Astoria Greengrass (irondaisy) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-03-19 02:37:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ^ week 05, andrew kirke, molly williams, | drew and molly |
Week Five - Friday
Characters: Molly and Drew
Setting: University of Las Vegas cafeteria.
Summary: Molly goes looking for a warm meal and meets Drew.
Rating: Low.
Molly would have said that she was lost, however, in order to really be lost she would have had to know where she was going and a general idea of how to get there, neither of which she had. Luckily, the college campus that Molly had stumbled upon seemed safely deserted. She had been driving for some time now around dorm buildings and lecture halls, coming around a corner she was happy to find a cafeteria. Molly hadn't had what she would consider real food in a long time. Sure, she had plenty of canned fruit and vegetables, even a few cans of soup, but so far she had very few opportunities to actually heat anything up. At the very least, she figured the building had a usable microwave and she could have a warm meal for once.
Pulling the jeep next to the building, she parked. Upon exiting, Molly grabbed her pistol out of the passenger seat and shoulder her dufflebag in case there was anything worth taking in the building. She walked towards the door slowly, with the gun held at her side, watching for anything that might give her warning to turn around and leave. The building looked like it had already been picked at a few times. The main doors had already been forced upon and things generally looked like they had been rummaged through. She stood in a long room amongst dusty tables, looking for a door to the kitchen. After a moment or two of searching, she found it and was disappointed when it wouldn't open at the turn of the knob. She tried her weight against it, done all the things that she had seen Seth do to force open doors but none of it was working for her.
She thought about giving up when the metal counters caught her eye. she could see the kitchen just passed them and had a much simpler idea than trying to force the door open. She moved towards the serving line, and tried to imagine it back before everything had gone wrong and it had been full of food in warming trays. Molly tossed her duffelbag across the metal counter and slid her pistol into the waist band of her jeans before climbing over as quickly as she could, giving a small triumphant smile when she landed on the side that held the kitchen.
Picking up her bag, Molly moved towards the large pantries that looked like they still had food. She grinned when she saw the stacks of soup cans, knowing that for the first time in a while she could be picky with what she ate. She was happily unaware of anything that was going on outside of her search for the perfect meal.
The noise of the kitchen doors being opened was lost in Molly's distraction. Drew had found the keys when he'd first came back to campus and scoped everything out. The fact that it remained untouched save for the occasional mouse or rat had surprised him, and rather than lug everything back to his apartment he'd left it, making trips when he ran out of things. Today had been one of those days. The lights were still off when he entered, giving him no clue that there was someone else within the back room. He flipped the switches up easily, heading back toward the pantries.
Molly let out a startled noise when the lights came on, dropping one of the cans she had been holding. She glanced around, there wasn't anyone in her immediate line of sight, but they probably heard her. Chewing her lip, Molly pulled her pistol out of her waist band and looked for a place to hide. There weren't very many and she was losing time. She frowned and she was beginning to panic now. She moved away from the pantry and around a corner into a small area that seemed to lead towards a large freezer. She was almost content with her placement, even if she was found she would probably have the advantage of startling them. Of course, that advantage faded when she realized that she had left her rather large bag on the floor next to the pantry she had been going through.
Drew spotted it immediately and froze, his heart leaping up into his ears. Someone was in the kitchen. The urge to run was instantaneous, but maybe it had been left behind. He had to know. Slowly backing up, his eyes moved around his peripheral. "Hello?" he said aloud, keeping his voice as steady as he could. "Anybody there?"
Molly took a deep breath and knew she had been caught. Sighing, she came around the corner, gun in her hand, trying to look as intimidating as possible for the short, rather willowy girl. She looked at the person; he didn't seem to have any weapons. She chewed on her lip. "I just want food." She said slowly, "I don't want any trouble." But she didn't move from where she came from, ready to dart back into the corner if she needed too. When he met her eyes, he appeared to visibly relax, though he stayed very still. She had a gun, after all.
Don't spook the wildlife, he told himself, putting on a friendly smile and raising both hands palms up. "Don't worry, I'm not out to make some. Take whatever you need, there's plenty still here."
