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Post by Ivrick S. Mendella on Oct 8, 2012 19:13:25 GMT -8
She walked down the street, her curly brown hair tied back, chin up, blue-grey eyes showed her relaxed state. It was almost as if she didn't have a fear in the world, and to be honest, she didn't. A katana her brother had given her was strapped to her back, and the small revolver her dad have given her was in the shoulder bag that she'd received from her little sister a few years back, along with other supplies, though the gun lay on top, cocked, safety ready to be clicked off in an instant.
She had parked her beloved jeep at the end of the street. She didn't want to waste gas in a place she could walk around in. She couldn't really tell you what she was doing here. She just had this feeling that she should be. She felt as if someone here was going to find her. Then she wouldn't have to travel alone. That and she was searching for her two people that meant a lot in her life. Finding them was proving difficult. They were no where to be found in Mississippi, so here she was in Houston, trying to find some sign. Maybe her ex had gone to California with his band to try to find her best friend as well. Maybe, just maybe. It still didn't stop her from searching every state in-between. Not to mention she could use some more protein bars and water.
She looked up at the skyscrapers that seemed to beg the sky to take them away from this horrid new world. It was amazing how the way of the world could change have you viewed things. Before now, Ivrick would have thought the buildings stretched for pride. Wanting to show off it's incredibility to the world around it. But now, everything seemed tragic. She snorted, and deciding the surrounding area was safe, sat on the sidewalk, kicking a plastic cup across the abandoned street. She reached into her black and white stripped jacket pocket to pull out a cigarette shaped object. However, green filled the end. She removed her lighter and flicked it, putting the pipe to her lips, and inhaling the marijuana into her lungs. She held it in for a moment before releasing it slowly and taking a second hit before cleaning and re-loading the pipe. She smoked it clean again and then pulled a cigarette from her new pack after she packed it tightly. She then slid the pipe into the cigarette's place to keep up with it easier and put the Seneca menthol between her lips and lit it, taking a few drags before standing up, satisfied with her high.
She continued to walk down the street, taking a drag from the cancer stick every now and again. When she was done with the 100, she dropped it on the ground and stepped on it with her converse before adjusting her katana and shoulder-bag strap and sighing, heading back to her beloved jeep. It would be a few minutes until she got back to it, but the walking was good for her muscles and joints. At least she knew she'd be able to run if she had to. She'd walked so far that she could already feel that the limbs in her body were warmed up and ready to fight or flee. Whichever came first, that is.
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Post by Jamie Bell Longfeather on Oct 15, 2012 10:41:30 GMT -8
The city was eerie with its' silence, it was at once both unnerving and calming. Unnerving in that now Houston was a museum of man; the large buildings, the silent cars and the dying traffic lights were the bones of civilization. Over the load pop of lights changing colors, the click of a camera could be heard as a young woman moved through the exhibits on display. She was a tourist in this city, a visitor to this hall of relics, and keen to document her passage. Barely audible was a low whistle as she walked, obviously a habit, but the tune was strange and only served to increase the strangeness of this large museum.
Even though the world at large was dying, there were still plenty of supplies available. However, our tourist had chosen to forego some of the more obvious supplies. She did not have a vehicle, preferring her own two feet, having had machines fail her in crucial moments. She did carry a hunting rifle, the wood well aged, but in good condition, it hung from her shoulder by its' strap. She carried a a large pack, surrounded with water bottles and topped by a blanket. At her waist was a small bag, hardly big enough to hold an apple, which hung limp and barely a quarter full. It held her wealth, it was her life's work and it was one of two things she would kill and die for. A camera, top of the line, was in her hands, the lens constantly moving, flashes occasionally illuminating the shadows and clicks heard as she took photos of this museum.
