Dead USA (DrTrollinski and Elwin)

[DrTrollinski]

".. Yeah, you and Clay could go and check out the general store, and me and Jacks could look in the hunting store to grab some blankets and all that." Greg said to her, gently patting her shoulder as they walked on. 'Jacks' was a nickname he had for Jackson, but his wife never liked it. Jackson liked it, but Greg only really ever called Jackson that if they were together and alone.


".. I hope so, Luna..." Clayton chuckled a little and took a deep breath. He felt equally as sick, and seeing Luna throw up didn't help him feel any better. Clayton was quite literally one step away of having the trait of sympathy vomiting, so he got lucky, in a sense. He looked at Greg and gave a slow nod. ".. If Luna's okay with it, I don't mind." He gave a sickened smile.

 

[Elwin]

"Sounds alright to me." Luna confirmed, squeezing Clayton's hand. The General Store was a few doors down from the Hunting Store, so they wouldn't be too far apart. Luna let go of Clayton's hand so that she grasp her gun better if it was needed. They headed closer to the door but Luna stopped suddenly, blocking Clayton with her hand. "Right, there's a creeper walking around in there." She whispered, stepping back a little. "I think it is the only one." The windows of the store had been smashed, so it made Luna's aim easier. The undead seemed to be an old lady, who was confused and wandering aimlessly with a growl. Luna's hands shook as she held up the gun. "Step back, Clay." She said, squinting her eyes. She aimed at the head of the infected and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew through its head knocking it to the ground with a splatter of blood. The shot was loud, but not shuddering. Luna was nervous about the noise but didn't feel like it was too much of an issue.


"I think it's clear..." She mumbled as they walked towards the door. She pushed it opened, which rang the bell above. The place was a wreck, more-so than the gas station. But there was a few supplies that were quality. "It seems like this town had been suspicious" Luna said, passively as she picked up a handful of ration packs from the shelf. She made sure Clayton was right behind her at every second. "I wonder why they have so many of these?" She questioned, stuffing more packs into her bag. There were plenty of bottles of water flung across the floor around them. Luna ripped off the top of a bottle of soda with her teeth and chucked it, opening another for Clayton. "How much better is that?" She said, smiling. The old lady remained dead in the corner, but luckily she didn't have near as much stink as the charred pile of bodies.

 

[DrTrollinski]

He took the soda with joy and smiled, gulping some of it down. ".. Yeah, I think it's on the house this time." Clay chuckled a little. ".. I don't know why they have so many ration packs. It's probably one of those weird redneck towns where everyone thought the fallout was gonna' happen, or something." He thought for a few moments and then sighed. ".. I guess they were pretty close, huh...?" He said, this time less joyful and more quiet.


Greg and Jackson were wandering around the hunting store and grabbing everything of use. They even sold the cool looking bows with arrows in here, which Jackson just loved, so he grabbed one instantly alongside a quiver of arrows. It was pointless to take with them as he didn't know how to use it, but he was just a kid, so seeing as Greg wanted him to be happy, he let him keep hold of it while he went around and grabbed some blankets and MRE's - he grabbed a couple of machetes, some canteens with canteen covers that could clip to belts, some brown leather belts, warm jackets, sweaters, steel-toed boots, and some hats for whenever they may have needed them - he had to shove it all into two large bags, but he managed it.

 

[Elwin]

Luna turned round and bent down a little to Clayton's height. "Yeah, I guess so. But as depressing as that is it means that we gotta' chance in this world. I think we will be fine. Me and you guys..I think we are quite a strong team!" She said with a smile.


Luna stood up properly and ripped open one of the ration packs. It was a vegetable casserole flavor. "This will be the best vegetable casserole you have ever tasted." Luna joked, passing the pack to Clayton. She gave him a plastic fork too, but it was pretty much mush. Nice and squeezable. She then opened one for herself, a sausage and bean flavor and squeezed it into her mouth. It taste pretty great, compared to stuff that they had consumed in the past few days. The packs were fairly small, so Luna had fit a good amount of them in her bag that would last them a few weeks.


