revivalproject | [Open] Run Boy Run

WHO: Tommy Shepherd, Open
WHERE: Beach Area, Near Greenhouse
WHAT: Escaping Running Zombies, Fighting Zombies and Hiding Bite Status
WHEN: Beach: October 13th (Worst Birthday Ever, Again); Greenhouse: Vaguely late October
WARNINGS: CW: Discussion of hidden injury in Greenhouse thread

I. They're Dying To Stop You | Beach Area (October 13th)

Some part of him says this is punishment. That part of his brain ignores the fact that shit like this has happened, nearly reliably, around their birthday every year, that he really should have been prepared. But come on, yesterday was so magical and he felt like he was owed time to bask in that. Instead he wakes up to feel it. The sort of low tremble in his body that says his powers are long since gone. That he's been like this for hours. Has to have been for hours because his body feels the sort of sluggish that says he's been asleep for a while.

It took time to haul himself out of bed, to get Billy up and ready for the trip back to the city because the beach wasn't safe if it was a storm doing weird things. And then they had set out.

The zombies hadn't taken long to become a problem. They hadn't taken long to separate the boys either. Honestly, it was harder to stay together when being chased by running zombies. Which Tommy thought was distinctly unfair. He thought it really hard when he was running with all the speed and grace as one might find in an average high school track star, fleeing from Kate's mangled face. From a masked form that could have been Eli or Patrinot. From David. From his mother.

Too many faces. Too many fears.

Tommy can't help but sob as he runs. Which is a horrible choice, given it messes up his vision as the sand gives way to something a bit more plant rich and he trips. Falls. Ends up tumbled over the ground.

"Fuck," he whimpers before pushing himself back to his feet. "Fuck."

II. And Disappear in the Trees | Southern Temba (October 13th)

It takes more time than he'd like to make it into Temba proper. Normally, outside of a storm, it's barely minutes to cross the distance. Now it's hours sneaking in the trees and along the cleared path between the city and the beach to make it here. Tired. Scratched up more by plants than by zombies. Afraid.

It's only been hours. It's been hours since he went to sleep in peace and happiness. Hours.

Now what?

He stumbles out of the tree line and tries to figure out where he is in the fog. At last, despite the risk, he throws back his head and shouts. After all, he can always retreat into the trees if he needs.

"Is there anyone out there!?"

III. The Secret Inside of You | Near Greenhouse

These sorts of things didn't last this long back home, Tommy thought. A few hours. Maybe a day or two at most. There were just too many people with powers, magic and otherwise, for any serious undead incursion to linger. Maybe that was why there were movies and books about it. Because it was maybe the sort of disaster that humans could survive after powered people slaughtered themselves against it. Tommy didn't know.

David had always spoken about it with irritation, Tommy remembered that much. Back home the other mutant had dealt with too many instances of being attacked by dead people not to notice it and have opinions. The only time Tommy had run into it had been the day they found Mom.

That had been years ago. So many years ago. Billy had gone off and been stupid, Nate had shown up. Wanda had remembered himself. Cassie...

Tommy shunts that thought aside. He was getting too melancholy, which was foolish.

"Focus, Speed," he berated himself as he pushed through the doors of the greenhouse and then closed them back up behind him. "Focus. You've got to get the food to deliver. You've got no clue how long the storm will be nice enough to let you have your powers."

Probably not long enough to get back. He'd have to get to the mines in stages, just like he'd gotten here. At least the path should be mostly open given he'd blown up just about every zombie between here and the diner on his way over.

Not all of them fast enough, he thought as he adjusted the sleeve of the coat he'd grabbed from his apartment at the diner. Not enough to keep him from getting hurt.

But perhaps he wouldn't have to head back alone. His explosions were noisy things, and the path was temporarily clear. Maybe someone would come and join him. Find him. Walk back with him.

Maybe he didn't have to do this alone.

"You're a hero. You should be able to do it alone," he reminds himself as he picks up one of the supply crates he always left by the doors. "Which isn't important. Get a huge load of tubers, man. That's what you need to focus on. And some of that elfroot stuff. Come on. Focus. Get moving."

