Forsaken: Always protect what matters most (East Coast edition)

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Sorry it took so long to post this guys, I got sidetracked. Anywho, it's shorter than the last one.

IC:

With a jerk, her eyes snapped open, and she quickly glanced around her. Seeing nothing, she allowed herself a moment to berate herself for falling asleep when she should have been keeping watch. Pushing herself to her feet, she stumbled down the pile of rubble, stopping at the bottom to let the feeling of pins and needles in her legs fade away. When the muscles in her legs finally finished waking up, she set off.

Every time she heard something, she snap her rifle up to point in the direction of the sound, but usually ended up seeing nothing. After a while of walking, she sat down on a nearby crumbling stone wall to give her feet a break. As she sat down, she slipped her backpack off her shoulders and pulled out a water bottle and some granola bars.

Distracted between her brief lunch break (She somehow slept through the night without being attacked)and keeping a careful eye out, she didn't notice the voices until she was packing up again to head further into the city ruins. Clutching her rifle to her chest, she snuck closer, being careful to keep her head down. She peered through the alleyway between two somehow-still-standing brick walls, seeing two people talking with each other across the street.

Remembering her father's words about strangers--and the fact that the city was now in ruins--she took her time and studied the two before deciding whether or not to make her presence known. Holding her rifle out of sight--in case they spotted her--she carefully tilted her head around the corner to get a better look at the two strangers, while still keeping as much of herself behind cover as possible.

The first was a young girl who looked roughly her age, with blonde hair and pale skin. She wore a white ankle-length dress, and a white cardigan. The other girl also had multiple open wounds, though from what, it was impossible to tell from this distance.

The second was a young man with black hair, who was dressed all in black. He looked pretty pale too, though the fact that they--along with she--were so pale was to be expected, considering the circumstances. He looked like he had some nasty gashes on his legs, along with other assorted cuts and bruises.

To be honest, they didn't look to be in much better condition than she was.

[Michael Lance]

"Man... what a mess."

Richard coughed loudly as the dust found its way into his mouth, accidentally inhaling a large amount and the trying to spit it back out. He waved a hand in front of his face to clear the air, squinting as more of the dust tried to get up his nose and into his eyes, causing him to start tearing up as he continued coughing. His right foot slipped off of the pile of rubble he was standing on, and he had to step backward quickly with the other to maintain his balance. Startled by his sudden loss of balance, he let out a grunt and put his hands on his hips, leaning forward slightly as he regained his breath. After a moment or two, he finally stood up straight, dusting off his hands as he took another look around at the carnage that used to be an old martial arts arena. "Well, I guess that settles that - the arena definitely did not survive... uh..." he thought back to three days ago, when the sky had turned red and the skysrcapers began to burn from the top down, as if the earth were colliding with the sun and New York City was trapped in the middle. He remembered watching from the streets as people began to disintegrate, melting away as if they were being slowly liquified. He remembered seeing the terror in their eyes, then closing his own as his skull began to burn, thinking he would be the next to go. And he remembered the surprise that greeted him when he awoke two days later: a little girl, no taller than his knee, wearing a tattered dress and a black hairband, looking at him intently, as if she'd been waiting for him to wake up. He remembered her grinning at him, like he was her best friend who'd been gone for so long and was finally returning home. And then he remembered getting up...

... and leaving her behind.

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, wiping away dirt and ash... and something else. "... whatever the heck happened," he finished in a shaky voice.

[Ally-Ann]

Noelle was grateful for the salve, and a relieved sigh escaped her lips, a feeling of imediate, tingling coolness washing over the painful burns. She had begun to forget what it was like to not have burns. The radiation sickness would linger, she knew, but hopefully the symptoms wouldn't last too long, seeing as she had plenty of issues to keep her distracted. The man then smiled, extending his hand towards her.

"My name is Justin, Justin Hayes," he started, and Noelle shook his hand gingerly. "Now, can you do me a favor and tell me how bad I look?"

