The Next Day

[ronfiction]

Lou woke up the next day in the reclined chair of his car. He blinked a few times, the sun having pasted a few branches in a tree and managed to hit him in the face waking him. He snapped the chair to up position and looked around the parking lot he was in. He smacked his lips some, a terrible taste lingering in his mouth. He was so tired after the crazy night he had had he didn't even bother freshening up before passing out in his car. Some folks had pitched tents or even slept in the rec hall. Lou, like many other nights, had slept in his car. Thinking about just how dangerous the island had been didn't bother Lou much, mainly because he was too tired to care. He smirked at his dock and clicked the lock open.

He opened his car door and stepped out to the first day of September in Coos county. He stretched out his back by tossing his arms over his head and he let out a groan. Sore from not only the night in the car but the fighting he had done yesterday. As he felt some injuries protest the stretching he slowly started to remember all the craziness that had happened on the island. He looked around the parking lot and saw the different vehicles that were parked. A wide range of transportation sat in the dirt parking lot, an interesting commentary on the people who were stuck with him. Everything from junk cars like his to high end rental cars were on the island. Lou chuckled to himself some and grabbed the shot gun off passenger seat of his car and loudly loaded it. He rested the gun on his shoulder and tossed on his sun glasses. He locked his car again walked up to the rec hall.

Lou walked up to the dilapidated rec hall and walked in the back door. He looked around at the tables that filled the main room and looked around at the objects that lay all over them. Just like the parking lot outside, the tables told a story about the people who had come this way. Medical supplies on some where as others were covered in strange gadgets that Lou had no idea what they did. Some had people sleeping under them. He walked over to a water cooler and tried to fill a paper cup with some water only to find that it was empty. He shrugged some and laid down his gun on the table. Lou picked up the cooler and brought it down to the water pump. He took the time to fill it up and then hefted it back up to the rec hall. It was in his nature to be helpful and he always tried to fix things. It was hard enough for him to fight the urge to sweep the floor or put a new coat of paint on the building. Depending on just how long he was going to be stuck here, he may just get to work on the building.

Once back inside with the water he put the water down and poured himself a cup of the water. He drank it down and filled a second cup. He walked out to the back porch and looked out at the river. It still looked rather dangerous and he smirked at imagining the different people on the island trying to make it to the side. He gave the croc-man the best odds but wondered if the demon with the chains could just fly across the river. He shook his head some. Just thinking about such strange things made him feel weird.

[karcaligari]

Kar was exhausted. Not from the politics of dealing with the Agent, not from the constant combat. Hell, not even from being able to eat like he usually did. The thing that got to him were the sheer amount of injuries he had to take care of through the night. He'd rationed his supplies to prepare for the worst, and it certainly seemed that way, after the first five minutes after hearing about the bridge. At best, he had gotten three, maybe four hours of rest after the last person he stitched up had passed out, probably from a painkiller to help with the ache that was certain to follow.

The first glints of light made him jump to and ready his med kit, having been on edge for anything else looking to gruesomely maim and kill his comrades in arms and the rest of the 'town'. He'd taken up resting beneath his surgical table, and when he rose, there would be good indication of it from a lump to the head. It'd be gone in a day or two, but it would hurt like a mother for at least the next few hours.

Making his way out and scooping up most of his equipment to straighten himself out, he gave an appreciative nod to Lou for the refill on the water, pulling out his water bottle and filling it to the top. It was too early to talk, not wanting to disturb those resting off the insanity of the night before. Still ever vigilant, he walked down towards the lot of cars and pulled out a cigarette, placing it between his lips and lighting the end, inhaling deeply and blowing a puff of smoke towards the sky. The main thing running through his head was just how long he'd be able to keep himself supplied before things turned ugly. He was a healer by trade, and didn't want to let down the people he swore an oath to keep alive.

[personsmichael]

Tobias walked into the rec hall, chewing on a pop-tart. This place was not what he expected, not the demons, or ridden, or anything else. no, that people were so open about it, most of those kind he had met were very cautious of strangers, cause you know, lynching demons wasn't uncommon. But everyone seemed pretty ok with it. He noticed lou at the back porch, and walked to him, handing him an unopened poptart.
"How you holding up? still shocked by last night?"

[Nick Sleet]

Nick Sleet woke quickly, then regretted it. There was a massive knot in his shoulders where he'd landed on them, and a massive burn where the explosion had impacted on his chest. He slowly sat up on the bus seat where he'd been lying, and pulled out his notebook, scribbling as he tried to make sense of all the insanity that had occurred the other day.

His suspicions that there was more to conventional reality than the general scientific consensus had not only been confirmed, they had been massively expanded. With the existence of magic being a possibility (and with the DEMONS walking around explanations of bio-engineering were a bit stretched...) the world had become an even more dangerous place. Nick normally felt fairly confident about his capabilities, but how did you defend against MAGIC? By all rationality, he should have been thinking about stealing a car the moment the bridge was fixed and driving in the other direction until the gas ran out.

Unfortunately, his curiosity was piqued. This had happened before, and usually it had ended with people trying to kill him. On the other hand, Nick thought with smile, he was still alive; perhaps giving in to that curiosity was a good policy after all.

