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Post by Rhinn on Apr 24, 2017 12:34:04 GMT -5
Sadly, Cameron had to agree with his wife.. er.. fiance... friend...
"I say we check downstairs and see if there is anything that we can live without and then get out of here." He didn't voice it as it would sound cold hearted, but he hope to find the owner of that truck downstairs and dead. Anything else, and they would be dealing with a whole lot of complications. Cameron readied his weapon and nodded to the door. He tapped on the door, as was his habit and when he heard nothing, he opened the door. There wasn't anything on the stairs, but the smell of rotting meat was thick in the air. Cameron gagged and pulled his t-shirt up over his nose and cringed.
"Something is in here, either alive or dead", he said as he made his way down to the steps. He didn't have to look back and see if Rissa was following him, he could hear the steps she made behind him. He was beginning to predict her movements and actually liked having her around. This whole "marriage" thing was weird, especially if what she said was true, he had 3, but he also didn't want to see her go.
At the bottom of the stairs, the smell became more concentrated and it brought his thoughts back to their current situation.
the Pawn Shop was small and cluttered with 4 aisles leading to the front of the store. There was a counter and a small back room at the base of the stairs.
"Let's check the floor and then the back room last", he said as he started down the closest aisle. Outside, through the barred windows, the clouds were moving in, blocking out the sun. Even though it was probably mid day, it was getting dark. A storm was probably rolling in.
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 24, 2017 13:15:42 GMT -5
Rissa felt like she was going to be sick, but she did as Cameron had and covered the bottom half of her face with her shirt. Whatever it was, there was no doubt if there wasn't one of the walking dead in the small pawn shop, there was definitely a body laying somewhere inside, and had been here for quiet a while to make that smell.
As Rissa walked down the aisles, she kept her crowbar held above her head, ready to swing it down onto a zombies head if she saw one. The aisles were crammed with various items, all covered in a thin layer of dust with yellow price tags on them. She noticed a few things that they could use, but didn't let her attention wander. She didn't want to end up as a snack to whatever could be inside.
She stopped as she came to the last aisle. A dried, bloody handprint was on the top shelf, and she looked wide eyed at Cameron and started slowly backing away, motioning for him to know that she had found something.
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Post by Rhinn on Apr 25, 2017 8:34:57 GMT -5
Cameron was about to head to the back of the store to the office when he felt Rissa tense right next to him. He looked at her and she was wide eyed. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong and then he saw the bloody handprint. With his nerves on high, he holstered his pistol and grabbed his machete.
Cautiously proceeding down the aisle, he saw a lump of a man on the floor. As he approached, the smell got worse and worse. The body had on what was left of a man... or rather his clothes. Old faded jeans and a red flannel shirt with brown boots were arranged in the typical fashion. The man or body was deteriorated and the head was completely missing.
Even so, Cameron prodded the body with his blade. It didn't move at all. Beside the body, Cameron found a little hand written note. Bloody fingerprints were on the front.
"Dearest Olivia,
I have been bitten and will not be joining you in Vegas. I went back to the shop and will deal with the infection as well as I can. I love you and have for all of our lives together. Be strong, I am always with you.
Love Clive"
Cameron folded the note and put it in his pocket. Somehow, he felt it was right to keep the note. Putting the machete down, he rummaged around in the pockets of the jeans and finally found what he was looking for... a set of keys. As he held them up for Rissa to see, a loud thunderclap and lightning sounded and rain began to pour down in droves. Outside the window, Cameron could barely see anything... just shadows moving around slowly. No matter that they intended to do, they were here for the night.
"Another night in Still Creek, I supposed", Cameron said to Rissa.
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 25, 2017 10:24:17 GMT -5
"This is a terrible honeymoon. I am just saying."
Rissa gave him a weak smile, and looked down at the body on the floor. She didn't want to stay in the shop, but at the same time they didn't have a choice. While they were there, the least they could do was look around for anything useful.
"Come on, let's see if we can find anything we can take with us, and maybe some blankets. That couch didn't look really comfortable."
Taking Cameron's free hand, she started tugging him away from the body on the floor. She was fairly confident it wasn't going to get back up and bother them.
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Post by Rhinn on Apr 26, 2017 9:31:10 GMT -5
"I'll make sure we have a better one when we get to Vegas", Cameron responded. He was already thinking of her like... well more than a friend. He allowed her to grab his hand and followed her away from the body. With all that was going on, he still had the tingling in his hand that he got when he held hands with a girl.
Presently, his mind came back to him. "Let's check the back office for any supplies and look around the store for supplies. I say we spend the night upstairs away from the smell." Cameron had seen some items that he would have liked to have. Plus shops like this would have a small supply of knives and maybe some guns or ammo. Also, there was a collection of outdoor gear that would be helpful.
