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 Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 3:16 pm
There had been notices on the boards the vines that were growing more steadily everyday around the remains of the city. Warnings of them, not to touch them and that they were possibly worse than the infected and undead that roamed parts of the city. Even outside form her window in the apartments she could see them, almost watch them grow it seemed. Duchess Dirtypaws even seemed unnerved by them, opting not to sit on the windowsill as she had often done before.
Juliette sighed and scratched at the tabby's head as her gaze turned back to the outside. Despite the addition, it still looked so dull outside. Would this be something she would have to get used to? Or perhaps she was already starting to. Perhaps everything was now starting to feel normal.
Except that sudden streak of light that illuminated the sky briefly before exploding in a burst of color. A few seconds later there was a loud boom. Juliette instantly pulled away from the window in worry, Duchess Dirtypaws flinched, her tail puffed, she yowled. Another one followed and the older woman feared the worst at first. Bombing? No, she realized, taking the chance to look outside. Fireworks. But where...
Juliette made her way down to the lobby as quickly as she could, her fatigue from earlier thankfully nearly gone (her cat in her apartment was left in her apartment just in case, of course) a few people seemed gathered. They too saw the fireworks in the sky, it was the topic of conversation.
People began to trickle out of the complex, as if moths to the flames to the shining lights in the sky. It wasn't going to be a lie that Juliette was one of them - despite what she was hearing on her end of the radio. They were saying not to go, but it was too tempting not to see what was going on.
Closer and closer they all got, yet no undead seemed to be on their same path. The fireworks hadn't gotten their attention, interestingly enough, nor the bright florescents of the building itself. "Goodness, it has been ages since I was last as a casino," she stated aloud, almost in awe of the spectacle.
Juliette stepped inside without a minute of hesitation. This place didn't look too bad. So inviting and warm.
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chirigami rolled 5 6-sided dice:
4, 5, 4, 4, 4
Total: 21 (5-30)
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 3:29 pm
Entering inside reminded her of the few times she had actually crossed over the border and had a Las Vegas trip with the girls back in the day. The rings of smoke, the loud noises, the obnoxious carpet on the ground. There was laughter and mirth and drinks all around. Juliette felt terribly under dressed, as in those days patrons were expected to dress very respectable.
The guards and the cocktail waitresses didn't seem to pay her any mind as she walked through. Didn't mind the continued awe on her face and the wonder. So much electricity, so many lights. It just seemed so.. happy in here (it was really tempting to turn off her radio to escape the negative comments, but at least the sounds drowned them out).
Gladly, she accepted the offered drink with a sweet little thank you to the fine gentleman, almost patting him on the cheek for good measure but before she could raise that other hand she found them full of coins.
"Oh, how fun. It has been years since I last played the slots. They haven't changed, I imagine?" She giggled, heading over to an empty seat and took her chances.
It seemed much quieter than she remembered, and the graphics of the machines had improved greatly - in fact, as she looked over, it seemed that some of them even had popular culture themes. Her's was very simple and began to flash brightly at her win. Oh, two coins, how grand!
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chirigami rolled 5 6-sided dice:
3, 6, 3, 3, 3
Total: 18 (5-30)
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 3:33 pm
Juliette took a sip of her drink and nearly melted from the taste of it. It was surprisingly sweet yet strong to the taste, but nothing she couldn't handle. It was just also so nice to have something cool and different. Alcohol like this was not readily available in the apartments, most of what had been found had been stashed or taken. She had not had a drop in that last month - not like she was an alcoholic, mind you but she did like her drinks from time to time.
The button was pressed once again, the numbers and symbols spun as they had before. They settled again and the lights went off. Another win!
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chirigami rolled 5 6-sided dice:
3, 1, 3, 3, 5
Total: 15 (5-30)
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 3:35 pm
Juliette managed to spin one more round of slots before she suddenly felt lightheaded, for the second day in a row apparently. Her immediate fear was that she had been attacked, as what had happened in the other zone with the bandits. It didn't feel like she was bleeding. Was there something in the air?
... or was there something.. in her drink. Her half-lidded eyes fell on the empty glass, she tried to reach for it but never made it as far as her body slumped forward into the machine. She didn't even notice her winnings.
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 4:28 pm
Sometime later, Juliette awoke to a few muffled noises and darkness. Initial panic struck when she realized she was unable to move and couldn't make out much in front of her. But she could hear something. She could hear others but it left her with little comfort in the matter.
"Attention all Casino players! Welcome to our tenth annual casino games! A big round of applause to our new players!" A voice boomed, causing the older woman to flinch. Applause followed, Juliette tried to squirm but was unable. She was unable to look at the possible other guests that were there with her - was Mr Pickle Wickles, and Fluffers? The Commodore? What about Baron von Hisslepuss or Alex?
Oh how she worried about them. And grew worried with the terms of their little game. The casinos in Las Vegas were never this intense. They were never held hostage and forced to play for their lives. They were just held through sheer gluttony and greed but were always free to leave. Now this was about survival, it seemed so much harsher than the outside world with the undead. Oh, of all the thoughts.
They asked for questions, and Juliette wiggled a little and made ready to ask them something. She wanted to know so many things, how they had the right, how they had found the means to do anything like this. What would happen to her cat? But they stopped her before they could. She had nothing of value for them (really? She had worked hard for her sweater!)
Beofre she could utter anything else in rebuttal, two chairs were presented to her, both housing a very scared individual. Both terrified, both so young and so didn't deserve anything like this.
"Take me, for both of them." She pleaded with them once they removed enough of the ropes to make her decision. She had lived her life, these two had so much ahead of them even if they were in a world of infested zombies.
But they wouldn't go for that apparently. She had to make a choice. Juliette's pleading eyes fell upon the woman, "I am so sorry dear... I couldn't save you as well." Because the tears of a teenager would more likely than not pull at the heartstrings of an older woman.
Despite so wanting to turn away or close her eyes, she sat there and watched as they pulled the woman away into another room. Couldn't look away as the screams rose from the other room, she tried to fight back the tears, "where.. are you taking her?"
But she got no answer as the young man freed from his bounds and ran for the exit. Bullets echoed in the dark room, illuminating it for that split second, allowing her to watch in horror as he was taken down and killed in front of her.
Both lives she wanted to save, and both lives she had managed to get killed. "Terrible..." She muttered, forced from her own chair finally and pushed to another room.
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 4:33 pm
Juliette felt numbed as she was escorted into the next room and turned her gaze away when the bright contrast of the casino room reached her eyes. She allowed them to adjust and let them linger with sadness over her actions.
This was why there were so many people, she understood now as she watched everyone play. Watched as they had fun, or tried to. They needed to keep their spirits up. This was why the radio told them all to stay away.
She did not pull away or flinch as they kept her standing there, examining her to see her worth, she paid them no mind as they discussed her features and her age. Juliette didn't move when they handed her her coins and fitted her with a collar.
There seemed a clear goal now. She needed to gamble and win, free herself and others. And she needed to return to Duchess Dirtypaws.
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