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Post by NotAvailable on Apr 28, 2011 6:07:28 GMT -5
Anna was stumbling over her feet, trying to push onward with the kitten squirming in her jacket. Her head was spinning and she flushed with frustration, pulling at her jacket since it felt like she was baking under the heated pressure. They were almost there, but the damn birds were grouping up to strike the shelves which made them tip side to side from the force.
"F*cking birds! F*CK!" she swore. This was getting bad, if they went into the store, these damned things would just group up and shatter their windows and kill their asses. This wasn't going well, who'da thought out of every potential threat they'd face, the crows would be the most difficult?
"Alex, once we get into the shop, we should barricade the windows and leave some openings so I can shoot these f*ckers into oblivion!" she yelled over the constant squawking and Alex's aggrivated roars.
When they made it to the door of the shops, Elizabeth fumbled with the locks and upon opening the door, the women came bursting in, knocking her onto her ass. As such, a crow managed to get in, pecking and clawing at her face wildly. She screamed in terror, trying to flail her arms about, to hit it, but it was picking into her flesh and ripping at it.
Anna and Alex quickly threw the shelf off of them and while Alex slammed the door shut, Anna had hit the bird with the shotgun and flung it against the wall with a loud, "Thap" sort of noise. Elizabeth had fallen to the ground by now, curled up, screaming and crying, holding her bleeding face.
Keith was unconscious from the pain, unable to hear his wife's cries as she sobbed painfully into her shaking hands. Anna knelt down, trying to get a firm grasp on her. "Beth! Calm down! C'mon, calm down! Let me see!"
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Apr 28, 2011 6:22:51 GMT -5
All of the escalation had a dramatic ending that none of them had wished for. The medkit and flown across the room after leaving Alex's mouth. She took Anna's idea and exploited it, the crows wouldn't wait for their next chance, they would simple make a way in.
Taking the mobile fortress the PI began breaking it up, slamming her foot into each shelf, disregarding if any of the screws snapped beyond use; it was what she wanted. Once the two aisle pieces were freed her gloved hands rammed them against the door and windows looking out, piling up any other loose pieces behind them and grabbing even more to block any openings. The windows cracked and smashed, but the birds weren't getting inside any time soon.
She dropped to her knees. This whole time and Alex hadn't noticed what happened to Elizabeth. The PI kept her space from Anna as she helped the wife, "Damn," all that was for the medkit to let this happen.
Alex went to find the kit. Keith still breathed, but was in a severely doped out state. The girl pulled out assorted bits and pieces before carrying the case over to Anna, "Here. There might be something in here you can use," she caught a glimpse at Elizabeth's face, something Alex originally tried to avoid; the sight made her stomach turn over.
Anna had Elizabeth under watch, Keith was the next survivor requiring attention. How blown out of proportion this had all become, tending to two different spouses. Alex cut away at his trouser pants to find a massive bruise engulfed his lower leg. She didn't know a lot about paramedics, or healing; but the PI figured this were a surefire sign of internal bleeding, "Just relax, Keith. You might feel some pain," the words of reassurance had reminded her of the morphine she pulled out, giving the man a dose before turning to broken bone.
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Post by NotAvailable on Apr 28, 2011 6:35:42 GMT -5
Elizabeth's face had been swollen and red. Flesh beneath her eye and some of her cheeks had been torn away, part of the skin of her lip was dangling from the corner of her mouth, drenched in blood. This grotesque image had Anna feeling terribly sick to her stomach.
She was deformed now and it'd probably take forever to heal that is, if the infection didn't get to her first. This served as a whole other problem and didn't bode well for the survivors. As Beth whimpered and shivered under Anna's poking fingers, she'd continued to muffle her tears in her hands.
Alex pushed over the medkit and as she did so, the kitten's head had popped out of her jacket, looking up at Anna and then at the woman. Pushing his head back into her jacket, she'd grabbed the kit, shuffling through it's belongings.
"Thanks...uh, there's some antiseptics and...bandages...there's not much I can do for you, Beth, but I'll try my best, does it hurt real bad?" she asked, dousing some cotton swabs in the anti bacterial wash.
"It's numb now...how bad is it...? A-am I ugly?" she asked, brokenly.
The readheaded woman frowned, not knowing what to say to her. "Relax and let me clean you up, alright? Worry about that later."
As the two women worked their poor medical skills on the couple, Anna had managed to look back at Alex momentarily. "How's Keith's leg looking?"
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Apr 28, 2011 6:51:37 GMT -5
"It's hemorrhaging internally," Alex answered with a sniff, tightening the gauze and splint around his leg, "I don't know what to do, Anna. I don't think surgery is even possible here. If it doesn't heal itself he'll need a bloodpack, we'd need to find that and even then we'd need to know what type of blood he has-" Alex broke off after realizing just how helpless she were; all that could be done would be to cradle the broken bone.
