|
Post by Rhinn on Feb 3, 2011 21:12:08 GMT -5
Zoe gave Samuel a weak smile and nodded. "Store first", she agreed. Then she untangled herself from the blanket and tossed it over the back of the couch and swung her feet onto the floor. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and then slide a hair tie around it and tightened it down to hold her hair in place. Then she reached into her bag and pulled out a long sleeve shirt and pulled it on over her top and grabbed her pants and her boots and went to the bathroom.
Throwing some water on her face, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and felt herself wake up a bit and calm down. Then she dropped her pj pants to the floor and pulled on her blue jeans. Then she pulled on her boots. Stepping out of the bathroom, she looked at the other rooms. She'd make time to explore them more thoroughly during the daylight hours. She walked back into the den and folded up her pjs and tucked them into her back. Then she strapped on her holster and tucked her revolver into its place. Then she filled up the slots on her holsterbelt with 4 quick loaders already loaded with .357 rounds. Then she pulled on her jacket, zipping it up and her backpack. It carried the extra ammo, a radio and a sheath for her machette. Finally she pulled her rifle from its sling on the bike and looked at it and then pointed it out the window.
Through the scope, she was just able to make out market down the street. She estimated it would be about 6 blocks away over one of the bridges that crossed Circle River. Then she looked over at Samuel.
"Do we walk it, or do we go see if there is a ride that we can take down there?"
Zoe figured that Samuel could carry alot of weight, but a car or truck would carry more. The flipside of that was that if they took a car, they would be advertising themselves to anyone or anything within ear shot of the car.
She also knew that she would probably be leaving her rifle behind.
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Feb 4, 2011 9:59:41 GMT -5
“I’d say walk. We can cover the ground just fine and we won’t make as much noise.” He said, pumping the shotgun in front of him and topping it off with one more shell. He flipped the safety on and began loading shells into the side saddle on the weapon.
Leaning it on the couch, he went back to his duffle bag and looked around inside. He pulled out another box of shells and set them on the coffee table, then dumped out the contents of the large bag. A few more items of clothing and a few packaged MRE’s, coupled with a bottle of water for each. He left it unzipped and put the strap over his neck and right shoulder, letting the empty bag hand toward his back. He then stood up and slung the Remington over his neck and right shoulder, letting it hand to his right.
“Well, we’re burning daylight.” He said, even though the sun had just come up. Daylight was always good. It usually kept those things in hiding, the zombies not so much, but the things that were worse than them, those ones didn’t come out much in the day time.
He kicked a few loose belongings into the bigger pile when he stood up, reaching down to his sheath and undoing the button on the retention strap. He folded it back and clipped it behind the sheath, making sure he could pull his knife in a hurry. If he could help it, he wouldn’t fire a shot.
“Be ready to get that knife dirty.” He said, looking at the machete she had sheathed. “Total silence, that’s what we need.” He added. He didn’t know how well she knew how to use it, but he could use his quite well.
|
|
|
Post by Rhinn on Feb 4, 2011 18:04:01 GMT -5
Zoe nodded and made sure that she could get to it quickly. Then she placed her rifle on the couch and walked to the door. Cautiously, she opened it and peered outside, keeping her booted foot braced against the door, just in case something lunged at her. Seeing nothing, she opened it all the way and stepped outside.
The sun had cleared the mountains in the distance, but was no where near midday. They had a lot of time to get back under cover before nightfall. She took in a deep breath. Up here the air was clean and crisp and the wind brought a brisk cold breeze to her. She shivered a bit as she acclimated to the weather and then took a few more steps out onto the porch of the grand estate.
She kept her hand on her revolver, just out of habit, but also made sure that her machete wouldn’t snap on anything. It felt weird to leave her gear behind, partly because she felt light on her feet, but mainly because it had gone with her wherever she went. She felt almost naked without her rifle and bike.
Looking down across the lawn of the Jefferson Estate, she saw that the grass was covered in the morning dew. The driveway meandered a bit as it wandered down to the main gates. Whoever had designed it had wanted the visitors to get a good view of the grounds before the made it to the house. Zoe smiled as she noticed the grass was undisturbed by footprints. Since the dew had fallen in the night, no one had trampled across it. Of course the driveway would have hidden the tracks, but most zombies didn’t follow routes, they shambled in straight lines. She pointed this out to Samuel as he exited the house.
“No footprints, no visitors. I suggest that we stay on the drive. We don’t want to leave impressions that would alert others that this house is occupied.”
Peering out of the gate, she saw, with relief, that the streets were deserted. Then a dark thought clouded her relief. It was something that her Uncle had told her at the first outbreak.
