Survivalist Plot: Our Tools and Our Reasons

[meat_mooks]

End of Day Two

If there were any signs of life at all, it could be said that the town is now sleeping. After a blistering day in the sun, the cool of night may be a welcome relief - at least, in terms of temperature. The knowledge that the crews foes are out there, now hidden under the cover of darkness, will be decidedly less comforting.

On the south end of the city, a series of red signal flares goes up, signaling that at least one crewmember has found safety out there. Howard waits across the street with binoculars, ready to hail anyone he sees down.

Comments

[bequiet_hescreamed]

"Well..." he hesitates. "I didn't want to go back through that way, so I kind of--"

There is apparently a hand gesture for "bursting out of its stomach like some demonic pregnancy gone wrong," but this gesture is known only to Clef. Cedric will probably misinterpret it.

[theboywhodied]

"You made it explode?" Cedric guesses. it certainly looks violent.

[bequiet_hescreamed]

"Kind of. Dug my way out." He makes a 'heh' sound. "And then Karis informed me that I was covered in innards. She's been indispensable, really."

[theboywhodied]

"I'm sure," Cedric agrees, cringing. Poor Clef. It must be great, having that reminder. "And we can't even clean off."

[bequiet_hescreamed]

"Nope." Clef smiles. If he's going to die smelling like this, he might as well have a sense of humor about it.

Really, though, Cedric is the main reason he's smiling. He wouldn't be able to talk about this so casually to a total stranger.

"I'm glad you made it back," he says. Because he likes Cedric, but also: "Now we can all find a way out of this together."

[theboywhodied]

"Agreed," Cedric nods, less certain of their eventual success than usual. The day alone has worried him more than enough. More of that is coming, but it's more easily faced as a group.

"I'm sorry you thought..." And this isn't even the worst of it, Cedric thinks. Howard will find one way or another to hate him. Maybe Maxine will be nice, though.

[bequiet_hescreamed]

"I said no apologizing," Clef teases. He fails to see how Cedric committed any terrible offense in the process of getting lost and taken for dead.

"In any case, we only just found out from Howard," he adds, more seriously. "There wasn't time for grief to set in, and I think everyone was being strong about it.

"So, no harm done, right?"

[theboywhodied]

Cedric has a fleeting thought of disappointment that no one had really had the chance to care that he'd died, but it was better this way. He wasn't dead. No point in any unnecessary pain.

"No harm done," he agreed with a shaky nod. His energy was fading fast, but he could at least make it to the house.