Aberrant: Dead Rising - Chapter 11b: Home Tidings

[Dawn OOC]

July 10, 2007

The Hayes Refuge

The people who had joined them from the Refuge had taken some getting used to, and they had their own issues adjusting. Gabrielle had found herself relying on Emma to help figure out what needed to be done. There were others to help her, now: Pastor Gerald, Inanna and a couple of others were forming something of an inner council of advisors for her.

But while the problems of settling in were slowly being fixed, the other issues were not. There still weren't any man-made crops growing. They were slowly learning to find food in the wild - the undomesticated cousins of the food they'd come to depend on were both delicious and filling. Without the massive population from pre-Z-day, it was also enough to feed them.

They even had new people finding their way to their enclave. Gabrielle was discussing possible food sources with her small council when a man came in. He was one of Caleb's men and he leaned down to whisper in his ear. When he was done, Caleb rose. "Gabrielle, we have a caravan of people at the gates. I'll be heading out to meet them." He rose and added, "Excuse me."

[z016]

Gabrielle glance around the group; conversation and ideas had been lacking for nearly a half hour at this point and the interruption seemed Heaven-sent. She smiled and stood up, "That's a wonderful idea. Why don't we all take a break and see who's headed our way? Nancy, could you run and tell the kitchen crew that we might be needing a quick meal in a few minutes, and find Josephine in case they've got an sick or wounded?"

There was a moment of hesitation as the woman glanced at Innana for confirmation that she should follow the teen's request; the stong-willed Hell survivor merely arched a brow at her. Gabrielle, Pastor Gerald, and Innana especially were still finding the delicate balance of power between the three of them and the other leaders that were emerging from the new members of the Hayes enclave. Things were mostly going smoothly, but Gabrielle dreaded the first real argument between the three of them. It would happen eventually and she prayed that there would be enough good will and bonding by then that it didn't rip the enclave apart.

The group headed outside, Nancy darting off as soon as they were clear of the building. Others in the enclave were catching wind of the approaching strangers and were finding reasons to linger outside or in doorways. Caleb kept ahead of the others and was quickly joined by several of the "off-duty" men that acted as the enclave's security force. A small smile flicked across the angel's face when she saw two former prisoners with them; they stood stiffly with the men, just far enough apart to notice, but they were starting to recover and adjust to their new life. The group approached the impromptu gates and waited.

[Dawn OOC]

The group approaching was a caravan; Gabrielle recognized them when the lead RV slowed enough for a man to clamber on top and wave. It was Ronnie Castle, a scavenger who 'territory' just barely emcompassed Hayes. He was one of their two supplies; the other being Xavier, who was rumored to be dead.

The tension drained significantly as the Enclave of Hayes greeted their pal; a friendly scavenger was always a friend. Today, however, he had more to offer than trade goods. "I bring entertainment and news!" Ronnie shouted as his RV purred to a halt.

An excited rustle ran through the crowd. Both of these were very welcome indeed. There was a slight moment of awkwardness when Ronnie added, "Where's Elijah? I have things for him."

"Elijah's gone," Caleb said after that hesitation. "Gabrielle is in charge now." He pointed to the angelic girl and stepped back, letting her take the lead.

[z016]

Gabrielle wrestled her nervousness into a small ball in the pit of her stomach and stepped forward, smiling at the traders. "Hello, I'm Gabrielle. I don't believe we met before."

She motioned the guards on gate duty to pry the iron fortifications apart to let the caravan inside; once they were all safely inside she motioned to the apartment building. "Why don't we settle somewhere comfortable and then we can discuss business, and hopefully after that the entertainment you spoke of." She was trying to stay positive, but from the warm greeting they'd had so far from the traders either they didn't know what Elijah had been doing with the trade supplies, or they were complicit in it. In either case, it was likely to be an incendiary conversation; one she also wasn't willing to shirk. "Have you eaten yet today? Our council has just taken our first break for the day and I'm certain lunch is on everyone's mind. We've more than enough to share, as long as you don't mind a buffet-style meal."

[Dawn OOC]

“No, no,” Ronnie said quickly, grinning with easy humor, “one should never turn down the offer of a free meal, especially when offered by a pretty lady.”

“Watch the ‘pretty lady’ stuff,” a rough-looking woman said. She crossed her arms, her thumb making the gold band on her ring finger spin. Despite her smile, there was a real warning look in her eyes.

