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[sup]Current Location: Lonely Road - Interacting With: Jain & Beta Squad - Mentioned: Hector & April[/sup]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUZVL70jdnU[/youtube][/center]
[color=gray]If you could ignore the walking corpses, the roaming bandits, the starvation and thirst, it could have been said that it was a good day in Walker-infested America. Maisy had been there when Jain stood before the assembled squads; the rancher standing off to the side of Jain as her now commanding officer gave quite a cheesy speech. Nonetheless, it was enough to put hope in the assembled men and women, especially with the truth that existed behind Jain's words. Lasthope had experienced many difficulties in the past, yet it still stood.

Their first destination was clear in Maisy's thoughts. The expedition was supposed to head first to her old childhood home, and the memory of the horde was still fresh in the rancher's mind despite happening years ago. It was where she first experienced hell on earth--where Maisy first saw the "Crazed," as her father called them--rip in to a human like a juicy chicken leg. By now, Maisy was no stranger to the undead or death, but the screams for help as monsters chewed away at the ranch hands was still a constant reminder of the world they lived in.

Regardless, dwelling on the bad wouldn't help Maisy survive. The rancher had to remember the memories she missed, such as the days she helped take care of the animals or played with the school kids that visited on a field trip. The idea of returning home permanently was most likely a silly idea, but Maisy knew she shouldn't give the ranch a bad rap for the horrible events she witnessed that day long ago. Perhaps, with luck, the rancher would be able to save some items for her parents--like her mother's jewelry box--upon visiting her old family home.

In any case, Maisy had troopers to attend to before she fell down the path of nostalgia. The higher-ups placed the rancher in charge of Beta squad, as well acting as the second-in-command to Jain herself. Eight, both men and women, now waited on Maisy's command like the ragtag group they were. It was hard not to call them the Band of Misfits as the council was struggling at not dubbing them so. They all came from different walks of life, and nothing had bound them together besides their roles and a Lasthope identity.

Saddling up on her horse, Maisy rode close to Jain while most of her squad rode dismounted. Hector was leading Alpha squad up north with April and her crew, so it was up to Maisy and her troopers to protect the home front. It was a relatively uneventful duty--most of the dead were rotting in some unknown cavern while those still walking around were being picked off by those clearing the path ahead. Nevertheless, Maisy couldn't shrink on her duties even if nothing was happening--doing so would be playing with lives.

As they walked and rode down the empty and damaged street, the two Irish wolfhounds flushed out a deer and herded towards the column. Meat was a rare commodity now, and the deer hadn't looked to be bitten, so Maisy went to motion for someone to capture it. However, before the rancher could issue a command, Jain's horse had clearly picked something up. The commander signaled for Maisy to mount the troop, and with a few clicks of her fingers, those that heard would soon climb onto their respective saddles.[/color]

[color=moccasin][i]Something is amidst...[/i][/color] [color=gray]The rancher thought, her eyes scanning the landscape for any sign of danger. Nothing nearby stood out to Maisy, but something surely was happening far ahead. One of the dogs ran back to the group with a note affixed to their collar, and a faint screaming was heard far off in the distance. Maisy was ready for action, but running straight into battle without a clue was running to your death. While the rancher was second in command, the final call was Jain's, and so, Maisy waited their commander's opinion.[/color]

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