Helena Hernandez (raisealittlehel) wrote in immune_ic, @ 2012-05-24 15:18:00 |
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Living at Sing Sing had a lot of perks, not the least of which being the ability to build and maintain beehives again. Battery Park’s small, overcrowded size hadn’t allowed for any indulgence in what was considered an unusual and dangerous hobby, so having the opportunity to do this at the prison safe haven was like being able to take a long, deep breath after so long suffering short, stifling breaths. It was freeing, even if she did have to deal with complaints from some of the populace about bee phobias and allergies — the latter she understood, but the former put her in mind of how most people usually handled Helena. A tough, surly outward appearance wasn’t always inviting of friendly company. Apart from a select few, most people stayed at arm’s length around her. It was a little disappointing, but unlike her time spent living at Castle Clinton, Helena now chose to believe it was her bee friends that kept most people from wanting to be around her. The optimistic view didn’t seem like it was too far from the truth. Even if they didn’t want to brave the beehives outside her building, Helena already seemed to have developed something of a companionable acquaintanceship with a few people on the intranet forums. Add those to the list of reestablishing her friendships with Brandon Stone and Rae Alghren, and Helena hadn’t felt so popular since before the pandemic began. Of course, back then it had mostly been her wife’s influence that provided her social skills. Now it was only her own people skills she had to rely on. Thus far, they hadn’t really disappointed. With a third hive newly built in what she liked to refer to as her backyard, Helena required more bees. It was a joy to be able to provide the compound with a naturally sweet confection. Having something to do that reminded her of her old life brought bittersweet memories, but they were memories she didn’t want to forget. She’d missed being able to do this. Finding swarms required leaving the safety of the prison walls. Immunity to the zombie infection lessened Helena’s concern, but didn’t take it away completely. Seeing zombies on a daily basis had numbed her to the shock value of their numbers, but, unlike other folks she’d encountered, Helena still recognized the threat for what it was. Being a zombie’s chew toy wasn’t exactly a pastime she was fond of. With her rifle ever at the ready, as well as her bee-collecting equipment on her person, Helena followed the train tracks leading away from Sing Sing. Her acute sense of hearing kept an alert out for signs of telltale zombie noises and the droning hum of any bees in the vicinity. |