"You're injured more severely than you lead on," Noelle started, smiling sympathetically. "And I'm Noelle Mclaud. Very pleased to meet you, though I wish we could have met under better circumstances..." Her expression then grew softer and more serious, "I was heading further into the city. I'm hoping that the hospital there is still standing, and if it is, it'll probably have plenty of unused medical supplies that we can use, providing any doctors there are willing to 'help the cause'." Carefully, she brought her hand near-- but not on; she didn't want to give him the possibility of infection-- Justin's face, her hand nearly brushing his skin, and a flicker of worry ebbed on her face. His face was most definitely burned; she could feel heat radiating from his skin. "And I'm not going to lie, you could use some salve yourself," she added, looking him in the eye with a concerned expression. "I've shadowed many doctors, and I don't need to contemplate whether or not your injuries need tending to."

[Wolfsong]

Justin smiled faintly as she replied. Smart, this girl was smart. Nice to know she knew a thing or two about medicene. He winced slightly back as her hand neared his face, but his smile never wavered. "I suppose I do look pretty bad then. Going to that hospital would be a pretty good idea then, right?"
He took some of the salve, rubbing it gingerly on his face. He kept smiling, though his teeth were clenched from the searing pain spreading through him. "Shall we get going then, Noelle? And may I add what a pleasure it is meeting you? I'm sorry if my manners seem a little lax, just please understand I mean well, even when I leave them off."

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Eek! They keep getting shorter and shorter!

IC:

"Hey!"

She stepped out from around the corner, leaving her rifle leaning against the pale red bricks, still out of sight. No sense in frightening them, she figured. Even though she called out, and stepped out to where they could see her, she moved no closer. She wanted to have her rifle within easy reach, just in case they decided to try and jump her. Vaguely, in the back of her mind, she realized she was becoming paranoid, then dismissed the thought. Considering the circumstances, she had every reason to be paranoid, and screw anyone who said otherwise.

She crossed her arms, waiting for them to turn towards her, so she could see them heads on. She realized her hands were shaking. This was the first time she had seen anyone--alive--since the meltdown. She was surprised to find she was nervous.

Before the meltdown, she had never really been that much of a people person, preferring to spend her time either with her dad, or alone. Couple that with the fact that she might need to rely on these strangers to watch her back, (she wasn't stupid, she knew that the chances of survival were much higher if she was with a group) and she was getting more nervous by the second.

Gritting her teeth, she stuffed her hands in her pockets and waited.

[Wolfsong]

OOC- Lol, I know what you mean. Thanks for giving me something.

Justin whirled around, startled at the sound of another voice. His hand dropped to his pistol. "Who's there?" he shouted. Then he noticed the person.
Another female? This one looked cold to him. Why she had decided to hail them was beyond him. Then he noticed the rifle. He carefully eased his hands to his sides, but left his right hand on the gun. "Who are you?" he asked, trying not to sound intimidating, but not weak either. He didn't think he did that great a job.

[Ally-Ann]

OOC: . . . *Just remembered about this roleplay* I feel like an idiot. -__-

IC:

"Shall we get going then, Noelle? And may I add what a pleasure it is meeting you? I'm sorry if my manners seem a little lax, just please understand I mean well, even when I leave them off," Justin said. Noelle couldn't hide the look of slight shock that washed over her face before she let out a chuckle.

"No, no, manners aren't really necessary among..." Noelle's voice trailed off as she caught sight of a girl not so far away from them, and she could barely see the outline of a rifle. Justing whirled around after the girl called out, "Hey!", Noelle vaguely noticing that his hand dropped to his pistol. Adrenaline suddenly coursed through Noelle's system as her hand inched toward her own pistol, which concealed in her dress's pocket. She kept herself still and quiet as a church mouse when Justin asked who this girl was, her eyes swiftly sweeping over the wreckage, planning an escape route in case she and/or Justin would need to make a run for it.

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Okay, I'm sooooo sorry this took so long guys, I'll do better at keeping up, promise. And this one's a little hurried, (I just wanted it out of my head before I got distracted. Again. D:) so it's not as good as my previous posts.

IC:

"Who are you?"

She had to stop herself from snorting in amusement. She didn't know why, but this guy sounded just plain weird, like he was trying to hard to be intimidating or something. Either way, neither had started shooting yet, so she figured that they were probably off to a good start.

