nomans_land | Somewhere between July and December

Somewhere between July and December

1.
[ It wasn't the fastest car he'd ever driven, but it made better time than the old man's shitty station wagon had, and it was definitely faster than walking across the desert. None of the maps he'd found tucked under the seat had Hopeland on them, which was worrisome as all hell, but on one of the maps there was an orphanage marked, just off of a city called December.

The ghost he'd talked to on that mountaintop had told him he'd die in December, but that ghost had also ruined his last cigarette, so fuck that guy. If he died, he died, but first, he was going to make sure Miss Melanie and the kids were okay.

The sedan hums its way across the desert, kicking up a dust cloud that can be seen for miles. ]

2.
[ With a shudder and a hard jolt, the car comes screeching to a halt, the dash going dead as the engine seizes up. Wolfwood swears, punches the dash, then swears again when the solid dash nearly breaks his hand for his trouble. He'd managed to get the car hotwired, but apparently cars in this messed up version of Noman's were more different from the ones he knew than he'd realized. Is it out of oil? Out of charge? Not like he can do anything about it, whatever the problem.

Please ignore the man in black, standing next to a very dead car in the middle of absolute nowhere and screaming at the sky. It's therapeutic profanity, and it really is helping. ]

3.
[ Sunburned and exhausted, Wolfwood crests the hill and finally, there before him, sees the building that his map identifies as the December Orphanage. Even from a distance it's clear that the chaos that's affected the rest of the planet hit here, too -- there's clear bullet holes in at least one side of the building, walls that have collapsed, and the whole place seems as deserted as everywhere else he's been.

But he's here now, so he might as well have a look around.

He really wishes he still had his Punisher, though. ]

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Yeah, sounds about right.

[his mouth quirks sardonically. it be like that. he hates that the other Livio had to go through what he did, but at the same time...it did make him tougher]

It's alright, I'd rather you save them if you really need 'em.

[And Livio's ADAMANT he won't let that happen]

[ If Livio can take some damage without needing vials to heal, then he just became Wolfwood's best friend! Or best shield, either way.

Wow, it's really starting to get dark outside. Is that a dust storm rolling in? Guess they're holing up in here for awhile -- hope there's candles or lamps or something, because he's willing to bet there's no power. ]

Yeah.

[ None of these other little compartments have anything useful. Oh, there's a little thing of gun oil and a whole cleaning kit, some tools for making adjustments and repairs, that kind of thing, but he was really hoping for a couple vials. Guess he's got to ask. ]

...Sorry, but when you, y'know. Buried him. Did he have any more of that magic juice on him?

[yup it's decided, he will become the best meat shield he can ever be! Wolfwood is not going to come to any harm on Livio's watch. Pssst, he might be overcompensating...that's okay though, right?

Livio's expression

shatters at the question]

Oh. No....no, he used 'em all.

[ He knew it was going to be a hard question to hear, yeah. Sorry, Livio. Wolfwood looks away, giving Livio time to pull himself back together. If he needs more than a just a few seconds, then Wolfwood can focus on putting Punisher here back together -- he's seen everything he needs to see. ]

Yeah, I guess he would have, huh.

[ If it were anyone else sitting across from him, he'd want to ask more -- what happened? Who finally took him down? Did he hold his own, or was he outnumbered? Did he die well? Did he keep the kids safe?

He can't ask Livio any of that. Won't ask him any of that. He's seen the damage outside -- that's answer enough.

In the distance, toward December, the thunderstorm that the radio warned about is moving in. The wind is growing colder by the minute and the sky is darkening -- they really do need to go find some light, and quickly. ]

[the storm's rolling in somewhere out there. the wind is a little crazy, a lot ominous. but Livio can't stop picking the last image he had of his Wolfwood, bickering and covered in blood, in his last words to him 'welcome back'.]

I won't...ask you not to do the same. I'll do my best to help in any way I can. But...

[he doesn't want to see that again]

[ No -- he holds up a hand to stop that line of thought right there. ]

It's not gonna happen. You don't need to think about it any more, all right?

