Post by Cassidy Porter on Jun 5, 2016 18:34:34 GMT -5
The Crown Victoria sped down the road, spotted in muck and grime. It had seen better days, the normally-white paint chipped and spotted, the tires dirty with mud. The windows, rolled up, were streaked with dirt and dust from their travels, and the windshield, although clear, had distinct streaks from the dirty blades of the windshield wipers. Although there was minimal exterior damage, it didn't detract from the dents and dings that littered the car from years of use. But despite all of the bumps and bruises, this car had been faithful and true, and it had taken them all the way from California to Tennessee, and made its mark everywhere in between.
The men inside of the car had traveled the roads, and sat just as weathered. It had been a long journey, and admittedly, Cassidy still didn't fully know where he was going. All he knew was that California hadn't been safe and, in time, nowhere ever was. He thought about going back to New York, to try and find his family, but it would have been too complicated, too confusing for Calvin. Plus, Cassidy was sure that the city was swarmed. All of the major hubs had been, and even then, the smaller ones weren't much better. So far, Cassidy hadn't seen as many walkers as he would have expected to in Tennessee, but it could have just been that luck was on his side for once.
Cassidy glanced at the man in the passenger seat with tired eyes. They had been driving all morning, and it wasn't as though Calvin could take over. When the world ended, for Cassidy, it meant that he had to scrap everything that he had ever known and start anew. For Calvin, who had still been developing, it meant that he had to alter his experiences entirely, with no backing. Cassidy had done his best to teach Calvin how to drive once the world ended and it became necessity, but whether it was in a beaten up car amidst walkers or in a brand new BMW on the Pacific Highway, teaching teenagers how to drive was never an easy task.
"Do you want some water, Calvin?" Cassidy kept his tone light and pleasant, despite how run down he was. Protecting the boy was easier said than done, but it was a job that Cassidy was happy to do. He worried for Calvin, his mental health. Some days were better than others, but Cassidy knew that he was upset at the new world, frustrated. Yet other days, he acted as if nothing had changed from their old lives. It worried Cassidy, watching him unable to find a reality to ground himself in, and he slowed the car before he reached to dig around in the back. He kept his eyes on the road, fumbling around for the plastic bottle, and when he finally found it, he sat properly in his seat again and held it out to him. "Drink something, okay?"
Cassidy yawned, and he brought the back of his hand to his mouth. He blinked the wetness out of his eyes and felt exhaustion weigh on his gaze, on his body. He remembered the last time he had been to Tennessee. It had been too long ago to place, back when he was a much younger man, but he remembered a hotel that he had stayed at. The Hilton? Hampton? Something with an H, that much was for certain. Calvin wasn't going to like Cassidy trying to make a stop, but he knew that it was ultimately for the best. He was exhausted, and there could be supplies. If he had wanted to, Cassidy could have just as easily slept in the car, but he knew that Calvin would squirm sitting in the passenger seat, and he didn't want him to run off.
"Let's find a spot to rest." Cassidy let the decision rest in the air between them, prepared for complaints. Sometimes he felt like Calvin liked to argue just for the sake of arguing, for feeling something. Maybe today he would save him the grief, but Cassidy was never sure with the boy. He drove down the main road, and when he saw a sign for the hotel turn off in the distance, he smiled. Hampton. He had almost guessed right on the first try.
As he approached his turn, he was grateful. A string of walkers roamed the street on the opposing side, and Cassidy didn't want to fight them off right now. Calvin didn't know how to fight, and often depended on Cassidy for survival. He was happy to protect the boy, but right now, all he wanted was a place to rest his head. Cassidy turned off of the road, and as he drove, his brow furrowed. More and more walkers appeared, in little groups here or there, but never interconnected. Though, as he drove, they began to follow after his car. Cassidy straightened, his grip firm on the steering wheel, and brushed off his exhaustion in exchange for alertness. A throng of walkers came out from the alley, and Cassidy made a sharp turn to avoid them.
"Sorry," he muttered under his breath when Calvin slid against the door. He glanced over to him, sparing only a moment before his eyes were back on the road. "Are you wearing your seat belt?"
