[EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Extreme =&gt; Extreme Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: general9991824 on 09-12-2008, 03:54:38</h2>
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				Title: <strong>[EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>09-12-2008, 03:54:38</strong>
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				Jake steadily walked south down highway 21 as the sun reached its daily apex.&nbsp; He wiped the sweat from his brow and sipped from his CamelBack as his boots quietly marched down the road.&nbsp; He kept his head on a swivel as he didn’t like being exposed and preferred to travel on shady side streets rather than these damn open highways.&nbsp; Unfortunately on his current path, the highway was the only option.&nbsp; He looked over at the thick woods to his left and right and contemplated going off road, but knew it would only slow him down.&nbsp; And while he was exposed, he did have the protection of a long line of sight.&nbsp; He could see for at least 50 meters in every direction, and that would be plenty of time to take care of any dead heads that happened to cross his path.&nbsp; In the distance he could just make out the wisps of black smoke that had been his guide for the last few hours.<br><br>Last night, Jake had bunked down in the upper story of a barn when he heard a large explosion and felt wooden planks shake beneath him around 4am.&nbsp; He quickly ran to a window and saw a fireball in the distance to the south.&nbsp; He watched the lingering flames flicker for a few minutes before retreating to his straw lined bunk.&nbsp; “I wonder what caused it,” he mumbled to himself.&nbsp; He knew loud noises would attract the dead, and probably the best thing to do would be to forget all about it.&nbsp; But it had been almost a week since he had seen another living person and somebody might still be in that area, someone alive hopefully.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake sat in the darkness of the barn and ate a scavenged can of peaches as he thought.&nbsp; At first light he checked the window again and saw a thick column of black smoke to the south.&nbsp; Ignoring his best instincts he shouldered his pack and climbed down from the hay loft.&nbsp; “Oh well, you don’t want to live forever do you?” he chuckled as he started making his way south.<br><br>8 hours or so later, Jake wandered into the town of Potosi.&nbsp; As he crossed Purcell Rd, he could see the twisted wreckage with a few lingering flames that generated his smoke a few hundred meters ahead.&nbsp; He slowed his pace as he approached and quietly clicked the safety off the M4 slung to his chest.&nbsp; <br><br>As was usual around towns, a few cars littered the roadway.&nbsp; Jake gave them a wide birth, having seen many in the past that still contained undead passengers.&nbsp; The cars became denser towards the upcoming intersection with highway 8 as he saw the cause of the explosion last night.&nbsp; <br><br>In the center of the intersection stood what was left of a semi tanker truck along with a few dozen burnt out cars.&nbsp; Charred bodies and body parts littered the area in a wide circle around the still smoldering truck.&nbsp; Jack could hear the crackle of the flames and the wind in the trees as he walked, but little else.&nbsp; He carefully eyed each body he approached looking for movement but saw none.&nbsp; At this point he couldn’t tell if these used to be people or zombies, but they were dead now and about 150 of them by his rough count.&nbsp; “Hrm, maybe the concussion got em,” he grumbled as he picked his way through the wreckage.&nbsp; “But who set this thing off?&nbsp; I don’t think Zack would do it.”<br><br>Suddenly something caught Jake’s eye on the ground.&nbsp; He crouched down and brushed aside some debris to reveal a spent shell casing; 7.62 NATO.&nbsp; Picking around a bit more, he uncovered a lot more spent ammo and an old M60 machine gun, now damaged beyond repair.&nbsp; “Now what idiot would start a firefight next to a fuel tanker?” he asked himself as he scanned the horizon half expecting to see said idiot, but knowing damn well he was probably in crispy chunks all around the intersection.&nbsp; <br><br>Jack stood on top of a nearby pickup flatbed to get a better view of the area.&nbsp; He eyed the nearby stores, making mental notes of what supplies he needed and if it was worth the risk of venturing inside when a new noise caught his attention.&nbsp; He dropped to one knee in the truck bed, and raised his rifle in the direction of the sound.&nbsp; <br><br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>10-12-2008, 04:06:51</strong>
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				From two miles away, she could see the smoke, and she had prayed, instantly, that it was a funeral pyre.<br><br>It had been getting harder to take each step on the old gray-peppered asphalt of the service road-- she could see the highway most of the way, about thirty yards down and to her left, and it'd been clear of signs of violence.&nbsp; No shattered safety glass, no bloody clothes.&nbsp; No personal affects or wind-blown tufts of human hair she'd learned to spot for.&nbsp; No sounds of shuffling feet... just the rustle of leaves when squirrels-- antsier since the outbreak, maybe afraid more than ever of being eaten-- would take to the trees suddenly.&nbsp; She jumped, every time, the stock and grip of her daddy's shotgun meeting her hand in a vice-like grip, though she'd learned from a kid what it sounds like when a deer takes off, when a squirrel scrambles up a tree.&nbsp; Now she'd learned what a dead man shuffling around sounds like.<br><br>But the smoke-- that was hopeful.&nbsp; It only made sense, she thought-- whatever'd caused this sickness, it must have been necessary to burn the bodies-- burn the infected's articles, she supposed.&nbsp; Like that book she'd read and hated, but loved, as a child-- the one where the Velveteen Rabbit had to be burned because the boy who loved it had scarlet fever.&nbsp; She'd wept as a little girl at the thought of burning her own favorite toy, the unicorn with the velvet hooves.&nbsp; The same little-girl heartbreak had become real when she'd burned her family's bodies.<br><br>It had to be like rabies.&nbsp; Rabies that ate the mind, but suddenly.&nbsp; <br><br>Her feet weren't scraping at the asphalt anymore, they were pumping her, determinedly, toward that smoke.&nbsp; She had the safety off already, a good mile out of town, just because it might be a trap, or the dead might smell the smoke.<br><br>She tried not to think of her parents as she pressed on toward town.
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				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>10-12-2008, 11:30:17</strong>
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				For nearly two hours Marcus had pressed his journey south; he had no inkling of exactly where he was going but only that while he was up here he was safe, nothing could get to him.&nbsp; He had spend a fraught few days on the ground after he had been forced to ditch the Channel nine news helicopter; it wasn’t an experience he was readily willing to repeat.&nbsp; <br><br>Marcus had panicked on that day; there was no other word for it.&nbsp; He had been resting against the bird waiting to fly the live news team back to the center, when they made news themselves; it was the onset of Z-day; not that they realised it then. They had been dispatched to report on a spate of violent incidents that seemed to breaking out everywhere.&nbsp; With the cameras still rolling during a live emergency report they had broken from the cover …they had moved quickly and with unwavering intent as they&nbsp; ripped through them.&nbsp; He had reacted in an instant and desperate to save himself he took to the air; leaving the screaming bloodied face of the female reporter burned into his mind as she screamed for his help… Marcus shook the memory from the forefront of his thoughts.<br><br>He pointed the nose of the chopper south and held that line, his plan was to get as far as he could and hope to stumble on some sanctuary or means of refuelling.&nbsp; It wasn’t a great plan, not by any stretch; but it was all he had.&nbsp; Once or twice his head nodded forward with fatigue and the path of the helicopter bucked a little as he jolted back to full wakefulness.&nbsp; On the seat next to him sat a silver hip flask; he reached for it and flipped open the lid.&nbsp; Bringing it to his lips he felt the warming rush of neat whisky; an all to familiar friend on this trip though it was doing little blur the memories.&nbsp; As he moved the flask from his lips he caught sight of a warning light blinking on the console.<br><br>“Shit.“ it was the fuel warning light, he leant forward and tapped it; hoping that he could convince it that the tanks were full.&nbsp; It was a stratagem that didn’t seem fruitful.&nbsp; Then something caught his attention, a little way ahead rose a thick column of black acrid smoke, it seemed to mark the centre point of a highway intersection; and he strained to see its cause, but it was difficult to make out any details through the mangled wreckage, that seemed both made of metal and flesh.&nbsp; Marcus shuddered inwardly.&nbsp; He had just flown past the column of smoke and was continuing southwards when in the next instant his whole cocooned world changed around him; <br><br>The engine screamed and from somewhere deep within came a grinding that was audible even with his headset on.&nbsp; The twisting metallic sound abruptly terminated with a shearing crunch as the helicopter lurched to the right; in an instant the engine failed and he fought with the collective, pushing down on the right pedal; instantly reducing the thrust from the tail rotor.&nbsp; With the engine now floundering, any and all anti torque provided by the tail would send it spinning.&nbsp; He pressed the collective a shade to the right; bringing it back to a neutral position and then lowered it as far as he dared to; taking the pitch off the blades, the helicopter began to descend rapidly, the air from below maintaining the rotors revolutions as the machine began to fall from the sky.<br><br>Desperately he looked around for somewhere he could put down; his forehead glistening with sweat as his eyes flashed left and right.&nbsp; He had just passed what looked like a hospital and it would have been ideal as there seemed to be a perfect place to land on the roof; but with his rate of descent, he had lost the altitude that he would need in order to set down on the roof without clipping the lip of the building.&nbsp; The damn thing had started to drift to the right and he fought to hold a slight left cyclic input to maintain his position as he dropped from the sky.&nbsp; Marcus watched the needles spin, but he managed to maintain control over his descent; feeling the collective shudder and shake the collective within his grasp.&nbsp; His teeth gritted and his body tensed against the natural pull of the blades above his head.<br><br>His luck held though; as just past the hospital south of the intersection, there was a car park.&nbsp; There was no time to hesitate and he had little option but to set the ‘bird’ down there.&nbsp; Marcus began a gentle flare and started to arrest his descent; levelling the ‘copter as it fell the last few feet and bringing the collective back to cushion the landing as best as he could.&nbsp; The helicopter came to a solid landing and cut the remaining power to the controls before rocking back in the pilots seat; his eyes closed and exhaled deeply; his nerves were already shot to pieces and damn near ending up like the mangled wreckage of smoking metal he had just flown over did nothing to calm them.&nbsp; He sat there with his eyes closed tightly for a few moments; before it suddenly dawned on him that being so exposed and inattentive was not conducive to his natural instincts to survive.&nbsp; As if he awoke from some disturbing dream; he bolted forward and from the relative safety of the cockpit he looked around his <br><br>It seemed quiet enough …at least at the moment, but he knew it wouldn’t be wise to hang around in one place for any length of time; he had seen what had happened to those who had tried to hole up somewhere they thought safe …the results were rarely pretty.&nbsp; He swung into action and took hold of a backpack that lay on one of the backseats and then turned his attention to the strongbox beneath the seats.&nbsp; From within he pulled out a S&amp;W 4506 and a Glock with a couple of boxes of bullets and shells which he shoved into his pack; then from its anchor on the back wall he took down the Remington 11-18 shotgun.&nbsp; There had been definite advantages to procuring a police helicopter<br><br>Finally he reached to the back of the strong box and pulled out a near empty bottle of whisky, he swirled the last dregs of this around the bottom of the bottle.&nbsp; The sight of this more than anything right now filled him with a sense of dread.&nbsp; He filled his hip flask to the brim and chose to drain the last of the dregs from the bottle before he threw it across the car park, where it exploded into a shower of fragmented glass.&nbsp; It was only then that he thought that might not have been the smartest move to have made.<br><br>Marcus stood close to the downed helicopter trying to ascertain the next best course of action, the leisurely spin of the rotors winding down above his head as the momentum leached from them.&nbsp; Marcus had no clue what to do; he was caught in the middle of this town, with his only hope of getting out now sat impotently in the middle of a car park.&nbsp; Perhaps he could find spares enough to repair whatever damage had been done to the engine …from there, perhaps he could find enough fuel to make it worth while undertaking in the first place.&nbsp; His fingers wrapped around his hip flask and he took a draft from it …then; as he lowered it he looked at the flask somewhat mournfully …perhaps there was a liquor store nearby.&nbsp; <br><br>With the shotgun resting over his shoulder he looked around for any signs of movement, he was concerned that the noise of the helicopters descent might have attracted some unwanted attention so thought it best to make a move.&nbsp; He turned and watched the column of thick smoke rise from the intersection which lay behind the hospital from his vantage point and started to head towards it, unsure of what he would find there.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>10-12-2008, 12:33:17</strong>
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				Kristie wasn't sure where she was heading. She didn't know what direction she was going in, and she didn't know what laid ahead. For all she knew, a thousand of those..things... were watching her stumble upon the dirt road towards whatever she didn't know was beyond. Walking on a sprained ankle, she didn't have much strenght left in her, nor did she have much hope. It was the heat, and the pain from her body. She'd been taught to ignore pain when her life, and her comrades lives were on the line, but she had no comrades to watch out for, they were all dead...sorta. She wanted to stop and help, find help, do something but walk, but stopping was no option. She hadn't stopped moving for 6 1/2 days straight, she figured she was among those people who 'pushed past the impossible' that everyone talks about, but she chuckled at the thought of being the last one. She wished she would have died with her friends with the convoy, but then again none of them were really dead, not in the logical sense.<br><br>But that explosion, had caught her attention. She wasn't moving slow, good progress over the last 5 days, but before that her heart still wept when she saw a child, old man or woman, shambling down the street, or running after another survivor, only to hear the blood curling scream moments later. She tried to help, really, but it was fruitless. She'd learned too shoot for the head not long after, when she escaped death by one of those things knocking her out of a window, instead of ripping her throat out. After, she just walked, and walked and walked. Her arms hurt from holding her shotgun at the ready, her back hurt for hauling around her extra rations, water, ammunition and...<em>a fucking EOD pack?</em> Why did she even carry this crap anymore, who the fuck is going to set bombs now? Or more importantly, want to defuse a bomb now? But her mind snapped to its training, "<em>EOD packs work both ways ladies!</em>" Her CO always said...now he was dead too.<br><br>As she finally sighed in hope, as the foliage began to clear, her vision was met by a sudden sense of potential relief. The smoke from that explosion, she guessed, was just ahead of her. Luck or something, had allowed her to get here, and there must be someone left. Or so she hoped. She crouched near the road, and professionally slid her shotgun on its sling, fittingly next to the pack of her back, swiftly switching it for her M16A4. She wouldn't be doing street to street, building to building, she'd just get in town, find shelter and sleep, maybe survivors, and patch up. Go from there. Best plan she could form together for now. Kristie was not a combat Marine, far from it. But she'd seen it up close before, and lived through it, so she knew how to do her job at least. With one hand she kept her M16 pressed against her shoulder, her eyes and ears working in harmony to detect trouble as she vault-stepped over a half broken wall, the remains of a car dented against the concrete wall, blood smearing the windshield. She kept her distance from the windows, and quickly her rifle was sweeping the area in front of her.<br><br>Suddenly a dim noise began to flow its way into her mind. She hadn't heard any kind of undead that sounded even close to that, in a dash she made her way behind a small bark and peeked out. She could make out a road sign which said "Lawrence Street, which poked off as an intersection from Highway 8, which she also read. She looked around from the barn she was hidden behind carefully, scanning for any movement as the noise became louder. She'd heard it before a...helicopter? Her eyes took the sky as she squinted slightly to look around. A small helicopter began to form in her eyes, as it crossed above her. She squinted to watch it fly past the tower smoke and, suddenly dropped down. She wondered if they'd seen her, doubtful since her woodland camo blended well with the grass, and from that height and angle, she'd look no different than a tall patch of grass.<br><br>Without thought she darted from the barn towards a house, quietly, pressing against the side and peeking out, her M16A4 scanning the area ahead of her. With a swift look behind her, to her left and right, she quietly slithered around the corner of the house, and stopped as the wall ended. She peeked out from the corner, gazing upon the wreckage of the night before. A single spent casing laying idly in the middle of the street, burn corpses and vehicles alike littering the way. She grimaced for a moment at the thought some were survivors, but she had her severe doubts many lives were lost in the night past. At least from that explosion. The helicopters noises had gone away, but in her movements and blockage of sight, she failed to see its landing area. If it was a civilian, she needed to find them, but she didn't know who was flying. Caution was her only concern, at this point. Dying wasn't even an option. She walked slowly, in a tactical form across the highway, and onto the sidewalk down Lawrence Street, heading due north, or so she assumed at this point. Her compass was in her pack, and now wasn't the time to be getting her bearings. She needed to find a hospital, but she had no line of sight. She stopped for a moment at the intersection and looked around. The sound of slight movement behind her sent her jumping back, surprisingly quietly, into the prone position, her rifle at the center front of the action.<br><br>(((OOC: Basically, I'm right at the intersection between 8 and Lawrence, southern Potosi. I'm actually, exactly at the intersection, looking East-South East at the wreckage, I'm assuming its there. Google Map= COOL!)))
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				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>11-12-2008, 05:05:28</strong>
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				Jake tucked in against the side of the truck as he looked down the ruined length of Route 8 towards town.&nbsp; He thought he heard something break the silence of the now dead town, but his careful visual scan revealed nothing as the red dot of his sight traced back and forth.&nbsp; He lowered his rifle, convinced his nerves must be getting to him when he heard the familiar wop-wop-wop of a helicopter approaching.&nbsp; <br><br>He remained hidden in the bed of the truck as the chopper flew over.&nbsp; Jake noted it wasn't military, and judging by the under-slung searchlight it looked municipal.&nbsp; He flinched as it made a loud noise and dropped into auto-rotation.&nbsp; He raised himself up in truck bed, completely forgetting the earlier noise, to get a good view.&nbsp; He saw the aircraft wobble and finally set down in the parking lot of a large WalMart.&nbsp; <br><br>"Fucking racket will wake the dead," Jake grumbled as he carefully got down from the truck and made his way towards the landing site.&nbsp; He kept his rifle at the ready, in case the new noise drew any wandering dead.&nbsp; He knew that chances are most local wanders were drawn to the explosion last night, but you can never be too careful with the dead.&nbsp; &nbsp;They may not be smart, but if you let your guard down you're bound to get bitten.<br><br>He walked down the center of the street, being sure to keep enough stand off distance to avoid an ambush but he always had a car in mind between himself and the copter if he had to take cover.&nbsp; Who knew what nutjob was flying that thing.&nbsp; At about a hundred meters south of the intersection, Jake could make out a male form leaving the helicopter but not before throwing a bottle on the ground.&nbsp; He cringed as he heard the glass shatter.&nbsp; Even though it wasn't nearly as loud as the chopper, there was something about the sound of breaking glass that could carry for a long distance.&nbsp; <br><br>He saw the man walking in his direction carrying a shotgun and a backpack.&nbsp; He looked a bit like he walked out of a Jimmy Buffet concert, complete with a hangover.&nbsp; But he remembered that looks could be deceiving.&nbsp; He chuckled as he though of an old Marine plaque he saw when he was in the Sandbox, "Be polite. Be professional. But be prepared to kill everyone you meet."&nbsp; Time to put it to good use.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake stood up from behind the car and raised his hand in the air, gently waving it back and forth.&nbsp; He figured he was still out of the effective range of a shotgun but should be easy enough to see.&nbsp; 
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				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>11-12-2008, 14:05:16</strong>
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				Marcus continued his way across the car park, he was conscious of the fact that he was so completely exposed and was wary of the slightest movement.&nbsp; The car park felt like a snapshot; frozen in time at the moment the disaster struck.&nbsp; A good number of the cars were still parked between the white dividers, giving the impression that a large number of people never even made it to their car …some had, but had not made it too far by the looks of it.&nbsp; He passed one car; its front end concertinaed as it had ploughed into another parked car, the drivers door open and the stained red with blood that had dried in the sunlight.<br><br>The place smelled bad, real bad and he tried to stop himself from gagging.&nbsp; Only then did he catch sight of the body on the ground towards the back of the vehicle; lying face up, her opaque eyes turned towards the sky.&nbsp; He caught sight of the deep bloodied wound in her neck, an obvious bite mark and having torn indiscriminately through flesh and muscle alike; there was the briefest moment of panic that she could rise again, but then he noted the distinctive bullet wound in her forehead and felt some small relief.<br><br>Marcus shuddered as he watched her for a moment; wondering at the horror of the last scene to burn itself into her mind in life, but just the sight of it bought back his own barely repressed memories.&nbsp; Had it not been for his having the chopper to hand at the onset of the disaster, then it was all too likely that he would have ended up the same way.&nbsp; He felt a shiver run through him as he recalled the fear in Trisha’s eyes as she raced towards him as he began to lift from the ground; her white suit stained crimson from the bites.&nbsp; He had been unable to take his eyes from her as he rose away.&nbsp; He watched as the cameraman fought valiantly and swinging his video camera like some medieval cudgel; but it didn’t take long for him to be overwhelmed …and even less time for her to disappear beneath the ravenous assault of the dead.<br><br>Knowing what he knew now, he realised that he was right to have left her, it was too late for her by that point, but he was fooling himself by pretending that his decision&nbsp; was made through any sound judgement rather than fear for his own life.<br><br>His thoughts were still distracted when he caught a sudden movement from the corner of his eye behind a car a little way ahead, it was enough to kick start his instinct for survival and, even as he was trying to focus on the figure he had bought the shotgun from his shoulder and wavered it ahead of him as he tried to line up the barrel.&nbsp; Fortunately rationality took hold as he watched the figure deliberately wave slowly and a small smile crossed his face.<br><br>Suddenly he started to feel a little less exposed.&nbsp; He went to call out but stopped himself just in time; given his exposed position and the noise he had already made, he felt he had already pushed his luck.&nbsp; &nbsp;Marcus lowered the shotgun to his side; hoping that his initial reaction would be understandable, then with his free hand he returned the gesture and started to jog across the car park towards the figure.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>12-12-2008, 15:09:30</strong>
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				Something in Dinah's mind had warned her away from town... something of her father's teachings of self-reliance, of insistence that, when the worst happened, it was best handled alone.&nbsp; Community was important, but independence came first.&nbsp; But that was before she saw what had happened to her community.<br><br>From what she seen moving from ranch to ranch, it was pretty much the same everywhere... the Thomas farm had been left open-doored, no one inside, with no sign but a puddle of thickening blood something had been drug through, a trail that ended in a tuft of shredded denim and hair at the barbed-wire, where the sundry footprints had muddied to a rich red-brown.&nbsp; Further down, the door had been ripped off the hinges of a modular home and the windows were shattered.&nbsp; Miles of empty highway, of dead homes.&nbsp; Only one house today with anyone alive inside, and they were so afraid they said they'd shoot her if she passed the split-rail fence... they had plywood screwed to the windows, rolls of chicken wire around the basement windows... she doubted it would hold out.<br><br>Suddenly, her footfalls-- almost silent on the road as she entered the junction of State Highway P-- sounded very, very alone.&nbsp; It was only a mile or two to town now.&nbsp; Just a couple miles, less than half of what she ran most mornings, but with her heavy pack and weaponry, a run was out of the question for the moment... though she knew, somewhere, that she might have to make a sudden decision to drop everything and run.&nbsp; Running might not even help-- sick people usually didn't have much speed, but who knows..?&nbsp; Wouldn't that just be a bitch?<br><br>State Highway P would become the county route soon.&nbsp; And then it was a straight shot to town... to that plume of oily black smoke, to some vague, desperate hope that she fully suspected might be her last.
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				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>13-12-2008, 22:00:51</strong>
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				Jake's hand tightened its grip on his M4 when the unknown man raised his shotgun in his direction.&nbsp; He realized the guy's nerves were probably shot, but he didn't feel like getting peppered with buckshot either.&nbsp; He watched the barrel of the man's gun waver about before it finally dropped.&nbsp; "Maybe he's dehydrated..." Jake mumbled as he relaxed his grip and clicked the safety back on.&nbsp; <br><br>The man waved and Jake gave him a nod before slowly leaving cover and crossing the distance between himself and the helicopter man.&nbsp; When the man stopped jogging Jake smiled and let the carbine swing free on it's sling.&nbsp; He extended his hand towards the man just about when a wave of whiskey vapors hit his nose.&nbsp; He flinched slightly at the smell and made a mental note, "OK drunk, not dehydrated."&nbsp; <br><br>"Name's Jake. You alright there?" Jake said in the most friendly voice he could muster.&nbsp; 
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				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>14-12-2008, 01:25:41</strong>
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				The closer Marcus got the clearer he make out the figure; he was heartened a little to see him dressed in fatigues,&nbsp; it also gave him a flicker of concern; after all he was no public servant and he had effectively stolen municipal property.&nbsp; In the days immediately following the disaster he had heard snatches of radio chatter relating shooting looters; there was something quite disturbing about the shooting of fellow men when all around them the world was falling into disarray and those bullets could have been put to better use.&nbsp; If the national guard had been shooting people for having a stolen televisions; what would a military do with someone who had stolen a chopper? He decided that he wouldn’t explore the answer to this question.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>With the barrel of his shotgun resting against the tarmac, his hand met Jakes, not noticing the slight flinch at him smelling a little like a distillery;&nbsp; with a grin he spoke;&nbsp; “Good to see a friendly face; I’m Marcus.”&nbsp; He glanced back at the bird behind him; the rotors spin had slowed to a crawl as the momentum was all but dissipated, a thin wisp of smoke rose from the engine and circled skywards and he wondered if he would ever be able to do the same.&nbsp; He returned his attention to Jake and slipped his hip flask from his pocket and took a sip; he thought about offering it to Jake as a gesture of friendship.&nbsp; That his helicopter was down to fumes was bad enough, but to have his hip flask in a similar manner chilled him to the bone, but he hesitantly offered him the small silver flask.<br><br>He gazed past him; half expecting to see others but there was nothing and no one but the dead town behind him and the thick plume of smoke; perhaps this doubt flickered in his expression. “So …where’s the rest of the cavalry then? Or are you …alone.” he feared that he already knew the answer to this.
