Realistic or Modern The Dead Hills - IC

[idalie]

ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN ​

His hand wrapped around Milly's like a massive paw. Practically concealing her petite palm from sight, whilst surprisingly, delicately shaking it as if he was holding a porcelain doll. Soon enough, however, he let go and almost immediately she collapsed to the floor with an exclamation of pain. "Lass?!" Archie touched her shoulder hesitantly before the girl returned to her feet. Hugging the stuffed bear closer. Like a doe caught in the headlights. Yet there was a parental sort of tut which emerged, shaking his head. "Mm, you need something down ye." He nudged Milly and smiled. "I'll make you somethin'. I found burdock root not too long back, my grandmammy was always making tea outta the leaves. She was a right old nutter, but taught me more than enough to help out durin' times like these. Y'see, it's like potatoes. Bitta wild garlic and it'll be the best brekkie you've had in months."

Glancing up towards Jennifer, the Scotsman only gave that confident, content glance. "Sweetheart, if Simon comes back, he won't kill me. I'm like a brother to the bastard. Hm? I can use a gun, and just because you put a hole in me don't mean I can't throw a punch no more." Archie cleared his throat. "We have time, Jen. I'll keep this place spick and span till you get back. Just stay safe. No runnin' off by your lonesome. I'll throw together something to eat, I can bulk it out for everyone. You remember to keep yourself fed and watered too, or I'll come after ye with a wet tea towel. And ain't nobody survived the welts that it's given countless wains." McKeegan chuckled. "Set out a few snares whilst yer at it. I'll sort out as much as I can here. Just who do you think is gonnae wander into some empty house outta more than a hundred?"

Gunshots resounded, causing the big man to instinctively move towards the window. Peering through the curtains. "You should stay here another hour on that note." He looked over his shoulder towards Jen. "I ain't comfortable with how close by that was. Stay for breakfast. You can go out later. We've got a day to waste, and losin' you would be a kick to the stomach we cannae be doin' with right now. Aye?" Art, then tilted his head. "We'll prep some snares. Just listen to some reason. If not today, then tomorrow. Like you said, we got enough to camp out a few days. Pool our resources."

Rumble Fish Catharsis Cosmosis Peacemaker .45

 

[Rumble Fish]

Milly McDonald​

Milly, keeping her nose under the neck of her jumper looked at Archie as he seemed to catch on to her perdiciment. As he mentioned some kind of root he came across and then talking about potatoes and garlic. “That...That sounds good.” Milly finished that statement quickly as her stomach rumbled again at the mention of food. She then turned her attention to Jen as she talked about their lack of food. This information made Milly bite her lip anxiously. If there was already so little to eat, she did not want to make it worse so decided that she could go a little longer without food.

She listened to Jennifer as she then started debating with herself as to who should go out to scavenge. As she commented that Milly herself was unfit to do anything, the girl winced and leaned away from Jennifer, still keeping half her face hidden. “I’m-S-sorry…” She said anxiously, still leaning away from Jennifer with wide eyes. And then, Jennifer asked Milly if she knew where there were supplies in this place. Milly leaned even further away, shaking her head "N-No, I-I've never been here before... I'm sorry. I can- I can go and look if you want.. Sorry." She answered, still shying. She knew Jennifer wasnt going to do anything but she could still remember the last time she proved herself to be useless…

She could remember it too well for her liking. Her mother coming back from scavenging, but she was different from before. Her words seemed slurred and she was not warm or comforting like normal, but angry. And when Milly mentioned she had not been able to find anything else in the gas station, she felt a sudden stinging pain across her face, as well as her mother shouting. She still could not understand what had happened. She tried to ask her mother what was wrong, and tried to apologize profusely but she just left again, not without saying some words that still haunted Milly badly before storming out and slamming the door… not even giving her a hug.

As Milly came back into reality, she realized how fast and deeply she was breathing and how fast her heart was going. She shook her head a little and shut her eyes, just listening to Jennifer and Archie discuss the matter. She put her head under her jumper, trying to calm herself down. She was already useless to them, she didn't need to seem weak either!

After a few moments, her breakdown seemed to fade away and Milly pulled her head out from her jumper to look at the pair. She wanted to say she would go with them but that would be going against what Jennifer just said, and she didnt want to push her luck.

Milly jumped at the sound of gunshots outside, causing her crouch against a wall, gripping to her teddy tighter than ever. She didnt want to know where they came from, all she knew was that it was from outside! She looked (or just turned her head cause you know…) at the pair as Archie mentioned playing safe and staying inside until whatever it was gone by. She shimmied towards Jennifer and Archie, looking through the window as well. But it was too dark for her to see what there was. Which meant anything could be there! Something could be staring her square in the face right now, breathing on the window’s glass! Milly gulped and moved away from the window again, sitting back against the wall again, rocking slightly and trying to reassure herself by humming under her breath. She just hoped Jennifer would listen to Archie and stay put.
Peacemaker .45 idalie Cosmosis Catharsis

 

[Peacemaker .45]

Listening to Archie, Jennifer let out a sigh. He was right. It wasn’t necessary that they got food now. But Jennifer wanted to get out of this town. There was nothing good here for them. It’s not a place she wants to hold down and build walls around them. She wanted to get out. She knew survival would force them to eventually.

“Archie you are right. We have time with the food we have,” she started, walking to a wall and leaning against it. “But I don’t like knowing the food’s dwindling. We need more. I’ll set up snares and such, for today at least, but we need to get more, and eventually get out.”

“Though,” Jennifer began, looking back at Archie, “you’re in no condition to be doing anything, Archie. You need to rest.”

Jennifer glanced over at Milly. She noticed she was breathing heavily and panting. Why, she didn’t know. But she was concerned. Last thing they needed is for someone to die and turn when they aren’t expecting it.

Just as Jennifer was about to ask if she was okay, sounds rang out in the distance. They were spaced apart. Jennifer ran to go pick up her rifle. As she was doing so, Archie told her not to go out there as the shots were close in vicinity.

“I’m not going out there right now. But I’m running out to my truck and getting a few things. Make sure that we are armed. Wake up Jake and Jane. We need them up, and we need to move everyone to the second floor. We’ll be easier to spot on the ground floor. Get everyone upstairs,” Jennifer said as she walked to the door, before turning around and looking back at them, “now! Let’s go.”

Jennifer ran out to her truck, her rifle at hand. Once she got there, she opened up the rear passenger door. Her ballistic armor was in there. In case any firefight goes down, she needs to ensure her safety for the sake of the rest of the people under her watch. She quickly put the armor on, and then ran to the bed of the truck. The cover was rolled up, and she quickly rolled the cover down over the bed. Once that was done, she closed the doors quietly,

Once the door closed on her truck, and she locked it, she heard voices in the distance. AR-15 in hand, Jennifer went to peer around her truck, to see if any individuals were heading her way. Peering around the corner of the truck, Jennifer looked far down the street towards Route 119. She saw a man, also wearing a ballistic vest and helmet, walking down the street her way. But he was close, too close for Jennifer’s comfort. He was three houses away from her and walking up.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Jennifer said as she retrewated back behind the side of the bed.

There were two options that Jennifer could exercise. She could run back into the house. But the issue is that she would have to run around the front to get in the house, as the back door was blocked last night as they slept, and no one moved the drawer in front of it. Running back in could expose her, and draw attention to them, and whatever intentions they may or may not have. The other option was to try and hide, and with hiding she could either try and kill him or let him pass. Her options were not ideal, and she had to decide immediately.

Realizing that she had no other choice, Jennifer decided to hide. She ran to the woods beside the house and laid down, keeping her rifle pointing in the direction of her truck and the street.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dave walked up Kunst Drive. Mack said to walk around and see if there was anything that they could perhaps use with their situation with their M35A2 Deuce and a half. Mack searched the stores for anything they could use to plug it, while Dave looked for another vehicle as a plan b. Wandering up and down the street, he looked at the houses and whatever cars were left. A trend he noticed in looking around was that the cars were either falling apart or the driveways were just empty.

Just as Dave was about to turn around and search another street, he noticed a truck next to a house a little further up the road. The truck seemed to be in relatively good condition from far away. Curious, and thinking he has a break for a new vehicle to get out, he walked up to it. Upon arriving at the truck, he noted it was clean, too clean for a vehicle sitting here for years after the world changed. He looked over it, lifting up the bed cover. Underneath, he saw tons of supplies: guns, ammo, food, medication, and what seemed to be a dead body.

“Holy shit,” he said as he looked at it all, and then pulling out his radio. “Mack, found a truck with a shit ton of supplies. Food, guns, ammo, medicine, the whole nine yards. Get over here. I’m up Kunst Drive, all the way up the street.”

“Can’t be a coincidence. Check the area, make sure more of Dutch’s gang ain’t there. I’ll be up soon,” Mack radioed back to Dave.

“Copy that,” Dave said. He looked in the bed and grabbed a Ruger Mini-14, putting down his Ruger Precision Rifle.

Checking the gun, and grabbing two loaded mags by it, he put it in his pocket and looked around. He knew someone had to be nearby. Most likely, they were in the house next to the truck. Dave prepared himself to go check the house out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jennifer watched as the man lifted the bed cover and took a gun. She noticed he radioed someone during this. Jennifer kept her sights trained on the man, watching him. Once he shouldered that weapon, he pointed it at the house, and slowly walked to it.

“Fuck,” Jennifer whispered to herself, watching the man inch closer to the house.

Seeing the man close in on the house, Jennifer knew she had only one option left; she had to shoot him. This would be difficult, as he has body armor on. She knew she needed to get a precision shot off. But if she didn’t get the right shot off, he could alert others.

Pressure began to mount on Jennifer. She could feel the adrenaline start to flood her body, her heart rate increasing, something she needed to quell to get the shot off. Jennifer attempted to try and calm herself down. As she did, she aligned her sights on the man, aiming where she thought was the sweet spot. But her adrenaline wasn’t helping calming her down. She was running out of time. The man was getting too close to the house, almost out of her view. She had one option now. She took in a breath, and squeezed the trigger.

Barely any sound came from her firearm, the suppressor and subsonic ammo doing it’s job. The man fell, and Jennifer watched to see if he moved.

He didn’t.

Jennifer got up, and started to walk slowly towards the man. As she was halfway between the house and the woods, the man started to move. Jennifer ran to the side of the house and peered over the corner.

“Son of a bitch,” the man said, propping himself up slowly, clearly dazed. He reached for his handgun and started looking around. He started to get up, looking around.

“Where the fuck are you,” he said, getting his bearing and becoming more agitated.

Jennifer knew she had to take him out. She got ready to step out and finish him. As she did, the man was right there. They both surprised each other. The man punched Jennifer’s AR out of her hands, and it fell, barrel first, into the ground two feet away from her. Jennifer took a step back, and went to go for her handgun, and as she did, the man took another swing. Jennifer dodged this one, and shuffled to his right side. She quickly moved her hand down to her handgun, and as she was pulling it up, a first caught the side of her head, she fell to the ground, her handgun flying away from her. The man grabbed his handgun, and pointed it at her face.

“Alright, you bitch, this is what you g-,” he stopped, and looked at her more.

“Holy shit,” the man said, grabbing his radio. “Get over here right now.”

The man backed off of Jennifer, and took his helmet off. Jennifer stared at the man.

She knew him.

“Dave,” she asked, puzzled as to whether or not it was or wasn’t Dave, a man who was with her group when the epidemic started.

“Jennifer,” he said, letting a small chuckle out, a smile coming across his face. “Long time no see.”

“How the hell are you alive,” she shot back at him, growing ever more confused with the situation.

As she asked that question, she then heard footsteps running towards her and the man. From behind the truck, a familiar face came around, the face of someone she swore she saw die, the face of someone she missed, someone she loved, someone she thought she would never see again. The two of them locked eyes, their jaws dropping, neither believing who it was there were looking at. No words were said for a couple of seconds, while Jennifer got up, and walked closer to him, taking her helmet off, a tear emerging from her eye.

“Dad? Dad, is that you?”

idalie Rumble Fish Cosmosis Catharsis

 

[Peacemaker .45]

“Dad? Dad, is that you,” asked Jennifer, as tears were emerging from her eyes.

Mack looked on at her, unsure of what to say. He never thought he’d see her again. He thought she was dead. He thought he had lost his world, but here she is, standing right in front of her. He started walking towards her, his tear ducts gathering water, and releasing down his cheek, the sun catching it and reflecting off.

“I thought you were dead,” he said, wrapping his arms around Jennifer, squeezing her tight, tears flowing from his eyes. The two embraced each other for a minute, still at utter shock as to seeing one another.

“I thought you were too,” Jennifer said, now crying hysterically, wrapping her arms around her father. “I thought I lost you, lost mom. I-“

“What happened to her,” Mack shot at her, releasing his grip on her, looking her in the eyes, blurred by his tears.

Jennifer just shook her head no, wiping tears from her eyes.

“How,” he asked, his hands holding her arms tightly.

“When they attacked, we were running up the hill looking over Sugar Creek, and,” Jennifer looked away, squeezed her eyes closed tightly, before looking back at her father, emotions from something she thought she was over long ago, coming back. “The undead... they grabbed her and- a- and...,” she couldn’t finish, words being unable to come out.

Mack let go of Jennifer. He knew what she meant. He sighed, rubbing his eyes, taking a moment to mourn her finally confirmed loss. When he finished that, he turned to Dave. His helmet had a shot lodged in it, and the side of his face was bleeding, whether from shrapnel or the energy being dumped on his head from the projectile being stopped.

“Well you look like shit,” he said, matter of factly. “Worse than you already do,” he added.

“Yeah, thanks to your daughter over there,” Dave said, putting a cloth to his head to suck up the blood, pointing at Jennifer.

“That’s my girl,” Mack said softly, smiling and letting out a chuckle.

“I have so many questions,” Jennifer said, wiping her right eye with her hand, breathing in through her clogged nose sharply.

“As do I,” Mack said, leaning his 74u against the truck. “Are you with people?”

“Yeah,” Jennifer started, knowing she has to make a long story short. “They’re inside. There’s not many. All but one I’ve known for two days.”

“Who’s the one you know,” he asked, curious if she were in a relationship with the individual.

“He’s just some kid that was part of my old group,” she said, brushing the hair in her eyes behind her ear.

“And the old group,” Mack questioned further.

“I’ll explain, but please, come inside,” Jennifer said, motioning to go indoors.

Picking up her helmet and her rifle, Jennifer lead her father and Dave into the house. Opening the door, the woman noticed that the rest of the crew seemed to have hidden. At least I know they’ll listen in situations like this to me, she thought to herself. The kitchen table nearby, Jennifer seated herself on the far end, motioning for Mack and Dave to choose their own seats. Jennifer hadn’t seen her father in several years. His hair and beard were long and messy, his clothing worn and ripped, something he would never allow before everything happened. He seemed foreign to Jennifer. Something about him, besides his looks, seemed different. His demeanor was cold. While he cried, when they hugged, he felt distant to Jennifer, cold. He hug felt like nothing more than two strangers hugging. He didn’t seem the same to her, and to this, Jennifer was weary in the back of her head as to who he had become. This was bolstered by the smell of alcohol in his breath, something he had sworn off years before they moved to Indiana.

“Those gunshots,” Jennifer started, seating herself comfortably in the wooden chair, “Were they you two?”

Dave and Mack looked at one another, almost as if they had a story already planned for an interrogation, nodding their heads on when to start and what to say.

“Yeah,” Dave said, Mack then finishing the sentence, “it was.”

Jennifer glanced at the two, seemingly cautious of how they acted when they looked at each other.

“What was that about,” she asked, cautiously curious.

The two looked at one another again, Dave turning his head and looking down, Mack cleaning his eyes with his shirt’s sleeve.

“Yeah,” Mack stated, rather long and drawn out. “That was us.”

“Doing,” Jennifer responded hesitantly, shooting them a suspicious look.

“Group business,” Mack said, leaning forward, folding his hands. “Your group, tell me about it. Who are they? Who were you with?”

