Mr.Librarian
As the engine gets closer, some of you realize it's a motorcycle. Those who aren't sure what it is have to wait until you see it.
And there it is. A big-ass Harley with a lone rider. There is no mistaking the long gun barrel strapped to his back. He's armed.
The hog heads for the library--he's spotted something of interest. Probably the cars, and the people in them. As he gets closer, you see his face break into an evil grin.
The grin, however, is short-lived. A shot rings out. The grin disappears even though the shot missed.
Three more shots ring out from the rooftop. Unlike the first shot, these all hit the biker.
You see his expression turn to shock as the first bullet plows into his arm. Blood starts oozing out of the wound.
The second bullet hits him in the shoulder and though he wavers for a second, he keeps his hog on course. Pain is evident on his face now, but he still keeps coming.
There is no expression to read as the third bullet hits him in face, sending him off the bike in a bizarre flip. He lands with a dull 'thud' on the pavement. The motorcycle, now riderless, turns a bit and then falls over.
The biker lays motionless on the ground, the gun still strapped to his back.
Harry reaches for the gun that Dawg has so he can have it ready. As a free speaking action he yells to the passengers inside the Hummer:
'What's going on? Who are you?'
Seeing that the biker has a gun he assumes that any other bikers also do. In that case he tries to keep Tina and Dawg to stay down as much as possible.
Not hearing a word, of course, and in the act of moving when he utters them, Elmer ignores the other vehicle and pulls alongside the dead biker on his side, not yet knowing if Cora is accustomed to handling corpses. Putting the Hummer in neutral, he jumps out and loots the corpse's weapon and then does a quick search for ammo about him and his bike. He grabs anything else useful, too. If he has bags, Elmer cuts the straps and tosses them in the truck. Then, back in the vehicle and back to the curb, but pointed at the Bronco!
When Elmer jumps out of the car Cora jumps into his seat and takes control of the vehicle. She also tries to keep Benny back if he attempts to jump out of the vehicle after Elmer. Lastly, Cora puts the Hummer between the building and the biker, just in case the guy on the roof isn't friendly towards them. That one she only does if it's as easy as putting the vehicle in drive and hitting the gas.
For the time being Harry is just going to hold the gun at ready and defend those in the car. He doesn't distrust the people on the roof and in the car, but at this point he doesn't entirely trust them yet either.
As the biker lays on the ground bleeding profusely, the people in the cars cautiously make their moves.
In the Bronco, those paying attention see a child in the back seat hand a gun up to the driver.
The Hummer pulls away from the Bronco, approaches the biker and stops; the driver opens his door and gets out, obviously intent on approaching the prone biker. As he gets out, the woman in the passenger seat slides over to the driver's seat and grips the wheel.
Back in the Bronco, a woman sits at the wheel, her knuckles white from clutching it so tightly. The man in the passenger seat takes the gun and holds it, ready to defend the Bronco's occupants against all comers.
From the rooftop, a man appears near the edge and calls out, 'Is he dead?'
As the man from the Hummer reaches for the biker's gun, he realizes that the absence of a face means that this man is dead. Or at least far enough gone and he will be dead very quickly. At any rate, he no longer poses a threat to anyone present.
(ooc: and here we'll drop 'out of initiative'--unless one of you starts attacking someone else. Now would be a good time for character introductions (of a sort--since one group is still in the Bronco and the other is by/in the Hummer). Elmer - don't forget to finish your actions, if you want to search for ammo and take his bags, etc.)
The man on the roof disappears from the edge.
Elmer does a quick search for ammo about him and his bike. He finds two shells in the shirt pocket, and the two bags. Elmer tosses his bags in the truck. Finally, he checks the biker's pulse—"I don't want any more of a ragged conscience than I already have!" thinks Elmer. A quick look around as he's rising, then, back in the vehicle behind Cora. ''Point us at that Bronco, Cora, then get down.''
''You gonna shoot us with that, mister, or are you just makin' sure it's clean,'' I yell, sticking my head out the window I just rolled down.
Seeing the man dissapear from the rooftop Cora relaxes a bit. She hears Elmer's words, but takes it as more of a suggestion then an order and brings the Hummer around towards the bronco, not at any terrible threatening speed either. Her approach brings the Hummer along side the bronco, obviously attempting to stay non-threatening.
"Elmer! Stop that, he's just protecting his family!" Cora's eyes begin to water as she looks upon the people in the Bronco. She pulls up next to them and puts the Hummer in park. "Figure out what's going on," she says between quiet gasps as she tries to hold back tears.
She says nothing more, nor does she listen to Elmer for a few moments as she seems lost in thought.
Dawg tugs at Tina's sleeve, looking uncertain about what is going on. He still keeps himself hidden in the footwells of the backseat and stays away from the windows. 'Are these good people?'
'I hope so, honey,' Tina says to Dawg. She glances at Henry for his opinion.
