Housekeeping | Open

[nouveauchevall]

Kyle`

Skylar smiled back at me, It's nothing, and laughed somewhat nervously. I was about to pry, but I let it go. She then went on to say that she felt bad for saying she had a good night versus mine. I scoffed, and waved a hand at her. "Look, it's not like you were up in your room practicing voodoo or something." I then paused. "You weren't, right?" I said, joking. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at her, and then relaxed and laughed. I pushed her arm, "I'm just joking."

I looked her in the face, a bit more serious. "Seriously, though. It's not your fault. Don't feel bad. Enjoy your good night's sleep while you can still feel it, because we have a beach to clean." With that, I stood up, took our empty trays to the kitchen, and then came back and offered her my hand.

When we got out to the beach, I stood and put my fists on my hips. "Hmm," I hummed, surveying the wreck. "Where do we start?" I said, turning to Skylar. She was beautiful lit with the midday sun, standing pretty in the sand. I stared at her, maybe a bit too long, and then pulled my eyes away to look out at the water.

So much of the earth was now covered with it. I wondered if maybe in a couple decades the waters might recede and we'd have the rest of the earth back. I was no science major, but the atmosphere could only handle so much humidity, right? Eventually, some of the water might just evaporate and never come back, right? I grew nostalgic when I thought of my home in Washington that wasn't even there anymore. I wanted to get some diving gear so I could go home, but what of my dad? If I dove under and went in my home, would I find him in there? I shuddered, and pulled myself out of my head. That wasn't a lovely mental picture. I needed to get away from that...

I, instead, turned my attention back to Skylar and the beach that was so in need of our attention.

[Japanator]

S K Y L A R T A Y L O R

I laughed when he suggested voodoo. "Of course not!" I giggled. He pushed my arm lightly, insisting that he was simply joking and I felt the warmth of his hand through my sleeve. I hoped the warmth in my face wasn't obvious. He went on to insist that I enjoy the sleep and not to worry about him. Kyle stood and took our trays to the trash and I leaned my elbows on the table, resting my chin on the palms of my hands as I watched him leave. What was it about him that I seemed attracted to? I'd only known him a couple of days. But wow, what a lovely couple of days they'd been. Swimming on the beach, deep conversation...I could definitely see it leading somewhere.

I crossed my arms in front of my and leaned back as he turned to come back. Sure, I saw it going somewhere, but did he? And besides, I was sure that I wasn't going to be around much longer. You can only cheat death for so long, and maybe I didn't deserve love before my impending demise. And I didn't really want it to go too fast anyway, right? Right...yeah...

Kyle reached the table and held out his hand to me. I took it, still thinking about the possibilities. We walked out to the beach in comfortable silence. I gazed around at the debris, split wood, shingles, plastic, cans... It would be quite a job, not easily done in one day, especially since for now it was just me and Kyle. Hopefully we would inspire some more people with our progress though. Kyle spoke what I was thinking out loud, 'where do we start'. I shrugged and looked around. "The big stuff I guess?" I locked my eyes on a pile of boards and wondered what they had once been.

I turned around and saw three large green trash cans a few hundred feet away. "We can pile everything up over there for today." I pointed at the cans and looked back at Kyle.

[nouveauchevall]

Kyle `

I looked over at Skylar, blonde hair shimmering in the sunlight. I surveyed her face for a moment, and then nodded. "Yeah, big stuff."

"Big stuff" sounds easy, but a lot of the "big stuff" was heavy, sharp, dangerous stuff. Wood with big splinters and rusty nails sticking out; sharp, torn tin roofing; crumbling, rough cinder blocks. Even with starting with "big stuff" it was still hard to know exactly where to start. I decided I'd start at the edge of the water and move back. Better for marine life, I guess. The tide was coming in, and was set to peak at about four o'clock in the evening. It would go back out at night, and take a whole bunch of crap with it. We needed to work fast.

I walked down to the water to scope out the damage. A large piece of tin was floating in the breakers, and I reached in to grab it. Only I'd forgotten to get gloves. A wave pushed it into my hand, and I felt my hand go cold as the sharp edge dragged across my palm. I jerked my hand back, and looked down at it. A deep, white cut was turning pink, then quickly turned red, and started oozing crimson blood. It ran out thin and quick as it mixed with the sea water, which burned in the cut.

