The connection rang a few times and again went to voice mail, and Randi felt all hope for her family shatter. She dropped weakly to her knees as her phone uttered one last beep before the screen blacked out. She wanted to cry but knew it would be useless and suppressed it. She stumbled towards the door where she had stashed all of her stuff and slid the backpack over her shoulders. It was cumbersome and she would have to be especially careful now, but at least she could use her arms.

Randi grabbed the bat and carefully turned the lock open, slowly opening the door and peeking out. So far so good, she saw no killers waiting to kill her. She opened the door wider and peered into the breezeway, satisfied that it was empty. She could see up into the parking lot a little, it too looked empty but she would be exposing herself in a minute so she would need to be fast.

Keeping as quiet as possible, she locked the door behind her and then slid the house key under the mat, partially exposing it. Just in case someone needed to get in to safety. She then stepped carefully over to the half stairs. The top would be the dangerous part, she would step up to a blind corner covered by shrubs and the have to turn her back to the parking lot to climb the stairs.

As a second thought she slid the backpack off her shoulders and into one hand in case she needed to throw it aside and fight, and then carefully climbed the stairs. She crouched as she neared the top and peeked over the top of the landing towards her own apartment and her heart nearly stopped. Janelle and her three friends stood in a deadly cluster by the door, their shuffling seeming to be some kind of communication with each other. They were definitely drones, but not because of pot. She carefully set the backpack down and tightened her grip on her bat. It would be difficult taking out more than one at a time with a short range weapon without sustaining injuries, but they didn't have any reason to live anymore and Randi didn't see any reason to die.

Without thinking further she sprang up the stairs and into the parking lot. She ran a short distance to get away from the building and put a little space between her and the zombies, and then taunted them.

"Come and get it Bitches, dinner is served!"

She tapped her bat on her hand and then moved into a batter's stance, feet spread, slightly bent at the waist, elbows out, bat over the shoulder and ready to swing. She waited only a minute for the first to reach her and then she began swinging. A loud splintering crack sounded as the bat connected with skull, and the force of the blow sent the creature flying to the side, landing with a sickening crunch, and Randi had just enough time to jerk her bat back across the second thing's head, sending it also reeling. She sidestepped and danced around the slow moving creatures, swinging hard and fast, targeting the soft brain.'

The third creature lunged at her and its hand connected with her free arm, jerking it away from the bat. Terrified Randi screamed and ducked.

The sudden shock wave that emanated from her and blew the zombies to pieces startled her. With the threat neutralized she stood slowly, looked around for a minute, and then ran back to her apartment, not stopping to pick up the backpack before slamming her door open and then closed and sliding the lock.

She turned towards the brightly lit apartment, her bat ready to destroy whatever might be waiting for her, but emptiness greeted her. She leaned back against the door and slowly slid to the floor, her eyes drifting shut. What was that that just happened? Some kind of power shield thing? She didn't know she could do that. Interesting. Wondering if it was a fluke or a real power, Randi opened her eyes and slowly climbed up to standing. She might as well pack some clothes and provisions from here too. She needed her cell charger and maybe she could find another long range weapon. Maybe not. She didn't think her roommate was the type to own a gun, she mostly had knives and bitch bats and other various heavy objects. No harm in looking though.

Originally Posted by Lusalma

((YEAH!! hehe))
Lusalma frowned at the golden girl cradling her cat near the edge of the cliff, slightly peeved that she might want to kill her. Finally finishing digging the teeth out of her arm Lusalma strode up slowly and strode towards the same wall, but a slight distance from, the golden girl and looked down.
Lusalma saw grossness. Zombie parts were splattered over the walls, anything breakable was broken, the movement of the zombies with the tangling mass of thorny plants was vaguely obscene, and the rotting color of the zombies flesh and blood was creating a disturbing picture among the withering vines.
Backing up with a sense of nausea Lusalma stumbled on a piece of rubble and sharply sat down on her butt. Jolted out of the horrific images playing in her mind Lusalma took a deep breath and held it...too long. The Kitty was giving her a way to curious look.
Realizing that she would HAVE to tell the other girl, if she hadn't already figured it out herself, Lusalma decided to just bluntly state her problem.
"I'm cursed by a Voodoo priestess. I don't really know what I am but I'm not human. I feel hunger around humans, most of the time, and I can't die but I don't really know what I am, the one who cursed me died before I could get to her...she called me undead, that's all I really know..." At the end of the sentence Lusalma glanced to the side of the building, watching out of the corner of her eye.