"Oh. I..." She wasn't sure what to say to him. She was still suspicious, but he hadn't drawn a weapon on her, so there was a good chance he didn't have one. "Uh. Thanks." She put the gun back into the waist of her jeans and moved slowly back to the pantry. She wanted to know why he was here, but that seemed obvious, he had wanted food too. She tried to listen for any telling signs that there were more people out there, shuffling, talking, anything. It took her a moment to determine he was alone before she started to feel a little better.
"I can go," he said, noticing her delayed movements. She seemed unwilling to turn her back on him entirely, and he couldn't blame her. There were plenty of reasons to be scared of the world now. Once upon a time he'd watched post-apocalyptic movies for the pure enjoyment of it. Now they seemed more like field guides than fiction, and most of them had people being mugged or killed over things as simple as a bottle of water. "I live a bit away from here. It's not like I came far. I can come back later."
It seemed silly that he would even offer to go, but Drew was extremely pacifistic when it came to fighting for survival. He was much more willing to go hungry for a day or two, especially if someone needed it more than he did. She was alone, a girl, and a young-looking one at that; she obviously needed it more.
Molly considered his offer. It was surprisingly nice, not something she was used to encountering, and despite her suspicion that everyone was going to try something sneaky, she was slowly thinking that this person might be one of the good people left. "No. You don't have to. Are you alone too?" She said in a voice that was softer than she one she had been using when she came around the corner earlier. She didn't know why she was asking, but it seemed like the thing to do, he was letting her take his food after all.
The question both answered the one on the tip of his tongue and gave him that inkling of gained trust. Drew nodded, carefully sliding into the large pantry with her but quickly giving her space. He didn't want to crowd her, or give her reason to think he was trying to get handsy. "I used to live here. I've been spendin' most of my days in the radio tower, broadcasting. In case my girl hears." He paused, pulling the shoulder strap of his backpack off so he could open it and begin to load up. "I'm Drew."
She watched him carefully as he moved in next to her, but smiled a little as he moved away from her slightly. She began her search through the cans again as she processed the new information. He was looking for someone, too. "I'm Molly. I'm looking for someone, too." She picked up one of the cans in the back and considered it for a second, "You were a student here?"
"Yeah," he replied, sliding in can after can with less concern as to what was in them. He had long-since learned not to be picky. "It was my last year, actually. Too bad it doesn't matter now." He looked up at her with a brief smile. "It's nice to meet you, Molly."
"Its nice to meet you too. My brother was in college too, studying business or something like that. Were you at least studying something useful?" She couldn't help but think how unfortunate it would have been to dedicating yourself to something like History or English only for the world to go to ruin and make your time in school rather pointless. She hoped Drew hadn't wasted his time.
"Music teacher," he replied, though he had a feeling it wouldn't measure up to her opinions. "But I know about radios, too, like I said." Drew paused to pull out a bottle of water from the smaller pocket of his backpack. He hesitated for a moment before holding it out for her in a silent offer. Who knew when the last time she'd had fresh water was. It wouldn't be fair to drink in front of her, or force her to drink after him if she was particularly paranoid.
Molly nodded. "I thought about being an art teacher when I grew up." she said and smiled at his offer. She took the water and opened it, taking a large drink of it. She wasn't sure if he would want it back, but she held it out to him anyway. "Thanks. And I'm not sick or anything." She felt the need to clarify that as she held out the water.
"Good, 'cuz this is all I brought with me," he said with a crooked smile. After taking a deep pull from it himself he slid the bottle back into the pocket. "Do you have somewhere safe to stay? Most of the sorority houses are empty, and they've got A/C. You should hole up before it gets hot."
Molly knew that she should lie about having some place to stay. She probably shouldn't have told him that she was alone either. "I have a jeep. It's pretty safe." Molly told him, then seemingly caught what he had said. "Most of them? Are there more people here? I thought you were alone." She said. She didn't really know where she could find the sorority houses, but she figured she could if she drove around she would be able to spot them easily enough.
The way she asked the question made his heart ache a little. "Empty of bodies," he clarified, not quite looking at her. He'd picked his way through a few of them, but the few times he'd found bodies he immediately left. He didn't want to get typhoid or worse.