Cameron and Rissa made their way to the back office. Inside, they found a cluttered office with papers strew all over the floor. There was really nothing of value. The vault had been ripped open and anything of value was gone.
What they did find was a small bathroom / janitor's closet. It had a small sink and toilet and also a small half shower where mop buckets were kept. There was a water spout at about shoulder level. With some squatting and twisting they should be able to get a shower.
God, how long had it been since Cameron had a shower. Suddenly he became self conscious about his he smelled. Reaching out, he turned on the water. It spurted for a bit, but then it came on full blast.
He smiled at Rissa. "How about you take a shower and I'll scope out the floor for things we can use. Then we can switch."
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 26, 2017 10:01:19 GMT -5
Rissa ran her hand through the water, while cold it was refreshing on her skin. She could definitely use a bath, she didn't k ow how long it has been since she was clean.
"Sure. Just be careful out there. I know nothing is in here with us, but we don't want the undead knowing we are in here."
So far everything was looking up. They had keys, a hopefully working vehicle and the chance to find supplies. Her luck had improved since yesterday afternoon.
"Alright, scoot. I'm going to get undressed soon."
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Post by Rhinn on Apr 26, 2017 10:57:40 GMT -5
"Don't use all the hot water", Cameron said as he exited the small bathroom. Then he went roaming around the store for a bit. Outside, the sky was getting darker and the storm was getting intense. He felt lucky. If they had just tried to make a run for it. They would have been caught out in the rain with a truck with little to no gas.
As he looked around the shop, he left the lawn equipment alone, as well as toys, watches and other things that just wouldn't help him. On the 2nd aisle, though, he found several things that would be quite helpful. It was the "military surplus" aisle, so there were fatigues, both pants and jackets, some boots and gloves. He grabbed set for himself and threw in a couple of black t-shirts. Beside that were rucksacks and backpacks. He grabbed a handful of them as well. Lastly on that aisle were items sent by God himself... first aid kits and small MRE's. Pulling out a tarp from the corner, he began to put all of the items on it.
He heard the sound of the water starting and forced his mind not to image what was going on in there. But it did remind him to go back to the aisle of clothes and pull some off the rack for Rissa.
Heading towards the back of the store, Cameron looked behind the counter at where the weapons were typically kept. Unsurprisingly, the firearms were gone, but he did find a bowie knife with a sheath and under the counter was another small revolver. He took both of those and put them in the pile. He was hoping to tie it all up and just chunk it all in the back of the truck.
As he was finishing up his search, he did stop at one case in particular. Usually, he wouldn't be looking at stuff like this, but recent developments in his relationships status.
After a few minutes, he found one that he thought would work and put it in his pocket.
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 26, 2017 11:57:44 GMT -5
Rissa showered quickly. As much as she wanted to enjoy the lukewarm water, she also wanted to search for anything of value to their survival. Cameron could teach her a lot, and if she wanted to be useful, she would need to learn how to be useful as well. She pondered what he had said, about not having to adhere to the old rules. To the laws of the community she had escaped from.
She had a new life now. But she didn't know what she should do with it now that she had it. Being married to Cameron wasn't such a bad start. He was much closer to her age than her former husband had been, and he had saved her life. He seemed nice, although she could tell she made him very nervous. Whether that was through attraction or lack of social interaction she wasn't sure.
She got out of the shower and quickly dried herself, finding a still usable shaving razor and some shaving soap. She made some cosmetic upkeeping and then re dressed, coming back out into the shop barefoot to see Cameron hard at work gathering supplies.
"Been busy I see. Finding a lot of useful stuff?"
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Post by Rhinn on Apr 26, 2017 12:23:38 GMT -5
Cameron snorted a laugh. "Surviving is a full time job around here", he said. "I have found some more clothes, mostly military camo stuff." He pointed to a stack of smaller clothes. "Some of this might not fit you, but they are the smallest that they have. Other than that, some first aid kits, a knife and some MRE's."
Cameron stood up and stretched his legs and back. He definitely could smell Rissa. "You smell like a flower." As he passed, he stopped and gave her a hug. Then he grabbed his backpack and went to take his shower.
He piled his pack and weapons outside the bathroom and then stepped inside the bathroom. The water wasn't ice cold, but it wasn't hot either. Still a shower was a welcome luxury and he was going to enjoy it. Over the next 15 minutes, Cameron scrubbed every inch of his body, intent on not smelling like warmed over death. After his shower, he examined it old clothes. The pants were still good, but the shirt and socks were just too far gone. he pulled on his jeans and a black t-shirt and then a new pair of socks and his shoes. He then took his toothbrush out of his pack and brushed his teeth.
Within 20 minutes, he was back out with Rissa in the storefront. The sun was well on its way down and the lights were low.
"What have you found?"