Elizabeth turned to see the swarm of zombies falling apart and then commented: "you talk alot." then smiled.
"as long as your not like them, and have some self control I wont kill you." she said as she pointed her sword down tward the swarm.
"oh, and one more thing...If you ever sell me out to them...I'll rip off both of your arms, burn them, bury them in different states, and make you go through the rest of eternity as a disfigured freak." she giggled then started playing with the kitten.

Dee pulled off the freeway at another truckstop. The sign above it read "Templins" It appeared to be abandoned, but you could never be too sure. She pulled her shotgun and slowly approached, pulling her bike up to a pump. She looked around silently, listening. Again, the lot was mostly gravel, so she'd have plenty of warning. She quietly slunk up to the door of the truck stop and peered inside. Half of the lights were out, but it seemed remarkable tidy in there, although it sure looked as though whoever had been here had left in a hurry. There were two cups of coffee still sitting on the counter, now probably ice cold and moldy. She tried the door. It was open. She went into the entryway to the truck stop and locked the second door, leaving only one open, and tried the inside door. Also unlocked. She readied her shotgun and slipped inside.
"shit. I hate this. It's almost worse when it's quiet like this."
God, she hated this part. She first checked the restrooms, clearing each stall. Then the main room. After this, the kitchen. This was the hardest part as most diner kitchens had stations separated by high walls. The kitchen, however, was clear. She again ignored the office, and checked only the bathroom. The back door was locked and already secured, so she considered the building cleared. Checking the back rooms she found a CB radio and stole it. Going back to the front of the main room, she sat in a booth and pulled out her cell. Shit. The missed call was from her cousin, the -only- cool one. The only one that would even talk to her, actually. Dee's heart lifted at the thought that she was still alive. She dialed the number, but as it rang on, her heart dropped again, especially when it reached her voicemail. She snapped her phone shut and sat still for a moment with her head in her hands.
"Please. PLEASE be safe. I'm coming."
Dee ran around the store picking up a few supplies and stopping behind the till to authorize her gas. This machine was practically archaic, it was SO easy to use. Thank god. Can't expect to get lucky ALL the time. She thought briefly that she was near the town where her aunt lived, and consiered going after her, but the bitch hated her anyways, so she could just deal with shit herself. Dee had to go get her cousin. She ran outside, with much less care than usual, and began filling her ducati for the next trip. Once that was completed, she dropped the nozzle on the ground and sped off.

((So, my sister and I were thinking up backstory for the zombie outbreak. We were thinking like, along the lines of "V for Vendetta" in which it was an experimental disease that the government controlled and had the only vaccine for, they released it into major cities water sources in order to create a reliance on the government, but instead of only making everyone sick with only a few deaths, it turned massive ammount of people into the living dead. Also, brita and pur water filters filter it out, so those who drink only filtered water are unharmed, therefore "survivors" and also, those who drinking only bottle spring water. That would be how it got so widespread, how some people survived, and how people became zombies in the first place, yeah? Whatchoo think? I'm eager for the chance to besmirch the governments "good name" LAWL. Also, it would make smaller towns relatively untouched except for wandering zombie parties that come through.))