Ronnie just laughed and tossed an arm over her shoulder. “This is Karen, my new, blushing bride,” he said to Gabrielle, his grin utterly unrepentant. After a moment, Karen had to laugh, too.

“Yeah, we’d love to do food,” Karen added, even as she gave Ronnie a little punch in his side. He clutched his ribs, pantomiming pain in his side, but the couple was laughing as they followed Gabrielle. She led them into the building where they took their meals.

Ronnie had been gazing around; now he said, “You’ve grown quite a bit. I guess you needed the new digs.”

[z016]

She nodded, "We came in contact with another enclave to the west, called Fox's Refuge. They'd heard about a prison where people were being kept and tortured and went to rescue them. When all the dust settled a number of the them decided to come here with us." Her eyes were serious as she added softly, "Please walk a little softly while you're here, especially the men. The women from that place that have joined with us are justifiably wary of strangers, especially men."

Once they were settled into the common area, food was brought out: fresh salads of wild plants in the area with dressing made from a bit of olive oil and wild berries, a broth soup with wild vegetables, and tuna salad sandwiches on fresh baked bread. There was even some fruit juice and small dish of butter alongside the extra bread. It seemed to be the fare of the day, as most of the tables in the common areas had groups of people eating similar meals, the odd vegetarian or tuna-allergy making up the difference. The others sat and began to eat, Gabrielle taking only a small cup of broth to sip at for the flavor as had become her custom. She certainly couldn't hide that she was different, so she'd stop trying to as she didn't want to take up critical supplies that might become scarce in the future.

She took a breath and broached the subject with them that she'd been dreading, "The move from the hospital was not because of our increased numbers, though...." Quietly and methodically she outlined the truth of the Hayes enclave as it had been, neither dwelling on nor glossing over the more disturbing truths. She'd done this not too long ago with the women from Hell that had shown up at her meeting and asked to join the Hayes community, so the council and hanger-ons that had gathered around the traders knew the story. She noted with some relief that Inanna and her followers continued to eat, almost pointedly: the soup had come out of a communal bowl, the bread was a shared loaf, everything was handled and eaten by the table. Hopefully it would provide a visual proof that they meant these traders no harm and had mended their ways with the death Elijah.

[Dawn OOC]

Ronnie had grown stiff and somber throughout Gabrielle's telling. Despite the clear lack of poison in this meal, he and Karen stopped eating well before Gabrielle was done talking. Finally, he asked, "Was anything sold to me tainted?" His voice was tight but soft; Karen merely looked shocked.

Gabrielle looked to Emma, who frowned regretfully. "I'm sorry, but Elijah and the other men handled that. I know that there were some traders that we left untouched so that we'd continue to have access to supplies. It also would divert attention from us if not everyone we dealt with got sick, or passed illness around."

"So only the men would know?" Karen asked quickly. As Ronnie frowned at her, she said, "Bob."

"Bob Harker?" Down the table, Trish Harker tensed at the mention of her father's name. Gabrielle frowned sympathetically at her, knowing that she'd taken her father leaving hard. It had hurt Gabrielle too, when her own father had left.

"We saw him in Columbia, Missouri," Ronnie said. "I thought it was him, but he didn't acknowledge me when I waved, so I thought I was wrong. There's an enclave there at the University of Missouri. Funny how colleges keep getting used, huh?" His brief grin flashed and was gone. "Gabrielle... I don't know what to say or feel. But I do know this - I have to know if I've had tainted food or passed them to people. If Bob Harker would know, I need you to find him and ask him that."

[z016]

She nodded, understanding. "I can fly out there; we drove through Columbia several times when we went to Kansas City for concerts. I know the way and-" she gave Caleb a look, cutting off the protest that was half formed on his lips, "it would only take a day or so all together by flight. I could head out tonight and probably be back by tomorrow afternoon. Driving would take much longer, and that's if the county highways haven't washed out. Going through Kansas City, even on the highways, just isn't an option."

She looked thoughtful, "We should also radio Fox and his people and let them know that there's an enclave in Columbia. If there is a problem, or if they need help with anything, Fox and the others like him in the Refuge are much more able to travel quickly and carry supplies with them; and they'll need to be told about the crops, if they don't know already. They might be living off the college foodstocks like we have been and they shouldn't waste the time trying to farm or garden if it's not going to work."

