Post by Magella Jones on Jan 20, 2015 12:11:06 GMT 10
Let's Get Down to Business
The hall was filled with long tables, the chairs stacked neatly against the walls. All the tables were covered in a plastic cover, dust covering them in a thin layer. The door at the end of the hall grated and a breath of air blew through the hall, stirring up the dust inside. There was a grating sound and Magella shouldered the door open.
She almost tripped into the hall, the door swinging open and banging against the wall. With a cough, she waved her hand in the air in front of her, trying to clear the dust. “Well, this is Sanctuary’s mess hall. I know I said there were people here but at the moment it’s just me. I found it a couple of days ago and I’ve checked everywhere for creepers but its all clear.”
The dust started to settle again, sunlight filtering through the windows in the top half of the walls. The ceiling was open, lights hanging from the bare rafters. There were doors at the other end of the hall, leading to a kitchen. The floor itself was just concrete. The tables had places to bolt them to the floor, but the bolts were removed.
“So… this is home. A small slice of safety. You can stay if you want, or you can keep going on your own, out there in hell.” Magella combed her fingers through her hair, pushing back the growing strands from her face. “I’m hoping I can find a few more people, and we can start putting down the zombies and take back the world.”
Post by Alice Montgomery on Jan 20, 2015 12:35:32 GMT 10
Alice looked around the room, it was dusty and dark, but she could see the potential. Most of all it was safe. She could see it filled with people, eating food that had been grown and cooked here, she wondered if there was a greenhouse or somewhere they could grow all the things she would need to make hearty meals.
"It's wonderful." She said clicking on the fact that there were no other people here yet, but she had one person, albeit a person who had no hesitation to mention that drowning her was a good course of action. But it had something. It could be home.
"I suppose we don't have many cleaning supplies?" She asked a plan already in action to fix up the dank room. She was a perfectionist, and this room could gleam with the right amount of elbow grease, it could be the heart of Sanctuary.
Post by Magella Jones on Jan 20, 2015 13:29:15 GMT 10
Let's Get Down to Business
Magella approached a table and carefully drew the plastic cover off, trying her best not to disturb the dust. She managed for the most part, but as the plastic touched down on the ground another breeze came through the door, stirring up the dust again.
"Cleaning supplies? No, not that I've found so far. But those were probably the least touched aisle at the shops. I'll probably go for a run out later, see if I can find anything to bring back." Magella fiddled with her crowbar, resettling it into her belt loop.
She needed a lot of things. Whoever had been here last had cleared out the place when they'd left. If there had been anything left here when they'd gotten here. The one thing she needed the most was gardening tools. There was the perfect area right behind the barracks, big enough for a few garden beds for different plants. She wanted to get started on it right away.
"So what can you do anyway? How did you manage to survive so long? What's your story?" She jumped up onto the table, swinging her legs a little. She could lie, she was curious about the girl. Someone that small, that innocent and soft, they couldn't have possibly survived by themselves, maybe she'd just lost her companion, her friend, or even her family.
Post by Alice Montgomery on Jan 20, 2015 13:41:03 GMT 10
what we do today is what matters most
Alice watched the woman pull the plastic cover off the table and coughed as the dust started to circulate the air, the condition of the table was not lost on her though, it looked it good knick, and sturdy although no longer bolted to the floor. Alice wondered what this place used to be before, because it was perfect for their needs.
"Well I was studying to be a chef, I used to work in a small restaurant in the city." She said looking through the room to where she supposed the kitchen connected to it, "What sort of shape is the kitchen in?" She asked, hoping for there to be something to work with. They would have to tweak stuff undoubtedly, but ultimately all she really needed was a water source and a heat source.
Alice found herself almost, excited for the future since she had started running, what she had tried to do on her Aunts farm, but failed, was to go back to the old way of doing things, to survive off the land, it wasn't possible to do it there, but it seemed more than possible to do it here.
