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Post by Thy Dungyeon Maestyr on Feb 10, 2013 18:21:17 GMT -8
goo.gl/maps/CyIoYThis place is a fairly standard hub station for Greyhound. A few buses lay idle behind it. Abandoned cars and old corpses are scattered on the surrounding streets. Hundreds of zombies roam in packs of a few to a dozen. Sometimes a desperate human races through, on the way to scavenge or some such.
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Feb 10, 2013 18:28:13 GMT -8
Before they took off, Charlie Alex had some inspirational words for his Angels adventure buddies. "Huddle up, guys. We're going to Greyhound on Stewart Street. That's half a mile ... south? Nooorth? No, South. Right? Sun rises in the west or east? Uh. It's that way. Whatever direction THAT way is." He oriented himself and pointed. "Our target is locker 7021. If things heat up, don't be a hero. Your lives are precious. Uhuh! So give it one hundred and ten percent, but come home safe." For Sonya's benefit, he thoughtfully added, "We need to open a metal box. The box has Luke's things inside. It is locked. OKAY, LADIES, ARE YOU READY TO DO THIS?"
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Post by Thy Dungyeon Maestyr on Feb 10, 2013 18:40:11 GMT -8
Sandy- "Yeah, ready as ever. I think we should take bicycles. But there's a little uphill/downhill on the way and back... Well, probably not enough to slow us down where a zombie could catch us."
Sonya- "I could use a bike. I have a short leg." Sandy was in urban camo and black bandanas, with extra cloth under the jacket tied around her forearms. Sonya was in the same clothes she had been wearing, but with more utilitarian shoes and t-shirts tied around her forearms. Sandy has her usual three foot mace and Sonya has a mop pole taped for grip. Both have one road flare each, flashlights, and tools relevant to their skills.
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Feb 10, 2013 19:15:01 GMT -8
"Haha. You sure do! Short EVERYTHING. Bet I could carry you in my backpack. Wow, sorry. That came out really weird, huh, Sonya? Bikes. Yes, bikes." Sonya- "Ugh. No."
One minute into the mission, and Alex was already blushing.
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Post by Dr. Maneep Pamplemousse on Feb 10, 2013 20:04:43 GMT -8
Patti picked out a mountain bike with a cargo rail on the back tire. She saddled up and prepared to leave. "Shall we, ladies?" "Oh, and Alex. Can't forget Alex." Sandy- "He's el jefe on this joint, right?"
She looked hard at Alex. He was thinking something weird, she could tell. Probably some sort of Charlie's Angels fantasy. Oh well.
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Feb 10, 2013 22:56:06 GMT -8
During the ever-important bike selection process, Alex took a cherry red ten-speeder. It had a charming wicker handlebar basket and silver bell. As he tested the brakes, he noticed Patti's stare, mistook it for something friendlier, and winked. "I'll take the rear. You guys hear this bell -" he rang the clear, high-pitched bell "- it means zombies have swarmed me or someone else." Alex crossed his chest. "In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. Anything you want to add, Patti? Or you, Friendly Neighborhood Anarchist Sandy?" He nodded at her black bandanna. "Otherwise, I say we're ready."
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Post by Thy Dungyeon Maestyr on Feb 11, 2013 0:15:54 GMT -8
Sandy- "One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war."
Sonya- "I never understand Americans."
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Feb 11, 2013 20:16:16 GMT -8
((OOC: If Patti has anything to add before the group leaves, I can edit this post to reflect that.)) After a round of thumb wrestling, the adventure buddies took off! Alex wasn't the greatest biker. He started the trip clumsily, unsure whether his seat was too high or low, and it took a moment (a terrifying, wobbly moment) to pick up balance and speed. For safety's sake, he decided to keep quiet: this was a most difficult task. Alex really, really, really wanted to tell Patti about the day Emiliano played an entire concert with just three strings on his viola because one broke mid-Bartok. Oh, Emi. Someday, they'd be reunited! He could remember their first conversation so clearly ... Memory Emi - Guess we'll be sharing this room for a while. I'm Emiliano. Emi or Emil are fine, too. It's all good.
Memory Alex - Can I call you roomie? Nice violin!
Emi - Violin?! Noooo, no. It's a violin's big sister. Viola. You want I should play something?
Alex - Yeah. Black Eyed Peas. PUMP IT.
Emi - I don't know what that is, brah. How about jazz?
Alex - No thanks. Jazz drives me nuts. Hey, there's a guitar under the bed. How many instruments do you own?
Emi - Viola, guitar, and diatonic pan flute.
Alex - You lost me at diatonic.
Emi - S'okay. You know, our room's boring. It doesn't possess that college dorm je ne sais quoi yet. How can we fix that?
Alex - Beanbag sofa?
Emi - Perfect.
Alex - I think I love you, Roomie.
