"The Castle" (An "I Am Legend" inspired RP)

[HumanBean]

Brad was relieved when Carol said about the Castle's future command and/or government type, "Then we'll sit down and talk about it then."

She told them, "I trust you. Both of you."

Brad looked to Maggie. She seemed satisfied. He told Carol with a happy smile, "We'll talk about it then."

Carol and Rex discussed staying, going, collecting their things, and more. Rex made Brad smile. He'd never been a father. He'd never been an uncle. He'd never dated a woman with children. And none of his jobs had involved children. And yet, he was delighted with Rex. It was going to be a joy having him here, he hoped.

Maggie asked if Carol wanted an escort back to her current home. Carol answered no, then complimented them both on what they'd created here. Brad had never thought much of it really. It was a safe, secure place with lots of stuff. That was it. Maggie's arrival and visions for the Castle changed Brad's opinion. And seeing Rex and Carol's reactions to it only reinforced that feeling.

"I'll get you over the wall," Brad said. He headed for the door. Maggie was quickly tending to the aftermath of dinner. "Save that, and I'll help you."

He doubted there would be anything left for him to do when he got back. Maggie had taken over the kitchen. Brad didn't mind, really. He'd never eaten this good before. Not even before the Dark Seekers. His meals had rarely involved anything more than a main course and maybe a vegetable or piece of bread. Sometimes dessert, if it came out of a box or plastic container.

Brad watched Rex shoot up the ladders. Both he and Carol told the boy to be cautious. He ignored them until he was at the base of the last ladder. Brad hollered, "Rex, stop!"

The boy actually did as commanded. Brad reached the boy and the ladder. He explained, "I want to look out on the terminal before you poke your head over the wall, okay?"

Brad went up the last ladder first. The rainwater capture system had been arranged along the outside of the wall where the highest ladders rose for the expressed purpose of blocking the view of those coming up the ladder, of course. Brad stepped up on top. He scanned the neighborhood with his bare eyes, then a pair of binoculars.

"Okay, come on up," he called down.

Rex, unsurprisingly, was already part way up the ladder, waiting. He reached the top in an instant, with Carol right behind him. Brad's two guests took their place on the pallet. He operated the makeshift elevator to lift the pair out over the edge.

"I would have preferred if one of us had gone with you," Brad said. He smiled to Carol. He'd already decided he liked her. Sexually. That was confusing for him, of course, as he thought the same for Maggie. "It would be nice to know that you made it back safely. Is there any way for you to signal us? The Marriott isn't in sight from here, otherwise I'd ask you to flash a reflection to us from the roof or something. I could send you some flares."

Brad pulled the pack he'd brought with him off his shoulder. He pulled a flare gun he'd located long ago, as well as a small box of flares. He flashed them at her.

 

[AmyRoberts]

Carol became concerned when Brad suddenly called out, "Rex, stop!" She may have only been the boy's aunt, but she had developed motherly instincts over the last year as she helped her sister through these scary times. Belinda had insisted on going out on patrols and scavenging hunts, something Carol had been dead set against. But the woman had always had both an adventurous streak and a death wish, in Carol's opinion.

Even though she would never tell Brad or Maggie this, Carol felt guilty for her sister's death last night. The two of them had had a fight about Belinda's repetitive ventures outside their secure zone, with Carol -- ranging near the extreme top of her anger range -- calling her sister a bad mother for her risky behavior.

Belinda had gotten defensive, grabbed her go bag, had Rex grab his, too, and left the shelter; she'd headed for one of the overnight safe shelters, intending on using it as a new residence until she figured out what to do next. Unfortunately, something of which Carol was unaware had caused them to head farther east, toward the container terminal, where they got caught outside at sunset. Before they could find a safe place, they'd ended up at the fueling depot where Brad and Maggie would later find her dead body and, thankfully, her frightened son.

"I want to look out on the terminal," Brad continued, "before you poke your head over the wall, okay?"

That caused Carol to relax; Brad hurried up the ladder, she followed, and the two newcomers waited until the Castle's original resident told them it was okay to come up to the top. Brad talked about wanting Carol and Rex to have an escort, then asked, "Is there any way for you to signal us?"

He spoke on not being able to see the Marriott from here, then offered Carol a flare gun and flares. Carol laughed as she asked for Brad's binoculars and looked off to the west. Finding that what she was hoping was visible from here actually was, she handed the field glasses back and told him to look west toward the airport.

"Okay, see the blue truck parked on the freeway...?" She waited for his response. "To the left of that is a tall street lamp pole ... and to the left of that, way back in the back ground ... the tall white tower...? That's Newark Liberty's control tower. Well, sort of. It is ... was the control tower, until the transferred flight control to a new facility in, of all places, Philadelphia. How the hell do you control airplanes landing in New Jersey from Pennsylvania?"

Carol waited until Brad verified that he saw the tower, then continued, "We used to use that ... the tower ... as a lookout tower. We used to keep someone up there every day for most of the day. Then it became every other day for a few hours ... then less ... and less until finally we just stopped going there."

"I've been there!" Rex said with obvious pride. "When I went there the first time, the elevator still worked." He feigned an exhausted state, saying, "The next time we climbed the stairs!"

"The tower had an emergency generator," Carol explained. "It ran out of fuel, and we were going to refill it. But by that time, we saw no need for a lookout. There was nothing to see really." She smiled, chuckled, and said, "Ironic, ain't it. If we'd kept going up there, we might have noticed you building your Castle."

As she loaded Rex onto the pallet, Carol told Brad, "I won't have time to do it tonight ... but tomorrow I'll either signal you from there to let you know we made it fine ... or ... I'll knock on the outside of your Castle with a hammer to let you know you have new residents. Okay?"

She listened to his answer as she got onto the pallet with her nephew. Brad lowered them to the ground, and they waved their thanks before heading out across the terminal yard for home ... or at least, their current home. Carol already knew that even if the others didn't want to move here, she and Rex would. The Castle had a lot to offer them as a potential trading post, as had been one of the offers made, but it had so much more to offer them as their new residence.

 

[HumanBean]

Brad drifted the binoculars until he was looking at the blue truck Carol was describing. He found the tower and listened to her explanation of how they'd once used it. Rex showed his excitement about it. Brad looked to the boy, smiled, and said, "I'm sure that was fun. Climbing the stairs, I mean."

