The trip to Nephi's apartment could only be described as "surreal": the roads were either completely empty or filled with abandoned cars. The group was forced to take multiple detours, and occasionally to leave their vehicles to clear an improptu roadblock.

Throughout the trip, Monica and Allan remained very quiet.

The elephant in the room, of course, was that all the zombies that they were not meeting had to be somewhere else, and that was probably with Xynthia. Knocking at the door (or, more correctly, trying to knock down the door) behind which Hector had helped Eddie carry the wounded.


It was late at night by the time the group finally reached Nephi's apartment...
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:26, Mon 02 Aug 2010.

Nephi's apartment is rather small, consisting of 1 bedroom, and a small kitchen, dining/living room and bathroom.  As Nephi tends to put off the housework, it's also quite dirty, with a couple days worth of dishes stacked on the bench, carpets in dire need of a good vacuuming, and dust accumulating on the shelves.  On the walls pictures of church leaders, temples and Christ are contrasted by posters of various anime and several fantasy scenes.

As he unlocked and opened the door, Nephi sheepishly said "Uh, come in everyone.  Sorry about the mess."

Following Nephi, his car keys still on hand, Karen listens to him apologize for the mess as her eyes scan the room taking in the posters and pictures alike. "No trouble Nephi." 'Oh my god, I'm in Nephi's house.' Was the first thought that came to Karen's mind as she looked back at the others. 'But not alone...' Suddenly dissapointed Karen followed Nephi as he went around his house.

Allan got out of the Unicat and watched as the others made their way to Nephi's building. "We should get back on the road as soon as possible. Get what you need as quickly as you can." He did not immediately follow the others in. He walked around the large vehicle, checking for damage, and made sure that the motorcycle on the back carrier was still secure.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:15, Thu 05 Aug 2010.

Nephi looked thoughtful for a moment and glanced at his hand before he spoke.  "I'm going to my room to get this taken care of and start packing.  You guys might want to grab whatever supplies I have, and take the opportunity to use the facilities.  Never know when you'll have another chance."

Monica followed the others into Nephi's apartment. She had spent most of the trip laying down in the back of the Unicat, and still appeared to be a bit pale. "Canned goods, toilet paper, and first aid stuff," she said to her friend, Jane. "I'm gonna see what this kid has in the way of tools and household chemicals." Her voice was flat and business-like. Monica was keeping all of her emotions tightly locked up, at least for now.

"We'll need bags to carry what we can find." Karen adds in, "Garbage bags, backpacks, pillow cases or anything else you can scrounge up." She says, glancing in the direction Nephi went knowing he'd be ok, but wishing she could help. "I'll go see if Nephi has some backpacks or bags we can use." She says before following after the young man.

Walking up behind him Karen looks over his shoulder and asks, "Can I help?"

"Boxes would be good, too," Monica called out to Karen, and then she started searching under Nephi's sink.

Naphi paused in his preparations at Karen's question.  "Uh, no.  Not really.  Thanks for offering though.  I'm just going to ask the Lord to Heal the hand, then pack up a bunch of clothes and stuff."  He looks a little embarressed.

OOC: By the way, what's the current game time?

"Ok... then do you have any bags or boxes we can use?" Karen asks, sounding a little disappointed that she couldn't help Nephi.

"Should be a bunch of plastic shopping bags in one of the kitchen drawers.  You could even dump the spare uniforms from the trunk if you want, and use the big gym bag in there.  Probably not many boxes around, if any, but you might get lucky."

After making sure his vehicle hadn't sustained any damage, Allan joined the others in Nephi's apartment. "There are two fridges in the Unicat that you should take advantage of. It won't be long before perishable foods, such as milk and cheese, will be hard to come by. We should gather them while we can. The vehicle is filled with canned and dry goods but Xynthia and I..." Allan paused for a moment as he thought of his wife. He tried to push those thoughts aside, but the pain shone in his eyes as he continued to speak. "We hadn't stocked the refrigerators yet. This has all happened sooner than we expected."

"Thanks Nephi." Karen states before walking into the kitchen to search for those grocery bags Nephi had mentioned and get them to the others.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:46, Tue 17 Aug 2010.

When Karen left his room, Nephi closed and locked the door behind her, feeling that he should keep this petition between himself and the Lord.  Knowing that the Lord is pleased with those that do all that they can before asking for His help, he had cleaned and wrapped the wound earlier.  He then, somewhat clumsily, opened his scriptures and read Alma's discourse on prayer, getting himself in the right frame of mind.

Feeling that he had prepared as best he could in the limited time available, Nephi knelt by his bed and invoked the power granted to him by the Lord, and petitioned for the Healing of his wound, taken in defense of the Lord's children.

Feeling the ache cease, he knew that the Lord had granted his request again, and said a prayer of gratitude.  He unwrapped his Healed hand and quietly sung a hymn, Because I have been given much, as he packed his clothes, garments and whatever else took his fancy.  Much relieved, he then unlocked the door and rejoined the others.

(OOC: By the way, I don't feel comfortable posting an actual prayer here, so please don't ask for one.)

Finding the bags was easy enough, but as she looked around the kitchen, particulary at the tap, another more pressing concern came to mind. "Water! Oh um, we should probably store up as much water as possible." Karen states after her short outburst. "We should probably fill up as many containers full of water as we can. Sinks, bathtubs, glasses, whatever we can find if we think there might be a chance of returning to here." She says to no one in particular, more to herself then anything.

Allan nodded at Karen. "The Unicat is carrying 116 gallons in its tanks, so water shouldn't be a problem for awhile, but it's never a good idea to put all your eggs into one basket. If you're going to be taking separate vehicles, you should carry food and water in those, too. I've got a siphon kit and a couple of gas cans, but it would be a good idea to find a couple more containers for carrying gas. We can siphon gas from some of the abandoned vehicles we pass along the way. The cat has two fuel tanks currently holding close to 158 gallons, but I don't how much gas is left in your vehicles. Of course, if any of you would prefer to ride with us in the unicat, instead of taking your separate car, you are more than welcome."

"Hey Nephi," Monica called out when she saw him emerge from the bedroom. "Do you have a hand can opener to go with all these canned goods? What about flashlights, batteries, candles and matches?"

"Check the drawers.  Can opener should be in one of them, but it might be buried.  I'll go grab the rest of that stuff, they're packed in a couple of those little 72-hour survival kits the relief agencies suggested everyone get."

