sure he behaves himself.

It's not like I got my pottymouth from nowhere, after all.

It's something to look forward to, when the mission is done. Please, please don't come looking for me. Let me complete the mission and just stay safe. Wherever I end up, I'll always remember what you did for me and I know you were scrambling to find a way to "pay back" for me getting you back on your feet. I only helped (very little) but it was you who put in all the work. I imagine it'll be hard to accept that though.

But if you're really wanting to repay the favour you can do one thing for me, one little thing.
Have a good life.

-Jenna

By the time he'd reached the bottom of the page, his eyes were wet from tears. To some, the letter may have been just written confirmation of a pointless death but to the Doctor it was something else. He pocketed the letter and used the cane to struggle to his feet, letting out a grunt in pain as he finally stood up straight.

The anger that had swallowed up the numbness was gone now.

"Maria. It looks like I'll be staying at the lodge for longer than I'd initially intended. There's a lot here to take care of. Will you be okay at the university by yourself?"
"Doc..."
"Is something the matter?"
"I'm not going to the university."
"Maria, if this...If this is about what happened ther-." He began in his usual soft and comforting tone
"It's not just that."
"Then what's it about? Tell me and maybe I can h-." He was cut off yet again
"I'm not an idiot."
"Never said that you were."
"Yer wantin' to move your group to the Uni. That means I need to be the hell away from there."
"We can work something out."
"Doc, for such a smart man yer an right ejit sometimes."
"I know, but-"
"Ya left the radio on when yer were talkin' earlier."

Ralph rested his head in his hands. The button to talk must've been pushed down in his pocket.
"Didn't hear everythin', it kept slippin' in and out, but I heard enough. I know ya did yer best and all, but...It's better if I keep my distance."
"Maria!" Ralph pleaded
"Girl ya were talkin' to might be okay with it, but if someone else there found out we were still talkin' they could hurt ya tryin' to get to me. That's not a risk I can take."

Ralph looked at the ground, defeated once again. The woman had a point. The likes of Leli and Andy trusted him and, unless the Doctor became a threat he had no doubt that they'd never lay a finger on him but then there was Hector to consider. Ralph had no idea if he was vengeful but it was a possibility too dangerous to consider. Even if he wouldn't use Ralph to try and track Maria down, he could always listen in to their conversations and simply bide his time till one of them slipped up and mentioned a location. Ralph was a terrible liar, after all.

"Maria, I-"

Before he could get another word out, the radio had gone silent. He tried getting in touch time over and over again until it was almost eight o'clock at night. After that, there was nothing more that he could do. The signal was dead, the radio likely smashed to pieces. As he placed the radio back inside his coat, Ralph heard a commotion coming from the front of the lodge. It had seemed that the rest of the group had returned and with them had brought some kind of troublemaker. He was about to step in when the stranger had already left.

Looking around, Ralph quickly noticed something else was off.

Colt wasn't with them.

Mentioned: Leli FireMaiden
Hector shadowz1995
Andy & Owen Maj
Colt Rumble Fish

 

[shadowz1995]

FAMILY REUNION

Hector’s calculating gaze had been studying Andy’s out-of-character reaction to the newcomer and it was only when his sight flicked between Owen and the newcomer that Hector understood. The red-headed female was getting that same, fear-stricken, panicked look that the older man was seeing a lot more of these days. The same look Leliana had the other day. With every second that ticked by, another one of the pieces of the puzzle lined up in the doctor’s mind. He found himself turning himself to meet the stranger’s eye squarely, his hand hovering over the handgun on his waist.

Luckily, nothing came of the situation. At least, nothing bloody. The huntress had bolted inside and was making a beeline for the master bedroom with Hector following close behind.

“Andy!” Owen had all but busted in the doorframe. The door was missing, but it had been blocked by some manner of plywood which now was on the floor, forgotten by the force of the man’s entrance.

“What in the FUCK was that?” he demanded. She didn’t answer. In fact, the huntress didn’t even look up at the dramatic display her brother was making and continued walking toward the door to her bedroom. He felt bile come up his throat as he did his best to swallow the overwhelming urge to scream. It took only a few steps to close the distance between them. A large, calloused hand reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder. He had all but forgotten the damage he had seen peeking from beneath her bandages. He felt her recoil immediately. He let go, remembering her injury, right as her other fist came flying, with a quick swerve he was able to dodge it.

“You promised me answers,” he growled, reaching down to grab his sister’s wrist. “I did what you asked. I fucking trusted you. Now talk.”

Owen’s grab was interrupted by Hector’s own clamping down on his wrist. “Enough, Niño. Now is not the time for this.” The old doctor warned, making sure his own massive form fully blocked the angered Jordan twin.

It was clear that Hector’s interruption was a mere breeze in Owen’s thirst for answers. His stride didn’t break as he tried to push past the hispanic, towards Andy and nearly taking Hector with him. The one eyed doc yanked with enough force to stop Owen dead in his tracks.

Caught off guard by the man’s strength, Owen stumbled backward. His eyes were still locked on Andy. He caught another glimpse of her drained face and tear filled eyes before she disappeared behind the door to her room. Taking full advantage of Hector’s interruption to put as much distance between herself and her brother as possible. He snarled and tried once again to free himself from the doctor’s grasp to follow.

The older man quickly placed a foot in between Owen’s feet, effectively taking his center of gravity and shoved the younger lad into the wooden wall beside the door frame that Andy had disappeared into. Even injured, Hector’s strength and weight was not something that could be shrugged off. Even by someone bigger than him like Owen.

There, the red-headed thug found himself pinned between the wall and Hector’s forearm against his collarbone. The movement forced Owen to look directly into the scientist’s eyes.

Cold grey and a blackened maw peered directly at the boy’s soul. “You are not going to get anything out of her right now, Owen. Let me handle this.” He warned with heated breath. “You will get your answers when you are both calm. Neither of you are capable of any kind of productive conversation right now. Go cool off, Niño. Now.”

“Fuck you Hector.” Owen growled, squirming under the intense pressure against his chest. “This has nothing to do with you!”


“You are not going to interrogate my patient, Owen Jordan!” He retorted, pushing harder against him for emphasis. “When she is ready, you may speak to her but until then, you will wait!”

“I’ve waited!” He snarled, pushing up against the doctor. “I’ve been patient for years.” His face was hot, his eyes stung, and the familiar feeling of crimson flooding his vision was beginning to take hold despite his best efforts.

“Then you can stand to wait a few more hours!” Their foreheads pushed against each other until Hector put all the weight he could muster down to bear on the younger man’s head. Owen’s head hit the wall and was pinned along with his torso. Just like when they had first met in the hospital his mother still lied in.

The feeling was a familiar one, Hector’s cold analytical gaze on his own. Despite Hector missing one of his eyes, it brought back that same feeling that had come when he had pinned him to the wall in the hospital. Hector didn’t trust him to act on his own at this moment. Being pinned was for his own good. At least it had been then when they had been forced to hold their breath as a gargantuan zombie had lumbered past them.

“Why are you protecting her?” Owen snarled. “This is a problem of her own making and I can assure you that she wouldn’t dare have the same consideration for your feelings or anyone else's.” His voice was raising again, unable to control the frustration that grew by the second. “Because she’s a selfish BITCH!” he screamed past him, hoping to god that Andy could hear him.

“Yes, because you are being so very considerate right now.” The hispanic bit back. “I’m doing this to protect both of you. So neither of you damage what remains of your relationship, Owen.”

