ZRP-2: Chapter 4, Backtracking

(Andrew)

=I looked to Mira, and then back to James=

I was going to tell you yesterday, but Mira objected.

=I smile=

Yeah...I'd hate to see that too.

Mira stepped forward.
"And if either of us didn't come back? Now or never...so there are no regrets."

Hibiki smiled. "Double wedding. Sounds good. We at least have our witnesses."

Eve blushed again.

(Andrew)

=I take her hand in mine=

Indeed not.

=I crack a smile=

So are going to have that wedding or not?

(Allie)

I raise a eyebrow.

"A church..? I have no idea, I'm sure there's one around here though."

(Book)
=Sighing, I stood up=
"Look, normally I don't say this: but let's make this quick. I'd like to sit down again."

=Looking from each person, I started with the couple that was supposed to be getting married today=
"James, do you take Hibiki as your wife, swear to love her and honor her, and care for her in times of sickness?"

(James)
=I looked to her, smiling=
"I do."

(Book)
=I repeated the question to Hibiki=

Joe nodded and held it his hand for a handshake. He searched for the piece of paper, but couldn't find it. So he wrote his name in the dirt, "Joe". He smiled a bit and looked back at Allie.

Hibiki smilee. "I do."

(Book)
"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kis-"

(James)
=I beat him to it=

(Sam)
=I sorta clapped, grinning. It was nice seeing James that happy=

(Andrew)

=I clap and whistle=

Now all we need are some M-80's and would be a real shotgun wedding...

=I smile at that thought=

Hibiki was taken by surprise, but kissed back with as much happiness.

Eve smiled and somewhat clapped. She was mostly quiet though.
And could ying silently with happiness.

(Book)
=Looking now to Andrew and Mira, it was just a matter of rinse and repeat. I asked them both the same question=

(James)
=Breaking the kiss, I stood apart from the group, though I held Hibiki's hand as I held her close=

(Andrew)

=I take her hands in mine and just say it=

I do.

=I wait for that moment=

"I do." Mira said.

Hibiki leaned against James happily as Eve moved closer to Sam.

(Book)
"Then I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
=The ceremony was interrupted however, when Cooper arrived. He walked from the hotel, straight for James=

(James)
"Cooper not now. I'm trying to enjoy my wedding."

*Cooper*
=Speaking in a hushed tone=
"James, believe me I wish I could let you. But this attack has Clarissa worried, and she needs to speak with you now. Hibiki's welcome to join."

(Allie)

I smile and shake his hand.

"Welcome joe, I'm Allie but everyone calls me Ace."

(Andrew)

=I just stand there, my eyebrows raised=

Well...that's not all too surprising...but I guess it's official then...

=I smile inwardly=

Damn...Dad would've been so proud...

He smiled and bowed in an act of saying, "Nice to meet you". he made a circle with his finger pointing at her camp site, he was wondering what she was doing.

Hibiki looked at James.
"You called it."

Eve sighed softly. "I want some pizza."

(James)
"I hate being right.....fine. Lead on."
=Cooper walked back to the hotel, and Hibiki and I walked with him, though I still held onto her=

(Sam)
"Yeah....I don't think we have any pizza here."

Eve just fell silent. She really didn't know what to do. Now that they weren't...together...

Hibiki followed. "Be right about other things...please?"

(James)
"I'll try...."
=We walked inside, Cooper leading us to the elevator. The ride up was quick, and like usual, Clarissa was at the top. She looked pissed though=

*Clarissa*
"What hell happened? Cooper told me we were attacked, but I thought the Sheph--"

(James)
"It wasn't Shepherds Clarissa, it was bandits. You told me there was a group nearby, and this was probably them."

"They had few guns. Mostly used melee weapons." Hibiki said. "They also used explosive. Peobably allthey had, looking at the hole."

(Andrew)

=I follow on behind them, in this predicament as much as they were=

I'm not sitting out on this one...

=I keep silent, wanting to know how we were going to deal with the issue at hand. I follow them inside and file in right behind them=

*Cooper*
"It's possible that with the Shepherds gone, they saw an opportunity, what with the breathing room it gave them. Both groups spent more time hounding each other than the compound."

(James)
"And now we have a hole in our defenses. They'll be back, and now it's just a matter of which comes first: the walkers, or the next siege."

(Allie)

I intpert what he says and explains.

"I prefer the outdoors, I just got a buck and about to cook some grub; The rest I'm smoking to store for later. I'm also tanning its hide, may make a blanket or some native deer hide boots."

