ZRP-2 Chapter 7: Mutation

Sarah smiled and winked at Mira, "Thanks. Runs in the family." She exhaled the breath that she didn't know she was holding.

Andrew heard Mira, bringing his rifle onto the man and mercifully gave him a triple tap, the man falling onto the ground in a heap, "Thanks for the heads up, Mira." Once again pouring sporadic fire onto the enemy position.

"Doubt you'd stay back even if I asked. Just cover me," James said as he ran for one of the cars on the street. The battle was going surprisingly well, considering the town had been caught like this. The SWAT tank pushed forward, crashing against one of the minivans near the gate. As the bandits tried to pus through, the defenders kept up with a mix of well aimed shots, and molotov's meant to stall their advance. At the same time, the undead continued to push the bandits into the fire, as they tried to get at the flesh to sate their hunger.

Hibiki did so. "You'd be surprised..."

Hayley froze when the bandits dropped, then sprang into action. She opened the door but saw no key. Realizing one of the bandits behind her did, she dived down and tried to find it.
That's when a runner slammed into her. She was pushed down, and she barely managee to avoid being bitten.
"HELP!" Was all she could cry as Hayley did her best to push the thing away. No gun or knife was nearbye.
No no no oh god please don't let it end like this.

James saw that one of the runners had jumped the hostage, and immediately fired his gun, landing a shot on the head. Well, close to it, as the bullet hit the runner's jaw and made it explode in blood and bits of bone. Then, running towards the pair he kicked the runner off, before grabbing the arm of the hostage. "Come on, you're coming with us!" he yelled.

I was always the one yelling at the tv when watching a movie "Don't do that you idiot!" when somebody was about to do something stupid. That made me a bit of a hypocrite because here I was at the firefight. Just watching from afar behind cover.

Covered in gore, Hayley sputtered. "As long as I get a bath!" She yelled back, scrambling to her feet. "One of those guys has the keyes!" She pointed to the dead bandits. "Search or push the truck, your choice!"
Hibiki dropped another hostile. "Andrew! Take the girls and push to the gate! I need a path cleared for the bus right now!"

Andrew then yelled, "Sarah, Mira, you hear her. Time to make the big push." He then took a deep breath, then adding, "When I fire, you start firing. Rolling cover fire to the bus."

Sarah nodded, "Got it Andrew...we're right behind you." She then gave Mira as reassuring a look as she could, "Don't worry, I got your back." She smiled, "Any of those fuckers want you...they have to go through me."

All James needed to hear was that the keys were in the corpses pocket. Leaving the girl, he quickly tried to get to the body but a stray bullet hit the dirt at his feet, kicking up dust and startling him. "Jesus!" he screamed, as he tried once more to get the keys. Feeling around, he found them in the body's pocket, and quickly made for the van, keys in hand.

Hayley threw herself into the backseat.
"For the love of God GET US THE BLOODY HELL OUT OF HERE!" she screamed. "I'd rather not have some zombies bite my head on!" Hayley's british accent was more apparent now. "No time for introductions but Hayley Anders of the Texas Rangers. Well, ex Ranger. Ex Combat Medic in the army to boot."

Andrew then took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. "Now! Let's clear a lane, ladies. We got a bus to catch." Sarah followed suit, firing as fast as her rifle allowed, bandits and undead alike dropping like flies.

Sarah shook her head with a smile, amazed at how cheesy Andrew could be with what he said. She once again opened fire, once again focusing on her mission.

Sitting in the drivers seat, James rammed the keys into the ignition and turned the car on, flooring the pedal and getting the vehicle moving. But it did little to stem the tide, as bandits and even runners came inside. The runners, thankfully of all words, were a double edged sword, attacking both the defenders and the bandits as they came in. Between the undead and the bandits, it wasn't clear over who should get priority, until Marcus stepped in. "Rooftop shooter deal with the zombies, street shooters handle the raiders, move it people!"

Ella and Sam, along with Eve Estel and Aiden, had taken cover behind some of the cars, though Estel and Aiden could do little more than watch, while the other three opened fire.

