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Post by Wes Flatfield on Dec 29, 2012 14:05:43 GMT -8
He shook his head at Delainie. The one friend he had encountered in the last couple of weeks was no longer around. Wes knew that this was bound to happen at some point; the mall was too large and inviting a place for him never to have an intruder. Now he had two, within a span of an hour. He liked to think he was prepared, but he did find himself fighting to stay calm. Once Wes pinpointed what kitchen he had heard the sound from, he nodded at Delainie to creep to her right while he made his way to the left. As he approached the taco shop, he waived at Delainie to hold still. He immediately saw that she had different plans.
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Post by Delainie Carthage on Jan 3, 2013 17:25:43 GMT -8
Delainie watched Wes and grew more concerned with the situation. Raiders? He seemed to not have had to deal with this instance before. Possibly she had been the first visitor, number two was following close behind. She reached back to her tucked gun and pulled it out. She examined the exterior. Not what she was used to but it would do the trick. Even if she didn't end up using it.
She crossed the cafeteria. If they meant much harm wouldn't they have come out guns blazing? She figured they might be just as scared as they were if running into an unfriendly human. If this was the case than she would be fine.... And if it was the other was around than so be it. She would die with a bullet in her head- better than dying from the poison in the infected's bite.
She cocked back the gun and walked around the service counter. She took a slow breath. Before pushing open the kitchen door. It gave way easier than she imagined- one of those swinging doors that she saw in real restaurants, she looked back to Wes, he had followed but a warning written on his face. She continued. The dark was a disadvantage for all parties involved. She strained her eyes to look for outline shadows of anything that resembled a human body. She couldn't see much.
OOC: sorry for the delay guys x.x |
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Post by sam on Jan 4, 2013 16:09:02 GMT -8
His feet shoulder length apart he was in the typical defensive stance, machete in hand, ready for anything. He was expecting to see the skeletal face of a walker looking for an easy meal. Against an opposite wall he saw the shadow of an arm holding what looked like a pistol. A living human being could be just as bad or, many times worse, than a walker.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" he shouted at the advancing shadow arm. "I'M ARMED AND I WILL KILL YOU IF I HAVE TO!" If he could hear himself he would hear what they heard, a scared man with a slight Hispanic accent. "I JUST CAME TO FIND SOME FOOD! THAT'S ALL!"
He was breathing heavy, his body in the typical fight or flight mode. Whatever happened next would depend on what the person with the arm did. The last thing he wanted was to have to fight his way out of Taco Timoteo kitchen but he would if he had to. |
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Post by Wes Flatfield on Jan 7, 2013 18:10:34 GMT -8
He had reached Delainie by the time the intruder began with his threats. In the first shout, Wes suspected that the man was more scared than anything. The threats being followed by an unwarranted explanation of why he was there sealed the deal, so to speak. Once it all began though, he saw Delainie raise her pistol and begin to stand. He reached out towards her before she could stand, and pointed at a food cart on her right. She looked back at Wes with some confusion so, he took it upon himself to take a couple steps toward it and quietly roll it towards the entrance of the kitchen. Wes then yelled, "are you by yourself?". After what seemed like an eternity, he heard the intruder shuffle around, possibly looking for a weapon, or perhaps trying to communicate with those he was with. Wes kicked the food cart in, toward a corner of the kitchen, and the he and Delainie watched it hit the wall and come to a stop. Hoping not to appear clueless by the fact that the circumstances didn’t call for distraction in a kitchen with only one entrance, he wiped the misunderstanding off the face of Delainie when he pointed at the reflection of the intruder on clean, flat side of the aluminum food cart. The two could see the figure of a man holding what looked like an elongated, thick knife or, given the situation, spatula. Empty threat. He looked back at Delainie for a response.
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Post by Delainie Carthage on Jan 8, 2013 17:02:06 GMT -8
The man's voice startled her. It nearly made her jump out of her sanity, but what did she expect... that there would be nobody? And that they would just slip out in peace? She was the one weilding a gun, and she expected to remain in control of the situation... control... that was something she missed about her old life, she was the boss of herself- but these recent worldly circumstances sure flipped that upside down. She looked back to Wes who had crept next to her, she herself tried to find a voice. No she shouldn't be the one to speak, who would be scared of her? She didn't have that booming voice of authority that a man could fake easily even if that wasn't them. She looked to Wes, and that was when he entered the kitchen and spoke.
