[Snowpocalypse] Long Ride (S 3.6)

Rich

To Silica:

After your non-goodbye with K2, you head out, dress, grab your pack and wait on HP. She comes out, dressed in jeans and shit-kickers, a gun-belt on under her big leather jacket, a knit scarf (probably from Hitec, it's colorful and looks real soft), and a cat hat. She's got a bolt-action rifle slung over her back along with a backpack of her own.

You come out into the cold, and it's still pretty damn dark. HP has a flashlight she uses to light the way, and her boots crunch on the ice as she stalks her way on. She leads you out of the hotel across the street to what was once a laundromat. The door's kicked in, the place looks trashed. But she's walking like she has a purpose, and sure enough, you see she's got a motorbike hidden behind a row of washers that someone took a bat to. Chains wrapped around the tires so it gets some kind of traction.

Handplant throws a leg over and walks it to a space where you can go, "Hop on." She starts it up, it is a kick-start kind of dirt bike, loud as all hell. Never sneak up on anyone in a thing like this. But once you get on, it's light enough to get along pretty quick. She doesn't have a helmet for herself, doesn't offer you one, either.

Before she revs up the bike and you ride off, she turns to look at you and asks, "You got anything else you need to do before Hadden? We got time. No assholes out this time of day."

scott

Silica

Helmet?

She says there's no assholes out, "yeah? That's what I thought, too..." My leg still feels a little tender when I think about it. It'll probably always remind me. I climb up behind her, taking a good close look at that rifle it looks like i'm about to become intimate with. I hold onto the tail of the bike and wrap the other arm around her when we ride.

I consider asking her to take me to the sled, but that's too damned conspicuous.... even I know I shouldn't be rolling around on that thing so soon.

"Hey, I got a workin' sled stashed two blocks that way, the garage with the blue door... covered in snow." I point up the street as we roll past, talking in her ear. "Prolly ask Hadden to roll his truck out here and haul it... somewhere... might as well keep the fucking thing... but I guess it needs gas or... something..."

Sleds do use gas, right? Pretty sure...

"But I got nowhere else to go..." I should find my sister... actually I should find her boyfriend... I have this feeling though, that if I find Hadden things will work out.

Rich

To Silica:

Handplant pauses, like she's trying to decide if she wants to say something or not. It's rare, her hesitation. "Silica, there's some place for you to go. You just haven't found it yet. You keep bouncing around trying to find who to rebel against or who to listen to. Running from some dead guy's arms straight into K2's. Then running from that. You need to take a breath, figure out what you really want."

She puts a hand on your thigh, softly, says in an encouraging tone, "Deep down. Sometimes really deep down, you're a good kid." She corrects herself, "A good person. And your piece of shit dad didn't wear that away. I told your mom I'd take care of you, and I've done a pretty shitty job of it. I'm sorry your life, even after you got here, has been fucked up. Is there any way I can help you? Not drive you around, give you a couch to crash on, none of that temporary shit. I mean, really help you."

scott

Silica

I scoff, like she's full of shit at first... and as she says the part about "a dead guy's arms..." that almost sets me off, I feel this defenseive anger welling up inside, she can probably feel it, the way I'm so close to her on the bike.

But then she gets all sincere on my ass, and it's like... why do people think I need talkin' to so damn much? Shakin' my head as she says I'm good... like right, sure...

Ok so yeah... I take a fuckin' breath. Inhale deep and leadn my forehead against her shoulder, to one side of the rifle. Hold it, then exhale...

"Well I don't wanna get chilled off cause of some stupid shit happened..." I speak seriously, maybe hard for her to hear me as I'm not shouting or anything. Almost just talking to myself, out loud. A sigh, I sit back and pat her on the shoulder a couple times, this time I'm talking to her. "I'll think about it, allright? Gotta be somethin' good out there for me... right? Somethin' for everyone ain't there?"

I lean my forehead back against her shoulder... a lot on my mind.

Rich

To Silica:

Handplant turns around a bit more on the bike, moving so she's facing you. Maybe she picks up on the uselessness of words. That you don't even know what you need. She puts an arm around you, gently pulls you closer, whispers in your ear, "We're good, Silica. We all got troubles. And you and me, we're good." Then she just holds you there for a moment. No ulterior motive, nothing.

