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Otis had spent most of the day outside the cabin, working on the fence that had been trampled on by a few walkers the week before, collecting the chicken eggs, and now chopping down a few trees. Things had been quiet. A very peaceful work day that he had come to really enjoy these past few years. The silence was the best thing for him. It helped him keep his thoughts at bay and really hash out his past to himself through a rehabilitation state.
Sweat poured on his face as he began swung his axe a few more times at the thin oak tree, making it weaker and weaker after every blow. Finally bringing the once sturdy tree tumbling down to the ground. However, his gaze towards his good work changes to his fence once again being taken down...only this time by a massive herd. Dozens of walkers all pushing the strength of the fence to it's limits.
"No...no!" Otis yelled out. This place has worked all this time. Why now? Why break the peace now? He couldn't sit there and wonder for too long. He knew the newly prepared fence would prove to be no match. He ran in the cabin, grabbed a bag and threw in some essentials before heading out the back down. Not looking back as he heard the fence fall.
[Gonna roleplay a bit until the folks at the farm are ready to have new people again. If anybody wants to join, have at it. Should be fun.]
The black Ford Ranger accelerated as the pedal was pressed harder and Nava's eyes began to wander. Now and again, maybe she'd see an abandoned car or an occasional corpse. Other than that, the woods on either side of the road were nice. It seemed almost peaceful. A 'normal' day for a drive.
She wished now only for something on the radio, but she hadn't entertained that idea for a long while. Nava looked to the radio after a moment and flipped it on and began to scan the channels. No surprise as she dialed the knob and picked up nothing but static. With a sigh, she laughed a little to herself.
"What did you expect?" she said softly with a small hint of a middle eastern accent.
Looking back to the road, she saw a deer standing smack in the middle of it. Nava stepped on the brakes and came to a stop. The deer didn't move, but instead looked to Nava inside her truck. A few more appeared and all of them crossed together, five in total. She smiled a little and sighed. It was nice to see that some things were still 'normal-ish.'
Rolling down her window, her head poked out of the opening and watched as the animals made their way into the woods. Maybe this is how it was supposed to go. Maybe humanity had outlived itself and it was a return to the way things were. Nava slowly gave the truck some gas and began her drive once more. This time she decided to take it slower and opted to leave the window down. The air was refreshing as was the sound of the wind passing by the truck. The day had been a good one so far, and if she was lucky, it would stay that way.
Although he lost his home, Otis wasn't showing signs of defeat. His optimistic view on things prevented the loss of his long time safe haven from affecting him. He just kept looking forward. Walking where life would take him next. Knowing that some good must eventually come out of the morning he was having so far. He didn't know what...or when...but he knew the smile he had on his face would have it's reason sometime that day.
Finally making it out of the crowd of trees, he reached a paved road. Looking both ways he couldn't see which direction would take him where. So he decided to lick his fat finger and go where the wind took him. Popping open his water bottle and taking a few swigs, he began to sweat from all the walking. Debating on whether or not he should take a break now that he knew for sure that he had lost the heard. But the snarling of a walker coming from the opposite tree line answered his question for him. Where there was one, there may be more. He decided to keep walking with the walker limping on his trail. He was confident it wouldn't follow him. He didn't feel like putting it to rest at the moment. The day was too peaceful to get blood on his hands.
Minutes passed from her encounter with the deer when Nava saw something else in the road. It was a man. A large black man who seemed to be alive and seemed to have a walking corpse near him. She slowed her truck to a crawl before coming to a stop, maybe fifty or so feet from the individual. Her Galil was on the seat next to her and her right hand made her way towards the weapon.
Putting the truck in park, she grabbed the weapon, opened her door and hopped out of the vehicle. She brandished the weapon, but didn't point it at the large man. "Hey," she said, her accent obvious. "You look tired. Besides your friend there, you alone?"
Nava wanted to keep it light, but she also wanted him to see the weapon. It had been some months since she parted ways with the group she had been part of and in truth wouldn't mind the company. At the same time though, she wanted to gauge his reaction. He might not be alone and he may not be someone she wants to keep in her company, but she was willing to reach out.