She sat by as he pushed a metallic cart, she figured that he knew what he was doing but quickly began to doubt that when he ran it the side of a counter and the loud clash made her jump again, by this point she had lowered her gun, she was going to waste any ammunition by accidentally firing because these men kept startling her. She shot a concerned look back at Wes, her eyes wide and eye brows furrowed in deep concern with what he thought that would do, but that was when he pointed, and they could see the man in the kitchen, who was threatening to kill them.
She gritted her teeth as she observed his image, scared to death- just like she would, hey she figured she probably didn't look to different, the only difference between them was that she had an ally. A new friend. He didn't seem to be much of a threat in the ways of the old world. He claimed to just be looking for food, and wasn't that what she had come in here for- supplies, to escape.
Wes had welcomed her, and showed her the kindness of the old humanity. She didn't have to let that die just because of her cautions.
She tucked her gun away, and looked to Wes, she contemplated her next move, seeing how this place was sort of Wes' territory... she didn't want to intrude, but if they could make another ally then they would be that much better off. "It's alright- " her voice was soft, the way she used to speak to trouble teens frazzled in her office, being kind was the only way to get them to open up and trust. If you drilled them they would shut down or harden. No one needed to shut down any more than they already had in this world.
"you don't have to be scared, we're just looking for food too." she shrugged back at Wes, she was just going with it, she comforted people for a living and had them open up to her. It was nice to dabble in something that she was used to. She expected a snap back at her, one of those fierce, I'm not scared!! she was ready for some kind of proof of that as well. People could go either way in stressful situations. She was ready for either one, and was sure Wes was too, he was proving to be quite resourceful himself.
word count: 587
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Post by sam on Jan 8, 2013 23:51:40 GMT -8
When the aluminum cart slid in the doorway he nearly shit himself. What were they thinking? He heard very tiny whispers and realized there were two of them, whoever they were. The interesting thing was he could actually see their reflection in the shiny surface. A man and a woman.
The woman wasn't bad looking in an apocalyptic sense. Dark hair like his, delicate features, pouty lips, high cheek bones. She could easily pass for a model.
The man was a bit more difficult to make out but he was definitely masculine with strong arms and a fighter's stance. He could easily take care of himself in a fight.
"It's alright- you don't have to be scared, we're just looking for food too."
Other survivors. That could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing. But one thing was for certain, he couldn't stand in here all day huddled in the dark in fear. If they were nice they might could form a group, quarden off a part of the mall and make it a safe place then slowly sweep through other areas until they had complete control of a portion of the mall for living quarters and such. Such bright and shiny eggs he was counting before he had even gathered them.
If they were bad he might get killed or he might have to kill them. Either scenario put him out of this kitchen.
"I have a machete and a pistol," he warned them. "I'm coming out. No funny business or I'll kill both of you. Fair warning!" he shouted.
Kicking the metal cart out of his way he eased out from behind the partition that kept the working part of the kitchen hidden from public viewing.
A bit of salsa had dribbled out of the corner of his mouth giving him a crazed, cannibalistic look. Carefully he moved into view holding the machete out in front of him. Both of them looked just as their reflection had shown him. He looked at them, his eyes crazy with fear and uncertainty.
"I didn't know anyone was in here. I just came looking for food. That's all. Nothing else." he told them, looking back and forth from one to the other, the machete shaking as he held it pointing at one and then the other. |
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Post by Wes Flatfield on Jan 9, 2013 21:55:34 GMT -8
Wes listened intently as the intruder spoke. He outlined his intentions, but of course, the pair had no way of knowing how true they were. He tried to remember the countless crime show episodes he had watched in his youth, reaching for some clue for how to handle the situation. Identify the variables. Wes had only known Delainie for a few hours but at this point he had no other option but to trust her. He tried to convince himself that there was no alternative, but the truth was, whether he liked it or not, Wes was comfortable with the concept of trusting her. The two now stood across what he hoped was the one and only unknown variable. Why couldn’t he simply trust this stranger as well? He came up with the cop-out answer that Delaine hadn’t threatened violence against him. Use your strengths. The intruder was outnumbered so Wes knew he had some control. This wasn’t an interrogation, but he desperately needed to find out the intruder’s intentions, or confirm those he had already made. He had a decision to make: good cop or bad cop. He had no way of knowing which approach was going to work since the intruder didn’t have any incentive to be honest. If he was one of many in a group, waiting outside for the thumbs up to storm the mall, he obviously wasn’t going to admit it. To Wes, Innocent until proven guilty had never felt as outdated as it felt at this very moment. “Put the weapon down.”