He finally wormed free of the doctors grasp, shoving him off of him, taking some notice of the wince that followed. Both of his hands went into the air, exasperated. His firm chin gestured toward the door.

“Then go.”

“After you.” The doctor gestured into the lobby. He wanted to make sure that Owen wouldn’t follow. The twin rolled his eyes in a fashion that made him look remarkably like his sister and turned on his heels to show he wasn’t going to follow. He was muttering to himself when his gaze fell on the two blondes by the door.

Maj

 

[Maj]

​

Andy had barely heard the ruckus outside between Hector and her brother. Not because of the volume, which was more than loud enough to be heard through the wooden walls, but because her ears hadn’t quit ringing since she had set eyes on the newcomer. Between that and the pounding of her own pulse in her eardrums she couldn’t hear much of anything. Her vision came and went, and the only thing she could focus on was the sound of her irregular breathing pattern. It felt like if she didn’t remind herself to inhale that she just wouldn’t, her chest ached, her eyes burned and she was suddenly unable to focus on anything at all.

Her body seemed to move on its own, as if she had been in this sort of quickened fugue state a million times. She stumbled across the room, over a pile of Luca’s discarded clothes to her dresser. It came to her chest in height, and the first drawer, full of her underwear was the thinnest and most difficult to open. Her muscles remembered the trick even as her mind was unable to, pulling up on the handle before sliding the wooden drawer free. Trembling, aimless hands trifled through her own undergarments, tossing a few to the side absently as she searched for the only thing she knew to help her in these dire moments.

The large latino man stepped in and closed the door behind him. His ire fell on the discarded clothes on the floor for a moment before coming to rest on Andrea’s panicked searching. The old man crossed his large arms across his chest and leaned his back against the closed door. He watched the young woman carefully but offered no comment until she felt she was ready to speak.

Andy didn’t even hear him come in, she was still fumbling through her drawer. The smell alerted her she had found it before her other senses did. She dropped it twice before finally getting hold of it due to the intense shake of her hands. Her free hand went down to pat down her pockets, looking for the lighter she had used earlier to light a similar item with Aaron. But her jacket had been discarded.

“God damn it,” she hissed looking toward the floor. Thankfully the bloody garment hadn’t made it far, just on the edge of the bathroom tile. The light was on, illuminating the stickiness of the leather. She knelt for it, before finally ending up in a full seating position, even her legs seemed to shake under her weight. With a few seconds of muttering and cursing, she finally had the lighter in her hand. Sitting against the wall she tried to flick it to life, but her hands seemed to create only sparks.

Wordlessly, the old doctor made his way over and knelt down beside her. He gently took the light from her trembling clutches and swiftly lit the flame in go, holding it at mouth level for her. Under normal circumstances, Hector wouldn’t assist but it was clearly the redhead’s “prn” medication for these kinds of moments and she was shaking too much to dose up.

She didn’t thank him verbally but did make brief eye contact before leaning into the flame and inhaling to start the embers on the end. Andy leaned back, inhaling as deeply as her lungs would currently allow, and removed the item from her lips with still trembling hands to exhale a puff of smoke into the air, careful to shoot it as far away from Hector as possible.

“What are you, my bodyguard?” she asked meekly. In honesty, she was glad that he had kept Owen off of her for a few moments, but it did seem strange for him to interfere on her behalf. Talking about anything other than the obvious seemed easier. She pulled her knees up to her chest and took another drag, it was clearly helping, but not enough. The girl still seemed to vibrate as she sat.

“If it makes you feel at ease.” He answered as lightly as his deep voice allowed. “Primarily, I want to make sure you don’t do anything rash.” His expression was as casual and cool as it always was. With light wince, he adjusted his kneeling position to a sitting one and let his head rest against the bed. The little strength contest with Owen hurt more than he was letting on but it was the least of anyone’s concerns at the moment.

“So I guess my plans to bolt out the window are moot now that you are here?” Her sarcasm was coming back, which may have been a good sign. It came across as a joke, but in reality had he not interrupted her she might have had a joint in her mouth with a bag full of her clothes and be halfway into the woods by now.

"Looks to be that way." He affirmed with a light nod. "Also running away wouldn't help the situation. Not now that you've been seen."

Hector didn't know exactly what happened but there was a reason he kept detailed, handwritten profiles on everyone. The information correlated with what he had already observed. That man, Andy and Owen's father, was the lead suspect in whatever demons haunted the huntress's past.

That… and Hector had a personal stake in this now. He tried to bury the emotion outside but hearing the late Mary Jordan be mentioned in such a way evoked something deep in the pit of his stomach.

Hector didn't ask questions then and he wasn't about to now either. "I won't ask." He said aloud, affirming what the redhead probably knew already. "But if he is as dangerous as you think he is, we should probably prepare."

Andy didn’t respond, instead she only took another drag from the smoldering wrapped joint in her fingers, leaning her head back against the wall and exhaling into the air. The only thing that broke the silence was the occasional cough that came from inhaling the drug into her lungs too deeply. She supposed he had a point about leaving. It’s all she wanted to do. The idea that she would ever come face to face with her father again hadn’t even crossed her mind. He had been in prison the last few years as she recalled and even before then lived several towns over and didn’t know where she lived. Even if she did, her mother had restraining orders against him that wouldn’t allow him near Aurora. Restraining orders were public record, and it was what Andy had used to find him in the first place.

“I can’t go through any of this again,” she finally managed. Her voice soft once more, like it had been before when she was on the porch. Fear filled and tear-stained, her words seemed to warble from her vocal cords. It was so uncharacteristic that Andy wanted to recoil at the sound of her own voice, but it couldn’t be helped. The tears were flowing once again, dried in her panic to get away from the situation but unavoidable now that she was in the dark, alone. Hector’s presence hardly seemed to matter to her. She wasn’t sure if that was because she had grown that comfortable around him, or if it was just because she knew that his presence was preferred over anyone else's in that moment.

"Mmm." The old man grunted in response. He didn't offer a hand for comfort or a shoulder to cry on. He wasn't the type and had a feeling it would have the opposite effect.

Of course, she would want to run away. What sane human being wouldn't want to flee from a situation like this. However, the fact remained that it was no longer an option. Not without abandoning her brother to the wolves.

"You won't." He affirmed. It was clear that the overly logical man believed what he said as well. "The people here were able to repel a military assault. No matter how lucky it was. We are well armed and well defended."

Hector then paused for a moment before adding what was probably the most important piece of information, "And you are surrounded by people who will defend you from harm. Take some solace in that… Whatever happened in the past, you aren't alone now."

Collab: shadowz1995
Mentions: Brax

 

[The Mad Queen]

A Quick Chat
Ralph & Nile
(by myself Togy )​

Making his way outside of the lodge, Ralph started to look around for Colt. It seemed as though Owen, due to the presence of the stranger had stormed off and with Aaron and Aubrey occupied elsewhere, he was left with Nile. The thought of the man being his only source for answers perturbed Ralph but he pressed on regardless. "Nile." He called, approaching the man "Do you have a moment?"

Lying on the hood of Owen's car, clutching his forehead with closed eyes, Nile dazedly turned his gaze to the sound of the voice. Opening his eyes, Nile none too happily gave his attention to the doctor. Concussions were a hell of a thing, it turned out. If he'd known better, he'd say it felt like a hangover, but than again, everything felt like a hangover for him nowadays.

