Realistic or Modern Angel's Ascent

[NanLia]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Auguste didn’t leave where the group had been, eyes scanning the vicinity searching for any signs of others. If they’d encountered someone in the shop, then there may be more around. He watched as prospects and members scrambled to hiding places but he wasn’t convinced this was an ambush - there hadn’t been any signs of it. Besides, the two dead people placed out in the open made them wary to start with.

Birdie had a handle on Will and Lila - Billie following just behind to give her back up; he knew he didn’t need to add himself to the mix, the women banded together the last little while and he trusted they were in good hands, besides, Lila was becoming a decent shot, even with the little practice she got.

Auguste huffed in response to Nik declaring wanting to get out of town. “You’re not wrong and if I thought we wouldn’t end up with the rig dead somewhere on the side of the highway, we’d still be moving.” He paused as he ordered people to start syphoning gas. “We’ll need diesel for the truck.” He said cautiously, nodding toward the fire station. “They normally have reserves, no?”

He glanced back at the mercantile, no further gunshots sounding - whatever had come to pass within was over.

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[NanLia]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Billie followed behind Birdie as she practically dragged Will behind her and then subsequently shoved her into the truck’s cab. She knew her primary focus was protecting the truck and their supplies, and along with it, as it so happens, that included Lila and Will.

With Birdie on the driver's side, she went around the passengers to look for Ally but found her missing. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she raised her rifle and started searching the area for any sign of the club's matriarch. She didn’t have to search long, as she walked slowly down the side of the truck, she heard noise atop of it and glanced up.

There was Ally, lying down on her belly, her rifle propped up on her arm as she looked down the sights away from where Auguste and Nik stood. Billie blew out a breath. “Next time, say something.” She grumbled at the older woman, moving to take up position opposite to where Birdie would be, so they would have all angles covered.

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[Namazu]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Bax’s heart was thundering in his ears - which was funny, since it was also halfway up his throat. God, it fucking pissed him off how big they’d stepped in it this time. For months - months! - Quapaw had been quiet. Deserted. Empty. Dark. And today, of all days, someone had to roll into town.

Not just someone, either. They heard them first - it sounded like a whole army. Seeing the group didn’t help at all. A diesel truck, numerous bikes, and several other vehicles. It made him uneasy as fuck. He didn’t expect them to head to the mercantile first, and that was his big mistake. He was silently praying he was not about to get both of them killed for fucking up like this.

Pressing his back against the wall, he peeked through the office door that opened a crack and peered down. Anxious bile rose in his throat as he counted the number of flashlights he saw moving in the inky darkness. At least a dozen, maybe more, it was hard keeping track of them all as they moved and swung around. He heard hushed voices he didn’t recognize while two or three of them advanced further into the store than the others, who he presumed were focused on shoring up the flanks. That was the scary part - not just any old group of survivors being cautious. They were tactical. Practiced. Christ, were they military?! He hoped not.

Rifle in one hand, Bax reached over and grabbed the front of the shirt of the man beside him. It was dark even up in this second floor balcony, so he couldn’t use hand signals to communicate, but he didn’t dare say a word in case they were heard. They had to get out of here and make a run for it, because who knew what these people would do if they got caught.

Nudging the door open slow as can be with the end of his rifle, Bax opened it just enough for them to slip through onto the balcony. As he stepped out, he tugged the other man along after him so he’d get the hint to follow.

The shotgun blast that rang out was deafening. He hit the floor, dragging the other man down with him as he flattened himself down. What the fuck were they shooting at? Them? He couldn’t tell if anything near them was struck. He wasn’t hit either. He glanced back, trying to see the other man in the darkness, but couldn’t. He reached for the man and found his arm, giving him a tug, silently praying he understood the need to move and move now.

The good news was it was a straight shot along the second floor office balcony to the fire exit. From there, they could get down to the ground and run for it. The building had no power, so the fire exit wouldn’t set off any alarms, either. The bad news was this path would leave them exposed to the armed intruders below while they crossed from office to exit. The balcony’s railing was just metal bars, nothing solid.

It was the only way, though. Either that or they hid up here and hoped they weren’t found - which was stupid. The group would eventually find the stairwell up, and then they’d be cornered. They’d probably get shot before they could even beg - but he was not about to beg, anyways.

Giving the man’s arm another squeeze, Bax first lifted himself to a crouch and stalked his way across the balcony, sticking close to the wall. He held his breath until he couldn’t, exhaling slowly and quietly before drawing in another careful breath. He was almost there. Almost to the exit. Almost free, almost out.

Except, he forgot about the box.

They’d sat it along the railing on their way up earlier - a box full of an assortment of things they’d taken from the supply closet down the hall and didn’t want to forget to take with. In his rush and fear, he’d forgotten all about the damn thing. And now, while creeping closer to the door, his foot smacked against the side of it and its unevenly-packed weight caused the whole damn thing to tumble down the stairs.

It sounded louder than the shotgun.

“Fuck!” Bax hissed, grabbing the man behind him. Cover blown - they had to run. Giving the man a yank, he sprinted the last few paces to the exit door, shoved it open, and barreled outside into the bright daylight.

NanLia AnneThraxx aggravatedspacedolphins Crono Tool Good_Morels Miaow ​

 

[Namazu]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Blasting a mannequin would be a funny tale to tell - tomorrow or the next. Probably. Just not right this second. Right now they were all tense - he could feel it in the air, damn near taste it. He couldn’t blame Johnny for being pissed. It wasn’t actually embarrassing, and the guy did exactly what he needed to do. It was just that nerves were fraying all around them, his included, and they were exhausted.

