Two for the Road

[Ponyboy314]

"Change my pitch up,
Smack my bitch up..."

from Smack my Bitch up by Prodigy



Ryan predicted that the next few days at the camp, if not their remaining time there, might be a little tense, and his predictions were spot-on. Boyd was among those trying to keep the mood light, but most were starting to visibly feel a nagging fear, a fear of the snow melting and their food running low, heralding both the resurrection of the dead and their time in the camp, which would eventually collide and force them out into the world to face the terror that had driven them there to begin with. Tara was now as anti-social as Sean had ever been, and Manny and Yolanda were similarly shut in. At least Mitch and Nicole had a reason, as within a few weeks, a new life would be born into this world that was no longer suitable for such things. Doctor Karl Dietrich also had a reason, in that he still hadn’t picked up a word of English, though he clearly wasn’t making any efforts to do so. Those passing his cabin at night still heard him sobbing in the dark, unable to cope with living in a strange world with strange people he couldn’t understand after the dead had taken his family from him in an alien country.

But even though the group still gathered at mealtime, it was clearly because they wanted to eat, since the interaction was slowly dying. Tara was eating alone, having finally driven away the last of the people who wanted anything to do with her. Only occasionally did Manny and Yolanda allow Michelle around the others, and they constantly ignored her questions about where Sean had gotten off to.

As they entered February, the weather had begun to get colder and the snows had become more severe, and while Ike and Boyd still did their part to shovel the snow away from everyone’s doors and dig a path that kept the buildings linked, no on else from Ike’s old group did. It almost seemed as though every day was an ordeal just to survive, even though the power was still on, the water was still hot, and the food was still plentiful. The death of Sean was a reminder to them all that the world was now ruled by the dead, and even in the middle of winter, there was always a way for them to find another victim.

It was one fine (apart from more knee-deep snow and howling wind) that Ryan had grown tired of being nothing more than a camp counselor to a group of overgrown anti-social children and resolved to do something about it.

It was that evening during dinner, where it was clear that the group was beginning to separate literally as well as figuratively, that Ryan stood up and slammed his hand down on the table.

“Everyone listen up. And no, leaving the room is not an option. You are going to listen.”

Yolanda attempted to get up and take Michelle outside until Ryan stopped that as well. “Kristin, could you please take Michelle to the kitchen? She doesn’t need to hear this, but Yolanda, you sure as hell do.”

Yolanda opened her mouth for what was almost certainly a hot protest, but Ryan shot her a look that got her to shut up quickly. It was a look that she had never seen in her life and Ryan had never once given it, but if she were to attempt to describe it, she might have called it “the look of a man who would snap my neck if I uttered a single word,” but Yolanda never did put his look into words.

Once Kristin got Michelle (who had missed Kristin perhaps most of all in the last few days as Manny and Yolanda kept to their own cabin) to the kitchen where she proceeded to distract her young charge with cookies brought from the canteen, Ryan began to speak in a tone devoid of compromise.

“This is how this is going to go. I talk, you listen. Anyone says a word while I’m speaking, I’m going to plant your face right on the table, and you’d better know I mean it. From this second forward, only I talk.” Even Ike looked intimidated, though Daphne did not, as Ryan had told her of his plan to get things back on track.