She shifted her position slightly when she saw that his hand rested on his gun, and that the girl was standing as if frozen in place, her eyes darting this way and that. One hand slid over until she had a loose grip on the barrel of her gun. If these knuckleheads started shooting, she would start shooting back. After all, considering the circumstances, this whole thing would probably turn into a Survival of the Fittest or something.

"I was going to ask the same thing. But since you asked so nicely, I'll go first."

In the back of her mind, she ran through several escape plans, and ended up discarding most of them, for the second time. After all, she'd already gone through them all before she'd even hailed them. Now, even though she already knew what ones were good, she was just running over them again because she was getting nervous again.

She took a careful breath and let it out slowly, like her dad had taught her, to help calm herself down. The hand still in her pocket started fiddling with the knife she had gotten for her thirteenth birthday. Her dad had given it to her, telling her, "I figured it's time you got your own knife, 'stead of using my old, dull ones. So, I got you your own, a good one. Be sure to take good care of it."

She forced the memory out of her head, along with the memory of the last time she saw her father. (She'd be having nightmares about that for the rest of her life, however short that time may be.) Her gaze refocusing on the two in front of her, she leaned against the wall, and forced herself to relax a little. She didn't want to scare them off, after all.

"My name's Lynna O'Slyf. Now then, what's yours?"

[Wolfsong]

She seemed alright, he decided. Rough, definitely, but otherwise alright. He tried to relax, but he felt tense all over.
"Justin," he answered. "Justin Hayes."
He studied her pose more carefully. Clearly, whatever happened, she was braced for a fight. Understandable. He was wondering if he was wise to even give his name. But, it was done. Besides, she gave hers. He doubted that, unless somebody started shooting for some idiot reason, she'd want to kill them. Unless she was just some overly clever footpad looking for easy meat. He hoped not.
He could feel the skin on his forhead starting to heat up. All of a sudden, the burns he had been able to ignore before seemed to flare up. A small trickle of sweat slid down his cheek as he struggled to maintain his composure. "How did you survive?" he asked her, trying to ignore the flaming pain that was becoming unbarable. The girl, Lynna, seemed to double suddenly. He knew then that he was definitely not alright, and it was not something he could just shrug off. But his limbs felt like lead...he couldn't raise his arms. The ground swam before him, and, suddenly, he felt a breeze. He felt something against his face, the dirt he realized, before everything went black.

[Ally-Ann]

Noelle watched, sharply observing the short conversation between the girl, Lynna, and Justin. She seems trustworthy... so far, the blonde thought to herself, letting her guard drop slightly. Her breathing had subconsciously quickened slightly as she swallowed hard, her body still frozen with caution as the wind blew slightly. It was then that she began to realize the eerie chill in the air as goosebumps formed on her skin, forcing her to shudder slightly at the cold feeling combined with the over-heated temperature. She drew in a breath to ask if the girl was alright, when she noticed Justing sway. "Justin--" She began, but halted upon seeing his body collapse to the ground.

Noelle jumped from her still state, imediately at his side in an instant. "Justin! Justin, can you hear me?!" She asked frantically, gently tapping her hand on his back-- tapping his face wouldn't be good for his healing burns. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, her breathing quickening once more. Surely he would be alright! He wouldn't leave her by herself, would he? Noelle brought one arm over the man's back, and her other underneath his stomach, using all her strength to carefuly flip him onto his back. The effort had her lightheaded and slightly nauseous, a few spots dancing across her vision-- radiation sickness, no doubt-- but she forced herself to focus on the man. She brought her trembling hands gently to his forehead, flinching slightly at how warm he felt, before undoing his jacket to help cool his heated skin.

Noelle suddenly remembered Lynna, she she looked up at her from her kneeling position. "I'll need help," she stated, her voice trembling yet firm. Her piercing eyes warned the other girl that she was dead serious. "The city and hospital are just a short ways away from here. I can carry him, but if I have as good of an imagination as I think I do, then I know that there's going to be heavy debris that I can't move with a man on my back." She brought her gaze to Justin's unconscious face shortly before looking back Lynna desperately. "Please."

[Michael Lance]

OOC: Whoa whoa WHOAAA - reign it in, guys! Forsaken is trying to leave me in the dust - everybody take 5 while I catch up on posts! Y'all can start posting again once Sammy and I have posted.

