[Make the long, ten-or-so mile run back to Laredo.]
I don't know if going out now could be dangerous for Jerry and Stephen, but who knows how long this storm lasts and how long they would have to stay inside the farmhouse, if they decide to stay. I recently rewatched Episode 10 from the 5th season of the show, where the group had to defend the barn they were staying in against a large group of walkers, whom they almost haven't noticed until it was too late, because a thunderstorm was raging on at the same time and I think if Jerry and Stephen manage to get into similar danger during their stay at the farmhouse, they will be dead meat. Any situation that could end with them being trapped in this house would be extremely dangerous for them. I also don't want to risk a possible searching party from Laredo to get hurt while they look for them, so while this option will be highly uncomfortable for Jerry and Stephen, it sounds ultimately safer for everyone, them included.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 1)
“Twenty-two cans of pineapple… about 280 calories per can… 6160 total.” The man … moreturned the can to look at the bright, colorful picture on the label and he sighed distastefully while he returned it to the shelf to sit with its fellow cans of pineapple. He wrote what he had just said down on a clipboard and moved onto adding everything in the room up.
The total amount of calories in storage was about 2784210. With fifty-eight people in the community, rounding the amount of calories needed daily per person to 1000, the storeroom would be empty in sooner than forty-eight days. The scavengers were bringing in whatever they could find, and over the course of a week they found about a few days worth of food collectively -- the majority of which being inedible -- that now gave them about an extra week. The gardens in the southern hub brought roughly 70 pounds of food in pre week for the p… [view original content]
[Make the long, ten-or-so mile run back to Laredo.] In my opinion, this is probably one of the safest times to travel. Most people will take cover from the storm, so they (In my opinion) are more likely to have an unfriendly run-in at the farmhouse than out on the road. Though in the same sense, your own abilities will be hindered to the point of limited sight and hearing, so it's almost a lose-lose win-win thing. And as Stephen said, everyone else is out looking for him, they are liable to get hurt or lost or something.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 1)
“Twenty-two cans of pineapple… about 280 calories per can… 6160 total.” The man … moreturned the can to look at the bright, colorful picture on the label and he sighed distastefully while he returned it to the shelf to sit with its fellow cans of pineapple. He wrote what he had just said down on a clipboard and moved onto adding everything in the room up.
The total amount of calories in storage was about 2784210. With fifty-eight people in the community, rounding the amount of calories needed daily per person to 1000, the storeroom would be empty in sooner than forty-eight days. The scavengers were bringing in whatever they could find, and over the course of a week they found about a few days worth of food collectively -- the majority of which being inedible -- that now gave them about an extra week. The gardens in the southern hub brought roughly 70 pounds of food in pre week for the p… [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 2)
Ashley Baker
The storm had evolved into a torrential downpour in a matter of minutes. Rain stuck Ashley sideways and the yellow raincoat didn’t seem to help at all. The river was flowing faster than it normally did, with debris becoming more and more common, though still sparse.
“Any word on Jerry?” Ashley relieved the pressure on the button and waited impatiently in the cold, uncomfortable rain.
Josephine’s voice jumped through the walkie-talkie, almost completely drowned out by the wind, and she said grimly, “No signs of Jerry. Jake said he, Maria, and Danny are taking shelter at the house of the sniper. An old friend of Maria’s, apparently.”
Ashley sighed. “Josie… it’s time to take shelter too. Jerry’s probably doing exactly what Jake is. Staying out here is dangerous. Besides, everyone is either hunkered down at Fairweather or in their own homes at this point.”
”I know, I’ll--” The sudden stop made Ashley nervous. *“There’s something coming down the river. It just went under the bridge. I think it’s-- it’s a raft!
Ashley ran to the railing and started scanning for the bridge in the distance. It wasn’t even visible. Coupled with the darkness of dusk, the veil of rain became too thick to see past several yards. “Is there anything on the raft?”
”I don’t know exactly!” she said, almost yelling to get her voice through the sound of the storm. “It looked like it had something on it. But i-i-it looked human!”
“Shit.” Ashley began struggling to remove the carbine from under her raincoat and immediately turned on the flashlight attachment. It penetrated the darkness and rain with its bright glow, giving her another few feet of visibility. She moved it across the water like a spotlight. “I won’t be able to stop it, my catch pole is broken.”
”Shit.” Josephine sighed, but it was mostly drowned out by the rain. ”Can you at least confirm if it’s a person? Or at the very least alive?”
“I’ll try!” She waited for another few thirty seconds and the raft entered her range vision. There was a body tied down. What appeared to be a man was more than worse for wear. He looked dehydrated and possibly sunburned. She held the button again. “There’s a person on it, but they’re either dead or dying!”
“Ashley - I know this is going to hard to hear - but there’s nothing you can do to help without your catch pole. So, you’re right, it’s time to take shelter—the storm is only getting worse.”
“Like hell I am,” Ashley shoot back. “I’m an alright swimmer. Eh.. and the water isn’t flowing too badly.”
”Okay. Let’s say you jump in for a rescue mission. That’s, like a drop of twenty or thirty feet into an overflowing river.” Josephine paused to let it sink in, but Ashley just continued following the raft as it threatened to pass under Bridge Two in another ”If you get hurt and can’t save yourself, you’ll get washed away and I won’t be able to find you.”
Ashley hoped the center barrier and ran to the other railing, peering over in hopes that the raft would pass right under her. She struggled to keep the walkie-talkie close enough to her ear while she stripped herself of the raincoat and the jacket. “I see your point. But don’t doubt my skills. I have mad swimming skills.”
”Ashley, don’t fucking do it.”
“Do me a favor by radioing Tom, and tell him I’ll be aiming for the northern bank.”
With that, Ashley placed the walkie-talkie under her discarded clothes to drown out Josephine on the other end and finally kicked off her shoes. She detached the flashlight from the carbine and shined it once again at the water just in front of the bridge and waited until the raft come out from under it.
She climbed over the railing and stood on the thin, outer edge as it appeared in roughly the same spot as she expected. Ashley took one final, decisive breath and then she jumped feet-first into the water. After being in the rain for awhile, the coldness of the water wasn’t much of a shock to her body, and she quickly broke the surface.
Blinking the water from her eyes, Ashley spotted the mass of wood floating ahead of her and began swimming towards it. She took hold of it and the body didn’t have a reaction. Not a great sign. Pushing the raft downriver at a slight angle, the rushing water took her another thirty yards before she gained a solid footing on the American side of the river.
Ashley struggled to pull the heavy mess of chopped logs and rope onto the shore. Once it was finally free of the water’s pull, she collapsed into the mud on her back and breathed heavily. Ashley pushed herself up and looked at the water just in time to see another mass float by: it was a walker that writhed and struggled to no avail.
She took another half-minute to catch her breath before she pushed herself on her feet and tried to get a look at the man tied to the raft. In the grimly heavy rain, void of almost all light, she couldn’t guess his ethnicity, let alone the color of his shirt. He appeared to have dark hair and castaway-like shadow. More importantly: he had a faint pulse.
She saw what looked like two sporadic tracers approaching in the darkness behind her, piercing the rain with white light, blinding her until the people shining the flashlights were right on top of her.
“You fucking bitch!” someone shouted. Ashley was sudden embraced, much to her own surprise, by Josephine. “Don’t do shit like that again.”
“I’m not gonna argue,” Ashley managed barely. “But I’d say it paid off. He’s alive.”
The second person entered the circle and kneeled in front of the raft. It was Tommy. He appeared to touch the near-dead man’s neck to confirm it, then he looked at Ashley and Josephine with wide eyes. “It only pays off if this guy makes it through the night. We have to get him to Fairweather. Calvin’s there, right?”
“All of our medical supplies - the things that’ll be necessary to save him - are at the infirmary,” Josephine brought up. “I can get him hooked up to an iv, easy.”
“I don’t doubt your amateur doctoring skills, Josie. But if we do one thing wrong, we could very well kill him.” Tommy looked for a way to untie the man and seemed frustrated as he failed to find one. “How heavy is this?”
Ashley shrugged. “I pulled it ashore without any problems.”
Tommy drew his machete and started hacking away the rope that tied one of the outer logs to the rest without warning. “We’ll minimize the weight and use it as a makeshift stretcher.”
“Alright. But we still haven’t decided where we’re going,” Josephine said. “I say the infirmary.”
“Fairweather,” Tommy replied decisively, swinging the blade into the ropes on the opposite side of the raft this time.
“Can’t we just move onto the other if one doesn’t work out?” Ashley questioned.
Tommy shook his head. “Probably not. In this weather, we’ll be lucky to reach one destination.”
“Then it’s one or the other,” Josephine concluded. “I’m for the infirmary, he’s all for going to Fairweather—but what about you Ashley?”
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 2)
Ashley Baker
The storm had evolved into a torrential downpour in a matter of … moreminutes. Rain stuck Ashley sideways and the yellow raincoat didn’t seem to help at all. The river was flowing faster than it normally did, with debris becoming more and more common, though still sparse.
“Any word on Jerry?” Ashley relieved the pressure on the button and waited impatiently in the cold, uncomfortable rain.
Josephine’s voice jumped through the walkie-talkie, almost completely drowned out by the wind, and she said grimly, “No signs of Jerry. Jake said he, Maria, and Danny are taking shelter at the house of the sniper. An old friend of Maria’s, apparently.”
Ashley sighed. “Josie… it’s time to take shelter too. Jerry’s probably doing exactly what Jake is. Staying out here is dangerous. Besides, everyone is either hunkered down at Fairweather or in their own homes at this point.”
”I … [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 2)
Ashley Baker
The storm had evolved into a torrential downpour in a matter of … moreminutes. Rain stuck Ashley sideways and the yellow raincoat didn’t seem to help at all. The river was flowing faster than it normally did, with debris becoming more and more common, though still sparse.
“Any word on Jerry?” Ashley relieved the pressure on the button and waited impatiently in the cold, uncomfortable rain.
Josephine’s voice jumped through the walkie-talkie, almost completely drowned out by the wind, and she said grimly, “No signs of Jerry. Jake said he, Maria, and Danny are taking shelter at the house of the sniper. An old friend of Maria’s, apparently.”
Ashley sighed. “Josie… it’s time to take shelter too. Jerry’s probably doing exactly what Jake is. Staying out here is dangerous. Besides, everyone is either hunkered down at Fairweather or in their own homes at this point.”
”I … [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 2)
Ashley Baker
The storm had evolved into a torrential downpour in a matter of … moreminutes. Rain stuck Ashley sideways and the yellow raincoat didn’t seem to help at all. The river was flowing faster than it normally did, with debris becoming more and more common, though still sparse.
“Any word on Jerry?” Ashley relieved the pressure on the button and waited impatiently in the cold, uncomfortable rain.
Josephine’s voice jumped through the walkie-talkie, almost completely drowned out by the wind, and she said grimly, “No signs of Jerry. Jake said he, Maria, and Danny are taking shelter at the house of the sniper. An old friend of Maria’s, apparently.”
Ashley sighed. “Josie… it’s time to take shelter too. Jerry’s probably doing exactly what Jake is. Staying out here is dangerous. Besides, everyone is either hunkered down at Fairweather or in their own homes at this point.”
”I … [view original content]
I was expecting this, sooner or later. After all, it was hinted at the very end of Act 2, when the creepy guy with the fox mask nailed this man to a raft and sent him down his way to Laredo. I am intrigued by who this man is, why he got punished by the fox-mask guy and I wonder if this means that the storyline in Laredo and the Colorado storyline get connected sooner or later.
[Find Calvin at Fairweather Hotel.]
The infirmary does not sound too bad, but Tommy brought up a good point. Josie is at best an amateur, while Calvin is a real doctor, who has the skills that are necessary to save this mans life. I mean, he should be pretty close to death by now and I think a real doctor should look at him as soon as possible.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 2)
Ashley Baker
The storm had evolved into a torrential downpour in a matter of … moreminutes. Rain stuck Ashley sideways and the yellow raincoat didn’t seem to help at all. The river was flowing faster than it normally did, with debris becoming more and more common, though still sparse.
“Any word on Jerry?” Ashley relieved the pressure on the button and waited impatiently in the cold, uncomfortable rain.
Josephine’s voice jumped through the walkie-talkie, almost completely drowned out by the wind, and she said grimly, “No signs of Jerry. Jake said he, Maria, and Danny are taking shelter at the house of the sniper. An old friend of Maria’s, apparently.”
Ashley sighed. “Josie… it’s time to take shelter too. Jerry’s probably doing exactly what Jake is. Staying out here is dangerous. Besides, everyone is either hunkered down at Fairweather or in their own homes at this point.”
”I … [view original content]
Okay, I see this as long term vs short term. Short term you will get him to the infirmary and keep his vitals going, long term you get him to Calvin and Calvin does magic. Right now, we need him alive, not well.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 2)
Ashley Baker
The storm had evolved into a torrential downpour in a matter of … moreminutes. Rain stuck Ashley sideways and the yellow raincoat didn’t seem to help at all. The river was flowing faster than it normally did, with debris becoming more and more common, though still sparse.