Ryan began talking. “I’m sick to my ass of this bullshit you all insist on perpetuating around here. Spring is coming in a couple of months and when it does, those things out there will be walking around again looking for people just like us to chomp on. And as if that’s not fucked up enough, we’ll run too low on food around that same time. For those of you who suck at basic reasoning, that means we’ll have to blow this joint. That, and we still don’t know where we’ll go. We’re not staying here, that’s for sure, so you’re all going to have to leave your little love nests and go back out there where it’s all fucked up. I’ve got news for you little children, and that’s if we leave this place in this state, we’re all fucking dead. So the catalyst for all this was Sean getting killed? Bullshit on that. None of you cared about him and neither did I, so I don’t want to hear a word about it. You all just gave the fuck up. All you needed was an excuse to fucking quit on us and when spring comes, what are you going to do? I’ll tell you what you’ll do. You’re going to roll over and die because you’ve forgotten how to do anything else. I didn’t come out here to this place to die the moment I leave, so you’re going to grow your fucking backbones back and start fucking taking control of your own lives. If I assign you a chore, you’re going to do it or you’ll wish you had. If we have to go into Delta and I say you’re coming, you’re coming, no ifs, ands, or buts. This place is not a fucking democracy. Most of you have already given me a shitload of input about one thing or another and too many of you have shown yourselves too fucking whiny or greedy to have any right to expect to be part of the decision-making process. From now on, you do what you’re told. That’s it. This by the way, is not a negotiation. I’ve just told you what’s going to happen, and if your ideas are different than mine, tough fucking shit.”

It was nearly thirty seconds before anyone dared to speak, and that included Boyd, who was fairly certain that most of what Ryan had said had not been directed at him. It was Tara who, apparently forgetting her last humiliation at the hands of Kristin and Yolanda, spoke up.

“Ryan, what the fuck are you doing? Are you…”

“Shut your whore mouth, Tara. You should remember that you’re the biggest fuck up here. If you’re about to ask what I’d do if you decide to fuck off, I’ll go ahead and answer that right now. I’d hog tie you to a snowmobile and leave you ten miles from this place. Don’t think I won’t. We don’t need you Tara, so I suggest getting off your ass and finding some way to be needed.”

“You wouldn’t fucking dare, Ryan.”

“I wouldn’t?” Ryan didn’t hesitate and neither did Daphne, who grabbed Tara right away. She struggled, but Daphne had her tightly. Before anyone could react (not like they would have, Ryan expected), Ryan had her over his shoulder and outside. Even as she tried to free herself Ryan braved the cold to wrap her in bungee cords (no one attempted to intervene, which surprised even Ryan) and tied her to his snowmobile. He gunned the engine as she screamed bloody murder.

“Fucking stop! Fucking stop! Don’t take me out there you motherfucker! Untie me!”

Ryan shut the engine off and knelt down next to her face, now twisted in rage. “So then, do you doubt my sincerity?”

“Fucking no!”

“Good. You’re on dishwashing for the next week.”

[TheGunslinger]

Ryan's fast becoming a bit of a dickhead.

[Ponyboy314]

Ryan's fast becoming a bit of a dickhead.

But not a dickhead without cause.

[TheGunslinger]

Dunno. For a guy who agonised about leaving Daphne to die, he sure seemed quick to leave Tara to die in the snow.

And he hated Daphne as much, if not more, than Tara.

[Ponyboy314]

Dunno. For a guy who agonised about leaving Daphne to die, he sure seemed quick to leave Tara to die in the snow.

And he hated Daphne as much, if not more, than Tara.

Just keep your eyes open for the next updates. You ought to know Ryan better than that by now.

[Tater Raider]

Ryan is doing what needs doing, nothing more or less. Yes, he's being a total dick about it but the others had their chance and blew it. So he's going to save them, even if they don't like it. Personally I respect the hell outta him for taking the stand he did in the way he did. I'm sure come spring he will be more than happy to let the group split if people still don't get it.

It doesn't hurt anything that I've laid out this law to my family as well. "You come to my place it's my rules. If ya don't like it leave. And if I come to your place you da boss and if I don't like it I'll leave."

Someone's gotta be in charge, and I think the large group burned out Ike already.

EtA: Some people better step up and take charge of some things, still staying accoutable to Ryan, or Ryan is gonna seriously blow a gasket and if Ryan's brain breaks the group is fucked.

Glad you are back Ponyboy. I was starting to jones really bad.

[The Sarge]

Dunno. For a guy who agonised about leaving Daphne to die, he sure seemed quick to leave Tara to die in the snow.

And he hated Daphne as much, if not more, than Tara.

