In reply to Dominic Dubreton (msg # 17):

If the young woman had any recoil to Dominic using their resources she didn't show it, instead nodding as if it was just a matter of course that they would help with the wounded. "Certainly, we have a medical cabin you can bring him along to. My helpers will take care of the others if you and your friend want to follow me?" She replied gently, knowing that the new arrivals were in rough shape and that with all the bite checking and new surroundings they could use some respite in tone as well as action.

"I'm Loa, the resident doctor here. I'm really just a Veterinarian, though. Are you a doctor? You called the young man your patient." Loa asked, drying her hands on her apron before extending it to shake Dominic's hand in greeting. Nodding to New Mexico with a small smile, she avoided offering a hand to the wounded youth so as not to provoke him raising the wounded limb inadvertently.

"How about we share supplies, at least for your wounded for now?"

Lyle shrugged a little, "I'm just as glad to see we aren't dealing with any crazies ourselves. And I'm no tough guy, just some guy named Lyle." He followed the woman over near the fire. Lyle paused and held up his hands to it, rubbing them together to keep the warmth inside. He didn't know how dark it got until now, I guess that's what happens when you spend most of the day hiding away from the geeks outside. Once he warmed up a little, Lyle didn't hesitate to remove his elbow and knee pads, his canvas jacket, and finally his denim jumpsuit. Lyle let it hang around his ankles, "I used to work in a gym, I was a fitness instructor. If anything, this doesn't phase me no more."

Lyle held out his arms and took a vitruvian man like pose. He only allowed the Anne-Marie to look for bites, he took it upon himself to wash his body. "Who hasn't been through a lot these days? We're just looking for some supplies to stock up on fuel, food, gubbins. I don't know what our leader is thinking, maybe we'll stay maybe we won't." Lyle ran the wet rag over his body. It was bruised and batter in areas he didn't know about. The dirt hid it well he suppose. It was refreshing to finally get the grime all off. Maybe finally get a chance to get a change of cloths.

Shaking the proffered hand Dominic manages to muster up enough strength for a brief but friendly smile as he replied to her "I am Dominic, most of our group took to calling me The Doc though in truth I am or rather I was a paramedic" a lot of roll changes had taken place after Zombieland after all hadn't Cookie mentioned herself being some kind of waitress? It was hard to picture their fearless leader handing out drinks...though maybe the bat had something to do with that.
At the mention of sharing supplies Dominic hesitates; he wasn't used to sharing especially valuable things such as medical supplies, however Loa was being helpful so perhaps it was time he got over that particular hang up.
With all of this running through his mind in the space of a few seconds he cautiously replies "Oui...for now" before calling NM over "NM mon ami, lets get that shoulder of yours looked at; NM this is Loa, Loa NM, she's the fort's doctor and has been kind of enough to let us use her surgery" he said, making the introductions before making a move towards the medical cabin, an actual medical building and not a room in some dingy ruin perhaps things were finally beginning to improve for him.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:06, Wed 19 Feb 2014.

*Flashback - The First Wave - Near Atlanta, Georgia*

...Ring...Ring...Ring...Ring...

The black and white SUV raced down the suburban streets as men and women ran to fill their cars with valuables and leave town. Atlanta was lost and the evacuation order stretched wide. Karen swerved around a couple of abandoned cars and continued towards her goal. Kaidan...

...Ring...Ring...Ring... "C'mon, Kaidan. Pick up... Pick up..." ...Ring...Ring..."Hey, it's Kaidan. Leave me a message, or don't. Whatever..." ...Beep "GODDAMMIT!! Kaidan pick up the phone!!!!" Karen tossed the phone to the floor and punched the steering wheel hard. She lost it for a moment. The thought of those zombies sweeping across Atlanta and now spreading fast... She couldn't stand the thought of them reaching the house before she did. She had left Kaidan with his best friend when she was called to the front. They should be far enough away from the city, but the horde was moving fast. She couldn't stand to lose him too... Karen reached down and picked up the phone, dialling again.

...Ring...Ring...Ring...Ring...