Like all artists, the silence of this haunted museum comforted some part of the tourist's soul. She could see the gruesome art of the dying city and appreciate the universe as an artist. Corpses were haunting reminders of those who lived here; the graffiti, the advertisements and the street signs all epitaphs to the dead. None of the undead lingered around her, though she could hear them as they roamed the city as well, the ghastly staff of this museum. They did not bother her overmuch, though she was afraid of them, of the possibility they represented, thieves of life. As she walked down the street, she kept an ear out for noises of danger but her eyes were focused on another world.
It was not her intention to be caught between a person and that person's escape route, but it happened. She stepped around a jeep, mistaking it for an abandoned sculpture like countless other vehicles in the city, and began to walk down the street. In fact she did not catch sight of the young girl at first, taking a picture of the street as she walked. It was on review of the picture that she noticed that she had caught a human subject, unaware of her presence. The young girl, at least younger than she was, had just put out a cigarette her foot still twisting, the sword on her bag falling so slightly. The skyscrapers made her seem small, the light perfect for the black and white image.
At once Jamie stopped whistling, letting the camera fall against her chest. There was no way she would go unseen, she was standing in the middle of the street, near enough to the jeep she could beat the young girl to it. But Jamie was not one for theft, nor for trusting vehicles anymore so she stood still, allowing her right hand to move to her waist. She would let this young girl make the first move. Hopefully, she prayed, this young girl was not aggressive, would at least let her go her separate way and at best share information. Jamie was a tourist in truth, having no one in this world to search for, or be searched for her. She was well and truly alone and her only tasks were to head east and take pictures.
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Post by Ivrick S. Mendella on Oct 15, 2012 12:01:56 GMT -8
The silence seemed to engulf her. It was peaceful, even though there was an undoubted edge to it. She stopped to look around and then up at the sky. Everything was so different now. So... dangerous. Ivrick liked the word. She's always been one for danger, and this new reality shift only seemed to make her life more exciting than it had been before. She liked that. It gave her something to keep her mind occupied.
She sighed then. This city had nothing left to hold for her. It was as dead as it's occupants and she was ready to leave. She was headed for California, and she wouldn't be making progress by sticking around here. Her main concern was finding her best friend. The one person in this world that she knew would stick with her when things got rough. The only person that wouldn't leave her behind for anything or anyone in the world.
She turned on her heel to go back to her jeep, and that was when she saw her. Her hand was on her hip, camera around her neck, a bag over her shoulder. How long had she been standing there. For a moment, Ivrick didn't move nor say a word. She simply assessed her situation. This girl seemed nice, but how was Ivrick to know her true nature? She'd watched people kill other survivors for their supplies, or just because they felt like it. It was disturbing, but nothing Ivrick could do anything about. So, she'd simply shrug and walk away.
Finally, she took a few steps towards the girl. "Hello." She said, a small smile creeping across her lips."Are you traveling alone?" She asked, keeping a small distance between them. Her eyes watched the girl carefully, and she pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear to keep it out of her eyes. She lifted her chin slightly to look over the girl's shoulder at her jeep, glad she'd locked it. When it came to anything, Ivrick could be a bit lazy, and that was why she had her jeep. She was also lucky that her brother had shown her how to take get gas out of other vehicles and into hers. There were so many broke down but full of gas. It was like heaven for her jeep!
She pulled herself from her thoughts and outstretched her hand."I'm Ivrick. Ivrick Mendella." She said, waiting for the girl to take her hand. A smile was on her lips, and her eyes were gentle as she spoke. She knew this girl had seen the aggressive nature of the surviving humans, and that made her cautious. It was clear.
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Post by Jamie Bell Longfeather on Oct 15, 2012 17:00:40 GMT -8
”Hello. Are you traveling alone?”, the young woman asked her. Jamie tilted her head listening to the voice as it floated on a cold wind towards her. Her warm eyes took in the words, rolling them about her mind as she listened for something which might indicate danger, deceit or trouble. Finding none she nodded in the affirmative to the girl’s question and was rewarded with a name, Ivrick. A gust of wind puffed at her, pulling the cotton long sleeved shirt flat against her back and lifting a feather, braided into her hair, over her shoulder.