'I don't know kid. We're gonna play it cool ok? As far as i know that biker was bad news and it seemed that they protected us from him,' Harry answers. He lowers his weapon a bit. He's still got it raised but it's not pointing at anyone.
'Can't blame a person for being cautious, especially considering recent events. I don't plan on hurting anyone.'
Harry waits to react to what ever happens.
Tina breathes a sigh of relief as Harry offers his thoughts on the other group of people.
Making sure the weapon is below the windowsill, Elmer replies, ''Naw, ya can't. Name's Elmer. Elmer Stevenson. From Modesto, California. Well...now from wherever. That fella on the roof. Know him?''
Perplexed. 'Don't you? Perhaps it is this EN fellow I've read so much about,' says Harry, as he motions towards a spray paint tag on a nearby building.
'Ooh, I bet you're right, Harry!' Tina exclaims. She gazes out of the window for a quick glance at the dead biker. 'But even if he's not, I don't care. I like him. Anyone who kills bikers is o.k. by me.'
Making sure it's loaded before getting out, Elmer places the shotgon on the seat, ready. He stands behind the door, hands in view. He whispers, ''STAY, Benny. Keep it runnin', Cora.''
''First I heard o' this EN was in Madison and it was just a paint scrawl on the side of a building. Means nuthin' to me. And isn't it customary, to introduce oneself when you've been given another's name? Just who are you? And who are the people you're with?''
Upon hearing her name Cora seems to snap back to reality. She wipes her tears and notices Elmer get out of the car but does not hear what he had said (only the fact that her name was said). On her own instinct however, she continues to sit in the car and listen to what is said between the others. A smile and a wink are passed to the child in the back seat.
Harry puts the rifle down on the seat. He pops the passenger door open and circles around to the front of the Bronco. As he does so, he raises his hands to show that he mean no harm, then relaxes and puts one hand in his pockets nice and relaxed.
'The name's Harry Maudlin. Come from north of here, near Wausau. In the truck is Tina and Dawg (making sure to drawl the 'aw' as is written on his shirt). I think we're all as riled as your passengers seem to be. We don't mean any harm and I hope none of you folks do either. I'm sure our benefactor is on his way down to greet us and I'd like to have a quick word with you before he does.'
As long as a gun isn't pulled on him, he starts walking over to the Hummer.
As Harry puts the gun down on the seat, he says quietly to Tina and Dawg:
'I'm gonna go say hi to these guys. Make nice. I don't think they mean us any harm. I'm sure they're just as scared as us and are looking for some friends. Ok?'
When Elmer puts his hand in his pocket, he's got it on the CD knife, just in case.
Elmer comes from behind his door with his arm extended to shake, making sure he's in jumping range to the shotgun, but mentally reviewing the hand-to-hand techniques he learned way back in boot camp. Waiting by the door for Harry to approach, he says, ''Pleased to meet you Harry,'' nodding in acknowledgement at his passengers, ''That's Cora in the driver's seat and you can't see 'im, but Benny, my dog friend, is in there with her. We mean no harm to no one, 'less they mean harm to us. Now, this 'benefactor'. Whaddya mean? 'Cause he shot that dirtbag? And whaddya wanna talk about that's so secret?''
Glad to hear this guy is on the up and up, Elmer takes his hand out of his pocket and give his a shake. Elmer is sure his grip is far from as strong as his. With as nice of a smile as he can give, he waves to Cora.
Back to things of a very serious matter, Elmer furls his brow and speaks quickly and concisely:
'By benefactor I mean the guy on the roof, I'm assuming he is EN. I haven't met him yet, you?'
''Nope. 'At's why I asked. He's just a paint scrawl to me. Pretty good shot, though.''
'Well i've got reason to believe that he could be a little on the loopy side. So i guess for now just humor him with whatever weird things he might have in store.'
Almost as if on cue, the door to the library swings open. The man with the rifle steps out, the gun pointing casually downward.
He walks down the steps. He looks at Elmer and says, 'You're late.'
He turns his gaze toward Cora, and says, 'You shouldn't walk about unarmed and alone.'
He turns to Tina and says, 'What has followed you to the isthmus?'
He smiles at Dawg.
The smile gone, he turns to Harry and says, 'Don't believe everything you read.'
He reaches into his pocket, pulls out a piece of meat, and throws it to Benny, a smile once again on his face.
'Do any of you want that bike?' he asks casually, nodding toward the motorcycle.
''I'm what?'' Then the realization of what the rest he is saying, at least in regards to Cora, hits Elmer. His eyes go wide as he edges closer to the seat behind the door.
''Who are you?'', Elmer manages to get out, somewhere between a hiss and a whisper.
A look crossed between surprise and horror comes across Cora's face as she hears his words towards her. She looks as though about to respond but no words come from her mouth. Slowly she looks down to her leg-holster then returns her speechless gaze back up to the man.
All she can do is mouth words as her suprise has kept her silent. Her words match Elmer's exactly... 'Who are you?'
EN
Harry is sure to notice the looks on the faces on his new companions and he sure doesn't like the idea of someone telling him what to believe.
