|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 11:46 am
I didn't trust this girl, that much was obvious. Had I not had the... pleasure of encountering her fearsome fighting skills first-hand, I might have considered her a normal teenage girl, at least as a first impression. Of course, I didn't have such a luxury of ignorance.
"I'm Alex." I said simply, "Let's get going then."
I didn't mind keeping up such a defensive front before her, and as such took a couple of steps backward, gesturing briefly with one hand for her to go first. I wanted to make sure she didn't stab me in the back, figuratively or otherwise. There was something sinister about this one.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 11:58 am
Even from the distance he was at, it was obvious to Gabriel that his new-found friend harboured feelings of suspicion towards their cute new companion. He didn't blame him, persay, he'd just rather he kept his suspicions to himself, rather than advertising them as he was doing now. Gabriel sighed.
"Get a move on!" he called, "Dinner's getting cold, you two!"
Chuckling to himself, he set about placing the Winchester tenderly back in its case, looking at it as a mother might look upon their new-born infant. It was a treasured family possession, after all. Then, taking the box in both hands, he made his way to the fire escape on top of the building and began the short descent down to the shop floor, where he had set up camp. The steel steps ended on a clinically white corridor, with two doors at either end. One to the shop, the other to the warehouse. Picking the former, he pushed the double doors open with his back (so to not scratch the woodwork of the case), and walked inside.
Once inside, he took an immediate left, so he was facing the far corner. From there, he had put up a short barricade of compost bags, half-protecting his stash. A vicious degree of bladed weapons lay upon the floor, the vast majority blood-stained to some degree. A set of tripwires across the whole height of the aisle were attached to the tinned goods they contained, a basic alarm but an effective one. If worst came to worst, a rope ladder connected the floor to a sizable air vent in the roof, which led outside (he'd checked meticulously). He'd also set up a set of duvets as a rudimentary bed. He sighed, he'd no doubt need two more of those. Unless, of course, things went well with the girl.
Box in hand, he set off to the main entrance at the other end of the store, ready to meet his new partners.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 12:53 pm
So Alex was the Guitar guy then, he was still defensive too, she might have to try quite hard to get his guard down somewhat, maybe she’d take the first watch. As high as she was on adrenaline at that moment, she felt that she could stay up for weeks, also if she fell asleep last, the Goddess might come back to her and she could ask Her if these men were worthy of Her blessing.
Jenny took the lead in following Gun Guy as Guita- Alex seemed to want her to. He led them into the big Asda building and down a long corridor to what seemed to be his base camp; a very good place to get rest. Maybe she should try to eat something for the sake of appearances, it wasn’t that she doubted the Goddess, just that these men might suspect her just as the others at school did. They might become jealous of her contact with the Divine, just as Sam had been. It had been Sam who introduced her to the group of women who believed in the Goddess and Sam who had been the most jealous.
“Is this where you crash then?” She asked taking note of the traps and knives whilst wondering where the rope ladder went
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 5:22 am
I looked around the building that would for now suffice as a home with a critical eye. I was surprised to see most of the aisles still intact, none having been pushed over by looters or ripped through by... something else, and Gabriel appeared to be quite at home here. Seeing him up close for the first time, I was aware of just how strange he looked: his formal shirt and trousers, both caked in dried blood, just didn't seem to fit in here. I was also glad to see the gun back in its case, and nothing out of the ordinary presented itself in the light of his eyes. He almost appeared friendly.
Jenny also seemed at home, also covered in blood and deceptively welcoming. It was then that I decided to look down, and was ashamed to notice that I, too, was awash with blood. What a state I must have looked that day, I shudder to think. My guitar, a prized possession, had also acquired a new paint-job, now a sickly red over its original jet black. Matt would have gone mental, had he seen. I then apraised Gabriel.
"So what do you suggest we do now, you seem to be more knowledgable about these situations that us? We staying here for the night?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 10:25 am
She hadn’t been outside for years, she thought a lot had changed to her young eyes but she had been younger still when she had been admitted, very little actually had. She knew that these horrible creatures didn’t sleep; she’d been kept awake most of the night by them walking into things and knocking them over. She remembered thinking how stupid the creatures (zombies) must be if they kept walking into things, she’d seen them ramming into walls right next to door that would open, she’d seen them breaking down doors to get into rooms that a simple turn of the handle would solve. It seemed amazing to her that she should be able to run and hide from these things in a way that no-one else seemed even to think of.
