This roleplay consists of things that happened before the start of main events.
Levin Indrel
Another day, another stack of books. was the disgruntled thought of the part time librarian who had started but a week ago. Did someone forget to return a book? The due date has been long passed. this time he grunted, running a petite hand through messy, unkept brown hair before his fingers began typing at the Library's main computer where all of the book information was being kept. Silver eyes with a green undertone locked onto the screen for a moment before they flickered upward to watch as students came in and sat down on the round, wooden tables that were set in the middle of the large library.
The library itself was historic looking; not having changed much in it's glorious mahogany wood finish shelves, ladders and furniture that looked WAY outdated but.. classy. Levin enjoyed it's asthetics, being one for art and history his own self. His eyes went over to one of many large, red wood shelving that was on the far end of the library right across from him and his equally red wooden desk. Computers were on the far right of the library, and more furniture and plants as well as paintings were on the far left. Between them, a couple of drinking fountains.
Once finished updating the information chart on his computer, he hopped from his seat and began to gradually take some books that had been returned and going over to put them back in their rightful place. He drug a wooden stool with him wherever he went, being only 4'6" tall, it was hard for him to reach things. As he passed by a group of students, he was met with humiliation when someone put their foot out, tripping him. He dropped the books he was carrying, they scattered about. And then the quiet room was filled with laughter. Ashamed, Levin laid there a moment before getting up, brushing himself off and then picking up the books he had dropped. Sometimes I hate this place.. he thought, fighting back his tears.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha had been walking into the library, returning some chem books when she heard the clatter and the soft snickering. Rolling her eyes, she strode over to where the sound had echoed from. With a look that her CO would have appreciated, she bent down to help pick up the books. "Hi, I'm Sasha and they" she grinned and pointed at the idiots still standing there, "are only in here to look smart. Considering they are all failing their classes and in danger of being kicked out." She didn't talk softly either, so anyone who had been around them would have heard her words. She just grinned at the furious glances they sent her before they went running off. Standing, she leaned down and offered her hand.
"I'd say I'm sorry, but considering what they did was caught on camera, it means they will be kicked out now. I'm just sorry it happened to you. Can I help put the books away?" She said, much softer and more in tune with the normal tone one used in a library. Being almost a full foot taller, and considering she had forgotten to put her hair up today, she most likely looked like some kinda freak. But the clean cut shirt and blue jeans helped some. With a real smile, and the quick sparkle in her eyes telling how much she enjoyed telling off that little group.
Grace Gibson
"Grace? Do you have a moment?" Talia asked as Grace walked through the hallway of the dorms, preparing to go to the coffee shop so she could study there. The ginger, freckled and green eyed girl stopped in her tracks at the sound of her educator's voice, turning to Talia instead.
"Sure, what do you need?" She asked, her voice friendly and chipper. She was wearing simple jeans and an oversized woolen sweater that day, her wavy hair collected in a pony tail and her eyes surrounded by the round and brown frames of her glasses.
"Do me a favor and bring these books back to the library? If you see Levin, you can ask him if he has anything else for us too." She requested with tilted head, already proceeding to push the stack of books on top of Grace's chemistry book without waiting her reply.
"Yes but..." Grace started, unable to finish her sentence as Talia was already moving on with her day. "Well then..." She sighed, making her way to the front door of the dorms while keeping her gaze on Talia's back, a frustrated huff leaving her lips.
Within five minutes, she was making her way over to the library with a lightly displeased grin on her face. She didn't mind helping out, especially not Talia as Talia was sweet but the woman wasn't really good at reading general social cues and didn't catch on when Grace was busy. Passing by the library would only take a minute though so she didn't mind, but considering she didn't feel like passing there twice or carrying another stack of books to the coffee shop and back afterwards, she figured she could as well study there.
Making her way upstairs once she reached the main building, she thanked herself for learning her lesson and not wearing heels this time. Instead, simple sand colored sandals that matched her sweater covered her feet and her bright green nail polish added a pop of color to them as well as to her hands, on which the nail polish matched.
She placed the stack of books on the counter when she finally reached the library and swirled around, noticing a group of students that left just after her arrival. They weren't library regulars and she frowned a bit when she saw their facial expressions. Each and every one of them looked like their mother had just seen them have sex and she snickered a bit over it before getting back to business.
The business in this case was finding Levin, and even if she hadn't met him before she also planned to study and didn't want to waste time waiting for him by the counter. Instead, she started walking around, following row by row of books before eventually reaching the one in which she saw Sasha, together with a shorter man she hadn't met before.
"Hey babes," She greeted warmly as she walked up to her friend, a gentle hand placed on her shoulder upon reaching her. "Who's this?"
Levin Indrel
The snickering continued, and with a long hanging head Levin gathered about three fourths of his pride before a hand was extended and in front of his face. He stared at the hand, followed the arm up and saw a woman. . His first initial thought was to panic, because usually people came up to him to either pity him or make fun of him. It even took him a moment to even look away, and when he did he missed her genuine smile. He gathered enough courage to take her offered hand and get up. "U-uh.." he began, but found it hard to reply to anything she had just said. Should he greet her in return and give her his name? Say yes to her offer? Lord knew he wanted to just sink into his campus hoodie and run away. But he did what any respectable man would do... he cleared his throat and began to speak.
"I'm.. Levin and that's not the first or the last time this had happened so.. don't be sorry." he began, chewing the inside of his cheek as he moved his eyes over to the books that he had yet to pick up. "You don't have to help.. besides, I don't want to hinder your study time so.." his voice was nearing quiet, meek sounding. He wasn't used to talking to girls since Sorsha, his ex, had done him the way she did him. He knew it was too good to be true. Sorsha was beautiful, almost perfect. But she turned out to be a witch who dated him because she was trying to win a bet. So, it ruined his confidence.
Just as he was getting ready to gather his books, another woman showed up. He really didn't pay the women no mind anymore, all he wanted to do was go back to work, get the day over with so he could go home and lick his wounded pride. He did, however, glanced at her when she asked who he was. She was pretty, very bubbly and gave off this sunshine like aura. As for the other one, she seemed more grounded and headstrong. He could respect that...
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha grinned over at Grace, still holding a few of the books she had picked up. "Heya, thought you were heading somewhere else, darlin." The drawl of the last word was tacked on in an attempt to put the other at ease. Turning her head back, she kept on smiling. "Hi, Levin. It's nice to meet ya. This here is Grace, she my roommate. And lookit.." she pointed down to Grace's feet " she wore sensible shoes for once!" Sasha chuckled before shifting her boots a bit. "We can help you put these away, if you wouldn't mind giving us some direction. Normally, I use the books back at the dorm.. but they don't have the one I need on gene splicing... Although why I gotta know that already is unreal."
Sasha heard the gaggle of the small group that had been snickering show back up, and she just turned her head slowly to look at them, the smile slowly fading from her face. One of them took a step forward, anger clouding their eyes. "Boy, that would be a very stupid move." Sasha said softly, even as she angled her body to be between Grace and Levin and pulled the sleeves of her shirt up, exposing her forearms. The Marine insignia splayed brightly across her skin and she tilted her head slightly to the left. "Do the smart thing for once and take a hike." Her voice had gotten softer as he took another step closer towards them, and she laid the books she had down on the chair that had been sitting there.
Grace Gibson
Grace was only holding a single book, her own one at that which was obvious if anyone looked at the paper she had wrapped the cover with. It seemed to be pages of a comic book and she usually pretended it was, few people knowing it were her own drawings that had formed the design. As Sasha greeted her back, she gave her friend a shrug, letting out a bit of an exaggerated sigh.
"Talia wanted for me to drop some books off here and possibly pick up new ones. I was going to have a coffee but, it is what it is." She clarified briefly, her eyes following Sasha's gaze as she turned her head back. A small smile appeared on her lips as well during the introductions and she used one of her hands to give the man a small wave when she suddenly heard the comment about her shoes. Her brows furrowed and she threw Sasha a glance in fake offense while laughing along with her, although her laugh was a bit more sarcastic than her friend's.
"Very funny..." She claimed while her cheeks flushed up bright red and soon enough, she too was more than willing to help put the books back in place, even if it were just to make her stop talking about her shoes. She hadn't even noticed the group had returned yet, at least not until she could sense how Sasha tensed up.
Turning towards the group she narrowed her eyes at the ones that dared to step up against Sasha and then watched how Sasha responded, seeing the familiar insignia on her friend's skin. She knew what it meant and that the boys wouldn't know what was coming to them if they chose to not walk away from this but at the same time, the last thing she wanted was to see her friend get expelled for throwing the first punch.
"Sasha... They're not worth it." She said to her friend in a hushed voice before looking back at the group. "Well? You heard her, off you go." She said to them, hoping they'd take the hint before Sasha snapped.
Levin Indrel
Levin's eyes switched from the two ladies as introductions were beginning to commence. At Grace, he gave a shy, half hearted smile and a slight nod before looking to Sasha. The two looked like polar opposites, usually polar opposites despised each other. At least, that was what he read in books. Usually two opposing characteristics clashed causing tensions? That's how it worked, right? He barely said anything, just watched as the two interacted as he picked up the books, one by one.
"I appreciate it but.. really you don't have to help. I-" he paused, the snickering was heard again. And when he heard it, he sunk into his shoulders and held the books close to him. Those bullies were back. I am too old for this... Come on, Yeltsin. You got to toughen up someday.. he thought, watching as Sasha went to go confront the group. Ah, she was a Marine? She had that vibe to her. Strong, assure of herself. He was almost envious of that.
The ginger, Grace, stepped up to calm her friend down and Levin continued to pick up books.
"Look, we're friends of Levin's! We just wanna, ya know, apologize for tripping him." one guy said, he seemed to be more of the badboy. And his friends? Punks, they were. "Leviiinn. Come on, bud. We were just joking!"
Again, Levin ignored them and went over to some shelving. He looked through the books he had picked up and placed a couple on his chosen shelf. "Marine biology.." he muttered to himself. "Fourth row."
"Leeviiin!" The guy called out.
"Avian science. Third row."
"Tsk. Come on, guys. We'll pay him a visit later." the leader said, winking at Sasha before turning to leave.
Levin let out a shudder. What now? Stuff him in a trash can again? Sing Oompa Loompa jingles at him while he walks back home? God I hate this place.. he thought once more.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha's eyes narrowed, even at the slight nod she gave Grace. She had no intention of striking first, but she couldn't stand idiots who liked acting that way. Allowing her shoulders to relax some once they walked away, Sasha nodded a Levin. "Ya know... Imma give you my number. We are going to a texmex place tonight and you should join us. Between the game and the food, you should have a little fun... Especially after dealing with idiots like that." She said, her sincere tone of voice helped to put herself at ease, as much as Levin.
With a quick shake, she laughed. "Wait... Where did you say those books are? I kinda wasn't listening.. in my head, I was half hoping one of them would be stupid enough to try for you again while I was here. It would feel right good to put them in their place.." she muttered softly as an after thought. With a quick look at Grace, she grinned. The fast smile lit up her face, "I never start them, Gracie, but I always end them." She chuckled softly as she picked up the single book and handed it over to Levin, watching him calmly.
Grace Gibson
The way they were treating Levin wasn't only getting a rise out of Sasha, it was getting a rise out of Grace too and as the guy kept calling out to him, Grace was only one 'Leviiiiin' away from snapping as well. She knew what she had said to Sasha and still thought they weren't worth it but the group reminded her of her own high school bullies and she was sensitive to seeing others getting treated in the same horrible way. When they eventually left, she turned back to Levin as well and listened as Sasha invited him to go along with them. Grace didn't mind that one bit, instead she smiled widely at him in encouragement and nearly beamed in excitement.
"We're going to have sooo much fun!" She claimed, nearly bouncing where she stood and her entire demeanor making a 180 turn now that the group had disappeared. Upon Sasha's question, she looked up at her friend and repeated what Levin had said, at least one of the things. "Avian science, third row."
The grin made her chuckle and as Sasha clarified that she ended them, she nodded while giving her friend a knowing look before beaming up at Levin. "It's true! She always does, she's amazing!." She confirmed, her own enthousiast and bubbly behavior standing in sharp contrast with her friend's calmness.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian may have been an athletic success, but he was a complete math dud. Talia directed him to the library, after an awkward haltering request for a math tutor. Brian tried to sneak through the halls, but that was about as successful as a bear trying to sneak in a crowd full of children. People looked at him as he passed through the hall, some even slightly gawking. Brian blushed against his deep farmer's tan, and whispered apologies as he went. He finally reached the library, where he stopped dead in his tracks. There were more kids in the library, headed out. He began sweating a little more and ducked slightly through the doorway. He hesitated on his way around the people there, and dropped his book. He quickly grabbed it off the ground, and the group turned to face him. Their faces quickly transformed into various expressions of shock, awe, and even slight fear. He blushed even harder, and dodged around them, only to stumble over a chair and slam face first into the library floor.
Levin Indrel
If one would listen closely, one could hear the audible sigh of relief that had escaped Levin's lips. He was glad the bullies were gone, so glad he relaxed enough to truly focus on his work. That, until, Sasha offered her number and then invited him to go out with her and Grace for texmex food. He nearly choked on air, and his head snapped her way.
Half way to putting a book on a shelf, he stood still as he stared up at her. There was a look of hesitance in his eyes. Eyes that moved toward Grace who beamed with the most biggest smile anyone has ever given him. He was afraid but... lonely enough to accept. "S-sure I'd love to. After we put these books up, we can exchange numbers. I'm-" he chuckled lightly, "I'm already too far behind on my work." He smiled, a little more confidently now.
At the question over the books, he pointed out a small pile of art related books, "Grace, could you take those to the fourth shelf and put them on the middle row, please? Sasha, you can put these books on the top shelf here." He said, picking up a few books and handing them to her. "Science on the left, chemistry on the right." He then added.
Levin grabbed a few books his own self and before he could begin his work, he heard a large crash that caused him to jump. He hadn't noticed the large young man who had entered the library which was surprising since he was HUGE. The man had fell, and people stared and some even laughed. Levin felt bad for the guy... he knew what it felt like to be humiliated. It sucked. "Who's he?" He asked the girls in a hushed tone.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha had leaned up, putting the books where he directed as she chuckled softly at his reaction to her invite. Even as she watched around her, she didn't pay much attention to most of the students who were in here. Most had came here to actually study, because they wanted to pass their classes. In one aspect, Sasha was less concerned with passing as she was with learning. Which is very different, if you think about it, she thought.
When she leaned over to grab another set of books, she heard the ensuing tumble and crash. Assuming the idiots had returned, she jammed the books in place and quickly went towards the noise, ready to put them in their place. However, what she seen wasn't the group of bullies. Instead, it was a single man who had simply tripped and fallen. With a soft smile, Sasha crouched down and said "Hey, you alright? That floor looks kinda hard, want some help up?" Her eyes had looked up for a moment, sweeping over the entrance to make sure the bullies actually were gone, before looking back at the fallen stranger. "Today seems to be a day to hit the floor," she said, as she moved to sit, leaning against the table until the man had his breath back. "Hey, Grace, Levin, come mere for a minute." She called out softly, knowing one or the other would hear her in the mostly silent library. Even the chuckles and snide comments had died away as Sasha's gaze landed on several students who quickly decided they should be studying... Somewhere else.
Grace Gibson
Grace took the books that Levin handed to her and placed them on the dedicated shelf like he requested. It took her only a moment of scanning the shelves to figure out how they were sorted here and she followed that unwritten rule, slotting the books in where she figured they were supposed to be.
"Fourth shelf, middle row" she mumbled to herself with a content smile on her face before she walked back to Levin. Upon reaching him a loud crash filled the silence of the library and she looked up in surprise, seeing her friend run off in the direction of the sound immediately.
Grace did her best to see what was going on from where she was standing but couldn't quite make it out, only seeing what seemed to be a rather large man laying on the floor. She arched her brow a little and turned to Levin, fighting the urge to simply place her hand on his arm and drag him along when Sasha called out to them.
Instead of dragging him along, she gestured for him to follow and walked over to Sasha and the guy in small strides, making sure to give Levin a chance to keep up with her.
"Seems like Candy to me..." she claimed in answer to Levin's question before she reached the guy and squatted in front of him. "Brian, right?" She asked to confirm before tilting her heaf "You alright?"
Brian Sweetwater
Brian slammed into the floor pretty hard, which in and of itself was fine. The bad part was the noise he made as he hit the floor. It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and as he started to lift himself off the floor, he saw a pair of shoes walking towards him. His cheeks burnt even brighter, as she proceeded to lend him a hand. "Uum t-t-hank you", he stuttered as he got up. He took a second to catch his breath, and nearly choked again as another two people walked over. He tried to shrink a little bit, but that was impossible to do as a giant. He flinched slightly at the mention of his name, and turned to the girl approaching him. "Y-yeah, I'm Brian", he stuttered even harder, and then leaned back awkwardly. He silently wished to become invisible, and began to fidget by wringing his colossal hands.
Levin Indrel
Silverish green eyes lingered on Sasha and the poor fella on the floor, watching in disbelief on how considerate the outgoing and rough young woman was. The more Levin interacted and watched the two girls, the more he began to realize that maybe they weren't so bad after all.