((K, that sounds cool but than how does that explain Lusalma's existence as a zombie with the voodoo priestess? You also have to explain, or not, supernatural powers and how they fit into the scene. I think that an out of control zombie started biting everyone or someone thought to make a zombie army and control them but it got out of hand. The government might have wanted to make an army and it got out of hand, but if they have a vaccine would this be considered horror...or am I too cruel? >.<))
Staring in surprise at the calm response Lusalma snorted in surprise. Laughing slightly in relief Lusalma turned away from the scene on the ground and looked out towards the horizon. Seeing the beginning rays of the sun touch the buildings Lusalma frowned....she was forgetting something.
Suddenly a metaphorical light bulb went off over her head, she was allergic to the sun! Squeaking in shock and fear Lusalma lunged towards the box of electronics there were previously sitting against and shoved the air vent open. Frantically wriggling Lusalma slid into the narrow corridor and took a sharp turn right, plunging her into total darkness. Realizing what this must look like Lusalma blushed in the darkness and sheepishly called out, "I'm allergic to sunlight, I won't die but it makes me lethargic, it slightly burns me and right now I don't want to have any weaknesses. So if you can go and do your stuff and we can meet somewhere later or you can lend me gloves, and a leather, hooded cloak to wear....maybe with a mask too?" Grinning slightly at the impossibility of her request Lusalma giggled and settled slightly deeper into the cold metal, waiting.

((Ermm, those are good points. Lawl. Umm, yeah, I think that even with a vaccine it would be considered horror, simply because the zombies are still zombies, lol, but I like the idea of a zombie (and the government) trying to create a zombie army. Maybe radiation leaked into the water source? that's why the super powers? As for the voodoo, that defies all science anyways, so even with a horrible desease, it could still happen. After all, she's different from the regular zombies.))

((True, by the way does Dee have any secret powers or anything or is she just a tough, kick a$$ kinda woman? I think either way that it'll be cool, by the way do you really think Lusalma should be a zombie, I said undead but that could mean vampire too? or ghost made corporeal, or ancient or whatever, do you think zombie would be the best?))

((Addition to Koko's thoughts: That could also be how survivors got special powers? Maybe from drinking tap water that was filtered - it filtered out the bad and left the "good" stuff?))

Randi gathered the few supplies she could find - a few cans, some bottled juice, some dry snacks and power bars-and packed them into a small suitcase with some clean clothes, lots of undies and a few packs of tampons, just in case. She stroked the little gray kitten that tried so hard to wriggle into her suitcase, her roommates neglected pet, and listened to his purr. It was a very small gesture but it made her spirits lift somewhat.

She zipped the case shut and as an afterthought grabbed a large purse and zipped the kitten in, his purrs becoming muffled but never ceasing, and then she grabbed a few Ziploc of kitty food. She couldn't leave the poor creature to fend for himself here, it would be inhuman. Finally she hunted down her cells chargers, one for the wall and one for the car, and a few flashlights. She plugged her cell in while she got the rest of her things together; a few blankets and some winter clothes, and then debated mentally the best method of getting them to the car without suffering further attack.

She decided to grab it out of the garage and drive it over to the bottom of the steps, and leave the door open while she loaded it. It would be risky, but that was the best way she could think of to operate. She grabbed her new keys and piled her stuff by the door. She stared out the peephole for a minute, cursing the limited field of visibility, and slowly turned the bolt open.

Randi approached her method of leaving the same way she did when leaving Mr. W's: slowly. She opened the d\oor cautiously and peeked into the breezeway, checking the parking lot for other creatures. She saw only the ones she had taken out earlier, so she stepped out slowly and headed towards the stairs. It was easier to see around the corner from this higher angle, so she carefully checked by the shrubs that she could see before proceeding down the stairs. There may be more creatures further behind the building, but at least she would have a little warning with them.

She made it to Mr. W's garage without encountering any enemies and unlocked it, cringing at the insanely loud racket it made as it slid open. She paused after the door was open and checked to see if she had attracted attention before getting into the car and backing out to the stairs. She was about to get out and open the back seat when something hit her windshield, making her jump a mile. The thing pounded on it, growling and screeching, trying to get at her, and she squeaked with surprise.

"Well now freakin what? How the hell do I get out of this without getting attacked?"

