Post by Magella Jones on Jan 30, 2015 18:03:21 GMT 10
It is easier to know where you are going... ...When you know where you have been
Magella gave Lex a slow clap, watching the screwdriver push into the zombie's eye and into the brain. "Yes, it is a last resort. I haven't had to use them, but I've practised on enough dead zombies to know what works and what doesn't. Through the jaw is risky unless its a child, through the nose, and the eyes are last resort."
She shouldered past the zombie, ignoring the touch of its rotting flesh on her shoulder as she started looking at the tins that were stacked ever so neatly in the back of the cupboard. Picking up tins and checking the labels, she swung her backpack off one shoulder, opening it and dropping the cans in as she went. About twenty cans were packed into her backpack once she was done and she pushed it back round onto her shoulders.
Now that she had those, she started poking and prodding at what else was in the cupboard. An unopened bag of sugar, a few packets of pasta and a tin of gravy were stacked on the shelf by the door. She'd need another bag if she was to take it home, there was too much for her backpack and it wasn't safe to leave it now that the zombie was dead and unable to defend it while she was gone.
For a brief moment she entertained the thought of capturing another zombie and stringing it up in the cupboard, but she perished the thought, unable to think of a way to capture one that wouldn't involve danger. "You, make yourself useful, go into the bedroom and see if you can find a backpack or a gym bag or something like that." she called from the pantry, ducking down to check if there were potatoes in the cupboards somewhere.
Luck was on her side and she found a half-grown potato in the dark cupboard. She poked it gently and pulled it back instantly, the skin of the potato collapsing too easily under her gentle probing. It seemed luck wasn't on her side after all.
Post by Alexandria Winters on Jan 30, 2015 18:18:02 GMT 10
With the wind in my face All problems disappear
Lex smirked at Magella's mock approval, proud of herself regardless. Leaving the woman to pick at the fridge, not really eager to fill her stomach back up so soon after vomiting anyway, she finally made her way to the fridge. Pulling it open, her eyes faded with disappointment to find it empty save for some spoiled meat, and passed milk... Very, very passed milk.
She closed the door and sighed, sounding out a "You got it boss. Or you COULD chuck stuff in my backpack, supposing you might tell me where you will be taking that stuff?" She smirked to herself, wondering if Magella was occasionally single minded, as she skidded her bag across the ground into the walk in pantry, it being empty aside from her parched water bottle.
Her first move was to the bedroom, finding the bed rather nicely made considering the year without, wondering if the owner decided to flee sooner rather than later into the outbreak... If they ever got the chance. She doubted it, given the hanging one, and concluded that they might have taken that route rather than the hard life of a survivor. She swept off the covers, dust rising through the air, careful to cover her nose with her pale arm this time, as she scooped up a sheet. She also carefully opened the large sliding wardrobe in case of another hanging friend, finding it empty despite some stored boxes of various memorabilia useless for them now, aside from a luggage bag, complete with pin lock, extending handle, and wheels.
Throwing the rolled up sheet over her shoulder, she pulled the luggage bag, big enough for her to hide in if she tucked herself into a ball, back into the kitchen, standing it upright with a triumphant grin. "Will this do, chief?" She beamed, bright blue eyes jubilant.
Post by Magella Jones on Jan 30, 2015 19:33:32 GMT 10
It is easier to know where you are going... ...When you know where you have been
The offering of her own backpack surprised Magella. She could fill it up and run, leaving the boy without his pack or water bottle for if he found any more precious water. Once he had left the room, she looked over his pack, checking the strength of the straps and how far they'd slide out to see if she could wear it over her full pack.
With a slight shrug she piled the stacked items into the pack, humming a little as she picked through some more things. There was some flour in a watertight container and she grinned a little at that, dropping it into the pack. It seemed these people were fans of the Tupperware stacking tactic for their pantry because she found a few more similar containers with decent looking powders sealed inside.
Not one to discriminate, she dumped the containers into the pack, frowning when she found it filled up quicker than she would have liked. Lex's reappearance came at the perfect time, and the huge luggage bag was an even better surprise. "Wonderful." she said, holding out Lex's pack. "Put these into it. These people loved their Tupperware. Everything looks pretty decent to me, but Alice will be the one to say yes or no."