"Well when it first started I headed inland to my Aunts farm. I guess the only reason I survived that was because at that point everyone else was just trying to survive too. I did get shot at once, but I owned a jeep." She said thinking back to when it first started, "When I got to the farm, it was empty, I assume my Aunt might be coming back, and I stayed there, the water source wasn't too great, only an old tank, so I had to ration dramatically, especially when it didn't rain. I did manage to plant a few things but they didn't grow without water." She remembered the way she hopelessly tried to nurse them, but ultimetly the quality of the soil, lack of water and some birds had killed them. "Eventually I ran out of ammunition and realised that I couldn't stay there, and that I needed to find somewhere else. And so I have just been drifting, staying out of everyone's way, getting small bits of food from stores or houses here and there and defending myself with my hockey stick."
Post by Magella Jones on Jan 20, 2015 15:14:21 GMT 10
Let's Get Down to Business
Studying to be a chef, eh? Well, that was definitely something she could use. Magella herself could barely cook, and even then it didn’t taste the greatest. Her skills were with the dirt rather than the kitchen itself. Don’t get her wrong, she loved food, she just didn’t like cooking the damned stuff, seeing all her lovely plants wilt up and go brown.
Magella looked up the hallway to the kitchen doors, the hated place of cleanliness. “It’s clean, I gave it a bit of a wipe over when I got here. It’s run on gas, which is good cause there’s no power here so the lights up there are a waste. I mean, we could find someone with the know-how and the know-where and try and get solar or water or something, but until then, we’re in the dark.” she gave a shrug. “But yes, the kitchen is clean, and the stove works, I heated up a few cans of soup.”
She listened to Alice’s story, her ears pricking up when the woman said she had run out of ammunition. “You still got the gun?” she asked. “I mean, I’m sure your aunt’s alive and all that. You did really well surviving for so long, well done.” Magella eyed the hockey stick for a moment, a smile twitching her lips. “I can’t believe you survived on a hockey stick. No offense or anything, but it’s a flimsy piece of wood. You couldn’t have at least broken into a hardware store and got an axe, or a crowbar like mine?”
It would never cease to amaze her that people like this could survive this long. Of course, she was in no position to judge, she’d frozen the first time she’d come face-to-face with a zombie. Magella’s head ducked a little, fiddling again with her crowbar. “Well, the soil around here is pretty good. Which is something. Doubt whoever built this place knew much about the earth, there aren’t any gardens or anything inside the walls.”
Post by Alice Montgomery on Jan 20, 2015 16:26:24 GMT 10
what we do today is what matters most
Alice listened to her about the condition of the kitchen. It sounded like she could work well with it, "Is there a water source?" She asked addressing her other need for the kitchen, it wasn't as dire as the gas stove but it would help a lot in keeping stuff in order.
"No I didn't keep the gun, I don't really know much about guns, and I ended up only having myself and a backpack and I guess I never thought about getting something better, the hockey stick worked for the most part." She said suddenly wondering why she hadn't thought about it. She guessed she had assumed everything else would be taken, but that seemed far fetched.
Post by Magella Jones on Jan 20, 2015 19:25:50 GMT 10
Let's Get Down to Business
Magella screwed up her face at the question of a water source. There was a tank out the back of the kitchen, but when she'd tried the tap, the water had been filled with green gunk. In retaliation, she'd had a hissy fit and dumped turned on the tap and flooded the back of the mess hall with water. But it wasn't like the water could have been saved if it was all green.
"Ah, no, there's... no water... There was a tank out the back but it was green. I dumped the water out so I probably have to get in it and clean it out so it'll collect more water when it rains." She shuddered, the thought of getting stuck in the tank scared her enough to give her goosebumps.
She glanced up at the windows, the light starting to fade. She'd have to get out the candles soon or it'd be too dark for her to see. She didn't particularly want to spend the night in the mess hall either. It made creepy noises when the wind blew. Magella ground her teeth together for a moment. "Wanna go check out the kitchen?" she asked, jumping down from the table. "I have some coffee in my bag, hope you like it black."