*Present Time - Fort Dixie, Mississippi*

Karen stood back and watched things unfold. She was relived that the Caravan had been granted entry into the fort. She still felt like this was their best shot at survival, if the people here proved friendly enough. She said her proper greetings and introductions, putting on a friendly face, despite all her dark bruises. The inside of the fort was impressive. They seemed to be doing well here. Karen beckoned for her son to follow, and moved into the line to be checked over for bites.

"So, what do you think? Does this place look better than the road?" Karen asked Kaidan, laughing gently.

In reply to New Mexico  (msg # 14):

When New Mexico spoke to him, Kaidan startled slightly. He didn't realize he was staring, and felt kinda embarrassed. "What? No... I was just..." Then Dominic called the teen over to work on his wound. "...Nothing." And Kaidan turned and walked away, feeling stupid. The boy hung his head as he caught up to his mother. He turned his head back to survey the crowd, see if anyone noticed him being weird. He wasn't sure. New Mexico was out of sight and nobody else seemed particularly interested in what he was doing, so he was probably safe. Kaidan said nothing as people mingled around him, introducing themselves. He stood quietly, thinking.

"So, what do you think? Does this place look better than the road?"

Kaidan caught another glimpse of the wounded teen moving through the crowd. He smiled to himself, picturing the smirk he'd gotten a moment ago, and replied to his mother. "Yup..."

Blind "Lime" Jefferson sat on a raised part of the wall, near to where Toby stood, jabbering with the new folks. He sat in an old wooden rocking chair with a cane in one hand, tapping away to the strange rhythms in his head. Jefferson wore a cheap suit, and it was wrinkled. Like he slept in it. "Oh sure, sure Toby. By all means let them folks in..." His tone was disapproving and his accent scratchy and southern. He had every bit the voice of a Delta Blues man. "Why you is lettin' thems in here Toby? I mean I ain't one one to drive no stranger from no doors, but Toby, you aint gon' let thems stay here no longer then you needs ta? Is ya? All them people comin' in my house now." He shook his head in a strange fashion. Then he started shouting down to the Caravan. "Y'all hear that?! You's in my house now!!!" He lowered his voice and spoke to Toby. "Toby, I didn't feel so bad 'till the sun went down, but I still ain't got no soul to throw my arms around. These is strangers. You watch 'em! You watch 'em close I tells ya!!!!" The strange man trailed off into incoherent rambling until he pulled a mouth organ from his jacket pocket. He belted out a sorrowful tune, tapping away.

Dr. Vega stayed close to Dominic as the rag-tag group entered the gates of the fort. He figured Dominic had control of him, and trying to walk away would not receive a favourable reaction, never mind fleeing. Vega had no interest in fleeing however. Trying not to over extend the long leash Dominic had put him on, Vega spoke up softly. "Excuse me, Dominic, Loa (nice to meet you, I'm doctor Vega) Might I accompany you to the infirmary? I'd like to extend the offer of my medical services to you. I am a medial doctor, epidemiology is my specialty." He looked to Dominic and back to Loa. "I'd like to help."

Vega was behaving himself. He knew after what had happened back in St. Louis, and the people who had survived and were here now, that they'd be hard pressed to let him be. But he thought the offer of his hard-to-come-by expertise may help to persuade them not to jail him for now...

Ricky shuffled forward with the caravan, keeping to himself mostly like he was trying to make himself smaller or less noticeable. He seemed to be in a daze and kept his eyes down, not really in the mood to talk to anyone right now if he even had anyone to talk to. He was still the newcomer in the caravan and with the loss of Doug, he felt even more isolated now although he was surrounded by other survivors. The line for bite checks slowly proceeded forward and he went through the motions as instructed, his thoughts still lingering on the caravan's lost members.