As she spoke Randi formulated her plan, but just as she was about to leap out of the other car door and beat the creature senseless her other downstairs neighbor's dog jumped out of nowhere, his rope frayed on the end, and tackled the zombie, sending the thing screeching to the ground. The beast made quick work of the thing, tearing it limb from limb. It's pieces squirmed around, obviously not dead yet, but the dog seemed to be unconcerned as he wagged his tail and pawed up on the car door.

Randi wasn't sure if she should get out, but the dog had always been friendly to her before. She slowly opened the door and kicked the gurgling head aside and into the shrubs. The dog licked her hand and she patted his head, hopping out of the car with renewed determination and pulling the back door open. She hopped quickly up and down the stairs with her loads, the dog racing up and down with her, his body wagging and sniffing curiously at the purring bag. Finally the car was loaded and she slammed the door shut and then hopped back up the stairs, letting the dog back in the house, the kitty bag on her shoulder. She would wait for a phone call from her mother for only a few more minutes before taking off.

((I like the idea of vampire, or corporeal ghost, just because the zombies seem to be the "bad guys" Besides, it's easier for them to be more coherent than zombies. And as for powers, Dee can transform her bike (or any auto vehicle) like in ghost rider, but that's it. Basically, she just kicks a$$ Lol.))

Dee pulled onto the Freya exit, ignoring the traffic signals. She sped up the hill, the streets familiar, but freakishly empty. Her eyes flicked left and right, picking out the hobbling shapes in the shadows. She gunned the exit, only breaking to make a sharp right on 29th, and then accelerating again. She lowered her speed as zombies milled in the streets and she wove through them, avoiding their limbs as they noticed her. When she got past Southeast the zombies thinned out as businesses gave way to suburban neighborhoods. she breaked for a shapr left onto perry, and then again on 30th, pulling into the first driveway. She slowed. The zombie population seemed nonexistent in this apartment complex. a dog came over and ran alongside her bike as she slowed to a stop in front of an oldsmobile that was idling. Good sign. She crossed her fingers and stepped off her bike.
"Randi?"
She called, peeking over the stairs. She ducked to check the lower breezeway, make sure it was empty. She could hear zombies in different parts of the corridor, groaning and thumping, but she could see none of them. This place was a deathtrap. She quietly ascended the stairs, holding her shotty at the ready. When she reached the top, she could see the heavy door separating the two upper breezeways thumping in the doorjamb, but it was too heavy for the zombies. Dee checked around the corner to the door of the next apartment, but it was quiet. She walked over to Randi's front door and leveled her shotgun. With one swift kick she slammed the door inward, ripping the doorjamb where the deadbolt had been slid into place.

((K, that's cool...but now half of the members have like pets and stuff and I'm getting jealous but what in the world would want to be with the undead as a master?! SOOO jealous...T.T Anyway are zombies afraid of sunlight or is it some other type of creature?))
Squirming into a more comfortable position than her crunched ball Lusalma suddenly froze as she heard a whisper of movement beneath her...hoping it wasn't a zombie...

((You could find an exotic pet store and get a bat or spider LAWLS. I think most undead prefer darkness, but it's mostly vampires that are mythically burned by sunlight.))

((LOL Lusalma the dog and cat will like you I promise! I think it's vampires afraid of/unable to enter the light [that is up for personal interpretation though], but most scary things come out more at night it seems because of lower visibility.))

Randi jerked her bat into the air as her door slammed open into the kitchen counter and she flew off the couch.

"What the F-"

She stopped suddenly as she recognized her cousin, and the bat dropped to the floor.

"Dee... oh thank God!"

She let the bat lay where it fell and rushed forward, not even noticing the blood and guts that decorated Dierdre's clothes, grabbing her cousin awkwardly around the shotgun into a big hug.

"My GOD I was so worried! I thought you were dead! Or... undead or whatever those things are. And... what the hell, I did this weird thing earlier, I don't know how I did it, or if I can do it again, oh my God it was so weird. And did you see Pickles? The dog that is. He saved my bacon a second ago."

She shifted the purrse from one arm to the other and stared at the gaping door jam.

