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Post by Dark Nomad on Feb 25, 2018 22:35:12 GMT -5
Sergeant Cam Henry had been moving through the Rocky Mountains since the outbreak started. It was warm out and things were looking fine. Nothing bad had happened to him in a week. Though without events to track, he was having trouble keeping track of the days. Though time really didn't mean much now that he never had to work again. He knew this route from before the outbreak. There were only so many roads in the US, and truck driving helped you become familiar with many of them. Henry had a specific route most of the time and so knew the roads he'd be taking. From California, to Florida, to New York. He never thought his day to day routine would be what saved his life. He stood from the hood of the car he was sitting on and let out a sharp whistle. A gray and dark brown mongrel dog came trotting out of the woods. Henry waited for the dog to join his side before continuing to walk. They had been traveling together since he started his job after the military, a gift from his wife. He and Boomer rode together for years before the outbreak started. Now they travelled along these wooded roads to avoid others and conflict.
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Post by Winters on Feb 26, 2018 14:25:50 GMT -5
While the tunnel itself seem to go on for miles, it felt like they were traveling for days, climbing out debris and traffic from a roadblock on the other side. Even if it had only been a few hours, it was a few hours too long to be deprived of any natural sunlight. And with the grouo hunting then hot on their tail, there wasn't any time to stop and breath what little wait was was here. Every now and then there would be tapping from a car, but the two of them knew it was on the inside, since judging by the smell most of not all of the infected in the tunnel had found their way out by now. It was the only thing that weighed against the option of navigating further up the mountain.
Finally after so long, there was sunlight, meaning they still had a bit to go but at least it was a straight stretch. In the whole time since the outbreak started, this was the most Sherry had used her flashlight. It was military grade, but the batteries were definitely on their way out. Thankfully, they two of them there too. "...-here-...-time-...-bit*hes-..." Sherry heard the voices far behind them, but it meant they were getting closer. Immediately after this, the flashlight was switched off, and Eve grabbed onto the woman's arm instinctively. "Calm down, just follow me.", Sherry spoke in a quiet, almost inaudible voice.
Once the green from the trees could be made out, and the sunlight shown a path between the cars for them, they pair moved much quicker then previously in the dark. Eve let go of her arm and dropped to the ground, forcing Sherry to stop and turn only to see one of the rotters on too of legs, pinning her down. With a quick shot from her revolver, it was motionless, and Eve hustled back into their feet. They didn't have time to spare now, the assailants would have heard the shot for sure. Eve had almost been in tears, knowing she was the cause of their whole situation, but Sherry seemed to have an idea.
Now at the end of the tunnel, she rummaged through her backpack and got out a satchel wrapped in a plastic bag. It had some waxy shoelace from from it, and Eve had no clue what she was even doing. Darting he eyes around to at least make sure the immediate area was clear, she finally turned back to see Sherry running away from the tunnel, grabbing her arm and pulling her along. Vibrations could be felt shooting up her legs and back, and when she turned to see what happened, she was wide eyed seeing the tunnel exit collapsed in a pile of dirt and cement, once the dust cleared. Sherry grabbed her by the shoulders to check to make sure she was okay, and then spoke without words, 'I told you I wouldn't let them find you. But now you have to follow me. We're going up from here, so let's take a break while we have time. Who knows how many of the infected heard the blast.'
Each of the sentences hadn't been spoken, only mouthed. Eve couldn't hear the explosion, due to her being deaf, but Sherry didn't even need to talk if she could read her lips. There was almost a look a excitement still on her face, but mostly thankfulness. Hopefully it would be the end of the regret. Sherry did a good thing getting ger out of Colorado, but she wasn't used to a teenage girl following her around. Unfortunately for her, Sherry didn't know sign language, so trying to figure out what she was meaning was trial and error everytime they exchanged dialogue. But right now, they both just shared an energy bar and a bottle of water until the dead showed up.
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Post by Dark Nomad on Feb 27, 2018 2:17:07 GMT -5
Henry and Boomer both reacted to the gunshot. Though Boomer reacted quicker. It wasn't much longer before the shaking took them both by surprise. At first, Henry thought it was an earthquake. Then he remembered that dogs can sense when they are coming. That, and there weren't usually earthquakes in this part of the US.
Henry took his AR-15 from its spot on his back and wrapped the sling around his arm for added stability. He hadn't encountered any of the infected as he moved forward, which was a good sign. He expected herds of them to be moving in on the area after what he suspected was an explosion. The sight he came to around a bend was impressive, though mildly inconvenient for his travels. Two women sat a ways off of what used to be the opening to a tunnel. The means to do such a job were no joke, even in the lawless world they lived in these days. This gave him reasons not to instantly lower his weapon.