"Yes?" Nile drawled, more a question than anything. The Fisher guy wasn't the worst in his books, so he was at the very least willing to hear what they wanted.
"Sorry to be a bother but do you have any idea where Colt is?" Despite a career of coming up with the worst case scenarios, this was one he didn't want to think about. "Did something happen to her?"
"Psychologically or physically?" Nile asked, his voice in a low murmur.
"I just want to know where she is and if she's okay. That's all. Why isn't she with the rest of you?"

"She ran off" Nile said with a shrug. "We had the usual routine of screaming at each other, than Owen defended me?" Nile said, confusion etched in his words. "I don't get it either. Colt wanted some time alone or something. She didn't come back" Nile muttered, rubbing his forehead gently.
"I thought, maybe, we should go get her before we headed back?" Nile said, shrugging helplessly. "I dunno man, she's an ass, sure, but we should've at least looked, right?"

Ralph sighed heavily "Colt will come back. She always does. And she's tough, so I'm sure whatever alone time she needs she'll survive out there." Ralph Fisher had always been a terrible liar but if there was one person that he could never convince, it was himself. His stomach churned with worry, the worst case scenarios flooding through his mind. He certainly was in no condition to go looking for Colt by himself so what he needed now was a distraction.
"There's actually something else, Nile. I remember you mentioning you were an architect?"

Eyes trailing across the lawn towards the log cabin he'd built with his bare hands, Nile said "Might've said that, yeah".

"I was at the university not too long ago and it would seem we could be moving there. This place, this lodge...I don't think it will survive another battle. The dead, the living. It'll fall down eventually and we don't exactly have the manpower to build it back up. Not with so many injured. The university though, well. We could make it our own. But we'd definitely need your help."
"God, I fucking hated College" Nile muttered under his breath as he pinched his nose. "Why the university?".
"It's got a lot of resources, the bigger space for one. And it could even be easier to defend. It's got a few cracks here and here, but with the right tools and skills like yours it could be a good place to call home."

"Right. I'll take your word" Nile said, closing his eyes once more as he laid back on the hood of the car. "Anything else, or is that it?"
"I guess so. Thanks, Nile." He started to head back towards the lodge, it's battered walls staring down at him.

Mentioned: Colt Rumble Fish

 

[FireMaiden]

This is a collab between me, and Maj ​

Leliana knew something, she had been shaking about as bad as Andy had been. Maybe he didn’t have to wait for his sister to get some answers after all. If Hector was going to play body guard to his sister he would have no choice but to attempt to figure it out on his own. He crossed his arms over his chest as he approached them. Beth was running her fingers through Leli’s golden locks and muttering soothing tones to her. He almost hated to interrupt, but the days events had taken all tact from him.

“Leli,” he called. “What in the hell is going on?” His tone wasn’t loud like it was earlier, but still firm and full of brimstone. His eyes danced wildly and he was a far cry from the sweet loveable Owen that everyone had come to adore. He put the pressure on as he closed the distance between them.

"You know something.”

Leliana didn't seem to notice Owen, her forehead still pressed against her knees even as Beth stroked her hair. Shaking shoulders and uneven, panicked breaths, it was unclear if she even knew Beth was there. But Owen's voice, his tone, still had a reaction causing Leliana to tense further. "go away." The girl managed, hugging her legs tighter, unable to control her body shaking. Tears rolled down her cheeks, visible from where Beth sat and Owen stood. "go away, go away, go away..." The nurse repeated, nails digging into the bottoms of her thighs, forcing herself to try and take another deep breath. "I-i can't...I don't..."

Her reaction was somewhat stronger than Andy's, at least outwardly. That made sense to some degree, Leliana was not nearly as emotionally stunted as his sister was and maybe that is why the out of character reaction had caused him to listen when he wanted to confront her earlier. Confusion took him, which only brought back more frustration. He couldn't begin to understand what was going on or why the appearance of one man had managed to upset two people in the lodge so badly.

"I know you are upset," he tried to keep his cool, but his voice still had bite. "But someone has to explain to me what the fuck is happening. That's my dad. A person that I haven't met in all twenty-two years of life and neither you or my sister can muster up enough strength to explain why I just forcibly escorted him off the property!"

Beth looked up then, something similar to shock in her eyes. They widened slightly before she looked back down and resumed grooming Leli's hair.

What Owen said seemed to have some effect on Leliana. His tone caused a shiver to run down her spine, her grip on her thighs tightened as she did her best to focus. Both of them would be able to tell she was trying, Owen deserved answers. Or, at least what Leliana could manage. Sitting up a bit so she wasn't talking against her knees, her tear-streaked face was now visible. The color hadn't returned to her cheeks, and panic hadn't faded from her eyes. "y-your dad?" She repeated, looking up at him. His hair though...Leliana only managed to look at him for a few seconds before turning her face away. She wanted to run away. And the nurse would give anything for Owen to leave this alone. That nauseous feeling only grew stronger as it hit her in full force. But Leliana didn't have the strength to do this. Not right now. She couldn't give him what he wanted. "Milly..." Leliana managed after a few moments, "m-milly wouldn't...wouldn't be safe."

“Milly?” Owen’s eyebrows squinted together as he was met with only more confusion. “What does Milly have to do-”

“Owen!” Beth growled, coming to her feet. “You are being so insensitive. Now is not the time to be harassing anyone. I know you are mad, but get away. Leave her alone. You are only making matters worse right now.” Her words however were lost on him. Why was it that no one could see how upset hewas right now. Sure the girls were upset, he didn’t fully understand why, but that much was clear. How was that somehow more important than the fact that he too, was upset?

“Beth I’m not talking to you, shut the fuck up,” Owen said casually with a roll of his eyes.

“You are such a fucking brute!” the blonde girl shoved him, but it did nothing but pushing her own self back. Owen’s square frame unfazed from the attack. Despite its inconsequence, it was the final nail in a very aggravating coffin. The redhead seemed to snarl through his teeth as he reached down and grabbed his ex-girlfriend by both shoulders. He had only intended to remove her from her defensive position between himself and Leli. However, the pain on her face as she winced stopped him, his grip too tight on her frail shoulders.

It was the first real thing that caused him to freeze since his rant had begun. His breath seemed caught in his throat as he let her go. Owen didn’t apologize, in fact he said nothing at all. His words were lost on everyone right now. No one cared about anything he had to say.

 

[Maj]

​

His footsteps were heavy through the lodge as it seemed silence fell over those who remained nearby, almost like they were all waiting to see what he would do. Each boot fell with the weight that seemed to cling to his chest, stepping on the plywood that had once been a makeshift door with enough force that it crackled under his step. Emerald eyes burning, the boy made his way down the stairs and into the icy yard. His hands fumbled in his pockets, searching for the cigarettes that he quickly realized wouldn’t be there. It was a hell of a time to try and quit.

There was one left in the Camaro. The one he had been trying to smoke when the car had decided to freak out should still be in the ashtray. His icy fingers went to the door handle, but as it pulled up he felt the resistance of the locking mechanism. The door was locked.

Why was the fucking door locked? The locks didn’t work at the best of times. He muttered dark curses under his breath as he began to fumble in his pockets once again, looking for his keys. They weren’t there.

They were with Liam.

“Fuck,” he growled, trying the handle again more aggressively this time. Owen had tossed the keys to the man to get the rest of the bags out of the trunk. His answers and his keys were both lost when he had forcibly removed the man from the property. His face grew hot despite the bitter cold of the November air, his breath seemed to be caught in his head, shallow and rapid. He moved to the passenger seat, tugging violently on the handle. That door was locked as well.

“Fuck!” he snarled, louder this time. He put his weight behind his elbow and let it crash into the window. Surprisingly, the glass didn’t budge and all he managed to do was crack it and send hot pain up through the nerves in his arm. He hissed in pain.

