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#Post#: 2282--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Freedom War
By: guest121 Date: March 15, 2018, 10:59 am
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He quickly walked back inside thinking [I]"I really hope they
have a bed I can use. I have the awful crick in my neck."[/I] He
kept looking around on his way back thinking over what had just
happened [i]"I really don't trust those two new ones. The way
they laughed talking about the girl... It just didn't seem
right. I'll think about it tomorrow. I'm tired."[/I] He quickly
went upstairs and went to find a bed. If he found one or not, he
quickly lied down and went to sleep.
#Post#: 2283--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Freedom War
By: guest121 Date: March 15, 2018, 11:00 am
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The war drums of the gods beat with their full might as Xander
awoke in the morning, each pound upon their mythical instruments
louder than the last. Not the light tap of tiny feet as they
scurried around, frantic to supplement their needs, or the rush
and din of energy only capable after a solid night of slumber,
could overcome the sensation of an atmosphere filled with
anguish and terror of an individual forced from their
livelihood, nonetheless a cluster of them.
A shower. A hot one. That might help.
Xander remembered rigorous rush of water that had resounded
distantly last night, a loving embrace he sorely needed and had
missed out from as a result of the nights activities. He
stumbled down the hall, one hand braced upon an ugly, rose
patterned wall, slowly inching closer to the nearest bathroom,
each step a herculean labor within itself.
One step up. Both legs in. Turn the knob.
Water, freezing icy water, as if chilled by a hyperborean, beat
down upon Xander’s flesh like a roaring waterfall. One hand
reached out, turning the shower’s handle. Nothing. No hot water.
Crud. But it would have to do, and the powerful cascade served
to awaken Xander further.
”Xander, are you up?”
Henry, probably.
A quick shower unfortunately, but not an unwelcome one. Xander
wiped the loose water from his worn body with a rough, peach
towel, re-clothed himself, and quickly left the bathroom.
Henry stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up towards the
above floor, his dark eyes still enraptured underneath by thick,
veiny bags. A restful sleep was not for all last night, as it
would seem.
”We’ve loaded up all the gear. The new guy, the big one…. er….
Atvulf I think? scavenged the rest of the house this morning.
We’re good to go; just you and a few others need to finish
getting ready. Don’t bother eating, we’ve taken all the food,
and I’ve got a ration bar sitting out on the dashboard of the
van for you.”
Xander rushed back to his room, far faster than his first
flight. His belongings were limited to only a handful of items,
and beyond the black, chipped flashlight that he had taken from
the van, none were of any note, except perhaps the thick padded
jacket he had found in the closet of his room. It was a mature
piece, with its edges frayed from wear, and a suspicious stain
adorning the right breast pocket, but where the survivors were
going, any such protection from the elements might remain
useful.
Xander turned back and rushed down the rickety stairs, his feet
raising minuscule amounts of dust and loud creaks with each
heavy step downward, his hands gliding down the worn, smooth
wooden banister, each groove and notch a fairytale. The doorway
lay open to the elements, blocking nothing but one’s own
imagination. As he exited their temporary abode, he quietly
closed the heavy door behind him. No reason not to close the
door, perhaps some other travelers might find use for the house
in the future.
The van had been moved out to sit quietly in front of the house,
with only the din of noisy occupants filling the brisk, morning
air. A light breeze flew through the air, not so strong as to
cause alarm, but enough to kick up loose topsoil and dust that
had begun to coat the windshield of the armored van. Tsubaki
stood solemnly in front of Xander, staring upward toward the
skies, her eyes never wavering from some imaginary point in the
domain above as her newly acquired bright summer dress swam
loosely around her stockinged legs.
”COME ON YE TWO, WE LEAVIN’! GET IN THE VAN!”, Atvulf shouted
loudly, startlingly, enough to awaken a sleeping hen that had
been resting on a weathered wooden post by the barn, and send it
squawking away.
A few steps forward and Xander jumped up into the passenger’s
side of the armored van, Henry alongside, hands already on the
wheel. A quick flick of his wrist as he turned the metal key in
the ignition, a sudden jolt, and they were once more driving
towards their destination. For a moment just off the farmhouse
land, and back on the uneven road, Xander turned his head back
towards the temporary abode that had suited them well the
previous night. A shame, to leave the house. Futures are rather
uncertain.
The group drove mostly in silence as they inched towards the
distant evacuation point, Xander occasionally catching snippets
of speech from the other survivors whose names escaped him as he
quietly consumed his dry, coarse breakfast. It was not until
Atvulf began to speak did Xander snap awake from his light,
weary nap.
”So, we all headin’ to this evacuation point in the mountains
right? What be makin’ this location important for us anyhow?”
Henry responded somewhat mutely. “My commander, Captain Bruse,
received orders to pull out of the city and relocate any
survivors we had picked up to Lattimer Valley. There’s supposed
to be a fully functional DERA camp being built up there.”
”Yea, but that was ages ago dude,” Atvulf began, ”what makes ye
think the camp is still functioning?”
Henry took a moment respond. …”I have faith in our government
agencies. If they say they’re going to do something, they’re
going to do it. We have survivors under our responsibility, and
we need to get them there safely as instructed.”
”Hhhhhh”, Atulf snorted quietly, blowing enough air to raise the
hairs on Xanders neck. The van lapsed back into peaceful
silence, except for the low hum of the engine and the crunch of
debris underneath.
”Anyone mind if I turn on the radio?” Henry began to speak a
short while later. When no one spoke up, he turned to Xander,
and continued. ”Xander, just keep going through the channels.
There has to be something on, maybe some information we could
use. This silence is getting to me a bit.”
Xander turned the radio on, and began to test the airwaves,
looking for a sound, a peep, a whisper. The only thing that the
metal box returned was static, lonely, empty, noisy static. It
was if a great void had encompassed the world, silencing all the
voices that had once graced the invisible waves. No quiet
starlet on a moonlight serenade to impress the stars themselves,
no traffic announcer warning cars off some infamous highway like
it was the forbidden land, no sports analyst listing off stats
as he would his own families birthday’s no, no, no.
