Escaping the Blind

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"Looks like we have a deal then. Hope you don't mind old canned peaches to go with it." Molly affirmed. "Go on and let them in."

"Fine." Violet grumbled at the idea of having to share space with so many strangers at once, but she picked up her bat again in case of a surprise and headed inside, presumably to go open the door at the first floor.

"Guess all three of you will be staying, the sun will set soon. There's a bunch of rooms we haven't cleaned out yet, so feel free to pick one and stay in it."

Violet managed to open the door, after moving aside the furniture she initially moved in front of it as a barricade. "Alright, get in." She whispered with a gesture of her bandaged hand, making sure there were no active Blinders in sight.
 
"Ah yes! Thank you young lady!" Boris chuckled as he headed inside. He appeared much larger up close and looked like he could easily rip a door down if he wanted to. He turned to face Ezra. "Ezra, are you not coming along?"

"I'll scope out the area a little more..." He said without turning to face him. "Go on and prepare the meal and lemmie know when it's ready."

"Eh, okay. Be careful vith the vildlife, yah?"

Ezra nodded to Boris. The larger man went inside the house the girls were occupying and noticed how the door was barricaded and seemed surprised the two knew their share of how to defend themselves. He was careful around the girls knowing that a wrong move would start a fight so he slipped his backpack off, placing it on the floor with a thud, and began to dig around until he pulled out plastic shower curtain and wrapped inside were the fish he promised them. There were about 4 fish which were enough for him and the girls. Boris's eyes twinkled at the thought of having a decent meal.

"Ahh, ve caught these about a day ago! Still fresh, yah?"

He shot his hand into his pocket to pull out a Swiss Knife as he began to descale the fish for the girls to cook as they please.

======

Ezra sighed knowing that he had to keep watch for a couple hours, at least until the sun set entirely. He turned his attention to Wayne and pointed to his rabbit dinner he tossed away.

"You can still eat it you know..." He said sounding bored. "Hurry up and take it inside before more Blinders catch on to the scent. I'm sure Boris will help you skin it or something if you can't do it yourself."
 
"Tsk." Wayne when the girls offered the men room to stay in for the night. Slightly turning his head to Ezra, who pointed him to the dead rabbit in the bushes, and gave him a blank stare. He went over there, grabbing the bag that contained the dead rabbit and toss it right back to Erza without hesitation. 

"Don't get friendly with me." Wayne gave him a cold response to his comments. "I lost my appetite for meat, so do what you want with it." Wayne went to one of the rooms the girls offer, dropping his bag on the floor. He sat down and took out a few chocolate bars in his backpack. "Just my damn luck." Wayne thought to himself, taking a bite out of the chocolate.
 
"Better than crickets and old canned spaghetti," Violet said, not taking her eyes off the fish as she felt herself nearly drool at the thought of freshly cooked meat. "There's a few cans of peaches and beets we found around here. Guess nobody wanted 'em." She shrugged, gesturing to the cans laying stationary in a nearby corner of the room. Since Violet was missing a few fingers, she feared infection by messing with dead fish and getting her gauze dirty, so she resigned herself to just sitting in the corner across from Boris and prying open the cans using her good hand's knife. She made a mental note to look for a functioning can opener later.

Molly made a quick glance over the horizon from her balcony before heading inside. "May as well help make dinner. Ooh, fish-- didn't think there'd be any good ones around here. Nothing was biting when I tried, so I gave up and went for rabbits instead."
 
"Sheesh, being friendly doesn't go far anymore." Ezra shrugged before going inside and tossing Boris the bag with the dead rabbit. "That man gave up his catch, add it with the rest." He left without saying another word.

"Aye." Boris caught the bag and placed the dead rabbit in the sink where he began to skin it and wash it to rid it of any dirt. He made sure that the fish and rabbit were properly handled before being cooked. He took the food and moved to the porch of the house where Ezra was already gathering wood for him to stack and burn for a fire. 

"Looks like ve vill be eating good tonight ladies!" Boris exclaimed.

Boris prepared the dry branches and shrubs in a circle of dirt and rocks to keep the fire from spreading. The fish were skewered with a sharp branch and prepped against the fire to cook evenly on each side. He went over to a can of peaches and opened it using his army knife and began to mashed the contents inside to make a mushy paste. He spread it over the rabbit to give it some flavor as he set it to cook next to the fish. He wasn't the best chef but at least he used everything around him to help make food more tasty.

=====

Ezra kept a distance from the group to keep a look out for Blinders. The smell could bring some in but with how empty the area was, he doubted any would approach them. He trailed over to the Blinders that were already killed and carefully began to see if they had any belongings they can use. He didn't find anything noteworthy and returned to his guarding duty. The area was quiet and he thought it would be alright to return to Boris and the girls.

