Isolation (2012)

[Dark Nomad]

Matȟó Wayúhi made his rounds at the secluded reservation town. Between himself and the other younger men, they were protecting their home from the outbreak. It had been a couple months since it all started, now it was starting to quiet down. He had the help of the remains of the county PD who they were skeptical to even let in, but now they were a little thankful for their training. Matȟó, was mostly in charge of defending the town.

It was the third time since the outbreak started that he heard the noise of a train while out hunting. He knew about the tracks that lead to the city, stopping in the nearby town. Though, he wasn't sure where the train was coming from or if by some bizarre luck was just going in a large loop. He knew he would have to investigate soon but not without the blessing of the elders. They acted as the leaders and brains to the tribe and would know what was best for the tribe. If they said no, Matȟó would listen.

He was glad that his tribe had stuck to training with traditional weapons. His bow made silent kills, so the infected weren't attracted to them. The tribe had built walls up, which meant they rarely had to use guns. Since the beginning, most of the members had only shot once. Matȟó had killed a deer, which he brought back with his quad.

[JDrew25]

Billie made her way out of the treeline, and collapsed in what appeared to be a trail of some kind. Her wobbly legs weren't able to support her anymore, and she simply sat in the hard packed dirt and tried to catch her breath.

She slipped the pack she was carrying from her back and checked her shoes, one combat boot held together with tape. She was glad to see her footwear was still in one piece, but if she didn't do something soon she was going to have a lot more to worry about. She was nearly out of food and water, and her days walking through the woods had gotten her confused directionally. She was pretty sure she had gone around in circles for at least a day, and avoiding the hungry dead had hampered her ability to travel and sleep. She was running on fumes, and every sound put her on edge.

"God, I don't think anyone else made it. I've got to get moving."

[Winters]

He was right, you know. Shouldve went back to Vegas while you still had the chance. He knew it, I knew it. You were the only one kidding yourself, doll. Couldve had that big c*ck inside you right now. When are you gonna just let me go? None of this even matters. I dont matter, you dont matter. Only they matter now, and people like us? The survivors? Just trying not to become them. So hows about you get that pretty little ass of yours up, get these handcuffs off of me, and ill just be on my way. You can get back to sleep all peaceful like. Whatya say? Come on, doll, you know you want to. Adams had been trying to get off the hook for almost a week. It was almost impossible to believe that even with the state of the world she was still a prisoner. Even if she did deserve it, there wasnt anything anyone could do about it now. No judge, no jury, and hopefully so long as she kept her cool, no executioner. Agent Paramore, miss high and mighty, must have been in a fairly patient mood to havent spoken up yet. It was almost unnerving, but at the same time, they were both safe where they were, so at least Stacy had that going for here.

The closed traincar had been their safe refuge for a month now, especially now that it was stationary in the middle of the colorado mountains. Without her old partner to keep her company, the Agent had been off on her own looking for food just to keep them both alive. "For what its worth, Adams? I like you. Probably why I havent put a bullet in you yet. Now shut the hell up and let me sleep. Were running out of water, so we're going to have to make a trip up the mountain again tomorrow. So maybe you should consider getting soem rest yourself." The red head finished before rolling over once again, this time hopefully the last. But not before one last remark from Adams, after she let out a loud audible sigh of defeat. "Why are you such a miserable piece of sh*t all the time? Have a good night. You better not fart again tonight. Actually, keep it up, maybe you can dislodge that stick shoved-"

While the banter between the two woman had been going on, their voices attracted the attention of a nearby group of infected, cutting them off from anymore conversation or sleep. Paramore was the first one to her feet, while Adams rolled away from the doors on instinct. Her M93R had been readied almost immediately, but they both knew they didnt have the ammo to be wasting on the dead. Paramore was preparing for this to happen, using a boxcar wasnt just a tactical advantage, she had it all planned out. What she wasnt anticipating, however, was that batteries in her guns flashlight had died moment after turning on, and the backup flaregun couldnt be felt in her bag. Now would have been an opportunity for Adams to make a move, grasping the distress pistol in her hand, but it wouldnt do her good if she couldnt get out of the train alive.

