Maybe this isn’t the best idea you’ve ever had, but after all those years of dealing with your sister Kelly, you aren’t going to put up with bullying anymore.

You’ve never really been a fighter before (Trying to protect your face from Kelly’s couple attempts to disfigure you don’t count) so it isn’t surprising that when you throw a punch at Razor she easily dodges and catches your arm.

“Oh ho! Harley Quinn has some fight in her! Good, didn’t want this to be too easy!” Razor says and throws you to the ground. Before you can get up you feel a kick to your ribs.

Lacking any other tactics you lunge at one of Razor’s legs and sink your teeth into it hard enough to draw blood.

“AH SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK!” Razor yells trying to get you off of her leg, at this point her friends step in to help pull you off. You’re dragged off and restrained while Razor takes a moment to examine her wound.

“Goddamn it! Shit!” Razor exclaims looking at the fairly deep bite wound you’ve left.
“I thought you were a human pincushion, what’s the matter can’t handle a few little teeth?” you ask spitting blood in Razor’s direction.
“Hope you enjoyed yourself, because that’s the last time you’re going to be using those pearly whites. Say hello to eating through a straw from now on, but look on the bright side, the next time you engage in your favorite past time of sucking clown dick, they won’t have to worry about getting scraped.” Razor says and starts to walk toward you, but suddenly Roofie stops her.

“Alright that will do Razor, I saw what happened and I’ll not have unnecessary strife in this carnival! Go back to packing down your stage!” Roofie scolds.

Razor looks at him a moment and then you and then waves to her friends to let you go.

“One day you aren’t going to be running this show Roofie.” Razor says as she leaves with her friends.
“Maybe not, but that day isn’t today.” Roofie says.

As you get up and try to brush yourself off, Roofie slowly walks over to you. He already smells like alcohol.

“Well Suzy, first Ranko, now Razor, looks like you’re just making friends all over.”
“It’s not my fault! I didn’t do anything to her!”
“I know you didn’t, you alright?”
“Yeah, but now I probably got a target on my back, one of many probably since Razor isn’t the only one who hates me around here.”
“Yeah I’ve noticed. Just because I’m half drunk most of the time doesn’t mean I’m not aware of what goes on around here. Listen some of the negative feelings that some have for you will die down in time. You seem to be getting along with your new clown co-workers very well though. You spent the night over in their trailer despite the fact you have your own.”
“I only did that because I didn’t feel safe sleeping alone last night. There was a really creepy big guy staring at me all day yesterday, I dunno maybe I was just being paranoid.”
“Hmm, did you wish to bunk with them or even someone else then? I mean I can make arrangements if you feel uncomfortable sleeping alone.”
“No, I appreciate the fact you gave me my own trailer. Besides, given all the new friends I’m making, I’d be safer sleeping alone and bunking with Klepto and the rest, well I get the impression that would cause other problems.” You say.
“Okay then. Well, I’ll let you get back to your trailer. We’ll probably be ready to go just before nightfall so I’m sure Lifto will be around then to hook this thing up to one of our trucks. So until then just enjoy the downtime.”
“Wait, aren’t I supposed to be helping pack up the carnival?”
“You? Nah, the rest of the guys can handle it. Really I get the impression they wouldn’t let you do much work anyway what with them all being enamored with you and all. And the dwarves got the overall pack up covered. Always have, it’s what they do. Backbone of the carnival and all…and all a bit of a waste of time given what’s to come, but hey we do what we know.” Roofie says and leaves.

A little more cryptic future doom prediction by Roofie, you get the impression that’s his general personality, but at least he’s always pleasant with you.

With no more distractions you arrive at your trailer and that’s when you begin to feel nervous again.

First of all the door is slightly ajar. You also notice a couple things out of place from last time, not to mention it looks like someone spent some time in your bed and soiled it with their “essence”. Your cell phone that you left here is also gone, but given that its batteries were starting to die and you wouldn’t have Bobby to pay for it much longer it isn’t much of a loss. Someone was definitely here last night. You don’t know if it was Ranko, that big creepy retard staring at you or someone else, but either way you dodged a bullet.

You half expect the person to jump out at you from some hidden spot, but that doesn’t happen. Whoever was here, probably left before the morning, and probably when they realized you weren’t coming here.

You re-check all the trailer’s locations (even if it isn’t the biggest place) and block the door with a chair before feeling safe enough to shower and get changed.

Afterwards you go through the mundane process of actually cleaning up the trailer. You figure if you don’t need to help pack up the carnival, you can at least spend your time clean up your living area. (First thing is throwing out the befouled bed sheet)

By the time you’re finished it’s the afternoon and you’re tired again. You’re still not used to being awake so early and you didn’t get much sleep last night so you lie down in your now cleaner bed and shut your eyes for just a bit…

You don’t know how much time passes while you’re asleep again, but when you do wake up it’s to a loud thumping at the door.

“OPEN UP BY ORDER OF THE U.S. NATIONAL GUARD!”

National Guard? What the hell is going on?

“Hold on, hold on, I’m getting up!” you shout.
“Open the door miss or we’ll be forced to bash it open!” a voice calls back.

Not wishing to potentially get shot you comply and upon opening the door several national guardsmen stand outside.

“Come with us miss, we need you all together for your safety.” A young soldier says guiding you out.
“Where are we going?” you ask.
“Just to that big tent over there. Don’t worry, this is all for your protection.”

Somehow you don’t quite believe that, but when you scan your surroundings, you see that the carnival appears to be under control by the National Guard so there isn’t much choice but to comply. You don’t know why or how this came to be, but from some of the military radios you overhear it sounds like riots have broken out in your town. Is this some sort of martial law?

When you arrive in the big tent, most of carnival is there. Most are sitting at tables and complaining about this fate. You see Roofie actively arguing with one of the higher ranking soldiers who looks utterly unmoved by what he has to say.

“Goddamnit, just because people are rioting in the town doesn’t mean any bullshit is going on here! We’re not even locals! We’re just passing through and were about to leave!” Roofie says.
“Yeah I heard you the first time, but my orders are to secure this entire area and will be under watch until further notice. Now I suggest you get out of my face before I stomp a mud hole in your ass clown!” the officer remarks and walks out of the tent.

You go over to Roofie.

“What’s going on exactly?” you ask.
“End times like I always knew would come Suzy. Just didn’t figure I’d have to spend my last days stuck under the gun by a bunch of fascists! These government dickheads think they can control what’s coming soon, when they really can’t control shit. These fools don’t even know they’re all really just puppets for that fucking Ground Zero corporation that’s been shilling bomb shelters ads all over the damn place.”

This is definitely a new side you’ve seen of Roofie, he’s really mad. He’s also really drunk even if he’s pretty coherent. You see Klepto and the rest waving you over.

“Why don’t we just go over there and…”
“Y’know what Suzy? There aren’t even that many of these fuckers. It’s a skeleton crew at best. I bet we can take them. I mean we certainly outnumber them.”
“What?! Are you nuts? They’re armed with machine guns!” you say.
“And? So a few of us die? We’re ALL gonna be dead soon anyway, why wait? Better to die on your feet than live on your knees. Seriously, all we gotta do is get a couple of those guns away from them and it already evens up the playing field. Seriously you think they’re probably going to let us live anyway? They’re probably going to line us up like baby seals and blow our brains out by tomorrow. I’m telling you I’m getting our own troops in order to rebel tonight.”

Roofie seems pretty intent on going through with this plan, the only thing you can think of to do is either try to help or try to prevent the violence.
> You prevent the violence
Roofie’s plan isn’t going to accomplish anything except get a bunch of people killed, and you could be one of them! You think fast.

“Uh, okay Roofie, let’s just go over here and get the battle plan together first okay? I’m sure Klepto and the rest are going to want to hear this first.”
“Hrgh, okay. You don’t need to guide me damn it, I’m not that drunk!” Roofie says and pulls his arm away from your hand.

When you get to Klepto’s table he and the rest know something is wrong when Roofie starts going on about “bum rushing those government puppet bastards.” Shrimpy and Fatty both attempt to calm him down, but he’s not having any of it.

“What the hell is going on Suzy? Roofie’s talkin’ crazier than usual.” Klepto asks.
“He wants to have the entire carnival attack the National Guard, do something before he causes too much of a scene.” You say.
“Do something like what? You don’t mean kill him do you?!” Klepto asks.
“No! But I dunno maybe knock him out to buy us time and he can sober up or something. Lifto, knock him out.” You say.
“Me?! Why me?” Lifto asks.
“Because you’re the strongest of all of us and I’m guessing you could do it in one hit. Just do it, before he gets all of us killed!”

