Hopeful Days

Having spent the morning in the back rooms of the medical building Amalie sat at her desk poring over a book. Across it's cover in beveled red letters was written the words 'In Stitches By Anthony Youn' Her thumb flipped to the next page as she took a sip of her morning coffee. Through the door she could hear her medical staff busying themselves with their morning duties, Flipping her page once again Amalie listened as she heard a bed pan fall to the ground and the voice of Jane cursing to herself. Amalie sighed. Making it to the end of yet another page of her book Amalie then heard the commotion of the guards making their way into the building, From the sounds of it they had brought others. Placing her bookmark Amalie set her book on her desk and exited to the main area of the medical building where she was greeted by the voice of Marcus.

Pushing her glasses back up on her nose Amalie looked the group over as she listened to Marcus say that they had found some more strays and that one of them was injured. "Thank you Coco. (Note:Coco is a French term of endearment used to show warmth to someone you don't know that well.) she said with a nod as she once again looked the group over, most looked healthy all be it a little malnourished, one however was refusing to put weight on their left foot.

"I'll leave you to it then." Marcus said before turning to leave the building. Three guards stayed in medical at all times so the man felt no need to stay as well.

Amalie looked to the limping girl for a moment. "This way." she said after a moment more. Leading the group to a room with eight medical beds arranged in a line along both walls with four on each side Amalie stood at the front of the room before the newcomers. "Help her to this one. The rest of you take up a bed, I'll attend to you shortly." She said pointing to the bed directly to her left. Moving out of the way she waited for one of the woman to help the girl to the bed and lay her down. "Thank you chère."(Dear) Amalie said before taking up a place beside the bed, pushing her glasses up once again she pulled a pair of blue medical gloves from the bedside table and pulled them on before pulling up the girls pants leg.

"How did this happen?" She asked before giving her a moment to respond. Satisfied with her answer she inspected the ankle further, Feeling her way around the most commonly affected bones upon an impact to the ankle Amalie inspected the tendons and the toes.

Moments later Amalie finished her exam of the girls ankle and looked to her in the eyes. "From what I can tell it's not broken or anything of that nature, Just a sprain at the worst." She said as she leaned down and fetched the gauze and wraps from the cabinet beside the bed. "Stay off it as much as possible for the next few days, The pain should lessen in a few days, Perhaps three at the most." She explained as she wrapped her ankle up and moved her leg back to the bed. Standing up she looked to the girl that helped her to the bed. "I recommend she stays here for a few days and keeps the ankle immobilized." she said. Pushing her glasses back up on her nose again she set to beginning the screening process. The process was simple, Amalie would check them for any injuries, bites, or otherwise before she'd release them to meet with the leader of the group. 

Making her way to the first person she set to inspecting her extremities before moving to her shoulders and so on, Repeating this process with the rest of them she then came to the last one, a brunette. "Thank you for your patience. This will only take a moment." she said before setting to checking her as well. While she did she listened for anything the girl may say or ask.

Taking a seat in front of the last member of the new group Amalie looked her over, The woman's features screamed uncomfort. "Don't worry, It is only a simple checkup chère." Amalie answered warmly as met the woman's gaze with her own, her features expressionless as she ran her hand along the woman's shoulders and arms, stopping at the hands before shifting to her legs. Satisfied that there were no obvious bites or otherwise and that she wasn't showing any signs of illness which was one of the key giveaways of a bight she returned to the woman's hands, running her hand along one she felt as the woman tensed up, Amalie looked her back in the eyes. "It's alright." she said before moving to the next one. Beginning to exam it Amalie looked to the woman as she felt her jerk her hand away, "Are you hurt there?" Amalie asked as the guards raised their weapons.

Raising her hand to tell the guards to stand down Amalie never took her gaze off the woman, "Please remove the cloth, I need to confirm you are alright." she said stone faced. Waiting for her to remove the cloth Amalie was greeted not by a wound but by a tattoo, a rough one that looked home done, having spent a number of weeks researching prison tattoos a few months back when a cluster of books on the subject found their way into her office she could tell by the style of it that it was probably one of those, now what it meant she didn't know, but she didn't judge people souly on markings on their body. What someone had done before their days here didn't matter, what mattered was how they acted in the present.

"I imagine you will receive your weapons after you meet the boss." She spoke calmly yet stern in response to the girl. "He should be here momentarily." She said getting to her feet and pealing away the gloves. Returning to the woman with the sprained ankle she leaned down and took a bottle of pain killers out of the drawer and gave her two before fetching a glass of water for her. "Take these, They'll dull the pain." she said before standing straight again. Looking back across the group she nodded to them. "While we wait for George to arrive I feel introductions are in order." she spoke calmly with the authority of a professor.

