"Rebuild" (Interactive exchange thread)

(Posts coming.)

Alice Palmer, Mayor of the Wheelhouse Community:

The reclamation of 300 SE Water Avenue -- which the others are simply calling 300 -- is over...

We've cleared all 7 apartments of zombies, rescued 3 people including a 4 year old child, made a friend who -- ironically -- shot own of our owns (though not fatally and certainly not without what she considered cause and for which we are willing to forgive her), added a Medic to our population, and found a treasure trove of food, bottled water, prescription medications, badly needed clothing, and more, including a copy of Monopoly, my favorite game of all time.

Once I am told that Sergeant Denny Paulson's bullet wound is being tended to by the "Doc", Nurse Practitioner Heather Hollingsworth, and that the rest of the Community members are safe and secure, I make my way down from the Wheelhouse's roof -- from which I have been fulfilling my place as Command and Control -- and cross the road and lumber yard to check on the Commander of Alpha Squad. He is in good spirits, even laughing with the others.

I find Gretchen in #2 with Valerie Vance, our new friend. I speak with her a while about the misunderstanding, and she seems to genuinely accept the situation. I tell her in no uncertain terms that if she wants our help, we need hers as well.

"...if you want a share of the food, water, and other things in the other apartments … if you want some muscle to help you move from 2 to 4 … I think you should assist us in the scavenging. Deal?"

"Sure, of course, only seems fair," she agrees. "What about my gun?"

I reach into the small of my back and retrieve the weapon that Constance McCallister had already passed to me. I eject the clip, noting that it is nearly empty. I set both the weapon and clip on the counter, telling more than asking Valerie, "You'll leave it right here until we're done with our work, yes? You know … to avoid any misunderstandings. And, when Alpha Squad and the Over Watch clear out, I'll make sure you have more ammunition. Unless you have a box of ammo."

"No," she says after a moment of hesitation. I don't believe but also don't confront Valerie when she claims, "Just what was in the gun at the time. It's not mine, it's my boyfriend's. He gave it to me for protection."

"Might have been better if he hadn't," I point out, letting that sore subject go. We talk about what resources she has -- food, water, more -- before I invite her to come with me to #1, which is now accessible through the patios which are all in the process of being linked by having the wood fences between them disassembled. We go to the fridge, finding about half of what's in there still safe to consume. "Take what you want. And in the cupboards, too. What you don't take today, we'll take tomorrow. I'm going to assign someone to you … help you claim some perishables and other food, after which I'm hoping you will help us?"

"And this person you assign to me," Valerie asked, her tone doubtful, "he's going to help me move into #4?"

After we get the perishables back to the Wheelhouse, yes," I tell her. I study Valerie for a moment, then tell her, "We have to trust one another, you and I. This is a different world now. You won't survive out here alone without support from the Wheelhouse. And we -- our entire Community -- will only suffer if we can't trust you out here. I would prefer you come join us … but … if you are insistent on staying here..."

I hand Valerie a radio I brought specifically for her, saying, "I want you to keep in touch with me. We're using Channel 1 for security purposes. Just clicked the mic, and every radio in the Community will hear you. Channel 2 is more limited and only broadcasts to the Supervisors of various areas of responsibility. Channel 9 will only broadcast to my own radio. Our resident tech wiz set them up."

Valerie repeats what I've told her, then sets the radio next to the gun on the kitchen island. "So … where is this liaison you're sticking me with?"

I speak into my own radio, "Alice Palmer to Phillip Nelson, can you come join me in Apartment #2, please?"

The two of us move back to the mostly destroyed apartment, and a moment later Phillip arrives. I introduce the two of them, then explain the new assignment to Phillip. I make sure they are all straight on expectations, then turn to leave.

"Thank you," Valerie says, surprising me. When I look to her with a smile, she says with a rather serious tone, "I know y'all coulda just killed me … or thrown me out into the street to be eaten by those things. I appreciate that you're doing this. You didn't have to."

My smile widens, and before I turn to leave I tell her, "No, Valerie … we did."

Back out with the others, I find Roger Kent, who has returned after having delivered little Molly to Millie and is stepping into his role as Build Guild Supervisor. I tell him, "I promised Valerie the solar panel kit. She's not leaving here … not going to the Wheelhouse with us."