“Longfeather, Jamie Bell Longfeather”, she introduced herself. It was strange to actually give her name to someone else, like she was a civilized being again. Absentmindedly the hand on her hip caressed her stomach, its’ cargo as yet hidden by normal clothes. In a few months she would outgrow the simple cotton t-shirts and long sleeved shirts, but that was a problem for another day. She turned her head to watch a tree blow in another gust of her, the soft rustle of necklaces moving underneath her clothing. She wore a set of wedding rings on her left middle finger, they were a matched set and not her’s, but who was to know that? They were only things left she had of her parents besides pictures, but the rings were so much more tangible.
“I am a photographer”, she explained her presence in the city. She had always thought she was an artist but now? She was just a photographer doing her best to create a story for the child she would have one day. In her search for that story, she was on the lookout for a doctor, a nurse, a midwife or anyone who had ever given birth. She would need help in a few month’s time, maybe sooner if she was unlucky. But today she felt great, alive with an energy that was alien to this country of white people. It was an energy the native americans had owned centuries before, when they could walk for days and not see another living soul except the buffalo or coyote.
“From Arizona, heading east towards something. Do you have news Ivrick?” She used the young woman’s name, rolling it around her mouth and trying it out. It was a pretty name, simple and complex at the same time but it would not do for her child. Perhaps she would follow custom and wait until the baby was two before giving it a true name. That happened sometimes among her family, not often but sometimes.
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Post by Ivrick S. Mendella on Oct 15, 2012 17:20:39 GMT -8
Ivrick smiled at the girl. Then, her eyes darted to the girl's hand that rested on her stomach. Immediately, Ivrick knew what it was beneath clothing and skin. She was pregnant. Ivrick's eyes went back to the girl, Jamie. "It's nice to meet you, Jamie." She said with a nod before looking back at the girl's stomach. It was sad to think that in a few months, a child would be born into this world of horror. She swallowed to keep herself from speaking out. Then, Jamie spoke again.
A photographer? Interesting. What had Ivrick been before the apocalypse? A normal teenager? She looked down at her feet, crossing her hands. "I don't remember what I did before all of this." She mumbled. Her memory loss had progressively gotten worse, and she could barely remember some things. Even if they were important. By tomorrow, Ivrick will probably have forgotten this girl's name. Then again, this girl intrigued Ivrick. She was a native. Indian, perhaps? A feather was tangled in her hair, and she seemed to study Ivrick and the air around her with her senses. She had spiritual senses. Like a Native American. Ivrick cleared her throat again as the girl spoke. When did Ivrick ask where she was from? Oh well, it was still a bit nice to know.
"I'm from Mississippi. I haven't heard anything. I've just been trying to enjoy the little things, though I have been desperately trying to find someone else that's alive." She said, and looked up and smiled kindly at the girl before stepping forward. She pulled a cigarette from her pack and lit it, taking a few hits before lowering her hand to her side so that the cigarette just burned for the moment. "Do you wish for company?" She asked, dropping her eyes again and ashing her cigarette before taking a puff.
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Post by Jamie Bell Longfeather on Oct 16, 2012 5:53:35 GMT -8
It was at this point, when Ivrick smiled, that Jamie decided to begin to trust her. There was no obvious warning bells about this young woman and nothing saying she had to leave right this minute, and it was in that feeling Jamie chose to place her trust. Now that did not mean the girl wasn’t dangerous, wouldn’t become a threat, it just meant that right now Jamie was open to learning more about her. She could still run right now, still fight, but she did have precious little time to waste. She had to get somewhere, but even that feeling had gone silent.
