Aberrant: Dead Rising - Chapter 3b: Of Beavers and Bovines

[Dawn OOC]

Lost Bridge Village, on Beaver Lake, in Arkansas

The roads were empty, save for the wildlife. Right now, wildlife consisted of a herd of mixed beef cattle and Texas longhorns, making their way to the water. A handful of calves were mixed in the herd, already showing the general mixing of hybrid offspring. Behind the cattle, a smaller herd of sheep followed, content to trail after the cattle. A few bold lambs bounced forward, daring the calves to come play. The cows drove them off snorting, only to have them come back. In a striking juxaposition to their lively, happy actions, all of these animals have been marked with biohazard brands, except the lambs and calves.

There was a small settlement ahead, hugging the curving bank of Beaver Lake and visible only from the other shore. The only problem is that despite it looking like a rather safe and zombie-free town, there was no one there. Anyone pausing to scope it out with binoculars could see that. And in fact, there were several people scoping it out at the moment.

The town clung to the lake side, sandwiched between the curve of the bluffs and the lake. Docks jutted out into the water, fingers of land trying to overtake the liquid. And here, not in the village, but in the lake, are the first signs of life. A small flotila is lashed together, with sprawling machinery covering it. One or two people can be seen working on these machines. They have too much purpose and movement to be zombies.

A splash and the lowling of cattle draws the watchers' attentions back to the water, where a life and death struggle is occurring. A zombie threw itself out of the water and grabbed a cow. The animal struggled and finally got away, but not before the zombie got its pound of flesh. As the zombie slithered back into the water like a loathsome alligator, chewing, the cows milled before leaving to find another spot at which to drink. The sheep followed them, avoiding the still rippling water.

[Wesson]

A jail full of those who committed no crime. A jail full of those bent on keeping others out rather than anyone in. These were dark days for anyone. To some these were the last days of the human race. Cities were in ashes, abandoned and left t rot, the dead were roaming over the husk of life, seeking and yearning to end it all. They were not evil, they were just doing what they knew. Ending life. Still in this jail there were people, alive, if not well. A man stood behind a piler, but he rose up to the times, and took charge.

He was by no means young.He was by no mean eager for power for the sake of power.He was too old for that.Still he had power. With all what he had he could never get what he really wanted. He could never get his May back.She was dead, and he had to cause damage to body. She died in her sleep, in pain and agony.He should have killed her before she became one of them, but that was when he was a weak old man, now he felt like a empty hallow husk of that man, but he was not weak. Not that it mattered, May was still dead.

Nearly lost in his thought, he almost did not notice the room was full and they were waiting for him to speak.

"The world has gone to hell, and you all know this. You all are good people, and none you asked for or deserve to live in a time like this. You have all lost loved ones, and you all lost your way of life.I cann't say any words to make these times better than what they are. It is just that the world is falling down, and wile I have big and powerful shoulders, I am no Atlas. You all have to do your part."

He told people he was going to tell them big news, and he was sounding like some sort of deragned motivational speaker. At least that is what he was sounding to himself. Still these people were looking towards him not just looking for hope, but with hope in their eyes.It filled him with promise, it filled him with shame.It lifted him up, and let him down hard.It was why he had to leave. He had to take care of himself.

"I am leaving here, to get help, and supplies."

The faces in the crowd were confused.Unsure.The started to ask him why.He was fighting back tears in his.He hoped they did not show.He was a tired man.

"Settle down, and be quite. I am not here for questions now. Yes I have helped you all threw the hard times, and I even helped a few of you in better times in shop, but really you people can go on without me, and me going out the rest of the world is our best hope for getting back on our feet. Right now we have supplies, resources, but no way to get more food. True what we have should last a good long time, but not long enough. We have guns and ammo, but we will run out one day, and we lack the ability to make enough for our needs. Other than that we have what it takes to live. We have water, we have shelter, we even have some power. You have leaders in you, and the people you need to get by without me. So I am going, and I am taking Something Blue, and the supplies I think I will need. I will be back with help as soon as I can."

And with the he walked off the stage, the crowd clearly was not pleased with him.He knew they would get over it. He said what he said with a heavy heart, to people he knew. A few of them were the young kids who grew up in front of his eyes, buying comics from his store. Some had children who brought at his little shop. Others were just old children who never grew before that day. One or two worked for him. It hurt him so much to see the people he cared about so much in so much pain, still he had himself to think about as well.

When he got the door, he saw his grand daughter, such a strong young woman.Not a perfect person, but you tried to tell that to Wesson, and the chances that you would be greeted with a fist was rather good. His little miss was all he had of his family. Min, she knew what she doing.

"I have seen that look in your eyes, Min. You know what you want, and the only way I can stop you, is the chains you up and hoping you don't eat the chains.So just do what you got to do, just remember I am not going a pleasure cruse"

No reply for a bit.

"I know, meet you at Something Blue in an hour or so."