When Sasha called him over, he hesitated for the longest time. He didn't know if he would be any help to anyone, he felt he was insignificant anyways. He pursed in his thin lips, eyes moving over to Grace when she gestured for him to follow. Although hesitant he complied and followed her to the guy, finding her answer to his question quite odd. That goliath? Candy? He looked scary with those muscles almost as big as Levin was wide.
He stayed quiet for the most part, clutching the book he had in hand tightly as he watched the interaction. It surprised him, shocked him when Brian began to talk. His tanned face was red, his speech in a stutter. Guys like Brian were usually cocky meat heads who acted like they were God's gift to men. This guy? "Heh." He couldn't help but make that noise out loud. "Yeah today is guy's fall on their face in the library day. Happens once a year, very traditional." He joked, hoping it lightened the mood some. "I'm Levin. The guy who fell flat on his face just moments before you did." He greeted, giving a half hearted smile.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha grinned as the other two came over, still fairly relaxed even as she was helping the fallen guy to his feet. Holding out her hand to him, she grinned quick. "My name's Sasha. I'm a chem major.. well, kinda anyway. I have more than one." Chuckling, she nodded more so at the interaction between the other.
"Hey, listen, I know we all just met and all, but there's a great texmex place not far from campus. The three of us are going, Brian. You should join us. I think everyone should enjoy a decent meal after encountering the floor as hard as you did." This said, she pulled out a piece of paper and wrote her name and cell on it, handing one copy to each of the guys. "I really hope y'all come with us. I think we could have a lot of fun!" The laugh was easy to hear in her voice, although it was also easy to tell she wasn't laughing at anyone.
"Uh.. Levin.. where did ya say them book are at?" Sasha asked again, shrugging slightly at the fact she forgot... Again.
Grace Gibson
A smile widened on her face when he confirmed that he was indeed Brian and as he sat up, she moved a bit closer to him, standing near Sasha. She glanced back briefly to look at Levin who seemed to fall back and came off as unsure about the situation and how to respond to it. Her eyes lit up in small amusement when she heard his response to the talking mountain of a man. It seemed like Levin was genuinely surprised that this wasn’t another jerk or bratty jock and who could blame him, especially after getting picked on by the group earlier.
“I’m Grace.” She said to Brian, realizing that it was probably odd for him to hear a stranger say his name. “You’re a bit of a celebrity in our year, the mountain of a man with a sweet core” she clarified and a small chuckle escaped her lips. Grace knew of at least three girls in her class that were into him, even if it was just because of his looks.
“Yes, yes he should come too” She said, excitement getting the better of her once more when Sasha invited him too. Nearly jumping where she stood, she did pause to cast a glance at Levin to analyze him. Was he uncomfortable? She hoped he was not but if she were to see any signs of it, she’d give his forearm a gentle squeeze in reassurance.
At Sasha’s question she lightly shook her head at the forgetfulness. The woman always seemed to have a great memory even though it was a rather selective one.
Catching the time on her watch, she suddenly gasped and stared at the group wide-eyed. “I’m sorry! I really do hope to see you all later but I really need to get some studying done. Talia will lecture me if I wreck another test.” She claimed, already imagining how their educator would respond to the news of another C, not even wanting to think of what she’d say if it was an F.
After the apology, Grace took off towards the library door, holding only her own chemistry book and making a run for it to get to the café as soon as possible. In the process, she forgot all about bringing back new books too. With a bit of luck, she’d have at least two hours left to study before getting ready for dinner.
Levin Indrel
Another day, another stack of books. was the disgruntled thought of the part time librarian who had started but a week ago. Did someone forget to return a book? The due date has been long passed. this time he grunted, running a petite hand through messy, unkept brown hair before his fingers began typing at the Library's main computer where all of the book information was being kept. Silver eyes with a green undertone locked onto the screen for a moment before they flickered upward to watch as students came in and sat down on the round, wooden tables that were set in the middle of the large library.
The library itself was historic looking; not having changed much in it's glorious mahogany wood finish shelves, ladders and furniture that looked WAY outdated but.. classy. Levin enjoyed it's asthetics, being one for art and history his own self. His eyes went over to one of many large, red wood shelving that was on the far end of the library right across from him and his equally red wooden desk. Computers were on the far right of the library, and more furniture and plants as well as paintings were on the far left. Between them, a couple of drinking fountains.
Once finished updating the information chart on his computer, he hopped from his seat and began to gradually take some books that had been returned and going over to put them back in their rightful place. He drug a wooden stool with him wherever he went, being only 4'6" tall, it was hard for him to reach things. As he passed by a group of students, he was met with humiliation when someone put their foot out, tripping him. He dropped the books he was carrying, they scattered about. And then the quiet room was filled with laughter. Ashamed, Levin laid there a moment before getting up, brushing himself off and then picking up the books he had dropped. Sometimes I hate this place.. he thought, fighting back his tears.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha had been walking into the library, returning some chem books when she heard the clatter and the soft snickering. Rolling her eyes, she strode over to where the sound had echoed from. With a look that her CO would have appreciated, she bent down to help pick up the books. "Hi, I'm Sasha and they" she grinned and pointed at the idiots still standing there, "are only in here to look smart. Considering they are all failing their classes and in danger of being kicked out." She didn't talk softly either, so anyone who had been around them would have heard her words. She just grinned at the furious glances they sent her before they went running off. Standing, she leaned down and offered her hand.
"I'd say I'm sorry, but considering what they did was caught on camera, it means they will be kicked out now. I'm just sorry it happened to you. Can I help put the books away?" She said, much softer and more in tune with the normal tone one used in a library. Being almost a full foot taller, and considering she had forgotten to put her hair up today, she most likely looked like some kinda freak. But the clean cut shirt and blue jeans helped some. With a real smile, and the quick sparkle in her eyes telling how much she enjoyed telling off that little group.
Grace Gibson
"Grace? Do you have a moment?" Talia asked as Grace walked through the hallway of the dorms, preparing to go to the coffee shop so she could study there. The ginger, freckled and green eyed girl stopped in her tracks at the sound of her educator's voice, turning to Talia instead.
"Sure, what do you need?" She asked, her voice friendly and chipper. She was wearing simple jeans and an oversized woolen sweater that day, her wavy hair collected in a pony tail and her eyes surrounded by the round and brown frames of her glasses.
"Do me a favor and bring these books back to the library? If you see Levin, you can ask him if he has anything else for us too." She requested with tilted head, already proceeding to push the stack of books on top of Grace's chemistry book without waiting her reply.
"Yes but..." Grace started, unable to finish her sentence as Talia was already moving on with her day. "Well then..." She sighed, making her way to the front door of the dorms while keeping her gaze on Talia's back, a frustrated huff leaving her lips.
Within five minutes, she was making her way over to the library with a lightly displeased grin on her face. She didn't mind helping out, especially not Talia as Talia was sweet but the woman wasn't really good at reading general social cues and didn't catch on when Grace was busy. Passing by the library would only take a minute though so she didn't mind, but considering she didn't feel like passing there twice or carrying another stack of books to the coffee shop and back afterwards, she figured she could as well study there.
Making her way upstairs once she reached the main building, she thanked herself for learning her lesson and not wearing heels this time. Instead, simple sand colored sandals that matched her sweater covered her feet and her bright green nail polish added a pop of color to them as well as to her hands, on which the nail polish matched.
She placed the stack of books on the counter when she finally reached the library and swirled around, noticing a group of students that left just after her arrival. They weren't library regulars and she frowned a bit when she saw their facial expressions. Each and every one of them looked like their mother had just seen them have sex and she snickered a bit over it before getting back to business.
The business in this case was finding Levin, and even if she hadn't met him before she also planned to study and didn't want to waste time waiting for him by the counter. Instead, she started walking around, following row by row of books before eventually reaching the one in which she saw Sasha, together with a shorter man she hadn't met before.
"Hey babes," She greeted warmly as she walked up to her friend, a gentle hand placed on her shoulder upon reaching her. "Who's this?"
Levin Indrel
The snickering continued, and with a long hanging head Levin gathered about three fourths of his pride before a hand was extended and in front of his face. He stared at the hand, followed the arm up and saw a woman. . His first initial thought was to panic, because usually people came up to him to either pity him or make fun of him. It even took him a moment to even look away, and when he did he missed her genuine smile. He gathered enough courage to take her offered hand and get up. "U-uh.." he began, but found it hard to reply to anything she had just said. Should he greet her in return and give her his name? Say yes to her offer? Lord knew he wanted to just sink into his campus hoodie and run away. But he did what any respectable man would do... he cleared his throat and began to speak.
"I'm.. Levin and that's not the first or the last time this had happened so.. don't be sorry." he began, chewing the inside of his cheek as he moved his eyes over to the books that he had yet to pick up. "You don't have to help.. besides, I don't want to hinder your study time so.." his voice was nearing quiet, meek sounding. He wasn't used to talking to girls since Sorsha, his ex, had done him the way she did him. He knew it was too good to be true. Sorsha was beautiful, almost perfect. But she turned out to be a witch who dated him because she was trying to win a bet. So, it ruined his confidence.
Just as he was getting ready to gather his books, another woman showed up. He really didn't pay the women no mind anymore, all he wanted to do was go back to work, get the day over with so he could go home and lick his wounded pride. He did, however, glanced at her when she asked who he was. She was pretty, very bubbly and gave off this sunshine like aura. As for the other one, she seemed more grounded and headstrong. He could respect that...
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha grinned over at Grace, still holding a few of the books she had picked up. "Heya, thought you were heading somewhere else, darlin." The drawl of the last word was tacked on in an attempt to put the other at ease. Turning her head back, she kept on smiling. "Hi, Levin. It's nice to meet ya. This here is Grace, she my roommate. And lookit.." she pointed down to Grace's feet " she wore sensible shoes for once!" Sasha chuckled before shifting her boots a bit. "We can help you put these away, if you wouldn't mind giving us some direction. Normally, I use the books back at the dorm.. but they don't have the one I need on gene splicing... Although why I gotta know that already is unreal."
Sasha heard the gaggle of the small group that had been snickering show back up, and she just turned her head slowly to look at them, the smile slowly fading from her face. One of them took a step forward, anger clouding their eyes. "Boy, that would be a very stupid move." Sasha said softly, even as she angled her body to be between Grace and Levin and pulled the sleeves of her shirt up, exposing her forearms. The Marine insignia splayed brightly across her skin and she tilted her head slightly to the left. "Do the smart thing for once and take a hike." Her voice had gotten softer as he took another step closer towards them, and she laid the books she had down on the chair that had been sitting there.
Grace Gibson
Grace was only holding a single book, her own one at that which was obvious if anyone looked at the paper she had wrapped the cover with. It seemed to be pages of a comic book and she usually pretended it was, few people knowing it were her own drawings that had formed the design. As Sasha greeted her back, she gave her friend a shrug, letting out a bit of an exaggerated sigh.
"Talia wanted for me to drop some books off here and possibly pick up new ones. I was going to have a coffee but, it is what it is." She clarified briefly, her eyes following Sasha's gaze as she turned her head back. A small smile appeared on her lips as well during the introductions and she used one of her hands to give the man a small wave when she suddenly heard the comment about her shoes. Her brows furrowed and she threw Sasha a glance in fake offense while laughing along with her, although her laugh was a bit more sarcastic than her friend's.
"Very funny..." She claimed while her cheeks flushed up bright red and soon enough, she too was more than willing to help put the books back in place, even if it were just to make her stop talking about her shoes. She hadn't even noticed the group had returned yet, at least not until she could sense how Sasha tensed up.
Turning towards the group she narrowed her eyes at the ones that dared to step up against Sasha and then watched how Sasha responded, seeing the familiar insignia on her friend's skin. She knew what it meant and that the boys wouldn't know what was coming to them if they chose to not walk away from this but at the same time, the last thing she wanted was to see her friend get expelled for throwing the first punch.
"Sasha... They're not worth it." She said to her friend in a hushed voice before looking back at the group. "Well? You heard her, off you go." She said to them, hoping they'd take the hint before Sasha snapped.
Levin Indrel
Levin's eyes switched from the two ladies as introductions were beginning to commence. At Grace, he gave a shy, half hearted smile and a slight nod before looking to Sasha. The two looked like polar opposites, usually polar opposites despised each other. At least, that was what he read in books. Usually two opposing characteristics clashed causing tensions? That's how it worked, right? He barely said anything, just watched as the two interacted as he picked up the books, one by one.
"I appreciate it but.. really you don't have to help. I-" he paused, the snickering was heard again. And when he heard it, he sunk into his shoulders and held the books close to him. Those bullies were back. I am too old for this... Come on, Yeltsin. You got to toughen up someday.. he thought, watching as Sasha went to go confront the group. Ah, she was a Marine? She had that vibe to her. Strong, assure of herself. He was almost envious of that.
The ginger, Grace, stepped up to calm her friend down and Levin continued to pick up books.
"Look, we're friends of Levin's! We just wanna, ya know, apologize for tripping him." one guy said, he seemed to be more of the badboy. And his friends? Punks, they were. "Leviiinn. Come on, bud. We were just joking!"
Again, Levin ignored them and went over to some shelving. He looked through the books he had picked up and placed a couple on his chosen shelf. "Marine biology.." he muttered to himself. "Fourth row."
"Leeviiin!" The guy called out.
"Avian science. Third row."
"Tsk. Come on, guys. We'll pay him a visit later." the leader said, winking at Sasha before turning to leave.
Levin let out a shudder. What now? Stuff him in a trash can again? Sing Oompa Loompa jingles at him while he walks back home? God I hate this place.. he thought once more.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha's eyes narrowed, even at the slight nod she gave Grace. She had no intention of striking first, but she couldn't stand idiots who liked acting that way. Allowing her shoulders to relax some once they walked away, Sasha nodded a Levin. "Ya know... Imma give you my number. We are going to a texmex place tonight and you should join us. Between the game and the food, you should have a little fun... Especially after dealing with idiots like that." She said, her sincere tone of voice helped to put herself at ease, as much as Levin.
With a quick shake, she laughed. "Wait... Where did you say those books are? I kinda wasn't listening.. in my head, I was half hoping one of them would be stupid enough to try for you again while I was here. It would feel right good to put them in their place.." she muttered softly as an after thought. With a quick look at Grace, she grinned. The fast smile lit up her face, "I never start them, Gracie, but I always end them." She chuckled softly as she picked up the single book and handed it over to Levin, watching him calmly.
Grace Gibson
The way they were treating Levin wasn't only getting a rise out of Sasha, it was getting a rise out of Grace too and as the guy kept calling out to him, Grace was only one 'Leviiiiin' away from snapping as well. She knew what she had said to Sasha and still thought they weren't worth it but the group reminded her of her own high school bullies and she was sensitive to seeing others getting treated in the same horrible way. When they eventually left, she turned back to Levin as well and listened as Sasha invited him to go along with them. Grace didn't mind that one bit, instead she smiled widely at him in encouragement and nearly beamed in excitement.
"We're going to have sooo much fun!" She claimed, nearly bouncing where she stood and her entire demeanor making a 180 turn now that the group had disappeared. Upon Sasha's question, she looked up at her friend and repeated what Levin had said, at least one of the things. "Avian science, third row."
The grin made her chuckle and as Sasha clarified that she ended them, she nodded while giving her friend a knowing look before beaming up at Levin. "It's true! She always does, she's amazing!." She confirmed, her own enthousiast and bubbly behavior standing in sharp contrast with her friend's calmness.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian may have been an athletic success, but he was a complete math dud. Talia directed him to the library, after an awkward haltering request for a math tutor. Brian tried to sneak through the halls, but that was about as successful as a bear trying to sneak in a crowd full of children. People looked at him as he passed through the hall, some even slightly gawking. Brian blushed against his deep farmer's tan, and whispered apologies as he went. He finally reached the library, where he stopped dead in his tracks. There were more kids in the library, headed out. He began sweating a little more and ducked slightly through the doorway. He hesitated on his way around the people there, and dropped his book. He quickly grabbed it off the ground, and the group turned to face him. Their faces quickly transformed into various expressions of shock, awe, and even slight fear. He blushed even harder, and dodged around them, only to stumble over a chair and slam face first into the library floor.
Levin Indrel
If one would listen closely, one could hear the audible sigh of relief that had escaped Levin's lips. He was glad the bullies were gone, so glad he relaxed enough to truly focus on his work. That, until, Sasha offered her number and then invited him to go out with her and Grace for texmex food. He nearly choked on air, and his head snapped her way.
Half way to putting a book on a shelf, he stood still as he stared up at her. There was a look of hesitance in his eyes. Eyes that moved toward Grace who beamed with the most biggest smile anyone has ever given him. He was afraid but... lonely enough to accept. "S-sure I'd love to. After we put these books up, we can exchange numbers. I'm-" he chuckled lightly, "I'm already too far behind on my work." He smiled, a little more confidently now.
At the question over the books, he pointed out a small pile of art related books, "Grace, could you take those to the fourth shelf and put them on the middle row, please? Sasha, you can put these books on the top shelf here." He said, picking up a few books and handing them to her. "Science on the left, chemistry on the right." He then added.
Levin grabbed a few books his own self and before he could begin his work, he heard a large crash that caused him to jump. He hadn't noticed the large young man who had entered the library which was surprising since he was HUGE. The man had fell, and people stared and some even laughed. Levin felt bad for the guy... he knew what it felt like to be humiliated. It sucked. "Who's he?" He asked the girls in a hushed tone.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha had leaned up, putting the books where he directed as she chuckled softly at his reaction to her invite. Even as she watched around her, she didn't pay much attention to most of the students who were in here. Most had came here to actually study, because they wanted to pass their classes. In one aspect, Sasha was less concerned with passing as she was with learning. Which is very different, if you think about it, she thought.