Hibiki frowned. "Probably...we need to take them out now, before they come back. We don't have enough time to repair; they won't wait."

He rubbed his chin out of interest, and smiled under his mask. He did the pray thing again, and had a questioning face. Wondering if she was religious.

*Cooper*
"We're hurt though. We took some casualties in blitz, and those that are alive are still too wounded. Maybe a dozen are still capable of fighting, but that's not enough for a siege. And we still don't know how many there are. We thought at first there were maybe twenty, but this latest assault shows they have far more."

(James)
"Asymmetric warfare. We need to hit them in their weak points to cripple them, but first we need to find them."

(Andrew)

=I just stand there and fold my arms=

That's a good question...

=I knew, in my mind, I would be ready either way=

--Hospital, St. Louis--

(Sarah)

=I put on the clothes that were given to me, and look approvingly in the mirror=

Good...clothing that doesn't attract any attention...just what I needed...

=I lay down on the bed again, knowing that I'd be here for quite a while=

I hope the rest of the Shepherds are okay...but good riddance to Jonah...

(Allie)

I stare at him confused ubtil I relized it was a personal question.

"Me..? Uh.. yeah I'm Christian.. Baptist. "

He nodded and waved for her to come with him. To see what's down by the Arch.

(Allie)

I blink.

"Uhh.. actually I was about to cook."

His eyes widened, then his eyes narrowed to the little campfire she had. He smiled and looked at her, pointed at the food and showed her some ammo. A trade, ammo for food.

(Allie)

I shake my head.

"Nah don't worry, just come back around in a bit and ill have a few slices cooked up. On the house. "

I smile.

*Cooper*
"So we need to identify them. It'll take time though, to get our resources together for any attack, and our priority is the wall. We need to plug the hole."

(James)
"With what though? Not like we can get some dry wall and spackle."

Joe nodded, he shook her hand once more and walked towards the arch. He looked back at Ace and put up a thumb to let her know he will be back soon.

*Cooper*
"We may be ale to use some cars, pile them up into a wall but.....we'd have no way to lift them."

(James)
"What about getting a big vehicle, like a moving van or the back end of an eighteen wheeler? We could just use that instead."

*Cooper*
"Yeah, but we'd need to find something that big. The tank or bus could pull it over here, but it's still a matter of finding something intact."

Hibiki frowned in thought.
"Other then the junkyard...woulsnt most mack trucks around here be down by the warehouse district?" She said.

(Allie)

I light a fire in the grill then go and cut three slices from rib eye section. I clean the meat for a second time then sprinkle some diced garlic powder I had made from wild garlic. I lay them on groll and sigh with happiness as the fat sizzles.

"Oh my little sweetlings, mama's been craving you.."

As Joe walks towards the Arch, he saw the Church nearby. He was happy to see it, and he smiled. As he walked in, the whole place was still put together nicely. No raids were upon it, and nothing could mess this moment up for him.

As he walked towards the back of the Church, he got on his knees and began to move his lips. He prayed, asking god for forgiveness and asking him to guide him through this path he now has to go through. He asks god to also help him find a group to travel west with, hopefully some kind of society is out there.

I remembered, very barely, the direction in which Allie might have gone. As I started to close in, I could also smell something that resembled venison. She had been out to hunt, so maybe I'd found a good way to go for now.

(Allie)

I inhale the smell of smoke and cooking meat and sigh happily again.

"I love meat~"

She wasn't hard to find.
I saw her cooking, and smiled happily as I sat down in the vicinity silently, looking around and sighing happily at the smell.

(Allie)

I hum alittle tune a flip the steaks, I turn around and spot Sammy sitting there. I blink confused on how I didn't notice that.

"Oh, hey Sammy, didn't see you there."

Joe got up from his praying. He grabbed his gear and went outside once more. He remembered Ace's food she was cooking, he began his journey towards her. He was hoping she was still offering that food. He was mighty hungry, and tired of canned food.

I smile and nod, scratching my back and removing my backpack, placing it on the ground and rummaging through it.
"Hehe, you seem really enthralled in that meat."

(James)
=Cooper and I traded a look=
"It's possible. But I doubt they've got fuel in them."

*Cooper*
"We have fuel to spare, enough to get a truck from there, to here."

(Allie)

I blush.

"I have thing for cooked meat..."

"Let's go there on foot before we waste gas. Do we have any radios with batteries?" Hibiki said.

I smiled and pulled out one of my knives, my least used and cleanest, giving it a wipe with my shirt for good measure.

"Is that so? I'll make sure to remember that."