The shear avoidance of the question, with a deflection to her own group caught Jennifer in complete surprise. She farted her eyes back and forth between Dave and her father.

“Just a couple of people who I came across the road with. Only one person belonged to a group, but he’s no longer with us,” she responded with a flat tone.

“And the group before,” he further questioned.

“Some dead, some missing,” Jennifer said, keeping her responses short, to further see what questions he would ask her.

“Who are they and where were they from,” Mack pushed further.

“I met them in Ohio. A group of 7 or 8 other people. We moved our way east into Pennsylvania for awhile, until our house and the woods caught fire one night and we had to leave. Whoever was left cane with us into West Virginia, as we were heading South. We ended up near here. That’s where we met some of the people here. Two of the people from my old group just left mysteriously, another one didn’t make it.”

Jennifer leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. She was completely dumbfounded as to why she was being interrogated by her father, whom she had thought she saw die several years ago.

“Why the hell are you interrogating me, dad,” Jennifer said, pushing a question there way. “It’s been what, three, four years since I last saw you, my last memory of you was what I thought was you getting shot by Sal’s men. How are you alive, why are you here, and what’s with this fucking interrogation?”

Mack lowered his head and sighed.

“Jennifer, do you have a damn clue about what’s going on here,” Mack asked, almost as if he were disappointed.

“No, dad, I got here two days ago. I don’t have a damn clue what’s going on,” Jennifer said with impatience.

“You have much to learn, but there’s not enough time now to explain.” Mack scratched his beard, and looked Jennifer in the eyes. “There’s a dark secret hidden in these hills. All the groups in the area have been fighting to find md take control of this power. No one knows for sure what the hell it is. What we do know is that nuclear bombs re involved. A year and a half ago, 17 miles east, the town of Buckhannon was reduced to memories and dust. And that wasn’t the only one.”

Mack pulled out a map of the area, unfolding the wrinkled and shaggy map. Jennifer got up and walked over to her father. He pointed out Buckhannon. Over it, there was a black outline of an area, with a nuclear hazard sign drawn in the middle. That wasn’t the only one, however, and her father pointed to the next.

“Southeast from here, the town on Elkins, completely obliterated. And here, Morgantown, gone. And lastly, those random stop of hills? Also hit,” he said, before leaning back and looking his daughter in the eyes.

“We don’t know who is behind this. There’s lots of tales of a boogeyman, a faction of people behind all of this. People go missing all the time, and they’re found as the dead ones. But the thing is, they aren’t like the normal dead. They’re mutated, they’re different. They’re also heavily irradiated, making your Geiger Counter go nuts. We call them freaks. They’re all different, capable of different things.”

“The groups in this area are all fighting to find whoever is doing this. But the intentions of all groups differ for what they want to do. But my group, they’ve been having members disappear, and then reappear as a freak. What’s worse is that other groups blame each other in the region. Some believe other groups are the ones behind it. But they’re wrong. No one knows who is pulling the strings and hitting the button. And we still have yet to know why they are. These blast zones seem random, but some people believe they are linked. Each place had a large group in it before being targeted. But we don’t know. One of my men, and Informant of my groups, was captured by another group. We came to get him this morning. But Bullets started flying.”

Mack played with his watch, one Jennifer bought him for his 43rd birthday. He folded his map back up and stuffed it in his pocket.

“Holy shit,” Jennifer said in disbelief to the state of the region.

“I apologize for being how I was earlier. I didn’t want to let any information slip in the case you were part of a hostile group. But you’re not, so it doesn’t matter,” he said back, rubbing her back. “Now, we have an issue here. Our military truck was shot up, and the fuel tanks were hit. We need to be able to plug the leak and refuel to head back to our group’s home. We need to plug the hole, but we don’t have any material to plug it with. Maybe a piece of metal and duct tape would do for a patch job, but not for long term.”

“I understand, dad,” Jennifer replied to her father’s apology. “I may have something in my truck, but I’m not sure. We’ll have to look around. Check this house for it. We can talk about other stuff later. Fixing this is priority number one.”

“I always knew you were a leader, poogle,” Mack replied to Jennifer, smiling at how she took charge of the situation, while calling her his nickname for her.

“Dad...,” said Jennifer, embarrassed, about being called that name she forgot. “I’ll start looking now. Just let me go see if any of the people here have anything,” she said turning around and walking towards Archie.

“Did you know about this stuff? The nukes, kidnapped people, the freaks? What the hell is going on here,” she asked Archie, with annoyance and confusion, trying to make sure her father and Dave didn’t hear. “What the fuck is going on here!?”

idalie Rumble Fish Catharsis Cosmosis

 

[Rumble Fish]

Milly kept silent as Jennifer continued to watch the people outside. She didn't want to look, staying low on the ground. She could tell that Jennifer was getting annoyed and worried. "Who-who are they?" She squeaked worryingly before jumping as she saw Jennifer suddenly leave. Milly couldn't suppress the scared yelp from escaping her. She jumped up to her feet, letting out a grunt as she felt a sharp pain in her knees. She looked at Archie worryingly, hoping he would know what to do.

Keeping a tight hold of her bear, Milly went to follow Jennifer anxiously. "Jennifer!" She squeaked but she stopped short of the door as she could just make out the people outside and could just hear them talking. She didn't want to intrude so kept back. But what she had heard made her baby blues widen. One of them was Jennifer's father? How was he alive? Jennifer had said he had been shot! She couldn't understand! Wait... what if? She listened more, hoping for the slim chance that she would hear a familiar female voice with them. There was a chance wasn't there?

But upon not hearing said voice, Milly felt her hopes deflate completely. She was so stupid, thinking it was possible that Eleanor was with them. Just the thought of her mum was enough for tears to start rolling down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away but it didn't work. They just kept flowing. She buried her nose under her jumper's neck and went to go back into the living room with Archie.

But as she went to turn around, she suddenly heard people coming in. Why was she letting them in!? In her haste to get away, her socks made her slip on the floor causing her to land on her side, banging her hip. Milly scrambled to her feet and ran back into the living room.

Back in the living room, Milly crouched back on the floor, holding onto her bear worryingly. Her hip hurt badly and she knew that she had bruised it. Milly's frame was extremely skinny and bony from not eating so it would be a surprise if she didn't. The mix of stress and having not eaten made her feel like she was going to pass out. But she couldn't. The last thing she needed was to be seen as a burden to them! Well... she already was but... she didn't want to look like a bigger one. She kept trying to stop stop her tears but couldn't. The last day and a half had been too much for the girl. She didn't want these people here! It was too noisy and busy and scary- Milly whimpered and pulled her jumper further over her head. "...I want to go home." She mumbled, not sure if anyone hears but she didn't want them to.

From inside her jumper, Milly heard Jennifer walk back into the living room, causing her to pop her head back out to look at the woman. She seemed upset and confused, asking Archie something about... freaks and nukes? She sounded like she wanted answers this second. As Milly listened, something assaulted her mind. Timidly, she put her hand up and stood up slowly, "Um... my... my mum said something about nukes." She gripped onto her bear anxiously, "But... I-I don't know if what she said is true." She said anxiously. She didn't know how Jennifer was going to react. "...who are they?" She squeaked, still extremely unsettled at having so many people here at once.
Peacemaker .45 idalie Cosmosis Catharsis

 

[idalie]

ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​

His heart went out to the younger girl as she shook. Archie being Archie would've wanted nothing more than to simply tuck her under his arm. Nevertheless, he placed a hand on Milly's shoulder instead. "It's alright, lass - We'll just do as she says and everything'll be right as rain-" He almost spoke too soon. Barely able to wake Jane and Jake from their slumber before the sound of voices came muffled from behind the door Jennifer had left. Whilst Milly went to investigate, the big man chose to reach for his double-barrelled gun. Slinging the broken-open barrel over his arm, only place a cigarette between his lips. Alas, he didn't light it. Only chewed on the end with a sincere expression of thought. Even so, the moment he was brought back to Earth by Milly's thump and mumble, the Scotsman seemed to sit bolt upright. "Hey, love, what's the matter? You doing alright?"

Archie moved towards the younger, sickly girl who had both ducked and stood, seeming far more erratic as time went on, only to place his palm on her back. "Milly, lass, you need to calm down. Look at you, all over the place." He smiled and rubbed the area between her shoulder blades - "These are just Jennifer's friends. And any friend of hers is a friend of ours." He thus inclined his head as Jen discussed the prior topics of nuclear warfare and on top of that initial surprise - biological weapons too. How else would one describe a mutant? The dead could become radioactive, melt, but to have their physiology change? Even Archie wasn't stupid enough to believe that.

McKeegan paused the group of Milly, Jennifer and himself from continuing, pulling both girls into a big group hug. "I think, we all need to calm down here and think about nice things. Kittens, canal holidays, Christmas." After a long, second of silence, he released them. "Right, now, let's face the possibility of extinction. Nuclear weapons? What about gas mains? Nuclear reactors blowin' up? There's a reason behind everythin'. Why are we assumin' its nukes and ... alien's or whatever! Come on, we're not in a Sci-Fi novel. An apocalyptic one, sure." He then huffed. "But nah, ain't heard nothin' about that shit. We woulda seen it otherwise right? Mushroom clouds are fuckin' tall. There'd be a big-ass bang too." The lumberjack pinched the bridge of his nose, glancing to Milly. "And yer mammy said somethin' about nukes too, huh? Well, I'm not believin' nothin' till I got real proof. Hearing about this shite is all well n' good, but I don't trust it. You can't just nuke a place and not have a massive fallout from it. Right?"

He was torn to believe the men who confronted Jennifer, and the witnesses who suggested otherwise. "We've been fucked over enough, we should stay out of it, Jen. Go out into the country, find somewhere to settle and make something for ourselves and the group. Why stick around these hills any longer? There's nothin' but death."

Rumble Fish Peacemaker .45

 

[Peacemaker .45]

As Jennifer walked over to Archie and asked him if he knew anything about the supposed nuclear detonations and the “freaks,” Milly piped up. She wanted to know who they were.

“That man,” Jennifer said to Milly at a normal tone, one that her father and Dave could hear, “the one with the long hair and beard, the taller one, that’s my father. I haven’t seen him in so long. I thought he was dead, but he’s not.”

Jennifer’s attention then turned back to Archie. He had a chance to answer her question. Jennifer was surprised to hear his skepticism, and furthermore that he never knew about the nukes and the freaks. In all honestly, it sounded outrageous to her. How could there be nuclear bombs detonated in three places after the dead turned? How could the undead have these “freaks” that popped up due to radiation? And how could there be people getting kidnapped and then turning into freaks? How could a boogeyman of the mountains be behind all of this? How weren’t they ever caught? Why were they nuking places? The questions only intensified in her head as Archie spoke. However, from what she could tell, Jennifer felt that even those around here don’t have a clue about these things either. They might be just as confused as they are. That made it all that harder to believe, without credible evidence to back it up.

There was one thing that Archie said that took her back a little. He was saying not to go with her father, and to go far away from here and settle somewhere out in the mountains. She had a few things to say, but tried to figure out the order to prioritize them.

“Okay, Archie, look, my dad shows up alive, when I thought he was dead, I thought I saw him die, and you want me to just leave?” The girl shook her head in disbelief. “How do you expect me to leave my father after how much I missed him? I have so many questions.”

Jennifer looked towards the ground, and put a hand on her head and sighed.

“I’ve got a lot of questions too. This all sounds ridiculous. Nukes, “freaks,” a boogeyman in these barren hills... yeah, it all sounds ridiculous. But that’s my father. I knew him all my life. He wouldn’t lie like that. Now yeah, nukes have fallout if they’re ground burst. This doesn’t seem to have a lot of fallout, so my best guess is these were airburst, which means these were likely delivered by an ICBM. If my father’s information is right, my best guess is that. But why? Why would this happen?”

“And god forbid we do go out into the country, and this “boogeyman” is real, how do we know we won’t be one of the next people abducted? The more I learn about this area, the less I want to be here.”

“Look,” Jennifer said, looking back and forth between Archie and Milly as she spoke, “Milly says her mom may have said something about nukes. Maybe this isn’t so far fetched. My dad said there was a place not too far away from here.” Jennifer paused and thought for a moment. “Alright, let’s just help them try and find something to fix their vehicle and see where we go from there. They have a hole in their gas tank. We need something to put on the hole, like a putty, get some sort of medal and then an adhesive, like duck tape to get it all down. Let’s get them up and running and see where to go from there. You guys look, or pretend to, and see where it goes from there. I’m going back to them now. I’ll find out more if I can.”

Jennifer grabbed her hat on the table she put there last night, put it on, and walked over to her father. He was on the opposite side of the room checking the cabinets.

“Find anything,” she asked, approaching Mack from behind.

“Nope, nothing so far,” he said without turning his head towards her. Jennifer wasn’t sure what to say after that. She had so many questions. But now wasn’t the time.

“I’m thinking we need something like a putty, a caulk, maybe, with a piece of metal behind it, duct taped to the fuel tank? Would that work,” Jennifer asked her father, watching him carefully to see if he would look at her.

Mack stopped searching for a moment, and thought, scratching his beard. “Could work,” he began, looking at her momentarily, before looking to her side in thought, “not sure if the fuel would eat away at that caulk. But a putty of some sort on a piece of metal could work for a patch job. You don’t have anything like that?”

“I’ve got duct tape, but I don’t have any sort of putty,” she responded, walking to her father and crouching next to him, searching the cabinets next to him. There were some scissors and various other tools, but not what they needed.

”Let’s hope there’s a plan b if we can’t,” he muttered under his breath.

“So you’re with a group, I take it,” Jennifer asked, curious of his whereabouts after their old group.

“Yeah. I call the shots. I’m the leader,” he said with a tone that made Jennifer feel as if it bittersweet for him. “We’re a big group hidden in the hills. We’re called the “Mountaineers.” A few of the people there named it that. They started out as some friends at West Virginia University who survived together. They were in Morgantown, but they were driven out by the dead and various other groups trying to take control of the city. Well, that was until it was turned into rubble. Anyway, WVU sports teams are called the ‘Mountaineers,’ so the name just stuck with them. But there’s nothing left of the Mountaineers anymore in Morgantown, thanks to those damn nukes.”

“Yeah, those nukes, what do you know about them,” Jennifer asked, as Mack got up and sighed.

“Well there isn’t shit here. Is that truck yours out back? What do you have? You might have something we could use out there,” Mack said, seemingly deflecting the question.

“Yeah, sure, let’s go look,” Jennifer replied. Her father skirting around and avoiding the question made her uneasy. His whole demeanor made her uneasy. “So the nukes,” she pressed again.

“Yeah, those,” he said reluctantly as they walked out towards her truck. “No one knows where they come from. A couple men in my group claim to have seen something in the sky before one hit Buckhannon, the one near here. So far, all we know is that they have been target places with groups. Why, we don’t know. The damned things burst in the air, and everything under it, around it, just gone, vaporized. I saw the Buckhannon one explode. It was massive. I’m fact, I was at the hospital just out of the town. A group of mine were there, clearing out the dead ones. Next thing I know, the whole sky gets incredibly bright for a couple of seconds, and then a sound, something like I’ve never heard before, full of raw power and destruction, hit us with a shockwave. That was damn near two and half years ago. That was the last one that went of. Though, a lot of us are expecting another sometime soon. It’s been too long, if there will be another. Those kidnappings haven’t stopped though. Two people went missing a couple days ago from my group when our scavenging near the Fonzo. I expect to see them as freaks, if history is any indication, that is.”

Mack and Jennifer got to the truck, and Jennifer grabbed the bags that had relevant supplies. Mack started going through them. Jennifer stood back and watched. She noticed a coldness about him. Something was different. She just couldn’t figure it out.

“Jen, honey,” he started, his tone sounding sincere, “I’m sorry.”

“...for,” Jennifer replied, cocking her head in curiosity, though skeptical of what it would be, given he had been so cold.