Emi - Haha! Wait, really? What the hell, Alex!Good times ... In his distracted state, Alex almost plowed into a zombie that was staggering over the curb. He made a sharp turn, teetered, and narrowly avoided falling. "YOU GUYS! I JUST REALIZED I'M NOT WEARING A HELMET! THIS IS TERRIFYING. AND THE UNDEAD ARE GETTING NUMEROUS." He wondered how dense the zombie horde would be near Greyhound.
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Post by Thy Dungyeon Maestyr on Feb 11, 2013 20:34:06 GMT -8
Sonya- "QUIET PLEASE!" Sonya glared, and swerved to avoid a zombie. Sandy rolled up near Alex. Sandy- "They get thicker going any direction out of our neighborhood except north, and this ain't north. Once we get there, we'll probably have to wait a long time for them to thin out before coming out of the building again. This won't be a stroll in the park."
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Feb 11, 2013 21:25:48 GMT -8
Yeesh - was he shouting? So much for resolutions. Alex shut his mouth and nodded at Sandy. Focus on the road, focus on the zombies, focus on the others. It's really not that hard.He concentrated. It didn't last long. Christ. The last time he'd felt so out-of-it, he'd just taken a baseball to the head. Maybe he really WAS suffering from a minor concussion. He hit that wall in REI pretty hard. Shit. Shiiit. Should he tell somebody? No, he couldn't. They were already in the thick of it. He just had to be really, REALLY careful. Patti, Sandy, and Sonya were capable people, and he'd survived worse. Everything would be all right. He bit his lip and tried to mutter the prayer to Saint Michael, but he couldn't remember how it began.
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Post by Thy Dungyeon Maestyr on Feb 11, 2013 22:39:46 GMT -8
((I'm ignoring the fact they'd have to somehow get their bikes over the wall o' cars at Denny. Uh... Let's say they did that before the stuff that has since been described and are heading southeast on 9th avenue at present.))
There are lots of cars to move around or between, which usually works out in the favor of our humans, but sometimes railroads you into the path of a zombie or two. When that happens to Sonya or Sandy, they stop, get off the bike, destroy, re-mount, and keep on.
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Feb 11, 2013 23:42:49 GMT -8
Alex followed Sandy and Sonya's lead. He used a crowbar, since it was lighter and fit nicely in the bicycle basket. Which way does the sun rise? East or west? You learned this in first grade!Though zombie encounters were becoming more frequent and intense, they didn't phase him. If anything, he felt a bit lethargic. Nothing dangerous or particularly obvious, but it was a far cry from the typical adrenaline rush. "I wish we had some horses, Patti. They'd carry us somewhere safe. Us and the grail ..." He trailed off. Couldn't talk. Even if he really, really, really wanted to.
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Post by Thy Dungyeon Maestyr on Feb 12, 2013 2:44:01 GMT -8
((Again, I;m sure we can edit in Patti replies later. Moving on...))
Sandy was tired of this slog. On the last stretch of ninth leading up to Stewart, she did that trick of dismounting a bike the back way while the thing was still in motion, sending it into a zombie. The thing got tangled up in the bike, and she smashed its head easily - disturbing how this had become a banal activity. Getting the bike untangled was trickier than she would have preferred, so that showy move was probably not such a great idea. Sandy- "Almost there... Maybe we go out back where the buses are... Zombies bound to be thicker on the streets..."
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Post by Dr. Maneep Pamplemousse on Feb 12, 2013 5:41:55 GMT -8
Patti was bringing up the rear and, as such, had fewer opportunities to take out zombies. On a few occasions, she had to dismount to help Sandy or Sonya from getting overrun, but nothing so perilous as- Patti could see the woman from REI so clearly in her mind that, for a moment, she thought she was actually there, on the street with them. She reached for her hip, then noticed nothing was there. She hadn't forgotten it, it was just that- White walls were sprayed with blood. She skidded to a stop on her bike. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. Two deep breaths. She hopped up and came down hard on the pedal, shooting herself forward. She pedaled hard to catch up with the rest, who hadn't noticed her delay yet. She hoped.
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DKender
Only One Skeleton has the Power to Control both Life and Death, Light and Dark, Words and Blank Space, Our Humble Lives Continue Only by the Grace and Magnanimity of This Skeleton
Nay, let us walk from fire unto firey skeleton ...
Posts: 9,204
Gender: Unknown Skeleton
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Post by DKender on Feb 12, 2013 9:44:48 GMT -8
Alex, who considered himself the unofficial guy who keeps an eye on the team, in case somebody lags noticed Patti's delay; he assumed that she was just tired. "Almost there, Big Sister." He fell back to travel beside her. "I brought candy - we can share some inside." At Sandy's idea, Alex nodded with approval and squinted when the movement made him briefly dizzy. "Good idea. I don't know the layout, so how about you lead?" He hopped off the bike and switched crowbar for sledgehammer, then climbed back on. Sandy- "I only remember what it looks like from outside, but you'll see what I'm talking about when we get there."
The skyscrapers flush against ninth and Stewart were dazzling, like steel and glass giants. Alex glanced at their high, glittery windows and wondered how many people - dead or alive - were watching from a bird's eye view.
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