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Post by Rusty on Apr 13, 2012 22:29:45 GMT -7
The gentle hum of the cherry-red moped motor, as it struggled to maintain a swift and steady speed, blanketed the mind-numbing rush of her palpatating heart. The night air was crisp and cool as it splashed against her skin. The moon hung low and full above the earth, bathing the land in a silvery, icy light. Diogenes, alert and shivering, regarldess of the thick woolen blanket and hand-knitted sweater that covered his small frame, sat perched in the wicker basket, firmly anchored near the rear of her scooter.
Weaving through stalled and destroyed cars, her heart sunk as she sniffed the iron-scented blood, the aura of panic and fear thick on the breeze of the night.
They were trying to escape...
Rusty's eyes frantically searched the grassy banks of the highway, stained in the most menacing shade of maroon. Her fear-widened eyes bathed the scattered body parts and ghosts of life in her gaze, her reality becoming more and more tainted. A child's blanket, soaked in blood and the indiscernible remnants of internal organs, peaked out from under an overturned SUV.
Intent on focusing forward, before she lost the contents of her stomach among this ghastly scene, she squinted her chocolate-brown eyes into the night. It was quiet, and if Rusty allowed herself to believe in the outdated dogma, she would have praised god for that small miracle. The moaning, the sickeningly wet smack of flesh torn from bone, was all muted in the wide bosom of the dark.
In the distance, the soft glow of yellow light illuminated the horizon, catching the breath in Rusty's lungs. Looking down at her gas gauge, dangerously close to empty, she made the decision to stop, desperately hoping that survivors like her would show themselves, instead of those things.
"We're gunna be okay. We're gunna make it, baby," she whispered to her little feline, reaching a quivering hand back, and patting Di's bald little head, hoping to calm him, in this new world where rash emotions kill.
Turning onto the exit, and crossing into the limits of the town, still quiet and peaceful, even after the uprising, she looked about for any side of movement or otherwise. They couldn't make it much further without help. Pressing her dark bronze hand lightly against the horn, she hoped to get the attention of any survivors in the area.
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Post by Luke on Apr 14, 2012 0:11:20 GMT -7
Luke heard what sounded like a horn not far from where he was. it was subtle...one time, very quick. It was a signal, not a trap. Drawing his pistol, he moved quickly and quietly in the direction of the noise. In the center of the road, headlights on, was a woman on a red moped.
"A moped? You're kiddin me." Luke mentally made fun of her choice of wheels. As this transpired, two of the corpses rose behind her and began to shamble towards the tan skinned woman....Luke was oblivious. Until a sound from a basket on the back of the moped caused Luke to focus. As the first Mimic neared her, a bald cat hissed and swiped its paw in the direction of the Mimic. Luke raised his pistol and fired twice as the girl turned, killing both Mimics.
The girl then stared at Luke and drew a pistol from her boot. Aiming straight at Lukes chest, she got off the moped.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Luke raised his pistol once more, "do I look like one a them?" She clicked back the hammer as Bubba entered the street.
"Now, you sho don wanna do that miss," he said, easing towards her, "We on yo side...just put it down, miss."
The cold look in her eyes never left, but she did holster her pistol. Luke did as well and approached her.
"What are you doin, honkin like that? Do you want to kill us all lass?" The girl never answered, merely began to unload her supplies. Bubba, being a gentlemen, offered his assistance. She merely glared at Bubba and scooped up her hairless cat.
"Well...you at least got a name, sweetheart?" Luke received a look that said 'apologize-or-I-really-will-shoot-you.' "Hey..cool it, we're all in this. You got a name?"
The woman stood for a few seconds before holding her head high. "Names Rusty...you limp-dicks got a camp around here?"
"Ah...the voice of an angel" thought Luke as he swept off his hat and bowed deeply.
"Right this way miss."
Rusty put her axe to her shoulder and brushed past Luke roughly. "Crazy bitch," thought Luke as he and Bubba walked after her.
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Post by Rusty on Apr 14, 2012 10:49:04 GMT -7
Rusty's blood boiled at the gall of tow-headed 'tough guy'. She walked forward, leading the group of three in a direction she entirely uncertain of. Ever needing to feel in control, and rarely letting her guard down, she refused to look to these two, Luke and Bubba, for directions. She hated feeling like a 'damsel'. If she needed to get somewhere, or accomplish something, she counted on herself. These men hadn't proved trustworthy enough yet, to be given any sort of loyalty or dependence.
Di stalked through the wet grass, shivering slightly as he sniffed the air, pausing occasionally to listen. His instincts had already saved her life once. If he sensed something was amiss, she trusted it. He was the closest thing to a guardian angel she would ever get.