"I'm Amalie, lead medical officer for our little slice of this planet. You may call me Ami or just simply Doc if you wish, that is what most of the inhabitants here refer to me as."

Looking around the room Amalie looked first to the girl with the injured ankle "And you are?" she asked, waiting for her to answer before moving to the rest of the group in turn.

Listening as the group began introducing themselves Amalie took notes in her mind about their names and what they did before. Letting her eyes glide to them each in turn as they answered she kept a kind yet distant smile on her face. "It's nice to meet you all." She answered, Noting that two of the girls, Aubrey Bale and Kumiko were from overseas such as herself. Upon coming to the last girl however Amalie sensed a certain aprehension in the way she answered, like there was something that she was hiding. Althought if she had to venture a guess she would assume it was the fact she had a stent in prison, a fact that was confirmed by the prison tattoo on her hand.

"It's nice to meet you Magna." She greeted her with a nod. "As I previously said I'm Amalie Arroway, Most just call me Ami, Doc or professor. I'm originally from France, thus the accent. Before the end I was a mother and a Calculus professor with a minor in Medicine. The medical part being how I happen to find myself in this position now." She explained her gaze moved around the room. Before anyone asked further Amalie heard as Magna asked her to describe their leader with one word, bringing her hand up to rest under her chin Amalie looked to the ceiling as she thought, George was an interesting man. He was kind but had a certain affection for the bottle and drank a lot. Especially after The Sirens made their presence known, but that wasn't something the newcommers needed to know yet.

"If I had to describe him with one word." Amalie started as she looked to Bernie. "I would have to say, Fascinating."

Retreating to her office Amalie passed through the front door to see George had arrived to greet the newcomers. Motioning him to the correct room Amalie returned to her office.

Opening the door George entered and nodded to the group as he made his way to the front of the room. "Greetings everyone, I'm George, George Stevens. Mrs. Arroway has given you a clean bill of health it seems, save a sprained ankle that is, so I'm here to pass ya'll through the last bit of screening before we return your weapons to you. They're waiting out in the main lobby for you." George greeted everyone, he loved making a good first impression and hoped that he had done the same with these as he had with the last batch.

"So Amalie handed me a report as to what you did before the end but I want to ask just a few more questions. Firstly, Where'd you guys come from?" He asked giving the group a moment to answer. Nodding he continued. "Second: Did you meet anyone else around the town?" He asked, Wanting to know if they had run into members of The Sirens before finding their way here he looked to them for their answer. Again he nodded. "Third and final question: What are you good at?"

Having fetched her book from her desk Amalie had since returned to the room and taken a seat in a corner chair as she listened to George ask his own questions, not surprisingly he had asked where they had come from and whether or not they had seen anyone else on their way into the town. Hearing Bernie begin to answer with the same thing he had told her Amalie looked over her book at the man before Aubrey cut him off and began answering the question properly. Returning her gaze to her book Amalie continued reading as she continued to listen to the conversation between George and the group.

"I see, well I'm glad you made it here safely." George answered with a nod to Aubrey. The fact that they had come from out of the area was a good sign that The Sirens hadn't had a hand in their arrival but George wanted to be sure and so he followed up by asking if they had run into anyone on their way in. Again they answered with a no which brought him a bit of relief, although he would be sure to ask Amalie if she had picked up on anything as she listened. She had an uncanny ability to since when someone said something untrue, He had asked her a couple of times but every time she just explained it as if it was something simple that anyone can do, That all she does is watch how they move and how they act when they answer, As well as listens to how they spoke.

Georges smile never fading as he looked around the group he waited and listened as he received an answer on the matter of whether or not they had met anyone on the way into town. Nodding as he heard the answer he let a flash of concern flick across his face as he heard that a horde had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Looking to Amalie he nodded before looking back to the group with a smile again. Asking his third question Amalie looked over her book as she waited for their responses as well.

His gaze falling to each member in turn as they explained their strengths he looked to Amalie who was surely making a mental note of what they all said, he was sure to ask her to refresh his memory of all of them as he passed them out the door to collect their gear. "Alright, sounds good." George answered as he listened to what they said. "Well, I'm George Garland, I lead this here place, for the time at least. We'll get you your weapons back here indirectly, As well as give ya tour of the place if you'd like." He said as he motioned to the guard nearest the door to bring in the box containing their weapons. Waiting for the guard to return and set the box in the center of the room for the group to take them at their leisure George looked to Amalie. "Mrs. Arroway, Would you mind calling Kalie to give them a tour?" He said as he looked in her direction.

