[hr][hr][center][h1][color=firebrick][b]James Mandingo Grady[/b][/color][/h1] [img]https://4thdistrict.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/in-memoriam.jpg?w=500[/img][/center] [hr][center][b][color=firebrick]Location:[/color][/b] The Meet (Three-way intersection near the Hershall Norred Water Plant) [/center][hr][hr] The solid, familiar sounds of James's favorite heavy truck reached his ears, just following the heated but short discussion he had concluded with Thalia. He had only met two members of her family, but upon meeting the young lady, there could be no mistaking the bloodline. She was a little difficult, granted, but James took comfort in the fact that her people continued. The world needed one of Caesar's people in it, probably more than ever. He even gave a little smile thinking about it, watching this girl with Astrid's shield and one of Caesar's old company's machetes. But he had let his mind wander. James indeed did find that he was hearing The Hordebuster coming around the bend. The unmistakable plowhead on the front of the vehicle was visible first, rounding the bend in the road and emerging from behind scattered evergreen and deciduous trees. Then the rest of the truck burst into the scene, bigger than life; gorgeous and ugly all at the same time. He had no earthly idea why it would be headed down this way, but he never expected to see it, nor its driver again. It filled him with immediate, profound joy. As it came to a controlled stop behind the tank, the driver's side window opened. James raised his hat high above his head and waved. Thana had exited the truck, striding over to the group, but Ash had stayed a bit more cautious. His inquiry as to whether these people were friends of his was taken by the veteran hogger as a sign of concern on his part. Ash was an honorable guy. If he wanted to do them harm, he would have back in Newnan. [color=firebrick]"Naw, Cap'n! We all good!"[/color] he called out. There was so much to tell him. The news of Thalia and the functioning satphone, the bittersweet revelation of Astrid and her body finally being laid to rest, the story about the TANK... things had happened in the time since he had left Newnan. He knew that he couldn't come back, but some things needed to be passed along to the guys back home. Beatrice had begun to detail Thalia to Ash in her own rough but endearing manner of homespun sarcasm. James was readying himself to follow up with a bit more detail after his own "all clear" declaration. No sooner had the previous words left his mouth, though, than a great rumbling could be heard. The sound of stone fracturing and grating against itself, mixed with the cacophony of imploding ruin. Metal twisting, rending, the works of humanity ripping apart as the very earth beneath them cracked open wide. James had experienced lime sinks before, owing to his background, but [i]never[/i] like this. This was huge. Unprecedented. Massive. And it was in the direction of Newnan. The sound of roared throughout the still air, even as far away as they all were. Then an earth-shattering KA-BOOM, leaving a mushroom cloud floating over the horizon to the north. He instinctively took a step toward forward, toward his former home and almost every friend he had left in the world, when the sickly sound of the ground ripping open assaulted his ears, even as violent shaking threatened to drop him to the pavement below him. He still had his hat in the air as a crack violated the ground beneath him, split off from the main tear in the earth. Collapsing and widening, it refused to even give James the base courtesy of telling his friends goodbye as it began to swallow him up. James tossed his hat into the air, scrambling furiously for the side of the opening chasm. He almost did, until the ground crumbled beneath his fingers and dropped him into the unforgiving shards of rock below. Whatever Providence existed did him but one favor: Before he got to experience the unnatural and mortal folding of his body, James clipped the back of his head on a shaggy chunk of exposed piping. Unconscious or dead, the point would be rendered almost moot in two short, horrifying seconds. The story of James Mandingo Grady came to a close with his broken body at the bottom of a crack in the earth, having died for nothing and no one, save random misadventure. The legend known as [color=firebrick]Black James (!)[/color] has ended. May he finally rest in peace. [hr][hr][center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/e7de846f-30f3-4613-933c-40dce7104529.png[/img][/center] [center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/e4117d5f-65c8-4b8e-98df-5810a59267c5.jpg[/img][/center][hr][center][color=dc143c][b]Location:[/b][/color] The Meet [/center][hr][hr] The arrival of the Hordebuster was noted with concern and and annoyance. It felt like a setup, pure and simple, but something was off. Thalia opened her mouth to say something - just in time for all hell to break loose. It could be easily said that this was not a good day for Thalia. But viewing the horizon and feeling the shake of the earth beneath her feet, she was fairly certain that there were people just north of them who were having a [i]much[/i] worse day than her. Thalia wasn't even fully cognizant of the fact that the ground was rebelling against their presence in a more direct, fatal manner, until Lola grabbed a handful of her jacket and hurled her away from the growing split in the pavement. The sudden and unbidden thought of [color=dc143c][i]This is the East Fucking Coast[/i][/color] flashed, her brain racked with disbelief. But this was happening. Thalia looked to where she was standing a second ago, and realized that the obnoxious but endearing Kiwi just saved her ass. Wow. She might actually deserve some consideration the next time she started getting suggestive. Maybe. When Lola asked her if she was still alive (calling her Jet again, she noted), Thalia responded with a half sarcastic, [color=dc143c]"Yeah, you win."[/color] She paused for a second to cough up a lungful of kicked-up dust, rasping out, [color=dc143c]"But no kissing, okay?"[/color] Slowly, she started to pull herself up to her feet. Thalia looked over to Alexander, making sure he was still with them. [color=dc143c]...Lola, Mugs, me..."