Lifto’s a little reluctant and probably wouldn’t do it normally, but it the situation does seem dire enough so while Roofie is continuing to rant at Shrimpy and Fatty he punches Roofie in the back of the head, knocking the older man completely out and falling into Fatty’s arms.

Some of the other carnies have witnessed this, but they don’t seem to do anything about it. In fact it just goes to show how little most of them respect Roofie in the scheme of the things. Sort of a shame.

“Holy shit, did you have to punch him so hard? He’s an old guy! You might’ve put him in a coma!” Shrimpy remarks.
“I just did what Suzy told me!”
“Alright look, I didn’t want harm to come to Roofie either, but the guy needed to be silenced for at least a moment. I think the bigger problem we’ve got is the other carnies. I get the sense that they think Roofie is no longer a factor in the leadership role, so expect a power play. We all need to stick together for protection.”
“What about the National Guard? I mean shouldn’t we be worrying about them?” Lifto asks.
“The National Guard is what’s keeping this carnival from exploding into an orgy of violence right now. Nobody’s going to risk pissing them off by causing problems, well not now at least without Roofie’s plan of stirring them all up.” You reply.

“Well what the hell do we do now?” Klepto asks.
“I don’t know! I mean I’m just thinking on my feet here! You all told me that we’re the most hated group in the carnival, so we should make friends somehow? Shrimpy, do you have ANY pull with the dwarves?”
“Pull? I suppose I have enough for me, I mean even as a clown deep down I’ll always be a dwarf. But as I’ve mentioned before I can’t promise anything for the rest of you.”
“Well I dunno, do some diplomacy or something. As for the rest of us, we need to just stick to our table and look after Roofie, and make sure he’s doing okay throughout the night. Maybe I’ll try to charm one of the soldiers or something. The key thing to remember is we need to survive this together.”

You never thought you’d start sounding like your older brother Ben with the whole survivalist shtick, but if it helps thinking like a paranoid person then you aren’t going to dismiss such thoughts.

As night starts to fall the mood in the large army “quarantine” tent grows more restless. Two guardsmen remain on duty at all times though they’re not exactly happy about the situation either. You do manage to get friendly with one of them by the name of Roger and extract a bit more info.

Roger tells you that you and the rest of your carny friends shouldn’t worry too much since this is just a formality. He says that things are much worse in the town and expects his unit will be transferred to support his fellow guardsmen there in a day or two. At which point you’ll all be free to go.

Hearing about the mass riots in town makes you wonder how things are going for your family. You’re almost sort of worried about them, even Kelly, but there isn’t much that can be done now. Hopefully they’ve found some sort of safety.

“Is this going on everywhere?” you ask.
“Well I don’t know a lot of detail, I’m just a grunt in the scheme of things, but things are getting pretty bad, I mean haven’t you heard the news lately?” Roger says.
“Not really, sort of disconnected from the rest of the world lately.” You say.
“Well world tensions have been really high, it’s like every country is gearing up for world war three and domestically people have seemingly gone batshit insane with regards to the rules of common decency and morality. I guess a lot of people are just scared and I can’t blame them on some level, but we still need law and order. Surely you can understand that right?”
“Sure.” You say in agreement since you’d rather not make any potential enemies of the military even if it is just one grunt.

In any case Roger smiles when you agree, you get the impression he’s just as concerned being out here. After a few more pleasantries, Roger says he really needs to get back to “standing guard” and not talking to you as his superior is a real hard ass and he doesn’t want to get into trouble or you for that matter. You thank him for the talk and head back to your colleagues.

Of course some of the carnies seeing you get “cozy” with one of the guardsmen makes them even dislike you even more and you occasionally hear mutterings and name calling by others. Razor hasn’t taken her eyes off of you the whole time you’ve been here. She’s obviously got her sights set on you, regardless of what goes down, she’s just waiting for opportunity.

On the plus side when Shrimpy returns he says that while the dwarves are going to make their own play when the time is right, he’s managed to convince them not to attack the clowns as long as you stay out of their way. (And apparently they’re ONLY extending that courtesy because of Shrimpy’s ties as well you being…well you, though the female dwarves predictably don’t like you too much)

The night goes on and while everyone is in a heightened state of readiness nobody can stay awake forever, so eventually people start falling asleep though its mostly in shifts for most groups and you are no exception.

Eventually though when it’s your turn to sleep, you try to find some sort of comfort on one of the many sleeping mats provided. It’s pretty much impossible, but exhaustion helps you along.

Eventually you drift off…
> Next day…
THURSDAY

Several gunshots cause you to wake up.

“What the?!” you say still staying on the floor.
“Shhhh! Quiet!” Klepto remarks and points over to the one in charge of the guardsmen. He and five others stand near the tent entrance with weapons out.

“I don’t give a shit WHO started the fight or even why! You carny freaks can tear each other apart after we leave, but until then we’re here to maintain order and by god that’s what the fuck we’re going to do! If I have to break up another fight for any reason, next time the shots aren’t going in the air!” the officer remarks and leaves. The other guardsmen continue to stand near the entrance watching everyone who eventually all sit back down.

“What the hell happened?” you ask.
“Razor and some of the others got into an argument with Phil and his friends.” Klepto says.
“Who’s Phil?” you say.
“He does that fire eating stuff. Anyway, they kicked his ass and just as things were going to get worse, the guardsmen came in and put a stop to it like you just saw. Looks like the battle for control over the carnival is already starting.”
“Surprised we didn’t get attacked then.”
“Well like Shrimpy said yesterday, we’ve got dwarf protection for now, but who knows how long that arrangement is going to last.”
“Can’t believe I slept through a fight, where’s Roofie?”
“Oh him? He’s still over there out of it, even the gunshots didn’t wake him up.” Klepto says pointing to Roofie, who then surprises everyone.

“I’m quite awake Klepto, I’m just resting with my eyes closed No point in getting up at this point anyway. It’s obvious this carnival has lost respect in me; I’d blame you all for smashing me in the back of the head last night, but that was really just a catalyst. (Sigh) Doesn’t matter, I predict that we’ll all be dead in two days at best.” Roofie says.

“Roofie, we really didn’t want to do it, but you were talking crazy with your idea of attacking the military. Your plan would’ve gotten everyone killed.” You say.
“And that may still happen if recent events are any indication. At least with my plan I would’ve died with the carnival intact rather than seeing it splitting up before my eyes.”

Nobody else really knows what to say at this point, so you all just get silent and continue to converse with each other.

“So what’s the next move?” Klepto asks.
“I dunno, escape I guess? Can we get to one of the vehicles quickly and drive off?” you say.
“Good luck with that given all the guardsmen on high alert now.” Fatty points out.
“Yeah I don’t think we’re getting very far.” Lifto adds.

You sit down and exhale wondering what to do next, but you can’t really think right now. It would seem that due to your more proactive suggestions and Roofie’s apathy you’ve somehow become the “leader” of your little group now. You hadn’t really planned on that.

“For right now, we’re just going to stay put, I’ll try to think of something.” You remark. The rest of your group lack any ideas of their own, so they comply with your plan (or lack there of).

Time passes and you mostly do a lot of casual conversation and mental speculation of what might happen “if you do X.” You half expect someone else to try to escape, particularly when they say they need to use the bathroom, but given that they always return under the same guard they left with it would seem nobody has the guts to really try it, not even Razor.

Nobody else in your group comes up with any plans either, but you do notice Shrimpy occasionally heads over to the group of dwarves. He claims he’s just securing the “alliance” but you’re more inclined to believe he’s just trying to secure his own safety. So far though the dwarves are still supposed to be on your side.

Roofie has continued to lie on the sleeping mat not saying anything to anyone. You still feel a little bad about betraying him especially given that he not only brought you into this carnival and liked you enough to give you a personal trailer, but also that he potentially saved you a lot of pain when Razor was going to kick your ass.

You go over to talk to him.

