Suzy’s Strange Saga
Something in your heart is telling you that going to Fort Timons would be a huge mistake. The length of the trip and the possibility that it’s going to be swarming with those things just doesn’t seem safe. This place might not be safe either, but at least it’s a secure place that you don’t need to travel any further to.
“Suzy, I still think going to Timons is a better idea than staying here. I’m going, so if you want to stay…” Roger says before you interrupt him.
You grip Roger by the head with both hands and move it downwards so you can kiss him on the lips. The kiss is then followed your arms moving downward in a tighter hugging motion. He returns in kind as the pair of you continue to embrace.
“Don’t go. Please don’t go to Fort Timons. It won’t be safe and I need you here with me.” You say stopping your kiss to speak.
“Suzy…”
“Please. Stay with me.”
“(Sigh) Suzy… do you really mean this? I mean I really need to know where we stand…because…you can’t just flutter your eyes and kiss me without meaning it now. I’m really starting to have feelings for you, but if you’re just doing this out of survival again…”
You stare him directly in his eyes.
“Yes, Roger. I mean it. Not just for me, but for you. I don’t want you to put yourself in any danger anymore than I want myself to be in danger. And Fort Timons is just going to be unnecessary danger. I know we haven’t known each other long, but we have been through a lot together and if this is the way this shitty world is going to be, then I want to at least spend the rest of that time with you.”
Well if you didn’t mean any of that, it sure was enough to convince Roger because he resumes kissing and hugging you immediately. Of course you did mean it since you have grown attached to him. Just a sucker for men who save your life you guess.
You both don’t even notice Henry walking up to you.
“Hrm, looks like I interrupted something. So did you two decide on what you’re going to do…besides suck on each others faces?” he asks.
“Well…” Roger says and then smiles at you before turning his attention to Henry. “I think we’ll be staying.”
“Great. Glad to hear it. Need more people to help defend this place. Think you could help with look out for awhile with that rifle of yours?” Henry says.
“Sure. For how long?” Roger asks.
“Hmm, probably until midnight. Earl needs to get some sleep, that’s why he’s so irritable right now. As for you little lady, why don’t you head on inside and get acquainted with everyone. You and your boyfriend can pick up where you left off later.”
Henry goes to wander over to Earl to give him the news that he’ll be relieved soon and you and Roger are left alone again.
“Okay, well I guess I’ll see you later tonight then.” Roger says.
“Yes, though I wonder where we’re supposed to sleep.” You answer.
“Well presumably together now.”
“Ha ha, of course but that wasn’t what I meant.”
“Hrm, I’m sure someone will tell you inside what the sleeping arrangements are, well anyway I probably should get over to my new job. See you later.” Roger says.
As he leaves, you shout to him to be careful which he just smiles and waves as a reassurance that you don’t need to worry about him.
And now you turn towards the truck stop building which no longer has the small crowd outside it anymore and people have gone back inside. People which you now have to be social with…
“Okay, Suzy. You can do this. It won’t be like the carnival.” You mumble to yourself as you walk to the building.
As soon as you walk in you see a mixture of people. Mostly older men, but women as well and even a couple children. Most of them look up when you enter.
“Hi everyone. I’m Suzy and my boyfriend Roger are going to be staying here, but we brought in a whole bunch of medical supplies and food with us to help pull our weight around here.”
Your introduction is met with apathy. Half of them grunt in acknowledgement and the other half just go back to doing whatever it is they were doing.
Well it’s better than most of what you got at the carnival.
Seeing that nobody is speaking to you, you decide to sit quietly by yourself in a booth far away from everyone else. You mainly spend your time in introspection and listening to the random conversations. Most of them naturally are talking about the situation at hand, but it’s broken up by periods of “normalcy” of just joking around.
Nobody here seems to be overly worried about rabid people running around and the breaking down of society, then again most of the people here are truckers so they’re probably used to roaming about and the employees of the place seem like they spend so much time here it’s a second home.
Eventually enough time passes and you get tired of being a wall flower, or more specifically you’re tired of wearing the same clothes for the past few days along with no shower. You walk up to the group of waitresses in the hopes to ask them that perhaps there is some sort of wash up facility here.
The oldest waitress, a red head with hard features and a name tag that says Anne looks you up and down as you approach and her friends do likewise.
“Excuse me, but is there a wash room or shower or something I could use? I just feel so dirty what with the sweating and running from those things outside.”
You expect catty remarks or a few insults or some sort of hostility, but you’re met with a surprise.
“Why sure blondie. You can use the small shower we have for us in the back. You need a change of clothes too?” Anne says.
“You have some?”
“Well they’re extra waitress uniforms. If that’s okay.”
“Sure, if it’s clean it’ll be a welcome change.”
“Okay, hmm you’re a bit on the small side, Jasmine, go get Trudy’s old uniform. That should fit…Suzy wasn’t it?”
“Yes, and thank you.”
Soon, Jasmine returns to give you a uniform and you’re on your way to get washed up. The waitresses’ private bathroom isn’t much but the fact it has a shower that you can use to get clean is enough for you.