“Any word on Jerry?” Ashley relieved the pressure on the button and waited impatiently in the cold, uncomfortable rain.
Josephine’s voice jumped through the walkie-talkie, almost completely drowned out by the wind, and she said grimly, “No signs of Jerry. Jake said he, Maria, and Danny are taking shelter at the house of the sniper. An old friend of Maria’s, apparently.”
Ashley sighed. “Josie… it’s time to take shelter too. Jerry’s probably doing exactly what Jake is. Staying out here is dangerous. Besides, everyone is either hunkered down at Fairweather or in their own homes at this point.”
”I … [view original content]
I am unsure with this choice because I think mr.quality has a good point but Tommys line that they could kill the man if they do anything wrong makes me a bit afraid that this could be a bad choice. But Josephine sounds confident that she is good enough to save his life and Im going to trust her.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 2)
Ashley Baker
The storm had evolved into a torrential downpour in a matter of … moreminutes. Rain stuck Ashley sideways and the yellow raincoat didn’t seem to help at all. The river was flowing faster than it normally did, with debris becoming more and more common, though still sparse.
“Any word on Jerry?” Ashley relieved the pressure on the button and waited impatiently in the cold, uncomfortable rain.
Josephine’s voice jumped through the walkie-talkie, almost completely drowned out by the wind, and she said grimly, “No signs of Jerry. Jake said he, Maria, and Danny are taking shelter at the house of the sniper. An old friend of Maria’s, apparently.”
Ashley sighed. “Josie… it’s time to take shelter too. Jerry’s probably doing exactly what Jake is. Staying out here is dangerous. Besides, everyone is either hunkered down at Fairweather or in their own homes at this point.”
”I … [view original content]
(!) Ashley will agree with Josephine and take the man to the infirmary
I've been writing the writing the next parts and, hopefully, it will be out later today or tomorrow, but that's still just an estimate. For those who read Silicon and are wondering when it might return, let me tell you now that I'll probably be focusing solely on Monument for a little while.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 3)
Sasha Levine
The water from the shower head was cold and unpleasant at first, but seeing the dirt and grime wash down the drain was satisfying. She soon threw on a blouse that was several sizes too big and blue jeans that were better fitting. Her yellowish brown graced the sink were her orange hoodie was drying. She had brought it into the shower with her and given it a good wash before hanging it up.
The hotel bathroom was tiny, but past its threshold was a relatively nice hotel room with red carpet and one queen sized bed that had streets that hadn’t been changed in almost a year. She sat on the first bed with slight hesitation. She had been in the wild, on the road, for about one straight month; before that, she was surviving in overrunned San Antonio. The level of comfort in the reclaimed hotel was unexpected. Welcomed, but unexpected.
Sasha picked up a picture she left on the bed and stared at it. It depicted her messing with Jerry’s hair. Both of them were smiling in it. Rising from the bed, she brought it to the window and held it to the grayness of the storm, as opposed to the lit candle’s orange glow. She shook her head. “Where are you, love?”
Jerry Stewart
“Motherfucker!”
Jerry sighed with frustration as he pushed himself off the wet asphalt and attempted to brush off his scraped-up forearms. “Great,” he said one last time as he looked around him. At least he hadn’t lost the road. Stephen stood several yards ahead, waiting for Jerry to get back to his feet, but the ferocity of the storm was threatening to make him vanish.
“Get up,” he urged. “We’re only another five miles out.”
“I am up,” Jerry hissed as he wiped water off of his face.
Scanning their surroundings, Jerry saw several silhouettes encroaching on the outer edge of their range of visibility. They were walkers. Seeming to be freshly reanimated, they withstood the knocking force of the wind and rain as they approached.
Jerry reached for his holster, but he caught a glare from Stephen. “No more guns, you’ll just attract more,” he said. “You know better.”
Jerry gave a small nod as he produced a large knife. He brandished it for a seconds, watching as the water flowed off the blade. He waited until the first of the walkers -- a female with long black hair that made it look like the ghoul from the Grudge -- finally reached him. He stabbed at its skull only to have the knife skid across its forehead. Jerry took a few steps back to restrike when he noticed a satchel around slung over its head and shoulder. He struck again: he kicked its legs out from under it and impaled the back of its head. He grabbed the bag and the dead walker’s hand followed as he pulled, as if it was trying to keep it.
“Rest in peace, lady,” he mumbled.
When Stephen noticed the satchel, he noted: “Aren’t we a bunch of vultures.”
Jerry acknowledged him with a grunt as he threw the satchel over his shoulder then looked onto the next group of walkers that were now several yards away. About ten of them were nearing, but it sounded like there were many more following. “There’s too many to fight with a goddamn knife.”
“Yeah,” Stephen agreed. “It’s time get on our way.”
“Fine.” Jerry sheathed his knife and started running towards Laredo with Stephen following closely behind. He focused on his running cycle and hoped he wouldn’t eat the asphalt again.
“Are you going to check your spoils?” Stephen finally said.
Jerry slowed and nodded as he flipped its lid to look at the contents. There was a small key and several letters that varied in handwriting, sender, and receiver. More notably, there was a small package. “I think she was a courier.”
“Do you think she wandered all the way over here? I don’t think there’s any settlements large enough to have a mail service near us,” Stephen said.
“Unless she wandered all the way here. Maybe there’s some big communities out of state we don’t know about.”
“Maybe she was one of us,” Stephen suggested.
“It’s possible,” Jerry agreed. “I’m out of the circle. I don’t know of any couriers within ours, though.” Jerry closed the satchel before more rain could get inside it. “Anyway, we should pick up the pace.”
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 4)
Ashley Baker
“This guy… he may not have a lot of time left,” Ashley said, still heaving. She pushed herself off the ground and leaned on Josephine. “We need to stabilize him above anything else, except for getting him out of this fucking rain.”
“Fine,” Tommy said. Sliding the machete back into its sheath and testing the weight of the raft by lifting one end, he sighed for relief. “So, who’s taking the other end of this?”
“I got it,” Josephine replied. She positioned herself at the lower end and lifted with Tommy’s help. “Ashley, get the gate and then get your gear.”
She nodded in compliance and ran ahead up the hill, reached over the gate and unlatched it. Stepping to the side as Josephine and Tommy carried the makeshift stretcher through. Ashley shut and latched it and reacquired her shoes, raincoat, flashlight, carbine, and her borrowed jacket that was now thoroughly soaked.
Ashley ran after the two, as they didn’t stop to wait, and reached them as they rounded a corner. They found themselves on a seemingly abandoned street. It was likely that most of the residents had either taken shelter in Fairweather, or had hidden themselves in their own homes.
Josephine didn’t wait long to point out that something was amiss at the end of the block, where darkness had crept up and shrouded the section of wall that was situated there. “There’s supposed to be a light there. The generators must be off. Or the storm fucked them.”
“Do we need them on?” Tommy questioned.
“My guess, they were turned off to prevent damage or harm… you wouldn’t want to be whipped by a live cable in the wind,” Josephine explained.
“But do we need them to help this guy?”
“Hopefully not. Maybe.” Josephine strengthened her grip to keep the stretcher from slipping. “We’ll figure everything out where we get out of the goddamn rain. Ashley, lead the way!”
“Of course.” Ashley switched on the flashlight that was reattached to her carbine on and pointed at the road ahead of them. A sudden cracking sound echoed and she moved the beam of light in its direction. She found a tree be blown to a precarious angle at the end of the street. The sound of wood splitting broke the consistent noise of rain and wind, and about half of the tree fell atop the barrier.
“Is it open?!” Tommy cried through the rain.
Ashley ran closer and stopped about twelve yards away. She shone the light at the wall and grimaced as it illuminated the torn, sharp edges of a sheet of metal. Between the tree and the metal, there was an opening about a foot in diameter. “It’s messed up… but… but I think I can peel the metal back into place to close it temporarily.”
“Do it,” Josephine huffed, “then catch up to us when your done.”
Tommy and Josephine entered a building used as the infirmary and left Ashley to repair the damage done. She ran up to it and, somewhat inadvertently, flashed the light at hole to see a decomposing face approaching the breach. She ignored it for the time being and grabbed some of the twist metal, starting to peel it towards her and covering part of the opening. It took a lot of effort, having to bend it into place, the piece she currently worked suddenly gave in unexpectedly and caused the jagged edge to slice deeply across her right hand.
“Motherfucker!” She back away from the metal, clenching her hand close to her chest. “Close enough,” she hissed as the reanimated bodies started to press themselves against her quickly done handiwork. It quaked slightly under their weight, but it thankfully held.
Ashley expelled a sigh that was a mixed with a relieved laugh and added: “That’s right, bitches! You can’t get past it.”
She looked at her closed hand and slowly opened it, which caused her to grimace as the blood gushed from her palm. Ashley disregarded the intense pain and gripped her carbine to run into the infirmary.
The place was dark and appeared to have been abandoned when the storm hit. Ashley was required to shine the light down a long hallway to find the room Tommy and Josephine had taken the man. Several room doors were left open, and, coupled with the rain and thunder, the entire walk would have felt ominous. But Ashley didn’t give a fuck.
She entered a room where a dim emanated through the doorway. She found them lifting the man onto a bed. The two looked over to her when Ashley’s presence became obvious.
Josephine’s eyes widen when she that Ashley’s hand was covered in blood. “Christ! That isn’t a bite, is it?”
“It’s just a cut,” Ashley replied gruffly. “I got cut on the metal when trying to close the gap. It’s shut, for now, by the way.”
Josephine nodded. “I’ll try to patch you up once we’re sure he’s stable.”
“Alright. I’ll manage until then.” Ashley walked a few steps past Josephine and watched as Tommy tried to wipe the man’s forehead for a damp cloth. The man’s skin was cracking in spots and he looked severely dehydrated. “Why the fuck did someone tie him to a raft?”
“Punishment?” Tommy suggested.
Ashley suddenly remembered the walker that floated down the river earlier, with the mutilated face. “C-check him for markings.”
Tommy nodded and grabbed the man’s shirt collar, he looked up to Josephine for permission and she gave a small nod. He rip the button-up off the man and revealed his bare chest. He was covered lightly carved cuts that formed complex symbols and lines that had healed. In the center of his chest, however, there was a big circular burn where the man had been branded with a large symbol in it.
“Well.” Tommy looked up, exchanging surprised expressions with Josephine and Ashley. “Holy shit.”
Josephine mumbled: “Who would do that to him?”
“Punishment,” Tommy repeated. “Unless… it’s self-inflicted.”
“There is no way I could believe someone could physically do that to themselves,” Josephine hissed.
“Some kind of fucked up ritual, maybe? Who knows this guy’s been through, what he’s done.” Ashley breathed a heavy sigh. “Let’s be cautious, alright? We’ll handcuff him to the bed and--” Lightning flashed outside one of the windows and a loud clap of thunder echoed, interrupting her. “--And we’ll weather this fucking storm.”
“Definitely,” Tom muttered. “Like you said, he’s got a story to tell us. I’m looking forward to it.”
“It’ll be interesting, for sure.” Josephine inclined her head towards the door. “Tommy, come with me to the supply closet to get what we need to keep this poor bastard alive. Ashley, sit tight, we’ll get some stuff for that cut.”
Ashley nodded. “Well, don’t rush yourself. I’m bleeding out, but very slowly.”
“No sarcasm. I haven’t forgiven you for jumping off the goddamn bridge yet.” Josephine turned to the door and paused, looking over her shoulder, she said: “I’m telling on you, you know?”
“Yeah, I figured that was coming. Just don’t undersell my near-heroic sacrifice when you tell Atlanta.” She forced a smile. “And, hey, while you’re out, could bring me some towels so I don’t get sick?”
“I’ll get you some.” Josephine passed through the threshold and caught up with Tommy.
Ashley was left alone in the room with the man. She looked at him and saw his chest rise and low slightly with his shallow breaths. His right hand twitched and the man started gagging and gurgling, then vomit bubbled up from his throat.
“Oh. Oh, fuck!” Ashley stood and rolled the man onto his side and the vomit flowed freely onto the bed and off its edge. Ashley grimaced. “Ew-- Ew, that’s fucking disgusting.”
She waited several seconds and her eyes widened when the she realized the man wasn’t coughing anymore. But she calmed down when it appeared he was just as unconscious as he was before, not dead like she feared.
At Fairweather Hotel...
The hotel withstood the storm without a single problem. The wind punished the windows with a consistent barrage of slanted rain. Masked by the sound of the storm, a radio tower on the roof of the building tilted forward several inches and swayed slightly back when the wind dampened in power. The bolts that fastened the tower to the hotel were pulled further from the roof with each cycle of it being pushed and then falling back into place.
