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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 24, 2017 10:09:28 GMT -5
The stranger calmly turned and fired a few rounds into the dirt about an inch from Chip's position. "Don't do that again." he advised. He turned his head in Seth's direction. "Oh, I recognize your voice. You're the snarky sidekick. Where's Soldier Boy gone off to?" He glanced around, hoping to get a glimpse of the others. "The fact that it was Ben who actually pulled the trigger makes no difference, anyway. It was your group that did it, so it's your group that'll reap the consequences."
He frowned in Charlie's direction. "I don't know you yet. Anyway, I recognize some of your friends here. They were definitely involved - if you weren't, you made a hell of a mistake associating with these people. You don't want us as your enemies."
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Post by Morelia on Feb 24, 2017 10:37:00 GMT -5
Without answering the stranger, Charlie dashed out from his hiding place and into Chip's. He forced him onto the ground and held his hands behind his back with one hand. His other arm wrapped itself around Chip's neck, firmly, but not so much that it would harm the boy. His idea was simply to disable the child. "Don't move." He growled through gritted teeth. "You're going to get us all killed, dumba**."
Lacey shook from where she sat, but whether it was from anxiety or the cold was unknown.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 24, 2017 11:18:37 GMT -5
"Hey." Reese was at Lacey's side in an instant, grasping the girl's hand firmly between her own in a comforting gesture. "You've got to calm down, all right? You're cold, tired, malnourished, low on blood and having a panic attack, so I need you to bite your pride and do some deep breathing for me, okay?" Her voice was strong, but gentle, and she forced eye contact between herself and Lacey, hoping to stabilize her 'patient'.
"S'cuse me? I'm the damn protagonist, psycho." Seth hollered back, twisting his head around to try and see what was happening. He flinched at the unexpected gunshots, but from the new man's words it didn't sound as though there had been a hit yet. His brain was working furiously, trying to figure out an escape route. His reckless shouts weren't exactly part of the plan, but that was how he rolled: turn dumb decisions into awesomely executed stratagems.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 24, 2017 17:42:25 GMT -5
Sawyer closed her eyes, mentally steadying herself and trying hard not to imagine people shot or bleeding out. "We need to get out of here." she said finally, trying her best to keep her voice steady. "Ryker and Seth will be able catch up...if we don't go too far...but we need to move."
"What do you want?" said Ryker, voice strained. He was gonna bleed out if he didn't get patched up soon - but he didn't see a good way out of the situation.
"Just some restitution. I wanna shoot Ben Halroy myself." said the man, pacing back and forth in an attempt to get a look at at least one of the people hiding.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 24, 2017 18:31:33 GMT -5
"He's not here, how about we just tell him you said 'hi'?" Seth retorted, his head tilting forward slightly upon hearing Ryker's voice. It sounded...different, strained. Was he hit? The older man turned, craning his neck around to try and see what was going on. A reckless hand pressed to the rubble beside him shoved some stones loose, which tumbled forward in a puff of ash that made him scramble back, cursing.
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Post by Morelia on Feb 24, 2017 22:00:57 GMT -5
"No one's getting killed." Charlie made an attempt to sound calm as he held Chip to the ground. "Let's talk this out. That guy's got a bad temper from what I've seen, but that doesn't mean the whole group should suffer for it. Maybe we could make some,negotiations."
Lacey didn't respond to Reese. She shook uncontrollably, and her breaths began to grow labored, abnormally quick, and unsteady. Her heart rate sped up, and despite the cold, she began to break a sweat. She tried to speak, tried to tell Reese to back away, that she was okay, but when she opened her mouth, the only sound emitted was a strangled whisper.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 25, 2017 8:34:48 GMT -5
"Lacey." Reese's voice was strong and clear as she said the girl's name, and she squeezed the hand she was still holding tight enough to sting a little. "Lacey, you're going to be all right. Close your eyes, try to think about something else." Briefly, she wondered if Lacey had ever had panic attacks like this before. It was certainly possible, under these circumstances, that she hadn't but it was also possible she was prone to them, which might be a problem.
Opal glanced at Sawyer, nodding in agreement. "They can't know we're here, right?" She began uncertainly, getting stiffly up off the floor. "I mean, if they did they would have attacked already, right?"
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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 25, 2017 11:21:17 GMT -5
"Right." said Sawyer, nodding as Opal echoed her own thoughts. "We should put some distance between us and them before they figure it out. They probably think we're dead from the truck hit." She crossed the roof. "Reese. Can you get her up? We need to leave as soon as we can."
"Sounds like you're on board with this, then. We agree, the whole group doesn't need to suffer for one man's actions. Turn him over, and we'll be even." said the man, head tilting slightly in Seth's direction. Good, now he had a location on at least two of them.