"Alright, just lemme see some hands. I don't wanna hurt y'all but ya did just bring down that tunnel." he said as he moved around the car. Boomer circled wider. The dog had been by Henry in some fights and seemed know what to do leading up to any conflict. Despite looking like a stray, Boomer was well trained. "Dead fillin' the tunnel? Or some f*cked up weirdos hangout in there? Maybe some ass holes chasing you?" He guessed at the reasoning for the demolition. "Either way, I've gotta find a new way to get to safety."
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Post by Winters on Feb 27, 2018 19:15:31 GMT -5
Maybe the only reason her newest partner worked out so well is that she didn't talk, which also meant she wasn't in the way. Sherry liked to be alone; moved alone and settled alone. Especially since things went the way they did back where she was stationed. Having a run in with the locals in the mountains was her mistake, but clearly they weren't prepared for whatever she was capable of, and it was even hard for Eve to realize it would take them a day or two to even make it the long way around. By that time, the pair would be long gone.
But it wasn't the dead that showed up, it was another survivor. Eve could tell by how quick she reached that she needed to turn around, but didn't know what to do since the only one that had a gun didn't have enough time to react. To make things worse, the man was too far away to understand what he was saying, given the distance and her lack of concentration. The second one. A group holed up in a town in the other side of there. They had this kid here, tossed her around, had their way with her. We managed to get out. I think I did you a favor, if you were headed that way. You don't look like one of them."
It was then that Eve just realized what was going on, and was scared. But he wouldn't shoot them now, would he? If he was going to he would have already. Wouldn't think twice about it. Especially knowing they were unarmed, and caught off guard. Still, in fear of worse, Eve spoke out, or more of a mumble, given her disability. I can't hear you. B-bad men in the tunnel. D-don't shoot. Sherry dropped her arms when Eve grabbed onto her, embracing her like some sort of mother and daughter moment.
The whole situation happened so fast, but Sherry had already started to regret her decision if taking the deaf girl along with her. As if things weren't bad enough. She was at a moral crossroads, and chose between saving herself or doing something good in a world that didn't have a lot of good left in it. But quick as she hugged Eve, she responded to the man, seeing the dog. Listen, you have no idea what I just did to get her out of there. If you want my bag, you're gonna have to shoot me. I'm hoping we can work something out, seeing as we probably only have about five or ten minutes before the rotters show up. What do you need? What are you low on? Sherry was out of options, especially with Eve holding onto her, blocking access to her sidearm quick enough.
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Post by Dark Nomad on Feb 28, 2018 0:22:31 GMT -5
Henry lowered his gun gradually as the girls spoke. By the time the last one finished offering him items, his gun was basically pointed at the ground a few feet away. The two were obviously not a threat to him. Whoever was chasing them, would be if he stayed with them. Though all the women in his past collective started yelling at him for thinking about leaving these two to fend for themselves, no matter how capable, against a group of disgusting men. In fact, they had kept him from stumbling upon their camp.
He let out a short whistle, calling Boomer off the offensive before talking. "Hold on now, I don't want yer stuff. Y'all keep it. I got plenty here. You guys just kept me from running into a group of ass holes and pricks. Now it'd go against my moral code to just let you two venture off, without making sure the threat that followed you didn't continue following. The name's Cam, but everyone's usually called me by my last name Henry. Either way is fine. And this here is Boomer."
He said the last part while putting away his rifle. Boomer had moved back to his side but looked eager to meet the new people. Despite being capable of fighting, the dog was fairly friendly. In the regular world, you would have never known he was a killer. Boomer had saved his life in truck stops when muggers and scum bags tried to bother him. More than once his canine companion was more than enough to scare off attackers, before and after the outbreak.
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Post by Winters on Feb 28, 2018 4:26:26 GMT -5
By this time, the survivor, who had been marked friendly by the looks of things, was in close enough proximity that Eve could read what he was saying. Especially once his dog had came up beside him, and almost cocked his head upon realizing the pair had meant no harm. Regrettably, Eve wasn't paying attention to what Can was saying, she was focused in the dog, always loving them in her past. Maybe it was the connection she shared with her own awareness companion, but he definitely didn't seem like he was going to attack.
Good to see another person out here not trying to kill me. Or her. Her name's Eve, from what I've overheard. At least that's what they called her, she doesn't seem to care. They had her and I captive at the town for a week, maybe two. Stripped me of my firearms too, cept I managed to get my revolver back. I don't think she knows how to fight, don't even know how old she is. I'm guessing fifteen, maybe. Sherry took note of what Henry said, and made a little more peace with what they had stumbled upon. Even if there had been infected closing in on them any minute now.