Getting up, he pulled on his second best shirt and tie. The sports coat itself was surprisingly not the worse for wear; Taz's tailoring had kept it looking decent in the face of the bullets and claws. Shrugging it on, he loaded the pockets with ammunition and throwing daggers; Today's goal was not to die, and it wouldn't hurt to not die AND to be impeccably dressed.

As he warily made his way towards the rec hall, Nick glanced around at the motley collection of cars, seeing people stirring in his peripheral vision. Apparently demons, were-crocodiles, and wizards slept the same as everyone else...

[Wolfman2006]

The variety of footsteps and movement caused Mason to stir. He was sleeping on a bench, his trench coat tucked behind his head as a makeshift pillow, his hat over his head covering most of his face. His shotgun lies on the table next to him, a well dented and scratched 9-Iron leans against the wall. He stirs and mumbles incoherently as he groggily moves a hand to wipe his eyes. The heavy chains strike him in the face as he does so.

"Sonofa, aaaahh!"

Mason's reactions cause him to lose balance and he falls from the bench awkwardly and hits the floor with a dull thud.

"owww"

Mason stands up stiffly, looking around almost sheepishly with fatigued eyes while reaching for his hat and straightening his wrinkled shirt.

"Yeah... if anyone asks none of you saw that. You got any Strawberry over there? Only kind of Pop-tart I have ever been able to stomach, probably not worth asking if there is a working toaster around here somewhere."

[Kristina]

Chastity looks up from the mountain of notes and test tubes in front of her and shakes her head with a quiet "Honestly."

Her eyes are red rimmed, but not a hair is out of place. She taps a pencil while glancing at the bench behind her. The young woman hasn't left her side and is sleeping on the bench with Chastity's bright white lab coat draped over her.

Looking back at her notes, Chastity sighs. Working all night and still no closer to knowing what is going on with the crazed animals that keep attacking. Bits and pieces of information, but nothing seems to fit together. The documents from the good Agent's briefcase sit to the side, forgotten for the moment as that particular problem has taken a back seat since the horror of the night before.

She's had luck with one puzzle given to her, but it doesn't seem to have any relevance. Though, now that people are waking she can ask for the background of the DNA encryption she and her associates had finished translating. She stands up, looks around, and states, "I need a map"

[Jynx]

As Dr. Rue awoke, one thing was apparent from her appearance. She could really keep it together under pressure. With a sigh of relief, she walked back toward the rec. hall from her vehicle. Waving awkwardly at Lou and Nick by the river, not sure if they'd seen her or not. Hearing a clangor inside Dr. Rue mumbles, "Morning Marshall Fell."

Turning back toward the guys at the river, "Nice day out right?"

[Owle Isohos]

Kelsey didn't look like she'd slept much, and she hadn't. Despite her best efforts, she'd been too wound up after the insane triage in the dark, so she'd stayed up, scribbling down something in her notebook by the light of a handheld flashlight. She'd thought about going back to the bus, where there were at least cushioned seats, but putting that much distance between herself and the main group of people here terrified her.

Sure, they'd survived the carnage party - assuming that tussle with the convicts was it - but there was still something going on with the local wildlife, and that wasn't mentioning the Hong-ku, or the people who'd released poisonous gas whenever they got shot. If anything attacked her in the dead of the night, she wanted to be surrounded by the people who'd protected her all day. So, after she could no longer keep the words in her notes straight, Kelsey had put away her notebook and curled up beside one of the tables.

A thud next to her startled her awake. She was already groping for her medical bag and getting ready to run when she realized it had just been the Marshal getting up. She blinked tired eyes at him.

"Saw what?"

Kelsey pulled herself to her feet, looked around to see if there was any kind of breakfast available, then noticed Chastity standing up.

"A map of what?" she asked, rubbing at her eyes to chase away her fatigue.

[Tempest]

vasily wakes up in a positive mood, making comments about some boots he "found" to replace his shoes, and how much "free" stuff is just hanging around.

"there is more things to have then in the tunnels"

[sndwurks]

It's obvious this is not the first time that Billy has had to wake up in his car. The night was warm enough not to warrant a blanket, and as he stirs, his eyes open fast to take in his surroundings. The mental checklist is clear as he makes sure everything is just the same as he left it, and that the safety of his car has not been breached. He lets out a quiet breath, starts the engine to check the gas and battery, and nods slightly. He lets it idle for only a bit, then pats the dashboard twice with a bit of affection, and then turns it off.

Exiting the car, he walks around to the back before pulling out a small backpack and opening it. He pulls out a jar of instant coffee, a container of non-dairy creamer, an electric shaver, a travel mug from Dunkin Donuts, and an electric kettle. There is a quick shave, using one of the side mirrors, before it is put away and he heads towards one of the water fountains. He fills up the kettle and heads towards the Rec Hall.

He opens the door with deliberate care towards being quiet, and locates an outlet. He plugs the kettle in, setting it lightly on a table along with the instant coffee, creamer, and his mug. He glances around at the others awake, and offers a slight nod at each. He smiles a little, and pitches his tone low to say "Anyone want some coffee? It's Market Basket brand instant, and tastes terrible... but it'll do."