It finally reached a point where the tower was pushed far enough to keep it from fall back, it ripped the remaining bolts from the roof and started on a downwards tumble towards the street. It crashed and crushed itself under its own mass, splitting and twisting as it hit the ground. Scattering the crops and knocking the supports of a nearby wall loose.
To be continued… (The chapter is NOT ending right now or coming to an end very soon. Think of it as sort of a resting point. We’ll pick up with the aftermath next time and the chapter will continue with lovely choices!)
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 3)
Sasha Levine
The water from the shower head was cold and unpleasant at first,… more but seeing the dirt and grime wash down the drain was satisfying. She soon threw on a blouse that was several sizes too big and blue jeans that were better fitting. Her yellowish brown graced the sink were her orange hoodie was drying. She had brought it into the shower with her and given it a good wash before hanging it up.
The hotel bathroom was tiny, but past its threshold was a relatively nice hotel room with red carpet and one queen sized bed that had streets that hadn’t been changed in almost a year. She sat on the first bed with slight hesitation. She had been in the wild, on the road, for about one straight month; before that, she was surviving in overrunned San Antonio. The level of comfort in the reclaimed hotel was unexpected. Welcomed, but unexpected.
Sasha picked up a picture she left … [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 4)
Ashley Baker
“This guy… he may not have a lot of time left,” Ashley said, sti… morell heaving. She pushed herself off the ground and leaned on Josephine. “We need to stabilize him above anything else, except for getting him out of this fucking rain.”
“Fine,” Tommy said. Sliding the machete back into its sheath and testing the weight of the raft by lifting one end, he sighed for relief. “So, who’s taking the other end of this?”
“I got it,” Josephine replied. She positioned herself at the lower end and lifted with Tommy’s help. “Ashley, get the gate and then get your gear.”
She nodded in compliance and ran ahead up the hill, reached over the gate and unlatched it. Stepping to the side as Josephine and Tommy carried the makeshift stretcher through. Ashley shut and latched it and reacquired her shoes, raincoat, flashlight, carbine, and her borrowed jacket that was now thoroughly so… [view original content]
Oh damn... this is not good. Now I'm actually quite glad that Josie, Ashley, Tommy and Raftman went to the infirmary, because it looks like there's going to be hell at Fairweather Hotel. However, I doubt they will be safe at the infirmary and now I am scared. By the way, I have a bad feeling about the Raftman now, for some reason. That line about the scars on his chest potentially being self-inflicted fueled my paranoia. I mean, if he really did this to himself, then he's a complete nutjob and I doubt a complete nutjob can be anything else than a danger for Laredo. On the other hand, the man who nailed him to that raft is certainly a sick bastard and it's just as likely that he is responsible for these wounds. Maybe saving him was a terrible mistake...
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 4)
Ashley Baker
“This guy… he may not have a lot of time left,” Ashley said, sti… morell heaving. She pushed herself off the ground and leaned on Josephine. “We need to stabilize him above anything else, except for getting him out of this fucking rain.”
“Fine,” Tommy said. Sliding the machete back into its sheath and testing the weight of the raft by lifting one end, he sighed for relief. “So, who’s taking the other end of this?”
“I got it,” Josephine replied. She positioned herself at the lower end and lifted with Tommy’s help. “Ashley, get the gate and then get your gear.”
She nodded in compliance and ran ahead up the hill, reached over the gate and unlatched it. Stepping to the side as Josephine and Tommy carried the makeshift stretcher through. Ashley shut and latched it and reacquired her shoes, raincoat, flashlight, carbine, and her borrowed jacket that was now thoroughly so… [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 4)
Ashley Baker
“This guy… he may not have a lot of time left,” Ashley said, sti… morell heaving. She pushed herself off the ground and leaned on Josephine. “We need to stabilize him above anything else, except for getting him out of this fucking rain.”
“Fine,” Tommy said. Sliding the machete back into its sheath and testing the weight of the raft by lifting one end, he sighed for relief. “So, who’s taking the other end of this?”
“I got it,” Josephine replied. She positioned herself at the lower end and lifted with Tommy’s help. “Ashley, get the gate and then get your gear.”
She nodded in compliance and ran ahead up the hill, reached over the gate and unlatched it. Stepping to the side as Josephine and Tommy carried the makeshift stretcher through. Ashley shut and latched it and reacquired her shoes, raincoat, flashlight, carbine, and her borrowed jacket that was now thoroughly so… [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 5)
Jake Morrison
The damage done was unsettlingly calm. As Jake looked through the binoculars at the carnage the fallen radio had inflicted, he exhaled a frustrated hiss of foggy vapor.
“The dead got inside the Southern Hub when the radio tower crushed a barrier. There’s probably about twenty and counting.” Jake lowered the instrument and looked behind him. On the vantage point, about several hundred feet away from the Hub, stood Maira, Danny, and Asher—with his sniper rifle’s shock nestled in his shoulder as he laid prone, surveying the same sight through his high powered scope. “Ash, you can start picking off the dead once we seal the breach, and make sure the shoots don’t cause collateral damage. Maria, Danny, follow me down.”
Asher grunted acknowledgment and had immediately started lining up a shot, although he watched the others from the corner of his eye as they had climbed down off the rooftop via the access ladder.
Jake led the match as the three hurried through the recently deserted, reclaimed part of the city. It was littered with tree branches and especially fallen leaves that were now soggy clumps of plant fiber that had gathered by storm drains and any small indentation or bump that caught them. But the rain had stopped, thankfully, around half an hour ago, at about six a.m.
They neared the hub and found themselves at one of the gates—a checkpoint of sorts to prevent a full-scale infestation if one of the sections fell. Just beyond the gate was the Southern Hub and probably a little more than twenty-five walkers. They left the road and entered a corner house, walking through it until they reached one of many boarded up windows that would allow them to exit the safe zone just beyond the crushed barrier.
It took Jake a few powerful kicks for the plants of wood to loosen, then another for them to detach and hang off their screws. He climbed through the window and Maria and Danny followed him through.
Danny grunted as he hit the ground like a cat and was faced with one of the dead—a lucking corpse, decayed by time and starved. He drew his knife and instinctively slashed at its outstretched arms as it lunged towards him from the ground, partially severing one of its arms at the elbow. No longer caught by surprise, he went in for the killing strike and decisively impaled its head on the blade.
Maria and Jake did much of the same as they made their way towards the breach from the outside. Jake pointed with two fingers towards the last walker to signal Maria to take it out, and she did so with a quick, effective jab.
Danny pulled off his backpack upon arriving at the tore metal that spanned the street, a large section of it open. He and Jake quickly dug through the backpack and retrieved a large, folded canvas tarp while Maria covered their backs with a newly drawn handgun. At that moment, Asher began shooting, covering their front from atop the building in the distance.
“Get the nail gun,” Jake ordered as he started unfolding the thick tarp and draping it over the breach. Danny pulled out the nail gun and started stapling the tarp to the barrier, to whatever parts of it were made of wood.
After a moment stillness, only interrupted by the sound of walkers snarling, Danny pulled Jake away from the barrier. “Asher stopped shooting—they’re too close to shoot without maybe hitting us, which probably means--” A walker pressed itself against the canvas, and the vague imprint of a the corpse’s features were discernible through it.
“C’mon,” Jake urged, gesturing towards the window with his redrawn knife, “let’s start clearing the Hub before they rip it off the barrier.
Maria nodded and holstered her pistol as she climbed into the building, closely followed by Danny and Jake.
After about ten minutes of tiring work, the Southern Hub’s walkers were all put down.
A man approached Jake while he rested on the curb outside the hotel, as others were working to give the barrier a longer lasting solution; it seemed to be over here.
The man started speaking with a noticeable German accent, commenting and gesturing towards the planters with a hand. “It’s a shame—three of the eighteen planters crushed and another six trampled.”
“Kurt!” Jake exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. It was, in fact, the serious yet calm demeanor of Kurt, that hid his underlying friendly personality. He wore a dark jacket and had his hands shoved deeply into its pockets for warmth. “Did you take over the shift at Bridge One for Josephine last night? She’s not here and she wasn’t there.”
“No, sorry.” He sighed deeply, crossing his arms. “But don’t worry, I’m sure she and Ashley took shelter.”
Jake sighed as well. “I’m hopeful. Worried sick, but hopeful.”
Kurt patted his shoulder. “Good.” He then inclined his head towards the north. “Do you want to come across the water to the infirmary with me and Calvin? Danny told me there’s a man whose leg was recently amputated and may need help—among other patients and people who might have taken shelter there.”
“Of course,” Jake said. “The infirmary is probably the likeliest place she went if she’s not on the Mexican side of the water.”
“And just to be clear,” Kurt said, “it’ll likely just be you and Clavin once we get there. I’ll be taking it upon myself to check out the walls and streets for damage and walking corpses.”
“Understood.” Jake turned to find Calvin, but Kurt stopped him by grabbing his sleeve. “Yes?”
“I understand the urgency you’re feeling, what with Josephine involved, but take it easy. I doubt you, or anyone for that matter has gotten any sleep.” Kurt gave a serious look. “Don’t rush into something while groggy.”
“Thanks for the concern. You too, okay?”
“Me?” He chucked softly. “I’ll be fine. Being on the night shift, this isn’t even close to my bedtime.”
“Alright, then. I’ll meet you by the gate,” Jake said, and finally he walked off to look for Calvin, shoving his hands into his pockets as Kurt had.
“I’ll touch base in a while,” Kurt said as he started to back away, still facing Jake and Calvin.
Jake nodded and said, “See you soon,” while watching Kurt jog towards a wall at the end of the street that had a tree fallen upon it. Luckily, it looked like it hadn’t allowed any dead to pass through.
Calvin sighed a foggy breath. “Well, come on. Let’s go inside.”
Jake nodded once more and followed the doctor into the lightless infirmary, holding a hand on his holster while walking through the long hallway and into a room lit by candle light. He stepped inside behind Calvin and saw someone rise on their arrival, but they were observed by Calvin’s form, so he stepped past.
“Jake, Calvin!” Ashley shouted with relief.
“I’m glad you’re okay.” Jake froze and looked at the man in the bed. His face grew serious. “Where’s Josie and who’s he?”
“Josephine is up the hallway tending to a few of the infirmary’s residents, and he...” She grimaced slightly. “He was floating down the Rio Grande, tied to a raft and half dead.”
“He still looks half dead,” Calvin murmured as he approached the bedside. “He does… however... appear to be alright for the moment. I’ll do what I can.”
“Yes,” Ashley agreed. “That was Josephine’s handiwork.” She grimaced again and flashed them her bandaged hand. “And speaking of handiwork… I cut my hand up closing the wall where it was torn. You were out there, is it holding?”
“I think so,” Jake said, quickly and unintentionally dismissive as he already had one foot out the door. “I’m going to check up on Josie—but I’ll be back.”
And he was gone.
He arrived in the small, cafeteria-like room after striding there past several other possible places, and it was in this one that Jake finally found someone. Josephine was over something on the floor. As he approached, it became obvious that it was a white bed sheet draped over a corpse.
“Josie…?” Jake walked up behind her and she turned to face. She had dark circles around her eyes and it looked like she was crying. The moment they met she embraced him in a hug, burying her head in his shoulder while he looked over hers and at the floor where the body rested. “Josephine… what happened?”
“About half an hour ago he-- he just started convulsing… and before I knew it, he was dead...” She fraught tears. “I… Fuck.”
“It’s okay,” Jake said as he stared at the body. The impression the body made under the sheet made it obvious that the man was missing his right leg. Jake gently, comfortingly rubbed Josephine's back and let her cry. “It’s okay, Josie.”
Josephine breathed a shaking, deep sigh. “Is it over...?”
“For now, I think so. The storm’s passed.” Jake sighed in turn. “It could have been much worse. A couple planters. We haven’t had any deaths besides--”
“Him,” Josephine finished. “All in all… yeah, we got fucking lucky.”
“C’mon.” Jake pulled out of the hug and gently urged out of the room with the inclination of his head. “We should be there when Ashley’s friend wakes up.”
Jerry Stewart
Jerry walked alone towards the southern hub with his black jacket’s hood pulled over his head and his hands deeply embedded in his pockets. Stephen had returned to Gilbert Hotel. Once he reached the hub and entered through its gate from the bridge, he looked around the slight. It was definitely the aftermath of a shitstorm, as he quite familiar with what they looked like. The metal frame of a radio tower spanned over some of the gardens -- most of the planters underneath the fallen tower seemed ruined, but many were outside its zone of impact -- and it blocked the entrance to Fairweather.
There was a woman with an authoritative tone barking orders to some of the safe zone’s residents while she carried blankets in her arms. Right now, their focus was on the partially crushed barrier as they worked to remove the debris.
Jerry approached this leader figure cautiously. She seemed the most knowledgeable of everyone there. With her assertive tone and decisive hand gestures, Jerry pegged her as one of the head honchos, a council member.
