Joel Kulseth (aviatorshades) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-10-10 11:08:00 |
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Joel had taken it upon himself to claim the interview with the Hellhounds Vice President, not because he felt the rest of the Cabinet and Council members were incapable, but he had a general curiosity about how Vic Scherbatsky would handle an interview that wasn’t conducted inside of La Quinta. He’d chosen what he hoped was a slower time at the Doughnut Hole for a meeting, and made sure to arrive early, so he was already seated at a corner table with good sightlines when he saw the hulk of Scherbatsky walk through the main door. JOEL: [he raises his hand to catch the MC members attention.] Mr. Scherbatsky, thank you for meeting with me today. If you’d like to get a coffee or anything before we start, go ahead. VIC: [he's surprised by the allowance and sidesteps over to the counter, looking at the police chief over his shoulder.] Yeah, all right. [the line isn't too long and he comes back after a moment with a fortifying cup of coffee and two doughnuts, both for him. He sits down without saying anything else to Joel.] JOEL: [he presses record on the phone he has set on the table before he continues.] We appreciate you answering some questions, I'll try not to make this long. [he takes a drink of his coffee before he continues.] Where were you during the events on the 8th? VIC: I'm guessing you mean the zombie stuff. [he studies Joel warily before continuing.] I was over at the quarantine center dropping off some stuff for my wife. The zombies showed up pretty soon after. JOEL: [there is a brief change in his expression when Scherbatsky mentions a wife in quarantine, but nothing beyond that. He knows he’s only here to get a statement from the Hellhound.] Do you remember seeing anything strange or unusual before the incident? VIC: Before what incident specifically? When the geeks showed up or? JOEL: [he can’t tell if Scherbatsky is confused by the phrasing or being difficult on purpose.] Yes, the zombies. For the purposes of this interview you can assume that any referral back to events or incidents is addressing the zombie event you witnessed, Mr. Scherbatsky. [he responds, grasping at his professionalism. It doesn’t serve his image or his purpose to get short.] VIC: [his expression can only be described as a mix of barely-veiled exasperation and surliness, but he says nothing in response.] JOEL: Was there anything that seemed out of place, anything you might have noticed? VIC: [takes a big bite of doughnut before he answers, deliberately drawing out the pause. He didn't come here with the intention to be difficult, but he has enough presence of mind to assume Kulseth didn't either.] Some kind of loud crashing or popping noise. Dunno what made it but both me and Callahan could hear it over to the… north, I think. JOEL: Do you think you can you elaborate? Was it a crash or a pop? [both covered a multitude of options and had little relation to each other.] VIC: [he's silent again, thinking.] The pop came first, or maybe some kinda crack. Didn't exactly see what made it so I'm just guessing, here. [though that's probably obvious.] Then the crash. JOEL: Would you guess it was a gunshot? [he knew Scherbatsky would know whether or not a firearm could have created the pop/crack he described.] VIC: No. Definitely not. Sounded like something breaking. JOEL: Like a structure? VIC: [he frowns, impatient] Your guess is as good as mine. I didn't see whatever made the sound. You wanna keep up with this guessing game or talk about what I actually did see? JOEL: [he tenses his jaw, but moves on.] You said the sound came from the north - was that the same direction that the zombies appeared from? [but he can’t help himself in trying to create a correct flow of events.] How far out from the quarantine center were you when you saw them? VIC: Yeah. [he's obviously grateful for the change in topic.] But they were also coming from the south, and the southwest. We were about four blocks away from the center. They all kinda met in the middle, running real fast. JOEL: Runners. [it’s a statement, not a question, and Vic nods in confirmation.] You moved back towards the quarantine center then? Was that before or after Isaac Callahan and Nathaniel Posey were attacked? VIC: Yeah. We saw the fast ones before they got bit, got a head start but they caught up quick. Once they got into more of a big group it was almost like they were stronger that way or something. They took the two guys down. I was in front so I don't know how it happened. Grabbed their legs maybe. JOEL: Can you tell me what happened after they were bit? VIC: Savannah's brother was closest to us so the guy we were with grabbed him, picked him up. Callahan was further behind. Couple of zombies were gonna chew him up so I grabbed him too. [he has little to no tolerance for the man in front of him, but he can't help but lessen his hostility towards him as he continues on.] We'd been fighting just before all this shit went down but it wasn't like I was gonna leave him for dead. JOEL: We appreciate that you didn’t. [he wants to ask about the argument beforehand, to be thorough. But he doubts it has any bearing on the zombie incident so he leaves it.] Was there anything else that stuck out to you about the zombie incident? VIC: Besides how fast they were moving and how many there were… [he shakes his head.] No. JOEL: Do you have any suggestions for what could be done in the future to prevent them? VIC: [he huffs out a laugh, unable to resist.] Maybe not have so many fuckin' zombies in the city. Look, I dunno why all of a sudden there were a fuck ton of 'em when I've been in that neighborhood for work and it wasn't ever that rough. So I guess start with figuring out where the hell they all came from if y'all don't know already, then figure out how to prevent that. JOEL: [the corners of his mouth turn up a little. He feels the same way about the numbers of zombies that had been found in Austin.] We’ll be working on that, I can assure you. VIC: Good. [he takes a bite of his doughnut then, chews, swallows.] My wife's got three more days. Would be pretty nice if after she gets out we don't gotta deal with this shit again. JOEL: I have a daughter in quarantine right now. It’s not an experience I’d like to repeat. [he offers with some vulnerability before he moves on.] Do you have any questions for me, Mr. Scherbatsky? VIC: [he nods in acknowledgement of what's been shared. It's enough to make him relax a little bit, even if he's still ready to end this as soon as he can.] No. You? JOEL: No, I think you’ve answered enough for now. Thank you. [he turns off the recording and pockets his phone.] We’ll be in contact if there’s a need for a follow up. |