When she leaned over to grab another set of books, she heard the ensuing tumble and crash. Assuming the idiots had returned, she jammed the books in place and quickly went towards the noise, ready to put them in their place. However, what she seen wasn't the group of bullies. Instead, it was a single man who had simply tripped and fallen. With a soft smile, Sasha crouched down and said "Hey, you alright? That floor looks kinda hard, want some help up?" Her eyes had looked up for a moment, sweeping over the entrance to make sure the bullies actually were gone, before looking back at the fallen stranger. "Today seems to be a day to hit the floor," she said, as she moved to sit, leaning against the table until the man had his breath back. "Hey, Grace, Levin, come mere for a minute." She called out softly, knowing one or the other would hear her in the mostly silent library. Even the chuckles and snide comments had died away as Sasha's gaze landed on several students who quickly decided they should be studying... Somewhere else.
Grace Gibson
Grace took the books that Levin handed to her and placed them on the dedicated shelf like he requested. It took her only a moment of scanning the shelves to figure out how they were sorted here and she followed that unwritten rule, slotting the books in where she figured they were supposed to be.
"Fourth shelf, middle row" she mumbled to herself with a content smile on her face before she walked back to Levin. Upon reaching him a loud crash filled the silence of the library and she looked up in surprise, seeing her friend run off in the direction of the sound immediately.
Grace did her best to see what was going on from where she was standing but couldn't quite make it out, only seeing what seemed to be a rather large man laying on the floor. She arched her brow a little and turned to Levin, fighting the urge to simply place her hand on his arm and drag him along when Sasha called out to them.
Instead of dragging him along, she gestured for him to follow and walked over to Sasha and the guy in small strides, making sure to give Levin a chance to keep up with her.
"Seems like Candy to me..." she claimed in answer to Levin's question before she reached the guy and squatted in front of him. "Brian, right?" She asked to confirm before tilting her heaf "You alright?"
Brian Sweetwater
Brian slammed into the floor pretty hard, which in and of itself was fine. The bad part was the noise he made as he hit the floor. It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and as he started to lift himself off the floor, he saw a pair of shoes walking towards him. His cheeks burnt even brighter, as she proceeded to lend him a hand. "Uum t-t-hank you", he stuttered as he got up. He took a second to catch his breath, and nearly choked again as another two people walked over. He tried to shrink a little bit, but that was impossible to do as a giant. He flinched slightly at the mention of his name, and turned to the girl approaching him. "Y-yeah, I'm Brian", he stuttered even harder, and then leaned back awkwardly. He silently wished to become invisible, and began to fidget by wringing his colossal hands.
Levin Indrel
Silverish green eyes lingered on Sasha and the poor fella on the floor, watching in disbelief on how considerate the outgoing and rough young woman was. The more Levin interacted and watched the two girls, the more he began to realize that maybe they weren't so bad after all.
When Sasha called him over, he hesitated for the longest time. He didn't know if he would be any help to anyone, he felt he was insignificant anyways. He pursed in his thin lips, eyes moving over to Grace when she gestured for him to follow. Although hesitant he complied and followed her to the guy, finding her answer to his question quite odd. That goliath? Candy? He looked scary with those muscles almost as big as Levin was wide.
He stayed quiet for the most part, clutching the book he had in hand tightly as he watched the interaction. It surprised him, shocked him when Brian began to talk. His tanned face was red, his speech in a stutter. Guys like Brian were usually cocky meat heads who acted like they were God's gift to men. This guy? "Heh." He couldn't help but make that noise out loud. "Yeah today is guy's fall on their face in the library day. Happens once a year, very traditional." He joked, hoping it lightened the mood some. "I'm Levin. The guy who fell flat on his face just moments before you did." He greeted, giving a half hearted smile.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha grinned as the other two came over, still fairly relaxed even as she was helping the fallen guy to his feet. Holding out her hand to him, she grinned quick. "My name's Sasha. I'm a chem major.. well, kinda anyway. I have more than one." Chuckling, she nodded more so at the interaction between the other.
"Hey, listen, I know we all just met and all, but there's a great texmex place not far from campus. The three of us are going, Brian. You should join us. I think everyone should enjoy a decent meal after encountering the floor as hard as you did." This said, she pulled out a piece of paper and wrote her name and cell on it, handing one copy to each of the guys. "I really hope y'all come with us. I think we could have a lot of fun!" The laugh was easy to hear in her voice, although it was also easy to tell she wasn't laughing at anyone.
"Uh.. Levin.. where did ya say them book are at?" Sasha asked again, shrugging slightly at the fact she forgot... Again.
Grace Gibson
A smile widened on her face when he confirmed that he was indeed Brian and as he sat up, she moved a bit closer to him, standing near Sasha. She glanced back briefly to look at Levin who seemed to fall back and came off as unsure about the situation and how to respond to it. Her eyes lit up in small amusement when she heard his response to the talking mountain of a man. It seemed like Levin was genuinely surprised that this wasn’t another jerk or bratty jock and who could blame him, especially after getting picked on by the group earlier.
“I’m Grace.” She said to Brian, realizing that it was probably odd for him to hear a stranger say his name. “You’re a bit of a celebrity in our year, the mountain of a man with a sweet core” she clarified and a small chuckle escaped her lips. Grace knew of at least three girls in her class that were into him, even if it was just because of his looks.
“Yes, yes he should come too” She said, excitement getting the better of her once more when Sasha invited him too. Nearly jumping where she stood, she did pause to cast a glance at Levin to analyze him. Was he uncomfortable? She hoped he was not but if she were to see any signs of it, she’d give his forearm a gentle squeeze in reassurance.
At Sasha’s question she lightly shook her head at the forgetfulness. The woman always seemed to have a great memory even though it was a rather selective one.
Catching the time on her watch, she suddenly gasped and stared at the group wide-eyed. “I’m sorry! I really do hope to see you all later but I really need to get some studying done. Talia will lecture me if I wreck another test.” She claimed, already imagining how their educator would respond to the news of another C, not even wanting to think of what she’d say if it was an F.
After the apology, Grace took off towards the library door, holding only her own chemistry book and making a run for it to get to the café as soon as possible. In the process, she forgot all about bringing back new books too. With a bit of luck, she’d have at least two hours left to study before getting ready for dinner.
The Beginning
Two and a half hours later
Brian Sweetwater
Brian had been apprehensive of the upcoming dinner, seeing as it was both unexpected and new to him. He had taken a shower, and put on his favorite clothes: A faded red and orange Hawaiian shirt, with a well-worn black leather jacket, His least worn jeans, and his scuffed black hiking boots. He fixed his hair and wiped the mud off of his boots. This would be the first time he had gone out to dinner in earnest with anyone but his family. He left his dorm and headed out to the garages, where his truck was parked. He sweated and worried during the entire ride, and ended up arriving early. He went in and got a table for four, and ordered a soda while he waited, unintentionally popping his knuckles as he fidgeted.
Levin Indrel
Dinner... when was the last time I ever went out for dinner? Staring into a semi fogged up mirror, Levin thought. God what am I doing? he shaved his semi rough looking stubble, only leaving a sole patch before combing his hair and then hopping off of his stool to get dressed.
In his small, insignificant looking apartment there was a stool in each room for him to stand on since he was only 4 foot 6 inches tall. Sometimes he hated being a dwarf, but other times, when he can hide in crazy small places, he liked it.
He dressed himself in casual jeans and a black shirt. Over that, a denim vest his mom got him before she died. He only wore it on very special ocassions and this... was pretty special. He left his apartment once his Uber driver showed up and they were on their way. The whole ride was nerve wracking, but he did his best to stay focused on being calm.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha had at first just planned on walking there, might as well save the gas right? But the shook her head.. well, no, she thought to herself. With Grace going, it just seemed cruel considering she's spent time on how she looks while Sasha just tended to well.. not. She had slipped a new shirt on, but otherwise seemed to be in the same clothes, including her scruffed up boots.
She sent a text to the guys, letting them know that they were coming and to go ahead and order a drink. Tonight was Sasha's treat. She tossed a sandle towards the other side, where Grace was getting ready. "Come on, damn girl, I think they both are already there!" She moaned, knowing she could make her go faster if she tried.
Grace Gibson
Grace was about to run late, as always. The bad thing about this was that Sasha sometimes ran late too because her roommate was sweet enough to wait on her. While Sasha was sending the boys a message to confirm that they were coming, Grace stood in front of the large mirror behind her bed to apply her make up. Her hair had been done and was now kept free around her face, the waves framing it. Aside from that she was wearing a little red dress. It was a rather classic pencil dress that ended right above her knees and while it was an off-shoulder piece it did have long sleeves that covered her arms up to her wrists.
A small silver moon with tiny gems decorated her upper chest due to the thin and fragile chain around her neck and her ears carried matching earrings. Not even her fingers were forgotten and her right ringfinger had a matching ring while her nails no longer displayed the bright green color from that morning. Instead, they were painted black with grey moons on them. Her lips were painted in a deep red to match her dress and she was just done applying eye shadow and moving onto eye liner when Sasha tossed the sandle to her side.
She shrieked and the eyeliner moved on her face, making an awful shaped line from her eyelid to the side of her face. A loud gasp followed the shriek when she saw that and she hurried to the bathroom for her make up remover, muttering angrily.
After about five minutes to correct it, she came out and put on some pointy, low heeled shoes while grabbing her purse from the chair and pulling it over her shoulder.
“Well? Are we going or what?” She asked Sasha, staring at her and almost daring her to comment on the shoes. If she did, Grace would playfully shove her before heading out of the door and towards the car.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian continued worrying as he sat in the restaurant and waited for everyone else. He worried about everything, from his clothes (Had he overdressed? Had he underdressed?) to his fidgeting (Was he annoying the other people in the restaurant?), which he unsuccessfully tried to stop. He wished in vain for the confidence he felt out on the field, and wondered what he could do to help with that. He was so busy worrying that he didn't notice his phone vibrate. He was sweating buckets once again, and occasionally dabbed at his forehead.
The restaurant wasn't particularly full, but it felt like a massive crowd to Brian. He wanted to ask the restaurant staff if they had seen Levin, Grace, or Sasha, but he was way too nervous. He faintly recalled seeing them once or twice in the halls, but that was about it. He had heard some of the other guys on the football team joking about someone being short, but he couldn't recall if they had mentioned Levin. He didn't hang out with them much because they were all so... Much, and not in a good way. He never understood how making fun of people was all that fun.
Levin Indrel
"El Illiusion" So this was the texmex place? Levin had never been there before and it looked quite nice. Just as the uber was pulling up, his phone dings with a notfication. He opens his phone and sees it was a text from Sasha. He let out a nervous breath, then replied with an thumbs up emoji.
He got out of the uber car, paid the driver then went into the restaurant. "Uhm.. excuse me." He called out to the greeting waiter. Either he spoke to softly or the waiter hadn't seen him. "Excuse me!" He called out a little louder.
"Oh! I didn't see you there! Are you belonging to a table of four?" The waiter asked.
"Yeah, I am. Levin Indrel." Levin replied, wiping his sweating palms on his jeans.
"Right this way."
The waiter took Levin to the reserved table, and he saw the mammoth sized Brian sitting alone and fidgeting. He cleared his throat then approached the table. "Hey." He greeted with a subtle smile before climbing onto one of the chairs beside him. "How are you?" He then asked once he settled down. He ordered an iced tea, then looked back towards Brian.
He studied the young man before him a bit, he seemed like he should be rough and tough but... the poor guy seemes more nervous than Levin was. Or, Levin was better at hiding it.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha just shook her head at Grace, laughing. "Come-on, the guys are gonna think we stood them up." She said, as she lefbthe way out to her truck. Grinning, she looked down at Grace's shoes, "want some help up?" She asked, the full Smartassery going on. However, they made it without no further hitches in the plan. And after heading inside, once again totally underdressed, the two women got seated with the men.
A moment of silence passed, and Sasha said.. "Welp, Grace has on her fancy shoes again. Let's hope there won't be no running this time around. Also, who likes spicey?" She had picked up a menu and was looking it over.
Grace Gibson
She was glad that while Sasha was her general level of smartass that night, it only took one teasing comment on her shoes when they reached Sasha's car.
"Hmmm," she contemplated, placing the tip of her manicured index finger against her red lips as she looked up at Sasha, batting her eyelashes. "Is that an offer to lift me up? Will you carry me over our doorstep later as well?" She remarked flirtatiously, soon throwing her head back in laughter and climbing in the truck as fast as she could, knowing she was pushing her friend's limited patience and more importantly, Sasha's wish for punctuality.
Soon they reached the restaurant and upon arrival, she waved at the boys with a wide smile as they made their way to the table before she proceeded to walk towards the two themselves, leaning in and giving each of them a brushy peck on the cheek in greeting. It was only after that that she took a seat and grabbed a menu of her own.
If she had put either man on the spot with that greeting or made things awkward, then Grace didn't realize it in her enthousiast but lightly ignorant state of bliss. She was a creature of habit and affectionate towards all of her friends, Sasha had become very familiar with that concept too. Flashing them the brightest smile, that smile faded only when Sasha broke the silence with a comment about Grace's choice of shoes. A near death glare was casted in her friend's direction that soon faltered into a pout, her gaze redirecting itself to the table in front of her.
"In my defense, these are shorter and I am capable of running in them."
Brian Sweetwater
Brian was startled by Levin's "sudden" (Brian had been totally lost in worry-land), and slightly jumped, almost knocking over his drink. "Uh-H-hi, I'm you, err, I mean, I'm g-good." Brian sweats even more intensely, and blushes slightly. "How ar-" Brian was completely distracted as he noticed Grace and Sasha walking in. His mind went completely blank for a second, before he realized that he was staring, and quickly looked back to Levin. "I have no idea what I was saying" he said, with a nervous laugh. He was caught even more off-guard by Grace's peck, and his cheeks turned traffic light red.
Brian was completely stunned, and he did his best to think of a compliment for each person, but at this point, he was in over his head. He just tried to smile, and realized that he was still popping his knuckles. He smiled slightly at the back and forth between Sasha and Grace, which reminded him somewhat of his brothers...
Brian ordered the spiciest dish on the menu, along with a huge burrito. He ordered less than he usually might, since he was pretty nervous. He finally worked up the nerve to speak, and asked Grace and Sasha how they were doing. He took a deep breath, and tried to empty his mind a little as the waiter came to take orders.
Levin Indrel
Lip gently pinched beneath his upper teeth as he listened awkwardly as Brian struggled to get a word in, Levin could determine easily how making conversation would be difficult at this very moment. He gave Brian a kind smile, then scratched the back of his neck. "Hey.. uh, you don't have to be nervous around me, dude. I'm just a Oompa Loompa." With that he laughed a bit, hoping that would ease some tensions.
When Brian nearly asked how he was, he was pleasantly surprised on the sudden appearance of the two ladies. He thought Sasha looked as tough as always, which he admired about her. Grace looked so pretty in her outfit, and he was about to say hello until she kissed his cheek. Immediately, he picked up his napkin and hid his reddening face behind it. "H-Hey.. ladies uh-" he cleared his throat then slowly lowered the napkin. "You two look great heh.. I like your shoes, Grace." He complinented, coming out of his shell a little at a time. "I'm not much into spicy food so I think I'll get the-" he opened his menu for a moment, pausing over a loaded baked potato. "There we go. Loaded baked potato for me!" He then slapped his little hands together and grinned with anticipation. "I'm starved. So, how are you two?" He asked the girls, his voice getting mild again with shyness.
He couldn't rememeber the last time he had an actual social gathering. He remember back in high school and college he hung out with a group of people. His favorite people being two girls as well. He missed them a lot, but life got in the way. Now, he was feeling pretty glad he decided to actually go out for once. He looked back over to Brian who was cracking his knuckles. Poor guy.. I know, dude. I'm terrified too be we'll be okay. he thought as he smiled at Brian again.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha waited ubtil Grace had sat down before she pulled a chair for herself, swallowing the chuckle as she could see the reaction of the guys and the way that the dudes at the table outside had looked at Grace when they walked in. However, she ordered the extra spicey chimis because why not? As well as ordered a few tacos to go with it. And knowing herself, she asked for the hot sauce as well. Handing her menu over to the waitress who had been watching the man outside more and more, Sasha turned her head some and looked out the front window making eye contact with him. Giving him a grim smile, she turned back and ignored him. "Im good. Took lady here forever to get dressed... For a little taco place." Sasha chuckled, knowing that would get a rise outta Grace.
A few minutes had passed and they had gotten their food delivered, but the tension from the people who worked there was getting harder and harder to ignore for Sasha, who doesn't do well in that kinda of deals. She had sat back in her chair, turning her head just a bit as if she were looking at Brain, so that she could see outside. And she could see the reason why the workers were nervous. The man who had been staring now had a gun sitting on the table, as he slowly ate his tacos. His buddy had left and he was sitting there alone now, but she couldn't tell what he was staring at. She leaned forward, her right hand reaching down to check the small pistol she kept holstered in her boots anywhere off campus and she felt reassured by that.