For at elast a ten mile radius, the flare couldve been seen. Wherever it landed would have been the next spot for the undead to converge, distracting them long enough to get out of the traincar. But to any other survivors in the area, it was a beacon to let them know exactly where they were. Which, in this case, would have been bad for them at night. It wasnt clear who was even in the area, but they would be without a doubt aware of their presence nearby. All good things came to an end.

[JDrew25]

Billie looked up when she saw what appeared to be a red flare flying up into the air, a slow arc as it reached its peak, and then began a very slow descent back to the ground. A signal flare? That meant there were people nearby. She didn't remember anyone having a flare gun, but at the moment she didn't care. There were other people out here, and she had to reach them.

She struggled to her feet, and then began walking in the direction she had seen the flare from. Brushing long black hair from in front of her green eyes, she kept an ear out for anything else that would have seen it. She was sure at least a few of the dead would have noticed it as well. She had a pretty good idea of where it went up, but not where it was going to land. She wasn't sure how far off it was, but she a feeling she would know when she found it. She just hoped there would still be living people when she got there.

[Winters]

Much as either of the women wanted to talk, they remained completely silent, knowing it was in both of their best intrest. Adams wasnt sure when it would be safe to start making a move, but had a feeling that Agent B*tcht*ts did, so it was all good for them. Paramore could see Adams in the red glow, watching as it slowely faded as each minute passed, until the boxcar had been once again dark. She also took that time to get a bearing on where her gear was, and just as she was ready to start climing, the sounds of the undead couldnt be heard anymore. While it ddint seem like a ton of them to begin with, either of them were going to risk saying anything until they were both out.

It had to have been some sort of divine justice, at least for the bad guys, because once Paramore had been out of the boxcar, she slipped off the side and hit the ground hard. Adams took this time to pull herself up, and land safely on the other side. Paramore was still on the ground, and there had been two undead straggled behind. This was all she needed to break the cooperation, let the woman die, and be done with all of this. As she grabbed for the dufflebag, however, Paramore came to, and began struggling to keep both of the infected off of her. Adams hesitated to run, but after a few seconds of realization, she made a run for it, seeing another few undead starting to come out from the treeline by the tracks

Adams wasnt even aware of which direction she was going, just running fast as she could, zigzagging through the trees. But it seemed she was chasing the red glow, and before she knew it, she had realized that she was under the flare. Breathing heavily from the weight of the bag, and disoriented from the lack of food or water all day, Adams just stood in place and waited to find out which way the infected would come from. Because they meant she could catch her breath, get the cuffs off, and run the other way. It didnt take much once she had access to the hunting knife in the bag, but it was a reliefe to feel the circulation in her wrists start to come back to normal again. At the same time she had her moment of triumpth, the infected closed in, and she bolted.

Not even fifteen feet, Adams tripped over an exposed tree root, and collapsed against the side of a sleep cliff, and she was apparantly at the bottom. In her current state, there was no way she could climb up, and even if she had a good nights rest, she couldnt be able to take the bag with her, which would have been a death sentence. The undead were still closing in, and her options were running out. Seemed like she had no choice but to grab the pistol from the bag and start to open fire, especially while she could see from the flare.

[JDrew25]

Billie saw the flare disappear into the tree line as she got to the source of the signal. Thankfully there weren't really any further undead. Unfortunately there were still two, and if she didn't help the struggling woman on the ground, there would soon be three. Rushing towards the struggling trio, she didn't think before she acted. She didn't have any real weapons on her, and instead grabbed up a tree limb and swung it at the closest one, knocking it aside before clubbing the other one over the head and hearing a cracking noise that didn't sound healthy.

"Come on! We've got to go before more show up."

She held out a hand, and hoped her newfound friend wasn't bitten. She didn't want to be alone out here anymore.

[Winters]

Without even needing to fire the gun, Adams seen the woman come out from behind the infected and take them out one at a time. To her surprise, it wasnt Paramore, either, it was someone else, with an extended arm. Though she did just get saved from out of sheer luck, Adams swatted away the hand, and went for her bag. Once it was over her shoulder, she stood up, and almost collasped again from the exaustion, and unbalance. The other woman helped keep her upright, and was insistant that they get out of here, but she had no clue where she was even going. The flare had gone out, but what surprised her this time hadnt just been the rusting in the trees not far from them, but another orange glow.

