Thomas looked at the group a moment, with a serious look on his face. "I am going to say it again, that I highly suggest you stay away from large stores like Winco."
John gives Thomas a small smile.
"And I'll say again; I'm a guest here and I'll defer to your wisdom on the matter."
"You got a place to hit; or specific places? Then I'll follow your lead. And I agree; having one person at the wheel for a fast escape while the rest of us run in... this seems like a good plan."
"I know there are some smart, tough folks here so they should be ok."
John nods.
"I agree; besides, as far as they know, this is just a party with some sirens and cops around here. Nothing to panic over... and Patrick can hold down the fort easily."
"As for us; well, I'm sure we'll be just fine," he says easily then grabs his coat and slips it over his shoulders.
"Come on then; we got to go do a thing," he says to the others and then nods to Patrick and heads to the largest vehicle at the party and gets in.
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Thomas gives John a small smile, thankful for his can do attitude, then says, "Well, all I got is a five seater Nissan ultima, but it has pretty decent trunk space. We could load a few things in the back next to whoever sits back there also. But if someone's got something bigger, speak up."
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No, we might not have to kill for food-
But other people? You should never underestimate how stupid some of these a*#@$*$s can be. I really hate to be an a%*!!*@- but we really shouldn't go without heavy hardware, especially for the one sitting and running the car.
We're talking about s$*+ getting blocked out by the government or whoever, after all- I reaaaally don't think we should take that lightly.
We're talking about s##@ getting blocked out by the government or whoever, after all- I reaaaally don't think we should take that lightly.
John cocks his head as he stares at Nodin thoughtfully.
”Well, to clarify; I’m not taking government interference with social media lightly. I’ve done enough journalism to respect the fact that if the government is trampling on First Amendment rights… yeah; that’s no joke,” he says as he pulls his coat on.
”But we’re talking practical matters here,” he adds.
”If a group of armed thugs comes charging you in the car the safest thing to do is just give them what they want and run.”
”I mean… if you feel it’s a good plan to defend yourself and you’re wielding something like a knife, or a baseball bat, or even a sword…” he says with a small shrug ”Look; I’ve taken kendo; fencing, and historical fencing... I’m actually pretty good with a blade and I’m telling you – if you wave a blade around it’s probably just going to encourage thugs to pull out a gun and shoot you.”
He glances at the others.
”If we’re looking for protection than carrying a firearm might be better. If people see us wielding a shotgun or something like that then it’s likely that they’ll back off without even having to use it. If we’re carrying a melee weapon… Look; if we carry it, we’ll have to use it. Just holding it won’t stop a dangerous crowd.”
He glances toward Patrick.
”Do you have any firearms?” he asks him directly.
He turns to look back at Nodin.
”If Patrick doesn’t have firearms then I’ll carry whatever is necessary to protect my friends… I just think carrying melee weapons during a riot is an invitation to a fight is all.”
Leo nods and says How about this? Weapons stay in the car when we go but within easy reach should they be needed or easily concealed. Either way the longer we talk, the more likely things could spiral out of control worse. Whatever we do, we need to do soon. I'm for heading out right now. Let's hit this asian market and the surplus and see where we are from there. With that Leo heads over to the door and looks out before stepping outside.
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Leo nods and says How about this? Weapons stay in the car when we go but within easy reach should they be needed or easily concealed. Either way the longer we talk, the more likely things could spiral out of control worse. Whatever we do, we need to do soon. I'm for heading out right now. Let's hit this asian market and the surplus and see where we are from there. With that Leo heads over to the door and looks out before stepping outside.
John nods.
”I agree,” he says with a brisk nod.
Hearing that Patrick has a .22 Rifle with a scope he takes it, a box of bullets, and hands them all over to Nodin.
”Leave the scope on; it’ll make the rifle seem more intimidating to people… It looks more “military” and they’ll likely be more impressed by it; and you...”
He gives Leo a long look as he hears the sirens in the distance.
”No disrespect to anyone here; but the thing is… you’re like a brother to me.”
