(no subject)

[devoutish]

[When the car radiator overheats for the third time in a week, Alfie takes it as a sign that it's finally time for more than just another quick tune-up.

They're in a deserted area, which is both good and bad. On the one hand, most of the dangerous gangs are still in urban areas, the way they had been before the world had gone to shit. Out here in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by miles and miles of fields with only the occasional small copse of trees, they're not likely to run into anyone at all, much less anyone dangerous. But on the other hand, if they do come across anyone, there won't be anywhere to run to or hide. Alfie, as always, has his pistol tucked into his coat pocket, and they have more weapons stashed away in the trunk. But they're a small group - no match for the bigger gangs with armored trucks and heavy artillery. If they meet one of those, they'll be slaughtered.

With his sleeves rolled up and the hood of the car open, he leans in with his tools, carefully tinkering away. He can't afford to make a mistake here - replacement parts are rare and precious. When he hears footsteps behind him, he doesn't dare look away from his work as he says sharply:]

Stay back. You don't want hot steam to the face.

Comments

[bywolves]

[ Royce has learned to do the most basic car repair, but he's still useless with the finer parts. This is why he defers to Alfie on this particular task. He doesn't want to risk breaking anything out of some stupid sense of pride. Instead, he stays in the car and keeps an eye out, because this is what he's good at. He's good at scouting, at watching and listening like a hawk.

And besides, Mercy is sleeping right next to him. He doesn't want to wake her.

Still, he figures she'll be okay for a second, which is why he gets out of the car to check on Alfie's progress. Being in the same place for too long, open and exposed like this - it unsettles him. Like he wasn't paranoid enough. ]

I know I don't. You can keep it. [ Royce says flatly, staying away. ] How close are you to being done?

[devoutish]

Dunno.

[He carefully unscrews a bolt.]

Depends. I think I can get it done in an hour, but that's an hour we were gonna need for travel.

[bywolves]

It'll be getting dark. [ Royce says folding his arms and looking up at the sky. ] Hate driving in the dark. Are the headlights working, or did those go out too?

[devoutish]

Left one finally cut out. On the map, there's a parts store thirty miles up ahead - might see if it hasn't been totally ransacked.

[As long as it isn't out of the way from where they decide to head for the day, of course - they don't have the gas to spare for detours.]

How do you feel about sleeping out here?

[bywolves]

[ His expression might tell Alfie how he feels about that far before he even speaks, if Alfie looks at him. Whether he does or not, his tone also reflects his dislike for the idea. ]

No. [ That's not the correct way to answer that, Royce. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie isn't wild about it, either - it's too open and unprotected. But...]

Yeah. But I don't wanna hit something on the road in the dark that I can't see, and rip open a tire.

[bywolves]

And someone could come by and shoot out our tires. [ This whole area is making Royce anxious. There aren't any shadows to duck into in the middle of nowhere like this. ] This is bad either way.

[devoutish]

[If somebody would spend the bullets to shoot out their tires, they'd have a reason for it, and it wouldn't be a good one. But Alfie keeps those thoughts to himself - it's nothing Royce wouldn't already know. Still squinting down at the radiator, he shakes his head.]

Yeah. Look, mate, give me half an hour. We'll talk then.

[bywolves]

[ Royce sighs, kneading at his forehead. Okay. Okay, let Alfie work. He can do that. This time, though, he climbs on top of the car, nimble and silent and without rocking it at all, sitting on the roof to get a better view of the surrounding area. He doesn't need to chatter to fill the silence, and he knows Alfie won't appreciate it, so he enjoys the quiet for what it is.

Mercy, on the other hand, does not like it. Which is why when she wakes up, she immediately crawls out of the car to make sure that Alfie is still there.

Maybe she runs around the car and skids to a stop when she sees him. Pauses with a quiet little oh, relief on her face, and then folds her arms, unintentionally mirroring her father. Her version is a little more vulnerable. ]

[showhim]

[ Walking for hours has made all of them sore and exhausted and grouchy. Mercy can't walk for long periods of time - she tries, bless her heart, because even as a four year old she knows it's important. Gwen and Royce still end up carrying her a good portion of the time. Not that either of them mind, not in the least.

Still, by the time night hits, Gwen is relieved to rest. They set up camp in an abandoned building that has half of the ceiling caved in, and Royce starts a fire. He gathers Mercy up and feeds her first, like always, and Gwen gives both of them a kiss before wandering out to find Alfie.

She's a little worried - she knows the long walks are terrible on Alfie especially, and she's got something she found and has been keeping safe for this purpose. So when she finds Alfie, wherever he may be, she sits next to him, easily resting shoulder to shoulder with a little smile and a can of food, waiting for him to look at her. ]

[devoutish]

[As usual, Alfie spends most of the walk leaning heavily on his cane, and he can never help out as much as he wants to - not with carrying supplies, or with carrying the baby. He never feels like Royce and Gwen are going to leave him behind because of his lack of ability to fully contribute; they're old friends of many years, after all. But he cares about them, and he does worry - they're two people, doing the carrying for four.

He tries to make up for it by doing as much as he can when they're stopped - he cooks, he fixes things, he cares for Mercy so her parents can rest. But he hasn't been the same since the death of his family, and the dark moods settle on him frequently and for long periods of time. Today is particularly bad, and so as soon as they stop, he makes some sort of excuse and wanders off. He sits at the base of a tall three about a hundred yards away from the building, and just stares off blankly into space.

When Gwen sits down next to him, it takes him a while to react. Finally, he turns to look at her.]

Yeah?