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 26, 2017 12:41:06 GMT -5
Rissa had a small smile on her face as she searched through the remainder of the shelves, not really finding anything else of use. She didn grab a few canister of camping fuel, and a small camping stove. Cooked meals would be a blessing, and she didn't know how much longer they would be on the road.
She searched through the clothes he had found, and while the only shirt she could find that fit her was a little snug, she was fine with that. Clean clothes were not something to be overlooked. She was just pulling on the camo pants when she heard the water stop. She thought about Cameron's parting words and gave herself a sniff, wondering if she did indeed smell like flowers. Evidently she did. She silently thanked whoever had left the soap behind, and started gathering the last of the things they had found onto the tarp. They could pack the bags before they went upstairs for the night.
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Post by Rhinn on Apr 26, 2017 13:34:09 GMT -5
Cameron laughed. He had just realized that they were both dressed the same. "We look like that couple at the state fair that dressed alike." Coming up beside her, he nodded at the things that she picked out. He was getting more at ease with having her around. For her part, Rissa seemed to be coming out of her shell, which was a pleasant surprise.
"Let's fold it all up in the tarp and then tomorrow we can just load it up in the truck and be off." It was getting very late and very dark. Even with the lightning outside, Cameron was hesitant to use a flashlight on the ground floor. "Let's get back upstairs", he said as he readied his pack.
In the dark, they began to make their way to the stairs. Only there did he pull out his flashlight and shine them on the stairs. As they crept up the stairs, Cameron heard a moaning sound coming from the upstairs office. He immediately took his revolver out and advanced up the stairs. Nodding at Rissa, he kicked the door open, ready to shoot a walker who somehow got upstairs.
What he found was the wind blowing rain through the window that he had broken. The storm had drenched the back half of the floor and desk... the only dry section was the couch and by the door.
Grabbing one of the old dusty throw blankets on the couch, Cameron hooked the edges over the curtain rod and draped the blanket over the window. The howling died down and the rain was kept out.
"Dang it."
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 26, 2017 14:09:07 GMT -5
"Well, I thought you were heroic."
Rissa moved the couch as close to the door as she could, wincing a little from the pain in her side. She was still hurting, but after a week or so she would probably be okay. She had been hurt worse during her time in th cells, and she tried not to think about it as she busied herself with making their sleeping arrangement as comfortable as possible.
"I'm glad to be inside. Must be a really bad storm coming in."
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Post by Rhinn on Apr 27, 2017 8:55:41 GMT -5
Cameron smiled at Rissa. "Thanks. I'm actually glad it is just the window. I'm kinda tired of dealing with death for the day." He helped Rissa put the couch by the door, blocking it off. He put one of the blankets on the couch and tossed his on the floor.
"Hopefully, it will wash all the undead down the street and into the gulch", he said, referring to the storm. Satisfied that they have barricaded themselves in, Cameron put all his stuff down in the corner. Then he slid down on the floor.
Now, at the end of the day with his body just shot through with adrenaline all day, it was catching up to him. Cameron was tired, he ached and he was hungry. He reached into his pack and pulled out two of the MRE's that he had found downstairs. It wasn't going to be a fantastic feast, but it was going to be something in his stomach. He gave the other one to Rissa.
"Not much of a first date, but if you imagine something else as you eat it, it is almost tolerable." Cameron popped open his pack. On the outside, the package said beef stroganoff. He smelled it and it didn't smell like stroganoff, but it didn't smell like the spleen from a first generation walker.
He waited for Rissa to open hers and let her take the first bite before he began eating.
"So, tell me more about yourself."
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Post by JDrew25 on Apr 27, 2017 9:10:54 GMT -5
Rissa grimaced a little, but continued eating. It wasn't that tasty but it was food. She had been on hand rations for so long he could have tossed her a shoe and she would have started eating it.
"I don't really know what to say. Grown up, lived in the community my whole life. Spent the last, six, maybe seven months in the holding cells for new wives. Makes it so we don't escape, or find another man. The council decides who we marry, and when I found out it was...him, I knew it was time to escape. I'd been out for maybe a week, then they found me. They were taking me back when the undead found us. And then you guys saved me."
She ended the short story with a shrug, taking another bite and trying to forget what being imprisoned was like. It would still hunt her for a long time. But for right now she was safe.
"I've had worse first dates. You haven't backhanded me yet."
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Post by Rhinn on Apr 27, 2017 9:21:13 GMT -5
Cameron didn't know what to say. He wanted to know more about her, but it seemed to bring up bad memories. He gave her a smile. "And you haven't thrown your drink in my face yet, so I saw we are starting off with a bang." He took another bite and chewed it down. "Do you have any sisters back on the compound?"
Cameron hoped against hope that she didn't. It was something that would have to be dealt with or it could haunt Rissa the rest of her life.
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