Allan checked the fridge for things like milk, cheese, meat, eggs, and juices. After storing what he found in the unicat he came back to Nephi's apartment and started searching the pantry for cooking oil, shortening, and other staples such as flour, sugar (both white and brown), salt and other spices.

"We're gonna need more weapons. Nephi, what do you know about your neighbors? Any cops or freaky survivalists living near by?"

Geoff thought about his own apartment, the nearest it came to containing a weapon was that stinky Gorgonzola that he forgot to put in the garbage last week. He thought about his patrol area to see if he could remember if there was anywhere that might contain guns or weapons that worried survivors hadn't already picked clean.

Nephi thought carefully.  He didn't really talk too much with his neighbours, just made a bit of small talk when he happened to pass by them.  The members on his Home Teaching list were more likely, especially for more supplies, but he couldn't remember discussing their home security or preferred weaponry.  As he considered it, he let out a yawn, which brought up another thought.  "Hey Reverend, when and where do we plan on sleeping tonight?"

"I think we should push on. The sooner we get to our destination, the better," Allan answered. "This plague is going to continue to spread. The longer we take, the more infected we'll likely run into."

"Normally, it would take less than 2 hours to reach Fort Monroe. We might want to consider taking back-roads and staying clear of the main highway, even though that will increase our travel time a little. Those who aren't driving can nap on the way."

"Don't know about you guys, but me, I'd really like to take a shower before we set out. It may be the last for a while..." Jane had taken off her fencing uniform, and was still massaging her leg: even though the feeling had returned completely on the way to Nephi's apartment, it still felt cold at the touch, but it had been improving steadily.

Then, as an afterthought, she added: "How long do you think the door will hold if zombies come a-knockin'?"

Nephi nodded to Jane.  "Go ahead.  Just be quick in case we do decide to move on.  As for the door, it's a piece of junk, so wouldn't last too long..."  He trailed off as he thought of something.  "Hey Reverend, do you think the zombies would go for any meat we might have, or just us?  Because we might want to Bless the vehicles as well."

"Nephi, my name is Allan." He sank into one of the chairs and took off his clerical collar. "Call me Allan." There was an incredible weariness to his voice. "I don't think it's 'meat' that attracts them. I think it's the living that they're after. We should bless any of the vehicles that we plan on taking with us."

"Okay Allan.  How about you Bless the Unicat, and I'll Bless my car and the apartment?"

Allan didn't say anything. He simply nodded in Nephi's direction and then left the apartment to go take care of the blessing.

Allan looked at the large vehicle that had become his new home, and felt a twinge of pain as he inevitably thought of his wife. He pushed it aside and concentrated on blessing the vehicle... And suddenly realized that the task was going to take a lot longer than he had anticipated.

"Before you bless your car, Nephi, maybe you should think about trading up," Monica said as she looked out the window. "Something faster, or sturdier. Maybe we should check out what's sittin' in the street out there. You're gonna need somethin' that can take a beating and keep going."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:29, Sat 28 Aug 2010.

Nephi looked uneasily at Monica.  "I don't know Monica.  I mean, I know ownership laws and stuff tends to go out the window at times like this, but it seems too much like stealing for me to be comfortable trading up.  Besides, I kinda like my car."

"I'm not gonna steal from other survivors, like us. But I got no problem taking stuff from the dead." Monica shrugged "It ain't doin them any good anymore. But I get how ya' feel about your car. Gotta hold on to the few things we can. We're leavin' so much behind..." Her voice trailed off.

Jane looked worriedly at her friend. "Mon, baby, I think you need that hot shower more than I do. Come on, I wash your back, you wash mine, and then we brush each other's hair..."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:58, Wed 01 Sept 2010.

"What I need is a long soak in a hot bath, and a whole lotta wine," Monica kept fiddling with a hammer she had found like she wanted to hit something. "But I don't think I should take the time for a bath, and I know Nephi doesn't have the wine." Monica glanced down at her shirt. "But a quick shower and some fresh clothes might be a good idea. Hey Nephi," Monica called out. "Do you have some t-shirts you could spare?"

Geoff looked over at Nephi, "Try the radio or TV, Nephi," he said, "if we can find out if Martial Law has been declared I could legally confiscate a vehicle if it meant I was further able to protect citizens. Of course, that would mean at least trying to find other survivors around here to help as well as us. I'd suggest that if you can identify a suitable car that belongs to someone you know we can try and contact them. If they're alive we can rescue them, if they're dead it's not stealing and I can confiscate it. If, on the other hand you feel you need to keep your car I'll support that, your feelings have helped keep us alive and I respect your judgement."

He quietened down trying not to think of Jane and Monica sharing a bath or a shower, "Do you have anything sweet in the house, Nephi?"

Karen having gathered up just about every container not already full and in use filled them with water before setting them aside and began to double bag whatever can goods and other food stuffs the others didn't snag first. However much she wished to be of assistance Karen knew that there was little she could offer besides a polite smile and a good word every once in a while. However the others already planning their next move began to talk it over in the front room of Nephi's little house.

Over hearing Monica and Jane talking a line of thought of herself sharing a shower with Nephi entered her head, but knowing how shy he was around her already, the tiny hope for such an intimate moment fled out the window. But still, looking down at herself she couldn't help but feel dirty and sweaty, especially after all they had to do. Stripping off the practice uniform Karen turned to Mon and Jane before they leave. "I suppose there's not enough room for three, but I'm certain we could all do with a shower, so please try not to hog it too much ok?" She asked, trying to be a tease as she leaned over the counter of Nephi's kitchenette.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:55, Fri 03 Sept 2010.

Jane pondered Karen's words for a second, her eyes darting from her to Geoff to Nephi, then sighed: "Yeah, I don't think we could work more than two people in a shower today... Maybe next time." She winked at Karen.

"We'll try to be quick. Nephi, if you have anything for me to wear, I'll be very grateful..." With just about any other male, her tone would have implied something else. Nephi was one of the few exceptions to Jane's "anything that moves doesn't move fast enough" attitude.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:09, Fri 03 Sept 2010.

Nephi thought carefully, and looked appraisingly at the girls.  He said doubtfully "Hmmm.  I kinda doubt I have anything that'll fit, but you might be lucky.  You're welcome to take a look through the drawers though, I've already packed what I want, and I need to quickly do something before you get in the bathroom."