Soon as Adams realized it wasnt the undead, and more people, she fired the pistol in the direction only hoping to, at the very least, hit whoever was holding the torch. Adams wasnt sure if the woman knew them, but it didnt matter, because whoever it was ran off, as the glow became more and more dim. But thats when she felt an impact in the back of her head, and was unconscious on the ground seconds later. A booming voice trailed out from behind them. "Drop the stick, and dont even think of reaching for that gun. Just walk, that way there, and dont stop. Maybe you can explain to me why the three of you were tresspassing on our land, outsider."

The voice manaced behind Billie, as four more people emerged from the treeline, one carrying the torch that was then used to collect the belongings of the woman laying on the ground. Adams had been picked up by two of the others, while the third began to dispatch the handful of walkers tat came for the gunshots. The man that urged Billie forward spoke again not long after the start walking. "Youre friends were reckless firing the gun. You should be dead out here. But youre not reckless like them. We might have some use for you back at the village."

[JDrew25]

"We're not friends. I just found her out here. I think she fired off the flare."

Billie kept her hands in plain view as she walked where the man pointed, dropping the stick and moving away from the woman. She didn't want to risk angering people pointing guns at her. The good news was that they weren't after either one of them for anything. The bad news was she had no idea what they were after, or why they were out in the area. Was there another settlement nearby? Or were they a roving group of raiders? Until she was certain she needed to be careful.

"Alright. What sort of use?"

[Winters]

Everyone might have had their own rifle, but the only reason they brought them was because they knew their would be resistance from actual human beings. Assumed so, at least. Upon finding the first two females, the guns seemed necessary, but once they ahd been split up and the situation was taken control of almost immediately after meeting the end of the flair, it was a waste of energy. Especially since the one who didnt put up any sort of fight only had a stick, which was a dead giveaway that she was already one step ahead of the rest. Since she remained calm, and even asked why they were taking her alive without much hesitation, Taka lowered his gun and spoke. "The camps not far, you should move on ahead. Ill stay back with this one, just to at least enlighten Matho."

Now alone with the upright female, the gun hadnt been trained on her back, and there was a lot more breathing room. If she did have some sort of trick up her sleeve, or was lying and had been associated with the other woman, she wouldnt get very far. "Im surprised you havent been caught in any of our traps... But then again, whos to say you havent, and overcome them? I know you werent lying when you said you didnt know the other woman, because there were two of them that fired the flare. The other one got away from us, but I dont imagine she'll be alive long enoguh to come back looking. At least not until dayight."

Taka did keep an ear out between their own footsteps, but since they were already so close to the reserve, it wouldnt matter much. Any other gunshots would make tracking her town a sped up process. So enlistment only seemed like a good idea, considering they needed more people, regardless of what Matho or the others thought. "To answer your question; safety in numbers. You might have survived the last few months on your own, but im willing to pledge a bet a say you didnt. You know exactly where you are, and youre looking for a place to settle. Your lack of supplies made that pretty clear. So we have nothing to lose, unless youre actually with another group. Im here to make sure youre fully aware of your circumstances. Theyre going to sit and talk with you. They will know if youre lying, even if I vouch for you. Its your choice whether its a conversation you have, or a torture."

[JDrew25]

"I didn't know there were any traps out here. I didn't know there were any people out here either. I've been lost in the woods for days. The military, they just left us. The dead overran the fences, I don't know how many people got away, or if it's just me."

Billie didn't look back, and kept walking in the direction she was pointed. She was trying not to think about her future interrogation. What happened if they didn't believe her? Would they really torture her? The past couple of months had made people insane and barbaric, so it wasn't too far of a stretch to believe that this man's group would resort to that.

"Look, I'm really out here by myself. I'm hungry, exhausted and scared. Please, I swear I'm not a threat. All I had was a stick for a weapon!"