Grace Gibson & Scene post
The smile that had faltered came back in full glory and lit up her eyes in pleased sparkles. Without fully thinking of it, she reached forward over the table and placed a hand on Levin's, giving it a soft squeeze and letting it go as she beamed at him.
Oh, the compliment he gave her, particularly on her shoes had scored him points and Grace felt happy. She was grinning from ear to ear and her voice seemed to get just a pitch higer at her bubbly response.
"That... is... so... sweet!" She claimed rather loudly, fighting the urge to lift him up and spin him around. She then turned to Sasha, not a hint of a smirk on her face but just genuine happiness. "Did you hear that? He likes my shoes! This is the kind of positivity I need in my life." She said. To anyone that didn't know her well, it might've seemed like she was exaggerating in her response but this was Grace and Grace was this, hyper enthousiasm included.
"I'm feeling great, what about yourselves?" She asked the boys, her eyes meanwhile briefly scanning the menu. Within seconds she had made her pick. "I want nachos with cheese and salsa.... Oh and tequila of course." She decided, closing the menu and placing it on the table.
Sasha's tease didn't even get a frown out of her like it usually would, instead getting her to gesture towards herself with a playful gasp. "I don't wake up looking this good, you know?" She claimed, her gesturing then moving on to Sasha "And I certainly can't pull off the messy, cute and deadly look that you rock." She added.
Grace herself hadn't noticed the men outside yet and instead her gaze had drifted to the tv in the corner, even though it only showed muted reality tv. She watched briefly as two people were making out in the pool before the scene vanished, as if cutting to commercial.
Instead of a commercial, the screen showed a hooded man with a black bandana and sunglasses sitting behind a desk. None of his facial features were visible and he looked quite eerie. Underneath him, a red bar with white letters reading "EMERGENCY BROADCAST" flashed on the screen.
Grace held up a hand to try and get the group to stop talking as she tugged Sasha's sleeve gently, trying to get her attention and giving a head nod towards the tv. On screen, the man started talking and soon the sound of the tv filled the air, one of the waitresses having noticed the ongoing scene on screen and decided to turn the volume up so people could hear.
".... but they are hiding bodies. Hundreds piling up, their flesh rotting. They don't want you to know this, I tried to warn them but they refused to pass on the information so it is time I do it myself." The man spoke, his voice rather croaky and clearly deformed with some device so he wouldn't be recognized.
"People are sick, they do not act like themselves anymore. They're agressive... Our governments solution was to get rid of them, shoot them on the spot. Those that swore to protect us are failing us, they're lying to us. To me, to you.... I am done with their lies."
The screen flashes again and this time, a scene is shown where a man suddenly turns around after getting his shoulder tapped by a police officer. The man attacks and for a second the screen goes black, making it clear that whoever was filming dropped their camera. After that, two screams and a loud gun shot, followed by silence.
The screen flashed once more and a group of people is shown, moving along the side of a road slowly before more gunshots are heard, the people dropping down one by one.
Another black screen before the man re-appears, this time he only says two sentences.
"The void won't be silenced. I am here to tell people the truth."
The very next second the screen flashed for the last time, showing the same couple kissing in the pool as if none of it had happened.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian focused as hard as he could on not screwing up, so hard that he didn't notice the man with the gun, or even the TV at first. Once he realized what was happening on the TV, his heart sank with fear and dread. His first thought was of his brothers and the farm, and the dread turned to ice cold fear as he saw the people being dropped in the street. He pulled out his phone, and pushed back from the table without a word. He called his Dad just as the video ended, and he looked around at the shocked faces of the other people in the restaurant. The phone went to voicemail after ringing for what seemed like an eternity. He hung up, and looked over at Levin and the others to see how they were doing
Levin Indrel
Levin's face felt perpetually warm, his heart thudded even more so when Grace took his hand squeezed it. He couldn't help but focus on how soft it felt and his wide eyes slowly looked down at her hand on his. Keep it together, Levin you hopeless romantic. he thought as he shyly grinned up at Grace.
It didnt take him too long to catch Sasha staring off in an odd manner. But he was so short, even more so in sitting position, that he couldn't make out what she was staring at. His eyes moved with her movement, noting her reaching down as if she was grabbing something. His instincts kicked in, and he immediately began to panic a bit. Judging from her behavior, there was something up.
Suddenly, the TV station shifted and Grace's finger went up into the air. Levin turned to watch the Tv... and what he beheld only caused a surge of wretched fear to pulse through him. He covered his eyes when the sight of people being dropped like wild animals to the slaughter were shown, a small whimper escaped his lips. No.. this can't be happening this is a bad dream.. his mind raced as he rocked back and forth in his chair. When the Tv went back to normal, Levin slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at the tv. "What.. what was that?" He whispered in a shaking voice. "What the hell was that?"
Sasha Kingsley & Scene post
Sasha only shook her head, laughing at what Grace said, knowing she didn't look all that good. But she was comfortable, which mattered. The tug on her arm had looking over towards Grace, and then to the TV, her eyes widening slightly but that was her only outward reaction, even as Brian got up to call, and Levin started asking questions. She shook her head, just watching and waiting until it was done. Even still, Brian came back and looked back over at them, questions clearly written across his face. Sasha gestured for him to come back to the table, her body as tense as it's ever been since she left the service. Her eyes flickering everywhere, watching everything. That's when she noticed the man from outside was gone, his table empty. Shit, she thought, and quickly stood up searching for him. However, she couldn't see over the people running around freaking out. Some were leaving, most seemed to be falling apart, crying even. Panic was thick in the air around them, even as Sasha moved to sit back down, and the crying from a breakup scene on the TV joining the rabble of massive noise already inside the building. Even the cook had come out, hollering and wanting to know what had happened, but after they told him he took off. Panicked people are dangerous, she thought to herself, we should leave.
She leaned forward towards the others, her elbows braced on the table as she listened to the questions flying between them all and the fear that had set it. "We don't know what's going on, calm down. That could all be some other weird ass shit that's been staged using gangban...." Harsh police sirens started echoing in the air, more people screaming, and the sound of shouting could be heard outside. Quickly, Sasha urged everyone up and outside. She wasn't willing to leave any of them inside without her. Once out there, she stopped and stared at what was happening. Tanks, Humvees, helicopters, and some massive fire power were walking the streets, someone on a bullhorn was telling everyone to clear the streets. Marshall law was now in effect and everyone was required to remain in doors. Sasha was shaken and she shook her head, not believing what she was seeing. "What the fuck is going on," she said.
A small group of men came up to them, armed to the teeth and ordered them back inside, no questions asked. Telling them they would be debriefed and questioned later. At the moment, unwilling to provoke a bad response, she ushered them all back inside quickly. She quickly shut and locked the front door, sending one of the waiters to do the same to the back door. Crouching down, she removed the small gun from it's holster. The 22 style pistol wouldn't do much against the armed men, but it was better than nothing. After she checked and made sure it was properly working, she moved the holster to her hip and looked over at the others with her, the intense green of her eyes damn near glowing with the surge of chemical response in her. After all, she was trained. Shaking her head a bit, she said softly "We have GOT to get out of here. Within an hour, they will have everything locked down and we won't be able to even leave town anymore. Once back at campuse, we will be stuck. So we gotta get to campus now and lay in some supplies ... I don't know what is going on," she said, " but I do know that staying here is bad. Those men gave me a seriously bad vibe.." her voice trailed off as she stepped over to watch out of the window, making a count of the men and machines that came with them.
With each passing group, she got more tense, until the last when she started cussing out loud. "We can't stay here. See that last group, there?" She said, pointing. "Those aren't just soldiers. They are what Marines called shock killers. They are sent in to stop or prevent an uprising, because they will kill everyone in an entire town to make sure of it..." She shook her head. "We have GOT to leave! NOW!"
Grace Gibson
The first and only emotions Grace felt at the beginning of the emergency broadcast were disbelief and confusion. Her brows furrowed while she stared at the screen and she quickly shook her head, wanting to turn to Sasha and brush it off as more crazies. What the man was saying didn't seem to be any more real than what they'd overheard at the party the other day and she wasn't too concerned about it, at least not until the very first video was shown.
That video gave her goosebumps all over her skin and she shivered while she looked at the tv in shock, her disbelief and confusion growing into concern and worry. Eyes scanned the footage rapidly, trying to make out the location of the events to the best of her ability. Not her brother's city, it seemed as she couldn't recognize any of it and a small but relieved sigh escaped her lips. Good, he was safe. The second footage wasn't familiar either but the sound of the gunshots disgusted her and made her stomach turn.
She looked up at Sasha to try and gauge her response to this, knowing the woman was used to much more than Grace had ever seen. Her friend seemed uncomfortable as well and by letting her gaze flick to the two men they were with, she soon realized neither of them was calm under this. It made sense, the thought of people acting differently and getting shot for it was disturbing but Grace had found a light at the end of the tunnel... At least she thought she had.
She didn't ask any questions and waited for Sasha to be able to calm the men down. Nothing good came from panic, she knew that much and if her mother hadn't panicked in the past then she'd have more family left. Instead, she focused on her breathing and tried to control it, ensuring that her heartbeat didn't spike. She cleared her throat and was just about to speak up when Sasha urged for them all to go outside. It was easy enough to get Grace to move along at the same pace, the girl being willing to do anything to get away from the crows and into the fresh, outside air.
Once the door was open and it was her turn to step outside, she looked back to see if the men were following closely behind while she ran forward, her body knowing the direction as if it were on autopilot. The last thing she expected though was for shouts to be heard from the streets of men telling them to stay inside and by the time she realized what was going on in the street, she was already quite a few feet away from her friends and nearly ran into one of the armed soldiers. Turning to him, she swallowed visibly and stepped backwards, holding her hands up in defeat.
"I-.... I'm sorry." She said, panicked eyes searching for her friends and finding them behind her which caused for her to stop towards them as fast as possible. As they were requested to go inside, she followed and leaned against the wall once the door was locked behind them. It was only then that panic started to rise in her and she looked at the others, her lower lip shaking in fear.
Hearing Sasha's plan, she turned to her and looked at her in wide eyed shock. Disobeying armed people? The very idea sounded utterly insane to Grace and she shook her head quickly.
"Maybe... maybe if we tell them that we live on the campus they'll let us go back? Go home..." It was all she wanted in that moment but Sasha's last comment about the group of soldiers caused for tears to form in her eyes. "s-shock killers?" She questioned, tears rolling down her cheeks more rapidly with every passing minute. "I don't want to die..." She added, knowing she'd have little choice but to follow Sasha and get the hell out of town if she wanted any chance of survival. At last... she nodded.
"We can head south, to my brother. It's safe there, it's not his city... All should be fine." She muttered, although she had uncertainty ring through her voice. Was it safe there? Maybe there were more locations than those shown in the fragments that were affected. Who was to say that it wasn't bigger than that? Much bigger and widespread. She put a stop to her thoughts before they took over and quickly stepped away from the wall, straightening her back.
"Whatever it takes... we do whatever it takes." She agreed and as Sasha said they had to leave NOW, she started to look around to find a way to go. Maybe they could slip away through the back door? Tears continued to fall and soon her eyes were red from the crying but it didn't matter, at least she had a focus now and she'd follow that, even if it was the last thing she did.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian felt fear stab through his heart as he was ushered by Sasha into a street now filled with soldiers. When they approached he tensed up, and waited for what he thought would be inevitable conflict. When they told everyone to go inside, he complied, seeing as they were armed and he was not. His fear started to turn into determination, as he thought about both his newfound... friends? And his family back on the farm. He was glad to see Sasha had a gun, although a .22 would be just about useless against those soldiers. He agreed that they had to go, but they would not need to be quick. He grabbed a table and broke off one of the legs, which the staff objected to at first, but they backed off once they saw the determination in his eyes.
At the mention of shock killers, Brian froze for a second. He had heard of them once from his Uncle, but all he knew was that they were bad news. He saw Grace starting to cry, but there was nothing he could do, but protect these people. Brian heard Grace mention heading South, and he agreed. His family was down South too, and they had enough guns, ammunition, and food to last a long time. He began to think of how they could get out, focusing on problem solving to keep the fear from drowning him. Now was the time for confident Brian, football team Brian, not Candy Brian. He looked to Sasha, seeing as she seemed best suited to the task of planning an escape.
Levin Indrel
It was all overwhelming, the panic stricken people, the sudden blare of sirens and activity outside. All Levin wanted to do was hide underneath the table and hope this was all some bad dream he could wake up from. But before he could hop out of his chair, Sasha began urging everyone to go outside. Are you kidding me?! he thought, reluctantly following her, Grace and Brian out towards the entrance.
Upon exiting the texmex place, Levin stopped in his tracks, wide eyes as he witnessed a whole armed militia parading through town and people scattering about like cockroaches in the light. His green eyes flickered towards the man demanding people to go back inside, and a part of him wanted to shout "Screw you, I'm going home!" but he kept it inside of him. A group of men, armed, began forcing them back inside. "What? Questioned?! For what?" he asked one of the armed men, but they didn't answer. Just shoved him into the building. He fell inside, but quickly got back up.
Now he was pacing back and forth as Sasha began speaking of a game plan. He then paused at the mention of shock killers, and his brows creased tightly, "Oh great we're all dead. What makes you think we can escape this? They are practically patrolling th-" his eyes went to Grace, and he noticed she was on the verge of tears. He pursed in his thin lips, looking away. He didn't want her to cry.. He let out a sigh then settled beside her, looking up at Brian who was... tearing a leg off of a chair. Dang he was strong.
"Just lead the way, Sasha. And... if I slow you down, just go. I am small and.. my legs won't get me anywhere as fast as you guys. So don't let me slow you down, okay?" he said, looking at everyone with equal determination in his eyes. He may have been a wimp around people, but when things get serious he knew what it took.
He went over to the door and opened it slightly, taking notes on where soldiers were guarding, patrolling and scouting. He witnessed someone get shot after refusing to go inside, and his eyes shut tight. Shit.. shit.. he thought, over and over again.
"Southeast, three men are scouting rooftops. Eight feet to their right, men on the ground. Six, I believe. North and south are piled so west and northwest is our only chance of escaping without being seen. They had just cleared that area and are moving on." he informed, looking up at the group. "Now it's up to you, Sasha." he said, chewing his inner cheek then.
Scene post
The CO of the largest company of men stood off to one side, watching as his men forced order back into the town. It only took a few minutes for the armed men to setup a command post, and detail out areas to check. Which includes the campus, but they hadn't got that far yet. After all, what was a few college kids going to do against armed, trained men. For the moment, they were working to empty out and take over the town's police station as the actual command center for this sector. The sound of fun fire was slowly easing off, as the more bodies that hit the ground, the more the other people tended to listen when ordered to do something. Cane cares very little about dead civilians, and that's why he was sent here for this. It may not be a large town, but it was a direct path with a major highway intersection. Which leads into several other large cities. The medics reported no injuries on their part, but more than a few broken bones and cuts on others. The men weren't nice to those who lived here, even if they weren't ordered to be that way. Being known for being harsh and hardcore is what bought Cane the orders to fallout with his men, and the kill squad.
Which pleased him to no end. The green tents where up and the wiring going on to make contact with his commander would be happening once the campus is under guard.
It would take several more hours before they moved from the town proper, in order to head towards the campus. Even still, a single tank was already moved into place for the trip, as well as several Humvees. And two regiments of men were ordered for the duty, as no one figured more than 25 would be needed. Including the drivers, there would be a total of 27 men heading towards the campus, armed to the teeth and not truly taking any prisoners. A couple of medics followed, just in case, of course, per protocol. Although they weren't actually allowed to attend to the civilians they got hurt. Only the bare amount of help would be offered them.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha shook her head, the reality of it quickly shoving her into action. She could smell the blood of those shot, even as she couldn't take her eyes from the window. The men had moved past here in a few minutes, making it easier for her to know what to do. She nodded in approval at what Brian had done, "we can't avoid the sharpshooters. At best, we can hide from them. But we need to get into my truck and get back to campus. We can't stay here... They will kill us because we seen to much." She paced then, waiting because she knew there wasn't enough men to leave them this far out from where the command center was. Sooner or later they would be moved down and away. She stroked Grace's hair, an attempt to comfort her, even though there was nothing else she could do. "We can't leave here yet... We need to find out what the fucks going on out side our town. We could end up in deeper shit than here if we left without knowing more." She said, her thoughts flying fast as she waited
Within the next five minutes,the men had moved on, as she had thought they would. And the noise of screaming, gunfire and the engine on the tanks would cover the noise of her truck, which wasn't loud thankfully. She gestured for the others to remain put while she unlocked the door and slowly opened it, her gun held at the ready. Once it was open about six inches, she slipped outside and began checking around the corners of the building, and between cars, making sure they were alone now. Going back inside, her weapon lowered now she said softly "there's no one out there right now, but they will be back. We can all fit into my truck and make it back to campus. Once there, it shouldn't be difficult to get some supplies from the other buildings... Idk what else we gonna do yet. But let's get to the dorms, ya, and see what happens from there." With this said, she opened the door back up and moved out to her blackish, four-door get up and go, as she called it. Opening the truck door softly, she climbed in and started it. The motor purred to life, quiet as you please as she waited for the others to get their asses in the truck. She gestured urgently, even as she kept an eye out down the road where the soldiers had gone.