No sound.
No people.
Nothing.
”Wow… this is depressing, there has to be-wait, what was that?”
Henry spoke.
Xander had heard it to, a barely audible word, such that had he
not been paying attention, he would have missed it to the wind.
He began to hone in on the frequency, a light twist of the nodes
until-
”-escape. If you’re in the vicinity of Medona, make your way to
east to the clearing, just 30 miles outside of town. We’ll be
leaving in an hour. If you want off Hiroikku, now’s your
chance.”
Henry stared at Xander. ”Off Hiroikku? They have a ship or
something?”
Atvulf had made his way back to the front of the van, and had
stuck his head between Henry and Xander obtrusively. ”The f***
did I just hear? Off Hiroikku?”
”Xander was going through the radio channels, and there was a
broadcast going on…”
”What dumb*rse is on the radio blatherin’ bout’ some stupid
escape? Dem metal heads probs heard that, idiot is super
screwed.”
”What?”
”Dem metal heads are probably able to hear that kind of sh*t.
They hit us hard, and they hit us fast. They had to have known
where. Stands to reason they got sum’ kind of way to get that
info. If they heard that, you can bet they’ll stop anyone from
leaving the planet. They easily have the firepower.”
”That’s conspiracy talk, and you know it Atvulf. If there’s a
ship out there with room, we might be able to use it to get away
from Hiroikku. Sure, we might be able to make it out here for
longer than most, but the other survivors? They’re not built for
this. Getting them to safety is our top priority. Space seems
like the safest place to me. Besides, if they do get attacked,
then at least we’ll be there to help them.”
Choice 3 (Strength: ???)
A. Atvulf is right. It’s not worth the risk to go and see what
is going on with the mysterious broadcast. It’s too bad if they
get hurt, but it’s not our fault.
B. Henry is right. It’s a valid evacuation method, and we need
to get the survivors to safety as soon as possible. If they get
attacked we can help them to.
#Post#: 2284--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Freedom War
By: guest121 Date: March 15, 2018, 11:00 am
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Xander kept looking through the channels looking for something
else "Henry is right. We need to get out of here, and maybe get
some more help. There has to be more out there than just us and
the metalheads, right? Any chance to escape we should take. We
don't know when we'll get another one, even if they know about
it."
#Post#: 2285--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Freedom War
By: guest121 Date: March 15, 2018, 11:01 am
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”Oh sure you pinhead, side with the fracking sooty. Yall gonna
get us killed…” Atvulf murmured under his breath, before
returning to the rear of the vehicle in a rage.
Henry sighed heavily, as if trying to exhume some toxic fume
from his lungs. ”Why did we let him and his buddy come with
us?”. Another deep breath, significantly longer in length.
”Sorry, Xander, I shouldn’t have said that.”
Henry turned to look at Xander, as if examining his eyes for
some lost truth, some decaying ideal, before returning his
vision to the road.
”My father,… my father, sure he was strict. He knew what needed
to be done, what was best for my brother and I. When I was
younger, I kind of hated him for it. I think all kids have some
sort of resentment to authority. But I understood now what he
knew then. That we needed to understand that some people in the
world can’t be changed. They’re too fixed in their ways. We just
have to be the better person, be stronger, and hold our tongues
before we say something we will always regret.”
Henry once again glanced slightly at Xander, a simple turn of
his head towards him. ”You get it, don’t you?.... Sorry, that
was too much,.. I shouldn’t have gone on like that.”
The road forked a head, a single, wooden signpost denoting the
exchange. Towards one lane, the distant ridgeline of ominous
peaks grew out from behind the overhead tree line, like the
spinney back of some devilish alligator, lurking behind the
swaying fronds of a murky swamp in wait for its coming prey.
Towards the other lane, the trees began to thin, supplanted by
thick, vibrant grasses that swayed calmly in the fresh, light
breeze, without a care for existence and its troubles.
”Right it is then, I suppose.” Henry grinned at Xander, a smile
drawn across his face from ear to ear. ”We’re going to get away
from here, somewhere safe. Never been into space before though.”
A light chuckle erupted from him. ”Space,.. can you believe
that. See dad, becoming an officer will take me to higher
places, literally”
---
”Xander, psst, wake up!” A light murmur pierced the veil of
oblivion that had shrouded him. Xander stood up abruptly, and
had he risen any more, his head would have firmly planted itself
into the van ceiling above him. He sat down once more. Naps can
be quite sudden.
”Get out, you’ve got to see this.” Henry whispered into his ear
beside him, before his vague presence ceased to exist once more.
Groggily, Xander removed himself from the vehicle, a heavy
weight upon his limbs as he made his way to the cluster of
people ahead of him.
”Git’ down you frakkin’ idiot!” A deeper voice whispered angrily
at him.
Xander obliged, crawling on all fours towards the group, moist
dirt clinging to his arms and legs, leeching the morning
moisture into his every orifice, leaving the tree line in which
the armored van had been stashed, hidden. Ahead of him, Atvulf,
Henry, and a few others he could not define from his vantage
point had lain down, watching something in the distance over a
grassy embankment. He saddled up next to a silent, still
Tsubaki.
”Here, you’re going to need these,” Henry whispered, awkwardly
handing him a pair of green, metallic binoculars. ”They’re
Atvulf’s”
”Well, not exactly mine. Liberated dem’ from a dead guy in
Yonkers. He wasn’t needing them no more…,” Atvulf whispered back
as Xander began to peer over the grassy knoll at whatever
spectacle lay beyond.