"Just wondering if you needed help or anything like that. You seem thirsty," she said and quickly glanced over her left shoulder to make sure her rear was still clear. Her eyes settled back to the man before she spoke again. "My name is Nava. What's yours?"
Otis wiped the sweat off of his forehead as he heard turned to a vehicle slowing down to a stop behind him. It was a woman, hopping out with her firearm close to her side. He could of grabbed his pump shotgun from his bag but it would of immediately made him hostile. So instead he greeted her with a smile of relief.
She asks if he's alone, bringing his attention to the walker walking up on him. He holds off his answer for a moment, grabbing the walker by the head with both hands and tossing it like a sack of potatoes into the tree line, delaying it's attack for the moment. "Yes mam, i'm alone." He said squinting at the sun shining in his face.
"No no it's fine. I got a bottled water in my backpack. But thank you." Then she introduced her self. "Hi Nava, i'm Otis. It's very nice to meet you. In fact, you just made my day. It's been a minute since I've had the chance to talk to another survivor. My safe haven was just overrun. Don't really know where i'm heading just yet, but i'm sure it'll all turn out ok. Heck, i'm just grateful to be alive on such a fine day." He said with a white smile. Hoping he wasn't talking her head off. He was just excited to see somebody else for once.
Well, Otis was a large man and obviously very strong. The way he threw the corpse was evidence of that. Nava was certain that he could do that just as easily with a person. Hell, he could probably break her in half if he wanted to. Now, this was not to say she didn't believe women couldn't be strong or do things men could do. She knew they could. But reality was a place she lived in and the reality of this situation showed that he could easily do that just by his size and mass alone.
He seemed friendly enough, but that didn't mean he was. But she had a good feeling about him. She paused as he spoke. Otis was well mannered, answered her questions, and found some enjoyment out of the daym despite his alleged loss of his safe haven.
Nava had to agree, though. She did feel it was indeed a nice day out. This allowed her to smile a little more as she shifted her weight to her left a little. She moved her arms so she was cradling the weapon, letting it rest in the folds of her elbows and her left hand gripped her right wrist.
"So, you have no shelter, no one else with you and you have been out here on your own for how long Otis?" Her brows arched slightly as her eyes wandered to the corpse he threw as it was beginning it's inevitable attempt to right itself and try again. "Well, Otis, I have been on my own now too for... eh, a couple of months, I guess? I have, uh, no real plans about where I'm going. I have just sort have been driving around here and there, staying put a while and moving on when the time was right. I have space in the truck if you were interested in a drive instead of a walk." Her middle eastern accent was subtle but definitely there.
She glanced behind her again to make sure nothing or no one was showing up behind her. With a small smile, she motioned to the truck with her head. "So, want some company and to get off your feet a while?"
Her curiosity struct as she asked how long he had been on his own. "A little while. Since this whole thing started..". He flashed his smile once again, still excited about meeting another survivor. It brightened his day. He was relieved and thankful to be able to use his voice for an actual conversation. Aside from talking to himself from time to time, he never really talked. That's one of the parts of being alone. He didn't like it, but he dealt with it to be safe. Now he had no choice but to leave his overran safe haven. And that goodbye meant a hello to this Nava character.
Knowing that good always comes out of the bad he couldn't help but to keep on smiling as she offered to give him a ride. Where? He didn't know and he wasn't even sure if she did. "You know what Nava, that's a beautiful name by the way...." He widened his smile before continuing. "I would very much appreciate that. I thank you." He said taking his bag off of his bag and pulling it in front of him, holding it close to him as he hopped into the passenger seat. "Thank you for stopping. I can't imagine what kind of trust issues some of us survivors have developed since the world dropped."
She smiled a little at Otis and began to climb back in her truck. She closed the door and waited for him to enter. Before he did, she made sure to put her Galil in the back seat. She unlocked her door and once he entered the vehicle, she continued.
"It was my great grandmothers name. And as for trust and strangers, well... you can't be too careful but at the same time, being on guard every moment isn't a good way to live life. Even this one. Besides, you seem like an okay guy. And company can do wonders for morale."
