On The Road Again

Reaching the entry to the convenience store Justin looked to the right, then the left before quickly doing the same with his body as he stepped in, Alex close behind as he signalled for her to check the right Isles while he checked the left. The isles were short and you could see nearly all of the building from the main walkway, all except the back storage room which lies behind a door in the back right of the building. The door in question stood open and through it the duo would find that the few remaining members would have all but disappeared. Reaching the door Justin waited for Alex to regroup before stepping through.

The walls lined with long empty shelves only the center was occupied. Seemed as the group that had hold up here had collected everything on pallets in the center of the room, Food, Water, a couple of medical supply bags. "Damn babe, Jackpot." Justin said as he drew attention to what was in the center of the room. But now wasn't the time to search it and find what they could take with them. They needed to clear the area and gas up the camper before whatever undead that had been around the area made their way to their location. Reaching the door to the back office that sat open just like the last he checked the interior, his backup close at hand before seeing yet another door. This one though, unlike the rest led outside once more. "Clear." Justin called as the sight met his eyes. If there were anyone left they darted through the door in such a hurry that they didn't even try shutting it behind them. Luckily the security alarm had been deactivated and so the open door hadn't sent a dinner bell out for the deads next meal. Turning to Alex he smiled. "Well, good job my dear. Do you want me to help you back to the camper and let you sit down? I can gas the thing up." he asked as he noticed the limp that she now walked with. No matter how strong she was he still cared, for her more than anyone than maybe his sister but she was right up there next to her.

Waiting to hear what Alex wanted to do he turned and shut the back door, "We could probably take some of those supplies too if we wanted to, the dead aren't gonna be needing them." he tacked on. Coming to stand next to her he waited for her answer and offered his hand to help her back to the camper. "You know, you look drop dead gorgeous when you're all geared up." he said with a smile trying to win some brownie points, Not that he needed them but more never hurt anyone. Waiting for her answer he took to helping her support the leg, he knew she didn't fully need it but he helped just the same.

Walking slow after clearing the rooms Justin kept his stride steady as he aided Alex back through the door into the main store area, passed the three isles and back into the center it was then he noted that the his three other traveling companions, His sister and the two new arrivals were making their way back. Appearing out of an Alley leading back from where they had previously disappeared he waved them over as he and Alex passed through the door and back out into the world. "You little miss, are one hell of a shot." he said as they came to stand across from one another. Giving Alex a time to respond he returned the hug his sister had gave him as the two girls, Sarah and Fearah thanked them for their kind words.

"Alright you three, The buildings clear from what Alex and I saw but stay on your toes. There's supplies back there that we could use but we're on the clock. All those shots are sure to draw the attention of any dead thing around here so work fast. Food, Water and ammo first you hear?" Turning to his beloved "Anything I miss?" he asked, Giving her a time to tack on anything he might have glossed over he then set to work on getting her back to the camper. Alex was strong, a soldier like him he had no fear that she could handle a little pain but Justin just wasn't the kind of guy to watch people suffer, especially the people he cared about the most like his beloved Alex and his sister Kelly. Maybe in time that care would come to encompass their two new members but they still had a bit to go before they fully earned his trust to that regard.

"Here, lean against it for a sec." He said as he motioned for Alex to lean against the camper as he popped it open. Swinging the door as wide as it would go he then held out his arm for her to take once more before helping her balance as she stepped up the stairs and back into the campers interior, Setting her down in the passengers seat as it was the closest to the door he slid his rifle back off his shoulder and leaned it against the wall nearest Alex before doubling back to the camper door to close it. Hearing the door latch he returned to the drivers seat and fetched the keys from his pocket, Turning the key the engine sputtered to life as the gas light instantly illuminated in a fearful shade of red. "Alright, we gotta make this quick." he said to himself as he threw the vehicle in drive and pulled it into the gas station, The power had long since gone out but it seemed the group that had hold up here had opened up the underground tanks where they had set up a makeshift pump of sorts. "Alright dear, Stay here, let me know if we got company." he said before killing engine. Returning to the door he began to examine the pump the group had set up, a crude device but it seemed to do what it needed to, a lever had been jerry rigged to act as a pump which then sucked the gas from the ground from the force of the suction it created. "That's pretty smart." Justin noted as he looked around for any visible undead that had made their way to investigate. None yet he hoped they would be able to get fully away from the area before they showed their ugly faces.

It was around this time that the three girls reappeared from the door of the building, Their arms full of whatever supplies they were able to carry Justin gave a smile and nod of appreciation as they completed their first trip, emerging from the camper moments later he watched as the three of them passed by. "Two more trips and we gotta go alright?" He called, Which was quickly answered in turn by a "Yes sir." from Sarah and Fearah and a wave from his sister. In all honesty Justin really appreciated the respect the two newcomers were showing him and Alex, Although it seemed like she had gained more than he had as they never referred to her with anything else but 'Lieutenant'. Standing as the gas flowed into the vehicle for a few minutes a sound caught his ear. The girls had just finished their second trip and were heading back for their third when a growl came from the adjacent alley, Still a way away he whistled to the three just before they reached the door again, Gaining their attention he shook his head. As much as he would have liked to get a third load from the storage room they were out of time. Where there's one dead thing, there's bound to be more. And so Justin finished up filling up their tank before calling for the three of them to board the camper. No protest met his ear from them as they saw too what he was talking about.