”That being the case, I expect you to watch my back,” he says, giving Leo a playful punch on his arm.
He picks up some of Patrick’s tools; including a long, wooden-handled garden rake which he promptly removes the metal teeth from and hands Leo the wooden staff.
”I believe this is your style,” he says giving Leo a small grin.
Looking at the remaining tools he picks up a machete for chopping long grasses and tests the weight.
Satisfied by the weapon he nods to the others.
”Well; let’s do this,” he says.
Thomas grabs Pats truck keys and hands him his own car keys in exchange, while giving him a knowing nod. He then tosses them to Nodin. "I hope you can drive stick." Thomas says, as he walks past him out the door.
He then goes to his own car and opens the drivers side door which he forgot to lock. Opens the trunk, rummages for a moment then finds a small pocket flashlight and his survival kit. Inside was duct tape some burn ointment, gaze, needle and thread, compass, two bottles of water three days worth of ration bars, a Swiss army knife, and a sheathed 10 inch survival knife which he attached to his hip. He then took out the survival kit which he would put in the truck, once Nodin opened it. Then Thomas locked his car doors and waited near the truck.
He knew the way to Picky Picky Picky, which he told the others was on E and 600.
He knew the way to Picky Picky Picky, which he told the others was on E and 600.
John gets in with the others.
"Let's roll..." he says.
Danny and Alyssa, along with Patrick nodded to the four as they left. Laura looked worried for them but didn't say anything. Jeremiah decided that he'd had enough craziness for one night and opted to stay at the party.
"I'll handle things on my end, with their help. It might be a lot smaller of a party by the time you guys get back. Good luck."
Then they loaded everything up with them and were getting into their vehicle.
The truck fired up as Nodin started it. Leo and John were already in the back. Thomas had just put his foot into the truck to leave when he was sure he heard, a scream of pain not too far away.
"Naaagh!"
He thought that maybe it was from two or three blocks up and over to the right somewhere. He looked up realizing that there had been a police car sitting up the road when he had arrived, but he'd been a little too hurried to get into the house to really make much of it. It hadn't had it's lights on after all.
It was still there and the officer was nowhere in sight and they hadn't been to the party from what he could tell.
That said, they were on a mission and the direction they needed to head was downtown, not where he had heard the scream come from. He realized he was the only one who had heard it.
.......I hear nothing.......nothing.......I don't have time to be a damn hero for strangers..............S@$+. Thomas gives a deep sigh, then says to the others irritably, "I heard a scream. I'm gonna check it out...If you guys want you can join or go without me. I can recruit someone from the party." As he waited for their response, he pondered a bit to himself. I wonder if it's the cop who left their car there? Could be useful to get a cop setup with us...Hope it's not a fat cop, who will eat all our food...Well if it is they should still have a gun...And a radio. Maybe they can call for help...wonder if they did already? wait... we still havent tried calling the police or anything, right? Hmmmmm..... and if the cop called in already maybe they don't need us...Then again maybe they do... We could just call the police and let them handle it... Thomas pulls out his phone and dials 911.
"I heard a scream. I'm gonna check it out...If you guys want you can join or go without me. I can recruit someone from the party."
John reaches forward and put his hand on Thomas's soldier.
"We all heard it," he says quietly.
"There will be a lot more screams before this night is over, especially if there is a riot. And I want to help too, if I can."
"But right now your first priority is your family - or, if you prefer; your crew," he continues with a low, firm voice.
"Right now you are part of our crew and our crew needs supplies."
"The person we heard could be in real trouble; or they could be a meth head screaming at imaginary monsters... the only thing you know for sure is that your crew needs you to help them get a thing done."
He looks at Leo for a moment, pretty sure that Leo will support this sentiment; though he's not sure about Nodin or Thomas.
"If you run off then we have to go with you because we're not going to split up because that's too dangerous."
"If we go with you now that means we won't get the supplies and that means our crew; our friends and possible family... they're going to be in trouble later when there are no more supplies."