I cursed loudly, and started walking back up the beach towards Skylar, blood running down my hand and arm, and dripping steadily off my elbow as I bent my arm to look at my hand. My hand shook as I lost blood, but I managed to keep my head on straight. Blood didn't really bother me, but I still didn't like the look of the cut.

[Japanator]

The soundtrack of the waves crashing against the shore was calming, and proved to create a pretty nice work environment. Kyle agreed that we would work with the big stuff first. I decided I would start by clearing a path to the water, so I picked up a couple of 2x4s that were strewn in front of me and walked them back to the trash cans. I watched Kyle walk down to the water and then returned to my work. I stooped down for a block of concrete, probably from some sort of building nearby that got hit by alien weapons. I tried to force any images of that out of my mind as I got a good grip on it. I lifted the block with my legs and pulled into my arms so it would cause the least strain. I was turning back towards the garbage cans when I heard Kyle yell out some unpleasant words. I froze, unsure of what to think.

When I turned around, the first thing I saw was red. Blood. I dropped the concrete right where I was. "Kyle!" I yelled to him. I ran over to see him staring down at a cut on his hand. It was still attached; that was a good sign. "What happened?" I asked, taking his hand in mine. I stared at the gruesome looking cut and my first thought was tetanus. Then a million different possibilities ran through my mind including infection and amputation. Maybe I was letting my imagination go a little crazy, but I wanted Kyle to be okay.

"You need to get that checked out by a doctor, and get it cleaned up. It looks deep; you might need stitches, too," I rambled, not really knowing if it was that deep, but too worried to tell him to walk it off or something, like I might if it wasn't bleeding so bad. It was running down his elbow and everything, and now it was on my hands, too. His hand was shaking and I figured that was adrenaline.

[nouveauchevall]

Kyle`
As I was walking back towards Skylar, she froze, turned to me, and then raced down the sand to me. Her face was pale with shock, and her thin hands shook as she wrapped them around mine. The feeling of her hands around mine brought a dreamy smile to my face, but when I saw her look up to me, I quickly got rid of it.What happened? I pursed my lips, and looked down at my hand. "I, uh... I picked up some tin," I said, pointing to the tin I had tried to grab. I looked back at Skylar with a sheepish smile. "Oops."

Skylar told me I needed a doctor and probably stitches. I chuckled lightly as I watched her worry about me, because I really liked the fact that she cared about me. Maybe a little too much. Truth was, I really didn't know what to think about my sudden strong feelings for her. Maybe it was the fact that she had really been my first and only real friend since the attack. Maybe it was just that she was really pretty. Maybe it was that she was pretty... nice... caring... funny... Woah, there, my brain cautioned me. I nodded mentally to myself. Chill.

I noticed that my blood had gotten on Skylar's hands, and I started to look for something to wipe it off on. "You got blood on your hands... here..." I said, pulling my shirt off with my good hand. I wiped her hand off, and then wrapped the shirt around my hand, kicking myself mentally because it was my nice white cotton shirt. I grimaced at the thought of trying to get that stain to ever come out. I looked up at Skylar. "So... you got any doctors in mind?" I asked, giving her another small smile.

[Japanator]

I wasn't too worried about the blood getting on me. I was more preoccupied with Kyle's bleeding hand. He told me it was tin and my worries about tetanus returned to the top of the list. I met his eyes when he looked up at me that goofy smile on his face and said 'Oops'. I raised one corner of my mouth in a worried smile. I felt a change in the air between us, but I was too worried about his bleeding hand to start worrying about that.

Kyle chuckled as I voiced my opinion about seeing a doctor, and my worry about getting it cleaned. I looked up a raised an eyebrow at him. But he was looking at our hands now, and his eyebrows furrowed. He said something about blood on my hands and I shrugged, and opened his mouth to say that really wasn't what I was worried about right now, but he was pulling his shirt off. I swallowed hard. Whoa. There was definitely a change now. I felt like the air was charged with something neither of us were brave enough to speak out loud. I looked up at his eyes as he cleaned my hands off, then quickly looked back at his hand when he started wrapping his. He looked at me and asked about doctors. I cleared my throat. "Um..." I furrowed my brows as I thought about the reality behind that question. As far as I knew, there were no doctors at this camp.

