Realistic or Modern All That Remains

[Ririn]

Lin knew not to pressure this any longer. Since both Chase and Lee seemed to think going on her own wasn't the best choice she had to grind her teeth and go with the team. Between having to deal with mutated humans that came back from the dead, her old gang and her brother, Lin knew fighting each other would solve nothing.

"Fine, yeah. Let's do it your way. Someone follows me and if all is good, you all come to the warehouse." She turned around, so she could look at all of them. "Sounds good?" She asked Jack.

The boy wasn't so sure about this plan as they had better chance of fighting or surviving sticking together but much like his sister, he realised this wasn't a time to fight each other.
"Fine. I don't think it's very safe but what is safe anymore?" He asked backing away.

"Chase? I need you to help me get the bike off the RV." Lin said putting her boots on, going through the bags looking for a scarf to cover her face and gloves for her hands not to freeze. Short distance or not the cold wasn't kidding out there.
"Also, who is coming with me?" She asked not wanting to be the one to choose though if she had to, it would either be Chase or Lee. She didn't trust Jack not to jump straight in trouble if it went down like that.

 

[Wordy]

Chase nodded to her, "Leave it to me. Rest your hand." He said, "I'll get your bike out and ready, don't worry about it." He said, then went straight to where her bike had been stored, just beside his own, and started doing just what he said he would - he'd rested for long enough, warmed up... He was still in pain, but it was like a hot haze of pain. It wasn't a stabbing pain or an aching one - just a constant burning feeling. It was enough to still leave his body in constant agony, though.

He was fighting through it. Constant pain was oddly much more reliable than random patterns of stabbing pains. At least like this, he could fight through it. He could work around it.

Sure, he was pretty much on death's door, but he could work around it.

"I'll go with you." Lee quickly said, before anyone else could really say... Anything, really. He'd started asking the question just before she finished asking it. "I'll go with you and relay to the others. I'm the least hurt of all of us." He said, "If things get hairy we've both got a good chance of getting away without them catching up. Plus... Probably should let Chase be here with his daughter." He said.

Chase couldn't argue with that one, really, so he didn't say anything about it. He got the bike out of the RV as Lin wanted, and he stood it up just next to the RV itself, ready to go off towards the warehouse.

"Good luck out there." Chase said. "If shit goes down... The moment Lee lets us know, we'll be on our way." He called out to her. "Just be careful. I don't think we came all this way for you to get shot." He joked, looking over his shoulder towards her.

 

[Ririn]

Lin didn't like the idea of putting Lee into harms way. If she had to choose someone to come with her it would be Chase, mainly because the man knew what kind of people awaited for them in the warehouse but also because she trusted him not to do anything stupid. Risking Lee's life ment no medical aid for the rest of the group if something really bad happened at them both. She didn't like it but they really left no space for her to protest since he brought about his daughter.

"Fine, just get ready." She finally gave in loading a pistol and also taking a semi automatic rifle with her. She didn't want to open fire but things could end up there anyway.

Out in the cold dark night Lin felt how hard their situation really was. Her arm was in pain and the shock from travelling in the cold last night was still affecting her. Plus, she felt as if she carried the weight of the group on her shoulders. Looking around she realised she couldn't see anything in the dark witch only made ber feel more restless. Last thing they needed were freaking undead coming out of nowhere.

Lin couldn't help but smirk at Chase's comment. "Yeah, don't worry about me just make sure the team stays intact ok?" She asked getting on her bike. Lin wanted to tell him a lot more than that but with Jack standing there in angry silence and Lee close by, her only hope was the man had gotten the hint. Don't come after me without being sure what will cost you, was what she wanted to tell him but it was too late for that now.

Lin waited for Lee to get behind her on the bike before looking around one more time through the helmet, pointing at her brother before giving him a thumb's up.
"Hold on tight." She warned him though the plan was for them to drive slowly through the dirt road.

The engine roared beneath them, the pain on her arm travelled upwards and then they were moving with the light on the bike being the only light ahead of them. She kept silent, there was nothing to say now really. Just the voices in her head and her heartbeat.

After a twenty minute drive the bike slowed down before coming to a stop. Lin took of her helmet, turning to Lee.

"Remember what you promised me. No matter what, you do nothing stupid ok? You go back to them straight away." Lin was dead serious as she spoke, no room for sentiment left now. "You go back to them and if it looks very bad, you don't bring them here, do you understand me? You don't put yourself or the others in danger for my shake, just drive as far away as possible. I hope I can make whoever it's there to listen to me but we can't be sure of anything."

 

[Wordy]

This was it. It was happening.

The roles had been set in stone, and admittedly, the place was a lot further down the road than Lee thought. If he was going to have to make his own way back if things went wrong, they could have devoured her by the time he even got halfway back to the group. Ultimately, they all knew that this would be now or never. They knew that no matter what happened now, they had one shot.

One shot to get this right.