She glanced down to Trish, but didn't say anything. They both knew the same pain; there wasn't anything to say.

[Dawn OOC]

"I'd strongly advise against that, ma'am." The speaker was one of Ronnie's companions who had been introduced briefly, named Jacobs. He sat further down the table, but seemed to have heard their conversation. "If you go there, I see this going badly. First, you're a woman alone, pretty one, too." Caleb twitched but was silent. "Always a target, even with the angelic thing. Honestly, that'll just make you more of a target. Second, if this Harker dude decides to make trouble for you to save himself, and he's already established there, the numbers are going to make it easy for them to justify jumping you."

"So what do you suggest?" Caleb asked, looking a bit testy. He always hated it when someone questioned Gabrielle.

"I suggest a team. Go in hot enough to defend yourselves, but not so hot they have to take you out. Make sure they know you mean business, and then get the leader aside privately. If Harker's smart, he's already poisoned the well - making sure they know you aren't a pushover will get you out alive, even if you can't get the information you need."

"Which is exactly what I was going to say," Caleb said earnest, turning to Gabrielle. "The extra effort will be well worth it for your safety. If they see you have people like me-"

"Not people like you," Jacobs said, cutting Caleb off. "No offense kid, but you don't look hard enough to scare men off their plans."

"And you do." It wasn't an accusation, exactly, but it was said in a sharp, unpleasant tone.

"I've been known to dissuade a few people from time to time," Jacobs said softly. His eyes, a flat blue, met Caleb's without a flinch.

[z016]

Gabrielle frowned in thought, glancing between the two men, and spoke quietly and carefully. "I cannot carry a large platform like Dan or Fox, so taking a group means ground travel, which will mean that the trip will take much longer. It will also mean land travel, which would expose whoever went with me to zombie attacks and infection-"

"We have a van or one of the trailers that we could take. It's not that much of a risk." Most of the room couldn't remember the Iowa farmboy ever interrupting Gabrielle, and the few that could knew that he'd done so less than a handful of time. He met Jacobs eyes with hot, challenging eyes of his own; youthful passion against cold experience. "You shouldn't go by yourself," he said emphatically to his angel, his tone indicating that he certainly didn't think Jacobs was company.

Emma stepped into the tension with calm grace, "He's right, Gabrielle, though probably not for the reasons he thinks he is. Beyond your own safety, we can't always rely on you and your flight to make contact with others outside the refuge. You've said yourself that you don't want to see us become dependent on powers that might not always be here for us. We should take some time, plan out a reasonable team to go make contact with Columbia, and then send them with prayers and as much preparation as we can."

The angel frowned at her friend, then sighed and smiled. "I really should listen to my own advice, huh? Alright. We'll get a group together to contact Columbia, but I'm still going, too. My immunity to the virus and tactical advantages in combat are simply to0 great to ignore when dealing with wild areas in the world." She looked down the table at Jacobs, watching him intently for a moment. "Would you be willing to help us? You seem to have some knowledge in this area."

[Dawn OOC]

"I have had some training in his area," Jacobs drawled softly, his assurance grating on those who didn't like him. "I'll be happy to help you guys out."

Ronnie asked ruefully, "I guess that means you aren't coming with us, then?"

"If you'll stick around for a couple of days, sure," Jacobs answered him. A slight smile curved his lips as he added, "Always said I'd go where most needed."

Ronnie sighed ruefully. "That you did. We'll kick some back before we leave for good, right?"

"Right," Jacobs said. His blue eyes returned to Gabrielle. "Who should I coordinate this trip with?" His eyes flickered to Caleb and then back.

[z016]

"Caleb's probably the best person, at least from a security point of view. I'll see who else wants to come along and we can coordinate vehicles and other logistics from there." She looked around the table, then stood up. "I'll go put up a flyer on the community board and have people gather in the lounge that are interested in going. I'll give it a few hours so we can finish eating and relaxing."

She smiled and nodded to the table before setting off, making a mental note that they were going to need to learn how to make paper and ink eventually. Another task for a list that never seemed to shrink; life was a lot more complicated than she'd ever thought.