Eve crouched down on the ground, and held out the second half of a stale dinner roll she had started eating not long ago. She had hoped that the dog would come back a friend, and neither Sherry nor the new face seemed to mind much. Staff Sergeant Paramore., she said, extending her hand out. Sherry, now, I guess. Doesn't mean a whole lot anymore. You uh, run into anyone of those 'a**holes' often around here? I'd imagine you must've had at least one encounter with the group beyond the tunnel. They're pretty wide spread from what I could gather.
Maybe having a more professional tone in her voice would put them on the same page. It was pretty clear that Henry wasn't in the business of messing around out here, judging from what he carried with him. On the go. Didn't belong to anywhere. Just like herself. But while he started to speak, a corpse stumbled out from the trees behind them, and Eve was already putting on her backpack.
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Post by Dark Nomad on Feb 28, 2018 11:12:49 GMT -5
Cam could feel Boomer begging him with his eyes to go eat the food offered to him. "Go on then." He said to Boomer before focusing on what the woman had to say. Boomer made his way over to the girl and sniffed the roll a couple times before gently taking it into his mouth. Trained to bite someone hard yet always gentle to thoughts deemed friendly. He stayed near the girl who offered him food, partially hoping for more food.
Henry was then made aware of their common work in the past. He shook her hand in response but then snapped to attention. She was superior to him and so it was only right that he salute, despite not being in the military himself anymore. And that the world had become a crazy apocalypse. "Well then let me formally introduce myself, Staff Sergeant. Sergeant Cam Henry, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Calvary Regiment." He said as he saluted her.
He awaited her salute before getting ready to go with them. The infected were on their way and it was time to go. "As far as ass holes like what you talked about, I haven't run into many. Those I have, they were away from their camp scoutin' or scavengin'. I made a habit of avoiding any camps that seem more like the thunderdome than home. Closer to Mexico, I did run across this nice town, walled off, kids running around and playing outside. Those people managed to beat this. Though I was trying to get home in hopes of finding family."
He explained that as they began walking. Boomer was back to his side, but still looking back to the girl in hopes of more food. "If we come across any more of them pricks though, I'll make sure to shoot 'em." He added to show that he was not okay with what they did to these two.
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Post by Winters on Mar 3, 2018 3:20:57 GMT -5
There was no chance that somebody who lost their mind would be able to silver tongue there way out if an encounter by bringing up a military rank. It definitely didn't seem made to be her at least, but she could always be wrong. Still, the fact Cam didn't shoot them was all she needed to go on, and the fact that Eve trusted him made things a ittle more reassuring. Interacting the dog the ways she did was the most innocent thing she'd seen in a very long time, and that extended even before the outbreak.
Sherry checked back on her one more time, but she still seemed content with just watching the dog. But really, she was making sure the dead weren't following them, though clearly they would be more interested in the blast. They got the jump on me few days back, took me to their camp. Not much for walls, small town, but they had a lot of guns. Managed to free myself and grab the stuff, what I could at least. That's when I seen her, and knew I couldn't just leave without helping. That's why they chased us, been tracking us for hours. Sherry trailed off, looking back at Eve one more time.
Even knowing full well that the girl couldn't hear a word of their conversation, she still felt obligated to keep out details of their escape. It aS a strange feeling, and not something she was even very conscience of doing. Full disclosure; I'm not in the army, I'm actually law enforcement. Was, law enforcement, with some extra steps. Came west from Stoneville, Missouri. They had adopted the Special Tactics and Rescue Service from our sister city after it... Well...
It was then that Eve had let out an audible noise of shock when she noticed blood dripping down the back of her hand. Cam and the dog had quickly enough turned around with preparation, gun drawn, but Sherry responded knowing exactly what the problem was. She carefully rolled up her sleeve, and seen that her wound had reopened. Luckily by now they were far enough away from the infected, but Eve was still on the verge of losing it, fearing the worst at the sight of blood. She caught Sherry saying something about a bandage, but had been to focused in the blood to get the rest of what she said.
Don't worry, it's not a bite, I promise. Sherry remedied the thought from Cams mind, whether it went there or not. But she did see that the duct tape wasn't holding anymore, and would need medical attention of they were going to stop the bleeding properly. Don't suppose you have a first aid kit. I didn't have time to raid the medical cabin before I left, and they took most of my stuff from my bag. Even some more duct tape until we find something would be better than nothing... she finished, not looking back this time to make sure Eve could understand what she was saying. It's okay, you're okay, calm down. I know it hurts, I'm sorry. I wish the knife had got me and not you.