Fish was on high alert as he left the mannequin on the floor, stepping in line with the others to help sweep the place. Only once they were sure it was clear could they think about looting it. Eyes and ears open, Fish kept his flashlight sweeping back and forth, eyes open for anything dangerous. The dead, the living, traps, environmental hazards, fallen furniture, anything and everything.

So far the store seemed fine. No bodies, fresh or otherwise. A lot of the shelves were picked through, but not all of them - which meant they might get lucky. Some of this stuff looked useful. Food, batteries, toiletries, whatever else they found once they took a second to actually look. Fish passed by a hip-high display of beef jerky sticks wrapped in plastic, palmed the bundle of them, and stuck them in his jacket pocket. Too good to pass up those things.

The sudden racket of something falling startled him - not just because it was an unexpected noise, but because it was coming from ahead of them, on the far side of the store.

A place where none of his club had reached yet. They were still roughly in the middle of the store.

It made him proud how the club worked so well together. Not quite a well-oiled machine yet, but getting there. For a bunch of people that weren’t military (for the most part), they sure knew how to be effective when they needed to be. Nearly a dozen guns aimed themselves towards the source of the sudden noise, something clattering and falling. Was there really someone here? Did one of the dead knock something over in an attempt to get close?

“Eyes up, eyes open -” Fish uttered, voice firm, stopping himself when he saw the sudden flash of sunlight up ahead. It was up higher than he expected, and it took his mind a moment to comprehend this. Then he realized - second floor balcony, and a back exit door. It was open, because someone had just run through it. Someone alive, not dead.

“Fuck,” Fish hissed, then pointed at a handful of members nearest him. “You, get up there and follow whoever the fuck just ran out. Everyone else, out the front and fan out until we know what we’re dealing with and how many.”

Fish yanked the walkie-talkie off his hip and held down the button. This was either going to be a shitfest, or a minor bump in the road, but it was too soon to tell.

“Auguste, Nik, heads up - someone just ran out the back of the mercantile. One or maybe two. I’m sending some guys after them - no idea if hostile or not. We're not alone here.”

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[Namazu]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Lila knew exactly what that look from Birdie meant when Willow was around. Watch her, and don’t let her get in trouble. Willow wasn’t stupid - she just… wasn’t totally suited for this life. Not the way she was, or Billie and Birdie and Ally. Willow was meant for better things than this. Lila tugged the door shut behind them all and locked it, checking the other side to make sure that one was locked also as she huddled low between the two front seats.

Gunfights were terrifying, in how reckless the path of destruction was - but there was something about a lone gunshot, followed by nothing else, that was downright unnerving. That single shotgun blast echoed in her memory, and now her blood felt cold. They had to have killed someone. Who? She hated not knowing what was going on.

Willow’s question made her blink, uncertain how to answer at first. Not really dead, but puppets? Her jaw worked but no sound came out as she searched to find something to say to that. “Uh… No, Willow, don’t worry about it. I’m pretty sure they’re dead. They’re not… puppets.” It felt like a lame and stupid response - and a dismissive one - but what else was there left to say? Sure, let’s go cut their marionette strings and set them free? Nah, she wasn’t going to be playing with whatever delusions Willow was suddenly having.

When the walkie-talkie she had crackled to life with Fish’s voice, warning about them not being alone, she hissed a cuss. They’d seen a whole lot of nobody on the road so far, but the few times they did run into people, it was never good. Sometimes it got bad, but most of the time it was just real tense as folks backed away from each other and ran their separate ways, too afraid to interact for long. She couldn’t blame people any - after this long, anyone still alive certainly had to go through some shit and had no reason to trust easily.

“Willow… get in the back, and keep low. Billie, stay up here with me in case we gotta move in a hurry.”

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[Namazu]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Marc was better at taking orders than some people gave him credit for - Nik included - so when he barked the order to keep sights up, he did exactly that. Every window, doorway, alleyway, rooftop, and balcony was a potential location of a threat, armed or otherwise, and his gaze didn’t linger in one spot longer than necessary as he scanned their surroundings. There wasn’t any other sound from the mercantile, no continued blasting. If all of their guys had been shooting, or there was a gunfight, there’d be a hell of a lot more noise than this.

“Guys, this feels like a setup for a fuckin’ ambush or some shit. I’m finding high ground.” Marc didn’t wait for permission or orders this time, because he knew damn well he was in the right for doing this. Someone had to have eyes up high while they fueled up, and it might as well be him.

Slinging his gun back over his shoulder, Marc slunk over to the firehouse and circled around to the back of it, sticking close to the wall. There was no ladder or way up onto the roof of the firehouse, but there was on the building next to it - a fire escape ladder, still secured to the side of the building. He gave it a testing tug, glanced both ways, then hauled ass up the ladder as fast and as quietly as he could.

The rooftop was empty, devoid of anything other than some bird shit and a rusting metal rectangular contraption from the building HVAC system. He headed for the front of the building that faced the street, crouching low behind the lip of the building’s facade before getting out his weapon again, ready to aim and fire at anything unfamiliar that so much as moved. He was straight across from the building where the bodies had been dragged and laid out intentionally now.

There was a whole lot of nothing up here - but that was the problem. He didn’t hear any birds. Didn’t hear any anything. It felt wrong and it put him on edge. That edgy feeling only made it worse when he saw the form of a person he didn’t recognize from here go sprinting out the backside of the mercantile, running diagonally away from the building.