She hadn't realized how hopeful she was that there would be other people around, until she found out that wasn't the case. She frowned, though honestly she should have expected that. Molly stuffed a few more cans in her bag. "Right." Was all she could say for a moment. "Do you live in the sorority houses? I... don't know how to get to them, not that I couldn't find them if I wanted to." She straightened up, trying to stand a little taller.
"I don't, no," Drew said, zipping up his backpack once it was full. It was significantly heavier, but still bearable. He'd come back later that evening to get another haul. "I live in an apartment. It used to be mine, so my stuff's still mostly there. I could show you toward one, though," he added with a nod. "And the radio tower, in case you need to find me."
On one hand, it would be nice to be around another person, but at the same time, it made her a little bit nervous that someone would know exactly how to find her. Of course, Drew seemed like a nice person, but she wasn't quite used to it all. Still, she nodded. "That sounds reasonable." She told him, picking up her bag.
****
It wasn't a very long trek, to say the least. Andrew was used to walking. He kept the car covered with a full tank of gas as mostly an escape route if things got too bad, but considering where he lived and worked he didn't see the need to drive every day. Besides, it kept him from getting lethargic and lazy. There were nights where he felt his hope slipping, but walking around the next day helped him.
It was strange to be a passenger to a girl so young, but he didn't speak up about it. She drove well, and it wasn't as though there was anything out to jump in front of the car or worse. He instructed her down one of the streets leading into sorority row, and picked the first house he knew to be empty. He'd broken into it himself and cleared it out. Once they were inside, he went back to flip on the building's power and central air.
"Fridge is empty," he said. "In case you need to, y'know. Keep things cool. And the water from the tap tastes gross, but you can still wash in it if you wanna take a shower or anything."
It was nice to have someone else in the car with her for once, it gave her an almost hopeful feeling, that there were a few good people still left and that maybe her brother and Seth were still around. Things just didn't seem so bad for a moment. She followed his instructions, coming to a stop in front of the house he had guided her too. She slowly got out of the car and picked up her bag again.
"I don't really have anything that needs to be kept cool, but well, its a good thing to know I guess." She could help but smile when he mentioned showers, it had been a while since she had a decent shower and some clean clothing. Now, she was looking at possibly having both of them.
"Hang on, back in a sec," he said after a moment's pause, disappearing upstairs. Molly dropped her, bag on the floor and took a second to look around. It had been a while since she had stayed in a place that was actually meant to be lived in. She had picked up her bag again, long enough to move it into the kitchen. It wasn't long before Drew returned, holding a girlish-looking gray and pink portable stereo, which he plugged into an outlet near a coffee table. He fiddled with the dials for a moment before the sound of music started to pour out of the speakers.
Molly walked over towards him curiously, tilting her head at the radio. She was going to make a comment about there not being any radio stations when she heard the music fill the room. She chuckled a little, for no reason other than the fact that there was music on the radio again. "So the music is your doing, I suppose. From the radio tower?"
"Yep," Drew replied simply. For a moment he looked boyish, young in his pride. "No internet and no cellphones, but there's still radio waves. Walkie-talkies and CB's still work, too. Sometimes I catch little snatches of conversation, but I don't ever call out to them." His smile faded to neutral again as he looked back to her. "Not unless it's Ana, with my call sign. Or you, if you want to know it."
Molly shrugged, "Sure, I guess it wouldn't hurt to know your uh... call sign? Though I don't have anyway of calling you. What is a call sign? Or a CB?" She felt like it might be useful to know these things. She had never really had an interest in radios before, not more than the fact that she liked listening to music on them. She felt a little silly for not knowing them, the way that Drew was just talking about them like everyone was supposed to know them. She stuffed her hands in her pockets nervously.
Drew smiled again, that same boyish looking smile. "A CB is the kind of radio broadcaster that truck drivers used to use. They can be heard up to 150 miles away sometimes. That's a bit more complicated to explain, but trust me, they're really cool and useful. A call sign is kind of like a secret name you go by so nobody knows who you really are. To keep you safe, y'know?"
