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Post by chaplian on Feb 15, 2017 0:35:31 GMT -5
It was a cold day in February. John was currently in Akron, Ohio. It was a fairly suburban area with a lot of forest and empty land. It was about 20 degrees outside, and there was some snow on the ground. Before the quarantine, John had hated the snow. He hated the salt they used to clear the roads, he hated the cold winds, he hated the slush. However, snow was a godsend now. It meant those god damn zombies were slowed down or completely frozen, and that he could move more easily. It also meant he could sleep easier at night, but a bed was a luxury John had forgone for over a year now.
He was traveling through a forest preserve quietly in his 2005 Ford Excursion. Vader was sitting next to him, his trusting, loyal friend. John loved Vader with all his heart. If Vader didn't eat, John didn't eat. The dog had been with him since day 1, and he had saved John's ass more than a few times. From what John had gathered, animals weren't apparently affected by the disease. Vader could do as he pleased, and the zombies didn't truly mind him unless he attacked them.
There was a reason John fancied forest preserves, typically there was only one road running through it, and without traffic, most of these preserves had become overgrown and it was very difficult to travel the ruined roads unless you had an offroad-capable vehicle. Plus, you could hear someone coming. John didn't trust many survivors, as someone had tried to rob him and take his supplies. Since then, John was wary of travelers. He had reinforced the Excursion's windows with rudimentary metal bars and mesh, just in case someone tried to break the glass and get in. He also had a fairly large brush guard on the front that he stole from a mall crawler (lifted pickup that has tens of thousands worth of offroad upgrades dumped into it and is only driven to malls and back) and had welded onto his Excursion. It wasn't pretty, but it was VERY functional.
John finally found a seemingly safe spot where he could see the exit of the preserve, but he himself could stay hidden. Aiming the front of the excursion at the exit, he quietly reversed in between two trees and was quite confident he couldn't be seen. He let Vader out to quickly relieve himself, and then once they were both safely in the truck together, he locked the doors, turned off all the lights, and put his rifle into arm's reach. He laid down on his makeshift bed in the back with Vader, and dozed off. He thought of his wife and his daughter, and missed life before the apocalypse.
The next morning, John woke up. It was 5:12 am according to the clock on his phone, and the sun was just starting to rise. John stood up, stretched, got out and relieved himself, and got back in. It was a new day. One less day until the quarantine was over.
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Post by Zenios on Feb 15, 2017 17:55:11 GMT -5
Back when he lived a normal, quiet life, Gabriel had always enjoyed waking up with the first rays of the sun. Lately, though, it had started to signify the start of another hellish day - another day he had to quit trying to get whatever sleep he could manage and actually do something. At least it was somewhat cold out; the dead--zulus, he'd enjoyed hearing a former National Guardsman call them--had been a little slower than normal and a whole lot easier to avoid in the winter.
He'd always been more of the quietly religious type, the one that never went into a church, but lately he'd been spending a lot of time in them. He'd been breaking into abandoned ones, of course; the kind with towers he could camp out near the top of, keep an eye on the roads, and hear anyone coming inside all at once. It was a pretty good setup, and this latest campsite had everything he was looking for--except plenty of insulation. The chill Gabriel awoke with certainly wasn't a pleasant one, but it was bearable. "So much for this 'sub-zero temperature survival sleeping bag,' he grumbled for the benefit of no one in particular, hustling out of the damn thing he'd only just acquired. Misleading advertising was the worst.
Gabriel changed quickly and with a lot more flair than normal, trying to get his blood pumping and warm up a bit. A thermal underlayer helped quite a bit, as did the jacket he threw on over his street clothes. The thigh and hip holsters he put on didn't quite help with his warmth or his range of motion, but they definitely made him feel a little safer. A light breakfast was next - some scavenged camping food and a bottle of water, hand-defrosted just enough to squeeze out a few drops. He'd never had much of a morning ritual, and today was no exception - but he was going to need to find some food. What canned food he had left wasn't going to last him much longer than a few more days, and it was pretty bland stuff anyway.
He grabbed the rest of his usual gear--the backpack with his hunting rifle strapped to the side, his knife, and collapsible baton he usually had in a pocket--and headed on downstairs. Something to destroy that lowest flight might not be a bad idea, he realized. He'd been careful enough not to attract too much attention, but it never hurt to be safe.