He raised his rifle, peering down the scope, quickly trying to gauge not only distance but who the fuck that actually was and if he should be shooting. It was nobody he recognized. There was no way to get a clean shot, though - just as soon as he saw the figure, he was gone, ducked behind some other building.

“Ah fuck me.” He muttered, opportunity lost already.

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[AnneThraxx]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Birdie’s knees screamed as she crouched near one of the larger truck tires. Her heart raced in her throat as she sat in silence, waiting for any sort of sign or order. She could hear Willow’s faint questions from inside the cab, with Lila’s hushed response following. She groaned quietly as she slowly stood from her spot, keeping tucked in close to the trailer wall. Out of the corner of her eye, she sensed movement. The slight anxiety eased as she noticed Marc crossing the roof. Smart, she thought to herself. She glanced around the lot. There was barely even a breeze. The stillness was almost sickening. The worry of who had been shot
The far off sound of crashing from the mercantile pulled her attention back. She couldn’t help but believe her gut instinct. They weren’t alone. Maybe this all was a trap after all. Her breathing quickened as her heart pounded, it taking all of her strength to swallow the lump in her throat. She wanted to scream. Why couldn’t shit just be easy for once? She exhaled sharply as she tried to bring herself back down to the reality of the situation.

Without another thought, she quickly darted across the lot towards the fire station, keeping the truck clear in her sights. Her back pressed against the cool metal wall, she slid along towards a large window on the side. Peering into what looked like a small conference room or office, things seemed rather in place. No signs of life or recent activity. Slinking towards a door, she tested the handle. Looking through the window, the door led into the main hall, the trucks seemingly untouched, as if waiting for their next call. She jiggled the handle. Locked. Glancing through the window, she watched carefully. The area looked to have been void of activity for some time, a thick layer of dust seemed to coat most of the room. If things were to go south, and they needed sudden refuge, this seemed to be an okay option.

Fish’s voice over the radio made her jump, she fumbled to turn down the volume. She hissed a curse, quickly darting to the back of the station, out of the sightline of the mercantile. Ducking down beside a dumpster to catch her breath, she reached for the walkie.

“What’s going on in there Fish?”

The lack of knowing what was happening was driving her mad. Had anyone been shot? Did the mystery people fire on them first? As she waited for a response, she caught motion out of the corner of her eye. A figure darting across the road, disappearing behind a building that was only two away from the station. They were close.

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[aggravatedspacedolphins]

QUAPAW, OKALHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Diesel.

Of fucking course, Fish had to be picky and pick a diesel truck. He had forgotten, and heaven forbid that he be the one to ruin Fish’s baby, one of the last things he had left all because he loaded up the wrong bit of fuel.

Diesel. It was more common among the semi trucks that were scattered around the highways, the pickups that were lonely, and maybe the occasional motorcycle, but it felt rarer and rarer to find, especially out here, out West, when most of what they found were diesel trucks already siphoned. He ruled the day when all they could find with Honda Civics and hybrid or electric only cars.

Nik sighed, looking in the direction of the fire station, the trucks gleaming. “They should be stocked. Ready to go in case of any emergencies. That is, if somebody didn’t get to them first. Alright. Let’s go.”

Nik looked back at the mercantile over his shoulder, keeping to the shadows as he slid against the building, and then darted across the street. She slid up to one of the windows, instantly putting his back to it, and pulling his pistol up to his chest. The area was quiet. There was no longer the sound of gunshots, which meant that either they had subdued the problem or…

Fish’s voice bubbled out of the walkie, and Nik swallowed. Someone had escaped. He looked to his right, seeing Birdie testing her own luck with the doors of the fire station. He slunk in the shadows up next to her, frowning, but keeping his head up. All the shadows that lingered at the corner of his eyes were starting to look like people. “No luck?” He mumbled, watching her wiggle the lock. He was feeling tense. He wanted to get out, and if someone had been shot in the mercantile, they didn’t exactly have the best medical resources on the face of the planet, besides a few pain pills and bandages that those fine folks had given them a few weeks back. Another shadow moved, and he twisted his head, just to see the shadow running. Not running towards but running away.

“Shit.”

Nik growled. “Birdie, get that door open. Hope those trucks are full. Auguste! South!”

He was grabbing the walkie again,

“I’m on it, Fish.”

He started to run, out in the open, pursuing the shadow. He wasn’t the fastest in the bunch, but he’d hate that this stranger would be leading all of them into an ambush. He was the damn Sergeant in arms. He was supposed to take this. This was his problem. Security was his issue, and he could practically feel Auguste in the back of his mind, already calling the team together, already booting his ass out of a position that he wasn’t even sure that he deserved. Fuck. If he couldn’t catch one guy…

He started to run in the direction that he saw the shadow, keeping his distance, but keeping his pistol close, and his anxieties closer.

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[aggravatedspacedolphins]

QUAPAW, OKALHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Of course they were dead. Lila gave her a response that she had been so used to in life anymore. Her father used to give her such similar responses when she would ask the most basic of questions, and it would just spark an argument between Nik and him. Her mother would cuddle her then, and tell her that nothing was wrong with her, even though she clearly knew that she didn’t think much in the same way that the others did.

“But what if…what if they are just people like…playing dead? What if they just decided to roll around in red paint for a while? Maybe they found some at the fire station? Maybe we can find some?”

It was a way to cope. A way to bring her out of what she called ‘the shaky shakes’. Whenever the bad memories would crop up again, Nik would always be there to give her some kind of distraction, and the bad things that were causing her ‘shaky shakes’ would disappear. She had tried to start thinking of her own way, in case Nik wasn’t there…and she was starting to feel them again. The bad memories. The pain. The feeling of a gun in her hands. The screams.