Carol talked about the emergency generator and its need for fuel. "Ironic, ain't it. If we'd kept going up there, we might have noticed you building your Castle."

Brad had been very surprised in those first days of building the Castle that no one had discovered him doing so. A witness could almost surely have to have been inside the terminal grounds to see him. Or in the tallest tower in the neighborhood. He attributed his solitary existence in those days to the fact that any Dark Seeker survivors were doing all they could simply to find safe places to live. Few people were exploring then, Brad assumed.

Carol made it clear that she would be contacting him tomorrow. He hoped that it would be her knocking on the wall. He hoped Rex would be with her. That seemed almost a certainty. Would the others come? Brad believed they would.

He lowered them to the ground and watched them until they finally disappeared to the west. He stayed up there until almost dark, surveying his surroundings. Brad wondered how many other people were out there to be discovered. And saved? he wondered. Were there places out there where it was more likely to survive?

What about thrive? They were different, obviously. Brad had been surviving. Thriving was a matter of opinion. Maggie had brought up so many ideas on how to make life in the Castle better. Thriving, not just surviving. Brad was excited.

As darkness approached, Brad descended from the top of the wall. He didn't want to take the chance that a Dark Seeker spotted him from its shadows.

 

[AmyRoberts]

(OOC: I changed some names of Carol's people. Don't worry about it; go with it. I don't know if HumanBean is going to stick with the ones for the men or not, but -- if you are reading along -- you'll find out in his next post, I guess.)

In the Marriott basement safehouse:

Carol looked between the faces of her current community's members, finishing her presentation with, "Well, what do you think?"

Vivica didn't hesitate to say, "I love it. When do we leave?" She looked to her brother and defended her decision, "This place is dead. We've scavenged all of the buildings for blocks in every direction, and there's no food left. And we can't grow anything here."

She looked to Carol, then back to the others. "She says we can grow a garden there. And we can raise chickens and rabbits and anything else that we can find that the Darkies haven't already eaten." She looked to Carol again, reminding her, "We saw rabbits in the park that one day, remember? They weren't naturally wild rabbits. They were feral bunnies. I know rabbits. If we could catch them--"

Vivica went quiet as Carol gestured to her, saying, "You don't have to convince me." Carol looked to the Russian female, Tatiana. "What about you?"

She started giving her opinion in her native Russian, stopped after a half dozen words, then started again; her English was very good, which was how she'd gotten her job at the Russian Consulate in Manhattan, but her accent sometimes made it hard for the others to immediately understand her words. "I agree with Viv. This place dead. We should do new thing, da?"

Gwendolyn had no hesitation either, but her answer came without words; since the mayhem of the Dark Seeker apocalypse began, she hadn't spoken a word except in her occasional nightmares. Instead, she only nodded her agreement. Carol verified by asking Move?, to which the young woman smiled and again nodded.

Carol looked between the men, asking, "Whaddaya say, guys?"

 

[HumanBean]

(OOC: The names for the men are fine. Thanks for the "out".)

In the Marriott basement safehouse:

Carol looked between the two adult males for their answer to whether they should move to the Castle or not. They looked between themselves, too. Vivica's brother, Richard, shrugged to Tatiana's lover, Victor.

"I don't see how it could hurt," the man from the Bronx told the man from Brooklyn. "Like Viv said, this place is dead. We don't make a change soon, we'll be dead soon."

Victor was a bit more skeptical of how quickly this was happening. They'd been here in the basement of the Marriott for almost the entirety of the Dark Seeker madness. During that time, he'd had a significant amount of control over what happened here. It wasn't that he had any sort of official seniority, superiority, or authority. Victor was simply ... what was the best word? Assertive? Competitive? Bullheaded? Aggressive?

Any one of those words described him at different times. Macho did, too. He was that. It was what Tatiana had found attractive. She liked that of him. They'd met at a dance club popular with the New York area's better-off Russians. Tatiana, of course, worked for the Russian Consulate. Victor was an entrepreneur. That was one word for it.

He'd impressed her with his knowledge of New York City and its surrounding communities. She'd impressed him with her hunger for life, whether dressed or undressed. They'd become passionate lovers that first night dancing together. That had been just two months before the apocalypse. If the world hadn't gone the way it had, they might not have still been together. Victor didn't do long term relationships. Until now.

Still, even the end of the world as they knew it hadn't prevented Victor from chasing tail. He and Gwendolyn had been bumping uglies for more than half of their time living in the Marriott's basement. Victor knew that Tatiana knew about his dalliance. The others didn't, as far as Victor knew. It wasn't something they advertised.

And honestly, despite Victor's macho-ness, he wasn't the one who'd initiated the secret sex sessions. The woman who never spoke had come to him while the others were all out and about scavenging and seduced him. Despite no words from her, she made a considerable amount of noise. She was an easily excitable, easily satisfied woman. Victor had enjoyed her very much.

When they'd finished, she'd simply rose off his cock, looked at him seriously, and held a finger up to her lips, signaling his silence. Victor had kept it quiet as instructed. And again. And again. They fucked about once a month. He was pretty sure Gwen was timing it with her menstrual cycle. Explaining how she got pregnant while living with a taken man and a gay man would be difficult.

Sometimes Victor felt a bit guilty with regard to sex. Here he was getting laid by two women, and Richard didn't have anyone. Richard's live-in lover had been killed the Night of the Dark Seekers, as that first night of their rising had come to be called.

The two of them had been dedicated to one another. At the same time, they were swingers, too. They had seen others together nearly every weekend, sometimes over an entire weekend. (During the weeks, they were dedicated to their respective careers: Richard, a former Navy SEAL sniper, was a NYPD police officer while his lover had been a corporate lawyer.)

The only thing that had kept Richard sane over the last year was the love and caring of his sister. The two of them hadn't been close for the decade before the apocalypse. You wouldn't know that now, though. They were closer now than they'd been since they were toddlers, their ages just 10 months apart.

Victor looked to Carol. "I'd like to know more about who's going to be in charge, who's going to make decisions, how we're going to settle disputes, what happens if there is disagreement that we can't get past. You see where I'm going with this."