Owen felt something snap mentally. It wasn’t until this moment that he realized how much control he had been exerting on himself. This had been a truly shitty day. Between being woken up at 4 am and dealing with Nile, the fight with Colt, helping Aubrey with Charlotte, digging up graves, and the worst road trip home, he was already more than spent before this bombshell had been dropped on him. He had spent his whole life wondering about his dad but had respected his mother's insistent pleas to leave well enough alone.

Andy had known though. For how long it wasn’t certain, but she had figured out who their dad was and had never said a word. His gut told him it had something to do with the distance that had started between them eight years ago. While it brought clarity it also brought more frustration. She had known about their dad for eight whole years and never once said anything to him. In fact, all she had done was berate and belittle him instead.

Owen kicked the car, feeling the heat rising in his chest once more. No one cared that he was upset, that he had a damn good right to be that way. When the pain from the shock of the kick vibrated up his leg, Owen welcomed the feel of it. He let out a guttural yell, breaking through the icy silence of the night. The birds fled from the nearby trees, making it seem as if the very branches shook in his wake.

He wasn’t exactly sure when the bat had found its way from the ground to back in his hands, only that it had. The weight of it felt good against his palms, comforting even. The swing back over his shoulder felt more natural than anything in the world.

CRASH

The sound of crumpling metal and shattering glass rang through the navy darkness. The side view mirror hit the ground uselessly, broken glass glittering amongst the iced dew on the grass. He swung again and the car beeped almost in protest, in pain. The force of each swing felt good, natural. He didn’t notice when the glass broke free from the window, showering his hand in cuts, embedding the tiny daggers deeper into his numbed hands.

Each blow to the car seemed to cause it to make some sort of sound. First, the beeping that would normally mean that he had left his keys in the car, that was followed by some sort of car alarm sound. Owen didn’t even know his old beat-up thing had an alarm. The next swing cut that off and the radio seemed to come on out of nowhere, skipping that same old tune of “I’m walking on sunshine” over and over again as it had done on the drive back. He screamed at it in return making an agonizing symphony of rage and destruction. It played through the air like music. The crinkling of metal, the musical shattering of glass, the distorted electric sound of the beeping of the car, and the radio all conducted by Owen who only screamed at it in response.

The hood was a mess, crumpled and easily thrown aside by one of Owen’s massive bleeding hands. When his blows wouldn’t silence the possessed vehicle, he began ripping wildly at the chords inside. At first, this seemed to cause more sounds to come from the vehicle before the lights and music finally stopped entirely.

He swung again at the exposed interior of the hood, liquid was spilling from the undercarriage now. The extent of the damage of his onslaught was unclear, but it was vast. His face was streaked in oil and glass, he didn’t even notice the hot tears pouring down his cheeks.

“Owen…?”

He spun, the bat still raised offensively. For a tantalizing moment, Owen couldn’t tell the difference between the wreckage of the car and the silhouette of the girl in the darkness. Rage still seemed to weep from each of his pores as he pulled back from the swing at the last minute, his eyes resting on hers. Wide eyes darted from him to the bat inches away from her face. Worry was evident across her visage, more than she had ever shown, even for her own sister.

The tension between them had Aubrey frozen, hesitation bolting her legs in place. Her golden eyes seemed to finally cut through the haze of confusion. His knuckles loosened and the bat fell uselessly to the ground, the chime of broken glass sounding as it clanged to the dirt. Owen’s face was tearstained as his bright emerald eyes seemed locked on hers, begging for some solace. His legs slumped, and he found himself sitting amongst the glass and ice, leaned up against wreckage of his beloved car.

She had seen everything- from Owen escorting Liam, to the screaming inside the lodge. Aubrey had been standing on the porch waiting for a chance to speak to him, but before she could, he had stormed out, blinded to her attempts at conversing. For the last several moments she had been frozen in place watching his onslaught on the car. The girl had spoken out once or twice during the time, but none of her words seemed to register. It wasn’t until he was finished did he respond.

He somehow realized this now, as clarity was finally sinking in. Shame settled in where rage vacated. A sob was stuck in his throat by nothing more than sheer stubbornness. He didn’t want to cry in front of Aubrey, but he quickly realized that it was inevitable. It was going to come whether he wanted it to or not. Owen almost choked on it as it came up his throat, raw and angry, bleeding hands moving up to cover his face and shield her from the sight of him.

Any shock she had felt was immediately dispersed. Her legs moved faster than her brain could process what she should do, and before she knew it, her arms were wrapped around his large frame. Knees dug into the glass and dirt as she held onto him like her life depended on it. Aubrey didn’t expect her gut to be wrenched the way it did. It felt like torture seeing Owen, who had been her friend since she had gotten to the lodge, now broken on the ground the same way she had been earlier that day.

He let himself be pulled into her, the weight and warmth of her frame more comforting than he had expected. Owen hadn’t cried since his mother died, in the depths of the hospital, alone. Before that, he couldn’t remember the last time. This felt similar but different. Mourning the loss of a parent, but this time the one he would never have. Years of pent up anger and sadness seemed to boil over as he allowed himself to cry into Aubrey’s shoulder. It wasn’t for long, just a few long, harsh sobs before his body seemed to sober and he grew numb, leaning into her, motionless.

After a few moments of silence between the two, her grip loosened and her shaky hands found their way around Owen’s. Gently pulling away, her watery eyes matched his own as Aubrey’s meek voice mumbled to him, “There’s… There’s no way I can understand what you’re going through but, if it means anything, I’m here.”

And she was. Out of all the people in this lodge that had known him, cared for him, shared blood with him, Aubrey Mannox was the only person who was here. Recalling the motion Owen used to comfort her previously, she shifted her weight onto her knees and pressed a gentle kiss onto his forehead. Owen’s emerald eyes widened and a light smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he recalled the meaning behind her actions. He couldn’t articulate his appreciation so instead, his hands rose up to the back of her head, ignoring the blood as they pressed into the blonde hues of her hair and brought her back to him in an embrace.


Collab: Corgi
Mention: shadowz1995 FireMaiden

 

[The Mad Queen]

Homecoming
Ralph & Leliana
(by myself FireMaiden )​

Leliana could hardly focus on the voices of Beth and Owen, doing her best to ground herself once again. Nails still digging into her thighs, a feeble attempt at some sort of distraction, Owen coming for answers had pulled her a little out of her panic, at least long enough to focus on him but for fucks sake, he seriously lacked tact. And had she been in the right state of mind, Leliana would have slapped him for hurting Beth. But on top of that, Leliana was just embarrassed. She had suffered through a panic attack very recently, and it was just embarrassing to have one again. At least this time, it wasn't for seemingly no reason. After a few moments, she managed to get herself under control enough to stand and slowly shuffle to the kitchen, shaking hands fumbling with the cabinets to find a glass. That trick Hector used always seemed to work for her, so she may as well make an attempt to do it now. Or in the very least, replenish her tears.

Making his way through the battered walls of the lodge, Ralph stumbled upon the kitchen with his cane tapping the ground with every single step. His brown eyes quickly drifted towards where Leliana was standing and he stopped in his tracks. Squinting, he noticed the shaking hands. Still keeping his distance, trying not to invade personal space he asked a question that was all too familiar.
"Are you alright? Is-." He stopped himself, sighing "Is there anything I can do?"