Don't forget that she was the only person he knew for sure was alive and that she could help

[dwr cymru]

I don't think Ryan would have left Tara to die in the snow, but the timing of the threat and reinforcing it with carrying her out to the snow mobile will have the best chance of shocking the group out of their lethargy - time for the passengers in the group to man up. I hope that the strain the situation is putting Ryan under doesn't lead him to totally loose his humanity - hes got a lot harder, the passengers need to do more to pull him back.

As to hooters on the chicks, Daphne - cracking pair, Tara - cracking pair and Kristin - a bit demure

[Tater Raider]

I don't think Ryan would have left Tara to die in the snow...

Oh yes he would have... he was on his way to doing just that.

Ryan has had enough I think, and if he don't get a break he's gonna crack.


I love how we speculate between postings. Seriously.

[mypps]

i think tara is better endowed than daphne. thats why she acts like she does. she developed early and got used to flashing some cleavage to get what she wants. but not anymore. those days are over.

[Yeti]

i think tara is better endowed than daphne. thats why she acts like she does. she developed early and got used to flashing some cleavage to get what she wants. but not anymore. those days are over.

I'm going with a large B to small C for Daphne and a D for Tara.

[pds84]

That is all.

[mypps]

i think tara is better endowed than daphne. thats why she acts like she does. she developed early and got used to flashing some cleavage to get what she wants. but not anymore. those days are over.

I'm going with a large B to small C for Daphne and a D for Tara.

i can agree with that. maybe large c for tara.

[Ponyboy314]

"Not enough time, for all that I want for you,
Not enough time, for every kiss, every touch,
All the nights..."

from Not Enough Time by INXS



It was later that same night that Ryan lay awake as the snow began to slack off, pondering the future and what would happen now that he had put his foot down. Sure, some, perhaps all would call him a dictator, and Tara had already called him a fascist before this night, but he had to reassume control before everything fractured. He would never tell anyone, except Daphne who already knew, that he would have never left Tara to die in the cold, but now that she thought it, she might actually become someone of use. Fear was a powerful weapon and easily abused, but Ryan had comforted himself in the idea that nothing else would get everyone back to the task at hand and get busy living.

Daphne woke up, seemingly from a dream, and rolled over to see Ryan’s eyes still open.

“Still awake?”

“Yeah. Hell of a night.”

“Hope your conscience isn’t getting to you, Ryan. So you let Tara believe that you would pull that shit. She never would have if you didn’t go as far as you did, and you know that. Mr. Nice Guy wasn’t going to work, so you had to turn into a prick. Suppose you didn’t? What if you just let things continue? Come spring, we all would have been fucked. I hope you remember that you played the bad guy because you give a shit.”

“Let’s hope I remember that when I really need to.”

The camp was noticeably different over the next few days. Though not everyone was being more sociable, everyone was getting their jobs done when expected of them, though after a short time, Ike and Boyd had a little chat with Ryan and stated bluntly that they weren’t fooled by his theatrics, but that they both understood his point, and that they were with him. Everyone else seemed perfectly fooled. Ryan simply had not worked as closely with everyone else for them to know how he operated. But it had been mission accomplished. Even Tara was turning to, and the fact that she was not saying much to anyone made her infinitely easier to deal with. The simple fact of the matter was that things were getting done and people were pitching in, and whether it was out of fear or genuine concern didn’t mean the first thing to Ryan. It was getting done, and that was good enough for him.

But anxiety did gnaw at him. He was in charge of this group and had made sure that everyone remembered that, but the future held a great deal of doubt for him. Worst of all doubts was where they would go. They had options before running into Ike and his group, or at least they thought they had. But the road north only led to Grand Junction, which was as bad as Pueblo, and probably worse considering how many had headed there and wound up making things worse. The road back led to Salida and Ryan wouldn’t have headed back there at gunpoint. He and Daphne had barely made it through, and that summer, an entire convoy had gone into Salida and died there the hard way. The only option seemed to be south towards Silverton, but anything past that meant mountain roads, and this was a lousy time in history to get stuck in such a place. Although Colorado was a fairly large state and there was quite a bit of distance between one town and another, Ryan felt hemmed in with virtually no elbowroom. Certainly they wouldn’t be able to find another place like this 4-H campground to spend the spring and summer, since only Kristin’s firsthand knowledge had gotten them here. Theirs would be an existence of moving around, and there seemed to be little room for moving. As if that wasn’t enough, Ryan laying his dick down and reminding everyone who was in charge had more or less absolved everyone else of any responsibility for thinking about their next course of action.