Towering, fresh grasses, sprinkled daintily with morning drew,
infiltrated sporadically by crisp white flowers, waved gently in
the morning breeze as if saluting the hidden party. They
carpeted a small valley-more a light indent in the earth rather
than a full-blown basin-that leveled out nicely to form a
straight surface, blemished only by a mixed patch of upturned
dirt, gravel, and bio-matter. Strewn about, a handful of steel,
roughed-up crates lay around the perimeter of the landing site,
in which several space-bound transports, as equally dinged as
the crates, lay waiting. One was a smoldering wreck, as if
lanced by some devastating energy that had slagged it from prow
to core to stern, another was far too small for interstellar
flight, more fit for yacht than a transport and remained
abandoned, but the third, that third ship. A handful of
minuscule black dots, ants, no people, scurried around the
transport in a hurry, and the low hum of online impulse engines
permeated the morning air. They were leaving.
”Well then, looks like they’re leaving now. Let’s get going
then,” Henry whispered.
”Sooty, we all gotta stay here and watch,” Atvulf spoke, muffled
by the bodies to the left of Xander.
”Are you-look, we decide, we’re leaving on that ship Atvulf.”
”Shut your yapper man, we don’t need to get up in there with
them.”
”Are you crazy?! They’re leaving now!”
”I can see dem’, I ain’t blind. What I’m sayin’ is we wait.
Look, if I’m right and dem’ metal heads be ready to pop anythin’
that makes it off, then we get to live unlike them poor sods. If
I wrong, then we just need get that smaller transport yonder,
and we meet up with them before they leave the planets sphere of
influence. Simple. Just airing on the fracking side of caution
man.”
”Oh f*ck this sh*t, stop fracking arguing, I’m getting to that
transport, even if you idiots want to keep arguing about it. Die
on this fracking planet if you want!,” David appeared to
Xander’s right, having stood up. He crested the knoll, and began
a light jog down the far side as he made his way to the landing
site some lengths away.
”We’ve already decide, David is already walking, Atvulf, we’re
leaving, that’s final. Let’s get going!,” Henry whispered
angrily, as he sat up and began brushing the debris from his
clothes to which they now clung.
Choice 4 (Strength: ???)
A: Stay silent, and get ready to run for the transports. The
group needs to leave now, unless we want to be stranded. This is
not the time for caution.
B: Side with Atvulf and speak up. It won’t hurt if we wait, and
a little caution never hurt anyone. We’ll probably be able to
catch them with the smaller transport even if we do wait.
#Post#: 2286--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Freedom War
By: guest121 Date: March 15, 2018, 11:03 am
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Xander cursed the weather silently. He sat up and put a hand on
Henry's shoulder "He's right. If they do destroy transport and
we get on it, we're dead. But, if they survive that smaller ship
most likely has a comm device, we could always ask them to wait
for us. Plus, youve seen how David can be a coward, he wanted to
leave behind our young friend. Waiting a bit wont hurt, but if
we go now, we may not survive." He prayed to the gods that
watched over everything, hoping he made the right choice.
#Post#: 2287--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Freedom War
By: guest121 Date: March 15, 2018, 11:03 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Henry stared daggers into Xander, as if to skewer him. ”Are you
kidding me? Fine! Stay with the ragging arsehole!” Henry began
walking up the earthen embankment of the ridge, his feet sinking
into the loose topsoil.
”Com’mon laddie, at least ye have more sense than the dumbarse
sootie. Let’s go sit in the van, eh?” Atvulf spoke to Xander, as
he stood up, and began to walk backwards to the relative safety
of the tree line. As Xander stood up, carefully brushing a
loose, dry leaf from his shoulder, Tsubaki followed suit with
him, looking wildly between the two opposing men, uncertain, her
eyes wide open, a light tremble shaking through her body.
A slight, continuous rumble vibrated the air, erupting from
center of the depression, growing exponentially. All turned to
look onwards.
The transport was leaving. Rapidly.
”Dumb idiots,” Atvulf mumbled to himself, before raising his
voice, It’s f*cking leaving, you’re too late! Just get back
here!”
A pause.
A still moment.
Quiet. Too quiet. As if the wind had stopped. No, not just the
wind. Sound, any movement, everything paused for a moment.
No.
Not everything.
A metal machine, no, a behemoth, had appeared suddenly, as if
formed from light itself in an instant by some otherworldly god.
Towering, not quite over the mountains beyond, but far above the
slowly rising dinky transport as it attempted to ascend to the
heavens above, it raised its enormous hand skyward, pointing to
some far off distant star. Word caught deep inside Xanders
throat, a scream, a cry, deadened. And then the massive,
metallic hand fell back, downwards towards the terrain.
Another moment passed, nothing changing, frozen. As if the world
had nothing better but to savor the moment.
A gust of wind, no, a shockwave of pure invisible energy,
erupted at Xander and the others from a skyward point. Trees
buckled, stripped of leaves, grasses strained to not be
uprooted. Xander was knocked off his feet as if gravity held no
sway upon him, tumbling backward, landing painfully into the
ground, agony erupting through his body. Tsubaki fell back into
him, a high pitched yelp forced from her lungs. Through the
corner of his eye, he watched as a somewhat distant figure
disappeared under a massive sheet of metal hull, a fine red mist
sprinkling outward, painting the dull white lettering of some
word on the debris a crimson red. Grabbing the fallen Tsubaki
above him with one arm, Xander threw himself violently sideward,
another piece of loose metal debris occupying the location where
they had been milliseconds prior. Xander’s version dimmed for a
moment, as soil, stone, and unidentifiable material assaulted
his face. Something rough scraped him above his eye, a searing
fluid left in its wake.
Xander rose to his feet pulling Tsubaki upwards with him,
unsteadily, a buzzing in his head louder than a thousand irate
hornets bellowing into his ears and into his soul. He looked
around, the dizziness invading him hindering his observations.
”COME ON! BACK TO THE VAN! NOW!” Someone shouted mutedly behind
him. Atvulf, pehaps.