Hiking the book bag of medical supplies higher on her back, she scanned the streets for the most likely location of their camp. A dim light flickered several yards away, illuminating the front of a beat-up, but sturdy looking pub. Around her, the rest of the buildings were dark. She blinked away the slugglish, shuffling movement that appeared in the windows of those abandoned homes and stores. Its just nerves... she told herself, as they neared the bar. Looking back quickly at the two men, a scowl on her face and quiet determination in her eyes, she saw no sign of protest as they entered the establishment. Though long abandoned, the scent of booze, vomit, and regret was still thick on the air.
I could use a drink...
Di followed after the group, weaving through the blonde man's feet, and jumping up on the bar as Rusty set down her supplies. Seeing the obvious look of disgust on the man's face, at being touched by the felines hairless body, she smirked, and set a tattooed hand against her hip.
"Aww, Does my little pussy make you 'big, strong men' uncomfortable?" she scoffed, her low, raspy voice offering a challenge, amused fire blazing in her eyes.
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Post by Luke on Apr 14, 2012 16:55:52 GMT -7
The odd little smirk disappeared quickly as the clicks of several guns caused her to look about. The 4 rifles, 2 pistols, and a knife of the bartender behind Rusty were all trained on her. Luke smiled as Rusty scowled at him once more.
"You really should be nicer to people," Luke raised his right hand and gave an 'all clear' signal. The others lowered their respective weapons...slowly, "especially when they have more guns than you."
"Why in the hell were they pointing them at me in the first place?" Rusty said vehemently, eyes darting from person to person. Luke plopped down at a table and rested his elbows on his knees.
"You didn't follow us...they assumed you took us prisoner and you were here to take things and the like." Rusty crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest. Luke rubbed his forehead, she was stubborn.
"Ok look," the soft tone in Lukes voice caused Rusty to eye him suspiciously, "I can tell your used to being on your own. I know what thats like and trust me...its not how you survive out here." Luke held up his hand and the bartender tossed a bottle to him. Luke caught it as the others sat down as well.
"The one and only trick...and listen close...to surviving is 'dependence.' If you can't learn to depend and help others, you'll be turned into mush like that." Luke snapped his fingers and took a quick drink from the bottle. The others also had drinks to calm their nerves. Luke looked at his bottle and offered it to Rusty. "Everyone in here will do their best to protect you, and each other. You just have to be willing to accept help."
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Post by Rusty on Apr 14, 2012 17:19:54 GMT -7
Rusty, eyebrow raised, took the bottle from Luke and took a long, deep swig of the delicious amber liquid. Unintentionally, she drained the whole bottle. Gasping for air, she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.
"Hmph. Next one's on me then," she said, her husky voice not soothed by the cool liquid. Opening her tattered white book bag, covered in random doodles, with the word 'Devilish' scrawled in the middle, she rummaged through her supplies. Raising her head up, blue locks falling around her face, her brown eyes still full with frosty determination, she looked up at the bartender.
"Take whatever you want as payment," she mumbled, sliding the open bag toward the heavy set man, his pale blue eyes framed in wrinkles.
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Post by Luke on Apr 14, 2012 19:26:03 GMT -7
The old wrinkly bartender shook his head slowly and pushed the bag back to Rusty.
"Nah, miss. You need it more an' I do." Luke smiled and looked outside. Night had fallen.
"Alright, listen up. Bill," Luke stood and looked to the bartender," Turn the outside lights off...leave only a few essential ones on inside." The old man nodded and started flipping switches. Turning towards the others, Luke issued further orders.
"Carmen, Louis, you two take up positions on the roof. Cover the streets." They nodded, picked up their rifles and walked towards the stairs. "Bubba, Jill, I need you guys to re-board up these windows." The duo stood and set to work immediatly. Luke turned to Rusty and nodded at her.
"You wanna watch the front with Lola? I've got the back entrances covered for tonight."
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Post by Rusty on Apr 18, 2012 20:08:56 GMT -7
Grumbling to herself, Rusty downed the remainder of her beer and belched like a man. Pulling out a deep red lipstick from her book bag, she retouched her makeup and gave Luke a curt nod in agreement.
Casting her near-onyx eyes over the the long, lean form of the woman names Lola. Her near platinum locks shimmered, even in the pale moonlight, against her tan, toned flesh. She was athletic, confident, and oozing with that tom boy essence that made Rusty's mouth water. Though always aloof, and rarely ever trusting, a little shameless flirting was always enjoyable.
Sauntering over, her black boots clacking against the worn linoleum, Rusty smiled fully, her voice heavy with a husky but warm greeting. She practically pranced away from the rest of the group, as she and Lola took their positions in the front of the bar. After several moments of intense diligence, they dissolved into small talk.