Cassidy saw the sign for the Hampton Inn down the street, the entrance hidden by a dip in the wall. A gate had long since been erected, and Cassidy wasn't yet sure if the hotel was still inhabited. He drove down the road, leaving the walkers in the dust, but as she turned to pull into the hotel, he saw what the hotel wall had been hiding: walkers. Tons of them. They milled about the entrance gate in a pack, and Cassidy slammed on the brakes. He threw the car into reverse, but as he went to back up, the walkers that had been following him from the street closed the exit off. With two walls on either side and walkers all around the car, Cassidy took in a deep breath.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
"Calvin, don't worry. I will get us out of this." He could barely hear his own voice over the growls of the walkers surrounding their car. They were everywhere, all over, all at once. Cassidy's eyes scanned the car, alert, and he tried to formulate a plan. He could try to back up through them, but he would probably not make it all the way through. Turning was out of the question. He could try to ram through the gate, but that would mean ramming through the throng of walkers separating him from it, and that would also prove to be tricky. Cassidy put the car in park, wanting to use all of his options, and turned to grab his pistol and his knife.
Cassidy didn't know what to do. But he had to do something. He put the items in his own lap, and then looked to Calvin. He didn't want him upset, stressed, but what else could he do? It wasn't as though their guardian angel was going to come down out of the sky, raining bullets and helping hands. He let out a small breath to gather himself, and once he did, he touched Calvin's shoulder to make sure he had his attention. Cassidy felt sick to his stomach, but he had to give Calvin his best chance at survival, even if he knew deep down that the boy would squander it.
"Calvin, I need you to listen to me." His words were slow, heavy. "I don't know yet if I can drive through the dead. And if I can't, then we will need to get out of this car somehow. I'll get out and try to fight through them. If I make it, I'll clear the path and you can drive away, can come back for me when I fight them off." He swallowed thick, let out a breath. He knew that that option wasn't very likely to be successful. "If I can't fight them off, they're going to swarm me. It'll give you an opening when I go down."
He had so many things that he wanted to say. So many things that he wanted to do. And yet he found himself stressing over Calvin and his survival, more concerned with his ability to drive than his own impending death. "Do you remember what I showed you? R for Reverse, D for Drive. You know that. Easy on the gas, unless you're running. You don't want to put stress on the engine."
The men inside of the car had traveled the roads, and sat just as weathered. It had been a long journey, and admittedly, Cassidy still didn't fully know where he was going. All he knew was that California hadn't been safe and, in time, nowhere ever was. He thought about going back to New York, to try and find his family, but it would have been too complicated, too confusing for Calvin. Plus, Cassidy was sure that the city was swarmed. All of the major hubs had been, and even then, the smaller ones weren't much better. So far, Cassidy hadn't seen as many walkers as he would have expected to in Tennessee, but it could have just been that luck was on his side for once.
Cassidy glanced at the man in the passenger seat with tired eyes. They had been driving all morning, and it wasn't as though Calvin could take over. When the world ended, for Cassidy, it meant that he had to scrap everything that he had ever known and start anew. For Calvin, who had still been developing, it meant that he had to alter his experiences entirely, with no backing. Cassidy had done his best to teach Calvin how to drive once the world ended and it became necessity, but whether it was in a beaten up car amidst walkers or in a brand new BMW on the Pacific Highway, teaching teenagers how to drive was never an easy task.
"Do you want some water, Calvin?" Cassidy kept his tone light and pleasant, despite how run down he was. Protecting the boy was easier said than done, but it was a job that Cassidy was happy to do. He worried for Calvin, his mental health. Some days were better than others, but Cassidy knew that he was upset at the new world, frustrated. Yet other days, he acted as if nothing had changed from their old lives. It worried Cassidy, watching him unable to find a reality to ground himself in, and he slowed the car before he reached to dig around in the back. He kept his eyes on the road, fumbling around for the plastic bottle, and when he finally found it, he sat properly in his seat again and held it out to him. "Drink something, okay?"