The crackle of the radio caused a good enough distraction. She perked her head up, tilting it slightly at Fish’s voice as he said that they were chasing someone.

“Maybe it’s the artist! You know, the one from the highway? The one who gave us that nice greeting, right? They were just leading us here. That’s all, right? A nice Hello, but you know…without the O…maybe those people were supposed to be the O.”

She was mumbling more to herself now, as she did what Lila told her to do, and crawled into the back of the semi truck trailer, and quickly dove to the ground, distracted by whatever had been left on the ground by Lila, Billie, and Auguste.

“Billie! Bill. Bill and Will.” She started to hum a little. There was still the subtle shake of her hand, the awkward twitch of her head, and the glazed look in her eye but it was somewhat settling.

“If there’s other people, why haven’t they come out yet? Or do you think…the painted puppets are the people who were supposed to greet us?” She hummed, as she found a penny between the floorboards and thrusted it into the air.

“I found good luck. Can’t die when we have a penny in our pocket, right?”

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[NanLia]

QUAPAW, OKALHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

The rumble of multiple vehicles in an otherwise stagnant town made Theo’s blood run cold. He’d slipped into the shadows of the office alongside Bax when the engines had cut off, and it was clear whoever had arrived was sticking around. Of course, as his luck would have it, they’d picked this very fucking store to explore first. Why here, though? Not specifically the mercantile, he knew why - it was the only place in town that might have supplies, precisely why they were there too. But why Quapaw?

They’d come here because it was remote, devoid of people altogether, one of many places he and Bax had specifically selected to gather supplies in because there wouldn’t be anyone else… or shouldn’t have been. Had they been set up? Did they want them dead, and why?

He was pulled from his thoughts and gasped his surprise as Bax grabbed his shirt in the darkness, dragging him out of the back office and onto the balcony, looking over the main floor of the mercantile. It was too dark to see anything beyond the few flashlights that flitted around the aisle below, and he could only hear the occasional whisper.

Bax squeezed his arm, the only warning he’d get to follow as the man started across the balcony to the fire exit. Theo waited, only for a second, before following behind him, practically on his heels, as he arrived at the door.

Theo needed no encouragement to fleed down the fire escape as the box of shit Bax had collected tumbled down the metal stairs, making a racket. He stumbled on the first step, sliding on his knees down the metal stairs, but quickly scrambled back to his feet and finished the last set of stairs to the alley behind the mercantile.

He didn’t wait to check on Bax as he dashed down the alley to the street past it, the opposite direction of where this convoy had come from and where they’d left the Piper Super Cub - his plane. The gaudy yellow with red-strip plane never looked any better as he dashed to the flight deck and pulled himself into the seat, hastily flipping on his gauges and getting the engine and blades moving.

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[NanLia]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Johnny dreaded the knowledge that his fuck up, even if it wasn’t really a fuck up, would be the centre of conversation for days, weeks, to come. He cursed himself inwardly, clamping the stock of his shotgun back closed, fresh bullets ready for action. He stuck close to Fish, despite wanting to branch out and prove himself again; he knew he’d be better off keeping close to the Pres then shooting a second manequin or some other stupid shit that would just shove him lower on the totem pole.

His heart leapt into his throat as a loud clattering came from upstairs, but outside and he winced at the sudden bright light, two shadows dipping out before the door swung shut behind him.

Johnny dashed for the stairs, along with two other prospects, at Fish’s demand, taking them two at a time to reach the top, then barreled down the balcony toward the door.

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[NanLia]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

August kept watch of the streets and rooftops, searching for any sign of others, but he wasn’t convinced there was any. He was proud of how quickly and decisively the prospects and members moved into roles, taking the potential threat seriously. It wouldn’t be any of their first time dealing with some kind of threat, but he was glad at how seriously they all took it.

He followed Nik along the side of the station, watching Birdie’s attempt at the locked door with no luck. He was about ot suggest something when the radio crackle interrupted him and Fish announced they weren’t alone. With no follow-up shots, he’d thought it had been a misfire, or some jumpy prospect shooting at shadows, but it must have been a warning shot…

He was on Nik’s heels as he dashed toward the back alley of the mercantile, “Billie, you and Bridie get into that station, now.” Ally and Marc would have oversight of the area from their perches, and he knew Lila would stand her ground in the truck, keeping herself and Will safe. Whoever was here needed to be caught and subdued; they’d need information about who else was in the area, and what they should expect.

Namazu AnneThraxx aggravatedspacedolphins Crono Tool Good_Morels Miaow​

 

[Namazu]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

God, they were in so much shit. A hair’s breath from being shot, and he knew it. He hadn’t been this close to strangers in a long time - and why would he expect this time to be anything different? They were in the middle of nowhere! This was supposed to be safe! They’d have to cross this whole town off the map now that they’d been spotted.

Bax glanced over his shoulder, and immediately regretted it. He didn’t stop to count how many, but he definitely had a handful of pissed-off-looking guys after him - and they were armed. They did not look one bit friendly, either. Teddy passed him up, as was always the escape plan. He had to get to the plane first and get it started if they had any hope of getting out of here alive. Skidding around the corner, he briefly lost sight of his pursuers, but he knew it wouldn’t last long. It was a near straight shot to the plane from here.

Bursting out of the alleyway, he swore he’d never seen a sight as sweet as that of the Piper Super Club’s blades whirling up and Teddy up in the cockpit, hastily flipping switches and pushing buttons. Bax took off his backpack and hurled it into the open plane door, throwing himself in after it and scrambling inside. He slammed the plane door shut and locked it just as he looked back to see the first of his pursuers pop out onto the street behind him.

