KC (escapevelocity) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-04-27 12:07:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | # 2019 [04] april, kevin clarke, mina kulseth |
Who: Mina Kulseth and Kevin Clarke
Where: outside/inside the Tunnels
What: a first meeting
When: backdated to after the blob rain, the morning of 4/7/19
It had come to Kevin’s attention that someone was sporadically bringing small deliveries of supplies into the tunnels. About a month ago he heard the first rumor from one of the wash addicts he kept an eye on, no more than a breathless whisper about an outsider, a woman. He took it for a hallucination at first, remembering with disturbing clarity just how easy it was, in the midst of prax’s drowsy high, to see things that weren’t there, shadows that danced just beyond your half-lidded vision. But soon he heard about her again, from someone with a better grasp on reality, who swore up and down she wasn’t imaginary. Asking around drew more stories, driving away altogether the possibility of this being fake. And so he was lurking outside the most commonly used entrance to their underground territory, sheltering in a nearby abandoned building. This spot had a fairly good vantage point of the surrounding area, making it perfect for keeping an eye on things. With no idea whatsoever of when the unknown good samaritan would be visiting, he’d been hanging around for a couple of days, between his own scouting runs. It was probably a waste of time. So far, there hadn’t really been anything to make such vigilance worthwhile. As he stifled a yawn against his hand, Kevin considered (not for the first time) whether he should give up on the whole enterprise. Almost on the heels of the thought, however, a flash of movement in the street caught his eye. Shifting, he found a better angle to see who, or what, was coming. It wasn’t always easy for Mina to get to the tunnels. It had been even more difficult lately considering the whole blob rain Austin just experienced, but finally weather had cleared up and she was once again clear to check on the people colloquially called “ghouls”. Her backpack was heavily loaded with what canned food she’d been able to gather and water. Even if she couldn’t always bring something to eat, there was a (seemingly) endless supply of clean water that was accessible to her. And no one could live without water. Shifting the backpack up to stop the strap from digging in, she began her cautious approach to the main tunnel entrance. It still made her nervous, coming here, but who else was going to look out for these people? Hyper-alert, keeping an eye out for walkers, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye and instinctively reached for the gun at her waist. “Hello?” She called out quietly, just in case whatever was out there still had their wits about. Still tucked out of sight, Kevin cursed silently when he saw the woman shifting to lay a hand on her gun. The last thing he wanted to do when finally he stepped out of the shadows was spook someone who already felt nervous. He wouldn’t be the first person to get himself shot that way, and not likely the last either. But chances were good that this was the person he'd been hoping to meet, so staying put wasn't an option either. Yup, only one thing for it. After first adjusting the straps of his backpack, Kevin pushed the brim of his ballcap up enough to give the woman a clear view of his face. Then he crossed from the window to the door and, pushing it open, stepped out onto the sidewalk. Rather than come any closer, he simply spread his empty hands palms up in front of him and let her take a good look, get used to the sight of him. “Hey,” he said at last, with a nod. “You lost?” Grip tightening slightly on her gun, Mina looked to the owner of the voice, before letting her hand relax again. Definitely a person. A new face, to be sure, but she was always of the mindset that if someone was going to hurt her out here they wouldn’t waste time. “No, I’m not lost,” she replied, her face remaining impassive. The last emotion she wanted to convey was that she was afraid in this situation. Confidence was key when dealing with strangers. “I’m here to visit a few friends. I’ve never seen you here before. Are you new?” In contrast to her unreadable expression, Kevin was all unruffled ease. ‘Never let them see you sweat’ was more his approach to navigating the occasionally hostile subway tunnels and streets of Austin. Without taking his eyes off the woman, he chuckled, shaking his head. “Nah, I’ve lived here longer probably than you been visiting. We just haven’t crossed paths yet.” His hands lowered, hanging comfortably at his sides, and drawing attention to the fact that he didn’t wear a gun. Foolish of him, maybe, but