Sure enough it took him just over an hour to get the supplies he needed for the trip, tell those he need to tell that he really was going to come back. He was not shocked to see the out turnout. His min h blind ad that effect on people. Still he was not blind and a lot were wanting him to stay. He ignored them as best as he could, got into the driver seat, and pulled out of the gates. He was heading to the city hoping for help, hoping he could set this burden down. He was no god, and the world was awfully heavy even for his strong shoulders. Pulling out his radio, he spoke calmly.

"Hello, all you brave souls. This is Wesson, and I hope someone can hear me. I am sending this message out to all. I am here to say we will pull threw. We will live. We will rebuild. I am willing to help. I am handy with tools from, a welding torch to a hammer and nails. Just word back, and I will try to come by and help."

He looked over to his Min, smiling. He whispered softly

"Min, you really do look like May."

She didn't hear him or acted like she didn't. She was looking out the window to what was left of the world.

[SkyLion]

Jonathan lowered his binoculars from his face as the livestock moved on. He could feel the hunger writhing within him. His "rations" were providing him with less and less nourishment, goading him to give in to the alien thirst. Whatever had changed the world had changed him. Something had gotten inside him, something terrible and savage. It had changed him, down to his very DNA. At first he had thought it was cancer, radiation poisoning. If it weren't for the parasites he would have entertained the notion it was all some sort of next step in the evolution of life. The truth is it was none of those things. Nothing but madness.

He had spent the last half a year in seclusion with the only other survivor he had found. Like him she was different, although in a less tangible way. Now on the brink of rediscovering civilization, he wondered if she would stay with him when they did find others. He could tell she was repulsed by him, by what was inside of him, but sheer lonliness had driven them into each other's arms and their common drive for a cure, if there was such a thing, had given them a common purpose.

The hunger gnawed at him, like maggots on a corpse and made him nauseous. He reached down to his pack and retrieved a chilled thermos, sucking down some of its contents. The taste no longer sickened him, rather it was beginning to take on a certain charm.

Sated for the present moment, Jonathan stepped out from the treeline, shouldering his pack and grabbing his shotgun from where it rested beside him. Compared to what had happened to him, the weapon was almost quaint...but it would help allay any suspicions about how he had survived the journey.

Walking towards the deadly water, Jonathan waved his arms high above his head, attempting to attract the attention of the workers on the flotilla.

[Dawn OOC]

It took a couple of minutes, but one of the guys noticed him. The small figure waved back, then disappeared below. He came back with binoculars and a bullhorn. After taking a good look at Johnathon, the guy lifted the bullhorn and said, "STAY WHERE YOU ARE. SOMEONE WILL COME AND GET YOU. I REPEAT: REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE. WE'RE COMING FOR YOU. NOD IF YOU UNDERSTAND ME."

Johnathon nodded.

"DO NOT ENTER OR APPROACH OR DRINK THE WATER. IT IS CONTAMINATED. DO NOT EAT THE LOCAL ANIMALS. THEY HAVE BEEN DRINKING THE WATER. REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE AND WE'LL BRING YOU SAFE FOOD, WATER AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES."

A moment later, a vehicle pulled out of the town and began to work its way around the river, a large van with no windows. He watched it wind around the lake, moving quickly but having a lot of ground to cover. When it came to him, it slowed, stopped and turned around. It approached him in reverse, stopping about twenty feet away. The doors popped open and a man in military garb was pointing a large rifle at him. "Strip," he ordered.

"What?" Johnathon asked, even as he had an idea what was going on here.

"Strip. I wanna make sure you have no bites." Clearly, these people were paranoid - and deadly serious.

[Wesson]

Well, hearing the a transmission on the radio.

"CQ, CQ, CQ. QTH Lost Bridge Village. Reporting to the

area: PAN-PAN, Beaver Lake is contaminated. I say again: PAN-PAN to all travelers in the area, Beaver Lake is viral. Come-back, any ears in the area."

Listening to the radio, he looked to Min, who was listening to this.

"Min, that sound safe?"

Looking a bit conserned.

"No, but better look anyways"

Sighing.

"I knew you would say that."

He matched the the ferquency.

"This, is Wesson and I hear you loud and clear. Should I stop or roll on?"

[SkyLion]

Jonathan reversed the process he had just been through, very gently and slowly laying his weapon on the ground, removing his pack and following the directions.

First to go was the cap, and then the bandana under that. As he removed his rugged outdoor clothing piece by piece it became obvious that this was no ordinary specimen of a man. Ruggedly tan skin was pulled smooth over rippling corded muscles. In fact, there was not a single hair folicle to be found anywhere upon him, not on his head, nor eyebrows nor anywhere else.

"Satisfied?" he asked the soldier. "My name is Jonathan Albright. I'm a doctor."

[Dawn OOC]

"Wesson, good to hear another voice. You're welcome to stop if you bring your own hydration and can prove your non-viral. Should we roll out the welcome mat?"

Min glanced at him and shrugged, her honey-brown hair falling over her shoulder. "Why not, Granddad? I could use some fun."

[Wesson]

Yes, Min and her fun.Still, it would be better to make sure things not so bad. He Pulled drove up to the lake, and saw a man with a bullhorn. Waving him down to stop. Wesson stopped and got out, motioning for Min to stay here. As he got out of the trialer.