[ There, Punisher's compartments are all closed up, switches all disengaged, case all sealed. All that remains now is to wrap her up, but he'll do that later, when they're ready to leave -- he still really wants to rest out that rocket launcher first! ]

This is a whole new world we got ourselves stuck in, and all the rules are different now. Whoever killed him is long gone, and sorry, but I've got no intention of following in his footsteps.

[ Everyone told him not to come to December, but he doesn't believe in fate. And look! Here he is, alive and doing just fine, because there's no such thing as destiny. ]

Don't bury me before I'm dead, got it?

[it probably isn't fair to Wolfwood, this one, or his, to even think that. destiny isn't real, neither is fate. but he can't help but worry]

Yeah, okay. You're right. We got other shit to worry about anyway, right?

[his heart is in his throat]

That's right! Much more important, real issues, like where the hell I'm gonna find a pack of Sk--

[ He's interrupted by the rumble of distant thunder, sounding like... well, thunder, but for people who have never seen rain before, it sounds like cannon. Wolfwood's on his feet in an instant, running to the kitchen door, Punisher in hand and damn, doesn't it feel good to have two hundred pounds of machine gun again?

Outside it's dark, overcast and windy, and there's thunderheads on the horizon. ]

What the hell was that?!

[now that's something they can agree on. if they focus on this other stuff, they might never be able to move again. Livio won't, anyway.

the thunder makes him jump-- for a moment it sounds like what Vash had-- he shakes his head]

I wonder if we need to barricade this place.

[ He's not the only one jumping. It really sounds like artillery! ]

Yeah. [ He's already backing up into the building again, although he can't tear his eyes away from the oncoming storm. The dust storms out here get bad enough to rip flesh from bone, and he's never seen one that dark. ] ...Yeah, let's get inside, close up everything we can.

[ Even just closing all the doors and windows will be better than standing outside in the storm, but will that be enough? Do they have a choice? ]

[might be a bit hard with some of the windows shattered but you know, they'll try.

a short nod, and he's moving, moving, the grave behind him not forgotten, but just, left for the moment. to be concluded when this mission is over

sure enough, the sand-water-whatever is going to get in here, one way or another, but there are some curtains-- or blankets, nearby that Livio immediately grabs]

[ If they can’t get all the windows secure then they’ll do the best they can, right? If any rooms have running water still, they should go there –- kitchen, bathroom, laundry room? –- and get those windows sealed up first. They might have to hunker in place awhile, and it’ll be easier to do that if they’re not clawing at the walls with thirst. ]

Did they have tools here, do you know?

[ He’s running through the halls, shouting through the empty rooms at Livio as he searches for anything to get those kitchen windows covered. ]

Hammer an’ nails? We can nail these doors up over the windows!

[ This place really should have had storm shutters! And maybe it does, and he just doesn’t know where they are? ]

[he's just, a little beside himself, Livio's also running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, and he does discover some stuff they can use to barricade. wooden furniture that's seen better days, certainly]

Uh, I think Melanie left that in the kitchen, in the pantry.

[he's already halfway there by the time his sentence ends]

In the kitchen?!

[ Why the hell...? Ah, it doesn't matter, so long as Livio's right. Back down the hall he goes, jumping over discarded toys and all the detritus of the earlier evacuation, to the kitchen pantry. And success! There's a hammer, among other tools, and a jar of nails that should be long enough to go through a door and into the window frame. ]

Found it!

[ Now to go rip some doors off their hinges, to cover the big windows in the kitchen. And soon -- it's dark as night outside, damn. The air doesn't smell like a sandstorm though, which is weird. It smells... cold? ]

There's something wrong about this storm. I don't like it.

[Livio would never question Miss Melanie! Even if it is a little strange. It is what it is-- he's just some orphan, she's in charge.

it's eerie and strange. there's a strange feeling in the air, like an electric feeling of danger.]

This entire thing is wrong, ain't it?

[he knows Wolfwood is right, but he doesn't want to dwell on it. one problem at a time]

[ This whole world is wrong, he's right about that. He won't say it out loud, out of some petty superstition about not naming bad shit in the hopes it doesn't happen, but after all the weirdness that's already going on, he's a little concerned about what that storm might be bringing with it. Is it really just a sandstorm, or are they going to find themselves transported to somewhere ever stranger than this?

