ZRP-2 Chapter 9: Can We Keep It?

It had been two days since the convoy was kicked out of the town of Owensboro, and since then things had become a bit rocky for them. On the road, they had a few run ins with bandits and Shepherds, but more often than not more and more walkers. Including the new runners. They caught a break at least, finally finding a small place of refuge at the National guard depot that Troy had found. It was a small facility, no housing of any kind, just storage units that by some miracle had yet to be raided. There ere a few large fuel tanks as well, and for the past day the convoy had camped out there, refueling and restocking on what ammo and MRE's remained in the depot. But they would have to leave soon, and find a better place to hole up.

James stood on the roof of the depot, a short unkempt beard on his face, clothes ruffled and dirty, and a pair of binoculars in his hands as he kept a look out for any threats.

Hibiki was trapped. She had pretty much kept Eve to herself for the while, depriving Sam of her girlfriend. And Eve was getting back at her. Still on her lap, head right above her breasts, Eve was sleeping peacefully, leaving Hibiki to read The Hunger Games: Catching Fire again...thankfully she found it at the house.

Hayley was out cold near Ella.

Ella was not in the same state as Hayley, she and Estel working on organizing the ammo they recovered from the depot in the bus. The rest of the convoy.....they were parked inside the spacious, walled in area of the depot, the entry gate closed. Some people were busy trying to wash clothes and refuel the vehicles, while saving in tanks the extra gas. Sam was up top with James, and decided to break the silence with "So.....see anything?" James sighed and said "You asked me that five minutes ago."

Hayley rolled over and fellmof the bench. Hitting the ground, she awoke with a start. "Ow." Sitting up, she rubbed her head. "Sorry. Did I pass out?"

"I don't know," Ella said. "Think that bump might answer your question?"

Sam chuckled and responded "Just making sure James. Besides, at least it beats asking how our.....better halves are doing." Making a 'pfft' sound, James said "Yeah that's hard to tell. Hibiki hordes Eve like a bear and her cub. Hell, can't even get close anymore."

"Hey got a smoke?" Abel asked one of the Elites to which they replied, "Sorry, all out. We haven't hit any gas stations that still had tobacco left in awhile." Abel nodded to the man and continued on his way. Abel leaned his back against a wall of one of the few buildings and let himself slide to the ground. He took inventory on his ammo for the third time this day.

"Three .45 clips, 38 shells, no cigarettes, no home, no one to trust."

Abel inhaled deeply and held the air in for a few seconds before exhaling.

There was the sound behind them, a dull thumping that didn't have James alarmed. It was Marcus, climbing up the ladder on the depot. "Okay, my turn. Fell free to take a break James," Marcus said. James set the binoculars down, turning with a nod. "Thanks Marcus, appreciate it." Sam got up, and went down the ladder first, James following after. They both headed for the bus, since that become something of their temporary home, and James walked inside with Sam on his heels this time. "Hey," he said, looking at Hibiki and Eve.

Hibiki looked up. "Hey." She looked down. "So...Uhm...Sam, could you take her and like...do something where she is not almost in my breasts? Please?"

Sam chuckled and said "Sure. Come on Eve." Moving to the girl, she got her arms under Eve's armpits and lifted her up, before turning her around to carry her over to the gurney set up at the end of the bus for any wounded. She lay Eve down, before taking a seat in one of the seats that hadn't been removed during the bus remodeling.

James sat down next to his wife, slumping in the seat and putting his arm over her shoulder. "No sign of any threats.....for now. Now if only there had been a sign of some roadside motel...."

Eve rolled over and opened her eyes. The moving had woken her up.
"Nnn....oh...hi...Sam." She reached for Sam's hand.

Hibiki leaned into James. "Thankfully."

Smiling faintly, Sam took Eve's hand and squeezed before letting go.

It was.....nice. Really nice, being this close to Hibiki again. She had stayed true to her word on never leaving Eve, after the catastrophe that was Owensboro. It had put a small strain on the relationship, in a way. Nothing truly damaging, but just the fact that she put off this air that pushed James away, had caused a certain degree of tension. Simply rubbing her shoulder, James said "We'll need to move soon. This isn't a place where we can actually live."

This National Guard Depot was a major find, enough supplies to last a while here but somehow Cristina doubted that the rest of the group planned on remaining here for any length of time. Not that it concerned her really at the present, there was food, water, plenty of ammunition and the area itself was reasonably secure.
Quietly she cleaned her rifle, making sure that it would be functioning properly and would not jam on her if they ran into a fight. Carefully she cleaned and lay each piece of the rifle down on a a reasonably clean cloth sheet, before picking them up and putting the rifle back together again with the same care as a mother would show with their newborn. With a satisfying click she slid home the last piece and began to gently feed bullets into the chamber. Just because the area was secure for the moment did not mean that it would always be so.

