December 23, 2012

Safe Haven - Mickey

[...Posted by Ted H]

This post has been scheduled in advance in case of the unlikely event of my death during the apocalypse, which occurred on 12/21/12...

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[Safe Haven - Mickey]


            “Well look what the cat dragged in,” Laura said with an amused look. Mickey smiled and shrugged. “You act surprised,” he said as he entered the kitchen and sat down at the table and took stock of the large selection of food. “Are we celebrating something or are you just happy to see me again?” he asked. “Just glad everyone’s alive,” Laura said as she grabbed plates “…and Mitch is leaving, so I figure we could send him out in style.”

            “Mitch was such a bitch,” Mickey said as he pulled out a cigarette “Can I have his room then. It’s way bigger.” Laura shook her head as she handed Mickey eight plates.

            “You can’t,” she said.

            “Why not?” Mickey asked, then counted the plates and asked “And why so many plates?”

            “Well there’s the four of us, Cayra and Kate are coming-”

            “Are they moving in? Lesbians maybe? I’ll let them have the bigger room if I can watch.”

            “Hush. Kate might not even show. Kinda hope she doesn’t though…”

            “Why? You two ex-lovers? I’d watch that too.”

            “Would you stop? They’re coming and I invited Cassidy.”

            “The burnout that always hangs out with John? Really?”

            “Yeah, and John will be here. He’s the one who already claimed Mitch’s room.”

            “Oh, your boyfriend?”

            “He’s not my boyfriend, Mick. He fucks Kate more than anything.”

            “I thought Kate was fucking that ResE.”

            “She does that too, but John and I go way back so be nice.”

            “John’s a fucking loser. He deals with those fucking Rogues and it’ll get him killed. You let him live here and it’ll get you killed too.”

            “Don’t be such a bitch.”

            “Alright, whatever,” Mickey gave up the argument, not looking to piss off Laura more than he already did. He still had hopes to tap that, and didn’t need to make things any harder for himself. He wasn’t sure what history existed between John and Laura and any attempts to broach the subject usually get shot down or derailed.

            It wasn’t long after getting kicked out of the Enforcers that Mickey crossed paths with Laura, who he liked the look of right away. The fact that she also had access to, and willingness to share cigarettes that Mickey suddenly found himself in short supply of only further solidified his liking of her.

            Mickey never let on about his past with the Enforcers, instead passing off a story of his nomadic life throughout Safe Haven. Using that tale as a cover for why he knew so much about Enforcer patrol routes and tendencies all throughout the city made him suddenly invaluable to have around, which is why Laura insisted he move into a recently vacated room in her house. Mickey figured it also would grant him access to an empty room in Laura, but such an opportunity never presented itself, though Laura would always let on from time to time that there was a chance.

            Mickey was indifferent to most of Laura’s friends but he never like John from the start. The fact that there was always something between him and Laura didn’t help things either. Mickey would occasionally call him Laura’s boyfriend to gauge her reaction though it seemed to annoy her more often than not.

            When he found out about what John does with the Rogues, Mickey initially saw a golden opportunity to get back into The General’s good graces and make himself an Enforcer again. The only problem was that he needed more than just simple speculation. John never left him much in the way of proof to use, and he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to take John down without hurting his chances to get Laura in the sack. Instead he simply bided his time and played nice with everyone.

            The sudden thinning of the herd from the riot gave Mickey an alternative way back into the Enforcers, though now he needs to live a double life, keeping Laura and the others in the dark about his once and current life as a Residential Enforcer, all while keeping the other Enforcers ignorant about his home away from home. He was allowed back to live in the Hub, but as long as he thinks there is a chance with Laura, he has no plans on moving out of the townhouse.

            As for John, Mickey decided he still needed to take him down, but there was no way he was sharing the glory on the bust of a lifetime. He found it a little ironic and in no way funny that he was protecting John while figuring out a way to bust him personally, or at least finding a way to bust John and not have Laura find out he had any doing with it all while reaping in the glory from the other Enforcers. It was an interesting problem to say the least, but not one that Mickey minded since the rewards to it all were too good to pass up.

            There was also the matter of the Rogue that Mickey may or may not have seen early on in his time with Laura. A man dressing the part was defiantly in the house but was gone before Mickey could get a good look. He tried asking Laura about it but that proved difficult since not many people knew about the Rogues at the time outside of the Enforcers and Mickey didn’t want to tip his hand on his true background.

            “Call me when food’s ready,” Mickey said as he went to lie down in the other room. Conversing with Laura was always it’s own little pleasure, but Mickey needed some decent sleep since he was constantly working at night. Laura barely acknowledged him as she went back to preparing food.

December 16, 2012

Safe Haven - Time Zone

[...Posted by Ted H]

So I noticed on my end how the text looks different when posted from my new computer...go figure...

Got 1 more to run out the year, then it's on to new stuff!