He really doesn't want this version of Livio to vanish. He can't help it -- he likes the guy. ]

At least we're inside, right?

[ There's no time for navel gazing or stressing about what-ifs! With a solid kick Wolfwood knocks the first door free -- sorry to Miss Melanie's office, or whatever this room used to be -- and it's going up over that first big window in the kitchen. ]

You ever get stuck out in one of these?

[he's happy to be using his hands to do some creation instead of just wanton destruction, of ruin. even if all this'll be ruined from the storm, eventually. so he's content to have something to do, to be useful.]

A sandstorm? Yeah, plenty. It sure sucked ass....

[the company then was also bad]

What about you?

[ Helping save both their lives is pretty useful! Here, if Livio can hold the door up over the window, Wolfwood can get the nails sunk into the window frame. Good thing these are proper synth wood doors and not that hollow core shit, huh? ]

Just once. Little ones all the time, but a big one like this? Just once.

[ He aligns the next nail, and hammers it home with three wall-rattling blows. ]

I tried to hunker down in a sand dune like they taught us, but that didn't do a damn thing. Damn wind shredded the hell out of my shirt.

[ And the flesh under it, but that's all in a day's work, right? ]

This one's bigger, I think.

[it feels bigger. more...something. maybe this is what animals feel before there's some sort of disaster.

he can't shake it off. but he'll work, hauling and aligning and holding]

Mmm. Glad the one you were in wasn't worse for you. I didn't have any supplies in mine, but I didn't get too hurt, either.

[ Wolfwood just nods at that -- good. Even though Livio can heal, it's still no fun getting hurt in the first place, right? ]

Hey, how's that work, anyway? Healing without using a vial of that shit.

[ Just a couple more nails, and this door will be nice and secure. Outside, through the other, uncovered window, the sky is the color of a fresh bruise, and Wolfwood's pretty sure he's seeing heat lightning in there. It's gonna be bad. ]

Is it automatic, or do you have to make it work?

[ And then, just a second later: ]

Tell me to fuck off if you don't want to talk about it, okay?

[he doesn't find the questions invasive or annoying or anything. just the memories aren't great, but Wolfwood's curiosity isn't a bad thing to Livio. so the big man shrugs, hoping this place doesn't catch fire]

It's automatic. I don't gotta think about it or anything. Uh, whatever they did during, made it so I didn't need 'em unless it gets real bad, real fast.

[ No, the memories aren't great. But Wolfwood's gonna do his best to never ever ask anything that wakes up a memory. Stuff about here, now, that's safe enough... he hopes. ]

I've got to say, that's a neat trick. I wouldn't mind...

[ But his voice trails off as the view outside the uncovered window grabs his full attention. The storm's on them now, the wind screaming over every nook and cranny in the walls outside and the canyon beyond. But that's not what's got Wolfwood staring like a fool out the window.

There's water on the glass. Drops of water.

Without looking away, he beckons Livio over. ]

Hey. Hey, c'mere, are you seeing this?

[ Is that rain? ]

[Livio would would, for Wolfwood. his body is big and tough and he can take a lot of punishment, but Wolfwood doesn't deserve that. it isn't worth it if Livio can't protect anyone. and he feels he can't.

he starts at the sound-- the pattering, rapidly growing louder, atop the roof]

....Rain? Seriously?

[ It sure looks like rain! But that's not possible, is it? ]

That can't be real.

[ There's got to be another explanation -- a water tank exploded, or... or something. Wolfwood's heading for the kitchen door before he realizes it -- he's got to see this for himself!

The wind roars into the kitchen when he flings the door open, but it's not at dangerous levels yet -- eye stinging, but not enough to knock a man over. And even though it's dark as hell, there's no way to miss the rain being whipped through the air by that wind -- it's coming down in sheets, icy needles that have Wolfwood shivering almost immediately. But he's not going back inside yet, because this? ]

...It's a miracle.

[he pads after Wolfwood, surprisingly quiet, and the wind is chilly, the rain is-- wow.

Wow. his eyes are wide, mouth agape]

The only one I'd ever believe in, seeing it myself.

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