The Ballard of the coward

[Jadedflames*]

Samantha could easily discern what was going on. "Riiight. Well, you two seem like a good match. Could take care of each other. And I am happy to help." She gave Lena a subtle, knowing smile.

She looked at Eoin pointedly. "But in all seriousness, what happened with Brian? I knew he was an ass, trust me, but he had to have some reason. Did you say anything to him? There is no way anyone could really want to play this sick game, is there?"

Her gaze dropped to Eoin's chest. "To be honest, I am not sure I could do that again."

Her hands dropped to her lap, and she leaned back against her pack.

[Frozen Smoke]

He thought back to the incident. He had just been trying to get a little closer, and he'd only done that because he'd leveled a shotgun at him.

He shook his head. "Guys just fucked in the head I think. I mean, more than he was. Shit, I hope he's the only nut out there, but... He cant be the only nut out there, I mean, no-one actually fired back, and I'm pretty sure one of the chicks he was hanging with exited stage left with him." He said, looking downcast.

He felt rather grim for a few moments as he contemplated what that meant.

"But dont worry, if we all stick together, we can either wait this out, or hitch a ride out of here"

[shining knight*]

Lena listened closely to Sam and thought to herself “Is she coming on to me…I mean I wouldn’t say no if she did and all…” she then looked at Eoin and just looked at him with a big smile. She was planning to tell him before all this began. That she may be a little curious as to girls as well as Eoin but she never found the time to tell him. She figured this was an awful time to mention it and kept quiet on the subject.

Eoin explained what that sick fuck did and just sighed “I doubt he is the only crazy one here….we got lucky if Sam wasn’t here…” she shuddered to think what would have happened without her.

"But dont worry, if we all stick together, we can either wait this out, or hitch a ride out of here" as soon as Eoin said this she smiled at him and then said “I am in,” she held out her hand and hoped it wasn’t too nerdy to have an all for one moment with her friends…

[Jadedflames*]

((I am so sorry. I got the flu and was not up to posting earlier.))

Oh good grief. Is now the time where we all put our hands in the middle and shout a catchphrase?

Samantha ran her fingers through her hair, slightly agitated. "That's all well and good, but there is still at least one person out there running around with a shotgun, shooting at people. And we have a lovely trail of blood leading right up to our campsite." She looked at Lena's enthusiastic face and sighed.

"Sorry to be all gloom and doom. But the fact still stands. All living things are fragile as hell, as I think we can all attest to now, and being in the middle of the desert with naught but a tent and one kevlar vest between us is a bit worrisome. So while we rest, howzabout we start thinking about where to go once we are mobile?"

[Frozen Smoke]

He withheld his hand from the formulating all for one after a little internal debate had decided that he had to at least have a sword before he felt as though it was right to do such a thing. I meant, at least then it would make for an absolutely kick ass bar story in about ten years time, but this was just... Nerdy. Not that he had anything particular against nerds, but just, yeah. Nerdiness.

Yay social conventions thought some random part of him, rather sarcastically.

The rest of him told that little part of him to go and die in a hole.

Samantha then gave them the run down of the situation, which, if he was honest, seemed bleak in the way the rink was "a little nippy". He pulled out the knife from his waistband, and placed it in the middle of them.

"See, not all bad, now we have a knife. Now we can be safe in the knowledge that little musketeer Lena can deflect any bullets headed our way he said" He said smiling a little in the mentioned musketeers direction in an attempt to show that he wasn't actually trying to insult her.

He then thought back to what he'd seen as he rooted through the bag hurriedly earlier. Wasn't there a map somewhere in the bag?

"Don't s'pose any of you happens to have a map in your bags? Might help us plan a bit."

[shining knight*]

Lena listen to what both of them said and began to look down “I know the situation is grim, I know but I just wanted to solidify our bond,” She figured there was no chance of them joining her but it was still sad either way.

Eoin asked for a map and Lena sat up. She was still a bit shaky from her health scare but she opened her bag and removed the vest. She then took out her map and spread it in a corner of the tent held only by a compass and an unopened tin of spam.

“Okay….I think we are currently here ,“ she points to a patch of sandy covered terrain. “There appears to be a trading post nearby to our current position. She smiled a weak smile and said “There could be more friends there or…” she didn’t want to think of the possibility of heavily armed killers loitering the area.

[Jadedflames*]

((Oh god, I am so sorry guys. I swear this won't happen again.))
Samantha nodded as Lena pointed out the loaction. The girl had seemed to fall from her previous flightyness into a genuine sense of control. The fact that she could read a map was a definite plus.

"Yeah, I think the trading post looks like a good spot. Isolated, there probably will not be that many people there, so even if things go... less than perfectly, we should be okay."

in her head, sher was going over all of the people at the school. How many would be willing to kill? How many would be dead already? How many friends, enemies, peoploe she did not even know had seen things go "less than perfectly." She sighed. Best top put on her happy face, make sure no one saw her worry. She was the medic, after all. Good bedside manner and all that.

She turned to Eoin. "How are you feeling, Mr. Collander? Up for a bit of a walk? Maybe a jog around a cactus patch?"

[Frozen Smoke]

"How are you feeling, Mr. Collander? Up for a bit of a walk? Maybe a jog around a cactus patch?"