Gripping the edge of the sink with one hand, she tried to fill the glass she had somehow got down without dropping. Her luck had changed though, as she tried raising the glass to her lips after filling it, it slipped from her hand and fell back into the sink. The sound made her jump, shoulders tensing, but at least it didn't break. Defeated, she slammed her other hand against the handle to turn the water off just as she heard Ralph's voice. Her attention quickly snapped to him, confusion breaking through the panic that remained on her face. "Wh-when did you get back?" She asked, her voice hurried as she took a step away from the sink, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "An-and no. No, you can't...there's nothing I need h-help with."

"I came straight back as soon as I...As soon as I heard about what happened." He shook his head, sadly and turned away "Just grateful Bethany was with Valerie. I don't think we could handle anymore dead children."
Taking a few steps towards her, but still taking care to give the young woman her space he gave her that all too familiar reassuring smile behind kind eyes. The events of the day made it even more difficult than usual, but he still managed it.

"What's going on? As usual, you don't have to tell me but I can be a good listener."

As Ralph took a step closer, Leliana took a step back in retreat. "Y-yeah, the baby got...got lucky," Leona replied, her words still rushed. The shaking hadn't stopped, neither had the tears. At least not exactly, and Ralph would see her constantly glancing to the window or the door. "Ju-just a panic attack, I-I get them a lot" The nurse waved him off. This wasn't something she wanted to talk about. With anyone. "I-I got her outside the-the best I could," The nurse then added, nails digging into her upper arms a bit as her back hit one of the counters. Upon feeling that, the blonde let some of her weight rest against it, but managed to keep from slipping into the floor.

"I get those too, you know." Ralph nodded "So I've been told." His knee started to hurt once again and he took a seat at the kitchen table, the chair turned to face Leliana "You remember when the baby was born? It does feel like years ago, I know." There was little more Ralph wanted to do than wrap the young woman in a hug and tell her things were going to be okay, to offer reassurance but he wasn't sure if it was the right thing. "You've already seen one of mine. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

He looked up, offering his smile once more "You did your best. It's all any of us can do."

Oh, Leliana knew that. Everyone got them at some point or another, that's what everyone told her. She knew Ralph had meant well, but that was just an annoying sentiment when you didn't know what to say. But she wasn't going to get upset, no. This, after all, wasn't just a panic attack. The nurse didn't have the strength to talk about the whys and how's, slowly letting herself sink onto the floor. "y-yeah, yeah." The girl mumbled, one hand moving to wipe her cheek. But as she flinched, Ralph would be able to put together she had recently poked herself in the eye. "Some-someone tried to kill Milly, but-but I stopped her," Leliana spoke, trying to change the subject. As mad as that made her, it would at least help focus her attention on something else.

His stomach dropped. The attempted murder was what had brought Leliana into her current state and yet a mere few hours ago he had sat down with Andy and defended the attempted murderer, asked for forgiveness on the behalf of somebody else and tried to justify Maria's actions as much as he could.
He felt sick, his insides continuing to churn. Still, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and hobbled to his feet. He headed towards Leliana, offering a hand up.
"I think everyone appreciates what you did. You really are a credit to this place."

Leliana ignored his offer, her gaze focused on something random in the distance. "pl-please don't touch me." It was nothing against Ralph, but a product of her current state. Panic still had its nasty grip on her, but she was clear enough to not want to hurt anyone if they happened to overstep a boundary. "Sh-she didn't even want to gi-give her a chance, it wasn't a full bite," the nurse spoke, an attempt at an explanation unaware that Ralph already knew. "S-sorry, I'll...i'll be okay in-in a bit."

He stepped away. If a hand up was too much then he was relieved he hadn't gone in for a hug. He'd seen this before though and by no means did the Doctor take it personally. The last thing he wanted to do was make things worse for her. "Of course, I understand." Moving further back, he sat back down in his seat. He felt powerless but given the nature of panic attacks he was aware that however he was feeling, the young woman had it a lot worse.
"Do you want me to just...Sit here for a while? So you don't have to be alone."

Leliana gave him a weak shrug. She would prefer to be alone. In fact, her ideal location for this would be curled up under the blankets on her and Beth's bed. But she still didn't trust herself to make it upstairs. "Doesn't matter," The nurse finally answered, pulling her legs closer to her chest. "H-how was...how was the uni-university?"

He looked down, his eyes heavy as he reflected on the events of the university "I-I'm not so sure you'd like to know. It was....It was horrible." The only person that could've shared or understood the nightmare factory was in the wind and perhaps she was even better for it. "But." He looked up "The thing that was going on here, we put a stop to it. I'd say the university is safe now and I suppose I should at least try to take some comfort from that. As difficult as it seems."
"Oh." Leliana had hoped his little vacation had been worth leaving, but that turns out it wasn't exactly the case. "What...what happened?" She then asked. Maybe it would explain Maria's violent outburst earlier, maybe it would just provide some insight. That part didn't matter too much, the nurse was curious as to what the other survivors were doing that would cause such a tense response from Ralph.

"I suppose there's no harm in telling." He sighed "The place was being used as a laboratory by someone I knew, conducting experiments on living, breathing human beings." Ralph looked down, shaking his head "Infecting them to study the plague. Dozens and dozens of people."
He rested his head in his hands "What happened to Milly is on me. I was the one who wanted to go the university because I wanted to study the virus. I wanted to feel useful again. Maria wanted to come with me and...They. They tried to use her as a lab rat."

He looked up but refused to look the young woman in the eye "Seeing that girl's head in the monster's jaws must've caused her to snap. And now, you're a mess, Milly almost died and Maria is in the wind, alone. All because of me." He glanced out the window "Nice fucking work, Doctor Friendly. Really outdid yourself this time."

"A mess...thanks," Leliana mumbled. He wasn't wrong, but it was kind of rude, even if he seemed to misunderstand why she was like this. But for the moment, Leliana wouldn't correct him. "I-I think it was me. I mentioned how-how if she was infected we couldn't let the opportunity pass...geez that sounds bad." Leliana mumbled, taking a moment to pause and try to straighten her thoughts out. "If...if Milly hadn't made it, letting Hector watch how the v-virus progressed was in-invalue...important. Keeps him from having to purposefully infect us," Once more, she paused. "It's not like I-I'm giddy about the idea. But Maria didn't even want to her a chance. Then she shot Hector so...maybe she just wanted to kill a kid?"

"No." Ralph shook his head, sternly "I'm afraid it was the mention of letting her turn and the lab-rat aspect that set her off. But, it's my fault for letting her come with me to the university to begin with. Even if she did stop me from... I'd rather have that on my conscience than her in the wind and alone out there."

He ran a hand down his face "Still. We stopped it. I guess that's the main thing. If she stayed behind we'd never have shut that place down."

"No...it's a good thing she didn't come back," Leliana spoke, the panic not so clear in her voice now. "I would have shot her." Perhaps a surprisingly dark sentiment coming from the nurse but it was the truth. She tried to kill Milly, then shot Hector. At first, Leliana may have believed it was an accident, but..."innocent people don't run." Not only did Maria seemingly give up on the fight at least twice, but she also ran instead of staying and trying to help fix what could have been a mistake. That only solidified that she was guilty and had shot Hector on purpose. With a deep breath, the nurse held up a hand to examine it, the shaking haven lessened a bit, her mind a bit stiller. "Are you staying for good? Or are you going back?"

