Urban Dead: The Price of the Oath

[Josh]

Remembering Reaper's words, he got on the radio. "Books, Head Hunter."

Zimmerman came back. "Oh. You're still alive."

"Fuck you too, Books. Listen, when we get this squared away, whoever's ambulatory and available needs to come back here and sweep for any discarded weapons. We got new problems on that score."

"Will do."

[Cynical Cat]

"Yes. I would let you know if I was getting hungry enough that my self control would break." He hopped in the back.

[Caz]

At that point, Sherry received a private transmission.

She listened, glanced down at Petro, then nodded.

"Will do, Bee," she said.

"Apparently your woman wants me to drag your ass straight up to your room," she said.

[Josh]

"Tell her I'm gonna need some stitch-work," he said. "And I gotta talk to Frank about getting our shit squared away. We'll need our patrols up and running again ASAP."

[Caz]

"Frank can wait," Sherry said, keeping her eyes on the road. "Or better yet, I'll talk to him. You get your ass fixed up, get yourself a blowjob, and get some sleep."

[Josh]

He crushed his cigarette out in the ashtray, considering that for a moment before flopping back against the seat. "Can't argue with that," he agreed.

[Cynical Cat]

Wendigo went inside where it was warmer and checked his weapons over. Good. Everything was working okay and he was reloaded. He was ready enough. He wandered off, getting the lay of the land.

[Caz]

The trucks rolled to a stop outside the fortress that was the Caiger Mall.

"'S what I plan on doin'," Sherry said with a grin. "Although wed have to replace 'blowjob' with some other clever slang term."

[Josh]

"Suck-job," he murmured, looking over at the mall. "Never seen a more beautiful sight in my life."

He opened the door, clambering out, wincing as the cold sent what felt like daggers of ice into his wounds. The blood had frozen and then caked on his face, and he could feel the rifts in his cheek where the talons had slashed through.

He leaned against the truck, waiting for the more seriously wounded to get hauled up, before finally hobbling through the crowd. People cleared out of his way as he approached, speaking quietly among themselves. As he mounted the elevator, he grabbed the rope and leaned against it.

"I... am getting too old for this shit..." he muttered as it began its creaky climb.

[Caz]

Sherry, on the other hand, simply used the lines and climbed back up. She glanced about, noting that she didn't seem to see Reaper amongst the returning men. Then again, he seemed the type that would wander.

"Come on," she said, helping Petro up through the doors and into the mall.

[Josh]

He smacked her hand. "I can walk just fine. Find somebody who needs the help to haul around."

[Caz]

"We have the whole fucking Emerald Guard to do that," she said with a smirk, thumping the back of his head with her knuckles.

They arrived at the import shop. Jared was nowhere to be found, but the dog slumbered on the bed.

"Mel will be here soon," Sherry said. "I'm gonna go scare Frank a bit and then see 'bout that blowjob."

[Josh]

"Toldja, I'm spoken for," he said. "And 'sides, Mike would get jealous, and he could kick my ass right now."

[Caz]

"I wouldn't fuck you with a stolen dick," she said with a bright smile. "Oh, and for the record, I think Jared could kick your ass right now."

With that, she departed.

[Josh]

"Yeah, fuck you too," he muttered, making his way to the stairs, heading for the infirmary. He was pretty sure that Sher had said to get stitched up, then head home. Oblivious to the world, he headed for the stairs, not even noticing Silver and Mel nearby. Down below, the Militia and Irregulars reunited with those they'd left behind, a grief-torn howl breaking out over someone who would never be coming back, dying down to a piteous keening. He leaned against the side of the escalator, closing his eyes.

[Dark Silver]

After Petro and Reaper had left for battle, Gwendolyn had taken a heavy nap. As much as she liked to think she'd be out in a few days, she was still quite ill. The exchange, the speaking mostly, had taken a lot out of her. But there wasn't a way to make things better without getting over that hurdle, she knew, so she pushed herself. About an hour later, she awoke with a loud yawn and a bit of a groan. In her sleep, she'd shifted onto her side and put a bit too much pressure on the stitches. "Pieceofshit," she bemoaned in one exhale as she sat up.