[Dawn OOC]

She was only a few feet out of the room before there was a sense of movement next to her. "Heeeelllo," a friendly male voice drawled from her right. Gabrielle looked up at the man, then did a double-take. She was looking at Jack Sparrow, or rather a close copy of Jack Sparrow.

The man certainly wasn't Johnny Depp in the Jack sparrow outfit. He was just a 'normal' person by all appearances, but he was definitely dressed like Jack Sparrow. "So I heard that there was an angel here," he said without preamble. "And I thought that was something to see for myself." He extended his hand to her. "Jack Sparrow, bard and scoundrel. It is a pleasure to meet you."

[z016]

For a moment Gabrielle's world turned upside again. Then she grinned and laughed, saying the only thing that seemed appropriate at the moment. "Savvy."

She shook the man's hand, a blush from her unguarded moment of just being a teen creeping up her cheeks. "I'm Gabrielle. It's nice to meet you, Jack Sparrow." She scooped up one of the feathers that invariably littered an area after she'd been there for a bit and handed it to him. "There, now you have proof."

She turned to continue on towards the community board, but smiled so he'd know he was invited to walk along if he was so inclined. "Did you come in with Ronnie, then?"

[Dawn OOC]

His laugh at her quip was nice; deep and male without being coarse or suggestive. It was a nice laugh, and Gabrielle couldn't tell if it were natural or practiced. He was still chuckling when she asked her next question.

"Aye," he said easily. "I've been sailing with Ronnie for a few months now. Didn't want to settle down, not with the wind blowing. I've been thinking about planting my boots somewhere for a bit now. Decided I'd do it when something caught my interest." He looked sideways at her. "Didn't expect that to be an angel, but such are the mysteries of life.

"So. Can you refuge use a bard, storyteller and performer extrordinarie?" He swept into a bow without missing a step, and was back in step with her quickly. He was graceful and tall - his long legs helped him to cover the ground. "Or shall I return to the endless road, doomed to wander the zombie wastelands?" He gave her a cheeky grin at the last.

[z016]

She returned his grin and chuckled in return, "A storyteller would be quite welcome, although I can't say that at this point we can support an entertainer alone. As long as you're willing to pitch in on the other projects and work around here when there's need, you're more than welcome to stay."

They'd reached the main lounge and gathering area of the community; Gabrielle wrote out her message in careful and elegant print and pinned it to the half-filled corkboard. A few curious onlookers were craning their necks to peer at the board, but between the angel, the angel's wings, and Jack Sparrow, no one had yet summoned the courage to actually broach the bubble of personal space around the two.

She smiled up at her current companion, "Still interested?"

[Dawn OOC]

"Of course I'm interested," 'Jack' told her with a wide smile. "A bard knows when he should not tell stories, as well as when they are needed."

"A bard," Gabrielle repeated, though the question was clear in her voice.

"Aye, lass," Jack retorted. "A bard. A storyteller. An entertainer. And, at your service." He gave her another bow, still with that warm, lively smile. He glanced at her notice and offered, "Perhaps I can help you select people for this mission?"

[z016]

She shook her head ruefully, "Let's see who shows up first. Then we'll build a group from that. Caleb and a man named Jacobs are going to be the organizers, I think. They know more about this sort of thing than I do, anyways. You should let them know that you're willing to help."

She stared at the notice for a moment and then sighed. "Y'know, I almost hope no one wants to help. It'll make it more difficult, but..." she sighed again, "but everyone that goes, they're putting their lives on the line just leaving the fences. I know it's necessary, but still...." Her voice dropped to a sad whisper, "We're so few already."

[Dawn OOC]

"If we hide away and do nothing, we're already dead, Gabby," Jack told her. His expression was somber but his eyes were smiling as he said, "Let people do what they will. It makes them feel like they have a chance in this crazy world."

He locked eyes with her for a moment, then asked, "And where can I find this Caleb and A-Man-Named-Jacobs? Back in the dining area, still ready to kill one another?"

"That's probably the best place to start," Gabrielle said.

"Then I take my leave, Lady." Jack bowed deeply and turned to go. At the doorway back into the building, he stopped and turned. "I know Jacobs, from my travels with Ronnie. If you want to get people home alive, he's a man to take with you. I'm not sure what he used to do, but he's implied that it was the kind of career that makes you good at killing people with a shot to the head." He smiled at her and ducked into the building before she could come up to a reply to that.