"I know. That's why she didn't come back. She was, admittedly more frightened of Hector though. Can't say I'd really blame her for that though. Hector even frightens me sometimes and I haven't even so much as bumped into the man on accident, let alone shot him." He stood to his feet once more.
"I'm going to be sticking around for a bit longer, but I can't leave the university undefended. It's resources have been used to cause harm before and I'd rather not allow such things to happen again. I have to go back, eventually but I don't think I'll be going back alone the next time. It may be a good idea to relocate."

He scanned the interior of the lodge.
"Too much pain here, too many losses."

"Hector isn't that bad," Leliana shrugged. Her tune about the old doctor had changed a bit. Sure, the first time she had hoped to help him, he turned her and Ralph both away. Seems he didn't take into consideration she wasn't even really a full-fledged nurse and while had the skills to keep people alive, there was still much she needed to learn. Anyway, she didn't hold that against him, being the old grumpy man he was, he still went out of his way to help her with her previous panic attack. "You would need to talk to Andy about that. And right now, I doubt we're in a good place to move everyone," She spoke as slowly, Leliana managed to rise to her feet. "I'm going upstairs for a while...if anyone needs me for something."

"He's not that bad but I don't believe he and I will ever see eye to eye. He's good at what he does though. I'll say that much. Just look at me knee, for instance." Andy had been the one to suggest the move to begin with but Leliana was right, they were in no condition to move anyone. It was just another case of holding out and praying that while the group was weak and their home was battered, they wouldn't be attacked.
"I think that's all. At least from me." He nodded. He waited until she departed his company and made his way into one of the separate rooms. Straining, he got down on his knees and did something he hadn't done since the first day of the outbreak.

Doctor Ralph Fisher began to pray.

Mentioned: Milly Rumble Fish
Hector shadowz1995
Andy Maj

 

[Maj]

​

Andy’s mouth opened in surprise at Hector's words. The joint fell into her lap as she tried to quickly regain her composure. She scooped it up, dusting the embers away before it could singe her damp jeans. It felt weird for such kindness to come from Hector’s mouth. Most of their interaction consisted of subtly ribbing the other. She also knew him to be a man that didn’t say kind things without reason. With a still trembling hand she brought the rolled paper back to her lips and inhaled once more.

She didn’t have a response to his words. There was no quick quip to answer with and no genuine response either so instead she only lapsed into silence once more, doing her best to focus on her breathing. It was easier now, both with some time to herself and with the drug doing its job in her system and slowing her heart rate down. She had never had people she trusted before. Even her own brother had been intentionally kept in the dark. After that, she had made it a point to keep a healthy distance from most people. There was a reason that she hadn’t developed any real romantic feelings for anyone before Luca. However, sentiment aside, Hector made some good points.

Ultimately she didn’t know what kind of threat her father meant for them. They had defended against military forces and surely even if he had men they wouldn’t be as well organized or as well armed. Plus who was to say he would even come back at all. Maybe he had just happened across Owen in the city and decided to follow him back to her. But her gut rebuked all comfort she tried to give herself. Something about it felt intentional. He wasn’t supposed to be in Aurora to begin with.

“Him being here likely means the barricade around the town is gone,” she offered, happy to change the subject. She wasn’t sure if this news meant anything to anyone else, but if she was right that meant that the infection was growing outside the city. They wouldn’t release the barricade if they were still trying to contain it within the city limits. Many of the group would likely want to leave once the news got out. They had families to check on outside of Aurora. Maybe Hector was right that there were people here that would protect her, but how many would stay when they were given another option? Andy wasn’t sure. Ultimately she wasn’t their responsibility to begin with.

"Which means the likelihood of the infection having escaped the quarantine has just quadrupled." He replied, confirming Andy's fears. "Which also means the value of your blood has just shot up exponentially. You may just be one of the most important human beings in the world now."

"To you maybe," Andy said with a bitter laugh. "Or the government I suppose if they are still after me. Not many can do what needs to be done with my blood."

"If its important to me, it's important to many, Andy." The doc replied without looking.

The graying scientist then leaned forward and stroked the salt-and-pepper growth on his chin in thought. There were multiple explanations for Mr. Father's presence but two of the most likely was the aforementioned one or..

"Or your father was in Aurora before the quarantine went up. Which is better for society at large but more worrying for you."

"He should still be in prison," Andy commented. If he had gotten out it was news to her, she had followed his case closely and as far as she knew he wasn't due out for several more years. If the neighboring cities were hit as well, maybe he used the chaos to escape. Regardless, him being here didn't feel like an accident. She didn't know how he even knew to come to Aurora, but she had seen him with her own eyes. The girl shuddered.

Hector nodded solemnly, "Then let's assume the worst. The virus has breached containment." It was a scenario Hector had been dreading as the scope of his work has potentially broadened to encompass every country on Earth. It had gone from a horrible epidemic to a potential pandemic.

The large man sighed heavily, his age truly showing for the first time in his features. He pinched the bridge of his nose, pondering how far this could have gone in the time elapsed when the sound of something being smashed brought him back to the present.

His eyebrows shot up and he turned towards the noise in mild concern but the infuriated roar of Owen Jordan reached his ears, followed by the sound of glass shattering and metal crunching and groaning underneath the blows of some unknown force.

The doctor relaxed once he knew it was just the male twin working some stuff out but it didn't stop the old man from fixing his sight on the cause of that blind fury, "I understand the potential reasoning…" he began, "...but I think this could have been avoided had he been informed beforehand. He might never have brought your father back if he knew."

"Yeah," Andy agreed, head tilted to the sound of her brother's tantrum outside. "Had I thought running into him was a possibility I might have…" she paused. Would she actually have said anything? There had been a million opportunities over the last eight years. In fact, there had been times she had come close, but something always interfered. Or maybe Andy had just been quick to take any excuse not to follow through.

"What's done is done," she finally conceded, taking another long drag from her joint. It was burning short, the heat getting close to her fingers. She'd be out soon. The redhead sighed heavily, a cloud of smoke erupting from her open mouth as she spoke. "It's useless to wish I had done it differently now. I can't."

"That much is true." He nodded, his words punctuated by another smash and an almost comical 'beep' in response to the violence inflicted on the vehicle. "Still, this is possibly the worst way he could have found out."

"No," Andy disagreed. "There was a worse way." She took the final drag from her joint before putting it out on the bottom of her shoe. For the first time she looked up and made eye contact with the doctor.

"We were sixteen when…" she paused. "...everything went down. Can you imagine my brother at sixteen? He wasn't nearly as big or burly, but possibly even more brash and impulsive. He would have rushed into a situation he had absolutely no business being a part of. Despite what his stupid macho man brain thinks, he wouldn't have done anything except get himself killed. Our father was a grown man, a seasoned criminal and Owen was a child." Another large crash sounded over the sound of a skipping car alarm. Andy let her emerald eyes summersault at the sounds of the brutish display.

"He's still a fucking child." She amended.

Hector shook his head, a low rumble in his throat that indicated a chuckle. One side of his lips turned up to form a crooked smirk for a breath of a moment before returning to his usual icy demeanor. "Child he may be, the result is what you speak of. Not how it was that he found out."

He looked up at the young huntress and drank in the sight. Her former vigor and snap was returning but she still looked fragile. A fragility that had nothing to do with her fresh, external wounds that decorated her skin. "But as you said, it's too little, too late now. All you can do now is give him what he deserves. What, I believe, he has always deserved. You owe him that at minimum."

"I do," she agreed softly, gaze back at her boots. "And I'll give it to him tomorrow, once he's had time to cool down." As if on cue, the smashing had stopped and silence fell over the lodge once again. "I'm afraid if he stops me once I get going, I won't finish saying all that needs to be said."