even in the face of shufflers he didn’t want to risk the sound of gunfire drawing the attention of any of the city’s ragtag law enforcement. “You are the one bringing the supplies into the tunnels, though, right? I sure hope so, otherwise I’m waiting here for nothing.” Kevin smiled, careful to keep it from getting too broad. “I’m KC. I’d offer to shake hands, but --” He gestured to her grip on the gun and shrugged rather than finish the sentence. Mina’s eyes flittered down to her hand on her gun, and with a sheepish smile, took her hand off of it and raised it to shake KC’s hand. Once she pulled her hand back, she raised it, tucking some hair behind her ear, and said, “I’m Mina. I didn’t realize that someone was waiting for me, but yes, I’ve brought a few things for some of the people I’ve gotten to know here.” If there was one thing she’d learned about the tunnels and the “ghouls” it was that they could be quite territorial. The last thing Mina wanted to do was encroach on KC’s space, but it was clear to her that people down here needed help and no one else seemed to be doing it. “Yeah, I’ve been hearing about you doing that. I ain't looking to try and stop you, either, just thought I'd like to meet you for myself.” Now that Mina had moved her hand away from that gun, Kevin felt almost as relaxed as he was projecting, and he studied Mina’s face as they talked, trying to get a feel for this woman. Trying to figure out what in hell she was doing by bringing these supplies into the tunnels, and whether she had some kind of hidden motivation. It wasn't the kind of thing someone just did on a whim. Her eyes seem kind, though, if a little wary, but that was fair enough. Kevin would be wary of himself too, in her place. He gestured to the nearby entrance to the tunnels. “You good to come down while we talk? Don’t know how much you’re worrying about someone spotting you over here, but I’d personally be in favor of getting out of sight.” “Oh, of course. That’s probably for the best.” After all, the last thing Mina needed was her dad cruising around in his patrol car and seeing her talking to some “dangerous tunnel vagrant” or whatever he might think of KC. She let him begin to lead the way before giving one last glance around and following him down. The temperature began to change once they were out of the sun. Thankful for her sweater, she trekked on, following KC’s direction. “Do you want some water? I was going to drop some bottles off to a few people, but have extra if you want some.” “If you’ve got enough, that'd be great,” he said. Whichever shelter Mina came from, it was a good bet they had plenty of water, and in Kevin’s world you didn't turn down a chance for a drink. Even if he did usually scavenge for his own needs. “Thanks.” The light was dimmer in the tunnels than it was out under the full morning sunlight, but Kevin was used to making the transition and his eyes adjusted quickly. Glancing at Mina to make sure she could see alright too, he slowed his pace a bit to allow for the fact that she probably wasn’t as familiar with the underground as he was. There were a whole lot of questions he wanted to ask, starting with why, but Kevin bit his tongue. First he’d get a feel for Mina. Then he’d ask. “Coming down here, do you follow a delivery route or something? Or do you just see who’s around and who needs supplies?” Mina held out a bottle of water to him with a smile, replying, “Depends on the day. I’ve gotten to know a few people better than others, so I try to visit them each time. But if I happen to see anyone else, I share as much as I can.” There wasn’t the same kind of organization down here as she was accustomed to at the Capitol or the UMCB so it made having a set schedule much more difficult for Mina. “I’m sure there are people I’ve never even met down here. The tunnels go in so many different directions and I’ve barely scratched the surface in navigating them.” Nodding as he twisted the cap off the bottle of water, Kevin said, “I’ve been living down here since the beginning, and I’m pretty sure there are still parts of the tunnels I don’t know.” He raised the bottle and took a drink, glancing ahead of them at where the shape of the first train car just started to appear out of the shadows. Then he stopped and turned his attention back to Mina. “Look, don’t take this the wrong way, but we don’t get a whole lot of visitors down here. Certainly not the kind looking to be helpful.” Kevin fiddled with the bottle cap as he spoke, running the pad of his thumb across the ridges on its side. “As much as my instincts tell me you’re okay, I’ve gotta ask -- what do you get out of all this?” He gestured at the bag Mina carried. Mina hadn’t been prepared for a question like this. The people she gave