She noticed him nearing her and spoke first. “Who are you?”
“Uh…Je--” Jerry paused, licked his lips and seemingly shook away the nervousness with a blink of the eye. He extended his hand to her and smiled. “Jerome.”
“You seem familiar,” she admitted, narrowing her eyes.
“Just one of those faces, I guess.”
“Yeah.” She didn’t seem all too convinced. “Anyway. I’m Natalie. This is Wilson.” Jerry realized that the there was actually a small child wrapped in the bundle of blankets. “So, do want you want something or do you want to help with cleaning up this shitfest?”
“Well, you’re blunt,” Jerry observed. “But yes, I would like directions, so to speak, to the hotel room of the older woman who arrived yesterday. Do you know the one?”
“Yes. I think I do.” Her eyes did the impossible and narrowed further. “You asking… that’s odd, though. So do you have a particular reason to visit her?”
“I think I might know her,” Jerry answered. “So, could you do me a big favor and tell me Sasha’s room number?”
“Well, at the very least, you got her name right,” she said. “The thing is, she is under l0ck and key.”
His smile faded instantly and he tensed. “Why?”
“When she arrived, she was asking about someone… with a reputation. If you didn’t know before, a good amount of the people here came from a different community. There was a man named Jerry Stewart who started a chemical fire. That killed a bunch of people and started a domino effect that killed more people. And eventually it caught up it with him.”
“And…?”
“And now we’re here.” She sighed. “She came in looking for a murderer, so we’re taking precautions. In her defense, it seems she didn’t know Stewart post-apocalypse.”
Jerry was now positive this woman was the last he would want to be talking to. But if he wanted to be Jerome and live without hiding from now on, he would have to have his visit sanctioned.
“So… does she know she’s locked in?” Jerry asked.
“Maybe.” There was a lack of concern in her tone.
“Who made that decision? I’m… guessing you’re on the council. Were other council members involved?”
“No. It was my call to make when Harper returned to her post. So I made it.”
“Well, can I see her, then? Can I see Sasha?”
Natalie looked him over from head to toe. It felt she was looking into the deepest, darkest crevices of his soul. But he was getting that feeling a lot recently, so it wasn’t too concerning. “Sure,” she decided after her careful observation. “She’s on the second floor in room 218. There’s a guard on that floor. Tell him I sent you and he’ll let you in.”
Jerry immediately started walking backward, as he felt it wouldn’t be wise to remain there much longer. “Well, thank you, Natalie.”
“No problem, Jerome.” She said his name with a level of distrust. But it was becoming obvious that she wasn’t a trusting person in general.
He could feel her eyes on the back of his head when he entered the recently cleared doors of Fairweather. He felt relief when he entered the stairwell and was positive it wasn’t possible to be watch now, but that feeling still lingered.
Jerry arrived on the second floor and informed the guard that Natalie allowed the visit. He could feel the guard’s stare as he entered the room and was nearly struck by an object. He still had his hood on and Sasha clearly didn’t recognize him.
Fortunately, Jerry caught the lamp and gave Sasha a deadly stare. She instantly realized it was him and seemed to catch the meaning of his look. She let go of the lamp, then Jerry shoved into guard’s arms. “Leave us, please.”
The guard seemed as if he was about to question Jerry, but he decided to allow the order and left with the lamp, closing the door behind him. Jerry heard the unfortunate click of the lock and silently prayed he and Sasha would be allowed to leave.
He returned his attention to Sasha. “Well, when do you find out you were locked in?”
“About two hours ago.” She clicked her tongue regretfully and Jerry knew it was the closest thing to he would get to an apology for almost bashing his head in. “The windows seem to be reinforced, so I couldn’t break out that way. It didn’t take me long to realize I was in a room fitted to be a prison.”
It steadily dawned on Jerry that she was being reclusive to him. Maybe it was an ignorant thought, but he kind of expected a hug at the very least. He decided to ask because it was nagging at the back of his head, “What all did they tell you about me?”
“Well, your friends Ashley and Josephine told me quickly that you were alive, right after making a guy named Tommy swear secrecy. Then they explained the situation.” She sighed. “Then I was pretty much sworn to secrecy as well.”
Jerry’s demeanor now matched the gray sky. “Then… I guess you aren’t too happy to see me, after all.”
“Oh, fuck off. Of course not.” Sasha’s expression grew serious still. “I understand the situation you’ve been in. But I don’t this ‘Ashley’ or that ‘Josephine.' They’re strangers. They definitely tried to justice what you did, yes. But I wanted to hear it from the source, from someone I know I can trust.”
Jerry wasn’t sure where this was going now. But he went along anyway. “What do you want to hear from me, then?”
“I can make my own assessments. But are you some malevolent psychopath who was trying to hurt people when you started the fire back in San Antonio, or were you trying to create a distraction so your group’s chances of escaping would increase?”
Jerry would have thought it’d been easy to say that it was to help his group. But there was the voice in the back of his head that suggested even he didn’t understand his own intentions at times.
[Admit that, in hindsight, he has doubts about his own intentions.]
[Say with certainty that it was, in fact, the latter.]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 5)
Jake Morrison
The damage done was unsettlingly calm. As Jake looked through t… morehe binoculars at the carnage the fallen radio had inflicted, he exhaled a frustrated hiss of foggy vapor.
“The dead got inside the Southern Hub when the radio tower crushed a barrier. There’s probably about twenty and counting.” Jake lowered the instrument and looked behind him. On the vantage point, about several hundred feet away from the Hub, stood Maira, Danny, and Asher—with his sniper rifle’s shock nestled in his shoulder as he laid prone, surveying the same sight through his high powered scope. “Ash, you can start picking off the dead once we seal the breach, and make sure the shoots don’t cause collateral damage. Maria, Danny, follow me down.”
Asher grunted acknowledgment and had immediately started lining up a shot, although he watched the others from the corner of his eye as they had climb… [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 5)
Jake Morrison
The damage done was unsettlingly calm. As Jake looked through t… morehe binoculars at the carnage the fallen radio had inflicted, he exhaled a frustrated hiss of foggy vapor.
“The dead got inside the Southern Hub when the radio tower crushed a barrier. There’s probably about twenty and counting.” Jake lowered the instrument and looked behind him. On the vantage point, about several hundred feet away from the Hub, stood Maira, Danny, and Asher—with his sniper rifle’s shock nestled in his shoulder as he laid prone, surveying the same sight through his high powered scope. “Ash, you can start picking off the dead once we seal the breach, and make sure the shoots don’t cause collateral damage. Maria, Danny, follow me down.”
Asher grunted acknowledgment and had immediately started lining up a shot, although he watched the others from the corner of his eye as they had climb… [view original content]
This was a fantastic part. I know I say that a lot, but I always mean it. Fantastic part, probably my favourite of this chapter! There were so many small details I'd like to comment on, so let me start at the beginning.
The man started speaking with a noticeable German accent, commenting and gesturing towards the planters with a hand.
For some reason, when hearing the name Kurt and learning that he has a heavy german accent, he became Nightcrawler in my mind. This means, even if he just stays a side character, as long as he is not a complete asshole he has good chances to be at least among the Top 10 of my favourite characters simply because I made that association. Other than that, Kurt seems to be a nice guy, which only further supports my association.
The moment they met she embraced him in a hug, burying her head in his shoulder while he looked over hers and at the floor where the body rested.
God damn it, as if Josie and Jake weren't adorable enough together, this part just had to happen. The way he's worried about her is beyond diabetes-levels of sweetness and I'm saying this a lot more positive than it sounds. This time it was even more noticeable for me because this was one of the rare occasions where I knew his worry was unfounded and that made me appreciate it even more. Oh, I dread the thought that this romance will likely end in tragedy, because every second they spent together is even more adorable than a hundred overly excited corgi puppies, if I may draw this perfect comparison. And I love corgi puppies! I know the chances are less than slim, but I still hope for a relatively happy ending for these two, for they are utterly adorable and I cherish every moment they spend together.
“We should be there when Ashley’s friend wakes up.”
Please, Ashley's new friend, don't be an evil, sadistic killer. Please, don't be an evil, sadistic killer! Please, let it just be my paranoia this time, but I have a bad feeling about this guy. I mean, at first I, like probably everyone else, was sure that Fox-Mask guy is the evil one here, but what if he isn't? What if he is simply a very messed up anti-hero who decided to kill an evil man in a very creative way, by nailing him to a raft and sending him down a freaking river. And what if Ashley just doomed Laredo by helping this guy. I know, the tinfoil is strong with this theory, but I am still nervous about the scars on his chest.
He extended his hand to her and smiled. “Jerome.”
I should have seen that one coming. I don't really know why the thought never occured to me that the rest of Zafir's former group never learned that he is still alive, but it makes sense. I mean, I doubt they would be thrilled. That makes me wonder, is Tommy a former member of Zafir's group? I mean, he is in on the secret now, so that makes him a potential danger for Jerry.
“Who made that decision? I’m… guessing you’re on the council. Were other council members involved?”
So, Natalie is on the council as well and she's on last-name basis with Josie. I wonder, who else is on this council, aside from Josie, Jake and Natalie? Perhaps Ashley or Atlanta? Calvin? Maybe Nightcrawler?
And finally, it is too much to quote, but after I was a bit unsure what to make of Sasha at first, I now start to like her. When first learning about her, and after the bad experience I had with Sasha in A Game of Domain, I was afraid she could be an overly jealous nutjob, but it turns out she is just a moderately jealous nutjob and strangely likeable as well. I especially like her attitude for some weird reason and I hope she will become a valuable member of the group. I just hope she won't cause any trouble for Josie with her attitude, but other than that, I am glad to have her around. Lo and behold, how these words will come back to bite me in the ass!
[Admit that, in hindsight, he has doubts about his own intentions.]
Sure, starting the fire wasn't a choice, but I know if it would have been, I would have picked it, not to create a distraction, but to kill as many of Zafir's group as possible. Considering how unclear Josie's fate has been back then, I can definitely emphasize with Jerry if killing them all really was his intention. After what happened and after the limited information and huge misunderstanding that has been going on back then, I can't really blame him for having the intention to kill them all, for I had similar desires. If he would have known the whole story, I doubt he would have started a fire. Continuing this line of thought, the dead in the mall can also be pinned on Trevor, since his actions caused this misunderstanding. Sure, I'm not saying Jerry is completely innocent, but with the limited knowledge he had back then, his actions are very understandable and relatable for me.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 5)
Jake Morrison
The damage done was unsettlingly calm. As Jake looked through t… morehe binoculars at the carnage the fallen radio had inflicted, he exhaled a frustrated hiss of foggy vapor.
“The dead got inside the Southern Hub when the radio tower crushed a barrier. There’s probably about twenty and counting.” Jake lowered the instrument and looked behind him. On the vantage point, about several hundred feet away from the Hub, stood Maira, Danny, and Asher—with his sniper rifle’s shock nestled in his shoulder as he laid prone, surveying the same sight through his high powered scope. “Ash, you can start picking off the dead once we seal the breach, and make sure the shoots don’t cause collateral damage. Maria, Danny, follow me down.”
Asher grunted acknowledgment and had immediately started lining up a shot, although he watched the others from the corner of his eye as they had climb… [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 5)
Jake Morrison
The damage done was unsettlingly calm. As Jake looked through t… morehe binoculars at the carnage the fallen radio had inflicted, he exhaled a frustrated hiss of foggy vapor.
“The dead got inside the Southern Hub when the radio tower crushed a barrier. There’s probably about twenty and counting.” Jake lowered the instrument and looked behind him. On the vantage point, about several hundred feet away from the Hub, stood Maira, Danny, and Asher—with his sniper rifle’s shock nestled in his shoulder as he laid prone, surveying the same sight through his high powered scope. “Ash, you can start picking off the dead once we seal the breach, and make sure the shoots don’t cause collateral damage. Maria, Danny, follow me down.”
Asher grunted acknowledgment and had immediately started lining up a shot, although he watched the others from the corner of his eye as they had climb… [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 5)
Jake Morrison
The damage done was unsettlingly calm. As Jake looked through t… morehe binoculars at the carnage the fallen radio had inflicted, he exhaled a frustrated hiss of foggy vapor.
“The dead got inside the Southern Hub when the radio tower crushed a barrier. There’s probably about twenty and counting.” Jake lowered the instrument and looked behind him. On the vantage point, about several hundred feet away from the Hub, stood Maira, Danny, and Asher—with his sniper rifle’s shock nestled in his shoulder as he laid prone, surveying the same sight through his high powered scope. “Ash, you can start picking off the dead once we seal the breach, and make sure the shoots don’t cause collateral damage. Maria, Danny, follow me down.”
Asher grunted acknowledgment and had immediately started lining up a shot, although he watched the others from the corner of his eye as they had climb… [view original content]
Bio: Born in Houston Texas, John grew up the son of a rancher.
A good student in school, John also became captain of the football team in high school.
