the group, by replacing the
rations you consumed. Ben, if you feel up to it, I’d like you to go with Vaughn
and Molly. You have the most familiarity with firearms and you are the
strongest of the men.”
“Hey!” Markus called out. “I’m strong too.”
A few residents laughed but Molly didn’t find his comment funny. It was
his fault that she’d have to leave the building; have to spend time with
someone who’d tried to molest her.
“Ok, Markus, you can go,” Isobel countered with a smile.
Markus turned white and shook his head.
“Don’t worry Markus, I’ll go. I’ll come upstairs to talk to Vaughn with
you too, Isobel,” Ben offered.
“Perfect.”
Markus,
Jeff and Rob moved what was left of the food into an empty apartment upstairs.
Isobel locked the apartment and waited for Ben to meet her at Vaughn’s door.
She wanted to plan that day so that it could get done before the food situation
at Willow Brook became desperate.
Tom Vaughn’s 2nd Assignment
Only one
knock and Vaughn stood in his open doorway, smelling like half of a stolen
bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey. Isobel could tell that they’d interrupted a
personal male moment because a porn DVD flickered on the television in the
living room behind him and his pants were unzipped.
“Should we come back later Tom?” Isobel asked as politely as she possibly
could. He was mean when he was sober; she wasn’t about to tick off the drunk
and blue-balled Tom that was barely standing in front of her.
“Nah! Now’s perfect, come in!” He made a big, sweeping motion with his
arm to gesture Ben and Isobel inside 306. She walked in, and after a nervous
glance down the hall in the other direction, Ben followed her.
Vaughn stumbled to the living room and began knocking stolen goods onto
the floor to clear the couch off for his visitors. He didn’t apologize for the
mess, turn off the smut or zip up his pants. But, like a good host, he offered them
each a beer. Ben tried to get straight to the topic of the visit but Tom didn’t
want to talk business just yet.
“The skies have been clear lately; been kind of nice to see the blue,”
Vaughn said with a hint of melancholy in his voice as he looked toward his sliding
glass door and beyond. The self-professed loner was lonely so Isobel and Ben
stayed for a while. They talked about random things - Mt. Rainier, the proper
way to clean a rifle, how many women they’d been with, which for Isobel was
none. Ben and Isobel relaxed when they finally saw some humanity in Vaughn.
The slider was open to the porch. It felt strange to Ben sitting around,
surrounded by guns and drinking beer; getting drunk while dead people walked
around on the street below.
“Relaxation and safety like this will be hard to come by, as we get
deeper in this disaster,” Isobel said, feeling the lightness of sobriety leave
her. Three beers later, the sun replaced by the moon, their faces lit only by
the same flickering porn, which must have been set to loop, they finally
started to talk about the next day.
“We need your help again, Tom. Molly has an eating disorder and she ate all
of our food.” Isobel said drunkenly.
“Not all of it, a lot of it.” Ben corrected her.
Isobel ignored him and continued. “We were thinking about going out
tomorrow, with your help, to look for more. As a punishment, Molly has to go,”
Isobel continued.
“So just me and her, eh? The fat bitch was a hassle but I wouldn’t mind
spending some alone time with Molly. I’m in.”
“No. No, Ben is going too. We need more than what two people could bring
back.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.”
Ben spoke up, wanting to assert his usefulness. “I’m pretty good with my
handgun.”
“That’s good I guess,” Vaughn smiled, “We should go around noon. The dead
aren’t very active midday. Not sure why but that’s what I’ve noticed; shouldn’t
have to get too violent.”
“Where’re you going to get the food from?” Isobel
rations you consumed. Ben, if you feel up to it, I’d like you to go with Vaughn
and Molly. You have the most familiarity with firearms and you are the
strongest of the men.”
“Hey!” Markus called out. “I’m strong too.”
A few residents laughed but Molly didn’t find his comment funny. It was
his fault that she’d have to leave the building; have to spend time with
someone who’d tried to molest her.
“Ok, Markus, you can go,” Isobel countered with a smile.
Markus turned white and shook his head.
“Don’t worry Markus, I’ll go. I’ll come upstairs to talk to Vaughn with
you too, Isobel,” Ben offered.
“Perfect.”
Markus,
Jeff and Rob moved what was left of the food into an empty apartment upstairs.
Isobel locked the apartment and waited for Ben to meet her at Vaughn’s door.
She wanted to plan that day so that it could get done before the food situation
at Willow Brook became desperate.
Tom Vaughn’s 2nd Assignment
Only one
knock and Vaughn stood in his open doorway, smelling like half of a stolen
bottle of Wild Turkey whiskey. Isobel could tell that they’d interrupted a
personal male moment because a porn DVD flickered on the television in the
living room behind him and his pants were unzipped.
“Should we come back later Tom?” Isobel asked as politely as she possibly
could. He was mean when he was sober; she wasn’t about to tick off the drunk
and blue-balled Tom that was barely standing in front of her.
“Nah! Now’s perfect, come in!” He made a big, sweeping motion with his
arm to gesture Ben and Isobel inside 306. She walked in, and after a nervous
glance down the hall in the other direction, Ben followed her.
Vaughn stumbled to the living room and began knocking stolen goods onto
the floor to clear the couch off for his visitors. He didn’t apologize for the
mess, turn off the smut or zip up his pants. But, like a good host, he offered them
each a beer. Ben tried to get straight to the topic of the visit but Tom didn’t
want to talk business just yet.
“The skies have been clear lately; been kind of nice to see the blue,”
Vaughn said with a hint of melancholy in his voice as he looked toward his sliding
glass door and beyond. The self-professed loner was lonely so Isobel and Ben
stayed for a while. They talked about random things - Mt. Rainier, the proper
way to clean a rifle, how many women they’d been with, which for Isobel was
none. Ben and Isobel relaxed when they finally saw some humanity in Vaughn.
The slider was open to the porch. It felt strange to Ben sitting around,
surrounded by guns and drinking beer; getting drunk while dead people walked
around on the street below.
“Relaxation and safety like this will be hard to come by, as we get
deeper in this disaster,” Isobel said, feeling the lightness of sobriety leave
her. Three beers later, the sun replaced by the moon, their faces lit only by
the same flickering porn, which must have been set to loop, they finally
started to talk about the next day.
“We need your help again, Tom. Molly has an eating disorder and she ate all
of our food.” Isobel said drunkenly.
“Not all of it, a lot of it.” Ben corrected her.
Isobel ignored him and continued. “We were thinking about going out
tomorrow, with your help, to look for more. As a punishment, Molly has to go,”
Isobel continued.
“So just me and her, eh? The fat bitch was a hassle but I wouldn’t mind
spending some alone time with Molly. I’m in.”
“No. No, Ben is going too. We need more than what two people could bring
back.”
“Oh. That’s too bad.”
Ben spoke up, wanting to assert his usefulness. “I’m pretty good with my
handgun.”
“That’s good I guess,” Vaughn smiled, “We should go around noon. The dead
aren’t very active midday. Not sure why but that’s what I’ve noticed; shouldn’t
have to get too violent.”
“Where’re you going to get the food from?” Isobel
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