As Dr. Vega offered his services; his medical expertise no doubt out shining that of both himself and Loa combined, Dominic briefly considered the proposition before replying "Oui...you can come along, though what exactly were you doing back in St. Louis? And why should I trust you with anything more complex than a bandage?" he hadn't had chance to say more than a brief greeting with any of the other Caravaners and so didn't know what exactly had happened in St. Louis or what part the good doctor had played in them. However Dominic was becoming increasingly aware of the fact that the man was not popular and that he was not so much stopping him from escaping than stopping the rest of the group from killing him. He wasn't sure what he would do should someone challenge him on the matter, murdering someone in cold blood still didn't quite sit well with him despite what had happened last time he hadn't pulled the trigger "Lets go and take a look at this surgery then shall we?"

-------> Medical Cabin

In reply to Lyle Carranza (msg # 21):

Sure, she openly watched the man as he undressed and washed up, but made sure not to overdo it in case he became uncomfortable. The people at the Fort were quite used to each other by then, and she was curious about newcomers. And she had to check for bites. She hated the dreaded check, for sometimes they found wounds on people that the victims didn't even know were there. In such a case you had to put them down quick.
After assessing Lyle was no bite-threat she seemed visibly relieved, though she wasn't all that tense to begin with. "Thanks.. Lyle." She confirmed her findings that he was in the clear, trying out his name too. They hadn't had a Lyle before at the Fort.
Turning away to a pile of old clothes that had been gathered, she tried to find something that might fit the new guy, she had to guesstimate and so it took a moment of rifling. "I see.. Well you people are the biggest group to make it through to the Fort in weeks. We trade with other groups in the region, when we can, anyway. I'm sure Toby will fill your leader, that lady Cookie, in on whats up. We've had some trouble with people in the woods across the field. That's why Toby was a bit peckish about you all showin' up." As she had her back turned she slipped a thin blade out of her right sleeve, placing it under the clothes she did not take when turning back to Lyle. He was clean, so there was no need for the weapon.
"Sorry about the wait there, just trying to find something that might fit ya." She passed him the clothes, only able to offer him a blanket to dry off with, towels were a commodity.

After handing off the clothing she ran a hair through her long, annoyingly messy dark hair, almost getting her fingers caught in the process. It was next to impossible to get a good clean or wash one's hair. She took the chance to scavenge for shampoo and conditioner when she could, or else she traded.
She glanced across the courtyard, spotting Loa walking off with a few of the new guys to the medical cabin. She should have an escort. She's being careless.."So whats with the guy your French friend is leadin' around?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:56, Thu 20 Feb 2014.

In reply to Dominic and Vega;


The perceptive veterinarian noticed the fatigue in Dominic's features as he made an attempt at cordiality despite the toll of the travel to get to the Fort. She noted the caked blood on Dominic's clothes and skin, but didn't make a fuss about it. Loa smiled sweetly, amused by his comment about having the role of Doctor in his group. "I see. I've had it similarly. Because we have no actual doctor I'm the best substitute. They know I'm a vet but in a pinch they think I'm some specialist. They are good people but.. I'm no miracle worker." Her small smile faded somewhat.

Hearing her cautious tone made her wonder if she'd crossed a comfort zone. It was difficult trusting others all of a sudden, she understood. After all it wasn't walker blood on Dominic's form. Leaving it alone she turned her attention to the patient in question who didn't seem to be in a healthy state. "Hello there, we're going to get you settled and fixed up, okay? You're in safe hands now." She was already assessing the wounds without asking about them. It would be better to have the wounded in a more sterile, safe and quiet location before going further. "Let me help you walk, if that's alright with you, NM. If may ask, what does NM stand for?" If allowable the young vet would try to walk alongside the teenager on the non-wounded side of his body, offering herself as support for walking.

Vega gave Loa some pause, and she seemed unsure how to proceed for a moment, unaware of what was going on between the two men, and if the apparent prisoner was a threat. "I-I suppose." They'd have to address it later. If the man was a thread he'd have to go into the stockade.

-to Medical Cabin

In reply to Loa and Dominic;

NM had stepped away from Kaidan, Karen and the others when Dominic called him out. Lucky for him, because he was starting to get looks from the Fort people who were worried about his wounds. Maybe they thought he might be bitten under the mess of broken flesh, maybe they thought he was near death. "I'm still not bitten, so knock off the looks." He stated to the designated bite-check ladies after a cursory look over. Rolling his eyes NM walked slowly and weakly through the crowd to Doc, that asshole who took Rachel away and some fine lookin lady he was eager to meet all of a sudden.

