Ashes

  • Thread starter DeletedUser28032
  • Start date

DeletedUser28032

A loud and raucous laugh escaped the Irishman's throat in response to Nelx's admonishment's "Nelx violence is exactly what you're going to be needing out there...and I am the man for the job" he said with a knowing smile.
Removing the arm pinning her in place and taking a step back so that she move past him he continues to grin at the woman "So you want me as your number two? Ok I'll play ball for now...so how about a kiss to seal the deal?"

Having heard the gunfire echoing around the bunker it took little persuading to get Sally to follow her "So that’s why Nelx wanted all the food...I hope she remembers to pick it up" the older woman said more to herself than Caitlyn.
Moving quickly back through the dining hall and into the sleeping area the pair of them would be able to catch the tail end of the exchange between Finn and Nelx, with Pope standing like a bodyguard behind the Irishman "That doesn't look good but I'll be blowed if I am going to stand between those three" Sally whispered quietly to Caitlyn before continuing towards the door; only stopping long enough to see that Donald had already picked up their bags before then heading for the ladder.

Gripping Mouse's hand tightly Mickey looked around at the large group of people milling around the ladder, leaderless and panicking "We have to get everyone out of here before they find us...it'll be like shooting fish in a barrel!" he exclaimed loudly to her God damn you Nelx where are you!?
 

Apelatia

Well-Known Member
"Violence towards them, not towards us." Nelx spoke slowly as she removed herself cautiously from her position backed against the wall. Hoisting her bags onto her shoulders once again, as they had slipped down, Nelx spoke again, albeit this time in a more rapid tone. "You'll do... I'll organise a meeting later on once we're somewhere safe - away from this death lair. Now, I need your help to get everyone out." This said, Nelx proceeded to run at full pelt down the corridor, after the remainder of the bunker's residents. That had been an unpleasant experience, and it seemed that it would be better to have Finnegan on her side for this...excursion. She wanted to avoid run-ins such as that one as much as possible. He was a dangerous man...

About a minute later, Nelx stormed into the escape room, which contained a vertical ladder, leading upwards to the exit. However, to her surprise, the entire bunker seemed to be milling around the bottom of the ladder, not climbing up it. Sighing, Nelx pushed her way through to the ladder, before hoisting herself up the first two rungs so as to be able to see everyone clearly. "Hush, everyone!" She spoke sharply so as to catch the attention of the residents and...hopefully, calm them down. Reverting to a normal tone, she spoke quickly, "Everyone, we need to get out of here before these intruders find us and...put an end to us. The Colonel is staying here and has appointed me in charge to take us to safety. I'll need the support of all of you to achieve our goal: staying alive. First, we need to get up the ladder and...out. Finnegan, follow behind me to lend me some help. Max, take the vanguard please! Now, quickly everyone! Let's move!" This said, Nelx began to haul herself up the ladder towards the exit. Upon reaching it, she would cautiously look into the gloom of the nuclear winter, alert for a presence in the murk...


(OOC: Braet, I wasn't entirely sure how to describe the exit, so I'll let you take Nelx outside, or not if that is what you so desire. :p )
 

DeletedUser28032

"Violence is Violence and I dish it out to those that need it Baywatch" Finn shouted after Nelx's retreating form before bursting out laughing once again "...what’s the matter Baywatch? Don't I get a kiss?"
The rear exit consisted of a small corridor come lobby area with a steel ladder at one end and a pair of steel cabinets in which to store hazmat equipment or so the original designers had intended. With the entire of the bunkers population crammed within it took no small amount of effort for Nelx to elbow her way through to the ladder. Listening to her speak, the group seemed to calm down slightly though it was clear that the slightest thing could set them off in a blind panic if she wasn't careful "But...he coming with us right?" Mouse called across in response to Nelx's comment that the Colonel was staying behind, the girl looking truly terrified over the idea losing him.
Once she had finished speaking to those within the room and ascended the ladder; the snickering below her telling her that Finn was more than enjoying the view as he followed her, she would come to a heavy steel trap door. Working the mechanism she would emerge out into open park land with the dark and fog hiding the bunkers main entrance completely from view "Where are we headed Nelx?" Mickey asked once he'd emerged from the trapdoor, his voice barely louder than a whisper. There was something about the dark, foggy surroundings that made talking any louder than a whisper seem like you were screaming at the top of your lungs; attracting what ever horrors lurked within the darkness down upon you.
"...If we head west we'll hit the old reservoir, There’s an old refugee centre in a stadium to the east of here and the McAllister's are to the north-east; they may be willing to help us assuming of course the old man is still alive and his sons aren't in charge" the bunker had had a pretty good trade agreement with the other survivor groups in the early days however all contact had ceased once resources had begun getting scarce "...as for south...there’s nothing down there but rubble and radiation...unless of course you wish to push through and head for the coast, either way its your call Nelx"
 

