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 Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:17 pm
Yahya had no idea how exactly Sue had managed to get everyone onto his side, but he was relieved. The more help, the better. It would be harder to keep an eye on everybody with a larger group... but still, it also meant there were more eyes watching one's own back and everybody else's. There was safety in numbers. But, even he was surprised when Jess came over to Sue's side. He hadn't expected her to, not when she was injured. She'd surely be safer staying here, out of the way of danger.
He didn't clue in as quickly as Sue, but he got the hint when Jess wrote her address on a slip of paper and gave it to another student. She didn't... expect to make it out of here alive, he could see it as bright as day, and it panicked him. Yahya's face paled slightly, and desperately he turned to Sue, appealing to his friend silently to take a greater stand. He wanted Sue to tell Jess to stay, so she wouldn't get the chance to put herself in harm's way... and get taken out by a zombie, whether accidental or willingly. Yahya could tell Sue knew, and therefore Sue's response to it was far from satisfactory.
As Sue explained just exactly how they were going to take out a few zombies, he couldn't help but continuously glance to Jess. It was clear he was upset, clear that he didn't approve and really did NOT want her to die if it could be helped. He tried not to be so obvious, off-offhandedly posing a question to his friend instead. "How... are we going to get everything set up without a zombie stumbling across the scene? Or bunches of zombies? I don't think they'll just... wait for us to get their death traps finished for them."
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:27 pm
"Quietly," Sue answered, "and quickly. Some things we can start on now, and nobody'll be the wiser. Working in the building especially, where we aren't in the open. Digging trenches - who's going to bother to fill it in? Moving furniture into the dorms where we can get to it quickly for setup. But the rest of it...."
All at once, his mind filled in. Sue shrugged. It wasn't a small task - everyone was going to need to know where to go, what to take, and how to assemble it. If they were lucky, they'd have a half-hour to an hour unmolested - after that, they'd need enough set up to at least defend the workers while the rest was being built.
A big task for five kids, three cats, a kitten, and three baby squirrels.
But Sue was adamant - it was the best course they could take. So he showed no signs of doubt or reluctance, even knowing the difficulty ahead. "I'll scout it out, get a map of the area and bring it back. We can plan off of that."
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 2:17 am
It hurt Jess to see the momentary flash of panic on Yahya's face when he realized she didn't plan on coming back. Quietly, and with a gentle, reassuring smile, she caught his eyes.
"I'm going to try and draw as many as I can away from you guys," she explained. Though she was pale, her voice remained firm. "I'll do my best to keep them off of you for as long as I can, but I would suggest you work quickly since we can't be sure exactly how many are out there."
She wanted, so badly, to say something reassuring. A comforting lie. Only... she couldn't lie. She couldn't even make a promise because even that could end up being a lie. So, she went with the best she could offer.
"I'll be careful and I've got one or two ideas that should help buy time. However," now her voice went flat. She'd brook no arguments on this one. "if you lot get a chance to get past whatever is keeping us in here with them, take get. Get the hell out of here and don't be stupid and sentimental and wait for everyone to make it."
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 2:28 am
"You shouldn't go anywhere alone." Kirin countered automatically. One of the rules from Andeon and Mackenzie he had actually agreed with. Not that it had done them much good, never returning from their excursion to the nurse's room. "Let me go, too. It's easier to plan moves on a chessboard that I've seen with my own eyes."
He very reluctantly fished into his pockets and handed over the flask to Jess. "Don't be a hero," he sniped, avoiding her eyes. "I'm not making gravestones if you die." If the fool girl wanted to throw everything away now, he wouldn't stop her, but he wouldn't respect her anymore, either. He'd thought her braver than this, and smarter, if she thought pre-planning her own sacrificial death was going to be okay with anyone.
Still, her note went into the pocket the flask had emerged from. One hand smoothed it down absently, preventing too much wrinkling of paper.
"Too bad we don't have Andeon's stash of booze, or we could make molotov cocktails," Kirin shrugged, watching Sue from the corner of his eye while waiting to see if Kirin could tag along or not.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 3:25 am
"Since when is doing something that has to be done being a hero?" Jess asked Kirin with a hint of sadness. "I'm not going to promise that I'll come back because that would be stupid and you know it. But I do promise that if there's no way to escape, I won't just lay down and meekly die. I rather value my life. I won't sell it cheaply."