He looked around the group. Victor knew that, at times, he'd been seen as being a bit overbearing. But he'd always had the group's security and safety in mind. He'd taken risks on a number of occasions to make sure none of them got hurt. He'd killed for them. Dark Seekers and Humans.

"But I think I'd have to say yes," Victor told them. "I mean, if it doesn't work, we can make a change, right?"

 

[AmyRoberts]

In the Marriott basement safehouse:

"I'd like to know more about who's going to be in charge," Victor said, continuing, "who's going to make decisions, how we're going to settle disputes, what happens if there is disagreement that we can't get past. You see where I'm going with this."

"I do," Carol responded. She could have said more about her conversation with Brad over just this sort of topic but instead kept her opinions to herself. She was afraid that discussing it too much might bring up more concerns that would keep the move from happening.

"But I think I'd have to say yes," Victor said. "I mean, if it doesn't work, we can make a change, right?"

"Exactly," Carol said, a happy smile spreading her lips.

Beside her, Rex whispered with his own excitement, "Can we go back tonight? Can we? Brad and Maggie said we--"

Carol gestured the boy silent, telling him softly, "Why don't you go pack your things ... and we'll head back to the Castle tomorrow morning."

Rex bounced away to the little space in the basement that had served as his and his mother's bedroom. He no sooner got there then he turned back and asked with a solemn tone, "What about mommy?"

"Yeah, you didn't tell us," Vivica reminded Carol. "Where is Belinda's--" She caught herself before she said body. Looking to the boy, then back to the dead woman's sister, Vivica asked more vaguely, "What about your sister?"

(OOC: We actually forgot about this, so I'm going to make this up now.)

"Brad and Maggie have a refrigerated unit," Carol told the group. "She's safe there ... until we can have a ceremony."

"A funeral?" Rex asked.

He'd seen a few of those already over the last year as the community had lost several of its members over the last 13 months. They'd rarely had an actual body to bury, and when they had, it had been inappropriate for the 7-year-old to view it. There had generally just been a marker placed in the makeshift graveyard in the lawn out front of the Marriott.

"Yes, honey," Carol told her nephew as she crossed to him to help him to his room. "We'll bury your mother next to the others out in--"

"Can't she be in the Castle?" he asked. "Can't she be close enough for me to visit her sometimes?"

One of the people buried here on the grounds had been a boy Rex had befriended during their time living here in the hotel's basement. The boy hadn't been killed by Dark Seekers but had instead died of a fever of unknown origins. Rex had missed his friend horribly, and anytime the scavenging produced things that a child would enjoy, Rex would insist on laying them on the grave site.

"We'll ask Brad, honey," Carol promised. "Now, why don't you pack your things, then get into your pajamas, and I'll come in and read to you before bed."

Out in the main room, Richard, Tatiana, Vivica, and Victor continued talking about the proposal to move, with the ever silent but also attentive Gwendolyn paying close attention and, when appropriate, nodding or shaking her head. Carol joined them, listening to their thoughts, questions, concerns, and more. There were a lot of questions, of course, to which Carol finally suggested, "What if instead of simply packing up and moving there, we all head over there tomorrow and have a pow wow with Brad and Maggie? That way you can all meet the pair ... get a feel for them, ask your questions ... relief your concerns."

After more discussion, during which time Vivica and Richard made a meal of the things Maggie had left for them in the morning and the things Brad had given Carol to bring back just a while ago, it was decided that that was what they'd do. Carol ate, took a small plate and glass of reconstituted powdered milk to Rex, read to him, and tucked his exhausted, passed out body into bed.

 

[HumanBean]

In the Marriott basement safehouse:

Victor was surprised to hear Carol say that Brad had refrigeration. To learn that he had refrigerators, freezers, a power generator, and the fuel to keep them all running was impressive. Of course, this community had had power for a while, too. The Marriott had a backup power generator that they'd used for a while.

But they'd abandoned it when they'd feared that it was attracting the Dark Seekers. It was the noise that had attracted the cannibals. The Seekers didn't have the intelligence to connect the generator to luxuries and then luxuries to Human usage. It was simply the noise and noise alone.

Victor wondered if the Castle wall itself was enough to keep the Dark Seekers from taking notice. Or had Brad done something more? Had he surrounded the power generator with sound insulation? He hadn't, which Victor would learn tomorrow. But it got the man thinking about what else Brad might have done or could do. It wasn't enough simply to have the resources an abandoned shipping terminal could offer. You also had to have the security of the Castle's wall.

When Carol put Rex to bed and rejoined the conversation, she picked up on the concerns regarding simply picking up and moving. "What if instead of simply packing up and moving there, we all head over there tomorrow and have a pow wow with Brad and Maggie? That way you can all meet the pair ... get a feel for them, ask your questions ... relief your concerns."


Richard and Victor looked between each other. They were the most hesitant of the six adults. Ironically, it was for different reasons. Richard was solely concerned about his sister's safety. Sure, this place was dead, as Vivica had called it. But at least they knew that they were secure here. They'd fortified the fire doors and erected other barriers to keep the Dark Seekers out. Richard questioned being out in the open as the Castle had been described by Carol.

Victor, though, was concerned about a loss of control and authority. The group had allowed him to become their leader without a fight. He was a good leader, ironic seeing how Richard had been a SEAL and a cop, and Victor was nothing more than a street-smart go-getter. What was going to happen when they were living under another man's roof, figuratively.

"I can fire up the Chevy," Victor said as they were preparing to end the night. The others looked to him. He shrugged. "Do we really want to carry all of our shit, what, a mile? I mean, we only stopped using the Suburban because of those shots we took."

The incident about which Victor was speaking happened about a month after all seven of the current residents (as well as some of those who'd passed, including Belinda) had come together as a community. They'd been driving back from the Hillside neighborhood after a scavenging trip. A couple of blocks from the Marriott, a shot had gone right through the windshield and skimmed Richard's upper arm.

They'd sped away to a hiding place. They hadn't returned to the Marriott in fear of being tracked to their only certain safehouse. The night had been scary, with Dark Seekers running wild through the neighborhood. (It was popularly believed that they could smell living Humans.)