One shot to make sure Lin didn't get murdered the moment she walked in through the door.

One shot to make sure they all didn't die here, tonight.

Lee looked at her. Could he really promise not to try and help her if it didn't work out the way they wanted it to? He... He wasn't sure that he could. Not after the moment that they shared. He was lost for words, at first. He leaned forward and quickly kissed her, holding her face gently, the warmth of her skin heating his chilled hands.

"I promise you I'll be careful. I won't do anything stupid." He said. "That's the best you're going to get from me." He forced a sad laugh. "But you need to promise me you're going to try and get out of there alive if shit hits the fan. I won't do anything stupid, but I'm not going to abandon you either." He said. "We're in this together, remember?" He asked. "And it's very bold of you to assume that I'm any good on a motorcycle." He laughed again, looking down.

"I'll be careful." He eventually said again. "Be safe, okay? If anything goes wrong... Do something to give me a signal. Anything." He said.

 

[Ririn]

Was it just the moment they had shared in the small bathroom that had drove Lee to say those words? She didn't think so. He was a doctor, it was part of who he was to take care of people and not abadoned them. She knew that, to some extent, he had regrets about fleeing from the ER a few nights ago, leaving his patients, people that were in need, all alone to get eaten alive. She knew, much like her, that poor girl they had left behind was haunting him even though both of those actions were what had kept them alive.

"You are a good man Lee." She said gently stroking his cheek with her gloved hand. "A good companion for the end of the world." She added with a tired smile before she turned the engine on again, leading the bike just behind a few bushes and getting off. "The bike is much like a bicycle, just don't accelerate too much." Lin said as if that was all he would need to know. "It's a very drastic measure that I only want you to take if something very drastic and bad happens ok? I'd rather have my bike and you, in one piece." She joked, taking off her helmet, leaving it on the saddle.

The cold wind almost made it unbearable to be outside so she decided it was time to move. "Stay safe." She said one last time before she took the pistol out of her pocket and started walking in the dark.

Twenty steps, a small turn to the left and here she was. The tall, double barbed wire fence stood over her, the gate locked firmly, no lights anywhere. But she was sure if anyone was in there they would have heard the bike coming. The building was several yards away from the gate and Lin knew it's roof was a perfect spot for a scooter.

"HEY! Anybody here?" She yelled against the wind. There was no answer but when she tried shaking the gate, she heard the familiar sound of chains from the inside. So, somebody was there, otherwise what was a chain doing at the inner side of the gate?
"I don't want any trouble. I'm a Thorn too." She yelled hoping that whoever was in there was some newer member who wouldn't know her. She still wore their colours, it would be easier to trick them.

"You are armed!" A voice stated the obvious. Male, a bit angry, maybe a bit scared as well.
"Yeah man, have you not seen the shit that's been going down? Look, I'll leave the gun ok?" Lin slowly knelt, leaving the gun infront of her and taking a step back. "Look, please, let me come in ok?"

"Where is your bike?"
"Just down the road. I run out of gas." Lin lied.
"What's your name uh? If you are a Thorn, it means we know each other but you don't sound very familiar."

Well, that wasn't good!
"If I'm not in the club how do I know this place?"
"If you are in the club and you know this place there is no way we don't know each other!" The man yelled even more angrier now.

Lin felt her heart sink. Since when were they getting this smart? She could just turn around and leave but depending on what gun he had she was easy target. Plus if he could see her clearly he either had night goggles or night vision on top of the gun. She could state her name and watch him not recognise her which would also probably earn her a bullet or she could say the truth. As much of it as possible.

"I'm Lin." She said clenching her fists in anticipation. "Kiddo."
A deadly silence followed her statement. Did he knew her by rumours or was he one of the old ones, from her days? She wasn't sure what was worst but as she was ready to speak again, the man told her to wait right there.

Three minutes later and what felt like an eternity, she heard footsteps and voices. Lin backed away a few steps, wondering where was Lee and if he was able to see her. Wondering if he was safe and if she could keep it that way, for all their shake.

The chain rattled and the gate squicked and when it opened up, Lin wanted to scream. Scream to Lee that it was time to run and take them all away from here.

"Well, I'll be damned, it is you!" Roy said laughing as he came forward holding a gun while the others around him held flashlights and guns. She could count five plus him.

"Roy." Was all she said, forcing herself to hold her ground and not look away.
"It seems the end of the world it's what it takes for you to come back."
"I don't want any trouble."
"Yeah, I heard that. A bit too late for that though, right? People who don't want trouble don't run away from the club."
"I run away from you!" Lin spat furious which only made him laugh. The man was maybe in his mid forties, with a bulk built though not very tall and a scar run across the left side of his face. He looked almost normal but Lin knew his looks were deceiving.