"Maybe we should get going. I tried to call mom but I think she might be a goner... And... oh, I gotta get my phone, it was out of batteries so I charged it."

She grabbed the cell and charger from the wall and tucked it in with the kitten in the bag, and then went and retrieved her bat.

Hearing a murmur of movement under her yet again Lusalma squirmed, trying to turn so her head faced further into the building, away from the damaging sunlight and away from directly over the movement, and wriggled. However, instead of letting her move more easily her sudden movement only caused the thin metal to buckle under the sudden pressure. Frightened at the movement, the lurch, and the sound Lusalma writhed even more frantically, panickingly trying to get away. the metal couldn't take it and with a sharp crash the whole section of pipe Lusalma had been scrunched in crashed to the ground. Lusalma squeaked in pained surprise and stilled at an echoing yelp. Freezing in fear and hope Lusalma slowly inched her head out of the pipe until her eyes showed and peered out into the room.
Surrounded by cages, Lusalma was surprised and slightly revolted. The cages were mostly empty but some of them were pretty big. The room was completely encased in concrete with no windows and the air smelled slightly musky and stale. Seeing a slight movement out of the corner of her eye Lusalma jerked her head back inside and shivered slightly. Hearing and sensing nothing else Lusalma slowly peeked her head yet again outside. seeing another movement from the corner Lusalma slowly crawled out of the pipe and froze, crouched in an upright position. Curious Lusalma slowly stalked towards the cage, never averting her eyes. As she came closer and closer she saw hints of black and white, until finally she saw it: staring at the adorable Creature Lusalma hesitantly reached out her hands, mesmerized by the likeness to kitties and the absolute adorableness of its eyes. Hissing the baby backed even further into the shadows of its cage, staring beyond the shoulder of Lusalma's shoulder... ((YEA!! A PET!!! hehe))

((I gotta go to work soon but I will post again maybe once before and definitely when I get off, it's only four hours.))

((Cool, that sounds good but in 4 hours its going to be 11pm with me, so I might or might not be on, wish me luck on staying awake ^.^))

((AWW! Is so cute! you're getting a pet now :D))

Dee lowered the shotgun as her cousin shouted and came running at her, and found her arms squished to her sides as she was caught in a huge bearhug. She awkwardly hugged her cousin back.
"Psh, good thing I didn't stop to check then. Uhh, yeah I saw the dog out there, he's standing guard by the car. We better get out of here.... your bag is squirming...."
Dee, peeled off her icky jacket and rifled through Randi's coat closet.
"Hey! who's jacket is this? I'm takin' it. It's better than nothing. Better than being covered in blood too.
She slid a Jean jacket over the kevlar vest she'd lifted at the police department. She picked up her shotgun again and looked carefully out the door. The door to the other breezeway was still thumping, but so far still hadn't opened. She looked down the stairs. The dog was still sitting next to the car, keeping guard. Good dog.
"Come on, we better get going. Oh, we gotta stop somwhere to get extra gas. Got any gas cans? Should we travel separately? Or should I put my bike in the car somehow?"
She jumped the lower steps and whirled around when she landed, making sure the lower breezeway was still empty. She heard a shuffling movement and saw some zombies coming around the building. The dog started growling.
"Uhh.... Randi? You better hurry!"

((OK, last post before work. Koko should still be able to post though. We'll be headed to Texas in a minute.))

Randi hopped down the stairs pulling her jacket on, not caring that Dee had helped herself to Janelles clothes, she wasn't going to need them.

"I saw a couple big gas cans in my neighbors garage, but-"

She indicated the advancing horde.

"But we might be better off stopping later for them..."

She edged nervously towards the car. She'd left the keys in the ignition, but the tank still read as full and she hadn't left it for very long. She twisted the bat in her hand and looked nervously at the zombies.

"Let's ride separately for now. Do you have bluetooth? We could keep track of each other that way and when we stop for gas we'll figure out if we should stash your Duc."