It wasn't until noon the following day that they loaded up again and sped to the hotel. After that, they'd abandoned the SUV. The silence of scavenging on foot just seemed safer. Richard chimed in, "I think it's a good idea. We have too much to carry on our backs. Thoughts?"

They finished for the night. Everyone headed for their beds. Some were able to sleep. Others were to anxious to even close their eyes.

 

[AmyRoberts]

In the Marriott basement safehouse:

"I can fire up the Chevy," Victor suggested. Richard chimed in, "I think it's a good idea. We have too much to carry on our backs. Thoughts?"

Carol, Vivica, Tatiana, and Gwendolyn each thought about what they'd want to take with them. Each of them had differing levels of what would be considered personal possessions, but all four -- with the mute Gwen nodding her acknowledgement -- agreed that using the SUV was preferred over walking the mile or so to the terminal.

They took to their beds in the hopes of getting some sleep. As with the guys, the ability of the women to sleep varied. Carol found herself lying next to her nephew for what seemed like an eternity, unable to even close her eyes. She finally gave up and ever so quietly set about packing her and Rex's things. She found out very quickly that there wasn't much she wanted to take with her: some undergarments, an extra pair of warm, durable outer clothes, and the pistol and associated box of bullets that they'd taken off a dead Marriott security officer's hip.

After finishing with that, Carol slipped quietly out into the common area. She was surprised to find Vivica already out there, packing the remains of their diminished food pantry into boxes. They whispered between one another as they finished that task. Viv was finally feeling tired again and slipped off to her bed. Ironically, just a few minutes later, Tatiana appeared, unable to sleep any more than Carol had. They sat and whispered together, wondering about what their new residence would offer them.

It was almost sunup before Carol finally felt tired enough to once again attempt sleep. She laid next to Rex and was out in less than a minute. Out in the common area, Gwen -- who had been an early riser before the apocalypse and continued to be now -- joined Tatiana at the dining table they'd brought down to the basement months earlier. Gwen prepared a hot breakfast from the little bit of food the other women hadn't packed, specifically for this last meal.

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Once they were all packed up and the sun was high enough to eliminate any significant shadows outside for the benefit of the Dark Seekers, they loaded up the Suburban and headed for the terminal. (Google Maps link) The path was pretty clear, surprisingly; there had been lots of cars on the roads and freeway that first night of the apocalypse, clogging up the roads when the Dark Seekers began attacking, but luck had had most of the traffic jams to the north and south of both the airport and the container yard. That had had to push vehicles out of the way on five occasions, only one of which had require any real brute force.

Arriving near the base of the Castle's wall, they all unloaded and looked upwards for their hosts.

 

[HumanBean]

Atop the Castle's wall:

Brad heard the approaching SUV long before he saw it approaching. That was one of the benefits of a world without Human Beings: the silence. The only sounds Brad heard with any regularity these days were the water, wind, and birds. Even that last one had gotten quieter over the last year.

When the Dark Seekers began running out of Humans to eat, they turned to other animals, including birds. The sea birds who lived on the many islands of the tri-state area not connected to the mainland by roads or tunnels had survived. But most of those nesting on Manhattan, Staten Island, and other well-connected islands had been wiped out during the hours of darkness.

The 7 new residents unloaded from the big SUV. Brad waved down, calling out, "I'll lower the elevator."

He used the remote to pull the loader forward and lower the new elevator. Brad had built it this morning as soon as he got up. He'd replaced the heavy-duty wooden pallet with a heavier-duty structure made of steel pipes and 2x6 lumber.

He'd wanted to be sure it was safe, of course. So, for almost an hour, he'd ridden it up and down while Maggie operated the lift. Brad shook it, swung it, banged it around. He'd secured himself with a harness, of course, just in case it failed. He wasn't an idiot. It worked perfectly.

Brad studied the new people as the elevator slowly lowered to them. He noticed that most of them carried firearms. He wondered where they'd gotten them all. He would learn later that the guns had come from a variety of sources: a dead hotel security guard, a dead cop, a dead National Guard officer, an apparent gangbanger. The only thing all these people had had in common was that they were dead and partially eaten. Not surprising.

Brad and Maggie had discussed firearms more in depth. Neither one of them wanted to believe that the new residents presented a threat to them. After all, they'd invited these people to live here. If things went wrong, it was their own damn fault. Still, they'd taken precautions. They'd hid loaded weapons all about the castle: inside their own homes; inside other partially unloaded and still opened containers; and (venturing outside this morning right after sunrise) in various places outside the Castle, just in case.

"It'll easily hold two of you and a bunch of you stuff!" Brad called down when the elevator reached the ground. He watched as they loaded and rode the lift. When each pair arrived (or trio, the trip including Rex), Brad happily shook hands and said, "Welcome, welcome. We're happy to have you here with us."

 

[AmyRoberts]

Atop the Castle's wall:

Maggie joined Brad atop the wall when he called that he heard their new residents approaching. By the time they crossed the yard and began unloading, she'd climbed the 5 ladders to stand next to Brad as he hollered down, "I'll lower the elevator."

She was thoroughly impressed with the next elevator. It turned out that Brad had been contemplating its design for quite a while but simply hadn't had a reason to build it. It had been simultaneously a joy and a terror testing it with Brad as he jostled it around to ensure it would be safe for the new folk. Maggie had yelled at him repeatedly to be more careful, and yet after he reassured her that it was fine, she took a ride on it herself, swinging it back and forth along the wall like and oversized swing set.

As Carol's group -- or was it Victor's group? -- began ascending to the top of the wall, Carol noticed the firearms that nearly each of them carried as Brad had, too. She didn't think there was any danger of a mutiny, but she'd been just as eager to stash weapons about as Brad had. All they could do was hope for the best.

"Welcome, welcome," Brad told Carol, Rex, and Gwendolyn as they reached the top, the first group to do so. "We're happy to have you here with us."

Maggie helped the boy, his aunt, and his friend off as Brad steadied the elevator. She led them toward the ladder, saying, "Come with me. We've arranged temporary quarters for you. There're only three containers, so if you prefer something different, we can arrange that. You can leave your bags here. Brad and whoever's last can use the elevator to lower it all later."

