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Servo
Apr 4, 2015 20:25:58 GMT -6
Post by ashestoApples on Apr 4, 2015 20:25:58 GMT -6
Lorna considered reprimanding him for the kiss, but she'd done something similar before and that wasn't very fair. Also, despite the heat on her face she could say with a certainty that she absolutely did not care at all. Definitely that. It wasn't even worth the acknowledgement- that was it, she wasn't going to dignify it with a response.
She did manage to get in a good eye roll at his antics, though. She wondered if she'd ever see the end of his range of ridiculous voices.
"Almost," she said simply, keeping her eye on the road. It was easy since she couldn't see to her right- exactly where Rick was. "Do you see that tall building?" She pointed at a structure a few miles off and toward the center of the town. "That's where we're headed."
She continued to keep her eyes peeled for any biters, but the town was shockingly devoid of them. She could only guess it was thanks to that blocked exit. It did make her wonder about their way out though, if it would be blocked as well.
As they got a few blocks closer to the school, Lorna became aware of movement inside a building. It wasn't much, just a quick shadow through the slats of a boarded up window, but anything was something these days.
"God, I hope there aren't people here." Lorna had learned a few things since the outbreak started, and one of them was: the living are fully capable of being much worse than the dead. Now a little afraid, though, she slowed the car practically down to the speed limit in a last-ditch attempt to make as little noise as possible. It was probably impossible, but she figured she'd try rather than abandon the vehicle altogether.
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Andy
Full Member
Rufus probably
rick gets all his ideas from the sorting hat's cousin - the bad advice bag
Posts: 119
active character(s): Rick
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Servo
Apr 4, 2015 20:32:58 GMT -6
Post by Andy on Apr 4, 2015 20:32:58 GMT -6
Taking in their surroundings are Lorna drove, Rick also became aware of the fact that things were quiet... Too quiet... And while he had always wanted a chance to use that line, he was more concerned with the eerily still atmosphere surrounding them. It felt unnatural.
At Lorna voicing her concerns, the hand Rick wasn't using to support his head subconsciously moved to the handles of one of his bats, his thumb stroking it idly.
"... What now?" He asked at last, after the silence seemed too much to bear. Somehow, the atmosphere of this area made him more uneasy than the undead they had encountered earlier.
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Servo
Apr 4, 2015 20:45:49 GMT -6
Post by ashestoApples on Apr 4, 2015 20:45:49 GMT -6
Lorna frowned as she rounded a corner. "We be very careful. We get in and out and hope we don't run into them," she said firmly.
Had the file not been so important, she might have abandoned the mission for Rick's sake. She couldn't afford to lose him- even if he wasn't the Code Spes.
They pulled into the parking lot of the university, and Lorna made sure to park in a way that would look like the car was kind of just... abandoned. Since it had gotten pretty dirty on the drive over, she hoped it would work if she took the keys with her and locked the gas cap. No siphoning HERE thank you very much. She closed the door quietly and looked up at the building. How was she supposed to get in again? It had been nearly two years since she locked it up and now she couldn't remember which basement window she'd left unlocked.
"Uh," she said intelligently, "one of the basement windows is unlocked," she said, pointing. "I can't for the life of me remember which one." It was strange for her to forget anything, but she supposed she was only human after all. "I guess we try them all." She made sure her glocks were loaded to their capacity and she made sure Rick had his bats and his crossbow (he did, he always did).
"Just try not to be loud," she said, cringing thinking about Rick's loud footfalls.
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Andy
Full Member
Rufus probably
rick gets all his ideas from the sorting hat's cousin - the bad advice bag
Posts: 119
active character(s): Rick
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Servo
Apr 4, 2015 21:02:00 GMT -6
Post by Andy on Apr 4, 2015 21:02:00 GMT -6
He also had to cringe, his boots sounding like they were making a ratchet with every step he took in the quiet environment surrounding them. He briefly considered taking them off, but immediately dismissed it. He might make less noise, but the impracticality of it if someone or something showed up wasn't worth it.
Sharing a look with Lorna, they each went in a different direction. Not far enough away from each other to cause concern, but they needed to try as many windows as possible as quickly as possible, so it only made sense. He tried his best not to leave too many finger or hand prints on any of the windows, only doing what was necessary to make sure whether or not it would open.
After about a dozen windows, Rick's fingers pressed against one that moved slightly, and he grinned in delight. He looked over at Lorna, but she was busy and wasn't looking at him, so he debated how to get her attention without making too much noise. Thinking back to something he had learned as a kid, and hadn't tried to do in years, he put his hands in what he thought was the right placement and held them up to his mouth, attempting to make a bird call.
Hey, even if it didn't work, it was still a noise that got Lorna's attention, at least. Her head shot up and he pointed at the window, giving a thumbs up.