[Ally-Ann]

OOC: Lol, I was beginning to wonder if we should pause... XD

[samurai10]

OOC: Sorry, guys, for taking so long. I'm such an awful co-GM. >.<

IC: David trudged towards where he knew New York City was, weary. Weary from everything. The burns. The cuts. The gashes. The walking. The fights. Death. Death everywhere. He had given up trying to help. He knew that if he tried, he was just like a child desperately trying to stop his sandcastle from being washed away by the sand. Nothing would stop this. Nothing would stop Death from sweeping the souls of these people away. Just like Death swept his brother's soul away. His brother, Adam.

David heaved a huge sigh as he took a break, and walked over to a wall. Or rather, a building which had been shaken so much that nothing remained but one of it's walls. He shrugged his backpack and rifle off his shoulder. He looked around, and hugged his rifle to himself, as he set himself against the wall, sitting up. He fell into a fitful sleep.

"David! David, wake up!"

David groggily sat up. His older brother, Adam, was a few feet away. They were in their house, in their bedroom. Adam was crouched behind their dresser, and a fearsome growling came from the other side. "What's happening?" asked David.

"You dummy! Why didn't you wake up earlier bro?!" asked Adam, hysterically. He winced as a particularly fierce growl accompanied the dresser as it hit his shoulder. "Help me! Nessy's gone mad!"

"Nessy?" asked David. Nessy was their pet dog. A chihuahua. "What's wrong with Nessy?"

"She's gone mad! She's trying to kill us!" screamed Adam. He yelled in pain as the dresser hit his shoulder again, and with a huge effort, put it back in position. "Something's happened. All the animals are going nuts. Mom and dad are dead downstairs, killed by Nessy. If we wanna survive, Nessy's gotta go!"

Still confused, David crawled to Adam. "Mom and dad are dead? What the heck do you mean?"

Adam shook his head. "No time to explain! Nessy's gonna get through all this wood in no time! We gotta get outta here!" He quickly explained a plan.

On the count of three, David bolted for the door. Nessy followed, with red eyes, and frothing at the mouth, no longer a cute little dog, but rather a ravaging monster. She managed to claw David's lower leg before Adam threw himself at her, armed with a knife, but there, his plan went wrong.

"Adam!" cried David. Adam stabbed Nessy, but not in a vital spot, and she just became madder. She turned around with a growl and bit Adam's arm, causing him to scream. "Adam!" exclaimed David, again. He picked up a pistol that was behind the door, and aimed, but he couldn't shoot without a chance of hitting his brother.

"David! Get out of here!" yelled Adam. He screamed in pain as Nessy bit his wrist, causing him to drop the knife. David just stared in horror. "GET OUT OF HERE!" yelled Adam, again.

And with that, David woke up with a gasp. He panted for a few seconds, before putting his head on his knees, and continuing to pant. "Boy was that a bad dream," said David, shaken. Looking at the sky, he realized that he had slept for about four hours. He berated himself, then stood up, still shaking. He then heard a shout.

"Justin! Justin, can you hear me?" said a female's voice from the other side of the wall.

Curious, David walked to the edge of the wall, and peered out. A man was lying on the ground, and a girl was next to him, shaking him gently. Another girl just looked on. They were all armed.

Something caused him to look closer at the girl beside the man on the ground. He rubbed his eyes, then squinted. Where had he seen her before? She suddenly looked at the other girl and said, "I'll need help." Her voice trembled, but had a sense of firmness. "The city and hospital are just a short ways away from here. I can carry him, but if I have as good of an imagination as I think I do, then I know that there's going to be heavy debris that I can't move with a man on my back. Please."

With the word hospital, he remembered where he'd seen her before. Her name was Noelle, and she had frequently volunteered at his mother's clinic. His mother... David shook his head to rid himself of the unpleasant memories, then stepped out from behind the wall. "I heard you ladies need help?" he said. He tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "Long time no see, Noelle."

[Wolfsong]

OOC: Whoa whoa WHOAAA - reign it in, guys! Forsaken is trying to leave me in the dust - everybody take 5 while I catch up on posts! Y'all can start posting again once Sammy and I have posted.

Okay, sorry about that! Looking forward to when you guys make your posts. I am enjoying this rpg.

[Michael Lance]

Joshua woke with a start.