We have a discussion about it -- he thinks we should take the solar kit -- but I'm firm about it. "It'll be good for us to have someone out here."


Valerie Vance (represented by actress Teresa Palmer)
24 years old
5'6", 121#, 35B-24-36
Dirty blonde hair
Blue eyes
Tattoos in interesting places

I watch the Mayor leave my apartment, then look to the man she's assigned to me. "Phillip, huh? Or is it Phil?"

He answers. I look around my apartment, then back to him. "Well, you guys pretty much destroyed my place, so, I guess we have our work cut out for us."

I look him over conspicuously. He's the stereotypical tall, dark, and handsome kind of man my grandmother told me I wanted to have take care of me. I've had lots of men like that throughout my life, but not one of them ever wanted to take care of me and farther than ensuring I came, and hell, they only wanted me to enjoy my own orgasm because the assumed it meant I would be more likely to go down on them or let them play around in my third hole, something more women wouldn't.

"Okay, Phil," I begin, not caring one way or the other which he prefers. I pick up my pistol, slam the clip into it, and put it into the small of my back as I explain, "First thing to get straight is that I'm not fuckin' walking around in this new world as your Mayor calls it unarmed."

I walk past him, snatching up my empty laundry basket, and tell him we're going to pillage #1 first. I head directly for the fridge, open it, and take out two beers. They're still a little bit cold, despite the power having gone out. I pop a top, take a long swig, and offer Phillip one.

We go to work scavenging what hasn't gone bad. It's surprising how many of the perishables are still safe to consume. It's also surprising how many things in the fridge don't really need to be in it. I open the freezer and find the ice cream mostly melted but still cold. Looking at Phillip, I tip it up and swallow down a large portion of the thick, white substance. When I finish, I realize I have some on my lips and chin. I intentionally make cleaning it off with my tongue and finger tips an act of eroticism, just to see what Phillip's reaction will be.

"You gotta a wife, Phil?" I ask as I step up close to him to offer him the pint container. "Wife, fiancée, girlfriend? Maybe I'm making false assumptions. Husband? Boyfriend?"

I stick my finger into the goopy substance, then -- with my eyes set firmly on his -- insert said finger into my mouth and suck it clean.

POV: Craig Ullman

"May I speak with you a moment?" I whisper to Gretchen Lehman as we are passing one another in the now-attached patios of the 300 apartments.

I take her by the hand and lead her into #5, which doesn't currently have anyone else working in it. I continue to lead her, until we have passed through the living room and dining room and are at the base of the stairs near the apartment's front door. There, I turn to face her, pull her body to mine with one hand, and pull her face to mine with the other for what I hope will be a passionate kiss.

I am in a desperate need to forget all that just happened out there on the garage rooves. I didn't just kill Zombies; I killed my friend. I worked with Kyle King for more than four years; I played fast pitch softball with him for three of those and was an usher for his recent wedding; and today, I put a bullet through his forehead and dropped him into a still growing pile of dead bodies accumulating at the bottom of a garage door.

Hoping Gretchen will return the badly needed sexual release that I afforded her two nights ago, I reach a hand up to clutch at a firm breast as the other hand reaches down to begin unbuckling her belt.

POV: Gretchen Lehman (with Craig Ullman)

I'm providing protection for the scavengers while they are transporting resources from the apartments to Millie's cart in the northwest corner of Parr's lumber yard when Craig snags me by the hand, asking, "May I speak with you a moment?"

I let him lead me into and through the apartment without question. He's been through an ordeal in the past hour, killing his friend who'd become a zombie. He's got to be hurting.

I think he just needs to talk to someone, so he surprises me when he grasps my body and kisses me. I don't necessarily resist. It feels good, just as if feels good to be wanted.

He was there for me the other night when I needed my own sexual release. But we have dangerous work to be done now. I pull back, chuckle, and slip my arms up between our bodies to maintain some separation without actually pushing him away.

"Not now, Craig, and not here," I tell him, peeking out toward the sliding glass door for witnesses. "We have work to do, and those people out there need us to protect them. Later..."

I lean in to give him a wet, erotic kiss, adding, "...I promise."

I reach down to cup his obviously excited cock for a moment, chuckle again, and tell him, "Promise!"

I push away, turn, and head away, peeking back over my shoulder as I give my ass a wiggle.