criminalminds (criminalminds) wrote,
@ 2010-11-01 17:09:00

He hadn't expected the ride to feel so short. Sleep shortened it, of course, but even when he was awake, he didn't feel like a lot of time had passed. There was so much to think about, and no small amoun to fret about. He was so wrapped up in running the possibilities of those men catching up that he could hardly believe when they arrived on the outskirts of the town.

Mal reached over and touched Cade's shoulder gently to wake him up. It had been a few hours since they'd chanced their last pit stop. "It looks deserted from here, but I think that's probably just smart, you know? I wouldn't want to advertise." His voice was shakey with nerves. He was terrified that they were walking right into another nightmare.

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deathproof
2010-11-01 10:26 pm UTC (link)

Murielle hadn't had a whole lot of sleep. She was too anxious to really rest. She just wanted to get to this safe place and be ... well, safe. Swallowing hard, she glanced over at Mal as he shook Cade awake. The boy stirred and sat up, rubbing one of his eyes as a quiet yawn escaped him. Suddenly Murielle was afraid that maybe nothing was even really there. Maybe they'd come all of this way for nothing. When she spotted the makeshift fence, she knew they were on to something though and she slowed down.

"This has to be it," she said softly. "But it's locked. I think we might have to leave the truck and go on foot from here," she told the two boys. "Maybe that's safer. Quieter. If we see something bad we can just come back to the truck and keep going, right?"

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criminalminds
2010-11-02 01:25 am UTC (link)

Leaving the safety of the truck was not high on Mal's list. He sat there, looking out at the fence, considering Murielle's words. She was probably right and he nodded, puffing himself up a bit, pretending not to be afraid. He was psyching himsef up more than he was trying to fool anyone else. "All right. We can pack a few things in. Hide the truck like dad and Whitney always did."

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deathproof
2010-11-02 02:10 am UTC (link)

"Good idea," Murielle said as she pulled the truck in between some trees and bushes. Getting out, she filled up a bag with food and set it aside, then she started to work with moving some of the more valuable stuff inside of the truck.

Cadence helped, and soon enough the truck was hidden away quite well. Murielle tugged the backpack on and turned to look at the other two with a little nod before she led the way over the fence and down the road.

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criminalminds
2010-11-02 10:16 pm UTC (link)

Picking up the cooler, he carried it at his side as he followed after Murielle. He hopped the fence and helped Cadence over as well. It was more of a delineation rather than a protection and Mal hoped that meant these people were welcoming.

The road led to the middle of what looked like a little main street. A line of cars blocked off the other end of it, creating a passable barrier, but a clear line of where to stop. Mal wondered if that meant what was beyond there was unsafe, or maybe someone else's territory.

The place that seemed the busiest was a large house with a bed and breakfast sign hanging out front. "There, I see people in the windows."

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when cash gets to the camp he gets murielle and his brother super good day for him haha

deathproof
2010-11-02 10:38 pm UTC (link)

Murielle tipped her head up and shielded her gaze from the setting sun. The house looked... Well, almost normal. The people didn't seem unhappy or like Doyle and his friends. They didn't look like him at least, scowling and ... leering. Swallowing hard she held her breath and wet her lips. It was when she spotted Jack on the porch with his guitar that she really relaxed.

"Look at him - he's about our age, close to it, and he seems okay," she pointed out.

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Haha! I think it'll be a good day with Muri, a bad day with Max!

criminalminds
2010-11-02 11:15 pm UTC (link)

"You're just saying that because he has a guitar. Murderers and rapists play guitar too," he pointed out a bit sourly, showing just how broken and distrustful he was inside now. But he didn't balk too much and took a few steps forward, wanting to be the first one to talk to this guy.

"Hello," he said, back straight, exuding confidence. He was not about to show any weakness here. "We were travelling and heard about this place." He spoke like he knew everything there was to know.

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deathproof
2010-11-03 12:11 am UTC (link)

Jack had been tinkering around with an old guitar of Marin's that was now his. While he was still upset about the fact that Marin and Lorne had slept together, Marin had offered to teach him how to play and he wasn't about to pass up something new that he could learn. Something that could pass the time. Marin had gone inside to get something to drink, though, leaving Jack alone.

When he heard the voice, he blinked and looked up in surprise. When his gaze fell upon the trio, he looked even more surprised. Murielle was the most surprising. He couldn't remember the last time a lady had been around.

"Hi," he said back before he set the guitar aside and got to his feet. "Are you guys okay? Any of you hurt? We don't have a doctor anything but we've got supplies and a first aid kit and all that."