The Texan stepped outside, looked around, and gave a little bit of a disappointed sigh. Nothing. Well, unless you counted what looked like it might have been a zulu a quarter mile or so down the road - but Gabriel had given up on that a long time ago. Hordes were the real concern; he'd been at this long enough to know how to be cautious. But on the bright side at least, a total lack of activity this early meant no problems as much as it meant no excitement. The grocery store he'd eyeballed wasn't too far off, but it was definitely a jogging sort of distance, and he had nothing better to do but to get to it.
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Salvahkiin
Archer
My Siren's name is Brick, and she is the prettiest.
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Post by Salvahkiin on Feb 17, 2017 0:45:10 GMT -5
Mick drove, and drove, and drove. That seemed to be all he did in this world. Drive from town to town, trying to survive. He'd never stayed in one place more than two, maybe three days. He was always particularly careful. He'd always check out a town before driving in. Mick had always been very conservative with his ammunition, being raised and living most of his life somewhere with little ammunition. This always lead to a surplus, but a surplus can turn into a scarcity rather quickly if you let the situation get out of hand.
There was a large hill overlooking the town. Mick hadn't bothered reading the names of the towns he scavenged from anymore. He slowly drove up the hill through the rock tracks, and stopped at the top to take in his surroundings. Wouldn't be a terrible place to camp for the night once he pulled back into the treeline. There weren't that many zombies in the town, not too many for him to handle, anyway. They'd be slow in this cold, too.
Mick would scavenge tomorrow. For now, he got back in his land cruiser and drove back into the treeline under heavy forest. He parked the car, and entered the passenger seat, his bed in this hell. As a habit, he had the windows down a little under an inch. It vastly improved his awareness of the outside.
The night was much quieter than he expected, and that made for little sleep. But it had to do. Mick, after scanning his surroundings groggily, got out of the passenger side, and into the driver's side. He turned the key, and the V8 diesel chugged to life with a bit of encouragement. It was time to get to work.
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Post by chaplian on Feb 17, 2017 20:29:02 GMT -5
“Well, time to find some supplies, buddy.” John said to his pal, Vader. The Excursion had a 44-gallon fuel tank, and John had also strapped four auxiliary fuel cans to the back that each held ten gallons. This was all so he could travel great distances without worrying about fuel. If it came down to it, John estimated he could make it 1500 miles without stopping for fuel. However, this in itself presented another problem: fueling up. It was a pain in the ass to find a functioning gas station, and not for a lack of trying.
John made a mental checklist, first they needed fuel, second they needed more food and water, and third John wanted some new socks and clothes. With this in mind, John started the behemoth of a SUV and put it in gear.
As they quietly and slowly rolled into town, John saw his target: a gas station. And amazingly enough, there was a grocery store next to it. “It’s our lucky day, bud,” he quietly said to Vader, who was quite happily sitting upright in the passenger seat and viewing the passing landscape.
After a few minutes of driving, they were upon the gas station. It turns out it was a Citgo, and it seems the pumps still had power. Luckily for him, there were diesel pumps. John parked the SUV and grabbed his kanabo, which he used to club zombies that got too close for comfort. He also put his Colt 1911 in its holster on his belt, it never hurt to be safe.
The pump seemed functional enough, and the way John normally used them was with credit cards. He had a plethora of credit cards he obtained when he was scavenging, so hopefully one of them would work. Looking around the corner of his SUV, John didn’t see any zombies in plain sight. It looked safe enough to fill up. Popping the fuel cap open, John shoved the diesel nozzle in there and shoved one of the many credit cards into the machine. Somehow, through a miracle, it took.
His next target was the gas station itself. Locking the doors to the Excursion with Vader inside to guard it, John started cautiously approaching the gas station. John scanned through the glass doors, and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. He opened the door and took a few cautious steps in.
Then he noticed it, the former living person who was now known as a zombie stuck in the cashier’s station. The door was closed, so it couldn’t get out, and it was also being slow due to the incredible cold. It had noticed John too, and was making some sort of guttural sound while attempting to nudge the door open with its decomposing corpse. John drew his Colt 1911, and pulled out a suppressor for it. He quickly screwed it on, aimed at the zombie’s head, and pulled the trigger. The corpse collapsed onto the ground, and John scanned the rest of the store.