"Shall we go find your dad and Jackson?" Luna smiled as she packed up her bag and headed towards the door. She nodded at the dead old lady out of respect.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Yeah, let's go." He smiled as he tipped some of the casserole into his mouth. It actually wasn't too bad, but he read somewhere that if you ate too many of these, you'd get crazy constipation. Oh well, better than starving to death, right? He walked along with her as they exited the store and looked out towards the Hunting store, of where they could hear Jackson and Greg moving around and stuffing things into bags, and such.


".. Maybe we do have a chance." He shrugged and smiled. ".. Thanks for the help, by the way... You've helped us a lot since we met you." He smiled warmly.

 

[Elwin]

Luna grabbed Clayton's hand. "Helped you guys? You have all helped me. I don't think I'd be alive if it wasn't you three." She said warmly, before entering the hunting store. She let go of Clayton, allowing him to wander where he please. "Did you find some good supplies? We have a load of rationed meals if anyone is hungry." Luna said, as she began to unzip her bag. "All kinds of flavors. And more water. Does anyone need any water?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I want some water!" Jackson said cheerfully as he ran over to her. He looked a lot happier now that he had one massive hunting bow over his shoulders. It was almost as big as him, but it made him happy, so why not? Greg chuckled a little as he continued going around the store and picking up everything the little group may have needed - He picked up four Bowie knives for them all, and he also made sure that they'd all have a canteen, compasses, and flashlights. They were just about fit to go.


".. We've got a bit of everything on our side." Greg smiled a little.

 

[Elwin]

"Wow, have you got a new bow, Jackson?" Luna asked, pretending to be surprised. She pulled out a bottle of water and passed it to the little boy, opening it for him. Luna felt better now that they had everything they needed to hopefully settle somewhere and survive. "Next step find a car, right?" She said, looking at Greg. Anything was better than the gasoline stink of the windowless truck they had been carting around in. "I can't wait to get out of here." Luna felt tired and knew that the boys must feel the same. The day had been eventful and they were all ready to call it quits.

 

[DrTrollinski]

".. Yeah! Isn't it awesome?!" He said with delight as he snatched the bottle up and chugged some of it down. Greg walked over with a chuckle and ruffled his hair before walking forward and nodding towards the exit.


"Yep. Let's go find a car. I bet we can find somethin' decent in one of the garages of the house. It sounds morbid, but a lot of people didn't make it out of this town, which means a lot of their vehicles didn't, either. We'll stick together here, alright?" He said to them as he walked out of the store and then waited for them to join him. Once they exited the store, he lead them to a road that had a dead end, and all of the houses were quiet, but many of them had garages. ".. So... You want to split up again? Me and Jackson one side, you and Clay the other?" He asked.

 

[Elwin]

"Sure." Luna answered simply, looking at Clayton. He didn't protest so she assumed he was okay with the arrangement. The pair headed left towards the garage of a cute stereotypical family house. Everything seemed intact, except the door was open. "Okay, we're going to have to get into the garage through the house, so be prepared for any nonsense." She said to Clayton sternly. They opened the door, slowly but it was silent.


The house was beautiful. Photographs hung from the walls of two little girls, many of the photos differed in age. Feminine decor hung everywhere you looked, it had a real homey feeling. Except for the insane silence. "Come on Clay, lets hurry." Luna said rushing into the kitchen. She yelped with horror at a pile of two dead girls on the tiles of the kitchen. The pantry was slung open and food and cans were thrown allover. Blood was smeared across the walls and splattered the floor. "Oh my..." Luna covered up her face and grabbed Clayton. She made her way to the door that led to the garage. It was locked, but she didn't want to give up after they had already gone through the horrible sight. "Right, we need the key." Luna kept her nose covered and grabbed a bunch of keys from a hook. She tried them all till one of them work. She had also found a car key in the process. Finally they were in a bit of luck.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Clayton didn't say anything. In fact, he looked considerably upset. The sight of the two girls not only scared him, but tore a little piece away from him at the same time. It was a horrible sight, and he wished that it was something he could just remove from his head. He followed Luna into the garage, but he didn't comment on whatever was in there. His face was flushed of color once again, and the metallic smell of blood filled his nose. He felt sick. Sick and destroyed.