"We need food, water and medical supplies - and something tells me before this night is over we'll probably need weapons, too. If we don't have those things than it's likely that we'll all regret later. If you go now, we'll have to go with you because we can't leave you all alone, and that means we could all be in danger..."
"Do you want to risk that for the sound of some random stranger screaming?"
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Finally John and I are in agreement. Everyone is in trouble, including us. Rule number one in working nonprofit and any other emergency service- you always accept the fact that you can never help everyone, and especially not at once.
The thing we disagree on is going with- every action has consequences, we're in the car already, it's time to go. If anyone is getting out, get out now, we really need to do this before we look back at it later and say "damn it we should have done it sooner."
Nodin does a head count in the car of and surrounding area to ensure that all the people he *can* help right now are not missing, and that it could not be one of their immediately new friends screaming-
Nodin sees all the people he can *help* right in front of him.
Leo nods in agreement with Nodin and John We need to go man. If trouble is that close we need to go now...there's no time. Looking at the group he says We need to have a plan going in. John, you know how to make food last so you hit that wherever we go. Get MREs, non-perishables, and the like. Nodin, since you have the gun, you ok keeping watch on the truck? If so then Thomas you go for the weapons, don't just go for guns though, look for weapons that are reusable, bows, slingshots, and blades. If you do get guns, make sure to get as much ammunition as possible. I'm going for survival stuff, solar cells, flashlights, batteries, crank powered items and stuff like that. Is that good with everyone?
Leo nods in agreement with Nodin and John We need to go man. If trouble is that close we need to go now...there's no time. Looking at the group he says We need to have a plan going in. John, you know how to make food last so you hit that wherever we go. Get MREs, non-perishables, and the like. Nodin, since you have the gun, you ok keeping watch on the truck? If so then Thomas you go for the weapons, don't just go for guns though, look for weapons that are reusable, bows, slingshots, and blades. If you do get guns, make sure to get as much ammunition as possible. I'm going for survival stuff, solar cells, flashlights, batteries, crank powered items and stuff like that. Is that good with everyone?
John turns to Leo and nods.
"I'm good with that... firearms can be useful, but if you're really looking for something to hunt with I'd recommend using a bow. After all, you can always make new arrows," he says with a shrug.
He looks at the others and kind of forces a smile.
"But for now let's keep a little optimism, okay? I mean; it's a riot, and we'll likely be out of supplies for a maybe a week and maybe get into some brawls with a few thugs at most. I'm mean; we're dealing with a power outage, it's not the end of the world, right?" he says a small grin as they barrel down the street to the first destination.
Thomas hears the sense the crew was speaking, and after a pause, sat back in his seat silently accepting their words. As the truck drove on Thomas tried to reason with his guilt by thinking of the folks he cared about and that they were priority right now. It was ok to be a hero in this situation...but only for the right people. Thomas gave Leo a thumbs up at his suggestion not looking at him but the chaotic city around him.
The group drives through the night streets of Eureka. But the city seems to be dead. Nothing moves at them through the cold, wet, streets as they quickly make their way down to Picky Picky Picky.
Barely 10 minutes had passed since they left the house and as they pulled up outside the store in its own parking lot. Amidst the confusion and craziness of the night, simple things had apparently slipped the mind. There were perhaps a handful of stores that stayed open past 8:00 p.m. on weeknights. This was not even one of them. As they saw a sign,
Closed
and below that an hours sign.
9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Just as looks of disappointment and feelings of frustration started to rise, Thomas and John heard something.
"This ... .... harder than it looks ..... How about I distract you next time you .... ... .. something!" Someone hissed back. The voices were somewhat drowned out by distance and the rain.
"Just stay focused. There's not much ..... ..... .. ..." They both heard someone else say.
Thomas hears the voices, then says to the others, "You guys hear that? Sounds like people talking nearby...From inside the store, maybe?" Thomas begins walks up to the store door and attempts to open it.
Thomas comes up to the front door and finds it locked. The voices had come from around the corner.