To everyone in general he said "Please don't interupt me once I start praying.  I'm going to Bless the doors and windows to make the place more secure, and it's going to take a fair bit out of me.  I'll also be concentrating hard, and any interuption would mean at least needing to start again."

Allan returned to Nephi's apartment. "It's going to take at least an hour to bless the unicat, but I think it should be done. Nephi's car won't take quite as long, and we should be able to bless both vehicles at the same time. Blessing the apartment will take much longer. Since we won't be staying here, I'm not sure that would be the best use of our time. If we need a place to bed down for the night, the unicat would be much safer. The windows are burglar-proof, so it will be nearly impossible for the undead to break in. The cat is built like a fortress on wheels, and it has enough room to sleep 5 or 6."

"That may be so, but at the very least Blessing the apartment will give everyone time to get cleaned up in relative safety while I recover."

"I think we should all get some rest, Rev... Uh, Allan. You more than most." Jane realized, with a weird feeling, that she was coming off as the caertaker of the group - a role that she wasn't quite used to filling.

Still, none of them had slept in, what, 20 hours? If Nephi could make the apartment safe, getting a few hours of rest sounded like a very good idea, especially for the miracle workers: those were exactly the guy you did NOT want falling over with exhaustion at the worst possible moment...
This message was last edited by the player at 12:40, Mon 06 Sept 2010.

Allan shook his head at Jane. "I appreciate your concern, but I doubt sleep would come right now, even if I tried." Turning to Nephi, Allan said, "It will take me an hour to bless the unicat. You can bless your car at the same time. That gives everyone else more than enough time to clean up. I don't see the point in spending an additional hour blessing this apartment, when we don't intend to stay here. You'd be better off spending that hour driving or sleeping." Allan's voice got quieter. "I'm not comfortable having people rest in the apartment. If the situation outside changes, we could end up having to repeat that scene at the doctor's house of fighting our way to the vehicles. That didn't go well last time. We ended up leaving people behind. We should finish our business here as quickly as possible, and then return to the vehicles."

Allan stood up and walked over to Nephi. "I packed one of these in my backpack, and the other was..." He cut himself off and simply handed Nephi a hand-held two-way radio. "You should keep this one with you in your car, and I'll have the other one on in the unicat. We might as well use them as long as we can keep them charged." Allan handed Nephi a small cord. "Plug it into your car. That will keep it charged during the drive."

Nephi took the radio and cord, and said "Thanks for this Allan.  It'll help."  He thought for a moment before continuing "It won't take me anywhere near that long to Bless my car, so I'm going to do that.  While I'm out, why don't you guys take a vote on whether we push on now or sleep for a few hours?"  He grabbed his bag and began walking to the door.

Geoff switched magazines and used his emptiest magazine to top up the other mag. He looked up and said, "I'm for pushing on, we need to see if Fort Monroe is a viable position for defence. If we leave now we might get there by dawn."

"It don't matter to me," Monica said. "Stay or go, just as long as we all stay together this time."

She stood up and motioned to Jane. "Let's go raid Nephi's closet. I should be able to find something that will work, but I'm not so sure about you, my friend. You're a little more endowed than me." Turning to Karen, she added. "We can try to find something for you, too."

Allan looked up at the trio of women. "There is some women's clothing in the unicat. You're welcome to whatever you can use." He stood up and made his way toward the door. "Traveling at night isn't ideal, but I think we should keep moving. The longer we wait, the more infected we're likely to encounter."

"I'm going to see to the blessing. You should grab extra blankets or sleeping bags for those that want to sleep in the cat." He stepped outside and made his way to the large vehicle.

"Thank you Monica, I'd appreciate that." Karen added as either the others finished their shower or prepared to take one, she didn't see them go yet, but not being particular aware of her surroundings, particulary in such a safe place with Nephi nearby, Karen couldn't be too sure.

Geoff sat down wherever he could in the tiny apartment and said, "If we are heading to Fort Monroe, we might want to have some more firepower, there's a Police Precinct on the way, the detour wouldn't be a huge one. If you agree, I'd like for us to check it out."

Monica nodded at Geoff. "More weapons and ammo would be great. My uncle Tony always said, ya can't have too much firepower. Don't think I really believed him until now." She ducked into Nephi's room and grabbed a few random shirts and pants. She returned to the living room and handed some pieces of clothing to both of the other women. "Come on girlfriend," she said to Jane. "Unless you'd rather share a shower with Geoff."

Not that Jane would have minded sharing a shower with Geoff, but...

"What if one thing leads to another and we spend two hours in the shower?" She grinned. "Maybe next time..."

Besides, she thought Monica needed her friend more than Geoff needed his lover - and Oh My Goodness was she really becoming the caretaker of the group? That was so out of character for her...

Monica gave her a friend a nod, and tried not to be jealous that Jane still had Geoff around to tempt her. She briefly wondered what Hector was doing at the moment, but then she pushed the thought, and her feelings, aside. At least Hector was still alive, which was more than could be said about the reverend's wife. Monica chose to hold onto the idea that Hector and Eddie would be alright at the Doc's house. They had to be. She remained deep in her thoughts as she followed Jane into the bathroom.

The shower lasted slightly longer than anticipated, mostly because Jane had decided that her friend needed to relax and unwind, and Jane took pride on knowing exactly how to make people relax and unwind - irrespective of gender and sexual persuasion.

Of course, this being Monica, she would stop at stage 1. Now, Karen, on the other hand... Well, some other day.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:57, Mon 20 Sept 2010.

With Allan's permission, Karen looked in Xynthia's wardrobe searching for some clothes that would fit, and found that the Reverend's wife was pretty much her exact same size. She picked up a change of clothing for herself, and, after a moment, a couple of Xynthia's more flowing skirts for the other girls - just in case.

It was just as well, since, when Jane and Monica came out of the shower, it turned out that Nephi's trousers would just about fit on Monica, but were a bit too short for Jane.

Luckily, while she was a full six inches taller than Xynthia, Jane had about the same hip size, and Xynthia's skirts adapted reasonably well to her figure; they did show a significantly larger amount of legs than they were originally intended to, but not nearly as much as some of Jane's normal clothing.

