[IC] The Walking Dead - Among the Ruined - Season 3

[Damo021]

- Browser played up, Ignore this -

[Damo021]

Turisa - Baton Rouge House. Turisa had spent her time upstairs alone for a while in thought. It was eerily quiet which she was not used to but it did make for a change of pace and of course she felt it was her responsibility to keep an eye out and look after those in the group they did not go on the supply run. Far as she could remember it was Jess with her baby and Leah as Abram and Sam took her truck for the run, It felt weird not having it around as it had been her home and sanctuary all this time but she had to try and learn to trust others despite there being next to no one to do that with but this group felt different, Maybe it was that Abram was ex military? or this group had there morals still in check. Sighing she sorted herself out none the less, She would be no good holed up in a room if something was to happen downstairs, Even if she was reluctant to the idea of being close to Jess and her baby. putting on her protective vest over her tank top before putting on her police uniform top, She placed her head band on her wrist letting stay down at the moment instead of the ponytail and leaving the top undone for the moment while she slipped on her UT belt and weapons along with her shoes, It felt kinda ironic that she was still wearing this and the badge despite being no police left and no government or rules but it helps remind her where of who she was before hell came to earth. Coming out of her room holding her police jacket, Turisa quietly went by Jess's room that the woman taxed effectively and noticed the door ajar, gently knocking and peaking her head in she just came to realize why the woman took it and she couldn't bare to look back in there again and immediately went away from the room towards the stairs, One thing was for sure they were not in the room and so assumed everyone was downstairs. Composing herself the Latin woman went downstairs wondering her way through towards the kitchen. "You guys still here?" She called out only to get a response from Leah who was checking out some pictures and the like within the house, More than likely the old occupants of the premises but walked into the kitchen where Turisa now was. "Just been checking the place out seeing if there is anything else of use, Jessalyn is outside on the doorstep with Ben" The last part worried Turisa, was that woman mad goig outside alone with a newborn? She did up the buttons of the uniform before tucking the shirt in under her trousers and making her belt more comfortable on her before picking up one of the bottles of water to take a swig from it. She would have something to eat in a moment as she wanted to check on Jess outside first "I'm just going to check on Jess and then sort something out to eat, hopefully Abram and Sam find supplies." Leah nodded as Turisa went on her way towards the front of the house leaving her jacket on the table. Before she would make he way outside the front door or startle Jess and her baby, Turisa decided to check out the window first to make sure everything was okay, Gently she moved the netting in front of the window to the side a little as she could make out some one was further out the front of the house. Peaking out Turisa was surprised to see that Jess was in fact the one further away from the house and what's more she was offering her hand out to a guy who was lying down on the floor but looking up to her, There was no dead around and the fact it looked liked a talk was going on, even if she could not make out what was being said make her all the more suspicious that something was a lot more amiss. Scanning the area with her eyes she could not see others but it was a tactic she had seen a few times and where there was one man, there was always the high possibility of others, It happened to her once herself and was very lucky to escape. 'The hell is she thinking' Turisa thought as she almost instinctively was going to open the door but refrained from doing so. Turning around for a moment. "Leah, Get a couple of duffel bags and fill them up with some supplies, not to much we may need to travel light." The young woman came over. " Why what is going on?" Leah asked peaking out he window for a moment. "Is that another survivor out there?"She asked the obvious one, more likely out of surprise. "We have to get Jess" Going for the door but Turisa pulled her back. "Look just trust me, Something don't feel right and we might have to make a break for it." "But it is just some guy looking for help" Leah hastily responded back. "Okay look" She said motioning at the window. "I didn't think of it until just now, I find this suspicious, There are no walkers, The place is quiet and looks ideal and to top it of, Don't you find it strange that a guy suddenly appears not so long after Abram and Samantha leave the house with the truck." Leah listened as she peaked through the netting. Okay Turisa may head a point and Leah looked at the Latin woman before nodding. "I will get Jess if I can, But if I am right it might already be to late to get her, Or I can be completely over reacting and be wrong, But better to be safe than sorry." She tried smiling lightly in an attempt to reassure Leah. Leah Hesitated at first but agreed and went to quickly fill a couple of duffel bags with some supplies, they could not take to much as they will no doubt be on the move quiet a bit and could not afford to be slowed down. She just hoped nothing was wrong and that Turisa was just being paranoid while the officer once again went back to peaking out the window carefully watching what was unfolding outside.

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Baton Rouge/Motel By the time they got back to the motel and settled in, it had become late afternoon, and the sun was bleeding across the sky. Tyler stepped out of the room had had fashioned for Katie and himself, moving across the balcony to look out toward the city. He crossed his arms over the railing, his eyes examining the pool sitting in the courtyard-- covered now, after they had moved the dead bodies into it. The smell was still incredible, even from here, and Tyler wasn't looking forward to having to burn the bodies eventually. If they planned to stay here, anyway. A motel probably wasn't the best place to live, especially when it probably wasn't doing so well before the dead started walking around. Tyler turned to lean his back against the railing, barely mindful of the fact that said railing was missing a sizable chunk just a few doors down. He looked at the room next to his own, that he'd insisted Scarlett and Liam take. As the rooms were fairly small, it was only fair that they stay in the next room, leaving George a room to himself. Tyler wasn't sure Scarlett would ever get along with George. Leaving the blood-red landscape behind him, Tyler stepped up to Scarlett's room, only briefly knocking before asking, "Katie? We need to talk."

[SheriffLlama]

Abram - Mall - Magnus and Co./Sam When the man presented himself, every single one of Abram's military instincts kicked in. His thumb pulled the hammer back on his pistol. He grabbed Samantha by the shoulder and pulled her behind him, covering half his body with a ceiling-high support pillar. He saw that the man wasn't pointing a weapon at them, but this didn't appeal to Abram in any way. Weapon or no weapon, this guy was still a threat. "I don't want any trouble, pal." His sights were aimed directly at the man's forhead, and his finger would pull the trigger at the mere flinch of a muscle. The man spoke in an accent and announced that they were surrounded. He was incorrect, however... as a few men trickled to either side of them, he backed up, making sure that Samantha was shielded. He knew she was independent and could protect herself, but his knee-jerk reaction was to protect his friends. "Look, I don't know what you want, but I'm afraid we can't come with you..." He said. He had to make their plea believable. The lie brilliantly unfolded in his head, and then through his lips. "We've got a kid - precious little girl waiting for us back at our place. Th-the apartment building a few blocks down!" He picked the building they'd passed on the way in. His feigned tone of fear did not show his true confidence. He was sure he could get them both to the exit if need-be. "Please, sir... W-we can take you there!"