"So, Lola my dear...who were you before the world went to hell?"
Rusty asked, as she briefly scanned the abandoned street outside of the thick, bluish glass before them.
Clearing her throat, Lola began to tell tales of long, cool nights at the beach, tanning her skin and blowing a shiny whistle under the guise of saving lives. Rusty giggled, her deep voice gravelly and full, thinking of a semi-naughty reply to the woman's answer.
Before she could form the words, however, a large, deformed mass moved in the corner of her eye. Glancing around quickly for Di, her body tensed and her pistol cocked.
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Post by Luke on Apr 18, 2012 20:24:21 GMT -7
"SPIKER!" Carmen shouted, bringing the rifle to her shoulders. The shot that followed echoed off the walls off the dark, abandoned buildings. Soon...the moans and screams of the infected were swarming towards them. Luke ran to the front of the bar to find Rusty firing her small pistol with surprising accuracy. Lola was kneeling over Bill, carefully removing the long spike that jutted from his shoulder. Luke took his position at the window and readied his rifle.
"Bubba! Get everyone into position NOW!" Luke fired into the quickly growing horde, hoping to thin their ranks. If his group had to run, Luke wanted it to be rather quiet. "Keep holdin' em off, lass!" Rusty nodded while reloading with shaking hands. Luke kept squeezing off rounds as he shouted to the others.
"Jill! I need another shooter up here!" Jill rushed to the front, drawing her pistol in the process. A scream from the roof spelled disaster for this band of misfits.
"CARMEN!" A scream was heard amidst the sounds of gunfire. Seconds later, the figure of Carmen smacked the pavement as a Whipfist drug her body off somewhere else.
Luke shook it off and reloaded. As he did, he looked out into the mass of rotted flesh. To him, they seemed to be getting closer much faster than he wanted.
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Post by Rusty on Apr 20, 2012 6:34:24 GMT -7
"FUCK!" Rusty screamed, as she blew off the head of an infected that had come closer than she would have liked. Her eyes searched the horiozon, and found only swarms of undead milling around in the dozens. She looked over to Luke, who's joking eyes had now become cold and calculating. The change in his eyes chilled her in a way that made her whole body quiver.
Running over to her supplies, she grabbed the fireaxe that she had picked up while running out of her shop weeks before.
'Normal' seems like a dream now...she thought, as she hoisted the heavy axe up, and swung with all the ferocity she could muster, letting out a loud grunt of frustration and fear, at the head of the walker lurking behind Luke.
He was too busy eliminating the undead before him, who had bursted through the thick, dark glass and were advancing further into the bar, to notice the ghoulish beast who had almost evicted from him own existence.
"Pay attention, you damn cowboy! You almost--" Her shouting over the cries of the damn died, as boiling panic set in. Looking about her frantically, her breath becoming short, she searched for her feline amongst the dead.
No....the don't go after animals...
She attempted to reassure herself, as her gaze fixed upon the back entrance of the bar.
"DIOGENES!!" She screamed, as her eyes fixed upon the bald little cat, paw raised and hissing at the form of a small child, whose fragile cries rang all to familiar.
Her lean body carried her faster than her mind could process, and, axe raised, she was fully prepared to attack this chaotic little bitch alone, with the full brunt of her rage.
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Post by Luke on Apr 21, 2012 22:07:39 GMT -7
Hearing Rusty's cry, Luke whirled around. At the back of the bar, was a tiny bald cat. This cat was hissing and swiping at a Doll. Pushing past Rusty, Luke moved quickly.
"Damn crazy cat." he said booting the Doll out the door. Bending over, he picked up this brave little warrior. Little did Luke know, is that the cat actually WAS crazy. The little bastard clawed and scratched Luke as he tried to save his miserable hairless life.
"God. Dammit! Get...stop!" holding the cat with one hand, he scolded the crazy bastard. Jill screamed as two freaks grabbed her and tried to pull her out the front of the bar. Rusty tried to pull her free, but it was all in vain. The Freaks made off with their prize. Luke placed the psychotic cat on the bar as he noticed something was wrong. All the infected...were running. Thats when Luke heard the one noise he dreaded. The sound of a herd of bulls stampeding. Only it wasn't a bull.
"We have to leave...now." Luke said quietly.
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Post by Miguel D'Cruz on Apr 23, 2012 16:15:27 GMT -7
And they escaped the Atlas and got away and blah, blah, blah. Good enough. As always, your posts are so poetically descriptive. I like the way you use the teal color for you text, it helps break up the crazy white and black, ha ha. You are good to go- I pronounce you officially approved.
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