Her stomach complained loudly and she realised she needed to get something to eat. “Where can I get something to eat?” she asked herself aloud, “I could go home but I don’t know how to get there. I could go into one of these houses…” She looked around her at the tower-blocks, “but what if those people want their food…”
She continued to walk through the fluctuating styles of the up-built inner city of Greater London until she reached some of the smaller houses, the ones that looked a little more like her suburban semi-detached house. She still didn’t want to take the food that belonged to people without their permission.
She had walked about five miles, stopping occasionally to rest and to hide from the hoards of monstrosities that approached her, when she came across the first big non-residential building. All the other shops she had passed had been closed-up tight but this one had the lights on. She made for the big front door, wondering if it would open on it’s own like the normal automatic-doors to big shops did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 10:50 am
Gabriel made no show of hiding his keener interest in his female guest, answering her question first.
"This is my abode, so to speak. It keeps the rain off my head and the zeds off my brain. It's no fancy show-home, but it'll protect us better than most, and there'll be food going spare for when we need it."
Smiling at her, he finally turned his attention to the other newcomer, Alex.
"Well we can't just stay put, can we." he remarked, a little unkindly, "They'll find a way in. They always do. This is just a temporary establishment. I say we head for the coast at first light, through the inner city, and get a boat. I'll be damned if those things can swim." he added with a chuckle, but something caused him to stop abruptly. A silhouette by the main door.
"Oi-oi." he said, releasing a pair of catches on the gun case, "We have a guest."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:04 am
Staff Sergeant Elise Starling sat upon the bench, rocking from the erratic movement of the transport, and scradled her gun in her arms. Her tears had long since dried up, leaving a distant, empty look in her eyes, near perfect for the job ahead. She had managed to convince herself that something like this would never happen, that she would never be called up in order to kill people, to destroy things. But that day had finally come, and she found herself totally unprepared. Her strength depleted and her training obsolete, she waited for the transport to come to a halt. Beneath the surface, her mind worked to correct the imbalance.
Shoot on sight. Don't hold back. Aim for the head. Don't trust anyone without a badge. Conserve ammunition. Be on you guard. Paladins. Stay in contact. Don't split up. Alex. Paladins. Feel no remorse. Don't help the wounded. Alex. High ground. Alex. Paladins. Paladins.
When the transport finally stopped its relentless surge through the streets of Little Halton, Elise opened her eyes. But they were completely different to how they had been before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:30 pm
She put her hands on the big glass doors and peered in, she could see a little bit of movement but couldn’t make her mind up weather it was inside the supermarket or the reflection of a tree outside. She tried to wiggle her fingers into the crack between the doors, half-heartedly trying to pry it open. She couldn’t get them in far enough and she sighed before turning around to begin her search for another door.
She screamed.
The scene behind her was petrifying, zombies, hundreds of them, gray and dead marching up the road. It was like an army of the deeply unconcerned, eyes distant and staring. They didn’t hear her scream, they didn’t seem too bothered about her presence but they moved towards her nonetheless. A steady stream of the undead moved in closer from all directions, leaving her no where to run.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:46 am
Seeing as the others appeared disinclined to investigate the silhouette at the door, I began to move slowly forwards, making a rule, for some reason, not to make any noise. The figure was small, proportioned like a child, but I felt the mutual feeling was that that was no reason to blindly trust it. Even a short... zombie (I had trouble using that word) was dangerous, perhaps Gabriel was right to arm himself.
As I neared, a piercing scream penetrated the glass and wracked my ears. Immediately it became clear that the shadow was human, but also that it wasn't the only thing out there. Grimacing, I stepped forwards, peering through the glass. More silhouettes.
"Get this door open!" I yelled out, half-turning back to Gabriel, "Now! There's someone out there!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:52 am
"But, err... hey!"
Struck by Alex's sudden heroism, Gabriel stared at him quizically.
"What if she's one of them? She'll bite our legs off! Oi, Alex!"