'Allow me to thank you for the save there. Not that I really know what that man's intentions were, although I'm sure they were far from friendly. But first impressions really don't mean much anymore do they?'
'I can only assume you are 'EN' and that you invited us to the library this morning. You seem to know some cryptic things about us, perhaps we could sit and palaver and learn more about you? I have some instant coffee that's been calling my name ever since i found it, but i have not had a chance to fire up a pot. Any one interested?'
'Coffee sounds good,' Tina says hopefully.
Harry can't help but sound unimpressed by this man's apparent clairvoyance. He still doubts the existence in any sort of higher powers' involvement in the end of the civilized world. But he also can't help but hope that he's not wrong.
'There is not time to learn about me.' He lifts the rifle, fires one shot which hits the gas tank, and the bike is engulfed in flame. He glances at the dead biker. 'We'll take care of him later, if there's time.'
He pauses for a second, as if he needs to catch his breath. 'Sorry. I'm a bit frazzled this morning. Yes, I'm EN. Come inside. All of you. Quickly.'
EN walks up the steps, toward the door.
'Come on Dog,' Tina says, as she opens the door and gets out of the car. It's obvious she intends to follow EN inside, but she looks at Dawg, waiting for him to join her.
Cora, obviously curious, reaches to pet Benny before whispering 'come on' to him. She then gets out of the car to follow the stranger into the Library. She is nto following blindly, but curiosity has gotten the bets of this man. If their dog resists she will try harder to egg him on to following her. Even so much as trying to take his steak so he'll follow.
Dawg grasps for Tina's hand as he follows her inside. The man's smile obviously confused him.
Harry followes behind the rest unless he get pushed ahead of anyone. He would like to pick up my rifle from the Bronco before going inside; he doesn't want to leave it for someone to take and EN did scold Cora for being unarmed. So hopefully he won't see anything wrong with it.
At all times Harry would like to try and take control of the situation in terms of conversation. He won't really take to this guy bossing any one around, especially Tina and Dawg. Harry is also curious to see what he has to say (and where he got that fresh meat) but he would like to find out what Elmer and Cora plan to do next. Safety in numbers. As far as he can tell this is not a safe place.
Grabbing the shotgun off the seat, cradling it in my arm, Elmer says to Cora, '' You keep trying to get Benny to take to you and that's OK, but I don't think it'll happen. Benny, you need to stay here and watch the trucks. OK, boy? Lock up, Cor, please? Leave some air for our sentry.'' Elmer rolls up the window he was standing by, reaches in to pet Benny and locks the door before he closes it.
Elmer turns to the group to enter the building, notices the lagging Henry, and says, ''After you, my friend. I insist.''
Rifle in hand and an eyebrow cocked, Harry scans for any cruelty in that statement. Deciding against an argument he follows behind Tina and Dawg. He leans in to say: 'How you guys doing? Holding up ok?'
Dawg shrugs, trying to look nonchalant, but it's obvious he's very nervous. His free hand keeps straying to his pocket where the CD shard is.
Noticing Dawg's nervousness, Harry puts his free hand on the boy's shoulder and give it a reassuring 'fatherly' squeeze
Cora looks at Elmer slightly frustrated before following the others. 'If you want him to protect the trucks maybe you should leave the window open, 'less he's not as well trained as you think. Not much he can do from within the windows, nor can he escape if someone tries to shoot at him.'
She has no interest in arguing the point, as she immediately walks away from Elmer upon saying it to go into the library. She seems almost insulted by Elmer's comments, and she shows obviously that she has no interest in discussing it further with him.
(ooc: FYI - She stormed from the truck ahead of Elmer, so Elmer if you want to lock the doors and put the windows up be sure to state you did it for both. Cora showed little interest in locking Benny up)
Seeing as how he left a crack when he closed his window, on the way to the building, Elmer continues on as Cora has her say. Then, ''Coragirl, Benny was takin' care of himself before I met him. If we let 'im out, he'll just follow me up. And that little runt of a rat dog couldn't protect nothin'! What he is good for, besides bein' a hell of a friend, is settin' up a high-piched yappin' that can be heard six city blocks! Now, I'm sorry if that upsets you, but the world isn't what it used to be. We have to use every advantage to stay alive, leastways, those of us who have somethin' to live for. Myself, I have a debt to repay and it'll take my whole life to do it!.''
Turning to Elmer as he finishes, Harry asks, 'A debt? Might I ask what sort of debt that might be? Or is that a story for another time?'
Elmer hangs my head at Harry's question, the red slowly moving to the top of his balding head. He keeps his head down and doesn't answer.
After the last person enters the library and the door is closed, EN turns to a keypad on the wall and punches in a few numbers.
He then continues on, walking through the reference section until he gets to a small conference room. He enters and motions for you to join him inside.
EN sits down in one of the chairs and waits for everyone to be seated. He then asks, in an almost perfunctory manner, "So, do you need anything before you leave Madison?"
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