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criminalminds
2010-11-03 12:27 am UTC (link)

Mal couldn't help but stand protectively in front of Murielle. He'd seen the way some men had looked at her and if any one of the guys here did that, they were leaving that second. He was not going to let bad things happen to her again.

"We're all okay." The fact that that question had been asked first was heartening and brought Malachi's hackles down a little. "I'm Mal, this is Cade and Murielle. Who are you?"

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deathproof
2010-11-03 12:33 am UTC (link)

"Jack," Jack replied as he stuck his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. These kids looked young. Even younger than him. "You?"

Cade settled in close to Mal, standing in front of Murielle a bit as well. He could tell what Mal was doing and he wanted to help, but she gently pushed the two aside.

"I'm Murielle, this is Malachi, and this is Cadence. He doesn't really talk," she explained. "Is this place safe?"

"Safest you're probably gonna find," Jack answered with a shrug. "Kind of a little... settlement I guess. We have stuff working. Have food. Places to sleep. It's the most civilized I've seen, you know - it's kind of a mess out there."

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	criminalminds 2010-11-03 12:46 am UTC (link)
	Grabbing at Murielle's hand so that she couldn't get too far in, Mal offered the back of her damn head a glare that he knew she'd be able to feel. "Is there room for us? What do we have to give you?" Because nothing was free and Mal immediately wanted to know the price of safety and civilization. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

deathproof
2010-11-03 01:08 am UTC (link)

Murielle felt the glare, and she gave Mal's hand a gentle squeeze to assure him that no matter what they were in whatever happened together.

"There's room, always room for good people who want to help make this better and keeping it running," Jack said as ruffled a hand through his hair. "Just help out. I mean, if you have stuff to contribute like supplies and food that's great too but you don't have to have anything to stay here as long as you wanna help out."

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criminalminds
2010-11-03 01:39 am UTC (link)

Help out. That seemed reasonable and Mal glanced over at Cade as if to ask him if that sounded reasonable to him. He was willing to help, of course. He was even willing to share their supplies with the right people. He just worried that they were getting duped somehow. How long was it going to take to get over that feeling? Mal couldn't even hazard a guess.

"Are you sure? You all are really just taking in anyone who comes through here? Doesn't anyone get pissed about that? What happens if we cause trouble? What if someone else causes trouble?"

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deathproof
2010-11-03 02:04 am UTC (link)

Cadence glanced over at Mal and he nodded his head a little bit. It sounded reasonable. It actually sounded too good to be true, but looking at Jack - he found that he believed the other boy.

"Luckily we haven't had anyone cause trouble yet, but if they did, I'm sure Ashley would just make them go elsewhere," Jack said as he settled his hands on his hips. "He kinda takes care of things, and us, makes sure things go smoothly."

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criminalminds
2010-11-03 02:37 am UTC (link)

Eugene was on his way back from the building that housed the lab. An abandoned cafe had served Abe and Eugene quite well. The large amount of counter space was smooth and able to be sanitized. It gave them plenty of room to work and all the dishes left over came in handy.

His path brought him up behind the small group and he too was surprised to see a girl in their midst. She was rare little thing and just seeing her gave Eugene hope that the world hadn't completely ended. God forbid there really only be men left.

"Hello," he announced his presence so as not to startle them by getting too close.

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deathproof
2010-11-03 02:50 am UTC (link)

Hearing a voice come from behind them made Cadence jump a little bit, and he turned to look at Eugene with wide, surprised eyes. Murielle reached out to steady the boy and she gave his shoulder a little squeeze before she let her gaze shift to Eugene. He seemed harmless. There was something about him that told her that he wasn't dangerous.

"Hello," she said back softly, nervously.

It was hard to shake that scared feeling after all they'd been through, and though they were away from those men now, it was obvious they'd been through some sort of an ordeal. Eugene was closer and could probably see the reminants of bruises, plus their demeanor told a story all it's own.

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criminalminds
2010-11-03 03:14 am UTC (link)

Unlike some scientists, Eugene was pretty good at picking up on social cues and as he looked the newcomers over, he guarded his reaction with a simple smile. Instead of pointing out the obviousness of their previous ordeal, he made it a point to welcome them warmly to a place where he was confident they would be safe.

"Come inside with us and we'll find Ashley. You can meet everyone that's in there too. We're all pretty friendly." He took a step forward and gestured for the three of them to follow him.

