The area Red entered was some kind of storage area, though it was fairly dark in there due to a lack of working lights or windows. He could make out some of the heavier shelves from the light of the doorway, but they did indeed look looted.
Unfortunately he couldn't really make out the rest of the room, except for being able to tell that it opened out to his left and met a wall quickly to his right. Something out to the left growled at him, a familiar growl. And from the sounds of paws on hard floor slowly approaching, there wasn't just one of them. There was three dire wolves in this room.
Doc raised an eyebrow at this response, arms still folded. "Is that a threat?" Doc asked, wondering about Recon's choice of words there.
You are reading this.Max was going to take the time Red spent in the employee room to utilize his Firemanning skills and examine the building in detail, but the boxer's scream made him change his plans. Instead, he held his rifle out and pointed it at the door, ready to fire a burst into anything that came out after Red.
"Doc, I didn't write that in here to be evil or just to be an asshole. I wrote it because it's the best way to kill as many bandits as possible. Because if you don't, those bandits'll go on to attack and kill others."
Recon shook his head. "So what do you do? Do you be nice and not use them as a lure, even though you know it'll end up in more deaths? Or do you bite the bullet and do what really saves more lives? It's a headache Doc. A huge one. Why d'ya think I stopped caring in the first place?"
edited 28th Sep '13 9:29:08 PM by gameknight102xx
Growls and barks followed Red out of the room, followed quickly by the first of the dire wolves. Max's burst hit it at least once in the back, making it stop and crouch low for a moment. Being a bit lower, another suddenly leapt over it, and quickly went out of sight behind shelves. The one Max hit quickly did the same with another aisle, then a third came out of the door and likewise went for yet another aisle.
The whole group would be aware of them now, though not of their exact positions. Claws kept scraping across hard floor as the three wolves moved quickly, spreading out to hunt down the bounty hunters.
"You say that as if you know for certain that will happen, and you clearly didn't listen to me before" Doc said with a slight sigh. "What we did, was convince one of the bandits we caught to work for us, and to try and convince the others to do the same. But something went wrong, and it turned into a firefight; the bandits died, as well as the former one, but otherwise it went entirely in our favor. We did not have to abandon our morals, or stoop down to their level in order to win" he explained to Recon.
"What you're doing is not necessary to win, it's just perhaps a little easier. You are not forced to do this, it is a choice you made. You are choosing the coward's option of what is easiest, instead of what is right. And if you really intend to continue with this path of stooping down to that level..." Doc trailed off slightly as he stood up from his bench. "Then I'll just have to go tell the sheriff that there's a bandit residing in our town, and see what she feels like doing about it" he added, straightening his jacket.
You are reading this."Is that the only thing you Americans know how to do? Threaten those who don't agree with you?" Recon shook his head.
"First, when I suggested to your Sheriff that the succubus that drove all the monsters away might have had something to do with us winning that fight, she threatened to shoot me. Now, when I disagree with you about the value of human life, you threaten to call the cops."
"Doc. In case you didn't catch it, I haven't exactly abandoned all my morals. If I did I wouldn't be here right now with my arms looking like they went through a machine yakking away with you to pass the time. If I did decide "fuck you, got mine" then that Lisa chick wouldn't have even made it back to you. But sparing someone who you know will try to kill others in the future, innocent people dead because of your weakness..."
He didn't say it outright, but it was obvious he was implying the incident with Joe and the death of Sarah.
He went back to writing. "Whatever Doc. If you can't live with the fact someone disagrees with you, that's fine. I can. Do what you want."
edited 28th Sep '13 11:12:18 PM by gameknight102xx
"Actually, I'm British. You're the American here. I can tell you know" Doc commented idly. If it was true, he hid his real accent pretty well. "And I am not advocating sparing someone you know will kill in the future; I'm advocating not turning yourself into a monster while fighting those who kill. I am threatening you about your actions related to your lack of value for Human life, not the lack of value itself. I can't force you to value Human life, but if that lack of value would lead you to do something like using a child as a lure? You're damn right I will threaten you not to do it" he said quite determinedly.
"And if you're referring to the death of officer Sarah, due to bringing Joe back here? As a matter of fact, that was the succubus's idea. But as like when she helped us with the battle afterward, she was just trying to help. Are you going to blame everyone who tries to do the right thing only to have it go wrong?" Doc asked rhetorically, turning Recon's point about the succubus back on him. "Besides, officer Sarah knew the risks of her position, and had accepted them. The only person truly at fault for her death is Joe" he added.