[z016]

She blinked, frowned, then blinked again and smiled, shaking her head. He seemed like a nice fellow, a little touched in the head, but then there had been zombie apocalypse. We're all a little touched in the head now, I think. At least he seems to be coping in a positive way.

She left the note up and decided to take a quick look around the enclave and the city beyond while she waited for the meeting time. A few flights of stairs and a jump off a roof later and she was off. The city was quieter now, though they still had zombies wandering in from the countryside and pockets that hadn't been cleared out in the attack on the enclave. She eventually lighted on the roof of a church, making her way down to the shed next to the little cemetary. She'd cleared out the zombies a few days ago, but burying them was taking longer than she thought it would. A large pit took up most of the empty land that had been left in the graveyard, but she'd done the math and there was no way that there were enough coffins or space in the graveyard to bury the bodies individually. There would hardly be enough for mass graves in sanctified ground in the entire city. We need a priest. We need a priest and I'm not sure we'll be able to find one. Could we train one? Who would ordain them?

She sighed as she worked, moving bodies carefully into the pit, lining them up as much as possible and trying to keep the severed heads with their respective bodies. She'd raided all over the city for lye; she remembered from a health class that you had to bury people in coffins because decomposing bodies were a health risk to the water supply. Mass graves from wars and genocides usually contaminated an area for generations, unless the bodies had been buried with lye. She hoped the same was true for zombies. She spread the powder of a layer of bodies, murmuring the prayers she remembered from the funerals for her grandparents and a cousin that died in a car crash. She was going to need more lye.

Two hours later, covered in a fine grit of rotting flesh, dirt, and lye, Gabrielle climbed back to the roof of the church and headed home. She showered, put on clean clothes, and headed for the meeting lounge; she still didn't know if she was praying for courage or cowardice from the people of the enclave.

[Dawn OOC]

There were several faces there that Gabrielle wasn't surprised to see. First was Caleb, leaning against the wall by the door. Exactly across from him was Jacobs, leaning against the far wall in a near-mirror pose. It was hard to say who'd gotten there first, but the smell of competition was thick in the air.

Some of the 'tougher' women from the prison were there; many who had known nothing but violence all their lives and therefore continued to excel at it. Inanna was there, but if Gabrielle knew anything about the woman, she was likely there as an advisor. Jack was there too, giving her a broad wink that had Caleb and the other men fuming a bit.

Gerald nodded at her. "I and a few of my men are here."

"I tried to tell him to stay home," Homer Richards said to Gabrielle. Homer was one of Gerald's right-hand men. The rail-thin man grinned at her and added, "But I'm volunteering."

There were, she guessed about twelve people in this room willing to go. Gabrielle paused for a moment, unsure of what to do. But she fell back on what she always did in these circumstances: she delegated to someone who did know. "Jacobs, would you please advise us on what we should do for this mission?" she asked.

Caleb shifted; when Gabrielle glanced at him, he was staring stiffly into the corner. Jacobs calmly pushed off the wall and began to speak. Within a few sentences, it was clear he'd done things like this before. In short order, he'd selected ten people out of the twelve there. Gerald was left out and argued against that, but Jacobs just insisted he stay behind. Soon, he was requesting supplies, arranging for transport and otherwise completely outfitting this group like they were military. It was a real change, but Gabrielle felt some relief, and a growing hope that they'd get through this alive.

Two hours later, the group was ready to prepare. "Do you want to leave tomorrow, Gabrielle?" Jacobs asked her, his blue eyes calm, almost empty.

[z016]

She nodded, "Yes, that will give time for goodbyes and last minute arrangements. Caleb, have you decided who will be in charge of the guards while you're with us?"

She bit her lip, waiting for his response; she knew he was angry with her for choosing Jacob as their lead for this outing. She was trying to reach out to him, but he only shrugged and pushed off the wall. "Yeah, I should go do that," he muttered and stalked out of the room.

Gabrielle winced and watched him leave, waiting just long enough to get a nod from Jacobs that he had everyone in hand before slipping out herself after the Iowa farmboy. She caught up to him just as he was leaving the main building, her wings thwacking against the doorframe as she hurried after him. "Caleb! Hold on!"

He turned on a heel, arms crossed and eyes not quite meeting hers, "Yeah?"