Eve picked her shots.
"Sam, where's the armory? We need to get them some guns! Not enough people firing at them!" She grimaced.

Hayley fell over. "Bloody hell, and they say Brits suck at driving!"

"I've got no idea Eve!" Sam yelled as she shot a bandit in the shoulder.

"Hey you wanna get out and run be my fucking guest!" James shouted as the vehicle drove off the road and into a patch of grass.

"And risk another gang of rapists? I'll take your horrible driving!" She shot back..

Eve sighed. "Great. Of course..." She looked around. "Estel, Aiden. Sheriff's office to your left. Try there. We'll cover you."

Right as Estel moved to get up, a stray bullet broke through the glass of the passenger, then driver window, and missed her head by inches. She immediately got back down. "I'm good thanks."

Once the van came to a dead stop, James jumped out of the vehicle, gun ready. "You okay?" was the first thing he asked his passenger.

"Considering the first thing you do is act like an ass, I think my situation just got better. I could use a bath and food." She stayed down.

Eve sighed. "Right. I agree with you." She grimaced. "Sam, Ella, I can't get a good shot off. Can you get me an opening?"

Andrew, Sarah and Mira slowly fought their way forward, their fire clearing a path to the bus. Of course, they were currently in cover, fire hitting the other side of it sporadically. Andrew took a look forward, and then took a look back.

He then motioned for Hibiki to move forward, signaling that the way to the bus was cleared. Sarah then said, "You a bit reluctant to get to the bus, Andrew?" she quipped, Andrew shaking his head. "Nah...I just don't want to get myself killed, thank you for asking," his tone equally sarcastic.

"Well, stay down long enough and you'll probably get both," James said, his back to the car and gun in hand. The bus moved in, turrets firing as it mowed down the bandits. Then something strange happened: they retreated, the invaders. None of them were expecting the runners, and caught off guard as they were, they were forced to flee. Some simply ran, others got back to their cars and drove away, though not in the same direction. They headed for other parts of Owensboro, intending to at least lay claim to shelter of some form. But others lingered, intent on killing as many as they could, and one ran straight for Eve while she wasn't looking, a machete in hand. Ella saw him though, and moved to intercept as he swung. She grabbed his arm, stopping him, but then he kicked her in the stomach, and she cried in pain as he raised his weapon again.

"Ella!" Sam yelled, and brought her shotgun to bear. Firing a slug, it lifted the bandit off his feet and he flew back a foot before landing, dead. "I'm fine," Ella said, rubbing her stomach. "Just a bit winded....nice shot."

"Sounds alright to me." She slid out of the SUV and stayed beside James.
"So, uh. Interesting first meeting."

Eve watched and looked a bit shellshocked. She slid down, still staring at the machete.
She then looked at Ella. "If I wasn't taken, I'd kiss you." Was all she could think of saying.

Ella chuckled a bit. "Thanks but I think I'll settle with a drink or something. Now come on, we've got a breach to plug!" She took her gun, and resumed firing at the remaining bandits and zombies.

"Yeah, we can trade drinks later," James said.

"Maybe." Hayley said. "I'd prefer trading my medical training for a bath and some food."

Eve nodded. "Deal."

"Well good luck, looks like you'll need to apply it later," James said. The tank moved over the hole, parking it's side along it and stopping the tide of runners. It also trapped a few bandits, one of whom was carrying a crossbow. Before they could be taken down, he aimed and fired a shot at Ella, the bolt hitting her in the leg. She screamed in pain, body twisting as she arched her back down and fell, hands clutching around the bolt that stuck out of her leg.

"Shit. Cover me!" Hayley went off running, and soon slid down beside Ella. Her bag still was with her; idiot bandits.
"Medic!" She cried out. "Calm down please." She reached over to probe the wound. "Yeah that's not gonna be nice." She frowned. "Just talk to me ma'am. Just talk."
She dug through some of her things, looking for the small bottle of alcohol and the bandages.