[Atomyk]

Tremblay - Baton Rouge/Furniture Store He hadn't left the 'office' all day, his mind constantly spinning and churning at the display of charts laid out before him. More and more people were finding themselves in the city-- this wasn't exactly surprising, but not enough of them were passing through for Tremblay's liking. It was always going to be a matter of resources, at least until the world started to maintain some semblance of what it had been before. That could take years-- maybe even decades, until a new generation managed to come through. Still, there was no point in putting their hopes on the future, for it was the now that they had to deal with. They'd extended the olive branch to many groups in the area, striking deals with them in order to foster a symbiotic relationship of sorts. Those that insisted on being alone were eventually cleared away or assimilated into either Tremblay's or Magnus' groups. Or Richard's band of 'merry' men, if they were so inclined. Unfortunately, this pyramid of cards was starting to bend in on itself, with too many groups getting frustrated and feeling like they didn't need to associate themselves with the governing powers of Baton Rouge. Just staring at the map of angry red thumbtacks made Tremblay weary. As he moved to pick at his stack of papers, two men entered the room. It was Jon and Matt, who both looked a little bit lost to be back here. Tremblay was vaguely worried that something went wrong with their clearance, so he moved around the desk to meet the pair. "You're back too soon. What happened?" Jon seemed to hesitate as he shared a look with Matt. "Well," he began, pulling off his cap to rub at shaved head. "Magnus got there before us. His crew were already clearing the place... told us to leave. I know you wouldn't have wanted us to start a fight, so we just decided to come back here." Tremblay regarded this silently for a moment, before letting his guard down a little and sighing. Rubbing at tired eyes, he nodded his head. "Okay. That was for the best. I'm sure Magnus is just bored and wanted something to do. More power to him, as long as he isn't starting those foul experiments up again." Another look was shared with Matt. "That's not all," Jon said. "We ran into some guy wandering on his own. Managed to grab him, but he seemed to have wanted to be captured. He, uh, knew Matt. He knows you." With that, said individual walked into the room, and Tremblay found himself smirking. "A small world," he muttered. It was Jamie, one of the the Outpost scouts Tremblay had encountered during his trip back to New Orleans. Now, though, the boy looked ragged and tired. Tremblay wondered if he'd trekked up here by himself. "He says he came with another group," Jon said, as if to correct Tremblay's thought. "Him and Matt got to talking, and it seems he's got connections to both Outpost and Tyler." Jamie nodded, still standing in the doorway of the store. Tremblay waved him in, gesturing toward a collection of beds and sofas. "We have a few things to discuss, then. I'll talk to you later, Matt. You too, Jon. I just want to make sure I have a handle on the flow of information before you get to processing all this." Jon nodded dutifully, used to this cagey behavior, and led Matt away. Tremblay turned his attention toward Jamie, who looked rather out of place on the couch. "I was with a man named Enrique," Jamie said, apparently eager to get talking. "Someone burned Myriah's cabin down, and the guy's girlfriend got caught up in it. He flipped out and left, though I guess he wasn't too happy about being accused of murder." Tremblay gave him a grim smile at that. Matt had already informed him of this. "But... anyway, some stuff went down, and I just wasn't feeling it. I didn't want to be in Outpost any longer, but I didn't want to be with them either. Once we got close to the city, I slipped away. I doubt any of them noticed, honestly." Jamie seemed happy to explain why he was here, but Tremblay honestly couldn't care less. "You don't seem surprised that I'm in charge around here," he said. Having been looking down at the ground, Jamie looked up to hesitantly meet Tremblay's gaze. "Well, you had that air about you, you know? It honestly kind of made sense... I guess I was a bit surprised when Matt mentioned it, but we're all ending up here these days, it seems." "Yes." Not wanting to move into idle chatter, Tremblay leaned forward to press the issue. "Here's our situation. Normally, I'd tell you to get out of my city as quickly as possible, but your connection to Outpost could be useful to me. I heard Enrique had some sort of connection with Tyler, and I'd like you to explain that to me to the best of your ability." Jamie stared for a moment, before taking a deep breath and starting his explanation. It was illuminating for Tremblay, to say the least, as it quickly placed all the missing pieces in place. What should happen-- no, what needed to happen-- became apparent to Tremblay as Jamie talked, and he knew he couldn't pass up the opportunity. Just as long as his flimsy pyramid stayed standing just long enough for him to get it done.

[SheriffLlama]

Andrew and Zoe - The B&B - Scouts/Finch Andrew went behind Cody and Alex, with Zoe behind him. Cody pushed the door in, quickly clearing the room. "Clear, expand to the other rooms." Cody said. He had a very confident tone and was slightly intimidating - commanding a military presence... Just like Zoe's father when he first met him... except, Cody wasn't his wife's dad, so it took about 75% of that intimidation away... "Well apparently, we either missed or they weren't here..." Zoe said. "Hey! Look at this." The man named Richard called. He stood at what looked like a receptionist's desk. On the desk was a map, a knife and a small metal plate. When he picked it up, Andrew realized that it was a dog tag. He read it aloud: "Daniel Crowe" He looked around. "Anyone know a 'Daniel Crowe'?" "She's good..." Cody muttered. "Pardon?" Zoe asked. "Daniel Crowe... Emma's older brother. He was in the army." The guy said. He shook his head, as if getting rid of a painful memory. "Biggest dude I've ever seen. He died - I mean... he was shot a while back..." He quit speaking then, but Andrew could tell that Cody, Elliot, and Richard were keeping some information to themselves - Andrew didn't pry. "That knife..." Finch said. It was the first time Andrew'd heard his German accent. "I- I saw her use it. She carried it on her belt." Cody went and inspected the knife and the tag. Andrew's brow creased. "But what clues does this give of besides the fact that they were here?" "Baton Rogue. The knife was stuck in the marker for Baton Rogue." Cody nodded, lifting his right eyebrow. "She's a smart one, I'll give her that..."