”BUT THE PEOPLE… SURVIVORS!” This, ahead of Xander. Henry?
”THERE’S NO TIME!”
”DAVID?!”
”HE’S DEAD, SOOTIE. DO YOU WANT TO F*CKING JOIN HIM YOU GOD DAMN
IDIOT?!”
Xander limped backwards-his leg felt a bit warm, numb-, Tsubaki
helping to hold him up. The pair reached the van quickly,
Tsubaki helping to lift him into the passenger’s seat. The
opposing door opened, and then closed with a distant click. A
rumbling, the engine lit, and Xander felt the vehicle move,
turning, and quickly gaining speed, to where, he could not
discern.
”Oh f*ck, you think?”
”Think what?”
”Ye think the bastard saw us?”
A pause.
”I don’t see anything in the mirror.”
”F*ck. That good.”
”Oh no, Xander! You’re bleeding! Stay awake man! “ Someone shook
Xander by the shoulder. ”Atvulf, get the med kit in the back!
It’s under the drivers seat!”
”Dude, da f*ck do I know about fixing head wounds! I can stick a
bandage on him, thats about it.”
”I took a few courses at the academy. I think I can repair it
when we’ve gotten enough distance from... from that thing.
Xander, stay awake, come on!”
A coldness spread across Xander however, beckoning to him, like
a warm home on a cool winter’s night. Quiet. Still. Xander
closed his eyes, the blackness consuming him.
F*ck.
End of Chapter 1
#Post#: 2288--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Freedom War
By: guest121 Date: March 15, 2018, 11:04 am
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Chapter 2: For Those Without Hope Wander Aimlessly
A sound. A loud one. Engines?
Xander awoke wearily from his unintentional slumber, a throbbing
pain upon his brow. Groggily, he touched his forehead, a dry,
rough cloth wrapped tightly around his skull. A reminder, an
unkind reminder.
”Aye, looks like Prince Charming is ‘wake.” A
man grouchily grumbled from beside him.
”Xander? You back with us? Brilliant, you were really out
of it. You took a rock to the head, but luckily it was just a
glancing blow. I think. I wish I could tell you more and that I
was better at first aid, but-“
”Sh*t, he don’t need no full rundown. He got hit,
he’s going to be fine. Nutin’ more to it.”
Xander dragged himself upwards with one hand, pain erupting
through him. He had been lain atop one of the padded benches in
the back of the armored van, surrounded by the various other
survivors. Most payed him no heed, except for the odd glance,
and mumbled amongst themselves.
”Now you there, dips*hit, ya got just one oar in the
water. I told you to cool your jets, but nah, you gots to be
just charging right up in there like King-“
”Look, I know I screwed up. You don’t need to keep
reminding me. You don’t think this is eating me
up?!”
Atvulf looked down towards his legs, before continuing.
”Nah, I don’t mean it like. Sh*t’s goin’
to happen, but you still gots to be smart about it. This
ain’t no easy parade like you high cotton folks got it up
in the city. This the real world, and you best be ready for
peep’s trying to kill you.”
The front half of the armored van grew silent, as if a smog
cloud of depression smothered all sound amongst them, excepting
an odd cough here and there. Henry’s voice rose again,
breaking through the oppressive mood.
”We’re still going to the evacuation point.
We’ll find help there.”
”Uh-huh.”
”Things are still going to turn out alright.”
”Well we best poop or get off the pot I
suppose…”
-------------------------------------------------
The mud here was thick, slimy, of the same consistency of
excrement as some pointed out as they passed. It pasted and
painted the exterior of their vehicle as if some modern art
piece had been commissioned upon it. A light drizzle had begun
to fall, as the windshield whippers moved back and forth across
the front of the vehicle to clear the mist as it fell, obscuring
the road ahead for the occupants. The darkening sky shortened
their vision, but every so often they would spot and abandoned
car as they passed by, many still filled with precious
belongings that had been saved from the encroaching invaders. As
they passed a newer model van, its chrome finish still shining
as if it had just been rolled of the factory line, Henry began
to speak.
”Do you all think that these people made it to the
evacuation site alright? There’s just been quite a
few…”
”Sh*t, like we should know. Or give a f*ck. Ain’t
our problem, ain’t it?” Mikey had since moved up to
the front of the van and joined them. In the passenger’s
seat ,Tsubaki looked noticeably more uncomfortable, averting her
eyes from looking at them.
”These were-are still people. I just worry, you
know?”
”Maybe we should go raid them cars then? Ain’t no
reason not to.” Atvulf turned back from watching out a
nearby window to speak to the others.
”We can’t do that!”
”Why can’t we?”
”Because… because it’s still a crime!
I’m an officer of the law. I would need to arrest
you.”
”Sh*t, ye think that shiny little nugget mean much now?
This is the goddamn apocalypse you dumb sootie. It’s kill
or be killed and all that sh*t, and we need supplies. If I had
my druthers, we’d raid each and every one of these
cars.”
”They’ll have rations at the evacuation point. The
federal government mandated that DERA camps should have enough
rations set aside for at least a year, if not more. We just need
to get there.”
”Sh*t, if they gots the resources, we should grab some and
just hightail it out of there. They’re goin’ press
us into service or some sh*t.” Mikey spoke up once more.
This time, Atvulf berated his cousin, slapping him upside the
head. ”Gol durn it, Mikey, they gots the guns you idiot.
You think we gonna just waltz in there and rob the military?
We’d get are arses shoot right of our backsides! Geez
man, I knew you was stupid, but come on, put some thought power
into it.”
Henry, for his part, just exhaled violently.
”Fork in the road coming up.” Henry pointed ahead of
the vehicle with one hand.
Indeed, the road did fork. One road, the road in which they
currently drove on, continued further into the deep wooded
growth that they had been driving on since leaving that
picturesque little farm. The other slipped quietly into the
hills before disappearing into the deep mountains beyond. The
junction however, was not unoccupied. A single police squad car,
a soft brown in color-not rusted, but not a clean white either,
sad idle to one side of the divide, two uniformed men watching
them approach. As they entered the clearing, Henry slowed the
van.