Leo looks to Thomas and looks back and forth, keeping the rake handle steady.
"You guys hear that? Sounds like people talking nearby...From inside the store, maybe?" Thomas begins walks up to the store door and attempts to open it.
As Thomas moves toward the door, he nods and holds up his hand to recommend being quiet; then he speaks quietly to Thomas -
"Careful; it's probably a ruse... likely nothing but a cheap robbery since the power's out," he tells Thomas.
"It's a good bet that they're trying to loot the place for money instead of supplies because the alarms are off; in which case, let them take the money... but I'm willing to be that they wouldn't be doing their thing without a back-up car to haul their goods; probably around back..."
"If you want to head around the back of the place and check to see if there's a getaway car, you can go back there and do what you feel is best."
"For now I say we give them a few minutes to grab what they want out of this place and head out back; then we can clean out the rest of the store. Or, if you'd like, half of us can go around back, take out their getaway car and driver; then, when they exit the back of the store, those people ambush them while the rest of us come through the front to take them from both sides..."
"What do you want to do? Let them take some crap and then we move in to grab the whatever they left without a fight; or do you want to head around back stealthy and take out their getaway vehicle and ambush them as they're exiting?" he says, leaving this decision to Thomas.
Smiling Leo pulls out his phone and then turns the volume up all the way before pulling up his police scanner app. Looking at the others he puts his finger to his lips as if to say be quiet. Let's see how skittish they are. he muses, before turning the local police band on. He lets it play for a moment before turning it down and saying loudly in an official voice. Copy central. Just checking out a report of a disturbance at Picky and then we'll be moving back that way. Looking over at Thomas and John he makes a motion for them to play along.
Seeing that the main entrance is in a parking lot just to the West of E Street, he gambles that the "Getaway Car" is likely parked on 6th Street somewhere, ready to book...
Copy central. Just checking out a report of a disturbance at Picky and then we'll be moving back that way.
John watches Leo with his computer app on his phone and stares at him for a moment, then decides to improvise...
"" he adds in his most officious sounding voice to encourage the bandits to head north out the back of the store onto 6th Street so that he and his companions can simply move through the main entrance when they are gone...
For now John will simply watch Leo move to his new position, his eyes focused on the doorway, kneeling down in the lee of the vehicle and studying the door carefully.
"There's a Fire Department off D and 6th... they might have decent supplies if this fails..."
Thomas heeds Johns advise, "let's check around back for a car. He whispers to the group. He then starts moving as silently as he can
Thomas starts to sneak around back, hoping to get the drop on whoever drove the group of people sneaking into the building.
Then Leo springs his plan into action, pretending to be an officer inspecting the building in question, if the others hadn't been watching him they probably would have believed it too.
John, seeing a chance to help, jumps in with a more alarming sounding retort back on a "radio". Hoping to force the would-be bandits out and away.
Leo instinctively cringes from the apparent raise in stakes that John has given, while Thomas lets out a sharp exhalation of breath from all the noise the others are suddenly making.
"Damn, it's the cops! Come on, we have to..."
"Hold up! Allen, get Jack, quick. We got ourselves some folk trying to scare us off."
"Hey, you can both come on out." The voice called out to them. It was the same voice that John and Thomas had heard telling the others to focus.
"Hey, you can both come on out." The voice called out to them. It was the same voice that John and Thomas had heard telling the others to focus.
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As the others' ruse is exposed, Nodin keeps the rifle aimed on the "new" guys through the back window of the car, holding it steady as he keeps the car running and waves out to the others with a whisper Guys, come on. Get back in, this place is freakin' blasted anyways. Let's get the F~!@ out of here. What are we gonna do with these jokers? Invite them back for supper?
Guys, come on. Get back in, this place is freakin' blasted anyways. Let's get the F%@* out of here. What are we gonna do with these jokers? Invite them back for supper?
John glances at Nodin -
"They aren't shooting and they aren't fighting and they aren't running. With all the craziness and video censorship I figure they want information as bad as we do and for now they'd rather talk..." he says slowly.