The Latino nodded and turned his eye towards the door. "I'll leave you to your thoughts then. I should probably go check on your brother. I have no doubts he hurt himself somehow. Again."

“Probably.” Andy let out a weak laugh. “He’s lucky to have you,” she commented, her smile wavering. She looked to the ground for a few moments, as she heard him near the door before finally adding. “We both are.”

Collab: shadowz1995
Mentions: Corgi

 

[Rumble Fish]

The quietness of the morn was only interrupted by the three-beat rhythm of the melancholy lope carrying her home. Arthur’s breath, the sway of his body and the sound of his hooves meeting the ground sent her once furious mind into a trance, taking its time to look at where they were, where they had been and where they were going. The ranch was now out of sight, but their journey would be long. She did not care. The tranquillity of the woods could be deceiving with the potential danger that now perpetually lurked. But this was different to her trek here. She had another set of eyes, another soul and another reason. Below the treeline, the fast and blurred middle school building shot by. It was an odd thought, that was where it had all begun. It felt like so long ago now. So many souls lost. It was a wonder that any of them made it. Maybe she should have cut her losses and just ran away herself. But in that same thought, she remembered that doing so would have been a disservice to those trapped inside.

“I’m not an empathetic person, I don’t care about most people as far as I can use them. You will always rise to help out people in worse positions than you. It was something you displayed despite your demeanour at the middle school, and you’ve continued to do so up until now…”

Even though only a select few had escaped, it was better than it could have been. Nobody could have survived, and yet the Lodge had a community, many who had come from that very school. A community, however, containing several unsavoury people. There was a harsh chuff through her nose as she gently squeezed Arthur’s side, prompting him to quicken his steps. He eagerly obliged, it seemed it had been some time since his last ride and was eager to expel all of the pent-up energy from standing in a stall most of the time. While she understood the intelligence of a horse, it still pained her that unfortunately some people did not have such a mind. What was the point in trying to lead anyone with a pig-headed stubbornness when all it would cause was grief and she would be made out to be the villain regardless of the outcome?

“Don’t let them rile you. Keep them in line, get what we need and get home safe. You are smart and capable, but sometimes idiots have a way of making you lose your cool. Don’t let them. I wouldn’t have suggested you go if I didn’t think you were the right woman for the job...”

They all got back alive. That was something. While she could never understand why she cared; she still did. It was better to have them alive than have more blood on her hands and guilt in her heart. As the middle school slipped from her view, she turned her gaze back forward, towards the trees, listening to Arthur’s hooves crunch across the hardened grass from the previous night’s frozen air. She could see his breath puffing from either side of his neck like an excited dragon. Despite the flutter in her heart caused by the gentle rocking of his lope, her headache still pounded. Only a day and a half of sobriety. Fantastic. So much for strength. Maybe she should just throw her hands up and give up. It was not as though she could honestly help them at all. Even with everything she knew, and what she could do, did any of it really matter?

“You were a soldier, yes? It was your job and duty to overcome your weaknesses and stand tall for others, yes...?"

She did not have these weaknesses before. If she had, she’d still be in West Virginia; home with her father and sisters. People she doubted she could ever look in the eye again. Burying weaknesses had become impossible. But giving into them would have been certain death. The hunting shop, Moe’s motel, the assault on the Lodge… succumbing to the evil in her head would have meant the end of their worlds. Loved ones lost and their numbers slashed, would they even have made it as far as they had? Despite everything, the veteran could not ignore that fact; despite those shortcomings, she was alive and so were they. She wondered if she looked hard enough if she’d see the hunting shop. The same shop where they parkoured across the rooftops to escape certain doom. The woman sighed mournfully, her steady tone bouncing with Artur’s lope. She couldn’t make the hard decisions there. With everything clashing at once, there was no way. If she hadn’t stuck with them and carried on, a small group of civilians, including a child would have been dead. It was hard to let him go, but the Lodge would not have gained another doctor. Everything was a gamble now. Nothing was ever going to be set in stone again.

“More often than not the only choices you have are hard calls, but you still have to choose because the alternative is...Surrendering to the disease. And that... is never a viable option..."

The thought of surrendering to anything felt like a rock in her skull. Filthy. Unless it was to the bottle. The veteran’s shoulders slumped at the thought. It was like running through a maze she had no hope of escaping. Sobriety unleashed everything she had set to destroy and overwhelmed every sense within her being, yet giving into it brought nothing but more strain. But how else was she supposed to cope? The vet was too far gone, a lost cause. The only being that would receive judgement now was the horse beneath her, who was surely thinking of nothing more than the sheer joy running free brought. The veteran could not bring herself to enjoy the rushing world as the duo traversed further and further into the familiar forests. At least that was one thing that would always remain the same, unlike her own stability.

"My point is, me telling you, is that I understand what it's like...I'm worried. I guess that's kinda what I do, but still. In short I guess, you aren't alone...You've put everyone before yourself, I know it's hard, but you've done everything you can. You might not be able to see it, but you've done well... you're one of the pillars of our little group here..."

A crumbling pillar was still a pillar. And it’d continue to stand right until it’s last moment before crashing down. Was this the crash? Had it happened long before and it simply blew by them all and faded into obscurity? The woman sighed and softly blew through her teeth, pulling her hand slightly towards herself, soothing Arthur into a lazy flatfoot walk, a break from the long run. Was she still that pillar they needed her to be? Was it even worth it? If she fell; she’d take them all down with her, something the vet had experienced nightmares about. It was going to happen.

"You seem to have been doin’ a good job so far... Don’t be so damn hard on yourself, made it this far, no sense you can’t keep goin’. The world may have gone to the dogs, but we’re still holdin’ on by our teeth. No sense in lettin’ go now…"

The forest soon began to part, revealing that oh so familiar road that had been travelled many times in the last months. Arthur’s unshod hooves clipped softly against the dirt, sending small puffs of dirt into the air. The whole time she was watching his head and ears. Despite her strong intuition, Arthur would notice any oncoming threat long before she would and she did not want to miss any subtle hints horses usually gave off before having an extreme reaction. Thankfully, he seemed simply curious about the new location. She wished that she could only have the worries that a horse might have. Where the best grass is, when and where to lie down for a sleep, and the occasional fear over a flying plastic bag or a new place. They had their own simple worries, but still took care of their riders’ whether they knew it or not. They had a simple solution to almost anything. Like some people.

“I want to see the snow, and maybe you would be less sad if someone was with you? Y-you don't have to tell me why you're sad, I just want to help…”

They may not be soldiers in the sense that she had always known them to be. But despite all her grievances, there was a… spirit? That seemed to surge through them, whether they knew it or not. And it resonated through them all, even in what would be the most unlikely.

"Hey, look I just wanna say that I'm sorry, I don't even know how or where to start, but i'll try to change for the better..."

After another half hour of travelling, the hazy and far-away sight of the lodge finally began to bob into view. The veteran felt the twist in her intestines tighten and her hands become clammy around the reins. She softly pulled on the leather and Arthur slowed smoothly into a soft walk. Already her breath became hurried, all those fears and preconceptions swirling furiously in her head. Was this really the right choice? Would they be better off if she just turned around and went from where she came?

“Take it from a girl who spent way too many years and did some stupid shit because she was consumed with self-loathing. I know there's the strength in you to carry everyone there forwards and get them through any shit the world might throw at them…”

She sighs deeply through her nose and softly pulled back on the reins, letting Arthur slow down further to a lazy amble. The horse sighed as he shook his handsome head, stretching it down. After such a long run, he seemed to be thankful. The woman stroked his neck. She looked back towards the Lodge, feeling that knot in her chest tighten. It felt bizarre to see this building again. It was like she was approaching it for the first time. No doubt when she walks in there she’d be ripped to shreds; not that it would be undeserved. She was terrible and both she and them knew it.