The man with the bullhorn.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE. SOMEONE WILL COME AND GET YOU. I REPEAT: REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE. WE'RE COMING FOR YOU. NOD IF YOU UNDERSTAND ME."

He nodded but gave Min the single to get ready her gun, but make sure no one noticed it.A moment later, a vehicle pulled out of the town and began to work its way down the road. a large van with no windows. He watched it moving quickly but having a lot of ground to cover. When it came to him, it slowed, stopped and turned around. It approached him in reverse, stopping about twenty feet away. The doors popped open and a man in military garb was pointing a large rifle at him.

"Strip, Both of you." he ordered.

Wesson looked at the man with a gun. Thinking a bit.

"Strip. I wanna make sure you have no bites." Clearly, these people were paranoid - and deadly serious.

He pulled his shirt off, speaking a calm to the stranger.

"I do not mind striping myself, as I have nothing to hide, but that is my grand daughter and she has no bites. So please point that gun away from me."

He was using his commanding tone. He seemed to got that with his change.

((OOC: using command on him))

[Dawn OOC]

Johnathon

"Turn around," the man ordered. When Johnathon did, the man relaxed. "Alright. Sorry about that. We just can't take chances. Did you bring your own water? And a doctor, you say? You wouldn't happen to have any kind of cure or vaccine against the z-virus, would you?"

Wesson

The man looked like he was wavering, but his gun went up again. "No, sorry, mister," he said. "It's not personal, but I have to make sure you're both clean before I let you in."

Min leaned over and murmured, "It's alright, Granddad, I don't mind for their sake. You just stay on your side of the truck, and I'll stay on mine."

[OOC: Command roll:

Diff: 3 due to paranoia of man in van (1...1d10=6, 1d10=8) = 3, vs diff 3.]

[Wesson]

Wesson,sighed. He let sigh out. It was not that he was ashamed of seeing his grand daughter naked. He didn't want to have these strangers. Still why bother fighting with Min, so he gave shrug.

He let them do what they needed to to.

"As for water, and food, we have more than enough. So if you need some we can spare a bit. We could use any intel you have on the area around here. We are looking for well, a new world."

[Dawn OOC]

After Wesson and Min had been examined and reclothed, the soldier took off his helmut to reveal a long-haired man of about fifty. It didn't look like he was compensating for his regressing hair line; it looked more like he just hadn't cut it recently.

The soldier nodded and eyed the eighteen wheeler that Weeon had been driving. "We can't put that in our enclave. Is it ok to park, it in our garage? It's where we park the vans, too. It's guarded. Oh, and yeah, if you have water to spare, we could use it. We have to haul our water from several miles away."

[SkyLion]

Quote:

Jonathon
"Turn around," the man ordered. When Johnathon did, the man relaxed. "Alright. Sorry about that. We just can't take chances. Did you bring your own water? And a doctor, you say? You wouldn't happen to have any kind of cure or vaccine against the z-virus, would you?"

Jonathan talks while he puts his clothes back on.

"Unfortunately I do not...in fact that's why I'm here. You are the second living person I've met in the last 6 months since....this all happened. I need more samples, healthy and otherwise to build my research..."

He scratches his bald head a bit awkwardly before putting the cap back on. "I brought my own fluid supply, thanks."

[Wesson]

Wesson, was an older man himself. He respected the way this man acted, even if he did not like what had just happened.He pulled out his note pad form his his back pocket.

"Well we have enough to spare a bit of that, a few gallons, but not enough to save you if that is what are talking about. I think we can set up a rain water catcher or just away to get the water that condenses around you. Still, I need to know what is happening.Or we could make a pipe system for fresh water"

He started to scratch out notes on the area around him.

"Not to ask to many questions, you said the water is tainted. How is that?"

He shouldn't be so shocked at how easy his daughter striped, he use to talk t his son all the time, and he heard the stories.It was not like he was prude himself.Still, it was just not the same with his grand daughter.

[Dawn OOC]

Jonathan

The man removed his helmut to show a lean young man with shorn hair. It literally looked like someone with no skill had cut it. "Well, we have unhealthy cattle, and if you wanna go fishing, you can have all the zombie samples you can carry. And we have healthy people. I think Dick will give you leave to gather whatever you want, through our own Doc, of course." He shrugged. "Can't be too careful."

Wesson

"Oh, we got all that," the man said, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. "We have condensers, we have rain barrels, we're pumping some water from a well... but it ain't enough. We have about two thousand people - food and supplies are a nightmare. The local wildlife uses the lake to drink, and they're harboring the virus. We have a small herd whose hydration we control, but they need more than we can supply."

He sighed and stopped himself. "Well, you should speak to Dick. I'm Murray, by the way. Now, we need to bindfold you and drive your truck in for you - just until we know you're ok folks, right?"

[Wesson]

So the virus lives in water.That is a useful thing to know. Still, the question was how long did it live without a host, exposed to chemicals, and what would UV light do or other water treatment. He would have to ask these questions. He shock his head.

