[hr][hr][center][h1]Into the Wilderness![/h1][img]https://media.giphy.com/media/3xz2BqAT9FcTTUgiIM/giphy.gif[/img][hr][b]Starring:[/b] [color=fff79a][b][i]Ryan[/i][/b][/color], [color=#23D5B7][b][i]Beatrice[/i][/b][/color], [color=f26522][b][i]Gavin[/i][/b][/color], and [color=firebrick][b][i]James[/i][/b][/color]
[b]Location:[/b] Outside of Newnan[/center][hr][hr]

	[color=fff79a]"Well if Ash was going exile James, least he could do was give him the fucking Hordebuster. Then we wouldn't have to dodge shit and could just plow right through it,"[/color] Ryan groaned as they bumped along the roads. Yeah, the Hordebuster as Ash called it would have been perfect for exiling someone Ash obviously didn't want to get rid of. Rubbing his knee a bit Ryan rested his head on the back of the rear window and sighed. His ass was going to go numb if they kept things at this rate. 

	[color=#23D5B7]"Why give the Hordebuster to a dead man?"[/color] Beatrice asked, raising an eyebrow. Exile was akin to a death sentence in these days--or at least, that was how it was viewed. She had come to the conclusion that they were just as safe inside Newnan as they were outside, but not everyone had. Others still believed that the walls kept them safe. In that light, James' exile was just a stay in execution. She doubted that anyone in Newnan truly believed that they would see James again. Did it matter if he died the day he left or a year after? It'd be the same result to them. No sense in wasting one of their most valuable resources. [color=#23D5B7]"Besides, I know you've experienced conditions worse than these,"[/color] Beatrice pointed out, though she wasn't referring to weather. 

	[color=f26522]"Fuckin' deal man! A victory lap on the Speedway, maybe's some of them drivers cars be there. Wouldn't that be somethang? Droppin' the hammer, pealing out likes we ain't gots nothin' to lose and tearin' that place up like Deliverance! Fuck yeah!"[/color] the cowboy exclaimed excitedly. It really didn't take much to make the man happy it seemed. Granted living to that point was another matter but Gavin wasn't concerned about that. He was never concerned with surviving or dying, he just lived. 

	[color=firebrick]"Hells yeah! Good times..."[/color] The discussion of hypotheticals was a bit of a distraction for James. It helped get his mind off of the fact that, earlier that morning, he had put down two friends of his who had died and then joined the ranks of the "Famous Axe Murderers in History: Apocalypse Edition" trading cards for what he did to the man he felt was responsible, and who was poised to harm others. He tried to forget that he lost his home that he spent so much time trying to make into a decent place for good, honest folk, and that he would probably never see these people ever again. It began to weigh on him. The chit-chat was a welcome thing upon which to focus. 

	Ryan chuckled a bit. [color=fff79a]"Hey maybe we wouldn't be dead men walking if we had the hordebuster. Not like Ash wouldn't enjoy making a new one, hell might get him out of that ass funk he's been in for the last YEAR,"[/color] Ryan laughed as the thought crossed his mind that they could have just "borrowed" it for a bit at least. Sure James was exiled but he and Beatrice weren't. It gave him something to think about. 

	[color=#23D5B7]"Pssh. There's hardly any evidence that Ash wasn't born just like that,"[/color] Beatrice countered. [color=#23D5B7]"And he'll die the same way."[/color] From what she had seen, at least, the man was so tightly wound up he was on the edge of breaking. The pressure must have been getting to him, with the man being all business and no pleasure. She wouldn't have been that surprised if Ash took his own life one of these days. That wasn't to say that she didn't respect the man--she just doubted his mental state was in good shape anymore. 

	In a short time, the truck pulled up to the intersection of 4th and Boone. James paused the forward momentum of the vehicle long enough to get a good, clear view down the road. [color=firebrick]"Hot damn!"[/color] he exclaimed. [color=firebrick]"Warm damn anyways... But hey! Clear far as I can tell."[/color] he turned (another frigging left) onto Boone Drive, and headed south to pick back up with the intersection.   

	[color=f26522]"Let's hope it be stayin' that way,"[/color] Gavin said as he kept an eye out on the road ahead of them. It was clear for now, or at least seemed to be. Hopefully they had run into the worst of the blockades for now. 

	Ryan glanced over to Beatrice with a slight smirk on his face. [color=fff79a]"Yeah if he doesn't get laid or a high colonic, or both he will probably pop his own head."[/color]

	Now headed south over generally open road, James risked some optimism. They neared the intersection of Boone and LaGrange without sudden and catastrophic incident, which seemed like a tiny miracle all its own. Peering out to the left, James could make out the initial obstruction that prevented the otherwise simple journey to their upcoming destination. But no turn for him, not this time. They were going to continue across the street, watching the name of the road change from Boone Drive to Waterworks Road. 

	[color=fff79a]"Fucking hell, are we driving in circles?"[/color] Ryan asked as he leaned up and looked around a bit more. 