"You're braver than me," Monica whispered to Jane. "Feels a little soon to be wearin' stuff that belonged to the guy's poor, dead wife. But maybe that just makes you the practical one." Monica's tone wasn't one of passing judgment. She actually admired her friend for being able to do what needed to be done to survive. "It's not like the stuff will do Xynthia any good now, and no sense in letting it go to waste."

"You're next." Monica handed a fresh towel to Karen. "Didn't realize how much I needed that." She looked incredibly refreshed, as if the shower had washed away a fair amount of her tension. "Let's gather whatever blankets and pillows we can find."

"We don't know that she's dead yet, you know..." Jane's tone was pensive: "I don't think she is: the zombies kinda seemed to like her. It was us that they wanted dead."

A moment later, she shivered: "Except for that black thing... That really wanted everything dead, the deader the better. What the hell was it anyway?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:26, Tue 21 Sept 2010.

Monica gave Jane a nod. "Death would probably be better than... whatever happened to the reverend's wife. And I have no idea what that other thing was. I just know I don't wanna run into it again."

Nephi walked a little unsteadily back into the apartment, having packed his gear in the car and successfully Blessed it.  As he started walking towards his room, aiming to remove the dirty uniform and collapse on his bed, he said "Wow, that took a little more then I thought it would.  Someone do me a favor and wake me up in half an hour please."

"Thanks Monica." Karen replied as she took the towel and walked toward the bathroom in time to see and hear Nephi come in. Leaning out of the lavatory as he spoke Karen made a mental note to wake him up a little later after her shower, and with a hidden smile Karen sets about cleaning the grime off her body and soul.

Jane had had a half-mind of stopping at the nearest mall and grab some clothes - right now, she didn't even have a change of underwear - but there was still a dumb spot in her leg from where the zombie's poison had paralyzed it, and she knew that she may not be as lucky the next time.

By the time Karen came out of the shower, they had finished packing as much useful stuff as possible to carry away. "I think we are about done here... Should we wake up Nephi?"

Geoff looked at the others and asked, "Do we want to head straight for Fort Monroe or do you want to swing by a local Precinct to see if we can pick up some guns and ammunition?"

Monica nodded at Geoff. "I'm on board with the plan to stop and get more weapons."

Jane pondered for a second: "Can't have too much firepower against those things. I say we get more guns."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:07, Fri 08 Oct 2010.

Allan entered Nephi's apartment looking gaunt and drawn. In his arms he carried some folded up clothing and a pair of shoes. Walking past the others like they weren't even there, Allan headed straight for the bathroom. A few seconds later the water could be heard running in the shower.

"I think we should, if you don't mind I'll go do just that." Karen states as she had just entered the room and overheard Jane mention waking up Nephi. Wearing some of Xynthia's clothes felt a little awkward, but as she walked into the bedroom and saw Nephi sleeping so peacefully, she couldn't help but close the door behind her and sit down beside him.

Rubbing his shoulder, Karen leaned in and began to whisper into his ear. "Wake up Nephi, time to wake up Nephi-wephi." Karen said trying to play at being cute.

Nephi's eyes snapped open as he was shaken awake, feeling much better after his nap.  He blinked a couple times, then focused on the one who woke him.  As he began to get out of bed, he said "Hey Karen.  Is it time to get moving again?"

"I beleive so, but if you're still tired, we can wait a little longer." Karen says as she presses herself against Nephi's side smiling, holding his had as she does. "Or if there's something else you need, or want to do." She adds with a whisper of desire.

Nephi smiled back, a little confused and nervous.  "Uh, W-what do you mean?" he asked.

Caught off guard, Karen stammered for words as she blushed visibly. "Umm, well, uh... it is the end of the world, and ummm... we are all alone, in a bed room... a man, and a woman... you know." Karen said trying to hide her face behind his shoulder as she spoke softly and gently, her hands now on either side of her face which was burried in his shoulder blade.

Nephi thought about what Karen was saying for a while, and then gave a sudden jerk as it sunk in.  His mouth opened and closed several times in speechless shock, before he managed to say "Wow."  He took several deep breaths to calm himself down, steeled his nerves, then hesitantly reached out to give Karen a hug.

After a couple moments he pulled back slightly, and gently said "Sorry Karen, but what you just suggested, is moving way too fast.  You're pretty, and though we just met I kinda like you.  And I definately respect you too much to just have sex."  He gave her a hopeful smile and quietly asked "Maybe... we could try going out?  I've, never had a girlfriend before."

"Really?!" Karen says, not wanting to sound desperate but failing horribly before the realization of what he just said set in. "How come? You're such a sweet guy, cute too, heroic even." Karen adds smiling as she looks down at their hands.

"I'm not quite sure.  I mean, Monica and Jane offered lots of times, but they never seemed too serious about it.  That and I'd have broken a bunch of promises made to my parents and my God.  As for any other girls, they all knew I wanted to go on a mission, and I got the feeling they wouldn't be willing to wait for me."

"Really? I'd wait for you. So... Jane and Monica offered what exactly?" Karen asked, afraid of what the answer might be, but feeling as if she needed to know all the same.

Nephi blushed in embaressment, and ducked his head.  "They offered to 'make me a man'.  Lots of times.  They're good friends and all, and attractive, but it wouldn't have meant anything."  His expression became more firm and earnest as he continued "The only woman I would ever take to bed like that would be my wife, the one that I'd want to spend the rest of my life with, the one that I'd raise a family with."  His voice softened "The one who I loved, and who loved me."

"Awwww." Overcome by the romanticism of the moment Karen leans forward to kiss Nephi before saying. "Although we've only known eachother a few days, I feel as if we've known eachother for a lifetime Nephi, I'd love to be your girlfriend." Karen states bravely to the one she adores while holding his hands.

Nephi leaned forward to accept Karen's kiss, then lapsed into French as he said "Thank you Lord for thy great blessing."

"You can say that again." Karen replied with a grin as she laid her head on Nephi's shoulder, the kiss having brought a blush to her tan cheeks.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:42, Mon 25 Oct 2010.

Nephi looked a bit shocked, then continued speaking "You know French?  How fluent are you?"

"It is like a second language to me." She replied in french, blushing bashfully as she switched back to english. "I speak a number of languages, portuguese, english, french, and spanish, because I am Brazilian." Karen said from her position cozied up next to Nephi, her head still on his shoulder. "Does that bother you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:42, Mon 25 Oct 2010.