“Just get into the fucking air, Ted!” Bax gasped as he hauled himself into the co-pilot seat and buckled in, praying nobody landed a lucky shot.

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[Namazu]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

The well-oiled Angel’s Ascent machine (as well oiled as they could be while running on fumes, pain, and spite) scattered to do their jobs. If his hackles weren’t raised to high heavens, he might have dwelled more on how proud of these people he felt. Instead, all he felt was predatory. Something had rattled the cage bars too close to his people, and he wasn’t going to let that stand without getting answers.

“Two people just ran out the back of the Mercantile. We spooked them off when Johnny took a shot.” Fish responded to Birdie’s question into his walkie-talkie. “We got people running after them. None of us are injured, we’re coming out soon.” Fish took his thumb off the button and let his arm relax, scanning the inside of the Mercantile, thinking. People were here for a reason, which presumably meant there was something worth finding. Food, supplies, maybe? Hopefully.

“Alright guys, fan out, resume clearing. Anything we can use that’s not nailed down, I want it hauled out of here and put on our trucks. Food, medical supplies, hygiene shit, whatever looks useful. I’m going upstairs - you, follow me.” With Nik gone running after their quarry, he was down what was starting to feel like his personal bodyguard, and now he was left with one of the rank and file. Not that it was a bad thing, but… if he was honest about it, he’d feel more comfortable if he were going into this with someone closer at his back. Nik, or Auguste - someone he knew he could trust. Or Beau… if he could just sober up… or Kit, if he were here…

Pushing those thoughts out of his head, Fish stuck the walkie-talkie into its holster at his hip and kept his gun up and ready as he made his way through the Mercantile, towards the back stairs. He’d kick himself later for missing them, but it was very dark in here, so maybe he was just being hard on himself for it. Around him, he heard the occasional person call out that their aisle was clear, and by the time he crept up the stairs, he started to hear the shuffling and thuds of items being taken off shelves and stuffed into backpacks and bags. Elsewhere, he heard store carts being rattled out of corrals and wheeled around in order to carry more.

Upstairs, an office door had been left open. Was this where the pair were hiding? It had to be - though it wasn’t immediately obvious to him why, or what was possibly valuable up here. Maybe ‘nothing’ was the answer, and this was just a good hiding spot… but he had to check first.

The office was dingy and drab, as he assumed all retail back offices were. Faded advertisements, cheesy motivational posters, workplace reminders, and other posters and papers cluttered the walls and the desk. Most of the room was taken up by a desk at the back of the room, L-shaped so that anyone sitting up to it at the dusty computer would have their side towards the door. Above the desk held hooks full of keys and shelves of more office and store clutter. File cabinets and a rolling cart took up the other two walls, and beyond that? Not much else looked worth looking at here. Still, Fish had to be sure.

The papers on the desk were useless. Pre-Fall notes and reports on sales and stock, scheduling concerns, sick days, and payroll reminders. Above the desk hung a calendar. Fish glanced up at it, shining his flashlight onto it, and stared at it for a moment. It was still hanging on the exact month of the exact year of the Fall - and someone had circled a day on the calendar with a red pen. Nothing was written inside or next to the circle, but Fish could put two and two together. That was the day people realized life was changing for the worse.

Things like this were hard to look at - reminders of a society and people all but gone. He wondered if that’s how archeologists felt when they uncovered ancient long-lost homes of regular people. Did they, too, feel like they were intruding on something sacred? At least archeologists stepped into someone’s hearth in order to learn and understand. They were just there looking for food to last one more Godforsaken day.

The desk drawers proved pointless, and the other Angel with him had declared the file cabinets and cart empty of anything useful. Fish was about to give up when he stood and his flashlight shone across something on the wall that caught his attention. It hung on the wall next to the computer, above the wastebasket - a map.

It was one of those touristy things, and pinned to the wall around it were brochures for local tourist attractions. All the usual stuff was advertised - bars, restaurants, cheap motels who’s big draws were having pools, free cable, and free wi-fi. It was the map though that really drew him in. It was unlike the road travel maps they had because it actually showed what was here in the area that was once worth visiting. Every other map they looked at had listed this stretch of road as all but a wasteland of empty space. This map, though, told an entirely different tale.

It was the Reservation’s tourism map - and dead center of it all, circled in someone’s faded blue pen, was what looked to be the main attraction of it all: Upstream Hotel & Casino.

Fish smirked at the wall as he carefully pulled out the thumbtacks and took the map down. There were a few other towns marked off too, each one with a name he’d never heard of but swore had to be native. The borders of the Reservation were outlined in a thick, bold black line.

If Quapaw turned up dry as far as gas goes, someplace big enough for a hotel and casino had to have a gas station nearby, a parking lot with some vehicles to siphon, or both. Was this what the pair were looking for? Had they seen it too, and got interrupted before they could take it off the wall?

Motioning for the other Angel to follow him out, Fish hurried on down the steps, boots clanking against the metal as he made no effort to be quiet now. When he got to the ground floor, he pulled out his walkie-talkie, map clutched tight in his other hand.

“Everyone, get your shit together and meet by the trucks. Start loading them up with whatever you found. You guys chasing those two - keep after ‘em and drag ‘em back here if you can, but if they get away, double back and join us.” Fish’s smirk had faded already, but for the first time in days, he sounded oddly hopeful.

“I got a proposal.”