Post by Alice Montgomery on Jan 20, 2015 20:36:57 GMT 10
what we do today is what matters most
Alice pondered the state of the water tank. "I can clean that for you, it's probably just algae and maybe some weed. Just need to shovel it all out and then put a capful of bleach in it to keep it clean." Alice said, having helped her Aunt clean out the cattle tank more than once.
"I would love to see the kitchen." Ali said following her to the cleaner room, "I would love some coffee, black sounds better than nothing." She tried to think of the last time she had had a cup of coffee and her mind came back blank. This place was already shaping up to be better than anywhere she had been over the last year, even if her only company was Magella, besides, the woman was growing on her. She knew from personal experience just how hard it is to survive all the zombies, that kind of thing can take a toll on somebody, and she didn't know what Magella had lost, she looked old enough to have had a family before all this.
Alice looked around the kitchen as she entered, it looked tidy enough already but Alice could see a few things that would need cleaning. She couldn't wait to get her hands on everything and stocktake, but with respect she kept her hands at her sides.
Post by Magella Jones on Jan 20, 2015 20:51:33 GMT 10
Let's Get Down to Business
Alice's offer to clean the tank herself sent wave of relief through Magella's body. It had been a good idea to bring the woman back here after all, she seemed to be trying to secure her place here and it wouldn't be too hard to delegate some jobs off to her. The thought was followed immediately by and admonishment from Esther, her usual words ringing in her head.
She entered the kitchen behind Alice, glancing around from hit before crossing to the stove. Flicking on the gas, Magella pulled a pot out of the cupboard, setting it down over the flame. Another cupboard was opened and a well-hidden bottle of water was drawn out. It was half full but it was more than enough to fill two small mugs. Those were pulled out of yet another cupboard, the enamel chipped and scratched.
"Sorry they aren't in better knick. I found them outside and I didn't think I'd have company any time soon." She ran her shirt over them, making sure they were clean. "There's a door just there that leads to the back if you want to have a look at the tank while this boils. I have to be careful it doesn't steam too much or I'll lose water. There was no lid for the pot anywhere."
In all honesty, she was merely trying to get rid of the woman for a few moments so she could get out the small stash of coffee from its hiding place. She couldn't lose her coffee, it was the one thing keeping her sane while she was out here and to find it all gone would break her.
Post by Alice Montgomery on Jan 20, 2015 21:03:36 GMT 10
what we do today is what matters most
Alice watched the other woman start the gas, get the water out, and pull out the tea cups. All three tasks looked easy enough, and the cups were nice albeit a bit chipped and not exactly sterile. This wasn't a year ago, when she had a industrial sized dishwasher and sterilizer. She reminded herself, clean enough was good enough now.
Alice looked to where the woman was pointing, "Is it safe out there?" She asked, having left her hockey stick in the hall. There was still enough ambient light to enable her to see the tank clearly, but she wasn't sure if it was as safe as it seemed to be.
Ali hovered in the doorway as she waited for her answer, taking in everything she could see. The buildings were in pretty good shape. most of the places she had seen over the last year had broken windows and all sorts of damage, from fire to spray cans. But this place looked relatively untouched.
Post by Magella Jones on Jan 20, 2015 21:47:07 GMT 10
Let's Get Down to Business
"Yeah, this entire place is surrounded by a wall. I've been around the entire ring, there's no breaks, no weaknesses, no tunnels or anything. This is probably the safest place in the whole world." Magella leaned against the bench. "Front gate is locked, it can't be opened from the outside by zombies, we're safe here Alice."
It was strange for Magella to tell someone that they were safe, but to the best of her ability, she believed they were. To make Alice feel better, she stepped over to the door, checking the outside area. It was exactly how she'd left it, the ground a little soggy, tap dripping and all.
"I just brought you here, you have nothing valuable and if I really wanted to, I could have killed you at any time on the way here. You're as safe as you can be here with just me." She turned away from the door and returned to the stove to check on the water. Throwing caution to the wind, she opened the cupboard under the sink and curled her fingers up to pull out the small plastic bag with some instant coffee inside it.
She measured out a small amount of coffee into each cup and took the water off the stove, turning off the gas and pouring it carefully into the mugs.