"If all things are equal then I would ask to ride in the trailer. There are thing in the back that I can't afford to part with. You understand"

Putting his note pad away he sighed.This was too much. Anyone that could harm a city of that size would find it. The world really had gone to hell.

[SkyLion]

"One thing...how do you know it is a virus that is causing infection? My own research thus far has been inconclusive. What evidence do you have that the cattle are a carrier? Have people turned infected from eating beef? If it is a virus that we're dealing with, proper cooking technique and temperature would render it inert..."

Jonathan watches the younger man carefully for any sign of reaction.

[Dawn OOC]

Wesson

"Sir, we wouldn't steal from you. If you and your granddaughter want to ride in the back of your trailer, so long as I can lock you in, we'll be happy to let you stay with your stuff." Murray smiled, looking somewhat apologetic. "It's one of the ways we keep raiders from spying us out ahead of time. We have a lot of stuff, because we work together and have been careful."

He signaled them toward the back. "Now if you wanna ride back there, go ahead. I was gonna ask to have a peek just so that we know you don't have a bunch of guys in there. And then I'll drive us into the Enclave."

Jonathan

The guy shrugged. "I dunno. You'll have to ask the doc. All I know is Dick tells us to not eat the animals outside and not to use water from the lake. So I don't eat the animals from outside, and I don't use water from the lake. If you find the Doc is wrong, I'll have me a porterhouse, first thing. Now, if you wouldn't mind putting this one, we can get you to the enclave." He held out a thick, silk bag. "Sorry, until we know we can trust you, you have to be blindfolded."

[Wesson]

Given the stat of a fairs. He looked into the man's eyes.They were sure asking for a lot of trust, without showing much in return. His displeasure was clear on his face, he led the man to the back of the trailer. It was long. He unlocked the door, opening, and led Murray into the back. It was well stocked with medical,food and weapons.It had a a good set of tools, blankets, and clothing. Along with an rather odd look machine. Wesson knowing that Murray would want to know that was. spoke before he was asked.

"That machine is what I use make my fuel. Rather nice device. I may have to make you guys a bigger one. Depends on what you have and what you need."

When he was near Min and fairly sure he was not being over heard.

"Trust is a strange thing, and if I did not think I could help these people and learn more about what is happening,I would be out of here.As it is I think they have asked to high of a toll."

[SkyLion]

Quote:

Jonathan
The guy shrugged. "I dunno. You'll have to ask the doc. All I know is Dick tells us to not eat the animals outside and not to use water from the lake. So I don't eat the animals from outside, and I don't use water from the lake. If you find the Doc is wrong, I'll have me a porterhouse, first thing. Now, if you wouldn't mind putting this one, we can get you to the enclave." He held out a thick, silk bag. "Sorry, until we know we can trust you, you have to be blindfolded."

Jonathan nods. Before he takes the silk he inquires. "What are those men doing over there with that machinery?"

As he accepts and dons the blindfold, Jonathan further inquires.

"Sounds like you've had some rough customers before? Looters? The walking dead don't seem to need eyes to find their flesh..."

[Dawn OOC]

Wesson

Min smiled and gave him a hug. "Granddad, these people need help. And we can help. We'll show them that they don't need to fear every stranger that comes along." She sat down on a bunk and got a secure grip for the trip ahead.

Murray wasn't a bad driver; he got the rig rolling smoothly, and Wesson could feel that he was taking care on the turns. There was occassional, distant gunfire; it sounded like someone was shooting zombies somewhere. Or at least, Wesson hoped that was the case. After about twenty minutes of driving, there was a final turn, taken much more slowly than the others. The sound of the engine began to echo. They must be in the garage that Murray mentioned.

After a moment, the back of the trailer was opened, and Wesson and Min found out that the 'garage' was a small airplane hanger. The black van that had come out to meet them was parked next to their rig, and had two more people climbing out it. Like Murray, they were in mix-matched riot gear, all painted flat black.

"Hey," Murray said as he offered a hand to help Min down. "Ride ok?"

"Super!" Min said, giggling and hopping down with minimal help from Murray.

As the older fellow offered to help Wesson down, he said, "This is Charlie and Delia." Charlie was a fire plug of a man who gave them a curt nod and Delia was a small, petite and black woman who gave him a small smile.

"Well, let's head down-" Murray started, only to stop when he saw the doors opening. The three armed people pointed their weapons, but relaxed when another van entered the garage. "Looks like we have more guests. It's a red-banner day."

Jonathon

His armed companion nodded. "We've been working on filtering the lake water, but so far, we can't get the z-virus out yet. If we could, we might also be able to start filtering it out of the cows, too." He gave Jonathon a toothy grin - the guy loooked like he could open cans with those things - and said, "Ya know, dialysis for cows."

After he had the bag on, Jonathon was loaded in the van and driven for about thirty minutes. "Looters. I wish," the kid said, picking up the conversation Jonathon had started. "No, we had some people try to sneak in, knowing they were infected. And we've had some crazy sonsovbitches who have actually tried to infect us. They brought in infected vials of blood and kidnapped a couple of kids and injected them. Figured we'd have a harder time killing infected kids, I guess. Sick bastards."