[Rithas]

Kerry-Baton Rogue Kerry smiled innocently as Jess came over...."Thank you, there's been no one for ages...I'm so lucky to have found you. I would of died..." Kerry took her hand and smiled. "Sorry" He muttered shamefully before suddenly pulling her towards him. Making sure to keep the baby safe he jumped up and backwards as four men came out of the clearing. They all grabbed her and started to take her to the van which was being the trees. One of them was about to try to take the baby but Kerry raised his hand. "Don't try, The only way we get him would be through her dead cold hands and she's still useful....but seriously be careful guys we have a baby here! Their not tennis balls for god sake!" Kerry turned around to the house. "Terry keep your gun pointed at the door and shoot anything that comes out of it....if anything is even in the house" He gazed at the home suspiciously until his men told him that she was in the van. "Right let's go...I'll stay in the back with her, since none of you seem to have any social skills at all" They all smiled as they entered the van. And just like that they drove off. Magnus-Mall-Abram/Samantha Magnus cracked a smirk as Abram pleaded..."Ah yes, let's all go our merry way into the building so your group can try to ambush us...They would all die...but losing men is such a bother. Or perhaps it's just for you to get time to escape...very good indeed." Magnus grinned, but seemed to take a moment to think. A little girl would help so much, how such a hassle this became. "You two-" His fingers snapped to two of the men, "Go and search for this girl, try not to get yourself killed. And I do hope you searched every nook and cranny. Every crevice. Perhaps polish the place just to make sure" Magnus head snapped back Abram. "I'd hope you wouldn't point a gun at me, I'm not even holding one...Plus the fact that if you did shoot me my men would make it so you will wish that you just shot yourself...Please, we mean you no harm, we just want to talk..." Magnus smiled but his head turned to the two men who hadn't left the mall yet. "Halt, I've decided that there really isn't a reason to go search by yourself....I'll humble you sir. But please lower your gun at me."

[Myst]

Jessalyn - Baton Rouge Street - Kerry, Bad Men Jess shrieked when the other men suddenly appeared. She struggled but there were four and she had one arm occupied with Ben. One of them tried to take Ben from her. "No!" she screamed. "Don't!" Thankfully he was stopped by the actor, the man who had lied to her so underhandedly. She had just been trying to help him. Why was he doing this to her? From the way the men listened to him she could only assume that he was in charge. Once they were in the van he got in and they took off. She held Ben close as he screamed in protest to all of the upset. Tears stung her eyes as she kissed him and murmured soothingly to him to get him to calm down. Once he was whimpering quietly, she turned her angry gaze on the man near her. "How could you?" she asked accusingly. "I wanted to help you. How could you use that to do something like this?" It infuriated her that he had used her kindness against her. Floyd had been proved right yet again. She was too trusting of people. Her gentle nature had now placed her baby in danger. She pressed a gentle kiss to her baby's head, keeping him sheilded from the man in case he changed his mind and tried to take him away. "If you dare touch my baby, I will kill you," she said, saying each word slowly and with emphasis. Her eyes told him she meant every word. Jess may have been kind and gentle and warm, but when it came to her son she would slaughter anyone who tried to hurt or take him with her bare hands. ----- Katie - Motel - Scarlett, Tyler Once they reached the motel from before Katie put her sleeping kitten in her and her Daddy's room before she followed Scarlett to her room and sat on the bed, bouncing a little. "Scarlett," she said, speaking with all the seriousness a seven year old could muster. "I need to talk to you." When Scarlett sat next to her Katie swallowed hard, suddenly nervous about what she was going to say. "My mommy and big brother got sick and went away," she said quietly. "I have trouble remembering her sometimes. Daddy is still really sad about it, I know he is. I love my Daddy, I don't care what anyone says or who doesn't like him. He is my Daddy. He always takes care of me and hugs me and plays with me and carries me when I am tired and makes sure I have something to eat when I am hungry and he always comes for me when I am in trouble. He is best Daddy in the world," she added firmly, as if daring anyone to argue that point with her. "But I want my mommy and big brother back," Katie informed her. "Then we'll be a whole family again and Daddy will be happy again too and he'll smile again. I want Liam to be my big brother and..." she paused for a moment, then looked up at Scarlett with wide puppy eyes. "I want you to be my new Mommy." Then the words came in a rush, with Katie barely breathing in between. "Please Scarlett! Please, please, please! I want you to be my Mommy! You're pretty and nice and you take care of me when my Daddy is not around and you talk to me and I love you! Please Scarlett? Please be my new Mommy. I want you to be my new Mommy!" The little girl threw her arms around Scarlett as she begged, suddenly afraid. What if Scarlett said no? What if she didn't like Katie? What if she thought Katie was annoying and a brat like other people had? What if she got mad? The door opened and Katie gasped when her Daddy walked in. She let go of Scarlett like she had been caught doing something wrong. "Hi Daddy," she said, but since she was a seven year old every emotion read on her face. She looked down at her feet guiltily.

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Motel - Katie/Scarlett After a moment, Tyler let himself in. Katie was inside, so he doubted Scarlett was doing anything that needed the utmost privacy. However, walking inside, he found Katie moving away from Scarlett, looking guilty. He wasn't too sure what to make of it at first. "I, uh..." Looking the pair over, he moved next to Katie. She not only looked guilty-- her face had gone a bright red out of embarassment. Tyler gave Scarlett a pointed look, nodding slightly toward the door, before looking back at Katie and smiling. "I'm sorry about all this. But that doesn't mean I've changed my mind. You still need to learn how to take care of yourself, Katie, and tomorrow we're going to get some work in." Then, Tyler stood and moved toward the door, waiting for Scarlett to follow him. "Wait here, honey, Scarlett and I need to talk for a moment." --- Tremblay - Baton Rouge - Kerry/Jess He'd dismissed Jamie and put the boy in the care of his field men. It would be a suitable place for him, as Tremblay was sure he'd take offense to labor duty. Though, it was quickly becoming a problem, where his people were thinking they didn't need to tend to the crops, or clean the living areas, or (worst of all) cook for themselves. Forcing men and women to work for them in exchange for protection in the community had been a means of making up for their population numbers, but it was quickly making them all lazy, and Tremblay knew things would have to change eventually. Stepping out of the store, his eyes scanned the parking lot, looking over the storage tents spread out in front of him. He started making his way across to the plaza across the street when a van rolled up. Tremblay watched it as it swerved into the plaza, where the labor space was situated. Within this complex of stores and parking lots was where most of the work got done. Whoever was driving the van, Tremblay was concerned they'd be disturbing today's workers. He eventually found it parked in the loading bay, where Jon was questioning Kerry. One of Magnus' boys, so obviously something was up. Without a word, Tremblay moved to the van and opened one of the back doors. He stared at the woman squished in the back with a baby in her arms, thinking of the collection of words he'd sternly be delivering to Magnus and his men. "Well then," Tremblay said. "You're a new face. What's your name?"