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Post by Dark Nomad on Mar 3, 2018 3:51:49 GMT -5
It was an odd encounter for all parties. Cam seemed to have met them just as they needed a friend most. Cam had talked to Sherry about her past and where they were going from here. Before he had had a chance to ask how she came to be captured, being as capable as she had proved to him thus far, they were interrupted. Something was wrong with Eve.
Cam had the needed materials he had gathered up. He could even take care of the wound in a matter of minutes. Sure it was field surgery in a sense, but it was better than dying of infection. He could tell right away by the blood dripping down her hand that he didn't need to worry about it being a bite. "Bites cause infection quickly, cause the blood to darken and clot. Wouldn't be that much blood dripping from her hand. If we got a couple minutes to stop I can fix her up right here."
He spoke as he pulled out the supplies from his bag and handed his rifle to Sherry. "Safeties off. Watch our backs while I patch her up." He said. He handed some pain pills, nothing to strong, to Eve to help with the pain. Then he faced her and made sure she would understand what he was saying. He also signed as he spoke because he wasn't sure if she would understand the sign. Not everyone who had hearing problems could sign. "This might hurt. I've got to stop the bleeding and then I'll close the wound." He waited for a response before continuing.
First he cleaned the wound. This always hurt the most. Rubbing alcohol was a painful mistress to open wounds. Then with some gauze he pressed the cut until the bleeding stopped, keeping it elevated to help quicken the process. Then he popped the top on the liquid stitches and started the process of closing the wound. He made sure not to manhandle her or cause her any unnecessary pain. Once the adhesive was dry he covered it with a bandage so that the shirt didn't irritate it. He checked his watch and smirked.
"10 minutes. Not bad if you ask me. Hospitals used to take hours to do something that simple. That and the cost was 100 times the twenty bucks I spent on the stuff before the outbreak." He explained to Sherry as he stood up and cleaned up the mess. He wasn't going to leave any traces that they'd been there other than their foot steps. Once it was all set, he took his rifle back and was ready to follow.
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Post by Winters on Mar 3, 2018 4:30:48 GMT -5
Being handed the rifle was the major factor of trust at this point, even for a complete stranger. There hadn't been any red flags, nor were they disguised, Cam could be trusted. It was the first time Sherry held something so tactically versitle, but it felt very comfortable. Most of the firearms she got used to had been submachine guns, and pistols. Her forty four packed a punch, but holding only six shots before a lengthy reload made it almost useless for a firefight if it came to it. Her modified Beretta was out of ammo, the cost for getting them out of alive.
Eve really didn't like being in pain, nobody ever did, but this was the worst she had her whole life. It might have been because her mind was off it until now, but she understood what Can was doing, and that it was going to help her. She was even surprised that he knew ASL, but unfortunately she didn't have a good opportunity to learn anything but basic phrases and words. Thankfully she coupled it with being able to read people's faces and even a good portion of the words they spoke from their lips. This made emotions even easier to read, sort of how since she had no sense if hearing, her other senses were beyond normal. That's what she figured, at least.
Once Eve had been cleaned up, Sherry gave the gun back to Cam, appreciating what he did for them both with a smile. And it was something rare for her, though he wouldn't know that. To move along, she spoke, putting on the face she had previously. "You mentioned the highway was your route. I guess we could circle around the base of the mountain and avoid the town in the other side, if that's the direction you were headed. Honestly, I don't have a plan, aside from the possibility of finding Eve a good home..."
It wasn't that she didn't like having her around, it was more that she knew it wasn't safe for her. There had been groups around, even Cam was aware of that. Sherry hadn't been much of a pekole person, but seeking out a group to take Eve had been the priority. There wasn't any text book rules to follow for this sort of thing, nothing that applied to post-doomsday scenario. Was it selfish of her to want Eve away from her? Yes. But the alternative was worse, because she honestly wasn't cut out for kids. I'm not good for her. She needs to find shelter, to be with other people. Guess that's my plan, and I wouldn't know where to even look anymore. she finished, coming down to brass tacks about what needed to happen.
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Post by Dark Nomad on Mar 5, 2018 2:35:05 GMT -5
Cam walked as they made small talk. He kept his rifle at the ready in case of danger, though pointed down until needed. Old habits died hard, but as for gun safety, these habits were allowed to be immortal. The small talk took an unexpected turn though and it made Cam frown at Sherry. She thought she wasn't any good for Eve. He disagreed.
"Now how can you think that? Not everyone would have risked their necks for someone if they were no good. You could have left her behind for someone else to find, or to never be found. If it were me who saved her from some raving psychos, I wouldn't let her out of my sight. Me and her against the mother f*ckin' world." He said and realized he was rambling almost angrily. "But that's your business, I'll just stick by until y'all part ways if you like."