What else was he going to do, after all? Sit down and cry again? He was tried of that. Really tired of it. He was a super hero, dammit, and he was going to do his job.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Geez. What a scary thing to carry around. But yeah, Tommy's someone worth worrying about. At least now.

"No, that's... that's okay. You're separated from your husband, right? So you should go look for him."

"Yeah... but he's not in Temba. He's in Sh'Ka." Keith sighed. "We don't have contact with them or any way to get between cities right now, so..." He frowned, visibly concerned. "I just have to trust he'll be okay. He's a Paladin like me. He'll get through it." But he was also telling himself that to make it believable. It didn't help relieve his worry.

Yeah, well, he's safer there than they are.

"That's a fair point. Hate that you're separated at a time like this though."

"Yeah," Keith agreed. "Me, too." He took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh as he tried to keep his emotions in check. Losing his temper wouldn't help anyone, and he wasn't even really angry... just scared and anxious. He just normally reacted to those emotions with anger, even if he really didn't mean it. At least he was aware of that now, enough to work on controlling it better.

"So..." Now that Tommy actually had shoes and clothes... "Wanna grab some supplies and head to hangar?" Stock up the ships for a bit and get out of the storm into a relatively safer place?

Hey, Keith wasn't the only one who did anger in those situations. Tommy was notorious for it in his own way.

"Uh, yeah. I guess. If you're sure you can protect us."

"Yeah... should be okay." Between him and Kosmo, Keith wasn't too worried that they could fight off small groups. And, while Tommy might not have his full speed, they could both still run pretty fast from larger groups if they needed to. Tommy had been the one to mention that there were safer spaces than the diner to wait this out.

"Alright then. Let's... let's go there," he says, sounding resolved.

HE finishes with his shoes, loops another pair around his neck just in case, and nods.

"Lead on, MacDuff."

Okay, Shakespeare reference. Strange but probably worth letting slide.

Edited 2025-02-28 23:56 (UTC)

Keith raised an eyebrow, not catching the reference for the nickname... at... all... but he nodded anyway, and started down the stairs. Kosmo moved to follow, easily trotting back down to the first level ahead of them both. Keith made a soft noise to get the wolf to pause before heading back into the diner properly. They'd barracaded the doors and whatnot when they came in, but he moved quietly and cautiously to make sure nothing had broken through in an attempt to follow.

"Looks clear," he said quietly, then checked the windows to see if he could see any lingering figures out in the fog as he stepped through the doorway from the stairs.

"That's usually when they get you," Tommy says with all of the experience, and snark, of a full time hero. But he's not wrong.

"There's a back door. No window, but it could help us get away."

Keith couldn't disagree. It was a common trope in horror and action movies for a reason. He'd seen his share of it, too, as a Voltron Paladin.

"Yeah... that might be best," he said. Even if no window meant they'd be stepping out blind, it also meant that anyone outside wouldn't see them coming. He nodded for Tommy to show him where the door was, keeping an eye on those windows they were leaving behind... just in case.

Kosmo sniffed at the air. The food smells around him were a bit distracting, stuff he could pick up on even through the smell of a cleaned kitchen, but he was focused. The tension since coming downstairs had escalated and the intuitive wolf knew that meant it was time to be on alert.

Tommy moved quietly through the downstairs, behind the counter, and pushed into the kitchen. Thankfully the door didn't squeak. PRobably because doing so would annoy Tommy at speed with the sound lasting too long.

At last he leads them to the door and stands back from it. Keith's the armed one after all.

"If you have to, leave me behind, okay?"

Keith moved towards the door, moving to grab the handle so he could look outside, but he stopped when Tommy spoke up. His jaw visibly tightened. He didn't like that option. His hand clenched tightly on the handle, and he glanced back over his shoulder.

"No way," he said. "Not an option. I don't leave people behind."

"Fine," Tommy says. "Be stubborn. Let's go."

"Hmph." He'd been called worse than that before. So, he made a careful exit, escorting Tommy to the hangar. Keith didn't hang out long, though. Being armed, able to fight, and wearing armor, Keith said something about finding more stragglers to get to the hangar for their safety before heading out again at some point.

Edited 2025-03-07 21:19 (UTC)

[Open] Run Boy Run

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good to wrap?

Sure