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[Safe Haven - Time Zone]


            Tucker and Jordan were arguing over what time zone they were in, not that it mattered to Cooper, so long as they paid attention as they brought up the rear. Teto, Johnston and Martin were up front having a quiet conversation no one else were privy to. That left Jake and Cooper in the middle, which suited Cooper just fine since there was something she needed to ask.

            “Hey,” she said as she softly elbowed Jake “You alright?”

            “Yeah,” Jake responded. After a moment he asked “Why?”

            “Just wondering.”

            “You don’t ‘just wonder’ anything.”

            “I was concerned about you is all. On that last bridge I thought you’d have a problem.”

            “I didn’t get hurt or anything. No one got hurt.”

            “Why bring grenades if you’re gonna be so stingy with them?”

            “I’m not being stingy. There just are places you shouldn’t explode.”

            “Like a bridge?”

            “It’s not safe.”

            “Anytime I threw a grenade in a video game, it always fell off and I felt like an idiot for wasting them. But I never worried about bringing down the damn bridge.”

            “Yeah, well, shit gets old and easier to break down.”

            “If all it took to bring down that last bridge was a grenade, then it would’ve collapsed the second we started running across it.”

            “Whatever. What’s done is done.”

            “I mean, that roller coaster you idiots scale every day has better odds of finally falling over before any bridges.”

            “Dually noted.”

            “So is it a problem with grenades in general or did you have a bad experience on a bridge as a child?”

            Jake closed his eyes and shook his head. “It’s just…” he started “Before I got to Safe Haven, a bunch of us had to cross a bridge. It was raised and we had to lower it for the cars. It had been bombed beforehand and when we lowered it, it ended up collapsing.” Jake stayed quiet for a moment before finishing “Not everyone made it.”

            “Well that sucks,” Cooper said, immediately scolding herself mentally for it. Usually she hates listening to peoples sob stories, but since she pretty much asked Jake for his, inadvertently or not, and since it was Jake and not some random looking for an ear, she felt compelled to endure.

            “Gotta say,” Cooper said “Not every day you open up about your trip over here.”

            “Well you kinda asked.”

            “Don’t remind me. Still though, you tend to ignore other people when they inquire.”

            Jake shrugged “Seemed relevant. Besides, it directly led to what I did at the end of my little race to Safe Haven…and I think only you would understand why I did what I did.”

            “What happened?” Realizing too late that she willingly set herself up for another sob story. Instead of answering her though, Jake turned around to regard Tucker and Jordan. “For fucks sake,” he screamed “We are in mountain time!” He was ignoring another prod into his past, which Cooper accepted.

            “I don’t see no mountains,” Tucker yelled back.
  
          “And I don’t see no Pacific Ocean either,” Jake yelled back before turning back around and walking with Cooper. They didn’t say anything as they walked, which for some odd reason bothered Cooper.

December 9, 2012

Safe Haven - Snakeshit

[...Posted by Ted H]

Oh...My...GOD!
Yeah, I'm back. 's what happens when your laptop dies and all the other authors have long since abandoned the site. Old laptop died: Oct 31...new laptop acquired and set up: Dec 1....I don't find that amusing since I missed literally all of NaNoWriMo 2012...Still managed to get some things out on my old desktop, but it wasn't the same. I'll wrap the year up with the things I managed to write, then start some new stuff for the new year (If there even IS a new year after 12/21!!!!!!)

The first part of this technically was written before November, but whatever...enjoy.

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[Safe Haven - Snakeshit]


            “Stupid fucking…fucking bitch…fucking…” Kyle mumbled to himself as he and Nick walked down an empty street after curfew. “I missed this,” Mean said with a grin as Kyle ignored him and continued to talk under his breath. They were nowhere near their usual route, instead Kyle was leading the way back to the whore house. Nick had tried to inform him that the place was abandoned and Perry was long gone, but Kyle couldn’t be deterred.

            “First thing I did was go there,” Nick said but Kyle continued his march. The only hope was that maybe a random squatter decided to take up residence, which would provide a poor sucker for Kyle to take his aggression out on. If not, then things were going to be real boring, with a lot of angry mumbles.

            As expected, the whore house was empty. Anything of value was gone and the foyer was as dark and devoid as the other buildings on the street, save for a few dozen extra bullet holes in the walls. Kyle walked towards the staircase, his footsteps echoing as he disappeared from the streetlights reach, Nick having no interest in following.

            “What the fuck is this?” Kyle asked aloud as Nick snuck in and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. “What are we looking at?” he asked as he focused on what Kyle was pointing at; a single knife discarded to the side of the stairs. “Wow, we missed a weapon in cleanup, thank God you’re here,” Nick said sarcastically as Kyle’s arm flinched to strike him, but instead picked up the knife. “It’s an enforcer knife,” he said through his teeth, Nick still lost as to why this was an issue. “A lot of people were in and out of here after the riot,” Nick started “Someone probably-”

            “They’re mocking us!” Kyle screamed “Why would anyone need their knife, let alone leave it here? Do you know who this belongs to?” Nick shrugged, getting annoyed and surveying the dark for all the bloodstains on the floor. “I don’t care,” he said as he focused on the blood mark that Kyle had left, which was a lot bigger than Nick first remembered.