“Hey Roofie.” You say.
“Hrm, hey Suzy.” He grunts.
“Are you okay?”
“Me? Well other than not having a drink all day, I’m fine. Just been making peace with my life I suppose.” Roofie says.
“Roofie, I’m still very sorry about…”
“What? Having Lifto wack me over the head? I’ve forgotten about that or rather I’ve rethought my own stance on that. You probably were right, I mean sure I would’ve rather died like that, but that was sort of selfish of me to want to use my last bit of dwindling influence to get everyone to follow me. Would’ve especially been a shame if you’d gotten killed in the crossfire. You’re actually very talented.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“No it’s true. I didn’t make my decision to hire you based on looks or on a whim. In the brief moment you’ve performed as a clown you were good. I mean it’s obvious you’re even a leader with how you got the other clowns hanging on your decisions. (Sigh) If only you had come across this carnival sooner. Things might’ve been much different.”
“Well I’m not sure how much of a leader I am, because I can’t think of what comes next.” You say.
“You’ll figure out something I’m sure. One thing though and while I don’t hold out much hope, if you can somehow keep this carnival together…do it. I know the current situation isn’t the best and I know you haven’t exactly been welcomed by everyone, but I see something in you that would feel fulfilled if you could experience the carnival like it once was. Like a family.”
“A family?” you say with a smirk.
“Hey like I said, you came in during the family fight. And that’s what happens in families sometimes. Family fights are always the most vicious, but after it dies down, sometimes the family unit can be stronger than ever. And I think you could be happy if you can keep this family from tearing itself apart completely. But you’ll have to be the one to do it. I don’t have it in me anymore.”

At this point Roofie touches your hand and you pat his before leaving him be again. You wonder if this is more of a last request by a “dying” man rather than looking out for your personal fulfillment. Still, you think he’s genuine and sure it would be nice if the entire carnival became the happy family you never had, but you just don’t think that’s going to be possible.

You look around and see nothing much has changed except a changing of the guards. One of them happens to be Roger, which makes you think of a possible way you could escape. The only problem is it’s going to rely on being more “charming” than you already have been with Roger and that could potentially get you into a situation you don’t want to be in.
> You go to Roger
While you hope you don’t have to go too far, if it means getting the hell out of this place, then maybe that’s what you’ll have to do because whether the National Guard leaves or stays the fact remains, you’re not the one to lead this carnival like Roofie thinks you are and you feel your life is in danger.

You start to walk over to Roger.

“Hey where are you going?” Klepto asks.
“Not sure yet, but don’t wait up.” You reply and continue walking to Roger.

When you get to Roger you’re all smiles, poses and charm.

“Hello Roger are you doing well today?” You say in a friendly tone.
“Hey, Suzy. I’m okay I guess, but I really wish your friends wouldn’t cause so much trouble. Somebody is libel to get hurt. My commanding officer isn’t exactly the tolerant type and I think you saw that earlier.”
“Yes, I did. I was so scared. In fact I’m scared of the whole aura this place is giving now. It’s becoming very violent, but I feel so much safer being near you.” You say and start to touch Roger.

At this point Roger is smiling back at you, but his buddy nearby is a little less approving, though you imagine its jealousy more than anything else.

“Roger, we’re supposed to be keeping an eye on these carnie freaks, not fraternizing with them.”
“What’s the harm Ernie? I mean she says she’s scared. What, you think she’s going to clobber me in the head and take my weapon? Come on, stop being so paranoid. We shouldn’t even be here anyway.”
“Orders are orders…ugh. Whatever, I’m not going to watch you make goo goo eyes at some carnie whore. I’ll be outside this tent, try to keep your eyes on the detainees and not on her ass the whole time.” Ernie says and steps outside the tent.

“What a rude person. I’m glad you’re not like that.” You say now with your arms wrapped around Roger.
“Well you know, I treat people the way they want to be treated.” Roger replies.

As distracted as Roger is, he’s actually keeping it together better than one would think. He keeps a tight grip on his rifle and an eye on if you’re going to attempt to grab his pistol. He also periodically looks away from you to make sure nobody is taking advantage of this situation. (Which Klepto and the rest look like they were going to do, but realize they’re still too far away to rush at Roger before he could shove you aside and open fire)

Though your plan wasn’t necessarily to save everyone, but rather yourself.

“So Roger, what’s a girl gotta do to get out of here?” you say seductively.
“Well, like I said we should be gone later today or tomorrow at the latest.”
“Too long and anything could happen within that time! Can’t you do something? I mean I could make it worth your while.” You say and run your finger across Roger’s chest.
“Suzy, look, I’d really like to help, but…hey!” Roger is interrupted when you grab his hand.

You bring his hand to your face and closing your eyes, you insert his index finger in your mouth and slowly suck on it making “mmmmm” sounds.

This scene hasn’t gone unnoticed by more than a few carnies watching you. In fact the predictable calls of “whore”, “slut” and worse are uttered your way.

Roger on the other hand is practically speechless.

“I…uh…shit…” he says and then pulls his hand away staring at his finger for a moment.
“Awww….but I wasn’t done sucking on you…” you say and flutter your eyes a bit, trying to look as cute as possible then you whisper in his ear:

“Take me back to my trailer and I’ll show you the REAL greatest show on earth.” then you lick his ear.

Roger immediately calls in Ernie loudly. Ernie rushes in with his weapon ready to kill something.

“What?! What?! Are they rioting again?!” he exclaims.
“No. But I REALLY need a favor! You need to watch these people and if the commander checks in on us, tell him I had a to take a shit really bad.”
“What…wait… Oh fuck no! You’re gonna go fuck this little carnie whore aren’t you? Goddamnit Roger!”
“Come on Ernie, you can’t help me out?”
“Motherfucker, I’m always helping you out! I don’t understand why you can’t just fuck the bitch right here. Not like these people are shy and from the looks of her, she looks like it wouldn’t be the first time she’s gotten fucked in front of a live audience.” Ernie remarks.

You know, while you’ve gotten used to the baseless comments about you being a woman of loose morals, it still hurts sometimes.

In any case, Roger is not a man to be deterred from his lust for you right now.

“Alright, fine. I didn’t want to hold this over your head, but you leave me no choice…” Roger starts to say, but whatever the threat is, Ernie doesn’t even let him finish it.
“Oh fuck. (Sigh) Don’t even say it. Fine. Go. Go. Go! And don’t take too long, though I imagine in your case that won’t be a problem.” Ernie says defeated.
“Thanks man! Seriously I really will remember this favor!”
“Hrm. That you only got through blackmail.”

As you and Roger leave, Ernie says one more thing.

“Hope you’ve got condoms, because lord knows what diseases she’s got being a carnie. Her kootch might turn your dick into a fucking Siamese Twin or some shit.”

“How the hell does that even make sense? Fucking asshole…” you say and start to get angry at Ernie’s comments, but Roger just take you by the hand to go back to your trailer.
“Don’t mind him. Let’ hurry though, because we don’t want to bump into anyone else. It isn’t like I got leverage over everyone like I do with Ernie. So where is your trailer?”

You tell him the location and the pair of you are heading over in that direction fluctuating between being “stealthy” and running.

While you’re doing this, it occurs to you that you have to think up your next move. Are you really going to let him fuck you? Roger is distracted enough that you probably could grab his side arm to give you enough time to make a run for it, but while Roger might not shoot you immediately (And that’s rolling dice there) there’s nothing to say the other nearby Guardsmen won’t and you know they’ll be alerted as soon as you try to run away from Roger.

Of course if you really are willing to make that ultimate “sacrifice” for freedom, Roger might even help you out a lot more in your escape attempt. Of course he could turn out to be a complete asshole and march you back to the tent after he’s had his way with you.
> You make a break for it
Roger is so busy keeping a look out for running into his buddies and getting to your trailer he’s now suitably distracted and while you’re so close to him, you easily grab his pistol.

“HEY WHAT…” he exclaims as you back away quickly and hold the gun on him.
“Drop the rifle!” you shout. He doesn’t though.

“Shit. I should’ve known better. Ernie’s going to have a field day.” Roger says.
“Sorry Roger, but I really need you to drop that rifle!” you say.
“…nah…if you had it in you to shoot me, you would’ve by now. You’ve never shot a person and this whole situation is scary to you. You’re hoping your sex appeal will be enough to carry you through this and that I’ll be weak willed enough that I won’t call your bluff and just shoot you dead right now.”

That’s an incredible amount insight for someone you thought was nothing more than just a horny grunt. Unfortunately he’s pretty much on target.

For a moment there is a pause and you look at him hopefully, you even manage to start tearing up a bit.

“(Sigh) Look, I told you we were going to leave soon, I dunno why you feel the need to go through this elaborate escape plan when it really isn’t necessary. Just hand the pistol over and we’ll head back to the tent.”

