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Post by redhavoc on Oct 11, 2011 22:29:29 GMT -5
*I nod and grab it off the table. The cat follows me outside as I make my way to the barn. There is nothing inside except for falling apart stalls and rotting hay. I grab a few dry chunks and try to pick them up, but my side won't allow it. I try picking up just one log, but can't even manage that. The cat looks at me expectantly, but I just shake my head*
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Post by Max Griffiths on Oct 11, 2011 22:41:18 GMT -5
*I stand in the doorway, telling myself I'm watching the road, not the barn. Several minutes go by without Red's return but I don't think anything's going on that needs my attention so I stay where I am. Far above me the toxic haze clears enough to let a few stars shine through, and I watch them until they vanish again.*
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Post by redhavoc on Oct 11, 2011 22:52:03 GMT -5
*I pet the cat for a second, thinking. I find a round log and kick/roll it out the door, then go back for a second. I'm getting tired by the third and have to rest*
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Post by Max Griffiths on Oct 11, 2011 22:57:23 GMT -5
*I see the first log roll through the barn doors, and then two more. I half-smile, amused, but don't go to help. If she wanted it she'd come ask.*
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Post by redhavoc on Oct 11, 2011 23:15:17 GMT -5
*I get up and kick the logs the rest of the way, ignoring Max in the doorway. When three of them are finally stacked close to the fireplace I go back to Max and point to the fireplace. I don't really want to ask for his help, but I can't do any more by myself...*
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Post by Max Griffiths on Oct 11, 2011 23:22:55 GMT -5
*I incline my head and pick the logs up, setting them in the fireplace and snapping off some of the splintered lintel to use as kindling. In about a minute I have a good-sized blaze going, and the warmth spreads through the room. The cat seems to have claimed Red, although it keeps its distance from me. When Red starts looking sleepy I find a blanket in one of the bedrooms and bring it out to her. Standing by the fireplace, I watch the pictures in the flames and stay so close to the fire that the heat nearly burns my legs. I don't mind the sensation.*
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Post by redhavoc on Oct 12, 2011 0:24:58 GMT -5
*I wrap the blanket around me and stare into the flames. Eventually the cat wanders out and I look up at Max. I motion for him to go find a bed and sleep, indicating that I will take first watch. I know he didn't sleep the night before and I want to do my part. I look up at him expectantly*
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Post by Max Griffiths on Oct 12, 2011 0:35:05 GMT -5
*I weigh Red's offer, considering whether I think she can handle a watch. She's right, though, I am getting tired.* If you start to fall asleep, wake me. I'll be in the first room on the right.
*After pausing to lock the front door and look once more out the window, I head into the bedroom and lie down on top of the blankets, closing my eyes and quickly falling asleep*
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Post by redhavoc on Oct 12, 2011 1:09:43 GMT -5
*I agree with Max to wake him if I get tired, but resolve to myself to stay awake the entire night. For a while I stare at the fire some more, but the heat makes me sleepy, so I start quietly pacing around the bottom floor, exploring old side rooms. Most everything has been moved out, but there's at least one or two pieces of furniture in every room. There are a couple boxes in one room, but all I find are busted radiator parts and a broken doll.*
*In another room I find a photo in a cracked frame of thirty people or more. They all look similar, so I decide they must be a family. Funny... I didn't think families were that big. Mostly I pictured them to be about three to five people in size. This is a big farmhouse, however, and I admit that my knowledge of the past is quite lacking. I take the photo out to the main room and make up a story for each person, mostly out of boredom, as the night wears on. It's something I used to do with the killjoy wanted posters back at BLI when I was training late into the night*
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Post by Max Griffiths on Oct 12, 2011 18:46:13 GMT -5
*I wake up when the sky starts to lighten and get up, stretching. Returning to the front room, I find Red looking tired but awake.* You can get a ration out of the car if you'd like. Then get some sleep; either here or on the road if you want to leave. *I'm not hungry, so I just swallow a pair of nutrient pills and an energy booster*
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Post by redhavoc on Oct 12, 2011 20:49:01 GMT -5
*I nod and go out to the car, grabbing an insta-hot throwaway coffee cup and ration packet. The air feels cool, but not crisp, like the weather somehow knows how hot the day is going to be. Back inside I sit at the table and rip the top off the cup, waiting for it to cool and conteplating if I want to go or not. The cat shows up and I offer her some of my ration packet, but she seems uninterested*
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Post by Max Griffiths on Oct 13, 2011 18:28:33 GMT -5
*I start getting restless as time passes, and eventually step outside to walk the area. The activity helps burn off some of my energy, but I can't help feeling like something is going to happen. Several times I stop walking and just listen, turning in a slow circle. I never hear anything, but the feeling persists. By the time I get back to the house, my hand is resting on my holster*
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Post by redhavoc on Oct 13, 2011 20:01:01 GMT -5
*When I finish I notice Max is outside. When he comes back in I pick up on the fact that he's uneasy and start packing up the extra BLI clothes. I get the feeling we'll be going soon. The cat wanders out again, hissing at Max as she goes out the door*
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Post by Max Griffiths on Oct 13, 2011 20:47:35 GMT -5
*I see that Red's packing up, so I take her gun and go out to the car, swapping the batteries in both our weapons by the time she joins me outside. I hand Red her gun, then put the clothes in the trunk and get in the car* Let's head south. Put some miles behind us.
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Post by redhavoc on Oct 13, 2011 22:31:16 GMT -5
*I nod and flip my gun around a little, practicing, before I get in the car. We start down the road and I remember I didn't see the cat. I look back, but nothing's there. As we drive I start to get tired, despite the coffee. The sky fades into blue and my eyes get heavy*
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Yes, I'm still running - sort of. But it is lonely out here. Haven't seen anyone else for a while.
//