There were plenty of twists and turns and gradually, he heard the sound of the van slowing, and then echoes as if it were in a garage. "Ok," his captor said, "you can unmask."

There was a big rig and three other vans parked in there. A cluster of people stood by the back end of the rig, talking.

[OOC: Wesson and Jonathon, you can interact now.]

[SalmonMax]

Like so many other times, Myfwany was of two minds about what she was doing. On the one hand, people had come to expect her visits along the broad, looping route she'd developed between the various little enclaves that'd sprung up in the new Midwest. Some of them not much more than a few shacks set up in a fortified area...others full fledged walled townships. Even the biggest of them was a pale shadow compared to what had been before, of course...but that was to be expected.

On the other hand, from repetition and security came complacency. If she never went and looked elsewhere, never broke new ground, she'd never find any answers besides the ones she knew already. And those just weren't enough.

She'd just have to be a bit late this year. It was a hard choice, and people might suffer for it...might even die. Myfwany found that she'd gotten distressingly used to making that sort of call by now.

Her boyfriend had had, back in the day, a bigass Dodge four by four pickup that he called 'The Grim Reaper.' This had been back when she'd still found such silliness cute and kind of endearing. It'd been a welcome break from the relentlessness of reality to new resident physician. Even so, his doting on the massive truck had been something that had tried her patience at times.

Now that it was her truck, she was glad he'd taken such good care of it. The old black paint job had flaked and faded in the sun and elements to a sort of grey and black 'camo' pattern. The foglamps on the roll bar were crushed, except for one, when she'd failed to notice a ravine off the shoulder of a highway, and rolled the truck when trying to avoid a big pileup of long-dead vehicles. Scariest moment of her life...but the roll bar did it's job. The truck had come out of it on its tires, and she'd driven away pretty much none the worse for wear. She had a mechanic look at it every place she stopped that had one. It went through gas faster than she liked, even at the slower than highway speeds she normally drove at. But it was solid as hell, impervious to weather and terrain, and had a bed big enough to carry a LOT of supplies. If she'd had anything less, her route would have been a lot smaller, and she probably wouldn't have had the range to go south chasing rumors.

Of course, 'south' wasn't a very precise direction, and she had no idea how far to go. She'd pretty much decided to go half a tank, then turn back, since she couldn't be sure of getting refueled out here.

She'd nearly gotten to the point of no return when the CB on the dash crackled to life.

CQ, CQ, CQ. QTH Lost Bridge Village. Reporting to the area: PAN-PAN, Beaver Lake is contaminated...

----

Myf had been distantly compliant through the enclave's 'entrance exam.' She'd seen worse. As she'd taken off her clothes, she realized with some irony that she actually looked better in some ways these days than before. The survival lifestyle didn't leave much room for being sedentary or for luxuries like Twinkies. Her skin was still paler than she liked, and always would be...came in a package with her long red hair that she kept pinned into a bun at the back of her head most times. She didn't wear makeup which made her eyebrows kind of hard to see and made her face look a bit plain overall. Still, she thought, her new flat belly was nice, even if it taken the end of civilization to accomplish it.

The cough of the guard let Myfwany know that he was done, and her cheeks turned beet red as she quickly got her clothes back on. Bra and undies, white shirt, khaki vest, jeans, hiking shoes, belt... She'd left her hat in the car...wide-brimmed thing meant mostly to keep the sun off her easily-burned face. They hadn't asked her to take off her sunglasses. Maybe they figured if she'd been bitten in the eye, she'd probably find that hard to hide regardless. Human intellect marched on.

She felt a moment of unease when they told her that they'd be driving her truck to the garage, with her blindfolded in the van. That'd be a hell of a scam, wouldn't it? Little community could get rich that way real fast.

Show them what will happen if they do that to me! They are prideful! Teach them to fear!

Myf closed her eyes and counted in her head. The numbers drowned out the other thoughts; the -bad- thoughts. She realized her hands were in fists, and managed to unclench them.

Then she opened her eyes and handed over her keys.

"Lets go."

-----

Finally the van stopped, and she was guided out. She pulled her blindfold off before, strictly speaking, they offered the option to her...but it was close enough that they didn't protest.

"I do some trading," Myfwany told her...guards? Captors? "My stuff's in the back of my truck. How do you want to handle that? I also have medical training I trade for supplies and so on. If you have any resident doctors, I'd love to consult with them."

She didn't mention her real reason for being here yet. She didn't want word to get around before she had a chance to check with more...educated sources.

[Wesson]

The people here needed to be helped.Wesson, looked to the the calming reserve of his daughter.It was not that he was a man to act rashly, it just was disturbing to be treated as a threat for no reason other than being.He rolled his shoulders forward. His hands were in balls. His voice was calm. His mind was focusing on the real problem. Water.