Carol gestured the other two to set their bags out of the way then followed the other woman to and down the ladders. At the bottom, Maggie led them toward the north corner of the Castle's interior, where they'd moved the three containers that they'd finished emptying for their new friends. The 20-foot units sat perpendicular to the west wall, with the nearest end just far enough from the wall to allow the doors to be opened as an emergency exit -- or simply as a backdoor. They sat parallel to one another, just far enough apart to allow the loader to get in between them to move the middle one out, which Maggie thought might happen if those living in them wanted more space.

The nice thing about the placement was that it put the Seven Marriotts -- a nickname Carol had used during one conversation -- in the northern half of the Castle's interior, while Brad and Maggie's container homes were in the southern section. They were still just 100-200 feet apart -- nearest ones to farthest ones, respectively -- which left them part of the same neighborhood but it also put enough distance between them that if troubles arose, Maggie and Brad had a little space and time to figure things out. Not much space and time, but more than if they'd put all the containers side by side in the north or south.

Atop the wall:

After Carol, Rex, and Gwen rode the elevator up to the top, Vivica and Richard made the accent, followed by three lifts of their possessions. Before they'd arrived, it had been decided that the Marriots wanted some of their number at the bottom and the others at the top. There was still a bit of suspicion of Brad and, to a lesser degree, Maggie. It had been decided that there should be armed Marriotts at both the top and bottom while transfer of their people and possessions was taking place.

In the end, everything went perfectly peaceful. Vivica shook hands with Brad in a perfectly friendly and appropriate way, but when Tatiana arrived at the top, she moved to Brad, took his shoulders in her hands, and kissed both of his cheeks as was so common in her Russian culture.

"Da, bolshoye spasibo, saire," she told him. With a happy tone and expression, using his full name out of the respect she thought was due, Tatiana said, "This means a lot to us. All of us." She looked to the others for some sort of confirmation of her statement; the men responded as they wished, while Viv smiled and nodded her agreement with the other woman.

After Brad pulled the elevator back to the inside of the Castle wall, the four newbies loaded as much gear as was appropriate to be lowered. Maggie was walking back with Carol, while Rex was zipping about on a bicycle she'd found in a pile of unwanted shit that Brad had piled near a container months earlier, and she couldn't help but notice that all of the Marriotts -- regardless of whether they were working with possessions or not -- were all still armed. She hoped that that would change over the hours, days, and months to come. It was important that they all came to trust one another as much as Carol had implied the Marriotts did.

Hoping to advance that trust, she unslung her own shotgun as she reached the unloading area, gently ejected the shell from its chamber without letting the round behind it to load, and tossed the weapon carefully up into the container loader's seat. She still had her little .22 caliber pistol in the small of her back, but it wasn't visible under her loose-fitting coat. She didn't expect to need it, not did she expect the more heavily armed Marriotts to see it as a threat against their own large caliber long rifles. Maggie knew that if they couldn't come to trust each other immediately, this was going to be very difficult for all of them.

Before Vivica came down, she asked Brad, "Should we move the Suburban to a location away from your Castle's wall. I mean, we didn't know you were here ... we weren't watching you ... but maybe someone else is or was? Would they notice the Suburban and think anything about it?"

She waited for Brad to give his opinion and -- if it was seen as important -- for him and the others to decide who would move it. Finally, once every box, suitcase, bag, and person was finally on the ground inside, Maggie said, "Let's get all of your stuff put away and eat. I retrieved some meat from the freezer this morning ... steaks! The barbeque it fired up and hot, though, not with genuine charcoal. Still, the pallets we burn make a great piece of meat."

They took care of business and sat down together for their first meal together.

 

[HumanBean]

Atop the Castle wall:

Vivica asked Brad, "Should we move the Suburban to a location away from your Castle's wall."

He didn't immediately register the question. That was despite the fact that he was only feet away from the woman and staring right at her. Brad was simply overwhelmed with Vivica's startling beauty.

"I mean, we didn't know you were here ... we weren't watching you..." she continued, "but maybe someone else is or was?"

Brad finally flashed back to reality. He stammered, "What...? Who is ... oh!"

He looked to the big SUV, then to Vivica as she finished, "Would they notice the Suburban and think anything about it?"

"Oh ... oh, yeah," he acknowledged. "That's, um ... that's a fair point. Let's get all this stuff down to the ground. Then we can use the elevator to go down there and move it."

Vivica's brother, Richard, piped in: "I can go back down with you, Viv."

Brad had gotten excited for a moment with the thought that he'd be alone with the woman for a few minutes. He knew this wasn't the appropriate time for hitting on her. But he also couldn't help but want to speak to her alone. It had been more than a year since he'd been alone with a woman after all. Well, until Maggie.

"I'll go down with the two of you," Brad said. "I want to make a visit to the freezer and fridge. Transfer some food for future meals."

"Freezer?" Richard asked with surprise, continuing, "Fridge?"

Brad smiled proudly. "Yeah, I have a handful of refrigeration units nearby. They run off propane-driven power generators."

"What's in them?" Richard asked with excitement. "What're you still eating?"

Brad shrugged. "The regular stuff. Frozen vegies. Dessert fruit."

"Meat?" Richard asked.

"Not as much as there used to be," Brad said. "But yeah. There's still a couple of 20-footers mostly full of meat. Beef, pork. Some chicken. The fish trailer turned off one night, and I lost that whole load."

Richard started laughing with joy. He stepped closer to Brad and offered out his hand. "Well, I gotta tell you, Brad. I am happily surprised at this revelation."

They chatted some more as they used the elevator to lower the rest of the Marriotts' possessions to the ground. Victor hadn't said a word during the refrigeration conversation. But now he said, "I'd like to see this, too. You mind?"

Brad shrugged. "No, not at all."

Maggie said she'd put dinner on the barbeque while the others went out to the refers. She lowered Brad, Vivica, Richard, and Victor down to the ground. They checked their radios to ensure they had communication.

The four loaded up in the Suburban and drove it over to the refrigeration area. They parked it in an empty space between 53-footers to make it less conspicuous. Brad didn't really believe that anyone had been studying the terminal yard and/or his Castle enough to note the SUV. But Vivica's concerns weren't without justification.