A crate was pulled over to rest Keith's leg on, trying hard to make sure it didn't bleed as much as possible. Alex crossed back over to Anna, holding herself in disdain, shaking her head, "Goddamn deathtrap dungeon," a hint of a sob escaping her lips as she sniffed again, "I don't know if you have any field experience, but please take a look at him if you can help. I can stay with Liz," the PI gulped.
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Post by NotAvailable on Apr 28, 2011 6:58:54 GMT -5
Elizabeth had practically pushed Anna aside and began crawling toward her husband, her blue eyes filled with tears as she grabbed for him and frowned. "Keith is gonna be okay. He has to end up okay...he will, he's a strong man!" she exclaimed, pitifully. Anna looked at Alex and then at Beth with a look of remorse.
"She's infected, you know. Gonna turn...so she's going to die and he's more than likely going to die. There are no hospitals on this island and I doubt there will be surgical tools in first aid stations...they're pretty much...lost..." Anna trailed off in a low tone so the others couldn't hear.
There really wasn't much she could do and she could tell the younger of the group, Alex, had been taking it rather hard. Sighing, she'd patted the lump in her jacket and rubbed the back of her head. The caws and the poundings had stopped. Even the rain had seized, replaced by heavy snow. For a moment it felt like time had stopped altogether and Anna had this overwelming feeling of hopelessness and helplessness.
That's when something had dawned on her. The emergency evac station. There was a station with a radio frequency for emergencies. It was on the other side of the island, a long trek from there, but it could potentially save them all. Well, Alex, Anna and Keith, anyway.
"Al, I'm going to have to go back outside."
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Apr 28, 2011 7:10:36 GMT -5
A silence had been cast over the small department store. A whole lot of sorrow in only a matter of seconds. both the women stood on the spot feeling a little lost, Alex more so. It was when colour returned to Anna that the fiery redhead seemed to conjure up an idea. "Al, I'm going to have to go back outside." "What?" Alex bounced back with disbelief. She knew it was only a matter of time before Elizabeth called in the infected flag, but there was nothing Anna could possibly do about that, "Why? Where are you going?" she took a step forwards, "You can't go alone! We can't leave them!" the PI was quickly becoming upset and confused, "Don't leave me here!" her voice had risen in pitch at this in particular. It would have just been too much to bare, "Not like this..."
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Post by NotAvailable on Apr 28, 2011 7:21:43 GMT -5
Anna's eyes had been dull and void of any sort of emotion when Alex had pleaded for her not to leave them behind. She'd kept her gaze hard and strong on the couple as Elizabeth had rocked her husband in her arms. Pictures flickered in her memory of him. She shook her head and finally, after a long, uncomfortable, silence, Anna had torn her gaze away to look over at the young woman.
"I'm going to go find the Evacuation Center and see if I can radio for help...there isn't much I can do for Elizabeth but there's plenty I can do for you and Keith," she told her before moving forward to Elizabeth and pushing the nose of her browning into the crown of her head.
BLAM![/b]
The gunshot flared and illuminated the dark store as Alex watched in horror as Elizabeth fell limp over her husband's torso, her blood splattering against his unconscious body. Anna's cold eyes had began to tear up slightly before she bent down and grasped ahold of her old Colt the woman had at her side.
"Help me slip her body outside...I'll leave Keith here with you while I radio for help. Unless you want to come with me, doesn't matter, he'll be safe either way," she said in a dull tone of voice. It was easy to see Anna had been sucking back tears and replaced her broken demeanor with a hardened one.
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Apr 28, 2011 7:35:04 GMT -5
Alex couldn't see the world through her tears after the gunshot shook her, far from expecting Anna to do anything of the sort. The girl had hesitated for a moment when the redhead asked her to help carry the dead body outside, finding any length of courage to step forward, refusing to hold the departed soul by her shoulders. She let the mercy executioner lead them back out into the now snowing cold, incapable of keeping her eyes open any longer. Alex hadn't planned on seeing anyone die today; boy did that turn around on her.
"Anna," she swallowed hard after they lay the body next to the fountain, standing in the snow, "I'm coming with you," it was hard to think of a decent, humane reason why she would leave Keith on his own in such a state; the girl was simply scared after all that had happened, constantly clutching the fabric of her pants. There was no way for her to look Anna in the eye and honestly say how she felt, "I can't stay here,"
Maybe it was the fear of Raccoon City still lingering inside; the thought of seeing the woman walk away and to never see her again, stuck alone with a dying man. She felt selfish and demoralized, but Alex would not accept having it any other way, "We'll go and radio for help, then come back for Keith," a hollow breeze passed through the square as if the emphasize on her senselessness.