[Winters]

Thing was, there had been a military base nearby, or at least close enough. There had been one or two in each state, sometimes three if they were spread out. But Colorado only had one, and it was a two days walk. They didnt keep much contact, but the womans story checked out completely with the timeframe, since it would have just been last week they were there. There wouldnt be a reason for her to lie about lack of anything, and she definitely wasnt with the military with that story, so Taka believed every word. She was no threat. Once the lights came into focus, he put his hand on her shoulder while they walked. "Keep walking, dont say anything, just listen to me. Mathos, one of the others in charge, him and I are at a disagreement. He doesnt want outsiders with us, and im trying to change that. If what youre saying is true, then be honest with him. Tell him everything. We need change, and I wont let him hurt you. But after this, ill need a favor from you."

Once they were at the gate, they went through, and the large semitruck was rolled back into place, blocking the entrance back off. Walking toward them had been Mathos, and he was all ready to start working the woman for information. But Taka stopped him. "Shes fine, let me talk her in and we can do this the right way this time." Almost as quickly as he diverted course to the tent, Mathos shook his head, but allowed them to go. He was disappointed with how Taka had been conducting these sorts of missions, but he wanted to at least hear him out. Taka pulled up a chair, and place the woman in it, then rubbed her shoulder to reassure her of the trust.

A second later, Mathos entered with his knife, and started walking around her, striking the blade with a his sharpening stone. He wasnt dense, Mahthos could see the look Taka had, and the eye movement between him and the woman. It didnt take more than two circles around her to realize she and him spoke before coming here, which meant he must have been anxious to say something. To Takas surprise, Mathos crossed his arms, and made his way outside the tent, trailing his words, "Do this yourself, Taka. But when things go wrong, youre the one whos getting their hand removed..."

It was just Taka and the woman in the tent now, and he had been practically sighing with reliefe. "Weve lived in isolation for so long, and sent away any outsiders, this change is going to be hard for most people here. But I have a feeling you can change the way they see outsiders. I know this is a lot, and happening so fast, but I need you. We need you. Somebody like you. If you want me to put things simpler, you just happen to be in the right place as the right time, but isnt that how it always works these days?" Taka grabbed his canteen of water, handing it to the woman, along with two energy bars from his jacket pocket hed been saving. Drink, eat, and come with me. Were going to find out where they took the prisoner. My name is Taka, by the way, Who am I about to get to know? Tell me everything, this is the conversation, not an interrogation, but the more I know the easier all this will be."

[JDrew25]

"I'm sorry. The knife scared me. Give me a...Billie. I'm Billie Carver. It's nice to meet you Taka. And thank you for not letting him hurt me. Was he really going to cut my hand off "

She took a shaky drink from the offered canteen, her body still racing with adrenaline. Would the man have stood there and let Mathos mutilate her? Is that what these people did? Maybe she was safer out in the woods again.

No. If Taka had meant to hurt her, she'd be hurt right now. She wouldn't have been given food and water. Certainly not allowed to walk around without some sort of restraints on. He wanted her to change the way people thought about outsiders, that meant she had to be on her best behavior.

"Alright, can we eat and walk? My feet are a little sore from the walking I did earlier, but I think the protein bar will help keep me going. So...where is here exactly? I don't even know where I am. I got seriously lost out there for days."

[Winters]

"Of course, Billie Carver, yes, take your time. So, you really dont know where youre at? Not surprising, actually. Even before all of this happend around us, nobody ever had a reason to come this far into the Colorado Mountains. Youd be at the Silverton Reservation, or as most of the locals like to call it, The Rez. If it were brighter, I would point out the mountain peaks to the northeast and southwest, this community is for the most part cut off from the world. Los muertos, the dead, they dont make it past the terrain in greater numbers. The base you would have came from would be to the south, a Nation Guard Outpost near the New Mexico border." Even if Billie had been lying, and she really was from another community looking to attack, or something even worse, she wouldnt have the chance to relay the information. But that wasnt the vase, because she was here, and they didnt have anything that anybody else couldnt get anywhere else.

"If that base really is unoccupied, that means we could send out people to gather more supplies. Nobody here likes to leave, but its good to know where food might be if things do start to look bare. Weve already lost so many here, since most had families in Colorado Springs, which is a dead zone. So with less than a hundred in town, it keeps things quiet, and plenty of food to go around. For any, at least." Taka and the woman had been coming up on the holding area, which was actually holding cages for an animal shelter. Plenty of gated off sections made containing potential infections easy. "The girl who was with you, you said you didnt know her? Well, she was with another, but she escaed. We caught this one with you. So it seemed, they set off a flare, im sure you seen it in the sky. It got the people here spooked, so we sent out a team, with guns. Luckily it hadnt drawn a lot of the dead this way, but now im afraid that whoever this woman was with will be looking for her..."