“Hell, you're a prick, but you're decent too, I guess...”

Was decency going to be enough to make up for it all? Had she really done the most she could have done for them? When would it be enough?

"If it’s any consolation, I think you’ve done a good job. You seem to handle yourself well in stressful situations and aren’t afraid to step in if matters get out of hand… It’s admirable really. I’m… uhm, I’m trying to be more like that…"

The veteran did not pay any attention to where she was until she heard Arthurs hoof-steps change from dirt to tarmac as they approached the building. The sound of his marching walk rang crisply though the trees, prompting her to bring out her handgun. Just to be on the completely safe side. There hadn't been a soul through this whole journey. But she could not afford to make any mistakes. Thankfully, nothing seemed to stir from the sound of Arthur's hooves; neither thing or living being. Both were entities she was not ready to face just yet. The closer they got, the clearer the veteran could see her reflection in the window. Her burnt skin; the darkness under her red eyes and the Marine jacket that hung off her skinny frame- she was faced with it all. Lifting a hand to her face, she felt the rough and leathery skin and felt a cringe down her spine. Her stomach twisted as the dark thoughts she had tried to push back began to swirl back into her head. God she hated them...

"Like I said, I'm often the butt of me own jokes. My scars are of shame… You got yours fightin. Wear them with pride, lass..."

The woman's shoulders lifted from the depth of her sigh as she gently squeezes the reins; signalling Arthur to stop. What was she going to say? They would have questions about where she had gone. The truth would not work, but many could smell out a lie. Everything was so uncertain. Part of her wanted to turn around and forget the whole thing, take Arthur and go alone into the wilderness. She knew how to hunt and defend herself and she wouldn’t be lonely with her newfound companion. But, she turned to look at the structure, still standing proudly despite everything it and it’s people had gone through. The same people who had been the first to make the veteran feel anything other than self-destructive verklempt and self loathing for she did not know how long. With a heavy sigh, rising her chest, she dismounted, growling under her breath as she felt her ankles jar from the impact. Arthur stood next to her, huffing from the long trek. Stroking his smooth neck, she threw the reins over his head and led the horse around the back. It was very quiet, at this time of the morning. There was still a whole day to come. And then the next day. And the one following. Days she did not think she would experience. The sun was now up in the sky looking down on her, one she hadn’t expected to see.

Silently, she untacked him, putting his equipment next to the back porch. Arthur shook out his long mane and huffed as he settled to graze the sweet winter grass, warm steam radiating from his body into the cold wind. The veteran saw her breath in the chilly air as she watched the skyline. She was not prepared to face anyone yet. She released a groan as she lowered herself onto the porch. The tranquil image of a grazing horse bathed in the light of a morning sun with the silence only broken by the gentle trills of a bald eagle perched in a tree, it erased all the weight of the world. Everything was alright… just for this moment… She shut her heavy eyes and just sat; savouring this brief tranquil stillness of the morning.

"It’s okay to carry them with you. You just can’t let it get so heavy it crushes you...All I’m going to do is ensure you that you know that you're not alone. We’ve all lost…”

​

Mentions: Maj shadowz1995 Corgi Togy Hyped_Taco The Mad Queen TheMightyRedLemon Brax FireMaiden RayPurchase

 

[The Mad Queen]

God's House
Maria Kennedy​

​

23rd November 2018
11:25am

The all-too familiar building of the church stood before her while blood stained her boots. The roads had been crawling with infected but she'd managed to make it back without any close calls. With her bat, smeared in blood in one hand and a full rucksack of supplies in the other she made her way inside. Nothing had changed. The walls, the pews and even the tables where they had set up a food drive were all in the exact same condition from when she left. It was a far cry from the broken down lodge, with it's broken walls and shattered windows.

Dried blood still remained in place from where Jack had been put down and all Maria could do was turn away. Outside of one Doctor he'd been the last person to carry a warmness. Not everyone had been an arsehole, at least going by notes in a book she hadn't opened in quite a while.
"I never should'a left." She sighed "Feckin' mess."

It took her over an hour to get the bloodstains out, scrubbing the spot on the floor for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually though, there were no traces of violence within the church' walls. Sitting herself down in one of the pews and wrapping herself up in some blankets, Maria started to drift off. The journey had taken it's toll.

She wasn't sure what time it was when she'd woken up but Maria quickly scanned her surroundings. The blankets were removed and sitting on one of the pews across from her was the notebook. Jumping to her feet, she charged towards it and opened the book up. She scrolled through months of pages, notes between her and Caoimhe. Reflecting on Martin's death, travelling to Aurora and the time spent in the church. It was followed up by the shitshow that followed.

The day the notes stopped.

Are we safe now?
I never want to go back there.

She gasped, a small tear coming to her eye. Had it been the lodge itself, or merely something someone had done to make her hide away? It made sense, to her at least. Maria was the protector, with Caoimhe never engaging in any fights. Whenever they were in peril, it was like an alarm bell went off and she was summoned. It had been happening a lot more since the fall of Aurora, the day the dead walked again.

Maria had been too busy fighting or laying low to consider it, but the 'good book' had talked about the dead rising. It wasn't until she'd nearly made that mistake that she had reached out, with the last time being when she was praying for Martin's health. They had gone unanswered. Opening one of the nearby books, she flicked through passage after passage until she found it:

And the LORD will send a plague on all the nations that fought against Jerusalem. Their people will become like walking corpses, their flesh rotting away. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day they will be terrified, stricken by the LORD with great panic. They will fight their neighbours hand to hand.

"Oh for fuck's sake." Maria scoffed "Did you really go and do it, big man?" She called up at the ceiling. Fisher and the other Doctor, the one she'd shot would probably claim superstition but although her knowledge on items of a more scientific nature, Maria was damn sure there had never been another instance of the dead returning to life in human history. It was all comic books and movies, things she rarely had time for.

If it was true, and the man upstairs had brought this plague upon the Earth there was only one thing Maria could do. Stepping up to the altar and getting onto her knees, Maria started to pray.

"Forgive me father for I have sinned...Now, where do I even feckin' start with this? And nw, I'm not doing this just 'cause I'm shite scared of ya. I have, regrets. Shall I start with that wee girl I almost killed? Or what about the bodies I left at the university? The soldier or two I brought down in self-defence." She turned her head away, scoffing once more "Nah, the only one I really do feel bad about. Only one I want forgiveness from is that girl. Everythin' else was just me refusin' to go down."

She sighed "Look. I don't really give two shits as to what happens to me, not anymore. I'm only still alive 'cause I have someone to protect. The other girl inside me head. I do hope you look after that wee girl as well, though. She's innocent and I know we're told that none of us are without the sins but I haven't see her do anythin' wrong."

"So, if you are the one that made the dead walk and all that. If yer goin' to spare anyone. Spare those two. And maybe Ralph Fisher. Right pain in the hole and all but, he...He's one of the good ones. I know, he almost committed one of the real bad sins and all but I don't think he would've done it even if I wasn't there."
She stood up, a half smile now upon her face "Oh, and by the way. I'll be stayin' in yer house for a while. Not like anyone else is usin it. Don't worry, I'll try not to burn the place down."

Mentioned:
"Wee girl" Rumble Fish
"Other doctor that got shot" shadowz1995