Cassidy yawned, and he brought the back of his hand to his mouth. He blinked the wetness out of his eyes and felt exhaustion weigh on his gaze, on his body. He remembered the last time he had been to Tennessee. It had been too long ago to place, back when he was a much younger man, but he remembered a hotel that he had stayed at. The Hilton? Hampton? Something with an H, that much was for certain. Calvin wasn't going to like Cassidy trying to make a stop, but he knew that it was ultimately for the best. He was exhausted, and there could be supplies. If he had wanted to, Cassidy could have just as easily slept in the car, but he knew that Calvin would squirm sitting in the passenger seat, and he didn't want him to run off.
"Let's find a spot to rest." Cassidy let the decision rest in the air between them, prepared for complaints. Sometimes he felt like Calvin liked to argue just for the sake of arguing, for feeling something. Maybe today he would save him the grief, but Cassidy was never sure with the boy. He drove down the main road, and when he saw a sign for the hotel turn off in the distance, he smiled. Hampton. He had almost guessed right on the first try.
As he approached his turn, he was grateful. A string of walkers roamed the street on the opposing side, and Cassidy didn't want to fight them off right now. Calvin didn't know how to fight, and often depended on Cassidy for survival. He was happy to protect the boy, but right now, all he wanted was a place to rest his head. Cassidy turned off of the road, and as he drove, his brow furrowed. More and more walkers appeared, in little groups here or there, but never interconnected. Though, as he drove, they began to follow after his car. Cassidy straightened, his grip firm on the steering wheel, and brushed off his exhaustion in exchange for alertness. A throng of walkers came out from the alley, and Cassidy made a sharp turn to avoid them.
"Sorry," he muttered under his breath when Calvin slid against the door. He glanced over to him, sparing only a moment before his eyes were back on the road. "Are you wearing your seat belt?"
Cassidy saw the sign for the Hampton Inn down the street, the entrance hidden by a dip in the wall. A gate had long since been erected, and Cassidy wasn't yet sure if the hotel was still inhabited. He drove down the road, leaving the walkers in the dust, but as she turned to pull into the hotel, he saw what the hotel wall had been hiding: walkers. Tons of them. They milled about the entrance gate in a pack, and Cassidy slammed on the brakes. He threw the car into reverse, but as he went to back up, the walkers that had been following him from the street closed the exit off. With two walls on either side and walkers all around the car, Cassidy took in a deep breath.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
"Calvin, don't worry. I will get us out of this." He could barely hear his own voice over the growls of the walkers surrounding their car. They were everywhere, all over, all at once. Cassidy's eyes scanned the car, alert, and he tried to formulate a plan. He could try to back up through them, but he would probably not make it all the way through. Turning was out of the question. He could try to ram through the gate, but that would mean ramming through the throng of walkers separating him from it, and that would also prove to be tricky. Cassidy put the car in park, wanting to use all of his options, and turned to grab his pistol and his knife.
Cassidy didn't know what to do. But he had to do something. He put the items in his own lap, and then looked to Calvin. He didn't want him upset, stressed, but what else could he do? It wasn't as though their guardian angel was going to come down out of the sky, raining bullets and helping hands. He let out a small breath to gather himself, and once he did, he touched Calvin's shoulder to make sure he had his attention. Cassidy felt sick to his stomach, but he had to give Calvin his best chance at survival, even if he knew deep down that the boy would squander it.
"Calvin, I need you to listen to me." His words were slow, heavy. "I don't know yet if I can drive through the dead. And if I can't, then we will need to get out of this car somehow. I'll get out and try to fight through them. If I make it, I'll clear the path and you can drive away, can come back for me when I fight them off." He swallowed thick, let out a breath. He knew that that option wasn't very likely to be successful. "If I can't fight them off, they're going to swarm me. It'll give you an opening when I go down."
He had so many things that he wanted to say. So many things that he wanted to do. And yet he found himself stressing over Calvin and his survival, more concerned with his ability to drive than his own impending death. "Do you remember what I showed you? R for Reverse, D for Drive. You know that. Easy on the gas, unless you're running. You don't want to put stress on the engine."