You’re too scared of what might happen if you just surrender, so all you can do is continue to aim it at Roger.

“Suzy, I’m not fucking around now give me the…” Roger begins to say and moves towards you. With his rifle slightly lowered and his hand outstretched, you nervously fire two shots at him. At this range you don’t miss even though you’re in a heightened state of anxiety.

Roger falls to the ground with two in his chest and doesn’t move, you’ve killed him.

“Oh my…oh god I’m sorry…(Sniff)” you say.

The shots of course have drawn the attention of the other guardsmen. You hear shouting which is getting closer to your location, so you run.

You hear more shouting followed by gunfire. At first you think they’ve seen you and are shooting at you, but that isn’t the case when you start to hear a few screams.

Now you’re even more scared as you have no idea what’s going on. Did the carnies take advantage of this situation and start to fight back? You have no idea, but you don’t intend on sticking around.

You duck and hide the best you can through the small maze of trailers and vehicles. The screams, shouting and gunfire are now accompanied by unnatural growing. Like animals of some sort.

Unfortunately as you reach the far end of the carnival limits you are ambushed by something skulking behind the corner of the last trailer you were passing and the pistol goes sprawling out of your hand.

You don’t even know what it is, except that you’re on the ground and it’s on your back breathing heavily and making that growling sound you heard. You then feel teeth sink deep into your shoulder.

Pain and fear both rise up in you for a moment as you struggle to get free, but this thing what ever it is has a strong grip and with one of its hands it smashes your face repeatedly into the ground into your struggling becomes less, then it breaks your neck before feasting on the rest of your dead body.


While you hope you don’t have to go too far, if it means getting the hell out of this place, then maybe that’s what you’ll have to do because whether the National Guard leaves or stays the fact remains, you’re not the one to lead this carnival like Roofie thinks you are and you feel your life is in danger.

You start to walk over to Roger.

“Hey where are you going?” Klepto asks.
“Not sure yet, but don’t wait up.” You reply and continue walking to Roger.

When you get to Roger you’re all smiles, poses and charm.

“Hello Roger are you doing well today?” You say in a friendly tone.
“Hey, Suzy. I’m okay I guess, but I really wish your friends wouldn’t cause so much trouble. Somebody is libel to get hurt. My commanding officer isn’t exactly the tolerant type and I think you saw that earlier.”
“Yes, I did. I was so scared. In fact I’m scared of the whole aura this place is giving now. It’s becoming very violent, but I feel so much safer being near you.” You say and start to touch Roger.

At this point Roger is smiling back at you, but his buddy nearby is a little less approving, though you imagine its jealousy more than anything else.

“Roger, we’re supposed to be keeping an eye on these carnie freaks, not fraternizing with them.”
“What’s the harm Ernie? I mean she says she’s scared. What, you think she’s going to clobber me in the head and take my weapon? Come on, stop being so paranoid. We shouldn’t even be here anyway.”
“Orders are orders…ugh. Whatever, I’m not going to watch you make goo goo eyes at some carnie whore. I’ll be outside this tent, try to keep your eyes on the detainees and not on her ass the whole time.” Ernie says and steps outside the tent.

“What a rude person. I’m glad you’re not like that.” You say now with your arms wrapped around Roger.
“Well you know, I treat people the way they want to be treated.” Roger replies.

As distracted as Roger is, he’s actually keeping it together better than one would think. He keeps a tight grip on his rifle and an eye on if you’re going to attempt to grab his pistol. He also periodically looks away from you to make sure nobody is taking advantage of this situation. (Which Klepto and the rest look like they were going to do, but realize they’re still too far away to rush at Roger before he could shove you aside and open fire)

Though your plan wasn’t necessarily to save everyone, but rather yourself.

“So Roger, what’s a girl gotta do to get out of here?” you say seductively.
“Well, like I said we should be gone later today or tomorrow at the latest.”
“Too long and anything could happen within that time! Can’t you do something? I mean I could make it worth your while.” You say and run your finger across Roger’s chest.
“Suzy, look, I’d really like to help, but…hey!” Roger is interrupted when you grab his hand.

You bring his hand to your face and closing your eyes, you insert his index finger in your mouth and slowly suck on it making “mmmmm” sounds.

This scene hasn’t gone unnoticed by more than a few carnies watching you. In fact the predictable calls of “whore”, “slut” and worse are uttered your way.

Roger on the other hand is practically speechless.

“I…uh…shit…” he says and then pulls his hand away staring at his finger for a moment.
“Awww….but I wasn’t done sucking on you…” you say and flutter your eyes a bit, trying to look as cute as possible then you whisper in his ear:

“Take me back to my trailer and I’ll show you the REAL greatest show on earth.” then you lick his ear.

Roger immediately calls in Ernie loudly. Ernie rushes in with his weapon ready to kill something.

“What?! What?! Are they rioting again?!” he exclaims.
“No. But I REALLY need a favor! You need to watch these people and if the commander checks in on us, tell him I had a to take a shit really bad.”
“What…wait… Oh fuck no! You’re gonna go fuck this little carnie whore aren’t you? Goddamnit Roger!”
“Come on Ernie, you can’t help me out?”
“Motherfucker, I’m always helping you out! I don’t understand why you can’t just fuck the bitch right here. Not like these people are shy and from the looks of her, she looks like it wouldn’t be the first time she’s gotten fucked in front of a live audience.” Ernie remarks.

You know, while you’ve gotten used to the baseless comments about you being a woman of loose morals, it still hurts sometimes.

In any case, Roger is not a man to be deterred from his lust for you right now.

“Alright, fine. I didn’t want to hold this over your head, but you leave me no choice…” Roger starts to say, but whatever the threat is, Ernie doesn’t even let him finish it.
“Oh fuck. (Sigh) Don’t even say it. Fine. Go. Go. Go! And don’t take too long, though I imagine in your case that won’t be a problem.” Ernie says defeated.
“Thanks man! Seriously I really will remember this favor!”
“Hrm. That you only got through blackmail.”

As you and Roger leave, Ernie says one more thing.

“Hope you’ve got condoms, because lord knows what diseases she’s got being a carnie. Her kootch might turn your dick into a fucking Siamese Twin or some shit.”

“How the hell does that even make sense? Fucking asshole…” you say and start to get angry at Ernie’s comments, but Roger just take you by the hand to go back to your trailer.
“Don’t mind him. Let’ hurry though, because we don’t want to bump into anyone else. It isn’t like I got leverage over everyone like I do with Ernie. So where is your trailer?”

You tell him the location and the pair of you are heading over in that direction fluctuating between being “stealthy” and running.

While you’re doing this, it occurs to you that you have to think up your next move. Are you really going to let him fuck you? Roger is distracted enough that you probably could grab his side arm to give you enough time to make a run for it, but while Roger might not shoot you immediately (And that’s rolling dice there) there’s nothing to say the other nearby Guardsmen won’t and you know they’ll be alerted as soon as you try to run away from Roger.

Of course if you really are willing to make that ultimate “sacrifice” for freedom, Roger might even help you out a lot more in your escape attempt. Of course he could turn out to be a complete asshole and march you back to the tent after he’s had his way with you.
> You go through with it
You aren’t confident that you’d make it with trying to ambush Roger. While it’s possible you’ll get some sort of better opportunity while in the trailer, at this point you’re going to hope that Roger isn’t an asshole and this will actually get him to help you escape.

That’s a lot to place on hope, but it’s going to have to do.

Soon you get to your trailer and you enter it with Roger still looking around before going in himself.

You stand by your bed and look at it and then look at Roger.

“So here we are.” He says.
“Yeah…so here we are…” you reply.
“Well? Come on, we don’t have much time.” Roger says and puts his weapons down though of course he puts them out your reach and starts guiding you to lay down on the bed.

This is going to happen. It isn’t that Roger isn’t unattractive to you and this isn’t exactly like he’s coercing you to do anything (though you’re afraid he might if you resist at this point) its just…well directly using your pussy to get yourself out of a jam isn’t exactly how you do things. Indirectly by teasing and flirting? Sure you’ve gotten used to doing that, but this is a step you don’t think you’re ready to take and it’s too late at this point.

Roger is already stripping his clothes off and you’re slowly doing likewise. Soon the pair of you are naked and his dick’s coming at you like a monster. As he moves in to kiss and embrace you, you stop him.