I looked back at Kyle. "Well, let's at least rinse the cut and I'll try to find some kind of medicine to fight infection and bandages." I was sure there had to be a first aid kit somewhere in the hotel. I grabbed his good hand and started walking back to the hotel with purpose. The beach cleanup would have to wait.

[.:[Drake]:.]

Silence, that was the first thing that accosted Drake at dawn. His eyes fluttered open to reveal the emerald sky that made the forest canopy. He had woken only moments before his watch beeped at him, as such he turned it off when the quiet beep sounded in the small clearing he had camped in the night last. Standing Drake made an effort to stretch his aching limbs and straighten out his clothes.

They were we a practical outfit he thought silently to himself. Drake was wearing a gray button down medium thickness flannel shirt with white stitching along the seams, to accompany this he wore a white A-shirt underneath which showed clearly as he hadn’t bothered to button the last few snaps towards his neck. His pants were standard Denim with gold stitching and were getting wore out in several places as he had been walking south for some time now. Taking the time to braid his long golden shoulder length hair into one mass he amused himself by tightening the black and white bandannas that adorned both wrists. Glancing about the clearing for who knows what he reached into the pack that lay at the left side of the depression his body had made in the loam and withdrew his sunglasses.

It was still sometime before Drake started his trip south again. The orange tinted Viridium lenses flashes as the green overlay HUD was powered on automatically. It was a simple HUD and only displayed a compass and an elevation meter, still however this was ludicrously helpful to Drake as he tried to navigate the coast of what used to be his favorite state. Once underway the kilometers seemed to vanish under long powerful stride and in no time at all he found himself on a ridge overlooking a decent sized city.

Un-shouldering the .22 long rifle he had looted a few towns back he peered through the low powered scope. Nothing amazing was revealed to him at first, it seemed a empty industrial town with a decent portion dedicated to the tall red and white chimneys that reached toward the blue and white sky. His gaze shifted towards the coast and it revealed a more luxurious side of the town with several shopping centers and a hospital. Deciding that he at least should scavenge what he can he started off in the direction of an incline that would take him through the vineyards.

Once at the edge of the vast field Drake stopped for a brief moment and resituated his pack. Digging through to almost the bottom he finally found the Carton of cigarettes and he promptly struck a match to light one. Smoke soon wafted from the burning ember and Drake felt a deep satisfaction in the pleasure of nicotine rushing to his head. After relieving himself on a nearby tree he once again continued his solitary journey through the vineyard. Row after Row of grape vines were dead and empty and the brown shrubs matched the brown earth they were rooted in. Glancing east Drake noticed several large houses and storage buildings. Deciding that they were not worth it he continued into the first paved street of the town.

The long and wide narrow streets were deserted and the carnage of the attacks readily apparent. Buildings lay tore aside as if a giant child had gone on some rampage, Grass grew through cracks in the blacktop. Footsteps and echoes were the only sound as Drake made his way down a street and turned off into a Mobil station. The windows were gone and the building was missing its roof but he decided to look inside. Everything was ransacked by previous looters. Drake managed to find another pack of smokes and hastily stowed them before moving out of empty aisles that were light by a strengthening sun.

Continuing further into town Drake reached what he suspected was once a proud shopping strip. Many storefronts were now cracked or in other various states of decay. Looking west he noticed a familiar symbol and his hopes instantly shut up. It was a sporting goods store, and the front had collapsed making it in accessible. Striding over towards the building he then climbed the rubble and stopped on the low flat roof of the building. The skylights were still intact, a fact he quickly remedied as he kicked through one and then lowered himself inside.

It was pitch black and he landed somewhat solidly on a row of shelves. The resulting clang echoed through his ears all the louder for the lack of noise he was accustomed too. Swearing softly he noticed suddenly that he had been thinking in Russian this entire time, how long had it been since he spoke to another soul? The answer daunted him as he realized just how long it had taken him to get this far south.

The darkness seemed absolute as he fumbled in his pockets for the box of matches he had used earlier. Striking a match he quickly lit a magazine he had procured earlier, the sudden light threw shadows on the rows of aisles and Drake set quickly to the task of first finding a better light source. The naked flames were almost to the point of burning his hand when he at last found an pack of road flares. The new brighter and chemical light flooded the entire store and he lifted his impromptu torch above his head, finally seeing the store and all of its contained riches for the first real time.