Eve sighed softly. She didn't say much, just let Sam go.

"...When will we just find a home..." Hibiki sighed. "I missed my same bed and the bath and my motorcycle. Oh. And..." She sat up. "I miss Eve having a bed to be dragged into with Sam." She gave James a pointed look.

Mira rolled over and found her face between two soft marshmallows.
"...Sarah..." She muttered to herself. She forgot she had bunked with her while Andrew was doing whatever the fuck Andrew does.

Chuckling quietly, James whispered "Thought you didn't want to leave her for a while. I mean, it's only been a day, figured you'd want to still keep her attached for a while more."

Breathing gently through her nose, Sarah looked down at Mira's head nestled on her chest, moving up and down gently in time to her breathing. Everyone else seemed to be calm.....except her. She hid it well but the truth was she was worried, nervous and stuck wondering how long before the hammer came down, before Pariah came for them. Her brother could tell she was nervous, how couldn't he? They may have been split up before but he could still read her fairly well, better than most. And in his eyes he could see something as well......a quiet resentment of her. Could she blame him? She was in a way between him and his own girlfrie--wife. Wife.....they had gotten married, and yet she still clung to her. Sarah enjoyed it yes, the comfort but still she felt deep down a sense of apprehension, being the 'other woman.'

Andrew was busy manning the gate, a boring, tiring job that he hated slightly since it kept him away from Mira. First thing he planned on doing when getting off the shift was going to her and.....well, showing her how much he still loved her. The past day had been stressful as hell, and he needed her, if not in bed then at least close to him, her hand in his. He needed to feel her skin, smell her hair, and hold her against him. He needed his love.

"I did. Then she didn't get off me." She sighed softly. "Wouldn't mind Sam being clingy."

Mira looked up.
"Hi."

"Heh.....well she loves Eve in her own way, and she's too tough to be clingy," James said, idly stroking Hibiki's hair.

Looking down, Sarah smiled a little at Mira and said "Hey there....wish you were up here instead of there. I like rubbing cheeks."

Mira giggled. "Can do." She scooted up and rubbed cheeks. "Thought I blame you. I just rolled over and found myself there."

"I know. Just would be nice." Hibiki said, enjoying the idle stroking.

"Which is kinda odd......since I'm sitting up," Sarah said. They were in fact sitting in the backseat of one of the cars, Sarah's head against the headrest.

"Yeah well.....we'll need to wait for the right time and place for that," James said.

Andrew, counting down the minutes to the end of his shift, gave one final pan with his binoculars and saw to his dread something coming down the road towards them. Taking the referee whistle he found and hung around his neck, he blew on it three times to signal the incoming threat.

"Oh no.....now what?" James asked, groaning in annoyance....and fear of course.

Abel was starting to doze off when he heard the high-pitched sound of a whistle blow.

"Best be a good reason that someone's making that ruckus."

Abel stood up, holstering his sidearm and slinging his shotgun on his back while moving to the front gate.

Getting up, James grabbed one of the military rifles found in the depot, and made his way for the gate. He saw Marcus standing near the edge of the roof on the depot, looking through his binoculars. Marcus shouted down "Definitely not friendlies! Looks like Shepherds!" Swearing loudly, James started barking orders. "Fighters, get to the gate and walls and prepare to stall them!" Clara was also giving orders, but to the civilians. "Non-combatants get to the vehicles and make ready to leave. Make sure our supplies are stored away, and we can leave in an organized manner!"

Sarah nearly tossed Mira off as she got out of the car, thankful her clothes were still on. Her weapon was in the trunk, open and waiting for her to grab it on her way to the wall. She already could see Andrew standing there, a sniper rifle in hand as he positioned the bipod on the edge before taking a shot. Andrew's shot as it turned out, blew the tire of the lead vehicle and caused it to turn off course and block the road, buying some time.

Mira followed, carrying her rifle. She followed Sarah.
"What the hell is going on?"

Eve was up with her P90 while Hibiki got her rifle.
"Let's go!" The woman cried. "Our break's over!"

Sam rushed out, though instead of moving to fight she went to help people pack up. James was standing by the tank, ready mount up and move when Marcus called down from the roof. "We got them stalled, we can move out now but it has to be now!" "Everyone!" James yelled, "in the cars and move out now, head East and keep moving!"

Eve started to direct people alongside Sam as Hibiki fired the tank up. Hayley was gathering everything she could that was left, packing it where she could.
"Cant get a break." She muttered.