“Um…could we not look at each other while we do this?” you say.
“Huh?” he asks, almost looking a bit wounded by that comment.
“Uh, I just mean can we do it doggy style? I just prefer it that way.” You ask.
“Oh. Well yeah! Sure, however you want it. I’m cool with that.” Roger says and you get into position.

Well at least now you can close your eyes and pretend its Bobby. Hopefully Roger isn’t much of a talker and just gets on with it.

While you prepare yourself for this “experience”, gunshots are suddenly heard outside. Several of them in fact. This is followed by a lot of shouting.

“Oh fuck! What the hell?!” Roger exclaims and no longer do you feel his hands at your haunches, he’s gotten off the bed.

You turn over and see him starting to get dressed, periodically looking out the narrow windows.

“What’s going on out there?!” you ask.
“I have no idea, but whatever it is, YOU stay inside and keep down. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

You start to get dressed as well, wondering what calamity has happened now. Did the carnies finally decide to rush the guardsmen?

Roger, with his clothes back on, grabs his rifle and pistol and prepares to head out.

“Suzy, remember what I said, stay inside…OH SHIT!” Roger shouts as he opens the door.

Something humanoid runs into Roger who drops his rifle and is pinned against the wall. It’s growling and snarling and Roger is holding its neck in an attempt to not let it bite him.

Fear grips you, but not so much that you can’t grab a nearby knife from the kitchen area in an effort to stab it.

“Suzy stay back! I got it!” Roger shouts and manages to shove the thing off of him and out the door. He then pulls out his pistol and presumably fires at the thing several times. He then slams the door shut and attempts to lock and barricade it.

“Did you kill it?” you ask.
“I dunno. I think I did.” Roger answers.
“You think? Don’t you think you better know?!”
“Yes! Yes! I killed it! I mean I put two it’s head and three in its chest. Jesus Christ, gimme a moment here! One moment I was nearly in paradise and the next I’m fending off a fucking…zombie…or something…shit I dunno what the hell…” Roger says trying to wrap his head around this unexpected turn of events.

Zombie. Did he just say that thing was a zombie? It was humanoid and trying to bite him, while making snarling and growling sounds. Then again it didn’t look exactly rotten, could’ve been new dead though. Maybe just a rabid human?

Seems silly that you’re actually considering that you’re getting attacked by zombies. Never the less, the gunfire and chaos you’re hearing outside seems to suggest you’re being attacked by SOMETHING.

Meanwhile Roger is sitting and mumbling to himself. Suddenly he stands up.

“Fuck it. Suzy, you still wanna get out of here right?” Roger says.
“Well of course.” You say.
“Come on, we’re taking one of those trucks. I got the keys.”
“Okay? But what about your friends?”
“Hah, most of those guys I serve with are assholes. I mean you saw my commanding officer and Ernie. Can’t say any of them are my friends. What about you and your carnie family?”
“Well… the clowns were cool with me and the owner…but well it’s complicated and let’s just say I wasn’t fitting in there, so while I do feel slightly guilty just abandoning the ones that I was getting along with, I can’t stay someplace where I don’t feel entirely welcome or safe.”
“Okay, then its settled, we’ll leave now.”
“But what about those things out there?”
“Well we’re going to have to grab the truck now because either one or two things is going to happen. One, the rest of my squad is going to put these things down and both of us are going to be up shit’s creek or those things are going to kill everyone and we’ll have to brave through them while they’re not distracted by others.”

Roger unblocks the door and kicks it open, ready to shoot anything that might be lurking outside, fortunately that isn’t the case right now.

“Alright let’s do this and stick close to me.” he says and the pair of you run out the trailer.

The sounds of creatures and gunfire are all around you and you haven’t stepped out of the trailer a few seconds when Roger has to shoot two more of the things. He doesn’t hit them in the head and they still stay down, so you’re guessing maybe the zombie thing isn’t the case. Still don’t want to get bit though, who knows if this is contagious?

You see a few dead bodies of guardsmen on the ground and in one case one of those cannibals eating it and not paying any attention to anything else. The fact that the sounds of gunfire dying down and an increase in the screaming and yelling signals to you that things are getting grim. You wonder if they’ve gotten to the carnies yet.

Is this going on everywhere? Is this local? You’ll have to figure that out later. Right now you’re just happy to get inside a heavy-duty military truck.

Roger gets in the driver’s seat and with more snarling creatures banging on the doors and trying to get in, Roger starts up the truck and promptly runs over three of them on your way out this place.

Soon you’re on the road, but what next?

“Where are we going?” you ask.
“I dunno. If this is some sort of plague or invasion or something I’m wondering if we shouldn’t head to Fort Timons, it’s the closest military facility around here and where I was stationed before I got sent here. Still quite a drive though.” Roger says.
“What? Are you nuts? Didn’t you just go AWOL and now you’re thinking about going to an military base?”
“Well… I mean yeah technically I just deserted my post…but considering it didn’t seem like anyone else is going to live through that attack I doubt if anyone is going to call me out on it. We could just tell them we were the only survivors.”
“But if this is some sort of disease will a military base even be safe? I mean don’t these sorts of thing originate from them what with all the secret experiments and bioweapons?”
“What? You watch too many horror movies or science fiction! Unless its some secret base with top level government security, the average ordinary military base isn’t going to have a lab where they’re making bioweapons! In any case I know that stuff isn’t at Fort Timons.”
“I dunno…just doesn’t seem the safest place.”
“Well where do you propose then?”

You don’t have an answer.

“See? Look, it’s still a long drive there, maybe I can get something on the radio and we can find out more. Too bad this one doesn’t have a two-way radio, we’d actually be able to communicate with someone and I lost my fucking cell phone. In fact I probably left it in your trailer.”

As Roger attempts to get a signal on the radio, you think about how you’ve now run away from two “families” and who knows what’s become of both of them. Are they dead? Are they alive? Has you hometown been overrun by those things? Is it under marshal law?

You feel a little sad about it all, but what can you really do?

As the day eventually turns into night, Roger continues to try to get something on the radio, but its just static on the military channel he’s using. He doesn’t understand it. Switching over to the normal radio just gets music, which is broken up by the periodic Ground Zero advert. Absolutely nothing about the creatures though, not even regular news. It’s very frustrating.

Your aren’t encountering too much traffic on the road either, granted this isn’t the busiest of roads, but it feels fairly isolated. Still, at least you’re not seeing a horde of those things roaming about.

Roger talks a little about his past to break up the long periods of silence, most of it fairly mundane. You just mainly listen although you’re only really half listening and re-direct questions about yourself to something superficial. You’re not in the mood to talk about yourself.

Eventually you start to get sleepy and Roger does as well. He pulls over and the both of you go to sleep and thankfully he never once suggests picking up where you left off in your trailer.

Nothing like a bunch of cannibal creatures to break up the mood.

You drift off to sleep…
> Next day...
FRIDAY

“…this was a paid announcement by the Ground Zero Corporation…”

“Agh! Shut the fuck up already. What the hell did GZ buy up all the goddamn stations?!” you hear Roger shout as he angrily turns the radio off, waking you up.

It would seem you’re in motion again and you slept through it.

“What’s going on?” you ask.
“Huh? Oh you’re up. Nothing’s going on, just dumb ass Ground Zero commercials warning about an impending nuclear holocaust as usual. Never mind the fact we got a very real threat that I can’t seem to get any information on. Anyway I didn’t sleep that much so I just started driving again. Figured you could still sleep though so I didn’t bother waking you” Roger says.
“So how long have we been on the road?”
“More than a few hours definitely. Starting to by pass all this farmland area now, we’ll probably be hitting a more populated area soon. I also started to see a few more moving vehicles, though I’ve also been seeing a lot of abandoned vehicles as well. Oddly no military. Saw a few people even trying to hitch a ride, but I’m not playing good Samaritan right now.”
“You see any of those things?” you ask.
“Hrm, I thought I might’ve seen a few while I was driving, but from the distance I could quite tell. Wasn’t like I was going to check.”

So far it looks like the plan is still going to Fort Timons, but if you didn’t think that was a dubious idea before, you’re really uncertain now. He can’t get any signal from the radio, for all you know the base might be overrun by those things. Which is exactly what you bring up to Roger, but he seems confident that wouldn’t be the case and he’s determined to head to Fort Timons. Funny thing considering he abandoned all his comrades at the carnival and said they were all assholes. Guess he’s still military at heart.

He senses that you still aren’t comfortable with his plan though.