She looked down herself, fighting the urge to rub her shoulder even though that wouldn't make the wings hurt any less. "Look....I just...you seem...." She managed to pull her eyes up to look at him and asked quietly, "How long are you going to be angry with me about this? Because...because I know I can't do this on my own and I don't know what I'll....I...Caleb, I don't want you to be angry with me, and I don't know what to do about this. Jacobs knows what he's doing, he's obviously done stuff like this before. We need that expertise."

Her entire being pleaded with him to understand; he'd been her rock for the past few months, without him she'd be lost.

[Dawn OOC]

Caleb's eyes darted away from hers. After a moment, he sighed. "I can't be mad at you for long, but damn it, we were doing fine without him! And he shows up and suddenly he's calling the shots. It just... ticks me off."

He looked up at the night sky - anywhere, she noticed, but at her. "Just give me some time, Gabrielle. I know you're not casting me off like an old shoe, but just... I don't know." He snorted. "Guess I need to pray on it. Not quite as good as I thought I was."

He sounded sad about that, before he glanced at Gabrielle. "Is this guy even Christian?"

[z016]

"I don't know," she murmured, then took a breath and continued on. "And it shouldn't matter, Caleb. If he's not, then we show him the love and Grace of the Lord, and when he can hear the calling of his soul, he'll come home to the church. If he is, then we've another brother to welcome to our home; either way, we owe him thanks for the assistance that he's offering to us."

She reached between them and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm not casting you off, Caleb. You've been my rock, my sanity in all of this. I'll pray with you, if you'd like."

[Dawn OOC]

Caleb didn't pull his hand away, and after a moment he squeezed back. "That would probably be best," he said after a moment, sounding sad and tired. His expression was weary and slightly shamed; Gabrielle knew what he was feeling very well. Everyone who had the humility to know that they had failed to live up to the standards set before them by God had worn that expression before.

Together, they went to the chapel. It wasn't much; a former apartment was converted into a chapel. Together, they found a quiet corner and prayed. When it was done, Gabrielle was pleased to see a measure of peace restored to him.

In the morning, the group was ready to go. The twelve people were gathered around the three vehicles that Jacobs had selected. All of them were off-road vehicles; gas guzzlers but the least likely to get stuck somewhere. They were loaded with more supplies than Gabrielle was sure they'd need, but she didn't complain. "Ready to go, ma'am," Jacobs reported, nodding to her.

[z016]

"Alright, let's head out, then."

The last round of final goodbyes were said and nearly the entire enclave turned out to see the group off; the mood was a strange mix of military farewell and parade. Once outside the gates, Gabrielle climbed up on the tallest vehicle, checked her radio, and took off to scout ahead for the group. The city of Hayes was mostly cleared, but zombies were still wandering in from the countryside, and the roads were always a question mark after any storm.

She smiled as she heard jokes being passed back and forth over the radio as the drivers and passengers got bored. So far, the roads were quiet and mostly intact; the young leader said quiet prayers as she flew that it would stay so all the way to Columbia, Mo.

[Dawn OOC]

Jacobs had decided to steer well north of Kansas City. It just seemed prudent to avoid the sprawling city and its metro area. To do that, they had to take back roads, which slowed them down a bit. After that delay, Jacobs called for a halt in a grove of trees. Caleb argued that they could go further, but once they'd taken all the precautions that Jacobs insisted on, it was dark.

Gabrielle felt secure; they vehicles had been parked in a box to allow them to provide cover, while a tarp over them allowed a roof. There was even a small fire, enough to help them keep warm and to have hot food.

The next morning they pushed on, stopping only once to raid a farmhouse that Jacobs thought looked promising. They found some home-canned food in the basement - pears, applesauce, greenbeans and some corn. They also found the former owners, wandering around the building, already dead and gone.

Things went south when they reached the Missouri River. With only two hours to dark, they'd hoped to reach Columbia. But before them gaped a broken bridge. "Shit," Jacobs sighed, the only curse word Gabrielle had heard from him so far. He dug out a map and spread it on the roof of the truck. "Shit. It looks like we go all the way north to Glasgow, or south to Jefferson City. I'd say Glasgow is safer, being smaller, but it'll take time." He glanced at Gabrielle. "Do we want to risk Jefferson City?"