Deleted User - 819397

Lamenting the fact she didn't have a firearm to keep her and Sally safe should something attack, Caitlyn hurried after the kind woman, not wanting to leave her alone…or be left alone, circumstances being what they were. They arrived behind Nelx and Finn, who were arguing intensely. Sally mentioned that she didn't want to interfere, and the former policewoman agreed. If she had been feeling good she might've considered it, but her head was a constant source of pain, and the lack of focus that was giving her was more than enough to deter her.

Before long it came time to leave, and people began scurrying up the ladder. As the room emptied, Caitlyn felt anxiety clutch her…the exit wasn't too high up…but even so, she hated ladders like this…they gave no security whatsoever…if something were to happen and she were to slip off, there'd be nothing in place to prevent her from falling. She found herself letting people pass her to go first, trying to calm her heart, which was in turn making the pounding in her head worse. She could do it…it wasn't that high…but…if she fell…no…staying meant death…but…why did it have to be a ladder? Why? Stairs were fine, she could do stairs…but this? Wracked with anxiety, she continued letting people pass her by, hoping she'd find the strength somewhere to get up and out of the bunker.


(A devastating fear of heights…as someone with a bit of that myself, though not as crippling as Caitlyn…I hate ladders, so it makes sense someone with a worse fear would find them even worse, eh?)
 

DeletedUser28032

Casually holding the straight razor James peered through the crack in the door out into the corridor. The sounds of gunfire had abated and the former bluesman feared it meant their rear guard had bought the farm and that any minute now they would be discovered. Glancing over his shoulder he watched as Pope disappeared up the ladder leaving only him and Caitlyn still within the chamber "Come one, lets get going ladies first" the Irishman said gesturing for Caitlyn to start climbing. However as he drew closer to the woman it was clear that something wasn't quite right "Are you alright darling?"
 

Apelatia

Well-Known Member
The effort required to push her way through to the ladder had been quite substantial, and as such, Nelx, although fit, found herself panting as she reached the top of the ladder; she managed to ignore the snickering coming from Finn below her, deciding that there were far more pressing things to be worrying about at present than something as trivial as that. Her duty currently was to safely escort the residents out of the bunker, and after that...lead them to a safe place. That was her assigned task, and she would see it through. At the top of the ladder was a trapdoor, and set into that a mechanism that did not prove to be too difficult for her to work. Accomplishing the task quickly, Nelx slowly peered into the murk outside the exit, and seeing no one in sight, heaved herself out, being sure to stay low for the first few moments should any lookouts of the intruders be waiting to ambush them... She couldn't make out the main entrance from where they were, so instead, she make use of her advance position by keeping lookout until more of the group had emerged from the trapdoor. The dark and fog made it difficult to see very much, but fortunately, that would also be true for anyone who might wish to keep an eye on them, so it would both serve as a problem and a saving grace. During this time, she stayed mostly silent, as the landscape seemed to demand quiet in return for their presence on it...

It was only once Mickey emerged and began asking her about their next rendezvous that she broke her silence. In a barely-louder-than-whisper tone not too dissimilar to his, she spoke quickly, but audibly. "I'm not sure how heading towards the coast would suit our cause, seeing that our two potential destinations are to the north and to the west or northwest. What I do know is that we need to get moving quickly. Once we've found somewhere safe to convene, we can assign positions and discuss rations, lookouts and whatnot." Her tone cool and clam, albeit with the usual hit of sarcasm present, it was clear that Nelx was used to being in command. "I will ask Patrick to talk to Mouse, unless you feel that you'd be able to help her? She seems distressed by the Colonel's absence, and we need to ease her fears quickly and without hesitation." Pausing a moment for thought, Nelx continued, "In order for us to get everything in order, we need somewhere safe to go and discuss what is happening. I'm not inclined towards the idea of asking for help from these 'McAllisters', especially since resources are so scarce. Perhaps, after we have rid ourselves of these perpetrators, we can relax, but right now, the stadium seems to be a decent enough idea for a temporary trip. We will go there immediately once everyone is outside." Leaving enough time for Mickey to inject any further comments, Nelx strode over to the trapdoor hole, before peering down it. It seemed that the only people left down below were Caitlyn and James, however, something seemed to be wrong. Nelx's eyes narrowed as she tried to gauge the atmosphere between the two in an attempt to discern the cause of the hesitation. Whatever it was, it needed to be sorted out quickly, and the trapdoor closed, before they caught up and annihilated them all. Move it, Caitlyn! You're going to be the death of us all if you're not quick!
 