Nephi hastened to reassure her, and switched back to English as well. "No, no.  I'm actually quite glad, because I hadn't been able to find any other French speakers since I got back six months ago.  I was starting to worry I might get rusty."

"That's good, I'm glad, the others seem ready to go, if you need a few more hours, I'm sure we can stay a bit longer." Karen replied, smiling as she continued to hold Nephi's hands, enjoy the little things in life that reminded her of better days.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:44, Mon 25 Oct 2010.

Nephi smiled at her.  "If they're ready to go, then I'd better not.  I never seem to have a problem falling asleep when someone else is driving, so I can wait."  His smile faded to a look of concern as he continued "What about you though?  You've been up longer then me without as much as a nap, so are you going to be okay to drive?"

"You know, with all the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I never stopped to think about resting, and so far I feel fine. I know eventually I'll crash and have to sleep, but I'm good at least for another hour." Karen said with a honest and genuine smile as she pulled away and looked up into Nephi's eyes.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:46, Mon 25 Oct 2010.

Nephi said "If you're sure..."  He then stood up and, offering his hand to Karen, said regretfully "We should probably rejoin the others."

"I suppose you're right." Karen replied as she stood up, still holding one of Nephi's hands, "I'll go tell them you're awake." And with that said she returned to the others and announced softly, "Nephi's awake, give him a minute." She said with a smile, the others none the wiser.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:50, Mon 25 Oct 2010.

Nephi eyed his dirty fencing uniform on the floor with distaste, and said to himself "Really going to need better protection, and some way of keeping it clean."  As he left his room to rejoin the others, he heard the shower going, and said quietly "I hope whoever that is hurries up.  I'm kinda ripe."

"Hey guys... What's taking so long?" Jane asked, poking her head in Nephi's room. "Neph, we are about done cleaning up in the bathroom, if you want to take a shower before we leave. And I have something to ask Karen... Girl stuff." She winked at him.

Nephi just said "Yeah, I do." as he left the two girls to chat.  Reaching the sitting room quickly, he quickly figured out that the only one missing was Allan, who must be the one in the shower.  "Hey.  Have you guys figured out our next stop?"

The sound of running water stopped and Allan emerged a moment later. He had changed into a dark-blue pullover shirt and khaki pants. He discarded his clergy clothing in the trash before he sat down in the living room. He was damp and clean, but the quick shower had not left him feeling refreshed or relaxed. He looked like he had aged years in just the past few hours. He slipped on a fresh pair of socks and then started lacing up a pair of hiking boots.

Nephi said "Good, shower's free." as he took the one change of clothes he didn't pack and went into the bathroom.  Locking the door behind him, he quickly undressed and got into the shower, hoping that the others hadn't used all the hot water.

"Oh? What stuff?" Karen asked Jane after listening to her speak to Nephi. She didn't like the fact that she winked at Nephi, not because she was afraid of Jane, but rather because the wink could mean something embarrassing was going to happen soon, or perhaps something less desirable. "So what is it Jane?" Karen asked once they were alone.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:51, Mon 25 Oct 2010.

Jane smiled at Karen and sat on the bed: "He's a nice guy, isn't he? A bona fide hero, too. You should listen to Monica tell the tale sometimes. Last I heard, he saved her from from being raped and killed by no less than fifteen armed guys - and the story gets better with each retelling. Except when Nephi tells it, of course. When Nephi tells the story, there was exactly one guy, unarmed, he was about half as drunk as Monica was, which is to say only half unconscious, and he fled when Nephi confronted him. The story doesn't get any better when Nephi retells it, of course, because, you know... That would be lying."

It was a strange mix of emotions that Karen could hear in Jane's tone: affection, sadness, perhaps pride.

"He is isn't he?" Karen replied remembering vaguely through the pain and blood that Nephi had been the one that saved her as he had done for a number of the group already. "All that you say and more I'm certain. But, why exactly are you telling me all this?" Karen asked, wanting to know why Jane would up and talk to her like this about Nephi none the less. There had to be a reason, there just had to be. "You... don't have feelings for Nephi either do you?" She asked, recalling that Jane had shown an interest in Geoff, or at least started to recently.

Jane blinked, then burst into laughter: "Oh boy... Listen, Karen, you don't know me, so I'll save you some time and tell you what the word about me is: never says no, 'easy' with a capital 'slut', will fuck anything that moves. I kinda live up to my fame: anyone puts the moves on me, I'll do him - or her... Or them, really, I'm not picky, and I'll try anything once. I won't go out of my way to seduce anyone, though: if I am really interested in someone, I'll drop the hint that I am available, and then wait."

She sighed and smiled: "I tried that a few times with Nephi: went completely over his head, like I was his sister or something. Even thought he didn't like girls, for a while, until I figured out he's just that much of a nice guy... He can't even imagine treating a girl with anything less than perfect respect. So now I am kinda like a big sister, you know? Guarding over my guardian angel."

Her smiled cooled down significantly: "Which brings us to the matter at hand. Man, I love that expression... Learned it from my uncle, a really cool guy. Then he crossed the wrong boss and got cooled down for good, but that's occupational hazards for you. Sorry, I went off track for a moment... My point is: I like Nephi. He's a good guy, and I don't want to see him hurt. I don't know if I am making myself clear...."

Having blushed Karen nods and replies, "I understood when you said big sister. So... you think I'm a bad influence to Nephi?" Karen asked, wondering what the more experienced woman thought of her. "Or is this typical of big sisters? I ask not knowing as I've never had to deal with them before." Karen admited as she stared at Jane wondering what she would say.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:50, Mon 08 Nov 2010.

Jane pondered on Karen's question for a moment, regarding the girl carefully, then sighed. "I don't know. I don't have that much experience as a big sister, and I don't know you well enough to say what kind of influence you will have on Nephi. I just wanted you to know that, if you are looking for a serious relationship, then you found the right guy, and he comes packaged with caring friends who will do everything they can to help you. If you are looking for something else, however... Those caring friends are handy with a baseball bat."

