Urban Dead: The Price of the Oath

[Caz]

She opened her eyes, which were swollen so badly she could hardly do so, and tried to raise her head, to sit up. But her body didn't want to obey her brain, so she just laid there.

"Not hungry," she mumbled.

[Josh]

"You gotta eat," he said. "Keep your strength up. It's the only way you're gonna fight off the infection."

Hopeless or not, he was going to keep fighting with her up until the moment they had to pull out.

[Caz]

"Already puked the first one up," she said morosely. But she'd try. She just wasn't looking forward to sitting there, up on a roof in utter isolation for days.

Hopefully they'd be back soon.

[Pcm979]

Mike hovered nearby, a collection of medical goods clutched to his chest.

"This should keep you going." He said, putting it down next to her. "Gauze, antiseptic, some antibiotics, Panadol, something for nausea..." He rattled down the list. When he was finished, he caught Petro's gaze and flicked his eyes to the right. They needed to talk, before they set off.

[Josh]

Most everyone else was finishing breakfast and stepping out in pairs to attend to the call of nature, or otherwise starting to get ready, pretty much. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "You're strong," he assured her. "You're brave. You made five months in this dump. You can hang on a little longer until we can get you back to where you'll be taken care of. You hear me?"

He nodded at Mike, rising to his feet and following him out the door. "I'll be back in a minute," he assured Gwen.

[Pcm979]

"There's the barest shade of the slimmest chance of the faintest possibilty that I might be able to save her, assuming she lives until we get back here, and then survives the trip to the mall." He said under his breath.

[Caz]

"Okay," she said with a bit of a forced smile. After she woke up a bit more, she managed to sit with her back against the couch, her throat rasping as she breathed. God damn, she thought. Had it actually gotten worse since the night before?

Or was it more the same?

She wasn't sure.

[Josh]

"We don't give up on anybody until it's over," he told Mike quietly, reaching up to smudge some of his makeup back into place to cover a bare patch. "Tell your woman to stop licking your makeup off," he said chidingly. "We leave in ten."

He finished readying his gear, then went back to sit down next to Gwen, smoking a quick cigarette and checking his own paint in his pocket mirror.

[Pcm979]

Mike rolled his eyes. Let me finish, perhaps? But that could wait. It wasn't like he could do anything just yet.

He collected his gear, took a leak and wandered after Sherry.

[Caz]

Sherry was bantering back and forth with one of the 1st's newest recruits. They were discussing how exactly to enter the Necrotech complex, as they weren't sure whether or not it had been barricaded before the order was given to the majority of non-necessary personell to retreat.

Glancing up as Mike approached her, she waved to the kid and told him she'd "catch him later."

[Pcm979]

He stretched rather impressively, considering his height, and put his arms loosely on her shoulders. "Sleep well, love?" He asked with a small grin.

[Josh]

He finished his smoke. Time to go. He rosed to a crouch, leaning over Gwen and putting his hands on her shoulders. "I took care of the clearances. Call in, tell 'em you're Trouble, and that you've got a report, whatever. Battery should last in the radio as long as you're going to need it." He paused, swallowed as he looked into her eyes. "This is about the bravest fucking thing I've ever seen, girl. You will hold on until we get back. And we will get you back to the Caiger and get you better. You understand me?"

[Caz]

Sherry laughed at Mike's inquiry. "Anyone in this town sleep well anymore?" she asked with a smirk.

Meanwhile, Gwen looked up at Petro and tried to keep her smile from twitching with doubt. She'd do her best, she always did, and she knew she could help... but she sincerely doubted that she'd ever leave this building.

"Can you help me up onto the roof?" she asked.

[Pcm979]

"By Malton standards, I meant." He clarified. "Oh, and you're not to lick my makeup off anymore." He said with another grin.

[Josh]

He leaned down, slinging her arm over his shoulder. "On three," he said. "One... two... three." He helped her to her feet, moving toward the door.

[Caz]

"Then yeah," she said, I did. She looked to him, looking for any stray light spots on his blackened face. "You look good for now," she said. And then: "You also look like your brain's working doubletime," she commented.

Gwen let out a tiny moan as her aching legs were once again forced to hold her up, but she was well enough to get around after taking a brief moment to gather herself. She leaned heavily on Petro, but refused to let him carry her. She could damn well walk on her own when she'd broken her ankle as a teenager; she could damn well walk now.

[Pcm979]

"I'm thinking about the girl's wounds." He said, jerking his head towards the door he'd come through. "I've got a long shot idea that'll probably come to nothing, but you know me. I have to try." He shrugged.

[Caz]

"Might want to tell General Rommell back there about it 'fore he chucks her outside," Sherry commented.

[Josh]

In silence they trudged up to the roof. He took as much weight as he could, it wasn't like she weighed anything. He picked a good spot where she could overwatch the area, but still have a modicum of concealment, then pulled out his pancho and wrapped it around her.

"This'll keep you dry," he said, before pulling out an emergency thermal blanket and passing it along, along with another powerbar and his spare canteen. "Mike says that if we can get you back to the Caiger, he can do something for you. So just hang on for me, okay?"

He left out the 'maybe' from Mike's speech by design.

[Caz]

"Yeah," she said, feigning excitement. The pancho was quite a bit too big for her, but that was fine enough. Shrugging the thing around herself and unfolding the blanket over her lap, she sank down and leaned back against the building's swamp cooler and let her eyes drift closed.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

[Pcm979]

Mike shook his head. "No, she'd slow us down too much. But if I get to a certain building, bursting with experimental drugs..." He risked a slight look of hope.

[Josh]

"Save it for when we get back," he said, squeezing her shoulder. "See you in a couple, Gwen."

He stared at her for a long moment, knowing that in all likelihood he was going to be the last human face she ever saw, before he leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips. When he finished, he looked her in the eye. "For old time's sake."

Mel would've understood, he assured himself.

[Caz]

She smiled sadly, pulling the hood of the pancho up as the wind gusted a bit.

"Yeah," she said. "Don't be long, okay?"

And it was pretty much evident in her movement, her face that she wasn't expecting him to come back to much.

Sherry nodded as Mike explained, then folded her arms over her chest. "Could work," she said. "Just remember we've got more important things to worry about right now," she said matter-of-factly.

[Pcm979]

Mike suddenly looked ten years older. "I know. I won't let it get in the way, I promise. I just can't not do something."

[Josh]

He trotted down the stairs. "Alright Hunters, let's get the fuck out of here. We've got work to do."