"Is it done yet? I'm starving Boris." Ezra said sternly.

"Almost. The Rabbit needs a bit more time." Boris said while flipping the fish to the other side. "The ladies seem nice enough, yah?"

"Don't let your guard down because they are women. They can still kill."
 
Crumbling up the wrappers, Wayne tossed it towards a nearby bucket and went to check out the view of the place. "Nothing here... guess I'm forced to stay here for the night until things settled down." He hears the sizzling sounds of Rabbit and fish being cook and the few small talk from all of them. 

"Guess the walls isn't thick enough..." He laid his head down on the backpack and stare at the ceiling as he held his dagger close-by. He closes his eyes, getting some rest.
 
Molly stood watch to check up on Violet's hand. 

"Hm, no sign of infection yet. Just a lot of clear fluid on the bandage and some dried blood." She said after taking off the cotton pads from Violet's hand. Violet looked at the point stitches showing where her stumps at the palm's knuckles would be. "That's good. But you'll need to drink plenty of water tonight to compensate."

Violet sighed before muttering, "As long as I don't end up useless. Cause then you'll ditch me."

"..." Molly said nothing for a while. "Cheer up will you? You're so damn gloomy."

"You've got two more gloomy fucks to deal with now. So make your bed and lay innit, doc."
 
"Alright, the food is finished!" Boris cheered. "Ve should be full for a vhile, yah?"

Boris placed the fish to the side and allowed the girls to snag one if they were hungry. While the rabbit was finishing up, Boris went to his bag and pulled out two bottles of warm water for the girls. Once the entire meal was done cooking he used his swiss knife to cut the rabbit into parts for everyone to pick at. 

Ezra didn't wait for the food to cool and snagged a fish-on-a-stick, blew on it lightly, and ate it with little table manners; Boris was no different.

"Ah! Ve never introduced ourselves to you, young ladies!" Boris chuckled. "I am Boris and my friend back there is Ezra. Vhat should ve call you? Also, vhere is that other man? His food is gonna get cold!"

====

Ezra remained quiet as Boris spoke to the girls.

I guess that man doesn't want to eat. Kinda stupid to me...
 
"Oh, that's right... my name's Molly, and this is--" Molly was interrupted by her companionnnext to her. 

"Violet," she said with her mouth full of peaches and fish, before swallowing her food. "I haven't had an actual meal in forever. If he doesn't want it, can we eat it for him? It's just gonna go to waste otherwise."

"We could, but I also don't want to get stabbed by an angry and hungry guest in the middle of the night." Molly said tersely. "I thought he was intending to cook the rabbit he caught, unless he planned on using it as a decoy for the hordes nearby."

"Then I'll wake him up if it's such a big deal." Violet threw an empty can of peaches at the wall closest to the bedrooms, calling out to him. "Hey Grandpa! Get your ass over here and eat unless you wanna starve for the next 24 hours! We ain't makin' leftovers!"
 
Wayne opened his eyes, jumping up into a defense position in reaction to the sound, making a bit of a noise as he grabbed his dagger to strike. However, it was nothing more than an empty can of peaches. He overheard the loudmouth woman shouting at him—picking up the word, “Grandpa”. 

Slightly annoyed, he checked his watch to see how much time had passed when he laid his head to rest and it has not been five minutes. “Damn…” After thinking about it for a few minutes, he walked out of the room, seeing the others dig into their foods. 

“Don’t call me grandpa. I’m only in my 50s.” Wayne said, seeing the cooked rabbit being carved out quite roughly between the groups. “Considering the state of the rabbit, you youngsters don’t know how to ration your foods. Just give me a few pieces.”
 
"Just pick up whatever you want to eat before we eat it all," Ezra said to Wayne. "You better hurry up, the loud girl might take your scraps..."

"It's rare to see these many non-infected people in one place, right Ezra?"

"Yeah, they aren't thugs or poachers either. Well, so far..." Ezra took a bite of his fish before staring intently at the fire. "But anyway, what are you guys doing here? Don't tell me you're stuck here..."

"Maybe they don't know vhere Oregon is." 

"I don't know Boris, they don't look that dumb to me." Ezra took another bite of his fish, spitting out tiny chunks as he spoke. "Where are all you guys headed to and what are your motives?"
 