Originally Posted by Lusalma

((K, that sounds cool but than how does that explain Lusalma's existence as a zombie with the voodoo priestess? You also have to explain, or not, supernatural powers and how they fit into the scene. I think that an out of control zombie started biting everyone or someone thought to make a zombie army and control them but it got out of hand. The government might have wanted to make an army and it got out of hand, but if they have a vaccine would this be considered horror...or am I too cruel? >.<))
Staring in surprise at the calm response Lusalma snorted in surprise. Laughing slightly in relief Lusalma turned away from the scene on the ground and looked out towards the horizon. Seeing the beginning rays of the sun touch the buildings Lusalma frowned....she was forgetting something.
Suddenly a metaphorical light bulb went off over her head, she was allergic to the sun! Squeaking in shock and fear Lusalma lunged towards the box of electronics there were previously sitting against and shoved the air vent open. Frantically wriggling Lusalma slid into the narrow corridor and took a sharp turn right, plunging her into total darkness. Realizing what this must look like Lusalma blushed in the darkness and sheepishly called out, "I'm allergic to sunlight, I won't die but it makes me lethargic, it slightly burns me and right now I don't want to have any weaknesses. So if you can go and do your stuff and we can meet somewhere later or you can lend me gloves, and a leather, hooded cloak to wear....maybe with a mask too?" Grinning slightly at the impossibility of her request Lusalma giggled and settled slightly deeper into the cold metal, waiting.

"We're in a mall..." she said seeming slightly suprised at what she had just said.
"I'm sure we can find something for you to wear." she grinned, forming an Idea.
"SHOPPING SPREE!" she yelped, then realizing the position she was in and covered her mouth.
"But first how about a trip to a gun store?" she said as she crawled into the dark vent scouting the area for zombies.

Originally Posted by Lusalma

((K, that's cool...but now half of the members have like pets and stuff and I'm getting jealous but what in the world would want to be with the undead as a master?! SOOO jealous...T.T Anyway are zombies afraid of sunlight or is it some other type of creature?))
Squirming into a more comfortable position than her crunched ball Lusalma suddenly froze as she heard a whisper of movement beneath her...hoping it wasn't a zombie...

((Zombies arn't afraid of the sunlight, vampires are though.))
((heat does speed up the rotting process, but the average zombie is to stupid to figure that out.))
((being in freezing temeratures would be the best way to sustain the living dead.))
((I suppose your character would be classified as a type "B" zombie [brains equal to a human-Type "B" zombies can be deadly, because the higher the rank/type of zombie the faster they run, and the slower they rot.]
so it would be natural to fear the sunlight.))

((please click my eggies, their owners abandoned them so I adopted them!!))

"Sure do. I'm gonna hit I-90, so if I'm too fast for you, that's where I'll be."
She winked as she slung a leg over her bike and stuck her bluetooth in her ear.
"Let's blow this popsicle stand."
She waited for Randi to get into her car, and then gunned her bike. Zooming past the zombies that were shuffling towards them.
"Woohoooo! Eat my dust bastards!"
She zoomed down the street and turned her bike towards the freeway once more. Time to head south.

((Saya and I had the same thoughts about heat making zombies 'die' faster... =D ))

Randi got in the car and slammed the door, opening it quickly to let the dog in and closing it again. She unzipped the cat bag and let him out and then watched her cousin speed around the zombies. She revved the engine for a second before peeling out. The Oldsmobile didn't have nearly the maneuverability of the Ducati and as she rounded the corner with more speed than should be used in a parking lot, her car bounced over the corpses as she hit them, each with a sickening thump.

Turning her phone to speaker and resting it in the open glove compartment, she followed the duc as best as she could. She ignored the stop lights which were still operating on timers and kept her biker cousin in sight as she headed towards the freeway and followed her onto I-90. She didn't know where they would be heading, but she guessed that they would have better chances of outlasting the creatures if they headed south.

Once on the freeway she got out her car charger and plugged in her phone to keep the line between her and her cousin open. Thank God for unlimited Verizon to Verizon.