Grace Gibson
It was a relief to know that at least Brian agreed with her when she suggested going south and for a moment, Grace was hopeful. That same hope came crashing down when Sasha spoke, and she realized that perhaps she was being a bit naive. There was no way of knowing where the soldiers would head and chances were that there'd be multiple groups. With no knowledge of what life was like outside of their little town, it would be reckless to head just anywhere else.
Nodding, she started to fight her tears and attempted to stop crying. It was hard, so hard as she feared having to let go of her friends and her brother in this madness. She wouldn't be able to handle having him or Sasha taken away from her and even Levin and Brian were growing on her. She cared about keeping them safe too.
Looking up at Brian and the table leg, she frowned a bit. Maybe she had to prepare and get some kind of weapon too, then again she had none... She paused as she remembered and widened her eyes before opening her purse and digging through it. Soon enough she had two cans of deodorant and a can of pepperspray in her hands. The deodorant, she handed to Levin as she kept the pepperspray to herself. "It doesn't burn quite as hard as pepperspray but it is capable of catching someone off guard" she said to him, her free hand digging through her purse once more.
At the very bottom of it, her fingertips finally found the thing she'd been looking for most and she pulled out a pocket knife. A present from her brother that he'd gotten her when she enrolled in college. To help her stay safe he'd said, but Grace had never needed it until now.
"We're not leaving you behind, Levin." She said, a hint of surprise and hurt in her voice. Who did he think she was, giving up on people like that? Grace was unable to do it and if needed, she'd simply drag him with!
When Sasha said the plan was to get to the truck and back to campus, Grace nodded in agreement. It was the wisest thing to do in their situation. "I'll make some calls when we get there, see what we're dealing with outside our town" She said, knowing that if they wanted to get out of there, they couldn't waste time on calls just yet.
Sasha went outside to check and Grace stayed put as requested, only moving when her friend came back to inform her that the area was clear and they could leave now. Without further questions, she followed her out of the door and towards the truck, getting into it as fast as she could while looking at the men and hoping they'd both come along.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian realized Sasha's plan would probably be best considering the lack of outside information. He was starting to realize it would be a while before he talked to his father and brothers, and decided to protect the people he could to the best of his ability with what strength he had. His gaze turned to Levin, standing there with a can of deodorant. He thought about the knife in his car, and decided he would give him that. It would be somewhat like a Dagger for him, but he should be able to manage. He waited with the others as Sasha went to check the area, and went outside once she said the area was clear. He quickly grabbed his toolkit, and handed Levin the knife. He got into the truck as fast as he could, and and watched the streets.
Levin Indrel
The plans were laid out, and Levin gladly followed protocol. He had very little knowledge about survival save for book written instructions which, due to all of the excitement he forgot. At Grace's words to him, he was a little taken back by her reaction. She was sweet but... he knew he was totally irrelevant in her life. He was just another person, nobody special. He only known her for a few hours and he felt that although she was caring, she was naive as well. Perhaps he thought too much like a loner, but he was trying to be realistic. Perhaps even separate himself from them mentally. God... if he bonded with them, he didn't know how he could bear the loss.
Grace then gave him hairspray which again, caught him off guard as he was lost in thought. "Oh.." he began, then gave a subtle smile, "Thanks, Grace. It's better than nothing." he nodded to her, then looked to Sasha who gave the command.
So they would make their way to her truck? Sounds full proof in her tone. He was beginning to wish he carried mace. Not the pepperspray, but the medieval weapon. He cleared his throat, and once Sasha exited to scout the perimeter, he took a little moment to himself to recall some of the good times he had in life. He had very little hope in surviving this. One thing he was glad for sure though was his family didn't have to deal with this...
When Sasha returned, he gripped the hairspray tight and followed the group out of the building. Brian stopped to grab something from a vehicle he only assumed belonged to him, and the next thing he knew he was given a knife the size of half his arm. "Dude, are you sure?" he whisper asked, following closely and looking up at the truck. He sighed then threw the knife onto the back seat and climbed his way in with a bit of a struggle. Once inside, he parked himself on the seat, then scooped the knife and hairspray closer to him.
His eyes then scanned the area from the window he sat closest to, and he quietly observed as he waited for Sasha to heel it.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha didn't say anything as the others jumped up into the truck, her entire focus was on making sure they weren't being watched. Just like overseas she thought. Trying to keep the truck as quiet as possible, she put it in reverse and left the parking lot. Hitting the outter edge of campus, where the deep green lawn spreads out and it's still calm here. Speeding, Sasha brought them to the dorms as quickly as she could without turning over the truck. Jumping out, leaving the truck running, she checked quickly to make sure there were no armed men here. She holstered her gun and leaned into the truck to turn it off. "come on, let's go. Grace and I have one of the bigger dorm rooms. We need to grab food, water, medical supplies, a couple of cots unless y'all wanna share the beds. Extra blankets, anything you can think of we might need. I'm gonna find the radio shit over at the tech rooms, and bring it over. I know we ain't got much time, so let's get it done quick and quiet. You see Talia and the others just tell them to hide " with this said, Sasha ran off, her long legs carrying her quickly towards the main school building and her bright red hair disappeared on the other side of the doors. Once inside, she noticed it was silent.. no students that she could hear. "Shit.." she said softly, as she slowly made her way up the stairs, keeping her back to the wall.
Her bright green eyes kept moving, scanning the hallways and doors not wanting to be caught off guard in case something was wrong here. She was going slowly, so she noticed the footsteps echoing down the hall and then the echo of someone calling out "Hello? I need help! My friend is bleeding and I can't stop it! Please, anyone!!" A young man's voice, full of terror and a fear far greater than he understood sat back down, cradling the other young man, sobbing lightly. He was telling him that he was sorry, he didn't know how to help.. Sasha didn't know if she could help or not, but she knew she had to try. "Hey, it's ok, let me see if I can help." She said, stepping into view of the men. Going into one of the classes, she brings out one of the first aid kits and drops down beside them. At first glance, the wound looks pretty bad, but after using water to clear away the blood, Sasha could see that it wasn't as bad as she thought. Field first aid is something she knew, even if she didn't think she would be doing it anymore. A few minutes later, she sent the two back to hide in their own dorm, and warned them not to answer their door to anyone. Trying to wipe the blood off her hands onto her jeans, she stood up and went into the room with the items she needed. Loading up a few backpacks, and carrying some extra power supplies, she had what she needed and headed back to the dorm.
Grace Gibson
As they reached the campus and Sasha headed over to the school's main building, Grace struggled to do what she needed to do. She knew they had to head inside the dorms and grab supplies, however all she wanted to do was run after Sasha and follow her. It felt like her heart was squeezed roughly and she was left feeling breathless when she saw her friend disappear into the building and even though it took her a minute longer than she had hoped, she pulled herself away from the situation and headed to the dorms, gesturing for the men to follow her.
At the door, she took her badge out of her purse and pressed it against a black box that was attached to the side of it. A satisfying beep filled the air for a second and the door swung open, allowing for them to enter the building. Inside, everything seemed to be quiet. It was a little bit surprising but then again, it was only monday and a lot of students that didn't actually live at the dorms would only arrive by nightfall. Once they were inside, she made sure to close the door behind her. Grace had always liked how it locked every time it was closed, only offering access to students that held a dorm badge. It made her feel safe and while she had already been grateful for it plenty of times, that day her gratitude was much bigger.
The first place she walked to was the storage room and she opened it's door, revealing all sorts of supplies. Soon, she was taking canned pasta and fruit as well as bottles of water, toilet paper, soap and other things. Everything and anything that seemed handy to her, she took even though she tried to be mindful of not taking too much. Filling up bags quickly, she handed some empty ones to the men and turned to them.
"Take anything you see that might come in handy..." she said to them, more a request than a demand. One of her own bags, she filled with flashlights and batteries as well as first aid kits and spare clothes. There weren't a lot of clothes, just a few simple shirts with the logo of the college but it couldn't hurt as even though Sasha and Grace had enough of clothes, the two men would need something to change into at some point.
Filling up two more bags with food and supplies, she took those bags and opened the lid to the basement underneath the storage room. The basement had no light and was more of a dark trap filled with spider webs, but she placed the bags on the stairs nonetheless before closing the lid again. Pre-caution it was, mainly because she didn't trust the soldiers outside. What if they took the supplies and left them to starve? It wasn't a risk she was willing to take at all.
She waited until the men had filled their bags and then headed towards the stairs, carrying as many as she could herself so that they had as much as possible.
"Come, I'm taking you two to our appartment. We'll be safe there." She said. At least I think we will her thoughts argued and for a brief moment, her shoulders slumped and tears formed in her eyes. She shook the emotions off quickly and climbed the stairs, not pausing again until they'd reached the door of the appartment she shared with Sasha, where she stopped to dig the keys out of her pocket.
Upon opening the door, a big appartment was seen. There was the entrance and behind that there was a sitting area and living room, which held 3 comfortable couches as well as a coffee table and a television. Deeper inside there was also a small space that looked like a kitchen, even if there were only a few plates and bowls as well as forks, knives, spoons and a microwave. It wasn't luxurious by any means, especially considering that the real kitchen of the dorms was shared.
Grace set the bags down on the dining table and walked up to a small closet in the living room to pull out two blankets and pillows. She had sleeping bags too which had been stashed away there after a camping trip and even a tent, but perhaps the couch would be more comfortable for the men.
Placing the blankets and pillows on the coffee table, she then walked to the bathroom, opening it's door and revealing the inside of it.
"Well, it isn't much but it should be enough. There's some food and drinks in the fridge as well and if wanted, you can freshen up." She said, glancing at them a little awkwardly. It was a weird situation they'd gotten trapped in, luckily the two of them weren't the worst company.
Grace herself slipped past them and into the bedroom, closing the door behind her before opening her closet and browsing through it. She took her clothes off as well as her shoes and changed into sweatpants and an oversized shirt, returning a few minutes later on her socks with her hair tied up in a messy ponytail.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian tried to clear his mind as he rode in the truck, in an attempt to reduce some of the fear building inside of him. He felt a little less scared as Sasha's truck rolled down the road, but his bravery had fallen away as well. He tried to think of anything he might need from his dorm, but he had his tools and his knife, along with his phone, so there wasn't much else he could think of that he needed, although if he was staying for any amount of time, it would probably be smart to grab some clothes. Although, for today, he could wait.
He felt apprehension as he followed Grace to the entrance to the dorms, but as she swiped the keycard, he couldn't help but feel relieved. They had reached the college, in one piece, and while things were bad outside, they could have been worse. He followed her to the storage room, and grabbed some soap bars while he was there. He grabbed as many bags as he possibly could, which was quite a huge load, and followed Grace to her Dorm.
Brian blushed slightly as he followed her into the dorm, but it wasn't all that different from his. He worried about Sasha, but she was a big girl, she could take care of herself. He carefully set down the bags, and looked around a little. It really was like his dorm, albeit less segmented (his roommate was a bit of a slob, so they basically split the dorm in half). He wondered how his roommate was, likely fine. At least he hoped.
He was glad Grace was so nice, this situation must have been really weird for her. He smiled, a little less nervously than before, and thanked her for her hospitality. He grabbed a glass of water, and began to list and organize the supplies on the table, and he began to calculate how long the supplies would last. They should last at least a few days, by which time he was sure things would settle back to normal....
Levin Indrel
Levin was lost in thought, mind racing, bombarding himself with question after question. Shit.. what.. what's going on? Why is this happening? Did some... other weird virus escaped a bio lab or something? My cat's going to kill me if I don't feed her. He scratched his sole patch, feeling his nerves itch with irritation.
Before he knew it, the truck had stopped and they were back at the college campus area. Sasha's frantic speeding caused Levin to hold onto the head rest of the passenger seat. As Sasha informed him and the others about gathering supplies, he couldn't help but wish he had his tote bag. He had prescription medication for his own physical pain due to his disability, and if only he could get home some how. His apartment complex was a goof 10 miles near the outskirts of town.. He sighed, then watched as Sasha left and began to follow Grace and Brian after Grace had gestured them to follow.
He clutched the knife Brian had given him tight, then followed Grace inside of the dorms once she accessed it. In the storage room, Levin didn't waste any time. He graciously took the bag Grace had given him and began stocking up on some supplies. His eyes went over to a work table where the maintenance crew would keep several tools. He noticed a batter opperated hedge cutter, then grabbed it and kept that for their inventory as a spare weapon. He also took heavy pipe wrenches as well. "Hey Brian, take that huge wrench there. Could be used as a blunt weapon." he suggested, Before he knew it, they were packed with essentials that he calculated that would last them at least a week.
He drug his bags behind him, struggling a bit as he did but he powered onward the best he could. Once at Grace and Sasha's apartment, Levin felt some relief. He hoped this ordeal would be over as soon as it started. But that TV message.. he shuddered at the thought of it. He had three bags plus the hedge cutters, and he drug all three into the apartment and sat the near the dining room table on the floor since.. he wasn't strong enough to throw them up onto the table.
"Thank you, Grace. For.. letting us stay here." he said, pale green/silver eyes scanning the room as he spoke. Brian went to get a glass of water, and he went to go to the bathroom and splash some water onto his face. He closed the door, then lightly pressed his lips into a thin line when he realized he could't really reach the sink all that well. He sighed, then went to the tub. He turned it on, splashed water onto his face and took a few deep breaths. "Shit.." he whispered, turning the water off then pressing his back against the wall. "Shit.. shit.." he dug into his pocket, pulled out a bottle of anti-depressants and popped a couple of them into his mouth. He gave himself a few minutes, then stepped outside.
He decided he would get the couches since it was getting late. He spread the extra blankets out and draped them onto the couches, then he threw the pillows on their. He kicked his shoes off and respectably placed them into the corner before sitting on the couch he chose to sleep on. He hung his head, leaning forward and letting his loose bangs cover his face. He felt sick with worry. About what was happening, about Sasha, about dying..
Scene post
The CO sent ahead a small group of scouts, sent them to the campus in order to make sure the way is clear and the students were in fact doing as told. The group consisted of 8 and as all scouts are known for, silently accessing any area. They haven't entered the buildings yet, and only moved across the lawns, their weapons at the ready as they crossed towards the admin building. By this time, most people there were freaking out, and the scouts did the best they could in an effort to calm everyone down, pushing them back towards their offices or the staff gallery, telling them to wait to there for the others to arrive which would be in the next few hours. After this, they did nothing more than site each building, so that their group would know where each one was specifically. And slowly withdrew from the campus, meeting the rest of the soldiers about a mile away from the campus grounds.
-
Sasha, in her few minutes, managed to grab a large variety of medical supplies, including the prescriptions that had been left there as well. She filled two large bags with these supplies, which includes guaze, peroxide, triple-antibotic cream, simple Band-Aids, medical tape, suture kits, and more. She was also able to obtain several IV packs, and the power supplies that went with them.Grace and the others have headed to the dorms, and managed to gather up several weeks worth of food, if not more so with the hidden supplies. There was also much needed daily supplies, soaps and other things that ended up in the bags. Even the surplus of towels, blankets and pillows made their way into the bags. Even some weapons had been gathered, although not in the best of condition.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha had slipped back out of the doors and started moving across the lawns when she seen the scouts. Cussing softly, she hitailed it back to the doors and stepped inside, so she couldnt be seen. Thankfully, she can see the scouts from her vantage point and as soon as they moved into the admin building, she took off towards the dorm. Once she was moving, she wasn't able to keep an eye behind her but was glad the sun was going down quickly now.
She had to juggle the bags a bit to get her card out, but she was able to swipe it finally and got inside, shoving her card back into one of the bags.
However, she didn't go straight to the room first. She swung off to the kitchen area. Back in the store room was a safe, and that's where she went. Dropping the bags, she entered the code and swung open the safe. Inside lay two 9m Glocks. Twelve extra clips, plus the ones already in the weapons. They wouldn't hold up to these guys, but they are better than nothing, she thought. Each had a holster, but she wouldn't be able to carry it all this way. Using a rope that she found in the room, she tied the two holsters together and looped them over one shoulder, before heading up to the room now loaded down. "Grace, open up, it's me. We gotta get more food. Lemme in." She said softly, not knowing if there was any other in the other dorms or not, as she hadn't checked yet.
Grace Gibson
After leaving the bedroom, she'd been pacing back and forth throughout the appartment. She was nervous and anxious, feeling unsafe and uncomfortable even though she was home now and aside from her, Levin and Brian there was nobody around.
"She should've been back by now." She hissed through her teeth, walking up to the window and looking out through it. A loud gasp left her lips when her eyes widened at the sight of the soldiers downstairs and she closed the curtain quickly, feeling grateful for the night that had only just started falling which was the only reason why the shining light hadn't alerted them of their presence. Knowing that the curtains alone wouldn't be enough to keep them from seeing activity in their appartment, she then walked to a smaller decorative lamp near the sofa and flicked it on, turning off the main lights in the appartment and letting out a sigh of relief.
"They shouldn't be able to see that light." she said to the two men before making her way over to the table, where most of their haul had been laid out. Looking it over, she figured they'd have enough of things to last them a week, if not longer. Still, her heart pounded in her chest and she hoped that the hidden stash wouldn't get discovered. As long as it was just them, it could be enough but there was nothing to indicate that their group wouldn't grow.