It seemed clear that he wasn't going to budge, so Gabriel moved off to the side, placing the gun case down as he did, towards the rudimentary switch controls, nothing more than a circuit board with two frayed cable ends. He touched them together and the automatic doors steadily opened, revealing who was to be their next companion. She was young, barely eight by his reckoning, and by the looks of her had been through the works. But she wasn't looking at him.
"Oh, shoot." he said, peering from the doorway and going for the gun case again, "Better get her in here, I'm closing the door again."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:59 am
I didn't need telling twice. Grabbing the girl by the arms, I pulled her inside as gently as I could in such a situation. The horde outside took most of my attention, however, a veritable army of Hades. It was repulsive. Once inside, I looked around hurredly for some kind of weapon. The guitar would no longer suffice, it was miraculous it had lasted so long in the first place. My eyes suddenly fell upon a blood-stained chainsaw, frighteningly fitting for this scenario, and I immediately went for it. It was already plugged in, not that it would help.
"I'm borrowing this!" I said hurredly, picking it up and pulling the cord from the wall. Hopefully the battery would last long enough to at least forge an escape route. The thing in my hands was heavy, but somehow it was just... right. Like it was meant to be there. And that thought I found terrifying. However, I could do nothing but let myself be carried away by the flow, feeling myself... darken I suppose is the best way to describe it. I'll bet it was visible to anyone around me, too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 4:08 am
"Whatever." Gabriel called back, releasing the wires as soon as the girl had stepped into the shop. The doors closed soundlessly, blocking out some of the groans of their demonic aggressors. That was something to be glad about... Next, he moved towards the barricades by his bed, removing one of the massive bags of compost and heaving it in front of the door. These hadn't yet been taken due to their weight and comparative lack of use, so there were plenty to spare. He did this a couple of times before turning to Jenny, somewhat out of breath.
"Give us a hand, will you?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 3:41 am
Jenny stared blankly at the heroic deeds of her fellow survivors and was terrified, without the guidance of the Goddess, she had no idea what to do. She had been following Her lead for so long she had lost any initiative that she’d ever had. When Gabriel asked her for help, she was greatly relieved, she grabbed hold of the nearest bag and slammed it up against the door with all her might. Her muscled bulged with the effort, she looked quite skinny but she was freakishly strong. Her hair whipped about her face as she lugged the heavy compost about.
“Is this alright?” She asked Gabriel after her third bag, “or are you after some kind of structure.” She stepped back from the door, partially towards the pile of bags to be moved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 3:51 am
She stared up at the pipes running across the ceiling of the supermarket. Mary lay on her back on the cold pale floor, surrounded by what appeared to be all the things that people need to survive, it was like she had just been pulled from Hell into Heaven by some heroic Angel. The world around her had faded into pastel colours and her vision tunnelled with little sparks flickering on and off around her. Fairies. she thought, they must be
Suddenly it all snapped back to her, the hands of those not-dead creatures reaching for her, pulling at her clothes, bending their heads down to bite her. She didn’t feel any pain… had she been bitten or had she not? She tried to get up, it seemed that the others where doing something important, she might be able to help.
Where had her angel gone? Had she done something wrong? She couldn’t move and she wanted to scream but she couldn’t, shouldn’t scream, what if she destracted them from something very impoortant? Mary was terrified.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 8:27 am
Gabriel stared for a couple of seconds, dumbfounded by his cute companion's strength, before shaking his head in an effort to realign himself. He grinned, giving her a thumbs-up.
"Nice." he said simply, before turning about and grabbing another bag, hefting it high and practically throwing it into place on top of the others. The small wall they had created, four bags tall, would keep them busy for a while. But Gabriel knew from experience that no obstacle would ever daunt their possessed aggressors, let alone enough to send them packing. There was more blood to be shed tonight.
And he was not the only one who thought so. He turned to ask Alex what else his humble servant could do, but stopped himself short. The hatred seemed to be quite simply burning from him, and the massive amounts of blood splattered across his skin and clothes made him look more like a devil than a human. It was both inspiring and unnerving. Again he was forced to pull himself back into a sensible train of thought with a shake of the head, before returning to his 'bed' and picking up a section of piping that he had ripped from the roof. No need to waste bullets.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