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Servo
Apr 4, 2015 21:11:41 GMT -6
Post by ashestoApples on Apr 4, 2015 21:11:41 GMT -6
Lorna nodded and got low to the ground to run over to him quietly as he pushed the window open. After another look, they realized that Lorna would fit (barely) but Rick wouldn't. She held a hand up to him and pointed to a heavy metal side door, nodding at him before disappearing into the school. Yeah. Rick wouldn't like this. He'd get over it.
The school was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop and no amount of silence from Lorna would save her from someone hearing her if they happened to be in the basement. With quick steps she made her way over to the side door she'd directed Rick to and froze. What if something had happened and it wasn't Rick on the other side anymore?
Thinking fast, she tapped you-aint-nothin'-but-a-hound-dog on the door quietly with her knuckles, praying he would understand. Hopefully he recognized it immediately- it was hard from just the beat!! She started trying to form back-up plans when she heard 'a-cry-in-all-the-time in tap version on the door. She let the breath out she hadn't realized she'd been holding and unlocked the three locks (there were six on the door- she figured it was smart to only lock three of them, then lock pickers would always be re-locking three of the locks when they picked them) to push the door open for him.
"That wasn't so bad," she said quietly when the door had closed behind Rick. She turned to lead him up to the second floor to the top. She'd left everything there in hopes that no one would make it that far if they had in fact broken in.
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Andy
Full Member
Rufus probably
rick gets all his ideas from the sorting hat's cousin - the bad advice bag
Posts: 119
active character(s): Rick
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Servo
Apr 4, 2015 21:48:56 GMT -6
Post by Andy on Apr 4, 2015 21:48:56 GMT -6
Rick certainly didn't like this. With just a little bit of struggling, he watched Lorna disappear into the school and he waited. Seconds ticked on and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raising, feeling like he was being watched. But no matter where he looked, he couldn't pick out any eyes watching him.
Just as he was beginning to get too antsy to bear, he heard a tapping on the large door Lorna had directed him to. He figured there was really only one person that could be - especially tapping like that. He tapped back, grinning at her ingenuity of her signal. The door finally opened and he breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Lorna behind the door and ushering him inside.
If his boots had been loud outside, they were even louder in here. The sound of each step echoed off the walls, and he cringed, becoming more tense by the minute.
"Don't jinx it." He warned Lorna, though he added a wink to indicate he was only kidding. Partially kidding, anyway. From the rigidity of his spine, he couldn't completely mask the fact that he was a little anxious to get what they needed, and get out of here as quickly as they had come.
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Post by ashestoApples on Apr 4, 2015 22:05:34 GMT -6
Lorna crept up the stairs, not stopping too long in any one room. They did need more medical supplies though-- there was a reason she boarded this medical university up. She'd managed to nearly fill her bag before they made it to the top floor.
She made her way down the hallway- they were too on edge to talk, moreso when they saw that the window of the room she needed to get into was broken, the door slightly ajar. Lorna's eye grew wide and she looked over at Rick before darting inside, silence be damned.
"Who did this?" she asked furiously even though she knew Rick didn't know. The room was torn apart- a stark contrast to the rest of the building that was relatively untouched. "Who could've known???" She moved to the filing cabinet that contained her research and, panicked, ransacked the drawer. Her over-alert eyes darted over it the first time and she grew more panicked until she found the chunk of her papers. She'd disguised them (she wasn't stupid) and she had a feeling that was the only reason they were safe. This was bad, though. This was very bad. This implied that the military may be watching her more closely than she realized.
She kicked a desk and crouched, not daring sit down thanks to all the broken glass, before putting her head in her hands. She needed a moment to collect herself now that she had the file. They hadn't found it- thank God- but it was still too close. She realized when she pulled back from her hand that she'd forgotten to bandage it, so she did so. Blood was smeared on her face and she knew she must have looked insane. She pulled her hair back into a more proper bun as she thought.
She reassured herself finally that had it been the military, they would have ransacked the place in its entirety. And it had appeared undisturbed- the military practically flattened places for resources when they came through. It couldn't have been them. Then who?
"Marcus," she breathed. He was the only one who knew where she'd hid the research- she told him exactly how to get in in case she didn't make it. It soothed her and also frightened her that he had been there. "What an IDIOT," she said far too loudly, standing to kick the desk again. "The military could have followed him! He's still working for them!" She was gesticulating like mad while she spoke. "Why did he do this??" She looked over at Rick who looked very concerned and also very confused before sighing. "We'll worry about it later," she said finally. "What's important is we have what we need. Let's get out of here."