Walking back to the window, she looked through the curtains again and her shoulders slumped in defeat when she no longer saw any soldiers. It meant that they were safe for now and she should've felt victorious but her heart crushed under the worry she felt about Sasha.
"You two stay here. I'm going to get her," she said, determined to go look for her. She headed towards the door and casted the men a final look while putting on her sneakers, nearly having them slipped on when she finally heard Sasha's voice on the other side of he door.
As if a jolt of electricity shot through her body, she wasted no time and swung open the door before throwing herself at Sasha. Her arms wrapped themselves around her friend's waist and she held on, barely noticing the bags she was holding.
"I'm so glad you are okay," She said, her voice cracking while tears covered her cheeks. "I was worried sick!" She added as she continued to hold on, showing little sign of planning to let go.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian started to worry more and more about Sasha, as he sat in the Livingroom. He also began to think of what they could do to fortify the apartment once Sasha was back, but the idea of trapping themselves in the apartment didn't sound great to him. He tried not to stare at Grace as she paced back and forth, and instead focused on his hands. She was right, Sasha should have already been back, anything could have happened. He hadn't thought about the lights at all, another sign that he would need the help of everyone here if he was going to survive this... Attack? Raid? That brought his thoughts to Sasha once again. When Grace said she was going to get Sasha, Brian knew that he would either have to go with her, or stop her from going. If Sasha had been hurt, with all of her combat experience, he and Grace probably wouldn't do much better, but they couldn't just sit here and do nothing. It wasn't that he thought Grace was weak, but he was more worried that they were fighting an invincible foe. What good would a makeshift club or pepper-spray do against a fully armed soldier? He started to get up, just as Sasha spoke on the other side of the door. He moved to open it, but Grace was much quicker. He stood there awkwardly, and tried to express how worried he was, but all that came out was an almost silent "h-hey", as Grace and Sasha hugged. He mentally facepalmed himself at his own stupidity
Levin Indrel
Bottled water was nearing empty, the clock continued to tick. Levin hated continuously bombarding himself with questions, so he took to focusing on the ticking of the clock on the wall. He subtly rocked back and forth, mind staying on that clock until Grace spoke. His attention went to her, eyes fixated on her as she went over to the table. Although he paid little mind, he did catch Sasha's name earlier. His mind wandered towards her once more, whether she was okay or not.
Brian began to stir as Grace told the men to stay put. "W-whu?" he couldn't believe she told them to stay put. As if he would let her go out by herself and possibly get hurt. Apparently, Brian felt the same way as he got up to possibly go with. Levin hopped off of the couch and went to grab the knife Brian gave him just as Grace was opening the door. When she did, to Levin's relief Sasha was on the other side speaking.
He sighed, running his fingers through his sweat damped hair before going over towards the women and settling beside Brian. "Shees, Sasha you worried us." he exclaimed, pressing his lips in a thin line after that. He was glad she was okay, glad everyone was so far. He looked over towards their stash, then back at Sasha. "More food? We got enough to last a week. Are you.. implying this situation will last longer?" he asked, feeling his heart sink by the second. "Shit.." he breathed, going back ovr to the couch and settling back onto it. "Shit, shit, shit.." he kept repeating as he hung his head.
If this continues.. what in the hell will we do? How would we survive this? again, he questioned. Eyes going over to the people he would be spending a lot of time with he felt..
END OF SCENE
Two and a half hours later
Brian Sweetwater
Brian had been apprehensive of the upcoming dinner, seeing as it was both unexpected and new to him. He had taken a shower, and put on his favorite clothes: A faded red and orange Hawaiian shirt, with a well-worn black leather jacket, His least worn jeans, and his scuffed black hiking boots. He fixed his hair and wiped the mud off of his boots. This would be the first time he had gone out to dinner in earnest with anyone but his family. He left his dorm and headed out to the garages, where his truck was parked. He sweated and worried during the entire ride, and ended up arriving early. He went in and got a table for four, and ordered a soda while he waited, unintentionally popping his knuckles as he fidgeted.
Levin Indrel
Dinner... when was the last time I ever went out for dinner? Staring into a semi fogged up mirror, Levin thought. God what am I doing? he shaved his semi rough looking stubble, only leaving a sole patch before combing his hair and then hopping off of his stool to get dressed.
In his small, insignificant looking apartment there was a stool in each room for him to stand on since he was only 4 foot 6 inches tall. Sometimes he hated being a dwarf, but other times, when he can hide in crazy small places, he liked it.
He dressed himself in casual jeans and a black shirt. Over that, a denim vest his mom got him before she died. He only wore it on very special ocassions and this... was pretty special. He left his apartment once his Uber driver showed up and they were on their way. The whole ride was nerve wracking, but he did his best to stay focused on being calm.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha had at first just planned on walking there, might as well save the gas right? But the shook her head.. well, no, she thought to herself. With Grace going, it just seemed cruel considering she's spent time on how she looks while Sasha just tended to well.. not. She had slipped a new shirt on, but otherwise seemed to be in the same clothes, including her scruffed up boots.
She sent a text to the guys, letting them know that they were coming and to go ahead and order a drink. Tonight was Sasha's treat. She tossed a sandle towards the other side, where Grace was getting ready. "Come on, damn girl, I think they both are already there!" She moaned, knowing she could make her go faster if she tried.
Grace Gibson
Grace was about to run late, as always. The bad thing about this was that Sasha sometimes ran late too because her roommate was sweet enough to wait on her. While Sasha was sending the boys a message to confirm that they were coming, Grace stood in front of the large mirror behind her bed to apply her make up. Her hair had been done and was now kept free around her face, the waves framing it. Aside from that she was wearing a little red dress. It was a rather classic pencil dress that ended right above her knees and while it was an off-shoulder piece it did have long sleeves that covered her arms up to her wrists.
A small silver moon with tiny gems decorated her upper chest due to the thin and fragile chain around her neck and her ears carried matching earrings. Not even her fingers were forgotten and her right ringfinger had a matching ring while her nails no longer displayed the bright green color from that morning. Instead, they were painted black with grey moons on them. Her lips were painted in a deep red to match her dress and she was just done applying eye shadow and moving onto eye liner when Sasha tossed the sandle to her side.
She shrieked and the eyeliner moved on her face, making an awful shaped line from her eyelid to the side of her face. A loud gasp followed the shriek when she saw that and she hurried to the bathroom for her make up remover, muttering angrily.
After about five minutes to correct it, she came out and put on some pointy, low heeled shoes while grabbing her purse from the chair and pulling it over her shoulder.
“Well? Are we going or what?” She asked Sasha, staring at her and almost daring her to comment on the shoes. If she did, Grace would playfully shove her before heading out of the door and towards the car.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian continued worrying as he sat in the restaurant and waited for everyone else. He worried about everything, from his clothes (Had he overdressed? Had he underdressed?) to his fidgeting (Was he annoying the other people in the restaurant?), which he unsuccessfully tried to stop. He wished in vain for the confidence he felt out on the field, and wondered what he could do to help with that. He was so busy worrying that he didn't notice his phone vibrate. He was sweating buckets once again, and occasionally dabbed at his forehead.
The restaurant wasn't particularly full, but it felt like a massive crowd to Brian. He wanted to ask the restaurant staff if they had seen Levin, Grace, or Sasha, but he was way too nervous. He faintly recalled seeing them once or twice in the halls, but that was about it. He had heard some of the other guys on the football team joking about someone being short, but he couldn't recall if they had mentioned Levin. He didn't hang out with them much because they were all so... Much, and not in a good way. He never understood how making fun of people was all that fun.
Levin Indrel
"El Illiusion" So this was the texmex place? Levin had never been there before and it looked quite nice. Just as the uber was pulling up, his phone dings with a notfication. He opens his phone and sees it was a text from Sasha. He let out a nervous breath, then replied with an thumbs up emoji.
He got out of the uber car, paid the driver then went into the restaurant. "Uhm.. excuse me." He called out to the greeting waiter. Either he spoke to softly or the waiter hadn't seen him. "Excuse me!" He called out a little louder.
"Oh! I didn't see you there! Are you belonging to a table of four?" The waiter asked.
"Yeah, I am. Levin Indrel." Levin replied, wiping his sweating palms on his jeans.
"Right this way."
The waiter took Levin to the reserved table, and he saw the mammoth sized Brian sitting alone and fidgeting. He cleared his throat then approached the table. "Hey." He greeted with a subtle smile before climbing onto one of the chairs beside him. "How are you?" He then asked once he settled down. He ordered an iced tea, then looked back towards Brian.
He studied the young man before him a bit, he seemed like he should be rough and tough but... the poor guy seemes more nervous than Levin was. Or, Levin was better at hiding it.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha just shook her head at Grace, laughing. "Come-on, the guys are gonna think we stood them up." She said, as she lefbthe way out to her truck. Grinning, she looked down at Grace's shoes, "want some help up?" She asked, the full Smartassery going on. However, they made it without no further hitches in the plan. And after heading inside, once again totally underdressed, the two women got seated with the men.
A moment of silence passed, and Sasha said.. "Welp, Grace has on her fancy shoes again. Let's hope there won't be no running this time around. Also, who likes spicey?" She had picked up a menu and was looking it over.
Grace Gibson
She was glad that while Sasha was her general level of smartass that night, it only took one teasing comment on her shoes when they reached Sasha's car.
"Hmmm," she contemplated, placing the tip of her manicured index finger against her red lips as she looked up at Sasha, batting her eyelashes. "Is that an offer to lift me up? Will you carry me over our doorstep later as well?" She remarked flirtatiously, soon throwing her head back in laughter and climbing in the truck as fast as she could, knowing she was pushing her friend's limited patience and more importantly, Sasha's wish for punctuality.
Soon they reached the restaurant and upon arrival, she waved at the boys with a wide smile as they made their way to the table before she proceeded to walk towards the two themselves, leaning in and giving each of them a brushy peck on the cheek in greeting. It was only after that that she took a seat and grabbed a menu of her own.
If she had put either man on the spot with that greeting or made things awkward, then Grace didn't realize it in her enthousiast but lightly ignorant state of bliss. She was a creature of habit and affectionate towards all of her friends, Sasha had become very familiar with that concept too. Flashing them the brightest smile, that smile faded only when Sasha broke the silence with a comment about Grace's choice of shoes. A near death glare was casted in her friend's direction that soon faltered into a pout, her gaze redirecting itself to the table in front of her.
"In my defense, these are shorter and I am capable of running in them."
Brian Sweetwater
Brian was startled by Levin's "sudden" (Brian had been totally lost in worry-land), and slightly jumped, almost knocking over his drink. "Uh-H-hi, I'm you, err, I mean, I'm g-good." Brian sweats even more intensely, and blushes slightly. "How ar-" Brian was completely distracted as he noticed Grace and Sasha walking in. His mind went completely blank for a second, before he realized that he was staring, and quickly looked back to Levin. "I have no idea what I was saying" he said, with a nervous laugh. He was caught even more off-guard by Grace's peck, and his cheeks turned traffic light red.
Brian was completely stunned, and he did his best to think of a compliment for each person, but at this point, he was in over his head. He just tried to smile, and realized that he was still popping his knuckles. He smiled slightly at the back and forth between Sasha and Grace, which reminded him somewhat of his brothers...
Brian ordered the spiciest dish on the menu, along with a huge burrito. He ordered less than he usually might, since he was pretty nervous. He finally worked up the nerve to speak, and asked Grace and Sasha how they were doing. He took a deep breath, and tried to empty his mind a little as the waiter came to take orders.
Levin Indrel
Lip gently pinched beneath his upper teeth as he listened awkwardly as Brian struggled to get a word in, Levin could determine easily how making conversation would be difficult at this very moment. He gave Brian a kind smile, then scratched the back of his neck. "Hey.. uh, you don't have to be nervous around me, dude. I'm just a Oompa Loompa." With that he laughed a bit, hoping that would ease some tensions.
When Brian nearly asked how he was, he was pleasantly surprised on the sudden appearance of the two ladies. He thought Sasha looked as tough as always, which he admired about her. Grace looked so pretty in her outfit, and he was about to say hello until she kissed his cheek. Immediately, he picked up his napkin and hid his reddening face behind it. "H-Hey.. ladies uh-" he cleared his throat then slowly lowered the napkin. "You two look great heh.. I like your shoes, Grace." He complinented, coming out of his shell a little at a time. "I'm not much into spicy food so I think I'll get the-" he opened his menu for a moment, pausing over a loaded baked potato. "There we go. Loaded baked potato for me!" He then slapped his little hands together and grinned with anticipation. "I'm starved. So, how are you two?" He asked the girls, his voice getting mild again with shyness.
He couldn't rememeber the last time he had an actual social gathering. He remember back in high school and college he hung out with a group of people. His favorite people being two girls as well. He missed them a lot, but life got in the way. Now, he was feeling pretty glad he decided to actually go out for once. He looked back over to Brian who was cracking his knuckles. Poor guy.. I know, dude. I'm terrified too be we'll be okay. he thought as he smiled at Brian again.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha waited ubtil Grace had sat down before she pulled a chair for herself, swallowing the chuckle as she could see the reaction of the guys and the way that the dudes at the table outside had looked at Grace when they walked in. However, she ordered the extra spicey chimis because why not? As well as ordered a few tacos to go with it. And knowing herself, she asked for the hot sauce as well. Handing her menu over to the waitress who had been watching the man outside more and more, Sasha turned her head some and looked out the front window making eye contact with him. Giving him a grim smile, she turned back and ignored him. "Im good. Took lady here forever to get dressed... For a little taco place." Sasha chuckled, knowing that would get a rise outta Grace.
A few minutes had passed and they had gotten their food delivered, but the tension from the people who worked there was getting harder and harder to ignore for Sasha, who doesn't do well in that kinda of deals. She had sat back in her chair, turning her head just a bit as if she were looking at Brain, so that she could see outside. And she could see the reason why the workers were nervous. The man who had been staring now had a gun sitting on the table, as he slowly ate his tacos. His buddy had left and he was sitting there alone now, but she couldn't tell what he was staring at. She leaned forward, her right hand reaching down to check the small pistol she kept holstered in her boots anywhere off campus and she felt reassured by that.
Grace Gibson & Scene post
The smile that had faltered came back in full glory and lit up her eyes in pleased sparkles. Without fully thinking of it, she reached forward over the table and placed a hand on Levin's, giving it a soft squeeze and letting it go as she beamed at him.
Oh, the compliment he gave her, particularly on her shoes had scored him points and Grace felt happy. She was grinning from ear to ear and her voice seemed to get just a pitch higer at her bubbly response.
"That... is... so... sweet!" She claimed rather loudly, fighting the urge to lift him up and spin him around. She then turned to Sasha, not a hint of a smirk on her face but just genuine happiness. "Did you hear that? He likes my shoes! This is the kind of positivity I need in my life." She said. To anyone that didn't know her well, it might've seemed like she was exaggerating in her response but this was Grace and Grace was this, hyper enthousiasm included.
"I'm feeling great, what about yourselves?" She asked the boys, her eyes meanwhile briefly scanning the menu. Within seconds she had made her pick. "I want nachos with cheese and salsa.... Oh and tequila of course." She decided, closing the menu and placing it on the table.
Sasha's tease didn't even get a frown out of her like it usually would, instead getting her to gesture towards herself with a playful gasp. "I don't wake up looking this good, you know?" She claimed, her gesturing then moving on to Sasha "And I certainly can't pull off the messy, cute and deadly look that you rock." She added.
Grace herself hadn't noticed the men outside yet and instead her gaze had drifted to the tv in the corner, even though it only showed muted reality tv. She watched briefly as two people were making out in the pool before the scene vanished, as if cutting to commercial.
Instead of a commercial, the screen showed a hooded man with a black bandana and sunglasses sitting behind a desk. None of his facial features were visible and he looked quite eerie. Underneath him, a red bar with white letters reading "EMERGENCY BROADCAST" flashed on the screen.
Grace held up a hand to try and get the group to stop talking as she tugged Sasha's sleeve gently, trying to get her attention and giving a head nod towards the tv. On screen, the man started talking and soon the sound of the tv filled the air, one of the waitresses having noticed the ongoing scene on screen and decided to turn the volume up so people could hear.
".... but they are hiding bodies. Hundreds piling up, their flesh rotting. They don't want you to know this, I tried to warn them but they refused to pass on the information so it is time I do it myself." The man spoke, his voice rather croaky and clearly deformed with some device so he wouldn't be recognized.
"People are sick, they do not act like themselves anymore. They're agressive... Our governments solution was to get rid of them, shoot them on the spot. Those that swore to protect us are failing us, they're lying to us. To me, to you.... I am done with their lies."
The screen flashes again and this time, a scene is shown where a man suddenly turns around after getting his shoulder tapped by a police officer. The man attacks and for a second the screen goes black, making it clear that whoever was filming dropped their camera. After that, two screams and a loud gun shot, followed by silence.
The screen flashed once more and a group of people is shown, moving along the side of a road slowly before more gunshots are heard, the people dropping down one by one.
Another black screen before the man re-appears, this time he only says two sentences.
"The void won't be silenced. I am here to tell people the truth."
