(Kassandra Vaitaki continued from Junkyard Nights)
Kassandra was running out of energy. She had spent most of what she had left during the getaway from the salvage yard, and now she was running on fumes as the group continued their search for safety and shelter. She was visibly exhausted and had trouble keeping her eyes open. Despite that, she hadn't done much in terms of slowing down. She still stood at the front of the group while they walked, although she was more desperate for a rest at every passing moment. She wanted to make sure that they could hole up safely somewhere before going to sleep. Although in the state she was currently, in, it was more like a competition between her drive and her diminishing consciousness.
They arrived in a small suburban area, with a cluster of homes and gardens laid out before them. Even in the dimness of night, the bright colors of the flowers and painted walls were prominently smeared over her field of view. Her surroundings gave her a glimmer of hope. Houses had walls and roofs, and they were perfect for hiding, or at the very least staying at least somewhat comfortable. There was an area open to them now, a great many houses for them to choose from. And unlike the junked vehicles from the salvage yard, they probably wouldn't have to discount almost all of them as being unsuitable.
She turned towards the first house they passed by and nodded at it, not feeling like mustering the strength to make any other gestures. She rolled her eyes to the side to look to her allies while she talked, her voice sounding as drained as her manner.
"Here?"
Room for Three
Phase 2 (13-24 Hours)
(Bishop Smith continued from Junkyard Nights)
To say Bishop was running on empty would be an understatement. He had only gotten around an hour of sleep before being ripped back into the waking world and had been on the run since then. The reason was fairly understandable of course, an encounter with a possibly deadly foe would cause just about anyone to move their asses, but that didn't change the fact that he felt like he was going to pass out at any moment. The occasional drooping of his head giving a clear indication of that to those around him.
Thankfully though, they eventually arrived at some housing area for what Bishop guessed had to be the middle class of the town. Nothing there was exactly extravagant or gave any indication of wealth, but the houses were in generally good condition and looked at least comfortable to live in. At least, before the general's army stormed in and ripped the citizens away from their current living situation and into the iron grip of America's government. Once again, assuming the military didn't just slaughter them all at least.
Kass quickly came to a stop, turning towards the first house they arrived at. Her eyes gesturing for Marion and himself to look towards the area themselves. She then asked if the duo were okay with staying in said house. Bishop wanted to object, since maybe entering the first house anyone entering the area would check wasn't the best idea, but at this point he didn't care. He just wanted to rest. They'd deal with the intruder if it happened, for now the first order of busnisses was to get some sleep.
So, Bishop gave Kass a quick nod and a "Yeah" in response. Not wanting to delay their rest any further.
To say Bishop was running on empty would be an understatement. He had only gotten around an hour of sleep before being ripped back into the waking world and had been on the run since then. The reason was fairly understandable of course, an encounter with a possibly deadly foe would cause just about anyone to move their asses, but that didn't change the fact that he felt like he was going to pass out at any moment. The occasional drooping of his head giving a clear indication of that to those around him.
Thankfully though, they eventually arrived at some housing area for what Bishop guessed had to be the middle class of the town. Nothing there was exactly extravagant or gave any indication of wealth, but the houses were in generally good condition and looked at least comfortable to live in. At least, before the general's army stormed in and ripped the citizens away from their current living situation and into the iron grip of America's government. Once again, assuming the military didn't just slaughter them all at least.
Kass quickly came to a stop, turning towards the first house they arrived at. Her eyes gesturing for Marion and himself to look towards the area themselves. She then asked if the duo were okay with staying in said house. Bishop wanted to object, since maybe entering the first house anyone entering the area would check wasn't the best idea, but at this point he didn't care. He just wanted to rest. They'd deal with the intruder if it happened, for now the first order of busnisses was to get some sleep.
So, Bishop gave Kass a quick nod and a "Yeah" in response. Not wanting to delay their rest any further.