"As for the sheriff threatening you, I will admit she overreacted" Doc continued, conceding that part. "Though I will also say that you did unknowingly touch a pretty sensitive issue for her" he finished, his tone clear that he still didn't take the sheriff's side in that particular instance.
edited 28th Sep '13 11:05:28 PM by FirockFinion
You are reading this."I don't go after random bystanders. But if you're someone who wants to kill me or someone I care about, you're an enemy."
Recon turned to the next page, apparently finished his entry on humans. "Of course there are exceptions. If a kid tries to shoot at me out of fear because I just pounded his dad's head into mulch, I ain't gonna kill him. If a woman charges at me to protect her son, even if her son is a criminal or a zombie, I'll stay my hand."
He looked at the Doctor. "But that's just it: there's no hard and fast rule to what's good or evil Doc. And you trying to lecture me about good and evil like they're set in stone means about as much to me as dogs barking in my ear."
He scribbled another sketch, almost identical to the first. But where the previous sketch had a humanoid dressed fully clothed with a bandana over the face, this one had barely any clothes, and Recon captured the lifeless eyes of a walker perfectly.
"And as a matter of fact I do put the blame squarely on the succubus's shoulders, and on everyone else, including myself, for not disagreeing with her. Joe was someone who'd fit right in with the LRA, but we decided to keep him alive for...what? In hopes we could get something useful?"
He kept drawing, but his fingers began to shake. It was almost imperceptible, but it was there
"And even afterwards, during the battle. I forgot all about Molly...forgot Joe still remembered her. I was the only one that could've taken him down but..."
The shaking grew more intense, but he kept drawing perfectly. However, one could see blood slowly leaking from his gauntlet. After a while he stopped the shaking, forced himself to move on.
"Doc. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Just because you had a noble cause doesn't mean you didn't fuck up. And telling yourself otherwise is just bullshitting yourself. Everyone who spared Joe has Sarah's blood on their hands. And everyone who knew that stinkin' mutt would go after...go after..."
He didn't finish that sentence. He didn't need to. It was clear he hated himself for what happened to Anarchy. Hated himself for abandoning the only girl he cared about in this country, no matter how temporary.
edited 28th Sep '13 11:56:13 PM by gameknight102xx
Molly got up, walking back to Wal Mart. Anarchy begging to be let loose, that's when she decided that, overall, a strong, quick werewolf would be of more use then a fragile, naked human, , a mouthful of blood into the ground, she shifted again, and with that walked in, immediately dropping to all four and growling at the scent of wolf.
Good to be backAs Molly was busy transforming and afterward, nothing had changed, until she let out her quick howl. The sound of the dire wolves moving around stopped, and for a few moments there was silence to most ears. Anarchy could hear them though; hear them with their noses held to the air, sniffing out her presence. Then there was howling, from all three of the wolves in quick succession, until they were howling in unison.
The howling just kept on going too, which was making figuring out where they were by sound a lot easier. They were surrounding the bounty hunters, probably to attack from multiple angles; they weren't terribly far away now either...
At first as Recon started responding, Doc just looked more annoyed, until Recon mentioned Molly and started visibly shaking. Then Doc calmed and looked understanding. "Ah. So that's what this is about" Doc muttered, sitting back down in the bench. He gave the lightest of sighs, wondering where to start.
"I will agree with you that figuring out the good can be hard and confusing as circumstances get complicated... But evil? Evil is a lot easier to figure out. There are certain things that are just evil; and I'd say that using another Human being as unwilling bait, no matter how justified, is one of them" Doc mentioned simply.
"But as for the true issue, what do you think blaming yourself has accomplished?" Doc asked, very rhetorically. "Did wearing your arms out raw help her recover from her injury? Did being forced to stay here and argue with me instead of being out there with her where she could be in danger somehow provide her some advantage? And your hands, right now; do you intend to let her drink up your blood to help her recover from any additional injuries, as if she were a vampire instead of a werewolf? Or are you just going to prevent yourself from being able to use a weapon to protect her longer?" he continued. It was extremely obvious he was no longer talking about officer Sarah.
"And yes, some roads to hell are paved with good intentions, but others are paved with maliciousness, temptation, and apathy. The ends do not justify the means, boy; you are treading one of those roads to hell right now, and I think you know that as well as I do. And just as blaming yourself accomplishes nothing, so too will blaming everyone else lead to only anger and ruin. The mistakes of the past will always haunt you so long as you don't learn to let them go" Doc went on, eying Recon with a calculating gaze.