Post by Alice Montgomery on Jan 20, 2015 21:57:25 GMT 10
what we do today is what matters most
Alice barely noticed her pull out the bag of coffee out from it's hiding place and she was out the door. The ground was soggy and Alice's boots sunk into the ground with each step. No doubt the tank was in a good place, it seemed to have had plenty of water inside it, Alice hoped that once clean they could regain the amount they had lost.
The air outside was eerily quite and Alice couldn't remember the last time that there wasn't a zombie growling within earshot. It brought shivers down her spine and she frowned at how strange the reaction was, the silence should have made her feel safe, however it just made her feel as if she was missing something, which could prove to be deadly.
She approached the tank and surveyed it as much as she could in the diminishing light. It didn't have any holes, no even a small one, and the slimy algae seemed to have all come out with the water. There was hardly any weed or mud at the bottom, which would make her job tomorrow easier. All in all she was satisfied at the job at hand, she was sure it shouldn't take her to long to complete and they could start collecting more precious water as soon as possible.
Post by Magella Jones on Jan 20, 2015 22:25:26 GMT 10
Let's Get Down to Business
Once Alice had gone through the door, Magella set the pot down quietly, crossing over to a different cupboard and tucking her coffee into a new hiding place. She was quiet and slipped back to the stove, shifting the pot away from the hot area. She wanted the water to cool so she could put it back into the water bottle without the plastic melting.
Unfortunately there were no spoons or anything to use to stir the coffee so she just swirled it around in the mugs a little, hoping that it would mix enough for them to drink. Magella picked up the mugs and followed Alice out the door, making a beeline for her and offering the mug for her to take.
She took a sip of her own drink and looked over the tank. "So it looks okay? You don't look too depressed or stressed out about it, which is good for me." Magella grinned, giving Alice a side-ways glance. "I appreciate you volunteering to clean the tank. Thanks."
The silence made itself known to her and Magella glanced around, wondering if the birds had gone to bed already. "Makes you wonder if you're missing something, doesn't it?" she murmured. "The silence I mean, humans have lost so much of their survival instinct that its a bit of a shock we've survived this disaster. Not us in particular, just humans as a whole."
Post by Alice Montgomery on Jan 20, 2015 22:49:31 GMT 10
what we do today is what matters most
Alice accepted the cup from Magella and waited for it to cool before she took a sip, she nearly always ended up burning her mouth, now that water wasn't boiled in kettles and soup not heated in the microwave.
"It seems in really good condition." Alice said glancing over the tank again, "It held this much water for a while, so I'm guessing there are no major leaks to worry about. I'll have a look at the base in the morning, if it's corroded or cracked then I won't know how to fix that, but I think it should be okay." She was trying to sound as knowledgeable as possible and she hoped the other woman didn't see she was flailing.
She took a sip of her tea and was surprised that Magella picked up on her exact thoughts from earlier, "I know I've spent so long listening out for them that I am having a hard time believing that no sign is a good sign. I don't trust myself enough for that."
Post by Magella Jones on Jan 20, 2015 23:47:45 GMT 10
Let's Get Down to Business
A yawn worked its way from Magella's jaw and and shoved her knuckles into her mouth to stifle the noise. She took a large chug of her coffee, the burn oddly comforting as it rolled down her throat. It warmed her belly and she cupped her hands tighter around her mug. "I'm glad you know about it. I don't have a clue. I'm a garden person more than this sort of stuff."
Her eyes lifted to the sky again. "Sometimes I think the silence of being safe is worse than the noise of being in danger. Not because you get desensitised by it, but you're alone with your thoughts. People go crazy. We're supposed to be social creatures. Supposed to be. I think its stayed with them, they walk around in huge hordes and just wander together. Creepy as hell."
She glanced up at the wall, eyes sweeping along the top before dropping to the ground for a moment. "Heh, it's been so quiet that I've been having trouble sleeping. How funny is that? Not being able to sleep because it's quiet." Magella took another sip of coffee, shaking her head at her own strangeness.