Nava got the truck out of park and began driving. As she said to Otis, she had no real destination. She had enough food and water to last her a little while still and she would more than likely only stop to find a place to rest. One thing did weigh on her, just a little. Two years was a long time to be alone. Not everyone could do that and turn out okay. It was not impossible at all, just unlikely.
"So, you lost your setup, what are your plans now? Did you have a backup plan at all? Will you try and take it back if you can?" Nava wanted to keep it light for now. Besides, you never fully understood a book by reading just the cover. She wanted to know more about him and didn't want to rush it. The last few months had been hard on her. Surviving wasn't everything. She believed humans were social creatures and she wanted to do just that. Socialize.
He glanced at her as she started driving down the road, asking about his backup plan. If he had one at all. He looked forward at the empty road ahead and thought to himself. About the moment he seen that his family was gone. He didn't think. He just did. He was in a dark place in his head. And for his and anybody he might of ran into at the time's own good, he needed to be alone. So he headed to his Grandma's old fishing cabin. It kept him alive. Kept things off his mind. He had no reason to plan ahead. He thought that was it. He figured he'd die there from an untreatable disease or something. But now that it was brought up, he had no back up plan. He was just winging it and now it's time to wing it again. Keep riding down that empty road until it's not empty anymore. Everywhere takes you somewhere. "Well, it's not worth dying over. There was way too many of them. Took down the fence I had just repaired. It was a weak fence. As for a back up plan. I never thought i'd need one as cocky as that sounds. I had occasional roamers but none as bad as that last attack. But I do know, somewhere this direction is a little town called "Rosca". It's got a gas station, a bar, a few small businesses, and a couple dozen houses. Maybe a grocery store, I hadn't been there in ages." He was trying to think back. He was in jail right before the outbreak so there was no way this data could be up to date. But he knew that the town was drawing near, seeing the signs on the side of the road.
The truck engine revved a little higher as she pressed the peddle down harder. A town sounded like a good enough place to gather what they could. Nava found many small towns were either gold mines or picked clean. In this particular case she obviously hoped for the former.
"So, tell me about yourself, Otis. If you don't mind of course." Her English was good, but there were some words where her accent was more noticeable. His name being one of them.
Nava knew asking someone to speak about themselves could be difficult. Some people didn't want to or didn't know what to say. Sometimes they'd give too little while other times they gave too much. She also didn't want to pry or be rude so she cleared her throat and offered to speak a little about herself too.
"I'm from Israel, originally. Came here to work with my uncle after I was released from IDF. Israeli Defense Force. Got wounded during a mortar attack. Decided then, eh, maybe it was time to leave the Middle East. Besides, as beautiful as a place it might be, figured it was time for a fresh start.
How about you? What did you do before all this?" She smiled at him and looked back to the road. Up ahead, looming in the distance, Nava saw the little town he mentioned. It wouldn't be ling before they arrived.
While Otis seemed like a gentle giant, his size did give her slight pause, especially now that he was so close to her, but she trusted her instincts and God. If this was her time to go, it was her time. And if it was, she'd make a point of it though, that was for damn sure.
She was curious about him which was natural. Asking him to tell her a little about himself. Who he was. But he was hesitant. Thinking about life in prison. He was a killer before the world fell apart. He was a victim to his own personal demons who worked him through a big dose of rage. And telling her that he was a convict would lead into more questioning and make things more difficult. So he decided not to mention it.
Before he could speak up, she caught the slight awkward pause and told him about herself first. Originally from Israel and came to the states after being released from the military. He could tell she was a tough woman. To go through that. But he was happy to hear that good came from her story. She found a fresh start in this country. "Yeah, America was always the land of opportunity. Which is why I loved it so much. It's such a shame what had happened to it. The world. Everything falling a part in a panic." He glanced out the window to see the "Welcome to Rosca" sign.