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deathproof
2010-11-03 03:18 am UTC (link)

Cadence swallowed hard and exchanged a look with Malachi and Murielle before he looked back at Eugene. He'd slept on the way, but he was hungry and his body ached. They'd been fed but not well fed, and obviously he'd been taken care of a bit better than Mal and Muri - which was saying something because he didn't look so great.

"Maybe he should come out here and we can meet him first, before we go in," Murielle suggested as she held onto Mal's hand.

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	criminalminds 2010-11-03 03:45 am UTC (link)
	"Promise there aren't any elaborate traps in there, just food and shelter and music and stories from Jack over there." But he held up his hands and went toward the building to head inside and look for Ashley. When Eugene was gone, Mal looked back over at Jack, interested in what the other man had said. "You tell stories?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

deathproof
2010-11-03 03:53 am UTC (link)

Jack smiled at Mal's interest, and Cadence actually looked interested, too. Jack loved that people enjoyed his stories or the things that he wrote.

"Yeah, I like to write stuff, too, I've got tons of notebooks," he explained, but before he could go any further Ashley came out and headed over to the trio.

"Hello," he greeted, offering a warm smile. He was confident, but he excuded an easy going vibe and honesty. "Eugene tells me that you guys might be hungry and might want a place to sleep, and a shower. We've got food cooking and I'm sure there's a room with a bed big enough for you three - I'm assuming you'll want to stick together?"

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criminalminds
2010-11-03 04:32 am UTC (link)

Mal really liked the idea of being told a story, or reading something new. Their dad used to read to them a lot and even though he'd been 'too old' for a long time, he really missed that and would give anything to be reminded of it.

When Ashley came out, Mal had to admit that he seemed very nice. Everything about him was straight-laced and well-meaning. But he had to challenge him and he folded his arms over his chest. "What's in this for you? How many people are even in there? That Jack kid said that no one caused trouble here, but what happens if they do? What if a group of guys came here and wanted what you had? What would you do?" He could just imagine the men coming there and raiding the community. Their biggest prize would be to get the three of them back and Mal shuddered to think about what would happen then.

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deathproof
2010-11-03 04:36 am UTC (link)

"What's in it for me is some sort of semblence of normalcy, and keeping people safe. We're working on a security plan in case something like that happens, but it's not as easy as it sounds. All we can do is try our best to be prepared. And in this house, there's about 8 of us. But there's others in the surrounding area. Now are you ready to come inside and get cleaned up and some warm food in your belly, or do you have some more questions for me?" he asked with a little smile of amusement, though he had to admit - he was a bit impressed, too.

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criminalminds
2010-11-03 04:48 am UTC (link)

Mal was getting amped up, but the fact that Ashley replied with calm was rubbing off on the boy. After a good minute of scrutinizing Ashley with his eyes squinted dangerously, Malachi gave in and nodded. "Okay." He was convinced--for now.

He didn't want to let himself be too relieved, but as soon as they were all inside, Mal felt a wash of good feeling come over him. It looked homey inside, more welcoming than he'd even expected. "Wow," he said under his breath.

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deathproof
2010-11-03 04:53 am UTC (link)

"Addison is still cooking, so Jack why don't you take them upstairs and let them pick a room and point them to the bathroom where they can clean up if they want," Ashley said, and Jack nodded.

"This way," he waved, "Would you guys like the second floor or third? You can take a shower but it has to be kind of quick. Since it's your first one in a while I gather we can let it slide a bit and you can have ten minutes each, but we usually go for five," he smiled.

"A shower? A real shower?" Murielle asked. She always felt so dirty, and the thought of a real shower nearly made her want to cry.

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criminalminds
2010-11-03 05:42 am UTC (link)

Mal made a note to only take five minutes because he wasn't going to accept special treatment from anyone right now. He looked over at his sister and had to smile though. She looked like they'd just won the lottery and that made Mal happy.

"Thank you," Mal offered to Jack, yielding a little to the hospitality that they were showing them. He was especially thankful that they were going to get to share a bedroom.

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deathproof
2010-11-03 05:45 am UTC (link)

"You're welcome," Jack said as he got three towels out. "Keep these with you, they'll be yours for the week. And here," he handed them a new toothbrush each. "Everything else you need is in the bathroom, just be sparce with it," he added. "This room is empty and the bed looks big enough for you three so you can have this one. I'll be downstairs."

With that, he headed downstairs and Murielle turned to look at Mal.

"Who goes first?" she asked happily, obviously very excited at the idea of an actual shower.

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