Smiling nervously Karen nodded in understanding. "Thank you, to be honest I was kind of afraid to admit it to Nephi, that I liked him. Not only because he saved my life but because he is as nice and caring a guy as you have described. Far more different than any of the other men who have been in my life." Looking down and to the right, away from Jane, Karen sighed. "Your forthcoming attitude is infectious I'm afraid. If I may... I have a secret to divulge." Karen stated, battling through a blush all the way. "You do not know me, and when I first met you all, I was grateful for that. It meant I had finally escaped my past. You see, I may not look it, or even sound it, but I'm from Brazil. I was born there and grew up there and even did a little modeling there. Some of it good and honest... some of it not so much. But, if I want to have an honest relationship with Nephi, I'll have to tell him eventually. Do-do you think Nephi would hate me if I told him I was... a porn star?" The final words almost choked her, her face beat red with embarrassment and her lips pulled tight across her face in a look that spoke of barely restrained tears.

Jane thought for a second: "Hate you? Nephi? What, are you secretly a mass-murdered/serial rapist who eats babies alive? 'Cause that's about what it takes for Nephi to actually hate someone. Now, righteous indignation, that's different. I don't think you have to worry about that, though: he's really more into the good stuff, like helping, forgiving, understanding..."

She stopped and reconsidered: "And by understanding, I mean showing empathy and kindness. Figuring out subtext, on the other hand... If you give him a sentence with an innocent meaning and a lewd or offensive one, he'll go for innocent any day of the week. Just avoid euphemisms and you'll be fine."

She sized up Karen: "And when you tell him about your past, you should probably tell him that I hit on you."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:32, Tue 09 Nov 2010.

"Why is that?" Karen asked honestly perplexed by the other woman's statement, that should she tell Nephi about her past that she should mention that Jane had hit on her. Unable to say much more than that as the statement rattled around inside her head, Karen opened her mouth again a few more times trying to think of a better question to ask or some other way to turn the conversation, but her curiousity got the best of her each and every time. Silently Karen Baker waited for Jane's answer.

Jane seemed just as perplexed: "Well, you know, full disclosure and stuff? I mean, better tell him everything at the same time. I can't tell him why I hit on you before you do, right?"

"I'm sorry Jane, but I don't think you ever did hit on me." Karen replied after thinking a little longer and a little harder. It wasn't like Karen to forget, so in all likelihood Jane had never approached her like that before, which may have been a good thing.

Jane looked just as perplexed: "What? Wait, of course I... Um.. Wait, I'm pretty sure I... OK, not immediately, what with the zombies, and the explosions, and you having just been resurrected. But then... Huh. I really didn't, did I? That's kinda new for me."

She chuckled. "Should I apologize? It's not that I didn't want to, you know, it was just... Kind of a busy day." She winked at Karen. "Ah well, probably better this way. The details become kinda fuzzy if you cheat on my best friend with me. I mean, am I supposed to kneecap myself?"

Chuckling to herself Karen smiled and shook her head, "No, I don't think that would be the best recourse. After all, Nephi would not only have to heal your knees, but then I'm certain he'd feel responsible for your self inflicted injury as well. At least I think he would anyways." Karen said with a soft blush before admitting what came next. "There is no need to apologize, and while I am flattered, I'm also releived that you didn't come onto me before now. To be honest, I just don't know what I would have done before I confessed to Nephi just now... I might have even taken you up on your offer." Karen claims, blushing greatly after revealing so much. "It's not that I'm new to that sort of thing, it's just well... I've been keeping my previous career secret for so long, as well as anything else connected to it." Karen added before breathing a very shallow sigh of releif.

"Thank you Jane, for... well, for listening and for confronting me this night. It helped to get that off my chest, but I don't know... should I tell Nephi everything tonight? Or should I wait for a better time and place? Is there such a thing?" She asked out loud, mostly to herself but to Jane as well as Karen starred off into the direction of the shower where Nephi was right now.

Nephi got out of the shower, much refreshed.  Quickly getting dressed, he opened the bathroom door to see Jane and Karen talking rather seriously.  "So Jane, have you been giving Karen the 'Shovel speech'?" he said with a smile.

Jane beamed at Nephi: "Baseball bat, actually... But I don't think it'll come to that. I like your girlfriend Nephi. Be good to her, or I'll steal her from you." She winked at him.

Nephi laughed a little and lightly blushed.  "I don't think Karen has anything to worry about.  You know what I'm like, and the rolemodels I follow.  Hurting her would probably hurt me just as much."

Karen blushed as she listened to Jane call her Nephi's girlfriend. It had only been a day ago, or perhaps two, that she had been rescued by this kind sweet soul in the midst of a living hell. That day Nephi had become the center of her world, and now in some way she hoped that she had become the center of his, or at least a good part of it. Clearing her throat Karen looks at Jane then back at Nephi. "Nephi dear, ummm, there are some things I need to tell you about myself. I've already discussed it with Jane here, which helped immensely, but you still have a right to know about my not so wonderful past." Karen begins trying to pass it off as nothing, which it wasnt especially to her.

"You see hun, I used to model for a living back in Brazil, which is where I grew up ofcourse. And well after a very short legitimate career failed to launch, I was forced to find employment elsewhere. I didn't have any other skills at the time other than modeling so well..." She pauses blushing deeply as she does. "I... did what I had to do, I entered into the pornography industry." Looking up at Nephi then down at his shoes she waits for his response, to afraid to continue until she heard his voice again.

Nephi took a deep breath at exactly the wrong moment, as the rather shocking revelation sent him into a coughing fit.  When he recovered enough to talk, he took a moment to make sure the others weren't going to investigate before he spoke.  "Okay.  You used to be a porn star.  And this is supposed to bother me...why?"

"Because not all of my work then in the industry was simply posing nude. There was the odd video here and there, some involving other women, some involving men, some involving both, quite a few in fact." She blushes again, not certain why she was being so forth coming with details, but glad Nephi hadn't reacted more than what he did. "I don't know if it's supposed to bother you, I like you Nephi, I want to get to know you better, and I want you to get to know me better. So I'm telling you this because no relationship can survive secrets like that. It may not be much to you or Jane, but to me it was a big thing, the biggest mistake I made back then." Karen replied while fighting off tears, not because she feared Nephi would judge her but because she was happy that he hadn't so far. "So it doesn't bother you? Really?"

Nephi smiled gently at Karen, and gave her a comforting hug.  "Hey, you know the sort of life Jane leads.  And you would not believe the amount of times I popped over for a visit, only to see at least two people walking around wearing no more then lingerie.  Even after I started calling ahead an hour and asking her to get everyone dressed.  If I can still be friends with Jane, knowing what she does for fun, how could I be upset when you've done it as a job?"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Just, do me two favors, all right?  First, for as long as we're together, we're together.  No worrying about the past, no dating anyone else, okay?  And second, never, under any circumstances, show me any movie where you have sex."