[Myst]

Jessalyn, Ben - Baton Rouge - Tremblay, Kerry Jess was silent the rest of the ride, not speaking to her captor the rest of the way no matter what he said. Nothing he had to say could change how angry she felt towards him. She spent the time focusing on Ben, trying to soothe him and get him to smile. The baby, although only a month old, could sense his mother's upset and that made him upset. The little one frowned a frown that would make Floyd proud. Floyd... Jess rubbed Ben's head soothingly, pressing gentle kisses to him and murmuring softly as she saw Floyd's face in her mind's eye. "He will come for us one day," she murmured to her baby. "He will come, and he will love us, and keep us safe. I swear. He will come." -- Once the van finally stopped she could hear the sound of people talking and moving about. It reminded her of Haywood a bit. She said a quick prayer that the leader of this place was not like Bruce or Robert had been. Her kidnapper got out and started talking to another man, leaving her and Ben alone in the van. Ben started to fuss, working his way up to crying. Jess rocked him and tried to quiet him. They needed to draw as little attention to themselves as possible. The door was suddenly opened and Jess immediately braced herself to be grabbed and yanked out of the van, unconsciously hugging Ben more tightly against her. The man was good-looking, but Bruce had been good-looking too... She stared at him, trying to decide what game he was playing. He acted... civil... like she was there for a visit instead of having been forced here against her will. "Jessalyn," she finally answered quietly, tensing when she saw one of the men standing behind him was the one that had tried to take her baby from her. Ben let out a wail, not loud but enough to affect anyone standing around the van that didn't have a heart of stone. It was a pitiful cry. "Shh," Jess murmured, kissing his forehead. "Ben... shh... I'm here... Mommy's here... shh..." she tried to soothe him as she looked at the man with a mixture of bravado and fear, daring him to take her baby but terrified that he would actually try to do so. "What do you want with us? Take us back. Please. All of my supplies for him are back at the house." As she waited for him to either answer her or pull her out of the van, Jess thought about her group. Had Turisa and Leah noticed her capture? Had Abram and Samantha returned? Would they look for her? Or would they just continue on their way?

[Atomyk]

Tremblay - Baton Rouge/Plaza - Jess/Kerry He nodded at her name, looking behind himself briefly at those milling by. He focused on the gardens for a moment, before turning back to the woman. "We have the supplies to support a young child," Tremblay said, his French accent coming through. "So, do not worry about that." Leaving the door open and unattended, Tremblay moved around the van to approach Kerry. "I know this is hard for Magnus to understand sometimes, but when I say I have something handled, I have it handled. No doubt he wants to bring this woman back to his compound. He'll say he took initiative, but we both know he was undermining me. You were undermining me." He stared Kerry down, as if daring him to talk back. He placed a hand on Kerry's shoulder, speaking before Kerry could properly respond. "Run along. This woman's in my hands now, and whoever else Magnus is planning to get his grubby hands on." Sometimes, Tremblay wished he hadn't kept Magnus so close. He left Kerry to return to Jessalyn, who had been escorted out of the vehicle. He gestured for her to move down the path, into one of the stores at the plaza. "You're here now, so I'm afraid going back isn't an option right now. But you need to understand that we're not here to harm you-- we're here to work with you. I just need to ask you a few questions, and then I can properly determine what to do with you. Ben will be in safe hands, I promise." He waited for her to move ahead, to follow him into the building. There really wasn't anywhere else for her to go, with two armed men standing behind her.

[QT]

Monsters (Time-Skip) It all had seemed like a nightmare, a terrifying prospect in the realm of dreams. But that night terror had turned reality and tormented the minds of every group member. Confined by iron shackles, the group mourned the death of one of their closest friends. Their cries filled the spotted apartment they had all been stuffed into. They had been labeled slaves for the time being, legal property to the monsters that had captured them. Aside from the piercing sound of tears crashing against the dirt-filled carpet and the shivering sobs of the widowed maiden, the room was in complete silence. Everyone was in mourning after witnessing the beating and torture their friend had endured to only have him hung by the neck and absent breath. The monsters had surrounded him, cheered and laughed at his pain as though it were entertainment. They broke his legs, then his jaw only to shut him up. And while all this went on, the seven members of the group were forced onto their knees and watched the events unveil. They were all held at gunpoint, threatened to be killed if they tried anything. But of course, when they did, they were struck by the stock of a rifle. So no matter what had happened then, they were helpless. But this had been two hours ago. And according to the people who chained them up, two more of their friends would die if they didn't give in to the rules and become a part of this liberation as they had called it. They said they weren't supremacist, but one could logically argue against it. They said they were insurgent, revolting against the institution of a governed republic, yet they had structure. They contradicted themselves in every way, yet they never argued against the title of monsters. They brought forth the values of the old world into the new, not changing who they once were, but fast-forwarding their advocated ideals. They were monsters before, but now had evolved into something worse. Without control they were able to brake loose and create a world they dared call liberated. So as the group continued to wait, there had to be talk of their choices. Their weapons were taken, all of their personal belongings too. Even their shoes were stripped from them. All they had was the clothes on their backs and the rage that came with assassination of their friend. Well, it was more than rage. Words could not define the amount of wrath these seven members were experiencing. Through the look in their eyes, it was obvious that all they wanted to do was get revenge on the killers - there was no doubt about that. But at the moment, they couldn't plan their vengeance or retribution, instead had to figure out what the next step would be to ensure no one else would get killed. Survival had not only become running from the dead or scavenging for food and water. Now, survival had regressed to kill or be killed - survival of the fittest. It was as though time was moving backwards. Old cultures rising from the ashes like a phoenix, but not burning as brightly as it should. Instead, it returned abnormally, breaking the timeline of successes. The world was deteriorating and so was the conscious of the hominid. Humans were becoming beasts. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "We can't conform to their rules. Not after what they did!" Hank stated firm and aggressively. He looked rather calm compared to most of the other members but it was all a hoax. His thoughts were a train wreck at the moment. He couldn't find a single solution that would keep all the members of his group alive. But that was not the only reason he couldn't keep his head composed. It was the fact that he had just lost his best friend - a childhood main man, a companion, a brother. DeSean, judged by the color of his skin as though it were the nineteen hundreds had been stripped from this world and moved onto the next. Despite his moving corpse, his spirit was no longer in that vessel. He was just gone. Hank watched Jennifer in the corner of the room drown herself in tears. The woman was in no condition to speak nor move for that matter. When she witnessed her husband become motionless in the air, she had completely lost it. She went into a state of shock then, her eyes had not staggered from the view of DeSean. But now all that grief and sorrow she had missed then was taken its toll now. "We don't have a choice! If we don't join them, they'll kill all of us!" Seth spoke up, Jen's cries in the background growing louder and louder. The young Asian had his hands tied to the apartment's electric heater built into the wall. He was angry, but frightened at the same time. With the knowledge that both he and Aaliyah would probably be next to go, he was no longer hesitating to come up with a plan. He understood the men out there were radically racist. They would go through any extent to rid of anything or one that wasn't Caucasian. "There's no other choice Hank..." Seth pleaded. Even now the group looked to Hank for the answers - for the escape strategy, but the man was absorbed in the loss of DeSean to think of anything. Floyd was also there, but did not speak. What was running through his mind was a mystery to the others. His eyes were squinting like most times and his body language as masculine as ever. He did not say a word nor shed a tear, but there had to be some kind of affection and the others knew it. They've all been together for quite a while now, so understood Floyd willingly chooses to keep his emotions locked inside. Hank thinks it's because Floyd is still uncomfortable, but that isn't it. Floyd keeps things to himself because he believes that his emotions would only jeopardize the group instead of help it. He thinks that it's better to act out of serenity rather than emotion. But anyway, he was feeling a little afraid knowing the monsters would return. Back when the earth was not a wasteland, when every living corpse had a heartbeat, Floyd dealt with white supremacist. He actually knew people in the modern Klu Klux Klan, but from what he remembered, they were nothing like the monsters at their doorsteps. So Floyd kept quiet, listened to whatever the others had to say. He decided it'd be best to keep to himself for now, wait for the right time to say anything if he deemed it worth it. The heat of the moment was getting to the group. Hank looked at Heather who had yet to speak, then at Imogen. He turned to Floyd a couple of times, but kept most of his attention on Seth and Aaliyah. They were the only two group members left that were of a different race. In his mind, they were the only ones in danger. When they entered this little community, Floyd had informed Hank that there were absolutely no Caucasian bodies hanging. In Hank's mind, this means that either all the white captives joined the monsters or were let go and sent on their way. Problem was that not everyone in the group was white and if they couldn't get a plan together, those members would soon meet their end. "They didn't have a single Black or Asian member in their group Seth, joining them is not an option, it won't save y'all!" Hank argued. "The only way were getting out of here alive is if we fight for our freedom. You saw what they did out there, maybe......just maybe we can find a way to make them believe there is use for us. They want entertainment. Let's give them entertainment. I don't know if it'll work, but our only chance is to negotiate with them. We have to find a compromise. When they come back, let me speak.............Let me convince them that they don't need to kill us" Hank proposed. "He's right" Floyd said from the other end of the room. "Ain't no other way" he added, nodding his head side to side. Seth's brows came together in worry. He turned to Aaliyah and stared into her eyes as if to apologize for being in such a helpless situation. He wanted to cry, but didn't dare do it in front of the guys. For so long he'd been trying to find strength and when he thought he had it, shit happened. Hank exhaled softly and cleared his throat. "Surviving.............surviving together is all that matters. I don't know about y'all, but...." Hank started, running his hand through his face. ".....I don't want to lose anybody else. We play their game. Make them believe were more than.....manikins. Because this is how we survive, how we get to live. But then.......we have to change. We become the monsters. We kill them all.."