"Still, they don't know you're here... mind covering me just in case?" he says softly, knowing that Nodin still has the rifle.
He glances toward Thomas, hoping that the man is already moving around to the other side of the building to potentially flank them if trouble starts, and then turns and nods toward Leo, trusting his friend to make his own play.
Then John steps forward into the open, his hands up.
"Hey! We're not looking to start trouble and we're not here to cause you grief. We said what we said because we wanted to scare you off without any kind of fighting; we don't give a damn if you're looting the place and we aren't the cops," he says with a firm and sincere voice.
"I don't know who you are and you don't know who we are and that's cool... Fighting won't help either me and my friend or you guys; you'll either kill us and draw undue attention to yourselves or you'll get really hurt by me and my friend... we don't like either option and I'm betting you don't either."
He stares at the people at the doorway.
"Now you know what's up; you want to talk, or go back to doing your thing? Like I said; we don't want any trouble..." he says, then waits to see what happens next.
Nodin keeps his rifle aimed and ready from inside the truck. Thomas sneaks ahead 10 feet in front John and Leo, crouched just at the edge of the building ready like a cat waiting to pounce. While John moves leftward to get a better look at the people who are standing at the back door.
Both of them are young men, both dressed in dark clothing. One standing in the doorway, was a lean looking man with short dark hair matted from the rain, and he had a small box of tools open in front of him. The other, a little ways back was dressed in a heavy coat had curly hair. He had one hand in a pocket, and the other was open in a friendly gesture.
"Well now, that's refreshing to hear. We're not looking for trouble either. But I guess we can skip over the obvious. It looks like you and your friend had the same idea we did. We can all benefit from this, there's certainly more than enough. Think about it... we could all have a great deal of supply and then who knows... if things go the way I think they will, it'll be a buyers market for us and you." He grinned, and it reminded John of a shark.
"You help us, we help you. Deal?"
It was difficult to tell, but John and Leo thought he was completely sincere about his offer.
Thomas and Nodin realized that he was sincere about his offer, but there was also a double edged sword in play. He was emphasizing that they take the deal... or else. And from the way he was talking, he was also buying time.
Thomas, realizing that what the man was saying was prolly bs in some way also felt he was stalling. Waiting for back up, are you? Thomas then looks for a window or back way. His plan is to either find a gun and stick to one of the men's backs or if he spots another person, take them down. Having no luck with that... Thomas goes with another thought. He now attempts to sneak up behind the man who made the offer, and will put a knife to his throat.
"Well now, that's refreshing to hear. We're not looking for trouble either. But I guess we can skip over the obvious. It looks like you and your friend had the same idea we did. We can all benefit from this, there's certainly more than enough. Think about it... we could all have a great deal of supply and then who knows... if things go the way I think they will, it'll be a buyers market for us and you." He grinned, and it reminded John of a shark.
"You help us, we help you. Deal?"
John glances at Leo and studies his friend for a moment.
Then he turns to the guy.
John evaluated the veiled threat and found it lacking in conviction. Further, he determined that they could both benefit. Why, then, should there be any issue?
After all; between reasonable men there was always the chance for business to be done.
And if not?
He glances at Leo again, then turns back to the person in front of them.
"Whatever, man," he says with a mellow shrug.
"If you need a hand, I'll be happy to help you out."
"After all, we both want the same thing and there's plenty to be had for all. If we work together we can probably move it quickly and without any entanglements from law enforcement," he says easily.
He walks toward the person in front of him.
"What do you need me to do?" he asks, his eyes intent on the speaker, keeping their gaze locked and hopefully from looking at the others moving in the background.
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Yeah I love talking in circles with strangers during a crisis. Here here here, sorry, I hate to be rude, I PROMISE I'm not like this, but jesus christ-
Nodin continues to rant, more so in the direction of the strangers than anyone else.
Nodin stepped out of the car with a sigh Wari wari. Fake business men ruining the bunch of us, making me look bad.