The store was practically untouched and Drake marveled in the fact, he set to work deciding what items he needed most for his journey. Noticing that there was a clothing section he quickly stripped and donned a new white t-shirt and a extremely heavy military style jacket, A green cap with a low set brim adorned his head as he left the clothing section smiling.

The fire-arms section proved to be just as interesting, nearly all of the pieces were still there and there was boxes upon boxes of ammo. Kicking through the glass was easy enough and he set to the task of finding a suitable side arm. He settled on a light and narrow 9m pistol, checking nearby he then looted an armpit holster along with several spare clips and ammo for both of his weapons.

He stopped briefly in the fishing section of the store and picked up four spools of heavy braided 110 pound test line. At the very least he could use it for cordage at some point in time. Drake debated on grabbing a fishing pole as he was somewhat skilled in it but decided better and made his way towards the cash registers. The shelves nearest the cash registers held little things of value back then, but now it was like finding gold. Beef jerky, a few cans of pop, a 200 yard Cordage bracelet, a Thero-rod and even a collapsible hatchet disappeared into his Coyote backpack as he finished looting. Glancing at the clock he was surprised to find that it was only a little after noon.

Exiting the store was a bit more complicated and took Drake some time but at last he was free to the streets of the town, Deciding that he should take the time and look to the hospital he headed off in that direction the font wall of the hospital was made entirely of glass and therefore was broken, medical crates and boxes lay everywhere. This place had been thoroughly looted and when he at last found a small prescription bottle he stopped for a moment, lighting a cigarette as he read.

Dextroamphetamine sulfate 100mg, Prescribed to: Heath Mcgrew. Take twice daily orally with a meal.

Drake knew that whoever Heath was he had obviously not been around to pick up his prescription. Knowing what Adderall XR made it a relatively easy choice for drake as he decided to pop the top and down three of the capsules. He knew it would have been wrong back before all this happened. But now he needed to stay active and finish looting this town. Grabbing nothing else he stepped over the shards of glass and back into the street.

It was late afternoon now and the sun had already past its zenith as Drake steadily paced south through town. His thoughts turned to home in St. Petersburg and he also soon felt a slight pressure behind his eyes and somewhat fuzzy feeling as the Adderall took effect. This was the reason he did not believe it at first when he heard a blood curdling scream echo through the ghost own. It was so sudden and so loud that his heart rate shot through the roof and his mind raced circles around itself. Was it another person? Who was it? What made them scream? Were all questions he asked himself as he cautiously ran towards the noise.

Rounding a corner somewhat stealthily he was thankful he had chosen to be cautious and sad at what he saw. Two men stood over a young girl in the middle of the deserted intersection. It was clear what the pair was doing as the unpleasant sound reached his ears. Inside his mind Drake grew furious at the men. It was only after drawing the new 9m pistol that he noticed their orange suits. It seemed somewhere there was a prison missing a few of its inmates. Making up his mind he stepped clearly into the street behind the men and drew somewhat close to them as silent as he could.

Their attention was in the act of what they were doing when Drake shouted, momentarily fumbling over the English language as he again started thinking in Russian. The two men turned and Drakes heart fell as he realized that one of them was armed. Angry voices and a desperate plea reached his ears as he quickly sighted and squeezed off a round into the chest of the armed man. He went down quickly enough but his companion had closed the gap to drake by that time and was swinging all his weight into a haymaker that would surely mean lights out.

A lifetime of martial arts training and physical activity took over his instincts as Drake countered by stepping in past the mans guard, grabbing his elbow then throwing him. The resulting thud of a body hitting the concrete meant little to him as he dropped to his knees pinning the man. Savage left hook after right cross pummeled the man’s face into a bloody mess as drake failed to notice that the attacker had already passed away. When he did notice he found the woman they were taking advantage of half standing, stooped over in pain and walking slowly towards him.

A loud bang was all he heard as the man he had shot in the chest earlier used the 45mm firearm to silence the girls life. It seemed so pointless to Drake that he would take her life. Drawing a knife he had looted from the sports store he slit the man’s throat and left the three bodies to rot.

It was sad that Drake had to harden his heart to the things he had done or witnessed since the attack. And it plagued his dreams constantly turning them into nightmares. Yet some instinct to survive told Drake to get out of the intersection and seek refuge. If the two men had any friends they would surely have been close enough to hear the shots and come running. Grabbing what gear he could in a few moments he quickly set off sprinting full tilt towards the coast, pack rattling all the way.