	Across the way from them loomed the old Newnan High School grounds. It might have made an interesting place to set up their growing community, what with the chainlink fences and security doors, open grounds for planting, and clear lines of sight, but their overall choice to make the Newnan downtown was much more friendly, like what the world [i]used[/i] to be like. Not that he was present for it; he had been on a number of runs in this area and the story had filtered down to him. It would have made a decent spot, too. But the school wasn't their destination, just a sight along the way. [color=firebrick]"Aight, we almost where we need to be. Past this school an' down the road a piece."[/color] 

	[color=f26522]"Sweets, cause I need to drain the pool, mys back teeths are flootin'. What's I get fer not remembin' what my mamma told - always go before you go,"[/color] Gavin said as he sat there and rested his elbow on the doors arm rest; contemplating whether he would sign his name in the snow or draw a flower. 

	Beatrice spotted the high school building and frowned ever so slightly. [color=#23D5B7]"I hope the school isn't our destination. It'll be overrun by now--and it's a high school, which automatically makes it horrible,"[/color] Beatrice remarked. She hadn't enjoyed high school that much. It had been a bit of a rough time for her as she transitioned from bouncing in and out of juvi in Justice to living with a stable family and going to a decent public school. 

	[color=fff79a]"Shit, I'd trade finals for this hellhole anyday,"[/color] Ryan chuckled. Not that he ever showed up for finals but hey, skipping them for a smoke out back of the school instead of watching your back for deadies constantly seemed like a step up from here. 

	[color=firebrick]"You gotta make water [i]now[/i]?"[/color] questioned James, looking at Gavin oddly. [color=firebrick]"You know theys had workin' toilets an' such back in Newnan, right? Probably last time either of us ever gonna hear "tinkle tinkle flush" in our [i]lives[/i]."[/color] A slight smile crossed his face as he continued. This wasn't about any exasperation on his part with an inconvenience, oh no. James was ranting for the sake of humor at this point. [color=firebrick]"Now, this might be a good thing, y'hear? If'n we get another down tree you an' Mr. Happy can just [i]blast[/i] it out the way, can't ya? Now, I ain't got no soda bottle you can piss into, but if the mood takes, you can roll down the window an' Hang Yo Wang out, leave us a trail to follow back. You know, just in case."[/color]

	Gavin started chuckling and seriously considering doing just that. [color=f26522]"Hell man I do that, you can bet yer buttered biscuit them two will high tail it rights backs to Newnan."[/color]

	James briefly considered making some sort of joke out of the phrase "Hang Yo Wang", likening it to a Chinese take-out joint. Instead, he just mentioned in a calmer voice, [color=firebrick]"Or we could just stop fo a minute."[/color] Struck with a sudden thought, James asked Gavin another question, [color=firebrick]"Ey, Tex, can you open that back window? I wanna see how the folks back there're doin'."[/color]   

	Nodding, Gavin turned in his seat a bit and opened the back window before poking his head out of it and grinning like dog that just caught a bone. [color=f26522]"Howdy, how's is hangin'?"[/color]

	[color=#23D5B7]"We've resorted to cannibalism in order to survive these conditions,"[/color] Beatrice answered dryly, pausing for a moment. [color=#23D5B7]"We're fine. Irish is complaining but he excels at that. It's one of his special skills."[/color] The changing weather, combined with the bumps in the road, were a bit irksome to Beatrice as well but she didn't feel like voicing her feelings about them. Ryan wasn't wrong however. The hordebuster would've been a much more pleasant trip, along with increased chances of survival for them all. 

	[color=firebrick]"Cannibalism? Naw. Nuh uh, not in [u]my[/u] truck you ain't eatin' anybody, ya freaks..."[/color] said James jokingly. He kept his eyes on the road as he spoke to them, only occasionally glancing into the rearview mirror to ensure that his guests were able to understand. He continued in a louder voice to be heard over the sound of road and engine, [color=firebrick]"Aight, way looks clear headin' down. We 'bout a mile or less from where we're needin' to be. Everybody sit tight. Cap'n made sure we started out okay."[/color] 

	Passing the high school, the road became a little narrower, surrounded by heavier foliage. The trees allowed for the snow to cling for a while longer, but the path remained open and unblocked for as far as could be seen. The next couple of minutes rolled by as the truck ambled down the more secluded piece of blacktop. Their way gently sloped south and curved to the east, passing the old City Water Treatment Facility. [color=firebrick]"Almost there now!"[/color] called James, eager to have this first leg of their journey done. 

	The road took a more dramatic turn to the northeast, exposing a grand vision of water and trees, occasionally dotted by smaller structures. James took them ever along that road, even as it turned slightly away from the lake. The trees parted to reveal another building; a much larger one hidden by the greenery from every direction but straight on and from limited angle, with a fading sign reading "Newnan Utilities Warehouse". James's Silverado pulled around to the back of the building, to loading doors large enough to fit a semi trailer into with ease. The entire building looked padlocked and nailed shut. And James had his keys confiscated by Security prior to their exit from Newnan. [color=firebrick]"We here. First order, lady and gents, we gotta get us an' this here truck inside that building, lock her back up tight. Any y'all got some bolt cutters?"[/color]