He jerked forward, nearly toppling off of the makeshift bed Jennifer had laid him on: a sheet of broken and charred drywall, suspended a foot or so above floor level by a pile of ash-covered rubble and twisted metal. Jennifer sat in a corner, calmly cleaning her set of knives while the Drayhounds prowled around outside, sniffing around the door and cracked glass front of what used to be a small barber shop. A barber shop. That meant the most they were going to get out of staying here was a bathroom, some old gumballs that were scattered across the floor when an antique gumball machine had tipped over and shattered, and possibly a few rusty pairs of shears. Great, he thought miserably, what a perfect place to crash...

He suddenly clutched his chest as a wave of pain ripped through his rib cage, making him cough and spasm violently. He lurched forward, spitting up specks of blood as he gripped his chest. Jennifer dropped the knife she was cleaning and jumped forward, catching him before he struck the ground. She helped him to his feet, casting a nervous glance over one shoulder as the Drayhounds began to snort and growl, smelling blood and sensing Joshua's helplessness. A pair of luminous green eyes peered at Joshua and Jennifer through the broken window, their owner frothing at the mouth as it scrabbled frantically to get inside. Joshua instinctively reached for his shotgun, but grabbed only empty air. He whipped around, wincing as his rib cage screamed in protest. His flew around the room, until they settled on a familiar, dull black-hued weapon: his shotgun, lying unattended in the far corner of the room.

He reached for it desperately, but it was hopelessly out of reach. Cracks began to spiderweb across the glass as the Drayhound started ramming the window with its bony head. The rest of its pack took after their leader, headbutting the glass repeatedly. Jennifer turned, drawing two of her knives in preparation. But for what? A final stand? No! Joshua thought. Curse it, we almost made it out of this forsaken city! We're so close! We can't die now! He screamed in outrage, in defiance. Curse the maze of a city! They couldn't fall short of their goal now! He leaped for the weapon. The glass shattered. Jennifer gave a shout and lunged forward, taking the fight to the monsters. Time seemed to stand still...

... and it was in that moment that they met the urban samurai.

[Michael Lance]

There was no time to think.

Richard charged forward, drawing his sword and slashing with one smooth motion. Three of the Drayhounds died instantly - a fourth yelped as its tail was split in two by Richard's downward swing. The blade sparked against the pavement, and Richard jumped forward, cutting a path of destruction as he made his way toward the two teenagers trapped in the collapsed building before him.

(OOC: Again, short post. You guys can all start back up now, though!)

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: It's good to see you again Michal, I was wondering where you went.

IC:

Lynna pressed her lips together, mentally going over the fastest route to the hospital. The girl was right, it was bound to be blocked by heavy debris, and it would take at least two people to get him there. However, the girl looked a bit unsteady herself, and she was thin. She doubted the other girl could carry Justin all the way without trouble, even with help. She could offer to carry him herself, but there was no way she was going to hand her gun over to a stranger.

"You still haven't told me your name. I'm not going anywhere with you until you at least tell me your name."

[Wolfsong]

OOC- great to see you back, Michael, can I ask where you went?

His head swam, and painful images seemed to flicker before his vision. He thought he could hear voices...burning, his face was burning!
Fire....endless fire....
He moaned, a sad, despairing sound. His breathing became ragged gasps. Fire...his face...the pain wouldn't die...he flickered into conciousness. Was that Noelle's face he could see through the haze?
"No...elle," he breathed, trying to see through. "Is that...you? My head..."
His hands fumbled for the bag he knew was at his side. The salve was there, if he could just-
His hands dropped and he faded back into the darkness.

[Ally-Ann]

OOC: OMGYAYZ. So happy your're back, Michael, along with the rp!

IC:


"You still haven't told me your name. I'm not going anywhere with you until you at least tell me your name," Lynna stated. Noelle nodded her head vigorously, looking back down at Justin as she undid the last button of his jacket, her long fingers fumbling slightly.

"McLaud," she replied unsteadily, her mind racing through a plan of action. "It's Noelle McLaud." The blonde paused for a split-second, lifting her eyes to meet Lynna's gaze with a gleam of protective warning. "You seem trustworthy, but if you dare to harm Justin or me for your own gain, I won't hesitate to strike back with intention to kill." She ripped her gaze from Lynna as she focused on Justin once more. Tears from all the emotions exploding from her mind brimmed her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away upon hearing Justin groan. "Justin!" She called softly.