”Xander, Atvulf, get out to, okay?” Henry spoke
softly ”Don’t know what these guys want, but
they’ll probably have some information you both should
hear.” He exited the vehicle, and the other men followed
shortly after.
Xander’s boots squelched nosily in the mud. Ruined, more
than they had already been. Undoubtedly a loss at this point. He
made his way around the van to stand beside Henry.
The two uniformed men, clearly local law enforcement of some
kind what with their tan uniform with a plethora of pockets,
high, black polished riding boots, and wide rimmed hat adorned
with gold tassels of some kind, had begun to walk towards them,
meeting Xander’s party halfway.
Hey there, yall. Where you be heading?” the taller of the
two men inquired, the drizzle continuing to saturate them all as
they spoke.
Henry spoke up, staring directly at them. ”Survivors,..
er, refugees. We made it out of Saruleah Bay City before those
invaders tore up the city. There’s an evacuation zone that
we were directed to make it to up in the mountians,-“
”Yup, Lattimer Valley. Just up the right pass.” the
shorter of the two spoke.
”Lattimer Valley, right. Thanks.”
”How many you gots in there?” the taller one
continued, nodding towards the vehicle.
”Just a few other, couple injured, nothing serious.”
”All civies right? No military shucks ducking out from
service?”
”No?”
”Alright then.”
”Why does it matter?”
”Military folks need to make their way to Aienclad
Aviation Base, just up the road. All civies need goin’ to
Lattimer Valley, as instructed. We’ve had a few who wanted
to hide in with the civies.”
Atvulf spoke for the first time. ”Aienclad? Sounds a hella
of a lot safer than some sorry arse valley? Why can’t we
go there?”
”Military personal only. No exception.”
”But-“
”Atvulf.” Henry glared at him, his message evident.
”Well, thanks for the help then officers. Appreciate
it.” Henry nodded to them, preparing to leave, until the
shorter one barked at them.
”Oh, you lot can’t leave just yet. You gots to pay
the toll.”
”Toll?”
”Hey, this ain’t no picnic, ya here? Mind lending us
some supplies?” the taller of two continued. ”I see
a pretty, young face yonder, little company tonight
would-“
”She’s not … No.”
”Aww, hell Dwight, I was looking forward to some fun for
me tonight,” The taller spoke to the other. Turning back
to Henry, he continued ”you sure? Last I heard there was
ration shortages up at the camp. Pretty girls and food are worth
their weight in gold. I can give you some from my
stockpile-“
”No. Not an option.”
”Well, anything else you got?”
Henry turned to Xander and Atvulf. ”Well, we got the six
pack from the farmhouse…”
The shorter of the officers ahead of them perked up.
”Beer? That’d do it. Tonight might not be a loss
after all Hoffman!”
Atuvlf shouted as a solitary, thick drop of rain water rolled
down his brow, visibly angry ”Are you f*cking kidding me?
We needs all that sh*t, ain’t no way we partin’ with
any of it! You ain’t got no right!”
The taller of the two reached backwards, and put his hand upon
the thick black handle of some device upon his belt. ”You
sure bout’ that?”
”Atvulf, please…” Henry worriedly looked
towards the agitated hulk.
Choice 5 (Strength: Mild)
A: Supplies are ours, and this toll is unfair. This is just
robbery in disguise. We’re not handing over any of our
supplies.
B: Better to let them have the supplies than cause more
conflict. We can afford to part with some goods. Things will end
up better this way.
#Post#: 2289--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Freedom War
By: guest121 Date: March 15, 2018, 11:05 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Xander looks at the men and then back at their supplies. He
realizes that he could just give up a few of the sweet beers,
and they could have the rest. With that, he reaches back, grabs
two beers, and hands them to the officers saying "Enjoy your
drinks"
#Post#: 2290--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Freedom War
By: guest121 Date: March 15, 2018, 11:05 am
---------------------------------------------------------
”Oye, I think you saps can do better than that,” replied the
shorter of the two, roughly shoving aside Xander and pushing his
way to the back of the van, grabbing the remaining beverages.
”Sh*t’s gonna needs to last us a few days, amright?”
A growl sounded from deep inside Atvulf’s chest, as he raised a
fist to smash the taller of the two men across the jaw, only to
be abruptly cut off as his would-be victim slammed the butt end
of his pistol deep into Atvulf’s gut. He doubled over, hot air
and pain violently expelled from his chest.
”Learn some fo*cking manner, you hillbilly sh*t!” the officer
shouted down at Atvulf, as he raised his weapon to smash him
again, this time across Atvulf’s thick skull.
”STOP! Listen, sorry Officer, we’ll be leaving now, I’m sorry,”
Henry shouted, ”won’t happen again.”
The taller officer sneered at Henry, shifting his eyes from the
double-over Atvulf to the beverages tightly grasped in his
compatriots hands. ”Git out, and get a f*cking muzzle on your
attack dog.” He snorted, before absconding with his partner back
to their vehicle. Henry followed likewise, helping Atvulf back
into the van, and returning to the driver’s seat, pausing only
for Xander to reenter as well, before speeding off down the
rough dirt path towards the mountains.
Silence dulled the atmosphere of the interior, only to be broken
by Henry after the party had put several minutes between
themselves and the intersection guarded by the extortionists.
”What were you thinking?! We could have left peacefully, but no,
you had to go and do your macho man thing to the officer with a
loaded gun!” he shouted angrily, ” YOU ABSOLUTE…. ABSOLUTE….
ARGHHH!!!”