"I was a man with mistakes that weighed down my life. I was living the good life at first yeah.....but one little mistake led to another and so on and I found myself alone. I lost everything......but today. I realize, that no matter how much you lose, you still always have the opportunity to gain more." He said, looking over at her with a big white grin on his face.
As he spoke about loss and gain, she honestly couldn't agree more. "Exactly. After I was wounded by that mortar, I thought my life was over. My feet and ankles were mashed up pretty badly. Both of my legs below my knees had to be amputated." She looked down at her jeans and her boots with a nod. "I have two prostheses on right now. Good for walking and that is about it. I have a set in the back for running. When I recovered, I was offered a job here in my uncles private security firm as a consultant. And now, here I am."
She smiled and glanced back at her Galil, which was within reach if need be. They were just outside of the townships city limit line as she began to depress the brake. Quickly she glanced around, checking her mirrors as well before she looked to Otis. She could sense a hesitation with him, but she wouldn't pry. He said he had been a man of mistakes. Everyone had made mistakes. She wasn't here to judge. That wasn't her place.
"What do you need here? You say you lost your stronghold so, I assume you had food, water and maybe something to defend yourself. So, what do you need from here? I will help you get it." Nava smiled genuinely at Otis before she checked her mirrors again to make sure they were still in the clear. As it stood right now they were.
That could change in an instant and she was all too familiar with how fast that could be.
As they slowly cruised through the town she asked what he needed. He looked at his full bag thinking about what he's got. "Well, i'm not sure. Maybe another bag haha. And some food." He said with a smile on his face as he looked around to see the gas station coming up on the corner. "Here we go, "Quick Check". Could find some food in there for sure."
As they came to a halt, he looked over at Nava. "Nava, you don't have to help me anymore than what you already have. I appreciate it, but being out in the open like this, well it's dangerous. Would hate to put your life in danger over me."
Nava brought the truck closer to the place he pointed out and stopped the vehicle. As he told her not to put herself in danger, she couldn't help but smile.
Checking her mirrors once more, she put it in park and grabbed her Galil from the back seat and hopped out. "The world in which we live, just opening your eyes each and every day is dangerous. Yet here we are." She walked towards the convenience store with her weapon at the ready. Her steps were careful, especially considering she didn't have the right 'feet' for the job right now but she didn't stop.
Glancing over her shoulder to Otis, she motioned with her head for him to follow her. She checked the door and it was open. Taking a step inside the store, it looked like it had been looted but it still had some goods on the shelves and the floor. Along with a body who was a few feet from the door laying face down, head towards the door. It looked in advanced stages of decomposition.
"Let's see about that bag and food then for you, eh? Body here, so just be careful coming in," she called back as she was half in the store, half outside holding the door open. She looked towards Otis with a smile and again motioned with her head to get inside the store.
As she did, the body inside had twitched and already dragged its way towards Nava. Before she could turn her head back inside the store, the corpse was already about to sink its teeth into her shin. The corpse took a bite into Nava's left shin which made her cry out.
"Shit!" she yelled as she brought the butt-stock of her Galil down on the things head, splitting it open. Quickly kneeling down she moved her left leg back, showing the tears in her jeans. "I liked this pair too..." She sighed and stood back up. With the body now propping the door open, she stepped inside.
She insisted on going anyways, even leading the way. She seemed very sure of herself. If not to help him out, she was doing it because loneliness is common nowadays so the chance to have company that wasn't trying to eat you was very rare. But he didn't want to be responsible if she got hurt. And as she stepped in, yelling out, warning him of a body in the doorway, he took a moment to pump his shotgun.
Before he could do anything else, he heard her cry out. He ran inside seeing her crush the walkers skull, splitting it's head apart. Looking down at her prosthetic leg, he almost broke down, forgetting she had it. She was lucky for it. She would of been a goner if she had flesh legs.