[z016]

She bit her lip and thought for a moment. "Time we have, so let's take the safer route through Glasglow. Also, with the bridge out here, we might not be able to make it into Jefferson City easily, or back out again."

She looked over the map and tried to memorize terrain features. "I'll scout ahead a little more, just so we don't hit something like this again without some warning warning." She glanced over the crew, "How's everyone holding up? Shall we camp here tonight and head out in the morning?"

[Dawn OOC]

The general consensus was to stop for the night. Gabrielle did a bit of scouting and finally spotted a hollow in some fields. It was far enough off the road that they wouldn’t be seen by any travelers, and it was defensible. They circled the vehicles again and put up their makeshift tent. It was cozy, for a shelter thrown together on the side of a road.

In the morning, they traveled north, cutting back west as well. They were losing ground, but that was due to the contour of the river they were forced to follow. They made slow and careful progress, once again stopping to plunder for food. Gabrielle noticed that Jacobs tried to keep their supplies topped off, something she was comfortable with as well.

Glasgow held a surprise for them. Not only was the bridge in place, but the town itself had a small enclave. “Yeah, it was just ten of us,” Duncan, their spokesperson told them when asked, “but people would come through and end up staying. We’ve stayed to try to keep the bridge open. I don’t know how long we can mange, but we’ll try.”

They invited the caravan to stop and stay for the night, opening their doors – and cupboards in exchange for trade goods and information. Jacobs was more than happy to let them stop, once he’d decided that they were trustworthy. “A night of sleeping in beds, even borrowed ones, will be good for us.”

[z016]

Gabrielle and her people traded generously with the two-score or so living there, sharing the resources they could spare or easily replace on the road for a place to sleep, a warm meal, and human company. Gabrielle herself made sure to speak with each of the tiny enclaves members, and to offer her healing to those in need of it.

"You and your people are quite brave to stay here and keep the bridge open, Duncan." The angel smiled sincerely and spoke with him for a time about what had been going on in the surrounding area. She recounted the happenings with Fox's Refuge, and the two larger enclaves that existed now because of the rescue mission to Hell; she also told him of the failure of crops and the other concerns that had been brought up in her own enclave. "I don't mean to alarm you, just inform you. We're headed to Columbia to make contact there and to look for a man. If you or any of your people would want to join a larger enclave, we can offer as safe of passage as there is to there or, on our way back, to Fox's Refuge or the Hayes enclave."

[Dawn OOC]

"We're happy here," Duncan said, smiling. "We actually have a pretty good set up here - pretty defensive. So long as we don't get any zombies or people smart enough to stage some attacks, we'll be fine. But I'll spread the word around."

By the time they were ready to go in the morning, they had one taker, a young man named Nathan who wanted to attempt to open trade with Columbia. Room was made for him, and though Jacobs looked at him with hard eyes, he didn't say anything about his inclusion.

Four more hours of careful driving found them on the outskirts of Columbia. An ominious sign awaited them. Orginally, it had said, Head to MU campus - refuge there. That had been crossed out and replaced with, Go the courthouse - watch out for strangers.

[z016]

With dread tugging at her heart, Gabrielle turned the expedition towards the courthouse. Everyone was put on high alert; Gabrielle herself was flying ahead, hoping to spot welcomers, or barring that, give warning of an attack. They'd come so far without too much trouble; the angel said a quick prayer that their luck would hold.

She lighted down on the courthouse steps, the cars pulling up on the road behind her. "Hello?" she called out to the stately building. "My name is Gabrielle. We have come in peace, to trade goods and information. Is anyone there?"

[Dawn OOC]

After a moment, a voice called back, "Everyone out of the vehicles. No weapons. Do a three-sixty for me and keep your hands high."

Over the headsets, Jacobs said, "I don't like it." No one seemed surprised; some seemed to share his assessment. "Gabrielle, this is your call. We gonna strip down and hope they aren't holding us up?"

[z016]

Gabrielle pulled off her shotgun and machete, hands held up to show she wasn't holding any other weapons. "I'll have my people come out so we can be seen, but I won't ask them to give up their weapons. The world is a dangerous place and we have our own safety to look to as well."

"I will come in to speak to anyone that I need to, as a show of good faith." Gabrielle peered towards the courthouse, her wings twitching in curiosity and anxiety. "Is that acceptable?"

