Little Girl Lost (or the Rescue of Juneau)

julian-richter:

She was going to be fine.  No marks or major injury spotted, Julian had been delirious and exhausted himself more times in his life than he ever expected and recognized the signs after a time and a thought.  They just had to get her back to town and in the care of Colleen.  Okay or Paige, but someone else would have to take her to the Campbells.

Julian  gave him a short, jovial clap to Danel’s back once he had Juneau comfortably settled for the way back.  ”You’re a strong guy, right?,” he told the younger man, a bit of a smirk on his face.  ”Help the girl.” 

Rummaging about in his satchel, Julian retrieved the gun that Eli had given him at the outset of the excursion and admired it for a moment.  ”I’ve got your back,” he told him over his shoulder as a few steps caught him quickly up with Eli.  ”Right!  Who are we shooting?”

“No one at the moment. And put that thing away. You might shoot your eye out. Last time I gave you one, you nearly killed Mr. Robinson’s cat.” He murmured. He brought his rifle once again to his side and began to walk, testing the radio every few feet for any signal.Out here, no one is ever sure of what may or may not happen.

“Also, I wanted to tell you something.” He spoke, and whapped the back of Julian’s head with a gloved hand. “That was for the book comment last week. I’m doing big things with those notebooks. And writing sappy romance novels seems to be more up your alley than mine.”

Giving a slight chuckle, he decided to keep the situation a little lighter, as panicky crotchety men in the forest by the mountains make for an oscar-winning and sexually confusing time.  ”The tale of Julian, he who is more like a Cyrano De Bergerac than an average Romeo, a true master of words and explosives. In which every valentines day card is also a detonator, and his idea of romance is watching things go boom at sunset!”

Little Girl Lost (or the Rescue of Juneau)

julian-richter:

“What are you preparing, you’re always preparing, just go,” Julian muttered to himself, some odd pop culture bit dislodging from his memories on a bit of insinct.  He kept a hand out for Juneau’s arm, just in case she decided to pitch in a new direction though Daniel seemed to have her well in hand.  Hrm.

While the others kept vigilant, Julian kept his eyes on Juneau, the lack of focus in her eyes, suddenly calling Daniel ‘Leonard’, the weakness in her limbs.  Chewing on his lip some, he reached into his satchel again and wrestled something out of a piece of cloth.  

Leaning close, he whispered conspiratorily into her ear.  ”Hey, let the guy carry you for a bit.  And here…”  He snuck her a piece of beef jerky, no bigger than a piece of gum.  ”Just put it in your cheek- don’t eat it.  It’ll put some taste in your mouth.”  Leaning in some allowed him to put the back of his hand against her brow and cheek, checking for a fever, sweats, chills, some outward sign of whatever had left her out here alone.

“Paranoia ain’t for show, gents and lady. Let’s leave before boogeymen start popping out of the woodwork.” He said, and prepped his rifle. 

He reached into his back harness for some caffeine pills and swallowed a em’ dry, but coughed into his sleeve. He disliked pills, but the usefulness of them would have to override his predisposition. It’s times like these that current alertness would be more useful and that crashing in another 20 hours would be worth the trouble.  

And the trek home begins.

“Famous last words…” He murmured.

Little Girl Lost (or the Rescue of Juneau)

julian-richter:

“Sweetheart, you can keep the blanket,” Julian told Juneau gently before going back to his bag to root around for something else.  He looked up just in time to catch Eli giving the tablets to Daniel.  That guy thought of everything.  He set his shoulders down and his mouth into a fine line. 

“If nothing’s broke, we can just carry her back.  No need to set up a command center if she’s just delirious.”

“Alright, alright; paranoia is overrated, I get it. But since you found her, you get to carry her! Like the wee princess she is! And also, mind the bridal carrying style. Your old lady might just have a heart-attack at the sight.” He chided, patting Julian’s back. At least he can have his fun. 

“But in all seriousness we’re gonna have to move soon before it gets dark. We’re a good 6-7 miles from the Town and my radio’s getting nothing but static through these trees.”

Little Girl Lost (or the Rescue of Juneau)

the-emptyhunter:

His eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Leonard? What was she…? Oh. Right. He looked down at the ground for a moment. He wasn’t expecting her to say that. But he didn’t say anything about it. He didn’t want to be the one to break her out of her fantasy. Besides, with whatever state of mind she was in at the moment, her thinking that he was Leonard was probably helping the situation.

He looked up when she spoke to Julian. He smirked and looked at him over his shoulder. It was then that he noticed the water bottle in his hand. He took it from Julian’s extended hand and looked back at Juneau. “You thirsty?” he asked her.

Digging into his backpack, he found a small medkit he stored just in case of being out in the open for too long and separated from the town. Sifting through the bag, he pulled out a small packet of rehydration salts that was stored in it. He may not be a doctor, but this should do the trick. He passed it to Daniel and spoke softly.

“Get these in her. It’ll help with the dehydration. Looks like she’s been out for a while, her mind might be warped as hell.”