“Suzy, you don’t need to come with me you know. I mean I can drop you off at the next town we go through.” Roger says.
“And what exactly am I going to do there? I don’t have anything except the clothes on my back and with the way things are going, I can imagine I’d be resorting to taking those off a lot just to survive.” You say.

There’s a moment of silence before Roger replies.

“I’m guessing that’s what you were doing with me back at the carnival. It’s fine, I sort of knew that’s what was going on. I knew you didn’t actually like me.”
“If you knew all that, why did you risk your career and possibly your life?”
“You’re kidding right? I mean I know I’m not hideous, but you’re a little out of my league. When the hell am I going to get a chance to be with someone that looks like you? I mean sure I knew it was all an act, but in MY mind I could pretend you were being genuine. Though I admit when you stopped me from kissing you and didn’t want to look at my face, that sort of hurt.”
“It wasn’t personal. I just don’t know you that well and I wasn’t ready for that level of intimacy. I was going to pretend you were my ex-boyfriend. (Sigh) I can’t believe I even went that far and was going to go through with it. I mean contrary to whatever you may have heard shouted at me, I don’t do stuff like that like…ever.”
“Really? Because you’re pretty good at the whole seduction thing, even if you are a bit obvious with it.”
“I’m obvious with it because it’s only just a new skill I developed within the last few days I joined a goddamn carnival just to get out of my goddamn shitty life at home…What the hell was I even thinking?! I’m not cut out to take care of myself! I should’ve just stayed home and let cannibals eat me in the comfort of my basement!” you say, tearing up a bit. The stress of the week is starting to get to you.

“Whoa! You don’t mean that. Things aren’t totally horrible. Hey if it make you feel any better, I felt a little bad knowing that I was going to take advantage of what was obviously the act of a desperate woman.” Roger says.

Now you stop sniffling and start to chuckle at the absurdity of that statement.

“But of course that wasn’t going to stop you.” You say.
“Well no of course not, but I assure you I would’ve felt guilty about it.”
“No you wouldn’t have.”
“Okay you’re right, I wouldn’t have, but I would have still gotten you out of that carnival if you had asked afterwards.”
“Well at least it wouldn’t have been for nothing. (Sigh) Guess it all worked out anyway. I mean we’re both still alive due to our choices and I am thankful I’m not dead and that you probably saved my life back there.”
“And I’m thankful I at least got to see you naked.”
“We’ll always have the trailer I suppose.”

You don’t exactly feel good about your situation, but Roger’s attempt to lighten up the mood at least has you feeling slightly better.

“So…why don’t you tell me about this ex-boyfriend of yours? I’m guessing he must’ve been some sort of handsome stud if you’re still thinking about him.” Roger says.
“Heh. Not especially. He was a normal looking guy. Not too much different from you in that department. He’s just the only guy I’ve ever been with, so, it was more comfortable to think about him instead. Anyway it was sort of complicated with him. Long story that I don’t want to get into right now.”
“I understand. Well I’ll just say this, he was lucky to have you as a girlfriend and was a damn fool to let you get away.”
“Hrm…actually you know what? You’re exactly right. He WAS lucky to have me and a damn fool to let me get away!” you say with a bit of pride.

You know Roger is half saying this just in the hopes to get you into a compromising position again, but what the hell, it’s an ego booster and it keeps you in a positive mindset at least.

“Shit.” Roger suddenly says.
“What now?” you ask.
“I just looked at the gas gauge, we’re practically out. Goddamn it I thought Ernie gassed this thing up recently.”
“We can’t make it to Timons?”
“Well we could risk it on fumes to Fort Timons, but I’d rather not chance that during these circumstances. I don’t even have a rubber hose that we could use to suck out the gas from one these abandoned vehicles we’ve been passing.”
“Well I guess we’re stopping at the next gas station then.”
“Assuming they got any. I get the impression just popping into the next gas station isn’t going to be that simple.”

You and Roger continue to drive for about a half hour before you see something of interest in the distance. Namely a truck stop, which apparently has been converted into a minor fortress.

“Hey look at that!” you point out.
“I see it. It’s a truck stop and it looks like whoever is there is trying to block the place off by putting trucks around it. They even got people standing on top of the trucks with rifles as look outs. They probably got gas.” Roger says.
“I dunno. Whoever is there probably isn’t going to be too trustful of anyone, especially someone from the military. They might just try to rob us.”
“We gotta try. I mean we need gas, and given how well this place is defended, we at least know they probably got some. Who knows if we’ll get lucky some place else.”

You and Roger drive to the truck stop, which immediately causes the lookouts to point and raise their rifles in your direction. When you stop in front of it there are a lot of shouts for you to stay in the truck.

“We don’t need any government assistance here, we’re doing just fine as you can see. I highly suggest that y’all just continue on your way.” One of them shouts.
“I’m not here for trouble. I just need some gas. We get that and we’ll be on our way to Fort Timons.” Roger shouts back.
“Gas? Don’t fucking think so soldier boy. With the way society is collapsing that shit’s gonna be valuable and money is gonna be worthless.”
“Well, would you accept a trade of supplies for gas?”
“Hrmmm, well whatta you got?”
“Got some military rations in the back of this thing. Those things last for years you know.”
“We got tons of food, what else? Any weapons?”
“Uh…there might be a couple…oh we got some medical supplies in here!”

There is a long pause and he tells you to wait before climbing down the truck and disappearing from sight. Eventually you hear his voice again which is now coming from behind the truck barricade.

“Okay, we’re gonna move this truck, but one funny thing happens and you’re the first one getting a bullet to the head. Alright, we’re letting this one in, everyone keep extra look out for those rabid bastards!”

“You still think this is a good idea?” you ask.
“Well it’s like I said, our options for gas are limited.” Roger answers.

As soon as the truck is moved out your way, the man who was barking orders at you waves you in and motions you over to the gas pumps. As soon as you drive in they put the truck back. Either they’re really safety conscience or they don’t want to risk having you get away.

From this distance you see several more people in the building part of the truck stop. Looks like it’s a general store/diner combo. Most of them are watching you from the windows, though a few of them come out, one of them is an older man with a cane who walks directly to the pumps.

“Okay, I want the two you in that truck to exit it slowly. I don’t care if you got weapons, but don’t point them at me or anyone else in a threatening manner.” The old man shouts.

Roger takes his rifle over his shoulder and exits the truck. You do like wise, though being unarmed you exit from Roger’s side just so you don’t feel quite as vulnerable. Naturally rifles are pointed at the pair of you, but the old man with the cane shouts telling them to calm down.

“You lot, stop pointing your guns and start unloading this truck. Sorry about that, everyone’s a little on edge. Name’s Henry. I own this place.” He says.
“Roger and it’s understandable.”
“Well, a military man eh? Thought all the National Guard were off fighting those rabid things in the city. From what I’ve heard the place is completely overrun now.”
“The city? You mean Security is overrun?” you ask.
“Yep. Heard it on the radio. Not the regular one of course. Those GZ bastards seem to be clogging those up, but on my Ham Radio. Been trying to communicate with Fort Timons, but my radio isn’t exactly in the best condition…”
“Hold on! You’ve been in communication with Fort Timons?!” Roger exclaims.
“Well, somewhat. More like my old buddy I served with back in the day who still works there as an inventory clerk. Haven’t heard anything from him since yesterday. All I know is the last thing he told me was the fort was on high alert and further communication was going to be limited to a need to know basis and only to those with the proper clearance. Typical military bullshit I suppose, well I don’t need to tell you.”
“Uh, we were on our way to Fort Timons. Do you think it’s safe?” You say.
“Heh, well I couldn’t tell you if the fort is safe, but I can tell you that those rabid fuckers have been making their way out of the city en mass and given how far the city is, they apparently don’t get tired and can cover a lot of ground. We just repelled a bunch of them yesterday. Hence the make shift fortress here. Fort Timons is even closer to the city, so at best I’d wager that you’re going to have to wade through a bunch of those things before getting there. Not something I’d want to do to be sure.” Henry remarks.
“Shit, those things are in the city and they were in my town! This means this can’t just be a local thing! It’s probably a nationwide epidemic! We can’t go to Fort Timons now!” you exclaim.
“We don’t know if the place has fallen to those things.” Roger replies.
“Exactly! We don’t know!” you say.

At this point Henry interjects.

