Marina Scherbatskaya (scherbatskaya) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-07-08 09:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | # 2019 [06] june, marina scherbatskaya, theodore greenling |
Who: Marina and TJ
Where: Greenbelt district
What: zombie hunting and a run in with US government soldiers
When: [backdated] June 6, 2019
So far this prospecting thing was mostly following TJ around like she was his shadow, albeit, his very tiny shadow. The more time she spent with her sponsor, the more comically aware she was of how small she was compared to the other Hellhound Officers. Sleeping in bed next to her gigantic husband should have been proof enough, but she didn’t think about this kind of stuff when she was with Vic. At least not before. “So, sponsor, what kind of fun are we getting into today?” She asked, pulling at a piece of string on her sweater, before looking up (and up) at him. "Well, it's been pretty boring around here lately," TJ offered with a shrug, because it was true. The shift in what was going on government-wise had meant changes for everyone, and getting clean starts meant it better not to go around rustling up any kind of trouble. Probably for the best, but still boring. "How would you feel about doing a little troubleshooting? In the form of zombie hunting, I mean." “And by troubleshooting do you mean literally shooting?” Marina asked with an amused look on her face. “Either way I’m not opposed. So lead the way oh fearless leader.” "I did mean literally shooting, yeah," TJ replied with a grin, running his hand back through his hair. "Let's go." They didn't have to go very far to find a good place to stop in the Greenbelt. Once upon a time the land they called the Dog Park was a nature preserve but urban living meant that there were plenty of residential neighborhoods nearby. TJ wished he wasn't as used to seeing the decayed, grotesque forms of former-people wandering around, but that simply wasn't the world they lived in anymore. No matter how many got killed, there were always so many more to take their place. Easy to find, good for target practice, and a way to kill boredom as well as a threat to their community. The walkers were just a guaranteed presence when out in Austin but their bikes hadn’t helped any, the loud rumble of the machines attracting those in the area to start shambling their way towards them. Already Marina could see them collecting at the gate of their once white-picket-fence gated community. She could only imagine that they had thought they’d be safe behind those bars but it only took one geek getting in to cause mayhem. Marina had her gun loaded and ready even before they’d left the Dog Park, so once they were stationary, she unholstered it and double checked it only to find it just as perfect as before. “God I miss shooting,” Marina said, a gleeful laugh in her voice, taking a moment to adjust to the weight of the gun in her hand before raising her it and taking aim, firing one quick shot before watching the zombie a dozen yards out fall. “Where did you learn to shoot?” She asked, not taking her eyes off the zombies. Even though they were behind a fence, she wasn’t taking their safety for granted. “The army,” TJ answered simply as he lifted his gun and picked off another one of the hoard. He hit it right between the eyes and already had another one in his sights before it hit the ground. It wasn't really hunting when they came in like that, making themselves easy to pick off, but he wasn't about to complain. “Well, that's not true,” he added after a moment. “Shot plenty before that. Grew up shooting cans on a fence in the backyard with a BB gun.” He fired off another shot and spared a quick glance over to her before turning his attention back to the zombies. “What about you?” “Remember, I grew up in a gun cartel? Would have been pretty stupid if I didn’t know how to shoot a gun,” Marina snorted, taking down another geek. It was ironic, really, how different their pasts were. Joining the Army seemed like a much nobler task than smuggling and selling guns illegally. “Did you like it? The Army?” In all honesty, TJ had forgotten. He'd known, of course, but there was enough going on he hadn't thought about it when he asked. He shot a couple more before lowering his gun and shrugging a shoulder. “I did like it. I was in it for a long time, did lots of tours overseas. It suited me, I think.” Also he’d met his wife because of it, but he wasn't about to get into that. “Probably wouldn't have left Louisiana if not for it, either.” “Seems like you had good reasons,” Marina said, looking at TJ again and giving him a brief smile, before refocusing her attention back on the zombies. It was pretty easy pickings with them mashed against a fence like that and before long, the pair of them had taken out the small horde. “Let’s go find something more exciting,” Marina said, motioning for TJ to get back on his motorcycle and follow her lead. Technically she was supposed to be the shadow, but she had an idea. For his part, TJ didn't particularly care about her leading them off somewhere else. They were out for fun, after all. There was a park nearby that was partially enclosed by a fence, but if too many of the geeks started coming at them they could escape out the back way on their bikes. “Yay or nay?” She asked, stalling near the edge of the park. She could already see a shuffler coming down the road so they’d have to decide fairly soon. There was always more to follow and she wasn’t going to be a sitting duck out here. “Yay,” TJ replied as he shut off his bike, his eyes fixed on the shuffler to keep track of it. Not that these undead had any kind of thoughts or strategy, but he never trusted the slower ones not to suddenly break into a run. It would serve him right, he figured, if he let