Throwing the pumps line back to the ground he turned on his heels as a cluster of about seven dead joined the first. Stepping back to the camper he climbed before latching the door behind him, Seeing the three girls situated in various area's around the camper he gave them a nod as he saw the load they had hauled and made a note that he or Alex should go through it and sort things out once they got on the road, but now wasn't that time. Returning to his seat he let the engine roar to life as the first of the dead had nearly closed the distance. Throwing the car into reverse he spun it one eighty before quickly shifting into drive and off they were, behind them sat the cluster of bodies along with the dead that had come out before. Joining them were even more as they seemed to begin to come out of the woodwork. "On the road again." he said with a smile and a nod towards his beloved. "Hows the leg?"

Climbing the steps of the camper, her sister and Kelly close behind as the dead began to close in Sarah looked back to see Fearah close the door behind them "We're on." she called to Justin in the drivers seat signalling to him that he was good to get them on the road again. Reaching her seat she rested her rifle on against the seat next to her as her sister came to join her, letting her pack fall she rested it at her feet before looking her companions over. Seeing no wounds on her sister, nor on Justin's she turned her attention to the front before instantly noticing the bandage wrapping it's way around the Lieutenants leg. Sighing in defeat she waited for Justin and her to finish their conversation, They seemed to be very much in love by the way they went about their words. Taking a breath she got to her feet and began to make her way to the front to stand before her.

Coming to stand at attention in front of the Lieutenant Sarah saluted as she let her eyes rest on her bandaged leg. "Lieutenant? Ma'am? I apologize for not being able to engage that target before he was able to get you.." she said, her tone coming off with some fear as she expected repercussions for her and her sister Who had since joined her in standing before their CO. Looking down the road before them as a small town began to make it's prescience known she took a breath as Fearah took her place.

"Yea ma'am, I should have found him sooner before he got the shot off.." Fearah sighed as her eyes shut tight expecting to be yelled at like their father would if they faltered. "We messed up and you got hurt because of it." Sarah then said, her eyes too falling shut as she expected the yelling to start they kept their hands clasped behind their backs as one would in the presence of their commander.

Justin had since taken to focusing on the road ahead, the fuel gauge had since climbed to just over two thirds of a tank thankfully and as the buildings began to show and he heard the small footsteps of their two new editions to the family he let a small chuckle out as heard the sniper begin to speak. "Give'm a peptalk babe." He called to Alex as the girls finished their explanation, Hearing his words Sarah opened her eyes slowly as she still expected to be yelled at. Staying at attention the girls waited for what The Lieutenant had to say.

Waiting for their repercussions the girls stood at attention, their eyes closed tightly as they fully expected The Lieutenant to start yelling, as seconds passed in silence and they heard The Lieutenant begin to speak their eyes opened slightly; The tone of her voice becoming clear and not fully angry at all as she told them to come to ease. Letting their hands fall to their sides Sarah opened her eyes fully in a slight since of confusion as The Lieutenant continued. "Yes Lieutenant." They both greeted in unison before she fully started her explanation.

Upon hearing The Lieutenant explain that it wasn't their fault and for them to not apologize the confusion on the faces grew, it was a strange thing not being yelled at when they messed up, their father being a perfectionist it was always the norm when their performance wasn't up to his standards, Letting a smile find its way to her features Sarah looked back at The Lieutenant "I'm still sorry you were hurt ma'am, If there's anything Fearah or I can do please don't hesitate to ask." Sarah said with a nod before feeling a jab in her side from her sister. "Yes ma'am, Like my sister said, Please don't hesitate." Fearah than responded before giving her sister a look of annoyance from her volunteering her, Not that she'd have said no but it annoyed her still the same.

Hearing the last bit of what The Lieutenant had to say and then hearing her question about what they hauled she then turned to the group of supplies they had hauled in before getting back on the road. "Oh! Yes, Ma'am." Sarah called as she rushed to show off their haul, showing a few food items and the groups of boxes they came from along with a cluster of ammo boxes, Luckily knowing Ammo types was part of the girls training and so they only grabbed stuff they knew they could use along with the scar that Justin had, Not knowing the caliber of The Lieutenants weapon however they hoped that some would work as they continued to show off some of their haul. Along with the food, water and ammo they had also managed to snag a small box that was labeled 'fun' in black marker. Upon opening it they saw that it contained a cluster of board games along with some packs of cards. "Game night! Score!" Fearah blurted out upon seeing what the box contained before immediately turning to her surroundings. " uh.. Sorry.." she said before falling quiet once more. Shoving the box to the side Sarah then retrieved a small box of Toiletries. "Ma'am, We also found this, Not sure what most of this stuff is though other than the toilet paper. Inside the box lay a few tubes of face wash along with other face and skin creams. Picking the box up she got to her feet and approached The Lieutenant before handing it to her. "Don't know what much of this stuff is ma'am, maybe you know."