A moment passed, Atvulf gingerly massaging his scalp, a light
welt already clearly evident atop his skull. He looked down, as
if examining his extremities, before his eyes hardened to their
typical laser gaze. ”ME?! WHAT THE F*CKIN’ ELL’ WERE YOU
THINKING?! YOU JUST F*CKIN’ GIVE AWAY OUR SH*T YOU SON OF A
MOTHERLESS GOAT!” he roared. He turned abruptly to gaze at
Xander, his blazing eyes piercing through the hapless passenger.
”AND YOU! GOING ALONG WITH THIS SH*T FOR BRAINS SOOTY?! HAVE YOU
NOT GODDAMN BACKBONE?!”
”DON’T YOU YELL AT HIM, THIS IS ALL YOU, THIS YOUR FAULT, THE
BLAME LIES WITH-“ Henry may have continued, if Tsubaki had not
appeared between them, pointing forward and upwards towards the
road ahead.
”Tsubaki, now is not the best-what is-….. oh.” Henry murmured.
Their eyes all turned forward, following her tremoring finger to
the road ahead, alighting upon the graveyard of abandoned and
decaying vehicles that dotted the road and fields up the steep
cliffs along the mountain ridge, a sea of dead and rusting
monsters never again to perform their purpose. Some of the
closer ones looked relatively fresh, only peppered with a light
dust from a dirty gale though carcasses nonetheless, but others
remained in more advanced states of decay, scavenged for parts
such that their various fragments had been strew around their
frame, or torched into a nearly unrecognizable slag in some
primeval frenzy.
”Oh, sh*t, f*ck me, this ain’t our cup of tea, ain’t it Atvulf?
Let bugger out of here, swift.” Mikey called from behind Xander,
a light tone of panic underpinning his voice.
”I… I… we need to keep going,” Henry replied, twisting in his
drivers chair to look directly at everyone in turn, ”I’m sure
they just need extra supplies, once we get there it’s going to
be alright.”
”But.., them roads impassable,” Atvulf replied, ”No way in hell
we gettin’ this van up them roads, not unless you’ve got sum
rocket boosters you’ve told no one about…”
”THEN WE WALK!,” Henry shouted, sweat upon his brow like a
miniature volcanic waterfall, ”Everyone, pick some of the gear
up. If you can’t or you’re injured, get someone to take your
load. We’ll get there before nightfall, I’m sure of it. We’ve
got this people!” And with the spring of a rabbit pricked with a
thimble, Henry leapt out of the van and onto the dusty, dirt
road, pack in tow, and started up the road at a brisk pace none
amongst them could hope to match.
Atvulf shrugged at Mikey. ”What they say? When in Arcadia?”
-------------------------------------------
The hot afternoon sun beat down upon Xander, as if some immortal
being held a magnifying glass above his neck in an attempt to
snuff out his existence. Sweat stained his crevices, a never
ending flood of salty lubricant on this torturous climb. With
each step up the steep road, Xander could feel the large rocks
and pebbles through the soles of his boots more and more, the
rough terrain etched in pain to his throbbing feet.
Atvulf had only just managed to keep up with Xander, with both
men nearly side by side, though Xander suspected Atvulf fell
slightly behind him with each passing step. He to, like Xander,
lay in nearly identical condition, though the grimace upon his
face was more pronounced. Henry, however, whilst etched in the
same configuration, somehow remained a dozen paces ahead, never
faltering. Atvulf called up to him.
”Hey sooty, you friggin’ moron, we can’t keep this pace! Can’t
you frackin’ see? We need a break! Turn your f*ckin’ head
around!”
Henry turned back toward them, though continuing his brisk pace.
”Nonsense, we can do it, it’s only a few more miles-….”
Xander turned back to, observing the remained of their party as
they straggled behind in a loose, disorderly configuration, a
gaggle of intoxicated wanders on some unknown path after a night
of heavy drinking.
Henry sighted deeply, ”Okay, we can rest for a couple of minutes
I suppose… but we need to make it to the camp by nightfall. Only
a few minutes.”
Atvulf collapsed where he stood, panting as he lay comatose,
unintentionally examining the burning sun in painful detail. One
by one, the survivors crawled up to them, each collapsing in
turn. Tsubaki nearly took the same tumble to the roughly hewn
road, but Xander caught her, and let her down gently. She nodded
back gratefully.
Atvulf turned his head towards Henry, small particulates of
dust, dirt, and gravel clinging to his coarse hair. ”Look ‘ere,
why don’t we loot dem vehicles on the way up? We’d get sum
supplies, easy, and peeps gonna get some rest to.”
Henry didn’t bother looking at Atvulf as he replied. ”Don’t
worry about it, there’s going to be supplies at the camp. We
aren’t going to need to scavenge as long as we make it there.
Everything is going to be alright.”
”Ye’ sure them camps only a little ways away? We’ve been at this
for bout’ 6 hours” Mikey called wearily from where he lay.
Henry remained standing, staring outward, carefully observing
the distant landscape, picturesque snowy mountains, lush,
grass-laden hills, and dense pine forests. It would all be so
tranquil, if not for the pervasive reminder of the coming storm
that had become ever so embedded in the back of all their minds.
”Yes, it’s only a little further,” he replied, before mumbling
to himself, ”It’s going to be alright. Everything is going to be
alright”
He suddenly turned back to the incapacitated survivors, pointing
upwards along the road. ”Onwards!”
------------------
Some several hours later, and Xander could no longer feel his
feet, the pain and ache that had permeated them long since
migrated to a sharp agony upon his shoulders, as if he carried
four times the load that he had begun this hike with. His throat
was dry, parched and caked with a fine dust that guaranteed
respiratory problems for all those who inhaled this infernal
toxin. But, the camp base was near; having passed some empty
guard posts several paces back. Someone among them had asked
where the guards were, but for all Xander understood it might as
well have been an auditory hallucination. Just over that slight
ridge-
Henry collapsed. He had continued his mighty pace since their
last break, and was several lengths ahead of the rest of them
and had already crested the light ridge. He remained unmoving,
grounded to the rocky path, driven to his knees, sharp stones
driven painfully into his flesh, though such suffering seemed
lost upon the frozen officer.