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Post by NotAvailable on Apr 28, 2011 7:46:06 GMT -5
As they laid the body down near the fountain, Anna had looked up at the dark sky. The crows completely vanished, possibly gave up or found something more interesting to peck at, either way, it was a relief. Alex had mentioned that she didn't want to stay behind, from the look of her face and sound of her voice, she could tell she was scared and insecure about being left alone.
It was weird, seeing her like that made her miss her daughter terribly. Infact it began to make her wonder just where she was and if she was still alright with her parents and son...she had to be. The little, furry head poke out again, this time looking around curiously while Anna thought of the words to say.
Placing a hand on her shoulder, she gently squoze and let her maternal side take over.
"Alright, if that's what you want, then you can come with me. Keith will be fine, we'll barricade the door from the outside, zombies are too stupid to figure out how to pull them apart anyway. So don't worry too much, you're not doing anything wrong," she assured her before letting go and moving back towards the shop.
Working together, they managed to barricade the windows and door, leaving behind a sleeping Keith and even the kitten. Anna swore to the two that she'd come back for them, no matter what and she'd be damned if she'd break any promises to anyone. Either way, they were safe and secure, leaving some food near the two and were now on their way out of centre square.
"Alright, if memory serves correctly...brrr...damn it's cold...urgh...uh...yeah, there's a map in the museum, we should stop by and see if we can get our hands on one, then find the Evac station," she informed Alex.
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Apr 28, 2011 11:07:07 GMT -5
"Museum," the thought of being in a place like a museum during a night like this felt demented, "Right," good thing it weren't a prehistoric museum, or a science museum; only thing Alex would have to put up with were creepy wax figures holding antique rifles and brandishing the American flag, "Okay," pessimistic thoughts finally aside, the girl tagged along behind Anna, trudging through thick snow. _____________________________________________ The only way they could orientate themselves was with the massive black French statue to their right. Alex called it West for now, the direction they headed being North where the museum waited. The darkness was so heavy that after ten metres everything just faded to black, dark grey snow at their feet covering all of the green grass. Sounds would be the only thing to forewarn them if something decided to hobble out of the darkness toward them. Slowing up her pace, keeping a hand to her nose, "A-" moments pause, "Achoo!" stopping in her tracks to recover from the sneeze, wiping her nose with a sniff, "Damn," the petite girl had felt it coming on earlier, yet she didn't think it would worsen, "Mom always told me to wear warm clothes when I go out," her forehead felt hot, a definite fever building up. Scarf pulled over her nose again, "So. How'd you end up in New York?" Alex asked Anna. The silence was becoming too much for her; before she knew it her schizophrenia would be acting up, and that was the last thing the PI wanted to happen, "I don't usually meet a lot of lone survivors like myself out here," she elaborated with a nervous laugh, "Well, I get the feeling you didn't really know that couple."
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Post by NotAvailable on Apr 28, 2011 15:04:49 GMT -5
Anna had kept her eyes on the path ahead, the Browning in her hands as she moved briskly through the snow, crunching it beneath her boots. Alex sneezed and muttered something before wrapping her scarf tightly around her nose and mouth. Anna knew immediately that that was a warning sign. She was probably going to get sick and being out in these conditions would only make it worse, hopefully it wouldn't lead to pneumonia for either women or even hypothermia.
That floating around her head, Alex broke the slient thoughts with a question about what brought Anna to New York. She'd sighed and kept pushing onward through the harsh, frigid, winds.
"My son goes to college here. He'a bout your age, maybe a year younger...when this sh*t started, I hadn't heard from him at all and so I got worried and came to find him, leaving my little girl with my parents and my..uh...friend. He wasn't in his dorm so, I'm assuming he evacuated...he's been through this outbreak before, he's a survivor," Anna explained, feeling a tug at her heart when she thought about the possibilities of her son not surviving.
That uncertainty, however, never made it to her features or in her voice since both were filled to the brim with determination. As cliche as it may have sounded, Anna kept her hopes up in even the most depserate of situations.
When Alex mentioned that she was suprised to meet a lone survivor like herself, assuming she didn't know Keith or Elizabeth, she'd grinned a bit.
"I've been around the block a few times. I mean, the first outbreak happened when I was 25 years old. Survived Raccoon then, fought through some infected areas between then and now, took pretty good care of myself. I get around," she simply told the young woman.
"What about you? Not everyday I see a young kid around, alone and damn near unscathed," she inquired.
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Apr 28, 2011 22:26:39 GMT -5
A subtle smile crept across her mouth as Alex put a hand to her face; hers were kind of a long story. Feeling a little like Marco Polo: I did not tell half of what I so, for I knew I would not be believed, "Just trying my luck, again," she finally spoke, "I was desperate for a job, had some folks call me up and send me a brief. Hopped on the first plane to Raccoon City. No idea how much of a mistake that would be," she chuckled to lighten the atmosphere, Al had the feeling Anna would be able to relate.