NanLia AnneThraxx aggravatedspacedolphins Crono Tool Good_Morels Miaow ​

 

[AnneThraxx]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

A small breath of relief escaped her as the Sgt. at Arms slid up beside her. “On it. .” She assured him, before darting away to the back of the building. She leaned against the dumpster for a brief moment, trying to catch her breath. Auguste’s order to Billie caught her attention. She was thankful to not be alone heading into the station. Motion on the roof from Marc brought her gaze upwards, that was when she spotted it. A small window, barely big enough to slip through. She let out a sharp, unique whistle to Billie, motioning for her to come to the dumpster.

“Help me push this under the window!” She called out, already applying force to the metal box on rusted castors. After a brief moment of steel scraping stone, they managed to arrange the dumpster beneath the window. Birdie pulled herself up, grabbing Billie’s hand to help here. Peering through the window, it looked to lead into what one could assume was one the mess hall. No latches. No locks. Only glass. Birdie shook her head, grabbing her rifle from her back.

“If a rogue gunshot doesn’t bring out a horde, what’s a little glass shatter?” She stated, as if convincing herself. She’d deal with any repercussions there may be later. Right now, they needed inside. With gritted teeth, she swung, the butt of her rifle quickly connecting with the glass panel. The shattering sound seemed to echo through the silent streets as shards fell free from the pane. She knocked away the few remaining pieces, clearing their pathway in. Holding her breath, the waited; for any sign of movement inside. For once, the silence was admirable. She looked at Billie with a slightly surprised look before giving her a brief shrug.

Birdie grabbed onto the ledge of the window, managing to pull herself up enough to get her legs through. It wasn’t a far drop down, but she’d like to avoid falling into another pile of glass. She was still pulling shards from her back, even two weeks after the attack. She turned herself onto her stomach, allowing herself to slowly scale down the wall, jumping down the last bit. Regaining her balance, she scanned the room. She called out to Billie giving her the ‘all clear’, sliding a small table beneath the window, an attempt to make her entrance a little easier than her own.

The room didn’t offer much in the way of supplies. Maybe some cutlery, salt and pepper shakers. The two knew what they were after as they made their way into the bay, clearing each room as they went. Unease flushed over Birdie as they entered. How was everything so untouched? Bunker gear on its hooks lined the walls, all the gear at the ready in anticipation for their next call; one that never came. She flung open a compartment door, shocked to see all the tools still held neatly in their place. Even the plastic hats they gave children on field trips were tucked neatly in one of the cabs. Beside it, a stuffed dalmatian dressed as firefighter, for times where children were involved in whatever incident they were called to. She grabbed it, shoving it into her jacket pocket. “For Willow.” She remarked as Billie gave her a questioning look. The two separated to check what may remain in the tanks.

“Looks like a little below half a tank each in these two.” Birdie called out from the other side of the bay. “One diesel, smaller one is gas. How’s that one looking?” She asked, breaking off from the trucks to find some jerry cans.

“Station seems clear. We’ve got some fuel, hard to say how much yet. There’s supplies… This place seems untouched. How is that even possible.” She chimed out over the radio. What the hell was going on? How was the place not ransacked? The questions only brought more unease to the situation,

Namazu NanLia aggravatedspacedolphins Tool Crono Miaow Good_Morels ​

 

[aggravatedspacedolphins]

QUAPAW, OKALHOMA
Outskirts of Quapaw​

This guy was fast. It wasn’t the speed of someone ready to turn back and fire a gun at him. No. The guy wasn’t panicking. He wasn’t reaching for anything. From what Nik could barely tell, terrible night vision and all, the guy just looked like he wanted to get the hell out of there. Could he blame him? Poor guy was probably alone and just scavenging and suddenly a whole convoy had just invaded his town.

“Stop!” Nik yelled. “Stop. ARGH!”


The one ran around the corner, and Nik didn’t stop himself in time, running directly in an older brick building that lined the alley. The sand texture scraped at his elbows, leaving behind scratch marks on his elbows and forearms. He didn’t have time to bitch. He was pushing off and angling himself to run after the man. He was running in a straight line. He wasn’t trying to hide. He’d run out of town eventually, right?

Except…no. He didn’t run out of town. He didn’t run out of buildings. There was no more place to run except to the plane…the plane at the edge of town…the plane that they had somehow fucking missed entirely…

And the engine was starting. The rotors were spinning, and a breeze was picking up as he heard the pistons fire in place. Another shadow behind the wheel, as the one pursuer threw open the door, threw his bag in and jumped in. The wind picked up and Nik stopped at a safe distance, throwing his hand up over his eyes to see if he could make out any of the faces behind the wheel. He could barely hear the static of the radio, the rest of the team radioing in with their finds and goods. He didn’t care. He’d failed.

“A plane. A fucking plane Fish. God fuckin-” Static filled the radio.

Nik had thrown the radio in his pocket on the ground. The plastic shell casing bounced and cracked, but stayed intact. He shouldn’t have thrown it. There were already barely enough radios around, and it wasn’t like a magical mythical Radio Shack was going to show up in the middle of the Oklahoma plains and welcome in with open doors and electronics that all died out in the 90s.

‘Da plane. Da plane’ He could hear Fantasy Island playing now, and Nik was the one hopelessly pointing up at the sky.

They were never getting off the fucking island.

He twisted around, picking up the pieces of the radio and crumpling them in his right fist. The other slammed into the brick wall behind him, and scraped his knuckles against it. Punishment for his failure. He looked at Auguste as he joined him, and he only glared.

“Fucking fire me already.”