"Well... I dunno. I hate being here 'cuz of how humid and nasty everything is, but I didn't exactly choose to get stuck here." Violet had no reason not to be honest about her predicament, and it had been so long since she had interacted with people who weren't trying to kill her like everything else was. "The last group I was in was hit real hard by a Blinder herd, so we all got separated. Next thing I knew, I was on the other side of the city, alone, with no way of going back to our camp. I ended up in Florida passing by some barricaded towny thing... think it's the only time I've seen a survivor town that big. Turned out I was passing through their territory and they thought I was sent by an enemy or something, my memory's real fuzzy. I just remember running for a really long time." Violet stopped eating with fervor, picking random bits off of her fish. "Guess things are pretty rough up north, if they were that willing to cut off my fingers for nothing." She brandished her injured hand.

"I found her right afterward. We're looking to head out West, but thought we could stay here a few days and resupply. That might not be a good idea anymore with how much 'activity' there was today. Right now, the goal is just to find a place that we can stay in the long-term. Where that is, isn't particularly an issue as much as getting there in one piece... I take it you two are aiming for Oregon yourselves? That's practically across the country from here in dinky old Florida. Unless you're visiting the Mouse over at Orlando?" Molly joked. "Admission's free, I hear, hehe."

Violet glanced between Ezra and Molly, looking perplexed, but kept silent out of not wanting to draw any negative attention to herself. She was a teenager 15 years prior, so her only awareness about how things were elsewhere came from what her group members would tell her. Why Oregon if they're over here? What was it about Oregon again?... been a long time since I heard anything about that place. Quietly, she took another bite out of her fish, pushing the rabbit left over at Wayne.
 
"I'm here to meet up with a friend." Wanye said, shoving meats in his mouth; pieces of it were dripping out of his mouth as if he had not eaten in days. Afterwards, to finished off the meal, he drink the entire bottle of water in one-gulp and toss it behind him. "My motives does not concern you. The real question here is your statement of going to Oregon."

Wayne chuckled. "Like the girl said, that's across the damn country; unless you're experts on the map and packing some serious gear. Don't tell me you're one of those people that think there's a place over there? It's been a few years since people talk a storm about it. What makes you think that place still exist? It's probably already in the shitter by this point."
 
"Ezra and I are trying to go to Portland, y'know, the safe spot." Boris turned to see a lonely child Blinder roaming the nearby area. He dismissed it casually despite it coming their way. "Hey Ezra, ve got a little one. Go and handle it."
 
"But I'm eating, you do it."
 
"I'm eating too!" 
 
Both stared at each other for a second and Ezra sighed before holding out his fist out to Boris. The child Blinder got closer and closer until the group was able to hear it gurgling. The two men remained calm as ever, playing rock-paper-scissors to see who would have to rid of the child. The game continued to end in draws while Blinder child was less than a few meters away. Finally, Ezra loses the game and growled at Boris’s cocky smile.
 
“Hah, I vin this time!”
 
Just as the child got within a few feet from the group, Ezra rose to his feet and finished what little remained of his fish before jabbing the stick right in the boy’s eye. The child staggered back and hissed at the attack until Ezra placed the boy in a headlock, careful not to put his arms near his mouth, and dragged him away from the group and into the shadows. The boy was heard gargling, hissing, and slurring incoherent babble before there was a sudden loud snapping noise. The noises from the child Blinder abruptly ended and the last thing heard was Ezra tossing the child into some nearby bushes followed by some thumping noises. After a few minutes, Ezra returned to the group with blood on his boots as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

"Anyways..." Ezra began. "We're heading to Portland so we can reunite with our families. Rumor has it that Portland was the only city that wasn't hit by the chemical attack. They've been trying to develop a cure the last 15 years and have completely isolated themselves from the outside world. Everyone is going to Portland to seek protection from the Blinders."

"Yah, they got food and shelter and tons of beer!" Boris added in. "It's the only city that has all the up-to-date advances for humanity. By now, they must have flying cars or something!"

"As for why we're in Florida..." Ezra glanced at Boris who turned serious for a moment and shrugged. 

"Ve vere chased here by Blinders and the trigger-happy military..."

"All you need to know about those bastards is they are not here to protect you."
 
Wayne raised a brow, not from Erza’s actions of killing a child Blinder, but more towards their reasoning’s for going to Portland in the first place. “A cure!? You actually believe in that faux rumors so much that you honestly think they can developed a vaccine against these things?” Wayne stood up after finishing his meals. 

“You ought to leave behind such foolishness fantasies you cook up and think solely on survival.” Wayne headed back to the room and started to pack up his gear once he realized the time.
 
"Of course not. Especially after they were the first to come to my hospital and made us hand over almost all our supplies before the civilians could come and loot what was left. Though, I'm sure they ran out of their loot by now..." Molly said.

