the_lawless (the_lawless) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-01-12 23:24:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 03, john james searle, leo parker, | leo and searle |
Week 3 - Monday
Characters: Leo Parker, Walker, and John Searle.
Location: Meadows Mall.
Summary: Leo runs into Searle when he returns to the mall for more supplies.
Rating: PG
Even though he'd moved most of his stuff already from the Sleep Number store to the hotel, Searle was back at Meadows Mall to finish tidying up a bit. He'd left the place a pigsty, and while he usually didn't mind messes, he was cleaning it up in case he ever had to come back, or in case someone else wanted to move in. The store had tons of beds in it, and the mall had been a nice hideaway. The least he could do was make the Sleep Number store look better, less lived-in, so the next guy could set up camp in there even if Searle never did again. Things could go sour between he and Jed, it was a possibility, but since they'd worked out their problems and understood each other a bit more, Searle hoped that even if they did butt heads it wouldn't mean splitting up. He wanted to stay where Jack was, too.
So there Searle was, avoiding the hot sun by staying inside the cool mall. He was currently picking up the two shelves he had dropped on the floor when Jack came to see him, then stood with them (one under each arm) in thought, wondering if he should bring them back to the store he originally got them from, or perhaps install them in the Sleep Number store after all. He had time to kill, being that he didn't want to go outside until the sun was setting, and it was a project he had actually be looking forward to doing. Those thoughts sealed the deal, and Searle moved the planks over to the store front window, leaning them there while he went inside and started kicking empty cans around with his feet, creating a lot of clanging noises. He wanted to clear a path and an area where he could work; cleaning would come later.
Leo's previous visit to the mall had proven to be very fruitful. Not only had he gathered up so many supplies that he couldn't carry everything in one trip, but he had also managed to run into another survivor; the woman being the first that he'd encountered in Las Vegas. It was atypical of him to visit the same place twice, but with so many stores still littered with goods for the taking he would have been stupid to stay away. This time, he'd come prepared, with a couple of empty black trash bags strewn through one of the belt loops on his jeans. Walker walked along behind Leo in zombie mode, eyes glued to the yo-yo he had yet to master. He'd manage a couple of ups and downs but then the discs at the end would spin out of control, and Walker would sigh and pause and wrap the string around it again.
Even though it was very monotonous, Leo didn't seem to mind, idling along a few yards ahead of the boy with his gun set atop his shoulder. It wasn't until they heard the ruckus coming from a few stores back that both travelers froze in their tracks. Walker quickly moved to hide behind Leo, who immediately had his shotgun pointed in the direction of the metallic clattering. If it was a person making that noise, they were ignorant for doing so, and for that reason Leo couldn't help but wonder if there was something else there. Cautiously, he approached the noise, the barrel of his gun leading him through the hall and toward the doorway of the Sleep Number store. He paused just outside the window and peered inside, slightly dumbfounded to find not a wild animal, but a young kid, seventeen at best, rummaging through the place like he owned it. Maybe he did. There was a quick lance through the interior of the store, a scan for any sort of weapons, and finding none Leo hovered there, Walker peeking from behind him to see the kid for himself.
There was a quick decision to be made, to leave without being noticed or to make himself noticed, but before he could decide for himself the teenager inside the Sleep Number room turned to face the window.
At first, Searle didn't look up. His eyes were still on the ground as he examined his path, making sure nothing had rolled back into the aisle he'd created. Once he was happy with it, he began to walk toward the front of the store, lifting his eyes from the ground to glance at the window where the two pieces of shelf wood were leaning. Through them, he saw someone looking in right at him, eyes widening as he froze, the barrel of a gun pointed directly at him. Being that his eyes were trained on the gun, he didn't notice Walker behind Leo, and actually he didn't even really get a good look at Leo's face because that gun was all he could see.
If Leo had any intention of shooting him right off the bat, Searle would have been the perfect target. Up until now he'd been pretty lucky about keeping safe. Only one other time had he had a gun pointed at him, and that time he'd up and left town. Belatedly, Searle seemed to wake up and realize that he should probably do something other than stand and stare dumbly at a weapon. His hands shot up from his sides and were raised high above his head. The pocketknife he kept in his pocket wasn't of much use, but nor did he want to point anything at the other male that would give him inclination to shoot him.
"I've got a pocketknife," Searle quickly said, but not in a threatening way. "That's it. You can take it out of my pocket." The knife wasn't for use as a weapon, but rather to help him with everyday stuff he might come across; handyman stuff.
With a small frown, Leo narrowed his eyes and lowered the shotgun halfway, taking a solitary step closer. "I don't want your knife," he said incredulously. "And I'm not going to shoot you. So put your hands down." There was another look around the store, lots of beds, lots of signage, lots of garbage here and there. Finally, the inevitable question came. "You here by yourself?" Walker hovered behind him, that unraveled yo-yo still clutched in one hand.