Namazu NanLia Tool Crono Good_Morels AnneThraxx Miaow ​

 

[NanLia]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Billie didn’t hesitate to jog over to meet Birdie next to the fire station; she understood her orders well enough - Birdie was in charge of his foray into their B&E. She nodded and helped push the bin along the side wall until it was beneath the window, then held the lids still as Birdie fearlessly climbed up to examine the window. It was always impressive to watch the woman work - Billie wasn’t a lifer with the clubs, coming in later in life, and it was always interesting to see just how they thought. An illuminating experience, to say the least.

Birdie went through the window and then Billie followed suit, thankful for the assist with the table, otherwise she would have fallen on her ass. Following Birdie’s lead, they cleared rooms until they arrived at the central bay, and she was more than satisfied that the place was empty save for them. Billie paused to watch Birdie stuff the toy into her pocket, momentarily concerned the other woman had forgotten they’d left Santi at Roanoke to, hopefully, live a full life. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, and she laughed softly. “She’s going to love it, and I think Fish is going to hate you for it.” She teased.

As her partner in crime headed down one side of the bay, Billie took the other to examine the tanks. “Same on this side.” It was more fuel than they’d seen for days in one place - a wealth of it. “Let’s get this bay door open, maybe we can get the trucks close enough to fuel so we don’t have to run a bunch of jerry cans?”

Namazu AnneThraxx aggravatedspacedolphins Crono Tool Good_Morels Miaow​

 

[NanLia]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Auguste slowed, running was not something he’d done recently. Plenty of other athletic activities, but running in jeans, leathers and steel-toed boots was for the dogs. Fuck this. He came around to the main street in time to watch Nik duck under the wheels of a fucking plane as it went over head.

He stepped out into the street to watch it slowly rise further into the sky before he burst out laughing. “A fucking plane.” He turned to Nik, shaking his head. “Who the fuck lands a plane in the middle of a town?” The oddity and audacity of it made him laugh even harder.

As he approached Nik, clearly having shit time, Auguste tossed an arm over his shoulder and squeezed. “Deep breath, kid. Sometimes you just gotta roll with what shit you get dealt.” He stepped back, patting Nik on the back. “Half of your job is keeping your shit together when everything else is on fire around you.”

He knew Nik had been killing himself slowly since they’d lost their home, as though he could have done anything to prevent it. “Take a fucking second, kid. Take stock of what you got: Wil is alive and well, we have our family back, we’re safe. That’s what matters. This is going to eat you up, you keep living like this, and then what will Wil have? She’s not living with me and Lila, that’s for fucking sure.”

Namazu AnneThraxx aggravatedspacedolphins Crono Tool Good_Morels Miaow​

 

[Namazu]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

A load at a time - a cartful, an armful, whatever size - useful goods and supplies got hauled out of the mercantile and loaded into their vehicles. Most of it went into the truck to be divvied up later, with some odds and ends being packed into vehicles where they fit. They were not overly strict with dividing up supplies and Fish was not a stickler enough to count beans. Maybe back in the day he would have been, but not now. The golden rule was everyone who contributed got to eat and nobody was to hoard anything at the expense of someone else going hungry or being miserable from not having what they needed to function. Sometimes that meant sharing a bar of soap or foregoing a snack if it meant someone else got breakfast. It was nice to see that communal pile growing bigger instead of shrinking for once. Pickings had been slim for a while, to the point Fish spent more time than he liked ruminating about what happened when they ran out of food.

Fish was standing in front of his truck, smoothing the map out on the now-cooled hood, when the plane flew overhead. It was quite the amazing sight, to see something man-made in the air again after all this time. He hadn’t really thought about it before, but it had been two years since he’d seen an airplane in the sky. As shocking and admittedly worrying as the sight was, it was humbling… and maybe just a little encouraging. Humanity wasn’t completely done for. Not yet. Not while someone still wanted to fight the idea of what was impossible, punch upwards, and say fuck-you to gravity.

“Fuck.” He muttered with an exhale, watching the plane take off and fly away until it was a certainty it wasn’t going to bank and come right back. Taking a pen from his pocket, he made a note on the map the direction the plane was flying. That was something they could mull over later, though trying to figure out where those two went would be hard when they had no idea what the range of that plane was, its speed, or how much fuel it had.

“Deal with the plane later - everyone in one piece?” Fish questioned into his walkie-talkie. “Marc, you can come down from the roof. We’ll be moving out soon and I think whatever was still alive in this town, we just chased it out. They might be more spooked than we are - go see if you can give Birdie and Billie a hand.” It hadn’t escaped him how they found their way into the firehouse - good call, for both of them.

“Prospects, keep loading up. Nik, Auguste, c’mere so we can discuss this idea I got. I think I know where we’re going next.”

NanLia AnneThraxx aggravatedspacedolphins Crono Tool Good_Morels Miaow ​

 

[AnneThraxx]

QUAPAW, OKLAHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

Birdie smiled at Billie with a nod, walking over to one of the bay doors. She thought very highly of her, admiring her witty yet take-no-shit demeanor. She never had a complaint working a task alongside her; the two worked well in tandem. The seized spring of the heavy bolt screeched as Birdie unlocked the door; no doubt a while since they had been opened.

"Let's get some fresh air in here."