It was late afternoon, four or five when drake stopped. The sawgrass and sand was nearly all he saw besides the massive expanse of ocean. He had hit the coast and turned south, and spent nearly an hour jogging down it. Drake was aware that the drug of Adderall had left his system and he paused his wandering for another smoke that he lit with a lighter looted from the gas station. Nicotine felt good, was all drake would bring himself to think, if he thought about what just happened he would not be able to get his mind out of that rut for a while.

Noticing something in the distance he veered west into the ridges and sawgrass as he approached it. It turned out to be a hotel with a bustling community of people swarming through and around it. He was still far enough away that he was concealed, yet within range of the low powered scope that adorned his .22. Drake was somewhat fearful and decided to wait a day before making his approach to the community, for he did not know who they were or whether they were civil or not.

That night was spent in the sawgrass two klicks north of the hotel, no fire and only a handful of beef jerky had Drake sleeping before ten. When he awoke again he noticed first the gentle sound of surf and then righted himself. He took his time and prepared every asset of his gear before again sighting the hotel. This time he saw two figures slowly making their way towards the hotel, one bent over the others hand. It was clear even from this distance that one was a man and one was a woman. Drake made his appearance as they were just about to enter the hotel.

Calling loudly with a hawk whistle he approached the two clad in his full gear. The backpack and rifle were on his back but he openly wore the 9mm in the armpit holster. As he stopped a handful of strides away from the two his eyes darted about them. One was injured and the other a woman who looked as she had seen no horrors of the war.

Breaching the sudden silence that had befallen the group drake spoke in a heavily accented English. He accompanied the line with a smart tug on the brim of his hat, which caused his bandannad arms to seem pale and his sunglasses to catch a hint of sun.

“Hello? Can I ask what this place is? I have been traveling for sometime, is this a community and if so what do you do here exactly?”

It was a fair question Drake thought but he was more concerned about their thoughts towards an armed intruder, Covered in a layer of dirt grime sweat and even a fair amount of blood all packed into military like styled clothing with a serious face and dead eyes making their presence known.

///
Word count: 2425
Muse level: moderate
post grade: C+ (accidentally left out alot of my plot points and some of his thoughts, as well as a good chunk of descriptions)
Point of view: Third, It's always third
Attached images: none
music: Forebearance~ Michele Mclaughlin
OOC notes: I am sorry if this throws a wrench in your plot, saw an open thread and figured i had to start somewhere. If either of you want this removed please message me and I will do so.
~Drake

[nouveauchevall]

Kyle`

Smiling, I watched Skylar as she tried to think. Her hair caught the sun and shimmered, bringing out little red highlights... I brought myself back to reality. Skylar furrowed her brow at my question about doctors. Um... I smirked. "Thought so." Well, let's at least rinse the cut and I'll try to find some kind of medicine to fight infection and bandages, she said quickly. I laughed aloud and nodded, trying not to be too patronizing. "Sure, sure," I said. Skylar wrapped her small hand around my good hand and tugged me back towards the hotel. My head swam and was filled with the fact that she was holding my hand, and I could barely focus on where my feet were going.

Just then, a whistle caught my ears and I stopped, turning in the direction it came from. "Did you hear that?" I said aloud, looking down the beach. A tiny figure was walking towards us. Clothed in dark military print and jeans, I wondered how it wasn't dying of heat. I stood, bare-chested in only my shorts, and Skylar in a sleeveless shirt and shorts. I ran a hand through my hair. "Sup?" I shouted. I grabbed Skylar's hand. "Let's go meet," I said in my normal voice.

The person, I now saw was a man, stopped a few steps from us, and studied us. I returned the sentiment, looking him over. He had guns strapped to him in various places, and a backpack slung over his back. I was a little skeptical of him, but he was speaking now, so I let the feeling slide.

Hello? Can I ask what this place is? I have been traveling for sometime, is this a community and if so what do you do here exactly? I was a little taken aback by his accent. A Spanish accent, or even a Canadian accent was something you would hear here, but not a Russian accent. I snapped my jaw shut, after realizing it had dropped slightly open. "Uh, yeah. Um, well this is kind of a community, yeah. After the... attack... we all kind of grouped here. We socialize and run things... Skylar," I indicated my female companion, "and I are kind of supervising a beach clean-up right now..." I dropped off, looking at the people-free beach. "It's not going too well right now..." I smiled sheepishly at Skylar and then turned my attention back to the newcomer.