It lasts a little while. Who knows? Maybe after whatever argument she had with Hitec about you, or whatever emotions she felt when she saw you with K2, she maybe needed it, too? Then, she gently pats your back once-twice, and moves back away from you. Handplant rotates around again, putting her leg back over to ride the bike. With a quick move, she kickstarts the damn thing, and it rumble-whines for a bit. The headlight comes on, and you rumble out and away from her home. The place that maybe could've been your home, too.

scott

Silica

Why you gotta rub it in all the time? Yeah you think I don't know? Tryin' to do the right thing here...

She holds me and that's... ok. Weird... I just fucked your daughter... or maybe your daughter fucked me is more like it.

But yeah, she kicks the bike to life and I hold on... and you know what?

I do look back.

Rich

To Silica:

Handplant leans over the bike and heads south until she hits the area near Nedd's van. Then east towards Shedd's, and down to the Lake. She calls back to you as you hit the ice. "Gonna stay topside, less folks to bother with. Faster. Stay alert, alright?'

Dawn is coming over the horizon as you hit the ice, and the sun's rays are blinding. HP pulls a pair of shades out of her bike's pouches and pushes on. She's riding at an easy pace, not taking chances. Above you, Silica, you see Lunch. Hovering in lazy circles in the sky.

You ride on for a mile or so, avoiding some gulleys and other obstacles that you point out to HP, until you see an ice cave ahead. That's when the oddest thing happens.

Lunch flies down, and lands on your shoulder. His talons grip your shoulder loosely, it doesn't hurt. Feels weird though. He's not clawing or anything, just lands there, like he's hitching a ride to Underlake or something.

What do you do?

scott

Silica

Holy shit! Take a deep sudden breath, surprised.

"You scared the shit outta me!" I say to the bird... wait... ok talking to a bird, not the wierdest thing that's happened this week. I kind of lean away from it... does this bird know I was planning to eat her?

She's been following me... here and there... Rossi mentioned her. She was hanging around when... well when I was with Grab in the bunker. Couple times now...

I just look at her, not wanting to move too much. It's kinda cool, you know? Like with the penguins.. I...

Fuck. Penguins.

I wonder how long she'll ride with us... I try and keep steady.

Rich

To Silica:

Lunch sticks on your shoulder, down into the tunnels, even as Handplant starts winding through the twisty parts. She stops the bike down a side passage and kicks the stand down to get off. That's when she turns and see the snow owl. Her eyes bug, "What the ever-loving fuck?"

Lunch is sitting very serenely on your shoulder, his head turning to regard HP with a noble glare.

scott

Silica

I just look back at her with a shit-eating grin, shake my head slightly, "no fuckin' clue..." I stand up, trying not to move too fast...

I speak in a near whisper, "hey, uh... where we meetin' up with Haddie? There's a shitload of people I'd rather not run into."

Rich

To Silica:

Handplant watches you with the bird as she slides off the bike. She's amused and intrigued, but not about to touch it. "You have enemies in Underlake, too?" She sounds a little impressed. "I'll walk with you to Hamlet, he should be there."

She pulls a little chain out of the pouch on her bike and locks the bike around a stalagmite. It takes a few minutes. While she's doing this, Lunch uses his talons to gingerly walk off your shoulder to your arm, which you stretch out like a perch. At least, you do long enough for him to walk onto it. He turns his neck and focuses on you with those huge eyes. Blinks a couple times.

"I think he's in love." HP says with a chuckle as she stands up. "C'mon, we'll sneak around Market and give Odysseyiii a pass, head straight into Hamlet. Anyone we should be watching out for?"

scott

Silica

I mutter, "think I got enemies every-fuckin-where... I don't know what's what with Squirrel and me... and... well.. you know about most of it..." yeah, being ironic or whatever, but the truth is, I don't even know who the shit I mighta pissed off over the last couple weeks, who's got which friends.

Lunch walks onto my arm, which sort of hurts, but not really that much... but ow... I kind of cringe as she moves. She's much lighter than she looks... "Yeah, this is inconspicuous..." I laugh.... "How long're you plannin' to sit on my fuckin arm?"

I look right at the owl, half expect her to answer.

Rich

To Silica:

Lunch raises his wings, then hops forward, immediately taking flight. He flits out of sight into the dark. You don't hear him whump into a wall or anything.

Handplant answers plainly, "The bad thing about Underlake is that it's its own kinda world, really cut off. But for you, this time, it's a good thing." She drops her voice a bit, since there's a wicked echo in these cave tunnels. The only light is from her flashlight.

Rich

Silica,

Please go here.