Keeping the rifle aimed on the guys, driver door open and the car still running as he stood just next to it, now leaning over the hood of the car, Nodin yelled out
HEY! Instead of f+~~ing around, why don't you tell us the cut you want, then we all throw something big lying around through the glass and we unlock the doors and clear the store?
We all know the police aren't coming for small fry when this place seems to be t~&% up. And god forbid we do one more dance with your poor negotiating skills before other people come to this spot to do a job as well. Come on man, be a closer for gods sake. You've already almost been shot! Twice!
Thomas hated to admit it, but Nodin doing things in a way Thomas could agree with. Let's just get things done. No time for this bs... Thomas still stayed close behind the man ready to pounce the second he tried anything.
John looks at the rifle brandishing Nodin and takes a small, slow step to put some distance between them in case the thugs decide to rush them.
He turns to look at Leo for a moment, then he turns and looks back at the thugs, waiting to see what Leo, or the thugs, will do next...
The lean man took a step back from the door and the man in the coat narrowed his gaze.
"Well now, I miscounted. Three of you... fine. You want a cut and dry deal then. I'll give you one."
As he spoke two more people came into view for John and Nodin.
One was a bulky young man who may have been 20 or so. He obviously held a blunt object in one hand. The other was a few yars older with facial hair and he hung back a bit behind the bulky youth.
"You stop yelling and we all go inside, we take as much as we can, and we get out just in case you're wrong about the police. We'll even share information we know about what's going on. Nothing bloody and everyone wins."
Leo looks over and steps out saying Sounds wonderful. Let's get to it then. It looks like you were having some trouble with the door then? Perhaps I can be of some help with that. I do know my way around locks.
John glances at Nodin; their sniper who had been covering their position while hidden inside the car, behind the wheel, ready to roll at a moment's notice. At this time he sees that Nodin has suddenly exited the car and stepped into the open in full view of an unknown number of threats.
Then he glances at the shadows which shroud his long-time friend who is experienced with stealth and martial arts and watches as Leo steps into the open as well.
He glances to alley leading to 6th Street and reflects that the nearest police station was only about 1,056 feet west of their current position - roughly a three minute walk, never mind driving... A routine patrol car would likely be passing them sometime in the next few minutes regardless of what was going on.
The main entrance was visible from the corner of D Street and 6th Street.
If a squad car drove by the patrolling officers would likely see Leo fumbling with a lock; then they would likely advance and attempt to apprehend Leo and take him into custody back to the station.
After an arrest it was likely that they'd leave "Picky Picky Picky" unobserved as they booked Leo and did the paperwork on him and any of his accomplices for the next half hour or so.
While the cops booked them they'd likely ignore Picky Picky Picky and that would probably be when the thugs in front of them would decide to loot the place - after the cops had circled and dealt with his friends.
No wonder these basterds are trying to stall.
He shifts the hilt of the machete he had taken from Patrick's forward a bit on his belt and rests his hand on its hilt as he looks at all friends, then he glances at the thugs.
Well; it looks like it's their move...
The man in the coat seemed to relax a bit. "Of course, equal share. I doubt we'll be able to take it all anyway."
The others around him seemed to calm down as well.
"Now Gino, would you be so kind as to finish unlocking the door?"
The lean man nods and goes back to working on the door.
"Hey you, you said you were handy with a lock right? I could use a hand." he calls out to Leo.
The two men work on the door while the rest of the group hunkered down in the rain at an uneasy standoff.
A few cars drove by, and there was a tense moment when a police cruiser drove by but did not stop, and in short order the door was unlocked allowing access in and shelter from the rain.
No alarm met the group as they all walked inside. The man in the coat smiled as he pulled out a small flashlight which he pointed at the floor.
"Well now gentlemen, I'm glad we could all come to an agreement. We are going to be well situated men soon, I suggest you start by picking up several bags and grabbing whatever you think is most valuable. Since we are partners in our little endeavor, so to speak, I think it is only fair that we introduce ourselves to one another. My name is Lawrence. The rest of my group includes: Allen, Gino, and Jack."