[Dawn OOC]

There was a tense moment. "I'm coming out." The speaker - presumably - walked out of the building, rifle ready but the nose pointed down. His eyes flickered over Gabrielle when he got close, his mouth set in a hard line. He was grizzled but youthful, somehow looking old and young at the same time. Sharp brown eyes roamed over the arriving vehicles. "Tell your people that if I'm attacked, you'll be taking the first bullet."

Gabrielle nodded and said, "There's no need for violence. We've come in peace."

"Yeah, that's what the last freak said, too," the man replied gruffly. He stared at her. "Give me your hand, palm down. I need to see your blood."

[z016]

Gabrielle blinked and asked, "My blood?" She was already extending her hand; injury was a little less frightening to someone that could heal wounds with the Grace of God.

She looked up at the man, her manner sympathetic. "I'm sorry if something happened with someone that had changed like myself. Our purpose is to help, not to harm." Her conviction was total, fanatical but restrained.

"I do hope you will come to consider us allies and not threats."

[Dawn OOC]

"It'd be nice," the stranger said, drawing out a knife.

"Hey!" Caleb shouted from the truck. He started to leave the vehicle.

"My people will shoot if he gets out of that vehicle," the stranger assured Gabrielle intently.

"Caleb, its fine," Gabrielle said quickly, turning to look at him. He had a foot on the ground but stopped, his face conflicted. "Trust me."

Sudden pain in her hand drew her attention back; the stranger had taken advantage of her distracted to create a shallow cut on her palm. Red blood welled and the stranger nodded. "Well, at least you're not him. You're welcome to come in, if your people will agree to having one pistol with one clip each on their person." His mouth quirked up in an uneven smile. "I'm sure you all have questions by now."

[z016]

Gabrielle healed the small wound instinctively and smiled at the man, "We do. I'll see who wants to come in, but more than likely some will always want to stay with the caravan."

She motioned Caleb forward and relayed the requirements of the Columbia enclave. The former Iowa farm-boy nodded seriously, giving the man with Gabrielle as unfriendly a look as he could muster, and then made his way back to the group. The caravan buzzed for several minutes, Jacobs making calls about who would stay and go and security rotations and all the other hang-ups of travelling and visitation in a zombie-infested afterlife of civilization.

Finally, a half-dozen of the caravan, Jacobs and Caleb included, stood before the speaker, guns and clips carefully holstered. Gabrielle's own machete and shotgun had been returned to the caravan for safekeeping. She'd refused the smaller gun and won the tug-of-wills between herself, Jacobs, and Caleb my simply turning to the unnamed speaker and announcing, "We're ready when you are."

[Dawn OOC]

The unnamed host led them from the courthouse, walking down Eighth Street. The vehicles followed along sedately; when offered a ride, their host declined. "You'll want them to see me walking ahead." After walking about eight city blocks, they were at the gates to the MU campus. He had them stop while he walked forward a bit further. A woman came out and spoke to him; then he turned and waved them forward.

"I know these precautions seem paranoid," he said, "but they are necessary." He turned to the woman, who was a pixy-faced petite woman with strawberry blonde hair. "This is Cherry, she'll show you where to go and where you can park."

The sweet-looking girl grinned widely at his words. "Don't worry, I'll show everyone where to go." The trucks were parked at the Columbia Tribune's office; the former newspaper had been turned into the "guest fort" as Cherry called it. Those who were coming into the main complex walked deeper onto campus.

They were led to the Agriculture Building. The building was a monolithic windowless structure that looked like it would stand up to a bomb. When Jacobs mentioned its security, Cherry nodded, "It was built as a fallout shelter. There's one window in the old section, and we've secured a path to the greenhouses. It's a pretty good set up."

She glanced at Gabrielle and asked, "So what brings you guys here?"

[z016]

"Trade." Gabrielle sighed, "And we had heard that one of our former people had come this way. He was less than stable when he left us and we wanted to make sure he hadn't caused harm here. His name is Bob Harker. Have you seen him or had any troubles recently?"

She might have waited until everyone was settled in to ask, but she felt that would have been dishonest somehow. She didn't want to seem to be hiding anything from these people, and after the oddness at the courthouse she was rather resigned to some mishap from the still-disciple of Elijah's. Her wings twitched nervously, "Also, I am a healer, if you have need of one. I cannot heal the z-plague, but everything else I have tried to heal has worked."