She was mostly talking to herself again, spotting something in the upper reaches of the pantry shelves. A frown crossed her features and she shoved the zombie back, climbing up onto the top of the cupboards, ignoring any dirt she might have been putting on the surface. With her head higher, she could see a small white box. A thrill ran through her and she grabbed it, pulling it close against her chest and opening it carefully.
As she had hoped, it was a first aid box. A bright smile lit up her face and she jumped down, closing the box beforehand to stop from dropping everything out of it. "Oh, you're still here. Right." She crossed to the drawers, pulling them out and dumping the cutlery and cooking utensils into the bag in the space that was left.
Post by Alexandria Winters on Jan 30, 2015 19:47:41 GMT 10
With the wind in my face All problems disappear
Lex's smirk turned to a nod as she kneeled down next to her bag and the luggage, shifting what she had found between them. Most of it was useless to her, particularly the flour and other powders, and once she was done moving the items, she squinted slightly while looking at Magella.
"So..." she began, "What kind of place do you and this Alice girl have? A home with a kitchen no doubt." Her eyes lit up at the thought of a warm meal; as much as she didn't get along with her family, her mum made great dishes with what they could afford. She noted the first aid kit Magella found, once again impressed by her insight... To her, it seemed like the woman had been a survivor for years before this last one.
"...If it changes anything, I can do better. If you'll take me with you, I mean. I won't screw up again." Her jaw clenched as she said it, never liking to admit her failures, but she was tired of being alone. "You're the first person I've run into that didn't try to eat me, so if you'll bring me along, I'll make it up to you, I swear." She looked intensely at Magella, confidence in her gaze.
Post by Magella Jones on Jan 30, 2015 20:21:44 GMT 10
It is easier to know where you are going... ...When you know where you have been
"It's like a... With a..." Magella paused. "There's walls and stuff." She nodded, as if that was an appropriate description of Sanctuary. "She's good at making the stuff with the things. Alice, I mean."
She opened up a few cupboards, taking out pots and pans and giving each a few taps with her finger as if testing something. If she had been honest, she wouldn't have had a single clue as to what she was doing but it was making her look like she was smart and that's all that mattered in that moment.
Closing the lid of the luggage and zipping it up, Magella looked back up at Lex with a confused expression. "Eh? When did I ever say I wasn't taking you? I need all the help I can get, so that means you're stuck with me. Get your butt into gear and let's start getting this stuff home."
Standing up, she lifted the luggage bag onto its wheels, grinding her bottom teeth against her top lip for a moment as the metal objects inside started tinkling as they settled into a new position. "Oh, and if you want to keep passing for a boy, you might want to lower your voice a bit. You were doing kinda well when I popped through the door but you let it slip."
Post by Alexandria Winters on Jan 30, 2015 20:38:08 GMT 10
With the wind in my face All problems disappear
Lex couldn't hold in a snicker at Magella's attempt at describing where she lived, only slightly altering her opinion of the woman. But she was a survivor, and that's all Lex needed to know about her for now. Her eyes lit up at being told she could come along, and she eagerly scooped up her bag despite the added weight. "You won't regret it, Magella." She stated firmly, trying to hide the glee from her voice as she was about to offer to wheel the luggage back herself.
She cut off her words and froze at what came next, staring at the woman with a scowl, before looking away and thinking for a moment. Her hair burnt with embarrassment and frustration, and she removed her cap to scratch at her head, exposing the pure white mess in need of a clean, before settling the cap, and her hair, back in place.
"Will it matter? Me pretending to be something I'm not... I mean, I saw signs and stuff when I was wandering around... Bad things. Made me scared to be a... a girl." Her tone was gradually calming down as she looked at Magella again, as if seeking advice or guidance. "Do you trust whoever you've got back at your home? Or... Should I trust them, I guess is what I meant to say."
Truly, she was lost for what to do. Pretending to be a boy seemed like the logical choice after reading the threatening notes left in some of the towns she'd found; offers to trade in women for safe passage or to join up with 'crews', that sort of thing. It made her skin crawl... But she felt she could trust Magella, or at least that she should try to, especially since she was letting her stay at her home.