There was a few moments of silence, before Doc blinked a couple times, something else occurring to him. "Hold on, you were the only person who could take Joe down? Really? That's highly egotistical of you, especially since, if I recall the reports right, you had almost nothing to do with taking him out" Doc couldn't help but point out.
edited 29th Sep '13 12:34:36 AM by FirockFinion
You are reading this.Red had run to an aisle and was panting, slightly out of breath. He was getting too old to be sprinting like this, although ever since that dire chipmunk had attacked that town he'd been staying at, he'd come to hate the "giant animal" variety of monsters. In fact, dire wolves were fast approaching the number 1 spot for "Red's List of Most Hated Monsters." It used to be occupied by giant rats but these canines were really starting to annoy the former boxer.
When he heard the wolves had split up he stopped and looked around before pulling himself onto a shelf; trying to get to a higher position so he could see the wolves and point them out to his fellow hunters.
Provided he got there without getting mauled to death, he'd stand on the aisle, point to the first wolf that he saw and would scream "THERE!!!" for his other hunter allies.
Recon reached into his duster and took out a Pancor drum, this one with a blue stripe.
"These are 12 gauge flechette rounds, hard enough to punch through steel. Carry them around specifically for fighting things like ghouls, vampires, werewolves, and whatnot. If I had faced Joe one-on-one, I could taken him down, easy. Or at least scared him off."
Recon started to hunch over, anger brimming from his body like he was going to start punching walls again.
"But instead, I got too caught up in the battle, gave up trying to chase the werewolf and instead wandered off all the way to the West barricade. As a result: that son if a bitch was allowed to roam free for way too long."
He let of of his pen as his hand curled up into a fist. "I took my arms out of commission as a punishment Doc. Some people like to slit their wrists, others like to tie themselves up, I have my own ways. The pain helps me remember...remember not to do it again."
He lifted up his right hand and cleched it a few times. "'Cause if there ain't no punishment, then there ain't no change."
But even as he said those words, he sounded unsure, trying to convince himself as much as anything else.
"Doc, when I lost my sister and my mother to a buncha raving lunatics in robes, my dad said pretty much the same thing to me: that I gotta let go, that I shouldn't blame myself. You know what though? That's bullshit. If your loved ones get hurt or die and you didn't do anything to help, it's your motherfucking fault. If the people that you're responsible for die or get hurt because of an action you could've prevented, it's your motherfucking fault. Damn right they should haunt you."
Recon looked at the Doc. "I'm already going to hell Doc. I don't kid myself about that. I've been in organized crime for the past nineteen years. I made my first human kill when I was seven. Now it's just a matter of playing out the string."
edited 29th Sep '13 3:05:09 PM by gameknight102xx
Anarchy growled at Max and Red, she had heard the howls. It wasn't quite communication in so much as there were words, but there was a feeling attached behind the howling that She could feel. They had sensed her presence, knew she was a werewolf, stronger than a dire wolf, and knew she bore the mark of their former pack leader. The howl was the call of the pack, pledging allegiance to her so long as that allegiance was returned to them. The feeling was somewhat invigorating, intoxicating even. Though it also bore with it the reminder of Joe...Nevertheless, all she had to do to answer was howl with them, and they would take that as a sign that she accepted. Then they would be hers... Or she could just trick them into coming out of hiding that way.
She lifted her head, spitting out a gob of blood and howled.
Good to be backRed did indeed quickly spot one of the dire wolves down in an alley, busy howling, and was able to yell and point it out to his teammates.
As Anarchy joined the howling, it reached a crescendo before finally the dire wolves ceased. The one Red was looking at lowered its head and spotted him, ears flattening back and growling before letting out a quick, deep bark; then it continued growling. To Anarchy, this was an alert from it that it had just spotted Human prey.
The other two dire wolves appeared not long after, slowly walking out into the open to where they could see Anarchy. They both looked around at the other, Human bounty hunters, and started growling as well.
Other than that, the dire wolves took no action, but by their tension they were ready to spring into responses quickly if needed. They were waiting on Anarchy now.
Doc closed his eyes and shook his head a moment. "Your father was right, boy. But if you insist on punishing yourself, at least try methods that don't disable you from fighting. These days we can't afford to take ourselves out of commission for personal purposes" Doc said, eyes opening again to look at Recon with a dulled expression.
edited 29th Sep '13 6:15:12 PM by FirockFinion
You are reading this.

Recon had put his helmet back on, obscuring his face.
"You see things in front of your face just fine. But what about the things behind them?"
As he was talking, he quickly scribbled down something on the info section of his page.
edited 28th Sep '13 8:20:52 PM by gameknight102xx