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Post by Delainie Carthage on Jan 9, 2013 22:42:15 GMT -8
She was composed- something she hadn't been in quite sometime. This was her place, talking, pulling things out of people. She should have been a negotiator for the FBI not a lousily paid high school guidance counselor! The man seemed a bit feral, he was only accumulating to his surroundings, this was a dangerous world and you had to be on your toes when you were alone. She had known that fear of unknown up until a couple hours ago- how could it change so quickly? She shot a quick glance back at Wes... yeah she wasn't alone anymore. She was good at reading people- she had to be sure about that, too many uncertainties now a days.
The man emerged, and he was indeed carrying a weapon, a machete that reflected the capability of gutting them, he looked about as feral as he sounded, there was something dripping from the side of his mouth- with this movement in the dark kitchen her eyes were in need of some time to adjust again. it was clearing now. She could see coming forward. She shrunk back a little, just a step back, enough room to assure her that she was out of swinging range even though in reality he was plenty far away for her to have time to crawl away.
Wes' voice spoke up behind her, and she jumped a little. With a short breath she forced composure, and took charge after his words. Wes could be the voice of force, but she would be the voice she had always been, "We're not mad," she assured him, she did feel a bit like she was talking down to a child, so she quickly changed her phrase, "We don't own this mall, just seeking refuge too, no one is mad, or going to hurt you." She shook her head to reassure him of this fact, she was trying for comfort and kind eyes, she couldn't be sure how he would react. He was on his toes... she had been too and it nearly drove her insane.
She couldn't help the strong rush of the flash back to her kneeling beside a balled up little woman. Who when she reached out to comfort the woman turned wild and scraped and gripped Delainie... people just didn't respond to help like they used to!
word count: 413
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Post by sam on Jan 10, 2013 0:57:55 GMT -8
“Put the weapon down.” he heard the man tell him.
"I don't think so," he replied. He didn't know these people and was not about to become their victim.
"We're not mad, We don't own this mall, just seeking refuge too, no one is mad, or going to hurt you."
He looked at the attractive woman. She had a pleasant voice and pretty eyes. Either of them could be a danger to him but the man was a more dangerous threat. "You hungry?" he asked her. "I found a package of unopened flour tortilla shells and an unopened jar of salsa. Who'd thought, in a world we live in I'd actually find something like that. And in a taco place," he gave a nervous laugh. "Tell ya what, you," motioned towards the woman. "Tell me your name, put you weapon down and I'll let you get some for you and your boyfriend, there, and we'll call it even. There's plenty to go around for the three of us. I was about to open a jar of queso blanco cheese and put some on a tortilla shell.You can have one of the jars."
He looked at the woman as he slowly moved away from the open doorway but kept the machete pointed towards the man. "Okay, pretty lady? Name, weapon down and you can slip behind me and get some of the food for you both. Starting now."
He never took his eyes off of the man and waited for the woman to begin. Because of her daintiness he had decided she was no threat.
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Post by Wes Flatfield on Jan 11, 2013 18:37:56 GMT -8
Wes tried to interpret the intruder’s response. Stupidity, strategy, or just plain stubbornness, he contemplated. He didn’t really feel threatened but the intruder’s persona and machete-pointing kept him on his toes. As he began speaking toward Delainie, Wes stood his ground. He knew he wasn’t the only one in unease when the intruder forced a laugh, and followed by calling him a boyfriend. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. It’d been 7 months since he had ever been called that, yet it felt much longer. The concept of a relationship seemed so foreign, given the situation. Dates, laughs, family introductions- he was sure he would never get those opportunities again. Wes snapped himself back to reality as the intruder made his proposition to Delainie. The man seemed of Hispanic-decent, so he was thrown off by him saying queso blanco cheese. He recalled that queso meant cheese, but he blew it off and tried to not read deep into it. It was an inquiry one would make with someone new, someone with friend-potential.; the machete-wielding man seemed to only fit the first. He looked over at Delainie to see if she would step forward.
