We ended the world

[Tx_Liquor]

Shane visible relaxed, his head rolling back. "Oh, thank the gods. I already planning my 'Don't go, yet' speech. Truth is, the more I said all that the more I realized I need someone else to help me. Not to help me fight or anything, but should anything happen to me someone has to get the information to Fitz."

Shane grabbed his small pack, pulled a pair of water bottles, a wax pencil and a lamented map. He gestured with one of the waters to the kid, willing to drink both if his gift was refused. Then opening the map, which already had a lot of waxed marks on it he looked at where they were and then the big red permanent marker circle for 'Shiner'. An address was written next to the circle.

"Okay, so we're about 15 miles from where we need to go. But I have to ask and I need you to be honest. Can you fight? Because I don't want to have to take care of you and don't be shy because I can teach you." He shifted the sports guard and sleeve on his arm to show even more bites and gouges. "I've had to mix it up with more than my share. Trust me on that. It was like they were trying to get me infected again." He went cold, as if realizing he might have said too much and put his Kevlar sleeve back in place. "So, what about you? Every get into a real fight? Not some school yard bully shit?"

 

[Ambrosia_64]

Casey seemed mildly amused with Shane's relaxing, the words-before the man pulled his smaller pack and removed a few of the contents. Casey gestured with the still mostly untouched water Shane had given earlier-then turned 'his' eyes to the map, studying it.

Fifteen miles? Very close, then.

The 'kid' turned even more serious when asked about fighting ability. "I'm obviously not as big as you are." Casey said slowly, dark eyes drifting to the windshield, the road ahead. Shane wasn't the only one with bad memories, it seemed like. And there had to be a reason a kid so young was alone out here.

A moment of contemplative silence, and then the 'kid' spoke again. "We talking people or mutants, Shane? That kind of makes a difference." A small swig of the water.

"I can hold my own long enough to get out of a situation. I have...some formal training." Cassie didn't want to get too much into that. A sixteen year old boy wouldn't have had time for the length of study she had done over the years-more of her father's paranoia-but she did have some formal training in Judo-and more importantly, Krav Maga. "As for stopping power, I've got two guns and a bit of ammo in my bag." A shake of 'his' head, jaw tightening. "There's a reason I stay away from people." Casey said quietly.

"But if we ARE heading into a shit storm, you need to get some sleep." The 'kid' pointed out, a little worriedly. "Especially if you've been there before. I haven't."

Another sip of water, still serious, still thinking hard. "Shane? ...What did you mean, 'infected again'?"

 

[Tx_Liquor]

"I want to be sure you can fight mutants. What this virus was turning people into. I'm sure you can give any HUMAN a reason not to kill you. Hell, there were times I thought I might have to trade sex for survival." He waved his hand aside saying, "I didn't, but when a big man and his prison friends start asking questions I start trying to figure out who's knee I'm going to break first for the best chance of survival."

"Which is lesson One. Don't bother trying to break their knee. I know it's a prime self defense technique across the board but these things evolve quickly. The enzyme makes it so. Break their knee and they just learn a new way to walk."

"But if we ARE heading into a shit storm, you need to get some sleep." The 'kid' pointed out, a little worriedly. "Especially if you've been there before. I haven't."

Another sip of water, still serious, still thinking hard. "Shane? ...What did you mean, 'infected again'?"
"Sleep?" Shane smiled, "I remember this word. Not sure what it means." He laughed a bit. "Let me ask you... if I offered to keep watch while YOU sleep, would you?" The conundrum was obvious. They had just met. Could Casey trust Shane in 'his' most vulnerable? So, that worked both ways.

"Shit." He looked back at the map. "Maybe we can find a motel to break into. Get different rooms or something. I don't know."

To the last and final question Shane took a breath. "When the found out there was someone Immune in town they started doing tests at first. They it was everything from making me fight them, to injecting me with the enzyme itself. So... that's my story. I was a human lab rat until Fitz and GI Joe fucked it all up. They freed me and the virus at the same time. And now we all just want to make it right."