"Got stuck there for three weeks, every time I was so close to escaping it just shoved me right back into the middle of it. looked to get a ride out with two choppers, both started shooting at me before I could even speak," she sniffed at the aggravation they gave her, "Third chopper was finally my ticket out. Had to help some guy in a black trench coat and shades subdue this other guy he wanted. It was all pretty suspicious stuff, but... I was desperate to escape."
"Got the guy he wanted, sedated him, got onto the chopper. Then I hijacked it from under his feet, launched Johnny Matrix out the exit door and took his target back to his home in the Arklay's. What the trench coat guy had been doing didn't seem right. Then again, I still don't know if what I did was wrong."
"Flew eastward 'til I ran outta gas and landed on one of the buildings here in the harbor. From one pit, into another," Alex cursed, feeling tired from it all, "Reason I'm unscathed, though-" she patted her stomach, "Bulletproof," her smile couldn't be seen, but the look in her eyes told she were happy about it, "Weave I mean. Company I test products for gave it to me to try out. That, plus a pretty nifty combat knife and grappling gun which carries me like a feather. Had a rifle too but," Alex looked over her shoulder, "It musta gone overboard. Glad someone's got a shotgun on'em here!" she jested to Anna and her Remington slung over her shoulder.
"It's good to hear you have family somewhere though!" Alex perked, "That isn't usually the case with most people in biohazards. Is it safe where you left them, wherever you came from?" she smirked, "Least you have a gift fer on your trip fer your daughter," suggesting to the little cat. Such were creature comforts.
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Post by NotAvailable on Apr 28, 2011 22:48:39 GMT -5
Anna listened to the young woman speak about how she ended up stuck on a boat and crash landing on the Isle de Muerta. She seemed to have been way more competent that she'd thought, which was always good when you were teamed up with someone. When she mentioned the experimental,''literal'', body armor she acquired, she'd chuckled a bit and thought about that for a second. It wasn't unusual for people now a days to have augmentations of some kind, of course she hadn't had anything like that, just pumped drugs to enhance her tactical performance maybe once or twice. Didn't end well for her or her partner.
When she'd asked if her family was somewhere safe, she'd nodded a bit. Richard was with them and her father was still capable of defending himself and others, they were in good hands. She'd looked back at Al and nodded a bit.
"Yeah, they're safe, got word that they're hanging around in Stoneville somewhere outside Raccoon. Bunch of other survivors, I dunno," she told her when she'd noticed something moving through the dark alleys between a two massive warehouses. Narrowing her eyes, she shined her flashlight on on the dark gap between buildings, but whatever it was, was gone now.
"So..." she began slowly. "You have a grapple gun? I want a grapple gun..." Anna mumbled, somewhat sadly.
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Post by Lunapocalypse on Apr 28, 2011 23:15:53 GMT -5
"Sorry-" Alex unholstered the hookshot and twirled it on her finger into sight, "Last one. Or first one... I need to actually get a report back in about it," she looked down at the device, a dozen or so pins sticking out of front of its cylindrical build while the back end held metres and metres of thin, heavy duty, steel wire. It was bound to come in useful during their time on the island; swinging from the ten amendments maybe.
It wasn't satisfying to hear Anna would be returning to Raccoon some time; that the rest of her family resided just outside of case zero, not something Alex would be able to stand for very long. It helped that they had gone through an outbreak once before, that much was clear. Maybe it were easier the longer you ended up in it, "I never had a problem with the first biohazard. It didn't touch Chicago, or any of my areas of operation, so I didn't think much of it. I thought it would be a thrill being sent into Raccoon," lowering her chin to her chest in ignorance.
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Post by NotAvailable on Apr 28, 2011 23:36:44 GMT -5
Anna, a bit down trotten by the grapple gun news, shrugged a bit as they walked. Most people liked to go into Raccoon City to see where it all started, the only reason she was going back was because it was setting course towards Stoneville where her family was. She'd rather not have to go directly through the city itself, but it's not like it'd protect her from the past since essentially, the past was already repeating itself only the entire globe was screwed beyond repair.
"It's alright, don't feel to bad about it," was all Anna could say as she'd seen that same passing figure somewhere near the dumpsters aside an old fishing shop nearby. It was just a glimpse, but whatever it was, it definitely wasn't human.
Deciding it was best not to flash her light on it anymore, not wanting to attract attention or startle Alex, she'd seen the museum in a fair distance away. Infront of it were a few undead, scratching and scraping at the doors, some shuffling aimlessly around the American flag placed in the center of a small, circular, garden infront of said museum.
"Got some roamers hanging about. Get ready, Al."
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