"So you have a CB-thingy in the radio station? That could be useful. What is your call name then?" She really wanted to ask him if he heard many people calling out to him. She was almost sure that she would answer people, if they were calling out trying to find someone, they couldn't be that bad. What kind of bad guy tried to draw attention to themselves like that?
For the first time, he showed a bit of embarrassment, grinning foolishly. "Captain Kirke. But y'gotta promise not to tell anybody, kay?"
Molly giggled. "Captain Kirke? That's the guy from Star Trek, right? Um... who am I going to tell?" She smiled at him, honestly amused.
"I don't know, but you just gotta promise not to. You can tell people my real name--" if you run into anyone, Drew added inwardly, "--but you can't tell them that I have a call sign. Promise?"
"I promise, I won't tell anyone else in the universe." She told him with a nod, "Why are call signs so secretive? Do you lose your super powers or something if too many people know?" Molly teased, prompting a laugh from him. It felt a little weird to be joking around with another person again.
"Maybe," Drew said with a wink. "Nah, it's-- people sometimes do dangerous things, y'know? Used to be that people used CB's to evade the cops driving real fast down the freeway." The word was very much a west coast slang, the only thing that gave away where he was from, and only if other people knew it themselves. "But there's other people out there that might know me. I kinda left the evacuation camp without permission. I don't want anyone finding me, y'know?"
"You would think that you want to see people that you used to know. Besides, if your evacuation camp was anything like mine, there probably isn't anyone left to come after you. What would they do anyway? Lecture you?" Whatever smile he had faded, but he remained silent. "They probably just assume your dead." Molly frowned a little bit. She tried not to think about it a lot, but sometimes it just happened. "Your secret is safe with me regardless." she attempted to smile at him, but he didn't smile back.
"Most of my friends are dead," he replied, eyes focused on his feet. "I haven't heard from my family, either. So I dunno. I just... I just wanna live, and that means being careful."
Molly nodded sympathetically. "My dad died at the camp in Virginia, my mother died years before that when I was little. My brother, he was in college in California but I haven't heard from him. I was traveling to California to see if I can find him with a guy named Seth that I had met at camp because we were the only two left. There were some bad guys we ran into when we stopped at a gas station to look for food. I haven't seen him since." Molly hadn't honestly meant to tell him that much, but it just came out and she had very little control over it. They had all lost everything, but at least they weren't alone in that misery. She shifted her weight awkwardly, looking back up at him to find him looking at her sincerely. He looked very much like he would have liked to comfort her, but was holding back.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. He meant it, too. From a look her, she had to be sixteen. Maybe younger; she was a bit tall.
Molly just nodded at him. She didn't know what to say, she hadn't really spoken to anyone about it, there hadn't been anyone to speak about it with. "I've gotten by okay so far, I keep running into the right sort of people."
"Guess you've got something watching out for you," he replied. "But don't cash in on that working forever. Y'gotta be careful all the time." He gestured to the gun, still on her hip. "You know how to use that?"
"I'm no expert." She told him slowly, it might have been better to let him think she was though. "Seth showed me how to use it, mostly on animals, but I can use it if I need too. I shot a guy once." Again, Molly was sharing facts and she wasn't sure why, "It was in defense though." It wouldn't work out well if Drew thought she just went around blasting people. Drew nodded his way through each statement. She definitely had guts that he didn't; he was terrified of guns.
"Just make sure to keep the safety on, yeah?" he said.
"Oh. Yeah. It's not going to go off unless I want it too." She told him, she was generally pretty careful with it.
He paused, pushing back his wrist watch. He was already late getting to the radio tower by fifteen minutes; the loop was still playing, and there was plenty still on the tracklist, but he'd been making sure that his free talk went on at the same time every day. "I should be heading back to the tower. You're welcome to stop by for dinner later, if you want."
"Um... I can cook. And you did help me out a lot, you could always come over here instead of eating in the tower. If you wanted to anyway, when you are done with whatever it is you are going to do." She suggested, a little bit hopeful. Drew grinned.
"I'll be by when it starts gettin' dark, then. Keep tuned in, I'll let you know when I'm heading out." His smile widened. "You got any requests?"
Molly shrugged, "Keep playing whatever it is you play. Anything beats the silence." She smiled.