Aberrant: Dead Rising - Vignettes from Tent Town

[Dawn OOC]

Vignettes from Tent Town

These Vignettes are designed to give you some insight into what life is like for the 'little people' in the Refuge. Enjoy.

[Dawn OOC]

The women drew looks when they got to work not long after leaving Violet’s. They all had a plan, and were willing to work together. They acquired a white canvas tent which had once been leased out to people for wedding parties and church revivals. Now, they began the onerous task of dying it red using large tubs and Rit dye they’d acquired. The men watched with interest as the group of former prisoners dyed the fabric and spread it out to dry.

The next day, they hoisted their bright red tent, proud as could be despite the uneven dye job. The rest of that day was spent dragging in blankets and pillows, and the men lost interest, assuming that a girl’s dormitory had just been erected. Chuckling about all the effort they’d gone to just to make the tent pretty, the men ignored it. While they were keenly interested in the tent’s occupants, dire warnings were circulating from Ger’s men that anyone who dared touch a woman’s hair without her consent would be punished. The implication was that Jules would be allowed to mete out retribution, and everyone had heard how well that went.

Not long after darkness had fallen, though, one of the tent’s occupants went outside. She wore a string bikini, Daisy Dukes, and knee-high leather boots. Loitering outside the tent, she smiled at the men walking by; it wasn’t long before one came over. “Hey,” she said, her voice sultry.

“Hey,” he said, entranced by the way the moonlight shone on her hair and the gentle tilt of her head.

“Looking for a good time?” she asked, her smile becoming wicked.

“Uh, yeah! Yeah!” he said, his eyebrows rising.

“There’s a price for this ride, if you get my drift,” she said, running a brazen finger down the front of his shirt.

“Um… money?” he tried, suddenly even more nervous.

“No, darling. Two cans of food or an equivalent and you supply the condom.” Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him. It was the first time he’d been kissed in months, and it was sloppy in his eagerness. She didn’t mind though, as she slapped him lightly on the ass. “Hurry up, stud – don’t keep me waiting.”

As he scampered off, she stepped back and let the next girl, a petite Korean woman step out. She had a decent body and soft face, but it was her hair that was her crowning feature; it moved like a silk curtain as she swept it over her shoulder. The black strands were especially vibrant against the white patterned silk robe she wore. “Excuse me, gentlemen,” she said to the growing crowd, “I am seeking some company. Can someone oblige?” The man who stepped forward was told to bring food and a condom, and he was off like a shot.

Word began to spread throughout the camp – there was finally a whorehouse that was putting out.

[Dawn OOC]

Doug was nervous – no, he was scared. He hadn’t been this scared since Z-day, when his little sister had suddenly gotten sick. Then the next day, she’d died and then tried to eat him. His family had fled Oklahoma City, eventually finding the Refuge. Since coming here, he hadn’t been afraid, not like he had that day.

But he was terrified now. Had his bladder had any moisture in it, he would have pissed it down his leg.

“Doug?” Jenny asked again, her green eyes latched onto his. “Are you in?”

“He’s a wuss, he won’t do it,” Max said, rolling his eyes.

“Shut up,” Doug snapped. He was aware of Jenny watching him as he snatched the knife away from Max. “I’m in.” His hands were shaking as he made a small cut across the ball of his thumb. “There.”

Jenny nodded, her eyes bright. Doug stared at them, wondering if she’d finally go out with him after this. “Alright,” she said, her smile wide. Doug felt his heart pound as he looked at her.

“So when are we doing this?” Max asked eagerly. Doug scowled as the bastard tried to make him look bad.

“We have permission to go raiding tomorrow. The eight of us will slip away from the others and do it,” Jenny said. Her face was flushed with excitement. Doug felt just as excited, but he was sure his wasn’t as much anticipation but dread.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

It had started when he’d realized that he’d never have stuff like James got. The man could leap out over the fence, just disappear into the sky. He didn’t have to worry about getting bit, or sleeping alone. That was when Doug had decided: the world was no longer equal. There was only one type of person who got to be equal, and it wasn’t Doug or his friends anymore. It didn’t matter how much he worked or how well he did. It just didn’t matter anymore.

So when Jenny came to him with her idea, he had known it was his only way out. That’s why, more than Jenny’s eyes or Max’s ridicule, he was here. “So,” he asked casually, “there’s really a zombie in there?”

‘There’ was an old barn, its doors bolted shut. It was a few miles north of the refuge, at an old farm. As the eight of them stared at it, something thumped against the doors. Doug muttered, “So how are we doing this?”

“There’s a hole over here,” Jenny said, pointing to it. “Just… stick your arm in. Wait.”

A silence fell over the group. They all didn’t look at one another, very conspicuously. No one asked who would go first, but they were all dying to know. Doug thought of James, and said, “I’ll do it.”

Stepping forward, he put his arm in the hole and waited. His heart pounded, but he could still hear the thing inside shuffling toward him. He braced himself and kept still, waiting-

Cold fingers closed around his arm and Doug screamed and half-jerked back. He forced himself to hold still, his muscles jerking with the effort. He felt the nails grab and pull; he felt the exhalation of cold breath over his skin. Then the teeth crunched down on his arm and Doug really screamed. He felt hands on his shoulders, and he was jerked back.

“Wow, he got you good,” Jenny said softly, staring at Doug’s arm. Doug, panting through his teeth, stared at it as well. The teethmarks were very livid; the missing flesh and welling blood so fascinating. Vaguely, Doug knew he was in shock. The look of awe on Max’s face was oddly gratifying.

“Now what?” Max asked softly.

“We all put our arm in there, and then we wait,” Jenny said. Her voice was dreamy as she said, “Super or die.”

“Super or die,” Max repeated softly, his voice raspy with pain. Better to be a dead-head than a nothing.