“Deserted does not mean empty.” Cautiously, she made her way down the steps and began to walk down the drive.
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Feb 7, 2011 5:14:53 GMT -5
“Good plan.” Samuel concurred, stepping out of the house with her and going down the walkway to the driveway. It still got to him, how eerie things were. How quiet it could get. And all in the midst of such chaos. Some people would think the silence was a good thing. And sometimes it was. If the zombies were hunting something, they were verbal about it. You could hear them a mile off. But if they didn’t have anything better to do, they stood around and did nothing. That included not making any noise. A silent day meant they were lurking somewhere, hungry. And hunger led them to do some crazy things, even by their standards.
Samuel kept pace with Zoe, stopping to look out the gate before he opened it. Everything looked the same as it had when he got here yesterday. Either light to no traffic, or something smart enough not to leave a trail.
“Lets be quick.” He said, opened the gate as quietly as he could. The owners kept the thing in good condition, it didn’t creak like a motherf**ker when it was opened. Good. He let her out and shut it behind them, picking up his pace as his head craned to check every single angle on the situation at hand every few seconds. Paranoia was something he would readily admit to possessing.
(Group now in Fair Value Market)
|
|
|
Post by Rhinn on Apr 8, 2011 14:16:24 GMT -5
[Arriving from Fair Value Market]
Zoe crept around the edge of the house, revolver in one hand, machete in another. The sun was still directly above her, indicating it was still around noontime. She hoped that she wouldn't need a light inside the garage as she had left it with the rest of her things inside the house.
Just thinking that someone might be messing with her bike, her food, and her weapons made her ill. She relied more on them than she did on any human. As soon as she got back and took a shower, she would check all her gear.
In the back of the estate, the drive from the front meandered around like a path through a garden to the coachhouse. It was a two story, six car garage. As Zoe approached she noticed that one of the stalls was empty... as the door was left wide open. Her stomach clenched a little at the thought of zombies being able to just roam in there.
Of course, if it was shut, there was no telling any would be in there anyway. So she would have to check it out either way. She was encouraged by the fact that the tire marks were old and from her point of view, no tracks leading in or out of the garage.
Cautiously she approached the open door and peeked in. She could see that the garage, though matching the old nature of the house on the outside, was pretty modern on the inside. Four old cars, ranging from the 1950's to the 1960's sat behind four of the doors. The only other open spot was the last one at the end.
"Anyone in here?" she called out in a loud voice. She had learned a while back... almost fatally, that you don't sneak up on the undead. Yell and draw them to you. Don't get caught trapped in the corner.
"Hello?!!" she yelled a bit louder. Then she waited and listened for any movement.
After a few minutes of only hearing her heartbeat thud in her ears, she entered the building. She slid around to the keep the doors at her back and the interior of the garage toward her front. That way, any attack came from the same direction. She also looked at each car for drag marks of blood and dirt underneath it. That would indicate a half eaten undead person under the car. Then she looked in the window of each car to make sure there were no surprises.
It was harrowing to say the least. It only took her a few minutes but it felt like an eternity. As she reached the end of the garage, she looked back where she came from... nothing.
Sighing, she looked to the rear of the garage. Tools lined the wall and a workbench ran half the length of one walls. One great surprise was a little gas pump that the family that lived here probably used to fill up their cars. It probably held more gas. Zoe make a point to fill up her bike tomorrow.
There was also two doors, leading to other rooms. Zoe had also noticed that stairs led to the upstairs on the outside of the building. She would check that after finishing with the two rooms.
She cautiously made her way toward the first door.
[TBC]
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Apr 10, 2011 4:16:54 GMT -5
Samuel watched Zoe disappear around the corner of the house, toward the garage. He cracked his neck and took a breath, shouldering the shotgun and turning the handle on the front door. It swung open a bit before being stopped by her bike. Forcing it just a bit, the door catching the tire and sliding the bike back a bit. Samuel stepped in and closed the door behind him, locking the deadbolt and scanning the entrance foyer. Nothing. Nothing to indicate that anyone had passed through since they left. That was a good sign. At least, for now, it seemed no one had come in the front. There was still the back door. Which had been kicked in… Easy for anyone to make it in that way, living or undead.
He made his way straight though the house, figuring that if he could clear both entrances than there wouldn’t be a problem. He had an eye for details of that sort, he was sure he would be able to tell if someone had come in. And if it had been a zombie, there would be no finesse involved. The door would be wide open, blood or other fluids and dirt would most likely stain the ground and the door. A human, that would take a keen eye.
He got to the back of the house, nothing out of the ordinary on the way, and took a look at the door. The deadbolt was still locked, he had locked it when he broke off the handle to it the other night. Nothing had come in this way.