He wasn't sleeping, he hadn't been since shortly after Reaper and Petro had left. He had kept quiet, and no one had even looked at him. When Gwen woke up though, he was sitting in the bed, contemplating another attempt at walking.

"Easy there.." he said softly, watching her.

She snorted quietly. She could handle her own damn self, thanks. But she didn't have the presence of mind to berate him so soon after waking. "Doin' better?" she asked, looking him over. He seemed more collected than last time.

"Better is a relative term.." he said flatly, looking at her. It was twice he tried to talk since he had gotten in the bed, the second time he gotten a few steps, but the pain was overwhelming. Of coure no one had seen the attempts. He turned in the bed, his feet settling on the cold floor, and he closed his eyes with a shiver. He opened them back and looked back on the young woman, "And you? You feel'n ok?"

She frowned a bit. "Doc says one of my kidneys got ripped to bits. But I think I can keep the other going." She coughed a bit, reached for the bottle of water. "And my head's got more snot in it than Malton's got zombies." She took a drink, sighed, then wiped her short hair back from her face. "But I'm truckin', you know? 'Least for now."

He nodded, not moving from his new position. He watched her, studying her for a moment. She would have been called cute, if it wasn't for the fact she was trussed up in a hospital and she was still recovering from malnutrition and a week with a life threatening disease. Hell, he may have taken a pass at her back in the day. "Good, keep on...something would tell me Petro would freak if something happened to you"

Gwen would be the first to tell him that when she was in full health, she was a damn right knockout. After all, she'd scored Petro, hadn't she? She chuckled at Silver's words. "He nearly had to kill me himself back there."

He watched her, stroking the two day old beard. "Yeah, well...you were almost dead then" he replied, keeping his eyes on her.

She chuckled a bit. "Still am," was the retort, although meant in good humour. She moved a hand down to her left side, which was still bruised and swollen, as there was nothing the infirmary staff could do for broken ribs.

He coughed, his body almost buckling over. The coppery tatse of blood filled his mouth, but he swallowed it, visible. He seemed to frown, his face contorting with the taste.

"Yeah...well...Freeman and the guys will make sure you don't..."

"They've done pretty well with you, looks like," she said with a nod of approval. "When I first saw you, you were all kinds of out of it." She noted him coughing and twisted the cap of her water closed, tossing it onto his bed.

"Wouldn't be so sure of that" he said, almost to softly to hear, as he watched her.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked. "You're looking far better."

"Just because a man looks good on the outside, doesn't mean a thing about his inside." he said quietly. He turned away from her, looking around the infirmary.

The infirmary was rather lazy that particular night, as a lot of the medical personnel were out fighting the good fight with the Guard and the Irregulars. Dorian was tending to one of the militiamen who'd been in on the last supply run and Riley Levin, Melanie's young apprentice, was tending to Ellen. "Maybe you should call Dr. Dorian over then," Gwendolyn said quietly.

"I'll survive.....tough bastard, remember?" he glanced at her, cracking a lopsided grin, before going back blankfaced.

"Yeah, but there's no sense in just surviving," she said. "People like us, we want to really /live./"

"Lots of talk from someone who doesn't even know me.." he said evenly, watching her.

"Well then tell me why you're here, Mr. Silver," she said. "Because you wanted to die? Because you don't care if the zombies get you? If you didn't want to make it you sure got far."

"I'm here because they needed me....." he said coldly.

"You could've just said no," Gwen countered, sitting up. It hurt like hell, but she'd never tell him that.

"I don't run from responsibility," he watched her. He could see the pain, despite her trying to hide it. "Lay back down, you'll tear up those stiches."

She glared at him for a long moment, then laid back down with a slow sigh. She wanted to snarl at him, possibly raise some hell, but she just didn't have the energy.

"You'll be alright, just don't screw around and try to rip open those stiches....don't want you bleedin out."

He doubled over with another cough, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. He pulled his hand away, red specks covering his lips, his hand had blood on it. "they see enough blood around here..."