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Post by Delainie Carthage on Jan 12, 2013 16:16:16 GMT -8
Delainie was a positive thinker, she always saw the brighter side of things, and looked for the best in people. She looked back to Wes, she tried to read his face, and deliver her own mental image. The man was still hostile. He didn't seem to be backing down. He didn't seem to be warming up. if he stabs me, will you shoot him? she thought as loud as she could, maybe that would be enough to get the message through to her "boyfriend", if not maybe the look in her eye would. She turned and walked towards the weapon wielding man. He looked a little more feral up close than he did back there. But this morning when she woke up in a dumpster.... did she herself feel like she would kill anyone or anything that crossed her? She was sensible, but this world.... was quite trying.
"Delainie," she said with a nod. She continued her way forward. She would grab the supplies and then what? She might be seized, and held hostage for an escape route... she could be killed in the process. She wanted out of the city- not out of this world. Although she could use a break from all the hell, she believed allowing herself to be captured would be as good as letting herself be killed. Wes didn't know her very well, or for very long. Why would he risk his own life for a woman who he had known less than an hour. She had to look out for herself. That was when she passed him safely she looked around for a weapon to find and fight back. The one tucked behind her was a little too extreme for the measures they found them selves in.
He could very well turn into a friend, and how was he going to do that if he was dead? She saw the boxes of salsa and chips he was talking about, but she also saw an open drawer, like someone had been trying to find a weapon when everything happened, that was when she saw it, a utensil she had never used to cook and had seen do damage in movies and cartoons- but not fatal damage, but just enough for what she needed to do. She picked up the thick rolling pin and examined its weight. She shadow swung it a few times to get a few for it, and then quietly turned, she was almost ready to return back out into the lighter part of the kitchen. She caught eyes with Wes who had seen her emerge, however the man with the machete was facing forward, probably seeing Wes' change in direction of looking he would be turning back around to see Delainie's progress. She would have to strike now.
She took a stance that she had only used in softball, once she felt she was in range. She took the swing. She didn't know anything about hitting people in the spot that knocked them out, she just took a crack at it and hoped maybe Wes would help rush and if she missed well, she would have made herself the enemy to this guy and proved everything she had said false. If she missed, she probably deserved to be stabbed.
But she didn't. The sound of the wood cracking on bone was splitting. The wood in fact did split, and the tough body who stood in the dark kitchen crumpled down onto the floor. Delainie's chest heaved- it took a lot out of her, she was a tiny woman! She looked back over to Wes and nodded for him to come over. She put a hand on her back and looked down to the man, she tossed the pin aside, it was useless and would only cause splinters. An possible infection she did not need. When his body wasn't stirring she knelt beside him and checked his pulse. She was successful in not killing him. "Wes, I - I didn't know what to do," she shrugged, "I tried to talk to him!" didn't try very hard or for very long, she chastised her self. She didn't have an abundance of time in this world, she told herself. "Maybe when he wakes up.... he'll be more calm?" she shrugged looking for guidance in this situation she had just put them in.... or he'll only want to kill you more.
word count: 775 |
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Post by sam on Jan 17, 2013 23:14:39 GMT -8
((ooc: Sorry, I was thinking it was Wes' turn but it was mine. Derka! Derka! My apologizes.))
"Wes, I - I didn't know what to do. I tried to talk to him! Maybe when he wakes up.... he'll be more calm?"
As he stood there looking at the man, his machete and eyes focused on him, he had the sudden and sharp sensation of seeing stars and planets as well as a dull thud to his head and his world went black.
Hearing the soft voices of a man and woman talking he slowly opened his eyes, a throbbing pain at the back of his head made him wince. Where was he? Why was he looking at his lap? With a cough he swallowed, his mouth feeling dry and rough, he tried to move but found his arms tied behind him. No, not just tied behind him, his wrists were tied behind him around some kind of big pole.