[wolverbells]

Scarlett - Motel - Katie/Tyler After reaching the motel, Scarlett had politely taken the room that Tyler had insisted on and had fixed up not only a good place for her to sleep, but for Liam just some feet away from her. The beds seemed slightly moldy so she went on a hunt for blankets and comforters, and snagged a couple of pills from a laundry room. It's something she was used to doing with Sam; find shelter and quickly make a place to rest. This way she didn't have to worry about it when the darkness came. Scarlett had been quietly looking through her backpack when she heard the door to the room creak as it opened. She smiled as Katie walked in, but her face quickly showed her confusion as Katie began to speak in what sounded a very serious tone of voice. "Of course, Katie. What's up?" Scarlett walked over to the bed and sat next to her, giving her a warm smile as she reached towards the little girl and tucker her hair behind her ear to get it out of her hair. If Scarlett hadn't been so confused by this sudden seriousness, she would have laughed at the stern and intent look on Katie's face. She somewhat had the same intensity that Tyler had when he seemed flustered or distressed. As Katie began to speak, Scarlett's own face became serious. Worry clouded her mind but she didn't show it. She didn't know how to wrap her head around what the little girl was saying. Why was she telling Scarlett her story? Why would she open up to her? The serious look began to soften as Katie began to talk about her father. Scarlett smiled slightly and nodded, agreeing with the little girl; since she sounded like there was no other opinion that she would want to her about Tyler. "Of course your dad is the best. Everything he's done, he's done to keep you safe." Scarlett's jaw drop ever so slightly as she heard the little girl ask a question that she didn't expect. Honestly, Scarlett didn't know what to expect from the sudden heart felt moment that Katie wanted to have with her. As Scarlett tried to collect her thoughts and find her words, Katie surprised her even more by going into panic mode and throwing her arms around her. "Oh" was all Scarlett was able to say before she hugged Katie back and softly stroked her hair. "Katie.... Katiebug don't worry. I will always be here for you and take care of you, if you want me to." Scarlett looked down at the young girl but before she could say anything, Tyler opened the door and Katie quickly backed away. Scarlett looked up to Tyler as he walked in, looking as confused as she felt. She looked down at Katie, after Tyler motioned for her to step outside, and touched Katie's cheek, "I'll be back. And I'll consider this. And talk to your daddy." Scarlett smiled and turned to walk out of the room. For some reason, she felt like she had done something wrong. Gotten in trouble maybe. She felt her stomach twist and turn and her feet and hands get cold. Scarlett gave Tyler a moment with Katie if they needed and she walked over to the room that he had claimed. Scarlett held her hands tightly, wringing them as she looked outside but paid little attention to anything. She was wrapped up inside the moment that she had shared with the beautiful little girl in the other room, trying to make sense of why her. The sound of someone right at the door made Scarlett turn around. After Tyler had returned from being with Katie, Scarlett immediately spoke so that he wouldn't think she was doing something weird. "Tyler.... Um... Katie. We need to talk about her." She left a few feet of space in between them. She didn't know how he'd react to Katie's request. He would do anything for her and she didn't know if he'd take this horribly wrong or extremely well. She'd been in spots where people didn't handle news too well and their reaction was to turn to violence. "She asked me something rather serious. She wants me to be her mom. Or rather, her new mom. I know Id never be able to take her real mothers place, but I think we should talk about it. She obviously needs a maternal figure in her life but ....." Scarlett didn't know what to say. She had begun to just speak but she couldn't get her point across. If she even had one. Her voice was soft and slightly shaky for the first time since she had met Tyler and his group. The whole situation scared her more than the walking dead outside, but the anticipation of Tyler's reaction scared her even more.