”And you as well. I have not seen another person in quite awhile. And it is alright if you do not remember much. There are things I would like to forget. That is why I have this”, she wiggled her camera in one hand, shifting her feet to a more comfortable position. She had forgotten that standing still for any length of time would make her back begin to hurt. Jamie had always had a mystical air about her, but it was anyone’s guess whether it was from her heritage or simple something she cultivated. Reviews on her art had called it outside reality, that she saw a truth that was hidden, and that she could make you think. That didn’t mean her art sold of course, it did but not as much as some other more popular artists, it just mean people saw what she did and understood.
Jamie cocked her head to listen to the city, the dying breathes so loud and yet so quiet, nodding in agreement when she heard Ivrick speak of the little things and trying to find someone else who is alive. She could understand that, she was trying to do the same. She had no fear of giving birth by herself, she knew how to do it and seen it done for years. What she was afraid of was taking care of a baby by herself while she recovered and trying to raise an active baby on her own. That was the scariest part about all of this, why she wanted to find someone she could trust, someone who would not leave her or make stupid mistakes.
Jamie watched her take out a cigarette and light it, taking a few puffs before letting it just burn. It brought a tear to her eye, her father had smoked, Swisher Sweets. The house had always smelled of sweet tobacco, her father had always had a twinkle in his eye when he would pull one out and light it. It was the only vice her mother would let him have, he would joke, as he cut into a biscuit. Her heart beat so hard she thought it would burst, tears coming more easily to her eyes now. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a back of tissues, wiping her face and blowing her nose. It was perhaps one of the few times Jamie seemed human.
”Sorry, allergies”, she lied giving herself a second to get over her crying fit. Tears came so easily to her and Jamie knew it was caused by the hormones but sad memories did nothing to help the onslaught of her body. She had a few books in the bottom of her bag, she read them sometimes when she took breaks from walking or camped for the night. One was an art book, her favorite, while the others were about pregnancy and natural medicine. Jamie’s father had been a medicine man so she knew some of the rituals of healing, in a world like this she might find it useful to know more than just rituals.
”I would welcome the company Ivrick. I do not wish to impose on you. But yes, company would be grand. Sometimes it is hard to remember I am not the only person left alive”.
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Post by Ivrick S. Mendella on Oct 16, 2012 15:03:10 GMT -8
When the girl spoke, Irvick listened intently. She spoke of her camera. It's purpose, and Ivrick smiled. "A photographer? Are you an artist with your work as well, or do you simply take pictures for memories?" She asked, clear curiosity lacing her words like a ribbon. Her head tilted slightly as she was still trying to get use to this girl's appearance. Modern, but indian. She looked at the girl's eyes, a confused glimmer in her own, though she didn't ask. She felt it was best to be polite and not probe into the girl's business.
Then, she saw the tears form in Jamie's eyes, and she felt a twist in her heart. She hated seeing people cry. It was something she'd never been able to handle well. The only exception were the people she'd made cry, or the people who had wronged her in life, but that was simply human nature. It was Ivrick's nature. To hate. She'd always been filled with anger, and this world? Well, that didn't help. However, she felt better with Jamie around, even if the girl was a stranger. She wasn't alone. She could change herself. Not forget her past, but instead learn from it.
Jamie lied for a moment. Allergies, she'd said. Ivrick smiled and waved her hand once. "It's alright to cry... Was it something I did?" She asked. Ivrick couldn't help herself. She'd always been one to speak what was on her mind, and that was one thing that couldn't be changed for anyone. However, Ivrick was pulled from her thoughts when Jamie spoke again.
She smiled and moved close to Jaime. "I know how that feels." She said with a sympathetic smile, then looking down at her stomach. "How far along are you, if you don't mind me asking." She said, hoping she hadn't offended Jamie. She looked back her jeep as the wind blew. A sheet of paper, dirty and slightly charred was moving over the street like a rabbit. Hopping each time the wind rolled it. She looked back at Jamie. "Would you like to leave now, or stay a while?" Ivrick asked, motioning to her jeep with the hand that held the cigarette. She turned to look down the street in the other direction, taking a hit of her cigarette as she did so before turning back to Jamie.