Looking up he saw that he was tied to one of the decorative columns that stood in the middle of the mall. Blinking to clear his vision he saw that he was now in the food court just outside of the Taco Timeteo where he had found the tortillas, salsa and jar of cheese. But where were they? Did they leave him here to be a meal for the next flesh-eaters to feast upon.
"Hello?" he called out trying to not sound too loud. He wasn't going to make it easy for the biters to hear him. "!Soy estúpido! Yo soy un gran idiota!" he cursed and tried to untie his arms but to no avail.
((Translation - I am stupid! I am a big idiot!))
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Post by Wes Flatfield on Jan 23, 2013 21:59:43 GMT -8
Wes had at first been concerned that Delainie hadn’t stood strong with him against the intruder. When she first spoke, she told the outsider that this was not their mall or that they weren’t going to hurt him. If this wasn’t Wes’ mall he wouldn’t have bothered caring for it and if Wes had no intention of defending himself, he wouldn’t have pointed a gun at the man. But now Delainie proved she wasn’t going to let anyone threaten the security she had found within the large walls of the mall.
With the swing of a rolling pin, he felt that he had learned more about his new friend then he could have learned in an entire day’s conversation with her. Once the adrenaline took over he knew he had to act. “He won’t have a choice but to calm down”, he said with a smile.. All control was firm back in there hands, and it was because of something he didn’t have a say in. There was no head nod of approval he gave before she tee’d off. He never thought he’d come to trust someone as fast- he couldn’t help but smile. “There’s rope back in the pet shop”, he suggested. The two quickly tied the man up because as discovered, the movies don’t always describe how long a person remains unconscious after being knocked out. As they made their way back for more rope, they heard him cry out. “That didn’t take long at all, maybe a commercial break or two”, Wes said, trying to hide his startled state.
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Post by The Events Generator on Jan 23, 2013 22:40:25 GMT -8
Due to various rats chewing at wooden support structures in the upper level at the mall, part of a toy store upstairs just collapsed. As a result, many very large beach balls have rolled out of the store and found their way over the edge. Now the food court by Taco Timeteo is getting bombarded by falling beach balls of fury.
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Post by Delainie Carthage on Jan 24, 2013 22:28:37 GMT -8
She was nervous about Wes’ reaction, she honestly didn’t know if he would freak out or applaud her work. She wasn’t focused enough to even listen to what the two men were talking about, yeah the man had a weapon pointed at Wes- but what if Wes was having a break through with him? What if they were gaining each other’s trust a bit more. Then with a single whack it was over, desiccated! Delainie sighed, but Wes was understanding enough. Besides, the way he smiled made her feel better. Reassured her everything was okay, they were becoming a team and he approved of the move she had just taken. She grabbed some rope just as he instructed and before she knew it the man was tied to the column. Was it sick that she felt a bit of pride from the work they had just accomplished.
Honestly she thought she was doing everyone a favor here, the man was safe- she nor Wes would allow anything to happen to him while under their watch. Wes and herself were safe, they were on their toes about any more guests, and they were not being threatened by a large blade. She thought of it as a win win situation, however she doubted the man tied to a column would feel the same. She examined the tie job they had done and she and Wes agreed it could be a bit better. They headed back to the shop to grab more. How stupid, someone should have stayed with the guy out there. He woke up and began yelling. She flinched and made her way back out to the cafeteria.
”Are you going to talk to him?” She didn’t know if she should show her face after she betrayed his semi-trust like she had. She sighed and looked out to the opened from the shop. She didn’t look forward to it, but eventually she would have to try to talk him down, right? If not maybe Wes could take over? ”Hey,” she called out walking over as he was speaking in spanish to himself. She picked up some words, seeing how she was raised bilingual, and worked in a predominately latino high school, she was no stranger to the language, but it wasn’t her first pick. She didn’t want to leave Wes out of the loop, but hey, maybe Wes was fluent as well? She walked in front of him, but the closer she got the slower her strides were. Talk about awkward, what do you say to the guy you just knocked out? She cast a quick glance to see how far behind Wes was.
Word count: 467
OOC: you are not!! Haha!! It happens to me all the time! |
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