supplies to never asked her why she was there, though she attributed that more to the fact that they were not quite in their right mind. KC didn’t have the look of an addict. He spoke clearly and he appeared to take care of himself as best he could, given the circumstances. He was definitely there enough to know that her behavior was outside the norm. Pursing her lips a moment, she finally responded, “It’s not right that those suffering with addiction are exiled instead of rehabilitated. I can’t just watch this happen and not do anything. It’s not fair that I have so much while others are struggling to have enough clean drinking water. Maybe it’s some kind of warped survivor’s guilt, I don’t know. It’s just what I feel I need to do.” After a moment of consideration, Kevin nodded. “Alright, that’s a good answer. Thanks for humoring me. Like I said, most people don’t really give a damn about what’s going on in the tunnels, so it’s kind of refreshing to meet someone who does.” Gesturing for Mina to go ahead of him, he stashed the water bottle in his bag and followed. Since this was her show, he was more than content to hang back while she went around. And keep an eye on things, of course, since a woman alone was all too easy a mark for some of the more desperate folks who lived underground. “Fair’s fair, though. If you got anything you want to know while you’re down here with us, I’ll owe you a straight answer.” He tucked his hands into his pockets with a slight shrug. Anything he would have felt uncomfortable discussing Mina wouldn’t really know to ask about, so Kevin felt pretty confident he could handle any question she might have. If she even had any. Mina really wasn’t one to pry or cause a stir, so she decided to forego any personal questions she might ask KC, but she saw this as a good opportunity to learn about the the state of things down here. “How many of you live down here do you think? Seems like these tunnels go on forever. Do you all live in certain areas or have you spread out?” “Well, it’s ain’t exactly like we take a census,” Kevin replied. His face reflected the surprised he felt that, of all the things she could have asked, Mina went for estimated population. “People are pretty spread out down here, like you said, and not even just in the tunnels either. I got a basement I squat in sometimes, off Guadalupe, and there’s others that have similar set ups.” Despite his hedging, though, there probably wasn’t anyone else who had a better chance of answering Mina’s question. Kevin fell silent for a moment, frowning slightly as he ran through everyone he could think of. “Couldn’t be more than a 100. And that’s me really overestimating, too, because people come and go. They wander off, or get arrested, or clean up.” Mina nodded as she listened, absorbing all the information KC was giving her. It wasn’t like she would be able to help all one hundred people but maybe one day the Capitol or UMCB would be ready to take back the responsibility of rehabilitation and it would be good to know what they were dealing with. She paused a moment, wondering if it would be appropriate to ask, but after another few seconds of hesitation, asked, “Are you--I just mean, you seem clean, but you live down here? That’s not really a question. I guess I’m just wondering why.” There it was, a question more like what Kevin had been expecting. He chuckled, low and soft, but it wasn’t a mocking sound, simply dry amusement. At himself as much as anything else, because he knew exactly how odd the idea that he would willingly choose to live in an abandoned subway tunnel seemed to an outsider. Some of his reasons for sticking with this lifestyle were harder to explain without getting into a discussion of what he was hiding from -- and Kevin absolutely knew he was hiding -- but there were plenty of other factors he could talk about instead. “I am clean. Now. When all of this happened -- ” He paused to gesture at their surroundings, but it was meant to encompass Austin as a whole and everything that had happened to it when the shufflers started their shuffling. “I wasn't. Saying this is home now is as good an explanation as any, because I ain’t looking to leave. Besides, I like the freedom. No curfew, no guards, no overpopulation. Some of the neighbors like to start trouble, but I can live with that.” Mina’s respect for KC was already pretty substantial, considering he’d taken on this thankless job of taking care of these forgotten people, but knowing that he’d managed to fight the demons that so many here still struggled with added a new level. She nodded in understanding at his words. It was hard to turn your back on the familiar. “Thank you for answering my question,” Mina smiled, “Now how about we go deliver some supplies?” |