He twisted the ring on his finger with his thumb once he stopped talking. His family was gone and it was a reminder that he couldn't protect everyone. Then he got back to it. "Well my plan has been to head north until the route 70 and follow that west into Utah then follow the highways until about Washington. Also staying out of California." His plan was pretty simple and easy to accomplish until problems came up.
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Post by Winters on Mar 9, 2018 4:57:07 GMT -5
What Cam said had stuck with her. There was a lot she knew, and a lot she didn't, but it wasn't like it mattered all too much now. She would just have to accept things for what they were and move on. Her situation was that she was looking after this teenage girl, but that was never what her job title meant. She saved people, not adopted them. Though it wasn't as if she could return her to her parents, so things could only be taken one step at a time. It was good if Cam to stick around, and Sherry knew that he was aware of the appreciation.
Sherry didn't bother asking why he was heading all this way to Washington, because of all the details he'd shared with her, he seemed to have more of a plan than she did. Or maybe he didn't, and they were both just sort of misguided ghosts moving around trying not to bump into things. [but]"Heading north makes sense. Less population overall. That's one of the main reasons I've been taking the route I have. Coming from Stoneville, Missouri. Not sure where Eve is from, though..."[/b] she spoke, looking back again to see the girl only a few feet behind her.
Eve had been thinking that she was going to be a burden for the two of them. She could almost tell just by how Sherry looked back every few minuyes. So with a little bit of courage, and responsibility, she stopped and opened up her backpack. Fishing around inside for a pistol that she knew had been on a belt in the bag, she closed it up and then tightened it around her waist. Sherry stopped when she realized that Eve was a little further behind, and seen the girl slowly making her way to catch up, all the while fastening up a holster with a Beretta inside.
But Sherry didn't stop, or anything. Just turned back around and kept going, a smile coming over her face. Who was she to judge, maybe she knew how to shoot, maybe she was just trying to impress Cam. It only mattered that they had another person with a gun, who in worst case scenario, would be able to at least be of some backup. "Must've grabbed that from someone, I didn't check her bag. She's definitely a lot more clever than I thought, this doesn't surprise me all too much, actually now that I think about it."
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Post by Dark Nomad on Mar 17, 2018 23:51:40 GMT -5
Cam didn't have much else to say and nodded when Sherry explained things. It definitely made sense to head north but there were plenty of cities all over the country they needed to avoid. Those places had proven to be hellscapes. Totally overrun or inhabited by the hardest of people not willing to cooperate with others.
When Eve set herself up with a gun from her bag he smiled. It meant more helping hands in the worst case scenario. He wouldn't have to worry about doing it all himself or Sherry running out of shots. He was also kind of sceptical of how sparse the infected were in the area. They had only seen one come out of the woods at the sound of an explosion. The people might be the more dangerous hunters in the area.
His suspicions were confirmed when he heard talking out in the distance. He couldn't make out the words being said but it was only voices of men. That was hardly a good sign. Until he could hear what was being said, he was going to be cautious. He motioned for the other two to stop talking and hide. Once he heard what was being said he knew they were part of the group chasing the girls and his demeanor hardened.
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Post by Winters on Mar 18, 2018 1:47:45 GMT -5
Part of her did want to fall back and check the pistol herself, but Sherry had come to the conclusion that the small girl knew what she was doing, or at least had enough knowledge to be trusted with a loaded gun. That, and there wasn't enough time once they heard the voices. Eve got your closer to Sherry while them and Cam split up into different hiding places across from eachother. Seemed smarter to use a flank if the opportunity presented itself, and Sherry had been itching to put a round into somebody for days now.
-the worst a deaf kid and a half naked woman could do? They're both as good as dead out here. No food, nothing. Yeah, theyre not gonna make it, lets just get back to the underpass and regroup. Figure out what the explosion was. The voice cut into hearing range partway through, and Sherry shot a glance at Cam across the way. If weren't for Eve, she would have already jumped out and gunned them down, but she had her arms tightly around her, making the situation more of a 'let them pass' scenario.
Had Eve not came with her, Sherry would have been stalking the base, killing them all with the rifle she now wouldn't have had room for. But she couldn't blame the girl, not out loud anyway. Things took a different route, and it wasn't as if she would be back this way again, so it really didnt matter. But once the group of five had gotten far enough away, they had stopped to radio in as one, assumed from base, checked up on them. Nothing new to report. That hoard is still coming this way, and it's spread out a little bigger than we thought, but we're keeping ahead if it. Low battery, we'll he back within the hour. Over and out.
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