ZRP-2 Chapter 7: Mutation

Hayley nodded.
"Yeah. I can."

"Easier said than done, if you ask me."

Abel turned around and started to walk away.

"Tell me if you come up with any plans. I'll be around."

"Thanks," James said as he sat on the porch stairs and waited for her to give him a look. Cooper had nodded in Abel's general direction while he went to find Marcus.

Hayley checked.
"Ah. Tore a chunk off. Should heal fine, just keep it bandaged and ean it regulalrly."

"Will do, thanks," James said as he got up. "Starting to earn your keep Hayley," Ella said with a small grin.

Hayley blushed badly.
"Thank you." She replaced the bandages. "Anything else James?"

"Nah I'm fine thanks," James said. "Gonna miss that lobe though," he said almost sarcastically. Ella chuckled a little. "Yeah, the great ear lobe. What will ever do without it?"

Eve slippee into the house and called out. "Sam? Sam, I'm home!"

Abel walked down the street and sat himself on a bench. He drew his sword and his piece of marble stone. He ran the marble down the blade's edges. Abel hadn't had to use his sword in quite some time, as they seemed to be fighting humans more often than the undead. He had gotten a little more numb to it, but killing humans still felt wrong, no matter how bad they were.

Pretty soon, if the ammo supply isn't replenished, this sword might get more use.

Sam had been up in her room, taking a small cat nap while the others had been out. It was a light one though, which was why she woke soon after Eve had called out for her, getting out of bed to stand up in her sock clad feet. Opening the door, she looked down the stairs, still a bit sleepy. "Eve, what's going on?" she said, a bit groggy.

Eve giggled softly and hugged Sam.
"We're back, that's all." She said. "Daddy lost a bit ofnhis ear but most ofnus came back in one piece."

Sam immediately took on a look of concern, all trace of her recent nap wiped clean from her face. "Wait what? Is he okay?" she asked, tone worried.

"A bullet tore a chunk of his earlobe off. He's fine. Hayley just checked his ear and he's all good." Eve explained. "Dont worry; daddy has suffered worse."

"True.....I mean he lost his finger in St. Louis, so this should be nothing," Sam said, though the fact her friend had been shot was still worrying.

"Can't believe I lost my earlobe," James said as he still sat on the porch. He waved his hand, the one missing the finger, in the air as if to show how much he had personally lost. "First my finger. That scar from my brother, and now an earlobe. Wonder how long before I lose my gonads....." Ella chuckled a bit, and said "That would probably be a loss to no one save your wife James."

"Anyways." Hibiki steered the conversation elsewhere. "Doing better, Ella?" He asked.

"Yeah..." Eve looked up, then got on her tiptoes to kiss Sam's cheek. "So...can i come nap with you?"

"Apart from coming close to a living Skyrim meme, I'm just dandy," Ella said, grinning at how quickly Hibiki veered off from the conversation. "Our new addition here's quite the medic." A certain part of her almost imagined the medic more as a nurse.....and in fitting attire.

Sam almost groaned, saying "I just got out of a nap Eve. I'm feeling awake, alert. You can take a nap though."

Hibiki chuckled. "So. Took an arrow to the knee?" She held her hands up in surrender. Hayley looked a bit pleased, unaware of Ella's visualizing of hernin a nurse uniform.

Eve nodded. "Um...would you...stay with me for just a few minutes?"

"Why, need a human night-light?" Sam teased. Still, she nodded and stayed close to the girl.

"More like to the thigh," Ella said. "But hey, whatever works I guess."

Eve blushed. "Yes." She decided to tease back. Kicking her shoes off, she slipped into bed. "Love you..." she said before closing her eyes.

Hibiki chuckled. "I guess."

"Love you too," Sam said, waiting for Eve to be asleep before she left and headed downstairs to the porch. She found James, sitting there with his right ear bandaged. "So, you didn't duck when you should have huh?" she said, and James growled a little. "Hard to dodge in time to avoid a bullet," he said.

Hibiki giggled. "Behave."
Hayley looked uncomfortable, the family intimacy alienating her.

"I'll try," James sighed, staying on the porch. "So....don't suppose anyone knows any decent gas stations near here?" Ella shook her head, and Sam said "Nope. That's a big fat negatory."

"We'll have to send some groups out once we are sure the bandits are away." Hibiki said.

"Yeah, definitely," James said. "But we still need to get an idea of where to start looking first."

"I say we talk to Clara after we all rest up. We need to relax after all that adrenaline." Hiniki said.

"Maybe, but the sooner we get fuel--and ammo to boot--the better. Otherwise we'll have to use sticks next time," James said.

"I know James. I know." Was all she said.

Ella actually chuckled a bit at Hibiki's last comment, and said "God, his mother would have hated you ya know? All he ever used to say when confronted over something was 'I know, I know,' and she hated that." James went a little red at the mention of his mom.....but then again Ella had a point.