While everyone got into the vehicles and ready to leave, James and Andrew stood by the gate, ready to open it. Already the commotion was drawing the attention of walkers, coming out of the nearby woods to find the source of the noise. The Shepherds managed to get past the block, and were once more on their way to the group as James opened the gate. "Everyone, move move now!"

The tank exited first, drawing a line of bullets across the windows of the leading vehicles as it exited.
"Fuckers cant give us a break!"

As the line of Shepherd vehicles came to a stop, the caravan managed to escape and move East. The only problem was that it left Marcus, James and Andrew behind as they left, firing their weapons at the Shepherds. That was when he came out from one of the trucks: Pariah, James' brother. He bore a scar on his cheek from where James had cut him open, and he also held a freaking RPG, which he fired not at the caravan, but at James. "Oh shit!" he screamed, jumping off the wall as the blast tore off chunkc of concrete. Unfortunately for James, he landed outside the wall, and as he picked himself up he found himself facing a pair of walkers. "Fuck...." he said.

Safe and away, Hibiki turned and stopped the tank. The caravan stopped, and she got up. "You. Drive." Passing the stunned man, she stepped outside and waved down a pickup. Eve was behind her. "Mommy!"
Hibiki crouched down. "Babe. Stay with Sam. You're a big girl." She kissed her forehead. "Shh. Go. I'm getting daddy."

Eve backed up as Hibiki's Hayabusa motorcycle was unloaded. Grabbing Eve's P90, ammo, and ber pistol and sword, she roared back to the compound, and found a pickup following her.
It pulled alongside. "Might be more back there!" The driver shouted.
"Hang back; got a flare?"
"No!"
"Then hang in the woods and we'll find you! Give us one hour, then split!"
They nodded. They turned left, and Hibiki sped up, towards the battle.

Mira fired, taking the walkers down. "Get moving James! We're about to move!" She resumed suppressing the Shepherds.

Nodding in Mira's direction, James started to run, heading for the caravan before the sound of a car engine from behind made him turn his head to see one of the Shepherd trucks come at him. With no choice, he dove to the side as it passed him before coming to a stop, blocking his path. Pariah.....Michael, stepped out of the passenger side, firing a single shot from a pistol at an approaching zombie. "Sorry 'bout that bro, don't want you leaving just yet. I need to repay you for my makeover," he said with a leer, coming towards James as casually as if he were in a grocery store. "Get away from him!" someone shouted, rushing Michael from behind, though he spun to face the attacker and caught Ella in a choke-hold as she tried stabbing him with her knife.

"Well what do we have here?" he asked, surprised. "Ella, is that you? Holy fuck, this is just a regular reunion isn't it? How you been doing Ella, been keeping well?" "Fuck you!" she spat, and he chuckled before squeezing tighter. "Now now, manners. Just because you're a dyke and all doesn't mean you've stopped being a woman, and girls must always be polite." Standing up, James shouted "Let her go Michael, this is between you and me!"

Abel was driving one of the vehicles in the caravan.  After the three were left behind, Hibiki told the group of cars to wait in the woods while she went back for them.  This was all going south quickly and Abel didn't like the idea of leaving anyone behind, but going back for them now could only get more people killed.  The vehicles started pulling off onto an old trail that lead into the woods close-by.  Once deep enough in so that they were masked by the trees, everyone shut off their engines and waited.  No one had anything to say, they all knew the situation they were in and at the moment, there was nothing anyone could do.

"Yeah, I suppose it is Jamey," Michael said, forgetting that the person he held still had a knife, which she furiously rammed into her captors thigh. Jerking his head and shouting in pain Michael let go, and Ella moved away as she rubbed her throat, barely noticing as James rushed past her to tackle his brother to the ground, yanking her knife out of the leg wound before ramming it home into his brother's chest. Michael's eyes widened in surprise, mouth agape in shock.......before it twisted into of all things a smile, eyes leering at his brother even as he pulled the blade out and continued to stab again and again. Somehow Michael didn't die right away, staying alive long enough to look his brother in the eye and say, as he coughed up blood, "Congratulations........James.......you just became.....Cain." And then like so many others, Michael died there, killed by fratricide.

Tyler, when they arrived, finally found himself the ammo he needed for his two pistols. He was probably the happiest one in the group that day, considering the events that happened just a few days ago. Which concerned him. Bullet clips made losing his home okay? There was something wrong there, but it doesn't matter at the moment. He was currently using those same bullets on the Shepherds. To say he was rusty would be an understatement. He was terrible, only hitting a few if he was lucky. Over the period of time he went without guns his skills had diminished. Hopefully nothing serious.