Greg pushed in through the first door he and Jackson were checking out. He had his rifle out now, just in case.


"Come on, son... We'll make this quick." He whispered. Jackson nodded and followed close behind him - they walked through to the kitchen and walked in on a horror scene. A young woman was standing at the sink, but there was blood dripping down her body. She was just stood there, her blood-stained yellow rubber gloves covering her hands while hanging at her side. She was just letting out growls and hisses. ".. Look away, son..." Greg muttered. Jackson cowered behind him and shut his eyes, that's when Greg raised his rifle and put one bullet in her head. They moved on.


They had no luck with this house.

 

[Elwin]

Luna could see the pain in Clayton's eyes, but would rather get out there as quick as she could rather than loiter and make him feel better. "Come on, man. You're a brave boy." She said and managed to get the car open with the keys. She had the keys for the garage too which she opened whilst inside the car. Luna waited for the door to ride up whilst Clayton jumped in the back. Luna then drove the car out of the garage and into the street, stopping in the middle. It seemed Greg and Jackson were still looking.

 

[DrTrollinski]

(What caris it?)


A garage door opened up from one house across the street of them. Clayton still hadn't said anything and just sat silently in the back. Greg and Jackson ran out onto the street and waved at them. Amazing. They'd found a car at long last - Greg ran over to the window and smiled happily in relief, looking the car up and down.


"Nice, you found one!" He smiled. Jackson instantly hopped into the back with Clay, and Greg threw all of his stuff into the trunk before getting into the front seat.

 

[Elwin]

(Range Rover)


Luna jumped out of the car after it had parked and waved at Jackson and Greg. She then climbed into the back next to Clayton for a moment. "Please don't worry about what you saw. It was so horrible, I know. But them girls are better off like that than still alive. They are in a better place." She whispered to him, stroking his hair softly. "Don't let it get to you." Luna could feel his pain, it killed her. "Let me know if you need anything." She said and got back out the car. The dog jumped in after her and sat in the middle seat next to Clayton.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Clayton didn't say anything for a moment. ".. No--.. No they're not... They're dead. Gone. They're not ever coming back, and they've--.. They've lost everything..." He sighed shakily and then lied down on the seat, curling up into a ball. ".. No one deserves to die like they did." He said, looking down at the seat. Greg sighed and shuffled over to the driver's seat so that Luna could ride passenger.


".. Let's get the hell out of here." Greg said as he floored the gas pedal and drove out of the southern exit of the town as quick as he could manage. He didn't want to be there anymore, and he doubted that any of them did, either.

 

[Elwin]

Luna felt unhappy that she hadn't been able to cheer Clayton up. For the ride, Luna curled up slightly in her seat. Clayton's mood had rubbed off on her and she didn't particularly want to talk about anything to anyone. It was really hard being supportive all the time when everything was so horrible. She was grateful that their new car was in great condition, however, it was a lot warmer and comfier than the truck. Luna found herself drifting off to sleep. She was so tired from the day's events, she needed to regain energy and motivation to keep going.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Clayton hadn't really moved either. He'd actually drifted off to sleep, simply hugging himself while he fell into a slumber. He was tired, and that had hit his mood quite hard as well. Greg had noticed that Luna wasn't particularly happy with Clay's mood just by the way she was acting, so he reached over and gently patted her shoulder a few times.


".. Hey--.. Luna... Don't think too much of how Clay's acting. He's just... He's confused, that's all." Greg muttered, sighing a little. Jackson was just sitting in the back and petting the dog, not really paying attention.