Ryan was in the parking area one day, still trying to develop the skills of an archer, and still not doing a very good job. It was more of a time-passing activity than anything else, and when spring came, he doubted that he would bother taking a plastic training bow with him. Finally hitting near the bull’s-eye (more by luck than ability), Aaron came up to him, looking nervous.

“Ryan?”

“Oh, hey Aaron. What’s on your mind?”

“Just nervous, you know? I think that Nicole’s going to pop soon, and I don’t think we’re equipped to handle that around here. This is no time and place for a baby, you know?”

“Yeah, that’s been on my mind as well.”

“Any idea what we’re going to do?”

“I guess be there for Mitch and Nicole. I never believed in that bullshit about taking a village to raise a child and all that. I wasn’t raised by a village, I was raised by parents, you know? But this time, we might have to be that village. We’re all going to have to take part because we’re all in this together and all that. But after that, we’re leaving this place, and I don’t know what we’re going to do. This is no place for a baby, but neither is the road.”

“Off-subject Ryan, you want a tip? Use three fingers instead of two. Index finger above the nock, next two fingers below it.”

“What the hell is a nock?”

“The part of the arrow that engages the string. And don’t try to aim down the arrow. It’s not a rifle, dude. Use your instincts. Just shoot until you start hitting where you want, and it’ll come to you.”

“How do you know about this sort of thing?”

“Are you kidding? It was the one thing in P.E. I could do right.”

Ryan took a few arrows and tried Aaron’s method, and within a few shots, started hitting closer to the center.

“See that Ryan? I can know stuff.”

Ryan kept practicing, even though he didn’t believe it would mean anything once they were out in the world again. He was still better at throwing his tomahawk than using a bow, but it kept his mind off of rather disturbing matters. That is, until one of them because impossible to avoid anymore.

It was in the middle of the night, probably somewhere around two or three in the morning, when he heard a scream that shot him right out of his sleep. That was quickly followed by a loud banging on his door. It was Kristin yelling for Ryan to wake up.

“Ryan, get up! Get up! It’s Nicole! She’s having her baby!”

As he and Daphne got out of bed and started reaching for their clothes, Ryan could only mutter an irreverent, “Oh fuck me.”

[Ponyboy314]

“Baby, baby, I’m taken with the notion,
To love you with the sweetest of devotion,
Baby, baby, my tender love will flow from,
The bluest sky to the deepest ocean…”

from Baby, Baby by Amy Grant



Ryan had seen his share of action in Iraq, and as a combat corpsman, that meant getting blood on his hands for the sake of saving wounded marines. He had saved some lives and limbs while under fire, including gunshot wounds, shrapnel, and so on. He had even been awarded the Bronze Star for saving a wounded marine while wounded himself (though that had been quite a minor wound). That was one thing, since he had been trained for that, but dealing with a screaming woman in the middle of giving birth? That isn’t a common thing for a navy corpsman to deal with in a war zone in the Middle East. This was Doctor Dietrich’s arena, and while Ryan could probably help, it would certainly be much easier if they could understand a word the other said.

Ryan rushed to the infirmary where he was pretty sure Nicole had been moved (the shrilling sound of a screaming woman didn’t hurt either) and barged in the door to see Dietrich bent over Nicole while a shaking and terrified Mitch tried to angle himself to see what was happening. He kept yelling at Dietrich to tell him, but of course, that didn’t get him far.

Ryan yelled, “Mitch, you need to be out of the way! Get your ass outside and let us handle this!”

“Fuck that! I want to know what the hell is going on!”