"You've got internal damage," Gwendolyn said quietly. She didn't sit up to look at him. And despite the fact that she would have had something to say, she was interrupted as Melanie arrived to check in on her. The redhead hadn't been expecting to see Silver awake, and she smiled. "Hey," she said, "you two had us worried there for a moment."

As Melanie arrived, Silver sat up straight again, wipping his lips with his hand, clearing the red flecks from his lips. He nodded to the redhead as she came in, "Evening Red..." he said politely.

She smiled, but it wasn't full-strength. "Came in to see if there was any change with Steve," she said quietly. Silver would notice the fresh white bandages around her throat, the blood only soaked through a bit. "Petro isn't back yet," Gwen said, understanding the other woman's restlessness.

"What's wrong with Zed?" Silver asked, he hadn't heard about the results of the downtown mission.

A look of nausea and despondence passed over Melanie; she sat upon the edge of Silver's bed. "He got hurt bad," she said quietly. "They wouldn't have even been able to bring his body back if Sherry hadn't jumped off a lorry to run after him..." She sighed. "He's probably not going to come back. If you have anything to say, he's still technically alive..."

Silver closed his eyes at the news. He hadn't been friends with Steve, but he had respect for the man. Without thinking, he tried to stand. The pain shot through his body, radiating from his back and chest, but he stayed standing. "I should go see him......"

"I can get you a wheelchair," Melanie said, disappearing for a moment. Gwen sat up, lightly grabbed his arm. "You're bleeding," she said, regarding what he'd hidden from Melanie.

He shook his head, "I'll live...." he said, though he didnt try to wrest his arm free.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" the girl asked pointedly.

"Doing what?" he looked at her, not betraying anything.

"You're torturing yourself," she said. "Not letting them help you."

"There's people who need to help more than I do....better people" he took a step forward, the pain shooting through him. He sank back into the bed, closing his eyes again.

Melanie arrived back at his bedside, looking a bit rushed. "I can't stay--Punt's lung is acting up again," she said, "but the wheelchair's here by your bed, Silver." She looked to Gwendolyn and smiled. "I'll check up on you later, all right?" Gwen nodded and watched as Melanie disappeared as quickly as she'd arrived.

Silver looked at the wheelchair, and watched Melanie leave, then looked back to Gwen. "Feel like going for a ride?"

"Sure," she said, a bit confused at that.

He rose again, steadying himself as he grabbed the wheelchair, and spun it around, putting it to face her. "Pull up a seat."

He was on his feet, using the back of the wheelchair for support

She hobbled into the chair carefully, keeping her hands on her sides. As she sank down into the chair, she winced a bit.

He waited for her to get settled, and then began to walk, using the chair for support. He moved through the Infirmary with her.

As they neared the trauma ward, it appeared that something was wrong. Melanie was sitting on the edge of a nearby bed with her head in her hands as Dorian tended to Punt. A set of curtains had been removed, the bed cleared and sheets changed.

They slowed as the neared the ward, coming up alongside Melanie. He cleared his throat, gently, "Bad news?"

She nodded without raising her head. "Guess I spoke too soon about Steve," she said quietly. Sighing, she looked up to the two with tears in her eyes. "Both of you should be in bed, god damn it."

"Could say the same about you Red" he said, eyes flicking to the bandage at her neck.

"This?" she asked. "It's nothing. Bloody scratch." She sniffled a bit. "Christ, how am I going to tell him..."

"He leaned himself on the back of the chair, lifting the front wheels off just enough to give Gwen a bit of a start, "Send him to me...I'm checking out shortly anyway....I'll tell him"

She nodded, wiped at her eyes. "Once they get back I'll have him sent up to our room. You can meet him there."

Really prefer not to be coughing blood over ya'll furniture he thought, but still nodded. "You look like shit Red..almost as bad as Blondie here....."

"I'll kick your arse once you're in better shape," Melanie said as she stood. "Let's get you back to bed, miss," she said to Gwendolyn, who'd remained silent. "Then we can talk upstairs."