Marion's mind was rather blank as they looked for a house. She hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep, so she was still tired as fuck, her mind in no state to pay much attention, and she mostly just clung to Kass while they searched. When they found a house, Kass asked "Here?", and it took Marion's tired brain a few seconds to realize she was asking if staying in this house for the night was all right. It wasn't an impressive house, but at this point Marion was so tired she'd sleep on the dirt if need be, so she just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Sure."
"Cool."
Glad to hear the agreement, Kassandra managed to bring the corners of her mouth up enough to show a tired smile. She started a plodding march up the walkway to the porch, her pipe dangling at her side and occasionally coming far too close to tapping the ground. Her pace wasn't particularly quick, but she was moving at a consistent pace, much like a train on its tracks. There was no deviation from her path, just a wait for her to reach the destination.
The small garden decorated the front of the house with tiny white, pink, and yellow flowers. The pink ones would blend in a bit with the similarly-painted walls of the house, but the others stuck out well enough, almost creating a faint polka-dot effect. The design was something that Kassandra would have usually taken the time to appreciate, but she was too far past the point of exhaustion to consider it at the time. She walked up to the door, not contemplating the contrast between its bright blue color and the rest of the house, and pushed her pipe against it to see if it would open.
The door budged the tiniest amount before the mechanism in the handle caught it. So it was still closed, meaning that it was definitely possible that no one had used it yet. She couldn't exactly verify that, but she was willing to go with her hopes on this one. She turned the handle and lightly pushed the door open, slowly illuminating the room inside with an ever-increasing arc of light from the doorway. Nothing immediately jumped out at her as threatening or out-of-place, so she took a tenuous step inside.
The living quarters were sparsely decorated, but functional, and the entrances to a couple of other rooms could be seen. She hoped that there was still a bed around somewhere, or at least some sort of couch.
Glad to hear the agreement, Kassandra managed to bring the corners of her mouth up enough to show a tired smile. She started a plodding march up the walkway to the porch, her pipe dangling at her side and occasionally coming far too close to tapping the ground. Her pace wasn't particularly quick, but she was moving at a consistent pace, much like a train on its tracks. There was no deviation from her path, just a wait for her to reach the destination.
The small garden decorated the front of the house with tiny white, pink, and yellow flowers. The pink ones would blend in a bit with the similarly-painted walls of the house, but the others stuck out well enough, almost creating a faint polka-dot effect. The design was something that Kassandra would have usually taken the time to appreciate, but she was too far past the point of exhaustion to consider it at the time. She walked up to the door, not contemplating the contrast between its bright blue color and the rest of the house, and pushed her pipe against it to see if it would open.
The door budged the tiniest amount before the mechanism in the handle caught it. So it was still closed, meaning that it was definitely possible that no one had used it yet. She couldn't exactly verify that, but she was willing to go with her hopes on this one. She turned the handle and lightly pushed the door open, slowly illuminating the room inside with an ever-increasing arc of light from the doorway. Nothing immediately jumped out at her as threatening or out-of-place, so she took a tenuous step inside.
The living quarters were sparsely decorated, but functional, and the entrances to a couple of other rooms could be seen. She hoped that there was still a bed around somewhere, or at least some sort of couch.
One would think that if you were to walk into any random home that it would be at least somewhat messy, or that its contents would be decorated more. Given a more personal touch by those whom dwell within it. The room the group had entered, however, was not that. This was too plain, too generic, too sparse. Nothing a normal family would actually have set up. Maybe the guys running this sick game made the interior more "appealing" while not giving enough to give the kids anything even resembling a helping hand, though the idea of that wasn't something Bishop liked. It felt almost like they were ripping the former family away from their home a second time, with little care for the people who were here before hand.
But, hey, maybe that wasn't the case. This was the first building Bishop had entered since he arrived in this hell hole. Maybe the people living here just liked their house looking nice and all. The garden outside did indicate that as well. So, hopefully, this was just how the family had lived before the class was dropped here.