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Post by Jamie Bell Longfeather on Oct 17, 2012 12:54:37 GMT -8
Jamie barely heard the questions Ivrick asked her, so wrapped up in her own memories, but the curiosity she heard in the third question caused her to look up, a wobbly smile on her face. She was about to answer when Ivrick made a correct guess. ”You can actually tell?” , her handed strayed to her belly in a protective manner. Probably looked as fat as a cow, she thought to herself. ”A little over three months. I had just found out a week before all hell broke loose” , she explained, wiping the last of her tears off her face. ”And it wasn’t your fault, not about the crying, just the stupid hormones “, she explained.
She adjusted her shoulders under the strap of her back pack, pulling the shirt out a little more. She hated to say it but Ivrick spotting her pregnancy unnerved her a bit. It made her feel like she was weaker than she actually was. Jamie knew she would get ungainly and weak as her pregnancy advanced, she just hadn’t wanted it to come so early. She hadn’t had any chance to just sit down and actually dream about her baby, so having someone else remind her of it was like Gee, I really am pregnant. I am gonna be a mother. She was not offended by no means, just caught off guard.
”We can go now but….” , she looked at the Jeep, a wary look on her face. “Are you sure that it is safe?” There were one or two very compelling reasons why Jamie was not in her own vehicle at the moment. One reason was because she had been left stranded in the desert after her own vehicle had flattened two tires. That had led to her having a short vision experience in which she had been prompted to go east. The second reason had been sucking gas had caused her to be sick as a dog for three days, even though she had not swallowed any. Gas in general now just make her sick. She wondered if her vision had led her to Ivrick for a reason, it might bear some thinking that she go on a vision quest again. Find out just what her path was, if she could.
“If you are ready, I am”.
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Post by Ivrick S. Mendella on Oct 18, 2012 16:22:00 GMT -8
Ivrick laughed quietly at Jamie's response and quickly composed herself. "My apologies, Jamie. It's just, I noticed the sign. You put your hand on your stomach the way a mother does. Only a pregnant mother puts her hand on her stomach the way you did. It's a natural thing for us." Ivrick said with a smile. She'd studied deeply into psychology and, well, all sciences; and while she did not believe in any religion, she could back up someone's with science. It was a bit amazing how they went hand in hand with one another if you applied them that way. Or, religion could work against science, and vice versa. It was an odd, odd thing.
Jamie spoke again, and Ivrick listened. "It's alright. I was just curious... Hoping not, though." She said with a laugh. "But, three-months? Glad I like kids." Ivrick said with a playful shine to her smile. She didn't want to offend Jamie in any manner, and she hoped that Jamie had a good sense of humor. If there was one thing Ivrick loved, it was to laugh. She was always trying to make herself and others laugh simply because she loved it dearly.
Ivrick took another drag off her cigarette, and then another before dropping her hand back to down to her side to let the tobacco and paper burn for a moment so she wouldn't end up hot boxing it. Jamie asked a question and she gave her a gentle smile. "Well, let's put it this way... May dad gave it to me a few months ago. It's had a monthly tune-up since and runs like an angel." She said. "Not the prettiest angel in the sky, but definitely an angel." She said with a small laugh.
Ivrick had always had admiration for her jeep. It was the first vehicle she had driven and actually enjoyed driving. Her dad, whom Ivrick had been closer to among the other adults in her family - besides her mother - had trusted her with the condition and safety of the jeep and everyone in it, and Ivrick had taken on the responsibility full swing and it had paid off. Her dad had decided to give the jeep to Ivrick. Once she got it, she was the happiest person in the world! She wasn't even sure what it was about that jeep. It just had some sort of sentimental value that could never be replaced, therefore, Ivrick took very good care of it.
