Douglas Knowles:
In a matter of hours, their fledgling group had grown from four tired souls in an office building, to a real, legitimate faction. The only one in Wilmington, from Doug's understanding. There were a couple folks down by the hardware store four blocks away, but last time Ron went out for recon he'd said that the place had been overrun. So either they moved, or.. Worse. That was the way things went now, as Doug was just beginning to understand. There simply weren't enough survivors left to take back what used to be theirs. All they could hope for was to stall, as long and desperately as possible. But maybe it was just Ron's pessimism getting to him. Maybe these folks could make it.
As the group made their way inside, with Omar covering the ones further away to make sure no stragglers attempted to follow, one of the survivors -- a tough-looking lady with a pair of shades -- asked about their lookout positions.
"Well, my partner, Ron, generally takes the main shift. He's good with a rifle, been on the force for years and hunting for even longer. Plus he likes to be alone, or so he says. 'Sides that, Omar and I split night duty," he answered, as the group entered the building and proceeded up the stairs. "Patty -- she's upstairs right now manning the radio -- she doesn't have much of an affinity for guns. Never used one before the outbreak, that is. We're trying to ease her into it. Anyway, you're welcome to take on that duty for a shift, God knows we'd appreciate it."
When every man, woman and child had made it into the 2nd floor "common room", the entire room felt a whole lot smaller. Doug made it a point, after introductions had finished, to count the people in his head. There were the four of them, the originals, though Ron had said a brief "hello" and gone upstairs to act as lookout. Then, there were the three who came initially: Ana, John and Chase. That was seven. The football player and the lady in the shades, nine. The brunette and the guy she ran to go help, eleven. The exhausted young blonde, and the equally exhausted kid, thirteen. There was a man in a pretty damn nice suit, fourteen. And lastly, another young guy with the look of a soldier. Fifteen, in all.
"Okay, everybody: I know you're tired, and we all just met, but if we're gonna survive more than a couple days, we need to all work together and do our part. Here's where we're at," Doug found a mobile dry-erase board and brought it over to the front of the group, before uncapping a marker and writing Food: 2 Days.
"This is how much food we have if we spread it across all of us, not counting whatever you all brought. Regardless, we need more. Lots more. Try to find cans, pasta, really any non-perishable, as well as any water you might find. Next.." With a clear, blocky font and pretty slow strokes, the police officer wrote the words Safety and Defensibility.
"So, our little abode is rather sturdy -- at least, compared to the rest of the decrepit buildings on this street. However, we could use some more barricades, maybe a sniper tower on the roof, and blockades on both sides of the street. But to do those things, we'll need more construction supplies. You'll need to use your own vehicle for this one; I'd offer ours, but two of our group, two cops, took it out on patrol and haven't been seen since. In fact, if I could get another volunteer to come with me while I look for them, that would be appreciated."
Almost immediately, the man in the suit made eye contact with Doug and nodded.
"I've got your back," Desmond replied.
"Thank you." Turning his attention back to the board, he wrote one more thing down: Medicine: None.
"Now, I'm sure I don't have to explain to you why this is a problem. If anything happens, anyone gets hurt or scratched or what-have-you, it ain't gonna end pretty. Not without some proper supplies. There's a pharmacy on the west side of town, and I'm hoping it hasn't been looted too much yet."
Doug took a breath, and surveyed the room once more, before turning back to his board. He felt bad about enlisting these folks as soon as they arrived, but the truth was, without these supplies, they'd be dead before the week's end.
"So, to recap, I need, say, three people to go search the local supermarkets and convenience stores; three people to find construction supplies -- boards, nails, tools -- and bring them back here, and also three people to go check out that pharmacy. For everyone else, if you can think of a way to contribute, please do. If you are unable, or just need to rest a bit, we understand. Don't over-exert yourself. And thank you."