I held out my good hand. "I'm Kyle. Kyle Hyssop."

[Japanator]

It crossed my mind that any doctors practicing right now would be more inclined to help some with a major injury, as opposed to Kyle's cut hand. Nevertheless, I was not. And I was worried about the repercussions of a cut so deep. Of course, maybe I was overreacting. Millions of people were dead and dying, and I was worried about my friend's hand. I glanced back at him. I can't help it.

Kyle and I both halted at the sound of a whistle. I dropped Kyle's hand to cup both of my own over my eyes to reduce glare. I looked around, wondering if the whistler was new, or someone who lived at the camp. When I saw the figure, I was hesitant. Kyle called to the person walking toward us and then took my hand. It was comforting to feel his hand wrapped protectively around mine. It made me feel safe.

The man was armed. My eyes locked on several guns. He wore a flannel shirt and jeans. My first thought was that those clothes in the summer heat were impractical; he would overheat! But then I realized what he must have walked through to get here. I remembered the destruction and rubble, which made the beach look like an island paradise in comparison. He would be protected in that clothing, more so than what Kyle and I were wearing. I glanced at Kyle, standing there without a shirt. We looked like we were on a beach vacation, really, aside from Kyle's bloody hand.

Kyle answered the man's questions and I nodded along. I turned to the newcomer as he finished. "We survive," I said with a shrug. Really, that was the big picture when it came to these camps. We banded together to try and survive the aftermath of the attacks. Kyle told the man his name and extended his good hand. I crossed my arms casually. "Skylar Taylor," I told him.

[.:[Drake]:.]

When the two of them bother Offered very civil answers to his questions he sighed inwardly and let his shoulders drop somewhat. He watched with mild contention as both of them stared openly at the fact that he carried firearms. sheltering his eyes from the sun which was on his right shoulder.

Drake listened as the man explained a little bit about the place and then went into a moderate level detail of the beach cleanup that was going on. The man extended his hand and Drake shook it firmly, He noted that there were at least a few callouses, but he smiled openly as he thought crookedly to himself that his hands must feel like scarred leather.

shaking the mans hand and hearing his name as the woman also said hers put Drake more at ease and after letting Kyle's hand drop back down to his side he again tugged the brim of his hat. he nervously chewed on the side of the cheek and pulled a cigarette from his front pocket, lighting it. A misty silver haze hung around lazily before being swept away by the ocean breeze. It just happened that the breeze was particularly strong at that point and Drake thought to himself about the change of seasons that was sure to be coming soon if not had happened already

"Drake Igoro Harrowmont, a pleasure to meet you both. what exactly happened with your hand?

He asked openly as his eyes once again studied the gash, it didn't look extremely serious, but blood poisoning was a risk and it should be washed at the least as soon as possible.

holding up a finger before they could ask any questions he swung his arms out of the backpack he was carrying and withdrew a military field dressing before extending it to kyle.

"Wrap that after you wash it, I have a few medical supplies if you are in need of them, have you heard any activity in the city north recently?" he asked the latter with an obvious interest which sounded weird coming from the Russian accent.

As kyle saw to the bandage and replied he studied the woman more.
"What exactly do you hope to accomplish by cleaning the beach? i know that both of you may see it as an eyesore but each and everyone of those things can be turned into something useful, why not build a fish trap or an actual wall and guardhouse with that much scrap?"

[nouveauchevall]

Drake smiled as he took my hand, and at first I thought it was a friendly smile, but as I looked at him it seemed more like he was enjoying a private joke. His hands were rough, dry, and calloused. They brought to mind a carpenter working on a new rocking chair, or a lumberer taking out a pine tree with an axe. I dropped his hand and wondered how his hands got that way. He seemed much to young to have gotten those from a profession like that.

He seemed to relax after we introduced ourselves, and that made me relax a little too. His shouldered relaxed, and he brought out a cigar and lit it. I didn't mind; the smell reminded me of my dad's brothers when they would come over to watch the Superbowl and cook beer-battered cheeseburgers on the grill. With a small ping of sadness, I realized I'd never watch the Superbowl with them again.