Smiling while she was near tears Karen wiped her eyes and nodded as she hugged Nephi in return before answering. "Ok Nephi I won't worry about the past when I'm with you, but you shouldn't worry, now that I have you there's no one else I could ever want more. As for the videos, I destroyed most of the copies the studio gave me from when I worked for them, the rest are hidden away in my appartment which I honestly doubt I'll ever return to given how things are now." Karen said before kissing Nephi on the cheek then the lips as she continued to hold onto him.

"Merci Néphi, mon amour." She said in french as she burried her face in his shoulder for a second more before she withdrew and took a deep breath. "Well I suppose we should be getting onto the road now? I hope the others don't mind that we delayed them a little."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:40, Fri 26 Nov 2010.

Nephi blushed brightly at Karen's declaration, then offered his hand as he led the way back to the others.

"Yeah, let's go back to the others..." Before I make up my mind on which one of you I wanna jump the most right now. Jane left the second half of the sentence unspoken, but seeing two people so clearly in love always turned her on somehow.

True, her turn-ons were as numerous as the stars in the sky, but those two had something special.

She was even willing to forget Nephi's unfairness from earlier: really now, when he called in advance, she always got dressed!

Okay, there had been that time when she had gotten dressed, then he had taken longer than usual to arrive, and one thing had led to another... But it had only been that once.

...Well, okay, maybe twice.

...Three times, tops!
This message was last edited by the player at 20:56, Thu 25 Nov 2010.

Holding Nephi's hand as she followed him into the main room Karen blushed and smiled, giddy to be Nephi's girlfriend and grateful to have his love and acceptance. When the duo regrouped with the others, Karen couldn't help but smile as she intertwined fingers with Nephi never wanting to let go.

Geoff returned from the bathroom oblivious to what had gone on, he looked around and said, "So, are we ready to go?"

The group set out to leave the city, opting to head south, towards thelonger bu tless travelled route. On their way out, they stopped three times: once, at a pharmacy, to get as many medical supplies as they could reasonably carry.

The second, at a gun store, where they loaded up with enough ammo and guns to provide for a small army.

Finally, at a mall, where, upon Jane's insistance, everyone who needed it loaded up with two bags of useful personal supplies, including several changes of clothes.

And so it was that Geoff found himself in the police cruiser he had shared with Hector until only a few hours before, now loaded with guns, ammunitions, medical supplies, and possibly more clothes than used to have back home.

The way out of town had been devoid of zombies but filled with abandoned cars. An eerie silence had weighed on them as they had freed the roads enough to allow the passage of their small convoy, while the girls kept watch in case a stray zombie appeared, but even they had seemingly disappeared.

It was probably better not to think too hard on where all those people could have gone...

Suddenly, a voice coming from the radio pulled Geoff from his train of thoughts.

"CallinSTATICs, calling all STATICthere anySTATIC Over."

Geoff started at the radio as it crackled into life. He'd almost gotten used to being on his own and detached from any higher authority. He picked up the handset as he tried to decipher the words from the static. He hoped that his reply might be a little easier for his fellow officer to pick up as the squad car had a better transmitter than any hand set.

As the group travelled, Nephi was reminded of a responsibility he should have taken care of as soon as they had escaped the store.  Not being able to do anything about it now, he silently said a heartfelt prayer 'Lord, watch over the children in my class, as I am unable to do so.'

A moment later, the radio came alive again: "If that's STATIC  all fineSTATIC vanished, but we'll meet STATICjust in case. STATICout."

Wait a minute, was that Hector?! It sounded like him...

"All fine" seemed to be good news, he wanted to meet... Where?

It was probably a good idea to tell him where they were going.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:39, Fri 10 Dec 2010.

Geoff spoke to the others, "I think Hector is on the horn and he sounds OK. I'll tell him where we're going, it is still Fort Monroe, isn't it?"

Jane grabbed the microphone off the RV's CB and squeezed the button: "Yes, Geoff, still Fort Monroe. Did Hector... Say anything about the others?"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:37, Fri 17 Dec 2010.

Geoff got back on the air and said, "Same destination. Fort Monroe, I repeat Fort Monroe. Requesting SITREP on civilians, over."

It had been a minor interference in the static that had covered most of Hector's voice, but the high-pitched sound that came from Geoff's radio suddenly started to grow louder and louder.

Just when Geoff was about to turn the volume down or even turn the radio off completely, the sound changed.

*FORT ... MONROE*

Nephi looked at Karen worriedly.  That last message was rather sinister.  "Do you think this means the zombies know where we're going now?"

"Probably, if only because it's likely the largest population of survivors around. But even if they know the name of the place, that's not the same as knowing the way. Still, I don't like to fact that these things are learning how to talk, let alone learning at all." Karen replied as she thought out loud.

Nephi replied thoughtfully "I don't like it either.  Possibly even more worrying, how did they intercept our transmission?  Did they grab a set of radios and start monitoring all the frequencies, or do they have some kind of ESP ability?"

"The first is unlikely, though the second is frighteningly possible. Still, we have the advantage for now, hopefully that will be enough to keep us a step ahead." Karen remarks as she shudders slightly from the thought of one of the creatures being able to intercept their messages.

"That doesn't sound good..." The camper's radio suddenly coming to life to announce their destination looked like an ominous portent if she'd ever seen one. Not that she'd seen many, but she was quickly becoming an expert, like it or not.

"Guys? Did you hear that too?"

The way to the fort was surprisingly clean. Well, not exactly clean: there were a number of abandoned cars, and the convoy had to slow down to avoid them, but none of them was really blocking the road like before.

It was almost as if a path had been cleared for them...

Geoff shifted nervously and said, "I'm not sure about this, it looks really fishy. Do you want me to go ahead and scout it out?"

Geoff's voice came through among the static. Apparently, whatever had been preventing radio communication was back in full force, and even at that close a range it was difficult to communicate.

After taking a few moments to figure out how the radio worked, Nephi replied "Probably a good idea.  Do you want anyone to back you up?"

"I agree, this is all too convenient." Karen said as she listened to Nephi and Geoff talk or rather attempt to talk over the radio.