“I’m sorry that this reunion hasn’t been what you thought it would be. It’s not what I thought it would be. Then again, neither of us thought we would see each other again. I know you have lots of questions, I have many for you. But there’s so much going on here that you have no idea about. I had to be cautious of the people you’re with. The groups in this area aren’t quite friendly with one another. My group, the Mountaineers, are the largest group in the area. And we have a lot of hostility in with the other groups, for varying reasons. No one here likes each other.”

Mack got up and looked at Jennifer. He seemed to struggle with words at this moment, tripping on them. He took a deep breath, and he wrapped his arms around her. Sincerity came across his voice, mixed with tears.

“I thought I lost you,” he said, holding her, and letting tears come from his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re alive... I thought you were dead. I thought I lost my whole world. You, your mom, Doug... I thought I lost everyone. I couldn’t believe you were alive when I saw you, I still can’t.”

Mack let go of her, and wiped tears off of his eyes, and Jennifer’s, when he saw she too were tearing up.

“I love you, darling,” he forced through his mouth, “and I missed you and had gone insane not knowing if you were dead, but convincing myself you were, because thinking you were alive in this world was too painful.”

The man leaned on the truck, and let his emotions squander, before he were able to speak to him again.

“When we get this truck fixed,” he began, looking her in the eyes, smiling, holding her hand, something reminiscent to Jennifer of what he was like before everything happened, “i want you to come with me, be a part of our community. You’re my daughter. I want you there. There, I can keep you safe, and we can be together again, like a family. Will you do that?”

“Yes, dad, my dad,” she said, smiling with satisfaction, knowing she can finally say that again, “I will.”

The two embraced each other. It was the embrace that Jennifer wanted, one with more meaning to it.

“I’m sorry I was so cold and distant until now,” he said again. “Those gunshots earlier were a meeting between my group and another. This group, Dutch’s group, had one of my men, an informant. He alleged to have information on this boogeyman. But he was captured by that group before he could get back to mine. We were going to have an exchange, except we planned to kill them and shake their leadership up, and get out man back. It would give us an edge. If he got his hands on the whereabouts of this boogeyman, and control of their arsenal, they would use it for wrongdoing. Didn’t go as planned. Dutch got away, and he kill my informant.”

“Once we get out of here,” he continued, I can keep you, and your people, safe. You’re not when you’re alone out here. They will abduct you. I can keep you from being snatched. We have a large, heavily sheltered place in the mountains. Walls, underground structures, food, water, all the medicine you need to stay alive with your heart, everything. I can keep you all safe.”

“I trust you, dad, I will come with you. I don’t know about the rest, but you’re my dad. I’m not losing you again,” she said, overjoyed by feeling her father again.

“And I won’t lose you. Now, c’mon, let’s look at what you have,” Mack replied, looking through the supplies.

While Mack went through the materials, Jennifer looked on at him with a smile on her face. Her father, the one she loved so much, was alive, with her. And he could keep her safe. Just like at the original community, he was leading on another one. He was a leader in every way Jennifer could think of. She tried to model him when she was leading. But she knew she couldn’t do what he did. He had saved many people long ago. But he lost it all when the Disciples attacked. That wasn’t his fault, however. Jennifer remembered it was the fault of miscommunication and the lack of cooperation when the day came they had to fight.

“Aha, here we go,” Mack said, holding up a suction cup, a thin medal piece, and duct tape. “Cut the hook off this suction cup, but the metal over it and duct tape it down, and we’ll be good to go.” Mack got up, and yelled to Dave. “Hey, get over here.”

“S’up, big man,” Dave said as he ran over to Mack.

“Here,” Mack said, handing Dave the supplies, “you know what to do with these?” Dave shook his head. “Get to it, and bring the 35 up here.”

“You got it,” Dave said as he began to run off to the Deuce.

“Now let’s go inside and try and get your friends to come with us,” Mack said, looking down to Jennifer with a smile, “I’ll make sure to use my charm,” he joked.

“Like that ever got you anywhere, like that time we bought my first car, really worked well there,” Jennifer joked back.

The two walked inside. Jennifer knew this wasn’t going to be quite easy. She didn’t expect any of them, aside from perhaps, Jake following suite. Archie already expressed his displeasure with the situation, and her father. She was expecting him to call it all “bullshite,” as the Scotsman would say. Jennifer wanted him to come. Out of everyone there, he was perhaps the one that Jennifer wanted to come the most. There aren’t many people out there like Archie. She didn’t want to see him go. However, she was preparing for that to happen.

“So, everyone,” Jennifer said out loud, clearing her throat, to try and catch everyone’s attention, her father next to her. “I had been talking with my dad, he explained a lot of things going on. Look,” she said, trying to find the right words, “I haven’t seen my father in several years. He has a group, a large one. He can keep us safe, safer then we’d be out there on our own. There is strength in numbers, and add a large fortified and hidden base, with tons of supplies, and we have a chance to thrive better. We’re just a few people on our own, incapable of fighting the outside forces which plague this area. We have to, for our own sake, consider what options we have at the table. We’re not safe enough on our own. There’s what, five of us? How many of us can adequately fight against the undead, or the living for that matter? We’re less safe out there in the random then we would be in a group. I know this from experience. My father offered us safe haven with all the supplies we need. I’m going with him, and I would implore that you do that same. I won’t force you to, but like I said, I implore you to look at this realistically, we need this.”

Jennifer finished her speech, and looked at the group. She then looked at her dad. He smiled, giving her a nod with his head.

“She is right,” Mack started. “I forgot how incredible you can be when you speak,” he said quietly, smiling, before turning to them all. “I can provide you food that will last you for a long time. We have a small farm, animals, vegetables, fruits, whatever you want. We have a large, thriving society. I can personally attest to the safety. I made it safe. I can keep you all safe. These hills and mountains ain’t the safe haven you would want it to be. They are full of dark forces of evil. Your chance for survival is best to be guarded, in a group, one that is self sustainable and thriving. We have food, water, medicine, medical care, jobs available for you to take and contribute. We are safe. If you join us, I promise you, you’ll never be safer than ever. Join me-join us,” Mack said, putting his arm around Jennifer.

“So, what do you guys say,” Jennifer said, as she heard the roar of the diesel military truck pull up and park out the street.

“Look’s like my ride is here and fixed,” Mack said, hearing the vehicle. “You guys talk it over with Jennifer. I’ll be outside. I have some housekeeping to attend to with that vehicle anyway. Take your time, but please, make the right choice.”

“I know how you feel, Archie,” Jennifer said, approaching him as her father left the house. “But I think you need to consider this. How much safer are we out there on our own, even if the boogeyman our there wasn’t true? We’re not safer. We’re worse off. I just want you to, please, consider this. I’m going, and I want you, and everyone here, to join me. Please, make the right choice.”

The girl has sincerity in her voice, but with a hint of a plea, be it for her own sake or his. She knew he was a hard sell. But if she could get him to go with her, she thinks he’ll be safer, better off. While she wouldn’t stop him if he decided now, she hoped that he would make, what she thought, was the right choice, and come with her.

idalie Cosmosis Catharsis Rumble Fish

 

[idalie]

ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​

The big man scowled, yet evidently thought was ticking behind his eyes. Arms crossed, and biceps straining against the material of his flannel with a menacing expression - it was easy to see why having him around was a natural deterrent for some. But glancing from face to face, resting on Jennifer's, Archie more or less huffed and puffed. Rubbing the side of his jaw with a bundled fist of knuckles to itch his beard. "Fine." As much as he wanted the dream of holding onto something of his own, McKeegan understood the need to survive. Jen's father offered the best deal. There was agriculture and a need for community. He'd perhaps be of more use in such a place than he would be wandering the world on his lonesome.

Turning his head, he then wagged a finger at Jen, frowning "But it better not be a death trap. I've seen too many good places go up in flames. And all of them had the same offer as yer da." He continued to step towards the dark-haired woman, turning only to Milly and the few others who stood beside. "Is this gonnae be a group effort or is it just me and Miss Trigger-Finger over here?" Most pointedly, his gaze seemed to linger on the sickly, younger woman the most. Of course, he'd only met her the day prior, but there was something undeniably worth protecting. She simply reminded him of the sisters he'd left back home. Someone like that, gave life more meaning than the day to day grind of trying to simply exercise being able to live.

There would be only one thing he kept his mouth shut about, and that was his suspicion of Jennifer's father. But those eyes of his seemed to betray it. Unless it was because she still had a father, but he was certainly going to keep his attention on the older man till they all settled. "I better get a worthwhile job, 'cause I swear if someones gonna put me in the damned laundry room, I'm leavin' off the bat."

Peacemaker .45 Rumble Fish

 

[Rumble Fish]

Milly's baby blues darted to and fro, watching the pair anxiously. She was really stuck on what to say. On the one hand she wanted to stay here since it was safe but on the other hand both Jennifer and Archie wanted to leave. Then again she was used to be alone but again in she did not like being on her own at all. But she was anxious of being in a much bigger group but there were was a bigger chance of someone turning, but there was safety in numbers but she felt better with just Jennifer and Archie even though she just met them and did not want to lose them. She didn't want to mum again-! What?

Coming out of her thoughts, she realised she was biting her fist so hard thiat her knuckles were bleeding quite badly. Milly looked at Archie as he then asked her if she was coming with them. She let out a sigh before meekly nodding. "But... what about Jane?" She asked as she bit her knuckles again. She was really unsure about this but she really wanted to stay with people she felt safe with. She looked at the Scotsman with a nervous smile before standing up, still holding onto her bear. idalie Peacemaker .45

 

[Peacemaker .45]

Relief came over Jennifer’s head as she heard Archie agree, though begrudgingly, to go with her to her father’s group, the Mountaineers. With his decision to go, Milly seemed hesitant at first, particularly of whether or not Jane would be able to come. Jennifer walked over to Milly, and smiled, hoping an approach that seemed kind in nature would ease some of her seeming anxiety.

“She can come, Milly,” began Jennifer, “all of us can come. There’s a place for each and everyone of us. I know my father. He will make it work, for all of us. My father’s a caring man. She can come. We all can come. And we all will be safe.”

With that being said, Jennifer turned to Archie. She knew he was still not quite on board with the idea, but he was coming, nonetheless.

“I sense that there is a lot of hesitation in you, and all of you,” she said to Archie, and then everyone else. “This is our best chance for survival. My father’s group knows the land. They’ve been surviving there long enough. They know the in’s and out’s of this place. We don’t. By joining them, we better our chances for survival. We can live, and make a life there. Archie can do his agriculture. Milly can be relaxed and safe behind walls. Jake can finally put some muscle on himself. Jane can use her medical skills to her advantage and help others, and livestock. We can make a life for ourselves there. Not only this, but we can improve it, each and every one of us. Together.”

The woman looked down for a second, smiling, thinking about what was to come. It was what she needed, stability, and so did the others. For far too long did they suffer because of a lack of stability. Now, it was finally her chance, and there’s for that, in her eyes.

As Jennifer was about to say something again, Mack came in, interrupting her.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Mack started, looking in through the door, “but one thing we need right now is fuel. We lost a lot of diesel with that rupture in the gas tank, and the Deuce is a gas hog. We need to scrounge up more diesel, should there be some to spare.”

“I have a 5 gallon can in the back of my truck, but that’s almost empty and my tank needs some more. Did you try the gas station off the highway?”

“Yeah,” Mack replied to Jennifer, “there wasn’t much in there. This town’s a bit of a overused scavenging spot by all groups in the area. There might be fuel still in the tanks underneath, but we don’t have a way to get the fuel up. Or, at least, not with us.”

“How much fuel is there left,” Jennifer asked, after thinking for a moment.

“Bout a quarter of the tank. That’s not exactly enough for our trip back. At the very least, we need half a gallon. There’s fuel back at home, but we need enough fuel to at least get there.”

“I have, though I’m not sure if it’ll work since it broke about two weeks ago and we did a temporary fix, a hose with a crank to pump the gas out of gas stations fuel tanks. We can try, but I don’t know how much success we’ll have.”

“Alright then,” Mack said, somewhat relieved, “let’s give it a shot.”

“Alright, I’ll bring the truck down,” she said to Mack, before turning to her people. “You guys pack up whatever supplies you have here or anything you want to find. I’m going to go help with retrieving some of the fuel. Wish me luck.”

Jennifer took her keys, and with a small salute goodbye to her group, jumped in her truck and headed down the road towards the gas station. Upon getting there, Jennifer looked for the tank at which the refueling truck would come and poor the fuel into the tanks. Mack and Dave weren’t there yet, so Jennifer went along with removing the cover of the tank. As she was doing a so, a piece of paper blew her way, and landed on her knee. Jennifer went to push the paper off, but she noticed words on it. Out of curiosity, she turned it over and began to read. To her own surprise and shock, it was addressed to her.

From Simon.

She read the note carefully.

"Hello Miss.Jennifer, It's Simon. Simon Petrikov. If you're reading this i must have died or am going too very soon and i'm aware of it.
I write this to say, i am sorry for the things i've done too you. You may not know me very well yet but this letter will be added too as we spend more time near one another. As of now we are in the mansion after you shot Archie the scottish teddy-bear. He may not make it but then again, he's a big guy. If one bullet ends his life, i'll pump him with more so he looks more manly to those who find his skeleton in the future.

I care for you more then you will probably ever-


Signed
Simon Harold Petrikov

Jennifer sat there for a moment, unable to think or say anything. Her heart began racing. She kept wondering what the hell it meant. Who the hell is Simon? Does he know me? How don’t I know who he is? Why don’t I remember? What the fuck is going on? More and more, Jennifer began to worry and wonder what was going on.

“I need to ask Archie about this,” she whispered to herself, folding the note and putting it in her pocket of her jeans.

Mack and Dave came down in the truck, roaring as it made its way down. They pulled up to Jennifer, positioning the fuel tank near her and her makeshift hand crank pump.

“Took y’all long enough,” she said with sarcasm behind her words.

Putting the tube down in the tank, Jennifer took the other end and put it in the Deuce’s fuel tank. Slowly, she began to crank the pump. For each rotation, the crank made a metal grinding noise. It normally didn’t sound that way when it wasn’t broken, but if it could get anything, it would be a victory on its own. Slowly, Jennifer saw fuel coming up into the tube. Jennifer, Mack and Dave all breathed a sign of relief. She continued to crank it until the tank was about 4/5 full. She herself then began to put fuel in her gas tank and gas cans for her truck. Once done, then both drove back to the house. Mack and Dave continued doing some house keeping with the vehicle, while Jennifer walked in and pulled Archie aside.

“Read this,” she said to Archie, handing him the folded note addressed to her by Simon. “Who the fuck is he and how does he know me? What do you know about Simon?”

Jennifer was genuinely worried about who Simon was and how he knew her. Furthermore, the note seemed to have implied her knew her in a way that was more intimate on his side. Feelingsof something more seemed to have been implied by the note. So much about the note worried her.

“Archie, what the fuck is going on and who the fuck is he? And is he dead? What the fuck... I don’t know even know what to say or think... I’m worried, scared, concerned, frightened... I.... who the fuck is this guy? How does he know me?”

idalie Cosmosis Rumble Fish Catharsis

 

[idalie]

ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​

He did like the idea of agriculture although was close to snorting at the thought of Jake putting on muscle. Alas, he stopped himself short - after all, he didn't want to put the kid down about it. Yet, Mack began talking cars and fuel leaving the Scotsman standing beside the tiny shape of Milly. "Aye, well, you n' Jane comin' along would be the cherry on the cake, huh?" He smiled, however paused to reach for his rucksack which had managed to find him throughout the mess of hospitals and movement, burying his hand inside for a flapjack bar. "I promised breakfast but looks like that'll have to be saved some other time. You should eat though, kid. When yer stomach feels like it's tryin' to dig its way out yer belly, I suggest you get somethin' that ain't water and has more nutrients than crackers." The lumberjack gently bopped her nose with the bar and pressed it into her palm. If not for the next series of moments, passing in a whirlwind of prep and venturing out - Jennifer returned only to drag the big man aside - he would've remained to scruitnise Milly eating every bite to ensure she finished it.