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				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>14-12-2008, 04:06:10</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				After a few seconds of silent watch with not so much as a blade of grass moving in aggression, Kristie figured whatever had made noise was long gone, or most likely, still there just out of her line of sight. Either way, she needed a rest. After looking around again for a few moments, she cautiously began to stand, keeping her rifle pressed against her shoulder, she began to walk north along Lawrence Street until she made it way to Purcell Road. From here, she went east, staying as close to the left-most side of the road heading West. If she were attacked, she'd be able to at least dash for some buildings near by. An unoccupied van, the previous owner no doubt in bad condition, was parked not far from a low roof. Kristie made a mental note she could probably climb up on that van and get on to the roof of that house. She didn't know if they could follow her, but right now wasn't the time for daydreaming. She walked for several minutes on Purcell Road until she crossed Stone Street and finally met up with North Missouri Street.<br><br>She progressed North along State Highway E until she met an otherwise occupied parking lot accompanying what looked like a large office building. She crossed the highway so she was on the left hand side of the street, going North-East, and with her M16 still against her shoulder, occasionally turning to walk backwards, checking her surroundings and making sure she was well aware of what lay ahead before she got there, Kristie cut across some grass and cut onto Market Street. <br><br>A large building was the first thing she saw as she took a knee on the intersection, resting on some grass, she looked around before focusing her eyes on the building. She wasn't sure what it was, she saw no signs or markings, but she assumed it was a series of small businesses or medical practices. There was a slight stream of gray smoke trickling out one of the top floor windows, indicating the chances of a stable interior were limited. Kristie stood up and once again looked around. Suddenly she felt almost like a tourist. Most towns were the same, or so people always said, but when you didn't have a map, nor did you have anyone to ask for directions, you felt very isolated. Kristie looked around for any signs of life, or lack there of, and her eyes caught sight of a small object on a roof not too far away. She blinked stupidly for a second as her mind processed 'what types of things look like that on a roof...' <br><br>Her mind slapped her in the face with the answer. She realised it was that helicopter she'd lost sight of. From what she could understand about these undead, they didn't drive or fly too well. Nor did whoever was in that helicopter, or maybe that pilot had difficulties. Maybe he or she is already..well..dead-ish. <em>Maybe maybe maybe...</em> she scolded herself, shrugging her shoulders, causing all her gear to jump. She began to walk towards where she assumed the helicopter was, as she lost sight of the building a few times over her walk. None the less she arrived too see nobody there. The helicopter looked damaged, a think whisp of black smoke rising from the engine compartment. She sighed, and looked around the vacant town and groaned. Everyone here was most likely dead, and she was right in the middle of it. The remains of what looked like a broken bottle littered a small alley between two buildings. Krisite felt her body start to become annoyed. She looked around the town again, until her eyes met a pleasing sight; the finishing touches on her miracle...<em>-ospital</em>.<br><br>Kristie began to make her way there. It was due West of her right now, and only about a block away. Her mind returned to the helicopter, and if the pilot was dead, there was a chance she could fix the helicopter herself. She didn't exactly have professional experience, but she had taken a few flying lessons in the Marines, and even learned about the science behind flight, none of it really interested her but she thought it could be a neat hobby after she was done working with explosives. She thought about all the things her life had meant before this, and now none of it was going to be the same. Not only were her family and friends most likely dead, her unit all but disbanded or broken up, but her country was torn. She didn't know the status of the rest, but little hope remained in her mind. None the less, she found herself outside the hospital after a few minutes. Hope yet again resting in her lap. The doors were bloodied and half broken, as she had her M16 right against her shoulder, her eyes dancing with the small green dot in her holographic reflex sight, her swept the lobby and waiting room in the ER. She then backtracked and tried her best to secure the doors, but nothing that would hold out someone determined. This hospital was small, maybe a few floors, but from what she saw in the ER waiting room, this place had been ransacked. Worse still, there was blood all over the place. <br><br>Swapping her M16 for her 500 Tactical in a flash, she flipped on the LED flashlight attached on the underside of the shotguns barrel. For the fact she needed to at least see if something attacked her, she didn't want to go too far inside. No power meant pitch blackness, and truth be told Kristie was...well..very scared of being in the dark alone. It was a big problem for her in the Marines, but at this point, none of that seemed to matter. She quietly pushed open the door to the ER Trauma unit.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>15-12-2008, 01:50:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake shook Marcus's hand firmly while assessing his new companion.&nbsp; When he was offered the flask he held up his hand and shook his head. "No thanks buddy; at least one of us needs to keep a clear head.&nbsp; Between the smoke from that fire and the noise your chopper made coming in, we have to keep on our guard.&nbsp; It might have woken the dead for miles around."<br><br>He listened to Marcus's question and chuckled a bit.&nbsp; "There is no calvary, or army or anything anymore.&nbsp; As far as I know you and I are the last two humans alive."&nbsp; He paused for a second to let the information sink in.&nbsp; The last few people he had met had expected some sort of rescue and were a bit shocked to hear none was coming.&nbsp; "My unit was wiped out at the battle of St. Louis and within 12 hours of that I lost all contact with any sort of organized government or military.&nbsp; I've heard rumors of pockets of civilization that survived.&nbsp; Hell one guy I heard on the radio claimed folks were heading out to see.&nbsp; Said he saw aircraft carriers turned into giant refugee camps.&nbsp; But until I see it myself or get definite confirmation, I'm going to assume we're on our own."<br><br>Jake looked around for a minute, scanning the horizon for movement.&nbsp; "We should think about shelter.&nbsp; It make take a while but I can guarantee some dead heads are going to wander into town to see what the commotion was about.&nbsp; I can handle a few but I would rather not have to fight a horde from behind a car."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>15-12-2008, 13:52:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus tried to hide the lack of disappointment in his face as his offer of a draft from his hip flask was politely turned down; though in order not to make it a wasted gesture he took a sip from it himself before securing the lid and slipping it into his jeans.<br><br>Jake seemed to find some humour in the question that he asked, but he found none in the answer that was forthcoming; he simply listened to what he said and felt his stomach turn over at the thought that there was nothing left of the army.&nbsp; As bad as it had been; in the back of his mind he had convinced himself that the military would get a handle on the situation and turn back the tide, even if his eyes had given him a different perspective from the clouds.&nbsp; From up there he had seen the devastation, the shattered towns and smoking mangled wrecks.&nbsp; Usually the only things he had seen moving had been ’them’ and if it wasn’t then they very soon would be.&nbsp; <br><br>Was it really possible that humanity had so quickly succumbed to this plague that swept across the land? He wondered whether there was any truth to those rumours or if they were just delirious ravings of the hopeless.&nbsp; He had heard occasional bursts of chatter on his headset as he had flown in range and the frantic pleas he had heard had been more chilling that the static.&nbsp; He mused over the fact that as a species we had begun in the sea; perhaps that was how it would end by going full circle and returning to it, or on it at least.<br><br>He glanced back at the helicopter; his heart dropped at seeing the blades now still and limp.&nbsp; He had an inkling what had happened to the engine and if he was right about that then the chances of&nbsp; it taking to the air anytime soon were about as likely as him waking up and finding that this had all been some vivid dream born from downing one to many tequila shots at O’Malley’s.<br><br>“Can’t say I like the idea of hanging around slap bang in the middle of Deadsville USA waiting for the local welcoming committee.&nbsp; Have you seen anywhere that looks promising?” he glanced around the carpark, but he couldn’t see much past the hospital.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>18-12-2008, 03:12:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake did a slow 360 to check over the surrounding terrain.&nbsp; From the middle of the road all he could see nearby was the WalMart, the hospital, and a HomeDepot.&nbsp; He smirked and rubbed his fingers over the stubble on his chin.&nbsp; "Well, we sure as hell don't want to go in the hospital.&nbsp; It's going to be crawling with the dead at worst and stink like hell at best.&nbsp; WalMart is a good long term solution.&nbsp; There's food, almost any supplies we could use and only a few ways in.&nbsp; However, look at all those cars.&nbsp; There is a good chance those people died inside and may still be locked inside."&nbsp; He stopped and looked at the large orange store.<br><br>"Now the HomeDepot may be our best short term solution. There aren't too many cars and it is full of materials to make barricades or hand weapons.&nbsp; But the best thing in the short term is their shelving. They have very high, large shelves; some of them at least 15 feet off the ground. I say we carefully work our way in, borrow a convenient ladder, and clear off a high shelf.&nbsp; We pull up the ladder when the sun goes down and should be safe until things quiet down."&nbsp; Just then Jake stopped speaking and stared over Marcus's shoulder.&nbsp; He quickly pulled a set of binoculars from his pack and raised them to his eye.&nbsp; <br><br>"Damn," Jake mumbled, "I've got some Zack on the road due south...looks like maybe 6 or so...about 500 meters out."&nbsp; He motions to Marcus.&nbsp; "Keep quiet and get down.&nbsp; Maybe they won't spot us."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>18-12-2008, 12:20:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He balked at that thought; especially given that when he had been in the air and coming down fast he had looked on the roof of the hospital as a possible landing place; he was glad now that he had been unable to land there as there was a good chance that what he thought might have been salvation would have turned out to be his tomb.&nbsp; It stood to reason that the hospital could be crawling with the deadheads as in the first hours of the incident the injured would have been ferried there and other places like it.&nbsp; Once they had realised what was going on it would have been too late …Marcus shuddered at the thought.<br><br>HomeDepot; he pondered , it didn’t sound like the kind of place that had a liquor department;&nbsp; but in every other respect it seemed to be the best option given the current situation; “HomeDepot it is then;” he had barely spoken when he caught the look in Jake’s eye.<br><br>As Jake alerted him to their presence he spun about; he tried to follow his line of sight but for a moment he couldn’t see anything but the litter of vehicles stretched out over the car park …then he saw them; several shapes shambling in the distance.&nbsp; His breathing quickened as he dropped down against the vehicle; His back pressed&nbsp; against the wing as he cradled the shotgun in his arm.&nbsp; Instinctively he went for his hip flask and took a draft as he tried to calm his nerves.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>19-12-2008, 01:52:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake caught Marcus's swig out of the corner of his eye and gave him a quick sneer as he readied his rifle.&nbsp; "For Christ's sake, put that fucking thing away!&nbsp; You can drink yourself to death when we are a little more secure, but for now I need you to stay clear."&nbsp; He turned away and went back to observing the dead through his binoculars.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake watched as the troop of dead slowly walked towards the cooling helicopter.&nbsp; They looked like some sort of motley gang all shambling together.&nbsp; As they got closer he could make out more detail: two middle aged women and a man in dirty casual clothes, a young man in what was distinctly a bloody McDonald's uniform, a very fat woman in a pink mu mu, and bringing up the rear an old black man in a worn suit.&nbsp; The last man made Jake pause as he looked an awful lot like his father.&nbsp; He hadn't thought a lot about what happened to his parents since Zday.&nbsp; Knowing his dad, he would have tried to defend the family store and was most likely shambling around like this poor bastard several hundred miles away.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake's daydreaming stopped when the zombie gang made it to the helicopter and started pounding on the sides.&nbsp; They seemed to watch to see if they actions would cause anything inside to move.&nbsp; One zombie, McDonald's boy, started jumping to try to grab a rotor blade as it slowly swung in the breeze.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake turned back to Marcus.&nbsp; "Keep very quiet.&nbsp; They may just go back the way they came."&nbsp; He paused and made deliberate eye contact with the pilot.&nbsp; "I'm going to keep a tight watch on them.&nbsp; I need you to keep your head on a swivel and make sure nobody sneaks up behind us.&nbsp; OK?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>19-12-2008, 08:35:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie sighed deeply as she rested her back against a toppled gurney just inside the ER Trauma wing. She'd taken a very small dose of morphine, enough to keep her mind of her aching body and then wrapped a bandage tightly around her ankle. Tightly enough it gave her support for her injury, but not tight enough to constrict the blood flow. As she inched he way back up, she stumbled ever so-slightly with the morphine already playing with her mind. She shook her head a few times to get her focus back, and walked back towards the main entrance of the hospital, yanking the bent piece of steel from the door handles and quietly pulling the door open. As Kristie stepped outside, movement to her left caught her eye, she casually glanced over, and saw several staggering figures. She squinted slightly, and her mind immediately figured out what was going on. <br><br>She immediately dropped to a low crouch and slung her shotgun over her shoulder, switching it for her M16A4 in a single precise move, and in doing so, she began to move backwards along the wall of the hospital, until she ment a slight bend in the wall, and immediately took cover. She breathed deeply for a few seconds, and looked around. Kristie struggled to understand how she'd been dumb enough to walk outside like that with no thought. But she quickly realised now wasn't the time for this, and slowly began to make her way towards the adjacent running wall of the hospital. She peeked around the corner, a large pool of blood stained the grass, but no body. She looked back at the roaming mob, and thought for a second of putting them out of their misery. She could easily kill at least 3 before they got within striking distance, and a single round to the chest usually knocked these things down long enough to take a headshot. Kristie had always been proud of her marksmanship abilities, but over the years her true skills were explosives. <br><br>Don't ask Kristie to disarm a nuke, but if your talking IEDs or basic demolitions, shes the girl. "<strong>Ooh-rah, HomeDepot.</strong>" Kristie quietly whispered to herself, a small sign catching her eye in the background of the shambling group of undead. "<strong>Pick up some supplies for a few home made traps, set up shop in a house near here. Take a few days off, get some food and rest, be back on the road.</strong>" Kristie laid her own plans out in front of her. She almost felt like laughing she was so happy the potential for safe haven and rest was so close, all she needed to do was snake her way past these things. Kristie spun on her heels and quietly made her way down the wall. It took her about a minute or so, she had to crouch under windows and she could swear she hear noise from inside the hospital. Her heart jumped at the thought things were inside the hospital, of course people would go there. Kristie felt like screaming at her stupidity in going to the one place most people would go after being attacked. There could be hundreds in that hospital, a room away from where she'd been resting. <em>Stupid, stupid!</em> Kristie thought to herself, as she arrived at the rear wall from the ER.<br><br>Peeking out, she could just barely make out the shapes of the undead people, blending in with a mix of vision blur due to distance, and the fact Kristie was tired. She dropped to a crawl, and slowly made her way across the street. When she arrived at the next building, a loud thud began to emerge from near by. Studying it for a second, her mind drew a blank, and reluctantly she peeked out. Sllight movement caught her eye before anything else, two figures in the middle of the parking lot. She immediatley snapped back behind the building, cursing silently. "<strong>Great...more.</strong>" Kristie scoffed.<br><br>As she prepared to bound across the street, the sound of footsteps behind her made her heart soar through the top of her head. She slowly turned to see a bloodied young woman shambling across the road. The only reason she wasn't on top of Kristie now was Kristie hadn't been seen yet, and she was wearing a heavy dose of scent masking spray, essentially she smelled a lot like trees. To the undead, she was green, likely not moving and smelled like grass, meaning; not food. But the woman had her head half looking at Kristie as she stumbled around, beginning to turn towards her. Kristie felt her heart begin to race as the undead woman began to straighten out in her direction, quickening her pace. Kristie had been spotted. With her ankle messed up and all her gear on, and no space to move about, she was boxed and her options were few and far between. On one hand, she could shoot the woman. From this distance, she'd have her M16's sights on this womans head in about a second, and a round through her brain by number 2. But that would attract more of those things. No, she had one option. Do it quietly. <br><br>Flipping the safety on her rifle, Kristie brandished her knife, as the womans face turned from blank and unemotional to almost an angry, ravaging look, as she broke into a light jog, and shortly after a light run. Kristie, without thought, moved herself left towards the hospital, hopefully breaking the line of sight from the undead down the street. Kristie herself broke into a slight run as the woman closed in rapidly. Kristie, at the last possible second, ducked down and brought her feet off the ground, hitting the woman in the stomach and chest, almost like a body check. It had worked before when hand to hand combat was the only option. The undead were not good at standing up, and Kristie could use that for her advantage. The impact hurt more than she expect, Kristie muffled a grunt by biting her lip. Both tumbled to a violently roll, but Kristie recovered first and charged again, pressing her knee firmly against the womans chest, she almost growled, mixed with a hiss and gurgle, the blank eyes and angry expression on the womans face attempted to bite at Kristie's knee, while her hands moved around, grabbing at Kristie's waist. She didn't give the woman another chance, as Kristie jabbed her knife into the side of her opponents head, the womans hands fell limp and her expression went back to lifeless.<br><br>Kristie hesitated from moving for a second. This was the, at least the 20th one of these things she'd killed. Each time it happened, Kristie felt sorrow. She knew there was no other way, but this woman had a life. Probably a husband, maybe a kid. Parents, a job, all the good things. Then, for no explainable reason, its all gone. Kristie broke herself from the afterthought, ripping her knife out of the womans head, cleaning the blood on the womans shirt and carefully sliding it back in her sheath. Kristie scurried back to the house she'd been taking cover behind, and picked up her M16, peeking back down the street. Nothing seemed to have changed. The larger undead group was banging away at the helicopter, and the occupants were either dead or...dead. Kristie again dropped a slight crouch and quickly scampered her way across the street, jumping and rolling over a concrete parking block, and quickly regaining her footing as she ran across the HomeDepot parking lot. A body, hunched over a police car, caught her attention. Her M16 snapped up to her shoulder, but the dried blood on the officers chest told the story. A 9mm pistol sitting on his lap, and a small dent in the roof told her all she needed to know. Kristie took a deep breath, and continued to light jog towards the entrance. Which, to her dismay, was locked. "<strong>Aw, fuck!</strong>" Kristie cursed, looking around. <br><br>Little movement on either direction, and those undead on the roof needing at least about 45 seconds to reach Kristie. Cautiously, she knelt down, pulling a small black lockpick out of her LBV front pouches. She'd taken it off a dead civilian she'd stumbled across, littered with bullet holes, but not showing signs of infection or...mutation..or whatever the hell happened. Likely, an armed police officer or nervous soldier, probably a state reservist not used to combat, got trigger happy. <em>Poor bastard...</em> Kristie remebered, as she began to fiddle with the lock. She had very little experience dealing with locks, an FBI HRT member Kristie had dated a few years ago, gave her the lowdown on advanced tactics, in exchange for...'relationship building moments'. Kristie figured having the extra know-how would help her progress, luckily it did. She got Corporal a few months later during a series of testing and qualifications required for remain in service. Kristie peeked over her shoulder periodically, checking for any movement behind her, as she prayed to God that lock would pop open.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>19-12-2008, 22:43:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus winced at his instruction; he felt like he was being chastised by a man half his age. he wasn’t one of his subordinates, and wasn’t about to substitute for his lost unit.&nbsp; Though he did recognise the sense in it, though that was mostly because there was only the contents of this flask left and with no idea how long it would be till he was able to replenish his stock, he would have to sip from it sparingly; without saying anything he secured the top and slipped it back into his jeans.<br><br>He watched the dead almost to the point of hypnotism as they surrounded his ‘copter; It hadn’t been that long since he had left it; could they smell that he had been there?&nbsp; He had so many questions and so few answers and had learned a while ago not to dwell on the ‘what ifs’<br><br>Marcus pulled his gaze away from the shambolic gathering that banged against the panels of his ride and started to scan the immediate area; his eyes narrowed against the vista of the decaying town, he hadn’t the advantage of binoculars and was having to rely on his, admittedly, bleary eyesight.&nbsp; His gaze was draw towards the wreckage at the intersection; the plume of smoke rising high into the air. <br><br>It was whilst he was staring towards it that he caught sight of movement from the periphery of his vision; he was sure of it, some movement at the side of the building, it was only the briefest flash of a figure and he wasn’t even sure that was what it was.&nbsp; He trained his eyes for the longest time against the corner of the building but saw nothing else and with that he continued his sweeping scan of the immediate vicinity, his eyes flitting from one piece or urban detritus to another, searching out for any possible movement<br><br>It was a few moments later when caught sight of a figure run across the street up ahead, weaving through the urban decay and heading towards the HomeDepot before disappearing from sight once more.&nbsp; She looked like she was carrying a military issue weapon.&nbsp; Marcus kept his eyeline fixed on the point she had disappeared&nbsp; as he spoke; trying to keep his voice soft and unheard against the background of dead hands banging against the shell of his chopper.&nbsp; “Hey Jake.&nbsp; I thought you said all your unit was gone …Is she one of yours?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>20-12-2008, 01:54:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"What the Hell are you talking about?&nbsp; My unit is gone." Jake grumbled as he turned around and followed Marcus's line of vision.&nbsp; He couldn't see anything past where he was looking; there was some sort of garage or tire shop in the way.&nbsp; He would have dismissed the comment as the ratings of a drunkard, but something caught his mind.&nbsp; She, Marcus said 'Is SHE one of yours?'.&nbsp; It had been a while since Jake had seen a woman, so it was at least worth another look.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake stayed crouched down and motioned for Marcus to follow him as he crept north on the road, hugging one stalled car to the next to try to get a better view.&nbsp; Maybe a hundred feet north of his last position, Jake hunkered in next to a old pickup truck and looked over to the Home Depot.&nbsp; He smiled as he saw what the drunk was talking about now and raised his binoculars to get a better look.&nbsp; She appeared fairly attractive, wore camo, and carried an M16.<br><br>"Well she isn't from my unit," Jake smiled.&nbsp; He continued talking while handing Marcus the binoculars.&nbsp; "See the camo pattern is a brighter green, and she has a longer rifle.&nbsp; Army folks have a more washed out pattern and most of them carry shorter M4 carbines; she's a Marine."&nbsp; He chuckled a little to himself as he thought that maybe things were looking up.&nbsp; Too bad he wasn't paying more attention to his surroundings.&nbsp; As he spoke, a gray, rotten arm slinked out from under the tarp covered bed of the truck.&nbsp; It silently moved down the edge of the bed and then lunged forward and grabbed hold of Jake's shirt collar.&nbsp; <br><br>"What the fuck?!?" Jake shouted as he tried to pull away.&nbsp; The grip was strong and when he pulled against the arm, it dragged up an attached body.&nbsp; He spun around as best as he could and could make out a green camo covered arm and a moaning head with a helmet around it.&nbsp; He tried to bring his rifle up but the quarters were too tight and the muzzle caught in the wheel well.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>20-12-2008, 10:33:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus followed at Jake’s instruction; creeping bent double from one abandoned vehicle to another until he reached his side against the battered pick up.&nbsp; He accepted the binoculars from him and looked through, a slow smile crept across his face as he got a better look at the figure that caught his eye.<br><br>“Uhuh.” he grunted in response to Jake’s explanation of the difference between the dress codes and armament for the army and the marines; “Got ya.” To Marcus a grunt with a gun was a grunt with a gun and two grunts with guns was better than one; a disrespectful way of summing it up perhaps and so he kept his thought quiet so as not to alienate himself.&nbsp; In truth though he was far too distracted with watching her; there was something about a women in military uniform.&nbsp; <br><br>There was a sudden flurry of movement and as Jake tried to pull away Marcus lost his balance and fell backwards; A look of fear swept over his face, instinct took over and he pushed himself backwards, pulling himself away from the struggle between Jake and the now dead military personnel.&nbsp; <br><br>Marcus went for his baseball bat but his fingers grasped at thin air, it was usually slid at the back of his pack to make for ease of access, but in his efforts to distance himself from the chopper before it attracted unwanted attention, he had forgotten to pick it up and it still rested on the floor of the cockpit where he lay it. “Dammit.” It was a case of fight or flight; his instinct was to flee, to break for open ground, and before now that would have been exactly what he would have done, but he knew that his best chance of survival lay in cooperation.&nbsp; He tried to calm the pounding in his heart but with little success.<br><br>The only other thing he had to hand was his shotgun only he daren’t fire it at such close proximity as the resultant spread of shot from his gun would likely do more harm to Jake than the deadhead.&nbsp; He rose up and turned the gun around in his hands; With a yell Marcus bought the butt of his shotgun round with a thunderous crack against the side of its head; the force of the blow was driven by the fearful rush of adrenalin and would easily have seen the side of its head cave in; but the helmet that had been designed to protect this wretch in life now did the same in death, and it weathered the impact of his blow.<br><br>“Shit!” Marcus was panicking as the rotten arm scuffled for better leverage, With his hands firmly gripping the shotgun, he bought the butt round hard into its face.&nbsp; It impacted with a wet crunch as it shattered its nose, cheek and jaw, trying to cause its grip on Jake to loosen enough for him to get clear.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>21-12-2008, 02:34:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The blow to the zombie's head left a wet, mess of gore behind and while its hand was still firmly gripping Jake's collar, it shifted its weight enough that Jake was able to get some more slack and spin around.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake got over the initial shock of the attack and realized the rifle would do him no good here.&nbsp; He let go of the grip and quickly drew his sidearm.&nbsp; He raised the pistol and with a loud pop fired a shot into the zombie's head.&nbsp; It went a little low and must have missed the brain because the creature still continued its attack.&nbsp; He adjusted his aim and quickly fired another shot higher in the head, this time just under the lip of the old helmet.&nbsp; The loud pop was accompanied by a ping of lead hitting steel as the bullet cleared the zombie's skull and struck the back of the helmet.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake pulled himself free of the now silent zombie and jumped to his feet.&nbsp; He holstered his pistol and looked over at Marcus with newly found appreciation.&nbsp; "Thanks," he gasped.&nbsp; "I appreciate it.....I...I owe you one."&nbsp; <br><br>Just then he heard a loud gasping moan on the wind and looking south saw the half dozen other zombies now running right at them.&nbsp; About 300 meters away with a few scattered cars between them, he knew they didn't have long.&nbsp; He quickly recovered his carbine and clicked the safety off.&nbsp; "Hold your fire until they get within 100 feet, otherwise you'll just piss them off."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>21-12-2008, 16:22:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He winced as the second shot rang out, but breathed a sign of relief when the vile wretch fell limb and Jake seemed unscathed from the experience;&nbsp; “Don’t worry about it;” he said with a somewhat humourless grin, “I am sure you will have the opportunity to return the favour before the day is out.<br><br>Even before he turned to greet the sight he knew what was coming; he could read it in Jake’s face.&nbsp; Every fibre of Marcus was screaming at him to run; to hightail it towards the HomeDepot building but he knew the logic of not doing that though; after all, once one of the deadheads knew of their location then more would likely be drawn to it and what he hoped would be their sanctuary would likely become their tomb.<br><br>Marcus turned around, the stock of the shotgun bloodied from its deployment as a cudgel.&nbsp; His heart fell as he watched the six zombies that had been banging against his helicopter now charging through the car park towards them.&nbsp; <em>One hundred feet!</em> Marcus knew full well that for him to have a hope of hitting anything then they would likely have to get closer than that and that was a prospect that filled him complete dread.&nbsp; They were moving fast, rounding the cars with one goal in mind.&nbsp; He bought the shotgun up; his finger getting twitchy on the trigger,&nbsp; Marcus glanced across at his new found companion in arms; his carbine readied and his gaze far more focused that his own.<br><br>Now more than ever Marcus felt he could do with a swig from his flask; he had a flash of memory from his youth, his grandfather lived up in Canada and each winter his family would take to his cabin for the Christmas period; his grandfather would take the young Marcus out hunting …how he wished he had actually paid attention to his advice, because he could sure as hell do with it now.<br><br>He sighted the dead man dressed in dirty casual attire as he rounded the front end of an abandoned car; he was close, but was he close enough;&nbsp; Marcus squeezed the trigger and&nbsp; the shotgun bucked in his hands as the buckshot drove hard into his shoulder and neck as it blew out the windscreen behind him and showered the floor with glittering shards of glass.&nbsp; The dead man was staggered by the force of the shot and it spun into the hood of the car, but it didn’t remain down, it was soon back on its feet and rushing towards him.&nbsp; The empty casing bounced on the floor by his feet as another was slot in.<br><br><em>Stay calm …hold your breath as you squeeze the trigger …expect it to kick like a mule and brace for it …</em> he could almost see his grandfather’s stern expression.<br><br>He sighted the deadhead along the bore and tried to calm the panicked beat of his heart; it was close …too close …he squeezed the trigger; the end of the shotgun lit up with a raw heat as his second shot found its mark.&nbsp; The entire top quarter of its head exploded in a slick shower of blood, brain chunks and splintered bone as the force knocked the zombie of its feet; coming to rest against the fender of the car, what was left of its head lolled to the side.<br><br>“Shit!&nbsp; I got the mother!” he glanced over to his companion, his expression was of almost childlike glee at being able to take one down; but the sight of the others unswayed and rushing forward caused the glee to turn to ash in his expression as he hastily readied his shotgun for another volley.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>21-12-2008, 19:47:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie for a moment thought about the fact it was possible other survivors occupied the HomeDepot. She'd been thinking hard about trying to find living people since the ambush, but the sad fact was even if there were survivors, most of them were spread out and Kristie would never find one. Hell, she didn't even know if anyone else was left. What if she was the last human being alive on Earth, the species was doomed and she was the last one. The thought brought a slight tear to her eye, she still didn't understand any of this. She usually remained strong under pressure, but this was becoming too much. A loud crack came from behind her, she immediately shifted from knee to knee and spun around, her M16 finding its way to her hands and up to her shoulder as she refocused her gaze.<br><br>At first, she didn't see anything. Too many cars to get a good look around. But she knew what a gunshot sounded like, it was a pistol. That meant there were survivors, or a gun had randomly gone off, or the undead somehow knew how to shoot guns or did so accidently. The first option seemed most likely, Kristie looked around the parking lot and surrounding buildings quickly, not focusing on details, just trying to catch anything that wasn't there earlier. The pack of undead from the helicopter burst into view as they weaved around some cars. Suddenly something caught her eye. Kristie stood up and looked around. She could just barely make out two heads on the other side of the parking lot. After a single second of thought, she stuffed her lock pick in the first pounch she found open, and pushed herself up so she was standing. The weight she'd been carrying for the last 6 days was becoming too harsh even for a Marine. Over a week without so much as a rest, and food was just enough too keep her body from shutting down. Right now, she was in debt to her training. <br><br>Kristie zigged through the abandoned, voluntary or otherwise, cars and soon came to a pick up truck. Kristie stepped up on the rear wheel and vaulted herself into the back. Bringing her M16 to her shoulder, she switch it to semi-automatic and crouched back down, resting her ass on her left foot. She steadied herself as she switched the safety off on her M16 and pressed the stock against her shoulder. The small green dot came up into view as the undead came closer, but not towards her. A loud bang of a shotgun rang out and Kristie saw one of the undead drop in a bloodied pulp. Unfazed, Kristie watched a middle aged woman, half of her neck looked like it had been ripped out. Kristie lined up her holographic sight on the womans forehead and pulled the trigger. A single 5.56mm NATO JHP round burst out from the barrel of the rifle and sped towards the womans head. The womans skull was no match for a speeding bullet made to do damage, and the round went in , fragmented and went out the other side, taking a portion of her brain with it. The woman looked like she'd been hit with an invisible bat in the head. She jumped back, her feet going forward while her head went back wards. She landed violently against a car hood, the alarm going off. "<strong>Great...