"I see you still have your old temper Kiddo. Good, I always preferred you feisty." He said with a smile. "Check if she still wears our colours." Roy said in a dead serious tone and two of the other guys immediately moved towards her.
"Don't you dare touch me." Lin said pulling out the second gun aiming it straight at Roy which stopped the others. "Are you going to listen to me or are you going to be as cocky as you always were? Out in the middle of nowhere with those things roaming all around you? Because I saw them and I can tell you they are herding up, moving out of the residential areas."

That seemed to have some effect though Lin knew he wasn't afraid of the gun or her but he had always been reasonable when it came to keeping the club safe.
"Ok Kiddo. I'll hear you out. Talk."
Not lowering the gun Lin cracked an ironical smile. "I'm not alone but like I said we are not looking for any trouble. We are just looking for a temporary place to stay and gather some shit. I know the place is full of shit and I'm not looking to take it all or anything like that. I'm just looking to keep my team safe Roy, that's all. I can turn around and leave if you don't want to work with me."

Roy listened closely to what she had to say and eventually, smiled.
"We were your team. You didn't keep us safe."
"Cut the bullshit! You didn't need me to do that!"
"And that team of yours, does?"
"They can take of themselves but I rather be there for them."
"How many?"
"With me? Five. Come on Roy, everything is going to hell, our lives are something out of a movie right now and you still want to go by the old ways? I can give you some guns. We have ammo we can spare. I'll make it worth your while." Lin said hoping that this would be enough to convince him.

"Let her in and go find her friends. Bring them here but make it quick!" Roy said turning his back and walking away.

Paul, his right hand for as long as she remembered came forth, wearing a genuine smile.
"Come on Kiddo let's get you inside." He said protectively putting a hand over her shoulders and guiding her through the gate as it closed behind them.

Lin wasn't sure if Roy was honest and there was no way of knowing it but with all her heart she prayed he wasn't planning on doing anything funny. The fact that Paul was there made her feel a bit safer but the two were like brothers. If Roy commanded it, Paul would do it.

In the vast area in the inside of the warehouse Lin was greated by dim lights, boxes, bikes, parts of bikes, a big table with chairs around it, a few people here and there. In total they couldn't be more than fifteen but they still were more than them.

"Are you hungry?" Paul asked and Lin nodded yes. "Come on." Paul encouraged her, leading her to one of the empty little cell rooms they had made during the years so they could hide whoever needed to stay hidden. It was just a grey little thing with a cheap mattress on a bed but it was more than enough for now.

Lin sat there, the gun next to her and waited. There was nothing more she could do now.

 

[Wordy]

"There's no other companion I'd choose, either. You're tougher than you look - and on an average day, you look pretty tough anyway." He laughed, then just smiled at her. The smile fell a little eventually, and he nodded. "I'll take off, worst-case scenario. Gotcha'." He said. "Best not keep our new friends waiting. I'll be here." He nodded.

He watched her vanish inside after the intense moment of her maybe getting shot in the face. Luckily, that didn't happen. He didn't feel any better once she went inside, though. What was going to happen in there?

It seemed that soon enough, he was going to find out.

When Lee saw guys coming, he did attempt to run. 'Attempt' is a keyword there, but he was talked down. Mostly because he struggled with the bike and tipped himself over on it. That alerted the guys that came out to his position, but everything was explained. Lin went in, there were no gunshots, and... Well, he wanted to see her in there before he went anywhere else. He realized eventually that they were just playing into his head, really. Telling him what he wanted to hear to get him to come along quietly.

Well, here he was. He didn't know whether it was a good idea to disclose where the others were, but... He couldn't leave them stranded out in the open either.

He let the guys know where they were at.

It was only going to be a matter of time before they all got brought in, and potentially all got killed. Everything he saw on his way in here was... Slightly terrifying. Men with guns, and a lot of them. This place could go from storage to prison in a heartbeat.

He didn't know if he was making the right choice. But he trusted Lin - he heard no chaos, and she wouldn't have gone down without a fight.

Seeing as the others were quite far up the road, it would be a little while before they got here. That was okay, he just hoped that Chase had had the sense to put on his jacket. Lee knew enough to know that if they saw his tattoos that flared off rival colors, he was a dead man. At least that's the way it worked before - it was hard to say if they'd still treat guys like that the same way.

Sit and hope. That's all he could do.

He didn't care for food, for a drink - not yet. He didn't want to chat or try and figure out the mutual friend he'd inherited. He just wanted to see Lin.

He was taken there, eventually, and it wasn't long before Lin found she was no longer alone in all of this. Lee's head poked around the corner of the door, the tension on his face immediately vanishing from sight.

"Oh my god." He said, and he rushed over to sit beside her. "Do you know how good it is to see you?" He asked, and then he let out a small laugh. "Someone's gone to get, the... Um, the others." He rubbed his forehead and nodded. "I tried to leave. I tried to take off but..." He laughed. "I tipped the bike on top of me." He bit his lip. "So yeah, I didn't have the cool exit I was hoping for, but... Ah, well." He smiled.

"You okay? They haven't hurt you?" He asked.