“If I may, the both of you can stay here. We’ve got the room and your truck full of supplies as far as I’m concerned buys your way in. And I’m sure as a military man, you’d pull your weight here to defend this place if need be. So you and your girlfriend can stay here if you wish.” Henry says and then walks over to oversee his people unloading the truck.

It’s an incredibly tempting offer and one you’d jump at the chance for, but Roger still seems sure that Fort Timons will better in the long run. You wonder if he feels a little obligated to go back to Fort Timons because deep down he feels like he abandoned his post even if hasn’t admitted it.

The only downside is if Roger doesn’t stick around and you do, you’ll be left in the company of a bunch of strangers again and that didn’t go so well last time. You can only imagine all the leers, grope attempts and possibly worse from a bunch of horny trucker types.
> You insist on staying here
Something in your heart is telling you that going to Fort Timons would be a huge mistake. The length of the trip and the possibility that it’s going to be swarming with those things just doesn’t seem safe. This place might not be safe either, but at least it’s a secure place that you don’t need to travel any further to.

“Suzy, I still think going to Timons is a better idea than staying here. I’m going, so if you want to stay…” Roger says before you interrupt him.

You grip Roger by the head with both hands and move it downwards so you can kiss him on the lips. The kiss is then followed your arms moving downward in a tighter hugging motion. He returns in kind as the pair of you continue to embrace.

“Don’t go. Please don’t go to Fort Timons. It won’t be safe and I need you here with me.” You say stopping your kiss to speak.
“Suzy…”
“Please. Stay with me.”
“(Sigh) Suzy… do you really mean this? I mean I really need to know where we stand…because…you can’t just flutter your eyes and kiss me without meaning it now. I’m really starting to have feelings for you, but if you’re just doing this out of survival again…”

You stare him directly in his eyes.

“Yes, Roger. I mean it. Not just for me, but for you. I don’t want you to put yourself in any danger anymore than I want myself to be in danger. And Fort Timons is just going to be unnecessary danger. I know we haven’t known each other long, but we have been through a lot together and if this is the way this shitty world is going to be, then I want to at least spend the rest of that time with you.”

Well if you didn’t mean any of that, it sure was enough to convince Roger because he resumes kissing and hugging you immediately. Of course you did mean it since you have grown attached to him. Just a sucker for men who save your life you guess.

You both don’t even notice Henry walking up to you.

“Hrm, looks like I interrupted something. So did you two decide on what you’re going to do…besides suck on each others faces?” he asks.
“Well…” Roger says and then smiles at you before turning his attention to Henry. “I think we’ll be staying.”
“Great. Glad to hear it. Need more people to help defend this place. Think you could help with look out for awhile with that rifle of yours?” Henry says.
“Sure. For how long?” Roger asks.
“Hmm, probably until midnight. Earl needs to get some sleep, that’s why he’s so irritable right now. As for you little lady, why don’t you head on inside and get acquainted with everyone. You and your boyfriend can pick up where you left off later.”

Henry goes to wander over to Earl to give him the news that he’ll be relieved soon and you and Roger are left alone again.

“Okay, well I guess I’ll see you later tonight then.” Roger says.
“Yes, though I wonder where we’re supposed to sleep.” You answer.
“Well presumably together now.”
“Ha ha, of course but that wasn’t what I meant.”
“Hrm, I’m sure someone will tell you inside what the sleeping arrangements are, well anyway I probably should get over to my new job. See you later.” Roger says.

As he leaves, you shout to him to be careful which he just smiles and waves as a reassurance that you don’t need to worry about him.

And now you turn towards the truck stop building which no longer has the small crowd outside it anymore and people have gone back inside. People which you now have to be social with…

“Okay, Suzy. You can do this. It won’t be like the carnival.” You mumble to yourself as you walk to the building.

As soon as you walk in you see a mixture of people. Mostly older men, but women as well and even a couple children. Most of them look up when you enter.

“Hi everyone. I’m Suzy and my boyfriend Roger are going to be staying here, but we brought in a whole bunch of medical supplies and food with us to help pull our weight around here.”

Your introduction is met with apathy. Half of them grunt in acknowledgement and the other half just go back to doing whatever it is they were doing.

Well it’s better than most of what you got at the carnival.

Seeing that nobody is speaking to you, you decide to sit quietly by yourself in a booth far away from everyone else. You mainly spend your time in introspection and listening to the random conversations. Most of them naturally are talking about the situation at hand, but it’s broken up by periods of “normalcy” of just joking around.

Nobody here seems to be overly worried about rabid people running around and the breaking down of society, then again most of the people here are truckers so they’re probably used to roaming about and the employees of the place seem like they spend so much time here it’s a second home.

Eventually enough time passes and you get tired of being a wall flower, or more specifically you’re tired of wearing the same clothes for the past few days along with no shower. You walk up to the group of waitresses in the hopes to ask them that perhaps there is some sort of wash up facility here.

The oldest waitress, a red head with hard features and a name tag that says Anne looks you up and down as you approach and her friends do likewise.

“Excuse me, but is there a wash room or shower or something I could use? I just feel so dirty what with the sweating and running from those things outside.”

You expect catty remarks or a few insults or some sort of hostility, but you’re met with a surprise.

“Why sure blondie. You can use the small shower we have for us in the back. You need a change of clothes too?” Anne says.
“You have some?”
“Well they’re extra waitress uniforms. If that’s okay.”
“Sure, if it’s clean it’ll be a welcome change.”
“Okay, hmm you’re a bit on the small side, Jasmine, go get Trudy’s old uniform. That should fit…Suzy wasn’t it?”
“Yes, and thank you.”

Soon, Jasmine returns to give you a uniform and you’re on your way to get washed up. The waitresses’ private bathroom isn’t much but the fact it has a shower that you can use to get clean is enough for you.

You feel a little odd wearing the uniform, which was obviously designed to attract a lot of male attention, but again you’re just glad to be out of those old dirty clothes.

By the time you get out of the shower, the waitresses are cooking up dinner for everyone. You ask if they need any help, but they say they got it.

You sit down and eat, a couple people make a bit of small talk, but nothing of importance. You mostly are left alone, but it’s a promising start at least. In any event the re-invigorated feeling you had after the shower is wearing off and you start to get tired which is when you ask Anne where the sleeping area is.

“Well some people are flopping right out here in these booths. A few really brave souls are sleeping out in their trucks out there. Henry’s got his own private office as you might expect. The wait staff has that small lounge area near our bathroom…though Jasmine is using one of the storerooms since she’s got her kids with her. I guess you could take one these booths or share the storeroom with Jasmine. Of course you’ve got that boyfriend…hmmm could give you the second storeroom. Doesn’t really have a lot of space though.”
“That’s fine, I just want some where to rest.”

And once again you succeed in a simple task with no major problems. Things have been going so well for you since you got here that you almost forget about the problems of the outside world going on. You don’t of course, but you honestly can say this is the safest you’ve felt since you left your basement.

Giving you a spare blanket, Anne directs you to the second storeroom, which is indeed lacking in space but it’s enough for you. You waste no time in laying down your blanket and falling asleep on the floor.
> The next day…
SATURDAY

You wake up to a body grinding up against you, an arm holding you tightly around your mid-section and warm breath blowing in your ear in between the kissing.

Not exactly what you expected, but it beats those Ground Zero advertisements.

“Well, looks like someone is feeling friendly this morning. When did you get here?” You ask.
“A little after midnight. It was boring and I would’ve rather been with you, but at least I didn’t see any of those things. You of course were already asleep so I just slept besides you the whole night. You’re a pretty sound sleeper, you didn’t even wake up.” Roger says.
“Hrm. Surprised you didn’t take advantage of my vulnerable situation.”
“I thought about it, but honestly by that time I was pretty tired myself. I actually haven’t been awake long. So they make you a waitress to help out around here?”
“Oh. This? No. They were just good enough to let me borrow some clean clothes. I won’t say everyone here has been social with me, but at least nobody has been hostile.”
“Hm. Well you look hot in that uniform.” Roger says and resumes groping you.
“Oh? You like this? Got a role play fetish eh?”
“Sure, and its short so I’ll be able to hike the skirt up for easy access.”
“Well that definitely is the practical side to it.” You chuckle.

Your laughter is turned to semi-surprise when Roger moves one of his hands under your skirt. You didn’t quite expect him to go there so quickly, but it isn’t unwelcome.

“Mmm yeah…”

It’s been like a whole week that you’ve gone without pleasuring yourself (let alone had anyone else do it) so as far as you’re concerned you’re about due.