</strong>" Kristie sighed to herself, as looked for a new target. "<strong>Hey! Run!</strong>" Kristie shouted, a mix of trying to get those guys moving through the cars to slow down the undead and also funnel them into a bottle neck, and to try and get the attention away from the other two. Kristie doubed the undead could reach her up here, as long as they didn't surround the vehicle.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>22-12-2008, 01:15:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake settled into a protected stance behind the truck's engine and aimed at the approaching zombies with his M4.&nbsp; He placed the red dot on a dead head and judged the distance.&nbsp; Marksmanship was never his forte and he justified it by telling himself that as a Bradley gunner, if he ever had to use his rifle it was already a really bad day.&nbsp; In the past he had used 'accuracy by volume of fire' but now ammunition was a precious commodity and he had to make every last shot count.&nbsp; <br><br>A little before 100 feet, he heard Marcus's shotgun go off once, then a second time followed by a happy shout.&nbsp; He didn't return the man's glance as he lined up his target.&nbsp; He put the red dot on the dead woman's forehead but before he could pull the trigger the head exploded.&nbsp; He shot a glance back and smiled as he saw the female marine.&nbsp; He grumbled once he realized the car alarm was now blaring.&nbsp; As if the gunfire wasn't enough noise, they would have to deal with this thing for the next fifteen minutes or longer.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake heard her shout, and realized that a strategic fallback might not be a bad idea.&nbsp; He lined up his reddot sight on McDonald's boy as he rounded the trunk of an old sedan.&nbsp; He popped off one shot through its eye and sent the rot to the ground.&nbsp; He stood up and checked the three remaining targets as they approached.&nbsp; The fat woman and old man weren't as fast as their buddies but that still left one relatively able bodied dead head too close for comfort.<br><br>"Marcus, fall back to her pickup!&nbsp; We'll hold them off."&nbsp; Jake quickly sighted the last quick zombie and fired.&nbsp; The round went a little wild and struck it mid chest.&nbsp; It must have done some spinal damage because its legs collapsed but its arms managed to catch the side of a car and hold on.&nbsp; Jake adjusted his aim and fired again; this time ventilating its skull.&nbsp; He looked up from his sight and saw he had some good distance between himself and the two remaining dead heads, so he slowly began to withdraw to the pickup; his gaze snapping back and forth between the cars ahead of him and the slowly approaching zombies behind him.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>22-12-2008, 13:43:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus attempted to sight the rotting features of a middle aged female as she weaved through the cars; hoping this time to down her in one shot rather than the two he had needed to take down the first zombie.&nbsp; His finger was poised against the trigger; his breathing as calm as he could get it given the tenseness of the situation.&nbsp; He was just about to pull the trigger when the front of her skull fragmented as a bullet tore through the back of her head before she crashed against the hood of the car, he winced at the sudden screech of the alarm; which only added to his momentary confusion.<br><br>He twisted round at the sound of a female voice behind them; his expression breathless as he encountered the sight of the marine in position on the back of the beat up pick up. Marcus was quietly impressed with the accuracy of both Jake and the female marine displayed and with it he was a little conscious of his own failings; Their training far outstripping the mental berating of his grandfather when it came to instilling the art of handling a deadly weapon in close quarter combat.<br><br>But these thoughts were quickly swept aside when his natural instinct for self preservation kicked in and at the insistence of them both he started to fall back, the barrel of his Remington bouncing off the front grill of an abandoned vehicle as he half jumped and half slid across the hood of one of the cars in his path<br><br>He flashed a grateful look towards the woman poised with the M16 nestled against her shoulder, though it was clear her attention was honed against the oncoming deadheads. Marcus pressed his back against the pickup, his shotgun braced against his chest; his eyes flitting to his companions; the remaining dead that were bearing down on them and any slight movement that caught his eye around the carpark in case it heralded a renewed attack.&nbsp; Here, in open ground, they could come from anywhere and Marcus was conscious of the fact that the noise of gunfire and the cry of the car alarm could act like a beacon to any of the rotting undead still in the area.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>22-12-2008, 15:33:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The rhythmic effort of each footstep, matched with an audible 'shhh' of the worn soles of her boots against the blacktop, has been all Dinah's seen for so long that the interrupting, muted 'pop' of distant gunfire stops her in her tracks.<br><br>She stands straight, eyes darting around, and lifting her head leaves her blinded in one eye for a moment as the sunlight slants across her face where her hat-brim lifts.&nbsp; Tilting her head against it and squinting, she surveys the street rapidly, panic starting to seep in around the edges of her consciousness.&nbsp; Empty street-- an empty (she hoped) pickup in the parking lot of a bank on her right-- an intersection ahead-- looking like the main street.&nbsp; She'd driven through this town a few times, and if she remembered correctly there was a big store on high street.&nbsp; No more than a few hundred feet off to her right was an asphalt lot, a bank-- <i>maybe I should hit the ATM,</i> she thought, <i>I might not get a chance for a while...</i>.<br><br>Survival instinct of the collegiate mind, protesting from behind the shotgun and the snake-boots and the need to find shelter and hide from the walking dead-- and the need to pursue, in desperation, the only sign of human life around.&nbsp; It had sounded like a pistol-- well, maybe it was a car backfiring, she had little experience with small arms--<br><br>but what followed, seconds later, was the familiar crack of a distant shotgun.<br><br>For a moment, she couldn't move, but she was wide-eyed and staring at the bank ahead and ready to take off, at a run, to cross that corner to the main street-- to get to other people as quickly as possible.&nbsp; Screw independence... sorry, Dad.<br><br>Then, she remembered that if there WAS a Home Depot, it might be best not to go in there.&nbsp; Surely, when the outbreak hit, people tried to stock up on tools and repair supplies, and if they had flocked there, they most certainly would have died there.<br><br>She breaks into a run, but the weight of her pack nearly topples her-- she stops, unhooks the balance-strap across her chest, and crams the hiker's pack into a crevice between a mail drop-box and a wrought-iron trash can.<br><br>Then, shotgun in hand, she lowers her shoulders and pumps her legs-- the effort rejuvenating, familiar, speaking to her memories of cross-country matches and races across the farm with her brothers.&nbsp; It felt good to run, at first, and soon she would be reaching the corner of E. High Street.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>22-12-2008, 22:11:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie adjusted her aim to her direct right and switched her M16 to 3-round burst fire, lining up her sights on the front hood of the car where the woman she'd shot had fallen, Kristie pulled the trigger and swept her rifle left, then pulled the trigger again sweeping right. The resulting effect, the car bounced and vibrated slightly as the high velocity bullets made contact with the hard insides of the cars hood. The alarm wailed a final time before going silent. Kristie turned her attention too the approaching horde. She squeezed off another burst of rounds, the first striking the man in her sights in the upper chest, the second hitting him in the jaw as he stumbled back, the third ripping through his eye. He fell to his knees and then fell forward.<br><br>Standing up, Kristie switched her M16 back to semi-automatic fire and double tapped the trigger, bursting two rounds into the chest of another zombie, causing him to stumble, finally putting another round through his head as he struggled to recover from the high impact from the bullets hitting him in the chest. Kristie took a casual glance towards the other man, noting he was wearing an ACU pattern. He was Army. "<strong>Hey, Army!</strong>" Kristie shouted. "<strong>Fall back!</strong>" <br><br>Kristie shot off two more rounds before her M16 clicked. She scoffed and professionally, while keeping her right hand firmly on her M16, gripping the hand grip just behind the trigger, her trigger finger running along the roof of the trigger guard, her left hand pressing the magazine ejection switch, the spent magazine falling to the bed of the truck, while her left hand swept down to her various pouches which made up her load bearing vests. Kristie fished out another magazine, inspecting it for a second before sliding it in the magazine cradle and pulling back the charging bolt, the M16 let out a satisfying click, signalling it was ready.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>22-12-2008, 23:09:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake watched two more zombies fall from the Marine's fire as he made his way to the truck.&nbsp; Seeing a good shot he raised his M4 and put a quick round through the fat head of the last zombie standing.&nbsp; He quickly made his way over to the truck and jumped up onto the bed.&nbsp; He did a quick 360 degree scan for more zombies and came up empty.&nbsp; <br><br>Somewhat out of breath, Jake released his weapon to the care of his forward sling and extended his hand toward the female Marine.&nbsp; "Thanks for the help.&nbsp; I'm Jake, and this is Marcus.&nbsp; I'm glad you came along when you did."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>23-12-2008, 00:43:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie scanned the street silently, watching everything, every direction, ever car and every building, door and window. Once satisifed, she jumped off the truck, her M16 back to her shoulder as she looked at both men. The soldier among the two extended his hand and Kristie looked on emotionlessly. She reached out and shook his hand firmly. "<strong>Corporal Parker, 1/1 Marines. Lets get out of the open.</strong>" She spoke, turning around and walking towards the HomeDepot, shouldering her M16 and brining out her shotgun. "<strong>I don't mean to be harsh, but there are definitely going to be more coming, and this is our best hope of staying alive.</strong>" Kristie said, getting down on her knees and pulling out her lock pick, going back to work on the lock. She'd found a good groove to follow before the firefight. "<strong>Have either of you seen anyone else around?</strong>" Kristie asked, as the lock suddenly popped and the doors opened a few inches. <br><br>Kristie smiled and stood up, looking back at both. "<strong>Hopefully we're not the only ones doing a little last minute shopping...</strong>" Kristie nodded, clicking on her shotguns LED light and pulling the left door open and stepping inside, sweeping from left to right in the entry. Cashiers on the right, help desk and customer support on the left, Kristie swept both carefully, the high powered flashlight illuminating both sides. "<strong>Clear</strong>" Kristie shouted, lowering her shotgun and looking back to both men. "<strong>I think you...</strong>" Kristie pointed to the civilian. "<strong>...would be best suited watching the door, and cut off that alcohol. I can smell it from here.</strong>" Kristie half ordered, half barked. She didn't mean to come off as stern, but the priority for now was securing the building. <em>I'll make it up to him later</em> Kristie thought to herself, looking at Jake. "<strong>You and I sweep the building. You take the downstairs, I'll sweep the upstairs. We meet back here in...</strong>" Kristie paused to look at her watch, remembering she didn't have one. "<strong>..in...10 minutes.</strong>" <br><br>"<strong>As long as you guys don't mind, that is.</strong>" Kristie said, smiling and putting her hand on her hip.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>23-12-2008, 15:50:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You two are the only living folks I have seen in days," Jake replied as he followed Kristie into the Home Depot.&nbsp; "Alright I'll sweep the downstairs of the offices and then do a quick sweep around the store."&nbsp; Even though it was still daylight outside and some light came in through the skylights, it was still pretty dark inside.&nbsp; He dropped his pack by the front door and started is patrol.&nbsp; His first stop was one of the impulse isles right before the cashier.&nbsp; He grabbed a roll of duct tape and a powerful LED flashlight.&nbsp; The crinkle of tearing packaging echoed through the otherwise silent store as he extracted the light and roughly attached it to the forward grip of his M4.<br><br>Jake entered the ground level of the managers offices and swept his light back and forth.&nbsp; Besides a few overturned chairs and some scattered and now molding food on the table, everything looked normal.&nbsp; He exited the office and started a slow walk down the the isles of the store.&nbsp; Fortunately they were fairly wide but somewhat cluttered with debris.&nbsp; He figured that there must have been a run on supplies in the first few hours of the disaster but judging from the lack of heavy damage the owner must have locked up early.&nbsp; <br><br>The sound of Jake's boots on the bare cement floor echoed throughout the store.&nbsp; He thought about moving quietly, but he figured a little sound might actually help draw any zombies to his position.&nbsp; He paid particular attention to the perimeter of the store, to ensure that all the fire and loading doors were secure.&nbsp; So far he didn't see anything out of place and smiled at the thought of maybe having an actual 'safe' place to rest for a while.&nbsp; <br><br>Out of the corner of his eye, Jake caught a flutter of movement.&nbsp; He spun is light down a wide isle packed with stacked goods in the middle.&nbsp; On one side of the pile a slumped form with something leaking out of the slide.&nbsp; He focuses his light and slowly approached the form.&nbsp; <br><br>Suddenly the shape shifted as half a dozen birds lifted off the floor and fluttered about the store.&nbsp; Jake nearly put a few rounds into the flock but fortunately discretion won out over shock.&nbsp; His light fell to the slumped form on the floor, which turned out to be a fallen and ripped bag of birdseed.&nbsp; "Fucking birds," he mumbled as he stepped over the spilled seed and walked down the isle.&nbsp; He pushed open the sliding doors to the outdoor gardening section and proceeded outside.&nbsp; <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>23-12-2008, 17:14:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus said nothing and just smiled half heartedly as she stood before him with a smile and her hand on her hip after barking out order; though in truth he felt slighted and her rebuke at him taking a drink or two only furthered his sense of isolation.<br><br>“The names Marcus …” he half mumbled and glared at her back as she disappeared into the gloom of the store.&nbsp; <em>Dammit</em>; he thought; the worlds going to hell in a handcart and a guy can’t enjoy a drink, where’s the harm.&nbsp; Purposefully he took the flask from the back pocket of his jeans and flipped the lid and took a draught from it before closing the lid once more.&nbsp; He swirled the flask around and heard the faint slosh of liquid inside; at best it sounded half full, so it wouldn’t be long before he <em>had</em> no choice but to lay off the booze.<br><br><em> “Best suited watching the door…” </em> he mocked her and stared for a few moments at the door; he smirked, as he was pretty sure it wasn’t going to do anything untoward and turned his attention to the asphalt whereon lay the scattered assault course of abandoned vehicles and recently deceased deadheads.&nbsp; He cradled his shotgun in his arms and took a few steps outwards from the door.&nbsp; He looked up towards the sky and as he stared wistfully at the great blue he became lost in thought …Sure; he had no military discipline …couldn’t shoot straight when&nbsp;sober let alone drunk; in fact, and he wasn’t likely to admit it to his two new companions, but the rot that he had taken down with two blasts from his shotgun had actually been the first zombie he had despatched on his own volition.&nbsp; <br><br>But when it boiled down to it, he had survived where so many hadn’t, including Jake’s and the newly introduced Corporal Parker’s respective units of highly trained soldiers…So that had to count for something …didn’t it?&nbsp; He sighed and walked a little further away from the store, but not so far as to be unable to bolt backwards should he need to.&nbsp; <br><br>Marcus slowly swivelled his head as he took in the scene; he had seen the same thing repeated in every town or enclave he had flown over, the eerie sense of hopeless desolation and if anything that chilled him deeper than anything.&nbsp; It was as he was faced towards E.High street where the column of smoke still pooling into the air that he thought he caught sight of some movement; it was difficult to get a fix on anything at that distance. <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>24-12-2008, 02:42:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie kicked open an employee's only door after ascending the stairs to the 2nd level. The room had a plate of food on a work table, rotten and covered with maggots. She grimaced, and looked back towards another room. Kicking open the door, the room was completely empty. She looked back down the hallway she'd entered and cursed quietly. The top floor was clear, and nothign was here. There was no way nobody tried to come here at some point, but there weren't any undead here. It didn't make sense. <br><br>Kristie walked casually back towards the stairs and peeked over the rail. "<strong>Upstairs is clear.</strong>" She shouted, descending the stairs and lightly jogging back to the front doors. She saw Markus there and set her M16 down on a table. Lifting her the M40A3 in its carrying case off her back, she set it down as well and soon was down too just her MCCUU blouse and trousers. She fished around her her rucksack and pulled out a long, slim, black fiberglass case. It was quite light, just under 5 lbs. It was a standard issue EOD Technicians kit. It contained several small tools necessary for disarming, and subsequently, creating IEDs and other home made booby traps. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>25-12-2008, 12:49:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Whatever it was that had caught against Marcus’s stare seemed to had slipped from view again, but he maintained his gaze on the horizon for a few moments more before he turned back and walked the few paces back across the front of the car park that led up to the store frontage.&nbsp; Still cradling the shotgun in his arms; he took some small comfort from it<br><br>Though the doorway he saw the slender and uniformed figure of the marine had returned and they exchanged a cursory glance before she stripped something from her backpack and seemed to set about doing something; but he couldn’t quite see what and he had no wish to further irritate her by making enquiries; he thought it better just to let her get on with it.<br><br>Marcus neared the door but on his approach something caught his eye; in the faint glimmer of the dipping sun it seemed to posses a glossy sheen;&nbsp; He ducked down and picked it up; it was a photograph, the edge of it singed a dusky gold from the lick of flames, perhaps from the explosion that had centred on the intersection of highways, more than likely it had floated over here from the heated breeze that had blown across from the inferno.<br><br>There was a picture of a young woman that he took to be in her mid twenties; a pretty one with raven hair and passionate eyes, her expression held a rich smile; A snapshot of frozen history; of a timeless place free from the horror that had likely taken the smiling faces in the picture.&nbsp; He turned it around and saw that they had scrawled something on the back; ‘Sabina on her 23rd’ and it was dated just three days before the initial outbreak.&nbsp; <em>Happy fucking birthday</em> he spoke softly and released the picture, watching it drift from his grip and come to rest against the tarmac again.<br><br>He walked through the door and rested against one of the counters as he lay his shotgun down; the barrel facing the open door; he continued watching the young Corporal and said nothing; he thought about taking a swig from his flask, more out of something to do than an actual need; but perhaps that was best saved for a time of real need.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>26-12-2008, 14:54:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake swept through the outdoor gardening section, which was in better shape than most places inside the store.&nbsp; He guessed when the end of the world hits, buying flowers and topsoil is last on most people's list.&nbsp; Quite a few birds flew around the fenced off enclosure which made it difficult to track other movement, but he slowly made his way around the entire section.&nbsp; Fortunately the fence was intact and he found the main gate secured with a strong chain and padlock.&nbsp; It probably wouldn't hold off a horde of hundreds of zombies, but it should stop random wanderers.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake pried open the sliding doors to the main store again and locked them shut behind him.&nbsp; Again, two glass doors wouldn't stop a horde but they would slow down a random dead head.&nbsp; "Probably need to reinforce this later," he grumbled to himself as he slowly walked back to the front door where he saw Marcus and Kristie.&nbsp; <br><br>"Well it looks like the inside of the store is clear.&nbsp; All the fire doors are secure along with the pull down doors to the loading dock and the lumber department.&nbsp; We will eventually need to reinforce the glass doors to the gardening section but otherwise it looks like we are buttoned up pretty tight.&nbsp; Did you guys see anything?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>27-12-2008, 11:40:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus turned his eyes to Jake as he caught sight of him wander from out of the gloom of the store and listened to his report of the security of their refuge; for the most part it sounded reassuring but it did little to shake the taint of disquiet from him; <br><br>His mind flickered against the glimmer of memory of something he had seen but as quickly as he had bore witness to it, it had gone again, so he wasn’t all that sure what he had seen or if he had seen anything at all save for phantoms&nbsp; “Nothing to report. At least nothing of note, ” Marcus gave him a friendly smile and a casual salute; it wasn’t meant in any disrespectful manner, far from it in fact as he had begun to feel more at ease in his company since the bonding session derived from being set upon by deadheads in the parking lot.<br><br>He pulled himself back to his feet and picked up his shotgun and took a look down one of the isles as it stretched to the back of the store; “So; home sweet home huh.&nbsp; What’s the plan?” he turned and asked with a quirky grin, his mood seeming to lift when the thought that perhaps there might be a bottle or two of the hard stuff in a locked drawer of the managers office.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>27-12-2008, 14:29:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie paid very little attention as the two men conversed behind her. Her eyes were fixed on her kit and what she'd need to make home made explosives. First off, most importantly, the key to EOD detection was wondering what could be used as an explosive and what couldn't be. Obvious was propane tanks, pressurized oxygen or aerosol cans would work good too. But several other things worked as well. The obviously easy road was high grade, military explosives such as grenades, artillery shells or plastic explosives. But seeing as Kristie had no C4 or any grenades she could spare, things became tricky. Hopefully, some gun power or substitute would be inside the HomeDepot, and if worst came to worst she could go out to the local gunshop, grab ammo they could, and couldn't use, and empty the power from useless bullets. The trick came from making the devices go off at the right time. Remote was easy, a small eletrical device which can receive signals, like a car starter or TV remote and control system. "<strong>Hey, Army</strong>" Kristie blurted, momentarily forgetting Jake's name, with her mind focused on thinking about what she needed. "<strong>...you got any useless ammo or explosives on you?</strong>" Kristie asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking into the wide, massive space taken up by shelves.<br><br>She didn't wait for an answer, Kristie picked up her shotgun and walked towards the shelving. Looking at the directional signs, she wanted to find a mix of things she could use to set off devices, things to hold the devices for maximum killing power and of course, things to create her devices as a foremost. She grabbed an overturned shopping cart and wheeled through the shelves slowly. Grabbing anything metal, anything that could sent and received a signal from a moderate distance, mainly car starters or TV remotes and DVD players, and anything like cans or buckets she could use to house the explosives. She grabbed a few cases of Ammonium Nitrate, surprised slightly and caught off guard that this stuff was sold here. Ammonium nitrate is likely the best form of explosive material a civilian could get their hands on. She also grabbed a few buckets, packs of nails and screws, a stack of steel buckets and several cans of food. She then wheeled her way back, stopping near the electronics to grab a stereo system and a few iPods for their internal components. Making her way back to the front, she wheeled the cart behind the costumer service desk and piled everything on the flat surface, pushing several computers out of the way. "<strong>I'm gonna whip up some explosive traps we can use as alarms or defensive measures.</strong>" Kristie smiled, wincing slightly and pausing as an intense pain shot up her leg. The morphine was wearing off, and she had some pain in her stomach. "<strong>But first, we need to secure the entrances.</strong>" She grunted, hauling the last of the gear in her cart onto the table and walking back around. "<strong>I think we could make some beds and sleep behind that counter, block off the little entry with something heavy, that desk is tall enough that we wouldn't be seen from the outside. We should try and pain over the windows, leaving a few small openings so we can see.</strong><br><br>Another rush of pain shot up her chest and Kristie again winced, this time letting out a slight groan of pain unknowingly. She half limped, half lurched towards the center of the entry and gazed outside. "<strong>Ideas?</strong>"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MusicNeverDies</strong> on <strong>27-12-2008, 15:14:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Cars had been easy enough to come by at first, fully functional, human occupied cars. They had been fleeing and going in every direction possible, to family or fabled 'safe havens'. The prospect of getting into strangers cars would likely have most people trying to trek by foot, but as Karen saw it the living could only take away as much from her as the living dead could. She'd much rather be done in by someone who at least had some intelligence, as it seemed more honorable. Not that honor made a lick of difference when the world was sliding into the depths of Hell. <br><br>When the cars started to dwindle was when it really clicked for her. The human race was becoming extinct. Soon all that would remain of them would be Zacks, their sick next form of evolution. Or perhaps a regression, so that evolution could try again and take a new path. None of that mattered of course, because she would be dead long before. <br><br>The last car she had gotten made it a good while before it ran out of gas, with no fuel stations in sight. She had been driving that one all alone, the original driver who picked her up had been bitten sometime before, and she had to take him out. Then it became a matter of 'why waste a perfectly good vehicle?' That battered Kia had gotten her to the edge of Salem, Missouri. She didn't like what she saw, the further South she moved the more destruction she had seen. It was likely because the further South she moved, the more time passed since Zday, but she didn't all together like that idea. Her heart was feeling second guesses, and guilt for leaving New York without telling anyone. What if the girls had gone looking for her and gotten attacked in the process? <br><br>She knew she wouldn't make it back to New York, but she still chose to move North-East by foot. It was back tracking, but it wasn't as though she had actually chosen which direction she was driven in, it wasn't as though she actually had a destination. <br><br>Trees had become her new sky scrapers, she found herself walking through forests most of the way. Oddly enough, it seemed like it was safer then most of the cities she had seen the remains of. At night she climbed into trees to sleep, and her body bore the scratches to prove it. She had given up as using the tent in her bag as a tent, fearing that Zacks would get in while she slept. Instead she used the material from it to make a hammock in the trees, so she wouldn't fall out. It would really be her luck to live through the zombie outbreak only to die from falling out of a tree. <br><br>She didn't know how many days she had been treking by foot, but her torn knees and grass stained everything seemed to scream out at least a while. And she knew when she was hitching rides she hadn't spent more then a few days. <br><br>Smoke in the distance told her she was nearing a town, or a city. Sunset Hills Cemetery Rd was the first actual road she landed on, and somehow that seemed apt. It was the Sunset for humanity, the final show of light before that endless night the Zacks had caused would be all that remained. And Cemetery? That didn't need any explaining with the dead walking around. She hadn't actually seen one in a few days, so the safety of her 9mm was on, and securely in her pocket. At first the weapon had been almost literally attached to her hand. <br><br>Since she was entering a town, it was drawn again as she walked, moving to a brisk pace. Cities were death traps, and she always had one goal, find a safe, dry shelter for one night, then move the fuck on. When she began to walk up State Highway P she really saw the smoke. It hadn't been as far off as she had initially thought. Ignoring the roads she began to move directly towards the smoke, finding the small patch of trees comforting in an odd way. Maybe she never was made to live in the big city. It was sad that she only realized this at the end of civilization. <br><br>As she was in the trees, she heard a massive noise, like a... a helicopter? No way in Hell a Zack could fly a copter. But she hadn't seen living people in … she didn't know how long. Then gunshots. A good number of them. There was no way that was the work of zombies. There were people around. Honest to God, breathing, non flesh eating people. Pumping her stinging legs, she ran towards the sounds until she reached the edge of the trees. Spotting one large store between the fire and herself, she stayed close to the tree line for a few minutes and looked around. <br><br>If those people had killed the Zacks, they must have been right in the parking lot for the store in front of her. That or they moved damn fast. Gripping her small gun in rapidly sweating palms, she flicked off the safety and moved to the back of the building. Staying close to it, she began to make her way around the perimeter, staying a foot or two away from the wall, hoping she could use it as cover. After two corners she spotted the remains of a few Zacks, but had no way of telling how long they had been dead. That was one downside to fighting the living dead, there was no way to tell if it had been dead for a week, or undead for a week and dead dead for three minutes. <br><br>Her breath hitched in his chest as she drifted away from the wall finally, moving towards the fire again. Maybe whoever fired the gun went that way. Karen was well within sight of the front doors to the Home Depot behind her, but she wasn't looking in that direction. If there were zombies in the store who had turned while trying to shop, she was damn sure she would let them stay in there. It had proved better in her brief experience to try a mattress or furniture store for the night. With an apocalypse on the rise, no one seemed to flood for new upholstery, for some reason. Not to mention that the feeling of a real mattress was heaven on her aching frame. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>27-12-2008, 22:22:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gunfire, like a rapid-fire snare drum in the distance, brought Dinah to a standstill for a moment before she reached the main street.&nbsp; But she regained her composure-- it sounded like how she imagined wars she'd never seen, but now it wasn't shock, but memory... the small towns she'd coursed to get here, the occasional holdouts she'd encountered only to find the remnants of a family.&nbsp; Sometimes they were bitten, dead and half-eaten.&nbsp; Sometimes, with a self-inflicted red halo on the wall behind them.&nbsp; The worst, of course, dead, half-eaten, and still moving.<br><br>In the silence that follows, Dinah reaches the corner of the bank's lot and creeps around the hedges-- not wanting to draw the fire of some crazed survivalist who was thriving in the zombie wastes, or whoever it was.&nbsp; She peers at the road-- shopfronts littered with broken pallets in an attempt to forge barricades, spools of barbed wire fluttering with decaying flesh, and bodies-- a couple mid-street, dead for real this time.&nbsp; <br><br>"Shit," she whispered to herself-- someone was out there.&nbsp; How to make contact..?&nbsp; She was trotting back around the bank, mind whirring with possibilities, to fetch her pack.&nbsp; "A signal.&nbsp; Call out, yell for help-- show them I'm not infected?"&nbsp; A casual observer from a less desperate era would have thought her completely insane from her shock-wide eyes, her mutterings to herself, her longcoat too warm for the weather and the dust-mask banging around her upper chest.&nbsp; "Just got to find them."&nbsp; She'd caught her breath already.&nbsp; She was used to running, but her shoulders screamed at the return of that weight to her back when she'd recovered her pack.&nbsp; "Watch them.&nbsp; Make sure they're safe."&nbsp; She latched the strap under her breasts where a bruise was starting to form.&nbsp; "Make sure."&nbsp; She checked the action on the shotgun, checked the barrel-- safety set, she slung the weapon over her shoulder again and set off at a trot for the main drag toward the fallen dead. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>27-12-2008, 22:53:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake didn't get a chance to respond to Kristie's first question before she left down one of the isles.&nbsp; He just looked over at Marcus and shrugged then nodded his head back at the quickly disappearing Marine, "EOD.&nbsp; Those folks always were a little crazy to me.&nbsp; Playing around with explosives and shit isn't my cup of tea."&nbsp; <br><br>Jake eyed the entrance for a while, trying to come up with some plan to secure it.&nbsp; The glass was fairly thick and no doubt tempered but Kristie was right that it would need to be better secured.&nbsp; When she returned he saw her wince.&nbsp; "Are you OK miss?&nbsp; If you're injured you should try to take it easy.&nbsp; It won't do anyone any good if you aggravate something now."<br><br>"As for ideas, let's think this out.&nbsp; In a survival situation you have three basic needs: shelter, water and food, in that order.&nbsp; We definitely have shelter and we have a whole hardware store worth of materials to shore this place up.&nbsp; We have some water," Jake said as he pointed to a nearby stack of bottled water packages, "and we can last for a few days without a food run."&nbsp; <br><br>Jake paused for a second to survey the door again.&nbsp; "I say we fully seal up this door with 2x6's from the lumber section.&nbsp; They should cover the width of the door and we can lag bolt them into these supports here and here," he said pointing towards large wooden beams on either side of the door.&nbsp; "They should be strong enough to stop anything but a large truck.&nbsp; We cut a small peep hole like the young lady suggested and handle all coming and going through the pull down door in the lumber section.&nbsp; It takes a while to pull up by hand, but should slam down pretty quick."&nbsp; <br><br>Just then Jake looked past his two companions and caught a glimpse of something moving out in the street.