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Post by Morelia on Feb 25, 2017 13:10:30 GMT -5
Charlie finally released his grip on Chip at that, but patted him on the back and mouthed, "Stay still." He thought for a moment before speaking. "Ah, come on, there's gotta be something else you people need. I hope you were smart enough to at least take the food and s*** for yourselves before burning that place to the ground.
The voices of the other survivors sounded faint and unclear to Lacey. She felt sick again, and desperately wished she had a safe, warm place to curl up and tune everything else out. Still, even in the midst of this, her pride won out, and she gathered her remaining strength to speak. "I-I c-can walk," The three words were enough to get her onto her feet, shaky as she was, but her head immediately began to spin, and she stumbled once. The ground greeted her harshly, and she made no attempt to move, as her head had landed roughly on tbe concrete. A single sstrangled word escaped her lips before the pain and anxiety overtook her, and she lost consciousness: "Andrew..."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 25, 2017 14:07:43 GMT -5
Reese stepped back to give Lacey room, glancing at Sawyer. "We're not going to be able to very fast in her condition." She began, then her head jerked and she leaned forward, trying to catch the wounded survivor before she hit the ground. She was too far back, but it didn't seem as though Lacey had been further injured by her fall. "She's half-starved. I can carry her."
Seth thought for a minute, feeling the dirt and ash under his fingers and the warm air from the fire against his face whenever he risked a glance out. "Hey, sounds good to me." He called experimentally, knowing Charlie's method to be completely fruitless as soon as he heard it. "He's not here. How about I go get him, and we're square?"
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Post by Morelia on Feb 25, 2017 15:30:02 GMT -5
Before their adversary could answer, Charlie shook his head. "No one's getting killed, including Halroy. There are very, very few human beings left at this point and we'll drive ourselves to extinction if we keep this up. You're a d*** idiot if you can't sympathize with that."
Lacey hadn't split open her head with the fall, but she would likely feel the pain from the impact for a day or two.
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EarthChip2888
my days are charged so sorry for the inconvenience (slow replies/inactivity)
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Post by EarthChip2888 on Feb 25, 2017 18:49:42 GMT -5
Chip whispered to Charlie " if you want I can set it off " pointing to the object he threw at the gunner's feet " it's not gonna kill him it's just a smokescreen detonator that we will have a chance to fully "
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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 25, 2017 22:34:24 GMT -5
"Don't give me some line about extinction - you know what still matters here? It ain't numbers. It's justice." In a few strides, the man crossed the ground between him and Seth, pointing his gun at the rock he was hiding behind. "Now, see, I don't think you're gonna turn him over. I really don't. But your friends might, if I've got a little leverage working in my favor." He lifted his gun and racked the slide threateningly, and several of his comrades could be heard following suit. "So why don't y'all drop your weapons now before anybody has to get hurt?"
"We'll go as fast as we can." said Sawyer, heading down the ladder with Ryker's dog on her shoulders. "Let's move."
(I'm thinking of having Colt here take Seth, Charlie, and maybe Chip hostage to make the others cooperate. What do you guys think?)
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 25, 2017 22:45:52 GMT -5
Reese straightened up, Lacey held halfway over her bony shoulders. It was uncomfortable, but she was pretty sure she could tough it out for a couple of hours if she needed to, and she moved to follow the others.
Opal got a couple steps towards the ladder before remembering the supplies, meager though they were. She turned and darted back over to the pile, shoving a couple cans and boxes into her pockets and hurrying back to the others. "What if they don't catch up?" She asked tentatively, breaking the relative silence.
Seth started and swore, slipping and falling into a clumsy, exposed position supported by his hands. The ground beneath his skin was still smoldering, he discovered, and flew into a long string of swears with an increasingly British accent to them. "Why the hell would I want to protect that loony?" He snarled, although he didn't bother to clarify whether he was speaking to the man holding him at gunpoint or to Charlie.
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Post by Morelia on Feb 26, 2017 14:31:53 GMT -5
Charlie shook his head. "No, don't do that. Not a good idea in this situation. They may be blinded for a bit but they've got people all around. Just hang in there." He straightened up and revealed himself to the other group. "Now just hold on a second." He gave a charismatic, yer nwevous, smile. Paired with his raised hands-- which defensively rested at shoulder level-- the look on his face betrayed somewhat of a submission. "We can work something out." He wondered where Ryker was hiding. The coward called himself a leader, but hadn't stepped up once during this confrontation. Charlie scoffed inwardly, though that was among the least of his worries at the time.
Lacey began to stir. Despite her head injury, and shortage in blood, she seemed subconsciously determined to make it on her own, without the help of the other girls.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 26, 2017 15:01:43 GMT -5
I added a new character btw, on my first post. Also, hostage sounds good to me ^^. ))
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Post by Morelia on Feb 26, 2017 16:21:16 GMT -5
(yeah, me too I think I'll also add another character with that group and have him be the guy who took Lacey's knife, so she can get it back eventually. if you guys are cool with that, lol.)