McKeegan noted immediately that Jen was acting out of character, panic building in her voice as she shoved the crumpled paper beneath his nose. Archie, gently taking it and smoothing the wrinkles from the handwriting. Glancing over the words with ease. But he frowned, biting the inside of his cheek with thought. Simon wasn't the kind of person who spilt his feelings often. And in a note? Simon was the type of guy who bullied others for doing that. "Hell, sweetheart, I'm as shocked as you are. The Simon I know doesn't give a shit, he'd probably sell his own mother." Archie rubbed at his forehead, pinching the bridge of his nose to tip his head back. "Argh - We met the day I wandered into town. That was months ago by now. Started drinkin' together when he showed him and his group to not shoot on site. Sold them rabbit and deer, helped out for a free meal. Y'know how it goes. Me and Simon? We're good neighbours. Never learned too much - he's like the asshole you meet in school, but nobody else will talk to you. Basically tears the shit outta everythin' if it's not man enough."

He refocused upon the panicking woman and reached out, clasping her shoulders beneath his palms. "Look at me," Archie demanded. "You need ta calm down. Breathe a second. Think it through. I know you're scared, love. I know. This world ain't kind to women, and when a guy writes a letter like that, it can mess you up." Archie let his hands slide down from her arms to hold both Jennifer's palms. "Simon could be dead or alive for all we know. But we're talkin' a big tough bastard, I'm sure he's out there somewhere hunkered down. Look at me though, when I say this - if he comes outta the blue and tries anythin' based on those 'feelings' I'll knock him flat. For now, I can't offer anythin' new to the situation - maybe Jake is able. I can only say keep an extra eye out for anythin' which spooks you. And if that happens, I want you to get yer da, or me, and we'll check it out. I'm sure he won't mind." The Scotsman leant in. "Simon might try nothin' though, hm? Do yer best not ta think about it." McKeegan thus patted Jen on the cheek. "Want me to look after this?" The big man questioned, waving the letter lightly.

Peacemaker .45 Rumble Fish

 

[Rumble Fish]

Milly kept quiet as Jennifer explained how joining the Mountaineers would benefit all of them. She couldn't help but smile as she listed everything that would hopefully happen to each of them being there. But as she thought about it, she suddenly became sad again as another thought came into her mind. "Jennifer... Do you think that... my mum could be there?" she asked, her baby blues watering from anxiety. She knew it was unlikely, or impossible but still she could only hope. She just wanted to have her back! But she then shook her head, realising that would probably make them unhappy too and felt stupid. "N-Nevermind, it's not important..." She added hastily. She heard the man, Mack call Jennifer for something leaving her alone with Archie.

She looked at Archie as he then went into his bag before handing her a flapjack bar. But not before bopping her on the nose with it. She jumped slightly but did smile at the gesture. She wiped her eyes as they were still watering from thinking about her mother. Hearing Archie's words and seeing his persistent expression, Milly fumbled with the flapjack bar for a few moments before finally giving in and opening it. It had a thin layer of chocolate on the top of it. Milly really wanted smarties when it came to chocolate but she did like flapjacks. The smell of it made her stomach hurt, making her wince. She could not ignore the gnawing hunger in her belly anymore so took several large bites out of it, barely chewing it as she tried to swallow, causing the girl to cough. She finished the bar in a matter of seconds. She was not full and was still hungry but she did not feel as shakey anymore and her headache had gone.

But it was only when she finished her bar and turned to thank Archie for it that she realised that Archie was gone. Milly felt a surge of panic as she looked around. "Archie? Jenny?" She asked, not realising she had flubbed Jennifer's name. Going into the hall, she found them. But she could tell that something was wrong. Jennifer seemed anxious again. Walking towards them, she heard them talking about a Simon and she saw the note in Jennifer's hand. Piecing two and two together she figured out what was going on. But something came into her mind. Wasn't Simon the man they had seen in the hospital? Who still wanted to kill her and Jane after Archie's surgery? She did not know for sure and she wanted to tell them but she didnt want Jennifer to get upset. All she could do was go up to Jennifer and put a hand on her shoulder. She would have told Jennifer it would be okay but Archie already did that. Hugging her bear, she simply stood with her hand on Jennifer's shoulder, hoping she would calm down.
Peacemaker .45 idalie Catharsis Cosmosis

 

[Peacemaker .45]

Both Milly and Archie tried to calm down Jennifer. The note Simon left was frightening to her for numerous reasons. But the one thing that bothered her most was the fact that Simon seemed to have known her long before they met a couple days ago. But how long ago was that? Was it before or after the dead rose? Did he have feelings for her? So much of it made Jennifer on edge. But, with the kindness of the Scotsman and Milly, she was able to calm down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in.

“I’m fine,” she said, taking a step back from everyone.

Jennifer remembered earlier that Milly asked whether or not her mother was with the Mountaineers. She hadn’t the chance to reply before she was needed by her father. Not wanting to leave that question unanswered, she looked at Milly.

“Earlier, Milly,” she said, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her shirt, “you asked me if I knew your mom was with my dad’s group. I was going to answer, but my father needed me. But to answer, I don’t know. I don’t know who she is, what her name is. I don’t know. You best ask my father. He’ll know.”

As Jennifer finished her sentence, Mack walked in. He looked around for them, and upon sighting them huddled together he walked over.

“Missing a little party, am I,” he said with an attempt at humor, though he and Jennifer knew he wasn’t quite too good at that. “Well, the house keeping’s done. We are ready to move out to the Mountaintop. Have you all made a decision?”

“We have decided to go with you, and join your group,” Jennifer said, stepping forward to her father and grabbing one of her backpacks.

“Alright,” he said with a smile, proceeding forward to Jennifer and wrapping his long arms around her.

“It’ll Be you and me, like a family again,” he said softly into her ear, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Taking a step back, he looked at them all. He located a nearby chair and pulled out a map.

“Gather round, let me explain this for you,” he started, as he unrolled the map. “Davie boy is going to drive the Deuce in front of us. I, with you guys, will be in the truck behind. We’re going to follow him to the Mountaintop. Once we get there, we’ll get you all situated. The Mountaintop is a hard place to locate, so you’ll need me to help navigate it. We’ve built into a mountain from an old mining shaft that barely was even finished. It seems it was abandoned at some point. We try keeping as many trees overhead to provide cover. There are some buildings there, built before I took over, both post and pre-undead. A house was built on the mountain overlooking a large view of the valley below on one side. It’s a gorgeous house, I have to say. Thankfully, solar panels were built for it. While not a whole lot of power, they help gives us some power to some stuff. But anyway, that house is where I’ll be. We have some large areas exposed overhead for farming and such. Leading up to it are tons of undead stuck to trees. They’re part of our defense. They won’t come loose, so don’t worry. We have the whole place walled off by a very thick mix of wooden and heavily reinforced concrete walls about 12 feet high. We’ll get you all situated in the living quarters underground when we get there.”

Mack rolled up the map, which he used in his speech to point out things about where the Mountaintop was located, and put it in his pocket.

“Alright,” Mack said as he grabbed a bag of one of Jennifer’s group supplies on the floor, “let’s get going.”

Mack brought the supplies to Jennifer’s Cummins. The rest of her group packed up and loaded up her truck. Getting in, Mack in the passenger seat, the others either in the cab or in the bed of her truck, they departed Weston and followed Dave to the Mountaintop.

Off of a road, an inconspicuous dirt road appeared in the woods at the base of a mountain. Dave turned into it, and Jennifer followed. Following Dave up the mountain, the thick trees blocked what was ahead. And as they progressed further, a sea of undead, all tied heavily down to the trees appeared. They all made lots of noise, but were unable to move, their arms, legs, torso and heads tied to trees.

“For as gross as this looks, it tends to repel undead, and anyone else, from going further,” Mack said, before leaning in his seat, and pointing. “That, and out snipers in the trees.”

Mack pointed to high up in the canopy. While difficult to make out, boxes covered by leaves had snipers in them. They were heavily camouflaged. While the woods were thick, the snipers had direct views of the road leading up, and some forest around them. Mack alluded to there being quite a few of those “sniper nests” around the base.

As the vehicles got towards the top, a row of concrete walls became visible. And with this, a gate came closer into view. Mack radioed in to someone behind the walls, telling them to open it up. Shortly after, the gate opened, and the inside came into view. It was not what Jennifer thought it would be. Her eyes widened in shock. Her father and Dave parked close to the gate, and they all got out. Mack walked to them and smiled.

“Welcome to the Mountaintop,” Mack said with a smile.

Spoiler: Mountaintop Map

Jennifer walked near him, before stopping to look around. The Mountaintop was surrounded by a high wall, a mix of concrete and wood, as Mack said it would be. But to her shock, there were buildings. All were wooden buildings of what looked like a high quality design. They were painted and had signs on them. Jennifer saw various warehouses, one being one for food and water, another being a sort of hardware store, a doctor’s office and drugstore, and an armory. The walkways were separated by clusters of thick trees, some towering very high up. The only places where trees weren’t was the dedicated areas or buildings. There were gardens and greenhouses visible, each getting enough sunlight from the holes in the canopy above.

“Dad this is... amazing,” Jennifer said, in shock, looking around.

“You haven’t seen it all,” he said with a laugh. “Follow me,” he said. Mack began to walk around and point out the different buildings.

“Right here,” Mack started, after they parked their vehicles, “is where all vehicles go. Don’t worry, no one will take your truck, Jennifer. That’s yours, not anyone else’s. Now follow me,” Mack stated, walking out of the parking lot. “We have guard towers on all four corners, and one guarding the gate. We have three places where there is a garden. One is a greenhouse, and another will be turned into a greenhouse. We have two other places with the gardens for livestock.”

“Moving on, that large building in the near the middle, next to the garden and livestock is on of the housing lodges, and it also serves as a kitchen and dining hall. On the other side of that, we have our food warehouse, medical center and supply warehouse, and our hardware warehouse. That decline right there is what leads down into the mining shaft, another garden and a guard tower.”

The people who were visible all smiled and greeted Mack, along with Jennifer and the others. All seemed generally kind, atbleast in Jennifer’s eyes. They were smiley, polite, and generous. One of the people working the garden offered Mack, Jennifer and the rest, some fresh watermelon. Jennifer declined for the time being. As they walked around, getting greeted by countless people there, Mack continued to show them around.

As Mack walked around, telling them what was what and who was who, Jennifer and her crew following. He finally walked towards the back, and the house that he lived in was visible. The house was gorgeous. It looks modern, and had wood paneling. The porch wrapped around the entire house. It had large windows, being able to see quite clearly around the area it was in. IT was also built on the mountain the Mountaintop was on. The porch in the back was lifted off of the ground, and had a clear view of the valley below. Jennifer was struck by the sheer beauty of it.

Sensing that she wanted to see more, Mack brought them around back and onto the back porch, looking out. From here, you could see for miles. The mountain they were on dropped steeply past the wall, and into a river underneath. Trees surrounded the sides of the house, camouflaging it into the mountain almost completely. On the other side of the river, it was nothing more than forests and mountains. It was truly a gorgeous sight to behold, and Jennifer knew that. She stood there, leaning on the rail looking out into nature.

“This is gorgeous, dad,” she said to him, smiling at the view.

“I know. The inside is gorgeous as well. Come on in, but please, take your shoes off. I like to try and keep it clean in there,” Mack said as he slid open the door.

Taking her shoes off, Jennifer walked inside. The inside had white walls, with a wooden panneling roof above. The fireplace was covered with giant stones. The kitchen had granite counters, and was open. Above the kitchen was the second floor. Everywhere in the house had large windows, allowing an individual to take advantage of the view the house gave them.

“This is all so beautiful. I can’t believe something like this still stands after everything. It’s like civilization hadn’t been ended,” Jennifer remarked, looking around at the beautiful house.

“I know. It’s amazing. It’s a blessing to have this,” Mack said looking around, before walking to the counter and leaning onto it. “Alright, lets get you all situated and caught up to speed on life here and how it works, as well as rules and the like. Take a seat by the table or at the barstool.”

Jennifer, taking her backpack off, place it near the counter. She positioned herself on the barstool, and began to listen.

“So, everyone here contributes to the Mountaineers. We all have jobs to do to keep this place up and running. We have a whole variety of jobs here, so you’ll be able to pick from many. There’s agriculture, medicine, engineering and building, electrical, militia and law enforcement and stuff like that. Anything you can do to contribute to the group, please do so. No one here gets to do nothing. Furthermore, we have places, warehouses, to be exact. Each one holds different things. For example, let’s take about the food and water one. People are only allowed to take a certain number of things from the store. You can’t go in there, and grab half of the cereal. You have a limit. And anything you take will have to be recorded in a log, by the warehouse manager.”

Mack stopped leaning on stepped to the refrigerator. It was powered, and he took out an apple, and took a bite. Admiring the taste, he let a satisfied breath out before he began to speak once more.

“Now just because you can take some stuff from our inventory doesn’t mean you can take anything you want. For example, with the armory, you can walk in as a nobody and take out ballistic gear and and a .50 cal anti-material rifle. No, you need to rise through a sort of system here. The more you do for us, the more you prove yourself to us, the more you will be able to take. I make the list of what rank you are. We go by USMC ranks here, so you all start as Privates, though we do skip ranks. However, you, Jennifer, won’t start at the lowest. You, you’re immediately starting as a Major, and anyone who has a problem with it, tell them to come see me, and I’ll kick their ass,” he said with a laugh and a wink.

“Now here’s how the ranking system goes. You start out as a private, then rank up to the next rank, Private First Class > Lance Corporal > Corporal > Sergeant > Gunnery Sergeant > Master Gunnery Sergeant > Sergeant Major > Warrant Officer 1-3 > Second Lieutenant > First Lieutenant > Captain > Major > Lieutenant Colonel > Colonel > Brigadier General > Lieutenant General > General.”

“However,” Mack said, putting his hand up, “just because you can rank up doesn’t mean you will. You won’t be able to just become a general, and have a group full of generals. Your job, and furthermore, your actions, dictate this. A farmer who is good at nothing else than farming can’t rise up high enough. The points wouldn’t add up enough. However, someone who does farm, and is a capable warrior can get high in the ranks. For all of your actions, there are positive and negative points added on. The overseer of the jobs will record these points.”

Mack looked around at them all, and sighed. “Complicated, I know. We could have done a feudalist system, but we wanted incentive to rise through ranks to be able to contribute more to the group. But, to be fair, we are more militaristic. So the military ranks fit.”

“This leaves us with housing, as well,” Mack said, runnng his hand through his hair, indicating he had a slight headache. “All of you will be in the housing in front of this house. Except, of course, for Jennifer. She stays here, if she wants to, at least.”

“I would like to,” Jennifer said, chiming in.

“Good,” he said with a laugh. “We’ll get you situated with jobs in the coming days, but—“ Mack was cut off by knocking on the door. “Come in, he yelled.”

A man stepped in, and walked over to Mack. “We need to talk,” he said, “privately,” looking at Jennifer and the rest, then Mack. He whispered into Mack’s ear something, and it seemed to catch Mack’s attention.

“I’ll be right back,” Mack said to Jennifer, before walking out of the house.

“Wow,” Jennifer said, leaning forward onto the counter more. “This is a lot more than what I had imagined.” Jennifer brushed the hair out of her eyes, and turned to the others.

“I don’t know what to even say right now. I’m honestly in so much shock with this all. Am I alone here? What do you guys think of this?” The girl let out a relieved sigh before speaking again. “I’m a fucking Major now, too. Wow...”

Rumble Fish Catharsis idalie Cosmosis

 

[Rumble Fish]

Milly McDonald​

Milly looked at Jennifer as she answered her previous question about where her mother was. Upon being told that she did not know, Milly only gave Jennifer a sad but kind smile before looking at the floor, still holding her bear. "Her name's Eleanor... And... I'll ask him soon." She said before hearing Mack announce that they were leaving. She kept quiet as he described the camp that the group resided in. She blinked several times, what he said sounded great. Except for the undead spiked on trees that he described. She whimpered a little and put her small hand around Archie's thick arm anxiously.