Drake Igoro Harrowmont, a pleasure to meet you both. what exactly happened with your hand? I smiled sheepishly. "I, ah, had a bit of a run-in with some tin," I said, pointing over my shoulder to the culprit, which still lay harmlessly on the shoreline. Drake held up his finger, telling me to wait, as he pulled out a military-issue first-aid kit. He handed it to me, and inside I found pretty much everything I needed. I pulled out some rubbing alcohol and grimaced. This would hurt.

Wrap that after you wash it, I have a few medical supplies if you are in need of them, have you heard any activity in the city north recently? "Yeah, thanks... And uh, no -ah!- I haven't heard much of -eehh- anything," I said, pouring the alcohol onto the cut. I bit down hard on my lip, as the alcohol burned severely in the cut. After a moment it was done, however, and I dabbed at it with a piece of gauze before wrapping it tightly.

He then addressed Skylar, and I looked at her interestedly, waiting to see what she would make of this.

[Japanator]

I watched as Drake and Kyle interacted, standing quietly and patiently beside Kyle. Drake handed him a first aid kit and I winced as Kyle poured rubbing alcohol on his injured hand. My eyes slid to eye Drake as he spoke and then back to Kyle while he answered. News from the north? What's in the north? I wondered to myself. Maybe there were other camps up north, or maybe there was more left than I had originally assumed. I wasn't much interested in that at the moment, however. I was more interested in this shady new stranger. I couldn't really label him a refugee. He seemed to self-sufficient for the word.

The strangers' next words were directed at me, and I fought the urge to step back. What was there to be afraid of, anyway? Even as I thought it, though, my eyes went to the guns strapped in various places on the man. Okay, there was reason. But I wasn't one to judge. I allowed a polite smile then shrugged again. Scanning the beach, I answered, "I guess the stuff could be salvaged, too, but the idea behind the cleaning of the beach was to give the other refugees somewhere nice to go, somewhere where we could actually have fun again." I looked at Kyle. "It was an impulse," I allowed. Then I turned back to Drake. "But I still think it would be good for the people."

I still wasn't sure what to think about this stranger. I guessed that he would think my plan silly and short-term. Long-term was important, but I wanted to do something now. Nevertheless, Drake had a good point. We would run out of food eventually and there was plenty of netting and spare woods and bricks that could be used as traps. So I took the opportunity to encourage him to stay and help us. "You're right though. If you have ideas, we could definitely use your help here. You're welcome to stay in one of the rooms upstairs." I doubted I would go so far as to agree with a guard wall; who did we need protection from now? But I was certain Drake had many other useful ideas.

[.:[Drake]:.]

Drake smiled inwardly as he hear Kyle's response, his eyes darting to the offending extrusion of metal. It seemed harmless enough, but metal was sharp, he knew that first hand. his mind wandered for a bit and it was a few drags on the cigarette before he got the second part of the response. His smile vanished quickly as he heard tell that they had had no news from the town that he just passed through. However it was then Skylar's turn to answer his questions.

he chuckled inwardly to himself as she explained that people needed nice things. as he listened to her he withdrew his leatherman and flicked the blade casually, the blade now bare quickly went to work scraping off bits of callous from the sides of his fingers. Drake's eyes never left the pair of orbs that were holding his.

She had good reasons, that was to be sure. He just did not see them as Long term. short term was nice, but in his mind he could only think about long term. and it was with this reason he decided to tell them what had happened in the town to the north.

Drake suddenly started walking briskly in his enormous gait towards the coastline, "Well, shall we then?" he asked the pair before moving past them. When he reached the coast line however he found that he would happily enjoy ridding the coast of this debris. already his eyes had picked out things he could use.

"If you insist that i stay i would be more than happy to do so. I would ask only two things, That I am allowed to build a work shed. The second would be that we build a fence. soon."

he had said all this while half chucking a piece broken drywalling out of the way, since he had been facing the ocean he turned towards the two who were further towards the coast and said

"By the way, come here if you please." He waited then continued.
"I know it may seem bizzare, especially since the attacks just recently took place. I wish i was not the one to tell you but it would be cruel of me not to. The town north is abandoned, as that was probably self evident already. What was not self evident as i looted it however was that apparently the local jail there has a few if not more missing inmates. As i made my way from the hospital were i.... appropriated some things i heard a voice. now keep in mind i wandered south from Washignton during the attacks, seeing no one except for the dead. So this voice startled me, naturally i wanted to find out more, i regret doing so. Two bandits, for want of a better term were very actively carrying out mischief with a local woman, sadly none of the three survived the encounter. Be that as it may however this Camp is now within fifteen clicks of an active community. IT is not friendly." he hadnt noticed that he had crossed his arms and lit a cigarette during his story. but apparently he had.