With that thought passing, the group had a more pressing matter to take care of. The three of them were all drained as hell, and they needed rest right away. After locking the door behind them, he turned back to the two girls and began to address them.
"W-well, lets go ahead and try and f-find a bedroom. I-I can take the first watch i-if you two wanna get some sleep."
But, hey, maybe that wasn't the case. This was the first building Bishop had entered since he arrived in this hell hole. Maybe the people living here just liked their house looking nice and all. The garden outside did indicate that as well. So, hopefully, this was just how the family had lived before the class was dropped here.
With that thought passing, the group had a more pressing matter to take care of. The three of them were all drained as hell, and they needed rest right away. After locking the door behind them, he turned back to the two girls and began to address them.
"W-well, lets go ahead and try and f-find a bedroom. I-I can take the first watch i-if you two wanna get some sleep."
"Sounds good to me," Marion yawned, before suddenly falling on her knees and then collapsing onto the floor, dozing off.
The sound of Marion hitting the floor snapped Kassandra out of her drowsy trance for just a moment as she processed that her friend had just dropped to the ground. She experienced a flash of concern, but was quickly reminded that she was also tired, and now the floor looked like an awfully inviting place to take a nap.
She took off her own bag and placed it on the ground, her hoodie inside softening it to create an ersatz pillow. She laid on the ground and let her head rest on the bag. From her viewpoint, she could see the already snoozing Marion as well as the still-standing Bishop. They were all still all right, and they were holed up in what she figured was a safe enough place. There were definitely better alternatives, but given the cards they were dealt, she would take what seemed like a decent deal while she could.
She had planned on discussing who should take guard, but she was too close to passing out to bother. Besides, Bishop was smart and he had a shotgun. She was sure that he could handle it. With her eyes barely able to stay open, she mumbled a quick notice.
"Night."
And with that, she was off to slumber.
She took off her own bag and placed it on the ground, her hoodie inside softening it to create an ersatz pillow. She laid on the ground and let her head rest on the bag. From her viewpoint, she could see the already snoozing Marion as well as the still-standing Bishop. They were all still all right, and they were holed up in what she figured was a safe enough place. There were definitely better alternatives, but given the cards they were dealt, she would take what seemed like a decent deal while she could.
She had planned on discussing who should take guard, but she was too close to passing out to bother. Besides, Bishop was smart and he had a shotgun. She was sure that he could handle it. With her eyes barely able to stay open, she mumbled a quick notice.
"Night."
And with that, she was off to slumber.
Bishop did not expect that kind of a reaction from Marion, only able to watch as her legs crumbling underneath her as she collapsed onto the ground below. If it wasn't for how obviously tired Marion was Bishop would likely be freaking out right now, but right now he just awkwardly looked at his unconscious ally just laying there. Not even bothering to wait until they found a bedroom.
Guess they were just sleeping here then.
Kass, understandably, didn't really bother to wait long before heading to sleep as well. She was the most sleep deprived of the three anyway, and the sooner she did so the better. Still, for the third time since he had arrived here, Bishop was once again alone. Granted it wasn't as bad as before, his allies were still with him and he was locked inside a house that didn't seem to have anybody else inside of it, but still it wasn't exactly fun to be on your own
But, okay, whatever. They were safe. Nobody was going to come in and attack them and if they did he had a shotgun anyway. He'd be fine.
Bishop was not fine.
You hear a lot in the dead of night, with nothing left to distract you. Normally it's easy to shrug off. The wind blowing outside, the sounds of footsteps a short while away, all easy things to excuse when you're not in danger. When the possibility of death wasn't looming around every corner. But here? It wasn't even close to possible.
Nobody had come close to the house, thank god, however any sounds from outside set him off pretty much instantly. There was no chance at a calm moment for the boy, not with the small breaks through the silence outside feeding on his unending paranoia. Sure, it was likely the wind at every moment, but his mind wouldn't know the difference. Every little sound outside could be some psycho looking for a place to rest, and should they choose this house Bishop was the only one who could fight him off. Yeah, sure, the door was locked. But if they some how found a way in that would leave Bishop with only a few moments to react before they had a chance to take their lives.
