Though guard duty was not exactly enjoyable, at least it was something he knew how to do. Now that the little group had begun to dig into the area around the lake, building shelters and repairing things and transforming this abandoned scrap of nowhere into a community, he’d begun to feel woefully useless. He didn’t know how to build things or repair things or any of that shit.
Joe didn’t like feeling useless. Useless people were burdens out here.
Guard duty, alright, yeah. This he could do. The Clubs had been bigger on intimidation and violence than crouching in the underbrush, staring into the dark, but he could handle a weapon and stare blankly into the night with the best of them.
At least the need to remain still and quiet meant he didn’t have to bother much with small talk with his companion. He hadn’t exchanged much with Avalynn beyond names, which was just how he liked it, thank you. Joe didn’t want to become too close to any of these people. He certainly didn’t want to get drawn into conversation enough to jog anyone’s memory of him in his former life—as a thug from Stronghold, one who’d terrorized his share of drifters.
So. They crouched there, still and silent. Stared into the dark. Ready, should any Infected or strangers appear. Bored out of their fucking minds, probably. Joe certainly was.
And then it began pouring rain.
“Shit,” Joe said, wearily, promptly breaking his vow of silence.
Avalynn loved guard duty. There was just something so awesome about being the first line of defense on which peoples lives depended. It was just... so fun. Man. Sometimes, late at night, Avalynn fantasized about guard duty. Any time anyone was like 'oh man does anyone want to take my stint for guard duty tonight' Ava was first in line to say oh hell yeah.
Not. Nope. As if. Not in a million years.
However.
If there was one person that she just loved getting stuck on guard duty with, it was Joe. It wasn't because he was a great conversationalist or even a great flirt. Guy was neither of those things. In fact, dude hardly ever spoke. Starting small talk with el varon was like pulling teeth. Her own teeth. With like, forks or some shit.
And that got Avalynn rock hard.
"I love the rain, don't you, Joe?" She didn't. It was one of the shittier parts about guard duty - or guard doody, as she preferred to call it. "The sound of it, the way it gets ya all... wet." Ava let out a low cackle. It was very low, of course, because they were on guard duty and the last thing either of them needed was to draw the attention of anything out there that might be hungry.
"Yeah, love how it makes my clothes all sticky. It's like a free shower, if you think about it. You know, always a silver lining, right Joe?"
Posted 09-24-2021, 11:13 PM
wide awake since wednesday