He let the shotgun rest at his side, looking around the back of the house for anything that was out of place. Nothing. They were secure, it seemed. But, he had a bit of a problem taking things at face value. He’d still need to search the whole place before he allowed himself to relax at all…
|
|
|
Post by Rhinn on Apr 12, 2011 18:20:40 GMT -5
There was nothing in the other rooms. Zoe went into the first one, halfway expecting zombie babies to crawl out after her. But it was just a storage area and the second one was a bathroom. Exiting the building, she looked up to see where the sun was. It was starting to go down, casting shadows toward the east. Zoe estimated that it was about 2 pm, but the sun would die early as the mountains around them would block it off in the next 3 or for 4 hours. She made her way up the stairs.
This was a dangerous time. Zoe had already been on alert since they left the estate this morning. She was running on pure adrenaline. She had started to phase out when the raiders showed up and it punched her adrenaline back up. The same thing happened when she attacked the zombies. Now, though, there was no threat and her body was beginning to feel the effects. If there was something dangerous in the upstairs, her body would be sluggish to react.
As she reached the top of the stairs, she opened the door and pointed the revolver in the door. It was a small apartment that stretched over the garage. Zoe assumed that it was for the driver that manned the cars. Luckily for her, the apartment was set up as a studio and she could see across to the end of it. The only doors here were to a closet and to a bathroom. Crossing quickly, she checked out those two rooms and made her way back across the apartment. At the stairs, she turned around and looked back, still halfway expecting something to lunge out at her. Maybe the family pet... oh wait, she had blown that thing to kingdom come yesterday.
Shutting the door, she made her way down the stairs and back to the front of the house. She was careful not to step on the grass or the mud that would give them away. She was up the steps to the front door when she stopped and turn to look back at the street that led to the market.
It was alive with zombies.
It wasn't a horde or anything, but the dead meat must be attracting them for miles, she thought. They hadn't noticed her yet, as the wind was blowing toward her, not away. She quickly went in side and stayed in the foyer until Samuel returned.
While she waited, she checked on her bike. Except for being moved over (and Zoe guessed it was from Samuel trying to get in), there seemed to be nothing wrong with her stuff. The bike was ready with a full tank and the gas can was empty... her supplies hadn't been touched.
She wanted to go into the den where her stuff was at and check on that as well, but she waited. It wasn't wise to sneak into a room with Samuel on the prowl. She might get her head blown off. So she waited, thinking about what she was going to eat after her bath.
(ooc - how much ammo do you carry? Are you wanting to have a bloodfest because I have an idea.)
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Apr 14, 2011 3:51:48 GMT -5
(He carries about a hundred and fifty shotgun shells, about fifty .44 Magnum rounds. I could go for some killin’.)
Top of the house was clean, bottom of the house was clean. Each room was clean. No one had been here in the short time they had been away. Samuel had been expecting as much, but he was paranoid. He knew people who could come and go without ever being seen, heard, or leaving a trace. He had worked with several of them. Some were in the group of people he had called friends. And he learned well from them.
He heard the front door open from the lounge that they had slept in, heard a set of footsteps that were quiet and light. He was betting it was Zoe, but he could never be sure. Making his way back to the foyer with his shotgun shouldered, aimed at the ground. When he saw her form pressed against the front door, he let out a breath he had been holding and let the shotgun hang from the sling behind him.
“All clear.” He said to her, waving her toward the kitchen. Her top priority was a shower, his was something to eat. The smell didn’t bother him at all. He looked through the cabinets for a can opener, not seeing one. And he couldn’t open the can with his knife, it was a bit covered in zombie blood. Not the best thing to go with beef stew.
“Where’s that can opener?” He asked her over his shoulder.
|
|
|
Post by Rhinn on Apr 14, 2011 10:44:47 GMT -5
Zoe saw Samuel and smiled. She was getting used to have the big guy around.
"I moved the can opener to the lounge by the fire. It is probably with the rest of my stuff." Zoe went to her pile of belongings that she had left behind and rummaged around for a second. Then she pulled it up and handed it to Samuel. After he took it, she began unpacking cans of food from her backpack. Meats, vegetables, soups, were at the bottom, so the medicines came out first. First aid bandages, gauze, etc... everything that Zoe had taken from the store. Then she carefully removed the last two items from the backpack... the whiskey and the tequila.
"Hey Samuel", Zoe called from the lounge. "Happy Birthday man." She held up the two bottles of alcohol that she had pilfered from the store. All in all, they had a feast that could last them weeks. Couple that with the perishable items, like fruit, that Samuel grabbed, they had a treasure worth almost as much or more than the guns in their hands.