The rest of them sped up to assess the evolving situation.
”HENRY?,” Xander inquired loudly, though the voice that he
produced was not his own, or at least not familiar to him,
”WHAT’S GOING-…. on….. “
They had all crested the ridge, and were now alongside Henry,
standing frozen like, as if paralyzed down to their eternal soul
by some invisible, infernal source. At least more than one among
them exhaled loudly, violently sucker punched by the atrocity
that now scarred their vison.
A pungent, filly smell wafted through the thick, sweltering air,
the scent of burning Hiroi flesh and metal. Smoke burned and
clogged their lungs, forcing a cough from each of them as easily
as one could inhale. The massive DERA refugee camp, perhaps once
a neat grid of survivor chaos, was no more. Scarred and
scattered debris coated the rocky terrain, such that no single
obvious path between the piles of burning wreckage remained, as
if some entropic being had taken care to ensure not even the
luckiest of survivors could escape this impromptu, lethal tomb.
Odd bits of metal, tall rods from long seared tents, the ribs of
shredded vehicles, and spines of unrecognizable steel stood out
amongst the rubble, tall barbs ready to impale those who dared
traverse the carnage in the valley. That which could still be
recognized as once constructed rubbish all lay blemished, burned
with infernos or punctured with numerous, petite holes. The
loosest of debris, unrecognizable sheet of paper of untold
number, occasionally flew through the air, carried aloft by the
thermals of the burning cinders, but motion beyond remained
nonexistent, or at least hidden from their vantage. Exempting
the odd bloody limb or bleeding, amputated torso, though through
squinted eyes Xander swore he could see a decapitated head on a
spike some ways off, whole bodies were nowhere to be seen. But
what unsettled them all the most, though the carnage should have
been enough to force even the most stalwart of men to the
ground, upheaving their earlier meals, was the shear lack of
noise. Barring the flutter of the loosest of debris, and the
light howl of harsh, mountain wind as it traveled down the
valley from the snowy peaks, no cries for help, no screams of
agony, not even the faintest moan permeated the air. All was
effectively quite.
”I…. I… no… no… NO!,” Henry stammered between each staggered
breath, ”It wasn’t supposed to be like this….. I,…. I,…. I’ve
f-“
Henry likely would have collapsed further, had Tsubaki no placed
her hand upon his shoulder. He looked up, their eye’s meeting.
Henry stood up abruptly, brushing the gravel from his uniform,
where it had clung after his kneeling.
”You’re right. Everyone, we’re searching the camp for survivors
and supplies. Anything useful, water, food, bring it back here
and pile it up. I don’t expect we’ll find any hostiles, but
nonetheless, stay in groups of at least three to four. If you
have an issue, shout and I’ll come over. Got it?” Henry
commanded the group. A few loose nods, though the muting effect
of the carnage ahead still held the survivors in its throes.
”We’ve got about three hours until the sun sets, let’s get this
going then.”
--------------------------------------------------
Henry, Mikey, Atvulf, and Xander had grouped up, Atvulf and
Mikey leading the charge, clearing the debris to forge a path,
while Henry and Xander foraged. The cinders, while dying, were
still blistering enough to give them all an unwanted tan, though
it was hard to recognize any such blemish through the grime and
soot that coated their exposed skin. Henry grabbed a disposable
water bottle, half empty, and whipped his forehead with his arm
before depositing the find into his uniform’s pockets.
”I don’t understand,” Henry started, the sting of poisonous
smoke welling tears in his eyes, ”How could this have happened?
Why did it happen?”
A moment passed, before Atvulf replied, ”I told ye, dem metal
heads are able to hear all our sh*t. Ain’t nothing we can hide,
tech’ all compromised and such. They gonna keep hitting us hard
and fast, and sh*t like this ain’t just gonna be isolated here.”
Henry paused from his scavenging to look at Atvulf, ”You don’t
think…”
”If we compromised to all hell, all dem evac camps gonna be
blown to heck, just like this one.”
”DERA camps are designed to have a maximum capacity of about a
million people, and there 7 designated camps along the coast
here,” Henry turned to Xander, ”There was a cool documentary
about federal disaster relief infrastructure I watched with my
family a couple of months ago. Dad said we should have watched
the documentary on our intercontinental communication
infrastructure, but-.“ Henry sighed deeply, accidently choking
on a cough as he inhaled.
”Oh, yea, part of that twelve part series about hidden
infrastructure, right?” Atvulf replied.
Henry looked puzzled. ”Yeah,… uh,.. you watched that documentary
series to?”
Atvulf turned away, deflecting. ”Nah,… er,… just saw some advert
about that sh*t. Man, these morons though this sh*t was what
they needed?” He held up a portable television, screen tarnished
with spider web cracks. ”If all dem other sods be bringing this
kind of sh*t, then they nuttier than a squirrel turd.”
Mikey guffawed loudly. ”Hell no dawg, they bringing only the
best essentials!” he cried, holding a burned smutty magazine at
arm’s length. Though the magazine as a whole was thoroughly
burned, Xander could still make out the **** outline of a woman
posed suggestively.
”Sh*t man, dat there the finessed sh*t! See if you can find us
any more, eh!” Atvulf cried right alongside him.
Henry sighed, ”Leave it, we’re only taking what we need and what
we can carry. Besides, all this was someone’s stuff. Show some
respect, alright?”
Mikey shrugged, but out of the corner of his eye, Xander watched
him stuff the magazine into his pocket as Henry turned his back
away from them. Mikey and Atvulf fist bumped, and continued to
search for more salacious material.
Henry stood up, stretching, before looking at the rest of them.
”This is going nowhere, and we need more. Look, er, Atvulf and
Xander, try and make your way right a bit. I think that’s a road
there, right? Mikey and I will go left, towards those cars?