He kept his eyes trained on the surroundings, wondering if they should set up camp  if Juneau would be out of it for any longer. The sun would set soon and that means all the more danger that they would have to face.

“Danny, how long do you think before we can leave this place? I’m not too keen on being out here this long without a base camp or heading the hell back to the town.”

(Source: julian-richter)

WILLDO

Little Girl Lost (or the Rescue of Juneau)

julian-richter:

Julian shrugged and scratched at the back of his neck with the handgun he was given (safety on).  ”No one told me when she took off, so it must have been some time in the night…”  Taking a look above them to check the position of the sun for a better idea of the time.  ”Running?  She was pretty sick when I last saw her, I don’t think she could have gone too far…”

“But running from what?  Rabids would usually leave a trail of blood and the stench of a thousand camel’s crotchfleas. Do we know who was the last one to see her? Maybe getting that info before leaving for the wild might have been a better idea. Yet it raises a few good questions, gentlemen.”

He began scratching his chin and raised an eyebrow in thought. She had a history of survival instincts, paranoia due to the way she acts, and that being that cheerful all the time would definitely need to be given an outlet for rage or fear. No other trail except for her, and she’s had enough experience in the wasteland to survive on her own, even in bad shape.

“We need to find her soon. If her mental state is what it is, we might need to hurry. No telling if it’s the rabids or her we need to worry about.”

Little Girl Lost (or the Rescue of Juneau)

julian-richter:

“Ho Jeez-,” Julian managed to get out before he was down on the ground and Eli had pressed the gun into his hands.  ”Of course, we are not alone, that’s what being in a ‘we’ means, you can’t be alone with company-”  Julian forced himself into silence so Eli could work.  He looked at the gun and held it close, as Charlie’s Angels style as he could remember.  It’s not that he didn’t know how to use one; he was pretty sure hanging out with Eli made him proficient by osmosis.  

At the sound of the return voice, Julian looked to Eli and shrugged.  ”I didn’t think you were freakin’ out, man,” he reassured him quietly.

Eli gave Daniel a smug smile and took a few potshots into the air before putting the safety on his rifle. 

“If I did, you’d be dead, you cheeky bastard. You have no idea how much I want to shoot you in the foot just for laughs. But sure, come along Danny. And why thank you, sir Julian, for you are a truly observant man with masterful use of the English language.” He spoke, then stood.

He flicked off the dead leaves and dirt from his pants. Another one out here usually means another set of eyes to keep open and another life to watch out for. At least this one can use a weapon. 

“Alright, kiddo. So, any leads? I’m not quite the hunter I used to be back in the day, but I’m pretty sure you are and Julie over here is, well, Julie. I caught whiff of a trail heading this way, but I’m not sure how fresh it is. Take a look.”

Solid.

Little Girl Lost (or the Rescue of Juneau)

julian-richter:

Julian had sneaked Juneau his last blanket when he heard she was sick.  He also scrounged up a little extra breakfast and came around in the morning to see is she was okay once the night had past.  An unusual moment of empathy from someone most considered a very selfish man.  Julian had asked around when she wasn’t to be found; when people were too tight-lipped and the sun moved further and further across the sky, he got Eli.  Eli, in turn, formed a search party.

Gripping his burlap bag a little closer, Julian thought the motion made him seem more useful.  Sure, he’s the one who started the ball rolling and who had gathered some quick supplies from Colleen in case she was hurt (and some things from his own resources in case something needed to be hurt), but really… the doing and the tactics were left to better people.  This is at least what he told himself as he followed Eli and Daniel, the more serious ones, as Julian himself looked for signs and hints of where Juneau could have gotten off to.  How sick was Juneau that she wandered out into the wasteland?

“You know, I sometimes wonder about that girl. Crazed, PTSD-addled infected young woman with a body of a model? I don’t know why I haven’t tapped that yet. Oh wait! I remember! She’s PSYCHO SURVIVAL WOMAN. But yet, I’m off at this ungody hour in the morning when I could be in bed.”  Eli complained, scanning the area and looking for any signs of a trail. 

At barely the break of dawn, Eli and Julian were out in the open, maybe five or six miles away from town. The morning chill surged through his body, his coat taking the biggest brunt of the weather. Yet it was cold enough to make his body shiver. He was wearing his hunting and scavenging gear, in the hopes for something really good.

“You told me we were hunting for a pig. You told me there were pigs out there and we can get some bacon. But no~, we’re looking for a missing girl and that you volunteered  and drag-” He spoke, but kept silent.  Movement, less than 100 meters, closing in. It was coming from the direction of the town, but he knows better than to expect backup. His radio was silent for too long, no chatter. Rustling of leaves and grass, no birds or animals making any noise. Only a single crow looking like it’s gonna eat soon. Something’s definitely up. He pulled Julian down to his knees, handed him the M1911 pistol, and shushed him.

“We are not alone.” He murmured, raising his G36c to his cheek and scanning once more. 

Hella yeah!