&nbsp; He pushed past them through the door and brought up his binoculars.&nbsp; "It's a woman....and she looks alive," he said cheerfully.&nbsp; &nbsp;He put his fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle, then waved in her general direction.&nbsp; &nbsp;As soon as he did it he realized that making a loud noise probably wasn't a great idea.&nbsp; He looked back at his companions and shrugged, "Sorry.&nbsp; Hell if the helicopter crash, gunfire and car alarm didn't call in all the dead heads in the area, one little whistle isn't going to kill us."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>28-12-2008, 03:11:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dinah circled the now-dwindling source of smoke, eying the remains with a little more than disappointment.&nbsp; The car alarm had whined itself to silence long before she turned this corner, and now all was still.&nbsp; She lifted her hat from the top of her head, the cooling air feeling quite a relief, and stepped cautiously around the abandoned vehicles, noting a body with a mangled face long-dead... she made VERY sure to give it a wide berth regardless.&nbsp; Though she knew very little about military operations, it was immediately clear that the helicopter wasn't from the army-- though it might have been a rescue airlift, she guessed from the now-charred numbering that the copter was more likely from some news network...<br><br>Her heart nearly stopped at a high-pitched noise from some distance to her right.&nbsp; "Oh shit--" Her eyes dart back to the bodies, and she hoisted the shotgun reflexively, terror gripping her spine like an icy vice, until she realized that the noise was a whistle, and its source-- "Oh, thank God..."&nbsp; she swept her gaze over the lot, less careful than she should have been, but the elation at seeing another living person sent her at a run toward the hardware store, the shotgun up and at her shoulder by its strap.&nbsp; <i>So much for scoping them out first</i>, she realized, for whoever she'd heard firing-- maybe the military?-- had seen her already, and they-- <i>he,</i> apparently-- was truly a sight for sore eyes.<br><br>"Oh my God, I can't believe it--" she says, her youthful face beaming as she reached the door.&nbsp; "You're alive!&nbsp; Oh my God, oh my God."&nbsp; Not thinking, not self-conscious, she embraces the first person she sees, not feeling the weight of her hiker's pack any more.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>28-12-2008, 05:02:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake smiled as he saw the woman in the cowboy hat and duster come running over towards him.&nbsp; He was a little nervous at how she held her shotgun but those feelings disappeared as the woman wrapped her arms around him.&nbsp; He felt her body press against his and he could do little else but return the embrace.&nbsp; He could feel the stress and fatigue in her body and he didn't have to be psychic to tell she hadn't seen another living person in a while.&nbsp; <br><br>"Yes I am alive miss," Jake chuckled as he released his embrace and steadied the girl.&nbsp; "My name is Jake," he gestured back towards the Marine and pilot.&nbsp; "This here is Kristie and Marcus.&nbsp; You're safe for now.&nbsp; Why don't you come inside and have some water?" <br><br>Jake gestured towards the open door of the building.&nbsp; As he passed by Marcus he leaned over and whispered, "I should have started whistling long before this."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>28-12-2008, 06:05:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie's mind had forced itself into work mode. She was slowly tinkering with the jumble of junk she'd collected for a few moments. She heard Jake's comments about the doors, and simply nodded without thinking. The lucky part for her, was her kit allowed to her do in a few moments that took others days to do. She, in very fast timing, had managed to put together two explosive devices. She walked towards the door as Jake darted outside, she tilted her head in confusion, but decided he might have seen something, and turned back to the table.<br><br>Kristie dropped everything she had in her hands and picked up her M16, after Jake had blurted out that he'd seen a living survivor, she began walking towards the door, she caught a glimpse of Jake being nearly tackled by a woman, definitely alive. Kristie made her way outside and looked around. The area seemed clear, but she looked for the civilian Jake had spoken of earlier, assuming this girl wasn't her. She spotted a moving figure heading back towards the source of the towering fire, and Kristie squinted to see better. She couldn't tell if the figure was a woman or not, but assumed Jake had identified her. Kristie glanced over at the woman, her M16 firmly in her hands. "<strong>Are you alone?</strong>" Kristie barked. She didn't want to sit out here for long, and all this noise was only deepening the creek they were currently drowning in. If anyone here thought they were safe, they were horribly wrong. If a convoy of well over 100 soldiers and APC's, HMMWV's with .50 caliber guns, and even two M1 Abrams tanks could fall to a horde, this place sure as hell would. Kristie had seen all the friends she had left in the world die, and be damned if she was gonna kick the bucket without returning the favor in kind.<br><br>Kristie walked back inside at very carefully put the cans down. She made a mental note to get everyone together and detail what she had here. One wrong move, cell phones, turning on a TV or anything could set these things off, and they weren't to be set off unless something had to die. They were filled with ammonium nitrate and nails. Shrapnel bombs. They were activated with a remote car starter, but another radio signal could easily blow them up. More or less, they were safe until the eletrical feed was activated and the fuse ignited. At that point, anything within 25 feet was torn to shreds by the nails, and anything within 40 feet was suffering severe mental confussive force, and anything at 70 feet was experiencing hearing problems. Kristie wouldn't use these except outside, and at a distance. She had 3 more devices cooked up, but not quite done. The first was just high explosive, it would incinerate anything within 10 feet of the explosion, and could kill the hearing on anyone up to 100 feet away. This would, she'd have to put <em>really</em> far away, or risk blowing down the windows. The other two were the same as the first two, only different was the load of ammonium inside. Kristie was proud of her abilities to create explosives on short order.<br><br>Walked over to her gear and grabbed the M40A3's case. She zipped it open and pulled out the fully assembled sniper rifle. It was coated in black finish, the scope had a small amount of netting around the ends, and there was a few magazines inside. She wasn't going to fire it, but she took a magazine anyways. Walking back outside, she brought the rifle up to her shoulder, making a note to open the bolt and pull it back, keeping her finger clear of the trigger guard. She peered through the scope and spotted the woman again. "<strong>Definitely a chick, she looks alive.</strong>" Kristie mumbled. She thought about shooting for a second to get her attention, but that would be foolish. The reason Kristie had the long range rifle now, was if the woman got ambushed Kristie had a slight chance of helping her out. "<strong>We need to get her in here, now.</strong>"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>28-12-2008, 13:12:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>Marcus was distracted for a moment by slight gasped that parted Kristie’s lips; she seemed to be labouring under some discomfort but for the most part had been able to suppress its effects.&nbsp; Marcus nodded softly as he had watched Kristie disappear down the isle on a scavenger hunt; but maybe a little dash of crazy could make all the difference to living or dieing …at least one way or the other.&nbsp; He drummed his fingertips against the stock of his shotgun as Jake continued: <em>Food run;</em> that was likely the operative word and he couldn’t resist the sly smirk that took to his face at the notion that that was exactly what the deadheads had been engaged in.<br><br>Marcus looked towards the glass frontage and tried to envisage what Jake described as he continued to talk about securing the HomeDepot to resist any unwanted attention and although it had all the hallmarks of a sound notion and should keep them hidden from any occasional wandering rotbag he couldn’t help but feel a waver of concern though that sealing every exit might end up making this place a tomb rather than a sanctuary; Marcus mused that he was worrying too much, a sure sign that he was sobering up but given the company he opted to refrain from indulging; at least for the moment.<br><br>It was then he saw the sudden shift in Jake’s expression as he was looking to the front of the shop, his eyes seemed top engage on something moving and in an instant he was on his feet and heading to the door;&nbsp; Marcus dropped to his feet and with his shotgun at his side as his eyes caught against a figure sprinting across the parking lot and throwing herself at Jake. “Hey there miss.” he smiled at the youthful beaming face as Jake introduced him; she looked like she hadn’t seen living human company for some time and was clearly elated.<br><br>Marcus gave Jake a wily smile as he passed by and he whispered back; “Your going to have to teach me that trick.”<br><br>What attracted Marcus and lingered his gaze on the world outside was Kristie; he watched her as she went back to her equipment before returning to the door; raising her rifle up to her shoulder and levelling the sight against some distant ‘target’ He took a pace close to the door; and with his gaze still fixed against the distance, his eyes squinted against the light to try and better determine what was as he caught her half mumbled comment.&nbsp; “Is she alone out there?&nbsp; Can you see anything else moving?” He tightened his hold against the shotgun.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>03-01-2009, 02:21:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Smiling over Jake's shoulder, Dinah reaches her hand to Marcus in greeting, then to Kristie-- "My name's Dinah-- I'm from Springtown--"&nbsp; and her accent seems to affirm that fact, subtly, but noticeably.&nbsp; "You're the first people I've seen-- well, I mean, people," and for a moment there's a shadow in her eyes, like a cloud flitting over the sun, but she manages to dismiss it outright.&nbsp; "I mean, Jesus Christ, I'm glad to see you--"&nbsp; <br><br>She notices Kristie and Jake's attention to the street behind her, and the paranoia she's come to accept as normalcy takes hold again and she turns with them to look.&nbsp; "What is it?&nbsp; Is there something there..?"&nbsp; She half steps back into the room, lifting a well-cared-for shotgun to rest with the practiced certainty of one familiar to such things, though not the automatic military stance of the others.<br><br>Though her face is still smudged with road dust mingled with sweat, it doesn't take long to peg her... she's young, probably just out of high school or college, and her gear looks worn, high-quality but not professional.&nbsp; She's pretty, but seems exhausted in more than physical ways.<br><br>After a few moments of silence that stands in awkward, desperate contrast to her prior exuberance, Dinah exhales sharply and tips her hat back to rest high on her head, a gesture of ease.&nbsp; "I think it's okay-- are you guys here for supplies?&nbsp; Or are you looking for survivors?"&nbsp; she notes the uniforms, not immediately making the connection that they're mis-matched.&nbsp; "Is there a camp, or an evacuation point?&nbsp; I heard some things on the radio, but... I mean, that was a <i>long</i> time ago..."&nbsp; she trails off, hoping for answers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>10-01-2009, 04:50:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake looked out into the street, trying to see whatever Kristie has spotted.&nbsp; He raised his binoculars but didn't see anything.&nbsp; "Well whatever was there, isn't now."&nbsp; He turned his attention from the street back to Dinah's questions.&nbsp; <br><br>"Unfortunately there is no camp, and there is no cavalry coming that I know of.&nbsp; Kristie and I were both military and last survivors of our units.&nbsp; I heard vague rumors about some last ditch fallback over the Rockies but nothing even remotely solid.&nbsp; As far as I know we're the last people left that aren't shuffling and moaning."&nbsp; <br><br>Jake paused to look over the current group.&nbsp; "I heard an explosion last night and followed the smoke into town.&nbsp; I guess mainly to see if anyone else was left alive.&nbsp; We all sort of ran into each other and had a bit of a firefight with some dead heads.&nbsp; Between the shooting and the helicopter, we've made enough noise to attract the dead for miles, so I guess we figured it would be best to hold up somewhere secure until things blew over."&nbsp; <br><br>"Welcome to our little abode, so to speak," Jake said as he spun and pointed around the disheveled store.&nbsp; "The structure is intact and free of the dead, we have more than enough building supplies to seal it up tight, and a decent amount of water.&nbsp; Eventually I figure we will have to make a food run to that WalMart over there, but for now we should be fairly safe."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>10-01-2009, 15:40:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dinah turns her face from Jake, to Kristie, to Marcus, one by one, hoping that one of them might, any moment, open their mouth to say, 'well, ACTUALLY, I heard that...' or 'Oh, and we know that there's this ONE safe place...', but it didn't happen.<br><br>Aside from the desperate need to keep breathing and eating, the only motivation she'd had to keep walking down those looping miles of county roads was that, if she kept moving and didn't get killed, she'd find a safe place.&nbsp; Governments could conquer nations, build lakes, travel to the moon.&nbsp; There must be some solution.<br><br>Well, here was the solution; the shell of a Home Depot and some scrounged-up guns.&nbsp; Maybe if she'd just stayed at the homestead...&nbsp; <i>no,</i> she remembered.&nbsp; She'd seen a house or two surrounded, mobbed by those walking dead... she'd guessed, then, that staying in one place attracted them.&nbsp; And a normal house couldn't hold out a mob...<br><br>They had to get out-- What they needed was a plan: transport, supplies, and a destination.&nbsp; But the destination-- if they didn't have a safe place to go, then moving from one place to the other was no different than standing still.&nbsp; Maybe even worse, as she'd learned by hiking for days on end.&nbsp; No, these were the only people she'd found.&nbsp; Two of them were from the military-- uniforms were ingrained in her mind with authority, control, and confidence.&nbsp; How could she not stay?<br><br>She nods, keeping her composure with some difficulty.&nbsp; "Alright..."&nbsp; She swallows, bites her lower lip.&nbsp; "OK, what do we have to do to make this place safe?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>10-01-2009, 22:43:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus felt the shadow of Jake close across him as he squinted through the binoculars and panned them across the shattered town; but as Jake commented that what ever was out there was long gone; Marcus pulled his gaze away from the open door and retreated a little way back into the store again where he sat against the edge of the checkout desk; his shotgun placed rested across it as he listened to Jake speak; his expression taking with a resigned despondency as he expressed just how dire their situation was becoming.&nbsp; He had heard mention of those rumours too; of some enclave deep in the mountains, he had caught snatches of conversation that had been picked up on his headphones whilst he was airborne, but at the time they had seemed nothing more than flights of fancy and desperate hope …though maybe there was some grounding to them.<br><br>When Jake extolled the virtues of HomeDepot, Marcus sighed a little; <em>Yeah; free of both the stiffs …and a stiff drink …</em> Marcus mused in resignation; for him, the food run across to Walmart couldn’t come soon enough and even given his natural instinct for wanting to avoid any unnecessary encounters with the dead heads, he was determined to volunteer for that one when the time came.<br><br>As Dinah’s gaze passed across him the best Marcus could raise was a smile; he had pretty much guessed, he thought, what had been going through her mind at that point because something similar had passed through his; but he hadn’t found a satisfactory response either.&nbsp; As she asked about shoring the place up he glanced across to Jake who had already mentioned about securing the building earlier to him; about the wealth of timber and constructing a barrier, and, with a glance across to where the marine had been busying away; some sort of first warning alarm system involving …explosives.&nbsp; The thought made him wince, despite Jake’s reassurance that the place was free of the dead, Marcus was apprehensive about their walling themselves in here, perhaps it was the yearnings of the open spaces that a pilot craved or maybe the fact that as the sun dipped and the day turned to night, their could see an intensity to their numbers drawn by the explosion.&nbsp; “Does anyone know if we have access to the roof?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>10-01-2009, 23:17:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie squinted looking down the road. She swore to herself she'd seen someone walking, walking alive and not shambling dead. She sighed and walked past everyone without another word. Laying the M40A3 sniper rifle on the counter, she picked up the two cans and walked back outside with her M16 hunt around her neck and shoulder on its three point sling. She walked out to the far end of the parking lot and put one of the large cans under a car, and crossed back across the parking lot to the other far side and put another down there. She strolled back, huming a quiet tune to herself as she walked, like it was just another Sunday walk. In truth, humming was some kind of natural thing she did when dealing with explosives. She didn't know why she did it, and really she couldn't figure out how it started. Her instructors told her, when faced with the puzzles and difficulties associated with an explosive device, the mind shuts off the outside world and initiates some kind of ruse to keep the rest occupied. Kristie was skeptical, but then again her instructors had spent hours upon hours dealing with explosives, who was she to argue. "<strong>Well, I have those two babies out there for defense if we're attacked by a large mob.</strong>" Kristie pointed back out to the parking lot and jingled the car starter. "<strong>This sets em off. Unlock door sets off the left, open trunk sents off the right. Start car activates the left, lock doors activates the right.</strong>" Kristie said slowly, pointing to each of the buttons and hoping to God these civilians, and Army, had the memory to keep that in mind.<br><br>Kristie wanted to die, she hurt so much. Every step was like being hit by a bus and refusing to just die. She knew her ankle must be at least sprained and likely on the verge of a break, and her back hurt as well. She walked back inside and produced a long string of wire and what looked like a box. It was the receiver device inside a TV. "<strong>This is an early warning alarm. Its a trip wire activated version. Someone or something trips this wire, and that TV over there...</strong>" Kristie pointed a small, portable TV behind the register. "<strong>That turns on when this is activated. I'm going to throw this out back, so we don't have to worry about getting ass fucked.</strong>" Kristie said, putting it down, and picking up three flare guns. "<strong>I'm going to cook up a few devices we can use as early warning. These among them, a trip flare. Hopefully these things don't give a shit about bright lights. Along the roads mainly. Any areas we cant see from the roof, also yes, the roof is accessable. I checked it while I was up there, but the door is half destroyed. We will have to take it off the hinges.</strong>" Kristie nodded, setting the flares down.<br><br>She winced again as her shoulder screamed at her to sit the hell down and check, but she couldn't yet. "<strong>I...really don't know what to do with the front doors, maybe we should seal them off or something. What are the backdoors like? What about ground floor fire doors? Anything that can't be opened inward and is heavy will not be broken down by conventional force. Then there is shipping on the East, that has those big doors and an access door. The two big garage doors have a good, 6 foot drop because of the loading ramp. I figure we don't even need to barricade that, unless those zombies have great upper body strength. And the side access door is basically, the same as the fire escape. Heavy steel door that opens out only. I can't see them breaking it down, but best be sure anyways.</strong>" Kristie said more to herself, looking at Jake and Marcus, then the new arrival Dinah.<br><br>"<strong>As far as rescue goes, there was an attempt to get people abord Aircraft Carriers of the West Coast. We had 3 over there, and several land carriers, big ships for carrying tanks and trucks. Together they were supposed to carry well over 200,000 people but...well.</strong>" Kristie sighed, for the first time in a few days thinking about all her dead friends. "<strong>...that kind of fell through. We can only do so much, right?</strong>" Kristie sighed, leaning against the wall. "<strong>Anyways, I'm going to hit the roof and get the door open, then I'll set up some more little goodies we can use in case things heat up.</strong>" Kristie nodded, as she hit the quick release button holding up her pack and let it fall, catching it before it hit the floor. She set it up against the table she'd laid out the necessary parts on, and sighed of relief, as she picked up her M16 and walked back towards the stairs leading to the second floor.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>11-01-2009, 03:44:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake watched Kristie head up to the second floor and then turned back to Marcus and Dinah.&nbsp; "I agree with Christie that our two biggest weaknesses at this point are the front glass door, and the sliding glass door to the outdoor gardening section.&nbsp; All the other doors are either well protected or only open in like the fire doors.&nbsp; If we completely block off these two big glass ones with lumber, that should stop their main points of attack but still allow us to escape through any of the fire doors."&nbsp; <br><br>Jake laid his M4 on the ground next to the checkout and his ruck sack.&nbsp; He drew his pistol and checked to make sure he had a good amount of ammo.&nbsp; "We really need to get these doors sealed off before it gets too dark.&nbsp; I'll go grab some lumber, probably some big 2x4's or 4x4's and thick plywood," he pauses a second to drag up a large flatbed cart.&nbsp; "We'll also need long decking screws, nails, hammers, and some battery powered drills.&nbsp; Can one of you two pick up the fasteners and tools, while the other guards the door?"&nbsp; He is about to trot off to the lumber section when he sees something on the shelf next to the checkout.&nbsp; He grabs three red boxes and opens them revealing small air horns.&nbsp; "I want each one of you to carry one of these.&nbsp; There is a safety on the top to make sure you don't accidentally set it off, but if you see a ghoul inside the building or about to get inside, give it a blast.&nbsp; I don't think it is wise for any one of us to try to take on one of them on our own."<br><br>"And one last thing," Jake mentioned before taking off, "if you see movement, remember there are a lot of birds that got in here, so don't start shooting right away."&nbsp; With that, he wheeled the heavy cart round and started pushing it for the lumber section; its small wheels squeaking as it moved.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>11-01-2009, 07:52:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Nodding at Kristie's words, Dinah opts to believe that there is a bastion against the dead somewhere out west... they'd decide, sure.&nbsp; Leaving it undecided was okay with her.&nbsp; Having no option to decide upon, on the other hand, would be unbearable.&nbsp; <br><br>The Home Depot, dark but for the natural light of skylights and glass doors, is somehow like an abandoned cathedral with Bob Villa as Jesus.&nbsp; "I'll go for the screws and nails," Dinah offers, but not before combing the check-out lines for flashlights.&nbsp; <i>They always put them here so people think 'hey, I'm already buying this stuff, and I could always use a flashlight'... well, I could REALLY use a flashlight...</i>&nbsp; Dinah pops open the package of a cheap Everready model-- for now, and slings the shotgun to a secure place on her back, favoring her father's pistol for now.&nbsp; <br><br><i>Fuck.&nbsp; There's a memory,</i> she thought, remembering the trips where she'd accompanied him to 84 Lumber, squeezed between her father's pipe-tobacco smelling wool coat, her brother's arm around the back of the seat, and the feeling that nothing at all could hurt her, she was so safe with them...<br><br>Pushing it aside, she scans the aisles... logically, the fasteners would all be together, so she'd just have to find their aisle.&nbsp; She stuffs the airhorn into the outer pocket of her coat, the fit tight, pulling the worn brown leather taut.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>11-01-2009, 10:16:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus’s eyes winced along with every subtle twinge of pain that seemed to afflict Kristie as she set about explaining what she had planned and what she intended to set up around the perimeters to act as an early warning system should any of the deadheads wander too close to their enclave; but much of what she said was lost to him as he was focused on the way she was trying to mask the pain she was in, something that seemed to be getting increasingly difficult for her; whatever robust painkillers she had been taking now seemed to be wearing off and it was unlikely that HomeDepot would provide anything to replace them.&nbsp; For a moment he thought about offering her a sip from his flask, but given her reaction earlier and the fact that there wasn’t enough in there to deaden the pain to any great effect anyway, he let that thought pass him by.<br><br>He watched as she headed off towards the stairs.&nbsp; His attention returned to Jake and Dinah and tuned his eyes to the glass frontage, it was certainly a weak point and if it were breached then they would have problems. In some small way it was like a fantasy of his to wander around a store just loading up a trolley with stuff and not having to worry about which of his credit cards wasn’t maxed out when he got back to the counter; though he would have favoured a liquor store to a home supply warehouse.&nbsp; <br><br>He glanced across to Dinah as she opted to go in search of supplies and he slipped from the checkout to his feet and bought the shotgun into a comforting rest in his arms as he told hold of the airhorn Jake offered and not having any suitable pockets, he put it in the side pocket of his pack.<br><br>“This is on me.” he said to no one in particular as he pulled his Visa card from his pocket and placed it on the till.&nbsp; He walked across to the door and pulled it closed to, sliding the bolts into place at the top and bottom of both doors, then taking a step back and watching the world beyond as the sky began to hint towards dusk; the soft blue sky turning ochre as the column of thick black smoke continued to jab towards the heavens.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>11-01-2009, 18:36:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake wheeled his heavy flatbed cart to a stop in the lumber section, and for a few seconds remained perfectly still.&nbsp; He was pretty sure that the inside of the building was safe, but pretty sure will get you killed if you aren't careful.&nbsp; He listened for any movement or moaning.&nbsp; He coughed twice, and listened again but heard nothing.&nbsp; Reasonably satisfied, he started walking up and down the lumber isle looking for what he could use.&nbsp; <br><br>Although Jake's career specialty was electronics, a lot of his schoolwork was in general engineering so he had a decent idea of how to build a rigid structure.&nbsp; Originally he wanted to get 4x4 posts and use them as the primary barricade but when he took a better look at them he realized they were going to be too much of a pain.&nbsp; While he hoped that they could find enough power drills and batters to hang the wood, they would have to use hand saws to cut it up.&nbsp; He'd done it before once on a project at his dad's shop, and realized that hand sawing all those huge beams would keep him up half the night.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake turned instead to the copious piles of 2x4's and plywood sheeting.&nbsp; He figured if he slapped some plywood across the door, and then reinforced it with rotating layers of 2x4's and plywood, it should produce a very strong laminate structure.&nbsp; Plus, none of it would be too hard to cut or drill through, and if they had to they could always resort to nails.&nbsp; <br><br>Moving quickly, Jake piled up a dozen or so sheets of 3/4", subfloor grade plywood and then as many 2x4's as he could fit and still operate the cart.&nbsp; He started pushing and it took him a while to get the heavy cart going, but after 5 minutes of grunting and heaving, he pulled up next to Marcus at the front door.<br><br>"Hey man, thanks for keeping watch.&nbsp; Can you give me a hand unloading this?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>12-01-2009, 02:08:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The squeak of a wheel roused Marcus from his disillusioned daydreaming and he turned to watched Jake wheel the flatbed stack with wood towards the front of the shop; He nodded as he asked and lay his shotgun down on the cash desk.&nbsp; “No problem, its looking pretty quiet out there at the moment.” <em>The calm before the storm…</em> Marcus mused.<br><br>He walked across to the pile of panels stacked on the trolley and started to give a hand in shifting them.&nbsp; There was something that had been bothering him, something he wasn’t sure how to approach; But as always he decided that the best option was to be blunt … “Kristie.” he said simply as he pulled at plywood sheet and wrestled it to the floor; “She’s not looking too hot.” he winced, that didn’t come out as he expected; “What I mean is she doesn’t look fit …damn it, you know what I mean Jake.”&nbsp; He duck walked the sheet top the wall at the front and leaned it against it. “I don’t know what she has been on but whatever it was I figure it was strong and that she’s running out of it.”&nbsp; he turned and walked back to the flatbed.<br><br>“You know, sooner or later we are going to have to hit the hospital pharmacy too for supplies and loot what’s of use.” the thought though logical sat uneasily with him as his imagination had convinced him that the facility would be teeming with the undead.&nbsp; “Sure she’s double tough and all being a Marine and all.” he grinned; “But she is only human; whether she admits it or not and if her heads clouded with pain and shes messing with explosives …well.&nbsp; Maybe I’m worrying over nothing but…” he trailed off, likely he hadn’t voiced anything that hadn’t been mulled over by others.<br><br>With a grunt he slid another of the panels from the flatbed and bought it across to lean against the growing stack against the wall; gingerly extracting his fingers from between them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>12-01-2009, 05:20:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake nodded as the two men worked.&nbsp; "You're right Marcus.&nbsp; I've seen the same pain in her face; I'm just not looking forward to going into that hospital.&nbsp; It's going to be crawling with dead, some trapped and just waiting for us to spring them out.&nbsp; If possible I would prefer to see what we can grab from Walmart.&nbsp; And before we go shopping, we need to find out what is really going on with her.&nbsp; No point trying to kill ourselves for the wrong stuff."&nbsp; He stacked the last of the plywood on the wall and made short work of unloading the other lumber.&nbsp; <br><br>"Can you keep watch on the door?&nbsp; I'm going to swing over to the tool section and pick us up some supplies."&nbsp; Jake said as he spun his squeaky cart around and pushed it maybe 50 feet down to the 'tool corral'.&nbsp; It was a crowded little section so he took some time to give each isle a good hard look before jumping in.&nbsp; He grabbed a handful of rough cut saws, no point making any of this look pretty, and half a dozen various hammers.&nbsp; "Eh I hope we can get the drills working, and even if we don't need them, they sure as hell make a nice hand weapon."&nbsp; While he was at it, he grabbed 4 long crowbars, 3 tape measures, 5 rolls of duct tape, 2 sets of drill bits, and a 1 inch hole saw.&nbsp; "Now lets see if we get lucky," Jake mumbled as he threw 4 boxes of DeWalt impact drills onto the cart.&nbsp; He also grabbed as many spare compatible batteries as he could find.&nbsp; "If they were nice, the company gave them a full charge before they left the store.&nbsp; If not, we're stuck hammering."&nbsp; <br><br>All the supplied on board, Jake spun his cart around and squeaked back to the front door.&nbsp; "I think I have everything we need except for the nails and screws," he said as he started unloading the tools onto the nearby sales counter and the floor.&nbsp; He stripped open on the of the drill boxes and slapped a battery into the bottom, "Cross your fingers," he mumbled with an apprehensive frown.&nbsp; He pulled the trigger and was rewarded by a powerful kick and whir as the drill sprang to life.&nbsp; "Thank God for small miracles."&nbsp; He passed Marcus a tape measure, "Let's get the opening measured to see if we need to cut these things down."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>12-01-2009, 19:36:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie breathed a sigh of relief as her final kick shot the door open with a loud thud. She rushed past the door and swept the roof quickly. Several air vents were dormant and she looked around. The roof was not very big, but the sides were moderately high and she had an amazing view. She smiled to herself as another deep wince followed in the wake of a rush of pain. Kristie set her M16A4 against the side of the roof and pulled her load bearing vest off, dropping it next to her rifle. She felt lighter than ever, her upper body covered only by her MARPAT MCCUU blouse. She pulled it off and stood there in a dark green shirt. She pulled up the shirt and checked the door for a second. Pulling the shirt over her breasts, she grimaced at a large, light bruise about the size of a footbal hid just under her left breast. She didn't have a bra on, which was her own fault. Three days earlier Kristie had tried to take a shower, and in the process was jumped by a nude woman whom had been killed in the home. She killed the woman, for the second time in the womans life, and made it out unharmed, except for at least no broken ribs but definitely some muscle bruising as well. The bruise sent a shiver down her spine as she pulled her shirt back down. Earlier it had been black, but things looked better now. She sat against the wall and pulled her boot off. <br><br>Fishing a small kit out of her LBV, she opened the small gray box up to reveal a syringe of morphine and a half used roll of tape and a half roll of bandage. She pulled her sock off, and just above her ankle was badly swollen. Kristie wrapped the bandage up firmly and finished it off with a tight ring of tape, before putting the small syringe of morphine into her arm and putting the spent syringe back. She closed off the case and chucked it to her left, over the edge. The does of morphine wasn't enough to dull the pain, but it wouldn't have major mental effects either. It was a combat dose, not for pain treatment but to make it bearable. Kristie suddenly began to sob and felt tears running down her cheek. Everyone she'd known in the Marines had died in the ambush. She'd watched girlfriends from high school be torn appart, ex-boyfriend or two getting tackled by half a dozen zombies and ever friend she'd ever made get shredded. She wanted to just die, she wished she hadn't run, just stayed and accepted her fate. Kristie wasn't a firm Catholic but she believed in something and now she wanted to know why the fuck she wasn't put out of her misery.<br><br>The dull sound of a drill from below caught her attention, and Kristie stood up. Her ankle and chest felt much better, and she winced at her shoulder making an odd cracking noise. She looked at her shoulder and noticed it was bulging. Her shoulder was dislocated, great. Without a thought she put her hand on the bulge and gave her arm a firm shove. A loud crack shot out from her arm, but she hardly felt the bones snapping back into place. She sighed and with gear in tow she shuffled downstairs and to the front, where she saw Dinah moving through the isles and Markus and Jake preparing what looked like the barricade. Kristie went down the stairs and rejoined the two at the front. She set the M16A4 down on the counter and looked down at everything she had.<br><br>Kristie looked over at Markus and took a deep breath and walked over. "<strong>Hey, Markus.</strong>" Kristie spoke, walking right up to him and glancing at Jake with the drill. "<strong>Listen uh...I'm sorry about how I treated you earlier. I have no excuse for the way I treated you, and I'm sorry about it.</strong>" Kristie bit her lower lip and sucked in her pride, as she backed up with a sincere look of guilt on her face, as she walked over to her table and looked at everything she had.