"Dee, I think we should head South, maybe to California, or better yet a more 'wide-open space' like Texas. Or further. Hey, let's go to Brazil! I think the warmer climate might make these things decompose faster... maybe that would kill them faster. It's worth a shot, right?"

She spoke loudly, she didn't have a hands-free headset so speaker phone would have to do. That just meant she would have to shout over the noise of the car, the radio, and the animals. At least the dog and the cat hadn't seemed to mind each other at all. They were currently cuddled together in the middle of all the crap Randi had stuffed into the backseat, leaving the passenger seat empty. Just in case they came across any other survivors.

"You know I'm joking about Brazil right? Hey, we should have grabbed a map or something. Let me know when we need to stop for gas."

((hmm, thanks for informing me on the zombies Saya, by the way what does Lusalma call your character? You want to join together into one big group? O.O We'll be the first one ^.^))
Lusalma froze and slowly looked over her shoulder, ((her crash into the pet shop storage room masked Golden Girls' shout of "SHOPPING SPREE!!)) Seeing no movement Lusalma relaxed a little. Turning back to the baby Lusalma saw that it was yet again looking at her. However, now the baby was panting, with it's mouth open...Lusalma felt a very weird...she wanted to feed...the baby. Lusalma was shocked, this was the first time this has ever happened with her!! Well, at least after she was turned undead. Stifling her squeals at the absolute cuteness of his eyes Lusalma started looking the cage over, looking for a lock so she could release him. She saw a plague stateing, '7 MONTH BABY PANDA. MALE. ORIGINS: CHINA. VACCINATED. MATERIALS IN BOX ADG259374.' 5 MONTH OLD BABY PANDA. FEMALE. ORIGINS: JAPAN. VACCINATED. MATERIALS IN BOX ADG259373' Finding it slightly curious that the baby was a bear more than a cat Lusalma finally found the door, slowly opening it Lusalma only opened it to a spot large enough for her to slip through. Swiftly closing the door after her, Lusalma didn't want the baby to escape, she stood up. Once she was in the cage she noticed an even smaller bundle of black and white cowering behind the crouching and wearily watching panda. Blinking at the contrast between the two babies Lusalma crouched onto her heels and stared at the babies. Jerking her head to look over her shoulder Lusalma sweat dropped as she heard and saw the lock click closed...Sighing in frustration she looked forward and was surprised to see the kitty like baby panda closer to her than before, his nose twitching in curiosity. Stilling Lusalma waited. And jumped in surprise and he pounced and tried to start sucking on her fingers. Jerking her hand up, with the baby still on, Lusalma stared in surprise. Finally an idea flickered over her head and cradling the still suckling baby, it was a boy, she fumbled in her pockets for her little jar of water. Finding it she unscrewed the top and dribbled a little water into the babies mouth. He purred... Lusalma got a slight nosebleed at the cuteness. The other panda, which must be the girl and was so quiet she forgot about her, whined but stayed in the corner of the cage. Watching her Lusalma stretched her body out, balancing the boy, and scooped her up with the other arm. Settling down Lusalma in her cross legged position Lusalma alternatively watered and let the babies suckle her fingers. Her eyes were half closed in pleasure, she had a blush and a slight nose bleed at the cuteness and she had a large, warm, fuzzy butterfly in her chest...yeah she was in love.

((AWWWW!!! That is SO CUTE!))