"Heyyy nice to meet ya, Lola." He said to her in a weak voice, a charm offensive hidden in the dryness of his parched throat even while he butchered her name immediately after Dominic repeatedly stated it.

Unawares of himself, it was clear he was taken with the woman who was older and out of his league. Not to mention the doctor-patient relationship rules.

"I don't want that fuckface touching me." New Mexico declared poisonously, all too eager to seek refuge on the arm of a good woman like Loa who assisted his frail form in walking to the cabin. If not for her he might have sworn off treatment because of Vega's involvement.

"He murdered Rachel, a little girl. We had dozens of people and because of him they are all dead."

-to Medical Cabin

In reply to Ricky Robes (msg # 27):

"You are clear and ready to proceed, little dude!" A jolly, young bearded guy with a Metallica t-shirt announced to Ricky after the man had gone through the procedural bite-screening. It was always awkward and Gabe didn't care for it. Like a few other notables in the Fort he tried to make things easier for new traders or plain newcomers. The standoff on the walls was procedure too, and like the bite-checks Gabe saw the need but did not enjoy putting folks off. He remembered the first time he entered the Fort.

Slapping Ricky on the back in a congratulatory gesture, the tall, amiable, knit cap wearing guy steered Ricky to open space in the courtyard past all of the crown of Caravan and Fort mixing together. "Hey bud I know what you're goin through. Its all new and different and a little creepy and awkward and it seems too good to be true and all I gotta say is you're safe, you can relax. FOR NOW." It was a concoction of reassurance and warning. Warning for the trouble always outside the walls, stuck on the pikes in the pits.. The people in the forest..

"But anyhoo I'm gettin ahead of myself. I'm Gabe." Detaching himself from the smaller guy he offered a big hand for a shake. "Sorry for grabbin at you, my buddy Saito is Asian too and about your size.. well anyway whats you're name, brother?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:37, Thu 20 Feb 2014.

In reply to Blind 'Lime' Jefferson (msg # 25):

Toby watched the Caravan enter through the gates from atop the ramparts of the Fort. He wanted to visually confirm they'd all made it inside and with their vehicles and belongings (minus a huey chopper on their front lawn outside the walls). Giving a nod to some of his people manning the gate they promptly closed the massive doors and dropped a beam to brace it shut. Thankfully for all of them, Caravan and Fort together, there were no apparent undead out about at the moment but for the handful of writhing, clutching biters that were impaled upon the spikes in the ditch around the walls.

After sending Bill to greet the new people and seek out the leader apparent he took a moment to recheck the landscape beyond the walls before taking a few steps to the stairs, encountering Lime on the way.
A bemused look on his otherwise neutral features, Toby tilted his head and shrugged as Lime went on about his misgivings. "I have my reasons, Lime. Have to look at the big picture, y'know?" He replied in what was in low, quiet voice, lined with control.

"Relax Lime, they're going to get the cabins across from ours to use. I don't want our people mixing sleeping space until we're sure they'll stay." Toby took Lime's complaints with ease, not worried as he knew it was simply the way Lime was. Sometimes new people didn't like it, but it was welcome amusement and conversation in an otherwise drab world. Lime was lucky that he didn't have to see it.

Taking Lime's music playing as a cue to move on, he gently rested a hand on the rambling man's shoulder to tell him not to play his music so late in the evening. It could attract walkers and by morning they'd have to re-clear the defensive ditches.

"You know Lime sometimes I think you see more than the rest of us do. Sometimes." Toby commented knowingly before departing towards his own personal cabin. He was conspicuous so that Cookie would know where to find him.

-to Toby's Office and Quarters

Lyle pushed back the clothes given to him. He didn't mean to be rude, but he just preferred his own cloths. Plus he has his own spare cloths hidden away in a few suitcases that take up most of the backseat of his car. "No need." He put his dirt ridden cloths back on, deciding to change out of them afterwards. His eyes went over to see Dominic, NM and Vega walking over to a cabin on the far end of the fort.