Everything else seemed alright, so he grabbed whatever was left. There was some beef jerky, Gatorade, bags of chips, and a couple of bottle of cheap booze. He wasn't a drinker, but it worked great as an anti-septic. John also grabbed some newspaper and hand sanitizer.
Scanning the outside to see that the situation had not changed, John walked back to the car and tossed his loot in. He let Vader out, who could use a stretch. He felt it was sufficiently safe to scan his surroundings and imagine what life here was like before the outbreak.
He saw the grocery store, some apartment buildings, and various small businesses lining the main street. As he looked down the street, he saw a church.
John drew his gun. There was something coming towards him, and since it was running, he assumed it was a person. John wasn’t too fond of people running at him after the last guy tried to rob him. Vader sensed something was amiss and immediately came to John’s side. He moved behind the Excursion for cover. He sincerely hoped it was just a fellow scavenger, a person trying to survive.
Although he was a quiet man, John liked people. He liked viewing the world optimistically, which was a bit hard to do at the moment because everyone was trying to eat you. He also missed human conversation and interaction.
So John took a chance. He yelled/asked, “Are you a friendly?” at the person moving towards his location. It wasn’t too loud as to attract the attention of a horde, or so he hoped, but he was sure the person could hear him. He wasn’t too far off.
“I won’t shoot if you’re friendly. I’m just passing through.” John added, trying to seem somewhat friendly himself.
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Post by Zenios on Feb 20, 2017 17:50:54 GMT -5
Something just didn't feel right to Gabriel - it just felt a little more unnaturally quiet than it normally was, nowadays. This was the kind of silence he normally encountered immediately before he ran into a group of zulus or after the sound of gunfire died down. That was more than enough reason to be on edge of late. So he swung the hunting rifle around and into his hands, pulled back the bolt, and loaded a few rounds. Given that he'd spent much of his time roaming and favoring freedom of movement over firepower, it was a relatively new addition to his arsenal. He didn't quite trust the rifle yet, but the scope seemed like a nice thing to have - and it made for a clearer profile. So equipped, he kept jogging, keeping his head on a swivel a little more than he might have otherwise.
It took another fifty yards or two before a man called out from somewhere ahead of him. He was asking a simple question - if a naive one. It seemed a little redundant to lift a gun at someone and ask if they were friendly or not--and doubly so, Gabriel snorted, as he repeated himself and specified he wouldn't shoot, but only if Gabriel was a friendly. What exactly counted as a friendly? He was a little too jaded to assume that the man wasn't talking about some group affiliation, but at the same time - he hadn't been shot yet, and the shot he'd heard earlier probably hadn't been remotely in his direction. Maybe this guy was telling the truth - and just looking out for himself.
With a bit of a sigh, Gabriel swung his rifle up into the air, resting the stock on his hip, as nonthreateningly as he could with a loaded weapon. He wasn't expecting to run into anyone like this, but he guessed it might do some good to at least not have his rifle in both hands as he approached.
Gabriel waited to get a little closer before he responded. His voice was a little lower, so it had a tendency to carry a little bit over distances, and tracking voices was a little easier than suppressed gunshots. "I'm not gonna shoot at you, if that's what you mean. Just out for a jog." He paused, gestured with his free hand off past the man and his truck. Gabriel had plenty of reasons to be on his guard, but he didn't intend to be so much so as to be an asshole. Making friends might not have been the worst thing ever. "There's a grocery store up that way I was gonna go pick over."
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Salvahkiin
Archer
My Siren's name is Brick, and she is the prettiest.
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Post by Salvahkiin on Feb 25, 2017 4:00:30 GMT -5
The only two issues Mick had with his vehicle were both incurable; the noise, and the fuel economy. While his custom modifications (in the form of higher capacity fuel tanks) improved the sheer amount of diesel he could carry, it didn't address the consumption of the massive V8 sitting in the engine bay. The vehicle also had a rather good exhaust system on it, but it did little to muffle the sound. You'd hear the vehicle half a kilometer away.
To address the noise concern, Mick often slowly cruised through towns, it provided ample opportunity to scan storefronts and potential threats. The only thing he had to worry about was other people, even through a small horde, his land cruiser would charge through.