[showhim]

I just wanted to make sure you ate something. [ Gwen tells him gently. She's sensitive to mood, far so more than Royce, who pretends like nothing is wrong ever, so she knows Alfie's having an especially rough day today. Doesn't bother her. She can't even imagine what it must be like to lose everyone so suddenly like that.

She's also a touchy person by nature, which means she sets the can of food down and rests a hand on Alfie's forearm. ]

I've never been very good at letting you skip meals.

[devoutish]

[On the touchy-feely scale, Alfie falls somewhere between Gwen and Royce. He doesn't reach out to touch often (Mercy being an exception), but he doesn't normally flinch away from it either, especially when it's coming from someone he knows so well. Gwen is family, to him. He rarely shrugs her off.]

-- Yeah. Thanks.

[His voice is a little hoarse, but there's genuine feeling buried down in there, under the numbness. He sets to work at opening the can.]

[showhim]

[ She leaves her hand there for a moment or two, and then pulls it back, wrapping her arms around her waist instead. She turns her head to look out across the landscape, not in a hurry to do much but keep Alfie company. The hoarse quality to his tone worries her, but Gwen is patient. She has to be, to have been with Royce for as long as she has.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Gwen settles straight-backed and proper against the tree, folding her legs and letting her hands settle in her lap. ]

You've been quiet today. [ Gwen says after a moment, glancing at him. Gently teasing: ] Between you and Royce, I feel like such a blabbermouth.

[devoutish]

Been thinking.

[For a moment, it sounds like he's going to leave it at that, but then he adds:]

It's easy to get caught up in it.

[showhim]

I can sympathize. It's a little like quicksand, sometimes. [ Gwen says, tilting her head back to look up at the sky. ] Can I ask what you've been thinking about? [ She thinks she already knows. ]

[devoutish]

I think you know, don't you.

[Sorry, Gwen. He might not be as bad as Royce, but he'll still often shy away from directly talking about his feelings.]

gently puts this here also

[showhim]

[ Gwen can protect herself. Not only has she had to learn on her own, but she has Royce and Alfie both who have shown her how to use various weapons. She's well trained in how to use a knife in particular, but knives don't do much in a gunfight.

A gunfight is exactly what has broken out, too. It isn't even their fault - the makeshift little town they'd stopped in to trade for supplies is in constant danger of disputes between merchants and customers, since there's not exactly any sort of law. A man gets annoyed about having to pay for something, he shoots the merchant, and then everybody pulls out a gun.

Royce and Mercy aren't in this particular section of town. They're off negotiating for a car. Gwen had insisted on giving them some alone time, and so she'd dragged Alfie off to buy food with her, and...

Well. Now they're stuck, hidden in the remains of a building that's right in the center of the action, listening to people shout and scream and shoot each other. Gwen, as always, just looks more upset than she does scared. Holding her gun tightly, she glances at Alfie, and whispers: ] We need to move. Can you see a way through?

[devoutish]

Give me a moment.

[Maybe it'll die down. They'll all kill each other, or one side will incur heavy enough casualties that they'll cut their losses and leave. Maybe Alfie and Gwen will get lucky, and they'll be able to sit here and ride it out for just a few more minutes.

But in case that doesn't happen...]

How much ammo have you got?

[The last thing Alfie wants to do is drag Gwen into a gunfight, but if they do end up getting shot at, he needs to know how much she can defend herself.]

[showhim]

[ Gwen glances down at her gun, digs her fingers into her bag. ] I don't have a lot. I have a couple of rounds, it'll be okay. I'll be careful to make sure I don't miss.

[ The shouting gets louder - closer, and Gwen bites her lip. She hopes Royce and Mercy are okay, somewhere far. ]

[devoutish]

Tensions are high.

[Alfie's voice is low and tight.]

If we run and they spot us, they're not gonna give us a chance to explain that we're not involved. But--

[He glances around, his gaze landing on a half-collapsed section of shelves that runs parallel to the door.]

Behind there. Go.

[It's only about ten feet away. They'll be out in the open for a few seconds at most.]

[showhim]

[ But they can't stay, and she gets it. She nods, pulling herself together, expression steady, and doesn't hesitate. She holds her gun close and runs, keeps low as she races for the shelves. Nobody notices - nobody sees her, not this time, and she reaches up to put a hand over her mouth, to quiet herself down.

Ten feet. It's just ten feet. She pulls her hand away from her mouth to gesture to Alfie - come on - and then looks ahead. If they can just get past the next gap, they can keep running far away from the warzone and not have to worry. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie runs next to her, positioning himself - and his gun - between her and the approaching cacophony. It's strategic. He has more ammunition, and he's a more practiced shot.]

The door next. Are you ready?

[showhim]

Ready. [ She gives him a quick smile, pushing her hair back out of her face. Ready as she'll ever be. A beat, and then she moves again - runs just like she did the last time.

Only this time, someone sees her, and this time, someone shouts, points her out. Gwen hears it, and gasps, dodging, but it's not quite fast enough. The bullet is too quick, and she feels a sharp and terrible pain in her leg for just a moment before she trips and stumbles through the door.

The man that shoots her is really the only one who noticed. Everybody else is frenzied, chaotic, and not attentive enough to the two people actively trying to get away. ]

[devoutish]

[Alfie, still right next to her, doesn't miss a beat in grabbing her up. It's just her leg, he tells himself, taking a deep breath and remaining calm. It could have been worse, but it's just a leg. And even with his bad back, he can carry her for long enough to get away.

Alfie doesn't bother to try to retaliate against the shooter. With any luck, he'll notice that, and realize that they aren't involved; that he'd made a mistake.]

Come on, Gwen; just a bit farther.

[He whispers it into her ear, low and soothing, and keeps moving at a half-jog, holding her securely in his arms. There's another building a short distance away. It looks empty.]