Upon hearing Alex begin naming off all the skin care products like a kid in a candy store Justin couldn't help but crack a smile as he glanced over at her, watching her for a time out of the corner of his eye it always made him happy to see her get so into things. Just, Face care products wasn't exactly one of the things he thought was on that list but the more you know he thought. Continuing down the road as they began to pull out of the town the gas station rested alongside he took note of the sign marking the next town and it's distance which was a good two hours or so off still. Hearing Alex begin to tell the two girls a bit about her past Justin once again smiled a broad smile as he listened. If she was telling them the story then it showed that they were beginning to earn her trust and in turn meant they were gaining his.

Taking a small turn he reached over and placed his hand on Alex's arm to help support her so she didn't put too much weight on her wounded leg, letting it fall again as the road straightened out he returned his attention fully to the road ahead, his ears still listening to the conversation between the girls and Alex he heard Sarah ask about Russia, as usual she tacked on a 'please ma'am' which in complete honesty Justin appreciated, it was always nice having polite people around. Slowing as the sun began to fall it was then he heard Alex ask a question directed to him, asking him if she could redeem one of his 'coupons' Which was a joking term he commonly used for things he would do for her like rub her feet or otherwise pamper her. Seeing an offshoot of tree's in the distance he glanced in her direction and gave her the million dollar smile. "You got it babe." he said with a wink before slowing to make the turn into the tree's

Making it far enough into the treeline as to hide the camper from view of passing cars but not so deep that they couldn't get it back out when needed he then shut off the engine and spun the drivers chair sideways as to face towards Alex. Giving Sarah and Fearah a nod he turned to look at Alex, "What shall I do for you moya printsessa (my princess)" He then said looking at the box that now rested in Sarah's hands, ammo it seemed which Justin chuckled lightly at the sight. Beside her sat the box of skin care products and as he waited for Alex to answer he motioned for Sarah to hand him the box that rested next to her. Reaching out and taking it from her hands he looked inside before setting it in his lap and fetching two of the tubes. "Spa Day my dear?"

Justin's smile always put her in a good mood. It could be raining mortars outside and a horde of chechens could be charging their position and she would still feel reasonably good about their chances of survival. It was his confidence that kept her about thinking too much about the animated corpses that both infested and brought on the new world. "Spa day sounds like the best thing ever, right now," she said. Admittedly, anything to take her mind off of being shot would probably be the best thing ever. 

Alexandra thought about Sarah's question. It seemed to her that the two girls had grown up without knowing about this sort of thing. She was the opposite of them, brought up to become someone very different to who she was, and chose to be where she was today. That was the truth in one way or another, in any case. "Well, it's skincare products. You know, so that your skin doesn't become dry and problematic? Helps retain moisture and that sort of thing," she said, starting it off like that. In truth, there were far cheaper products that worked just as well, but this helped you go that extra mile. An edge. 

When Sarah asked if they could join. Alexandra nodded. She felt like it was her responsibility to teach them about this sort of thing now. "Sure, and bring Kelly too, might as well teach you girls how to get on with this sort of thing," she said. Alexandra was sure that Kelly had some idea, but in this situation she felt it best not to point that out. When Sarah asked what to do first, it admittedly took her a moment or two to remember. It had been a little while since she'd even thought about this sort of thing. "Well, first we'll take the cleansing milk and put it one of the bits of cloth there," she said, demonstrating this herself, then placing the bottle back in the box for them to take. 

While she waited for them to do this as well, she placed the cloth on her lap, and then removed her helmet. She placed the helmet down beside her and then ran her hand through her hair, letting out a sigh. It felt good to unwind after what had just happened. 

Alexandra enjoyed watching the girls get into this, it gave her hope that even in the situation that they were in, they could still do 'normal' things like this. Until the world ran out of care products anyways. A smile formed on her features, and she nodded in response to Justin's question. "Sure, pass the face cream, please?" She waited a moment till he identified what it was that she was looking for and then took it from his hands with a broad smile on her face, "Thanks, dear." She put it down beside her, no doubt needing that later. Normally, a wash with warm water was best, but that wasn't something they could do anything about now. 

"Then you apply it to your face, gently, in circles," she said, lifting the cleanser applied cloth to her face and demonstrating what she said. "Then you wait," she added, "you want this to soak into your skin." A moment later, she took the clean part of her cloth and wiped her face down, dabbing rather than stroking. "Then you wipe your face, dab, don't stroke." Taking the face cream, she took an amount appropriate for the surface area of her face and neck with practised ease with the fore of her fingers. Moisture starved hands threatened to absorb the creme. "Then pass this around, and take enough for your face and neck," she said, before finally applying the cream onto her face in a circular motion. 

She felt so, so much better already. Many a time, it was the small things that helped. Doing this, was definitely helping. The stress of the days thus far was starting to fade, a feeling of freshness taking its place. It was this that made Alexandra realize, that they had a nice thing going here for them if things were going to remain. She completely forgot that she'd gotten shot earlier that day.