Shortly after college, having a love for motorcycles, John became a mechanic.
A Vietnam War veteran, John served as a infantryman,( reached the rank of staff-sergeant ), has an extensive knowledge of weapons and explosives, and is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
During his time in Vietnam, he received the medal of honor!
A widower, John has two sons, Dave: 22, and William: 20.
Was working as an engineer at the time of the apocalypse.
His only concern is keeping his family safe.
And though he has a strong dislike for killing, he will not hesitate if it means protecting himself or his boys.
There are very few people who have earned the medal of honor, and even fewer that lived to receive it. And from what I know, there has never been a sniper that received the medal of honor. Not trying to be offensive, but I'm a history/military buff and the backstory seems quite far-fetched.
Name: John Wade.
Age: 50.
Height: 6'4ft.
Weight: 250lbs.
Build: Broad-shouldered, Muscular.
Hair: Short, brown, parted on the… more side.
Beard: full beard, same color as hair.
Eye color: Blue.
Voice: deep, booming, with a southern drawl.
Clothes: Brown coat, green flannel shirt, blue jeans, work boots.
Personality: Intelligent, Hardworking, Tough, Eloquent, Charismatic, Alpha Male.
Bio: Born in Houston Texas, John grew up the son of a rancher.
A good student in school, John also became captain of the football team in high school.
Shortly after college, having a love for motorcycles, John became a mechanic.
A Vietnam War veteran, John served as a infantryman,( reached the rank of staff-sergeant ), has an extensive knowledge of weapons and explosives, and is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
During his time in Vietnam, he received the medal of honor!
A widower, John has two sons, Dave: 22, and William: … [view original content]
There are very few people who have earned the medal of honor, and even fewer that lived to receive it. And from what I know, there has never… more been a sniper that received the medal of honor. Not trying to be offensive, but I'm a history/military buff and the backstory seems quite far-fetched.
I've been busy working on Silicon and other things, and have neglected Monument for the time being. I wanted to share a few things that are developing, and before I do so, I'd like to say this was copied from my announcement on Silicon:
I should announce that I have two other projects outside of the forum that have been eating up my writing time. Both are in concept and planning stages, but I'm willing to share with you what they all: The first is the novel I expressed interest in writing. It's evolved into a story grounded in the real world, as opposed to the supernatural/superhero thing I originally mentioned, so far it can be summed up as "Young adult seeks closure for a past trauma, discovers it in committing acts of vigilante violence, and starts down a self-destructive path."
The second isn't a novel, nor a developing forum story, but a game. At least, that's the concept. It's dystopian future once again grounded in the real world, it can't be summed up as quickly, and honestly I'd rather keep the summary to myself for now. It's planned to be a stylized, 2D adventure game, but once again that's just the concept.
Anyway, I thought I should get that out there since it's been taking up my time for my forum stories. I'm doubtful a lot of people will see this update, it being the holidays. Still, happy holidays! I hope you all have a wonderful time!
I've been busy working on Silicon and other things, and have neglected Monument for the time being. I wanted to share a few things that are … moredeveloping, and before I do so, I'd like to say this was copied from my announcement on Silicon:
I should announce that I have two other projects outside of the forum that have been eating up my writing time. Both are in concept and planning stages, but I'm willing to share with you what they all: The first is the novel I expressed interest in writing. It's evolved into a story grounded in the real world, as opposed to the supernatural/superhero thing I originally mentioned, so far it can be summed up as "Young adult seeks closure for a past trauma, discovers it in committing acts of vigilante violence, and starts down a self-destructive path."
The second isn't a novel, nor a developing forum story, but a game. At least, that's the concept. It's dystopian future once again grounded in the real world… [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 6)
Jerry Stewart
Jerry paced for a second, looking down at his feet, and finally faced Sasha again. “Honestly… I doubt my own intentions then, now, but it-- in the moment, it was to help the group escape. Though it turned out to be one big misunderstanding. I messed up. I killed people, then more people died because of it.” He breathed in deeply, banished the doubt, and exhaled. “But I’m not a sociopath.”
“We always had problems when we were dating.” Sasha sighed tiredly and crossed the room to look at the window. She ran her hand over the glass while she stared at the visible courtyard and its gardens. “I don’t think either of us ever stuck around long enough to work them out.”
Jerry furrowed his brow, slightly confused, and walked to the window and leaned on its sill. There was a quiet moment as they both looked at the gray horizon, and Jerry felt her hand settle on top of his.
“I’m not saying it’ll be easy,” Sasha whispered, “but let’s try to work things out.”
End of chapter twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things
Since it's been so long, I think it'll be better and easier to start writing again in chapter thirteen to get back into the motion of writing for Monument, if that makes sense. I hope everyone had a good time yesterday and I'll hopefully have more parts to share in the near future!
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 6)
Jerry Stewart
Jerry paced for a second, looking down at his feet, and finally… more faced Sasha again. “Honestly… I doubt my own intentions then, now, but it-- in the moment, it was to help the group escape. Though it turned out to be one big misunderstanding. I messed up. I killed people, then more people died because of it.” He breathed in deeply, banished the doubt, and exhaled. “But I’m not a sociopath.”
“We always had problems when we were dating.” Sasha sighed tiredly and crossed the room to look at the window. She ran her hand over the glass while she stared at the visible courtyard and its gardens. “I don’t think either of us ever stuck around long enough to work them out.”
Jerry furrowed his brow, slightly confused, and walked to the window and leaned on its sill. There was a quiet moment as they both looked at the gray horizon, and Jerry felt her hand settle on top of hi… [view original content]
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 6)
Jerry Stewart
Jerry paced for a second, looking down at his feet, and finally… more faced Sasha again. “Honestly… I doubt my own intentions then, now, but it-- in the moment, it was to help the group escape. Though it turned out to be one big misunderstanding. I messed up. I killed people, then more people died because of it.” He breathed in deeply, banished the doubt, and exhaled. “But I’m not a sociopath.”
“We always had problems when we were dating.” Sasha sighed tiredly and crossed the room to look at the window. She ran her hand over the glass while she stared at the visible courtyard and its gardens. “I don’t think either of us ever stuck around long enough to work them out.”
Jerry furrowed his brow, slightly confused, and walked to the window and leaned on its sill. There was a quiet moment as they both looked at the gray horizon, and Jerry felt her hand settle on top of hi… [view original content]
This was a nice finale for an awesome chapter! And I have to say, I am surprised how strangely sweet the interaction between Jerry and Sasha is. If it weren't for the Jerry shrine, they'd almost appear like a normal couple to me Anyway, I am surprised by it, but I like these two together. They seem oddly perfect for each other.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 6)
Jerry Stewart
Jerry paced for a second, looking down at his feet, and finally… more faced Sasha again. “Honestly… I doubt my own intentions then, now, but it-- in the moment, it was to help the group escape. Though it turned out to be one big misunderstanding. I messed up. I killed people, then more people died because of it.” He breathed in deeply, banished the doubt, and exhaled. “But I’m not a sociopath.”
“We always had problems when we were dating.” Sasha sighed tiredly and crossed the room to look at the window. She ran her hand over the glass while she stared at the visible courtyard and its gardens. “I don’t think either of us ever stuck around long enough to work them out.”
Jerry furrowed his brow, slightly confused, and walked to the window and leaned on its sill. There was a quiet moment as they both looked at the gray horizon, and Jerry felt her hand settle on top of hi… [view original content]
This was a nice finale for an awesome chapter! And I have to say, I am surprised how strangely sweet the interaction between Jerry and Sasha… more is. If it weren't for the Jerry shrine, they'd almost appear like a normal couple to me Anyway, I am surprised by it, but I like these two together. They seem oddly perfect for each other.
By the way, hope you had a nice christmas
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 6)
Jerry Stewart
Jerry paced for a second, looking down at his feet, and finally… more faced Sasha again. “Honestly… I doubt my own intentions then, now, but it-- in the moment, it was to help the group escape. Though it turned out to be one big misunderstanding. I messed up. I killed people, then more people died because of it.” He breathed in deeply, banished the doubt, and exhaled. “But I’m not a sociopath.”
“We always had problems when we were dating.” Sasha sighed tiredly and crossed the room to look at the window. She ran her hand over the glass while she stared at the visible courtyard and its gardens. “I don’t think either of us ever stuck around long enough to work them out.”
Jerry furrowed his brow, slightly confused, and walked to the window and leaned on its sill. There was a quiet moment as they both looked at the gray horizon, and Jerry felt her hand settle on top of hi… [view original content]
Comments
[Make the long, ten-or-so mile run back to Laredo.]
I don't know if going out now could be dangerous for Jerry and Stephen, but who knows how long this storm lasts and how long they would have to stay inside the farmhouse, if they decide to stay. I recently rewatched Episode 10 from the 5th season of the show, where the group had to defend the barn they were staying in against a large group of walkers, whom they almost haven't noticed until it was too late, because a thunderstorm was raging on at the same time and I think if Jerry and Stephen manage to get into similar danger during their stay at the farmhouse, they will be dead meat. Any situation that could end with them being trapped in this house would be extremely dangerous for them. I also don't want to risk a possible searching party from Laredo to get hurt while they look for them, so while this option will be highly uncomfortable for Jerry and Stephen, it sounds ultimately safer for everyone, them included.
[Make the long, ten-or-so mile run back to Laredo.] In my opinion, this is probably one of the safest times to travel. Most people will take cover from the storm, so they (In my opinion) are more likely to have an unfriendly run-in at the farmhouse than out on the road. Though in the same sense, your own abilities will be hindered to the point of limited sight and hearing, so it's almost a lose-lose win-win thing. And as Stephen said, everyone else is out looking for him, they are liable to get hurt or lost or something.
Great part!
[Take shelter in the farmhouse.]
Voting is closed!
(!) Jerry and Stephen will make the potentially dangerous, ten-mile run back to Laredo
The next part is done and will be uploaded momentarily.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 2)
Ashley Baker
The storm had evolved into a torrential downpour in a matter of minutes. Rain stuck Ashley sideways and the yellow raincoat didn’t seem to help at all. The river was flowing faster than it normally did, with debris becoming more and more common, though still sparse.
“Any word on Jerry?” Ashley relieved the pressure on the button and waited impatiently in the cold, uncomfortable rain.
Josephine’s voice jumped through the walkie-talkie, almost completely drowned out by the wind, and she said grimly, “No signs of Jerry. Jake said he, Maria, and Danny are taking shelter at the house of the sniper. An old friend of Maria’s, apparently.”
Ashley sighed. “Josie… it’s time to take shelter too. Jerry’s probably doing exactly what Jake is. Staying out here is dangerous. Besides, everyone is either hunkered down at Fairweather or in their own homes at this point.”
”I know, I’ll--” The sudden stop made Ashley nervous. *“There’s something coming down the river. It just went under the bridge. I think it’s-- it’s a raft!
Ashley ran to the railing and started scanning for the bridge in the distance. It wasn’t even visible. Coupled with the darkness of dusk, the veil of rain became too thick to see past several yards. “Is there anything on the raft?”
”I don’t know exactly!” she said, almost yelling to get her voice through the sound of the storm. “It looked like it had something on it. But i-i-it looked human!”
“Shit.” Ashley began struggling to remove the carbine from under her raincoat and immediately turned on the flashlight attachment. It penetrated the darkness and rain with its bright glow, giving her another few feet of visibility. She moved it across the water like a spotlight. “I won’t be able to stop it, my catch pole is broken.”
”Shit.” Josephine sighed, but it was mostly drowned out by the rain. ”Can you at least confirm if it’s a person? Or at the very least alive?”
“I’ll try!” She waited for another few thirty seconds and the raft entered her range vision. There was a body tied down. What appeared to be a man was more than worse for wear. He looked dehydrated and possibly sunburned. She held the button again. “There’s a person on it, but they’re either dead or dying!”
“Ashley - I know this is going to hard to hear - but there’s nothing you can do to help without your catch pole. So, you’re right, it’s time to take shelter—the storm is only getting worse.”
“Like hell I am,” Ashley shoot back. “I’m an alright swimmer. Eh.. and the water isn’t flowing too badly.”
”Okay. Let’s say you jump in for a rescue mission. That’s, like a drop of twenty or thirty feet into an overflowing river.” Josephine paused to let it sink in, but Ashley just continued following the raft as it threatened to pass under Bridge Two in another ”If you get hurt and can’t save yourself, you’ll get washed away and I won’t be able to find you.”
Ashley hoped the center barrier and ran to the other railing, peering over in hopes that the raft would pass right under her. She struggled to keep the walkie-talkie close enough to her ear while she stripped herself of the raincoat and the jacket. “I see your point. But don’t doubt my skills. I have mad swimming skills.”
”Ashley, don’t fucking do it.”
“Do me a favor by radioing Tom, and tell him I’ll be aiming for the northern bank.”