They unlocked and opened one of the freezer trucks and went inside. Again, Richard showed his joyous surprise. Brad was happy to see him happy. "Open that box there and pull out some steaks. There's some bags over there. We'll take some back with us for tomorrow and put the others in the refrigeration truck to thaw out for later in the week."

"We've been eating rabbits and seagulls," Victor mumbled. "And you have a trailer full of steaks?"

The man's volume was low, but his tone was harsh. Brad realized that Victor was being critical of him, as if he'd been holding out on him and his people. Suddenly, for the first time since the worst times of the apocalypse began, Brad felt fear from his fellow man. He actually thought that Victor might do something violent.

But Richard stepped up close to his friend and growled, "Brad and Maggie didn't know we were out there."

The two men stared each other down a moment before Richard growled barely over a whisper, "Calm the fuck down."

A long moment of tension faded with Victor smiling and saying, "No worries. Everything's good."

He glanced to Brad, smiled even wider, and repeated, "Everything's good." He turned and headed slowly out of the trailer without another word.

Richard moved closer to Brad. He explained, "It's been really hard for us out there. That isn't your fault. Not in the least. Victor's a good guy. It'll just take a while for him to warm up to you."

He shivered at the chill in the air, laughing and saying, "Speaking of warming up. Can we get out of here?"

They finished selecting some meat from one side of the trailer. On the other, they found potato fries and mixed, chopped vegetables. Brad pointed to the end, saying, "There's some fruit down there on the left. And on the right is orange juice and pomegranate juice, if you like that sort of thing."

Between them, they filled two cloth bags full. They took one to the refer, where they took out some already defrosted food and left the frozen stuff. Then they began the walk back to the Castle.

"Are you concerned about all that food being out here?" Richard asked, clarifying, "Outside the Castle wall."

"I am," Brad acknowledged. "I wanted to move it all inside. But the work involved is ... considerable. But maybe now with your help...?"

"Absolutely," Richard said. "I'm sure we can figure it out."

They talked about the logistics of moving the operation as they walked. At the Castle, they rode the elevator back up, over, and down again. Most of their dinner was already cooked, ready to hit plates. They all sat around talking about the future.

Brad studied Victor on occasion, trying to be inconspicuous. If there was anyone in the group that he thought might be a threat it would be him. He couldn't help but wonder whether or not the Marriotts' guns should be collected and put away. But how would he go about suggesting that? He'd go to Maggie, of course. But would she have any better idea of how than he had?

In the end, he decided to let it go for now.

 

[AmyRoberts]

At the refrigeration units:

"We've been eating rabbits and seagulls," Victor mumbled. "And you have a trailer full of steaks?"

Vivica immediately became concerned that the Russian-American was going to create a scene. He'd always been very headstrong and even pushy at times when it came to the Marriotts, never afraid of saying what he felt, even if he thought it might lead to tensions or hurt feelings. Back at their hotel safehouse it hadn't often been a problem; he never took things so far as to lead to violence or feelings of hatred.

But they weren't at the Marriott anymore, and they weren't in a shelter that his compatriots permitted him to lead with few restrictions. They were guests at the Castle -- at Brad's Castle -- and if they wanted to both remain here and remain friends with Brad and Maggie, Victor had to settle down.

Richard dealt quietly with the other man's grumblings, whispering close to him, "Brad and Maggie didn't know we were out there ... calm the fuck down."

Victor apologized, first to his friend, then to his host, then turned and wandered out of the unit. Richard came to Brad, saying, "It's been really hard for us out there. That isn't your fault. Not in the least. Victor's a good guy. It'll just take a while for him to warm up to you." Then, trembling, he asked, "Can we get out of here?"

As Brad, Richard, and Vivica dealt with the frozen goods as Brad directed, Vivica felt the need to speak on Victor's behalf as well. "Vic is a big part of why we are all still alive today. Unfortunately, sometimes he likes to remind us of this. He is, like my brother said, a good guy. Once you get past that rough exterior..." She paused, laughed, and finished, "...you find a rough exterior."

They finished and headed back to the Castle, at which time Richard asked what Viv and Vic had also been thinking, "Are you concerned about all that food being out here? Outside the Castle wall."

"I am," Brad acknowledged. He spoke of needing more hands to move the refer and generator. "But maybe now with your help...?"

"Absolutely," Richard said. "I'm sure we can figure it out."

Vivica had already been thinking on this idea and pointed out, "Carol is a licensed metal worker. I point that out because moving the refrigerated units means nothing more than firing up a truck cab or moving them with the container loader. But the equipment it bolted and or welded in place. It'll have to be cut free. Do you have any idea of where we can get a cutting torch and welder? And a power unit."

To her great joy, Brad said he did know where to find them. Vivica smiled, saying, "Well then ... we have a plan. You just show us where you want it, and we'll help you get it done. Right guys?"

There was no chance of Richard or Victor arguing against this; they'd each noted earlier their concerns that someone might find the trailers and empty them out. Vivica was shocked that that hadn't already happened over the last year. The only reason Brad still had all this food, of course, was that the population of Newark, New Jersey, beyond the nine people currently living in the Castle could probably be counted on a set of fingers and toes.

Or ... maybe not? Who knew how many people had survived across Newark, across New Jersey, or across the Tri-State Area? It could be low in the two digits or high in the three or four digits. Vivica doubted that it was anywhere near the latter, though. In the last 13 months, they'd only had interactions with a handful of people. What did that say for the area? Of course, the seven of them had survived in the Marriott; who knew how many such groups had survived across the city and region?

Dinner in the Castle:

By the time Vivica, Richard, Victor, and Brad returned to the last's Castle, Maggie, Rex, Carol, Tatiana, and Gwendolyn had dinner fully cooked. Those who'd gone outside added frozen vegetables to a pot to heat over the fire and frozen fruit to a big bowl to be enjoyed afterward. Drinks were mixed as necessary, and the whole group sat down in circled chairs to chat and eat.

The Marriotts hadn't eaten like this in a long time and -- most of them anyway -- didn't hold back on expressing their gratitude. Carol had to laugh at seeing that Rex even ate all of his vegetables, something he would have sneered at a year ago.