The very next second the screen flashed for the last time, showing the same couple kissing in the pool as if none of it had happened.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian focused as hard as he could on not screwing up, so hard that he didn't notice the man with the gun, or even the TV at first. Once he realized what was happening on the TV, his heart sank with fear and dread. His first thought was of his brothers and the farm, and the dread turned to ice cold fear as he saw the people being dropped in the street. He pulled out his phone, and pushed back from the table without a word. He called his Dad just as the video ended, and he looked around at the shocked faces of the other people in the restaurant. The phone went to voicemail after ringing for what seemed like an eternity. He hung up, and looked over at Levin and the others to see how they were doing
Levin Indrel
Levin's face felt perpetually warm, his heart thudded even more so when Grace took his hand squeezed it. He couldn't help but focus on how soft it felt and his wide eyes slowly looked down at her hand on his. Keep it together, Levin you hopeless romantic. he thought as he shyly grinned up at Grace.
It didnt take him too long to catch Sasha staring off in an odd manner. But he was so short, even more so in sitting position, that he couldn't make out what she was staring at. His eyes moved with her movement, noting her reaching down as if she was grabbing something. His instincts kicked in, and he immediately began to panic a bit. Judging from her behavior, there was something up.
Suddenly, the TV station shifted and Grace's finger went up into the air. Levin turned to watch the Tv... and what he beheld only caused a surge of wretched fear to pulse through him. He covered his eyes when the sight of people being dropped like wild animals to the slaughter were shown, a small whimper escaped his lips. No.. this can't be happening this is a bad dream.. his mind raced as he rocked back and forth in his chair. When the Tv went back to normal, Levin slowly opened his eyes and stared blankly at the tv. "What.. what was that?" He whispered in a shaking voice. "What the hell was that?"
Sasha Kingsley & Scene post
Sasha only shook her head, laughing at what Grace said, knowing she didn't look all that good. But she was comfortable, which mattered. The tug on her arm had looking over towards Grace, and then to the TV, her eyes widening slightly but that was her only outward reaction, even as Brian got up to call, and Levin started asking questions. She shook her head, just watching and waiting until it was done. Even still, Brian came back and looked back over at them, questions clearly written across his face. Sasha gestured for him to come back to the table, her body as tense as it's ever been since she left the service. Her eyes flickering everywhere, watching everything. That's when she noticed the man from outside was gone, his table empty. Shit, she thought, and quickly stood up searching for him. However, she couldn't see over the people running around freaking out. Some were leaving, most seemed to be falling apart, crying even. Panic was thick in the air around them, even as Sasha moved to sit back down, and the crying from a breakup scene on the TV joining the rabble of massive noise already inside the building. Even the cook had come out, hollering and wanting to know what had happened, but after they told him he took off. Panicked people are dangerous, she thought to herself, we should leave.
She leaned forward towards the others, her elbows braced on the table as she listened to the questions flying between them all and the fear that had set it. "We don't know what's going on, calm down. That could all be some other weird ass shit that's been staged using gangban...." Harsh police sirens started echoing in the air, more people screaming, and the sound of shouting could be heard outside. Quickly, Sasha urged everyone up and outside. She wasn't willing to leave any of them inside without her. Once out there, she stopped and stared at what was happening. Tanks, Humvees, helicopters, and some massive fire power were walking the streets, someone on a bullhorn was telling everyone to clear the streets. Marshall law was now in effect and everyone was required to remain in doors. Sasha was shaken and she shook her head, not believing what she was seeing. "What the fuck is going on," she said.
A small group of men came up to them, armed to the teeth and ordered them back inside, no questions asked. Telling them they would be debriefed and questioned later. At the moment, unwilling to provoke a bad response, she ushered them all back inside quickly. She quickly shut and locked the front door, sending one of the waiters to do the same to the back door. Crouching down, she removed the small gun from it's holster. The 22 style pistol wouldn't do much against the armed men, but it was better than nothing. After she checked and made sure it was properly working, she moved the holster to her hip and looked over at the others with her, the intense green of her eyes damn near glowing with the surge of chemical response in her. After all, she was trained. Shaking her head a bit, she said softly "We have GOT to get out of here. Within an hour, they will have everything locked down and we won't be able to even leave town anymore. Once back at campuse, we will be stuck. So we gotta get to campus now and lay in some supplies ... I don't know what is going on," she said, " but I do know that staying here is bad. Those men gave me a seriously bad vibe.." her voice trailed off as she stepped over to watch out of the window, making a count of the men and machines that came with them.
With each passing group, she got more tense, until the last when she started cussing out loud. "We can't stay here. See that last group, there?" She said, pointing. "Those aren't just soldiers. They are what Marines called shock killers. They are sent in to stop or prevent an uprising, because they will kill everyone in an entire town to make sure of it..." She shook her head. "We have GOT to leave! NOW!"
Grace Gibson
The first and only emotions Grace felt at the beginning of the emergency broadcast were disbelief and confusion. Her brows furrowed while she stared at the screen and she quickly shook her head, wanting to turn to Sasha and brush it off as more crazies. What the man was saying didn't seem to be any more real than what they'd overheard at the party the other day and she wasn't too concerned about it, at least not until the very first video was shown.
That video gave her goosebumps all over her skin and she shivered while she looked at the tv in shock, her disbelief and confusion growing into concern and worry. Eyes scanned the footage rapidly, trying to make out the location of the events to the best of her ability. Not her brother's city, it seemed as she couldn't recognize any of it and a small but relieved sigh escaped her lips. Good, he was safe. The second footage wasn't familiar either but the sound of the gunshots disgusted her and made her stomach turn.
She looked up at Sasha to try and gauge her response to this, knowing the woman was used to much more than Grace had ever seen. Her friend seemed uncomfortable as well and by letting her gaze flick to the two men they were with, she soon realized neither of them was calm under this. It made sense, the thought of people acting differently and getting shot for it was disturbing but Grace had found a light at the end of the tunnel... At least she thought she had.
She didn't ask any questions and waited for Sasha to be able to calm the men down. Nothing good came from panic, she knew that much and if her mother hadn't panicked in the past then she'd have more family left. Instead, she focused on her breathing and tried to control it, ensuring that her heartbeat didn't spike. She cleared her throat and was just about to speak up when Sasha urged for them all to go outside. It was easy enough to get Grace to move along at the same pace, the girl being willing to do anything to get away from the crows and into the fresh, outside air.
Once the door was open and it was her turn to step outside, she looked back to see if the men were following closely behind while she ran forward, her body knowing the direction as if it were on autopilot. The last thing she expected though was for shouts to be heard from the streets of men telling them to stay inside and by the time she realized what was going on in the street, she was already quite a few feet away from her friends and nearly ran into one of the armed soldiers. Turning to him, she swallowed visibly and stepped backwards, holding her hands up in defeat.
"I-.... I'm sorry." She said, panicked eyes searching for her friends and finding them behind her which caused for her to stop towards them as fast as possible. As they were requested to go inside, she followed and leaned against the wall once the door was locked behind them. It was only then that panic started to rise in her and she looked at the others, her lower lip shaking in fear.
Hearing Sasha's plan, she turned to her and looked at her in wide eyed shock. Disobeying armed people? The very idea sounded utterly insane to Grace and she shook her head quickly.
"Maybe... maybe if we tell them that we live on the campus they'll let us go back? Go home..." It was all she wanted in that moment but Sasha's last comment about the group of soldiers caused for tears to form in her eyes. "s-shock killers?" She questioned, tears rolling down her cheeks more rapidly with every passing minute. "I don't want to die..." She added, knowing she'd have little choice but to follow Sasha and get the hell out of town if she wanted any chance of survival. At last... she nodded.
"We can head south, to my brother. It's safe there, it's not his city... All should be fine." She muttered, although she had uncertainty ring through her voice. Was it safe there? Maybe there were more locations than those shown in the fragments that were affected. Who was to say that it wasn't bigger than that? Much bigger and widespread. She put a stop to her thoughts before they took over and quickly stepped away from the wall, straightening her back.
"Whatever it takes... we do whatever it takes." She agreed and as Sasha said they had to leave NOW, she started to look around to find a way to go. Maybe they could slip away through the back door? Tears continued to fall and soon her eyes were red from the crying but it didn't matter, at least she had a focus now and she'd follow that, even if it was the last thing she did.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian felt fear stab through his heart as he was ushered by Sasha into a street now filled with soldiers. When they approached he tensed up, and waited for what he thought would be inevitable conflict. When they told everyone to go inside, he complied, seeing as they were armed and he was not. His fear started to turn into determination, as he thought about both his newfound... friends? And his family back on the farm. He was glad to see Sasha had a gun, although a .22 would be just about useless against those soldiers. He agreed that they had to go, but they would not need to be quick. He grabbed a table and broke off one of the legs, which the staff objected to at first, but they backed off once they saw the determination in his eyes.
At the mention of shock killers, Brian froze for a second. He had heard of them once from his Uncle, but all he knew was that they were bad news. He saw Grace starting to cry, but there was nothing he could do, but protect these people. Brian heard Grace mention heading South, and he agreed. His family was down South too, and they had enough guns, ammunition, and food to last a long time. He began to think of how they could get out, focusing on problem solving to keep the fear from drowning him. Now was the time for confident Brian, football team Brian, not Candy Brian. He looked to Sasha, seeing as she seemed best suited to the task of planning an escape.
Levin Indrel
It was all overwhelming, the panic stricken people, the sudden blare of sirens and activity outside. All Levin wanted to do was hide underneath the table and hope this was all some bad dream he could wake up from. But before he could hop out of his chair, Sasha began urging everyone to go outside. Are you kidding me?! he thought, reluctantly following her, Grace and Brian out towards the entrance.
Upon exiting the texmex place, Levin stopped in his tracks, wide eyes as he witnessed a whole armed militia parading through town and people scattering about like cockroaches in the light. His green eyes flickered towards the man demanding people to go back inside, and a part of him wanted to shout "Screw you, I'm going home!" but he kept it inside of him. A group of men, armed, began forcing them back inside. "What? Questioned?! For what?" he asked one of the armed men, but they didn't answer. Just shoved him into the building. He fell inside, but quickly got back up.
Now he was pacing back and forth as Sasha began speaking of a game plan. He then paused at the mention of shock killers, and his brows creased tightly, "Oh great we're all dead. What makes you think we can escape this? They are practically patrolling th-" his eyes went to Grace, and he noticed she was on the verge of tears. He pursed in his thin lips, looking away. He didn't want her to cry.. He let out a sigh then settled beside her, looking up at Brian who was... tearing a leg off of a chair. Dang he was strong.
"Just lead the way, Sasha. And... if I slow you down, just go. I am small and.. my legs won't get me anywhere as fast as you guys. So don't let me slow you down, okay?" he said, looking at everyone with equal determination in his eyes. He may have been a wimp around people, but when things get serious he knew what it took.
He went over to the door and opened it slightly, taking notes on where soldiers were guarding, patrolling and scouting. He witnessed someone get shot after refusing to go inside, and his eyes shut tight. Shit.. shit.. he thought, over and over again.
"Southeast, three men are scouting rooftops. Eight feet to their right, men on the ground. Six, I believe. North and south are piled so west and northwest is our only chance of escaping without being seen. They had just cleared that area and are moving on." he informed, looking up at the group. "Now it's up to you, Sasha." he said, chewing his inner cheek then.
Scene post
The CO of the largest company of men stood off to one side, watching as his men forced order back into the town. It only took a few minutes for the armed men to setup a command post, and detail out areas to check. Which includes the campus, but they hadn't got that far yet. After all, what was a few college kids going to do against armed, trained men. For the moment, they were working to empty out and take over the town's police station as the actual command center for this sector. The sound of fun fire was slowly easing off, as the more bodies that hit the ground, the more the other people tended to listen when ordered to do something. Cane cares very little about dead civilians, and that's why he was sent here for this. It may not be a large town, but it was a direct path with a major highway intersection. Which leads into several other large cities. The medics reported no injuries on their part, but more than a few broken bones and cuts on others. The men weren't nice to those who lived here, even if they weren't ordered to be that way. Being known for being harsh and hardcore is what bought Cane the orders to fallout with his men, and the kill squad.
Which pleased him to no end. The green tents where up and the wiring going on to make contact with his commander would be happening once the campus is under guard.
It would take several more hours before they moved from the town proper, in order to head towards the campus. Even still, a single tank was already moved into place for the trip, as well as several Humvees. And two regiments of men were ordered for the duty, as no one figured more than 25 would be needed. Including the drivers, there would be a total of 27 men heading towards the campus, armed to the teeth and not truly taking any prisoners. A couple of medics followed, just in case, of course, per protocol. Although they weren't actually allowed to attend to the civilians they got hurt. Only the bare amount of help would be offered them.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha shook her head, the reality of it quickly shoving her into action. She could smell the blood of those shot, even as she couldn't take her eyes from the window. The men had moved past here in a few minutes, making it easier for her to know what to do. She nodded in approval at what Brian had done, "we can't avoid the sharpshooters. At best, we can hide from them. But we need to get into my truck and get back to campus. We can't stay here... They will kill us because we seen to much." She paced then, waiting because she knew there wasn't enough men to leave them this far out from where the command center was. Sooner or later they would be moved down and away. She stroked Grace's hair, an attempt to comfort her, even though there was nothing else she could do. "We can't leave here yet... We need to find out what the fucks going on out side our town. We could end up in deeper shit than here if we left without knowing more." She said, her thoughts flying fast as she waited
Within the next five minutes,the men had moved on, as she had thought they would. And the noise of screaming, gunfire and the engine on the tanks would cover the noise of her truck, which wasn't loud thankfully. She gestured for the others to remain put while she unlocked the door and slowly opened it, her gun held at the ready. Once it was open about six inches, she slipped outside and began checking around the corners of the building, and between cars, making sure they were alone now. Going back inside, her weapon lowered now she said softly "there's no one out there right now, but they will be back. We can all fit into my truck and make it back to campus. Once there, it shouldn't be difficult to get some supplies from the other buildings... Idk what else we gonna do yet. But let's get to the dorms, ya, and see what happens from there." With this said, she opened the door back up and moved out to her blackish, four-door get up and go, as she called it. Opening the truck door softly, she climbed in and started it. The motor purred to life, quiet as you please as she waited for the others to get their asses in the truck. She gestured urgently, even as she kept an eye out down the road where the soldiers had gone.
Grace Gibson
It was a relief to know that at least Brian agreed with her when she suggested going south and for a moment, Grace was hopeful. That same hope came crashing down when Sasha spoke, and she realized that perhaps she was being a bit naive. There was no way of knowing where the soldiers would head and chances were that there'd be multiple groups. With no knowledge of what life was like outside of their little town, it would be reckless to head just anywhere else.
Nodding, she started to fight her tears and attempted to stop crying. It was hard, so hard as she feared having to let go of her friends and her brother in this madness. She wouldn't be able to handle having him or Sasha taken away from her and even Levin and Brian were growing on her. She cared about keeping them safe too.
Looking up at Brian and the table leg, she frowned a bit. Maybe she had to prepare and get some kind of weapon too, then again she had none... She paused as she remembered and widened her eyes before opening her purse and digging through it. Soon enough she had two cans of deodorant and a can of pepperspray in her hands. The deodorant, she handed to Levin as she kept the pepperspray to herself. "It doesn't burn quite as hard as pepperspray but it is capable of catching someone off guard" she said to him, her free hand digging through her purse once more.
At the very bottom of it, her fingertips finally found the thing she'd been looking for most and she pulled out a pocket knife. A present from her brother that he'd gotten her when she enrolled in college. To help her stay safe he'd said, but Grace had never needed it until now.
"We're not leaving you behind, Levin." She said, a hint of surprise and hurt in her voice. Who did he think she was, giving up on people like that? Grace was unable to do it and if needed, she'd simply drag him with!
When Sasha said the plan was to get to the truck and back to campus, Grace nodded in agreement. It was the wisest thing to do in their situation. "I'll make some calls when we get there, see what we're dealing with outside our town" She said, knowing that if they wanted to get out of there, they couldn't waste time on calls just yet.
Sasha went outside to check and Grace stayed put as requested, only moving when her friend came back to inform her that the area was clear and they could leave now. Without further questions, she followed her out of the door and towards the truck, getting into it as fast as she could while looking at the men and hoping they'd both come along.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian realized Sasha's plan would probably be best considering the lack of outside information. He was starting to realize it would be a while before he talked to his father and brothers, and decided to protect the people he could to the best of his ability with what strength he had. His gaze turned to Levin, standing there with a can of deodorant. He thought about the knife in his car, and decided he would give him that. It would be somewhat like a Dagger for him, but he should be able to manage. He waited with the others as Sasha went to check the area, and went outside once she said the area was clear. He quickly grabbed his toolkit, and handed Levin the knife. He got into the truck as fast as he could, and and watched the streets.
Levin Indrel
The plans were laid out, and Levin gladly followed protocol. He had very little knowledge about survival save for book written instructions which, due to all of the excitement he forgot. At Grace's words to him, he was a little taken back by her reaction. She was sweet but... he knew he was totally irrelevant in her life. He was just another person, nobody special. He only known her for a few hours and he felt that although she was caring, she was naive as well. Perhaps he thought too much like a loner, but he was trying to be realistic. Perhaps even separate himself from them mentally. God... if he bonded with them, he didn't know how he could bear the loss.
Grace then gave him hairspray which again, caught him off guard as he was lost in thought. "Oh.." he began, then gave a subtle smile, "Thanks, Grace. It's better than nothing." he nodded to her, then looked to Sasha who gave the command.