Slowly, Searle lowered his hands to his sides, but his eyes were still wider than usual and his heart was beating pretty fast. It was then he looked at Leo properly and saw Walker, trying not to look at either of them too much. "Yeah ... I'm moving out of here, I used to stay here...." Everything about Searle was hesitant at the moment, since he was still recovering from his fright, but he took a deep breath and told himself to calm down. The guy told him he wasn't going to shoot him. "And I thought I'd install some shelves," he added, just for good measure. "I'll be leaving here. I could leave now."
Leo was about to turn and leave himself, until the teen made the most absurd comment. "What," he asked. "Install some shelves in here?" He let his eyes rove over the beds. There was so many, and he was so tired. "What the hell for, if you're leaving?" Maybe he hadn't meant here, maybe he was installing shelves somewhere else, but from what Leo understood, this is what the kid meant. Meanwhile, Walker had dared to put a few inches of space between himself and Leo. No longer sensing any threat, he wanted to go explore. There was a subtle exchange between them; an imploring look from the little boy and a nod of permission from Leo. Walker climbed onto the closest mattress and started bouncing up and down.
"I didn't think I'd be leaving," he quickly explained, "and I was going to put some shelves in. I hate the heat, so I thought I'd do it anyway before I left, just in case. I'm not sure how permanent my new place is going to be yet." There was still some trepidation in his voice, but Searle figured if Leo was holding a gun it was just for protection. Also, he had a little kid with him so he must be a good guy.
It wasn't until Walker came into the store that Searle felt at ease, and as he watched the young boy climb onto a bed and jump on it, he smiled. After glancing at Leo again the smile faltered for a moment (that gun still scared him), but he forced it back. "I heard if you put enough weight on these beds when you jump, you can pop the chambers. I didn't try," he confessed.
After a moment of quiet on Leo's part, the gun was settled back against his shoulder again and the man looked a little less on edge. If Searle was afraid of him, all was well, at least as far as Leo was concerned. If he appeared to look a little perplexed, it was because he was trying to figure out if this young man was off his rocker or not. His off-handed comments were either signs of emotional trauma or typical teen awkwardness. Eventually, the corner of his mouth quirked upward, if ever so slightly. "Well, why didn't you?"
"Thinking ahead. If these are the last ones ever made I'll probably need them sometime." The thought of that was unsavory to him, so he averted his eyes.
"Oh - I'm Searle." He looked at Leo, then Walker. "I'm not used to seeing guns, sorry if I kinda freaked out." It was embarrassing, but after what had happened to Jack, Searle had been thinking about the bad people out there a little more often than usual.
"You should be freaked out," Leo said. "I could have killed you. Still could." He wouldn't, of course. Not without reason. But Leo was trying to make an important point. "That's Walker," he motioned toward the boy. "I'm Leo."
Searle opened his mouth to say something after Leo told him he could still kill him, but no sound came out. Honestly, he wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Nice ... to meet you guys."
Walker continued bouncing, sometimes switching from one bed to the next, and Leo broke out of his stand still, stepping in past Searle to grab one of the display pillows off the head of a bed. "This yours, then?" He had all but ignored Searle's attempt at formalities. All the pleases, thank yous, and how-do-you-dos were a thing of Leo's past, and they'd died off long before the virus spread.
"No." Searle shook his head. "That bed's mine." The one that was the most disheveled, of course. "But I'll probably leave the pillows. Do you want to camp out here? Or are you looking for something? I pretty much know this mall like the back of my hand by now."
"Don't know what I'm looking for, yet." Leo had opened one of the black trash bags and stuffed the pillow inside, reaching to grab another and shove it in too. "I know it when I find it," he said. The bag was slung over the opposite shoulder that his gun rested on, making him look like a small, disgruntled Santa. "C'mon, kid," he glanced to Walker, who hopped down from the bed via bouncing his rear end on the edge and launching himself forward. The little boy raced ahead of him and waited out in the hallway, looking both ways like an old man about to cross the street. Leo followed close behind, stopping just within the doorway to turn and face the teen again. "If you're gonna be rummaging around by yourself, you shouldn't be making so much noise," he said. "'Specially without a gun."
Remaining silent, Searle watched Leo take what he wanted, then knew he was going to go. Part of him wasn't happy about it, because having someone to talk to really passed the time and Leo didn't seem so bad, but the other part of him was happy. The guy didn't seem too personable. "Yeah, thanks," he said quietly.
"Uhm, have you seen the signs? For the survivor meet-ups?" Searle stepped forward, just one step, ready to follow after Leo if he began walking away.
"Yeah," he nodded a bit. "You been?"
"Yeah, you? I know the people who run it, they're good people." As if it would help make his statement seem more truthful, Searle offered Leo (and Walker) a small smile.
"S'what I hear." The small smile was mirrored. It was brief, but it was there. Walker came up and tugged on Leo's shirt, his impatience typical for any child. "Maybe I'll see you there some day."
"Yeah." The way Searle brightened was unmistakable. "Bye, Walker." He waved a little at the kid, able to tell he wanted to leave. "See you around, Leo." A much cooler exit than his intro.
Walker waved too and shot Searle a contagious smile before he thrust his tangled yo-yo up at Leo, whose hands were too full to help. "God, kid, just give me a minute, huh?" Leo and his one-sided argument could be heard until the two rounded the corner and disappeared completely.