Trucks? Whatever. We’ve got about an hour before we’ve got to
start heading back, okay?” Mikey and Henry peeled off, heading
left, soon hidden, consumed by the mounds of debris.
Atvulf shrugged. ”Just ye and me, buddy, eh?”
Xander followed him right, carefully navigating the debris so as
to avoid the densest piles of refuse. If one were to have
watched them from above, Xander surmised they might have looked
like roaming, headless chickens. The two didn’t speak for some
time, until Atvulf broke the silence.
”You think that sooty bloke is alright? White man to white man”
he started.
Atvulf shrugged nonchalantly, ”I ain’t never trusted a sooty. Pa
never would have let that sh*t fly. But that idiot got his heart
in the right place, I suppose. Though dumber than a sack of
nails. No spine or sh*t. Might get us killed, might not.
Anyway, he gots himself a promotion to our defacto leader, I
suppose. No changing that sh*t. “
He turned to Xander. ”But’s you got to get a spine in you, boy.
Like a good white fella. Stick up for yourself. Sooty might be
our leader now, but if he’s gonna get us killed, you needs to
put a stop to it. Two to the eyes or something.” He laughed,
mutely.
”But say, you said you’s from the navy and sh*t, right? Sailing
our space ships eh? Hows that all—“
A moan broke the conversation, emerging from somewhere behind
the mounds of smoldering rubble. Atvulf put a finger to his
lips, and pointed to the left of the pair, before moving off in
the direction he pointed. Xander followed closely behind.
Behind a mound of rubble, a wrecked helicopter lay, cleaved in
two as if some massive blade had sliced through it like butter.
This was not some military vehicle no, painted white with blue
stripes, a black “Channel 9” was emblazed on the grimy side. The
front end was royally smashed, glass shards littering the
already choked ground, but the rear looked in slightly better
condition. Atvulf pointed to a row of seats in the back.
”There”
The pair hopped into the downed helicopter, careful to avoid the
jagged edges of shredded metal between the two halves. Strapped
into one of the rear seats, a woman remained strapped into one
of the padded rear seats, dangling helplessly like a lifeless
doll.
”’s alright miss, we can get you out of there in a giff. Xander,
help me.” Atvulf called. The pair unhooked the unmoving woman’s
harness from around her, and gingerly lowered her to the metal
floor.
She was a well-groomed, attractive woman, her dirt blond hair
well cut to be exactly shoulders length. Xander could tell her
makeup had been applied expertly, though much of it was now
smeared. Her nails were cut to the perfect length, and each
lacquered in a smooth blue polish. Her green suit, now crinkled
and torn, was clearly expensive, woven finely such that not a
single loose thread could be spotted. But through her chest, a
few centimeters beneath her breasts, a jagged rod of sharp metal
stuck out at an odd angle.
”Miss, can you hear me? Can ye’ tell me ye’ name?” Atvulf spoke
softly to her.
”…G….Grace… Grace... Evans” she moaned softly.
”’Right Grace, every thin’ gonna be okay,” Atvulf shook his head
widely at Xander, ”Sh*t dude, it’s gone through her lung. She’s
got a f*ckin’ deflated lung. And-” He looked back at the woman
who lay before them, laying a finger across her neck. ”Oh, good,
she’s passed out again. She won’t hear this.” He turned back to
Xander, ”It’s right up against her heart. If we move the metal
sh*t, we could shred her heart. Only thin’ that’s keeping her
from bleeding out is that sh*t.”
Atvulf looked panicked, eyes fully widened. ”I,… I ain’t able to
do this sh*t. Imma go get Henry. You keep her company, ‘right?”
He took off and quickly disappeared amongst the debris.
Xander looked at the woman’s shut eyes. If he had not known
about the metal objected, protruding from her chest, he could
have assumed she was sleeping, peacefully so, dreaming of far
off wonderlands, sunny, windy grasslands, each blade of grass
independently swinging in the breeze, and the light dew of
nights passed clinging to the tip of each blade, jeweled
ornaments born of nature’s beauty. If only escape were all so
easy.
He grasped her hand with his, ignoring their mixing sweat, just
one moment, one mere moment of tenderness. Her hand
unconsciously tightened around his, though Xander imagined her
lips curled upward with each passing moment.
”Back” Atvulf breathed, gasping for air, red in the face.
”They’re on their way here. But…” Atvulf turned away.
”Sh*t dude, we can’t move her. We don’t have the tools to remove
that… that thing from her chest. At least safely. Maybe if this
wasn’t the goddamn apocalypse,….”
Atvulf looked Xander, their eyes meeting. ”She won’t last the
night. I,… I,…” He held out Henry’s service pistol, a black
foreboding tool of death. ”I grabbed it from him. She’s got a
quicker option.” He pressed the pistol into Xander’s hands.
”I,…. I can’t. It’s your choice now.”
He looked away, staring at the debris. "I'll try and find
something useful. I'll be right back." He turned and ran back
into the debris.
Choice 6 (Strength: Mild)
A: End Gwen’s suffering. She’ll be in pain for the next several
hours until she dies. A painful, certain death no one wants.
B: Leave the metal shard in Gwen’s chest. We might find
something in a few hours to help her in the debris of the camp,
something that wasn’t destroyed. You never know.
C: Yank the metal shard out of Gwen’s chest. There’s always a
chance it might not shred her heart, and she might live once we
re-inflate her lung. And stop the bleeding. Maybe.
#Post#: 2293--------------------------------------------------
Re: The Freedom War
By: guest100 Date: March 22, 2018, 1:55 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Xander stood next to the women, holding her hand. He figured
that they should try and take it out. If they didn't, she'd die,
if they shot her, she'd die, if they took it out, she could
live, and she was a pretty lady. He looks up at them "We should
try to take it out. It's the only chance she has to live."
*****************************************************
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