Silver started to protest, holding onto the wheelchair, "No, I'll take her back" he said, his perhaps a bit to quickly. He shook his head, starting to turn the chair around, "I'll...take her back" he said, slower this time, "I need the excercise anyway...."

She paused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. Something was up; that was evident by his behaviour. But she wouldn't go there. Not yet, anyway. She moved to the doors of the infirmary and waited. Meanwhile, Gwendolyn looked up toward Silver from the chair. "Are you all right?" she asked.

He wheeled Gwen out of the trauma ward, slowly bending down for a moment, keeping his voice low. "I'm walking ain't I?"

"I didn't necessarily mean your body," she said with emphasis. As they neared her bed, she looked over to him and sighed, but didn't say anything.

"You can figure the answer out just as well as I can...." he said. They reached the beds, and he backed the wheelchair between them.

She sighed, hobbled back into her bed. "You gonna make Petro lose another friend?" she asked.

"No one lives forever..." he helped her into the bed, making sure she was settled, pulling the blankets about her. "Get some rest...Red will be around later. Gotta go bring the wheelchair back."

With that, he was off, pushing the wheelchair infront of him, back towards the Trauma ward."

"Ding ding.,..returning a rent-a-car...where's my deposit toots?"

Dorian raised an eyebrow as he took the chair. "Call me that one more time and I just might have a nightmare," he said with a playful grin. "Melanie's waiting by the stairs. Take it easy."

"Don't know Dorian, your lookin mighty pretty...your growing in a fine pair of boobs, gonna give Red a run for her money soon" with that, Silver released the wheelchair to the man, and moved his way, slowly, out of the Informary, towards Melanie. He did his best to ignore the pain, but his gait showed he wasn't ready for the excercise.

The silver-haired man stared as Darek exited. The nerve of some people! But he chuckled a bit nonetheless. Melanie was waiting at the stairs and helped him up. "They just got in," she said.

"Let's go meet them then" Silver said, as they went up the stairs.

[Caz]

"Hey," Melanie said gently, placing a hand against Petro's brow. They'd seen him stagger down but he apparently hadn't noticed.

[Dark Silver]

Silver was not very far behind Melanie, but obviously lagging behind the shorter woman. He let the two love birds have a moment of peace, he would break the news to Petro after.

[Josh]

He opened his eyes. "Not as bad as it looks," he immediately assured her. "Just a couplea scratches. I've cut myself worse shaving."

[Cynical Cat]

Reaper found a stray arm and began gnawing. It wouldn't do to waste meat. He gulped down chunks of flesh, thinking of what he had become. He was allied with the humans now. They would tolerate him, but would turn on him at any moment. Perhaps this course wasn't wise. But the leaders were becoming smarter. More dangerous to him. He could only repell so many from his fortress.

He cracked the bones for the marrow and began sucking it out. No good choices, but he had never had those. Eat and survive. That's what it came down to. Eat and survive. He began walking back to the human stronghold.

[Caz]

"Let's get you out of the commotion," she said to Petro, turning him toward their room. She looked back to Silver and motioned for him to follow.

Upon arriving in their room, the first thing Melanie did was clear the bed of the fatass dog, who gave a tiny 'wuff' of protest before sitting beside them and licking at Petro's hand as Melanie peeled his gear, then sweater from him.

"Jesus," she said, "you and Silver got a running bet on who can take the most damage?"

[Josh]

"Just a couple of scratches!" he protested again. "No biggy!"

[Dark Silver]

"Yeah, he took worse beatings back when we first started this shit...before he got the crazy notion to take this place..."

Silver leaned against the doorframe, his face bland, or an attempt to be so, despite the pain shooting through him. Something wasn't right, he damn well knew it, but he wasn't going to let them know.

"Hell, you should have seen this clutz back in college..."

[Caz]

Melanie smirked. "I don't doubt it, Darek," she said with a shake of her head.

She dug through her bag and removed some cotton swabs. Dipping each in some peroxide, she set about meticulously cleaning the cuts on Petro's cheek and shoulder.

[Josh]

He grabbed the arms of the chair and forced himself to remain still, hissing as she cleaned out the wounds.