Deleted User - 819397

Caitlyn had been so fixated on psyching herself to get up the ladder that she didn't notice James approaching her, and so jumped slightly when he told her to go ahead. This unfortunately clued him into the concept that all wasn't well with her, and he decided to ask what was going on. "Nothing, I'm fine," she brusquely replied, taking a quick step towards the ladder, then stopping again. She sighed, then muttered, "Well, aside from needing to climb one of these death traps, anyway." She became aware of the silence…the guard had fallen. It was climb and possibly die or stay and definitely die. With rapid movements so that she didn't lose that thought, she approached the ladder and gripped it tightly. Closing her eyes she began slowly moving up the structure, focusing on the knowledge that death was certain if she didn't do this…every step was torture, knowing that it would be all too easy to fall…no…she couldn't think of that or she'd freeze…had to keep going to avoid certain death…

When she reached the top, Caitlyn collapsed just next to the opening, breathing hard. It wasn't that she had overexerted herself, but trying to ignore her phobia that long had been incredibly taxing. She'd only been able to temporarily conquer her fear because of the threat that had awaited her if she stayed. If she never had to deal with heights again it would be too soon. After a moment, she felt composed enough to stand, only now remembering she had a headache…her fear had crowded it out completely for the duration of the climb…now it was back in full force, reminding her that she most likely had a concussion, making this inevitable trek through dangerous territory doubly so for her…lovely…
 

DeletedUser28032

“Hey don’t worry about it darling I ain’t too fond of heights meself” James replied with an understanding smile as Caitlyn blamed the ladder for her reluctance to leave. Though he had to admit that her fear of heights had to be somewhat more severe than his own as he knew from experience that it’d take more than the ladder in front of them to set his off “...Just don’t think about it, Don’t worry I’ll be right behind you” he continued quietly hoping that she would start moving soon; the Bunker wasn’t a big place and so it wouldn’t take them long to find this place.
Thankfully however Caitlyn did begin to climb the ladder and so true to his word James followed up after her.

No sooner had James emerged from out of the escape hatch that Mickey began to lead them away. How he knew which way to take them was a mystery as it was next to impossible make out any land marks within the dark and fog.
Moving quickly...or rather as quickly as a group their size could move under the circumstances, they headed first across the ash covered parkland that surrounded the bunker; the young man warning them whenever he encountered any potential hazards in the dark, and then out onto a street.
The street lamps had long since died and so cast no light but it didn’t stop them from looming out of the darkness like gibbets and scaffolds like props from a horror movie. In fact with the light as bad as it was the whole place looked like a scene from an old monster movie where any minute now some unspeakable creature would burst out at them snarling and roaring or worse pick them off one by one in the darkness.
Surrounded by houses the stadium loomed out of the darkness before them empty and deserted. As they entered; the turnstiles long since removed by whoever had set up the refugee centre, they passed hastily made posters listing the signs of radiation poisoning or instructing people where to find clean water within the facility etc. These bland and rather scary government signs made for an odd contrast next to the brightly coloured posters advertising sporting events and concerts that were still neatly fixed to the notice boards. Moving out onto the terraces tents or at least the remains of them could be seen covering what had once been the playing field though what sport this stadium had once been a host to was unknown “Well...we’re here, I doubt there’s anything worth taking but the tents might be salvageable” Mickey said to the group at large, his voice betraying his lack of confidence on his last point.
“Nelx, when is El Corenel coming? He know to meet us here...right?” Mouse suddenly piped up from beside Nelx, the girl having pushed her way to the front in order to speak with her “He...he coming here...right?”
 
Top