You quickly start to undo Roger’s pants and few moments later your legs are wrapped around him and he’s thrusting into you.

“Oh shit this feels so fucking good…” you exclaim.

Honestly that’s not all you say. You say quite a few things fairly loudly and you don’t really care if anyone hears you. (Roger on the other hand is a bit more on the quiet side)

You don’t know how much time passes because you’re enjoying yourself so much and then you feel it.

“Oh my God! I’m almost there! Keep doing that! Harder! Faster! Oh yessss…” you exclaim and then the explosion.

Though not that one.

There’s a loud noise and a faint rumble, but you don’t really pay it any mind because you and Roger are more focused on the task involving each other’s fun parts.

A few moments later and someone starts banging on the door. At first you think its someone that’s complaining about you being too noisy, but they start yelling you two need to come out now.

“There’s a fucking nuke going off in distance!” the voice yells.
“What the fuck?!” Roger exclaims.
“What?!” You say.
“I said there’s a…”
“Yeah I heard! (Sigh) Hold on.” Roger interrupts.

That must’ve been the rumble and noise from earlier. Talk about a mood breaker.

“So…they finally went and did it.” You say.
“I guess so. Shit…I hope it wasn’t too close.” Roger says.
“We’d be all vaporized if it was a big one, so maybe it was just a little one?”
“The one they dropped on Hiroshima was a little one too.”
“Well I suppose there’s not much for it now. Our building is still intact so that’s a good sign.” You say trying not to wonder if you’re still going to be in the range of a fatal dose of radiation.

Roger starts to slowly get his pants back on and you pull your skirt back down.

When you both leave the room, you see Jasmine trying to calm her children down. A couple people are arguing. A few are just sitting in a silent state of shock. Henry is actually outside the diner looking in the direction of where the bomb must’ve gone off. You can see the lingering remnants of a mushroom cloud in the far distance even from inside the diner. You can’t help but hold on the Roger a bit tightly.

“I don’t exactly know how far or how big the bomb was, but I do know it went off in the direction of Fort Timons. Hell, that might’ve even been the target. Well either that or the city. Either way both of those places are probably radioactive ruins now and it looks like you saved my life too.” Roger says squeezing you around the waist.
“You think maybe this was just a way to get rid of those infected people? Maybe this is only occurring on a small scale?” you ask.
“I dunno. Maybe, but I get the impression this bomb was just one of many to the nuclear end of the big war that the Ground Zero ads kept going on about. Guess it doesn’t matter because I imagine things are going to be severely changing and the world as we once knew it is going to be much different. Harder for one thing.”

Surprisingly as frightening as this event is, you aren’t as filled with dread as you normally would be. Maybe its because after all the other craziness you went through this week, you could’ve ended up a lot worse off. Maybe you’re finally trying to find the silver lining for once in your life.

“We’ll handle it…together.” You say with certainty.

Roger looks at you and nods.

“We will.”

At this point Henry steps back in the diner and after calming some of the arguing truckers. He begins addressing the situation and stating that nothing has changed and that the situation is still the same, namely if people help, then they are welcome to stay. If not or if they don’t want to stay then they are free to go.

A couple of the truckers who apparently have families elsewhere do leave. Everyone else stays and the work towards creating a permanent new “home” is begun.

While you’re pitching in by doing inventory on the medical supplies you have you briefly wonder what would’ve happened had you not abandoned the carnival when you did. Could you have made a difference had you stayed like Roofie wanted you to?

You shake your head. You don’t mind helping out, but you know you’re no leader. Better to be safe and be around a group that you at least feel more comfortable around and so far that’s what you’ve encountered here at this truck stop. Most people here despite the highly stressful situation have still been pleasant with you.

Funny where one finds a place to belong.
> …
Nice and Safe

The Future…

“Take it or leave it. Don’t have all day to haggle with you.” You say to the scavenger.

He looks at the plastic bag of 9mm ammo for a moment.

“Alright I’ll take it.” He says and hands over two damaged rifles and takes the ammo without another word and leaves.

You look at the rifles again and think how glad you are to have someone who has a natural affinity to fixing thing.

“Daniel! Come out here, got a project for you.”

You son comes out from his work area to see what you’re yelling at him about this time.

“Mom, what is it now?” Daniel replies.
“Here. Got more rifles you can fix and we can sell for better profit later on.” You say and pass the rifles to him.
“These need new bolts. I’m not sure if I have any spare ones. At least not for two rifles.”
“Well do what you can. I’m sure you’ll think of something. You usually do. Besides you know how everyone that comes through this place is always interested in weapons. If you get just one of them fixed, it’ll still be a profit for what we got them for.”
“Don’t most people buy their weapons from Earl on the far side of the bazaar?”
“Yeah, but he specializes in that, the beauty of what we do is sell and buy a little bit of everything. So someone who might be looking for medicine might also end up buying a gun too. Besides, he’s getting a reputation of ripping people off, so we need to be prepared for the possible day for when people start coming to us to buy their guns instead.”

Daniel nods and says nothing else. He isn’t really much of a talker or a thinker for that matter. Not that the boy is stupid, its just he focuses on other things. Like fixing. Sometimes he reminds you a bit of your older brother’s son from the old days. That boy was definitely a savant.

Daniel head back to his workstation. You’re so glad you’ve never had problems with him, though Roger thinks he should mix more with people…but then you remember your own isolationist days in a certain basement and laugh to yourself.

Compared to you back then, Daniel is a social butterfly and has an actual trade. He’ll be fine.

Really its odd to you sometimes that you basically run the equivalent of a post apocalyptic general store, but as this place got bigger and better fortified, the original people began to rise in status and responsibility and here you are.

It certainly is better than being a wanderer out there. You’ve heard the tales and have no desire to leave the walls of New Security. Its safe here and you have everything you’d ever want.

It’s your new basement.

You remember Roger wanting to lead the New Security recon team when it was formed, but you managed to talk him out of that nonsense. You didn’t talk him into staying here in the first place and avoid getting nuked to atoms just so he could go play wasteland warrior and get his head blown off that way.

His job as lead protector of New Security holds more than enough danger and a test of his skills.

“Hey mom, how’s business?” Cindy asks walking in.
“Fine. I’m guessing you went with your father today?”
“Yep. It was really cool. I got to learn how to shoot. I even killed something!”
“What?” you ask.

At this point Roger walks in and has heard the end of the conversation.

“It wasn’t a person and she wasn’t in any danger. It was just a large rat that had wandered on the range. She got it in right in the head on one shot. She’s a natural.” Roger says in an effort to reassure you.

You know it’s a harsh new world now, and you know your daughter learning how to shoot is probably one of the best things for her, but you can’t help worry.

“Well, glad to hear you had fun.” You say.
“Yeah! I even got to see the New Security Scout Team coming in from a mission! They said they had to fight a mutant! Sounded exciting! I can’t wait to be able to become one of them one day!”

Well now you’re worried and Roger already knows it.

“Uh, Cindy why don’t you go into the back, I’m sure we’ll all be eating soon.” Roger says. Cindy complies, but she knows all too well an argument is going to be occurring soon.

You give Roger that “look” that he knows all to well is one of displeasure.

“Suzy, before you even start I really did not put that idea into her head! I didn’t even know the scout team was coming back today! Let alone that she was going to bump into them.”
“You’re the head protector! How would you not know that?!” you say.
“Hey, I take care of internal safety first. Besides, sometimes the scouts come back early if they don’t find anything out there.”
“A mutant sounds like something to me. Look I know Cindy’s a teenager and I know she finds all this military type stuff exciting, but I’d at least rather not encourage her desire to want to go traipsing about the wasteland.”
“Well I’d rather her be safe too, I mean that’s why I’m trying to teach her how to shoot and other skills. I mean we can only guide so much and eventually she’s going to be an adult and we won’t have any control over what she does. You know that.”

This is an old argument and Roger is right, but you really wish he wasn’t.

“I know. I know. Just…(sigh) could you at least next time emphasize that being a scout isn’t as glamorous as it sounds?”
“That I can do. Can’t promise you it’ll work, but I’ll definitely do that.”
“Well that’s the best I can hope for.”

Roger moves in to kiss you and you return it.

“Besides, I don’t see why SHE gets to be in the scout team when I’m not a allowed to.” Roger says with a smile.

You laugh and you close up the store so that you can spend time with your family.

It’s not the easiest life, but it’s more than you ever had before.