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>13-01-2009, 18:50:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In the slanting light from the stoorfront, Dinah emerges from the aisles and can be seen carrying a plastic shopping basket-- with a bit of effort, it seems, as the plastic basket's bottom visibly sags and she seems to be letting it dangle at the end of her arm.&nbsp; The other hand still bears the pistol, and she seems to have nestled the plastic flashlight in among the rattling boxes of hex-head lag bolts, masonry screws, and six-inch galvanized, ring-shank nails.<br><br>She sets the pistol beside Marcus's credit card for a moment, grinning again at the joke, before using both hands to hoist the basket onto the counter where it comes to rest with a clunk of plastic and rattling bits of metal.&nbsp; She makes an effort not to appear to notice Kristie and Marcus's exchange-- never too good with emotional matters, especially among strangers, she wipes her forehead and shrugs off her overcoat before returning the pistol to the small, black-leather holster on her belt.&nbsp; She's wearing a black t-shirt beneath, the 'under-armor' logo ironically offering no consolation.&nbsp; She then lifts her hat from her head and cocks her hip to the side to lean against the register-counter, watching the others for a sign.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>14-01-2009, 01:35:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake made a point to give Marcus and Kristie their space so they could talk as he kept working on the barricade.&nbsp; Fortunately the standard 8 foot plywood boards were just long enough to reach the large wooden beams on either side of the main door, "At least we won't have to cut these," he mumbled and he figured out where he wanted them.&nbsp; He saw Dinah return with the sagging basket of fasteners and smiled.&nbsp; He walked over and started finished through the assorted pieces of steel.&nbsp; "Excellent," he said as he nodded at the young woman.&nbsp; "These big lag bolts will be great to anchor into the main beams, and I can use the masonry screws to anchor the whole thing to the floor."&nbsp; <br><br>Jake first ensured that the glass door was as locked as it could be, before lifting the first piece of plywood and leaning it against the door.&nbsp; It covered the first four feet of the opening from the floor up.&nbsp; He propped it in place with his foot as he used a framing hammer and the long, ring shank nails to tack it in place.&nbsp; As soon as he started pounding he realized it might be a little loud, but if Marcus and Kristine needed to talk more and couldn't hear, they could always duck into the office.&nbsp; Once the board was secure enough to not fall down, he quickly grabbed a small ladder from a nearby isle.&nbsp; He then lifted the next board up and repeated the process until he had a nice 8x8 foot sheet of wood blocking off the whole glassed in area.&nbsp; He finished by taking an 8 foot long 2x4 and tacking in in with nails on the edge of the plywood on each side.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake stood back a bit to study his work before looking over at Dinah for approval.&nbsp; He grabbed a pair of DeWalt impact drills, and outfitted one with a drill bit and another with a socket driver, each matching the lag bolts.&nbsp; "Alright, lets try to get about 8 bolts into each board.&nbsp; I'll drill pilot holes through the 2x4, the board and then into the beam if someone can follow me and sink in the bolts."&nbsp; He laid the driver on the counter and quickly got to work drilling the holes.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>14-01-2009, 10:52:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The steel tape snapped back and Marcus relayed the measurements to Jake as he reached backwards and placed it on the counter behind him.&nbsp; At the unexpected spark of Kristie’s voice, Marcus spun his gaze about and fixed against her sudden appearance.&nbsp; Marcus experienced a impulsive flush as she spoke, her apology quite unexpected and for a moment he felt uncomfortable that he might have acted like such an ass as to have these concerns playing on her mind.<br><br>“Oh hell; look …Kristie; there are times I can be a complete jerk.&nbsp; Nice to know someone is going to put me in my place if I do something stupid.” He still laboured with the concerns that had surfaced from watching her orchestrate herself with some degree of pain and; although he felt awkward a little and unsure and as she backed away to return to the table, he called after her; “Just look after yourself …you know?” he smiled, it was a perfectly innocent statement to make, after all, they numbered four and outside the door which Jake and Dinah were working towards barricading, they numbered thousands …in fact, so many that their true number was likely now incalculable.&nbsp; <br><br>Marcus caught the slim look in Dinah’s face as she spotted his card resting against the till, and he smiled softly to himself.&nbsp; Sure …the world had gone to hell; but all in all, the day was turning out better than he had dared to expect when he took the whirlybird to the air earlier that day.<br><br>He returned his focus back to the door; a thoughtful look taken to his eyes as his glance flitted from Jake to Dinah and back; “Right guys …lets make ourselves a fortress.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>16-01-2009, 02:35:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie winced as she slowly lowered about 3/4 of a pound of Ammonium Nitrate into a small can and sealed it shut. This was always the guessing game when making explosives, you never know when your own masterpiece is going to blow up in your face. She finished up and threw the small, homemade grenade in the air and caught it, nobody noticing which was good. If this thing dropped, they were all dead. Or at least Kristie was, the rest would suffer shrapnel wounds. "<strong>Alright uh, lookie here.</strong>" Kristie spoke as she held up one of the 7 grenades she made with the excess Nitrate. "<strong>This is a grenade. You throw it and, boom. Its impact operated, inside there is a small thing of mercury which when broken, leans out and mixes with the potassium to fizzle and then blow up. Its not very powerful, but it has a kill radius of about 5 feet, and will blow the legs of anything within 15 feet after that. So, if you can, throw this baby into a mob and boom, watch the little fuckers crawl.</strong>" Kristie couldn't even smile at her own joke, she sighed and picked up one of the larger pales and grunted. "<strong>This, is not a grenade. this is the nuke of homemade unconventional explosives. One of these will bring down the entire building, I mean this building. From the center...alright? Don't touch it. This is a last resort effort. If we get breached....</strong>" Kristie paused as she thought about her plan.<br><br>She planned on using these as suicide things. Kristie would lure the largest mob possible inside, and have these babies around. Everyone else would evacuate the building via the roof, where Kristie spotted a fire ladder. After everyone was clear, Kristie would detonate these things, turning everything within 500 meters into a big crater and whatever filled it. But she decided to leave that alone for now. "<strong>These are for when everyone else is dead. If we're all going to die, might as well make the world easier for one lucky bastard out there.</strong>" Kristie cleared her throat as she push the pale down and picked up a medium sized plastic box. "<strong>This, my friends, is our warning alarm.</strong>" Kristie spoke as she pulled out a flare gun with some string attached to it. "<strong>We put these all around town when we get the chance, mainly, at places of interest. The hospital, Wal Mart and the gunshop or police station if we can find it. We also rig the perimeter so we can monitor blind spots.</strong>" Kristie nodded. "<strong>That way, if we clear the hospital or police station and leave it, if this goes off we know someone or something went back inside.</strong>" Kristie spoke, as she put the box back down and studied the door. "<strong>You guys work quick, I'm impressed. We'll have to have a camp fire and try to have fun, nothing else to do tonight, right?</strong>" Kristie smirked, looking over at Dinah then to Markus. "<strong>I'll take the first watch upstairs when everything is done, I can hump it for another 10 hours or so. We'll work out a watch rotation when we're secure down here.</strong>"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>17-01-2009, 20:54:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(please note: I'm trying to work in a little more detail without slowing us down-- I think it's going well, just note that the parts in blue would take place before where Kristie's post ends, then black takes over when I proceed with continuity.&nbsp; Also, we can skip ahead if need be, scene to scene?)<br>Working the battery-powered driver, Dinah seems quite comfortable-- no professional, that's for sure, but she seems to be familiar enough with construction tools.&nbsp; She works quietly, trying to suppress questions, but they come out anyway-- "Where are you from?"&nbsp; "What did you do before all... this?"&nbsp; "Maybe we can find a weather radio, or a CB... you think we might be able to reach other survivors?"&nbsp; She asks these to all three, at some point, seeing no reason not to... she doesn't ask anyone other questions, though... she answers most anything, but she never mentions family, and she NEVER asks anyone about their loved ones.&nbsp; Not now, not yet.&nbsp; Too much.&nbsp; The work's good, and it helps her focus on something constructive.&nbsp; The whining of the electric-drive tools is comforting in a way, because it's power, it's work getting done.&nbsp; It reminds her of good things, like assembling furniture or assembling a sheet-metal storage building, or her brother working on his t-bird...<br><br><i>Damn, there it goes again... never pays to think for too long...</i> and her eyes sting with tears a moment.&nbsp; She shakes it off.&nbsp; "We should see if they have a forklift in the lumber section.&nbsp; That'd make a sweet addition to the barricade..." and she grins at that, resuming control.<br><br>The work goes quickly, then she's to Kristie's demonstration-- something about this group is very reassuring, as if it's her only option, but somehow they terrify her, too...<br><br>There's Jake, who seemed confident, and seemed to have the stability to set things in motion where they needed to be.&nbsp; He wasn't bad looking... maybe he just seemed much older than her... strange how she had hugged him, and though she hadn't thought at the time, it made her a little self conscious now.&nbsp; Also, there was his solitude... she'd never expected to find a lone soldier, and it made her paranoid, strangely, that he somehow lived-- as if she suspected that if she herself had dealt so ruthlessly with her own family, after they turned, then perhaps other survivors had done worse things..?<br><br>Like Marcus-- his smile was so reassuring, and he seemed relaxed-- real.&nbsp; Like her, he wasn't really the military type.&nbsp; How in the world did <i>he</i> survive?&nbsp; and while that gave her some hope that, perhaps by some miracle, she had friends in this world still alive-- who knows?&nbsp; Maybe there were whole towns, cities, or countries completely unaffected?&nbsp; Maybe, someday, she'd be in Cancun drinking a margarita like she'd always planned to do, but never done?&nbsp; Hell, if that was the case, then she could imagine Marcus there too-- he told the first joke she'd heard since everything fell apart.<br><br>But Kristie?&nbsp; Dinah should have felt some kinship, some solace that she wasn't the only woman left alive, but something about her was so mechanical-- all of this clicked into place when, as the work finished, they regrouped.&nbsp; The woman was wounded, Dinah finally noticed as she watched Kristie's demonstration, memorizing it as carefully as possible, as if this was some kind of bizzarro-world version of a midterm exam review.&nbsp; What had 'clicked' for Dinah was that Kristie was terrifying because she was the best prepared for this of anyone Dinah had met, and yet she had prepared herself for the possibility that she might die far better than Dinah had.&nbsp; <i>If we're all going to die, might as well make the world easier for one lucky bastard out there</i> she'd said.&nbsp; No pretense, no nothing.&nbsp; That was chilling in a way that made Dinah feel a palpable need to be warm.<br><br>"I used to work with chemicals," she said after Kristie had finished.&nbsp; "Aren't those at a risk of destabilizing?"&nbsp; She seems to regret asking instantly, looking a bit self conscious.&nbsp; "Well, um, I mean-- I'm sure it's the best defense we have right now."&nbsp; She wiped her cheek on the neck of the sweat-stained t-shirt and nodded.&nbsp; "A campfire might be good-- or a coleman stove, at least."&nbsp; She'd kept a fire every night, the way she'd learned to camp, and even if it wasn't really necessary it would be good to have the light, the comfort.&nbsp; Sitting with her knees up, her feet crossed in front of her hips, she stared ahead for a moment, folding her arms over her knees, and then hopped to her feet.&nbsp; <br><br>"Christ, what I need is a pizza and a bottle of PBR."&nbsp; She grinned, looking around, as she stretched her back with her hands folded high over her head-- after the amount of work and the constant hiking she'd put in, most would be too exhausted to do more than roll over, but clearly she had some solid endurance.&nbsp; The t-shirt rose from the waistband of her jeans and she dropped her arms, re-tucking it into the belted waist, her hands disappearing for a moment behind the grip of the pistol in her belt-holster.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>17-01-2009, 22:30:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(((OOC: Very nice post Ixy :D I have no problem with skipping ahead a little bit, maybe to nightfall or something.)))<br><br>Kristie squinted at Dinah and gave her a reassuring smile. "<strong>Yes, that is a possibility. But I have these babies set up so the only way they will go off is if I use the electrical charger to send a signal which in turn, will cause the explosion. I don't even have it set up fully yet, but it will be set up by tomorrow.</strong>" Kristie nodded, looking back down at her table and up at the group. "<strong>Good to see you know your stuff, Dinah.</strong>" Kristie smiled, sliding her M16A4 off the table and yanking the bolt back halfway, greeted by the sight of a copper cartridge sitting readily in the chamber. She let the bolt slide forward and looked at the group. "<strong>Alright...</strong>" Kristie spoke as she laid her M16A4 back down and looked at the nearly empty table of things gizmos and gadets. "<strong>...how are we doing with the barricade? Any ETA or anything you guys need? I'm uh...</strong>" Kristie thought about what she'd say. Considering her injuries, she didn't want too risk lifting anything heavy, or pushing her muscles too hard. She thought about it for a second, and sighed. <br><br>"<strong>Well, forget that anyways. Where do you guys need me?</strong>" Kristie asked, piicking up a spare drill and buzzing playfully. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>19-01-2009, 05:17:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As the group worked, Jack tried to answer any questions as best as he could.&nbsp; "Well before all this shit hit, I used to be an engineer, working on electronics and other gizmos.&nbsp; Then I got called back to active duty and got pulled into this giant shit storm.&nbsp; As far as contacting others, we will have to figure out what we want to do once we are secure.&nbsp; I've got a military radio in my pack, but I haven't heard anything on it in almost a week.&nbsp; If we choose to, we could set up a transmitter pretty easily to attract other humans.&nbsp; On the plus side, we might attract more nice folks like yourself any maybe even build a little community here.&nbsp; On the down side, we could attract raiders.&nbsp; I've seen groups of scavengers roaming through the countryside, raping and pillaging anything left standing.&nbsp; It is a risk that we need to evaluate as a group and come to a decision."<br><br>Jake paused in his work to listen to Kristie explain her homebrew explosives.&nbsp; "Thanks for setting those up, we just need to be careful we don't blow ourselves to Hell, unless we really need to."&nbsp; Once she was finished, he did a little more work and managed to get the first barricade set up.&nbsp; <br><br>"OK, we've got one layer of plywood bolted in.&nbsp; It should stop a casual assault, but a good horde or car will go right through this," Jake paused for a second to evaluate their options.&nbsp; "Why don't we split up in teams.&nbsp; Kristie and Marcus, can you guys add another layer of 2x4's to this barricade and then put some diagonal braces into the concrete floor?&nbsp; Dinah and I can head over to the other set of doors and take care of the work there.&nbsp; With any luck, we can be done by dark."<br><br>(OK, since I figure you guys really don't want to RP a lot of construction, let's just jump forward to later that night; say around 7pm as the sun starts to go down.&nbsp; We'll say the barricades are done and the group is fairly secure.&nbsp; We'll meet back up at the front registers.)<br><br>Jake drops his tools to the floor and wipes the sweat from his brow.&nbsp; "Alright, at least that shit is done.&nbsp; But I think we are in pretty good shape."&nbsp; He tears open a flat of bottled water and chugs a bottle down.&nbsp; "We should probably figure out where we can bed down for the night.&nbsp; Any suggestions?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>19-01-2009, 07:10:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie slammed the last bolt of the floor braces into place and wheeled around on her heels, looking at the intimidating barricades they had set up. Kristie nodded in approval and wiped the sweat on her forehead on her left sleeve. Her gear and most of her clothing were laying next to her on the counter of the customer service desk, and next to them was the large white cloth she kept all her tools and EOD kit on. She sighed a deep breath of relief, and looked at Markus. She gave him a firm high five and put her hands on her hips. "<strong>I gotta say, that looks good. Here's hoping that nobody drives a car through this, but nothin with just hands, teeth and feet is gonna get through that.</strong>" Kristie smirked, knowing full well that wasn't entirely true. A few hours of banging would eventually weaken these things, and since Kristie had a sneaky suspicion that the undead did not feel pain, until their arms fell off they could bring this barricade down. But for now, they had overcome one of the chief obstacles involved with suvival; secure housing. They had food, though rations and MREs weren't exactly high class food, but they had the nutrients and proteins the human body needed to keep going, basically low grade fuel for a high class car. Eventually you need a batch of chicken fingers but for now, tofu would do.<br><br>Kristie bit her lip and looked over at the M40A3 sitting on the desk. "<strong>Well, I guess all that remains now is sleep, and waiting for tomorrow, huh?</strong>" Kristie said rhetorically, walking towards the desk and hoisting her MCCUU blouse onto her back and slipping her shoulders through with a grunt and gritting of her teeth. The morphine was beginning to wear off, and Kristie was thankful it lasted through the construction word. She was also intending on taking the first watch on the roof, and woulnd't take no for an answer, more because she didn't want to whimper as she tried to lay down. Anything less than a super comfortable bed would cause her discomfort, she needed to stay standing, let the bruises swell down and hopefully subside within the next 24 hours. She picked up the M40A3 and hoisted her M16A4 up, guiding the sling around her neck and shoulder and letting it rest against her chest. "<strong>Tell the others I'm going to the roof, I'll take tonights watch...</strong>" Kristie nodded, waving her night vision up and beginning a quick walk towards the stairs, she suddenly turned to Markus and said "<strong>..and make sure you guys don't burn the place down.</strong>" She laughed, walking up the stairs 2 at a time and making a straight line for the roof access.<br><br>Kristie pushed the door open and the cold night air smacked her in the face. She shivered a little, but it wasn't half as cold as it was in Virginia. The ocean chill added to the nights cold, but here it was less obvious. Like a tickle at the back of your neck, Kristie walked over to the roofs far left corner and sat down on an office chair she'd picked earlier in the day. From here, and with her night vision strapped too her head, she could see the entire parking lot, and most of the town. She rested the bipod of the M40A3 on the side of the roof and rested the stock on a small table she'd brought up earlier. The eerie green view caused by the night vision sent a chill up her spine, and she could clearly see the bodies from the fight earlier. Kristie fished a chicken and beef ration out of her hump pack and pulled it open, digging in viciously as the smell drifted up to her nose. "<strong>Even after a few weeks you taste like shit....</strong>" Kristie quietly mumbled to herself, gritting her teeth as her jaw flared up in pain. She scoffed down the ration relatively quickly, and dropped the empty package back into her pack. She picked up the M40A3 and slid it over to herself, backing away from the roof slightly and allowing herself room to handle the long rifle. She laid her M16A4 against her hump pack which was laid next to the chair, and flipped the night vision up on the latch on her helmet. Easing her cheek against the stock, she looked through the scope. When it came to general luck, Kristie had none. When it came to luck at the right time Kristie was full. She grabbed an M40A3 rifle with an ultraclear scope from TriJicon. It was almost like a HDTV that costs 10 grand. Expensive yes, bulky a bit, the best scope in the world most definitely. She could clearly see almost everything illuminated by natural light, as she sat back and switched her night vision off.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>20-01-2009, 04:25:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His forehead was beaded with sweat from the toil of the involved task of bracing the fortifications, and he stood back with a glimmer of a smirk traced across his face as he admired the barrier; Being partnered with Kristie had given him an unforeseen impetus which had been something he had unexpectedly relished.&nbsp; Marcus turned to her and with a rich grin he met Kristie’s high five, as their hands connected there was a flicker of a wince that took his eyes; his palm rang with the impact and the end of his fingers tingled from the force of it.<br><br>The structure certainly looked sound enough to resist the dead for quite some time, and so long as they didn’t do anything senseless that would attract their attention, then they could well be able to hold out here for a while.&nbsp; Marcus feigned a playful innocence at her comment about them ‘bringing the place down’.&nbsp; His eyes followed Kristie as she disappeared up the stairs, a smile playing on his face and only once she had completely departed did he pull his gaze back to Jake and Dinah; He smiled softly and made some excuse about visiting the employee washroom and, scooping up his pack, he slipped into the gloom of the store.&nbsp; That was merely a front though, as what he really wanted was just a little time alone with his thoughts without it falling to the gaze of his companions<br><br>Marcus couldn’t sleep; Every time his eyes closed he could see her; her face a mask of blood and fear as she begged him to help her; her hands outstretched as he pulled back hard against the collective.&nbsp; The helicopter lifting hard into the air; but even the heavy ‘whump’ of the blades did little to drown out her screams as they fell around her …clawing …tearing …biting.&nbsp; He had kept telling himself that there was nothing he could do; that’s she was already dead …but there was no escaping the pain that lingered within him that he felt from abandoning her.<br><br>What <em>right</em> had he to survive; why him over the countless thousands that had perished in the plague of death that swept across the land.&nbsp; He slipped the flask from his back pocket and toyed with in in his hands as he looked on it with such intensity.&nbsp; It would be an easy thing to flip it open and take a draft from it; god knows at any other time he would have done …but; his thoughts still echoed with the scolding comment from Kristie earlier and, although that was all forgotten with no lingering ill feelings from either of them, a part of him wouldn’t let it go; because it was <em>that</em> part of him that echoed her words and held himself under a cloud of resentment …without opening it he slipped the flask back. <br><br>Marcus then took his pistols from his pack, and for a moment watched them as they sat in his hands; they spoke a silent whisper of menace; that, in his hands seemed more than muted.&nbsp; He was hardly the best shot; in fact he had yet to fire either of these ‘twins’ and had no idea of what to expect from them when he did.&nbsp; The problem he faced was that ammunition was in such short supply that he could hardly get in a few practice shots to try and improve his aim and increase his chance of bringing down one of those dead bastards as it charged towards him; It was the reason that he had a preference for the Remington as it least it gave him a margin of error when he aimed it. Marcus was unable to dislodge the feeling that his first blood shot with the shotgun had been more out of luck than anything.&nbsp; He was aware though that they served little use sat in his pack and, after he checked the clips, and slipped them through the belt at his back.<br><br>By the time he returned to the registers where Jake and Dinah were, the melancholy had lifted at least enough to slip in the guise of his more good-natured self as he leant against the counter.&nbsp; “Couldn’t have picked a store with a bedding department could we?” he smirked; “There might be some couches in the staff room?” he ventured.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>22-01-2009, 01:50:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake pulled off his camouflage shirt, revealing a sweat soaked t-shirt underneath.&nbsp; He laid the camo on the nearby counter and rustled the front of his shirt to try to get some air flowing.&nbsp; "Damn, what I wouldn't give for enough juice to run an air conditioner," he said as he shook his head back and forth.&nbsp; "Ehh, and its still barely summer.&nbsp; We'll have to figure something out before it gets too blazing outside."&nbsp; He was tempted to follow Kristie up to the roof at least to try to catch a decent breeze, but he decided to leave her be.&nbsp; She seemed to like her privacy and if she was the one keeping watch, he didn't want to distract her.&nbsp; Although he did make a mental note to try to relieve her early this morning so she could get some rest.&nbsp; <br><br>When Marcus came back Jake chuckled at his comment, "Well there may be some couches in the staff room, but I was thinking more in another direction.&nbsp; I saw a good amount of foam padding in the carpet section.&nbsp; I think I'll cut a few layers of that and cover it in either shag carpet or some heavy drapes."&nbsp; He stopped and thought for a little while looking around the store.&nbsp; "I would suggest that we find a place to sleep that wouldn't be easily accessible if the barricades are breached.&nbsp; One option could be to sleep in the top floor of the office then barricade the door.&nbsp; It would give us some advanced warning of a breach and we could always retreat to the roof."&nbsp; <br><br>Jake paused and looked over the high shelves.&nbsp; "Another option is to clear off one of the higher shelves, put our bedding up there and use a ladder.&nbsp; &nbsp;That way we have plenty of space, good air, and as long as we are high enough up, nobody should be able to reach us as long as we pull the ladder up behind.&nbsp; Either way we should probably stick together, at least for tonight.&nbsp; What do you guys think?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>25-01-2009, 11:06:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				With the doors now barricaded as securely as they could get them with the means that were available, it cut a great deal of the natural light from the front of the store; light which had already begun to fade with the encroaching dusk.&nbsp; He didn’t know if the failing light bought on a resurgence of activity from the dead or not; likely it made very little difference but his natural instincts gave way to his dread of the unseen within the shroud of darkness that would soon fall across the town.<br><br>Marcus’s gaze lay distracted for a moment as his gaze became transfixed against the glittering particles of dust that danced within a thin shard of light that pierced through a chink in the defences.&nbsp; Shaking his head free of the distraction, he returned his attention to Jake; following his gaze towards the high shelves, at first glance they looked stable enough to be able to support them as an impromptu resting place.&nbsp; One that he hoped wouldn’t become their <em>final</em> resting place.&nbsp; <br><br>He mused that, if the worst came to the worst; that to be barricaded in an office on the second floor with a single point of escape was less appealing than taking to the high shelves; as maybe, in the event of a breach; they could keep hidden from them and scrambling over head would perhaps give more options for escape.&nbsp; Perhaps it was the pilot in him, but his thoughts fell alongside maintaining some height from any potential threat.&nbsp; Marcus walked across to one of the bolted shelving units and gave it a cursory tug to see how secure it was; turning back to Jake he spoke; “Of the two, I think I would prefer this.&nbsp; I don’t fancy hiding in a stationary cupboard and waiting for it all to blow over.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>26-01-2009, 14:54:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dinah watches Marcus' and Jake's investigation of the racks, nodding in agreement.&nbsp; She finds herself watching Jake's sweat-soaked t-shirt for a moment longer than she'd have let herself under normal circumstances.&nbsp; God, she hoped that she wasn't having some kind of apocalypse-repopulation reaction... they didn't teach that in psych 101.&nbsp; <br><br>She's still thinking about this when Marcus makes his comment about the cupboard, and though she's listening, she can't help but react to the ludicrous train of thought in her mind...<br><br>It's a few seconds before she realizes that she's laughing out loud, the sound a <i>little</i> crazy, sure, but she's still a young woman, she's exhausted, and she has a nice laugh, so the echoing of her voice in the catacomb of the hardware store is probably not <i>TOTALLY</i> creepy.&nbsp; <br><br>"Oh... I'm sorry."&nbsp; She laughs again, breathier this time.&nbsp; "I just though something-- weird-- never mind."&nbsp; She breathes deeply through her nose, steadying herself, then blows the air out through pursed lips.&nbsp; "Yeah-- Jake, it's going to be hot as hell.&nbsp; I usually start sleeping on top of the covers by the middle of May."&nbsp; She shrugs.&nbsp; "Sorry-- there's probably some fans and air conditioners, but unless we get a genny running, we're not going to be able to run any of them."&nbsp; She points with one hand in a lazy gesture toward the racks.&nbsp; "I'm good with going up there.&nbsp; Tomorrow, we can move concrete and mortar bags... that kind of stuff... reinforce that-- thing."&nbsp; She waves her hang generally in the direction of the barricade.&nbsp; "God, what a day."&nbsp; <br><br>She nods to Marcus.&nbsp; "Let's go raid the cushions if there is a couch."&nbsp; She grins.&nbsp; "Tomorrow, we can drain the sprinkler system for water.&nbsp; Wish there was a damn shower.&nbsp; But we can get some canvas, layer that up... tarps, something.&nbsp; Just..."&nbsp; She looks back up at the racks again.&nbsp; "I don't want to fall of of there..."&nbsp; she starts to ask something, seems to hesitate, reconsider.&nbsp; She shakes her head softly.&nbsp; <br><br>"Kristie--" watching the Marine gear up for the night's watch, she sighs.&nbsp; "Thanks for taking the first watch."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>27-01-2009, 02:18:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"OK why don't you and Marcus work on the cushions, either from a couch or maybe from some lawn furnature in the outdoor department?&nbsp; I'll go ahead and see about clearing some shelf space."&nbsp; Jake said as he wiped the last of the sweat from his brow.&nbsp; He nodded when Dinah mentioned the shower.&nbsp; He hadn't had a chance to clean up in days and he was sure he smelled none too sweet.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake grabbed an LCD lantern off a nearby rack, along with a ladder and started looking up and down the isles for a good place to set up camp.&nbsp; He was looking for something relatively light to move, but maybe sturdy enough that it could still act as a bumper to prevent them from rolling off the edge.&nbsp; Six or seven rows away from the front door he eventually found an isle stocked with furnace filters on the second shelf.&nbsp; He extended his ladder and made short work of roughly knocking the filters to the ground.&nbsp; "We should still be able to salvage them if they later prove useful and at least they're quiet," he mumbled to nobody in particular.&nbsp; He shook his head as he realized what he was doing.&nbsp; He found he was talking to himself more and more lately; not that it was too unusual when one is alone, but it could be a bit unnerving now that he had compatriots.&nbsp; <br><br>In a few short minutes Jake had managed to clear out a space about 12 feet long by 8 feet wide.&nbsp; The front of the shelf looked out onto the front area of the store with good visibility of the offices, main door, checkout and tool section.&nbsp; The rear of the shelf backed into boxes of heating ducts, and the internal wall of the shelves seemed to butt into a rack full of PVC pipes.&nbsp; If they really got stuck they could force their way through either of those, but it would make one hell of a racket.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake, hung the lantern up on the upper shelf to mark the space then slid down the ladder.&nbsp; He looked around for a bit and eventually found a 10" diameter PVC drainage pipe. It was flexible and just about the right length for the new rack.&nbsp; He dragged it back, and managed to secure it with duct tape so the only un-bumpered section was where the ladder stood.&nbsp; <br><br>With a smile on his face Jake strode back to the front gate to see what the others had come up with.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>27-01-2009, 17:57:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie sighed as she stared out at the green illuminated night landscape of Potosi. She hadn't even so much as blinked since she started her watch, she wasn't tense but something was nibbling at the back of her neck. Something bothered her, and it was more complicated than simply 'why did this happen' or 'why did I survive' types of questions. She had high hopes there were more survivors, but Jake, Marcus and Dinah were the first living people she'd seen since the ambush. Kristie wondered briefly if they were the only survivors left, or was there a possibility another sanctuary of survivors still remained. Her thoughts drifted from subject to subject, she was beginning to feel like this was any other night watch. Watching for the usual stuff, curious civilians trying to sneak a peek inside the base, or late sailors and Marines trying to sneak in without being noticed. Nothing changed, except now everyone trying to get in was likely dead.<br><br>Kristie's thoughts turned to her newfound survivor friends. The decision was made that she had to lighten up, drop the tough-as-nails Marine act, whether or not anyone believed it was up for debate, and try to befriend some people. She had to stop being so negative, even if her natural instincts were more pessimistic than optimistic, Kristie knew she wasn't helping by building bombs as a last resort measure. She wondered how everyone came to arrive here, how everyone managed to survive, and what they had to do. Jake looked like he was handling everything well, but Kristie knew that everyone had ghosts. Markus looked different though, like he'd had to make a hard choice. Kristie didn't know what it was, and right now she didn't care, but he looked like he had been thinking about his choice and doubted the one he made. Kristie was not in the business of diving into someone elses problems, but she wanted to desperately for a shoulder to cry on that she thought she was looking into things that weren't there, to try and make herself feel better. She hadn't done anything except live, but she now had no friends, no family and no comrades. Everyone she knew and loved was gone, and it brought a tear to her eye. A loud crack and flash in the night sky made her look up as she wiped the tear away, wishing her problems would go with it. "<strong>Fuck...weather.</strong>" Kristie mumbled, as she pulled her blouse up to her neck and recoiled her shoulders inwards, preparing if rain were too fall.<br><br>Finally, Dinah. The newest arrival of everyone, but then again she showed up all of 20 minutes after the rest had met. Kristie hadn't had time to figure anything out about her, but one thing was clear about everyone; they were survivors. They had survived, and that meant they could continue to do so. Kristie doubted herself alot, it came with being told everything was wrong until perfection. Even when it was perfect, it wasn't perfect enough. It made her good, but it made her doubt herself aswell. Normally the kind of training Marines got made them better, but Kristie never had the support necessary, at least not anymore. After the ambush, she felt everything was her own fault. It made her more aware and cautious, but she had a sickening feeling in her stomach that everything she did was wrong in some way. Kristie sniffled and fought back tears as her friends in the Marines, all killed in the convoy, began appearing in her mind. Men and women she'd trusted with every detail of her life, mixed with happy memories and then crashed by their screams on the night the convoy was lost. Kristie gripped her M40A3 with self-anger raging through her veins.