Looking up from her book Amalie nodded before placing her bookmark in place and getting to her feet. Exiting the room she came to stand behind the front desk and pulled a radio from a drawer below the counter. "Kalie, come in." She spoke with the same stern voice she always had.

"What's up Doc?" A young females voice came from the other end.

"We got some newcomers, mind giving them the grand tour cherie?" Amalie responded.

"Uhh, I think I'm good. Lemme check." The voice came back before cutting off for a brief moment. "Yea, I'm done with my jobs for the day. Med building?"

"Yes Cherie, George is finishing up talking to them now."

Cutting the radio power back off Amalie set it back in the drawer before returning to the room and relaying the news to George who nodded in return.

About five minutes later a young Brunette in her late teens stepped through the door



"Hey Doc, You said you wanted me to give some people the tour?" Kalie said as she entered and stepped before Amalie.

"Yes Mon Cherie, It would greatly appreciated." Amalie said before standing up and following George out the door and into her office to review what the newcomers had said and how they had portaged themselves.

Looking around the group Kalie looked curiously to each one of them, their faces looked weathered and they had clearly survived out in the open for a while. "Hey folks, I'm Kalie, I work food prep but been here since the place was formed back in the day, Doc said you guys needed a tour of the place?" She said with a smile. "Well, Ready to get the show on the road then?"

As Kalie set out to begin the tour for the newcomers Amalie shook her head as her left hand came up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Toutes ces tâches banales..."(All these mundane tasks...) She sighed to herself. Watching Kalie usher the group out the door she returned the wave the girl gave her before turning on her heels and set to returning to her office. Pushing the door open she barely found her way to her seat before a knock came from outside.

"Yes?" Amalie called in a professional manner. Watching as the door swung open to reveal George she nodded, she knew why he was here. He was a terrible judge of character and whenever new people arrived he would always come to her for her thoughts on the matter, Amalie just thanked her stars that he at least realized this fact. "Yes?" She asked as she watched him close the door behind him and take a fold out chair from the corner of the room.

"So what do you think?" George asked as he unfolded the chair and took a seat.

 Eyeing the man as he sat Amalie raised an eyebrow as she heard him ask what she thought. Crossing her arms Amalie fetched her book from the table and held it between her fingers before setting to tapping on the cover as she talked. "Well, They seem fine, for the most part at least. I didn't really get the feeling that any of them have any ill intent. Although Miss Manga appears to have a certain disdain for those in a position of power." She said as she flipped her book to the page she left off on. "Any other questions?" She asked in a steady and paced tone of voice.

While George and Amalie discussed the newcomers Kalie had escorted them out of the medical tent before drawing their attention to it, making a point to reiterate it's location and how to find it before continuing. "Alright, so right after Medical is my neck of the woods." She said as they began to approach a large area covered with tables, near it's end was a large building and through one of the windows you could see the stoves and dishes all stacked neatly ready for the dinner service to begin. Getting passed the mess hall and kitchen Kalie looked back to the group. "Any questions so far?" She asked before waiting for them to answer.

Laughing as she heard one of them ask about clothing stores and whether or not they sold them Kalie shook her head but smiled back at them. "Well, We don't sell close per se. We got a general good storage yard down the way though, you need clothes or anything like that just stop by there." She answered as they approached the next location. "This is the Armory, Pretty self explanatory. Guns, And other things that hurt."

Moving away from the Armory Kalie then led them to the general storage area. "This is Gen Storage, We keep everything people would need like extra clothes and the like here. Feel free to take what you need." Stepping back Kalie nodded to the person in charge of the place at the time before letting them look for what they needed. As she waited she thought about where to take them next. Coming to stand next to Magna she smiled before crossing her arms to think on the matter of the tour further.

Her arms crossed as she watched the group go about looking for what clothing they wanted Kalie had come to stand beside the one that seemed to look at everything with an air of cautiousness. Having been in the shitstorm that was the outside world, especially if they had run into The Sirens Kalie just shook her head, she couldn't blame her for being suspicious. Looking to her as she heard one of the other members begin to reassure her and convince her to give the place a chance Kalie smile widened.

Staying quiet to allow the two of them to talk Kalie returned her attention to the rest of the group that was still sifting through the clothing and other things that they needed from General storage. To the side of the building the person in charge of watching over it leaned against the wall and marked what they took on a piece of paper that would be returned to the head at the end of the day so they could keep track of what's in use and what isn't.