With that, Ashley placed the walkie-talkie under her discarded clothes to drown out Josephine on the other end and finally kicked off her shoes. She detached the flashlight from the carbine and shined it once again at the water just in front of the bridge and waited until the raft come out from under it.
She climbed over the railing and stood on the thin, outer edge as it appeared in roughly the same spot as she expected. Ashley took one final, decisive breath and then she jumped feet-first into the water. After being in the rain for awhile, the coldness of the water wasn’t much of a shock to her body, and she quickly broke the surface.
Blinking the water from her eyes, Ashley spotted the mass of wood floating ahead of her and began swimming towards it. She took hold of it and the body didn’t have a reaction. Not a great sign. Pushing the raft downriver at a slight angle, the rushing water took her another thirty yards before she gained a solid footing on the American side of the river.
Ashley struggled to pull the heavy mess of chopped logs and rope onto the shore. Once it was finally free of the water’s pull, she collapsed into the mud on her back and breathed heavily. Ashley pushed herself up and looked at the water just in time to see another mass float by: it was a walker that writhed and struggled to no avail.
She took another half-minute to catch her breath before she pushed herself on her feet and tried to get a look at the man tied to the raft. In the grimly heavy rain, void of almost all light, she couldn’t guess his ethnicity, let alone the color of his shirt. He appeared to have dark hair and castaway-like shadow. More importantly: he had a faint pulse.
She saw what looked like two sporadic tracers approaching in the darkness behind her, piercing the rain with white light, blinding her until the people shining the flashlights were right on top of her.
“You fucking bitch!” someone shouted. Ashley was sudden embraced, much to her own surprise, by Josephine. “Don’t do shit like that again.”
“I’m not gonna argue,” Ashley managed barely. “But I’d say it paid off. He’s alive.”
The second person entered the circle and kneeled in front of the raft. It was Tommy. He appeared to touch the near-dead man’s neck to confirm it, then he looked at Ashley and Josephine with wide eyes. “It only pays off if this guy makes it through the night. We have to get him to Fairweather. Calvin’s there, right?”
“All of our medical supplies - the things that’ll be necessary to save him - are at the infirmary,” Josephine brought up. “I can get him hooked up to an iv, easy.”
“I don’t doubt your amateur doctoring skills, Josie. But if we do one thing wrong, we could very well kill him.” Tommy looked for a way to untie the man and seemed frustrated as he failed to find one. “How heavy is this?”
Ashley shrugged. “I pulled it ashore without any problems.”
Tommy drew his machete and started hacking away the rope that tied one of the outer logs to the rest without warning. “We’ll minimize the weight and use it as a makeshift stretcher.”
“Alright. But we still haven’t decided where we’re going,” Josephine said. “I say the infirmary.”
“Fairweather,” Tommy replied decisively, swinging the blade into the ropes on the opposite side of the raft this time.
“Can’t we just move onto the other if one doesn’t work out?” Ashley questioned.
Tommy shook his head. “Probably not. In this weather, we’ll be lucky to reach one destination.”
“Then it’s one or the other,” Josephine concluded. “I’m for the infirmary, he’s all for going to Fairweather—but what about you Ashley?”
[Go to the infirmary.]
[Find Calvin at Fairweather Hotel.]
[Go to the infirmary.] Calvin needs more supplies.
[Go to the infirmary.] Helpful and a chance to see the one legged man.
[Go to the infirmary.]
I was expecting this, sooner or later. After all, it was hinted at the very end of Act 2, when the creepy guy with the fox mask nailed this man to a raft and sent him down his way to Laredo. I am intrigued by who this man is, why he got punished by the fox-mask guy and I wonder if this means that the storyline in Laredo and the Colorado storyline get connected sooner or later.
[Find Calvin at Fairweather Hotel.]
The infirmary does not sound too bad, but Tommy brought up a good point. Josie is at best an amateur, while Calvin is a real doctor, who has the skills that are necessary to save this mans life. I mean, he should be pretty close to death by now and I think a real doctor should look at him as soon as possible.
[Go to the infirmary.]
[Go to the infirmary.]
Okay, I see this as long term vs short term. Short term you will get him to the infirmary and keep his vitals going, long term you get him to Calvin and Calvin does magic. Right now, we need him alive, not well.
[Go to the infirmary.]
I am unsure with this choice because I think mr.quality has a good point but Tommys line that they could kill the man if they do anything wrong makes me a bit afraid that this could be a bad choice. But Josephine sounds confident that she is good enough to save his life and Im going to trust her.
Voting is closed!
(!) Ashley will agree with Josephine and take the man to the infirmary
I've been writing the writing the next parts and, hopefully, it will be out later today or tomorrow, but that's still just an estimate. For those who read Silicon and are wondering when it might return, let me tell you now that I'll probably be focusing solely on Monument for a little while.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 3)
Sasha Levine
The water from the shower head was cold and unpleasant at first, but seeing the dirt and grime wash down the drain was satisfying. She soon threw on a blouse that was several sizes too big and blue jeans that were better fitting. Her yellowish brown graced the sink were her orange hoodie was drying. She had brought it into the shower with her and given it a good wash before hanging it up.
The hotel bathroom was tiny, but past its threshold was a relatively nice hotel room with red carpet and one queen sized bed that had streets that hadn’t been changed in almost a year. She sat on the first bed with slight hesitation. She had been in the wild, on the road, for about one straight month; before that, she was surviving in overrunned San Antonio. The level of comfort in the reclaimed hotel was unexpected. Welcomed, but unexpected.
Sasha picked up a picture she left on the bed and stared at it. It depicted her messing with Jerry’s hair. Both of them were smiling in it. Rising from the bed, she brought it to the window and held it to the grayness of the storm, as opposed to the lit candle’s orange glow. She shook her head. “Where are you, love?”
Jerry Stewart
“Motherfucker!”
Jerry sighed with frustration as he pushed himself off the wet asphalt and attempted to brush off his scraped-up forearms. “Great,” he said one last time as he looked around him. At least he hadn’t lost the road. Stephen stood several yards ahead, waiting for Jerry to get back to his feet, but the ferocity of the storm was threatening to make him vanish.
“Get up,” he urged. “We’re only another five miles out.”
“I am up,” Jerry hissed as he wiped water off of his face.
Scanning their surroundings, Jerry saw several silhouettes encroaching on the outer edge of their range of visibility. They were walkers. Seeming to be freshly reanimated, they withstood the knocking force of the wind and rain as they approached.
Jerry reached for his holster, but he caught a glare from Stephen. “No more guns, you’ll just attract more,” he said. “You know better.”
Jerry gave a small nod as he produced a large knife. He brandished it for a seconds, watching as the water flowed off the blade. He waited until the first of the walkers -- a female with long black hair that made it look like the ghoul from the Grudge -- finally reached him. He stabbed at its skull only to have the knife skid across its forehead. Jerry took a few steps back to restrike when he noticed a satchel around slung over its head and shoulder. He struck again: he kicked its legs out from under it and impaled the back of its head. He grabbed the bag and the dead walker’s hand followed as he pulled, as if it was trying to keep it.
“Rest in peace, lady,” he mumbled.
When Stephen noticed the satchel, he noted: “Aren’t we a bunch of vultures.”
Jerry acknowledged him with a grunt as he threw the satchel over his shoulder then looked onto the next group of walkers that were now several yards away. About ten of them were nearing, but it sounded like there were many more following. “There’s too many to fight with a goddamn knife.”
“Yeah,” Stephen agreed. “It’s time get on our way.”
“Fine.” Jerry sheathed his knife and started running towards Laredo with Stephen following closely behind. He focused on his running cycle and hoped he wouldn’t eat the asphalt again.
“Are you going to check your spoils?” Stephen finally said.
Jerry slowed and nodded as he flipped its lid to look at the contents. There was a small key and several letters that varied in handwriting, sender, and receiver. More notably, there was a small package. “I think she was a courier.”
“Do you think she wandered all the way over here? I don’t think there’s any settlements large enough to have a mail service near us,” Stephen said.
“Unless she wandered all the way here. Maybe there’s some big communities out of state we don’t know about.”
“Maybe she was one of us,” Stephen suggested.
“It’s possible,” Jerry agreed. “I’m out of the circle. I don’t know of any couriers within ours, though.” Jerry closed the satchel before more rain could get inside it. “Anyway, we should pick up the pace.”
To be continued... (Continuation is below)
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 4)
Ashley Baker
“This guy… he may not have a lot of time left,” Ashley said, still heaving. She pushed herself off the ground and leaned on Josephine. “We need to stabilize him above anything else, except for getting him out of this fucking rain.”
“Fine,” Tommy said. Sliding the machete back into its sheath and testing the weight of the raft by lifting one end, he sighed for relief. “So, who’s taking the other end of this?”
“I got it,” Josephine replied. She positioned herself at the lower end and lifted with Tommy’s help. “Ashley, get the gate and then get your gear.”
She nodded in compliance and ran ahead up the hill, reached over the gate and unlatched it. Stepping to the side as Josephine and Tommy carried the makeshift stretcher through. Ashley shut and latched it and reacquired her shoes, raincoat, flashlight, carbine, and her borrowed jacket that was now thoroughly soaked.
Ashley ran after the two, as they didn’t stop to wait, and reached them as they rounded a corner. They found themselves on a seemingly abandoned street. It was likely that most of the residents had either taken shelter in Fairweather, or had hidden themselves in their own homes.
Josephine didn’t wait long to point out that something was amiss at the end of the block, where darkness had crept up and shrouded the section of wall that was situated there. “There’s supposed to be a light there. The generators must be off. Or the storm fucked them.”
“Do we need them on?” Tommy questioned.
“My guess, they were turned off to prevent damage or harm… you wouldn’t want to be whipped by a live cable in the wind,” Josephine explained.
“But do we need them to help this guy?”
“Hopefully not. Maybe.” Josephine strengthened her grip to keep the stretcher from slipping. “We’ll figure everything out where we get out of the goddamn rain. Ashley, lead the way!”
“Of course.” Ashley switched on the flashlight that was reattached to her carbine on and pointed at the road ahead of them. A sudden cracking sound echoed and she moved the beam of light in its direction. She found a tree be blown to a precarious angle at the end of the street. The sound of wood splitting broke the consistent noise of rain and wind, and about half of the tree fell atop the barrier.
“Is it open?!” Tommy cried through the rain.
Ashley ran closer and stopped about twelve yards away. She shone the light at the wall and grimaced as it illuminated the torn, sharp edges of a sheet of metal. Between the tree and the metal, there was an opening about a foot in diameter. “It’s messed up… but… but I think I can peel the metal back into place to close it temporarily.”
“Do it,” Josephine huffed, “then catch up to us when your done.”
Tommy and Josephine entered a building used as the infirmary and left Ashley to repair the damage done. She ran up to it and, somewhat inadvertently, flashed the light at hole to see a decomposing face approaching the breach. She ignored it for the time being and grabbed some of the twist metal, starting to peel it towards her and covering part of the opening. It took a lot of effort, having to bend it into place, the piece she currently worked suddenly gave in unexpectedly and caused the jagged edge to slice deeply across her right hand.
“Motherfucker!” She back away from the metal, clenching her hand close to her chest. “Close enough,” she hissed as the reanimated bodies started to press themselves against her quickly done handiwork. It quaked slightly under their weight, but it thankfully held.
Ashley expelled a sigh that was a mixed with a relieved laugh and added: “That’s right, bitches! You can’t get past it.”
She looked at her closed hand and slowly opened it, which caused her to grimace as the blood gushed from her palm. Ashley disregarded the intense pain and gripped her carbine to run into the infirmary.
The place was dark and appeared to have been abandoned when the storm hit. Ashley was required to shine the light down a long hallway to find the room Tommy and Josephine had taken the man. Several room doors were left open, and, coupled with the rain and thunder, the entire walk would have felt ominous. But Ashley didn’t give a fuck.
She entered a room where a dim emanated through the doorway. She found them lifting the man onto a bed. The two looked over to her when Ashley’s presence became obvious.
Josephine’s eyes widen when she that Ashley’s hand was covered in blood. “Christ! That isn’t a bite, is it?”
“It’s just a cut,” Ashley replied gruffly. “I got cut on the metal when trying to close the gap. It’s shut, for now, by the way.”
Josephine nodded. “I’ll try to patch you up once we’re sure he’s stable.”
“Alright. I’ll manage until then.” Ashley walked a few steps past Josephine and watched as Tommy tried to wipe the man’s forehead for a damp cloth. The man’s skin was cracking in spots and he looked severely dehydrated. “Why the fuck did someone tie him to a raft?”
“Punishment?” Tommy suggested.
Ashley suddenly remembered the walker that floated down the river earlier, with the mutilated face. “C-check him for markings.”
Tommy nodded and grabbed the man’s shirt collar, he looked up to Josephine for permission and she gave a small nod. He rip the button-up off the man and revealed his bare chest. He was covered lightly carved cuts that formed complex symbols and lines that had healed. In the center of his chest, however, there was a big circular burn where the man had been branded with a large symbol in it.