"Nava....are you ok??" He knew she should of stayed outside. She's now his responsibility. Because he knows of her. And if he ever just abandoned her, just to find her dead on the sidewalk the next day, that's just as bad as killing her himself. He couldn't live it. But, she did take care of it. Even if it could of killed her. It didn't. Her safety now means something to Otis. He has a friend who he genuinely cares about. Even if it's only been half an hour since he's met her. They connected in a way that's very rare in the world today. Two strangers beings showing nothing but kindness to one another. "I don't want you to get hurt. But you seem to be able to take care of yourself." He said while glancing out the window to see 4 walkers heading towards the building. "Let's stick together. We can beat this."
Otis seemed genuinely worried about the exchange. Nava nodded once with a smile. She was fine. She had been careless which wasn't her normal tendency, but she was alive.
"Otis, I'm fine. Seriously. I think it broke some teeth before on it," she mused as her accent came through a bit heavier than it had before. Probably because of the close call, but she looked back at him with that smile still intact. "And I can take care of myself. Yeah. As can you."
She could hear it in his voice. The concern was there. Part of her was glad she stopped because she wanted the company. She felt like he did too. Nava was also glad she stopped because he seemed like he was a good man.
When he called her attention to the group approaching, she moved to be close to him. She had to be careful here and he needed to know that she might need to take it easy.
"These legs I can't pivot with as well as I'd like. Made for walking, just about that. I could lose balance if I'm not careful," she said as she kept her Galil at the ready. Truthfully she didn't want to use it to attract more of them or possibly other people that could be less than friendly but she wasn't about to shy away from the fight.
He was right, though. They could beat them together, and they were going to. Nava moved to Otis' left and shot him a quick glance. "I'll get the two on the left, you got the right?"
He nods as he charges at his two, cracking both over the skull with the butt of his shotgun, smashing them completely once on the ground. Years ago, the site of mushed brains on the road would make anyone sick. But the whole world was sick. And it grew on you. They've gotten used to the beautiful sights being the rare ones while these horrific sights that used to appear only in nightmares in movies being the most common view in the world today. Otis didn't like it. But it meant survival. Which meant hope. And he had hope that it all would one day die out. As if the world was going through a phase and the strong ones had to tough it out until the end and then everything would slowly go back to normal.
He looked over to see Nava took care of her walkers. He was glad she was capable of taking care of herself. Her appearance may look weak, but from he's seen, she's a very strong woman. Smiling over at her he pointed down the road. "Hey Nava, there's a gas station at the end of this road. I'd say we can see if we can find any gas. Sound good?"
As she watched Otis close the gap and begin to deal with the two he sought out to handle, she slowly approached the farthest one to the left and brought up the butt-stock of her Galil and connected with the vile corpse. The hit was square in the face, connecting with the nose of the monstrosity. As it collapsed to the ground motionless, Nava was surprised that it didn't move. Perhaps she had drove the nose bone through it's decayed gray matter that used to be a living brain.
It didn't matter, in all honesty. She still had one more to deal with. As it lunged towards her, Nava side stepped to her left and swung the butt-stock across her body in a left to right sweep across her chest. The blow connected with the body and sent it down to the pavement. It was then that she placed her left boot on the creatures back and leaned forward, bringing the butt-stock once more down on top of the things head.
She hit the thing twice, very hard in the back of it's skull until it's head caved in. When she looked over to Otis, he had already dealt with his two. As Otis spoke about gas, Nava raised her brow.
"If you think it might be worth it. The pumps are more than likely dry but maybe we might get lucky. We could even check the nearby cars just in case? Is that agreeable, Otis?" Her words were carefully articulated as she stepped off the body of the dead and took a step closer in Otis' direction.
Gas would be nice but it wasn't a priority of hers just yet. She had some in the bed of the truck but, no harm in trying to top if off. She still wanted to keep her distance from Otis until she had a better feel of him, given the fact that his sheer size was intimidating. But from what their interactions were so far, Nava felt comfortable enough. Besides, it wouldn't hurt having someone that could toss the dead around like they were twigs.
Shauna Kelly: That helped, thank you
Oct 4, 2021 14:40:44 GMT -5
Ayita Hunt: dang, January was my last post.. Jeez it's been a hot minute. o7 guys, sorry for the complete disappearance, life got.. a little interesting this year.
Oct 18, 2021 22:34:19 GMT -5