Ella reached up and grabbed the stranger by the collar of her shirt, clenching hard as she dragged her face down to hers. "Just talk?! I've got a fucking arrow in my leg AND YOU WANT ME TO JUST TALK!?!?!?" James came running, panic on his face as he saw his friend shot. He ignored the fight that was going on, even if it was being controlled. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked.

Harley smacks the hands away, then yanked the arrow out. Before anyone could react she pressed a bandage to the wound.
"Your firebrand right here will be fine. Angle means its all meat, nothing vital. If she'd do as the fucking Amry-trained British accented combat medic says, she might actually get better soon. Now dig out some gauze and surgical tape, if those assholes didn't use it up." She grimaced. "And kindly don't do that again ma'am. I've had a shitty month so be glad I'm actually wasting medical supplies on you."

"Well I've had a shitty two years!" Ella screamed back, blood now welling up from the wound. "And army-trained British accented combat medic? Jesus all you had to say was medic for Christ's sake," Ella said through gritted teeth.

"I said medic before I even said calm down you bloody tosser." Hayley shot back. "Try and listen. Anyways..." taking th supplies, she finished bandaging the wound. "There. Should be ok for now."

"You mean apart from the whole getting shot in the leg?" Ella shot back. She didn't even bother trying to stand, not after having an arrow pulled out. "Just get me some alcohol, numb the pain a bit," she said, still laying there. It was then they all noticed something.....or rather, the lack of something. Gunfire. Snarling. It was gone. James was the first to look, and saw that the bandits and runners in the compound, were killed. Their bodies were laid out on the street.....along with three other members of the compound. They won the fight....but lost members of the town.

"No..." Sam said, as she saw the results of the battle. "God dammit....God Dammit......" James could only nod, his sole means of agreement.

Eve gently took Sam's hand, staying silent.

Hayley smiled, exhausted. "Yeah, apart from that. But look on the bright side; least this penetration heals." She said, somewhat darkly. "Now let's get you somewhere safer and see if we can't find you some alcohol."

A few minutes later, the wounded had been taken to different houses. Most of them were sent back to their own, laying in bed while the town medics took care of any wounds they recieved, though thankfully there weren't that many. Ella was back in James' house, along with the others. James wasn't present though, since he Marcus and Cooper, along with others, had to meet to discuss the attack. James brought Hayley along, since a) she knew more about the bandits than anyone and b) she may have helped Ella but she was still a stranger who could have been a spy.

Hayley sighed. Out of the frying pan and at first, looked like the swimming pool. But right now she was feeling like she got thrown into the microwave, which sucked. Microwaved water killed plants, and she was mostly water.
That was definitely not a good combination.

Andrew and Sarah hand gone along with James to meet with Marcus and Cooper. Andrew was there to help in the discussions if he could, having bade Mira farewell. Andrew had a hard time convincing Mira to head back to their house, and Sarah ended up being the one doing the convincing. Mira had listened to Sarah and grudgingly went back to the house.

Andrew was also there for another thing. If it came down to Hayley needing to be housed, he would ask to see if it was okay for Hayley to stay with them.

Besides, Sarah needs the company...

Clara was the loudest voice during the meeting, as everyone was gathered outside the sheriff's office. James had a firm hand on Hayley's shoulder, though it wasn't in a vice grip. "What have we got on damage?" Clara asked. One of the guards responded with "Well the gate's busted to hell, no way we can fix it with the metal all bent out of shape. With the bus covering it though we're secure, though we may want to look into getting materials for a new gate." She nodded, moving to the next question. "These raiders, or whoever they are. Any idea where they went?" Cooper said "It looked like they went further into Owensboro, probably to find shelter from the dead. Not sure if they'll find it or not, but I can only guess the reason they attacked us was because we had supplies." "Okay, do we have any of them alive?" Clara asked as her last question, and James moved forward with Hayley in tow.

"In a manner of speaking. She was a hostage, and has so far willingly cooperated with us."

Hayley moved forward with James.
"Hi..." She started. "Um...hostage, yes...I'm willing to cooperate...I just want a bath right now..." She looked at her feet. "I don't know much, besides I had maybe a third of their medical supplies. Um...I was one of the only women there...you can guess what else besides medical expertise was obtained." She ended quietly.