Taking the flask and tucking it into the cardigan's pocket, she wondered if she should even try to hug Kirin. Something in the other girl's manner told her that such a move would be on the foolish. So instead she grinned and shook her head.
"I wouldn't ask you to make any. Stonework would be a total waste of your abilities."
She couldn't help herself, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes, she threw her arms around Kirin in a lightning-quick bear hug an then let the girl go just as quickly. Then, turning she limped resolutely out the door. Turnign her head as she left, she called back in a soft voice that wouldn't carry.
"'s clear right now. Better barricade the door behind me."
Jess had a job to do. And pausing to weep or indulge in goodbyes wasn't going to help anyone.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 2:17 pm
There were no objections? Not even from Sue? Evie nodded quietly, and supposed that that would have to do for now, at least in terms of being civil with eachother. She tried to think of where the nearest broom closet would be, and decided that she was pretty sure of one on the second floor in the East Wing, a hallway that would be the closest to the direct route to the dorms. She went back to her hiding corner and surveyed it closely, considering her options a final time. If she went through with this, if she collaborated with Sue Gottschalk (of all people!), there would be no going back. There would be no starting from the top, no rewriting because after a night of thinking about it, you didn't like the chord progression after all. This was it. Evie had to think of it like improv, except that if you hit a wrong note, you died.
No pressure.
"There's a broom closet in the East Wing," Evie noted to the group, her voice somewhat less shaken now that she had the opportunity to think about other things. "If someone goes with me, we can check for supplies and meet down in the groundskeepers hut, no problem. It'll be a good way to, you know, scout a little bit, too. Make sure none of them are following us through an alternate route." She shrugged, picking up her encyclopedia as she scanned the eyes of those around her. She could at least pretend like it was going to be safe if she had a partner. They wouldn't send her alone? Would they?
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 4:47 pm
... Okay. On one hand - yes, Sue thought it was smarter to have company. And with Yahya on the fritz (no offense to his battle buddy who was struggling to be supportive, but Sue would just as well rather not push him until he really did break,) Kirin was probably his next top choice. Meaning, she was tolerable - compared to say, Evie.... But they had a lot of ground to cover. Not much time to do it in. And unlike the rest, Sue did have an advantage. "No," he decided aloud. "I've already got folk to look after me, and we need as many different tasks going at once.." He didn't expressly state it was the cats he was dependent on, but something about the way Mackie chose just that moment to come rubbing up against Sue's ankles gave a hint who he meant. Sue went over to start rifling through desks, looking for paper and writing utensils. "We're moving fast from here on out. Somebody needs to find something to light things up with; we're gonna need plenty of wood, furniture, so somebody has to locate that. And if we can find anyone else... ********. We need all the help we can get." Seizing on the target of his search, Sue quickly folded a page over twice and stuck it in the front pocket of his pajama shirt. "Sort out for yourselves what you can do to help. I'll be back in an hour with the map; I want everyone here then, so we can plan the rest out. C'mon folks, get moving!" And then Sue left, with all three cats at his heels. ((If anyone DOES want to follow him, he's transitioning into this roleplay with Sam. You can just say that your character has been keeping an eye on him without his knowledge, and I'll give it to you. XD))
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 7:45 pm
"Well, ********." Kirin stared after Jess for a few seconds before shaking his head and turning away from the door. Stupid girl. Kirin resolved to not waste any more time thinking of her - they had more important things to worry about, like this upcoming battle.
And now their numbers were down, all because Jess- Kirin broke off that thought. So much for not wasting time on her.
Thankfully, Sue spoke up and Kirin found more immediate things to occupy his mind. It was galling to be second best to a cat, but it wasn't like Kirin (and the entire school) wasn't already aware of Sue's strange bond with the animals.
"Right, I'll go hit some classrooms, see if I can find a lighter or more booze," Kirin decided. He hefted his metal pipe. Another weapon would be nice. He was looking forward to checking out the groundskeeper's hut - large pruning shears, maybe a machete or two... Kirin could dream, couldn't he?
And 'all the help they could get'? Maybe Kirin should check if their resident friendly zombie was still around...
"Catch you lot later," he said to the remaining students, then slipped out the door.
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