Mick had eyed the gas station earlier, and it was his first destination, as he was in need of diesel. His jerry cans were empty, and his tanks were running low. As he approached from a distance, he noticed the commotion occurring there. At the station, somebody was refueling, and on the opposite side of the station, another man was attempting to talk the other down from homicide. Mick slowed the car down, and moved into the left lane before hooking the car so his door was somewhat covered before stopping entirely and switching the ignition off.
Adopting a tone loud enough for both parties to hear, Mick addressed them. "G'day there blokes, fine morning to be out on the town. I'm not here lookin' to hurt anyone, just another weary bastard in search of some diesel, and I'm hoping we'd put the weapons down and sit down and talk this out. I've even got some beer in me fridge if that'll help the negotiations."
Mick had no firearms in his hand, but he had a few at arms reach. But he'd rather not be using them.
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Post by chaplian on Mar 4, 2017 22:21:34 GMT -5
John heard the jogging man say he wasn't gonna shoot him, and that was honestly good enough for him. John was sure he had wanted to shoot him, he would have done so already. With that thought in his mind, he lowered his 1911. However, as the soon as he lowered his weapon, he saw a Land Cruiser of all things approaching them. The large vehicle pulled up and the operator turned it off. He sounded Australian, which surprised John, but the man seemed to also have decent intentions. He also expressed a friendly attitude, so it seems everything was alright for now. John patted Vader on the head as an indication that everything was okay, at least for now.
"I'm just fueling up and trying to scavenge some food and other living necessities. My name's John. Been a while since I've introduced myself, but I think that's my name. My buddy here is Vader, he won't bother you as long you don't try to eat me." John said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Well, if you need some diesel, these pumps here are working. Let me pull my Excursion out of the way, and the pump's all yours." John added a few seconds later, trying to be friendly to new arrival.
John hopped into the Excursion with Vader, and pulled it up a spot so the Australian man could also fuel up. His auxiliary fuel cans were all full, along with the Excursion itself. He should be set for a long period of time in terms of fuel. Hopping out of the Excursion, he scanned the surroundings.
"There's still some supplies left in that gas station over there. There's food, liquor, and drinks in there. Oh, there's also a dead zombie. I put a bullet in its brain and looked around, he seemed to be the only one in there. Should be fairly safe now." John said, looking at the jogger. He then turned his head towards the Toyota and said, "The pump's still going, so you should be good to fill up if you want."
He then pondered about the grocery store, and decided it might not be a bad idea to grab some more supplies. He asked, "If it's alright with you, do you think I could join your little grocery store excursion? I could use some more rations, and I'm sure Vader here would appreciate some too."
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Post by Zenios on Mar 19, 2017 20:04:17 GMT -5
Gabriel grunted a little, brought the rifle around as the sound of a vehicle approached. This whole random encounter thing had him a little tense; the prospect of another individual, or group, arriving immediately after he'd met this guy definitely put him on edge. A quick look over at him, though, suggested that he hadn't expected to see another car rolling up either. That was only slightly reassuring, but it was something at least - maybe he wasn't about to get tortured to death in the basement of some converted school building by a band of psychopaths. One narrow escape was enough. Most of that surprise returned when the car rolled up, a window rolled down, and the loner inside opened his mouth with some kind of absurd Australian accent. Gabriel was a little surprised he didn't say something about 'shrimp on da baaaaahbie' to celebrate negotiations, but then again that would have been a little much. Maybe this guy was actually an Aussie, and not just some idiot trying to be funny. That would have been an interesting twist.
He'd spent a little too much time on his own to really appreciate John's attempt at levity, but he at least managed a humorless smile. Nobody was dead, at least, and no bullets were flying. "Gabriel Salinas," he replied as John began walking away. Common courtesy wasn't totally lost to him. "Pleasure's all mine." He moved to lean against the side of one of the pumps, pulling out his folding knife and inspecting the weapon to kill a few seconds. Keeping your knife well-maintained was almost as important as knowing how to use it, and Gabriel carefully noted that his was a little dull. He'd have to pay closer attention to it the next time he was in camp.
He looked up as John addressed himself and the Aussie, putting the folding knife away in a smooth and practiced motion. The prospect of working with someone else for a bit, though, definitely did lift his spirits. "Not at all," he had to avoid exclaiming. "You want to tag along, too, Aussie? Looked like a pretty big place. Probably won't be empty - whether we're talking about the dead or supplies. Couple extra hands clearing it out might not be bad at all."
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