So they would make their way to her truck? Sounds full proof in her tone. He was beginning to wish he carried mace. Not the pepperspray, but the medieval weapon. He cleared his throat, and once Sasha exited to scout the perimeter, he took a little moment to himself to recall some of the good times he had in life. He had very little hope in surviving this. One thing he was glad for sure though was his family didn't have to deal with this...
When Sasha returned, he gripped the hairspray tight and followed the group out of the building. Brian stopped to grab something from a vehicle he only assumed belonged to him, and the next thing he knew he was given a knife the size of half his arm. "Dude, are you sure?" he whisper asked, following closely and looking up at the truck. He sighed then threw the knife onto the back seat and climbed his way in with a bit of a struggle. Once inside, he parked himself on the seat, then scooped the knife and hairspray closer to him.
His eyes then scanned the area from the window he sat closest to, and he quietly observed as he waited for Sasha to heel it.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha didn't say anything as the others jumped up into the truck, her entire focus was on making sure they weren't being watched. Just like overseas she thought. Trying to keep the truck as quiet as possible, she put it in reverse and left the parking lot. Hitting the outter edge of campus, where the deep green lawn spreads out and it's still calm here. Speeding, Sasha brought them to the dorms as quickly as she could without turning over the truck. Jumping out, leaving the truck running, she checked quickly to make sure there were no armed men here. She holstered her gun and leaned into the truck to turn it off. "come on, let's go. Grace and I have one of the bigger dorm rooms. We need to grab food, water, medical supplies, a couple of cots unless y'all wanna share the beds. Extra blankets, anything you can think of we might need. I'm gonna find the radio shit over at the tech rooms, and bring it over. I know we ain't got much time, so let's get it done quick and quiet. You see Talia and the others just tell them to hide " with this said, Sasha ran off, her long legs carrying her quickly towards the main school building and her bright red hair disappeared on the other side of the doors. Once inside, she noticed it was silent.. no students that she could hear. "Shit.." she said softly, as she slowly made her way up the stairs, keeping her back to the wall.
Her bright green eyes kept moving, scanning the hallways and doors not wanting to be caught off guard in case something was wrong here. She was going slowly, so she noticed the footsteps echoing down the hall and then the echo of someone calling out "Hello? I need help! My friend is bleeding and I can't stop it! Please, anyone!!" A young man's voice, full of terror and a fear far greater than he understood sat back down, cradling the other young man, sobbing lightly. He was telling him that he was sorry, he didn't know how to help.. Sasha didn't know if she could help or not, but she knew she had to try. "Hey, it's ok, let me see if I can help." She said, stepping into view of the men. Going into one of the classes, she brings out one of the first aid kits and drops down beside them. At first glance, the wound looks pretty bad, but after using water to clear away the blood, Sasha could see that it wasn't as bad as she thought. Field first aid is something she knew, even if she didn't think she would be doing it anymore. A few minutes later, she sent the two back to hide in their own dorm, and warned them not to answer their door to anyone. Trying to wipe the blood off her hands onto her jeans, she stood up and went into the room with the items she needed. Loading up a few backpacks, and carrying some extra power supplies, she had what she needed and headed back to the dorm.
Grace Gibson
As they reached the campus and Sasha headed over to the school's main building, Grace struggled to do what she needed to do. She knew they had to head inside the dorms and grab supplies, however all she wanted to do was run after Sasha and follow her. It felt like her heart was squeezed roughly and she was left feeling breathless when she saw her friend disappear into the building and even though it took her a minute longer than she had hoped, she pulled herself away from the situation and headed to the dorms, gesturing for the men to follow her.
At the door, she took her badge out of her purse and pressed it against a black box that was attached to the side of it. A satisfying beep filled the air for a second and the door swung open, allowing for them to enter the building. Inside, everything seemed to be quiet. It was a little bit surprising but then again, it was only monday and a lot of students that didn't actually live at the dorms would only arrive by nightfall. Once they were inside, she made sure to close the door behind her. Grace had always liked how it locked every time it was closed, only offering access to students that held a dorm badge. It made her feel safe and while she had already been grateful for it plenty of times, that day her gratitude was much bigger.
The first place she walked to was the storage room and she opened it's door, revealing all sorts of supplies. Soon, she was taking canned pasta and fruit as well as bottles of water, toilet paper, soap and other things. Everything and anything that seemed handy to her, she took even though she tried to be mindful of not taking too much. Filling up bags quickly, she handed some empty ones to the men and turned to them.
"Take anything you see that might come in handy..." she said to them, more a request than a demand. One of her own bags, she filled with flashlights and batteries as well as first aid kits and spare clothes. There weren't a lot of clothes, just a few simple shirts with the logo of the college but it couldn't hurt as even though Sasha and Grace had enough of clothes, the two men would need something to change into at some point.
Filling up two more bags with food and supplies, she took those bags and opened the lid to the basement underneath the storage room. The basement had no light and was more of a dark trap filled with spider webs, but she placed the bags on the stairs nonetheless before closing the lid again. Pre-caution it was, mainly because she didn't trust the soldiers outside. What if they took the supplies and left them to starve? It wasn't a risk she was willing to take at all.
She waited until the men had filled their bags and then headed towards the stairs, carrying as many as she could herself so that they had as much as possible.
"Come, I'm taking you two to our appartment. We'll be safe there." She said. At least I think we will her thoughts argued and for a brief moment, her shoulders slumped and tears formed in her eyes. She shook the emotions off quickly and climbed the stairs, not pausing again until they'd reached the door of the appartment she shared with Sasha, where she stopped to dig the keys out of her pocket.
Upon opening the door, a big appartment was seen. There was the entrance and behind that there was a sitting area and living room, which held 3 comfortable couches as well as a coffee table and a television. Deeper inside there was also a small space that looked like a kitchen, even if there were only a few plates and bowls as well as forks, knives, spoons and a microwave. It wasn't luxurious by any means, especially considering that the real kitchen of the dorms was shared.
Grace set the bags down on the dining table and walked up to a small closet in the living room to pull out two blankets and pillows. She had sleeping bags too which had been stashed away there after a camping trip and even a tent, but perhaps the couch would be more comfortable for the men.
Placing the blankets and pillows on the coffee table, she then walked to the bathroom, opening it's door and revealing the inside of it.
"Well, it isn't much but it should be enough. There's some food and drinks in the fridge as well and if wanted, you can freshen up." She said, glancing at them a little awkwardly. It was a weird situation they'd gotten trapped in, luckily the two of them weren't the worst company.
Grace herself slipped past them and into the bedroom, closing the door behind her before opening her closet and browsing through it. She took her clothes off as well as her shoes and changed into sweatpants and an oversized shirt, returning a few minutes later on her socks with her hair tied up in a messy ponytail.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian tried to clear his mind as he rode in the truck, in an attempt to reduce some of the fear building inside of him. He felt a little less scared as Sasha's truck rolled down the road, but his bravery had fallen away as well. He tried to think of anything he might need from his dorm, but he had his tools and his knife, along with his phone, so there wasn't much else he could think of that he needed, although if he was staying for any amount of time, it would probably be smart to grab some clothes. Although, for today, he could wait.
He felt apprehension as he followed Grace to the entrance to the dorms, but as she swiped the keycard, he couldn't help but feel relieved. They had reached the college, in one piece, and while things were bad outside, they could have been worse. He followed her to the storage room, and grabbed some soap bars while he was there. He grabbed as many bags as he possibly could, which was quite a huge load, and followed Grace to her Dorm.
Brian blushed slightly as he followed her into the dorm, but it wasn't all that different from his. He worried about Sasha, but she was a big girl, she could take care of herself. He carefully set down the bags, and looked around a little. It really was like his dorm, albeit less segmented (his roommate was a bit of a slob, so they basically split the dorm in half). He wondered how his roommate was, likely fine. At least he hoped.
He was glad Grace was so nice, this situation must have been really weird for her. He smiled, a little less nervously than before, and thanked her for her hospitality. He grabbed a glass of water, and began to list and organize the supplies on the table, and he began to calculate how long the supplies would last. They should last at least a few days, by which time he was sure things would settle back to normal....
Levin Indrel
Levin was lost in thought, mind racing, bombarding himself with question after question. Shit.. what.. what's going on? Why is this happening? Did some... other weird virus escaped a bio lab or something? My cat's going to kill me if I don't feed her. He scratched his sole patch, feeling his nerves itch with irritation.
Before he knew it, the truck had stopped and they were back at the college campus area. Sasha's frantic speeding caused Levin to hold onto the head rest of the passenger seat. As Sasha informed him and the others about gathering supplies, he couldn't help but wish he had his tote bag. He had prescription medication for his own physical pain due to his disability, and if only he could get home some how. His apartment complex was a goof 10 miles near the outskirts of town.. He sighed, then watched as Sasha left and began to follow Grace and Brian after Grace had gestured them to follow.
He clutched the knife Brian had given him tight, then followed Grace inside of the dorms once she accessed it. In the storage room, Levin didn't waste any time. He graciously took the bag Grace had given him and began stocking up on some supplies. His eyes went over to a work table where the maintenance crew would keep several tools. He noticed a batter opperated hedge cutter, then grabbed it and kept that for their inventory as a spare weapon. He also took heavy pipe wrenches as well. "Hey Brian, take that huge wrench there. Could be used as a blunt weapon." he suggested, Before he knew it, they were packed with essentials that he calculated that would last them at least a week.
He drug his bags behind him, struggling a bit as he did but he powered onward the best he could. Once at Grace and Sasha's apartment, Levin felt some relief. He hoped this ordeal would be over as soon as it started. But that TV message.. he shuddered at the thought of it. He had three bags plus the hedge cutters, and he drug all three into the apartment and sat the near the dining room table on the floor since.. he wasn't strong enough to throw them up onto the table.
"Thank you, Grace. For.. letting us stay here." he said, pale green/silver eyes scanning the room as he spoke. Brian went to get a glass of water, and he went to go to the bathroom and splash some water onto his face. He closed the door, then lightly pressed his lips into a thin line when he realized he could't really reach the sink all that well. He sighed, then went to the tub. He turned it on, splashed water onto his face and took a few deep breaths. "Shit.." he whispered, turning the water off then pressing his back against the wall. "Shit.. shit.." he dug into his pocket, pulled out a bottle of anti-depressants and popped a couple of them into his mouth. He gave himself a few minutes, then stepped outside.
He decided he would get the couches since it was getting late. He spread the extra blankets out and draped them onto the couches, then he threw the pillows on their. He kicked his shoes off and respectably placed them into the corner before sitting on the couch he chose to sleep on. He hung his head, leaning forward and letting his loose bangs cover his face. He felt sick with worry. About what was happening, about Sasha, about dying..
Scene post
The CO sent ahead a small group of scouts, sent them to the campus in order to make sure the way is clear and the students were in fact doing as told. The group consisted of 8 and as all scouts are known for, silently accessing any area. They haven't entered the buildings yet, and only moved across the lawns, their weapons at the ready as they crossed towards the admin building. By this time, most people there were freaking out, and the scouts did the best they could in an effort to calm everyone down, pushing them back towards their offices or the staff gallery, telling them to wait to there for the others to arrive which would be in the next few hours. After this, they did nothing more than site each building, so that their group would know where each one was specifically. And slowly withdrew from the campus, meeting the rest of the soldiers about a mile away from the campus grounds.
-
Sasha, in her few minutes, managed to grab a large variety of medical supplies, including the prescriptions that had been left there as well. She filled two large bags with these supplies, which includes guaze, peroxide, triple-antibotic cream, simple Band-Aids, medical tape, suture kits, and more. She was also able to obtain several IV packs, and the power supplies that went with them.Grace and the others have headed to the dorms, and managed to gather up several weeks worth of food, if not more so with the hidden supplies. There was also much needed daily supplies, soaps and other things that ended up in the bags. Even the surplus of towels, blankets and pillows made their way into the bags. Even some weapons had been gathered, although not in the best of condition.
Sasha Kingsley
Sasha had slipped back out of the doors and started moving across the lawns when she seen the scouts. Cussing softly, she hitailed it back to the doors and stepped inside, so she couldnt be seen. Thankfully, she can see the scouts from her vantage point and as soon as they moved into the admin building, she took off towards the dorm. Once she was moving, she wasn't able to keep an eye behind her but was glad the sun was going down quickly now.
She had to juggle the bags a bit to get her card out, but she was able to swipe it finally and got inside, shoving her card back into one of the bags.
However, she didn't go straight to the room first. She swung off to the kitchen area. Back in the store room was a safe, and that's where she went. Dropping the bags, she entered the code and swung open the safe. Inside lay two 9m Glocks. Twelve extra clips, plus the ones already in the weapons. They wouldn't hold up to these guys, but they are better than nothing, she thought. Each had a holster, but she wouldn't be able to carry it all this way. Using a rope that she found in the room, she tied the two holsters together and looped them over one shoulder, before heading up to the room now loaded down. "Grace, open up, it's me. We gotta get more food. Lemme in." She said softly, not knowing if there was any other in the other dorms or not, as she hadn't checked yet.
Grace Gibson
After leaving the bedroom, she'd been pacing back and forth throughout the appartment. She was nervous and anxious, feeling unsafe and uncomfortable even though she was home now and aside from her, Levin and Brian there was nobody around.
"She should've been back by now." She hissed through her teeth, walking up to the window and looking out through it. A loud gasp left her lips when her eyes widened at the sight of the soldiers downstairs and she closed the curtain quickly, feeling grateful for the night that had only just started falling which was the only reason why the shining light hadn't alerted them of their presence. Knowing that the curtains alone wouldn't be enough to keep them from seeing activity in their appartment, she then walked to a smaller decorative lamp near the sofa and flicked it on, turning off the main lights in the appartment and letting out a sigh of relief.
"They shouldn't be able to see that light." she said to the two men before making her way over to the table, where most of their haul had been laid out. Looking it over, she figured they'd have enough of things to last them a week, if not longer. Still, her heart pounded in her chest and she hoped that the hidden stash wouldn't get discovered. As long as it was just them, it could be enough but there was nothing to indicate that their group wouldn't grow.
Walking back to the window, she looked through the curtains again and her shoulders slumped in defeat when she no longer saw any soldiers. It meant that they were safe for now and she should've felt victorious but her heart crushed under the worry she felt about Sasha.
"You two stay here. I'm going to get her," she said, determined to go look for her. She headed towards the door and casted the men a final look while putting on her sneakers, nearly having them slipped on when she finally heard Sasha's voice on the other side of he door.
As if a jolt of electricity shot through her body, she wasted no time and swung open the door before throwing herself at Sasha. Her arms wrapped themselves around her friend's waist and she held on, barely noticing the bags she was holding.
"I'm so glad you are okay," She said, her voice cracking while tears covered her cheeks. "I was worried sick!" She added as she continued to hold on, showing little sign of planning to let go.
Brian Sweetwater
Brian started to worry more and more about Sasha, as he sat in the Livingroom. He also began to think of what they could do to fortify the apartment once Sasha was back, but the idea of trapping themselves in the apartment didn't sound great to him. He tried not to stare at Grace as she paced back and forth, and instead focused on his hands. She was right, Sasha should have already been back, anything could have happened. He hadn't thought about the lights at all, another sign that he would need the help of everyone here if he was going to survive this... Attack? Raid? That brought his thoughts to Sasha once again. When Grace said she was going to get Sasha, Brian knew that he would either have to go with her, or stop her from going. If Sasha had been hurt, with all of her combat experience, he and Grace probably wouldn't do much better, but they couldn't just sit here and do nothing. It wasn't that he thought Grace was weak, but he was more worried that they were fighting an invincible foe. What good would a makeshift club or pepper-spray do against a fully armed soldier? He started to get up, just as Sasha spoke on the other side of the door. He moved to open it, but Grace was much quicker. He stood there awkwardly, and tried to express how worried he was, but all that came out was an almost silent "h-hey", as Grace and Sasha hugged. He mentally facepalmed himself at his own stupidity
Levin Indrel
Bottled water was nearing empty, the clock continued to tick. Levin hated continuously bombarding himself with questions, so he took to focusing on the ticking of the clock on the wall. He subtly rocked back and forth, mind staying on that clock until Grace spoke. His attention went to her, eyes fixated on her as she went over to the table. Although he paid little mind, he did catch Sasha's name earlier. His mind wandered towards her once more, whether she was okay or not.
Brian began to stir as Grace told the men to stay put. "W-whu?" he couldn't believe she told them to stay put. As if he would let her go out by herself and possibly get hurt. Apparently, Brian felt the same way as he got up to possibly go with. Levin hopped off of the couch and went to grab the knife Brian gave him just as Grace was opening the door. When she did, to Levin's relief Sasha was on the other side speaking.
He sighed, running his fingers through his sweat damped hair before going over towards the women and settling beside Brian. "Shees, Sasha you worried us." he exclaimed, pressing his lips in a thin line after that. He was glad she was okay, glad everyone was so far. He looked over towards their stash, then back at Sasha. "More food? We got enough to last a week. Are you.. implying this situation will last longer?" he asked, feeling his heart sink by the second. "Shit.." he breathed, going back ovr to the couch and settling back onto it. "Shit, shit, shit.." he kept repeating as he hung his head.
If this continues.. what in the hell will we do? How would we survive this? again, he questioned. Eyes going over to the people he would be spending a lot of time with he felt..
END OF SCENE
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