"No... elle. Is that... you? My head..." Noelle could hear his ragged breathing, his pained voice, and realized that he must have been in a haze. Her eyebrows knitted together, eyes searching for any body language from Justin, and she caught sight of his hand lifting before dropping once more. He was unconscious again. A look of determination washed over Noelle's face, and she looked to where Justin had been reaching towards. Upon noticing a bag that was at his side, her heart fluttered with hope.

"The salve," she mumbled in realization, reaching quickly for the bag and opening it. After a couple seconds of rummaging around, Noelle found a few small containers of the same salve that Justin used on her burns as well as his. She pulled out one of the containers, unscrewed the lid, and swiped her index finger and middle finger across the stuff. She looked to Justin's burnt face, and without further hesitation, brought her two fingers to one of his cheeks, rubbing gingerly so as not to damage the heated, blistered skin further. Once that portion of the salve was distributed thickly and evenly over his cheek, Noelle repeated with the other side, along with his forehead and neck. The burns still looked as flaring as ever, but Noelle knew that the salve would provide at least some relief, if only for a while. "The burns aren't our only problems," Noelle started, her voice no longer trembling. "The radiation doesn't cause just burns. He probably has other internal problems as well. That's why he's unconscious." And if I don't hurry, I will be, too, Noelle mentally added.

Suddenly, she gently, but firmly, brought her hand underneath Justin's back, while her other hand reach across his chest to grasp his shoulder, slowly pulling his torso upwards into a sitting position. Noelle then reached for his legs, lifting them just enough so that they were bent at the knees and his feet were planted on the ground. She herself then got off her knees and onto her feet, now in a crouching position, and wrapped one arm around his waist. Noelle took the hand of Justin's that was closest to her and held it firmly across the back of her shoulders. Here goes... With as much strength as she could muster, and with trembling legs, Noelle stood, hoisting Justin with her so that she was holding most of his weight. The strain made her sway slightly, but she kept her feet firmly planted on the ground, refusing to let her grasp slip one bit.

"So," Noelle started once more, her wavering voice unintentionally portraying the struggle. "Will you come with me or not?"

"I heard you ladies need help?" As if on cue, a familiar voice broke through her concentration, and she whirled her head to the side to see the face that matched the voice. "Long time no see, Noelle." At this point, the blonde's eyes were widened in a mixture of shock, relief, joy, fright, and sorrow at the sight of David. Noelle used to volunteer at his mother's clinic, and she had frequently spoken to him in school. School... Would that ever come to be again? Would normalcy ever return?

"David..." Noelle's voice was barely above a whisper as she temporarily forgot about her lack of strength. "You're here... alright, and... alive, at least, I mean... the meltdown... Hi..." She was beyond coherent words at the relief and joy she felt of finally seeing someone she at least knew, and alive and walking at that. Realizing her shocked babbling, Noelle quickly shook her head, ridding herself of the new onslaught of emotions. She then remembered his question, as well as Justin's weight that was difficult to hold, and she nodded. "I... Yes, yes. Help. This man--" She glanced to an unconscious Justin-- "He's already suffering from radiation sickness." A pause to steady her footing once more. "I was thinking that if there's anything left at the hospital or clinic, then we may be able to treat him better." Another pause to blink away the spots that were dancing across her vision. Noelle locked her gaze on David. "Are you well enough to help me and him?"

[Wolfsong]

Justin thought he heard voices. He couldn't tell, his vision was still blurry. He was aware of being moved, but he just couldn't summon the energy necessary to move himself, or even speak. The fire in his face had at least gone out. Had Noelle found the salve? He tried to convince his body to work, but only succeeded in twitching his fingers. Darkness threatened to consume him again, but he fought it viciously. He would not go down a third time, if he could help it!

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Sorry for the wait guys, totally my fault. I'll be making my post now.

IC:

Lynna tensed as the new guy came out, reaching automatically for her gun.

"David..."

Lynna's eyes darted over to the other girl, Noelle she said her name was. Okay, so she knew this guy. So, hopefully, he wouldn't attack them. Good.