Upon seeing the group move out, she kept a hold of both Archie and her teddy as they went into the truck. Milly couldn't stop herself from panicking a little upon going in. She had hardly ever been in a truck and the thought of going on a long trip in one was a scary thought. She still complied though and stayed silent the whole journey, trying hard to stop herself from being sick, not that there was much she could bring up in the first place. Eventually, she had dropped into a semi-sleep state...

Milly was woken up as the truck rumbled to a stop. She jumped and looked around anxiously. Upon the door being opened, she gingerly stepped out, feeling stiff from sitting still for so long. Looking around, she was in awe at the camp itself. Well... from what she could see anyway which was not much but enough so that she had a good idea what it looked like. She followed the man as he began telling them of the camp and what was in it. As she went with them, she noticed the gazes of many who were already in the group. They seemed nice as they appeared pleased to see them. Milly still held onto
Archie, keeping close to him. Being around so many people was quite alarming after only being used to Eleanor's and then the group's company. She buried her face into Archie, not feeling the confidence to look at anyone. Though she did notice the gardener offering them watermelon. She thought about declining but remembered what Archie had said, and she knew he would have wanted her to eat so she took a piece, albeit a very small one. She mostly focused on eating the fruit as Mack continued speaking.

Upon seeing the house, Milly's eyes widened at the sight of it. It looked wonderful, and the interior was just as nice. But as Mack then started describing roles, ranks, and jobs, Milly became anxious again. They needed useful people? That worried her. With her bad eye, blind eye and bad knees she knew she was not going to be useful. But she did not want to say so. When Mack had to leave for something, Jennifer turned to them and asked what they thought. She rubbed her arm anxiously, "It's... it's great but... a lot to take in." She sighed finally. It would take her time to get used to being here.

***
Zelda Williams​

What time was it? Zelda lifted her head off of the desk to look outside. Her head was pounding and she had such bad heartburn it felt like there was a fireball in her chest. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and tried to remember what she had been doing before dropping off. Oh yeah, she remembered now. Glancing at the bottle next to her, she grabbed it by the neck to take a long swig of the red wine. Once she had, she put it back in its place... a basket under the desk. She knew Mack would have her neck if he caught her with it. He only let her be his medic on the condition she'd try to sober up. Well, she had. For weeks. And it never worked. A full day without it was torturous. She heaved a deep sigh and started counting the meds she had left. It was still a fair supply but she couldn't be careful. She could hear a lot of noise from outside but did not care for it. She took the wine again for another drink from it.

Knock knock knock
"Fuck off!" Zelda snarled as she got a fright, finishing off the bottle before discarding it, hoping it would hide well enough. She sighed as she went to the door to pull it open. "Whachu want?" She growled at the person. "Oh good, you're actually conscious. That's rare." The man snarked, only earning him a pissed off expression from the woman, "Mack's brought new people. One of them looks pretty sick. All skinny and pale and shit."he explained. Zelda's eyes became glazed as she tried to focus on the guy. "Probably some cadaver they dont wanna let go of-" she started, just to get cut off "And the lumberjack looks like he had a blind maniac do surgery on him. Might wanna get on it, if you can even form sentences right now." He added before simply leaving, assuming Zelda was going to act. She just stood there confused. Lumberjack? What? She did not see what the big deal was. There were some new people, big deal! But then again, Mack would probably want her to check on whoever they were. She sighed as she grabbed her oversized and tatty black t-shirt, which had belonged to her late husband, Mark. Upon putting it on, she grabbed the neck and pulled it up to her nose. It still smelled like him, just barely. Zelda's troubled mind started diving back into those evil thoughts. Before leaving the office, she grabbed her flask, taking a sip from it as she went outside.

Walking outside, she headed towards Mack's house, not looking at anyone as she went. But she could feel them looking at her. Whatever. It didn't matter. Seeing Mack standing outside talking to somebody, she sighed and walked towards him but not close enough to interrupt him. She just hoped she was not swaying or had red wine marks around her mouth. At least... she thought she wasn't swaying and obvious. Upon approaching Mack she gave him a simple nod of recognition before making her way -tripping slightly- to the door. At the entrance she... shakes the dust from her feet. It had been quite some time since Zelda had worn shoes, only wearing a pair of tatty denim jeans most of the time. But given she was about to meet new people she had decided to put on Mark's shirt.... Mark. After glancing at Mack to ensure he wasnt looking, she took another swig from her flask. She could still remember the man's features like yesterday, FUCK!

Pushing the door open, she was greeted with several unfamiliar faces. She took a guess as to what they were thinking so leaned against the wall for balance. "'Kay so, I'm Zelda if you make any jokes about the games I'll fucking kill you, and unfortunately I'm the only medic available right now. I don't like it either so lets just make this easy for all of us and listen, 'kay? I'll be inspecting you all tomorrow. Policies. Don't blame me, the bearded guy wants it that way. Just... gonna make some initial assessments." She was trying hard to keep her balance, what did she put in the flask again? Oh well, it didnt matter. "Eh...I need to see you and you," she pointed to... some Scottish guy and the younger girl next to him "Mostly her... like a fuckin' corpse lookin' at me, Jesus..."she muttered afterwards before turning to the girl. "And you-" she paused as she laid eyes on the girl. "...Well Mack's probably pleased to see you huh?" She added, leaning on the wall with a smirk. Yep, she knew who this was. You couldn't miss the resemblance. Not to mention Mack had always talked about her so not recognizing her was impossible. Unless Zelda was just that drunk then well, at least she wasn't going to remember this tomorrow.
idalie Peacemaker .45 Catharsis Cosmosis

 

[idalie]

ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​

With Jennifer calmed and Mack calling for them to depart, Archie sighed. Whatever he was getting into, he only hoped it'd last - or he'd go down in flames with it. Yet as far as the apocalypse went, Archie was the most mentally stable guy he knew (and that was saying something). Jen was not only going to be back with her father, but in a stable home for once; hopefully putting an end to suicidal scares whilst Milly would be able to act her age, something few children and teenagers got to do - although a boyfriend might be a step too far and there'd be some serious assessment for suitors, even if he had to do it on the sly. Approaching Mack and the map around which the group gathered the Scotsman realised there was a little palm which seemed to find its way onto his arm at the mention of the dead. Milly's. He gave it a gentle pat of reassurance, glancing down to offer a smile. Seeing as she wasn't going to let time any soon as they were herded into the truck, he did his best to offer some kind of comfort without going overly affectionate to a girl he'd only met a day or so ago. Even if Archie was a likeable, open character, he understood more or less there were people in this world who would rather jump off a bridge than suffer getting a hug.

The journey seemed longer than it was, sitting in silence only interrupted by Archie's occasional whistling of both recognisable and completely obscure songs staring out the window at the passing countryside. Where hills rose and fell, nature overwhelming distant cattle sheds, and the occasional silhouette of a humanoid stumble broke the treeline. The Scotsman cleaned his shotgun with an oily rag sitting back in his seat, a rucksack at his feet. Any hair he had, was getting longer. From choppily cut refugee, it seemed he'd soon become Glaswegian Jesus at the rate it continued. Dirt smearing along his cheekbone and locks a shade darker from filth, skin dark from a 'farmers tan' and in those relaxed moments dreaming of hot showers - he seemed years older than he was. Survival took it's toll, even on the young. Alas, he wouldn't be young for much longer. Thirty was coming up, or had it already passed? He couldn't remember.

Entering the camp was a shock to the system when you'd been living out of shacks and half-ruined cities, the clean well-kept houses here gave him a heavy dose of nostalgia. Nevertheless, typical for the big Scotsman, his eyes were drawn to admire the uniform lines of crops and plants. Now that was some farming to make a man proud. Milly latched on to his arm again, which McKeegan didn't mind keeping her close - not as if he had to, after all she was practically hiding in his side apart from stopping for the watermelon which earned his appraising nod. Yet, Archie couldn't help but take his own piece. He'd not tasted watermelon since ... well, since the collapse! Watermelon wasn't quite the fruit one chose to cultivate in the apocalypse, but he couldn't deny how the sweetness of it brought back more memories of home. They never did buy it often. Only in the summer if they were lucky enough.

Mack's house was gorgeous, undeniably so, but the Scotsman disguised being impressed with a nonchalant stare. They wouldn't catch him dead gazing at some dumb house with the appreciation of a middle aged woman who thought she understood architecture from an internet course. Clearing his throat, McKeegan continued to pull a face at the back of Mack's head as he asked them to take their shoes off. Still, not wanting to cause trouble for the group, he complied. "What were you gonnae do with a feudalist system? 'Cause I might be a dumb lad, but I remember my history lessons an' that just seemed like slavery with extra steps." His brows rose, giving Jennifer's father an unimpressed downturn of his lips.

When Mack left, Archie narrowed those brown orbs of his to follow the older man till he reached the door. Only turning as he heard Jen question the grand place. "I don't do well when people start treatin' me beneath them, so Major Jennifer keep it in yer pants, 'cause I can see a Messiah complex brewin'." He crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "So I'll be fine, apart from that." He rubbed at his beard with a huff. "I'll make it work just give me a damn job and don't fuckin' bother me. Sweet deal."

As if by some grand scheme of continual disaster enacted by a primaeval God, in stumbled Zelda. Memorable name, memorable face, and incredibly memorable smell - she could've worked in a cocktail bar from the amount of mixed alcohol on her breath. Archie practically rolled his eyes up into his head as if seizuring with the continual downward spiral that embodied the medic. "What's this then? We've got an alky doin' our medical procedures? Jen, is yer Da plain mad?" The Scotsman motioned with his open hand to Zelda, only to take a threatening step forward after hearing the mumbled observation she made of Milly. "OI! No name callin'. Like we should give her any more issues. Hope you sober up fer tomorrow or we gonnae have a problem here."

Rumble Fish Peacemaker .45

 

[Peacemaker .45]

As Jennifer expected, Milly didn’t have much to say. However, Archie’s response was rather aggressive and irritated.

“I’m not going to be bossing you around because I outrank you. I’ll treat you as I have treated you, and all of you, prior to this rank thing. I’ll probab treat y’all better as I get to know you more,” Jennifer replied in a sympathetic, yet serious tone.

“Though,” she said with a smirk, “when my vegetables are shit because your farming is rusty, I’m so making you drop and give me 50.”

The girl ended with a laugh. Her attempt at humor was an attempt to ease the other’s anxiety or irritation with this all. It was rather much for them all to take in, especially when only knowing each other for such little time. It’s been an emotional roller coaster for them all, it seems, these past couple of days, and Jennifer being no exception to this. She lost her group, lost one of the closet people in it, watching him suffer and die before her. On top of this, she nearly killed Archie, thanks to Simon, and had to save him. Then she has to deal with Simon in the hospital, and the fallout from that. That next morning, she almost kills her self. And then later that morning, her father, whom she thought was dead, showed up alive, and has a large and powerful group, which she now’s a part of it.

As the girl was about to open her mouth and bust on Archie a bit more, since he was irritable, a woman walked into the house, and began to speak. Her aroma was on of alcohol, and was the first thing that Jennifer noticed. She was an alcoholic, and Jennifer knew this from the start. Not only was the smell a hint, she clearly had a hard time keeping her balance. She was most certainly under the influence of alcohol.

As the woman leaned against the wall to balance herself, she began to speak. Not even a full sentence in, she was already saying she’d kill them if they “played games” with her. If Jennifer thought Archie was rather irritable, this girl, Zelda, was ten times worse.

Zelda began to say how she needed to look over some people. When she looked at Milly, under her breath, she said she resembled a corpse. And then she turned her attention to Jennifer. She seemed to loathe Jennifer, and she’s never even met her prior. This, along with the way Zelda acted, made Jennifer slightly angry. Before she could say something, Archie spoke, rather angry, and understandably so.

“Arch, my dad must have her for some reason. Mad or not, he must have a reason,” she said back to him, before focusing her attention back on Zelda. “What the hell is your problem with me? I never met you before, but you seem to dislike me? Why don’t you just do your damn job, and while you’re at it, lay off the alcohol?”

Jennifer was extremely agitated when she spoke. While Jennifer was changing from what she was once, aspects of her old self she was trying to change from came out at times. Her aggression she displayed was leftover anger from that old self. Furthermore, she was angered by the fact she was an alcoholic. She didn’t understand why her father would keep an alcoholic around. Being that her father was once one, and abusive to her and her mother, she thought he would loathe any individual who was an alcoholic. Why she was around, and why her father kept her, she couldn’t figure out. Although, it has been awhile since she saw her father. Between that time and now, Jennifer changed a lot, and so could he have. He’s a stranger to her, but at the same time, he isn’t.

Rumble Fish idalie Cosmosis

 

[Rumble Fish]

Zelda's eyes widened a little at the Scottish man's growls. "Ay calm your beans, Glaswegian Jesus." She said, putting a hand up in front of her, "Seems that 'only medic available' comment went over your head, hm?" She looked at the girl as she tried to appease the huge man, which was a relief. Fucking Sasquatch could break her in half if he wanted to. And Zed didn't want to die... that way. But then she turned her anger onto her. Zelda did listen to her words but simply sighed and ran her hand down her face. If this was Mack's daughter like she thought, she was in for a fucking ride that was sure...
"Arightarightaright timeout, missus." She huffed, looking in the woman's direction. "We will have a problem if you jumping to conclusions like that." She crossed her arms and leaned her back against the wall, "I don't dislike you. That'd be stupid." Zed huffed. She, on the other hand, seemed to take an immediate dislike to her so... seems she hadn't caught onto the fact her logic was collapsing in on itself right now. "All I meant was... You're Mack's daughter, right? Well, he'll be happy. Hasn't shut up about ya. It'll be good for his brain, that's for sure." She put her arms behind her head. "But what do I know about psycological health? I'm just some dumb, old alky." She rolled her eyes and rocked her head back and forth on every word in that last sentence before looking at the girl who was cowering behind the huge Scottish man. "Want me to do my job, princess? C'mere." She motioned to the younger girl.

Milly, alarmed and anxious about this woman suddenly appearing, kept behind Archie anxiously. She could not see her well but she could smell the alcohol. The last time she had smelled it was just before her mother had left... When she suddenly told her to come closer, Milly jumped and hesitated but reluctantly walked forward. Just as she did, she felt her wrist being grabbed. She squeaked and tried to move away, but the grip tightened. "Calm down, I'm just checking your pulse." The woman's slurred voice forced her to stop moving, allowing her to examine her. She didn't know what to think or do so just stood there hugging her teddy while Zelda checked her over. "...A'right you're done." Sweeter words were never spoken as Milly scrambled back to Archie and hid behind him.

Zelda sighed and looked at the other two. "Hm...She needs a few days rest and food. I'll have a chat with Mack about possibly giving her a little extra in rations for a few days and see if that works." She then looked at the lumberjack. "Hm... I'd rather have you on a bed before looking at you, gonna need to put some things on ya and new bandages. When you don't want to punch me in the face..." She frowned at looking at all three of them. "...Come by in the morning. I'll give ya a proper once over." She added. before simply leaving the house and heading back into her office, walking quickly. Once she was back in the office, she lied on the surgical bed, staring at the ceiling. "...Made a good fucking impression as always." She sighed before finishing off the flask. She'd go refill it later. Now none of them will seek her out for anything else. Good.
idalie Peacemaker .45 Catharsis Cosmosis

 

[Cosmosis]

Simon Petrikov​

Simon had woken up in moderate pain. The bullets his armor stopped had still been in his armored vest and he was lucky as all hell that they didn’t get through the armor and brake skin. The morning light wasn’t far off.

Slowly getting up Simon let out a long exhale. Jennifer was the same as always. She wasn’t gonna let anyone push her around or threaten anyone he cared for. Still. It hurt that she didn’t reconize him whatsoever. Had the apocolypse really changed him that much?