 

[Elwin]

Luna rubbed her eyes a little. She felt like a child. Or in some cases she wished she was a child. Nothing would be more comforting that to be held and told it would be alright and for her to be blissfully ignorant. "I know..I know. It just gets me down that he is so upset. We saw some bodies in the house where the car was, but they were young and photos of them scattered the wall." She mumbled, keeping herself in a curled position. "I just want to settle, Greg. I know it hasn't been long, but it is so hard to act like we have a goal when we don't have one at all."

 

[DrTrollinski]

He kept a hand on her shoulder and took a deep breath. ".. Every victory comes with a struggle. It was the same at medical school - I wanted just to get out of there, get a job, and work on getting a family... Hell, I went into depression at one point because it was always... 'drive here, drive there', or 'lecture here, lecture there' - We do have a goal, Luna... And that goal's to get to Georgia. We'll hopefully settle down there." He smiled a little and gently squeezed her shoulder. ".. Try not to think about how Clay's feeling. You know what he's going through... You know, twelve years old, coming into his teenage years... Changes, and all that. I think the most we can do is try and understand him, for now." He said.

 

[Elwin]

"You're right, I know. I don't mean to be selfish." She said to him, feeling guilty for being pessimistic. "Hopefully everything will be okay. I want you and your family to be happy eventually." Luna yawned slightly, her eyes were still heavy from her sleep. It was starting to get dark outside, but the evening was peaceful. There was also no noise from the back of the car either, so Luna assumed the boys were asleep. Oh and the dog too.

 

[DrTrollinski]

".. You weren't being selfish." He smiled and shrugged. ".. Kids can be funny sometimes. It's easier when they're young." He said, taking a deep breath before chuckling. They'd have to stop at some place soon so that they could all sleep. He knew for a fact that he wasn't be able to keep driving for a whole night, not after the first night of all of this starting - they had all of the supplies that they needed, so things were going quite well now. He could get the boys some of the cotton blankets from the camping gear they picked up. ".. I don't think I ever asked. How old are you?"

 

[Elwin]

"Yeah, I wouldn't know." She mumbled, biting her fingernails. "I'm 26." She smiled. "Yourself?" Luna could probably guess. He was a family man, but with few wrinkles. Mid-thirties most likely. She felt comfortable that he wasn't too old to make her feel out of place. But not too young to be immature or some kind of pest, like most men are at a young age.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"We ain't too far off. I'm thirty-seven." He chuckled a little. They were back on the highway now - If they could find a little garage to stay in, or something, that would be suitable. A nice little place with a shutter door with some locks, that way they could all get some rest without the need for shifts. Surely there'd be something like that on the side of a gas station somewhere. ".. And I tell you, I've been out of my twenties for far too long." He laughed a little.

 

[Elwin]

Luna shrugged, slightly. "I don't really know what being in my twenties actually involves. I mean having fun and stuff, I don't want to sound like a special snowflake - but partying and things has never been my kind of fun." She yawned again, hoping they would stop off somewhere eventually. "I think that, you got some great things out of your hard work." She said quietly, glancing at the boys in the back. "Even if you spent a long time getting there."

 

[DrTrollinski]

He smiled warmly. ".. Yeah... I certainly did." He glanced in the rear-view mirror at the two children, and a spark of pride just came to his eyes. He was so happy to have them with him - he didn't know what he'd do without them. Hell, he didn't know what they'd do without each other - he was Glad that for eight years, Clayton had the chance to be a real big brother unlike himself. In this world, it didn't seem that any of that was possible any more.


They were driving on for at least another twenty minutes when they came across a gas station - there were two little garages beside it, like he'd hoped, but it looked like the locks were broken on the shutter doors. Oh well, it wasn't like there were any people out here, anyway. He drove into the small little shed-like building and flicked the engine off, sighing a little but then smiling. ".. Looks like we've got a place to stay for the night." He said. "I'll get the shutters, but would you mind getting two of those cotton blankets from the trunks and covering the boys over? May as well grab a couple of them for us, too." He said.