"Murray,I know you have your reasons. No,I don't need to hear them, but I do need to know this. Are there any other security issues I need to know about?And I would like to talk to Dick, if that could be done. No point in letting all the water to waist. No need at all"

He looked to his grand daughter, he relaxed his hand. No one should be treated like this. Looking to Min, he just couldn't stay angry with her around her. Just sad, ain't her fault how she looked. He looked to the odd looking fellow near by. Didn't take him long to notice the lack of hair, but that was not the only thing that was wrong about him.The other thing just was hard to point at.He just didn't feel right to Wesson, something was wrong.

"Min, would you go get me my bag, and lunch. I need to take care of something."

It was not that he treated Min as his maid. He just wanted to talk to this fellow a big before letting him out of his sight. Moving to him he offered his hand.

"Hello there friend. I think they need work on there welcome wagon, what do you think?"

[SkyLion]

Jonathan hadn't said much during the trip...the black bag over his head made it seem awkward and besides, the stories the young man told hinted at how truly bad things had gotten. That was always a surprise...

Upon arriving in the hangar, Jon removed the bag, got out of the van and rose to his full height. For starters the man is huge..that is the first and most obvious observation. Standing well over 6 feet in height, the man is built and cut as few men are. In spite of his physique, his facial features are rather ordinary. Combined with his dress, he could have been a model for a men's big and tall Outdoorsman catelogue.

Camo-green pants and high-tech boots over his legs. On top he is wearing a black skintight longsleeve shirt made from similarly high tech wicking fibers, and a utlitarian camo BDU vest. His skin is tan and yes his head is bald. His skin seems too smooth, devoid of stubble or any telltale pores or follicles. He looks almost airbrushed, further adding to that "magazine model" look.

Setting down his pack and shotgun by the van, Jonathan extends his hand warmly toward the older man. His eyes are a deep piercing blue with an intensity about them all too common in these times of daily horror.

"Name's Jon. Jon Albright. Aside from my partner, this is the first real human contact I've had since life went to hell. I'm just grateful. Where you from?" he asks.

[Wesson]

He with drew his hand back, careful to not have shown his true power.He looked to the man in the eyes.He thought things overs a bit.

"Chicago.Well, at least that is where I was born.As it is now, a man's past is that, so let's leave it at that."

Nodding to to Jon slightly.

"It is is a pleasure to meet you.If don't mind I am going to get lunch."

Wesson had to give it to Jon, he sure did want to seem nice. He may even be nice, just there was to much tension in the room to judge.Trust was something hard to do in a place like this. Moving back to his truck, getting into the cab, he let a small laugh out. He was old,true but not that caught in the past.He patted Min on the shoulder

"Min, I know how much you hate cooking, so why don't you let me do it.Don't get to friendly, and you know what I mean"

Min sighed, as if she couldn't control herself. Still Wesson had a little grin on his lips, so Min knew he was trying to relate.Age, and time. She wondered if she would ever treat her grand children like this.First she had to get children.Who needed those in a time like this?

Pulling the pan out it's spot, he looked down at lunch. A can of soup, cornmeal, some spices, and some beans.It wasn't the best food he had with him, but it sure did the job, and besides, good meat was something to use when it was called for.This was just lunch.

[Dawn OOC]

"Actually, Wes, we have food below if you'd like," Murray called. "We can make you a nice meal." He stepped closer. "I'd happily host you at my house if you wouldn't mind trading a bit of information." He gave Wesson a craggy smile. He was basically offering to get all the gossip first, before anyone else, in exchange for staying with him.

The three that had brough Jonathon had drifted away from him. The two that had been driving went back to the van and started talking softly into a radio. The one who had been in the back of the truck wandered up to Myfwany. "Hi," he said, and he was clearly dropping his voice so that he sounded bigger than he was. "I'm Mack, short for Macaroy. That's my last name." His attempt to play it cool wasn't working. "So, uh... what do you do?"

[SkyLion]

"Uh, yeah...okay." Jonathan answered a bit awkwardly. In spite of his words, Jon got the distinct impression that the older man wasnot pleased to meet him.

Oh well...who knows what kind of hells he has been through. Jonathan thought. If it was anything like his own nightmare, Jon figured he could afford a little compassion and understanding. It was no wonder that people were so on edge with what the younger soldier had told him. Funny...noone had yet introduced themselves. Jonathan felt like a stranger.

Perhaps they were right to be afraid. He may not be one of the walking dead but he certainly had been...infected...by something. In spite of his friendly demeanor, Jon was terrified of what had happened to him. It drove him, guiding almost every thought. The quest for a cure. Something that would make the monsters go away. He couldn't sit still...he needed answers.

The other townspeople seemed to fade away, leaving Jon alone and the older man went back to talk with his daughter(?) He barely looked old enough to be her father. Perhaps they had some other arrangement.

Jon took in his surroundings some more and noticed a young townsman rather awkwardly trying to hit on a fourth newcomer. Better to save the man some embarrasement and diffuse the situation...

"Hi! Looks like we're all new in town." He turns to Mack. "I can't tell you how good it is to have found you. My name is Jon. Jonathan Albright. I am...was a medical researcher. I was told I could speak with your resident physician..."