Going to overlook the way they came, the Russian saw the truck starting to go off in the distance. Looking the way they wre heading he noticed it was off to the town. Cursing under his breath and into his beard the man jogged to the back of the building and saw a ladder leading to another prt of the rooftop.

Sliding down the ladder gave Simon’s hands a mix of cold from the metal and a burning sensation from the friction. Walking over to the next ladder he repeated the same processuntil he hit the actual ground. Looking around the Russian set off back to where he came.


~~Around the time Jen’s group ran into Mack~~


Simon swung Tendy into an infected’s shoulder with enough force to cause the rotted body to crash through a wooden wall in a house immortalized in its renovation stage. Letting his massive meat tenderizer slam to the ground, he drew his pistol and popped another infected point-blank in the face before he pushed the body over, holstering the pistol back in its place. Heading out the back door of the house the big man let out a quiet yet long yawn. His lack of sleep was getting to him but just barely. As long as he didn’t run into any major diversions he thought he’d be able to make it back to his base.

Around an hour ago he had ran into one of Samson’s Scavenger parties which had turned into a stand-off before one of them edged their two partners away. The man knew even though there was three of them, they wouldn’t last against the Simon Petrikov. His group had given The Mountianteers a rough time here and there even if it caused them more trouble soon after.

Not long after leaving the renovation house the Russian got into another short skirmish with infected, three of them to be percise. One of them had a gardning hoe on them and another had a rake stuck in their maggot infested back. It had taken about two and a half minutes to dispatch the infected before he was on his solemn way again.

It would take an idiot of a jester to not tke up a chance for meat, no matter where it came from. That’s why when Simon spotted two vultures, he took gamble and took them both out, tying their legs with parachord and putting the scavengers on his back. At-least he would be bringing some meat back along with the countless cans he’d taken from the mansion area. after he made sure no one was following him, Simon started up a jog to keep himself awake.

- _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ - _ -

Simon walked up to the gates leading into the courtyard of his establishment without hassel which irritated him. Then again his guards knew it was him. As the car-metal made doors opened up he walked in calmly as some people came up to him but hung back.

“I see everyone is doing fine.” Simon said cooly. A few people murmured before he spoke again. “Francis, Seierra Why didn’t you both take aim at me once i came into view?”

“We saw it was you so there wasn’t any need to aim at our leader.” Francis said.

“That means nothing. What happens if it wasn’t me but somone wearing my gear because i got killed? Then what would you do?” Simon asked.

“We’d kill them before they could do major damage to us Simon.” Seierra said nervously.

“If i had went with the mount boys then wha-“ The Russian was cut off.

“Look Si We havn’t seen you in days! You said you’d be back in two tops and you didn’t come back.” The second in command said in annoyance.

“I said i shouldn’t take more than two days but i could. I’m back now so i thank you for leading in my absence Jeriko. You know the drill. Back to work if you’re stationed for it today!” simon shouted to the tiny crowd before he handed his food items to two seprate people and his medical supplies to two others.

“Jeriko. Fill me in on what i’ve missed.” Simon said as he entered a trailor and went over to a desk to stand behind.

“Daisy had her baby safely not long after you left, some of the kids got out and got in some trouble so they got their dose of the switch. We warned those little buggers but they didn’t listen.” The lady let out a sigh as she crossed her rms and leaned against the trailor wall, leg behind her for support.

“Nothing else has happened? No Mountian folk down here?” he questioned. Jeriko shook her head no.

“Nothing of the sort. A truck came out from out that way but the report said there were two people in it. Heading out to the other side of the town. I assume you’re tired though. You’ve taken a few hits out there i can tell. Go let Mauve and Jackie check you and get a patch for those nastier wounds. I’ll have some of the vulture you brought back be brought to you.” The lady said calmly.

Simon slowly nodded in response. “I’ll check on Daisy and the baby while i’m up. She will get some of the meat as will whoever else needs it. If i can help it, i’d rather my portion go to someone who needs it more.” With those words said, The big Russian went over to his Second In Command and they touched heads, closing their eyes.

“I’m glad you came back safe Simon.” Jeriko whispered.

“I’m shocked i wasn’t killed in Ghoul’s Valley. I ran into McKeegan out there. He won’t be in good terms next time i’m afraid. I’ll tell you more another time cousin.” Simon reesponed before they broke their contact and went their ownways.
~
Simon snorted when he was told that it was gonna sting. Jackie was a kind nurse. One of three medical personnel in Simon’s camp. He had a nurse in practice which was Jackie, a surgeon who had only had five actual patients beofre the outbreak named Tom, and a Doctor named Mauve. Though he had medical people, he didn’t have farmers. Just one by the name of Darrel. Others in the base did what they were assigned to with a rotation schedual so no one was too over-worked. It was quite effective and kept the people busy and happy to some degree.

One Jackie let him go, the big man checked in on he new mother, Daisy. Her blonde hair was tucked behind her ears when her leader came into the room. She set her book down and gave a soft smile to Simon who in turn nodded.

“His name’s Seemore.” The woman whispered.

“It’s good to see he’s doing well. I told you eating better would help. You may have felt glluttonous but if you hadn’t the little one may not even be here now.”Simon said, looking at the swaddled baby without much emotion.

“I suppose you were right Petrikov. Still. I’m looking forward to helping out around here again. Well. Not being stuck to clothes duty so much will be a relief.”

Both adults laughed at that. Daisy had been one who knew Simon a tad closer than some but the man was indeed still unknown on a personal level, even by Jeriko.

“I just came in to check on the two of you. If you need me personally you know the protocol. I’ll be checking rotations and going over where you can move to once Mauve clears you. Rest up while you can cause i’m sure that little baby will be awake soon and you’ll be regrettin the missed oppritunity to sleep.”

“Alright Simon. I’ll do that.” Daisy whispered.

“You’re man is out scavanging if you were not aware. I’ll send him you way when he gets back in” Simon said before he left the room, heading out to his little cubby-hole he had made for himself.

Taking off his pistol holster, Simon sat on his cot with his head in his palms. Nothing had went wrong for everyone hile he was away which was a relief for him but his run in with Archie was more or less a cluster-fuck if he had ever been in one. He lost potential recruits. Potential fighters. Growling he scratched his beard before taking a long overdue drink from his vodka bottle he kept in a drawer. Not only had he got on bad terms with Archie but he had ran into her. Jennifer was an angel from the past. If anything, running into and losing her because of his stupidity hurt him way worse than just separating. She had shot him and could have kile him right then and there had the gun been raised higher. With a quiet yell, the man tossed the empty vodka bottle on the ground causing it to shatter. Looking at the shards he saw a long peice. How quick he could end his life with it. With his strength applying the pressure to break his skin wouldn;’t be too hard but he knew those thoughts were pointless. To die now by his own hands would leave his group to fend against the Rotters and the Mountianteers while fighting for order after his departure from the cracked world they all unfortunately lived in. Once the glass was cleaned, The Russian laid down and rolled onto his side, gritting his teeth in pain. The last thoughts he had before he fell into the murky depths of sleep were of how his beard looked caked in blood and how he would have to clean it when he woke up.

 

[idalie]

ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​

Zelda only somewhat managed to calm him, but the big Scotsman seethed. It seemed waking up well enough had become an issue of a continuously worsening day. As much as he adored the freedom of wandering and sustaining himself - this was the best bet for real survival. Helping a wider community yet keeping those he knew close. Archie appeared to not back off, practically about to start growling if it wasn't for the hindrance of being human. "I'm far more old testament than Jesus, mate." He snapped, keeping his eyes narrowed and practically bolted upon the Doctor. Especially as she beckoned Milly from behind him, which the Scotsman bent himself at the knees to continue wildly staring at Zed as she completed her preliminary checks. Only when the smaller, bespectacled girl was returned to him did McKeegan finally let up and momentarily place his arm around Milly's shoulders with intent to comfort.

The lumberjack turned his head and seemed to scowl. "Fuck off. Have me on a bed over yer dead body. I ain't goin' nowhere with a woman who cannae get the smell of her 'holy communion' out her own bleedin' clothes." Archie retorted. "I'll just wait till I can get me a doctor who ain't been hittin' the booze. Don't care how long it takes, I can handle myself till then." He bared his teeth momentarily - bright ivory in contrast to his currently muddied face. "You'd probably think I was the wrong fuckin' guy and chop my legs off or somethin'."

McKeegan rose two of his fingers, facing Zelda to flip her off. "Take a hike."

Peacemaker .45 Rumble Fish

 

[Peacemaker .45]

Jennifer just sat back and didn’t say anything else to Zelda, as Archie shot back before she could. As Archie finished, she turned and left.

“Well ain’t she something,” she said, shaking her head. “What a welcoming from our great doctor. Geez.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night...

Jennifer was out by her truck in the dark. All of her gear, clothing, and medication were all in the back of the truck, which was in the vehicle parking lot. Mack instructed her that she could get her truck, and drive it to the car port attached to his house. From there, she would unpack her various things, and head into Mack’s house where a room was available. The gate to the vehicle parking lot was open, as instructed by Mack, for Jennifer to pull the truck out. Before Jennifer brought the truck over, she opened the bed and unfolded the the bed cover. She hopped up, and began to look at what she had back there. As she was sitting through what was in the bed, a white, bloody sheet came into view. Jennifer took a second to process what it was.

It was Austin.

In all the time between Austin’s death, she never had a chance to bury his body. It was still in her truck bed. Jennifer tilted her head, kneeling down and looking at it. She girl’s eyes darted around, before she closed them and put her hand on where his head was. She began to pray, a tear coming from her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Austin,” she began, “this was all my fault. I... If I didn’t do what I... if I just...” the girl leaned forward more, pressing her lips together hard, “damn it! God fucking damn it,” she exclaimed, beating her fist on her thigh.

“This is all my fault you’re dead, damn it, all my fucking fault! I’m sorry, Austin. I’m sorry!” The girl began to wipe tears from her eyes. She leaned forward, putting her head down in his cold, lifeless body. “I’m so sorry, Austin. I hope that you can forgive me. I will bury you soon, so you can finally rest peacefully.”

Deciding not to look anymore at the moment, not wanting to sift through the bed with Austin’s body there, Jennifer got up and hopped off the bed and onto the ground. Walking up to the cover, she rolled it down all the way to the tailgate. She then grabbed the tailgate, and pushed it up, locking with a loud bang. Feeling some of the emotions still, she pushed hair out from her eyes, and then put her hands on the ends of the tailgate and leaned forward, sighing as she lowered her head.

A hand grabbed Jennifer’s shoulder, followed by another on her side. They grabbed her with force, and pulled back. Jennifer, caught by surprise, jumped, but the hands brought her in. Both her and whoever grabbed her fell to the ground. Hitting her head hard on the ground, she was dazed. The sound of a muffled undead was only overcome by the increasing head pain from falling, and a ring in her ears. Jennifer slowly began to have clearer vision, and hearing. The girl tried to move, but a hand grabbed her leg. She kicked to break free, and successfully did so.

Reaching for her gun, she felt the grip of her handgun, and began to pull it out. But as she pulled it out of her holster, another hand hit her arm, knocking the gun free. Looking to the undead, she was unprepared for what she saw.

There, on the ground, an undead that had two heads was grabbed at her. Furthermore, the skin around the heads had grown out, as if tumor growths made the skin build up and out continuously, making the heads appear large.

Jennifer began to fight her way out of its grasp. As the hand slipped, she kicked it in one of the heads, only to be greeted with an uncharacteristically hard skin, almost as if an armor. Jennifer’s boot bounced off, but the monstrosity was pushed away from her. While it had distance between it and her, the woman began to frantically began to search for her gun. During this, the undead recovered from the kick, and began to crawl towards Jennifer. Seeing this, Jennifer began to search more, and backup as she did, trying to keep distance between it and her.

As she crawled backwards, her bottom hit something. She reached her hand there, and pulled out what it was. Looked at her hand, it was her sidearm. Chambering her gun, she aimed at the undead, closing in fast, and pulled the trigger. The first round impacted the monster’s head. It didn’t effect it. Hesitating, giving a confused look, darting back from her gun and the undead, she fired again.

Still nothing.

The undead began to creep closer to her. Knowing she had no choice, she began to pull the trigger rapidly, impacting the left head. Finally, on the fifth shot, the head dropped.

But not the undead.

The right head, still alive, kept moving towards her, but at a slower speed, and the left side moving slowly and sluggish. Jennifer had one shot left. Pulling the trigger, the dead didn’t stop. Backing up more, she hit a wall; the side of the wall for the vehicle parking lot. The girlthen tried to get up, but the dead one took her foot, and sank it’s teeth right into her steel toe boot. Jennifer began to kick, trying to get it free. Jennifer frantically grabbed her knife, and attempted to sink the knot in the head. But the knife bounced off of the skin. She tried again, as it’s mouth was on her boot, trying to kick it off.

The knife wouldn’t make it through the hardened skin.

Running out of options, she began to punch the head, still kicking her leg, unable to get up as the undead put its hand on her leg, holding her down, still biting on her boot. Struggling, she couldn’t get the undead off.

But before she could scream for help, a gunshot nearby rang off, and the undead’s head was jerked, and it let go of its bite and hold on Jennifer, and turned to the gunman, Jennifer glancing as she got up and ran backwards to get distance. The gunman was behind the wall, and all she could see was the undead on the ground, start to get up and reach towards the shooter. But three more shots rang out, and it dropped.

Mack ran up and kept the gun pointed at the undead.

“Dad,” she exclaimed, running up to him.

Mack kept the gun on the seemingly deceased undead. When it didn’t move, he was grabbed by Jennifer, her hugging him.

“It came out of nowhere and grabbed my back, and it almost got me... and I don’t know what the...what the fuck is that thing,” she said in a state of shock, tightly grabbing her father, turning her head towards the corpse. Mack hugged her for a second, anger building in his face.

“Son of a bitch,” Mack muttered, letting go of Jennifer, walking up to the corpse and kneeling down. “This is Martha,” he said, looking at the clothing, and pointing to a rank emblem stitched into the shirt. “She had been missing for two months now. But you can’t tell with-“

Mack rolled over the corpse, and immediately stop talking when a white piece of paper was sticking out of the shirt. He grabbed it, but shoved it in his pocket. Anger started boiling in his face. Mack walked away, momentarily, into a building and came out out with a naked man, who looked terrified, dragging him out by his hair as he fought Mack.

“EVERYONE, GET OUT HERE NOW,” he yelled at the top of his lungs. Dave appeared, running towards Dave. Mack spoke before he could say anything.

“Check the fucking guard towers and tell me what those son’s of bitches were doing, but get out Beth, from there” he said to Dave, who did as asked. Dave appeared with a naked woman, terrified and fighting back against Dave, before being knelt down next to the naked man. Mack pulled out his revolver as people started emerging from the surrounding buildings. Jennifer looked forward at her father and the two people. She was still in a state of shock from the undead freak. She looked forward in horror and anxiety over what was going on.

“All of you,” Mack said, looking around at the crowd of people around him, “are about to see what happens when you don’t do your job and how it endangers us all!”

“Smith right here,” Mack said, grabbing Smith by the hair and dragging him closer, “decided he wanted to fuck around with Beth during his nighttime patrol job.”

As Mack finished the sentence, Dave came running over. “They’re all dead, Mack,” he yelled to him. Mack let out an angry huff. The crowd began to whisper around to each other.

“Quiet,” Mack yelled to the crowd. “This son of a bitch decided to fuck around while on the nighttime patrol job. And all of our guards are now dead. And a freak made its way into the gates. This freak was one of us. The freak’s Martha.”

The crowd once again started to become louder, followed by the cry of a man, one who most likely was her husband.

“Quiet the hell down,” Mack once again yelled to the crowd. Once quiet, he began to speak again.

“These two fucking around, almost cost me my daughter,” he yelled, anger boiling. Mack pistol whipped Smith in the head. Smith fell to the ground. He stumbled for a moment, trying to get up. Mack put his boot on Smith’s head. Beth began to cry out, she herself crying, asking Mack to stop. Mack pointed the gun at her crying, pleading face, and pulled the trigger. Not much remained of her head. Smith began to plead for his own life, he himself bloodied and crying.