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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 26, 2017 18:24:20 GMT -5
Go for it ^^)
Colt glanced back into the burned warehouse for a moment, careful not to fully take his eyes off Charlie or Seth. "Nero. Their leader's been shot. Get him back to the rest of his group to deliver the message - Ben tomorrow morning at that restaraunt in Burlington, or we shoot these two." He took a step towards Charlie, gun still leveled at him. "I'm gonna tie your hands behind your back. It'll be less unpleasant for you if you cooperate."
As they got themselves down the ladder and reached the outside of the store, Ben took a brief glance at Reese. He narrowed his eyes at her, then turned to walk in the other direction. He knew better than to get involved in this.
"Oh...dammit." Sawyer cursed under her breath. "Our car's back at the warehouse." She glanced at the now walker-free truck - unless someone here had a freight license, that was pretty much useless. There were no other intact cars in sight, but maybe if they walked a little...she needed Ryker for this. How was she supposed to know what the hell to do?
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Post by Morelia on Feb 26, 2017 19:40:43 GMT -5
Charlie, having exhausted all other options, surrendered. Upon hearing that Ryker had been shot, he raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 26, 2017 22:52:21 GMT -5
A tall young woman moved to obey, sliding her rifle into a more offensive position as she did so. She walked over to Ryker and kicked his gun out of his hand, then leaned down to drag him upright.
Seth stood up, wiping his burnt hands on his clothes as he learned of Ryker's injury and his options rapidly fled the scene. Then, before the thought had gone from one side of his head to the other, he lifted his left fist and punched Colt directly across the right side of his face.
Reese returned the look, and her eyebrows knitted together slightly as the older man turned to go. She wanted him to stay, for their protection as much as his, but she knew there was nothing she could say that would convince him. If he wanted to go, he would go. She stumbled, nearly dropping Lacey as her eyes flicked down to her path again. She had to keep going.
"What do we do?" Opal asked aloud, echoing Sawyer's thoughts as she paused beside the other woman. "That truck crashed pretty hard, but I guess it might still work...what do you think?"
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Post by Morelia on Feb 27, 2017 0:33:16 GMT -5
Charlie's eyes grew wide, and he rushed over to the two. He threw himself in between Colt and Seth-- though he wasn't quite sure why-- and waited for any repercussions. Although brave, Charlie wasn't stupid; he understood the danger of defying a significantly larger group. Apparently Seth didn't, he thought, but nevertheless, he stood at the ready to accept whatever punishment the other man had in store for him. He just hoped they wouldn't shoot Seth on the spot.
Lacey wanted to speak, but couldn't. She wanted to walk on her own, but couldn't. The girl felt physically sick, and wanted nothing more than to rest. After having lost a significant amount of blood and other bodily fluids, and enduring a panic attack and head injury, she felt a twinge of anger at herself for having had to depend on the others.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 27, 2017 13:33:02 GMT -5
Colt reeled back, stumbling and momentarily dazed from the blow. As he recovered, he narrowed his eyes dangerously, massaging the spot where a small bruise was forming. A few others raised their guns, but he silently called them off with a hand motion. Then, abruptly, he swung with his own fist and hit Charlie squarely across the jaw, hard enough to stun him but not to render him unconscious. "What's your name, punk?" he asked, looking past Charlie and meeting Seth's eyes.
Ryker winced, barely conscious, as he was dragged to his feet. He felt sick, lightheaded, and the stabbing pain in his side hadn't let up at all. He wished he could see what was going on...everything was blurry. He heard someone shouting something, but it sounded distorted, like it was very far away. Someone was definitely supporting him, as he felt confident he would've fallen to the ground by now otherwise.
--
Ben turned his back to the group and walked away. He was soon out of sight, heading in the opposite direction as the warehouse. He needed to be far away from here, and fast. (I'll bring him back in a bit)
"Nobody here knows how to drive a truck." said Sawyer. "I don't, anyway, and even if Lacey did she's in no condition to drive." She considered her options for another moment. "We can't walk, either. And we're not leaving anyone behind." she added stubbornly, though she doubted anyone who was currently present would suggest that.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 27, 2017 14:14:04 GMT -5
Seth's eyes widened slightly as Charlie took his blow, causing the scrawny man to take a step backward with the purpose of avoiding a collision. "Seth. How 'bout you?" He answered the question in a casual tone of defiance, raising his chin and cocking a sarcastic smirk.