It was still tattered on the inside, but that didn't mean it didn't work. Ivrick even had not one, two, three, or four spare tires in the back. She had eight. She had a heavy duty jack her dad had given him from his shop in Jackson. She had clothes, food, ammo, water, soda, matches, lighter fluid, batteries, flashlights, and had even rigged her iPod charger to work with batteries as it's source so she could listen to music when she was driving. However, she'd have to listen to something that Jamie liked. She'd hate to run her guest away. It was nice to have the company.
When Jamie spoke, Ivrick smiled and nodded. "So, is there anywhere in particular you're headed? Or just an area in general?" Ivrick asked as they walked back to her vehicle. She unlocked it and opened the passenger door for Jamie before walking over to the driver's side and hopping in excitedly, pulling the key from her front pocket in one swift - and well-practiced - motion. She put the key in the ignition and the jeep came to life. She immediately put her seat belt on and then clicked her iPod to put in the password so she could access her music. She choose something that was going to place next in her current playlist had she not have stopped. Sometime I Just For It by The Used. It was her favorite instrumental. Well, second to River Flows In You by Yiruma. "I really hope you don't mind the music." Ivrick said as she put the jeep into gear and began to clear out the city slowly.
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Post by Jamie Bell Longfeather on Oct 21, 2012 11:38:26 GMT -8
Jamie smiled, ”Kids are great, with salt and butter”. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled humorously, her mother had said that when Jamie had told her about the pregnancy, A grandkid, I will have salt and butter to go with him, her laugh had been like bells over the phone. It had made Jamie feel better about the whole situation at a time when she had been upset. She had always had a good sense of humor, you had to have one when you grew up on the reservation or you would cry, and her family did not cry. Admittedly sometimes Jamie’s humor could get skewed but she was an artist so it was only to be expected.
”Thank you”, she said when Ivrick opened the door for her. She looked over the spare tires in the back before setting her backpack down where it would not be in the way. She adjusted the rifle in her lap once she was settled into the seat, no sense in putting it somewhere she could not reach it quickly. Lord knows she might need it in a pinch. Jamie shook her head, then decided to explain something to Ivrick.
”I was going home from Albuquerque about three weeks ago when I blew two tires on my car. I was in the desert and could not get reception so I started walking. In my family”, saying people always made her feel like an outsider so she referred to her tribe as ‘family’, we go on vision quests, where we don’t eat or drink and we walk into the desert so the Lord can send us visions about decisions affecting our lives”. She went quite for a moment, wondering if Ivrick would say something about the mystic-ness of the vision quest thing. ”I sorta had one after about two days of wandering. I saw an eagle land on my feet before it circled overhead and flew into the sun where it disappeared. Then, in the eagle’s path, roses began to grow, the blooms always opening towards the east so that I could not see what color the petals were. I was found my some people heading my direction and they took me home”, which is where she discovered her parents dead. Her father had left her a note telling her to trust her instincts.
”So”, she shrugged, pulling her hair back with a tie the eagle feather hanging loose against her shoulder with no hair to hide it, ”I came east. I have had a nagging feeling to move east until you offered me a ride. Now I feel like my path is my own again. I do not know if I will stay with you but for now, I will travel with you and see what happens. Perhaps I was supposed to meet you for some other purpose”. There it was all out in the open, Ivrick could call her crazy or not, demand she get out of the car. It was hard for people to understand Jamie and her family, even the family she was not related too. The cultures and beliefs were so different it could cause tension and even fear.
”And the music is fine”,, Jamie said, turning her camera on and aiming the lenses at the departing city. She did not have much taste in music so whatever was generally on the radio was what was on the radio. She was more visually aware of her world than anything else. She would need new batteries soon, but she had plenty in her pack, it was easy to find camera stuff, it was not a survival necessity. She had plenty of blank memory chips for photos and plenty of batteries as well, but no equipment to look at the pictures beyond the digital screen of her camera, and no way to print them off. Still just keeping up with them was more than enough for now.
”I just need to find a safe place, though I have a few months before it becomes a must have. But ideas are never a bad thing to have”.
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