“He can’t speak English, dumbass! Did you forget that? Now get outside before I throw you out! We need room to do this!”

Mitch was almost whimpering as he reluctantly took himself outside, while Ryan tried to figure out how he could help.

“Doctor…fuck…Herr Doctor or whatever you guys say…what can I do?”

Dietrich looked up. “Was? Sie mussen gehen, schell!”

“Gehen? Did you fucking call me gay?”

“Sie konnen nicht hier bleiben!”

“Fuck, how do I tell you…shit. I’m a medic! I was a fucking medic! You understand that word?”

“Medic? Er…ja, ich verstehe das. Wir brauchen warmes Wasser! Schnell!”

“Warmes wasser? Fuck…warm water? Okay, I can do that!” Ryan poked his head out the door to see that most of the camp had gathered to the sound of Nicole’s screaming. “Someone get me some hot water, now! Start boiling it and be fucking fast!” Kristin and Yolanda rushed off to get the water started.

Nicole kept screaming while Dietrich kept trying to comfort her in German, but of course she had no clue what he was saying. After a few minutes, Dietrich looked up at Ryan and said, “Das Baby hat nicht gedreht! Das ist…das ist nicht gut…”

“Doctor or Herr Doctor or whatever the fuck I’m supposed to call you, I can’t fucking understand German goddamnit!”

Dietrich replied, “I said the fucking baby hasn’t turned! This is going to be a rough one! Goddamned Americans, don’t any of you speak more than English?”

“My Spanish is perfect Doc, so don’t give me any shit! Okay, Doc…what can I do?”

“Get me another pillow to put under her head, and where’s that goddamned hot water I asked for?”

“On its way, Doc! Now, the baby hasn’t turned, what can we do about that?”

“We may have to do a cesarean section. You know what that is?”

“Yes, I do! What? How the fuck are you going to do one of those?”

“Have someone bring me every kitchen knife you have, and get me that goddamned pillow!”

Ryan looked out the door again. “Someone get me a pillow and every knife in the kitchen you can find! Fucking move it! And someone else get some blankets! It’s going to be really soon now!”

The hot water showed up and after another minute, Kristin and Yolanda arrived with some blankets, and Aaron followed them with a tray full of knives off all kinds.

Aaron asked, “Ryan, what’s happening?”

“No time, just wait outside!”

After another few minutes, Dietrich was ready. “Ryan, we don’t have anything for the pain! Aspirin won’t do it! Give her something to bite down on!”

“Like what? My fucking dick?”

“That Bowie knife on your belt, stupid! Put it in her mouth, back of the blade facing inwards!” Ryan did as he was told, and the screaming immediately got lower, but she was thrashing around as blood poured on the bed from the birth canal. Dietrich was right. This was going to be rough.

“Ryan, you might not want to look at this!” Dietrich began examining the knives he was brought. “These…is this all we have?”

“I think so!”

“Then they’ll have to do! Hold her hand! Try to keep her steady!”

Ryan did as he was told. He grasped Nicole’s hand tightly as she screamed. “Where’s Mitch? Where’s Mitch?”

“Right outside, Nicole. Don’t worry, he’s right out there. When this is over, he’ll be here. Just hold on…just hold on…”

When Dietrich cut into her abdomen, the scream was so loud that Ryan could barely hear afterwards.

“Come on Nicole, you’re doing great, you’re doing great…you’ve got this…come on, you’ll be holding your baby soon, okay? Just hang on, you can do this…”

Ryan was unable to look at her. He couldn’t see the agonized face that could have belonged either to a woman in labor or someone being shredded by the living dead. He just looked down as he gripped her hand tighter and hoped that the Spartan conditions wouldn’t impede her chance to get through this.

But after a few seconds worth of Ryan holding her hand and wiping away his own tears, she stopped screaming. Immediately, he looked up and saw Dietrich holding the blood-soaked baby. There was no more screaming, but no crying had replaced it.

“Doc, Doc! What happened! What’s going on? Fucking tell me!”

“She’s…sie ist gestorben…und das baby auch.”