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Baton Rouge/Motel - Scarlett He stood stiffly, regarding her with a suspicious gaze as she began to explain herself. He hadn't assumed she was doing something wrong, but the consideration was there, at the back of his mind. When it involved Katie, Tyler couldn't help but think of even the worst scenarios. But that didn't seem to be the case, exactly-- it was something that Tyler wasn't exactly surprised to hear. She wants me to be her mom. Or rather, her new mom. Scarlett's words bounced around in his head, scratching and clawing at his memories. Helen. Her name emerged from the sudden whirlwind inside his mind after being buried deep into Tyler's mind. He'd thought of Helen briefly as they'd arrived in Baton Rouge, but he'd buried her once again, unwilling to to allow himself to think about her for long. He moved now to lean against the railing, turning to once again look over the motel and the city beyond. The sun had set now, plunging the world into a hazy darkness. Helen had been lost in the early days of the outbreak, and the chaos that resulted hadn't allowed Tyler to grieve her for long. Survival had taken its place, then it had been responsibility. His body had been cut open by Helen's death and nothingness was left in its place. Lynn took up that space, once, and then his misguided desire to fix the world took her place right after. In the wake of all that he'd lost, Tyler was beginning to realize that hole was empty once again, crushing him with its overwhelming nothingness. When Scarlett was finished, Tyler began to speak. He didn't look toward her, for he knew his emotions were plain on his face. "Katie wasn't there when her mother died. Her... brother died along with her. Dylan." He had to force himself to say the name. It still hurt. "But Katie wasn't there. The safety zone was in chaos, and by the time I found Katie and got us both out of there..." He sighed, lowering his head to run a hand through his hair. "I told her they'd gone away. I never told her they died, but she must have realized they had eventually. I think so. But even when Helen was alive--" That name. Helen. Helen. Helen. "We-- She was always so busy. She'd spend so much time working at the hospital, and then when she alive, she'd bury herself away in our room to work on her novel. She didn't have the best relationship with our kids. Neither did I, for that matter." He turned to her now, a bit more in control of himself. He'd abated the tears, and he hoped the dim light would obscure the scowl on his face. "So, it's my fault that she's felt the need to say this to you. You're the first woman to spend a lot of time with her in a while." It might have just as easily been Lynn or Lauren, if circumstances were different. Tyler was against it then, and he was against it now. "But-- Listen. You don't know what my daughter needs. A maternal figure? She has her father. If you think you can replace her mother just like that--" He felt it then-- the anger. It was rising, bubbling up from inside him. He didn't want to get angry with Scarlett, but it was simply in his nature. He should never have let his thoughts linger on Lynn and Lauren. Hands balled into fists, he moved to grab the railing once again so had something to do with them. "If she talks about this again, you set her straight. You tell her that you could never replace Helen. You tell her that no one will replace Dylan. Do you understand? I'm not blaming you, Scarlett, but for you to even entertain this idea is a slap to my goddamn face."

[wolverbells]

Samantha - Mall - Abram/Magnus Sam had prepared herself mentally almost every little thing. Run ins with walkers or having to do a bit of running or climbing, or even meeting people that had maybe taken shelter in the forgotten mall, but she had not anticipated getting surrounded by a group of armed and hostile men. Just the mere sight of all the men running in made her lock up and freeze for a second, her mind flying back to the traumatic event of when her camp was raided. Luckily, she was able to snap out the trance before it really began and she reached for her pistol, taking the safety off in one sweep as she brought it up to an 'alert' carry, as her father used to call it. As she listened to the idle talk, Sam's patience began to thin. The man's voice was annoying her as she listened to his overly confidence speech and she peered around Abram to get a good look at her targets. By then, Abram had begun to back up, still shielding her, and she went along with it, staying somewhat behind him. Her mind was now kicking into gears as she searched for a way out. Luckily, they were backing up into the store they had come in through, and there were plenty of shelves and racks, filled with clothes, to cover them. "I can't go through this again..." Surprisingly, her voice came out shaky and out of breath. Once the both of them were close enough to a shelf of clothes, Samantha crouched down and slid behind it in one quick and smooth move. To get to the back entrance would be too risky. There wasn't enough cover for her to make it out unseen. Samantha looked up at Abram, questioning his next move. Would he shoot? Would he run? Without moving, Sam cleared her throat and spoke up from behind the shelf, "We can talk just fine right now. What do you want?" Surely she could have chosen a softer, less pointed, tone of voice to speak to the men that had them surrounded; still, Sam wasn't known for being the best with her words nor how she said things. Scarlett - Hotel - Tyler/Katie/Liam Although Scarlett knew his reaction wasn't going to be pleasant, every word that Tyler said still stung. She felt a great deal of pity and understanding for what he and his family had gone through, but it still made her cringe internally as he spoke in an angry tone, possibly the most harsh tone she had heard him speak in. Even though his words felt like a crushing blow to her, she still stood a good distance from him, her eyes cold and her face showing no signs of emotion now. Unlike her sister, she was frighteningly good at hiding her emotions, although she was more emotional than Sam. "But-- Listen. You don't know what my daughter needs. A maternal figure? She has her father." Scarlett big her tongue to not talk back. He was right in the fact that she wasn't the girl's mother, but in her mind she knew he could have chosen better words. "...for you to even entertain this idea is a slap to my goddamn face." At this, Scarlett did flinch. She bit her tongue even harder now, drawing blood from it. Swallowing hard, she finally spoke up once she knew she wouldn't say any of the things that were floating around in her mind, "Of course I don't know what the needs of a daughter are." Scarlett quietly, and quickly, left the room. Her hands in front of her balling up into fists and then relaxing. She had taken a few deep breaths before reaching the room she would be sleeping in and stepped in with a smile on her face. "It's getting pretty late, Katie. Why don't you go to your dad and start fixing where you're going to sleep?" Her voice was still slightly off, being a mixture of sadness and anger, with her trying to be friendly to Katie.

[SheriffLlama]

Abram - The Mall - Magnus/Samantha The man's words didn't bode well with Abram. He had backed himself and Samantha into the store and peeked from behind his cover, enough to hold gaze with the man. Silence fell over the place as Abram mapped out his plan. The back door - their only chance of escape - was about twenty feet away. It was obvious what these guys wanted, and Abram was positive that their survival wasn't ensured if they went along. Abram glanced at his pistol, then to one of the armed men. Their positions worked slightly to his advantage. They flank the left and right sides, but they weren't actually surrounding them. Barely audible, he whispered to Sam. "When I give you the signal, run for the back door." He silently slid the car keys to her. "Start it so that when I jump in, we you can drive us out of here." His plan unraveled perfectly. He fired a shot at the nearest gunman, and gave Samantha a hard shove towards the door. All the men recoiled and hit the floor. He was close behind her as they burst into the back room. He slammed the door to the back room shut, locking it. "Go!" He shouted, but Sam was already out the door. He heard the car start up and he bolted out after her. He jumped into the passengers seat. "Go, we shouldn't have to reroute if we can get out of here before the see where we went."