Once her packback was empty, she begin to pack her belongings back up, folding them tight and neat so that they would fit. She knew that she would have extra room since the clothes that she had on were pretty much shot and had to be destroyed. She got up to take a shower... and then her stomach told her of the change in plans. So she decided she would join Samuel in a meal.
In an extremely poor British accent, she spoke.
"Kind sir, where shall we dine tonight? Surf... or turf?"
Zoe held up a can of spam and a can of tuna.
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Apr 15, 2011 4:50:14 GMT -5
Samuel couldn’t help but snicker when she broke out the accent.
“Well, if you were planning on doing impressions for money, you might want to reconsider.” He said with a quick chuckle. Taking a look at the bottles she pulled out of her pack, he couldn’t help but laugh again.
“Wow. I didn’t even get you anything.” He said, looking at them closer. Good brands, high proof. Good stuff. The only part about the killing’s they had done back at the market was the waste of good booze to do it.
“Thanks.” He said sincerely, cracking the seal and twisting the cap off of one. He took a quick swig and offered it to her, then looking at the cans. “Tuna’s always good.” He said, reaching over and grabbing it. He opened it with the can opener in his hand and slid the can back to her, giving her first dibs. He then opened the can of spam with the pull ring and reached into a drawer on the counter. Pulling out a few forks, he slid it shut and set one down for her, scooping some of the spam out and then into his mouth. It was about half the can, but they were small cans and he was pretty damn big. Half and half seemed like a good meal to him. Or if she was like most normal people and despised spam, he’d get the whole can and she could have the tuna. He could barely taste the processed meat, he swallowed it so quickly. He hadn’t had a real meal since… Last night of course, but before that, he couldn’t remember.
|
|
|
Post by Rhinn on Apr 17, 2011 17:29:04 GMT -5
Zoe took a swig of the whiskey and then coughed down the fiery liquid. "Thanks", she said hoarsely. "Not my cup of tea."
She handed the bottle back to him and picked up the tuna and the fork. She dished out half of it with the fork and put it into her mouth. It was delicious. Previously, it would have been the meal if she didn't have any money or time... but nowadays, that can of tuna could go for $50.00.... or someone's life. She slid the can over to Samuel.
"Ooh spam. I grew up on that stuff too. Hand it over." She held out her hand, but had a smile on his face. If he wanted it, then she'd grab another can.
Then she saw some of the fruit that he had gotten. "Dude, an apple?!?!?" God, how long had it been since she had eaten an apple?
She grabbed one of the Delicious Reds and took a huge bite out of it. She closed her eyes and savored the taste. She took another bite.
"Damn this is good. Glad you grabbed them."
Zoe finished off the apple and grabbed the can of spam. She finished off her half of the can and set the fork down. To many, it wouldn't seem like alot of food, but she had learned to live on almost emergency rations. If she gulped down a bunch a food her body would react badly. She'd probably end up throwing it up, plus her body would get used to the amount and expect more. So with only an apple, and half a can of tuna and half a can of spam, she stopped eating. They had to conserve their food.
"I'm going to get out of these rancid clothes and get a shower. We should probably either bury or burn them as to not attract the zombies."
With that Zoe left the room, stopping in the lounge long enough to pick up her pack and then heading on to the ground floor bathroom. She took her revolver and machete with her.
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Apr 20, 2011 5:12:23 GMT -5
“Washing machine should be working.” He said as Zoe left the room. He stayed there and finished the apple he was munching on, hoping she wouldn’t take too long. He wanted a shower too.
Finishing the apple to the core, he swept all of the trash into a bin near the counter and walked to the small room just off of the kitchen. Laundry room. He pushed the dial on the washing machine in and spun it to ‘normal’, pulling it out and hearing it kick on and start to fill. He pulled the dial out again and smirked to himself. He did the same thing to the dryer, and was pleased to find that it worked as well. Good. He liked these pants. Finding pants in his size wasn’t easy. Shirts, they weren’t as big a problem, but pants… He could find guns and ammo easier than it was to find a pair of forty two by sixty pants.
Walking back into the kitchen, he decided to sit and wait for her to be done. He didn’t want to go sit on a couch, he’d stink the lounge up. Nope, best to stay here where all the chemicals were, where they could just stink the place up with other stuff that didn’t smell quite as bad.
|
|
|
Post by Rhinn on Apr 20, 2011 10:35:34 GMT -5
Zoe finished her bath and gathered up her clothes in a black plastic bag. If she couldn't save them, then she'd be down to just two sets of clothes... though she might be able to find something appropriate in the Master Bedroom or one of the other bedrooms if they had a daughter.
