Geoffrey didn't know exactly what transpired in the few seconds that preceded several chilling events. What he did know was this, he had been seated off by himself and had smoked half of one of his black and milds down. Things seemed to be following as much of a routine as they could in these times. The black youth, even with his limp, had chosen to go along on the convoy to gather materials for his small, humble shop - but instead fate had decreed that things would not go as such. 

One of the other members took him out of his self imposed trance by murmuring the time, two-thirty six. Geoffrey flicked the ashes down, and turned towards the other members, a bunch that had some semblance of camaraderie, and perhaps that was what they all needed. He knew they were stopped to clear the path of debris, that going around was a no-go. Dangerous things lived in the unknown, be it a rival neighborhood, or this jungle that had come back to claim the world. Just the same, he would stay to his area, a small seat on the truck with smoke in hand. 

What transpired next was more of a blur than anything he remembered. Eli had fallen, as though physically assaulted, and this tensed him up, but what occurred next shook him to his very core. 

Geoffrey had been involved in shootouts, he had been involved in drug deals, kidnappings, and spent some a few months or so in county lock up, but the explosion that seemed to rock everyone at the moment, just a few seconds after the one named Fred announced the time, shook him to his core. Bullets whizzing past was one thing, but this explosion and the resultant, almost immediately darkness at this afternoon point really, and truly, frightened the hoodlum. 

The thug fell like the rest, it wasn't intentional, nor to provide humor - it was situational. Part of his black had snapped towards the top, removing a sixth of what was left. His lighter had skittered a ways away, and so had his pistol. He could hear others coming too, and making their way to their feet, exclaiming confusion at what had happened. 

That's when he saw them. Ghouls were coming, pouring out of nooks and crannies towards the convoy, with singular intent. He scrambled towards his gun, not yet on his feet and grabbed the weapon in two hands. Without thinking, he fired twice into the crowd of haunted expressions that desired to eat him. He hit none on the front row, but didn't want to stick around to see if any of the shots had found purchase. .

No, he whipped around and quickly took stock of what everyone was doing. Among the last he saw were Eli, and he wasn't anywhere near the trucks. The last he saw had jumped into one of the cars and barrelled away. Geoffrey couldn't find fault in such a course of action, though did feel anger that he wasn't taken along for the ride. 

[B]Hey, nigga, get back here![/b]

His yells were fruitless, and almost summarily drowned out in his mind by someone yelling for Eli to head towards the building. No harm in playing follow the leader! He turned tail and forgot about the convoys, and hauled ass towards the building, slipping in somewhere in the middle of the pack.

The crowd barrelled through a second set of doors, and Geoffrey cut to the right, wheeling around his pistol and pointing it out as people flooded through. When the man finished placing the rods and came through, Geoffrey risked a peek. Seemingly all those that ran made it.

[B]Shit, my nig, I don't know. But when I get my hands on that bastard that took a truck, we'll be down a person,[/b] Geoffrey growled before lowering his weapon. 

[b]I hope someone can tell me the same thing you're asking. It can't be any later than two forty-five, and it's as dark as night out there. Ghouls on our ass, and we're hold up in God damn store. This shit is not lit, wavy, or saucy.[/b] Try as he might, he couldn't hold back his street vernacular. 

After fumbling around for a moment, he cursed himself - he didn't pick up his lighter. His left hand slid in his back pocket and retrieved another BIC lighter, this one black. He sparked up the remaining bit of his black and mild, taking a lengthy hit. 

He needed to calm down. His eyes danced over the store, primarily clothing, and then over the people. Who knew how long they would be trapped here, the Ghouls weren't apt to give up on prey, especially when the day turned night. Geoffrey crouched against the nearby wall and took another drag. The smoke rose and passed his eyes, it was comforting. 

Geoffrey didn't mention it, but before the explosion, he heard the laughter of a small girl around the area. He already thought himself a social pariah due to his criminal past, he didn't need them to also think he was crazy. 

Still though, cigar smoke wafting around him, he liked closer to Eli and Garsin. If they were planning something, he wanted to have some idea of what it was and if he could be of use.