He turns then to Myfwany and extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet you. Where you from and where you headed?" Jon smiled and it was genuine although Myf could tell he bore the deep pain and loss as much as any survivor. It was the undertone of things these days. Sometimes the simple social niceties were all that kept men sane in an insane world.

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany shook hands with Mack and was about to answer when Jonathan joined in. She shook hands with him too, then reached up to tuck a few strands of hair back behind her ear.

"Hi Mack, Jon. I'm Myfwany." She pronounced the name 'muh-von-way.' "You can call me 'Myf' for short though." The nickname was 'miff.'

"As for what I do, I'm a doctor. I have a loop I run around a ways north. All over there's places where people are starting to rebuild, little by little. I basically go through as many as I can, on a big roughly circular route, to see to their medical needs. As I go, I trade goods and news and so on too."

She smiled and reached absently out to pat her truck.

"Every so often I like to chase rumors of new places, see where they are, and if they could use my help."

Myfwany glanced from Mack at Jon. Her eyes were clear blue...a little unusual for her skin and hair color. Her expression was considering.

"So you have medical training too? That's pretty amazing. Doctors are in short supply. What brings you down here, Jon?"

[SkyLion]

"A doctor? That is excellent!" Whereas a moment ago he had seemed distracted, now he focused in on Myfwany like a laser scapel. His eyes are just as blue although not as clear. They have that "more blue than blue" look in contrast to his dusky-tanned skin. Not unnatural per se though definitely striking.

"I'm actually in search of a cure." he says with the animation of someone who had just come from solitary confinement.

"I've been holed up in a lab outside Dallas looking for a cure but I needed more samples. I'm hoping these people can help me get a an understanding of what happened and a good baseline reading. The thought is that the plague was/is a virus but several aspects of it don't add up right. So far I have found evidence of not one but several different viruses in every subject I have examined...I think something more is going on and I need to get to the bottom of it..."

[Wesson]

Looking to Murray. HE spoke in a firm tone.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I would rather not impose myself on your limited food resources. So, if you don't mind I will eat here, and draw up some plans, again if you could get a hold of Dick, I would like that a lot."

He went about making his simple lunch. He wanted them to at least some what come to him. He had played by their rules to much as it was. Besides he was comfortable working in Something Blue.It was the closest thing to a home he really had.

"Min, I know I have been controlling to you lately, I hope you understand that it has been a harsh time for us all, and I just want to keep you safe."

Not waiting for to her to get her words in.

"I understand that you can take care of yourself. So do what you have to do, just please be safe."

[Dawn OOC]

"Ok," Min said cheerfully, popping open the door and hopping out. "I have to meet the other people who showed up. I'll be back." She gave him a wink that showed her irrpressable nature and sauntered over to the group.

Mack was definitely looking at her; apparently, he had a thing for tall brunettes with a wicked smile. She was in the prime of her youth; her young features showed her to only be eighteen or nineteen. She acted older, but who didn't anymore?

"Hi, I'm Min," she said easily, tipping her baseball hat further back on her head. "I and my granddad are traveling around. I know you're Dr. Albright, but not the rest of you."

"I'm Mack," Mack said, grinning widely.

"Mack, quit flirting," one of Myf's escorts said. "We need to get to the settlement before the zombies tear this place apart to get in."

"Right," Mack said, blushing. He grinned at Min. "I'll show you the way."

"Sure, you do that," Min said, looking at Jon with a perplexed expression. "So, do ya have a shaving fetish?"

Meanwhile, Murray stepped forward to talk to Wesson. "Well, if you'll come with me, I'll take you to Dick. We can help bring down your food. We need to get out of here; if we linger, the zoms will gather around here and make getting out difficult."

[Wesson]

A sigh, these people wanted you dance there dance, he nodded.Picking up Min's guns, he had nearly no use for guns himself.A a sub machine gun,assault rifle and pistol, all army issued all with a few spare clips on a harness, made to fit min in the most comfortable and useful way. He brought his satchel with a few large pads, and his laptop.

"Lead the way. Don't bother with food, I can't get my peace today."

He looked at the other new comers and sigh. He would have been in a better mood if these fuckers only treated him more like a friend than a threat.

"Do you have any good maps of the river system?"

[SalmonMax]

"Hi Min, you can call me Myf," Myfwany says to the younger girl with a smile.

Then she eyes Jon again, going over what he'd said in her head before replying.

"So you have medical facilities in Austin? Austin Texas? Do you still have access to them? I would have thought that city would be crawling with infectees."

She tried to control the desperate flare of hope. Maybe he'd had a lab, but the odds he could get to it now were slim. And he didn't seem to be carrying much in the way of supplies, so unless he'd stashed some equipment, it didn't seem like he'd salvaged anything.

But despite her sincere efforts, the hope flickered bravely on.

[Dawn OOC]

Murray scratched his beard. "We have maps, alright," he said. "I'm sure we'll have one you need."

