The Cries of the Voiceless

[Stark†]

Just wandering, huh? Guess that made two of them.

He'd already tucked the notepad away safely, leaving only their weapons and the map out of place, the latter of which was already in use. It seemed the best idea for now would be to head someplace with a roof. The parish was the closest, but... well, R.J. wasn't exactly sure a house of God would be the most welcoming place for him, at least not right now, all things considered. There was the sawmill he'd been at yesterday, but someone was probably still lingering there that would know his face, and as he recalled, it wasn't in very good shape. The town was even more likely to be harboring people who recognized him, but there were more than enough buildings that he might not run into any of them. There might be salvageable supplies, too, if they were lucky.

Didn't take him too long to come full circle, did it?

The town was straight off to the east, which meant walking directly into the sunrise. The trek would be a little sketchy due to the resulting visibility issues, but the sooner they walked, the sooner they got there. He folded up the map, tucking it away into his bag, between the first aid kit and a crude instruction manual on how to hit someone with a shepherd's crook. Zipping that up, he picked up the gun, double-checking the safety just in case before stowing it in the usual spot. Silently, he offered to carry her sword - he hesitated to call it a sword so much as a 25 pound, double edged cricket bat - to which she replied with a nervous nod. "Th-thanks." He understood why she might be hesitant, but really, it was 1) much too heavy for Mary Ann to carry; even with his own upper body strength, R.J. doubted he could effectively wield it, and 2) best to keep it out of the hands of anyone who might misuse it. He couldn't exactly vocalize as much, of course, so the best he could manage was just to extend his free hand to her, with the best smile he could muster in this situation.

Just hold on tight. If only so you know you're not alone.

[Ella†]

After several seconds of thought, R.J. had pointed towards a bunch of buildings on the map- the town.

Mary Ann still dreaded a return there- but she shook it off. I'm safe now. She nodded and went towards the bags. R.J. motioned towards the sword she'd been lugging around- "Oh, thank God-" She gladly accepted. "Thanks."

And that was that- everything was ready to see them off... except for one thing. "Wait a sec." Someone was still here... someone she needed to say goodbye to.

She returned to the body she'd found when she arrived- more light and a rational inspection revealed it to be Amber Whimsy. Mary Ann knew of the girl- they'd had a couple classes together junior year- but really, she'd just been a face to her. Either way, Amber clearly hadn't gone peacefully. Dried, brown blood covered her torso, her face still contorted in pain over the wound. Mary Ann's eyes began to swell again- No. No more crying.

If nothing else, she owed Amber peace with this world. Carefully, Mary Ann picked up some soil from the ground next to her and sprinkled it over the wound in her chest, adding more until the blood was no longer visible. "Good luck." Her work was done here. Mary Ann returned to her waiting companion.

"Let's go."

She took his hand and they approached the rising sun- no longer alone, and no longer afraid.

Good luck.

[[Mary Ann Warren and R.J. Lowe continued in Where Do You Go From Here?. END OF THREAD.]]