Post by Magella Jones on Jan 30, 2015 22:01:18 GMT 10
It is easier to know where you are going... ...When you know where you have been
Magella paused in her actions of getting the new supplies ready, thinking it over for a moment. "Eh, not really. If you want to keep being a boy, no one is gonna care, neither will they care if you're a girl though. I mean, Dessie is a bit of a stick in the mud but he's alright."
She gave Lex a serious look. "I know what you mean, kid. From a distance I make a pretty good boy, cut my hair short, wear loose clothing, but I'm too lazy to keep up the lie." she grinned, combing her fingers through her hair a little. "I think you'll fit right in at Sanctuary. We're all kinda oddballs."
Her hand reached out and ruffled Lex's cap, making her hair stick out at the edges. She felt sorry that the girl had to see what she had, but she was right, it was a good decision to hide. People seemed to have gone crazy when the world ended. Women were generally weaker and less able to defend themselves, and sometimes they just didn't have the mental ability to be able to put down creepers. People like herself were rare, people that still had the ability to laugh, to rejoice that they were still alive and not go crazy about the fact they could be dead in a few seconds.
"Tell you what, I'll introduce you as a boy, and you can tell people that you trust that you're a girl. If anyone asks me, I'll feign innocence." Magella tightened up the straps on her bag, making sure all her weapons were in the correct places, her fingers curling around her crowbar once more. "Are you ready now?"
Post by Alexandria Winters on Jan 30, 2015 22:17:43 GMT 10
With the wind in my face All problems disappear
Lex nodded slowly at Magella's points, figuring if anybody had to find out her secret, she was glad it was at least another woman. She sighed as she thought for a moment, fighting a smirk as the older woman tousled her cap around, tucking the slivers of silver that slid out safely away within the hat.
"I appreciate that, Magella. I think I'll do just what you say, you seem to have a good handle on all of this. And... I'm glad it's not a big deal, for you anyway." She nodded, her mood improved drastically, before letting out a calming breath. "Oh and.. If it matters any, my real name is Alexandria. The Winters part was honest at least." She dipped her head to shrug off the fact she lied, but she was sure Magella understood why she had done it.
"So... Deeper voice huh? I'll work on that a bit... Want me to wheel this thing while you lead the way? I won't slow you down!" She winked, taking the handle from her new leader in her off hand without waiting. Resting her baseball bat on her free shoulder and smiling a bit at the fresh dent on the side of the tip, she was eager to get going and find out if the new place she would be calling home was simply a couple walls in the middle of nothing... And to see who Magella simplified to being 'oddballs', feeling a sense of camaraderie at being included in that lot.
Post by Magella Jones on Feb 1, 2015 17:25:09 GMT 10
It is easier to know where you are going... ...When you know where you have been
"Alexandria, eh? Such a girly name for a boyish person." Magella grinned. "I don't think I told you my last name. It's Jones. Magella Jones." she winked playfully, wondering if the girl would understand the James Bonds reference. "You can call me Gels if you like."
She grinned as the girl took the luggage handle from her. It wasn't like she was going to complain about not having the drag the heavy thing around. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure if she was finished here. If this part of the house was untouched, she wondered what else was left behind. She jiggled her backpack a little, she had no more room, and the luggage bag that Lex had found had too little room left to be useful. The best plan, she thought, was to leave and come back later, after they'd unpacked everything.
For a moment she thought about seeing if there was a car in the garage, but the noise that it made was too risky to warrant the extra room they could use, not yet, not until there were more people at Sanctuary to help with anything unwelcome they might bring home. Magella was undecided, she couldn't tell Lex to go on ahead because she didn't know the way, and neither could they continue lugging their loot around, zombies and other people might get curious.
"Okay, come on, I'll take you back to Sanctuary. Alice should be happy we brought some more food. And stuff for us to eat with. Oh, that reminds me." She dived back into the cupboards, finding a stack of plates. "I'll carry these, she'll get upset if they're all chipped and broken. She's such a butt."