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Andy
Full Member
Rufus probably
rick gets all his ideas from the sorting hat's cousin - the bad advice bag
Posts: 119
active character(s): Rick
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Servo
Apr 4, 2015 22:33:46 GMT -6
Post by Andy on Apr 4, 2015 22:33:46 GMT -6
Rick crept slightly behind Lorna, following her since she knew the way and he did not. At least Lorna, ever resourceful, was finding a plethora of things that would come in handy, though it left Rick feeling bad for not having an eye for what to pick out either. Maybe he should ask for a list, like he was picking up a bunch of groceries should they ever be separated.
However, when they came to the room that seemed to be their destination, Rick couldn't help but notice how much worse for wear it seemed. Never a good sign. Neither was Lorna's reaction, as she gave him a panicked look before dashing inside. His eyebrows widened at her urgency, creeping inside but at a loss for what to do as he watched her practically tear her hair out all over again at the sight of the room.
It was in shambles. Lorna's rummaging just spread already messy papers all over the place, and Rick tilted his head to one side in confusion as she asked him who could've done this.
Offering a shrug she didn't see, he watched her crouch on the floor with some concern. Should he offer a hug? He opened his mouth to say something, but then Lorna was talking again and none of this was making sense to him. Hey, at least she said what she needed was still here, and he sighed in relief before stepping to the side and gesturing to the door in an 'after you' gesture.
"So, home again?" He asked, voice just a little louder than before, since he figured they were on their way out now and they hadn't encountered anything just yet.
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Servo
Apr 4, 2015 22:41:08 GMT -6
Post by ashestoApples on Apr 4, 2015 22:41:08 GMT -6
Lorna nodded and looked over at him as she exited the room, trying not to look too angry. They walked and Rick left her to her thoughts-- she was grateful.
"I don't look too nuts, do I?" she asked after they'd gotten a floor down. Her hair was under control, but she knew there was streaked blood on her face and she probably had a frenzied look in her eye. She stopped suddenly and put a finger up to her lips.
Quiet, but fast movements were happening below them somewhere. "Do you hear that?" She was sure he did. She shot a look at him that said 'those don't sound like walkers to me,' and she pulled out her glocks, aiming them toward the staircase they had to come up to get to them.
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Andy
Full Member
Rufus probably
rick gets all his ideas from the sorting hat's cousin - the bad advice bag
Posts: 119
active character(s): Rick
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Servo
Apr 4, 2015 23:01:50 GMT -6
Post by Andy on Apr 4, 2015 23:01:50 GMT -6
"No such thing as TOO nuts." He reassured with a snicker and a waggle of his eyebrows, but was hushed by Lorna and grateful for it as he picked up the noises going on below them.
Ducking into an open door way, he leaned out slightly, crossbrow unstrapped from his belt. Like Lorna, he had it aimed at the stairs, finger ready and waiting for any indication that he should fire.
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Servo
Apr 9, 2015 19:04:27 GMT -6
Post by ashestoApples on Apr 9, 2015 19:04:27 GMT -6
Lorna suddenly saw a heist before her eyes in all of a second. She glanced at Rick as she heard footfalls hitting the staircase, scrambling on top of each other in their haste. How did they get in? Why we're they so alarmed? She realized in that split second her mind was in overdrive that these were not going to be reasonable people, and the confidence she had in her abilities wasn't enough to assure her she could shoot first-- and even if she could, it was obvious there were too many of them to take, even including Rick. She took a leap of faith-- a literal leap. She dove into the open door Rick was hanging out of and grabbed his arm as she did- it was enough for him to position himself with a protective arm in front of Lorna between her and the door. She held back against the wall as the scuffling and yelling went past them and up the next flight of stairs. Neither of them breathed until he were sure they were on the next floor. ((you know in the last of us when Joel like protectively puts an arm up in front of Tess or Ellie when they crouch? Yeah))
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Andy
Full Member
Rufus probably
rick gets all his ideas from the sorting hat's cousin - the bad advice bag
Posts: 119
active character(s): Rick
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Servo
Apr 9, 2015 19:39:17 GMT -6
Post by Andy on Apr 9, 2015 19:39:17 GMT -6
Rick counted his lucky stars his senses always seemed to work better and faster than the rest of him in times of great distress, as he took in several things at once: 1) There were too many of them, and too many of them were too panicked, for he and Lorna to reasonably take on. 2) Lorna knew it, too. 3) She had already decided, based on this new information, to formulate a new plan of action. 4) This plan involved launching herself in his direction. 5) Luckily, as Rick had already observed, his body reacted before the thought formed, and he was already protectively bracing Lorna in their makeshift hiding spot as the crowd hustled past them and upwards to the next floor.
He held his breath, waiting, and he could feel Lorna doing the same. After he felt it was safe, he let his breath out, so slowly his chest ached from restraining the urge to suck in more air as he kept his breathing quiet and even, though in the tension it still felt thunderous to him.
"Leave?" He whispered, lips pressed against Lorna's ear.