 

[Ambrosia_64]

"If...if we can focus on stealth as much as possible, I would appreciate it. I don't...want to go in anywhere guns a blazing. I've seen people die doing that. Getting too gutsy." Casey shifted in the seat. "I try to avoid hand to hand with those things. You might be immune, but..."


"Let me ask you... if I offered to keep watch while YOU sleep, would you?"

"...I already did, on accident, earlier. But point taken. I could hang out outside the locked truck, if you wanted...?" Cassie did not like that idea, entirely. The truck was a target, and if she were attacked and he didn't wake with a rap on the door-but it was just as dangerous for him to be sleep deprived and heading into a high concentration of mutants.

He thought of a better solution. And a motel meant a real shower, some sleep, a moment of 'luxury' before they both got themselves killed. "That's a good idea, assuming we can find an empty one."

"...to injecting me with the enzyme itself."

"Holy shit." Casey blurted, so surprised the words were a little higher pitched, almost feminine as the 'kid' twisted in 'his' seat, staring at him with widened, shocked dark eyes.

"You're not just resistant, you're straight up immune. Like, for real immune." Wow. Then again, that didn't make him immortal-he could still get ripped apart by the things, but he didn't have to live in fear of infection, of becoming one of them.

"I-I knew someone who was bitten and didn't mutate, but to be injected and still...anyway. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I know sorry doesn't do anything, but...but I am."

Casey drew 'his' knees up on the seat, wrapping 'his' arms around them. "Just, damn." A shake of the head.

 

[Tx_Liquor]

"That's a good idea, assuming we can find an empty one."

Shane shook his head, "Little chance of that. Best best it to find one that's working and trade our way in. Got any luxury items?" Shane started to go through the glove box and arm console looking for anything and everything.

A couple packs of smokes, some sunflower seeds, a few books of matches and some pens were all that could be found in the vehicle. "That's not going to get us much. At this point, the rifle and Five-Eleven vest off your friend are what we've got, currency wise. It should be fine." He then checked the map asking, "You going to be okay with selling this stuff for a nights sleeps and a shower?"

 

[Ambrosia_64]

Shane didn't respond, keeping his mind on business. Cassie couldn't blame him.

"I don't get close enough to trade, so no luxury items...I do have a hand gun, I don't need two." He continued to take stock and the 'kid' watched him, still looking a little troubled over what he had said.

"I don't care. I would have left both behind anyway. They're yours to do what you want with." Casey hugged 'his' knees a little tighter, resting 'his' chin on them.

"I just hope they don't roll us for anything else they assume we have. I think we should park the truck down the road from whatever we find, Shane. It may not have much fuel left, but they wouldn't know that, and I don't want us to die over a truck."

 

[Tx_Liquor]

"Oh, I like what you're thinking." Shane sounded honest, and nodded then checked his map. "Okay. I have an idea. We stash the car nearby, take what we can and walk the rest of the way."

Finding a good spot on the map, Shane drove to a neighborhood that looked like it had been a war zone. Some houses were burned down, the rest were vandalized with spray paint. Windows were smashed out and sayings on garages and the sides of houses claimed 'We are in Hell' and 'Better than a Servant in Heaven'. One house was painted with the words, 'INFECTED' and that was the one Shane headed for.

As the armored SUV approached a small group of mutant people came charging out of the nearby buildings. Shane stopped and honked the horn causing even MORE to come out and rush the vehicle.

The first few tried to open the locked doors and after that the rest just started to climb the vehicle looking for entry. One of the last ones to approach was a bloated man with no lower jaw, but a vertical partition in his throat showed rows of teeth and flexed. Seemed he'd mutated a solution to not being able to eat with his original mouth.

If that wasn't enough, he held a crowbar in one hand and an ax in the other. The Deep Throat mutant raised his head and his neck-mouth issued a shriek that made the others pull back. It was as if he were telling them to get out of his way.

Shane nodded, "Yep. This is gonna get fucked up. Any ideas after I ram him with the truck? My plan is to jump out and leave you in here to lock the doors, roll down the window a hair and start shooting."