"No," Geoff said, "if I see anything untoward I'll be coming back screaming and gibbering."

He changed gears and slowly eased the squad car forward away from the rolling convoy to see what the hell was going on in Fort Monroe.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:40, Fri 14 Jan 2011.

The convoy was still a few hours from the fort, but Geoff would be able to make a much better time, considering he was specifically trained for that kind of driving, if he did not have to wait for the large and unwieldy vehicle at the rear of the convoy to pass the tight spots.

So it was that he quickly disappeared from the group's sight, hidden by the abandoned cars that punctuated the road.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:22, Sat 15 Jan 2011.

"Anyone else have a bad feeling about this?" Monica said, as she watched the squad car disappear from sight. "In every horror movie I've ever seen, splitting up is bad."

Within half an hour of starting his scout mission, Geoff reached a bottleneck: several cars amassed on one side of the road, blocked the way almost entirely. Geoff reckoned that he could make it through by slowing down a lot, but was not entirely sure that the Unicat could make it.

Geoff looked at the pile up and frowned. His instincts told him to move forward and discover more, but his duty was to inform the others of the obstacle.

He turned the squad car around and headed back to the tiny convoy, hoping that he'd be less than thirty minutes returning to them.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:29, Wed 19 Jan 2011.

It was almost funny, but not quite, that they almost crashed into Geoff as he unexpectedly appeared from behind a large truck.

Since they had stopped anyway, Jane took the chance to jump off the unicat and run to Geoff's car, where she planted a big kiss on him.

"Hey big guy... Missed me?"

Nephi looked at Karen, silently asking if she wanted to talk to Geoff as well.

"Always, darling," Geof said as he hugged Jane. He put her down and said, "There's a massive pileup further down the road. I don't know if the Unicat can get around it, do you want to give it a try or should we look at alternate routes?"

Karen shrugged before adding her opinion. "Personally I think we should find a safer way around, everything has been far too convenient to be coincidental since that one radio broadcast."

Nephi thought for a moment, before adding his opinion.  "I'm all for finding a safer route through, especially if there's any doubt on whether all the vehicles can make it.  Just one problem - the longer we take to get there, the longer the zombies have to set up whatever they have in store for us."

"Do you guys really think the zombies have set a trap for us?" Monica asked. "Do they have the kind of brain power to do something like that? I mean, most of them seem like mindless husks. I guess there was that one, back at the doc's house. The way it looked at me... like it was trying to get inside my head." The memory of it seemed to leave Monica visibly shaken. "If they really are waiting for us up there, then maybe we shouldn't find away around. Maybe we shouldn't head toward the fort at all. Didn't the Rev say something about the mountains? Getting as far away from those things as possible is startin' to sound like a good idea."

Geoff frowned, "I'm inclined to agree with you, Monica, but I'm going to have to investigate the route to the fort in case there is a trap. Survivors are going to try to make it there, if the zombies are being controlled by some sort of intelligence then it's my job to try to help people."
He hated saying this when every fibre of his body screamed at him to run for the hills and escape this horror, but he was wearing a badge and drove a car with "To Protect and serve" on the door. He'd been a pretty poor escape for a policeman up until now so it was time to start.

"Why don't we strip the squad car of everything we can use and I'll check the route out," he suggested, "you can wait at the point where we can head to the mountains. I'll do what I have to do and get back to you. If I take too long, you can head off. I don't intend to engage the zombies but I'd like to see if I could find a way to warn people if there is a trap."

Nephi frowned.  "I don't like it.  It sounds too much like serving you up as bait, and it'd be far too easy to trap you.  Unfortunately, I don't have any better ideas."

"Geoff, do you have any way of signalling us just in case something goes wrong?" Karen asked trying to be helpful.

"If the roads are blocked, the unicat can easily leave the road. It's designed to travel through rough terrain. It's built like a tank. Any walking dead we run into would find it nearly impossible to penetrate. We could put everyone inside it for now, and they should be safe if we want to continue toward the fort."

"If you want to scout ahead, I don't think you should go alone." Allan stepped inside the unicat and retrieved his hunting rifle. "We could take one of the handheld radios to communicate with the rest of the group, unless the signal gets jammed again. As a last resort, we could always fire off a flare to let the others know they should head for the mountains."

Geoff smiled, "Always glad to have someone along," he said.

"OK," he continued, "we'll move along until we find somewhere we can go off road with the UNICAT then the Reverend and I'll scout a bit further ahead to see what's in store. If we get in real trouble we'll use a flare to let you all know to head off. Does that sound OK?"

Nephi looked a little happier with this new plan, and replied "I still don't like it much, but okay.  We do need to know what's coming up."

Allan handed the spare set of keys for the unicat to Jane. "Stay safe, all of you." He took a box of extra ammo, one of the handheld radios, a flare and put them in the squad car. He stood by the passenger door and looked at Geoff. "I'll be riding shotgun."

"You too Reverend." Karen replied as it was decided that Edgar would be riding along with Geoff as support while the rest remained behind.

"I'm on it," Geoff said and headed off back towards the roadblock.

Nephi looked at the car disappearing around the block, then at the girls who were staying with him.  "So...Now what?" he asked.

"Now we wait." Replied Jane tensely. "And god help the living dead if something happens to my boyfriend."

Not five minutes later, the sound of an approaching car caused the group's hands to run to their weapons... Until Monica recognized the shape of Eddie's car.

Nephi looked at Monica and Jane, silently asking them to take the lead as they know Eddie far better than he does.

Karen watched the car approach alongside Nephi.

Monica hesitated as she looked at the approaching car, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Eddie?" She took a couple of steps forward, and then noticed a second figure seated on the passenger side. "HECTOR!" She sprinted toward the car.

  Oh the relief on Hector's face, all the hardness and stress that this whole zombie scene has done to him melted away replaced by relief and joy as he sees the angel like figure of Monica sprinting towards them. In no time at all Hector leaped from the car in turn, and ran to her....

Monica practically leaped into Hector's arms. She wrapped herself around his body and kissed him. When her lips finally released his, she stood there holding Hector's face in her hands like she was afraid to let go. "I thought I'd never see you again."

 "You worry too much sweetheart; the black guy never dies in a zombie flick," said Hector with his trade mark shit eating grin as he gently nuzzled her cheek. But then a look of concern washed over him, "But then his white sidekick sure can. Are Geoff and the others alright?"