[wolverbells]

Samantha - Baton Rouge - Abram Samantha had kept her eyes on Abram after she spoke out loud. Luckily, his thoughts were aligned with hers as he told her about the back door. With a small nod, Sam complied and sprinted towards the truck without looking back. 'That was one hell of a signal' she thought as she jumped into the truck and scrambled to get it started. When the truck finally started, Abram was already well on his way, and by the time he was in the passengers seat, she had already put the truck in gear and stepped on the accelerator. The truck peeled out of the mall parking lot within less than a minute, Samantha's heart pounding hard against her chest. "I'm not being taken again, Abram... You don't know what those kind of assholes have done to me." Her eyes stayed on the road as she maneuvered around a few stray cars and got on the highway, back towards where they had came from. Although it seemed as if they had left the threat behind them, she didn't go any less than ninety miles an hour. The only other threat the two had right now was the gas left in the truck. As she drove, Sam whispered a nearly silent prayer, hoping that if there was a god, he'd hear her out.

[SheriffLlama]

Abram - Baton Rouge - Samantha Abram listened for signs of pursuers as Samantha peeled out of the driveway. He hoped and prayed that she hadn't left any skid marks - skid marks could give away which direction they took. He heard Samantha's voice, filled with pain. He glanced at her, and he saw that her face was hard, and he could tell she was close to crying. "Samantha, don't worry..." He said. "I will give everything I've got to protect you and the others. You're safe with us." He assured her. Safety, he found as they arrived at the house, was very relative. He jumped out of the car, feet setting hard on the ground. His nerves were still racing from the mall encounter. "Abram!" Leah shouted, bounding down the backyard porch steps. "Abram! Jess is gone!" Abram's brow furrowed. "What? What do you mean?" "She's gone! We can't find her anywhere!" Abram checked, literally, every part of the house. "Jessalyn?" He called. After almost 20 minutes of searching, Abram found himself back where they'd started - in the back yard. Abram swore, angrily. "Alright... C'mon, Abe..." He said, simply thinking out loud. "C'mon Jess, where'd you go?" He began running through the possibilities. Jessalyn wasn't stupid, she wouldn't walk off without telling anyone. She knew Ben could act up any time, and if she was on her own, she could get trapped by walkers. He looked around the back yard several times. He couldn't see any signs of a scuffle. And if there had been a scuffle of some sort, Leah or Turisa would've heard it. "Turisa... I need your help..." He said, looking back at the woman. "I... I can't find anything. You're a cop. My MP days were years back and I'm rusty." "I just don't see signs of anything."

[QT]

Initiation Chained together like slaves, Hank's now blindfolded group walked and walked in an unknown direction. It had been at least three miles since they started, feet aching underneath them as their captors yelled and forced them to continue down the road. They could hear vehicles behind them, knowing they were obviously being escorted somewhere, but without the knowledge of where to. Every time they attempted to speak to one another or ask questions, they where struck at the knees and forced to the ground - and when one fell, the whole group followed. So with that in mind, Hank had not been able to communicate with anybody since their departure. The silence grew so still that even the day's inaudible coldness could be listened to - it was very uncomfortable. In addition, that same coldness ran down the spines off all the members, tensing their backbones and making their bodies cramp. Their muscles contracted deeply into an unimaginable pain, as though drills were piercing their flesh. Of course this was not literal, just a mere hyperbole of the discomfort they were forced to endure. At times, they were given breaks, allowed to sit down and rest a bit before continuing. During this time, these Klux members fed them food and let them drink water. The water sometimes tasted like urine, but the group needed the hydration. And despite the mistreatment and dreadful position they were forced into, that was not their main worry. Before leaving the community, they were informed that not all of the members would be able to get transferred. Two members, Aaliyah and Seth had been left behind in enemy territory. Richard Tries was the one making all these calls, the leader of this new profound chauvinistic Nazi gang. But despite the man's views of the world, he was rather a genius and intellectual being. He managed to create a large army-like group based on the notion of racial pride. One man with the ability to completely change the mindset of an entire allegiance. He was a rather militant man, upright and very belligerent. He was trying to eradicate entire races, create an empire he only dreamed about. Out of this world? Not anymore. Maybe the world before where the government would put stop to such a deadly activist. But now, where government didn't rule nor create regulations, or 'serve the people'......... A man like Richard Tries could become a legend for future generations. His notion could be passed on to the learning children and create world where only the Caucasian race would rule. He could become king. Anyhow, he himself was escorting Hank and the others. The group believed Richard forced Seth and Aaliyah to stay because he would soon put them out of their misery, providing more entertainment for his people. That would make three members they would lose since arriving at Baton Rogue. Jennifer was still grieving at the loss of her husband which no one could blame her for. The woman had been obligated to watch her man stripped of his breath. Heather was speechless, had not said a word since her big fight with Hank. But despite her silence, it was obvious DeSean's death had impacted her immensely. She was one of the original members, so was closer to DeSean than one would think - they knew each other in the world of the past. Imogen....... who knew? She was also kind of a mystery, always difficult to guess what she was thinking. But like Heather, Imogen was really close to Aaliyah and Seth. So one could only imagine what she pictured in her head for the future of her friends. Once again the group was being torn to shreds from the inside out. Everyone's emotions were forcing a barrier between the members. Hank didn't feel worthy of leading anymore, losing friends one after another. Floyd pushed away too, going back to his independent persona. Losing DeSean was one thing, losing Aaliyah and Seth was another. Then again, they were not exactly sure what would happen to them, but had the doubtless idea that they'd be hung just like DeSean. It seemed like endless misery for the group, they couldn't catch a break. So as they continued their journey, all they could wish for was their lives, where before it was just a place to sleep. It was survival.... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After arriving at their destination, the car's horn beeped behind them as the Klux members ordered them to stop moving. The group could hear the motors of the vehicles go dead. Doors opened and footsteps got closer and closer. Hank stood still in front of the line, his eyes looking side to side under that blindfold. He had a massive headache, his temple beating profusely as his thoughts became disoriented. It wasn't a fever, probably just a cold, but he felt it throughout his entire body. He had grown weaker, insubstantial to the events he was living. The footsteps soon got closer to him and a hand crashed against his shoulder which made him jump. "Calm down, you're almost free to go" a man said, his voice being that of Richard Treis. It was very deep, coming straight from the chest. He did not have a hard time pronouncing, spoke clear and efficiently like a natural leader - the only quality Hank envied from the man. Suddenly, the group heard other vehicles approaching them from the front. If he could conclude, Hank would have said there were at least three. Richard's hand came off the shoulder of his prisoner and his footsteps moved forward. "On your knees!" another member of his group ordered. Hank slowly went down onto his knees, the other following by the movement of the chains that bounded them together. Hank listened, closing his eyes in attempt to pinpoint the conversation that was going on before him. ".....That's what we have then. You tell Tremblay to send the supplies within a week, we will be waiting. We have two others, an Asian Male and a Black Girl. If he wants them, they'll cost double. I don't need to trade them, but you get these guys today...." Richard spoke to whomever he was conversing with. Hank's eyes twitched, now certain they were being marketed like crops or merchandise. Auctioned like prizes, material beings of no significant value. By the context of Richard's words, it was evident to Hank that this 'Tremblay' was the person who was purchasing them for supplies. Was it food and water? It honestly didn't matter at this point. Hank feared that Tremblay would be as bad as Richard, maybe worse. But Richard stated they'd be free to go, what did he mean by that? Free to go from his personal grasp? Free to go into the afterlife and join DeSean and the others? Of did he genuinely mean free to go? Or was this just the initiation of a more complex existence? It was question after question. Survival in his mind, but at the hands of other people. They were in charge of defining his future at this point and all Hank and the rest could do was abide by whatever was going to happen. It's not that they wanted to play nice, is that they couldn't do anything to play rough. They didn't have the man power or firearms to defend themselves. They were at the mercy of their captors. But Hank had also read another portion of their conversation. It seemed Richard was willing to trade Seth and Aaliyah as well. Problem was, he wanted double whatever he was getting for Hank, Floyd, Imogen, Heather, and Jennifer. So the only way to save them, was to have Tremblay need both Seth and Aaliyah. That brought forth another question, why did Tremblay want people? What was he doing to them? He worked with a maniac, so Tremblay also had to have some kind of mental illness. No sane person would ever do business with such a monster as Richard Treis. So as they were being loaded onto a pickup truck of some kind, Hank sighed in a slight relief that they'd be able to save Seth and Aaliyah. He was certain or.......was positive, he could convince this Tremblay to buy the freedom of his friends. He heard the doors shut to the truck and felt it accelerate as they were being taken down the road. The wind became fierce at the speed they were traveling that Hank's blindfold moved up his head. One of his eyes was left unclothed, allowing him to see everything. "Dear god" he stated at the sight.....