That took her back to the animal she had blown into oblivion. It caused her to laugh again.
Toweling her hair dried she looked into the mirror. How did she ever get to this place in her life, she wondered. Shaking it off, she pulled on her clothes and exited the bathroom. She looked into the lounge but Samuel wasn't there. A sound came from the kitchen and Zoe approached cautiously. It wasn't that she was expecting anyone but Samuel in there, but one could never be too sure. She opened the door and Samuel was sitting there.
She smiled at him. "Shower's all yours. Towels are in the headknocker over the toilet."
After eating and showering she felt like a new woman. The sun had started to dip behind the mountains, bringing on an early dusk. "We should probably have all the lights turned out and the fire going within an hour... less visible to anyone or anything out there. Then we can dispose of these."
She held up her bag of clothes.
|
|
|
Post by Mikey on Apr 23, 2011 7:26:13 GMT -5
“Got a working washing machine in there.” He said, pointing to the slatted sliding doors that led to the two machines. “You can throw yours away if you want, but they don’t exactly sell my sizes at Wal-Mart.” He said.
She mentioned that they should start killing lights and getting the fire going, and he let out a slight nod.
“Start on that, I’ll be back in ten.” He said, walking into the main room and picking up his duffle bag. He tossed it onto the couch and then unsung the shotgun, leaning it on the arm of the couch. He pulled out a few items of clothing and started walking toward the bathroom. He stepped in, peeling off his jacket and tossing it into an empty basket he saw underneath the counter. Sliding it out with his foot, he peeled off the shirt that was stuck to his body with sweat, gore, and juices from rotten meat. He emptied his pockets and set the contents on the counter, then the leather belt that served as his gun belt. Followed by the thin nylon belt that held up his pants. Next, boots and socks, boxers, and he let out a sigh. Same clothes for over a week, not to mention the recent events that defiled them. He felt half better just getting out of them.
Turning both nozzles for water on full, he stepped inside the shower and ignored the ice cold water that shot from the shower head for a few seconds. And then the scorching hot. It evened out, and he started rinsing his hair. Followed by using the least girly bottle of soap in the bathroom to get himself clean. And just like that, he was done.
Shutting down the water, he stepped out and grabbed one of the towels, using it to dry himself for a few moments before he tossed it over the curtain rod. He was dressed in an outfit that was almost exactly the same as the last one, save for the shirt being a lighter shade of grey, and he walked outside with his gun belt over his shoulder and holding his boots by the laces. He still needed to clean them a bit.
Making his way back to the den, he took a seat on the couch, seeing that the place was dark and the fire was going. He had a few things he had to do. Clean his boots and both of his guns. His knife too, at that rate. But he was sure he could relax for the amount of time it took to smoke a cigarette.
|
|
|
Post by Rhinn on Apr 23, 2011 13:12:17 GMT -5
"Dude a working washer. That's great!" Now Zoe wouldn't have to trash a set of clothes. As he left the she took her clothes to the laundry room and first began to wash out the gunk in the sink. Then she threw them in the washer. She found some detergent and tossed it in there and let it fill up with water. Then she stopped it. Samuel would have to wash his clothes so she'd wait. She didn't want to waste water.
She didn't want to waste water. She was already thinking of this house as her own.
She left the light on, but shut the door. Then she went about moving her stuff to the lounge and then set up some empty cans on the door handle of the kitchen door. It would clatter when someone try to open it. It wouldn't stop them, but it would alert her to someone out there. Then she shut off the light and went into the lounge. Samuel wasn't back yet so she set about organizing their stuff. First she packed away the food they had taken from the market and put that into the bags. Then she packed away her things, getting them all back into the places that she was familiar with. It all was where she could get to it quickly. The Non-essential equipment was put back into the storage containers on her bike. Then she started a fire in the fireplace and turned off the lights.
By now, the sun had disappeared behind the mountains and though it was early, it was dark outside. Then she took her guns and machete out along with some cleaning supplies and first started to clean her machete. It didn't take very long and she was glad to see that the blade was still sharp and didn't have any nicks in the blade.
Then she worked on the guns. She was in the middle of cleaning her revolver when Samuel walked in and sat down.
"My clothes are in the washer and I left it waiting for yours. Just toss it in and shut the lid."
Arrayed out in front of her was gun oil, a clean rag, and various instruments that were a part of her kit. Also a box of .38 sat on the table and a few of her speed loaders were waiting to be loaded. Leaning up against the couch was her rifle with the scope. She hadn't shot it for a few days so she was just going to make sure it was loaded and in working form.
|
|