Outdoor holding cells granted ease for prisoners. But Taka wanted to make sure Billie knew there would be consequences if she was lying, so the cage was part of that, a message. "Were not savages, and shes not an animal. But we can allow her the freedom you have. She put this community at risk, and they all think you have part in it. That favor I needed from you? I need you to talk to her, and help reach an agreement. That, and so long as the chief knows that your with her, and im with you, he wont intervene. I have a feeling she wont talk to us, but you? Maybe." With that, Taka opened up the cage, and lead Billie in, taking back the canteen and the wrappers from the bar. "Trust me. You seem like a smart girl. Just keep her calm, and make sure she knows I wont hurt her so long as she tells us... You... Everything she knows about the other woman." Take closed over the cage. not liking how things had to be, but gave Billie a reassuring look. At the same time, it seemed the other woman had been coming to.

[JDrew25]

Billie gave a quick look around the cage, seeing that while spacious, obviously left the people trapped inside no way to escape. She tucked her hands into her pockets and tried not to look fidgety as she made her way to the woman sitting in the corner. She looked as dejected as she would expect any prisoner to be. Who knows what the guards who brought her here told her, or did to her before leaving her here. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Hey. I'm Billie. They caught me with you out there. I guess you remember I saved you from the dead. Listen...I'm just going to be blunt. They don't want to hurt us, at least if we don't cause any problems. They want to know where the other woman went. The one that was with you earlier. Evidently she got away, and they think you guys are raiders or something. Please, just tell me who she was, and where she went. Maybe I can get us out of here, or at least someplace with walls. I don't want to be in here all night, and I bet you don't either."

She stopped talking, and let the woman process what she had told her.

"I'm sorry, I guess knowing your name would help. The guy that brought me here is Taka. He doesn't want to hurt you either."

[Winters]

Her head was pounding, and the words she heard had been very selective, partly do to her being knocked unconscious, and the other part being she really didnt care all too much. None of her stuff had been with her, nor did it seem to be outside of the cage she was in, not that she could see at least. It had been before dark, and only an LED lantern hung from the outside, near where she assumed the door to the cage was. Once her vision seemed more in focus, Adams looked at the other woman beside her, and then back top the lantern, finally speaking out. "Shes uh, we got separated back at the train car. We got surrounded by the undead, and that was it. I made a run for it. We werent together either, just... Sort of. Ya know how it is."


Adams didnt want to give too much away, be wanted to be at least a little honest, given her situation. For all she knew, the woman could have been the one who put her here. But it didnt patter, because at the moment, she only planned her escape, which seemed to be impossible. So, she did what she could with what she was given, which was absolutely nothing other than a pretty face asking questions about the one who was keeping her prisoner before she was caged. Out of the pot and into the frying pan, Adams really hated that expression, but found irony in it now. "You think theyll let us out if I tell them something? she started, looking into Billies eyes with almost an excited look on her face. "Okay, how about this; f*ck these people, and f*ck that red headed b*tch. No, im not with her, and if I seen her again, id kill her myself, save these a*sholes some troubles. Now get us out of here, princess. Adams was well aware of her tone, and didnt really care about first impressions. But she knew that her previous captor left the bag in the traincar, and come morning, she would be back for it.

Taka came back not long after with only his knife at his side, and a bundle of keys in his hand. He had faith in Billie, and judging by how he didnt hear any screaming, or anything of the sort which he approached the door to the gate, he put the key in and unlocked it. They wouldnt have anywhere to go, and there werent any firearms nearby, so at the very least, he was covered. "The cage was never my idea, that would be the others. Im sorry for what they did to you, both of you. He reassured them, waiting for the other woman to make a move for the door, but she didnt. "Miss Carver, what did she tell you?" Take question, swinging open the gate to let them know they were free to exit. Soon as Adams walked out, she held the swinging door open for the woman behind her, looking back and smiling with a crooked face. "Yeah, Miss Carver. What did I tell you?"