He didn't have the luxury to think on what had happened. The bullets, the zombies, the Shepherds.....they all robbed James of a moment to comprehend what he had done, as Ella tugged on his arm and dragged him back towards the carvan's direction, Andrew sticking close to give them covering fire. Feeling like it was all a dream, James started to pick up speed as he ran away from that spot, his brother's corpse on the ground already descended upon by the undead, ripping and tearing away at the still warm flesh.

James saw Hibiki ahead of the group, mounted on her bike. Words failed him though, as he was silent as they drew closer.

Hibiki fishtailed, looking at the two.
"Woods. Straight ahead. Pickup truck waiting. I'll cover."

She reved and roared off, spraying the walkers and drawing them away.

"You heard the biker, move it!" Sarah shouted, she and her brother running as fast as they could while James and Ella ran behind. So far as they could tell, everyone had escaped, and they soon arrived at the pickup by the woods. "Everyone onboard now!" James barked, finally out of his stunned state. "Where's Hibiki?"

On cue Hibiki roared in.
"Gdt moving! Incoming!"

"Incoming what?" James demanded even as he climbed into the back of the truck with everyone else, the engine already starting up as the pedal was pushed.

"WALKERS JAMES." She gunned her bike. "What the fuck else is invading this area?" She was not very happy. Roaring off she kept ahead of it all.

"Oh I don't know, how about the fucking Shepherds!" he hollered back at her as the truck picked up speed, racing down the road to leave the chaos behind them as they drove to catch up with the caravan.

Tyler breathed a sigh of relief. He may not have known her all that well but he was glad she came back. But the mention of walkers and shepherds reminded him to reload.

It wasn't that long of a drive to catch up to the caravan, the group not stopping once. When James and the pickup drove up alongside the bus to signal the all clear, the caravan pulled over along the road for a brief headcount, while James went over to where....well, hopefully where Hibiki would be.

Hibiki had stopped by the truck, and was loading her bike back into said pickup. When James got there...she threw her arms around him and kissed him.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again dammit. Don't you fucking dare."

Eve clung to Sam silently, nuzzling her girlfriend's shoulder.

He wasn't expecting her to throw herself at him like that, but all the same James wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, returning the kiss though with halfhearted passion. He looked away for a brief moment as she berated him, before saying "Sorry Hibiki.....I didn't mean to."

Sam sat in the bus with Eve, mostly silent as she let her show her affection. If anything she felt exhausted, leaning back and resting.

Hibiki didn't let go but pulled back a bit. "I know. Are you okay?"

Eve took Sam's hand. She didn't want to annoy her, so she just did what she was doing, just to be respectful.

"I......Hibiki, I.....whatever he was now, I still killed my brother. How do you think that makes me feel?" James asked in a whisper. He pulled her tight against him, digging his face into her shoulder as he inhaled through his nose, not to smell her but because everything he felt seemed to demand a deep breath. Shaking a little, James felt he was going to collapse then and there in her arms.

"So much for a quiet day," Sam said quietly.

Hibiki held her husband.
"Horrible." She whispered. "Fratricide..." She paused. "Don't feel it. Don't think of it James. Put your thoughts on your family, and how safe they are now."

Eve sighed.
"Yep."

"Trying," James whispered. "Just.... right now, it's too hard to think on anything other." Letting go, James stepped back and ran his fingers through his hair, breathing steadily. "I need.....I need a distraction right now. Work or something."

Hibiki touched his cheek. "We need a safe place. Help Marcus find some ideas."

Breathing calmly now, James closed his eyes for a moment, hand coming up to grip Hibiki's hand against his cheek before pulling it towards his mouth for him to gently kiss her fingers. "Sorry....know I should be the hard-ass right now, but end of the day, I'm not Michael. Not going to walk it off that fast." And with that, he let go and went to find Marcus.

"I married James. Not Michael." That was the last thing Hibiki said as he left.

Eve snuggled more. "Think we'll get a quiet day now?"

"Do we ever?" Sam asked, right about the time she heard James voice.

"Alright people, we can't afford to stay now, too soon for a break. I want a quick headcount then we move out," James barked. "Marcus! Bring out the map!" Marcus came over, carrying a folded piece of paper and laying it out on the hood of a car. "What's the nearest town?" James asked. Tracing with his finger, Marcus did his best to guess their previous path and where they were likely heading, or what was close. "Leitchfield," he said. "Closest town to us if I'm right, should be a good place to hole up for a bit and get some rest."

"Alright, then we make for the town," James said, feeling weary. But not enough that he was set to collapse on his feet just yet....though given that he was simply going to be sitting down the rest of the trip, it wasn't out of the question entirely. In under a minute at least, everyone was good to go, the headcount done. James headed for the same pickup as before, climbing in back to sit back in the bed and relax a little.

Andrew and Sarah started looking around for Miranda, with Andrew calling her name out now and then as cars started moving.