Squinting to make it look like he wasn't sure who she was talking about, Lyle shrugged. "The kid or the older guy? The kid, he's New Mexico. His nickname, I don't know his real name. I don't think the others know either. The other guy, I don't  know. I'm sorta new-ish to the group. I only know a handful of people." Lyle didn't want to give off the impression that there were some in his group that were a treat. He didn't want to cause chaos when they just got invited in. For now he lied and shrugged off the question. "Actually that reminds me I need to find my compadre." Quickly Lyle changed the subject and went off further into the fort.

"Jee! Yo Jee!" Lyle went started to search for his socially inept friend.

Ricky was slightly thrown off by the jovial nature of such a gruff looking man as Gabe. He admired that the man was able to keep such an uplifting spirit even if he couldn't enjoy it at the moment. Too much had happened for him to really enjoy this right now. Ricky gave a reflexive smile as Gabe made small chat. He returned the man's handshake and replied, "Ricky, and don't worry about dragging me away from my group, wasn't really going anywhere anyway." He watched as the caravaners chatted up this new group and started to get settled. These people were so different from the ones they just escaped from. It didn't really feel real yet; the loss hadn't fully set in, the people weren't really gone, their farm wasn't really abandoned, and his first friend in months wasn't really dead yet.

Having trouble spotting his friend among the crowd, Lyle went about wandering the grounds of the fort. For the most part,everyone seems to be meshing well. The caravaners and the fort people stick to who they know, while only a few actually talk and converse. No fights just yet. Lyle kept calling out for Justin, but grumbled when he got no response. He'll turn up. Lyle saw him only moments ago when they got their cars back. Heading further into the Fort, Lyle noticed someone rush into the cabin the Doc brought Vega into. Clenching his fists, Lyle let it pass, he didn't want to get involved. Not yet anyways, Vega will get his soon enough.

Walking around, Lyle notices the 'garage' area. It definitely caught his attention, from the looks of it, it looked well supplied. God know his ol' Buick needs a tune up, but he didn't know who was in charge of the supplies or even if he was allowed to touch the stuff. Choosing to ignore his common sense, Lyle walked over to the garage.

<To Fort Dixie - Stables(Garage)>

Bohannon had hung back as the rest of the Caravan dispersed throughout the Fort, cautiously observing. It was strange, entering someone else's community like this. Though he had alluded to the possibility that this Fort Dixie may be "the Colony" it was plain to see that it was not. While they were set up pretty nice, this was not the glimmering image of home he was hoping to find. The cowboy stuck to the shadows, the large black duffel over one shoulder, the Winchester rifle over the other. Bohannon felt uncomfortable here. He'd certainly not be able to rest until he could at least satisfy some of his questions. But where to start? The cowboy looked around, sizing up the fort people, choosing his angle. Then his eyes landed on the perfect guy.

To The Stables--->

In reply to Ricky Robes (msg # 35):

Gabe chuckled in his hearty way at Ricky's comment, the little remark seemingly quite amusing to the large man. "HA, you can say that again, my man!" He gave Ricky a friendly clap on the shoulder, with one his big welder hands, scarred in some places from his trade. "So can I get you something to drink? We won't be able to eat till tomorrow, all of us, but if you're parched I can help." He offered, gesturing to the water well in the middle of the courtyard. Water from the river was accessible from the well, allowing the Fort to access their h20 without leaving the compound. Food was another matter..

"So where are you from? You don't look like a native southerner if you don't mind me sayin, ha."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:56, Tue 04 Mar 2014.

Karen stood in the centre yard with her rifle dangling from one hand, and her Police jacket dangling from the other. These, plus her duty belt were now the only items she owned. It was a strange thought to get used to. She gave her son a slight smile as she saw his mind was elsewhere. He hadn't talked to her about what had happened to him while he was at the St. Louis facility. He swore he hadn't been hurt, but that was all he would give up. Karen didn't like the way that Kaidan shut down, kept things bottled up. She could tell there was a whole world of hurt inside her boy, but she couldn't get him to open up about it. Just like his father. This was an ongoing issue that frustrated the single mother to the point of keeping her up at night.