Looking around the kitchen, Magella felt useless, leaving all these items behind, even the currently useless fridge. They might need all of it, she'd have to come back, and soon, before everything was looted away. She jerked her head at the door and started back along the road towards Sanctuary.
Post by Alexandria Winters on Feb 1, 2015 20:58:00 GMT 10
With the wind in my face All problems disappear
Lex let the Bond joke hang in the air, responding with a mock confused smile and head tilt instead, as if politely acknowledging a joke you don't understand. She had to work on her skill of misleading others, after all, especially if she was going to soon be surrounded by new people - surrounded compared to normal anyway. "Glad to have met you, Gels." She replied instead.
She waited as she saw Magella hesitate, as if she wasn't ready to leave yet, and after getting the plates she had to stifle a laugh. This Alice character was sounding a bit peculiar, she thought, though she was excited to find out for herself. "Call all your friends a butt when they aren't around? Or do it when they are around too?" Lex asked, grinning to her teeth. She couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much; her cheeks were actually hurting a little from it. "I guess you like keeping your friends shaken, but not stirred?" Though she altered the line a little, it was the best she could come up with.
She stretched out and rolled her shoulders as she waited for Magella to finish her private mental discussion, and following behind her as they hit the road before having a thought. Keeping the luggage in one hand, she reached into the top of the back of her pants and took out the guidebook she kept hidden there. "Uh, I found this a few weeks back, it seems to have some stuff about this area - lakes, creeks, towns, that kinda stuff. Tourist book I guess, but it helped me stay alive... Any use to you?" She offered it to Gels, not sure what to expect.
"At the very least, I'd appreciate you marking where this place we're going is, in case we get separated by them biters on the way." It made sense to her, though she had an afterthought that if Magella was at all suspicious of her intentions, she might seem like she was asking just to run off and tell other people... She hoped her earlier lying didn't make her that untrustworthy.
Post by Magella Jones on Feb 1, 2015 22:10:57 GMT 10
It is easier to know where you are going... ...When you know where you have been
Narrowing her eyes at Lex's lack of knowledge about her reference. There was no way she could be unaware of the great James Bond. For just a moment she wished they had electricity, that she could re-educate all these people and give them a second childhood, wash away the pain and stress of their situation with laughter and jokes.
She shifted the plates in her arms, holding out the hand with the crowbar to take the tourist book and have a look at it. It took some fancy finger work but she took hold of it, frowning at she studied the map. If she was completely honest, she had no idea what the map said or where Sanctuary was. Magella knew where Sanctuary was because she'd made mental markers as she had travelled, but now that she was asked to put it on a map, she didn't know.
"I... I actually don't know." she said, handing back the tourist book with an apologetic expression. "Map reading isn't one of my skills. I rely on my sense of direction and memory. Maybe when we get there you can work out where it is. And yes, for your information, I do call all my friends butts, and to their face. It's more fun that way."
Magella angled their path so they dropped off the road and into the trees. "But if you stick close, you won't get separated. Drop the luggage if you have to keep up. Staying alive is more important than anything that's in there. Just remember where you drop it so we can come back and get it later on."
Post by Alexandria Winters on Feb 1, 2015 22:23:35 GMT 10
With the wind in my face All problems disappear
Lex shrugged off hearing about Gels and maps; everyone had their way of getting around. She'd never made much use of them until she found the book herself, taking a while to make certain of where she was using landmarks and towns. She felt like a tourist sometimes, visiting the most dangerous place in the world, even though she'd lived here her whole life... Though she supposed everywhere was the most dangerous place in the world now.
She sighed at that thought, and wondered if things would ever return to normal, or if they even could any more. Set to her thoughts, she followed along behind Gels, eagerly pulling the heavy luggage along, shoving aside her worries for the future by focusing on what Gels' place might be like. She found herself smiling again at the thought.
It was more difficult keeping the luggage steady as the small wheels struggled with the twigs and branches that had fallen along the unkempt grass, but Lex was determined to bring everything she could with them. She found a pace again and focused on maintaining it, just as she had done in training and races, though now she was heading towards a new place, a new home, leaving the long road behind.