"You're lookin for a good route out of here then? Mind if me and Molly come with?" Violet asked Ezra and Boris. "I'm not saying we need to go to Portland with you, because I have nothing waiting for me there... we just need to get the heck out of Florida. I don't care where. After that, we can part ways and be out of your hair. It can't hurt to have a doctor with you for a while at any rate, and more hands to bash in some skulls ain't a bad thing these days."

"Violet..." Molly scolded under her breath at Violet's unwarranted request.
 
"I could care less about a cure. I just want to be with my family again," Ezra growled at Wayne. "And don't you tell me how to survive old man, I've done it long enough to be where I am now."

"Don't pick fights now Ezra," Boris scolded. "Anyvay, the young ladies said they'll come vith us. The more the merrier, I alvays say. Besides, the loud one is right. Having a medic on hand isn't such a bad idea."

"And with more hands on deck mean more possibilities to kill Blinders."

There was a small pause before Ezra and Boris stepped to the side to consider their options. The two men were heard mumbling things and occasionally looked back at the girls as they talked amongst themselves. After a few minutes passed by, Boris was seen with his usual dumb smile while Ezra spoke directly to the girls.

"You can tag along only if you can pull your own weight and follow our rules."

"Ve also agreed to protect the Doc! There aren't too many Docs out there so ve think it's best for you to go to Portland, yah? They could really benefit from someone like you."

"But you can leave at any time... Just know that we won't hold your hand in anything so you two better be ready for anything, even killing each other if one of you gets infected."

Ezra then turned to Wayne again and crossed his arms. 

"You can tag along too but you will follow the same rules and will not be allowed near the girls. You said you were here to find a friend, so I think it would be wise to stick with a group until you find that person. Like the girls, you are free to leave any time."

"So vhat do you guys think? Are you going to tag along?" Boris said as he tossed the fish bones to the side. "Ve are vanted men, after all."
 
Wayne was placing all the necessary items into his backpack: his gear, his weapon, some minimum nutrition foods, and minor medical supplies. Before he finished placing the last bits of items into his bag, Ezra called him out—annoyed by the fact that he referred him as an old man.

He turned around, with his backpack in hand, and stares down Ezra with his old dead eyes. “Don’t order me around, boy. We just met and you are already fishing for an alliance? Give me a break.” 

Wayne tossed his backpack over his shoulder and started at the group once more. “I personally don’t care what you two are known for nor your intentions. That’s something I don’t want to be involved in.” His tone was raspy, harsh but straight to the point. Wayne considered the causal nature between the two as sickening, thinking that they are making light of the situation because of some experience. 

“I got my own goals; if you feel so inclined to join me, do it, otherwise, stay out of my sight.” Wayne checked his watch once more, realizing the time. “Don’t have the time to be spewing out nonsense anyways.” Wayne went out a few feet away from the porch, noticing a dead child blinder on the floor.

“Tsk…” He mumbled. The sight of it disgusted him, but continued walking, but still in close proximity for the others to see him. “No sight of them…” He scans the area as far his eyes can see for any visible sighting. "Just a hour away from here... hen I can get the hell out of this state."
 
"If you say so," Molly said as she leaned against the wall. She watched Wayne wander out of the area she considered to be safe. But made no move to stop him or call out to him. Portland, huh... I'll think about it.

"Well, like you said, we can leave when we want. So if things get too hairy, I'm dipping." Violet affirmed while dusting off her hands. "As long as it doesn't get to that point, I'll stick around. I'm guessing you guys won't do any travelling until early in the morning-- any idea of where to go outside of Florida?" She asked.
 
Ezra rolled his eyes at Wayne and called out to him.

"Don't worry so much about what's out there. In case you never figured it out, the Blinders are least active at night. You'll find very few of them roaming around at this hour so it's relatively safe to sleep." Ezra yawned slightly as he began to beat the fire out with his boot and toss dirt to help put it out. "But if you want to tag with us until you find your friend, you follow the same rules as the girls. Once you find your friend, you can leave."

"Yah, safety in numbers," Boris added in. "No need to be a sourpuss! Ve don't bite! Ahahahaa!"

"And to answer your question..." Ezra finally put out the fire, recollecting any usable materials. "We are planning to head north until we reach a certain popular tourist attraction known as Stan's Boat and Gator Tours. The plan is to nab a boat and cross the Floridian-Georgian border through the swamp. The military is less likely to see us there."

"Hope you ladies don't get seasick." Boris joked. 

"One more thing..." Ezra pointed at the Wayne. "If that guy tries to do anything funny... you let me know. No one touches anyone here."
 
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