Most things kept her up at night. Small sounds in the shadows and the thoughts of zombies lurking there. Memories of life before the Fall, and the small pleasant things that made it good. And memories of deeds, both good and bad. Things she'd done. Sacrifices she'd made. People she'd gotten killed. That list was much longer now, and she'd have to give up even more sleep for them. But the most important thing, always weighing so heavily on her mind, was Kaidan. He was the only reason to keep going, keep moving, keep fighting. Without her son, Karen would have given up and died a long time ago. There were more times than she could count where the only thing that brought her home safely at the end of the day was Kaidan. He was worth fighting for, he was worth living for. These were the thoughts she repeated to herself every time she went out on a call. These thoughts brought her back from the brink of death when they shipped her tired, broken body out of Iraq. And these were the thoughts she repeated to herself every day now.

"Kaid, are you okay?" She asked the distracted boy next to her. He shrugged it off and she knew he was lying. But there was no use pressing him. "Tomorrow we'll go on a run to find something to eat, okay?" She wasn't expecting supper. Karen was not one to expect someone else to take care of her and her boy. She refused to be a burden on the people of this fort.

Having cleared the bite screenings, Karen and Kaidan walked deeper into the Fort. Everyone was scurrying about their business. Karen watched as the dark eyed man from St. Louis was escorted to the brig. She watched as Cookie went about her meetings, wondering if her betrayal was a major topic of discussion. She watched as some of the men disappeared into the stables. Everyone was going somewhere. Now she had to figure out where she belonged...
This message was last edited by the player at 00:12, Wed 05 Mar 2014.

Ricky graciously accepted the water. Thinking back, he realizes he hasn't had anything to drink or eat all day. "You're right, I'm not from around here. Uhh . . . More north, Wisconsin actually. My family moved from the East coast a few years back. After all this started, my family went south. Got split up a couple months back and I just kept heading south. To be honest, I don't remember crossing state lines. I was alone for a long while before I met these folks, good people from what I can tell." He knew he was saying more than he probably should have but it felt good to confide in someone.

After meeting up with some local traders and confirming with his map, Alex heads towards the Fort, avoiding the areas that Colton Black-Rabbit had warned him about, he didn't want to run into any "unfriendly" folks.

Alex pulls up towards the fort and stops short, holding up his hands in a non-threatening manner, he yells to the gate, "I hear you folks trade, are you interested?"

It was impossible to miss the old motorcycle making its way across previously well manicured fields towards their walls. "Son of a.." Gabe muttered as he peered over the spiked logs lining the upper ramparts. Traders had been so rare in the last several weeks due to the hostiles in the forest that any sight of strangers made one anxious in a good and bad way.

Casting a glance to his fellow watchmen he raised himself up into view to the guy yelling at them outside the walls.

"That depends what you have to trade, fella." Gave surveyed the main carefully, leaning slightly against what appeared to be a spear of some sort. "How'd you find this place?"

"I trade in information and skills, and (looking around at the fort defenses)it looks like you're in need of both, also, I have some intell concerning Colton Black-Rabbit."

Starts his motorcycle, and does a 180 degree turn, facing away from the fort..."I've got other people to talk to if you're not interested."

Gabe exhaled loudly in slight annoyance at the Fort's perceived defenses being pointed out by someone outside the walls. Either the guy was right or he was just trying to be cheeky.

"Alright alright, I'm openin up, 'long as its just you." He knew Toby needed supplies, fighters, and any new about their trading partners that could be had. Colton Black-Rabbit was a name that had clearly interested the Fort watchman.

"Once you're inside stop in the courtyard for a bite check, stranger." The tall bearded man disappeared for a moment before the big heavy doors to the Fort began to open up, allowing the trader to enter.

Inside Gabe would be waiting with a handful of other Fort members ready to keep the man in one spot and check him for bites; common protocol for admission inside. Also they had to be sure he wasn't crazy.