“What? Speak fucking English Doc!”

Not that Dietrich had to. Ryan saw Nicole’s eyes, still open but unable to see him, her baby, or anything at all.

Nicole was dead. So was the bundle in Doctor Karl Dietrich’s arms.

“Doctor…are they really…”

“Ryan, ich kann sie nicht verstehen.”

Ryan got up and began to whimper, not knowing how he was going to tell anyone outside about this nightmare, much less Mitch, who was outside hoping for the chance to hold his child. But Ryan’s mind could not remain focused. It was all too much. All he could think was one thing.

“Did the Doc speak English to me? Did that really happen?”

[ZMace]

Whoa, rough

[KnightoftheRoc]

WOW. That for the last update mostly, but also for the entire story so far- Ponyboy, I certainly hope you submit this stuff for publication. You have real talent here.

[Wrecking Ball]

I was really excited when he spoke English, but Nicole and the baby dying killed the mood. Although, I can't say I'm surprised, a C-section without any type of pain killer? God damn, that's rough. This is quite the parallel to The Twelve just different problems plague them. Good thing, too, as that was easily my favorite of your stories, but we'll have to see the ending of this to decide the winner.

[dwr cymru]

Ponyboy - a cliffhanger for the night as we are 5 or 6 hours ahead of you - very sad for Mitch - top work.

[Ponyboy314]

“I looked at the sea and it seemed to say,
“I took your baby from you away,
I heard a voice cryin' in the deep,
“Come join me, baby, in my endless sleep…”

from Endless Sleep by Jody Reynolds



Ryan couldn’t help crying as he went outside and broke the news to the others, since there was simply no easy way for it to be said. He said it in plain English, as nothing was going to soften the blow. He could only stand and look as Mitch went dead white and stood frozen for several minutes, unable to speak or move. Some of the others, particularly Manny and Yolanda, who had also lost a child but not each other, tried to speak to him to offer what comfort they could, which turned out to be nothing. No one attempted to speak after that attempt, and everyone decided to just back off and let Mitch find his way until he could be spoken to.

Michelle was the first to speak after a while, as she asked Manny and Yolanda, “Did the baby have to go away?”

Manny said in a low voice, “Yes Michelle. The baby had to go away.”

“Are my mom and dad looking after the baby?”

“Of course they are, Michelle.” Manny began to sob after saying that, and Yolanda began to join him. A little while later they headed back to their cabin, emotionally spent for the night. Boyd left after that, and over the next few minutes, the others began to slowly file back to their own cabins, unable to take it any longer. It was only Ryan, Daphne, and Mitch after that. Doctor Dietrich hadn’t come back out yet. Ryan sure didn’t want to go in there and see Nicole in that state, but he couldn’t take the silence any longer.

“Mitch, I’m…I’m sorry. The Doc did what he could, but…”

If Mitch heard Ryan, he didn’t act like it. He just turned around in robotic fashion and walked back to his cabin, slowly closing the door behind him. Daphne came up to Ryan afterwards.

“Ryan, are you all right?”

“No Daphne, I’m not all right.”

“What can I do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe nothing. Soon, we’ll bury her, and the child. I’ll drive them out a few miles and bury them in the snow. The ground is too frozen. When the snow melts, they’ll be above ground, but there’s nothing else we can do.”

“What do we do with them until then?”

“Leave the bodies in the infirmary. They might as well be together for a little while.”

Ryan didn’t sleep at all for what remained of the night, and neither did Daphne. They tried to get it out of their system with rough sex, but that utterly failed. Nothing was going to take away the agony of what had happened to Nicole and her newborn, or what Mitch would be going through once he was able to think again. Things couldn’t be worse, and it was that simple. It was just such a thing that could cause everyone to lose hope and let themselves be taken by whatever fate found them first. Sean’s death had hurled the camp into its lowest ebb, and once things had gotten on the upswing due to Ryan’s clever theatrics, the worst possible thing happens: death finds them yet again without having resort to coming in the form of a walking corpse.