Nero looked down at her charge with her eyebrows raised, as though unimpressed with his plight. She glanced over as Colt was struck, but didn't bother trying to retaliate, and turned away just as the unmistakable sound of a second punch reached her ears. "Walk." She ordered Ryker coldly as she started off towards a nearby clump of shadowy bushes, although from the way she was mostly carrying him it was obvious she didn't expect him to.
--
"Of course not." Opal agreed automatically, glancing over her shoulder and noticing Ben's absence. "Ben could probably drive." She remarked, shaking her head and returning her gaze to Sawyer. "I guess we'll have to walk for a while. Maybe we'll find something we could use."
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Post by Morelia on Feb 27, 2017 16:26:03 GMT -5
Charlie let out a grunt as he was struck, and fell to the side. He had expected the hit, and remained on his hands and knees for a few moments to wait for the pain to ease. Humiliated, he finally staggered to his feet, clutching his jaw. He didn't say anything to either of the others, but eyed Seth, as if wanting to tell him to appreciate his sacrifice.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Feb 28, 2017 17:26:53 GMT -5
"Colt." replied the man, sparing a brief glance at Charlie. "And Seth, just take note for a minute, that right there is exactly how things are gonna go. You hit me, I hit you back. Someone else gets in the way, I hit them instead. Someone kills someone in my group...well, I gotta return the favor. It's not so unreasonable, is it? Gotta find some way to keep things even in this world."
--
Sawyer shook her head, glancing doubtfully at Lacey. "We can try." She looked towards the path Ben had disappeared on. "Why'd he have to leave, anyway? It's his fault we're in this mess."
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Feb 28, 2017 18:24:34 GMT -5
Seth's eyes flitted own to Charlie for a second, and he shrugged shortly in response the the other man's silent request. He hadn't asked him to go flinging himself into combat like that, and the British survivor definitely wasn't in anyone's debt. He lifted his multicolored eyes back to Colt, seeing Ryker get dragged away but the woman Colt had called Nero as he did so. Honestly, as long as he didn't bleed out the leader was in a better position at the moment. "Sounds peachy, baby male horse." He replied lightly, folding his arms easily over his scrawny chest. "Are you stupid or something? I already said I'd go grab Benny and hand him over."
--
"Maybe he thinks they'll chase him, if he separates from us." Opal suggested, though her blue eyes betrayed her doubt in this theory. Chances were he was saving his own skin, and she knew it. "Monster." She warned, stiffening and pointing to a spot a little ways away, where sure enough a couple of the dead had roamed into sight.
Suddenly, from down the road, the sound of a vehicle could be heard. Though the headlight was off, a motorcycle supporting two people became visible against the snow.
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 2, 2017 11:09:11 GMT -5
"Great." said Colt enthusiastically, ignoring the bizarre mockery of his name. "I'll come with. Let's go." He started off towards the gas station, prodding Seth's back with his rifle. Another group member did the same to Charlie.
"Stop!" demanded Sawyer instantly, raising her gun. She couldn't see who it was on the back of the motorcycle, but her breath caught in her throat as she realized they were injured. She saw the walkers - but couldn't pay attention to two threats at once. Hopefully they wouldn't get too close.
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Post by ®Hawkpath® on Mar 2, 2017 12:21:58 GMT -5
"Great." Seth repeated, beginning to walk. Then, before he had gone more than two steps, he spun on his heel and made a wild grab for Colt's gun, swinging his arm and executing a sharp twist meant to disarm his attacker. At the same time he threw himself to the side, fully expecting a shot to ring out but hoping it would hit someone else. He wasn't as strong as he would have liked, but if Mr. Zebra Morality here was as black and white as he claimed, then what would he do with a traitor, even if it benefited him? "Not bloody stupid." He muttered, almost inaudibly and seemingly for his own benefit.
The motorcycle swerved, parking itself neatly in the side of the road just as one of the figures was released to fall roughly on its side. The driver dismounted, stooping to drag her passenger upright. At her side hung Ryker's gun, and in her other arm a rifle was leveled steadily at the tall leader's ribs. "Put your weapons on the ground and kick them towards me, now." She ordered in a loud, clear tone.
Opal's eyes widened, and her hand went to her mouth. "Ryker." She murmured faintly, going pale at her leader's obvious weakness. Was that...blood?
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Post by <Raintalon> on Mar 3, 2017 11:30:49 GMT -5
Awesome! Where are your charries rn? I forgot)
He was successful in briefly disarming Colt, but the instant he turned he had seven other guns trained on him. Colt raised his hands up. "Hey. Don't shoot, I'm fine." He turned to Seth. "You're lucky I want you as a hostage, or your [curse] would be shot to death by now. Don't make me change my mind, okay?"
Sawyer's eyes widened as Ryker fell to the ground, and she took a shaky step towards him, knuckles turning white as they gripped her gun.
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