But would he be able to do it? For all he knew whoever wanted to enter the house could be peaceful and just looking for a place to stay. Maybe they didn't want to kill anybody yet. But even then, could he afford to wait for an answer? Could he even allow them the chance to kill him and the others? That's also forgetting the fact that he'd never even shot a gun to begin with. Would he even be able to aim it correctly, let alone hold onto it should the recoil attempt to pry it from his grasp? These questions raged on and on in him mind as he pondered this, hoping he would never have to find the answers.
Then, suddenly, he heard the sound of something crumpling outside the doorway. Tensing up, his grip tightened on the gun's handle. He pointed it at the door, his breath becoming quickly and heavily as he did so, waiting for somebody to attempt to open it.
After a few moments however, there was nothing. No attempts to open the door, nobody crying out and asking if somebody was inside. Sighing, Bishop realized once again it was likely just leaves being blown within the wind.
This was gonna be a long shift.
After roughly 3 hours on watch duty, Bishop moved over to where Marion was resting and quickly shock her shoulder.
"H-hey." He meekly muttered, obviously about to pass out at any moment. "Do you mind taking over?"
Guess they were just sleeping here then.
Kass, understandably, didn't really bother to wait long before heading to sleep as well. She was the most sleep deprived of the three anyway, and the sooner she did so the better. Still, for the third time since he had arrived here, Bishop was once again alone. Granted it wasn't as bad as before, his allies were still with him and he was locked inside a house that didn't seem to have anybody else inside of it, but still it wasn't exactly fun to be on your own
But, okay, whatever. They were safe. Nobody was going to come in and attack them and if they did he had a shotgun anyway. He'd be fine.
Bishop was not fine.
You hear a lot in the dead of night, with nothing left to distract you. Normally it's easy to shrug off. The wind blowing outside, the sounds of footsteps a short while away, all easy things to excuse when you're not in danger. When the possibility of death wasn't looming around every corner. But here? It wasn't even close to possible.
Nobody had come close to the house, thank god, however any sounds from outside set him off pretty much instantly. There was no chance at a calm moment for the boy, not with the small breaks through the silence outside feeding on his unending paranoia. Sure, it was likely the wind at every moment, but his mind wouldn't know the difference. Every little sound outside could be some psycho looking for a place to rest, and should they choose this house Bishop was the only one who could fight him off. Yeah, sure, the door was locked. But if they some how found a way in that would leave Bishop with only a few moments to react before they had a chance to take their lives.
But would he be able to do it? For all he knew whoever wanted to enter the house could be peaceful and just looking for a place to stay. Maybe they didn't want to kill anybody yet. But even then, could he afford to wait for an answer? Could he even allow them the chance to kill him and the others? That's also forgetting the fact that he'd never even shot a gun to begin with. Would he even be able to aim it correctly, let alone hold onto it should the recoil attempt to pry it from his grasp? These questions raged on and on in him mind as he pondered this, hoping he would never have to find the answers.
Then, suddenly, he heard the sound of something crumpling outside the doorway. Tensing up, his grip tightened on the gun's handle. He pointed it at the door, his breath becoming quickly and heavily as he did so, waiting for somebody to attempt to open it.
After a few moments however, there was nothing. No attempts to open the door, nobody crying out and asking if somebody was inside. Sighing, Bishop realized once again it was likely just leaves being blown within the wind.
This was gonna be a long shift.
After roughly 3 hours on watch duty, Bishop moved over to where Marion was resting and quickly shock her shoulder.
"H-hey." He meekly muttered, obviously about to pass out at any moment. "Do you mind taking over?"
"Ugh, do I have to?" Marion groaned as she awoke. "Who's gonna find us here at this hour? Everyone else is prolly sleeping too."