“Well.” Tommy looked up, exchanging surprised expressions with Josephine and Ashley. “Holy shit.”
Josephine mumbled: “Who would do that to him?”
“Punishment,” Tommy repeated. “Unless… it’s self-inflicted.”
“There is no way I could believe someone could physically do that to themselves,” Josephine hissed.
“Some kind of fucked up ritual, maybe? Who knows this guy’s been through, what he’s done.” Ashley breathed a heavy sigh. “Let’s be cautious, alright? We’ll handcuff him to the bed and--” Lightning flashed outside one of the windows and a loud clap of thunder echoed, interrupting her. “--And we’ll weather this fucking storm.”
“Definitely,” Tom muttered. “Like you said, he’s got a story to tell us. I’m looking forward to it.”
“It’ll be interesting, for sure.” Josephine inclined her head towards the door. “Tommy, come with me to the supply closet to get what we need to keep this poor bastard alive. Ashley, sit tight, we’ll get some stuff for that cut.”
Ashley nodded. “Well, don’t rush yourself. I’m bleeding out, but very slowly.”
“No sarcasm. I haven’t forgiven you for jumping off the goddamn bridge yet.” Josephine turned to the door and paused, looking over her shoulder, she said: “I’m telling on you, you know?”
“Yeah, I figured that was coming. Just don’t undersell my near-heroic sacrifice when you tell Atlanta.” She forced a smile. “And, hey, while you’re out, could bring me some towels so I don’t get sick?”
“I’ll get you some.” Josephine passed through the threshold and caught up with Tommy.
Ashley was left alone in the room with the man. She looked at him and saw his chest rise and low slightly with his shallow breaths. His right hand twitched and the man started gagging and gurgling, then vomit bubbled up from his throat.
“Oh. Oh, fuck!” Ashley stood and rolled the man onto his side and the vomit flowed freely onto the bed and off its edge. Ashley grimaced. “Ew-- Ew, that’s fucking disgusting.”
She waited several seconds and her eyes widened when the she realized the man wasn’t coughing anymore. But she calmed down when it appeared he was just as unconscious as he was before, not dead like she feared.
At Fairweather Hotel...
The hotel withstood the storm without a single problem. The wind punished the windows with a consistent barrage of slanted rain. Masked by the sound of the storm, a radio tower on the roof of the building tilted forward several inches and swayed slightly back when the wind dampened in power. The bolts that fastened the tower to the hotel were pulled further from the roof with each cycle of it being pushed and then falling back into place.
It finally reached a point where the tower was pushed far enough to keep it from fall back, it ripped the remaining bolts from the roof and started on a downwards tumble towards the street. It crashed and crushed itself under its own mass, splitting and twisting as it hit the ground. Scattering the crops and knocking the supports of a nearby wall loose.
To be continued… (The chapter is NOT ending right now or coming to an end very soon. Think of it as sort of a resting point. We’ll pick up with the aftermath next time and the chapter will continue with lovely choices!)
Did the Courier finally get her comeuppance for blowing the lands east and west of the Mojave, damning them all to Hell?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHwnNArIM2k
I'm scared on how well you write Sasha. She seems...so calm.
Damnit I didn't realize there would be another thing. This is not good.
Oh damn... this is not good. Now I'm actually quite glad that Josie, Ashley, Tommy and Raftman went to the infirmary, because it looks like there's going to be hell at Fairweather Hotel. However, I doubt they will be safe at the infirmary and now I am scared. By the way, I have a bad feeling about the Raftman now, for some reason. That line about the scars on his chest potentially being self-inflicted fueled my paranoia. I mean, if he really did this to himself, then he's a complete nutjob and I doubt a complete nutjob can be anything else than a danger for Laredo. On the other hand, the man who nailed him to that raft is certainly a sick bastard and it's just as likely that he is responsible for these wounds. Maybe saving him was a terrible mistake...
Oh god.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 5)
Jake Morrison
The damage done was unsettlingly calm. As Jake looked through the binoculars at the carnage the fallen radio had inflicted, he exhaled a frustrated hiss of foggy vapor.
“The dead got inside the Southern Hub when the radio tower crushed a barrier. There’s probably about twenty and counting.” Jake lowered the instrument and looked behind him. On the vantage point, about several hundred feet away from the Hub, stood Maira, Danny, and Asher—with his sniper rifle’s shock nestled in his shoulder as he laid prone, surveying the same sight through his high powered scope. “Ash, you can start picking off the dead once we seal the breach, and make sure the shoots don’t cause collateral damage. Maria, Danny, follow me down.”
Asher grunted acknowledgment and had immediately started lining up a shot, although he watched the others from the corner of his eye as they had climbed down off the rooftop via the access ladder.
Jake led the match as the three hurried through the recently deserted, reclaimed part of the city. It was littered with tree branches and especially fallen leaves that were now soggy clumps of plant fiber that had gathered by storm drains and any small indentation or bump that caught them. But the rain had stopped, thankfully, around half an hour ago, at about six a.m.
They neared the hub and found themselves at one of the gates—a checkpoint of sorts to prevent a full-scale infestation if one of the sections fell. Just beyond the gate was the Southern Hub and probably a little more than twenty-five walkers. They left the road and entered a corner house, walking through it until they reached one of many boarded up windows that would allow them to exit the safe zone just beyond the crushed barrier.
It took Jake a few powerful kicks for the plants of wood to loosen, then another for them to detach and hang off their screws. He climbed through the window and Maria and Danny followed him through.
Danny grunted as he hit the ground like a cat and was faced with one of the dead—a lucking corpse, decayed by time and starved. He drew his knife and instinctively slashed at its outstretched arms as it lunged towards him from the ground, partially severing one of its arms at the elbow. No longer caught by surprise, he went in for the killing strike and decisively impaled its head on the blade.
Maria and Jake did much of the same as they made their way towards the breach from the outside. Jake pointed with two fingers towards the last walker to signal Maria to take it out, and she did so with a quick, effective jab.
Danny pulled off his backpack upon arriving at the tore metal that spanned the street, a large section of it open. He and Jake quickly dug through the backpack and retrieved a large, folded canvas tarp while Maria covered their backs with a newly drawn handgun. At that moment, Asher began shooting, covering their front from atop the building in the distance.
“Get the nail gun,” Jake ordered as he started unfolding the thick tarp and draping it over the breach. Danny pulled out the nail gun and started stapling the tarp to the barrier, to whatever parts of it were made of wood.
After a moment stillness, only interrupted by the sound of walkers snarling, Danny pulled Jake away from the barrier. “Asher stopped shooting—they’re too close to shoot without maybe hitting us, which probably means--” A walker pressed itself against the canvas, and the vague imprint of a the corpse’s features were discernible through it.
“C’mon,” Jake urged, gesturing towards the window with his redrawn knife, “let’s start clearing the Hub before they rip it off the barrier.
Maria nodded and holstered her pistol as she climbed into the building, closely followed by Danny and Jake.
After about ten minutes of tiring work, the Southern Hub’s walkers were all put down.
A man approached Jake while he rested on the curb outside the hotel, as others were working to give the barrier a longer lasting solution; it seemed to be over here.
The man started speaking with a noticeable German accent, commenting and gesturing towards the planters with a hand. “It’s a shame—three of the eighteen planters crushed and another six trampled.”
“Kurt!” Jake exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. It was, in fact, the serious yet calm demeanor of Kurt, that hid his underlying friendly personality. He wore a dark jacket and had his hands shoved deeply into its pockets for warmth. “Did you take over the shift at Bridge One for Josephine last night? She’s not here and she wasn’t there.”
“No, sorry.” He sighed deeply, crossing his arms. “But don’t worry, I’m sure she and Ashley took shelter.”
Jake sighed as well. “I’m hopeful. Worried sick, but hopeful.”
Kurt patted his shoulder. “Good.” He then inclined his head towards the north. “Do you want to come across the water to the infirmary with me and Calvin? Danny told me there’s a man whose leg was recently amputated and may need help—among other patients and people who might have taken shelter there.”
“Of course,” Jake said. “The infirmary is probably the likeliest place she went if she’s not on the Mexican side of the water.”
“And just to be clear,” Kurt said, “it’ll likely just be you and Clavin once we get there. I’ll be taking it upon myself to check out the walls and streets for damage and walking corpses.”
“Understood.” Jake turned to find Calvin, but Kurt stopped him by grabbing his sleeve. “Yes?”
“I understand the urgency you’re feeling, what with Josephine involved, but take it easy. I doubt you, or anyone for that matter has gotten any sleep.” Kurt gave a serious look. “Don’t rush into something while groggy.”
“Thanks for the concern. You too, okay?”
“Me?” He chucked softly. “I’ll be fine. Being on the night shift, this isn’t even close to my bedtime.”
“Alright, then. I’ll meet you by the gate,” Jake said, and finally he walked off to look for Calvin, shoving his hands into his pockets as Kurt had.
“I’ll touch base in a while,” Kurt said as he started to back away, still facing Jake and Calvin.
Jake nodded and said, “See you soon,” while watching Kurt jog towards a wall at the end of the street that had a tree fallen upon it. Luckily, it looked like it hadn’t allowed any dead to pass through.
Calvin sighed a foggy breath. “Well, come on. Let’s go inside.”
Jake nodded once more and followed the doctor into the lightless infirmary, holding a hand on his holster while walking through the long hallway and into a room lit by candle light. He stepped inside behind Calvin and saw someone rise on their arrival, but they were observed by Calvin’s form, so he stepped past.
“Jake, Calvin!” Ashley shouted with relief.
“I’m glad you’re okay.” Jake froze and looked at the man in the bed. His face grew serious. “Where’s Josie and who’s he?”
“Josephine is up the hallway tending to a few of the infirmary’s residents, and he...” She grimaced slightly. “He was floating down the Rio Grande, tied to a raft and half dead.”
“He still looks half dead,” Calvin murmured as he approached the bedside. “He does… however... appear to be alright for the moment. I’ll do what I can.”
“Yes,” Ashley agreed. “That was Josephine’s handiwork.” She grimaced again and flashed them her bandaged hand. “And speaking of handiwork… I cut my hand up closing the wall where it was torn. You were out there, is it holding?”
“I think so,” Jake said, quickly and unintentionally dismissive as he already had one foot out the door. “I’m going to check up on Josie—but I’ll be back.”
And he was gone.
He arrived in the small, cafeteria-like room after striding there past several other possible places, and it was in this one that Jake finally found someone. Josephine was over something on the floor. As he approached, it became obvious that it was a white bed sheet draped over a corpse.
“Josie…?” Jake walked up behind her and she turned to face. She had dark circles around her eyes and it looked like she was crying. The moment they met she embraced him in a hug, burying her head in his shoulder while he looked over hers and at the floor where the body rested. “Josephine… what happened?”
“About half an hour ago he-- he just started convulsing… and before I knew it, he was dead...” She fraught tears. “I… Fuck.”
“It’s okay,” Jake said as he stared at the body. The impression the body made under the sheet made it obvious that the man was missing his right leg. Jake gently, comfortingly rubbed Josephine's back and let her cry. “It’s okay, Josie.”
Josephine breathed a shaking, deep sigh. “Is it over...?”
“For now, I think so. The storm’s passed.” Jake sighed in turn. “It could have been much worse. A couple planters. We haven’t had any deaths besides--”
“Him,” Josephine finished. “All in all… yeah, we got fucking lucky.”
“C’mon.” Jake pulled out of the hug and gently urged out of the room with the inclination of his head. “We should be there when Ashley’s friend wakes up.”
Jerry Stewart
Jerry walked alone towards the southern hub with his black jacket’s hood pulled over his head and his hands deeply embedded in his pockets. Stephen had returned to Gilbert Hotel. Once he reached the hub and entered through its gate from the bridge, he looked around the slight. It was definitely the aftermath of a shitstorm, as he quite familiar with what they looked like. The metal frame of a radio tower spanned over some of the gardens -- most of the planters underneath the fallen tower seemed ruined, but many were outside its zone of impact -- and it blocked the entrance to Fairweather.
There was a woman with an authoritative tone barking orders to some of the safe zone’s residents while she carried blankets in her arms. Right now, their focus was on the partially crushed barrier as they worked to remove the debris.
Jerry approached this leader figure cautiously. She seemed the most knowledgeable of everyone there. With her assertive tone and decisive hand gestures, Jerry pegged her as one of the head honchos, a council member.
She noticed him nearing her and spoke first. “Who are you?”
“Uh…Je--” Jerry paused, licked his lips and seemingly shook away the nervousness with a blink of the eye. He extended his hand to her and smiled. “Jerome.”
“You seem familiar,” she admitted, narrowing her eyes.
“Just one of those faces, I guess.”
“Yeah.” She didn’t seem all too convinced. “Anyway. I’m Natalie. This is Wilson.” Jerry realized that the there was actually a small child wrapped in the bundle of blankets. “So, do want you want something or do you want to help with cleaning up this shitfest?”