As Myf talked to Jon, the residents of Lost Bridge Village were gathering around a metal plate set in the floor. It took two of the burliest of them to lift it; as they held it, the others started down the stairs that had been revealed. There was enough light to see, but Murray still paused at the top and offered a hand and a smile to the ladies. "Watch that first step - it's a bit steep 'cause it was carved years ago."

The stairs when down to a basement, and there the group paused to let the plate at the top be secured. It was held with four heavy bolts which had been recently added. The basement was packed with arms and armor, all packlocked to the racks that held them; the soldiers shed most of what they had, leaving only a sidearm on their hips or under their arms.

Now that their armor was removed, the visitors could see that all the residents here wore a red armband. They were identical, save for one Hispanic man who hadn't spoken to anyone yet. His armband had three black slashes on it.

Another door in the basement was opened, and this time, the walls and rocks were raw stone. It all looked new and freshly carved. After about twenty feet, the group found themselves in a hallways of natural stone. "Welcome to the Lost Bridge Enclave," Murray said, nodding down the hall. The group can see that the hall opens into a wider area, and voices can be heard from that direction.

[Wesson]

Such a state of being. He damned well hoped these people did not live in a cave. Man made other wise. The human body and mind needed the sun. He did not offer help to the men moving the object. They were already working with too fried of nerves. No need to tell them they had a freak walking among them.

"Min, I think these are better in your hands than mine."

He handed min her guns.He wanted her to be safe.He didn't want to walk away form these people, but to trust them was another story.They couldn't really kill him.Or at least his body. His heart, well that was something different.

Turning to Myf.

"And sorry or not saying hello, name's Wesson. I hear you are doctor. Rare thing these days.I myself can't do it.Just not me.. I work better with machines."

[SalmonMax]

Myfwany nodded at him and said, "Wesson, good to meet you."

She then looked around at the stone tunnel around them.

"Isn't this amazing? Do you think they actually dug this out after? Excuse me for a second..."

She trotted up to one of the enclave's men.

"I'm sorry if this sounds touristy, but how...did you do all this?"

[Dawn OOC]

"Oh, most of it we didn't," Murray said easily. He opened his mouth to say more, but Mack jumped in.

"These caves dot the area, and they've been dug out for storage for years. When sh-stuff went south, we sealed the big entrances with concrete and began to use the small entrances to get in and out when needed," Mack said quickly. He shot grins at Myf and Min both, clearly pleased to be the center of attention. "Like the basement back there? It'd been sealed by a brick plug by the guy who owned the caves and we broke it back open."

"So Doc," Murray said with a grin at Myf and Jon both, so he may have been addressing both of them, "how long before we lose our eyes and develop sonar?"

[SalmonMax]

"Uhh..." Myfwany answered. If I'm any indication, maybe sooner than you'd think. She grinned to try to cover her moment of hesitation. "I guess that depends. Is the whole settlement underground?"

[Dawn OOC]

"Oh, yes, Ma'am," Murray said, emphatically nodding his head. "Even if the zoms can sense us through the rock, they can't get to us. We used to have 'sun days,' but we cancelled those on account of a couple of kids getting chomped."

"Murray," the Hispanic man with the different armband snapped. "Enough. We'd need to be without light for decades before we'd see mutations, correct, Doctors?"

[SalmonMax]

Myf eyes the men, abruptly realizing that, on some level or another, they were actually serious.

"Actually, for something that radical, it would take a lot longer than that," she assures them gently. "And artificial light counts, so unless you literally live in pitch dark, there's no reason your eyes would ever atrophy. As for sonar, well...human beings can actually already learn to echolocate a little, but to achieve it on the level of say, a bat or dolphin...under ordinary circumstances, that'd take hundreds, maybe thousands of generations. Assuming the correct mutations happened at all, which is impossible to predict."

She smiled. "In short, I wouldn't worry about it. Human beings tend to adapt their environment to suit themselves long before they have to adapt themselves to suit their environment."

[SkyLion]

Quote:

"Sure, you do that," Min said, looking at Jon with a perplexed expression. "So, do ya have a shaving fetish?"

"Eh...no." Jon answers uncomfortably. "Chemotherapy..."

Originally Posted By: SalmonMax

"Hi Min, you can call me Myf," Myfwany says to the younger girl with a smile.

Then she eyes Jon again, going over what he'd said in her head before replying.

"So you have medical facilities in Austin? Austin Texas? Do you still have access to them? I would have thought that city would be crawling with infectees."

She tried to control the desperate flare of hope. Maybe he'd had a lab, but the odds he could get to it now were slim. And he didn't seem to be carrying much in the way of supplies, so unless he'd stashed some equipment, it didn't seem like he'd salvaged anything.

But despite her sincere efforts, the hope flickered bravely on.

"I do and yes it is..." Jon answered gravely. "I have access to a highly secure research compound with living quarters, cryo-storage, a blood bank and a full genetics lab, among other things. We cleared it out of infected personell and a good portion of it is built undergound...similar to here but a bit more shiny." He says as they go down the stairs into the catacombs.

"So..." he addresses Mack and Murray. "Aside from the walking dead, have you noticed anything else strange? Anyone in your community gotten ill or shown any...um...unusual symptoms?"