"Why do I get the feeling I'd be insulted if I knew what you were referencing there?" He said, smiling weakly. He'd never been one for pop culture. Or, really, if he was being honest, any culture. That involved too much about finding out about how people thought and acted and read, and that just seemed like frigging hours of wasted effort.

"I'm pretty sure I can stand and not cough up a lung, but if I have to run I am not going to be a happy panda"

He looked over to the other member of their group, Lena. "You up for it?" He asked, putting a little note of concern into his voice. After all, she was probably not in the best of physical states after that heart attack scare earlier.

[shining knight*]

Lena listened to her friend’s idea of walking and nodded quietly. Truth was her chest was on fire and it became very clear to her that her survival was very unlikely. The only thing keeping her going was an urge to protect her friends. In addition, she really wanted to survive in order to see how her favourite anime ended.

“Let’s go….we cannot stay here forever,” she smiled weakly and began to pack the map and her other scattered provisions back into her backpack. Her hands trembled but her friends would need to be very sharp to spot that.

She turned to Samantha who Lena figured was the nearest their little posse got to a leader “What is our destination are we really heading to the cacti?”

[Jadedflames*]

Samantha stifled a laugh at Eoin's comment. "A collander is a cooking pot with holes in it for straining water off."

She helped Lena pack up the camp, and put the tent back in its sack. "What is our destination are we really heading to the cacti?"

Samantha sighed, trying to not to lose her patience with the girl. "No, hun. That was a joke. I think the best plan is still to head for the trading post for the time being. See if we can't pick up another friend or two, and maybe some loot if the place is well stocked. Not much food in these bags."

She smiled awkwardly and put her arm around Lena. "We'll be fine, don't worry."

Then looking at their camp site one last time, for things they might have missed, she said, "Shall we?"

[Frozen Smoke]

"A collander is a cooking pot with holes in it for straining water off."

...Well, he just marked himself out as the dunce didn't he?

"Oh... Right. Haven't really cooked or anything, yeah...." He said, trailing off significantly at the end, as he lost confidence in his ability to use words as a means of communication.

He slowly picked himself up from the ground, gritting his teeth as fire burned through his side, as it stretched and warped. He wished he'd stayed down for just a little bit longer, but, Samantha was right. This was a very, very bad place to be setting up camp in.

He nodded at Samantha in response to her question, and began to walk, trying to limp as little as possible.

[shining knight*]

Lena calmly swung her backpack onto her back and then rose from the ground. Noticing how difficult it was for Eoin to move around she wrapped her arm around him and tried to help him support his weight.

“It’s okay….I’ve got you Eoin,” she said pain clearly spreading through her chest. She did not care for the pain but as long as it helped Eoin, walk easier she could deal with it.

As she held up Eoin, she then turned her head to Samantha “Do you think we’ll find anyone we know there in the trading post?” she smiled sadly at Samantha and thought to herself “she is very pretty…her freckles…her scar…her glasses…” she looked down at her feet and then began her long walk to the trading post….

[Jadedflames*]

Samantha could see the pain in her companions. She clenched her teeth. This was going to be a hard trek. She tried to think of anything she could do to relieve their pain but all the first aid kits had contained were aspirin as far as pain killers went. No good for chest wounds. Might do a bit of good for Lena, but would Aspirin complicate things?

Screw it. She dug out the first aid kit, and handed Lena a couple of the white pills along with her canteen. "Here. This might do you a bit of good, hun."

Looking at Eoin, she frowned. "Not much we can do for you, though. I am sorry."

Footprints disappeared in the sand behind them as they walked, moving ever onto the horizon.

((Samantha Atterman continued in It's not like it's for real or anything, right?))

[Frozen Smoke]

He watched as the medic passed her some pills. Aspirin, Paracetamol... He didn't know enough about medicine to add a third to that list, and given his current string of list, it was probably the 7th someone else would've mentioned. Woo hoo.

He watched as their little group walked off into the (metaphorical) woods, and then he followed them, off to meet the wolves.

He looked down and tried to follow the others tracks as much as he could, scanning the ground. He wished he had a metal detector. Any one watching would've asked what in gods name he was looking for.

Land mines, of course.

Jesus. Land mines. He was thinking about Land mines. It showed a helluva lot that he was looking for things like that, but then, chest wound. From a shotgun.

If someone could quite happily look down the barrel of a gun and put a barrel full of bird shot in him, he was damn sure someone could seed mile after mile of goddamn land mines, then go hide in a corner for a while and become a feared killer.

He wished he had a metal detector.

(( Eoin Harper continued It's not like its for real or anything ))

[shining knight*]

Lena stared at Samantha and then looked at the pills and canteen. She slowly took them from her and quietly said “thank you very much,” she took two pills popped them into her mouth and downed some of the water into her mouth washing the pills down her throat.

Once this was done she calmly continued to help Eoin walk and began the long slow journey towards the trading post with her two new friends. All the while the same song was playing in her mind and she couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen next….

On your way then you cowboys.

The time will be soon

When there's blood on the sawdust

In "The Last Chance" Saloon.

[Lena Lazaurus continued elsewhere...]