[Myst]

Jessalyn - Baton Rouge/Plaza - Trembley Jess had no choice but to follow the man. He led her to a small store. Was this to be her cell? If he wouldn't let her go, what did he want or expect from her? She looked at him fiercely. "One of those men tried to take my baby from me," she told him. "I do not want to cause trouble or conflict, but if you or anyone touches my son again I will kill them with my bare hands," she said the last words slowly, putting emphasis on each word. "I have never killed anyone before, living anyway, but I will if you try to take my baby from me." Ben started fussing again so Jess found a chair to sit on and rock him gently. This man wanted to ask questions? What kind of questions? "I will not betray my group to you, so save your time and breath," she told him. "They are not a threat and have nothing of value, so please leave them be." She was so frustrated she wanted to scream. She had just wanted to help that man. And now she had been kidnapped, held captive once again, and she had lost all of those supplies for Ben. The clothes, the toys, the walker, the diapers, the powder, the baby tub, the soap, the lotion, the pacifiers, the teething rings... everything... Tears filled her eyes, catching the light as they fell down her cheeks. She was a failure, as a mother and as a survivor. Gentle hearts and wanting to help people didn't work in this harsh world of the living dead. It only got you killed, or worse. ----- Katie - Hotel - Scarlett, Tyler Katie sat on the bed, biting her nails nervously. Was Scarlett mad at her? Would she tell her daddy on her and get Katie into trouble? It was a few minutes later that Scarlett came back. She looked wrong. Something was wrong. "Scarlett...?" Katie asked hesitantly, worriedly. When Scarlett wanted her to leave Katie stood sadly. "Okay," she said in a small voice and left, dragging her feet. Outside she saw her daddy right away. "Daddy," she said, just as worriedly and hesitantly, but looked down. "Never mind," she said in a quiet voice. She didn't know what had happened but she could tell it had been bad. Had what she asked Scarlett been so terrible? Was she a bad little girl when she had promised her daddy she wouldn't be? The little girl was sad and confused and wanted to cry but wasn't sure why, which confused her more which made her want to cry more. She didn't understand... why was everything so wrong...? ----- Heather - Road - Silence Silence. It was all that came from her, all that was in her mind, all that was in her heart. It was the breaking point she had fought so hard to come back from. She was there again. And this time, there would be no coming back. Heather didn't care what they did to her anymore, these men that had captured them. These monsters disguised as men. All she could see was DeSean. All of the fights they had had, all of the name calling and shouting and all of the bad things she had thought about him. Now she would give anything to take them all back, to have him walk in with his cocky as shit attitude. Jennifer was inconsolable, so Heather didn't even attempt it. What could she say? She had lost her love, but he was still alive and well and chained beside her, not torn apart like an animal. She might have been able to come back from seeing DeSean savaged in front of them, but she would never get over the looks on Seth and Aaliyah's faces as they were left behind. Aaliyah... she had been a true friend... had given Heather a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen. She had let Heather unburden herself and cry. And now... she was gone... would soon be dead like DeSean. The thought of her being torn apart by those animals was enough to make Heather want to pull her hair out and scream in agony. It was wrong. It was all wrong. None of this should be happening. It was a nightmare. She wanted to wake up... As they were manhandled like cattle, Heather could feel the bastards feeling her up but didn't bother to react. They could do what they wanted and no one, not even Hank or Floyd, could stop them. DeSean's death had taught her that. They were powerless. If these men decided to pull over and rape her and Jennifer Heather wasn't likely to even fight back. Her eyes were blank like a doll's eyes, her will to live on snuffed out like a candle. There was no hope, no possibility of any of this being okay. Silence... It was deafening... She hadn't opened her mouth in so long her lips felt like they were fused together. Even when one of the creatures shouted something at her, then smacked her for not responding, did she make a sound or even acknowledge he was there. One word she had comprehended was "retarded". They thought she was mentally challenged. She didn't care. Let them think what they wanted. She was tired of fighting, tired of screaming, tired of crying, tired of hoping... She just wanted to lay down and die. Exisiting as a living corpse was preferable to this.