A few people shuddered, but that was it. "Anything else you might know? What kind of weapons or supplies they have?" Marcus asked.

"Some guns. A few bats and stuff. They had nothing real heavy like missile launchers or those guns on the bus. Um...And the main trucks have these lances on the front they use to take down gates and such."
She looked away. "They have some supplies. Nothing really, food and such..." Hayley paused. "Outdated condoms, if that counts."

"Yeah.....that really doesn't count," James said. Still, the fact they had some weapons meant something. And it looked like she was more than willing to help, but there was one problem. "Not sure we got your name there," James said.

"Hayley...Hayley Anders..." She paused. "Not to be a bloody bitch now, but I'm going to be one until I at least get to scrub areas that I've wanted to scrub for weeks. And a razor if possible would be utterly fantastic...if any can be spared that is." She looked uncomfortable ."I can provide my medical training. I was a combat medic in Iraq."

Everyone paused for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "Well," Marcus said. "We can spare a razor, but the bath might be difficult. Though I think we've been working on the issue of plumbing?" Clara nodded. "Yeah. We've been working on getting some running water around here, but it's been an issue for us. So for now most we can offer is just taking a bath in the river."

"I'll take the river and a towel." She sighed. "And the razor if possible...and....thank you."

"However," Clara said. "I'm not ready to let you walk where you wish on your own. So you'll need a guard." She looked to Hibiki. "Hibiki, I want you keeping an eye on her while she bathes."

Hayley breathed a sigh of relief. "I wasn't that thrilled of being alone anyways."

Hibiki nodded. "Alright. Want us to go now?"

"Well," James said. "Sooner the better I suppose."

Hibiki took Hayley's arm. "Let's go. Marcus, where can I get her a razor?"

"Check the bus," he said. "We still haven't unloaded everything from it, just the stuff that was deemed critical. So.....food."

Hibiki nodded. Leading Hayley outside, she went to the bus and quickly checked.
"Aha! Here!" She held a razor up. Hayley looked grateful. "Thanks." Accepting it, the two headed off to the river.

At the river, Hayley stripped. Hibiki watched carefully. Hayley moved carefully, and was bruised and battered.
After rinsing, Hayley set herself down. "Um. This is embarrassing, but I kinda need..."
Hibiki blinked. "Okay then."

James had left the meeting, though he didn't get far before being stopped by Marcus. "James, wait up. We need to talk," Marcus said, and James turned to face him. "What's going on?" James asked. The older man looked.....troubled. "This attack isn't going to go well for your friend Ella, and I'm not talking about the shot. She shows up and gets in, right before an attack that takes the lives of three members of the community? People will want blood....the way I wanted blood after the Shepherd ambush." James grimaced, getting the idea. "Well I'm not going to feed her to the wolves Marcus, that's for damn sure. If people want blood, then let's give them the blood of the people that attacked us. Let's attack those bandits and put down a threat now."

Marcus nodded, agreeing with the suggestion. "Well finding them should be easy enough--just look for the highest concentration of walkers.And that's another thing." He cast a glance at the bus, where even now it sounded like there was a lot of banging against it from the other side. "The fight drew a lot of attention our way. Not sure we'll be able to go outside the walls for a bit, unless you want to expend ammo taking them down?" James shook his head. "We need to take them down, but without burning through our ammo."

After Hibiki had helped Hayley with her...hygiene...they got Hayley dressed and helped her back to James and Hibiki's place. Opening the door, Hibiki raised her voice.
"Just me. Bringing in that medic from before, until I know where to leave her."

"Good!" Ella said from where she lay on the couch, leg resting on the armrest. "Because I wouldn't mind the person who helped fix my leg stay close to keep an eye on it."

Hayley laughed softly. "As you wish." she sat down on the floor, studying Ella's leg. "I cant change the bandages as often as I'd like, unless you all have something else I can use. Can't go using all my supplies on one person. Even if she's cute." Hayley grinned.