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>28-01-2009, 00:42:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In the lawn and garden section, Dinah starts ripping the protective plastic bags from a short stack of vinyl-woven patio furniture cushions, their pattern a festive patina green and creamsicle orange.&nbsp; "Martha Steward wouldn't approve of these prints, I think--" she says over to Marcus, lifting one of the cushions with a showgirl-style pose, hand on hip, doing her best 'Price-is-Right' demonstration.&nbsp; "And you've won this fabulous hunk of shit patio chair!"&nbsp; she says, grinning with even white teeth-- teeth that only had the braces removed four years earlier.&nbsp; "At least I've got my sleeping bag," she says, then suddenly panics-- "oh, fuck, my stuff--" before remembering, suddenly, "--ok-- never mind... it's here.&nbsp; It's here right?" she asks with eyes a litle too wide.<br><br>Taking a deep breath, she turns back to the patio cushions rapidly, trying to hide her earlier panic.&nbsp; "Fuck, I think I'm losing it."&nbsp; She shivers once, then shakes her head rapidly.&nbsp; "Christ almighty..."&nbsp; hoisting up a double-armload, she grins over to Marcus.&nbsp; "They ain't much, but they're free, right?"&nbsp; She sighs heavily, heading back toward the appointed campsite, and starts tossing them up to Jake, when there's a clap of thunder-- the sound, in their metal-sided building, is a bit like a bowling ball falling into a rainbarrel.&nbsp; <br><br>"Rain?"&nbsp; She nods.&nbsp; "Oh, thank god.&nbsp; Let's set some buckets under the skylight--"&nbsp; she rushes to work on that, letting her flashlight lead the way.&nbsp; "I passed some plastic buckets over this way-- hah!"&nbsp; There's a rattle of hollow plastic, and with her arm slung through the handles of four, she makes for the room.&nbsp; "Call me if you need anything--"<br><br>She clambors out to where Kristie's sitting with the buckets rattling, already scanning the sky-- "Hey, um-- things okay out here..?"&nbsp; She speaks in a half-whisper, just in case... by the moonless sky, she hasn't yet seen Kristie's face, isn't aware of her emotional state, but her own voice betrays the hint of nervousness she has at approaching the Marine.&nbsp; "Just... putting up some buckets..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>28-01-2009, 02:11:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake quickly follows Dinah back to the lofted sleeping area and works to set up the beds.&nbsp; He makes sure to give everyone enough space and still leave a good crawlway so people can come and go as they need.&nbsp; He hears the thunder and smiles as he sees Dinah run away.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake slowly slides down the ladder and stops in the painting section.&nbsp; Ideally he would like to set up some sort of tarp-funnel contraption that would pour into a bucket, but he wasn't sure they would have the time to get it set up for this storm.&nbsp; It might rain all night, or it might be done in 20 minutes.&nbsp; He rummaged around and finally came up with a large box full of semi-rigid paint tray liners.&nbsp; "Yup, this will do."&nbsp; <br><br>It was a little tricky, but Jake managed to scale the ladder with the box and make it onto the roof.&nbsp; He saw Dinah talking with Kristie and figured he would give them some space.&nbsp; He walked to a different side of the roof and began laying out the 40 or so thin liners that fit in the box.&nbsp; None of them could hold too much liquid, but they covered a lot of area and should trap plenty of water.&nbsp; <br><br>After he was done, Jake got an idea and slid back inside.&nbsp; The rain had felt wonderful on his exposed head, and it was getting hard enough to serve as an impromptu shower.&nbsp; He made his way to cleaning supplies and picked up a box of bar soap, a bucket, and a car chamois.&nbsp; On the way back to the office, he swung by the window section and grabbed a set of ugly drapes off a display.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake made his way to the office, leaving the drapes just inside the skylight, and climbed back onto the roof.&nbsp; He nodded at the ladies and retreated to the far corner of the store.&nbsp; It was dark out, with no streetlights and the thick clouds blocking out the moon and the stars.&nbsp; He didn't go too far before he couldn't see the women, or the skylight.&nbsp; When he cracked his shin on the edge of the roof, he figured he was far enough.&nbsp; Swearing under his breath, he set the bucket down and stripped out of his dirty uniform.&nbsp; He used the occasional flash of lightning to see what he was doing as he laid out his clothes on the edge of the roof to let nature do a little washing.&nbsp; <br><br>Now completely bare, and alone in the dark, Jake grabbed the soap and started to scrub the last few days of sweat and grime off his body.&nbsp; It wasn't a steam bath at the Ritz, but there was something about showering outside that he enjoyed.&nbsp; The rain was cooling and helped wash the dirt and stress of the road away.&nbsp; Lightning flashed again and for a moment he worried that someone might see him.&nbsp; He shook his head and chuckled to himself, "The world's gone to Hell and I'm worried about offending someone."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>28-01-2009, 03:26:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie let herself do it, she let herself do the one thing she'd never done in the last several years of her life; she cried. It was brief, but it made her heart feel real again. She'd come to the conclusion that, although she'd always carry the survivors guilt, nothing she'd done the day of the ambush caused or could have prevented the ambush in any way. They stopped in the worst possible place, and overwhelmingly they were just outnumbered, everyone was scared and disorganized and for the first time Kristie thought about speaking to God. She was raised Catholic, but she'd abandoned the life style after serving tours overseas. Children carrying guns, women as suicide bombers and soldiers, Kristie couldn't by any normal means think there was a controlling power at work with any sort of love for humanity if such things could be a reality. The horrors of war had touched her, but even that couldn't compare to this. She heard movement behind her, and then Dinah's voice. Kristie recoiled slowly, letting out a tired groan and rubbing her eyes to mask her tears. She hoped the darkness would conceal her face, but a brilliant flash of lightening crushed that hope.<br><br>"<strong>Hey, uh..</strong>" Kristie's lip trembled, she struggled to keep her voice above a scared whisper. "<strong>...yeah everything is quiet so far. Minus the rain and storm...</strong>" Kristie winced as a massive bang of thunder rang out from the skies above. Kristie actually loved storms like this. She loved the rain, not only because of its tactical advantages but she found it to be one of the more calming aspects of nature. Beside sunrise and sunset, a nice, fresh white snow fall and a country scene in Autumn, rain storms and lightening were on her list of pleasent moments. She thought about saying something, but she remembered the situation. Kristie had to remain strong, strong like the Marines who died and she didn't. Kristie looked over at Dinah and forced up a smile, looking at the buckets. "<strong>Good thinking...</strong>" Kristie nods, looking back over the desolate parking lot. Kristie's head suddenly snaps to the toppled desk chair next to her, and her ruck sack laid against it. Inside was a standard green poncho, it would keep her dry and thus, keep her warm. But right now, the feeling of the rain on her skin was helping mend the wounds. Not just physical wounds, but the mental ones as well. Even during such horrible times, the simple acts of nature could calm the soul. Kristie heard Jakes voice, but didn't turn around, mostly because it hurt to move but also because she knew what he was doing.<br><br>Kristie looks over at Dinah and motions her over. Kristie leans to her right and grabs her ruck sack, ripping open one of the velcro pouches and pulling out a heavy plastic, dark green poncho. Kristie offers it to Dinah. "<strong>Here, take this. If one of you needs to come up to the roof tonight while its raining, you might wanna put this on. Every little bit counts, and we can't have anyone getting sick.</strong>" Kristie geninely smiles, in the back of her mind hoping to come across as moderately caring but more or less she felt guilty. She blamed herself for all of this, it was the job of herself and everyone she'd served with to prevent this type of thing from happening, and we were blind sided by this. Now it was their problem, Dinah and Markus, neither had to be here and both didn't deserve to be. They should be home, with family, living a life, not struggling to stay alive. Kristie didn't know where Jake was from, she figured him for National Guard or Army Infantry, but it didn't matter anymore. Any hope of resistance was lost with the convoy, Kristie knew it and everyone who was in on it knew it. If a convoy of tanks, APC's and over a company of heavily armed, well trained and organized Marines and Soldiers couldn't defeat a horde, what kind of chances were there?<br><br>Kristie mentally slapped herself for being so pessimistic but she ignored it as she caught a glimpse of Jake in a flash of lightening. She squinted slightly as she looked past Dinah, realising she was half stairing at Dinah's waist. "<strong>Is...is he doing what I think...he's doing?</strong>" Kristie chuckled, nodding her head towards Jake on the other side of the roof. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>28-01-2009, 10:19:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus can’t help but keep his eyes on Dinah, his mouth turned upwards into a smile; it had felt like forever since he last smiled, and yet, something about her made him feel as though in another time, another place, they could be enjoying the relaxed atmosphere of a bar somewhere.&nbsp; Sharing a drink, a laugh …far from the horrors of the world; but he doubted there was a way back, not now; for all their talk about salvation in the guise of a floating sanctuary in the middle of the ocean, was that really the way to end their days in a floating prison.&nbsp; He sighed. <br><br>As they scavenged though the gardening section, though he had to agree; some of it was bloody awful, and as Dinah adopted a mocking stance he couldn’t help himself but to laugh and shake his head, his eyes glistening wetly as he watched he …then, for the first time there was a waver in Marcus’s eyes as she spoke <em>"Fuck, I think I'm losing it." </em>, there seemed a slight shiver following in its wake before she gathered herself again.&nbsp; For a moment he was about to speak, but let the moment pass; god knows he had problems of his own, he had no idea what private hell she had had to traverse to get here.&nbsp; <br><br>“Just as well they are free; ‘cos I maxed out my credit card with the timber for the barricade.” he quipped as he parcelled up another of the plump cushions.&nbsp; Once done, Marcus followed behind her as they took the loot back towards where Jake waited at the front counter; he found his eyes washing across her, there was no denying she was attractive and there was something so free spirited about her that made his own psychosis weigh him down that little bit less;&nbsp; But there was something else, a slight niggle that poked at the fringes of his conscious mind but he couldn’t put his finger on it.&nbsp; The building seemed to rock with the sudden eruption in the sky overhead, and with it he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle with a deep seated pleasure.&nbsp; <br><br>There were few things in life as raw and powerful as a storm and his first time flying one had been seat of the pants stuff, he had loved every minute of it and normally a would bring a certain pleasure to him; but not tonight.&nbsp; Marcus dumped the cushions on the floor and watched as Dinah suddenly rushed off in the direction of the roof, he turned his gaze back to Jake with a wry grin on his face, “Damn; I wish I had that kind of energy.” but behind the smile in his eyes lay a haunted look.&nbsp; He watched Jake for a moment and did what he could in ferrying the scavenged supplies to the supported ‘nest’.&nbsp; He watched on for a moment as he sat back.<br><br>Once everyone had gone towards the roof; Marcus allowed the smile to slip from his face, his muscles ached maintaining the damn grin all the time.&nbsp; He bought his hand to his forehead and wiped away some of the sweat that peppered his brow, <em>When in Rome.</em> he mulled over as he took to the steps and gave a deep breath when he met the chill of the air.&nbsp; The air smelt rich in ozone from the approaching storm and he flared his nostrils as he drew in one delectable breath after another.&nbsp; Glancing around he saw Kristie and Dinah engaged with conversation and a little further away, Jake had jury rigged some shower which bought a smile to his face as he walked across to a lonely corner of the roof and stood silently, his head tilted back a little as the rain began to splash against his face as the thunder rumbled across the heavens and the lightning flashed across the sky …and for a few moments at least, he was able to convince himself that nothing had changed and everything was right in the world.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>28-01-2009, 16:03:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Accepting the poncho, Dinah smiles.&nbsp; "I think we can save it for whoever takes watch... thanks..."&nbsp; She looks at the woman's eyes, seeing something far more human there than she'd expected or feared didn't exist.&nbsp; Though it was never easy to be involved in others' personal pain, somehow she found this to be reassuring, coming from a woman who might be one of the three last people she'd know in her whole life.<br><br>As the sky opens up, though, she doesn't open the protective cover of the ponch, preferring to keep it dry.&nbsp; She's sitting on her knees, and she leans back, eyes closed, letting the patter of cool rain meet her face as she lets out a sound of mingled surprise and relief.&nbsp; "God that feels good--"&nbsp; As Jake makes his way up, she doesn't hear him at first, but recognizes the faint grunt of surprise as he hits the edge of the roof-- Following Kristie's indication, she calls out over the patter of rain, "Jake, you okay?"&nbsp; She laughs softly, scoots a little closer to Kristie, her jeans scritching along the tar and gravel roof.&nbsp; She wonders what Jake's at, but then a lightning flash provides her a silhouette of the curtain, and she can't sustain another laugh of surprise.<br><br>When she hears Kristie's question <i>"Is...is he doing what I think...he's doing?" </i>Dinah blinks at the dark and speaks in a half-laugh, half-whisper, "Uh-- Oh my goodness, I think he is..." she covers her mouth and flops back onto the soggy roof, laughing .&nbsp; "This feels like a weird, tripped-out episode of 'The Real World' or something..."&nbsp; she sits up and rises to her feet, and seeing Marcus' shadow, she places her finger to her lips and waves him over.&nbsp; "C'mon--"&nbsp; and creeping up in a half-crouch, she calls out in a mock-authoritative voice, "EXCUSE ME, sir-- but no merchandise outside the STORE!"&nbsp; And snags the wet curtain, tugging at it hard and running to the opposite side of the roof closer to Marcus.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>28-01-2009, 16:59:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Yea I'm fine," Jake yelled back at Dinah's cry.&nbsp; "Smooth, real smooth Jake," he mumbled to himself as he tried to work up a good lather in the cool rain.&nbsp; He made a mental note to try to find a washcloth or at least one of those damn poof things the next time he went out.&nbsp; He had built up a good layer of filth over the last few days and could use a good scrub.&nbsp; <br><br>Perhaps he was a little too preoccupied with his hygiene, or maybe the perceived security of their little bunker had dulled his senses, but he was completely oblivious to Dinah creeping across the roof.&nbsp; He jumped a little when she spoke and turned around just in time for her to pull the curtain and run.&nbsp; It was too dark to see, but he could hear her footsteps as she ran through the puddles and was pretty sure he could hear laughter too.&nbsp; He stared out into the darkness looking for the troublemaker but he could only barely make out the outline of some buildings in the distance and some dim light from inside the hospital.&nbsp; <br><br>"Fine, go ahead and take it!" Jake shouted into the darkness, faining anger.&nbsp; "I was trying to be a little modest, but I've got nothing to hide."&nbsp; Just then another bolt of lightning struck, briefly illuminating the roof and letting him see Dinah and Marcus together and Kristen off a bit on her own.&nbsp; Of course that meant that they could see him as well; naked, with his dark skin and short hair covered in soap.&nbsp; "Swell," he mumbled, "I don't mind the ladies watching but I'm sure Marcus could have lived without seeing that."&nbsp; He turned back around to face the wall and let the rain rinse him clean.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>28-01-2009, 18:13:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie smirked as Dinah ran off towards Jake in the corner of the roof. Her eyes returned to the parking lot for a second, the green tint from her goggles caused slight irritation when lightening illuminated the sky. It actually kind of hurt, night vision wasn't useful during lightening storms, and Kristie hoped the storm wouldn't hit them directly. Turning her head back towards the incidents behind her, she let out an exhausted chuckled as she turned gracefully in her office chair, leaning back against the side of the roof. <br><br>"<strong>Hey Jake!</strong>" Kristie yelled, tapping her fingers on her night vision. "<strong>Night vision...you didn't think you could hide back there did you big boy?</strong>" Kristie laughed, looking over at Markus in the night, then back to Jake. "<strong>You got balls at least.</strong>" Kristie yelled suggestively, wheeling herself back to the edge of the roof and looking out towards the hospital. <br><br>The back of her mind buzzed as she wondered what laid inside. There were no undead people here, but this was a pretty big town. By far not the next New York, but it must have had at least a few thousand people if it had its own dedicated, large scale hospital. Kristie bit her lower lip as she wanted to turn back to the group, but the hospital was like her Trojan Horse. It was mystical almost, something about it made her curious. She wanted to know what was in it and she wanted to know more about it. Part of her wanted to see if her suspicions were right, that she was a wall away from one hundred undead clawing at her. She wanted to show the ultimate display of survival, she was going to the morgue tomorrow.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>28-01-2009, 22:18:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dinah laughs as she throws the sodddn curtain onto the roof.&nbsp; "No shit, night vision?!"&nbsp; she calls to Kristie, laughing still-- something of the exhaustion from the days of hiking mingled with the relief of the rain leaves her feeling elated, free... the world outside forgotten, she shakes her head and breathes a deep sigh of something like happiness and desperation.&nbsp; "Okay-- tthe rain may not last, so, I'm taking advantage too, damnit."&nbsp; she crouches to unlace her boots.&nbsp; "Just don't get the wrong idea, cowboy."&nbsp; <br><br>She steps out of her boots and tosses them back to the store, then unzips her jeans-- now that they're wet and clinging, she has to wriggle a bit to slide them from her hips, then step out&nbsp; of them to peel off her socks before standing straight.&nbsp; Beneath, she's wearing plain black cotton panties, as illuminated by a flash of lightning some mile or two away... the runner's physique she's maintained out of necessity of late, but prior to that out of discipline, shows in her toned lower body and slender, compact build.&nbsp; The bikini-cut briefs are, clearly, nothing terribly special.&nbsp; She lifts her shirt next-- it was already clinging like paint to her skin, and beneath is a modest black sports-bra, cupless, that covers what little modesty one can have while soaking wet in a rainstorm-- small breasts, youthful and healthy, respond to the light chill of water in a way that catches her breath in her throat.&nbsp; <br><br>She retains her composure, stowing-- without even having to think twice-- any reservations she had a moment before.&nbsp; She walks up to Jake, hand out.&nbsp; "Mind if I borrow the soap?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>29-01-2009, 04:14:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You're the one looking at them!" Jack playfully yelled back to Kristie's shout.&nbsp; He let the last of the soap run off his body and for the first time in a while, actually felt clean.&nbsp; He wasn't sure how often it rained around here, but after tonight, he was convinced he would have to rig some sort of shower, if they could collect enough water that is.&nbsp; He ran his fingers over his short hair, spraying drops of water everywhere as he made sure all the soap was gone.&nbsp; <br><br>Just then, Jake heard Dinah walk up beside him and ask for the soap.&nbsp; Part of him thought about trying to cover himself and pull the gentleman routine, but he decided against it quickly.&nbsp; The days of gentlemen and chivalry had died with most of the world.&nbsp; There was only survival now, that and having a little fun whenever you could.&nbsp; This might be the last chance he ever gets for something like this; why pass it up?&nbsp; "Sure let me grab it," he replied as he reached down into the bucket where he had tossed the leftover soap.&nbsp; He made a point to bend over at the waist and give her a nice view of his muscled, dark rear if she cared to look.&nbsp; He fumbled around in the bucket for a few moments and then stood up, soap in hand.&nbsp; <br><br>"Here you go," Jake replied with a smile as he handed the bar over to Dinah's open hand.&nbsp; A flash of lightning illuminated her body and gave him a nice look.&nbsp; His eyes wandered up and down and his smile widened.&nbsp; He was a little disappointed she didn't strip down completely, but hell beggars can't be choosers.&nbsp; "Let me know if you need any help," he chuckled lightly as he started to slowly gather his now well soaked clothes.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>29-01-2009, 05:21:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dianh’s playful tone rung out across the rumble of the storm and instinctively it drew Marcus’s gaze as he watched her run towards him, the makeshift curtain trailing in her wake, his face coursed into an expression of genuine amusement as she came closer.&nbsp; Marcus blinked heavily as the lightning revealed Jake in all his glory; “Damn soldier!” He called across the roof, “Holster that weapon will ya!”<br><br>The sudden sight of Dinah stripping off in the rain and discarding her clothes brought a certain dryness to his lips and made his pulse flicker a little; thoughts were coming to mind that shouldn’t be there and, with some effort of will he tore his gaze from her and started to move away across the roof, finding some solace in the darkness.<br><br>Marcus slipped across the roof close to where Kristie was stood staring out across the rumbling curtain of the storm.&nbsp; For a while he let the silence hang between them, but he could see where her eyes were directed to; the same building that had caught his eyes as he desperately sought to bring his chopper to a safe landing site.&nbsp; The hospital; The sky behind it suddenly opened up with a bolt of lightening that blazed like a shattered ribcage and cast the building in a swathe of rich shadow, before it died and the night claimed it once more.<br><br>He had already bought the subject up with regards to the hospital earlier in the day with Jake; but he had his own motive for wanting to strike out into potentially a hotbed of activity’ and that was for the helipad on the roof …what if they had tools that he could utilise? spares even? perhaps even fuel?&nbsp; Though it was all highly unlikely, just the potential of it gave his heart a flicker of renewed energy.&nbsp; He was coming to the conclusion that running from death was only leading him straight into harms way at every turn anyway, <br><br>Marcus’s hair was matted against his head with the rain and his shirt stuck against his skin, rain water dripped from the end of his nose as he turned towards Kristie;&nbsp; “It’s caught your eye hasn’t it.” he spoke and nodded in the direction of the hospital,&nbsp; without any hint of the mask he had been wearing for much of the day; his face flickered with a dry expression despite the incessant trickle of the rain.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>31-01-2009, 00:28:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh, I think I can handle it, cowboy.&nbsp; Don't you worry..."&nbsp; And as he bends over, she laughs in surprise and embarrassment at the close placement of him.&nbsp; She looked, certainly, but didn't stare, turning and hunching up with the laughter.&nbsp; "What are you, a cat?"&nbsp; she then turns back, thinking about being even more bold in her teasing, but shying away from that impulse, and accepts the soap with a smirk that he can easily read on her face at the close proximity.<br><br>She begins to unwork the pleat of hair at her head.&nbsp; As it turns out, the tightly-braided hair she'd worn under her hat for days is longer than expected, and brushes at her shoulderblades in long, thick wet ropes as she rubs the soap over her arms, under them, across her belly and waist.&nbsp; Feeling a little self-conscious, she half turns away, but pauses, turns back.&nbsp; Stows the shyness away for some other moment.<br><br>She'd never showered with a complete stranger before, but... perhaps it was the emotion of it, or some desperation in her to be needed or wanted by only people in the world she still knew to be alive... still, as unlike her as it was, she didn't care.&nbsp; She let him watch without shame as she worked the soap through her hair, bent over to scrub her thighs.&nbsp; She used a communal shower back at the gym, and she was still partly dressed, right..?&nbsp; "Anybody else need the soap?" she asks as she stands straight, taking one soapy hand into the waistband of her underwear before demurely turning away from the other three to finish washing.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>31-01-2009, 01:30:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie sighed as she rested her cheek back against the stock of her M40A3 and scanned the parking lot. The rain was in a downpour of epic levels. The sounds it made as the rain pounded against the top of her helmet were like a bittersweet melody. Kristie had gotten used to the sound, she often did night time guard duties in Quantico, unfortunately she also hated the sound. It went away after a while, but then you felt empty when it was gone. The brilliant flashes of lightening, the loud rumbles of thunder and the playful laughing Kristie could hear behind her began to resolidify her feelings of isolation. She'd never been good at making friends, it usually took her months to even feel the need to companionship, and she didn't know why.<br><br>Military psychologists told her it was the lone wolf style EOD Technicians were trained in, and something to do with abandonment from her parents, a distant childhood. She was used to being alone, and although her heart felt torn her mind was at its peak during these times. Not that making friends in the Marines was at all hard, based on of course the fact you spend most of your year with those Marines, and the massive contribution from comrade respect and bravado adding to the already solid structure of friendship easily achieved. The problem was, all the people she knew or cared about were dead. That left her worse off than before, she rarely got along with civilians, and although she usually had a healthy relationship with the Army she almost always had to get in a fight with 'em first.<br><br>Kristie's eyes began to move right, but she caught herself. She didn't really want too look, not only was her mind on the landscape ahead of her, but she didn't want to have fun right now. Right now she had to get her mind on right, recover from the loss and refocus her attention elsewhere. <em>“It’s caught your eye hasn’t it.”</em> Kristie' heard Markus ask, his voice sounded like a base drum but Kristie didn't even flinch. She looked at him dryly, then gazed over towards the hospital as a flash of lightening cast an eerie shadow over the entire visible side of the building. For a brief second, Kristie thought she could see a nurse in one of the windows, and for a second she thought it was real. She almost stood, as another bright flash caused the window to appear empty. Stopped in her tracks, Kristie knew horrible things happened there. She knew the hospital was where all the people they should have found were, Kristie knew horrors beyond comprehention had been set in motion there. "<strong>...yeah, it has.</strong>" Kristie sighed, looking up at Markus with a lost look.<br><br>"<strong>...they are in there. The towns people, or at least whats left. They all went to the hospital...they are all still in there.</strong>" Kristie sighed and looked back towards the hospital. "<em><strong>..and I'm going there too.</strong></em>" She thought out loud. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>31-01-2009, 02:48:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The heavens erupted again, the murky edges of the thick rain clouds lit up with a grim mockery of a silver lining as the rain lashed around them in sheets.&nbsp; Marcus was soaked to the skin, his thin shirt plastered against his chest and his jeans sodden; but it didn’t matter, it was as refreshed as he had felt in quite some time.&nbsp; As Kristie spoke, Marcus smiled dryly and felt his head nod in soft agreement.&nbsp; <br><br>That lost look …that haunted vision etched across her face, it was something he recognised well; something that had so often caught his eye and stared back at him whenever he caught his reflection in something.&nbsp; There was no denying the fact that the hospital was likely one of more dangerous places to try and affect entry to, at the onset of the contagion it would have be the first place many would have gone too and the last place many would have seen …at least with living eyes. <br><br>He didn’t know her motive for going there and he presumed not to push for an understanding to her reasoning.&nbsp; The look in her gaze as she looked through the sheets of blistering rain, told him that there was nothing that would stay her course.&nbsp; Marcus stood in silence for a little while, trapped by the malaise of his own thoughts as they drifted to the hidden hope within, not much hope …a fools hope perhaps, but, what else was there.&nbsp; The question was, would Kristie even entertain the idea of his accompanying her into the grip of whatever lay behind those walls.&nbsp; After all, what damn use was he, he softly cursed himself; her heightened level of training and experience set her apart from him by an incalculable distance.&nbsp; <br><br>Would she really want to be encumbered by a drunk going cold trukey who couldn’t shoot straight, he would be more of a liability than anything else perhaps; but, there was that inescapable need that, until he sated his interest in whether there was anything worthwhile inside that he could use, he would find himself going to the hospital one way or another.&nbsp; He was not a man given to acts of devout bravery, the evidence of his history had already set that in stone for him, but he was a man given to necessity; and it was a sad coincidence that his needful necessity was pushing him into the direction of a place where he would have to steel what courage he could.<br><br>Marcus glanced back towards the impromptu shower, there was something appealing about the air of innocence projected from Dinah as she showered next to Jake, it had been a long time since he had felt the brush of innocence against him and with a sad smile he returned his eyes to the grim fortitude of the hospital.&nbsp; Staring ahead at it as he spoke, “Two pairs of eyes are better than one.” His statement on the surface perhaps a little hazy but its deeper meaning was clear …he had his own demons to face up to.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>31-01-2009, 05:56:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie sighed, leaning against the table in absolute exhaustion. "<strong>Look, Markus, I don't expect you to understand but...theres something in that hospital. I can't exactly explain it, but I...</strong>" Kristie cut herself off, telling a stranger '<em>I felt something</em>', especially in the middle of all this, wasn't the best idea. She looked at him and forced a half-assed smile that wouldn't fool a child. "<strong>..I don't know, but I ..I swear to God I heard a scream inside. I could...almost hear them, almost. The sound of tired moaning, like there was one just a few feet away, I had shivers. I don't know what the fuck is up with that place, but I...I need to find out.</strong>" Kristie grunted, shifting uncomfortably in her chair as she gazed back out at the hospital.<br><br>It was all, unfortunately, true. She heard a scream, a loud one. Not the same as what those undead do, it required the use of vocal cords. It was a womans scream, high pitched and long. It wasn't a TV, it wasn't a radio, it was someone alive. Kristie's mind had been plagued by this all day, she wanted to go back and help, but at the time her mind said shelter and the morphine complied. Now that the pain was bearable and sanctuary had been secured, Kristie wanted that hospital. It was like her Goliath, her Mars. <br><br>It all sounded stupid when Kristie thought back, but the feeling she got inside clearly pointed out something horrible had happened. She tried to envision it, first one person suddenly dies and then comes back and the feeding begins. Then more and more people are bitten and start to die. By now its too late, there are too many, and panic and anarchy set in, making the living easy targets for the dead. Eventually someone figured it out, and locked themselves away. Without power, food or water for days, those things banging on the door. It brought a tear to Kristie's eye, not because of sadness, but for pity. She thought everything was bad for her, but she had a gun and knew how to use it. What about the mother and child, that woman she'd engaged on the street before the link up just outside. All this and more played a hefty toll on her mind, she hoped none of the others felt so strongly, but for Kristie's sake this all came back to the day of the ambush, the day she'd failed. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>31-01-2009, 14:00:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The heavy beat of the rain clattered against the roof, hammering against the air vents and running in rivers down the drainage pipes to the car park below.&nbsp; Marcus said nothing for a little while after Kristie spoke, her words seemed laced with some deeper meaning to them, perhaps it was that haunted look in her eyes that gave rise to the feeling within him that more lay to her reasoning than merely a imprudent hunt for survivors; but either way perhaps he understood more than she knew, for whatever her reasons for doing this, he had his own demons to face.<br><br><em>Salvation.</em> The word was bitter against his thoughts and too close to comfort to enable him to rest easy with it playing on his conscious.&nbsp; Was it possible that she was right; that somewhere in that edifice of lost hope, that there was someone who had survived, and if that was the case how much longer could they survive …not long surely.&nbsp; A strain of thought such as this brought a resurgence of his own embittered memory; His panicked escape and her imploring face swathed in a bloody mask as she held her arms to him, her eyes filled with pained pleading.&nbsp; Maybe he would find salvation and peace from the nightmares by facing up to this; he sighed against the backdrop of the storm …<em>This wasn’t a good time to kick the drink to the kerb.</em> he thought over.<br><br>His gaze shifted across a little way right of the hospital towards the car park now shrouded in the near impenetrable murkiness of the storm; another burst of lightning flashed across the sky, the violent weave of electricity flaring against the night. For the briefest moment it highlighted the helicopter to his eyes, currently it was as dead as the lifeless corpses rotting on the rainswept asphalt.&nbsp; <br><br>“Not the sort of place you want to be going into alone.”&nbsp; &nbsp;Marcus spoke with distraction in his voice, as though his words were drawn from some distant memory, the touch of which leeched a chill through his flesh far greater than the rain that battered his body.&nbsp; It was a deathly Pandora’s box that lay within tentative grasp, once open it likely couldn’t be closed; the past could never be relived only the consequences of it dealt with. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>01-02-2009, 01:42:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake waited patiently for Dinah to finish washing before he stood up and gently took the soap back, "I managed to catch a good amount of water in the bucket and I want to see if I can freshen up some of these clothes."&nbsp; Still naked but not really doing anything to show off, he walks back over to the bucket and pile of wet clothes and aggressively rubs the bar of soap into the fabric.&nbsp; When the clothes are good and lathered he tries to rub the grime out.