[/color] he counted aloud, and looked over to the other group. [color=dc143c]"Hey James, are your people good? Ja... damn."[/color] Her people might be fine, but they were down a couple. That guy seemed pretty cool, all things considered. Then there was the sarcastic guy, standing near the equally sarcastic girl by the truck. Bad day all around. But from the way the new lady on the scene carried on, she might have just lost someone she cared about. Seems there was a lot of that going around today. [hr][hr][center][h1][i][b][color=steelblue]Ash Holloway[/color][/b][/i][/h1] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0d55b471-c5e5-4224-a6dd-f93f52f38ebd.png[/img][/center] [hr][center][color=steelblue][b]Location:[/b][/color] Armageddon [/center][hr][hr] [color=steelblue][i]Get up, Captain.[/i][/color] Ash wasn't sure what happened, but the back of his head throbbed. It wasn't clear pain, but it was close to it. He became aware of his limbs; legs folded beneath himself, one arm dangling, the other obstinately clutching the doorhandle of his truck. It was a highly precarious position, hanging from a door, legs on one of the steps. Exposed. Open. And with an amazing view of the shitstorm raining down upon everything he allowed himself to care about. Still, he couldn't quite clear his head. Vaguely, he thought he heard someone calling his name. What the hell happened? [color=steelblue][i]Get your legs underneath you, Captain. You are needed.[/i][/color] He grunted, shifting his feet about until they could support his weight. In pieces, the memory of what happened came back to him. Thana had gone ahead while he was still climbing out. The woman was fearless. He had a thing for strong women, apparently. Then... Then the world broke. Like a bomb went off in Newnan and the aftereffects ripped their way toward anyone who lived there, regardless of where they were, propelled by a sinister intelligence. It was coming back to him, as did the reason why it left his memory in the first place. [color=steelblue][i]On your feet, soldier![/i][/color] As the initial rumble hit, Ash's boot slid awkwardly on the step coming out of the Hordebuster. The explosion immediately afterward and increasing shake of the ground caused a momentary loss of footing, pitching Ash to the side and slamming the his head into the frame of the door. Stubbornly, he refused to let go of his grip on the door handle, but he remained in a daze, consciously aware of nothing for the next few seconds except for the mushroom cloud over his home and and unnatural upheaval of the ground. [color=steelblue][i]Get up, or MORE people will die.[/i][/color] As if life were suddenly forced into him, Ash drew a large, shuddering breath. He sprang vertical, only to slip on the steps leading to the driver's side door and stumble onto the ground below. Again, he picked himself up. Adrenaline lanced through him, sharpening his senses and bringing him fully back into the now. He heard desperate shouts from Thana, demanding that he respond immediately. [color=steelblue]"Tha..!"[/color] he started, interrupted by a fit of coughing. [color=steelblue]"THANA!"[/color] Ash put a hand on his pistol and began moving forward through the dust and ruin, as close as he dared to the edge of the crack in the earth. What he saw broke his heart. [color=steelblue][i]Help who you can, Captain. You will have time to mourn later.[/i][/color] James was dead. Ryan was dead. Thana was across a barrier that may as well have been a canyon, [i]with Gavin[/i]. At least Tex was interested in making sure she was safe. It was the best Ash could hope for right then. [color=steelblue]"Present and accounted for, Ma'am!"[/color] he called back, over the last of the settling rock. His voice was hard, but tinged with grief. It was a tone that many in Newnan knew very well. But mostly, he was just glad to see that Thana was still alive, even if his friend was not. Then realization hit him: that sound was massive, and it was going to draw every one of the Dead for miles around. The explosion and line of smoke would serve as a beacon to draw them in, as well. But not just that - the living might be there, too. Ash almost welcomed the Dead. As far as he knew, Eden had a hand in this. He wouldn't put it past them in the least. And they would be along soon to pick over the bones of Newnan's carcass. [color=steelblue]"God, I'm so glad you're okay, Thana."[/color] He wanted to be over there, near her, holding her, whisking her away someplace safe, wherever that might be anymore. [color=steelblue]"We need to get out of here, and [i]now[/i]. Whatever Dead have defrosted are going to be swarming this way! And Eden... Those fuckers are going to be lining up to pick off the survivors one by one!"[/color] The thought crossed his mind to pay Eden a visit, quick and quiet, and kill every last one of them. They had supplies, they had shelter. And they'd probably never expect a move like that. [color=steelblue][i]Before you do anything, see to your people. They need you, Captain.[/i][/color] Damned logical voice in his head. It was right, though. He couldn't move to join the group right in front of him, and there [i]had[/i] to be survivors in or around Newnan that probably wouldn't make it without his help. [color=steelblue]"Damnit... Get these people away from this place. There are supplies in the warehouse back up that way,"[/color] he pointed back up the road that James's truck had taken to get to the meeting, [color=steelblue]"and we have a meet-up point established in case everything gets fucked. I [i]have[/i] to see if anyone else made it, Thana. I'm sorry, I have to. All else fails, you're not at the meet - I will look for you... Remember the city we talked about in the truck? I'll find you, Thana. I will goddamned find you."[/color] He was rambling. He knew he was rambling. Desperation was poking through his stony demeanor, visible only in the details. Zebulon, Georgia was a meeting point for anyone who lived in Newnan, if they could make it. Then Mexico Beach, Florida, for anyone who still felt like following Ash after. But now, he had to see if anyone was even alive back home.