"I-if that was the case there w-wouldn't be two announcements a day." Bishop stated rather plainly, clearly wanting to sleep at this point. "Someone's always hunting, w-we really shouldn't risk it."
"Ugh fine. But would I really be much help if we were discovered?" she pointed out, holding up her handcuffed hands to make her point.
"The door's locked, j-just wake us up if you hear anything." Bishop said as he began to lay on the ground, moving his bag to use as a pillow. "Kass and I are r-right here, so don't hesitate to wake us."
And a moment later, he was out like a light.
And a moment later, he was out like a light.
Before Marion could protest, he had already gone to sleep. And so Marion begrudgingly took on guard duty. Before long though, she couldn't resist the temptation to let her eyelids rest a little, and she found herself falling asleep again.
Kassandra was jolted awake, staring wide-eyed across the room from her vantage point on the floor as the rest of her body caught up to her.
She picked herself off the ground into a seated position and started looking around the room, her mind racing while ensnared in a vise grip of anxiety. It still looked the same as it did when she fell asleep, at least as far as she could tell from her fuzzy recollections of the nights events through her previously sleep-deprived eyes. It was still simple and utilitarian, maybe even more than she remembered. Bishop was on the ground nearby, shifting in his sleep. A little further away was Marion, who had fallen asleep in a seated position.
Kass breathed a sigh of relief and her breathing returned to normal. Everything was fine. She just had a bad dream, that was all.
Wait... why was everyone asleep? They were supposed to have a guard on duty. That was the plan they had made. With everyone asleep, there was no one watching the door to keep them safe. For all she knew, anyone could have just walked in whenever they wanted. How long had they been undefended like this? Her heart started to beat faster again.
She picked her pipe off the floor near her previous resting place and took it in hand, pulling herself into a chair and watching the door. She wondered when the others would wake up. She imagined that the company would help to calm her nerves.
She picked herself off the ground into a seated position and started looking around the room, her mind racing while ensnared in a vise grip of anxiety. It still looked the same as it did when she fell asleep, at least as far as she could tell from her fuzzy recollections of the nights events through her previously sleep-deprived eyes. It was still simple and utilitarian, maybe even more than she remembered. Bishop was on the ground nearby, shifting in his sleep. A little further away was Marion, who had fallen asleep in a seated position.
Kass breathed a sigh of relief and her breathing returned to normal. Everything was fine. She just had a bad dream, that was all.
Wait... why was everyone asleep? They were supposed to have a guard on duty. That was the plan they had made. With everyone asleep, there was no one watching the door to keep them safe. For all she knew, anyone could have just walked in whenever they wanted. How long had they been undefended like this? Her heart started to beat faster again.
She picked her pipe off the floor near her previous resting place and took it in hand, pulling herself into a chair and watching the door. She wondered when the others would wake up. She imagined that the company would help to calm her nerves.
Bishop suddenly rose to an upright position, a rough and terrified breath entering his lungs as he eyes snapped open. His right hand instantly grabbed hold of his chest, frantically examining it. Upon seeing nothing out of the usual, Bishop's expression quickly changed from that of panicked fear to a resigned relief.
Nothing had happened.
He was fine.
Safe.
... No, he wasn't safe.
Not here.
Looking around, his eyes fell onto Kass sitting in front of the door. That was weird, Bishop didn't think he was out for that long. However turning to Marion and seeing her sound asleep told him otherwise.
"O-oh... Hey Kass. S-sorry about that." Bishop apologized, obviously in reference to to his rather loud awakening.
Nothing had happened.
He was fine.
Safe.
... No, he wasn't safe.
Not here.
Looking around, his eyes fell onto Kass sitting in front of the door. That was weird, Bishop didn't think he was out for that long. However turning to Marion and seeing her sound asleep told him otherwise.
"O-oh... Hey Kass. S-sorry about that." Bishop apologized, obviously in reference to to his rather loud awakening.