Grabbing the chain, she began pulling, the door slowly rising, letting in the chilled air rush in. She looped the chain around the hook, then scurried over to the next, repeating the process. Standing for a moment to catch her breath, she took in their surroundings. Ally remained perched on top of the truck, Lila and Willow still tucked in the cab. A few of the other prospect crossed the road, returning to the truck; talking some sort of nonsense, no doubt. Marc paced the rooftop. The now unfamiliar sound of a plane engine diminished as the silhouette grew smaller. A fucking plane. What’s next, a tank? She cringed at the thought of some psychos plowing a tank through Quapaw.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Nik and Auguste returning from their chase. Birdie gave them a reassuring nod that her and Billie were fine, but her expression was filled with confusion and concern, as if to ask what the hell was going on. Watching them head off towards Fish, she made her way to the mini-pumper, she popped the hood. Battery looked fine, but no doubt it would be dead from sitting. She hopped in the cab, finding the keys in the center console. Just like suspected, the battery was dead.She ran over to check the next one. Also dead. Birdie thought for a moment, before calling out to Billie to inquire about her findings.

“I think our best bet will be to push the small rescue over to the truck first. Siphon a bit, try boosting it. Maybe we can get the others moving as well.”

She returned back over to smaller 5 ton, equipped with all the bells and whistles, but able to get places the big pumpers couldn’t go. The trucks were decently stocked, if not near full. Something still didn’t feel right about it all. As bodies began to mingle around the truck, Birdie jogged over to the group, asking for a few hands to help move the truck. Quickly, she hopped up on the step, cracking open the door.

“You guys okay?” She asked softly with a smile. She knew Lila had a handle on things, she never worried about her. Her expression softened as she registered Willows panicked demeanor. She dug in her vest pocket, pulling out the stuffed dalmatian, placing it on the center console. “A dog Fish can’t say no to.” She smirked, giving the toy a quick pat on the helmet before hopping down, closing the door and bolting back over to the open bay doors.

aggravatedspacedolphins Namazu NanLia Tool Good_Morels Crono Miaow ​

 

[aggravatedspacedolphins]

QUAPAW, OKALHOMA
Outskirts of Quapaw​

Nik expected Auguste to blow up on him. He wanted him to blow up on him. He wanted him to yell and say he fucked up. He expected it more than anything because his father would have done the same thing…and Auguste was the most fatherly figure he had at the moment. Auguste squeezed his shoulder, and Nik’s head bounced in rhythm to his steps, bowed and heavy. He was more disappointed that Auguste wasn’t yelling, then Auguste telling him that shit happened and he had to move on. He had to get out of his head. He pressed his hand to the bridge of his nose and squeezed.

“When are we going to get a fucking break, Auguste? When are we going to get lucky? Cause I’m tired of dealing with all the shit we’ve been dealing with. I’m fucking tired of this.”

He wanted to throw the walkie talkie back down on the ground and shatter it, but Auguste was still patting his back…and he had to keep calm. He wasn’t a very good Sergeant At Arms right now because all she wanted to do was throttle one of the new recruits or slam his fist into a wall. Auguste walking with him, keeping him grounded, was the only thing stopping him from storming off into the void and finding something work punching.

They had been lucky, even if Nik didn’t believe it. Oklahoma had been nice enough to them. They hadn’t witnessed a tornado yet. They’d all been healthy enough, so far. The little island that had kept them safe for a little while had been heaven on earth….The Angels were alright. Nik sighed and stopped, looking up at the little trail in the sky from the plane. His face turned up into a smile, laughing a little bit at the idea that Willow would constantly drive everyone nuts if he wasn’t around.

“I think Birdie might take her. She’s taken a liking to her already, or I don’t know. She’d make a good Witch in the Woods I think.”

He ran a hand through his dark locks, sweat keeping his hair swooped back as the comfort of their family came into view. The prospects were huddling around trucks, gathering things from the shop or what looked like the fire station. Birdie must have gotten in, and Nik gave her a small smile back as she noticed them. Nobody would have expected a plane. Nobody would have expected him to run down a plane.

It was a shit hand he was dealt with…and he was dealing with it.

Nik found his way over to Fish’s truck, where Fish was looking at a map, already planning where they would go next. Nik had the overwhelming feeling to grab the man from behind and bury his head into his neck, but he stopped himself, opting instead to stand next to him and look, his hip cocked against the truck bed. He still felt like shit…and he still wished that Auguste would yell at him a little…but this was his family…and family had a stupid way of making you feel better, even if you didn’t want to.

“A casino?” Nik pressed his hand against the blue pen circle.

Namazu NanLia Tool Crono Good_Morels AnneThraxx Miaow ​

 

[aggravatedspacedolphins]

QUAPAW, OKALHOMA
Quapaw Mercantile​

The crumbs of the floor were vaguely interesting enough to keep Willow entertained, away from the radio buzzing with the excitement of what was in little Quapaw, Oklahoma. All the little crumbs were like memories. There were crumbs that vaguely reminded her of the time they found Cheetos in a gas station outside of Arkansas and Wil discovered that perhaps Cheetos didn’t really expire. There was coins that reminded her of the little dispensable toy machines that were still loaded with cheap things. She still has the plastic dinosaur that she liked to put on Fish’s shoulder when he wasn’t driving and make talk to him. The memories were enough to distract her, and the panic that was still digging into her. She hummed quietly, probably enough to drive Lila mad when the truck door opened.

Willow popped her head up from the back seat, her hands and dress covered in hair, dirt, and crumbs from the truck bed floor. She immediately let out a squeal of joy that could be heard outside the truck, grabbing the dog toy and hugging it to her chest.

“A dog! Lila! A dog! What do we name him? Spots is too obvious. You know what I like? Newspaper. Because he’s black and white, right? But that’s kind of dumb. Do you call a dog Newspaper?”

Namazu NanLia AnneThraxx Tool Good_Morels Crono Miaow ​