            “It’s Bell’s blade! Fucking Juan!” Kyle screamed “These fucking assholes are mocking us!” Nick said nothing as Kyle hurled the knife across the room, the blade flying end over end until its handle knocked into the wall, ricocheting it to the floor.

            “You don’t know that.” Nick said with a level of calmness that surprised even himself. “Fuck you,” Kyle said as he kicked the bottom step and stared up into the darkness of the second floor. “No, fuck you,” Nick responded, the calmness in his voice gone as suddenly as it was there, “Every time you see that bitch, you come back all angsty and it gets fucking old real fast.” Kyle didn’t bother turning around.

            “That bitch is damaged goods,” Nick continued “Hell, you’re damaged goods. The last thing anyone needs is you two getting together for any reason. At least you do something. She just sits around, pissing and moaning.” Kyle shook his head and said “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

            “The hell I don’t!” Nick called out “I’m pretty much repeating word for word what you said the last time you fucking crawled back to her.”

            “No one’s crawling back to anyone,” Kyle quickly shot out.

            “Yeah, ok,” Nick said while rolling his eyes, “Cuz I see her all the time around our joint asking bout you, right? And you’re only going by her place cuz Plain Girl is such enlightening conversation. Shouldn’t have brought either of those bitches here with us. Should’ve left both their asses to burn at-”

            Footsteps in the adjacent hall caused both men to drop the conversation and ready their guns. “Friendly,” someone said as they slowly entered with their arms raised. “Snakeshit?” Kyle asked as he lowered his rifle. “Yeah,” Snakeshit replied “So please don’t kill me.”

            “Why are you here?” Kyle asked. “You’re finally getting around to this?” Nick asked as Snakeshit shrugged. “What’s going on? “Kyle asked Snakeshit pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “Remember when you gave me that bullet and asked me to figure something out?” Nick asked, Kyle slowly nodded, “Well this is me figuring something out.”

            “It may have been the drugs, but I specifically remember telling you to take it to Slain,” Kyle said as he made a face. “Slain didn’t want any,” Nick protested “Said he had more important shit to figure out. So I went to Snakeshit.” Kyle sighed as Snakeshit attempted to blow smoke rings. “Mother fucker’s trying to find some random woman and he has the gall to say that’s more important,” Kyle mumbled as Nick approached Snakeshit. “So what the fuck took you so long?” he asked. “I had shit to do,” Snakeshit said as he took an obnoxious drag.

            Snakeshit was a notorious pain in the ass around Safe Haven. He had actually been fired from the position for being an insufferable ass, though the General formally claims that it was for never remembering his radio and in some events, spare ammo. After the riot, he was allowed back in because of the need for men. Within a week, he had pissed off his new partner so much, that he refused to patrol with him. He ended up tasked to sort through recovered items from the riot which put him in a unique spot for Nick to approach him with a request.

            “I don’t believe you. What, you forgot?” Nick said as Kyle walked over. “Fuck, I’m here now aren’t I?” Snakeshit said as he rummaged through his pocket for the bullet and handed it back. “And…” Nick said impatiently. “Nothing," Snakeshit said as he took another drag “Nothing that I’ve seen before.”

            “Then why are you here?” Kyle asked flatly. “I was in the pimp’s office,” Snakeshit said “Looking at bullet casings.”

            “And?” Kyle asked but Snakeshit instead took another drag. Kyle then walked up and took the cigarette. “You take another fucking drag and I will rip your jaw off,” he threatened “Now why were you here looking at casings?”

            Snakeshit was taken aback and annoyed, but he continued. “Whatever gun shot you, it wasn’t anything us ResEs are allowed to have. All the casings in there though are for weapons we have but I couldn’t find any for that bullet so I’m thinking revolver or something. But no, it’s not from the same gun that killed Bell.”

            “Fucking useless,” Kyle said as he walked away. “Well what the fuck do you want from me?” Snakeshit asked as he went for a new cigarette. “Here,” Nick said as he pulled out the printout Slain gave him right before curfew “That’s the guy.” Snakeshit looked at the paper and arched an eyebrow. “You want me to find the guy?” he asked. “Unless you wanna go back and sort through junk at the Hub,” Nick responded and walked away.

            “You gave him the printout?” Kyle asked with an annoyed look as he stood in the entrance and looked into the street. “I know you’re obsessing over him so much that you already have it memorized,” Nick responded “Mickey might be an ass, useless most of the time, but I know he occasionally comes through.” Kyle turned his head to look at Nick for a beat before walking. “He forgot his radio again,” he said as he left.