“Well, you’re blunt,” Jerry observed. “But yes, I would like directions, so to speak, to the hotel room of the older woman who arrived yesterday. Do you know the one?”
“Yes. I think I do.” Her eyes did the impossible and narrowed further. “You asking… that’s odd, though. So do you have a particular reason to visit her?”
“I think I might know her,” Jerry answered. “So, could you do me a big favor and tell me Sasha’s room number?”
“Well, at the very least, you got her name right,” she said. “The thing is, she is under l0ck and key.”
His smile faded instantly and he tensed. “Why?”
“When she arrived, she was asking about someone… with a reputation. If you didn’t know before, a good amount of the people here came from a different community. There was a man named Jerry Stewart who started a chemical fire. That killed a bunch of people and started a domino effect that killed more people. And eventually it caught up it with him.”
“And…?”
“And now we’re here.” She sighed. “She came in looking for a murderer, so we’re taking precautions. In her defense, it seems she didn’t know Stewart post-apocalypse.”
Jerry was now positive this woman was the last he would want to be talking to. But if he wanted to be Jerome and live without hiding from now on, he would have to have his visit sanctioned.
“So… does she know she’s locked in?” Jerry asked.
“Maybe.” There was a lack of concern in her tone.
“Who made that decision? I’m… guessing you’re on the council. Were other council members involved?”
“No. It was my call to make when Harper returned to her post. So I made it.”
“Well, can I see her, then? Can I see Sasha?”
Natalie looked him over from head to toe. It felt she was looking into the deepest, darkest crevices of his soul. But he was getting that feeling a lot recently, so it wasn’t too concerning. “Sure,” she decided after her careful observation. “She’s on the second floor in room 218. There’s a guard on that floor. Tell him I sent you and he’ll let you in.”
Jerry immediately started walking backward, as he felt it wouldn’t be wise to remain there much longer. “Well, thank you, Natalie.”
“No problem, Jerome.” She said his name with a level of distrust. But it was becoming obvious that she wasn’t a trusting person in general.
He could feel her eyes on the back of his head when he entered the recently cleared doors of Fairweather. He felt relief when he entered the stairwell and was positive it wasn’t possible to be watch now, but that feeling still lingered.
Jerry arrived on the second floor and informed the guard that Natalie allowed the visit. He could feel the guard’s stare as he entered the room and was nearly struck by an object. He still had his hood on and Sasha clearly didn’t recognize him.
Fortunately, Jerry caught the lamp and gave Sasha a deadly stare. She instantly realized it was him and seemed to catch the meaning of his look. She let go of the lamp, then Jerry shoved into guard’s arms. “Leave us, please.”
The guard seemed as if he was about to question Jerry, but he decided to allow the order and left with the lamp, closing the door behind him. Jerry heard the unfortunate click of the lock and silently prayed he and Sasha would be allowed to leave.
He returned his attention to Sasha. “Well, when do you find out you were locked in?”
“About two hours ago.” She clicked her tongue regretfully and Jerry knew it was the closest thing to he would get to an apology for almost bashing his head in. “The windows seem to be reinforced, so I couldn’t break out that way. It didn’t take me long to realize I was in a room fitted to be a prison.”
It steadily dawned on Jerry that she was being reclusive to him. Maybe it was an ignorant thought, but he kind of expected a hug at the very least. He decided to ask because it was nagging at the back of his head, “What all did they tell you about me?”
“Well, your friends Ashley and Josephine told me quickly that you were alive, right after making a guy named Tommy swear secrecy. Then they explained the situation.” She sighed. “Then I was pretty much sworn to secrecy as well.”
Jerry’s demeanor now matched the gray sky. “Then… I guess you aren’t too happy to see me, after all.”
“Oh, fuck off. Of course not.” Sasha’s expression grew serious still. “I understand the situation you’ve been in. But I don’t this ‘Ashley’ or that ‘Josephine.' They’re strangers. They definitely tried to justice what you did, yes. But I wanted to hear it from the source, from someone I know I can trust.”
Jerry wasn’t sure where this was going now. But he went along anyway. “What do you want to hear from me, then?”
“I can make my own assessments. But are you some malevolent psychopath who was trying to hurt people when you started the fire back in San Antonio, or were you trying to create a distraction so your group’s chances of escaping would increase?”
Jerry would have thought it’d been easy to say that it was to help his group. But there was the voice in the back of his head that suggested even he didn’t understand his own intentions at times.
[Admit that, in hindsight, he has doubts about his own intentions.]
[Say with certainty that it was, in fact, the latter.]
[Admit that, in hindsight, he has doubts about his own intentions.] I'm dreading the continuation of this conversation.
[Admit that, in hindsight, he has doubts about his own intentions.]
This is sketchy. Very sketchy. Do not trust, not one bit. But, I might. But maybe not. Who knows.
Great part!
This was a fantastic part. I know I say that a lot, but I always mean it. Fantastic part, probably my favourite of this chapter! There were so many small details I'd like to comment on, so let me start at the beginning.
For some reason, when hearing the name Kurt and learning that he has a heavy german accent, he became Nightcrawler in my mind. This means, even if he just stays a side character, as long as he is not a complete asshole he has good chances to be at least among the Top 10 of my favourite characters simply because I made that association. Other than that, Kurt seems to be a nice guy, which only further supports my association.
God damn it, as if Josie and Jake weren't adorable enough together, this part just had to happen. The way he's worried about her is beyond diabetes-levels of sweetness and I'm saying this a lot more positive than it sounds. This time it was even more noticeable for me because this was one of the rare occasions where I knew his worry was unfounded and that made me appreciate it even more. Oh, I dread the thought that this romance will likely end in tragedy, because every second they spent together is even more adorable than a hundred overly excited corgi puppies, if I may draw this perfect comparison. And I love corgi puppies! I know the chances are less than slim, but I still hope for a relatively happy ending for these two, for they are utterly adorable and I cherish every moment they spend together.
Please, Ashley's new friend, don't be an evil, sadistic killer. Please, don't be an evil, sadistic killer! Please, let it just be my paranoia this time, but I have a bad feeling about this guy. I mean, at first I, like probably everyone else, was sure that Fox-Mask guy is the evil one here, but what if he isn't? What if he is simply a very messed up anti-hero who decided to kill an evil man in a very creative way, by nailing him to a raft and sending him down a freaking river. And what if Ashley just doomed Laredo by helping this guy. I know, the tinfoil is strong with this theory, but I am still nervous about the scars on his chest.
I should have seen that one coming. I don't really know why the thought never occured to me that the rest of Zafir's former group never learned that he is still alive, but it makes sense. I mean, I doubt they would be thrilled. That makes me wonder, is Tommy a former member of Zafir's group? I mean, he is in on the secret now, so that makes him a potential danger for Jerry.
So, Natalie is on the council as well and she's on last-name basis with Josie. I wonder, who else is on this council, aside from Josie, Jake and Natalie? Perhaps Ashley or Atlanta? Calvin? Maybe Nightcrawler?
And finally, it is too much to quote, but after I was a bit unsure what to make of Sasha at first, I now start to like her. When first learning about her, and after the bad experience I had with Sasha in A Game of Domain, I was afraid she could be an overly jealous nutjob, but it turns out she is just a moderately jealous nutjob and strangely likeable as well. I especially like her attitude for some weird reason and I hope she will become a valuable member of the group. I just hope she won't cause any trouble for Josie with her attitude, but other than that, I am glad to have her around. Lo and behold, how these words will come back to bite me in the ass!
[Admit that, in hindsight, he has doubts about his own intentions.]
Sure, starting the fire wasn't a choice, but I know if it would have been, I would have picked it, not to create a distraction, but to kill as many of Zafir's group as possible. Considering how unclear Josie's fate has been back then, I can definitely emphasize with Jerry if killing them all really was his intention. After what happened and after the limited information and huge misunderstanding that has been going on back then, I can't really blame him for having the intention to kill them all, for I had similar desires. If he would have known the whole story, I doubt he would have started a fire. Continuing this line of thought, the dead in the mall can also be pinned on Trevor, since his actions caused this misunderstanding. Sure, I'm not saying Jerry is completely innocent, but with the limited knowledge he had back then, his actions are very understandable and relatable for me.
[Say with certainty that it was, in fact, the latter.]
[Admit that, in hindsight, he has doubts about his own intentions.]
[Admit that, in hindsight, he has doubts about his own intentions.]
He has clearly doubts about himself and if he wants to have a good relationship with Sasha he should be honest to her about this.
Might I introduce a Character to your story?
Sure!
Name: John Wade.
Age: 50.
Height: 6'4ft.
Weight: 250lbs.
Build: Broad-shouldered, Muscular.
Hair: Short, brown, parted on the side.
Beard: full beard, same color as hair.
Eye color: Blue.
Voice: deep, booming, with a southern drawl.
Clothes: Brown coat, green flannel shirt, blue jeans, work boots.
Personality: Intelligent, Hardworking, Tough, Eloquent, Charismatic, Alpha Male.
Bio: Born in Houston Texas, John grew up the son of a rancher.
A good student in school, John also became captain of the football team in high school.
Shortly after college, having a love for motorcycles, John became a mechanic.
A Vietnam War veteran, John served as a infantryman,( reached the rank of staff-sergeant ), has an extensive knowledge of weapons and explosives, and is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
During his time in Vietnam, he received the medal of honor!
A widower, John has two sons, Dave: 22, and William: 20.
Was working as an engineer at the time of the apocalypse.
His only concern is keeping his family safe.
And though he has a strong dislike for killing, he will not hesitate if it means protecting himself or his boys.
There are very few people who have earned the medal of honor, and even fewer that lived to receive it. And from what I know, there has never been a sniper that received the medal of honor. Not trying to be offensive, but I'm a history/military buff and the backstory seems quite far-fetched.
Thank you for the history lesson.
Seriously, it is good to be informed, and in light of this information, I will do some editing to the story.
Other than that, how did you like the story?
I've been busy working on Silicon and other things, and have neglected Monument for the time being. I wanted to share a few things that are developing, and before I do so, I'd like to say this was copied from my announcement on Silicon:
I should announce that I have two other projects outside of the forum that have been eating up my writing time. Both are in concept and planning stages, but I'm willing to share with you what they all: The first is the novel I expressed interest in writing. It's evolved into a story grounded in the real world, as opposed to the supernatural/superhero thing I originally mentioned, so far it can be summed up as "Young adult seeks closure for a past trauma, discovers it in committing acts of vigilante violence, and starts down a self-destructive path."
The second isn't a novel, nor a developing forum story, but a game. At least, that's the concept. It's dystopian future once again grounded in the real world, it can't be summed up as quickly, and honestly I'd rather keep the summary to myself for now. It's planned to be a stylized, 2D adventure game, but once again that's just the concept.
Anyway, I thought I should get that out there since it's been taking up my time for my forum stories. I'm doubtful a lot of people will see this update, it being the holidays. Still, happy holidays! I hope you all have a wonderful time!
Take your time, you'll get it done. Unlike me lolol.
Merry Christmas Hope.
Chapter Twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things (Part 6)
Jerry Stewart
Jerry paced for a second, looking down at his feet, and finally faced Sasha again. “Honestly… I doubt my own intentions then, now, but it-- in the moment, it was to help the group escape. Though it turned out to be one big misunderstanding. I messed up. I killed people, then more people died because of it.” He breathed in deeply, banished the doubt, and exhaled. “But I’m not a sociopath.”
“We always had problems when we were dating.” Sasha sighed tiredly and crossed the room to look at the window. She ran her hand over the glass while she stared at the visible courtyard and its gardens. “I don’t think either of us ever stuck around long enough to work them out.”
Jerry furrowed his brow, slightly confused, and walked to the window and leaned on its sill. There was a quiet moment as they both looked at the gray horizon, and Jerry felt her hand settle on top of his.
“I’m not saying it’ll be easy,” Sasha whispered, “but let’s try to work things out.”
End of chapter twelve: Blissful Among the Scary Things
Since it's been so long, I think it'll be better and easier to start writing again in chapter thirteen to get back into the motion of writing for Monument, if that makes sense. I hope everyone had a good time yesterday and I'll hopefully have more parts to share in the near future!
It makes perfect sense. Take all the time you need
Hiya Hope. I hope you had a good Christmas, and it's good to see this back.
This was a nice finale for an awesome chapter! And I have to say, I am surprised how strangely sweet the interaction between Jerry and Sasha is. If it weren't for the Jerry shrine, they'd almost appear like a normal couple to me
Anyway, I am surprised by it, but I like these two together. They seem oddly perfect for each other.
By the way, hope you had a nice christmas
Yeah it was pretty strange how it was sweet.
But can it last?
I find their interaction strangely pleasing. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I'm sure it'll backfire.
Edit: Spelling 'hoe'
Haha, thanks!