"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?"