“You endangered us all, and my daughter almost died because YOU were out fucking instead of doing your job, which would have prevented this,” Mack yelled at the man.

“Let this moment be an example for all of you to follow. Don’t do your job, endanger us, or almost get my daughter killed, you will suffer this fate.”

Mack pointed the gun at the man, and shot both elbows, both knees, and his pelvis. Smith cried out and recoiled in pain. Mack waited several seconds before firing the last shot in Smith’s head.

“Don’t get my daughter nearly killed, or any of us. You’ll end up like them. Everyone back to your quarters!”

The people dispersed, except for a couple, including Dave.

“Gather the bodies, wrap them up, bury them tomorrow,” he instructed the group. They collected the bodies and carried them away.

The entire time, Jennifer watched in horror. She didn’t remember her father being like this. But, then she remembered, she herself was once like this. A part of her still is this way. But she fights it, she doesn’t want to be that way anymore. Everything that was done in that small event was horrifying to her. She looked away most of the time. Mack returned to her. She looked up at him, trying to hide some of the fear and horror.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” he started. He wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Jennifer somewhat reluctantly wrapped her arms around him. “I had to do that. This isn’t the first time the two of them have endangered this group and the people in it. But this time was personal. Their negligence could have lead to you being killed. I can’t lose you. I won’t take any chances, or excuses. I love you, Jennifer. You’re my daughter. I must do what I can to keep you safe.”

Jennifer still felt horrified, but conflicting thoughts entered her head. A part of her understood what he did, and might have done the same thing herself. However, a part of her felt it was too extreme, too brutal to be done. Her unease was unable to be squashed. Mack let go, and took the piece of paper out of his pocket that was in Martha’s shirt. The freak still lied there in front of them. Jennifer looked at it, and then her father as he unfolded the paper.

“What the fuck,” he said, completely puzzled by what he looked at.

“What is it,” Jennifer asked him, curious as to why he was shocked and confused. Mack gave the paper to her. She looked at the paper, and she herself was confused, even slightly frightened.



“What the hell is this,” she asked her father.

“I don’t know. But since this was a freak, it has to be from that boogeyman. But how did they get past all those undead, kill all the guards, and get this inside? And why this symbol? I’ve never seen it before.”

“Do you think it’s a warning, that it means something,” she questioned her father, giving him the paper back.

“I don’t know,” he said, looking at the paper, then looking ahead at the wall. “I don’t know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Next Morning...

Jennifer had awaken from her sleep. It was a difficult night to sleep. There was much on her mind from what her father did that night. As she tossed and turned, she began to think of putting herself in his shoes. She reasoned with herself she would have done the same thing. Perhaps she was trying to cope with a reality she didn’t want to believe, perhaps she was in denial. Or perhaps she really would have done the same thing. Whatever the truth might be, she convinced herself she would have done the same. Getting up that morning, she looked for her father in the house. Walking downstairs, she found him in the kitchen, preparing eggs for breakfast.

“Good morning, dad,” she said with a smile, walking over to him.

“Ah good morning,” he said. He shot her a slight smile before returning to his eggs. “I bet you haven’t had eggs in awhile,” he said to her.

“You could say that again,” she said as she positioned herself on the barstool for the kitchen island.

“Sleep alright,” he asked her, stirring the eggs.

“Eh. Yeah, a bit. It was better sleep than I’ve had for awhile,” she replied.

“Good,” Mack stated plainly. “Look, Jennifer, I’m sorry that you had to see what I did last night. You might see it as extreme, but I-“

“I understand, dad,” Jennifer cut him off. She had already wrestled with it enough the previous night. She made her decision about it. Mack simply replied by acknowledging it with a grunt.

“Today’s a busy day for you, and your friends,” he said, starting to pour the eggs onto a plate, and walking over to her, giving it to her.

“These better not taste like they did on all of my birthday mornings,” she said with a laugh and smile. “And why’s that,” she asked.

“Well it’s evaluation time. And medical checks. You and your friends will go and get the medical check after you eat. After that, your friends will start looking at jobs in here and start picking, trying the job, getting trained for it, and perhaps officially get the job spot, securing a ranch up from your current one.”

“Wait,” Jennifer said after swallowing some of her eggs. “You said ‘my friends’ will start picking jobs. You didn’t include me. Did I hear that right?”

Mack shook his head. “I want to put you in our militia. I want to test your combat and scavenging skills to see where you’re at. We’ll be going into a town called Sutton. Grab whatever gear you want, and we’ll go there in your truck. We’re scavenging and testing skills, don’t forget. I hope you’re up for the challenge.”

“I am,” she said, taking a bit of the last piece of scrambled eggs.

“Good. Go to the med store, get checked out by a doctor first,” he replied to her, cleaning up the kitchen.

“Okay, sure. But first, what the hell’s up with that doctor, Zelda,” she questioned her father.

“Oh her,” he began, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water. “She’s a bitch. But she knows what she’s doing. She’s useful for us, even with her problems, which were improving.”

“How is she useful?”

“Zed knows her stuff. She’s saved people’s lives her. She contributes to the wellbeing of everyone here. Despite the baggage, we keep her around.”

“Well,” Jennifer started, “I don’t know but she just seems like some useless drunk.”

“She’s improving,” he stated back.

“She was buzzed or something when she saw us yesterday. She couldn’t stand up right. And I smelled alcohol in her breath,” Jennifer replied.

Mack stayed silent for a moment. “I’ll deal with that later. Go get checked and meet me back here. We’ll go out when you’re done.”

“Okay,” Jennifer replied sigh. Mack ignored it. He had other things to deal with. Before they left.

Exiting the house, Jennifer walked on over to the med office. People were out doing their jobs. They smiled at her as she walked by. It was awkward for them to do that to her. She didn’t know how to reply. She simply just nodded and gave a slight smile.

Getting to the door, Jennifer knocked and walked inside. No one was in the waiting room, so Jennifer spoke up.

“Hello? I’m here to get a medical check. Anyone here,” she said loudly in the doctor’s building.

idalie Cosmosis Rumble Fish

 

[Megeara]

Rynn Marshall
She has been walking for a couple hours now. Her car ran out of gas a few hours after crossing the West Virgina border. Her boots kicked through the dirt road as she weaved through the deserted cars. The moutians were in view. Beautiful. Huge and just caressing the sun as it was coming up. Rynn was walking into a small town. The sign qmwas broken off. The town was empty. Standing at the edge of the town she looked around holding her brown back pack on one shoulder. Her left hand free to use to shoot. Listening for anything she just herd the wind as it blew through her hair.

She walked past an abandoned school, erie and sad to look at. A few shops that were empty and looted already. She was looking for water and food. Her stomach was growling for hours now. Stepping on the side walk, broken glass crunched under her foot as she grabbed the door to the grocery store and pulled it open. The ding of a bell scared her and she looked around for movement and nothing.
"alright lets see what we got." She mumbled to herself. Walking over the dirty white tile floor she pulled some water bottles off the shelf woth some cans of food putting them in her bag. She consodered herself lucky to find anything. wondering around the store she picked up a few loose granola bars and opened one and started to eat it. The store was quiet. But it was a good quiet.
Walking to the back towards the pharmacy she hopped on the counter and slid herself over. On the look for Anti biotics and pain meds for the future. Putting some pill bottles in her bag she herd some noise from the front of the store. She stopped and pulled out her 45 revolver and walked from behind the counter slowly. Hopefuly she didn't walk into a hoard.
Her heart pounding she walked slowly down an asile and herd some noises and shuffling. She peaked around a corner and saw a few undead. There were 4. To many for her to take on. So she snuck down another aisle and walked quietly behind them and booked it out the door.
Running down the street she made her way closer to the trails in the woods. Signs everywhere for hiking and camping. What did she have to loose. So she went up on the trails leaving the town behind her.​

 

[idalie]

ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​

They'd been relocated to accommodation near the greenhouses, himself sharing a room with young Milly. Although it was awkward, Archie supposed it was the safest option. Even if they'd only known each other for a day or so, clearly an attachment had grown. In desperate times it forced people together, even if they were quite incredibly different. Rolling out of bed McKeegan looked a mess. Squinting half-awake, brushing the sleep from his eyes with a yawn before lumbering about as if a bear fresh from hibernation. The only water he could find, however, was in a water bottle stashed at the end of his bed - tipping some out onto a handkerchief the Scotsman vigorously scrubbed at his face till it resembled someone almost civilised. Alas, his hair dealt with a hand running through it and using a band of string to tie it at the nape of his neck in a short pony-tail.

Dragging on his big, somewhat ruined steel toe-capped boots and buttoning up the flannel shirt, McKeegan soon began settling into the morning. Glancing over at the younger girl, McKeegan aimed a smile. "Nice tae sleep on a mattress, ain't it?" He mentioned, stretching up and out with a crack of his back and knees. Making a face whilst he did so. "Not gettin' younger that's for sure." Archie joked, although then frowned. "I don't look too old though, right? I been missin' out on my beauty sleep." He winked, rubbing his beard whilst snatching up his wood axe - tucking it into the belt of his trousers. There was one rule Archie abided by, and that was never leave your axe behind. Stories of lumberjacks getting attacked by winter grizzlies and wolves meant that the habit was ingrained - even if the chances were almost nothing. Yet in this new climate, the trait had saved him more than once.

Whence Milly had gotten ready and they were both prepared to leave, Archie walked half the distance to Zelda's before spying the farming and livestock locations. Patting the younger girl on the shoulder whilst vanishing and assuring her good luck - otherwise he'd be back to find her later.

Reaching the Doctors surgery, twenty minutes later and a lump beneath his shirt, Archie was shiftier than an escaped convict in a bank. "I got caught up, sorry fer it. Heard about what happened the other day though, from the people down the other end. Sounds like Mack ain't messin' around, huh? How was Jen, did youse see her after the scare? Or were ye passed out somewhere?"

Peacemaker .45 Rumble Fish

 

[Rumble Fish]

Milly McDonald
Zelda Williams​

Milly could not sleep at all. She lied on her matress in a semi-curled position, clinging to her bear for reassurance. The whole day had just been overwhelming for the youngster. But they seemed safe... but. The reason Milly hardly slept was because of Jennifer and Mack. She hated herself for feeling this way but she felt... jealous about them. Of course she was elated for Jennifer to be reunited with her father. But she was still unhappy. She only met this woman the other day and she got to reunite with her father, while she was still left alone without her mother; the one thing Milly wanted more than anything in the world would be to be held and loved by Eleanor again but she was no closer to finding her. And the thought of Jennifer and Mack sleeping in the same house made her... angry. It was not fair! But she did not want to think this way. The girl sighed shakily as she eventually dropped to sleep...

She was woken up by activity next to her as Archie rose from his slumber. She sat up and watched him get ready before he turned to her. "Y-Yes, it is." She answered anxiously. It was still a little dark so harder for Milly to see what was going on. She looked at him as he then jokingly asked if he looked old "No...Zelda looks old... No that's mean, sorry- sorry!" She bit her knuckle anxiously, truthfully she had no idea what Zelda looked like since she didn't get a proper look at her the day before. Once she had gotten herself ready, she grabbed her bear and followed Archie out of the greenhouse. But once they were close to the Doctor's office, Milly suddenly felt Archie's presence vanish. "Arch-?" she squeaked as he left. Why did he leave?! She looked at the Doctor's office, trying to keep herself calm. She did not want to go alone but she had no choice... Zelda was weird and smelled funny. Still, she was a doctor so... It was not all bad? Milly sighed as she went in and sat in the waiting room, seeing Zed's door was closed. She sighed and hugged her bear, hoping the woman was in a good mood...

---
It was chaos, people screaming while they ran in all directions, the sound of the devilish creatures as they screeched and poured through the windows, latching onto their helpless prey as they screamed, flailed and begged for help as they were quickly devoured. Zelda, her heart ringing in her ears, ran through the hallway from the resteraunt. Jason! Where was Jason!? She could hear him! WHERE WAS HE!?
"Jason!" She screamed, running up the steps as fast as she could manage, "MARK! JASON!" She could see her vision blurring from panic, she had to find them!
"mom!" The distant voice of her teenage son caught her attention as if it was out of a megaphone, screeching from panic.
"Jason!" They were in their room! Zelda struggled to push the door open, banging her fists into it until they bled, "Jason! Baby, I'm here, I'm coming!"
"MOM HELP!"
A surge of rage flowed into the woman as slammed her body into the door, throwing it open. Upon opening it, she was greeted with a grizzly sight. Her husband, her love lying still on the ground, a expression of panic etched onto his face as his entrails were being devoured by... a MAN?!
"MOM!" She turned to the scream to see Jason, backed into a corner and grabbed by a man who had sank his teeth right into her son's neck...
"J...Jason." The only word she could gasp, before she could do anything, the other man had grabbed Jason and pulled at his face. She could not move... why couldnt she move!?
"MOOOMMEEEEEEEEEEEE-" He screamed before there was a sickening as his neck was snapped and his body was torn-

“Hello? I’m here to get a medical check. Anyone here?"
"JAS-!" Zelda felt herself hit the floor as she had launched herself off of the surgical bed in her fright. She lied on the cold floor, breathing heavily for several seconds before it all hit her. The hangover and the grief. The woman sat back up, covering her mouth as she felt like she was going to be sick. Tears flowed freely from her bloodshot eyes as the image of her son's final moments did not leave... why couldn't they just leave? They were always there! With a quiet sob, she wiped her eyes as she stood up. She knew someone was outside waiting so could not pussyfoot about. Quickly washing her hands, she fixed the picture of Mark and Jason on the desk, which had fallen from when she fell. She looked at it longingly for a few seconds. She could have done something... why didn't she? With a sigh, Zed opened the door to see Jennifer standing there. With a huff, she let the girl come in...

"Just come back if you're no' feeling well." She said as Jennifer walked out. Nothing seemed wrong with the girl and their interactions were awkward to say the least. She'd ask questions and she'd get one or two word answers. Little smartass... She looked into the waiting area to see the younger girl from yesterday sitting there.
"...Where's your sheep shagger friend?" she asked, not looking forward to seeing him.
"Um...H-He'll come later." the girl replied nervously.
"Hm. Right, get in." With that she scrambled into the office like a scared little dog. Zelda sighed heavily as she closed the door.
"What's your name?" she asked the smaller girl as she seemed to struggle to get onto the bed.
"M-Milly McDonald." She answered quietly.
"Milly, hm? Y'know...the name Milly means "mild in strength." Did you know that?"
"N-No..." Milly answered anxiously, keeping her arms tightly wrapped around her bear. Zelda sighed as she then got on with her examination. She asked all the usual questions until she got to her eyes.
"So how long had you been blind in that eye?" She asked her, sounding more tired than anything. Nowhere near the same level of sass that she had the day before.
"Um... always. And I can't see well out this one." She admitted, fidgeting with her glasses.
"Hm. Best keep them on then." Zelda answered bluntly as she then started looking at her knees. Milly studied the woman's face. She seemed depressed. She wanted to ask her what was wrong but she was afraid of what the woman would answer with. Before she could get a word out, a sudden pain in her knee made her squeal. Zelda jumped at the girl's reaction and she saw that the woman was holding a small rubber mallet.
"Jeez, sorry. Should have told you I was going to do that."
"Yes, you should have!" Milly snapped, still in pain but immediately gasped and covered her mouth, "I-I'm sorry I should have told you-I-I-I-"
"Heyheyhey, chill it's fine." Zelda rubbed the back of her neck as she looked into her bag "Uh.... here, a peace offering." She said as she pulled out a small tube of smarties. The bright colours got Milly's attention and her eyes lit up a little. Zed took that as an unspoken agreement and gave her them.

