07-07-2016, 06:53 PM
It was as they discussed options for shelter that Arturia turned to Carmelita and raised the point they’d discussed earlier.
“You said that we should find somewhere we could reconvene at that would also serve as a vantage point, correct?”
“Yes,” Carmelita nodded, unsure as to where this was going. “Why?”
The knight pointed at the skyline of the town. From where they stood in the open lot of the gas station, most of it was hidden by the two-story houses around them, but the street revealed a set of tower blocks further into the city, on top of a small hill that raised them above the surrounding houses.
“Then perhaps we should rest there for the night.”
The group looked at each other and gave signs of approval. The sun was beginning to peek out of the clouds as they lessened, casting afternoon light on the group. Jazz was the one to spot the problem, looking at the canned food that remained.
“So how are we going to get this lot over there?” she asked. “I may be wearing my age well, but that’s a long way to carry all this.”
Amber kicked one of the abandoned vehicles that lay in the street, flat tires and all.
“This lot won’t help,” she said. “It’s not like someone abandoned perfectly good cars and vans. Every one we’ve passed has had something wrong with it, a broken axle, busted engine, empty fuel tank…”
They nodded. Carmelita had checked the pumps as the second thing that might have been booby-trapped when she had scouted the location, and all of them had been drained dry. Some vehicles had had their fuel tanks siphoned, she could tell, though how recently was anyone’s guess.
“Hey, where’s Jess and Jonah?”
Jeremiah’s query was swiftly answered as the two emerged from the vandalised store across the street wheeling several trolleys. Carmelita wasted no time in giving them a dressing down about going off on their own without some type of backup, but after the sparks stopped flying the group gathered the food in the trolleys and set off for the high-rises.
As they walked, Carmelita pressed a digit to her collar and the familiar smell of singed air wafted into her muzzle. With a wave of a fading hand, she jogged ahead down the road, the asphalt beneath her feet slightly damp.
There was a shallow valley to cross between the gas station and the high-rises, and Carmelita slowed down as she reached the bottom of it. There was a crossroads with a set of inactive traffic lights proudly displayed on the left hand side of the road, and she put a hand against the cool metal as she looked around for any signs of an ambush.
A glint caught her eye, and she carefully made her way to a small betting shop. The door inside was open, so she snuck over to the stairs which were thick with undisturbed dust. She carefully climbed the stairs, feeling each wooden step to avoid the sound of creaking, and opened the upstairs door to find herself in an abandoned flat. A telescope, the source of the glint, lay abandoned by one of the open windows, and she stood next to it to survey the rest of the buildings.
Satisfied that the crossroads was secure, she swung out of the window and lowered herself from the sill, dropping onto the top of an abandoned pick-up truck before heading along the road up the hill. She could see the others halfway down the street, and called Amber’s scroll on her earpieces.
++What’s up?++
“The crossroads seems clear, I’m heading up the street to the highrise. I’ll call again if I see anything.”
++Got it++
Ending the call, Carmelita continued on her way. There was a gutter, clogged with leaves, whose puddle was filled with cigarette butts, and she spotted a few railings that had blood on them, not washed away from the rain. Frowning, she slowed her pace, carefully examining each house as she passed for any signs of possible occupants.
She saw more signs of recent living beings as she got nearer the high-rise, including the skid-marks made in mud near the top of the hill. The high rises themselves seemed untouched, though, except from some graffiti.
“Amber,” she called again, her eyepieces sending an image. “I’ve got evidence of people. No idea where they’re living, but someone’s around. Keep an ear out for vehicles.”
++Sure. We’re halfway up the street. Is there anyone at the high-rises?++
“Not sure, no outside evidence. If there is, they’re keeping quiet inside.”
As the remaining six crested the ridge and entered into the small unkempt grassy area that surrounded the three tall buildings, Carmelita waited, her shock pistol drawn as she crept around cloaked, looking for any sign of an ambush.
“You said that we should find somewhere we could reconvene at that would also serve as a vantage point, correct?”
“Yes,” Carmelita nodded, unsure as to where this was going. “Why?”
The knight pointed at the skyline of the town. From where they stood in the open lot of the gas station, most of it was hidden by the two-story houses around them, but the street revealed a set of tower blocks further into the city, on top of a small hill that raised them above the surrounding houses.
“Then perhaps we should rest there for the night.”
The group looked at each other and gave signs of approval. The sun was beginning to peek out of the clouds as they lessened, casting afternoon light on the group. Jazz was the one to spot the problem, looking at the canned food that remained.
“So how are we going to get this lot over there?” she asked. “I may be wearing my age well, but that’s a long way to carry all this.”
Amber kicked one of the abandoned vehicles that lay in the street, flat tires and all.
“This lot won’t help,” she said. “It’s not like someone abandoned perfectly good cars and vans. Every one we’ve passed has had something wrong with it, a broken axle, busted engine, empty fuel tank…”
They nodded. Carmelita had checked the pumps as the second thing that might have been booby-trapped when she had scouted the location, and all of them had been drained dry. Some vehicles had had their fuel tanks siphoned, she could tell, though how recently was anyone’s guess.
“Hey, where’s Jess and Jonah?”
Jeremiah’s query was swiftly answered as the two emerged from the vandalised store across the street wheeling several trolleys. Carmelita wasted no time in giving them a dressing down about going off on their own without some type of backup, but after the sparks stopped flying the group gathered the food in the trolleys and set off for the high-rises.
As they walked, Carmelita pressed a digit to her collar and the familiar smell of singed air wafted into her muzzle. With a wave of a fading hand, she jogged ahead down the road, the asphalt beneath her feet slightly damp.
There was a shallow valley to cross between the gas station and the high-rises, and Carmelita slowed down as she reached the bottom of it. There was a crossroads with a set of inactive traffic lights proudly displayed on the left hand side of the road, and she put a hand against the cool metal as she looked around for any signs of an ambush.
A glint caught her eye, and she carefully made her way to a small betting shop. The door inside was open, so she snuck over to the stairs which were thick with undisturbed dust. She carefully climbed the stairs, feeling each wooden step to avoid the sound of creaking, and opened the upstairs door to find herself in an abandoned flat. A telescope, the source of the glint, lay abandoned by one of the open windows, and she stood next to it to survey the rest of the buildings.
Satisfied that the crossroads was secure, she swung out of the window and lowered herself from the sill, dropping onto the top of an abandoned pick-up truck before heading along the road up the hill. She could see the others halfway down the street, and called Amber’s scroll on her earpieces.
++What’s up?++
“The crossroads seems clear, I’m heading up the street to the highrise. I’ll call again if I see anything.”
++Got it++
Ending the call, Carmelita continued on her way. There was a gutter, clogged with leaves, whose puddle was filled with cigarette butts, and she spotted a few railings that had blood on them, not washed away from the rain. Frowning, she slowed her pace, carefully examining each house as she passed for any signs of possible occupants.
She saw more signs of recent living beings as she got nearer the high-rise, including the skid-marks made in mud near the top of the hill. The high rises themselves seemed untouched, though, except from some graffiti.
“Amber,” she called again, her eyepieces sending an image. “I’ve got evidence of people. No idea where they’re living, but someone’s around. Keep an ear out for vehicles.”
++Sure. We’re halfway up the street. Is there anyone at the high-rises?++
“Not sure, no outside evidence. If there is, they’re keeping quiet inside.”
As the remaining six crested the ridge and entered into the small unkempt grassy area that surrounded the three tall buildings, Carmelita waited, her shock pistol drawn as she crept around cloaked, looking for any sign of an ambush.