&nbsp; He had never really tried to wash anything by hand before so he was a half-assed attempt at best.&nbsp; In truth, Jake was the type of guy that just threw everything in the machine and hoped for the best.&nbsp; If it wasn't machine washable, he didn't buy it.&nbsp; Normally a practical approach, but now he was naked, wet and squatting over a pile of laundry at the end of the world. <br><br>When he had enough, Jake dunked everything in the bucket of water and slipped a pair of wet boxers back on.&nbsp; "I'm done here if you are.&nbsp; I've got a chamois back in the office if you want to dry off."&nbsp; Not really waiting too much for a reply, he stood up, grabbed his poorly laundered clothes and started walking back towards the open skylight.&nbsp; Despite his best efforts he was still the only one that ended up naked.&nbsp; He could tell there was some sort of attraction from Dinah; after all she did strip down to her undies and shower with a relative stranger.&nbsp; He doubted anything more serious was going to happen up on the roof and he was getting cold; which wouldn't exactly be flattering.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>03-02-2009, 15:05:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dinah watches Jake as he leaves.&nbsp; "Thanks shower-buddy!" she grins as his form-- for the moment, only a shadow among other shadows, fades into the faint glowing square of the entrance to the building's interior.&nbsp; She finds herself standing up and letting the rain rinse the soap slowly from the tangles of her now-unbraided hair.&nbsp; She's a little surprised to find that she's breathing faster than she expected, and with the tingling of heightened senses... the cool rain raises goosebumps on her skin that seem somehow connected to this... fluttering sensation in her lower belly.&nbsp; Whether it's because of the rain or the crazed reaction to having hope and companionship, especially with someone-- well, actually, some<i>ONES</i>, she felt kind of attracted to in some way-- she was turned on.&nbsp; '<br><br>'Oh, thank god the lightning's gone,' she thinks to herself as she faces the dark ghost town's shadows on the horizon-- like corpses in an old civil war photo she'd seen, the buildings just lay there like some refuse.&nbsp; She was glad, then, that lightning hadn't struck them-- How ironic would that have been, to survive the mass slaughter of the populace at the hands of the undead only to die because she though it'd be fun to prance around in her underwear, on a roof, in a full-blown thunderstorm?&nbsp; But more than that, awareness of the town, of the world beyond, brought on the shame of her overwhelming reactions-- hell, she was acting like an undergrad desperate for attention, whoring herself up for someone's approval, oblivious to consequences.&nbsp; But... it wasn't just approval, was it?&nbsp; She really wanted Jake, Marcus, and Kristie to like her, to want her around.&nbsp; God, she didn't want them to think she was some sorority-girl slut or something.<br><br>Confused shame and excitement flooded her.&nbsp; She wanted to wash thoroughly... now that Jake was inside, she picked up one of the buckets and, crouching over it, she tugged aside her underwear and washed with the rain-diluted suds on her hand.&nbsp; She took longer than she should have, the self-doubt and fear and elation still coursing through her like a cocktail of stimulants and depressants fighting for control of her nervous system.&nbsp; Yes.&nbsp; She took a couple minutes longer than she expected, and was glad, quite glad, that the lightning had stopped.<br><br>*<br><br>When she finished, she rinsed with the bucket and then let it sit to refill.&nbsp; She found the sodden clothes-- glad, at least, that she'd left her boots in the dry, she comes close enough to Kristie and Marcus to be heard band calls out softly that she's heading back down.&nbsp; She walks lightly on the uncomfortable gravel and tar build-up of the roof, and finds the day's heat still lingering in the big metal building's interior as she descends to find the cheap flashlight from before, careful with each step as she makes her way toward the massive steel shelves they've adopted as their 'nest'.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>04-02-2009, 04:06:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie looked at Markus and smiled sweetly, the first in a while by Kristie's personal accounts. "<strong>Yeah well, its not somewhere we all need to be going.</strong>" Kristie sighed, knowing all too well what laid awaiting them in that hospital. The scream she'd heard might have been in her head. She rationed the morphine and shock from the last several weeks had taken their toll in mental ways, not just physical. The pain was back, her entirey body ached. She felt weak, but inside her mind she felt strong, like maybe she'd made a difference today. She wondered what would have happened to Markus and Jake had she not shown up, but even that wasn't good enough. She knew Jake and Markus would have been absolutely fine, all Kristie could do was make useless explosives and scare everyone. <br><br>Kristie heard a faint noise behind her and turned around to see Jake slipping inside, her eyes drifting down along his backside as he disappeared <em>Not bad for Army...</em> Kristie thought to herself. She smirked at the turn of events, from the worst situation they could all be in to having all sorts of fun, Kristie cursed her inability to create relationships with people quickly, but maybe the end of world changed her. She grinned at Markus and elbowed him in the shoulder. "<strong>I'm lucky I'm not you right now...</strong>" Kristie chuckled quietly. "<strong>..your probably going to have to sleep through those two kids screwing on your little shelves..</strong>" Kristie giggled quietly, leaning forward over the edge of the roof to do a quick check of the front. The bodies hadn't moved and no others had shown up thus far. <br><br>Another faint noise, mixing a voice and movement behind her, Kristie turned as Dinah went downstairs as well, her eyes again slipping down to her backside. <em>That is NOT alright, get your ass in like Marine</em> Kristie scolded herself. Hell, if she had to live by the rules she was going to die before breaking them. Then again, the Marine Corps and Army had no specific rules regarding lesbianism, and considering for all intents and purposes the United States of America, and the human race for that matter, were likely screwed it didn't seem to matter much. Kristie had to get her mind elseware, and focused out on the parking lot as her night vision punched through the intense rain. <br><br>"<strong>So...Markus...</strong>" Kristie said quietly, hoping to God neither Jake or Dinah heard this. "<strong>We can't take them into the hospital, its too dangerous. Dinah, shes obviously good enough to survive on her own but shes too damn young to be in that type of situation...</strong>" Kristie nodded, thinking more like a Marine now than anything else, first and foremost keep Civilians out of harms way in situations like this, then again Dinah had managed to survive on her own, which meant she could definitely work as a team. "<strong>..and Jake well, I don't know, I can't peg him as an experienced soldier yet but since I don't know him, I'll peg my refusal to let him come on the fact his sins aren't pressing like ours.</strong>" Kristie realised she sounded religious, which is a crazy thing. She prayed to God when she was scared and during combat for sure, but she didn't believe in all that crap. Yes, there was a big guy upstairs who did his thing but if he wanted everyone to pray hands and knees, then she would be dead already and the crazies who followed and begged all the time would be sitting cozy.<br><br>"<strong>I figure you've got one hell of a thing on your shoulders, and I don't know nor care what it is, but since your alive now I'm assuming it wasn't something pretty.</strong>" Kristie nodded in recognition of the human survival instincts, which surpassed all else. Love, trust and friendship could never defeat survival, some people who died for others simply survived long enough to do that, and then the person they saved survived to do something else. It was a cycle, the dead all had a story, most of them were something to really take an eye too. Kristie believed every life was special, it had some meaning, but like most people she disregarded that feeling for her own life. Overwhelmed by her unimportance, she considered herself so. "<strong>..but none of that matters. That hospital is going to become a problem, and we'll need it eventually. We can get everything, generators, food and water and especially medicine there, where as we'll have to move around a lot at any other place. Maybe even guns, since...I have a feeling that hospital isn't as secure as it looks.</strong>" Kristie grunted as she shifted her weight, causing her knee to flare up in pain. "<strong>The question now is, how do we get there without them following, and if something happens...how do we protect them?</strong>" Kristie asked, thinking about the massive explosives she had. Looking over at the building, she figured putting two inside could level the entire building. A slick grin spread across her face as she looked over at Markus. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>06-02-2009, 08:12:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Out of instinct; Marcus’s gaze followed her, it was only when he realised what she was looking at that he wished he hadn’t and he rolled his eyes to the back of his head and quickly refocused his gaze against the hospital building as the gloom held sway across it.&nbsp; Watching Jake’s naked wet ass disappear into the dimness would not be marked as a mental high point in the day so far.&nbsp; His gaze flashed across her as she made her comment laced with a soft infectious giggle<br><br>He responded to Kristie with a roll of his eyes and a smirk of his own at the thought of Jake and Dinah; “Guess it will make a change to be kept awake at night by the living moaning and groaning rather than the dead.” <br><br>The second time he turned around was more rewarding, certainly in his eyes as his watched the lithe scantily clad figure of Dinah slip back into the building, her hips swaying in a harmony that conjured the kind of thoughts he probably shouldn’t be having about her.&nbsp; As his gaze pulled back around, both his eyes and those thoughts lingered; just for a moment against the defined figure of the Marine.&nbsp; It was an almost breathless moment; Kristie seemed to project such strength that just her being there gave rise to his own courage, but at the same time she seemed almost …fragile; if that was the right word; perhaps not, but her eyes looked like they had borne witness to things she wished she could erase.&nbsp; <br><br>Everyone had their story in this brutal aftermath of <em>that</em> day, their own private hell that they had to find a way to placate in order to move forward.&nbsp; A wavering smile flickered across his lips at the mention of the word <em>sins</em>, he hadn’t a religious bone or thought in his body but there would be no easy escape for him …not this time; every instance before he had been able to rely on his helicopter in extracting him from immediate danger, giving him a chance to regroup his thoughts …collect himself and find somewhere safe to catch his breath.&nbsp; Now that had been taken from him; but the possible means to returning his wings lay within the dark municipal building, but in order to earn them he would have to face whatever lay within, and if not that, then maybe a chance to lay his nightmares to rest …or at least conjure fresh ones to take their place.&nbsp; But even so, maybe he would find something else in there; even if it bought about his end, maybe he would find redemption.<br><br>Hell …who was he kidding, this was no challenge set by a omnipotent being; it was just that his ‘luck’ had ran out as his copter flew across this town.&nbsp; Marcus nodded softly at Kristie‘s logic; there was no sense in risking all of them, this was likely a foolhardy enough task as it was without endangering everybody; and putting at risk what they had accomplished this day.<br><br>She had pegged him pretty well and he never even thought to volunteer anything that might indicate what had bought him to this point; not that it mattered anyway.&nbsp; Like himself, he knew that she had her reasons, but sought not to pry or understand; what good would dwelling on the past do either of them; it would only detract from the focus of the ghostly edifice the stood a little way from them still in the slick sheen of the nights rain.<br>His imagination was all to adept at conjuring the possibilities that would face them in the heart of the hospital.&nbsp; The building had become embedded in his thoughts throughout the day, from his aborted decision to use it as a landing spot to his mentioning of raiding it for medical supplies earlier in the day.&nbsp; <br><br>How to slip away unnoticed was a concern, but the one thing that Jake and Dinah likely could not stave off was the need to sleep; something Marcus had tried to avoid for fear of what his dreams bought him, it seemed that his latent insomnia could prove to be a useful tool in biding his time until the opportunity arose for them be long gone before they noticed.&nbsp; “They will have to sleep sometime.” he spoke with an absent minded drift to his tone, aware that he was setting himself on a course from which there would be no backing away from.<br><br>Protecting them, he didn’t think was quite so much of a problem, something about that grin told Marcus everything he need to know with regard to Kristie’s thoughts of shielding Jake and Dinah from whatever lay within;&nbsp; Her skill with explosives set against supporting structures would likely bring the building down on top of them and in the event that anything should go wrong.&nbsp; It was a far from pleasant prospect, but was less distasteful to him than the thought of being torn apart by the rotting ravenous dead, and worse; becoming like them.&nbsp; No, compared to that, being crushed under hundreds of tonnes of falling masonry was a far preferable end, should he need to meet one.&nbsp; He responded to her slick grin with one of his own, slowly creeping across his face.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>07-02-2009, 02:04:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				In the gloom of the abandoned hardware store, Dinah fights off a shiver and picks her way, using the spattering pool of light from the plastic flashlight to guide her way to her backpack.&nbsp; Seeing a small drain in the floor nearby, she wrings her sopping jeans and t-shirt over it, the patter of water on concrete the only sound over the rain outside.&nbsp; Her bare feet emit no sound as she pads back to the hiker's pack, eying it with the uncertainty of one checking a crawlspace for spiders or snakes.&nbsp; Returning to the pack and its contents couldn't help but bring back that <i>this</i> was her reality.&nbsp; The same world where she'd lived out of this pack for countless days, where the only security she'd had was her pistol, her daddy's shotgun-- Out of habit, she picked it up with nervous, rapid fingers.&nbsp; She worked the lever to eject a cartridge and caught it-- the loud metal noise of the shotgun racking echoed in the cavern of the store.&nbsp; She eyed the red plastic tube, the brass cap, and sighed, re-inserting the shell to the back of the tube after she checked the safety again.&nbsp; <br><br>Leaning on the end of the cylinder she rose to her feet and leaned it against the nearest rack, then fished from the pack a fresh pair of underwear, another t-shirt-- this one form-fitting like the other-- this one gray and labeled in black on the mid-chest with the right-side-up and inverted "U"s that made a clever "UA" logo.&nbsp; She didn't have dry jeans-- she regretted this immediately, and sighed.&nbsp; She lifted the soaking-wet sports bra from over her head, felt the patter of her long, auburn hair-- though it looked nearly black with all the rain-- as it fell back against her shoulder-blades and neck in damp locks.&nbsp; She pulled the t-shirt over her head then, stretched it downward demurely and found that it barely reached her hips.&nbsp; Cursing herself again for her desperation, she rolled her eyes at nothing and no one.&nbsp; She drew her underwear down, stepping out of it, and wrung the cotton panties in her hand before laying them out to dry alongside the other garments, then picked up the dry pair-- simple black cotton-- and stepped into them.<br><br>Turning, then, she picked up the flashlight-- she looked once more over her belongings, then paused in a moment of recoiling terror at the memory of how she'd felt when she thought she might have stupidly left her pack in an irretrievable place.&nbsp; She hoisted it, then her shotgun, and carried it back to the 'sleeping' rack, with its makeshift ballasts of PVC.&nbsp; She smiled at Jake, though it might have been hard to make out in the dim light.&nbsp; "Weird being clean, isn't it?"&nbsp; She laughed softly and laid out her shotgun and pack on the next-highest rack, hoping that they'd be in arm's reach, and out of zombie's reach, should anything happen.&nbsp; She then climbed the rack, a little ashamed.&nbsp; "Just... gotta think of it like a slumber party I guess."&nbsp; She'd laid out a couple canvases from the paint department, and immediately picked up one of these to wrap around her shoulders-- as if cold, but rather out of shyness-- as she stooped to arrange the cushions she and Marcus had brought in.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>07-02-2009, 17:14:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When Jake ducked inside the skylight he threw his wet clothes onto the floor and picked up the chamois.&nbsp; He gave it a few quick wrings into a trashcan then quickly toweled dry.&nbsp; He felt bad for the girls; their long hair would be damp for a while in this humidity.&nbsp; He reminded him again that he would have to try to get a few bare necessities working if they were to keep their sanity here. <br><br>Jake mentally made a list as he wrapped the dry drapes around his hips that he originally set aside.&nbsp; He frowned as it looked like he was wearing some sort of morbid Martha Stewart kilt, but at least it was dry and preserved what little of his dignity he had left.&nbsp; Bundling the rest of his clothes he descended back into the store and made his way to the gardening section.&nbsp; He laid his wet but slightly cleaner clothes on the open frame of some lawn furniture, hoping they would be dry enough by morning to be bearable.&nbsp; <br><br>Not really satisfied with his kilt, Jake wandered the isles and smiled as he came across a rack of gardening pants; heavy canvas material with reinforced knees.&nbsp; He pulled them out and held them up to his flashlight.&nbsp; "Swell," he grumbled as he made out the bright green fabric complete with little flowers.&nbsp; He rummaged around until he found a pair that would fit and quickly pulled them on, discarding his kilt on the floor nearby.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake wandered back over to his pack and secured his M4 and ammunition, along with some water before returning to the racks.&nbsp; He was a little surprised he beat Dinah back, but quickly climbed the ladder and claimed a mattress.&nbsp; Propping the rifle within reach, he sunk into the mattress and let his muscles relax.&nbsp; <br><br>At that point Dinah, climbed up and took her bunk.&nbsp; "Yea it's been a while since I've felt clean.&nbsp; It will be much nicer to sleep this way."&nbsp; He watched her get ready for bed and smiled.&nbsp; Part of him wanted to try again to see if she was up for some fun, but his ego was still a little bruised from the roof. "Yea, a slumber party.&nbsp; For tomorrow night we will have to work on some popcorn...or maybe spin the bottle," he chuckled and almost immediately regretted it.&nbsp; Sure stick your neck out again idiot, he thought to himself, see if you can alienate the only two women left on the planet in less than 24 hours.&nbsp; He turned back to his bunk and pulled one of the canvas drop cloths up to block out the chill.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>08-02-2009, 16:43:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dinah closed her eyes in a kind of exhausted way of yielding to surprise as she gradually let out a breathy laugh.&nbsp; "Yeah... well, if we get to empty the bottle first."&nbsp; Still wrapped in the tarp, she spread it out from her feet as she knelt near the 'foot' of the rack, then gradually eased lower down.&nbsp; She worked the flashlight to 'off' and kept it close at hand before reclining, knees bent, alongside Jake's form.&nbsp; "Look... I, ah, don't want you to think I'm something I'm not."&nbsp; As their eyes adjust to the dark, it's possible to see by the pale white glow of starlight.&nbsp; "I know we just met.&nbsp; And I'm not... I mean, I don't have... ugh."&nbsp; She rubs at her eyes then, laughs again in that quiet, embarrassed way.&nbsp; "I'm not really used to sleeping with strange guys-- I mean, sleeping <i>beside</i> them."<br><br>She turns over to her hip, propping her head on one arm.&nbsp; In the shadows and pale light, half her face is illuminated with a wan glow while the other is hidden in shadow.&nbsp; She's speaking very softly, barely above a whisper.&nbsp; "Just... I want you to relax, and feel comfortable.&nbsp; And... I mean, I'm not an expert at this, but I know guys have... you know, needs."&nbsp; Her silhouette shivers just a little bit with nervousness, and she's glad for the darkness, because her complexion isn't terribly flattering with a wild blush.&nbsp; "So, I ah, can do something for you, if you like."<br><br>She hides her face with her hand then, suppressing a groan of embarrassment before she lays back down.&nbsp; "Just, if you think it would make things better, and wouldn't be weird."&nbsp; She sighs, lying still on her back.&nbsp; "God, I'm just... this is why I haven't had a boyfriend in months.&nbsp; And with the way things are, it'd be weird to be, you know, like... a couple."&nbsp; She sighs.&nbsp; "Just... tell me to shut up any time, now."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>09-02-2009, 01:51:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Shut up," Jake chuckled nervously.&nbsp; His eyes were locked on the beautiful shadowed woman in front of him as a million different thoughts raced through his head.&nbsp; He gently reached out through the night and laid his hand on her shoulder.&nbsp; He could feel her warm, soft skin and mentally tried to remember the last time he had touched a woman like this.&nbsp; "Its...been a long time for me as well," he paused and tried to formulate his next words very carefully.&nbsp; <br><br>"I know that this has been very strange for all of us," Jake spoke softly as if someone else might hear and spoil the moment.&nbsp; "And there is nothing more I would like right now than your physical comfort.&nbsp; God knows I've been thinking about it enough lately."&nbsp; He took a deep breath and tried to continue, despite the ever growing tightness he could feel in his new uncomfortable pants.&nbsp; "We don't need to be a couple.&nbsp; We've witnessed the end of the world and lived through it.&nbsp; There is no need to be hampered by social norms.&nbsp; If anything, I think we should live for the enjoyment of today because who knows what tomorrow might bring."<br><br>"But don't do it to satisfy my needs," Jake continued.&nbsp; "You have needs as well.&nbsp; And right now if those needs are just a soft bed and a warm someone to hold, then that would be wonderful too."&nbsp; With that, he slowly withdrew his hand and pulled back the canvas blanket to make room for Dinah.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>09-02-2009, 02:56:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie sighed, looking back towards the door inside, and then back at Markus, the hospital obnoxiously standing out in her peripheral vision to the left. "<strong>Well, we'll give them a few minutes and then maybe head out. If your not sure at all, or your hesitant, please tell me now.</strong>" Kristie said politely, looking out at the hospital with a slightly uneasy cringe. "<strong>Look, it might get bad. But we will need medical supplies, and we should do it now while the streets are mostly clear and we aren't under attack...</strong>" Kristie reasoned, squinting through the darkness as a drop of rain streaked down her goggles. <br><br>Looking down at the floor of the roof, Kristie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her entire body was beginning to hurt, she wanted more morphine but she had none. That was a partial reason behind her wanting to hit the hospital, but more than that she wanted to find something all hospitals had. And that was a portable high powered generator. Every hospital she'd been to had one, they had main generators which were too big to move, but several smaller, high powered high battery life generators were on reserve incase of emergencies. Those could run big machiens like MRI's and X-ray machines for hours, easily running the laptop Kristie carried, a radio and even some lights. Maybe a few appliances so they could cook food, and more importantly something for heat incase it got really cold.<br><br>All in all, Kristie wanted to think her reasons for going into the hospital were about survival, but in the end she knew it was guilt. Survivors guilt, seeing hundreds of people like her die and she was the only one to live, it did things to her mind. She questioned everything she'd ever come to understand, the biggest of which being fate. "<strong>Look, maybe we might want to wait until tomorrow. It could get really stormy, and plus-</strong>" Kristie cringed, realising now that her butt was asleep from sitting for so long. "<strong>-we could definitely use the sleep. I know I could, not sure I want to though...</strong>" Kristie said distantly, looking out towards the hospital but really looking beyond. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>09-02-2009, 14:38:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As Kristie spoke, Marcus maintained his stony vigil against the hospital as it loomed in the murkiness; a building that once would have been a symbol of hope and new life, now took on the same characteristics as what likely lay awaiting for them within its cold walls.&nbsp; Marcus turned towards her …<em>Hesitant! …course he hesitant, he was committing himself to walking into the unknown; and that very act in and of itself should be enough to ‘commit’ him</em> …he smiled softly; there was <em>every</em> chance it would get bad; but, like a Pandora’s box, it sat their awaiting to be opened.&nbsp; Marcus hid his wavering with a smile as he spoke “I’m good to go.&nbsp; Don’t worry about me.”<br><br>Marcus watched her for a moment as her position shifted, she hid it well, but no matter what training she had undertaken, flesh and blood was always a weakness, for a moment he was wondering whether he should ask he if she was alright …The slowness of her movements, the measured breath she took, its was plain that she was beginning to feel the effects of the pain from within her, he didn’t know if she had any more means of freeing herself from its grip.&nbsp; He had already mentioned to Jake earlier in the day about their possible need for acquiring morphine and other such drugs from the hospital; Kristie’s need only seemed to hasten that need.<br><br>His eyes narrowed a little at her change of heart, was it her sudden surrender to discomfort or something more; “Sleep.” Marcus repeated the word to himself with a tang of disdain to his tone; his eyes narrowing against the rain swept darkness that lay before them.&nbsp; He turned towards Kristie, his eyes taken with a genuine air of concern “I have tried to avoid sleep as best I can; as bad as being awake is …sometimes; giving myself over to my dreams …is worse.” he smiled, but there was a slight waver to his lips as he glanced across to her.&nbsp; “Kristie, If you want to grab a couple of hours I can keep lookout.” he glanced behind them, towards the doorway that led back into the store, he wondered whether either of them had been missed yet, he maintained his gaze for a moment before checking back towards Kristie; “We can kick off early, before dawn if you want.”&nbsp; A part of Marcus wanted to set out before he had chance to reflect on his choices
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>14-02-2009, 03:23:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dinah inclines her head shyly, though her soft lips curl into a bashful sort of little smile.&nbsp; She scoots very softly closer, her first inclination to keep a bit of distance, though at the presence of another's body heat she can't help but lean in.&nbsp; It's with her leg that she first touches him-- one smooth, long leg, warm-fleshed and toned with youth and discipline.&nbsp; For a moment, she instinctively hesitates-- the memory of the embarrassment of unshaven legs, a memory she laughs softly as she dismisses.&nbsp; "God... want to hear something funny?"&nbsp; Though she's barely whispering, he can feel her breath, close in the dark, as she glides one of her legs along his like a slow cricket, letting him feel the smooth, soft skin.&nbsp; "Laser hair removal.&nbsp; My roommate worked for a day spa, and she did this for so little, and... wow, I thought it was a waste..."&nbsp; She reaches for him, taking his hand and tugging at it gently, drawing it to her shoulder.&nbsp; "I thought I was being so lazy, just so I wouldn't have to shave?&nbsp; But, I mean, who knew?"&nbsp; She exhales another soft laugh, then rests her face in front of Jake's.<br><br>"I want to, you know... just kind of take it slow."&nbsp; With one arm as a cushion, she uses the other hand to initiate more contact, to let her fingertips trail over Jake's bicep, his shoulder, naming in her mind each muscle like some calming mantra from her old life.&nbsp; Biceps brachii.&nbsp; Deltoideus.&nbsp; Brachioradialis.&nbsp; But now, the stringy cadaver from anatomy lab-- with ts formaldehyde reek and eternal frog-pinned grimace-- was so far from her mind that she couldn't have recalled if it was a male or female.&nbsp; She traced the span of his collarbone and down to the cleft in his chest, noting the pulse beneath the skin-- or was it simply that of her own hand?-- and she kissed him, kissed him like a friend at first.&nbsp; Light, hesitant, uncertain. Then fuller... he was a man, he was alive, and they'd feel better together.&nbsp; Her mouth worked along his, and in the dark, the surreal strangeness of everything became more dreamlike, more unwieldy.&nbsp; And she let it go...<br><br>She shifted her hips enough to lift one leg, to wrap it over his hip and raise herself upright, easing him over to his back, with the soft brush of her panty-clad lower body and slender, firm legs settling over his hips, then gliding along him in a slow shift.&nbsp; A naked, attractive, living human with needs and wants and tenderness.&nbsp; That, indeed, was what she needed right then and there.&nbsp; She kissed him again, then tipped her face to let the spill of her hair fall across his shoulders as she kissed him in the middle of his chin, then his throat, then his chest.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>17-02-2009, 01:20:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie looked down at the ground and scanned the parking lot. She squinted to see through her goggles as rain began to coat the front. She figured she looked kind of silly with the large goggles extending from her face, she often got a lot of playful ridicule from her fellow Marines for being the only woman in her platoon, and being so she was obviously and very much smaller than everyone in her platoon. When in line up, she was almost always surrounded by 6'2'' men and herself being only 5'5'' or so, seemed out of place. Still, her comrades always kept her going. She was never the brave one or the strong one, but Kristie was at least determined. That was what made her so nervous about going into the hospital. She didn't know for sure, but assumed everyone would look to her to be the strong, never give up and invincible Marine that everyone assumed all Marines were. <br><br>Infact she was more scared than Markus, Dinah or Jake. At least in her mind, though Kristie assumed that was simple self-doubt. But she knew she had to be strong enough to at least appear like she had herself under control, and with a quick smile to Markus she stood up, biting her teeth firmly together as she did so, and peeked over the side, recoiling once she got a good view of the area infront of the doors. "<strong>Alright well....</strong>" Kristie sighed, looking at Markus and nodding. "<strong>Sleep is for those who need it or can afford it, we can't do either, so might as well make the best of it.</strong>" Kristie put her M40A3 back in the small case it came in and grabbed her M16A4, walking over towards the emergency ladder and peeking down. "<strong>This will work...</strong>" She whispered to Markus over near the chairs, only a few meters away. <br><br>She was curious about Dinah and Jake, but figured they were either asleep or talking, and really she didn't want to risk alerting them to the plan. "<strong>Anything you want to do before we go? We have about five hours until sunrise, hopefully those things aren't nocturnal, though I have a pretty good idea about their sleeping habits, or lack there of.</strong>" Kristie sighed in defeat. Her enemy fit the profile she'd been trained to kill, they didn't sleep and feel pain, they ate but really didn't need to, they didn't drink and fear was not a factor for them. All in all, the impossible enemy.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>17-02-2009, 02:18:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake let out a quiet, low groan as he felt her warm, smooth leg rub against him.&nbsp; "Sure," Jake replied under his breath to her question.&nbsp; He listened to her speak about the laser hair removal and his mind drifted from her legs to someplace higher.&nbsp; A smile crept across his face as his imagination painted a picture of what might lie at the top of her long legs.&nbsp; It had been a long time since he had been with a woman, and an even longer time since he had been with a 'smooth' female.&nbsp; His mind flashed to a beautiful olive face he last saw a lifetime ago in Mosul.&nbsp; <br><br>"Hey I never knew how you ladies put up with all that shaving," Jake spoke softly as his hand slid down Dinah's shoulder, "but laser or razor, it is well appreciated."&nbsp; He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt her fingers dance along his arm, "We can take it as slow as you want.&nbsp; For all I'm concerned, we have all the time in the world."&nbsp; He let his own hand glide down her arm, over her elbow, down the side of her ribs, to gently squeeze her hips.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake was surprised by Dinah's first, hesitant kiss.&nbsp; His eyes were still closed and he wasn't expecting it, and hoped he didn't startle her away.&nbsp; He was happy when she didn't retreat, and he used his thick arms to pull her closer towards them as they kissed.&nbsp; One hand caressed her back while the other gently gripped her firm ass.&nbsp; He was again pleasantly surprised when she rolled him onto his back and crawled on top.&nbsp; He had grown quite hard in the last few minutes and he was pressing uncomfortably hard against the rugged zipper of his damn gardening pants.&nbsp; But he could still feel her barely covered delicate folds pushing against him.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake returned Dinah's next kiss and basked in the warm wave of soft hair as it danced over his broad chest.&nbsp; He felt her kisses trail down his body and knew what might come next.&nbsp; As her hips shifted lower and transferred some of her weight off him, he quickly dropped his hands down to his waist and pulled the oversized pants off his hips.&nbsp; With a few subtle wiggles of his legs they were kicked to the bottom of the bed, leaving him stark naked for the second time this evening.&nbsp; His thick manhood was now fully at attention and jerked ever so slightly with his pulse as he anticipated the young woman's next move.&nbsp; "Ohh if you are about to do what I think you are then you're going to make me a very happy man," he growled as he felt her body move.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>18-02-2009, 21:55:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				For a moment Marcus lingered his gaze across to the hospital, watching closely, taking in every detail afforded to him by the sudden illumination afforded by the distant flash of lightning as it arced across the rolling storm clouds.&nbsp; As Kristie spoke, Marcus pulled his eyes from the building and nodded softly.&nbsp; Turning to watch as she began to prepare her gear; He was silently grateful that he had seen fit to slip his handguns through his belt as at least he had no cause to revisit his pack which he had left in the store and possibly bring attention to their actions.<br><br><em>“This will work.”</em> he echoed softly as his eyes fell once more against the building that stood steadfast in the grip of shadow.&nbsp; He felt the weight of the Remington cradled in his arms and drew what comfort he could from the cold gunmetal before he started across towards the emergency ladder where Kristie was scoping out the parking lot below.&nbsp; Marcus glanced back around to ensure that there were no prying eyes, but he guessed that both Dinah and Jake may be preoccupied elsewhere right now.&nbsp; <br><br>Anything he wanted to do?&nbsp; Marcus smiled; the thought of finding a bar and drinking the optics dry in order to encourage some Dutch courage did spring to mind and he allowed a soft smile to crease his face, “I’m good.” he said in response to her question as he peered over the lip of the building into the darkness below.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>19-02-2009, 00:16:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie looked over at Markus and nodded, looking down as she slowly lowered the ladder down to the area holding several large stacks of plywood and other big materials. The ladder went down slowly, Kristie inched it down until it stopped going down. "<strong>Alright, we're good over here. Lets go devil dog or die!</strong>" Kristie winked, vaulting up onto the ledge and quickly swinging herself down onto the ladder and zipping down with lightening speed. Keeping her hands on the sides of the ladder and her feet doing the same, she slid down the long steel ladder until she neared the bottom, applying pressure with her hands and mostly with her feet, slowing herself down as she landed, feeling a burst of pain but ignoring it. Her M16A4 jumped up to her shoulder within seconds of being on solid ground, and her body turned around several times, the rifle taking the lead. She waved up to Markus and fiddled around with her vest, pulling out a small wireless headset.<br><br>Holding it out for Markus once he climbed down the ladder, Kristie watched in the direction towards the parking lot. Her night vision gave her an obvious advantage over any undead that ventured into view, but her M16A4 was loud and would attract attention. Gunfire, if possible, would have to wait until they were inside the hospital or this would be the shortest worst decision Kristie had ever made. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>19-02-2009, 05:11:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus took one last glance over his shoulder as Kristie gingerly lowered the ladder towards the parking lot; only once she spoke did his gaze return to hers a grin crossing his face at her devilish wink and defiant challenge to whatever fates governed the night.&nbsp; He watched as Kristie descended the ladder, keeping one eye on her as she slid to the ground and another against the surrounding darkness should anything suddenly lunge towards her from the night; nothing did, as for that he was grateful, as armed with the Remington, he would have likely have posed far for danger for her than the deadhead would have.&nbsp; As she looked up and waved, he gave her the thumbs up.<br><br>Marcus’s assault onto the ledge was not nearly so stealthy as Kristie’s and He looked a little ungainly as he secured the heel of his foot against it and pulled himself onto the lip, looking down and taking a deep breath as he attempted to cradle the shotgun against himself as he griped the ladder and swung one leg around to the run …it was a moment later before he entrusted his weight completely to the steel and, with the shotgun supported against his chest, shoulder and crook of one elbow; he descended to the ground in a far more sedate manner. <br><br>With two rungs left to go he stepped off to the ground below and took the headset she offered him and rested his weapon against the building; taking a few moments to adjust it to sit comfortably on him.&nbsp; Once satisfied, he nodded and swept his gun back into his arms.&nbsp; With Kristie’s obvious advantage against the curtain of night, he entrusted her to be able to alert him to anything in their immediate vicinity.&nbsp; It was too late to turn back now…