"She could hate me till the end of time. She woulsnt have been able to do squat." She tapped her sword.

"Don't be so sure," James chuckled. "She was.....well, kinda scary sometimes with certain things."

Somewhere in town, a traitor crept among the denizens. Sneaking into the storeroom, where much of the reserve ammo was kept, they set to work on their plan, what they believed to be necessary: they lit a fire and snuck out as the flames licked at the walls and burned at the boxes of ammo. None of the guards were aware of what was happening, until they heard the first of it go off, exploding in their boxes as the fire ignited them.

The explosions threw Eve out of bed and into her shoes. Hibiki was already reaching for her gun when the next one went off.
Eve had her bow and was out the door first, before Hibiki could stop her. Cursing, Hibiki looked at James. "Let's go."

Eve followed the riwing smoke...to the reserve ammo. "Shit." She muttered. Stowing her bow on her back, she rushed forward, hoping there was ammo to save. This was bad.

Hibiki looked at Sam. "Watch Ella and Hayley. James, we have to go." She sprinted out.

"Got it!" he said, rising to his feet and running. He could see the smoke rising, the fire trying to move out from the windows. Sounds like firecrackers could be heard from within and he realized that what was on fire.....was their ammo. "Fuck! Water! We need water!" he shouted. Guards were already there, fire extinguishers in hand. They used them to try and quell the flames but it did little to help.

Eve stood before it all, her figure illuminated by the raging fire. She falls to her knees.
"No..." she whispers. "How?"

As the ammo exploded, Hibiki began to organize a bucket brigade or two as the fire extinguishers did their job.

It was all pointless though, and everyone knew it. Even if they could get the fire down in time, all that would be left of the ammo, would be a few spare bullets. Still, James grabbed a bucket and did what he could, futile as it was.

Hibiki helped.
"So. This sucks.

"No shit," James said as he sat on the pavement and watched the fire continue to eat the building. "That was all the ammo this town had.....so they'll be coming for us next. Our ammo anyway."

"Exactly. And from how Eve is behaving, I don't think this was an accident." Hibiki handed him another bucket.

He actually barked out a laugh, saying "In this world, do accidents even exist anymore?" And with that, he went back to work, trying to extinguish the flames.

"Touche." Hibiki said, woeking faster.

Eventually, the fire was soaked to the point it died, and slowly the firefighters moved inside. The structure was barely standing, the interior burned black. But it was clear that all the ammo inside was gone, burned in the blaze. When that fact hit home, one of the townspeople in there threw their fire extinguisher harshly against the wall, spitting out a curse. James could only nod in silent agreement.

Hibiki knelt and searched. "I see no way this naturally could have happened. I remember this building." She frowned harsher. "Eve knows this well...someone set this, and now the town has no ammo." She stood. "James. Get Cooper." She started heading out. "This situation just got fucked."

Eve carefully stood and ran ro Hibiki, falling in step beside her.

Before James could even move, Marcus, Cooper, and Clara had arrived. Marcus was stunned, Cooper looked troubled.....and Clara looked as if she was shot, her face chalk white and mouth agape in disbelief. "Our ammo......" was all she said, falling to her knees. James could only look on, as he saw the light in her eyes that was hope, slowly burn itself out like the fire that consumed the towns ammo.

Eve finally appeared.
"This was deliberate." She said bluntly.

Clara was too far gone at the moment for Eve's words to register, which was why she still knelt there, frozen and distant. But Marcus was the one to respond, stepping forward. "I guessed that much," he said, voice barely more than a whisper. "We need to get a handle on the situation, and fast. If this was sabotage, then we can't let word get out we have a traitor amongst us."

Eve knew better, but said nothing.

The traitor was alread sowing discord.


It was exactly what she would have done.

"We can't rule out the shepherds, but don't immediately blame them...the ammo dump was a prime target." Eve said softly. "So...I'd guess a bandit or one of the townspeople...at worst case...one of our caravan."

"Either way," Marcus said quietly, "We've got a town full of suspects and no clues as to their identity. Treat this as an accident for now, while I talk with Clara and see if we can't narrow down the pool of suspects we have." James nodded, agreeing with the idea.

Eve nodded. "Ok."

After Marcus left with Clara and Cooper, James stood next to Hibiki and gently leaned against her, weary from the day's events. There was never a dull day it seemed, not anymore in this cursed world. "Okay, first thing's first," he whispered to Hibiki. "We've gotta keep Eve in the house, and on watch. I'm not suspicious of her....but other people will be and this may trigger them to try something rash. Better to have her protected."

Eve frowned but said nothing. Hibiki nodded.
"Let's go. We'll have Sam keep her in their room, and I think moving Hayley and Ella upstairs somewhere is best."

"Yet we don't have enough room," James said as they started walking. "Unless you want to give them our room and we take the basement, which might I remind you is being occupied by Estel and Aiden."