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Servo
Apr 9, 2015 20:24:41 GMT -6
Post by ashestoApples on Apr 9, 2015 20:24:41 GMT -6
Lorna didn't even allow herself enough time to nod as she ran with him out the room and bolted for the stairs. They practically flew down them, both with weapons at the ready just in case, and it was good Lorna had such a good sense of direction because by the time they left, the group was figuring out on the fifth floor that they hadn't seen them. On their way back down they began kicking doors in, and that was when they would have been found- had they not already been in the car (Rick beat her to the driver's seat) and launching out of the parking lot.
Their breath was in time with the other's-- fast, shallow, quick breaths- and as they calmed their breath slowed. The CD they had left playing in the car played a song that fell on Lorna's deaf ears at first.
"Though I see the danger there If there's a chance for me Then I don't care Oh, oh, oh, oh
Fools rush in Where wise men never go But wise men never fall in love So how are they to know"
Lorna reached over to turn it off.
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Andy
Full Member
Rufus probably
rick gets all his ideas from the sorting hat's cousin - the bad advice bag
Posts: 119
active character(s): Rick
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Post by Andy on Apr 9, 2015 23:12:49 GMT -6
Had it been any other time or scenario, Rick might've complained about her turning off the radio. But as it stood, he was just happy to get the car going and get out of there.
"Should I floor it, or should I--" Rick started to ask, before someone ran directly into the path of the way he needed to go. His first instinct screamed - PROTECT LORNA! Which translated to FLOOR IT! But his second instinct screamed - THAT'S A LIVING PERSON! Which translated to RUNNING OVER SOMEONE WHO ISN'T SHOOTING AT YOU MIGHT PISS OFF LORNA! And the combination of these two instincts had Rick swerving the car out of the way, scraping the front and side of it before he came to stop, breathing hard.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit... !" He wheezed, looking up to make sure Lorna was okay before staring out the window and yanking his crossbow off his belt. Windows be damned - if they started shooting first, it wouldn't matter much anyway!
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Servo
Apr 10, 2015 15:21:37 GMT -6
Post by ashestoApples on Apr 10, 2015 15:21:37 GMT -6
Lorna, though she had just been thrashed around, was mourning her car more than anything at this point. She'd had it for years! But she supposed that was how it went. She sized up what had happened and reached over expertly to shove Rick's seat back, pulling herself over into the seat. She cursed her hips inwardly when she realized she was in fact mostly on top of him, but she didn't give it much thought. She pulled the car back into gear and floored it just as she began hearing gunshots. She had a headache from being thrashed around, but she didn't even care at this point, honestly. She serpentined down the road much faster than she should have and narrowly avoided a mailbox and a stop sign as she did, but they managed not to get hit. A quick glance in the rearview mirror told her that they were being followed by a few motorcycles and her brow wrinkled as she tried to figure out their options. After a moment, though, she rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm SO not dealing with this right now," she said, swerving onto a low-lying road. She'd managed to shake a few of the cyclists off, but some of them were too good for her. She had to find another way out and she accidentally shoved Rick as she veered off the road and down a hill, through a stream and then rounded a dirt road. The dirt trail would give them away, she realized, and she bit her lip as she flipped the emergency brake on and made a hard turn. The car protested as she came to a sideways stop. She flipped the brake off, and to avoid more dust clouds, proceeded to turn down another dirt road that turned into a cement one. She knew this road very well, as she'd driven it several times in the past- and due to this, she felt confident (too much so) and she pushed the car to what she knew was its limit (around 90 mph) only to end up skidding around a sharp corner she hadn't seen coming, almost toppling Rick on top of her and nearly putting them in a ditch. This didn't seem to jar her, though, and her facial expression didn't even change as she ramped it up to 90 again and came to a complete stop at the end of a long, winding driveway she went down mostly by muscle memory obscured by trees. This was about when Lorna decided to make her way back over to the passenger seat. She did turn the car off when she moved over though, making sure they were hidden well enough that hopefully if anymore cyclists came close they'd drive right past in their haste. At the back of the mind she acknowledged that this place was familiar, and that she had been here many times in the past, but her mind was on high-alert and she had tried hard to block a lot of the memories associated with this place, so she didn't fully accept the thought. When did risking their lives become a nuisance rather than something to go to great lengths to avoid? Lorna wasn't sure, but she also didn't care much. Rick opened his mouth to say something and she slapped a hand over his mouth, facial expression still dark and unchanging. Two cyclists drove by and Lorna sunk into her seat with a sigh. "Let's never do that again," she said, taking her hand off of Rick's mouth to fold them over her chest. She realized as she glanced outside that more time had passed than she thought. It was already well past noon. Now that she thought about it, she probably could have left the car on so she could see the actual time, but she was pretty sure it was 3 or 4 pm already. "We should wait here for a bit," she said as-a-matter-of-factly, eye on what little they could see of the road. "At least see if they give up."
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