Urban Dead: The Price of the Oath

[Josh]

They closed in on the mall, passing back into the cleared zone without further incident. Along the way, they passed by several of the rotters they'd dropped on the way out, many still down.

[Pcm979]

Mike sighed with relief as they passed into the relatively-safe area. He pulled one of his legs up and inspected his wounds. Damn things were starting to hurt, but they shouldn't impede his movement. As long as he got them seen to quickly, of course.

[Josh]

A broken talon was still protruding from one of the wounds. Marley maneuvered the convoy around the ever-growing trench system to bring them back under the cover the mall, where the offloading teams awaited their return.

[Pcm979]

Mike plucked the talon out with a wince, hastily mopping the ensuing gush of blood with a section of his ripped pants. Deja vu indeed. He looked up as they pulled to a stop.

[Caz]

From the moment the trucks rolled to a stop, Sherry was playing traffic cop once again and instructing the various teams--as well as some unloaders--on where to set the barrels. Two distinct groups: one group would carry barrels up to the roof of the mall and wait for further instruction; another would carry them inside for storage.

After a relative order had been established, she hopped from the impromptu podium of the truck's cab and walked over to check on the wounded man.

[Josh]

He was mercifully unconscious, his legs fairly crushed by the weight of the barrel. With any luck, he would stay that way when moved up to the interior.

[Hedgecore]

"Not a doctor?" he echoed, "never woulda guessed. Well, I suppose your still my doctor, officiality aside"

Lasko looked around the makeshift infirmary a moment, then leaned foreward, closer to her. "I don't mean to sound impatient, and certainly not ungreatful, but you wouldn't happen to have an idea of how long I'll be stuck like this, would you?"

[Pcm979]

Mike bound his legs using gauze from the truck's medkit and walked over to Sherry and the man. If she didn't look down, she mightn't notice he'd been injured.

"I'll get on it right away." He promised her, grabbing the man's shoulders and preparing to lift.

[Josh]

And naturally, the jarring motion of being grabbed and shifting his legs around resurrected the man, who howled bloody murder right in Mike's ears.

[Caz]

"Long as you have to, kid," she said with some sympathy. "I know you want to get out and help, but it won't do you or anyone else any good if you go out too weak and end up getting yourself killed."

She smiled. "'Til then, I'll just keep pouring food down you and make sure you take your vitamins."

He'd notice that her spirits were lighter, her smile more consistant, and her manner infinitely more playful as opposed to the worried, aloof woman he'd met before. Something had changed her for the better, looked like.

--

As he screamed, Sherry looked to Mike.

"We shouldn't move him like this..." she said, even though she knew nothing whatsoever about medicine, as she pulled off one of her gloves and put it in between his teeth to keep him from biting at his tongue.

Sherry looked to the boy, checked him again to make sure everything looked stable, then called over her shoulder: "A fucking stretcher! Now!" at anyone who would listen.

[Josh]

"Coming down," was the shout from above. One pulley was processing the inbound drums of oil, while another was sending down a stretcher for the wounded man.

[Pcm979]

"Yes, I'm waiting for the stretcher." Mike said patiently. Jesus, usually just sticking his arms under someone's shoulders didn't wake them up like that. The wounds must've put him out more than he thought.

[Caz]

Finally, the stretcher arrived and Sherry and Mike gently lifted him onto it, securing straps around his chest to make sure that nothing happened as the pulley lines brought him up. However, the straps around his waist... she wasn't going to go there, not knowing how far up the fractures went.

Blood was beginning to pool in his left leg, and it was swelling fairly badly...

"Better warn Ace," was all Sherry said, looking a bit discouraged.

[Pcm979]

"Will do. See you in a bit." He shepherded the injured man up the stairs, and deposited him at Ace's door with a quick rundown of events. Then he snagged a First-Aid Kit and retreated to their room, where he cleaned the wounds, stitched them and wrapped them in gauze. One undamaged pair of pants later, and he returned to the front of the mall, a bit wobbly but otherwise fine.

[Josh]

While Mike was off changing his drawers, Petro had rappeled down to oversee the final bit of offloading. "Casualties?" he asked, looking around. He'd noted right off that they'd come back with one less truck than they'd started with.

[Caz]

Well wasn't Petro observant.

"Down one truck, driver escaped and passenger didn't... I'm not sure how it happened and nobody told me a damn thing. One other casualty, pair of broken legs on a kid. They're pretty crunched up; we got him down to Ace."

She wasn't aware of anything that had happened to Mike.

[Josh]

He nodded. "Good. We'll have the oil into the defensive structure by the end of tomorrow."

[Pcm979]

A few minutes later, Mike rappelled down the line, stumbling a bit as he reached the bottom. They filled each other in on the situation.

"Ace has the kid. He's in good hands." He paused. "The other casualty... Was my fault. A zombie was joyriding on the bonnet, I tried to take it down. The bullet went right through it and into the guy." He sighed. "Sorry."

[Caz]

Oh good fuck.

Sherry knew that the sort of polite apology Mike was offering now was probably nothing to absolve the guilt... he hid it well, though.

"Friendly fire happens," she said, taking his hand. And she'd noted the stumble when he landed, looked to his leg. "You okay?"

[Josh]

"Shit happens when everything's going down, Mike."

He glanced at Sherry. Take care of him.

He slapped Mike on the shoulder and headed back up to oversee the disposition of the oil.

[Pcm979]

Mike nodded at their placations. "Yeah, I know. The guy would've died anyway if I hadn't shot the Zombie." He said, almost convincingly.

"I got a bit scratched up," He admitted, raising one pants leg, "But it was my own fault. I wasn't watching my back."

[Caz]

Sherry wrapped an arm around his shoulders and offered: "Wanna head back to base camp for something hot to eat? They've got soup on the menu today."

Over his shoulder, she glanced at Petro.

Like he took care of me.

[Pcm979]

"Mmm, soup." He said appreciatively. "I like the way you think, m'dear." He smiled and put his arm over her shoulders too.

[Dark Silver]

The voice came out behind Petro, no other sound marking the individual's approach. One minute he wasn't there, the next he was, almost whispering the voice was so low.

"They shouldn't have gone out by themselves like that...."

After two days of not being heard from, he was there, just like that.

[Josh]

"The militia has to be able to operate independently of the Irregulars if they're going to become a real army," he said, turning and concealing his twitch of 'Fuck'. He hated it when people managed to sneak up on him.