Alright then, now that there were three who could walk, it wouldn't be hard to take Justin to the hospital. She could probably help steady Noelle when necessary, while this 'David' carried Justin. Just to be sure though...

Stepping forwards, Lynna put herself between Noelle and David, taking her rifle in two hands, making sure he could get a darn good look at it, and how well she held it.

"David, huh? Well, you're just in time. We need someone to carry him," she jerked her thumb over her shoulder at Justin, "and Noelle's not strong enough, especially since she's suffering from the same thing he is. So, you have two choices; you can either come with us, and help carry Justin here, or you can go on your own. You have a minute. Make it quick."

Turning around, she walked over to Noelle. Leaning over, she whispered; "Is this guy trustworthy, or do you want me to knock him out?" She kept herself tense, ready in case he tried to jump her when her back was turned.

[samurai10]

OOC: Dang, I'm sorry guys. Real life's a jerk. >.<

IC: David sighed as Noelle took in the fact that he was alive. He totally understood her shock and relief. He was relieved too, but much much better at hiding it. "David..." she barely said, in a whisper so soft that he had to strain to hear her. "You're here... alright, and... alive, at least, I mean... the meltdown... Hi..." David just sighed again. Realizing what she was doing, Noelle finally nodded and said, "I... Yes, yes. Help. This man's already suffering from radiation sickness. I was thinking that if there's anything left at the hospital or clinic, then we may be able to treat him better. Are you well enough to help me and him?" she said, with many pauses.

Before David could answer, the other girl stepped between him and Noelle. He took a step backwards, and raised his eyebrow at her, then smirked. She was holding a rifle with both hands, and obviously wanted him to see it. "David huh? Well, you're just in time. We need someone to carry him, and Noelle's not strong enough, especially since she's suffering from the same thing he is. So, you have two choices; you can either come with us, and help carry Justin here, or you can go on your own. You have a minute. Make it quick."

She turned her back on him and walked to Noelle and whispered something to her. She was very tense. David smirked again and called out after her, "You're not very subtle, y'know that?" He shook his head and then realized that he didn't have his rifle or backpack; they were still behind the wall. He slapped his forehead in disgust with himself. Despite the fact that he knew Noelle, he shouldn't have left his rifle behind! He turned to the wall, and called to the girls, "I'll be right back, I forgot something."

He quickly ran, as best he could with a bad limp, to the wall, and retrieved his backpack and rifle. He slung both straps of his backpack over his shoulder, and the strap of his rifle over his left shoulder. He emerged from behind the wall, and walked to the unconscious man, knelt beside him, and started examining him, talking while doing so. "In response to your question, Noelle, I'm fine except for a bad leg. The house and my bro protected me from the radiation." He stopped talking both to blink back tears, and to concentrate on the man. His burns were really bad, there was nothing he could do without proper equipment. "And in response to you..." he stopped examining the man, sat back on his legs, and looked at the other girl. "What was your name again?"

[Michael Lance]

Hello, everyone! Michael here with another info post - this is a MUST READ, so if you're going to post, READ ME FIRST BEFORE CONTINUING.

Recently I've joined another prominent Role-Playing community - Roleplay Social. As an effort to expand Forsaken's gameplay experience, I have created a West Coast edition of Forsaken and posted it there. Now, in the near future, you may have to interact with characters hailing from the West Coast, as both they and us are all heading towards the same destination - Central America. NPCs hailing from the West Coast will, in actuality, be the West Coast edition players. In turn, in the West Coast edition, NPCs hailing from the East Coast will actually be YOU. I will be acting as the go-between man for both games, so if you have any questions, or want a link to view the West Coast edition, just PM me!

Sincerely,
the Mysterious Michael Lance

P.S. I am NOT permitting players involved in the East Coast edition to participate in the West Coast edition - nor am I allowing those involved in the West Coast edition to participate in this version. If I find you are trying to participate in both versions, your character will be deleted from whichever version you joined last.

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Sorry guys, I kinda hit a wall there, and couldn't write anything.

Wb Samurai10, and thanks for the update Michael!