Turning to Magna after her and Yumiko finished talking Kalie smiled and nodded to her. "To answer your question from before when we were passing the Amory, No. The Armory is where we keep the big guns and the heavier stuff. Boss man wants everyone armed at all times just in case stuff happens." She explained before looking to Yumiko for a moment and offering the same smile.

"As for where you'll be staying, well that'll be up to Jane. She's in charge of housing. We'll end the tour with her and she'll get ya'll situated." Kalie answered. Looking the group over she saw that one of the members was coming up to them with a fairly ugly shirt on. Staying quiet as him and Manga bantered Kalie stifled a chuckle before looking to the rest of them.

"Alright folks, Well, Once you get what you need we got two more places to see then I'll drop you off with Jane. She'll get ya'll a place to sleep tonight."

With a wave of her hand Kalie motioned them all to follow her once again before nodding to the person in charge who returned a quick glance before setting to writing on the board again. "Alright, so next up is recreation area." Kalie said as she drew the groups attention to the approaching building, a half burnt out neon light hanging over the door. "Through there is entertainment stuff, books, pool tables, a tv with a collection of movies and a few other things." She explained as she stopped them to allow them to take a peek if they'd like.

A few minutes later Kalie started the tour anew and began leading everyone to their last destination. "Alright, And that about wraps it up. This is general housing." She said as they approached. Through one of the doors a woman with long blonde hair appeared and came to stand next to Kalie.

"This here's Jane, She'll get you folks sorted." Kalie said as she smiled to everyone. Looking to Jane she gave her a nod before turning to leave.

Looking them over Jane crossed her arms. "Alright people, Anyone in a relationship? Anyone family? Anyone prefer to be housed alone?" She asked as she looked to them all for their answers. Depending on how they answered she would change her tone, they had converted a number of appartment buildings to use for everyone and there was plenty of space. Now it was up to the group to inform her of what they needed, or preferred.

Crossing her arms as she waiting for the group to answer her question on what their relationships were and what their housing preferences were Jane tapped her foot, She came off as impatient to most but that was only the beginning of it. Taking a breath she held it for a time before releasing it out slowly while she listened to them begin discussing. One of the men had begun to mention that two of them were sisters but was quickly cut off by the third, a woman with a cloth covering her hand. Looking down at it she wondered what it was concealing. It couldn't be a bite, Doc wouldn't have let them in if that was the case. Wondering what could be hidden underneath Jane heard the woman speak, she said that they were all family and that no one was staying alone.

"Alright." Jane answered short and to the point. "Follow me then."

Spinning on her heals Jane waved for the group to follow and looked over her shoulder to confirm that they were doing just that before she set to leading them into the closest apartment complex. Approaching it Jane looked over her shoulder again. "This'll be you're home while you're here, First floor has a rec area, although it's not as furnished as the dedicated rec building." She explained while she led them into the building. Pointing in the direction of the rec room as they passed she then pointed forward. "Down that hallway is the workout room. We've left it basically untouched from the way we found it when we set things up."

Stretching her arms out Jane then turned to lead the group to the stairs. "There's about thirty rooms per floor, you folks'll be on the second floor." She explained further. Beginning to climb the stairs Jane reached the first landing and looked back at the group with a smile. Not as welcoming looking as Kalie she tried her best to hide the stress she was under from the dealings with The Sirens. Letting the newbies in on what they had to deal with was sure to be a fun day, although, that day wasn't today. Smiling as they climbed up after her Jane waved for them to continue to follow. Reaching the second landing Jane looked down the hall, it was vacant for the moment as most of the complex's occupants were at their work assignments. "Yours'll be down at the end." Jane explained again as she once again waved for them to follow.

Reaching the end of the hall she fetched a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door. Pushing it open she smiled as the dimly lit interior came into view, white base walls acted as a backdrop for what counted as a furnished appartment in the area before the end. While it wasn't pretty it had all the amenities of what one would have before the dead. The water worked, as did the electricity for a few hours a day. Having to deal with The Sirens running raids on their power supply had forced them to begin rationing it, luckily the water supply was inclosed inside their walls and their friendly neighborhood bandits hadn't managed to breach them. Glancing out the window Jane took a breath, oh how she dreaded what they might do next. George would always say they had it under control, but Jane had a hard time believing that.

Looking back to the group as they filed into the room from the hall Jane smiled. "Well, home sweet home while you're here. Need anything before I head back?"