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>21-02-2009, 10:18:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie looked back at Markus and gave him a knowing nod. She pointed towards the word and leaned back towards Markus. "<strong>Stay close to me, just talk to me in the headset if you loose me or get separated, or if you see anything. Don't, shoot your gun unless you absolutely have too.</strong>" Kristie smiled as best she could, looking back towards the street and moving her hand forward as she rose silently from her crouched position and began a quick and very quiet fast walk towards the corner of the building. With her M16A4 leading the way, Kristie walked one step at a time in rapid succession across the rain slick concrete ground. Her boots making quiet splashing noises as she crept along. All her attention was focused in front of her, her rifle was pointed towards the far area of the parking lot, while her eyes jumped back and forth between the approaching corner of the Home Depot and the area where her M16A4 laid its eyes. As the corner became mere feet away, almost in an instant, Kristie slowed down to a creep and stopped at the corner, lowering her M16 till it was pointing at the ground. Her breathing slowed and her eyes held steady at the ground, and in a splash of a second and without warning Kristie's entire body pivoted so her chest was pressed against the buildings wall and her M16 and vision was scanning the parking lot. Immediately after, Kristie put her hand up to her mouth and pressed the small black mic in front of her mouth closer. "<strong>Alright, the parking lot is clear. Move up to the cars and I'll be with you in a second.</strong>" Kristie whispered into the mic, waiting for Markus to move ahead before she went on to her other duties.<br><br>Kristie switched her M16A4 to safe, and let it hang fearlessly around her chest. She fished around in a large pouch on her left thigh until she pulled out a small flare stick and a long cord. Dropping to her knee, Kristie quickly unwound the string and placed the flare into the ground with a loud crack. Still on a knee, Kristie crept over to the otherside of the small alley way and jabbed a small pike into the grass ground. Tying the string around the small piece of metal. Thinking quickly, Kristie jumped to her feet and sprinted a few feet to the small building neighboring the Home Depot. Grabbing a few small bags of fertalizer, she didn't know exactly if the undead could detect traps, but more so she'd heared of hostile survivors and getting herself raped because of carelessness wasn't an agenda item for this lifetime. Or any, for that matter. Covering the second pike carefully with the bags, Kristie quicket moved back to the flare and pulled out a small can, with a pretty impressive weight to it. She laid the other bag of fertalizer next to the flare, careful not to put it too close. Kristie put the small can just to the side of the fertalizer with the flare, her telltale and natural humming beginning as she finished tucking the small explosive trap in its new home, and looked down at it intently. Kristie fished a small keychain out of her pocket and pressed the door lock button. A second later a small red light began pulsating on the can, barely noticable even in the darkness, Kristie could only see it because she was wearing night vision. Or at least she figured. Kristie smiled mischeviously, god damn if she couldn't do math but set these types of things up, what a cruel world.<br><br>After hitting the door lock button again, the red light ceased blinking and Kristie put the keychain back in her pocket carefully, making sure to disconnect the battery before doing so. She ran to catch up to Markus, easily finding him with her night vision. "<strong>Alright, I'm good to go here. Ready? Lets get goin'</strong>" Kristie said before her better judgement could intervein, which it was already trying to do. In her mind, Kristie was having a civil war of her conscience vs. her logic and her judgement vs. her Marine status. Conscience and camaraderie seemed to win at this point, and the need for revenge was becoming more and more obvious. It didn't make sense, and right now it didn't have too. Kristie hated dragging Markus into this, but if he was crazy enough or desperate enough to go into that hospital without so much as an explanation necessary, then it was obvious Kristie's demons were not alone in their relentless torment.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Priest</strong> on <strong>22-02-2009, 11:00:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marcus returned her smile and nodded, it was a little hesitant but that was due to his attention being split between her and the prevailing dank night that closed around them; no matter how futile an effort it was for his eyes to pick through the shadows.&nbsp; He raised his hand to the small microphone that hovered close to his face and adjusted it so that it sat a little closer to them; it was almost the intention that the closer the mike was, the closer he felt her presence and the more comfort he derived from it.&nbsp; “Don’t worry about me, I wont stray far behind, you can count on that.” he flashed her a lopsided grin in the darkness.&nbsp; As soon as Kristie moved off, he trailed her like a shadow, his eyes flicking left and right as they crossed to the wall; he rested his hand against it and tried to calm the nervous twitch in his breathing pattern.&nbsp; <br><br>Marcus nodded and whispered against his own mike; “Copy that.”.&nbsp; &nbsp;Crouched over, he started across the tarmac, his feet sloshing in puddles as he tried his best to keep from being seen, he had no idea how keen their eyesight was during the night, was it better than his? …worse?&nbsp; Did it even matter, as sound and scent carried in the air whatever the time of day.&nbsp; Being out in the open again bought a chill to him that he tried to pass off as being merely the cold clammy touch of sodden clothes as they pressed slickly against his body, but he knew it ran deeper than that …slowly the weight of his decision was creeping through his bones and festering within him. <em> Dammit old man …what the hell are you playing at..</em> his mind berated him at playing at being soldiers and for his foolish bravado.&nbsp; There was a moments flicker when he wished that he had said nothing when he had been asked and slunk back into the confines and relative security of the store …but; along with that thought came a certain disquiet if he had of done so.&nbsp; His cowardice before him had done nothing to quieten the shades and the nightmares and no matter how far he ran, that was the one thing that kept pace.<br><br>Marcus crossed the open space of the car park as quickly and sure footedly as he could, all the while his gaze trying to pierce through the ink of storm fed darkness that created an unnatural mire before his eyes,&nbsp; his shotgun cradled in his arms with his finger poised against the trigger guard.&nbsp; He lacked the acuity or the technology to see much further into the shadowy mire and entrusted the deeper vigil of his surroundings to Kristie and the green glow of her night vision.&nbsp; As he closed against the car he turned and pressed his back against the wing as he squatted on his haunches; alternating between glancing across the hood to the hospital and back the way he had come.&nbsp; Looking back he tried to see what Kristie was doing, but other that the shifting shadow of her form, nothing else was clear to him; a part of him was filed with curiosity as to exactly what Kristie had set in motion, but he had his suspicions as to what her endeavours were&nbsp; toiling towards.<br><br>He was jolted from his thoughts as she approached him through the darkness, her poise and movement reeked of far more professionalism than his clumsy crossing towards the cover afforded by the stranded cars. He nodded softly as the sound of her voice whispered through the headset; “I’m ready, as ready as I am ever going to be”&nbsp; Marcus pushed upwards with his legs as he slid into an upright position against the side of the car and he turned to take in the view of the hospital, down here on the ground it looked even more imposing and filled with threat, the exact nature of which they were close to discovering; He lifted his shotgun into what he hoped was a more professional position though likely more to inspire readiness and confidence within himself as to instil the same in his comrade.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Destiny Ascension</strong> on <strong>22-02-2009, 20:34:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kristie looked back at Markus with a solemn look on her face. The worry of him getting hurt and it being her fault was beginning to surface, much later than she figured these types of doubts would arise. It was just nerves, but nervous people usually survived a lot longer than stupid people. Then again, smart people survived the longest out of all of them, or at least conventional wisdom would hold. Then again, smart people organized the California evacuation and that flopped like none other, so Kristie no longer trusted anything but her instincts. Instinct had led her to this town, and thus had led her to this position. Be it fate or just luck, Kristie wasn't sure which she could attribute her suvival too other than a purpose for something. <br><br>A quick and final look around, Kristie tugged on Markus' shirt and waved him forward with her. Kristie slowly rose to a low walk and make a quick but quiet sprint towards the other side of the street from the Home Depot. The bodies were still among the cars, blood had washed all along the road, though Kristie couldn't see it, she knew it was there. There was a strong smell coming from the dead, but Kristie paid little attention as she weaved through several bushes and climbed over a small fence on the other side of the building facing the Home Depot. Only a few minutes of moving had already laid them within eye sight of the hospital. The darkness wasn't something Kristie was focusing on, but for the sake of Markus' lack of equipment like herself, Kristie took it very slowly and constantly made sure he was okay. On the way, the body of the woman Kristie had stabbed earlier in the day was still in the middle of the road. Kristie's heart sank again, but she forced herself to tear her gaze from the body and to the front door of the hospital.<br><br>A quick dash across another street and a vault over a short concrete wall later, Kristie found herself staring at the main doors of the hospital. Which were wide open. Her heart jumped into her throat, and her pulse quickened substantially. She had closed the doors after her own visit to the hospital earlier in the day. She cursed and looked at Markus, fishing something out of her pocket and handing it to him. It was a high powered LED Flashlight she carried, it had a velcro strap on it which formed back in a circle. "<strong>Strap that to your shotgun as tight as you can and fasten it down, its extremely bright so don't shine it in my face or in yours. The doors are open, that means someone is home. Watch the hospital door for my light, when you see my light, then come. If you don't see it, or you hear me shoot but not come out, get back to the Home Depot. There is a spare set of explosive detonators on my table, its the car starter with white tape on the back. Alright?</strong>" Kristie nodded, switching her M16A4 to safe and quickly pushing it around to her back, yanking her shotgun out of its sheath on her back.<br><br>Kristie fiddled with the night vision on her head for a second and flipped it up, turning the goggles off with a quick flip of the switch. She blinked stupidly a few times trying to get her eyes used to the darkness. It was pitch black for her for a few moments, she looked at Markus and winked, pumping her shotgun once and looking down at the light and deciding to leave it off for now. "<strong>Oh, and don't turn that thing on outside. If you shine it back at the Home Depot, Dinah and Jake might thing were being invaded by aliens, it is VERY bright...</strong>" Kristie couldn't stress it enough, these lights were meant to cover entire fields, basically the portable version of a high powered spotlight, only smaller for closer quarters operations. Literally blinding directly on the eyes, it was useful in hostage situations. "<strong>Be careful, and if I don't signal you, then get back to the Home Depot. Good luck.</strong>" Kristie nodded finally, looking back at the hospital and down the steep hill leading down towards the front door. <br><br>Slowly, Kristie began to move down the hill. She didn't go far, before she dropped to a knee and began pushing herself. The rain slicked, muddy hill simply let her slide down with great speed. She decended the hill in under a couple of seconds, transitioning to a sprint as the hill leveled out. Without stopping, Kristie dashed to the hospital doors and stopped just outside, pushing the small glass door aside, Kristie stepped in and quickly flipped the LED on the barrel of her gun on with a quiet click, sweeping from side to side in the lobby. She had never really looked at the hospital hard, but the entire lobby was covered in papers and various other hospital items. Kristie lowered her shotgun and switched off the light. The lobby went black, and Kristie fished around in her various pouched and webgear until she pulled out a small glow stick. Referred as chem-lights, Kristie quickly cracked one and the entire room filled with a bright green glow, she chucked it into the center of the room, turning around and walking back to the door, sticking her head out and proping her shotgun up and away from where she knew Markus was, or at least pointed her weapon towards where she knew he wasn't. She flicked the LED on and off several times, and then retreated back inside.<br><br>The view was, to say the least, discomforting. Hospitals, bastions of hope and safety, this hospital was reduced to chaos. The floors were mud covered, the walls were covered in papers and photographs of people, but one stood out to her most obviously. Kristie walked over to a large white board in front of the nurses station. Kristie pegged this as the ER entrance, several examination rooms were on both sides and two heavy doors were between them at the inside. Kristie pulled a small piece of paper off the white board, and turned around, letting the chem-light light the page.<br><br><em>ATTENTION CITIZENS<br><br>Mercy General Hospital is officially now under police lock down. Sherrif Book has ordered the hospital closed due to extreme unrest and violence on the upper floors. If you see this message, Doctor Michael's clinic is now the main location to go if you are in need of medical attention, the address is-</em>, Kristie squinted to see the rest of the note, but couldn't. It was smeared with blood.<br><br>Kristie sighed and let the page fall to the ground, she looked around and glanced into one of the examination rooms by chance. She saw something that caught her immediate attention, it looked like a suitcase. With her shotgun at the ready position, Kristie walked slowly towards the door and pushed it open with her free hand. Her blood curled and she felt a rush of goosebumps run along her arms. The entire examination room was filled with suitcases, bags and other traveling gear. Some were open, clothes and toiletries. Kristie bit her lip and shook her head, turning back around and walking over the nurses station. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>24-02-2009, 20:39:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Unaware of their companions' exit, Dinah's caught up in the moment-- enjoying the comfort of another human's skin against her own, of the simple rush of the blood in her own body as she feels Jake shedding the pants from his legs as she straddles him.&nbsp; There's the reassurance of life, the excitement of arousal and the security of another's body along hers as she feels his erection pressing against her-- a moment's hesitation, something she casts aside rapidly as she buries her face into his for a fiery, hungry kiss.&nbsp; <br><br>Her lips work against his, opening, closing like a suckling babe, punctuated by the light flicker of her tongue as she explores between his lips.&nbsp; Her hands rest on his shoulders as she leans over him, then glide down across the broad muscular chest before she allows the kiss to break-- ending it only with the promise that more will come.&nbsp; Her mouth works down from his ear along the side of his throat, leaving a trail of lip-caressed skin and small nips with her teeth along the ridges of muscle and the long, lean abdomen... her hair, cool with the damp, trails over his stomach before she reaches the soft, wiry pubic hair with her kisses, and she's not reluctant to proceed. <br><br>With her mouth open, she exhales a long, hot breath along the base before wrapping her lips around the side of his member, sliding them up along the shaft's side until she reaches his head.&nbsp; Her tongue glides along the crest before she engulfs it with her lips, and the salty, clean taste of the tiny pearl of pre-cum at the tip tastes like life.&nbsp; She wraps her hands around him, desperate for the feeling of need to be fulfilled.&nbsp; One hand grips, steadies his base, and her hot, wet-velvet mouth engulfs him.&nbsp; She kneads at his sac, rolling the glands there along her fingers' splay as she begins to pump with her hand, gently suckling with her mouth as she bobs her head, slowly, in counter-rhythm.&nbsp; <br><br>She's a college girl... she's done this before, he can easily tell, but what he'd never guess from her apparent comfort with the act is just how <i>few</i> times she's done this.&nbsp; He can feel the muscles in her mouth and throat work as she swallows, then intensifies her efforts, bobbing on his shaft with a slowly accelerating insistence, the wet sounds of his cock in her lips muffled momentarily by a soft moan in her throat.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>26-02-2009, 00:11:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake's rolled back into his head as he savored the sensation of Dinah's lips as they worked down his body from his ear.&nbsp; He enjoyed feeling the soft warmth of her lips contrasted with the hard pressure of her teeth against his skin.&nbsp; His mind totally drifted away from his two other companions on the roof or wherever else they might be.&nbsp; As far as he was concerned the universe itself was only slightly larger than their makeshift loft.&nbsp; <br><br>He felt her lips leave him for a second before the heat of her breath washed against his hard shaft.&nbsp; It twitched in anticipation and unconsciously he elevated his hips slightly.&nbsp; "Ohh now you're just teasing," he moaned just before her lips wrapped around him and slid them up to the now enlarged head.&nbsp; He could feel the tip of her tongue and squirmed a little before she gripped him and pulled him into her mouth.&nbsp; "Ohh, God yesss," he groaned as she worked her magic on his neither regions.&nbsp; <br><br>"Fuck...fucking amazing..." he babbled as what little blood remained in his brain started to drain away.&nbsp; It had been a long time since he had a blowjob, and a hell of a long time since he had one this good.&nbsp; The last few that he could remember were almost mechanical in nature; completely devoid of passion or lust as if the woman was trying to remember what was on TV that night while she bobbed up and down.&nbsp; But this was something else.&nbsp; He could feel her mouth working him and hear the wet slurps and low moans that drove him wild.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake finally opened his eyes to look down at the beautiful woman bobbing up and down on his cock.&nbsp; He braced himself up slightly with one hand and used his free arm to reach down and lightly caress her shoulder.&nbsp; He could feel the cool silkiness of her hair on his hand.&nbsp; He slid his hand up her neck and over her head, letting the soft threads slip through his fingers.&nbsp; His cock flared in her mouth as she worked and he knew he didn't have much time left before she pushed him over the edge.&nbsp; He looked down at her and smiled, "You're so fucking beautiful," he gasped.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake new he was approaching his limit and was a little ashamed by it.&nbsp; Back in college he took pride in being able to impress his girlfriends with his endurance, but that was a long time ago.&nbsp; It's amazing what the end of the world can do for libido when you think that this might actually be the last time.&nbsp; "I can't take much more of this," he groaned as he tried to force his mind to baseball or circuit design to prolong the feeling as long as possible.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>01-03-2009, 03:37:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dinah's rapid breathing through her nostrils tickles his skin as she works on him, her hand pumping a steady counter-stroke to each subtle bob of her head.&nbsp; Her full lips glide along the shaft to nearer the base then and she swallows, letting him feel that wetness and heat in her mouth contract and release as she does so.&nbsp; <br><br>When he speaks, she answers, breaking the contact for the briefest moment, and after lapping the base of his head once, she smiles at his heaving-chest in silhouette before her.&nbsp; "Good," she says after a ragged breath, then engulfs him again, renewing her pace and working at him with hungry fervor, her free hand gripping his arm for leverage as she dips her head again and again, squeezing and pumping her hand along him and wanting fiercely to feel him come.<br><br>Clearly... she's not interested in being impressed with his stamina.&nbsp; She wants him to feel good, and by god she's not taking 'no' for an answer.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>01-03-2009, 21:20:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Dinah's response and her renewed oral assault was too much for Jake to bare.&nbsp; With a loud moan his cock flared twice in her mouth before it finally released.&nbsp; "Oh Goddd, err..ahhhhh," he stuttered as he pulsed several more times as he dug his fingers into the makeshift mattress.&nbsp; Finally spent, he collapsed back onto the bed and tried to catch his breath.&nbsp; "You are...way...too...good at that," he mumbled between pants.&nbsp; He rested for a few moments, letting his pulse and respiration come down from their high.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake opened his eyes and looked down in the pale light at the young, naked woman.&nbsp; The tip of his tongue ran along his top lip as he stared down at her.&nbsp; "Hrmmm, now it's my turn to return the favor," he growled.&nbsp; "Ever since you mentioned that laser treatment, I've wanted to give you an...intimate inspection.&nbsp; Just lie down and let me show you what I can do."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>09-03-2009, 17:15:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Swallowing at first out of automated reaction, then again as Jake finished out of desire to do so, Dinah's full lips eased back to his tip as he relaxed, the easing of tension seeming to let him sink down into the mats.&nbsp; She drug her fingers through one side of her hair, sweeping the nearly-dry tresses over one shoulder as she tips her face to the side to clean him, to savor the salty musk of his cum from off his glistening skin.&nbsp; She then eases back up along his body, reaching one arm over him to stroke his bare chest-- through her tight t-shirt, he can feel the pebbles of her nipples on the firm, upturned breasts, and without protest she stares wide-eyed at the features of him she can make out in the darkness.&nbsp; She ducks her shoulders and lifts her knees, and the black cotton panties glide off of her legs and over her feet.<br><br>She wants to speak, to tell him she hadn't meant to sound like such a tart when she'd mentioned it, but she couldn't really speak-- all she could do was stare, peel her t-shirt off her upper body, so that as they seemed to stretch up until the t-shirt was clear, her breasts bounced free eagerly.&nbsp; A thin silver chain was disappearing under the shirt, some sort of tiny metal charms on it, and she spreads her hair up and away from her shoulders in a wide fan on the mat so that the necklace doesn't get tangled.&nbsp; Now submissive, yielding complete control to him for the moment, she's breathing a little faster than normally, and perhaps trembling very slightly, though not from cold.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>10-03-2009, 04:30:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake spends a few moments admiring Dinah's now completely naked body.&nbsp; His hands reach up and gently cup the now free breasts.&nbsp; He smiles as he feels the soft, warm flesh under his hands.&nbsp; His fingers wander and savor the difference between the velvety globes and the hard bumps of her nipples.&nbsp; He lets out a low growl and shifts his hands to her shoulders.<br><br>With a surprisingly quick movement, Jake pulls Dinah body down on top of him.&nbsp; The tip of his re-hardening cock teases the edge of her lips as he savors the feeling of her naked body against his.&nbsp; Before he gets too comfortable, he rolls over, putting Dinah on her back and then shifts her back to the center of the bed.&nbsp; Now looming above her, he leans over and kisses her neck, just below the right ear.&nbsp; His lips work their way down her neck, over her collar bone, and down her chest.&nbsp; As he continues to slip down, he teases her right nipple with his tongue.&nbsp; At first he just flicks it with his tip a few times before gently circling it.&nbsp; He releases his hot breath on the now damp nipple before sucking it into his mouth.&nbsp; He savors the taste of her sweet skin for a while as his tongue plays over her little nub.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake releases Dinah's nipple and his mouth continues its trip down her body.&nbsp; He traces the line of her stomach muscles to her navel and then down further.&nbsp; As he reaches her mound, he pushes her legs apart and lowers his body between them.&nbsp; He gives her a long, slow kiss just where her lips begin to split; relishing in the perfectly smooth skin.&nbsp; He shifts lower and presses his lips against hers before darting his tongue out between both sets to get a taste of her and see how wet she is.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>16-03-2009, 03:21:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As Jake takes control, Dinah relinquishes it willingly-- she gasps, though, makes a sound almost like a cry of stifled pain as his member glides between the outer folds of her sex-- She bucks her hips instinctively, but also twists them away-- "no," she hisses. "not-- not yet.&nbsp; I'm not ready for... that."&nbsp; <br><br>But as his kisses find her breasts-- firm, youthful, like apples in his palm, her nipples pert little nubs to his tongue, that moment's nervous avoidance is forgotten and she lets out a soft cry and strokes his short hair as she breathes deep, ragged breaths. Her skin's smooth, and he can feel the subtle ridges of her abdominals, the taut crescents of her thigh muscles-- god, she's in exceptional shape, and-- true to her word-- below her navel he finds the skin as bare and soft as kid leather, with no tickle of hair but a tuft of blonde hair the size of a half-dollar.<br><br>And she's wet-- he'd noticed that immediately when he first glanced along those healthy young labia, but when he parts those lips with his tongue, he's rewarded with a wet, warm flow-- youth, eagerness, nervousness and desperation mingling in a physical readiness far beyond necessity.<br><br>"Jake," she says softly, her breasts rising and falling with gasping breath.&nbsp; "I don't want to die."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>18-03-2009, 02:58:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake savors the warm, wet sensation of her soft lips against his tongue when he heard her speak.&nbsp; He stopped moving for a second as he tried to think of a reply.&nbsp; It was a little deep for his normal pillow talk and he wanted to choose his words very carefully so as not to ruin what was looking to be the best evening he'd had in months.&nbsp; <br><br>"You're not going to die," Jake replied in a deep voice as he lifted his head up from Dinah's delicate folds.&nbsp; "If we're smart, and careful there is no reason why we can't make it through this in one piece."&nbsp; He paused again to contemplate his next step.&nbsp; "We have a well secured shelter, with plenty of materials to build almost anything we could need.&nbsp; There's enough canned food and Twinkies in that WalMart across the road to keep us going for months, if not years.&nbsp; By then, we'll work something more permanent out.&nbsp; Plus we have each other to depend on."&nbsp; <br><br>Jake gently lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on her lips and let his tongue dart between to flick once against her clit, before lifting his lips up to speak, "It may be dangerous out there, but we have to keep living our lives and taking what joy we can in here."&nbsp; He smiled and lowered his head again into her warm, lush pussy.&nbsp; He pushes his lips between hers and uses the tip of his tongue to lightly trace up and down her delicate inner folds.&nbsp; His strong arms wrap around her legs as he pulls her towards him; hoping his ministrations are enough to distract her from the hell that lies outside the walls.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>29-03-2009, 01:28:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As Jake takes her full-on, Dinah lets out a ragged sigh of pleasure.&nbsp; "Twinkies and Wally-world," she manages as she presses the heel of her hand to her forehead.&nbsp; Her eyes are closed, her body giving in as she arches her back, "you sure know the way to a girl's heart."&nbsp; She grins up at the dark before sensation makes speech improbable, if not impossible, and she just eases out a soft little cry, almost like the sounds one would make in adoration of an adorable animal, but breathier, hungrier.&nbsp; <br><br>Her free hand grips the edge of the cushion beneath her bare bottom and she wraps one leg around Jake's upper back, then inhales sharply at Jake's intimate kiss.&nbsp; Her body responds with a brief rush of fluid... she licks her lips and breathes steadily, quickly, the taste of Jake's come still on her tongue.&nbsp; She wants to encourage him or thank him or anything, but she can't really bring herself to words, nothing to interrupt the sensation, the cradling darkness, the pulse in the dark.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>31-03-2009, 04:21:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake continues his attack as he hears Dinah sighing in pleasure.&nbsp; The tip of his tongue circles twice around her clit before it slowly slides down her inner lips.&nbsp; It teases around her wet portal before widening and pulling with heavy pressure back up to the top of her slit.&nbsp; He can feel her arousal grow with the heat radiated towards his face and the movement of her hips.&nbsp; <br><br>His tongue laps from bottom to top over her clit as his powerful hands squeeze her firm legs and enjoy their soft warmth.&nbsp; Part of him still can't believe that this beautiful, young woman is in his arms.&nbsp; He lets out a low growl and intensifies his work.&nbsp; He uses his tip to flick back and forth rapidly on her clit; faster and faster he works.&nbsp; Then he jumps to a firm, hard rotational lick before bouncing back to the rapid flicks.&nbsp; He continues on, alternating back and forth between fast, rapid flicks and hard forceful licks trying to push her towards climax before he takes things farther.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ixy</strong> on <strong>02-04-2009, 13:57:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There's a creak of metal from the metal rack as Dinah shifts her weight, responding to Jake's efforts enthusiastically.&nbsp; Her body trembles slightly, tenses, then goes more rigid-- with her back pressed flat to the pads, the whole of her body shifts gears and she starts to climax.&nbsp; &nbsp;At first, it's clear from her breathing, which changes from deep hesitating sighing to a rapid panting that brings with it the vocal tone of repeated, soft cries.&nbsp; The orgasm lights up her motor control like an electric current then, and besides the shivering and bucking of her hips, her back arches up off the bedding and lean legs tense, clench, and spasm.&nbsp; Her clitoris twitches, there's a rush of wetness, and then the darkness explodes into blossoms of colors-- she forces her eyes to stay open, and her throat stays open as well, emitting high-throated cries of pleasure, sounds so close to those of pain...<br><br>The throbbing and pulsing subsides gradually, peaking and easing once and again before subsiding to the molten sensation of afterglow-- and her fingers, where they were frantically searching for a grip at Jake's bristly hair, now relax to a steady, tender caress along the side of his throat.&nbsp; "Jesus..."&nbsp; she says between needy gulps of breath.&nbsp; Not much for poetry or pillow-talk, she can't form any other thoughts to words, and wonders, with a sudden self-consciousness, if Kristie or Marcus heard her.<br><br>Memory, at moments like this, can be a bit deceptive, but she's pretty sure she'd been loud.&nbsp; "C'mere, Jake..." with both hands now, she reaches for his shoulders, tries to guide him up to her face, to lay beside her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: [EX] Do the Living Envy the Dead?</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>general9991824</strong> on <strong>03-04-2009, 04:44:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jake and his face ride through Dinah's bucking and writhing; licking all the way until the wave or orgasm crests and fades away.&nbsp; He stops licking and just holder her in his mouth gently.&nbsp; He can feel the ever so small twitches of her body finally relaxing from its climax and enjoys the sensation of her soft fingers on his head and neck.&nbsp; He eventually raises his body up and discretely wipes his mouth on his nearby discarded pants.&nbsp; <br><br>Jake smiles up at Dinah in the dim ambient light and she pulls him up towards her.&nbsp; His hot, sweaty body slides up her toned frame as they come face to face.&nbsp; He gives her a soft kiss on the lips and then rolls to the right to lay beside her.&nbsp; There is a slight breeze through the building that he can feel on his damp skin.&nbsp; A part of his mind wonders if the walls are drafty or if the wind is caused by the open roof door.&nbsp; Suddenly the other side of his brain wakes up and mentally smacks him around.&nbsp; *Idiot!&nbsp; You're laying next to a beautiful, NAKED, woman and you're worried about a draft?!?* Jake thought to himself before refocusing on the task at hand.&nbsp; <br><br>"You can be a little bucking bronco once you get going," Jake chuckles as he leans on his side to watch her silhouette in the dim light and give her a little time to recover.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
		</dl>
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