IC:

"I didn't give it," she said coldly. She didn't like the way this guy just happened to come along, and just happened to know Noelle, and just happened to want to help. Then again, she had always been more of a lone wolf, and probably wasn't giving this guy the chance he deserved. Biting back a sigh, she checked her rifle, and glanced around them for any danger.

"O'Sylf," she finally said. "And we should get moving. No telling how much longer Justin has."

[Ally-Ann]

While David ran back behind the wall where he had emerged from, Noelle-- still supporting Justin-- glanced around at the destroyed houses and few small shops. She took in the scene, sorrow making her throat feel like a lump was suffocating her (but that could have also been the settling dust and dirt particles, too), and she felt panic and disbelief begin to drown her once more. After what seemed like an eternity, David was back once more, much to Noelle's relief, and walked back towards her and Justin. Sensing that he wanted to take a look at the injured man, Noelle carefully and painstakingly lowered herself to the ground once more, laying Justin down onto the ground. As she gently let his head rest on the grass, she looked back up to David, previous relief and joy in her soft-blue eyes now vanished, only to be replaced by worry and somberness.

"In response to your question, Noelle, I'm fine except for a bad leg. The house and my bro protected me from the radiation," David informed as he began to examine Justin's injuries. Noelle thought that she saw tears well up slightly in David's eyes, but he must have blinked them back, as said tears receded. Noelle's eyes softened empathically as she dropped her gaze from David and back down to Justin, and sensing that the former experienced tragedy as well, she decided to stay quiet. "And in response to you..." Noelle's eyes glanced upwards slightly at him, but she kept her head lowered, knowing he was directing his next answer towards Lynna-- "What was your name again?"

The rifle-packing teen didn't seem to waste any time with her cold response. "I didn't give it." There was a pause for a good five to ten seconds before she added, "O'Sylf. And we should get moving. No telling how much longer Justin has."

Noelle lifted her head, glancing at Lynna with a reassuring gaze. "You don't need to worry; I know him," she stated. I volunteered at his mother's clinic... I wonder if it's still standing, the blonde added in thought. Shaking her head, she pushed the thought away as she looked intensely at David. "If you have a bad leg, you shouldn't be supporting even your own weight too much, unless you have some way of stabilizing it enough," she started. "I'm pretty sure I can carry him, but the problem lies in the rubble and other obstacles that will be in my way when we head into the city; I won't be able to move them myself, let alone with him on my back." Noelle began to bring Justin's torso upwards once more, contemplating whether she should support him the same way as she did before, or to carry him fireman-style. "I may need the both of you to move any large debris or objects out of the way."

[Banana Lobster]

'Oh for the love of...' Lynna held back a groan. Carry the man, or leave them. Carry the man, or leave them. Those were her two choices, and she didn't like either of them. At all.

But, with both David and Noelle injured, she would have the least trouble carrying Justin. However, that would leave her vulnerable if anything showed up. Especially if it was anything like that panther/saber-toothed tiger/monster thing from earlier.

Glancing at Noelle again, she could see how unsteady the other girl was. She'd have enough trouble getting herself to the hospital, much less carrying Justin. With an annoyed groan, she slid off her backpack. She pressed it against Noelle's chest as she turned, hoisting Justin up onto her shoulders, firefighter style.

She grunted at the sudden weight, and had to brace herself for a moment while her body adjusted to being so top-heavy. When her vision finally cleared, she let out a sigh of relief, glad she had thought to take off her backpack first.

"Come on, we need to get moving. There's no telling what's out here."

[Wolfsong]

Shadows danced in his eyes. He was aware of being moved, and that in itself was painful. Oh for the love of....wake up, fool! Wake up!
Wake up....
No time...
His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he gasped aloud as the light struck. Then he realized why he felt so uncomfortable-he was slung over this girl's shoulder, and that was pressing hard against a burn just under his ribs. Ouch...Speech was still something he could not muster, and the pain was still overwhelming, but he was at least keeping his eyes half-open. So he decided to just pay attention and try not to be a burden as much as he could.

[Banana Lobster]

OOC: Umm, who's posting next?

[Michael Lance]

OOC: Sorry - that'll be me, as soon as I catch up with a couple other things on various sites... ><;

[Banana Lobster]

OCC: Okay, I was just wondering because it seemed like we were going longer then normal between posts.