As the sun began to come up, Ryan wondered about the possibility of just taking Daphne, Aaron, and Kristin and heading away on the snowmobiles and leaving everyone to deal with this latest tragedy. He dismissed the thought quickly, but the fact that he could have it at all rattled him.

Over the next couple of days, Mitch did not come outside of his cabin, and no sounds were heard inside. They had to leave his meals inside his door, where those charged with that task would tell the others that he would be sitting on his bunk, hands gripping the rail, not moving an inch. He did not speak or even blink so far as anyone could tell, but when the next meal came around, the plate was cleaned off. They would hear his door open and close late at night, as well as the flush of a toilet for those who happened to be outside, but the life had drained out of Mitch Royce as sure as it had from Nicole Sawyer, the only difference was that Mitch still had the ability to breathe.

It was after those first two days that Ryan decided that Nicole and her baby needed to be seen to. One morning, he carried them both outside wrapped in blankets before anyone could even ask about it. He strapped them to the sled and waited for the others to gather around. Once most of them had clustered, he began to speak, heading off the questions he knew were coming.

“Listen everyone, a couple of days and we know what’s going to happen to them. We have to look after her and her baby. We can at least do for them what we couldn’t so easily do for Sean. Is Mitch still in his cabin?”

A handful of nods answered him.

“Good. He shouldn’t deal with this part. I won’t ask anyone to come with me. This isn’t going to be pleasant. But if anyone has anything to say, I suggest you do it now. Nicole has to go home.”

Ike stepped forward, removing his winter hat as he did. “I’ll be brief. We all liked her in our own way, and that’s not just respect for the dead. We all really liked her. She was a good person, and that was enough for us. This was no way for her to go, and this is something that Mitch should not have to suffer, but all we can do now is say goodbye. So…take care, Nicole. If there’s another side, we’ll see you when we get there. You might not have long to wait. And…tell Sean we’re sorry. Goodbye, Nicole.”

Manny and Yolanda crossed themselves, but mostly everyone else just bowed their heads.

Ryan said, “I’ll be back in a while. Don’t wait for me. I don’t know how long this will take.”

“I’m going.” Daphne said. Ryan did not contest her.

They drove Nicole and her baby out several miles along the tree line before deciding that no place was more appropriate than any other. They used their snow shovel to dig about three feet down in a snow bank and gently placed her in. Daphne went back and picked up the baby, still wrapped in a blanket. She placed it in Nicole’s arms before they covered her back up.

As they prepared to head back, Ryan lit his pipe while Daphne lit a cigarette. Daphne started speaking.

“When spring hits and the snow begins to melt, they’ll be above ground. There’s the chance that someone might run across them and they’ll see the baby in her arms. If no one disturbs them, I guess she and her kid can be together forever.”

“I never knew you for the sentimental type, Daphne.”

“I’m not.”

[Wrecking Ball]

Hmmmmm. I'm thinking possible zombiefication? Oh, and I believe we'll be seeing a suicide.

[AzDesertRatMarine]

PonyBoy - Just read this from the start, and I think it's great!

Well done.

[Tater Raider]

After a few minutes, Dietrich looked up at Ryan and said, “Das Baby hat nicht gedreht! Das ist…das ist nicht gut…”

“Doctor or Herr Doctor or whatever the fuck I’m supposed to call you, I can’t fucking understand German goddamnit!”

Dietrich replied, “I said the fucking baby hasn’t turned! This is going to be a rough one! Goddamned Americans, don’t any of you speak more than English?”

“My Spanish is perfect Doc, so don’t give me any shit! Okay, Doc…what can I do?”

Best dialog you have written to date, and I'm including all your stories.


Losing the baby and Nicole both screwed with me a bit, but that's how the story goes sometimes. At least when I'm writing it that's how those things happen and it sucks to write it but you gotta be true to the story. Please keep true to this one Ponyboy, even when stuff happens I don't like.

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next.

[Bearcat]

I'm very interested to see the reason why the Doc felt it necessary to not communicate with everyone when he could all along....