"Maggie and I were talking while you all were out at the refers," Maggie said, looking between the others to let them know that this conversation involved them all. Brad and I have already discussed this in detail. We have a vision for this place." She glanced to the Castle's owner, smiled, then continued, "Brad and I think of it as Bartertown ... from the Mad Max movie ... short the whole Thunderdome idea, of course.

She talked about the things she and Brad had discussed about surrounding the entire Port Newark Container Terminal (Google Maps link) with a wall of containers; Carol knew about this from her first visit here, of course, and she'd spoken of the idea in part to the others yesterday when she returned to the Marriott.

"It's going to require a lot of labor to get it done right," Maggie continued.

Before she could continue, Carol cut in, "And I have told them both that we will play our part. Between us, we have the skills and experience to create what Brad and Maggie are envisioning and protect it once it's finished."

They spoke more on the specifics of the work ahead and -- as Carol had pointed out -- learned that they did indeed have all the necessary experience. After the meal was over and another hour of discussion around the barbeque pit had passed, Vivica -- seeing in the faces of Richard and, particularly, Victor the desire to ask the question -- she inquired, "Are we going to establish a ... formal chain of command ... government ... whatever you want to call it?"

Maggie and Carol almost simultaneously looked to Brad, looking for his response. It was, after all, his Castle.

 

[HumanBean]

Vivica asked, "Are we going to establish a ... formal chain of command ... government ... whatever you want to call it?"

Brad caught both Maggie and Carol looked to him. They were the only two people he'd talked to extensively as of yet. The former had been part of the conversation on what he wanted. The latter only knew that he had thoughts and concerns.

"I'm sort of conflicted on government, to be honest," Brad started tentatively. "Before I tell you my proposal, I should tell you where it comes from."

Brad knew that most of this was already known by one and all or at least presumed. "Obviously, since I built this place, I feel like I should be in charge."

He noted Victor and Richard glancing at one another before looking back at him. He wondered what was going through their minds as he continued: "At the same time, though, I am a big fan of democracy. I think that each and every one of us should have a say in how this place operates."

Brad contemplated his words a moment. "So, how about this. We recreate the government ... in a way. I'll play the part of the President of the United States. And no, you don't have to call me Mister President because I won't actually be President. I'm just..."

He paused, feeling self-conscious about the conversation. "You all will play the part of the Congress. The House of Representatives to be specific. We'll have to do without a Senate. If we have an idea for something to do, we vote on it. You vote on it, although, I can present ideas, too. Majority rules. There's 7 of you--"

"Eight!" Rex corrected. "I get to vote, too, right?"

"No, Knee-High," Victor responded. He'd used that nickname for Rex almost from the time they'd first met.

"I dunno," Richard sounded off. "There might be some things Rex should be allowed to vote on. What we're having for dinner? The flavor of ice cream we're gonna have on a warm summer night."

Rex giggled at what he considered a victory. He looked at Vic, saying, "Yeah, so, there."

"Anyway," Brad continued. "Since I'm acting the role of President, if I don't like something that you guys pass, I can veto it. And since you're acting as the House, you have the Veto Override. You need 2/3s. That's, um ... five."

"Five?" Victor snapped. "2/3s of 7 is 4."

"No, it's not," Richard said. "2/3s of 6 is 4. So, if we're rounding up, 2/3s of 7 is 5. That's how it works."

Victor opened his mouth to dispute whether this was fair or not. But then, he just gestured Brad to continue. After all, there were 7 Marriotts. And he'd led them thus far. If there was something he wanted done or not done, he was sure he could get 4 of his 5 people to follow him. (Little did he know that that might not be true as much as he believed.)

"Now, since I'm playing the President," Brad continued. He looked nervous. What he was about to present was a bit stickier. "I have the power of the Executive Order."

"Wait, what?" Victor exclaimed. "You mean that you can do whatever the fuck you want?"

Brad was gesturing Victor to be calm before he even finished his objection. "No, I can't. The Supreme Court can block a Presidential Executive Order. We don't have a Supreme Court, though. So, again, you guys have the power to block me on this. Just use the same 2/3s."

"No, that's not right," Richard cut in. He was far calmer than Victor had been. "The Supreme Court only needs a simple majority, not a super one."

Brad thought about that a moment and recognized his error. He'd been contemplating this whole government thing since he and Maggie first talked about opening the Castle to others. And yet he hadn't caught that. He would prefer a super majority from the Surpreme Court. But he responded, "Richard, you're right."

He looked between the members of his new community, then tossed out one last thing. "However ... if you all decide you don't want me as President ... you can't vote me out."

Again, Victor spoke with a conflicting tone, "Why the fuck not?"

Without hesitation, Brad told them simply, "Because this is my place. It's my Castle. I built it."

He paused a moment, watching the others look between each other. Before anyone could agree or disagree, Brad added something for them. "However, if you all decide that you don't like me as your leader ... if you want to start over somewhere else without me leading you ... you can fill up a couple of trucks full of whatever you want and take it with you. I mean, after all, you're going to help me make the Castle better. You deserve something for it."

Brad again looked between the faces, asking, "So ... whaddaya think?"

 

[AmyRoberts]

Brad asked, "So ... whaddaya think?"

Maggie was the first to speak, thinking she needed to set a course for the conversation. "I think it's the best we can do right now. I think it's fair, and like Brad said, if you ... we ... decide that we don't like Brad's leadership, we are welcome to leave ... and we will do so with far more to our names than we ever had before."

Vivica jumped in, "I agree. I think we should try this as Brad described.

"Me, too!" an enthusiastic Rex chimed in.

"Me, too," Carol said. "I trust Brad. And Maggie, too."

 

[HumanBean]

Maggie spoke up for Brad right away. He appreciated that. Honestly, he'd hoped for it. Then Vivica and Carol backed him up. Brad didn't know whether to be surprised or simply delighted.

Rex's support made Brad smile. He nodded to the kid, leaned close to pretend to speak in private, and said, "I owe you a chocolate-covered ice cream bar. I think we still have some of those."

Tatiana didn't speak up, but she did nod her head. And the ever-mute Gwendolyn gave her approving nod, too.

Brad looked between the two men. He eventually asked, "Does this work for you?"

"I can go with it," Richard said without hesitation. "I think what you've come up with works. And if it doesn't, like you said, we can leave."