"Well now gentlemen, I'm glad we could all come to an agreement. We are going to be well situated men soon, I suggest you start by picking up several bags and grabbing whatever you think is most valuable. Since we are partners in our little endeavor, so to speak, I think it is only fair that we introduce ourselves to one another. My name is Lawrence. The rest of my group includes: Allen, Gino, and Jack."
John glances at the men and nods politely, but his attention is more focused on possible threats rather than pleasantries.
For now he lets the others do the talking.
His chief concern is getting the basics that he and his friends will need to survive with.
John picks up a duffle bag and glances around the place. His eyes searching first for the type of weapons he had initially interested in...
He slings backpack over his shoulder and starts stuffing the duffle bag with batteries, butane gas canisters, first aid kits, camping rations and camping gear.
"So... Lawrence," he says as he works "it's nice to meet you," he says as he moves quickly.
"My name is John..." he says, intentionally only giving his first name "I'm from... back east," he adds after a short pause.
"Do you all know what's causing the trouble out here?" he adds, glancing up at the others.
Thomas is waiting close by outside.
Amid grabbing several bags, Lawrence and his crew spread out with purpose, it seemed as though they had planned this somewhat in advance. Lawrence himself was eyeing the hand weapons behind the counter while walking around to the other side.
"Well, to be completely honest John, I can't say anything for sure. But I had a friend call me up and swear to me that he saw a pair of individuals stumbling around earlier today in the outskirts of Arcata and they attacked some people who thought to come over and help them. He described it as vicious, and he saw the two men defend themselves by kicking one away and grabbing and punching at the other several times. The two attackers were undaunted by the cries to stop and shouts of pain as one was apparently bitten. They managed to barely escape, by getting into their car and driving away. My friend, not wanting to get involved, ran away."
He told his story in a sort of removed fashion, glancing down at the axes before looking back up at John.
"Gino suggested it first, so I kept my tabs on what's been happening all day, I utilized my contacts in a vague manner mostly convincing people to watch out for strange sightings and behaviors. What I can tell you is this, whatever's happening it came from the North or the East. Arcata has it a lot worse than we do right now, but we have already been affected by whatever's going on. I have my theories of course, but with the strange response the police are giving, the blackout, the silencing of certain mass media forms, and apparently the military moving about, what does all of this sound like to you?"
Then without waiting he reached into his left pocket and produced a book, tossing it onto the glass table in front of them. The title read, The Zombie Survival guide.
"Gino suggested it first, so I kept my tabs on what's been happening all day, I utilized my contacts in a vague manner mostly convincing people to watch out for strange sightings and behaviors. What I can tell you is this, whatever's happening it came from the North or the East. Arcata has it a lot worse than we do right now, but we have already been affected by whatever's going on. I have my theories of course, but with the strange response the police are giving, the blackout, the silencing of certain mass media forms, and apparently the military moving about, what does all of this sound like to you?"
John continues to pack up things like medical supplies and batteries. He's already armed; having a few other weapons wouldn't hurt, but there's only so much ordinance a person can carry.
He continues to work as he talks...
"If it wasn't for the strange behavior of the police I'd assume it was a collection of drug addicts. Their behavior isn't much more different then someone who's doped up on LSD or Meth," he says as he continues to load the bag.
"Regarding the military I'd wonder if we were dealing with some type of outbreak; but I haven't had a chance to see the particular units. Was C.D.C. involved, do you know?" he asks, as he peers at a pair of extremely durable hiking boots about his size.
"If it is a medical issue then I'm surprised that there has been any blackout's at all... Why not use the media outlets to direct the people into a path that's most reasonable?"
"For example; if it's an airborne virus then why not recommend that citizens evacuate to a specific place for "safety" - and then deal with them at that area? If it's communicated through blood then advise citizens to stay in their homes - if it's through water then I'd suspect that the city water supply would be shut off..." he mutters.