Dee lowered her speed to match her cousin's, leading her down the freeway. She reached up and clicked on her bluetooth and listened to her cousin.
"Haha, yeah, brazil. No, but the warmer climate sounds like our best shot. Texas does sound good. Maybe there will be some cowboys still alive, yeah?"
She grinned, and the bluetooth beeped in her ear. She frowned in confusion and told her cousin somewhat incredulously..
"Uhh... Hold on Ray, I think I'm getting another call.
She reached up and clicked the button on her bluetooth again.
"... Hello?"
"Dee? Where are you girl? Things are going CRAZY out here!"
"Kit! Oh my god, I thought all you guys were goners! I'm not even in seattle anymore!"
Dee heard a faint thud in the background and Kit gasped, then made a "whew" sound. She heard some people talking, then arguing in the background
"How many of you are still alive Kit? I was sure.."
"Oh really Dee? Did you even TRY to get ahold of one of us?"
"Well, no, but it was crazy at the jail, I thought - "
"No, you didn't think Dee, you didn't think about ANY of us. God. Well thanks alot. I'm SO sorry I even gave you a second thought you ungrateful b---h. Especially after we took you into our group because we felt sorry for you."
"You felt sorry for ME? yeah right. I proved myself to get into the group, I bought my own bike and took care of myself. You can just kiss my..."
Dee broke off as there was a sudden crash and Kit began screaming. She could hear sounds of struggle. It grew silent.
"Kit? Kit? Kit, listen, I didn't mean it, Please answer me. KIT!"
Dee shouted into her headset. She heard a squishing squelchy sound that sickened her stomach, the a growl and the phone disconnected.
"F--k. I should have tried to call them before leaving seattle."
Oh well. She reached up and clicked her bluetooth again.
"You still on the line, Ray? How's that little puppy of yours doing?"

((SQUEE!! I know I had a complete fan girl moment with that scene *stares dreamily into space* Can't wait to get back to civilization in 2 days time >.<))

((I'm going to have a conversation as though you had answered and then you can answer/ask question the same way for me, k? It make our posts more substantial. Sorry in advance for short posts.))

Randi glanced in her rear-view at the animals, curled up still, the dog licking his slobbery tongue over the sleeping kitten's back, and she smiled.

"They're alright Dee. You should see them, so cute! You ok? Who called?"

She adjusted her middle rear-view mirror while Dee answered and fiddled with the radio a bit, keeping the volume low.

"Well all I know is that cowboys sound great. But a mechanic might be better. My engine is starting to sound funny. I might be low on oil... I don't think M. W. drove this thing very often. By the way, what's up with your Ducati?"

Randi was suddenly thirsty. It'd been a long day and she hadn't had much to eat or drink, she'd been way too preoccupied. The horizon was starting to turn lightish blue, it was getting close to four am and Randi hadn't had much sleep, either.

"Hey, what are we gonna do about sleep? I don't think we can just sleep anywhere like a motel or something, that might be dangerous, right? Or what if we slept in the car? That would get uncomfy though. Hey, we might need to stop soon."

Dee looked at the sky.
"Oh, it was Kit from back home, but he didn't have much to say. I can look at your car, after all, I have to take care of my bike by myself. Do you have a users manual?"
She looked at the passing road signs.
"Let's try and go until the sun is fully up, then let's find a small town or truck stop to pull into. Less likely to be swarmed there. We can maybe catch some Z's while we're there, hopefully. Or we could get some camping gear maybe. I could go for a hot cup of coffee."

((Hey Koko did they head East towards Wyoming or South towards Cali? Also I am trying to expedite travel as much as possible.))

Randi peered over at the glove compartment, keeping one eye on the road and her speedometer.

"I'm not sure, it's... well, it's not really my car. I sort of borrowed it from my neighbor... he won't be needing it anyways. Anyhow, I'm thinking it's kind of dumb for me to be going 75 when there are no cops gonna stop us, right?"

She grinned and revved her engine, speeding up so that she was almost directly on Dee's ass.

"Dee Your Ducati DOES look wierd! What'd you do to it? I don't remember it looking like that... is that... is that a shield?"

She dropped into the other lane, coming up along side Diedre. She knew the duc could easily outrun her, but she was having fun with her speed cranked up to over 90. The only problem was that her tank was draining faster this way.

The sun was now on the horizon, blinding Randi's peripherals. They'd gone quite a distance now, passed up a few towns, but her tank was nearing the "e". She didn't think she'd make it until full sun up.

"I hate to say it Dee but I think we'd better stop for gas soon. We've been on the road a pretty long time now. At least a couple hours. How far are we from Spokane?"


((You could probably just pick a town to tell Randi in either Oregon or MT if you'd like Koko, one that's on the freeway that we'd be traveling.))