speaking a bit softer he added.
"thus my idea for the wall, if you need my services i was a lead engineer most things are within my ken to build. Now that i have told you. What do you think needs to be done about the town north?"

setting back to his work he listened as they responded. his mind was also fixed on a car battery and a pair of jumper cables he had stumbled across. Quickly fishing a few quarters out of his pocket just as Skylar ended her narritive he linked the two jumpers to the same quarter then connected the leads to the actual battery. carrying the ensamble with him he walked a short ways to where there was a oddly large piece of sheet metal. He hadnt heard but they had accompanied him.

Untying his bandannas he turned suddenly and threw them at the pair of people. "cover your eyes." with that he completed the circuit and set the quarter to metal. a loud hiss and a damnably bright light made its presence known as the impromptu arc welder made short work of the thin metal. Drake continued his meticulous work until the large sheet had been cut into almost four identical pieces.

He listened for a question from the two as he set to work cutting out two holes in each corner of each piece of metal. When it was all said and done he stepped back and admire his handiwork, heedless to the fact that sweat was absolutely
pouring into his eyes he exclaimed to the pair of them.

"and their we have it. A guard house."

[nouveauchevall]

As Drake talked about the town to the north of us, I felt uncomfortable. A jail breakout? Not what we need right now. Sadly, none of the three survived the encounter. I frowned. Was it Drake who was responsible for that? I took another look at his weaponry. Yes. He was.

I was liking the look of this guy less and less. The more he talked, the more I felt myself closing to him. He seemed to militant, but also pushy and in charge. My first thought was soldier, but the more I talked to him the more I thought... mercenary.

What do you think needs to be done about the town north? I hesitated, and then looked for the meaning behind the words. "Done? What do you mean done? We need to get in contact with them. We need to unite with them. I don't think you realize, Drake, the fighting is over. We're just rebuilding now. We're not warring armies. We're all human. Remember who the enemy is. Was," I corrected myself.

I realized that in my little rant, I had taken a step forward and placed myself in between him and Skylar. I did not move. Drake carried on and built himself a "guard house" as he called it. With the thought of a bunch of prisoners running free, and Skylar behind me, I didn't think this was a bad idea right off. Maybe we should have some soldiers at the gates to the hotel, guarding us. But I wanted to stand by my previous words. I came to a decision. "I'm not going to say this guard house is a bad idea. But I'm not having walls put up around our camp. We don't need to close ourselves off from the rest of the camps. We're a safe haven for people who want somewhere to stay. Anyone," I emphasized.

[Japanator]

I fought the urge to smile as Kyle responded to the newcomer. I liked the way he stood up for helping other refugees and welcoming those in need. However, when I realized he was taking a step towards Drake, I reached out for his arm. "Kyle," I said softly. My eyes went in the direction of Drake's guns, and to the muscular body that wielded them, but I checked myself. There was no need to act nervous around Drake. His interests were in protecting the camp, not bringing trouble. Though I had to wonder if he wouldn't bring trouble accidentally in his quest for safety.

I did as he said, covering my eyes as he fiddled with some objects he'd found on the beach. An unexpected hissing caused me to jump, and I resisted the urge to grab Kyle's arm again. Somehow I had made him my protector in my mind. I decided that was foolish, and tried to calm myself on my own. I folded my arms across my chest and watched Drake put together his guard house. I had to admit, at least to myself, that it was fairly impressive. Drake was good with tools...and scraps. Maybe having him around could be quite helpful.

Kyle continued to debate him, and I felt myself siding with my friend as I listened to his points. A safe haven... I tried to imagine walls put up, guards checking everyone out as they tried to enter the camp, and I suppressed a shudder. It sounded so...militant. Looking at Drake, though, I wasn't surprised. He seemed to come from a strict militant background, though I couldn't be sure. What did I really know about him? I cleared my throat. "I agree...I don't think we should put up walls, but I do think this guard house is a good idea. And feel free to build yourself a workshop. We could use someone around here who knows how to build and work." I offered Drake a smile, hoping that he would see us as welcoming, rather than two people ganging up on him and shooting down his idea.