Then without waiting he reached into his left pocket and produced a book, tossing it onto the glass table in front of them. The title read, The Zombie Survival guide.
John glances at the book and smirks somewhat.
"There's no such thing as 'zombies' - unless maybe you're talking about the rituals that are done down in parts of Haiti..." he says as he picks up a hatchet, studies the edge, then slips it into the bag.
"When the heart stops, the blood congeals; when that happens you get rigor mortis and the body won't move..." he says, then pushes a host of protein bars into the sack.
He looks up at Lawrence.
"Still, at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what we decide to name something that threatens us or who we care about... the only thing that really matters is how we stop it."
He glances at the others in his group for a moment, then turns back to Lawrence, then picks up the book and studies the cover - the pauses to hand it back to Lawrence.
Then he takes a deep breath as if thinking.
"Alright; let's assume for a moment that - however unlikely - it is some variation of a zombie... If that's the case then I'd recommend getting away from population dense areas... I'd recommend getting gear to protect ourselves because this town has maybe 50,000 people, maybe? If there's an issue that prevents supplies coming into town, then zombies aren't going to be an issue; the issue is that those people will start fighting over supplies that will only sustain about about five-hundred of them..." he says as he watches Lawrence for a few seconds.
"But I got a hunch you knew that," he says going back to the gear.
"Oh yeah; for what it's worth, the Marina's only about four minutes from here..." he says.
"But I'd rather tap up to Woodley Island... There's a lot more boats there."
"I've seen a lot of things about zombies; but I've never seen one that could swim," he says with a shrug.
He looks at the others in his gang and then back at Lawrence.
"I'll be straight with you... no matter what we do with the gear; having extra guys to take a boat may be useful for both of us," he adds.
"What do you think?" he adds, his eyes studying Lawrence carefully, trying to gauge how reliable he might be.
Thomas listens in on the conversation between John and Lawrence from outside... His heart rate picks up a little as Lawrence describes the situation his friend went through, especially when he talks of one of his friends being bit. That pretty much confirms what I believe... He listens a bit longer and hears John and Lawrence discuss the possibility of zombies. Though I suppose as John says it could be drugs...But that would be boring...Though, I suppose zombies are in all truth pretty ridiculous and don't make a lot of sense in reality...But... He hears what John says about safer places to be and about a boat. Thomas feels excited now. Not a bad idea John. We'll see after we talk to the group at home base. Thomas looks around in case something were to sneak upon him or the others.
Thomas sees nothing but the rain and darkness surrounding him. No one was within his keen sight or hearing.
Inside, the others were quickly grabbing up the items they though more valuable.
While listening to Lawrence recount the tale from his friend, his actions thus far and subsequent plan, John spots a small collection of Compound longbows on the walls. Next to them were also a small selection of metal hand crossbows as well as two larger sized crossbows made of polished wood. Bolts for both sets were set in a glass case below them.
As for rifles and guns, there were a ton... but upon closer inspection most of them turned out to be air-soft guns and paintball guns. There were however, 12-gauge pump action shotguns. As well as .22 lever action rifles hanging on the wall. In a locked case below were M-9 Baretta hand-guns.
Next to these cases were ammunition cases containing:
boxes of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition.
boxes of .22 ammunition.
boxes of 9×19mm Parabellum rounds. As well as 4 clips.
Lawrence grins at John. "Well aren't you pretty bright. That wasn't going to be a goal of ours until later... but if you're willing to help us out now that could jump up our timetable significantly."
Admittedly, Thomas wasn't very keen on adding Lawrence and company to the group... Something about him rubbed Thomas the wrong way. Maybe it was how they met... Though they haven't actually met yet, but none the less Thomas had little trust of this new party. And when they were all back in the truck again he was going to voice it. But, desperate times call for desperate measures and teaming with this bunch may be one of those things... Though he still had a sneaking suspicion that if Lawrence and company joined there could be fighting within the joined groups... Lawrence struck Thomas as a guy who did not like to follow. And Thomas was not going to blindly follow some stranger...