As the examination went on, something came into Milly's mind. She wanted to ask Mack about Eleanor but... maybe Zelda knew?
"Um...Doctor?"
"Just Zelda."
"S-sorry.... Zelda?"
"Hm?" was the only reply, a signal to continue her question.
"Um... I was just wondering. Have you... seen a woman called Eleanor? Sh-she looks like me but.. older and... green eyes?" She asked anxiously, hoping the woman would have a response to her question, the factor of the woman's evident drinking problem not crossing her mind which could affect her memory.
"Hmmm..." Zelda hummed after a while, "I...I'm not sure, doll. A lot of people come through here but I... might have? Y'know what, I'll ask Mack for you and if he hasn't then... maybe we can do something."
"Oh..." Milly sighed, feeling even worse, "...thank you." she preened her bear's head sadly. Zed noticed this sadness but could not stop her work.

Milly didn't say another word throughout being checked over, so Zed was happy when it was finally over. Her migrane was raging and her stomach churned painfully as she held back the urge to be sick.
"Okay, you're done... I'll tell Mack-" she gagged slightly, "-Mack what I think." She concluded. Milly, still holding the smarties, simply nodded as Zelda let her out. Just as she did, she spotted the lumberjack come in. Oh great... Just what she needed. As he snarked at her, the woman growled (not noticing the strange bulge in his shirt) "Get in, ya twat I'm not in the mood for your shit!" She snapped before shutting the door. She leaned against the wall with her head in her hand, this was going to be a painful day she could feel it.
idalie Peacemaker .45 Cosmosis

 

[Peacemaker .45]

Jennifer was relieved once she got out of the doctor’s office. She again had to see Zelda. It wasn’t so much that she hated her. Jennifer didn’t. But the woman rubbed her the wrong way, mostly due to the fact she was clearly an alcoholic. Since Jennifer’s father was an alcoholic after her brother died, she grew a distaste to anyone who surrendered their life to a bottle. While she disliked them, she also felt pity. Circumstances lead to people, more often than not, surrendering their life to a bottle. It becomes their escape from a life they didn’t want. Because of this, the girl couldn’t truly hate anyone who was an alcoholic. Though, regardless, it did have an impact on how she viewed them. And perhaps how she treats them, as well.

As Mack had instructed her, Jennifer returned to the house. Upon walking in, she began to look for her father. He was not there. Figuring that he had still been caught up in something, Jennifer went upstairs to her room, where she had unloaded most of the stuff in the bed of her truck the previous night. Following the whole issue with the shot guards, the freak and Smith and Beth, Jennifer drove the truck to the carport and had unloaded what she felt was necessary.

Entering her room, she took her prednisone, something she had to multiple times a day due to her heart transplant. Once she finished that, she looked over some of her weapons she brought inside. The girl looked them over, thinking intently on what would be the best to bring. As it was a given, her AR-15 was her default gun to take. For her sidearm, she wanted a higher capacity magazine, so she went with the P226. After that, it became a question of what other guns she could use to any applicable situation. For long range, the SRS would handle the job. For close range, the Siaga 12 Gauge SBS would work well. And lastly, should she need to have a designated marksman rifle, the MK-17S would fit the bill perfectly. Feeling confident in her firearm choices, she began to ready them and the ammunition she’d need. Furthermore, airing on the side of caution, she decided to grab her plate carrier to sit over her shirt. The plate carrier doubled as a magazine holder and body armor, as she had her level III steel plate would hold well against any round up to a 7.62x51.

Confident in her choices, she carried the rifles out to her truck. As she was loading in her last weapon, Mack appeared.

“Ready to go,” he asked, peering around the corner of the house.

“Yeah I’m ready,” Jennifer replied, closing the tailgate.

“Give me a minute. Get in the truck. I’ll be out in five.”

Jennifer nodded and walked to the driver side and hopped in the truck. Using this as valuable time to rest her eyes, she closed them and calmed herself. Quiet moments like these were the ones that many people took for granted before hell broke loose on Earth. These days, a quiet moment such as that was a god sent.

Several minutes later, Mack opened up the door and seated himself in the passenger seat. He put his rifle between his legs, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a map. Unfolding it, she showed it to Jennifer pointing at a red circle.

“Here, that’s us. Where we’re going is here,” he said, pointing at a small town called Sutton. “There is some good stuff here that are scavengers marked on a run. Unfortunately, due to a high number of undead-and living-so they were unable to grab anything marked there. Since we don’t know what’s left, and who is left there, I figured it would be a good time to test your skills.”

“Great... could get us both killed just to see how I do,” she said with a sigh and shrug. “Dad, do you have even the slightest idea what I’ve been through,” she asked, looking at him.

“I don’t have a damned clue what happened after Sal and his men attacked us. Everything after you and your mother running out I don’t have a clue about,” he replied, adjusting himself in the seat. “Start the truck, lets get moving,” he said to her. Jennifer did as asked. “I figured we could find out more about what happened with each other after that night. There’s a lot to talk about.”

“Yeah there is,” Jennifer said, staring forward and driving out of the Mountaintop. “Do you mind if I start?”

“Go ahead,” Mack said, almost reluctantly, after a several second long silence from him. Jennifer found this rather suspicious.

“What happened?”

“What happened aft-“

“After I left. How did you live? The last I saw of you was, what I thought, you getting shot up,” Jennifer said, cutting him off.

“Well,” Mack said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “I did get shot up. Sal took me in as a prisoner.” Mack looked out the side of the window and watched the trees passing by. “He tortured me, told me for weeks that he and his men caught you and your mom alive, and did terrible, terrible things to you and her. But their group fell into civil war not too long after. I escaped and headed out, away from there, as far as I could go. Eventually made my way here. The original founders-John Macktarvic, James and Kathy Fleming, Frank and Ruth Hinkle, Bill and Diana Williamson, Sean Baylock and George and Alice Madison-brought me in when this place was small. I was practically dead on the road, after being shot several times. They came and patched me up, made me one of them. I did some unforgivable things. But they saw past it. All of us worked to make the Mountaintop to be what it is today. Oh, and turn left.”

“What happened to them,” Jennifer asked.

“I don’t know. No one knows. They all just... disappeared. Biggest theory is the “boogeyman” got them. Whenever something bad happens or someone goes missing, people blame them. It’s more of a scapegoat, if anything, for when something bad happens. But I don’t think it was them. I think it was something else. I think there’s something else going on here other than the boogeyman. I have no evidence, just suspicions.”

Jennifer let the words sink in after he finished speaking. It seemed as if there was some much more going on in this place. Just when she thought she heard it all about this place, it seemed as if there was always something else. She also wondered what her father did that was “unforgivable.” She knows that she herself has done much wrong, so many unforgivable things. But as she’s learned, no one’s beyond forgiveness, not even those who are deemed too far gone.

“And you,” Mack asked, peering over at. “How did you survive and get here?”

“I didnt survive,” Jennifer bluntly stated.

“You’re alive. You’re right here. What do you mean,” Mack asked, leaning towards her.

“The Jennifer you knew isn’t the same girl sitting here now. She’s... gone. I had to survive, dad. I had to do things I never wanted to do.”

Jennifer turned off the road near a ramshackle gas station and brought the Diesel engine to a stop, putting it in park. Mack looked at her, and she glanced at him before looking away. The girl’s nervous tick of shaky, twitchy hands and twiddling thumbs began. Mack just stared at her with concern on his face. Jennifer looked for words to say, but none of them she wanted to speak. Tears began to gather in her tear ducts, eventually letting a tear or two drip down her cheek. Mack wiped them from her cheek and her eyes. He put his hand on her arm, and looked at her.

“Jennifer, honey, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me,” he said softly to her.

“I..,” she started, searching for words to speak. “I... changed so much. I became someone I didn’t want to be,” she burst out, her emotions driving her to cry. Mack took off his seatbelt and leaned over the center console, wrapping his arms around her. He remained silent as she went to speak again.

“I was kidnapped, almost raped, I had to kill, in such brutal ways! I became so dark because of it. I killed people for fun. I’m a monster, dad! I’m not your ‘precious little princess’ anymore. I did so much wrong. But I’m trying to change. I don’t want to be this way. But that darkness is still in me. I’m trying to fight it! Im trying to change. But I can’t take who I am and what I’ve done!”

“Jennifer,” Mack exclaimed, shacking her. “Relax! I’ve done terrible things too! I murdered a group of 11 people-men, women and children-before I joined the Mountaineers. I infiltrated their group, gained their trust and then murdered them all for al they had! I don’t like that I’ve become this person, but it’s who I am! I have to live with it and try to change and not reflect on the past. We have to move forward and change. You and I need to accept that we’ve been forgiven by others. We need to do that, okay!? We need to bury our sins, and walk away. Okay?”

Mack himself teared up. Jennifer reluctantly looked at him when he spoke. She began to calm down. Both of them calmed themselves down.

“I still love you no matter what. You’re my little girl. You will always be that. I thought I lost you,” Mack said, wiping tears from his eyes with his shirt sleeve, breathing in through a stuffed nose. “I’m not losing my little girl. I thought I lost you once. I did lose you once. I’m not losing you again. Not ever. Again. Do you understand?”

Jennifer looked at him through her own watery eyes, wiping them as they obstructed her vision. She simply nodded her head. “I understand,” she said.

“I love you, now come here,” Mack said, embracing her with a hug. “I’m not losing my only reason to live. I’m going to be better for you, my beautiful daughter. I love you. We’re not losing each other again.”

Jennifer hugged her father back. It’s been so long since they’ve seen each other. They thought the other was dead. They’ve changed. They’ve become dark. They’ve done things that some deem unforgivable. But now, they have each other. Father and daughter were once again reunited.

“Dad, there’s something I need to do,” she said, backing away from him and opening the door.

“What is it,” he ask, getting out, walking back to the bed of the truck, where Jennifer was. Jennifer opened up the tailgate and rolled the cover off the bed.

“This,” she said, pointing at the white cover with blood soaked on it. “I need to bury him.”

“Who is he,” Mack said, returning his gaze to Jennifer.

“His name was Austin, and he meant a lot to me.”

“We’re you two together,” he asked.

“No,” she began with a slight chuckle. “We weren’t. He was gay. But in my old group, he meant a lot to me. He and I were like family. He was there when I killed two helpless people for nothing more than fun. And when I attempted to kill myself following. He saved me from killing myself and kept me alive. He and I were just family.”

The girl looked down, and sighed. “He died two days ago. I need to bury him. He deserves it. And I need to bury some of my past. Will you help?”

“Of course, Jennifer. Of course,” Mack replied. Both grabbed shovels from the truck bed and began to shovel.

Once the Austin was buried, and a cross was made, Mack went into the truck. Jennifer stayed a moment to give Austin a final goodbye. Jennifer knelt down, and put a hand over where his body would be.

“This is goodbye, Austin. This isn’t what I wanted to have to do. I didn’t want to have to bury you. I would have wanted you here, with me and my father, at the Mountaintop. You would have loved it. There’s a grumpy doctor you would get along with. You both could have been dicks to everyone together.” Jennifer chuckled momentarily before speaking again. “What do you know,” she said, looking at the gas station next to her, “I met you at a gas station. And now I leave you near one. I guess it only fits, right?” Jennifer readjusted her leg to kneel more comfortably. She looked at the cross for a moment before speaking. “I’m going to miss you. But you needed to be laid to rest. You finally are. I miss you. I wish you were here. But I understand there was no other choice. I love you, Austin. You were the only family I had until I reunited with my father. Thank you. And please, put in a good word to the Lord for me. This is goodbye, Austin, until we meet again. You know where to find me otherwise.”

The girl lowered herself to the ground, giving it a kiss for Austin goodbye. She then wiped the tears from her eyes. Jennifer then got up, looked back one more time, giving a wave goodbye, then got back into the truck, and proceeded to Sutton.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before entering Sutton, Mack told Jennifer to park the truck a ways out before entering on Old Woman Run. They had to ensure the town was clear. Since there would be distance, Jennifer grabbed her SRS. Finding an elevated position, Jennifer found a spot for her rifle to rest and to look into the town. Putting the optic on the highest magnification, she peered into the streets. She saw a small group of four or five wandering around. Mack had expected that much when Jennifer told him. Looking around, Jennifer saw another small group, all wear black, in some sort of robe.

“The fuck, who are they,” Jennifer said as she laid her eyes upon the mysterious people.

“What? Let me see,” Mack said, taking the rifle and looking. “Son of a bitch, it’s Haeredes Helios. That ain’t good.”

“Who the hell are they,” Jennifer pressed, concerned.

“Oh just some pricks who think they’re cool because their name is Latin and references the ancient Greek god of the sun. Their religion is essentially Greek mythology, but tweaked a bit for their liking here with the current world we live in here.”

“Why is that?”

“Well,” Mack started, still watching them, “a bunch of wackjobs saw the nuke explosions, then the mutations and the kidnappings. They made a religion, or cult I, should say, about that. That the nukes are the God Helios ‘gifting the worthy into his kingdom with the other gods called Elysium, with his and holy divine power,’ and they think the ‘boogeymen,’ are the ‘holy judges Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Aeacus’ who ‘choose the worthy upon the path of salvation,’ through the nukes. And when they go off, ‘they cleanse the earth of unholy ones, and the nukes propel the worthy on a path to the divine beyond!’ Ironically, they find freaks to be the ‘unworthy’ who were rejected back onto Earth to try and prevent the ‘worthy’ from going to Elysium and cast them into Tartarus, their torturous ‘hell’ where none of them want to go. They view our group as ‘The Infernal Ones’ who are ‘heretics’ and they try to kill us, since they think killing us assures them a spot on Elysium and semi-diety status. They also have their own Mount Olympus where a majority of their Gods are. Yeah, loonies alright. Let’s see if we can get a little closer and see whats going on. If they’re here, they’re up to no good.”

“Alright, I suppose,” Jennifer said, taking her rifle and putting it over her back with the sling. She picked back up her AR and began to walk back to her truck. Mack and Jennifer then moved it closer, up until they were in a good range to again park it in the woods.

“Alright, lets look now,” Jennifer said.

Taking her rifle out, they were within 150 yards of them. She looked in on them. All members but one were knelt down in front of a preacher.

“I can take them out, put an end to whatever the hell they’re doing. I’m within range. We’d have the element of surprise.”

“Do it,” Mack replied.

Just as Jennifer flipped the safety, the noise of footsteps to their right started. Jennifer quickly pointed the rifle at the source of the sound, Mack doing the same, both finding cover. They waiting, as the footsteps got closer. Jennifer’s adrenaline started to pump into her veins. A familiar rush was entering her mind. Bloodshed. She wanted to kill, shed blood. The rush was consuming her. Before she saw the individual, Mack started saying for the person to get on the ground. He moved forward. Jennifer followed. A girl around Jennifer’s age appeared.

“Hands up where we can see them,” she said quietly, as she didn’t want to be loud enough for the Haeredes Helios to hear.

Jennifer moved closer, looking the girl in the eyes, rifle pointed at her.

“Who the fuck are you and what the fuck are you doing here,” she barked, rifle in the girl’s face. She wasn’t dressed like any of the Haeredes Helios members, but Jennifer couldn’t be sure. “Are you one of Haeredes Helios? Answer me now!” Both Jennifer and Mack held her at gunpoint, awaiting a response.

Megeara

 

[Megeara]

Rynn Jumped and knelt down on the ground slowly. She let one knee drop then to the other slowly with her hands up. "woah! hey no! hey! No Haeredes who?" Rynn looked up at these who. What the hell was wrong? who were they? Rynn sat there for a moment and looked at the rifle in her face and moved it a bit getting annoyed.
"Im Rynn. Rynn Marshall. I juat came from the small town down there." She pointed a little down the moutian. She pushed her hair back with one hand and began to stabd up slowly keeping her hands up. She knew they were probably just scared like her. Rynn looked at this young women her age and didnt move any more. She didnt feel lime getting shot. Then she glanced over at this older man. He kinda looked like the other woman. But Rynn keot her mouth shur. Hoping for the guns to be lowered and maybe an explanation to the hostility.
Rynn shifted her wieght a bit fixing her bag strap and waited for one of them to break the silence.
Peacemaker .45