He looked to Victor, whose expression revealed his skepticism. Richard reminded him, "And if and when we leave, we leave with stuff!" He paused for Victor to absorb that fact. He clarified, "With stuff we don't have now. Particularly food. Where can you find a fault with that?"

Victor looked from Richard to Brad, then to each of the women. He shrugged lightly. "Sure. I guess. Let's give it a try."

"Good," Brad said happily. He looked around to the others, too. Looking up to the sky, Brad said, "It's still early. After we finish eating, we could take a stroll around the terminal yard, and I could show you some ideas I have. And then ya'll could tell me what you think about them. What you think works, what doesn't."

He looked to Maggie, then the others as he continued: "Maggie came up with some good ideas on how to secure the yard with a second wall."

The group chatted for almost an hour about their ideas. They finished with lunch and dessert, then ascended to the top of the wall. Brad talked about his ideas for a more secure top level. They didn't go out into the yard. They discussed the yard and castle's security from up on top.

They went back down when sundown approached. Brad and Maggie ensured that the others had mattresses, blankets, lanterns, and more. They raided one of the containers filled with imported clothing from China. Another had shoes and boots from Vietnam. By dark, after eating dinner, everyone headed for their own homes.

 

[AmyRoberts]

Maggie smiled with appreciation when Brad told the others, "Maggie came up with some good ideas on how to secure the yard with a second wall."

"It's no big deal," she humbly said. "Just sort of a larger repeat of what Brad has already done here with the inner curtain." She smiled and chuckled. "That's castle speak for a wall. And we have some ideas for a gate." She spoke about the options and got input from the others. She looked to Carol, saying, "You said you are a licensed metal worker ... not that being licensed is important now, but you know what I'm asking."

"If we can find the equipment," Carol said, "I can use it."

The group talked about all the things they could accomplish with a welder and cutting torch. Maggie could see by Brad's expression that he was very pleased with the ideas. They were going to make the Castle not just safer and more secure but much more convenient, too.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx​

Before the sun went down, they made another trip outside the Castle to retrieve additional mattresses from one container and additional bedding and other items made of fabric from a second one; Maggie had used bolts of cloth with flowers and such to decorate the inside of her container, and she thought the others might like to have some fabric for similar use in their own new homes.

They all headed for their own homes, but not long after Maggie returned to hers, there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find Gwendolyn, who Maggie thought had planned on staying -- long term or temporarily -- with the siblings, Vivica and Richard. She flashed her pillow and bedding to Maggie, who knowingly asked, "You looking for a place to stay the night I guess?"

Gwen smiled and nodded; being mute, she didn't -- couldn't -- explain her reasons. Maggie simply stepped aside, smiled, and said, "Come on in ... lots of room." She closed the door and, as she did every night, used Brad's locking mechanism to secure it. "I was making sleepy time tea. Want some?"

She went to her tiny, barely functional kitchen to pour hot water into her only mug; Maggie only now realized that she should have gotten at least one more when she equipped her home. Wanting to fill the emptiness, she began casually talking more about some of the things previously discussed by the group. Maggie knew that Gwen wouldn't respond, so she didn't pose any questions to the woman.

By the time she finished with the mug and turned to take it to the other woman, Gwen was already stripped down to her undergarments, standing over Maggie's bed. She slipped into the blankets, snuggled into the bedding and pillow, and closed her eyes. Maggie stood there a moment for more from the other woman, but nothing care. Moments later, it seemed obvious that Gwen was already asleep.

Sipping at the tea, Maggie sat in a chair and studied the other woman. She wondered about Gwen's mutism; Maggie knew that trauma often had such an effect on people, but until Gwen, she'd never seen it firsthand. Was it permanent? Could it be fixed? Maybe a professional could help but Gwen, but as far as Maggie knew, their group didn't include such a person.

She thought about the long-term goal of the Castle: building community. Just what kind of people would they attract to their home in the days, months, and years to come. Would they add professionals to their numbers? Medical doctors, psychiatrists, teachers, and such? What about hard-working blue-collar types and others who could turn a collection of metal containers into a real castle?

Maggie finished her tea, slipped into a pair of pajamas, and headed toward the bed. She considered using the excess bedding to make a bed on the sofa Brad had furnished her. Maggie didn't really know Gwen well enough to slip into bed next to her; they weren't lovers, obviously, and even though they were acquainted, they weren't friends ... yet. Still, she slipped into the bedding, studied Gwen for a reaction -- none came as the woman was out cold -- and closed her own eyes to sleep.

 

[HumanBean]

(OOC: I'm writing Gwendolyn with Amy's permission. And insistence. )

An unseasonal hail storm began in the night. It pounded hard upon the roof and walls of Maggie's metal container home.

Gwendolyn awoke with a start, instantly wracked with fear. The sound reminded her of the automatic gunfire she'd grown up with cartel war-ravaged Northern Mexico, just miles from the US border.

Her sudden movement and soft cry of surprise awoke Maggie. Gwen's hostess had left one of the propane lanterns burning very low. The two women could see each other just enough to know that the other was also awake.

Gwen scooted across the mattress. She pressed into Maggie's body, wrapping her upper arm around the other woman's waist while there other crossed between the respective bosoms. Gwen was trembling still, even after understanding that she was only hearing frozen balls of rain striking the steel.

She held Maggie tightly for a couple of minutes, nestling her face into the crook of the other woman's neck. Gwen felt great comfort in Maggie's embrace.

She felt something more, too. Gwen lifted her upper body to her elbow and, without hesitation, pressed her lips to Maggie's. She meant it to be intimate. Meaningful.

And if Maggie showed acceptance, Gwen's lips would part, her tongue would reach out, looking for its counterpart, and her other hand would move between them, to slip inside Maggie's pajamas and panties in search of her warm, wet womanhood.

 

[HumanBean]

OOC: For anyone who has been following our story, we have decided to do a radically different reboot of this. Rather than starting with them already loaded with resources, we're going to start with them having virtually nothing. We will be using the same images and possibly the same names. But the characters' back stories could be different.

If you have been following along, we hope you'll follow the new thread, too. We also hope that this change doesn't disappoint anyone who was following along. (From the number of likes, it doesn't look like we're going to break too many hearts )