himself take his eyes off one that seemed slow and harmless and it turned out to run up and take a chunk out of him. Maybe it didn't help that nightmares seemed real in a world where any day could be a bad dream come to life. He took aim at the shuffler and fired off a shot, watching it drop to the ground. The sound would bring more, but at least they were in a good spot to be able to ride out if the more that came were too many for the two of them to handle. There was an amicable silence between them as they picked off a few more of the zombies, the sounds of their guns attracting them towards their location. Marina knew they were mainly blowing off steam, but something Vic had told her popped to the front of her mind. Maybe it was supposed to be privileged information, but TJ was an officer. He likely already knew, and before her, too. “You heard about them clearing out neighborhoods to live in right? Can you even imagine? These people show up and suddenly our life can be normal again?” “As normal as it can be given the state of the world, I suppose,” TJ said, but he knew what she meant. Everything had been in such a state before, but with the government overhauled it seemed like they could be approaching a way of life that was as close to normal as could be in a world where zombies existed. “They've been doing good since they showed up. I'm still inclined to be skeptical, but they haven't done anything that makes me concerned yet. If they can make it so we all have better lives, then thank God for that.” Logically Marina knew that so far everything the US Government had done or proposed was good, but there was still the fear that they’d change their minds and decide they didn’t want a bunch of criminals living in the newest addition to the new United States. “I guess food that doesn’t make us sick is a good thing,” she scowled, shooting a zombie. “What, you didn't enjoy our time together?” TJ asked with an easy grin as he looked over at her. It had been the worst few days he'd had in a long while, which he hadn't meant to subject her to but there they were. She was still trying to get the smell of vomit out of her sexy nurse outfit. “Oh, TJ, I’ll cherish that day with you forever,” she said, adding a seductive purr that was all-too-easy to produce at will, and he laughed in response. She was really just getting started, but an approaching vehicle stopped her short. Sometimes other people were more dangerous than the geeks. Keeping her gun fixed on the road, she didn’t have to wait long until a truck drove slowly into view, two soldiers sitting in its bed, shooting zombies as they moved. Well, rumors of them clearing out neighborhoods was definitely true, and they had proof with their own eyes. “We should probably give some kind of signal so they don’t think we’re one of the walking dead,” Marina said, while the truck was still far enough away that they weren’t yet targets. “Yeah,” TJ agreed, though he wasn't sure the best way to go about that. To him, it would make sense that they weren't considering they were holding guns and position right by their bikes, not really moving, but he didn't know how well the soldiers would recognize those details as signs of them being people, not undead. “I don't know about riding over to ‘em but that would at least let them know not to shoot us.” Marina rolled her eyes. “You’re the one who’s parading around as ‘don’t shoot’ on the freenet, but okay, I got this.” Well in all fairness, that was because TJ didn't want to be shot. But still, he stayed beside Marina as the soldiers got closer. She didn’t lower her gun completely -- their guns plus the guns of the strangers was noise enough to attract company -- but enough so it was clear she wasn’t trying to shoot at the soldiers in the truck. As they got closer, she stepped out into the road and waved her free hand at them. That was a very un-zombie movement, right? “Afternoon, ma’am. Are you in need of assistance?” The driver asked as the other soldiers looked on. “Oh, no, we’re good. My friend and I,” Marina pointed towards TJ, “Were just out here, taking care of the locals. Didn’t want you to confuse us for one of them, you know?” TJ let her talk to them while he kept his gaze fully fixed on their surroundings, watching for anything undead coming their way. Enough of the ones they'd seen already had been a little quicker than he would have liked, and he wasn't about to let anything sneak up on them. “Alright, well, let us know if you need anything,” the driver said after a moment of studying them, giving both of them a nod before continuing on their way. Marina slowly nodded and murmured out a goodbye before turning towards TJ. “Well…” she trailed off, pursing her lips, then said, “They were friendly, weren’t they?” A little too friendly. But after the treatment they’d received from Olinger and his Patrolmen, anything besides being shot at on sight seemed strange. “Yeah…” TJ agreed as he watched the truck disappear down the road. It wasn't as though they'd started friendly and turned, they'd simply been… nice, the whole time. He turned his gaze back to Marina and offered her a shrug. “Not a bad thing, but different.” Movement in his peripheral caught his attention and he looked over to catch a runner headed for them, and he picked it off quickly with a shot right between the eyes. “Good shot,” Marina said, not even flinching at the sudden sound of the gun. After another moment of looking around their surroundings, she moved her gaze over to TJ and added, “Think we should head back home now? Seems like Uncle Sam has clearing this area out covered.” TJ gave a slight nod, taking a quick look around the area where they were, making sure there wasn't anything else coming their way they might need to take care of before taking off. “Yeah, let's get on back.” |