You feel a little odd wearing the uniform, which was obviously designed to attract a lot of male attention, but again you’re just glad to be out of those old dirty clothes.
By the time you get out of the shower, the waitresses are cooking up dinner for everyone. You ask if they need any help, but they say they got it.
You sit down and eat, a couple people make a bit of small talk, but nothing of importance. You mostly are left alone, but it’s a promising start at least. In any event the re-invigorated feeling you had after the shower is wearing off and you start to get tired which is when you ask Anne where the sleeping area is.
“Well some people are flopping right out here in these booths. A few really brave souls are sleeping out in their trucks out there. Henry’s got his own private office as you might expect. The wait staff has that small lounge area near our bathroom…though Jasmine is using one of the storerooms since she’s got her kids with her. I guess you could take one these booths or share the storeroom with Jasmine. Of course you’ve got that boyfriend…hmmm could give you the second storeroom. Doesn’t really have a lot of space though.”
“That’s fine, I just want some where to rest.”
And once again you succeed in a simple task with no major problems. Things have been going so well for you since you got here that you almost forget about the problems of the outside world going on. You don’t of course, but you honestly can say this is the safest you’ve felt since you left your basement.
Giving you a spare blanket, Anne directs you to the second storeroom, which is indeed lacking in space but it’s enough for you. You waste no time in laying down your blanket and falling asleep on the floor.
“Suzy, I still think going to Timons is a better idea than staying here. I’m going, so if you want to stay…” Roger says before you interrupt him.
You grip Roger by the head with both hands and move it downwards so you can kiss him on the lips. The kiss is then followed your arms moving downward in a tighter hugging motion. He returns in kind as the pair of you continue to embrace.
“Don’t go. Please don’t go to Fort Timons. It won’t be safe and I need you here with me.” You say stopping your kiss to speak.
“Suzy…”
“Please. Stay with me.”
“(Sigh) Suzy… do you really mean this? I mean I really need to know where we stand…because…you can’t just flutter your eyes and kiss me without meaning it now. I’m really starting to have feelings for you, but if you’re just doing this out of survival again…”
You stare him directly in his eyes.
“Yes, Roger. I mean it. Not just for me, but for you. I don’t want you to put yourself in any danger anymore than I want myself to be in danger. And Fort Timons is just going to be unnecessary danger. I know we haven’t known each other long, but we have been through a lot together and if this is the way this shitty world is going to be, then I want to at least spend the rest of that time with you.”
Well if you didn’t mean any of that, it sure was enough to convince Roger because he resumes kissing and hugging you immediately. Of course you did mean it since you have grown attached to him. Just a sucker for men who save your life you guess.
You both don’t even notice Henry walking up to you.
“Hrm, looks like I interrupted something. So did you two decide on what you’re going to do…besides suck on each others faces?” he asks.
“Well…” Roger says and then smiles at you before turning his attention to Henry. “I think we’ll be staying.”
“Great. Glad to hear it. Need more people to help defend this place. Think you could help with look out for awhile with that rifle of yours?” Henry says.
“Sure. For how long?” Roger asks.
“Hmm, probably until midnight. Earl needs to get some sleep, that’s why he’s so irritable right now. As for you little lady, why don’t you head on inside and get acquainted with everyone. You and your boyfriend can pick up where you left off later.”
Henry goes to wander over to Earl to give him the news that he’ll be relieved soon and you and Roger are left alone again.
“Okay, well I guess I’ll see you later tonight then.” Roger says.
“Yes, though I wonder where we’re supposed to sleep.” You answer.
“Well presumably together now.”
“Ha ha, of course but that wasn’t what I meant.”
“Hrm, I’m sure someone will tell you inside what the sleeping arrangements are, well anyway I probably should get over to my new job. See you later.” Roger says.
As he leaves, you shout to him to be careful which he just smiles and waves as a reassurance that you don’t need to worry about him.
And now you turn towards the truck stop building which no longer has the small crowd outside it anymore and people have gone back inside. People which you now have to be social with…
“Okay, Suzy. You can do this. It won’t be like the carnival.” You mumble to yourself as you walk to the building.
As soon as you walk in you see a mixture of people. Mostly older men, but women as well and even a couple children. Most of them look up when you enter.
“Hi everyone. I’m Suzy and my boyfriend Roger are going to be staying here, but we brought in a whole bunch of medical supplies and food with us to help pull our weight around here.”
Your introduction is met with apathy. Half of them grunt in acknowledgement and the other half just go back to doing whatever it is they were doing.
Well it’s better than most of what you got at the carnival.
Seeing that nobody is speaking to you, you decide to sit quietly by yourself in a booth far away from everyone else. You mainly spend your time in introspection and listening to the random conversations. Most of them naturally are talking about the situation at hand, but it’s broken up by periods of “normalcy” of just joking around.
Nobody here seems to be overly worried about rabid people running around and the breaking down of society, then again most of the people here are truckers so they’re probably used to roaming about and the employees of the place seem like they spend so much time here it’s a second home.
Eventually enough time passes and you get tired of being a wall flower, or more specifically you’re tired of wearing the same clothes for the past few days along with no shower. You walk up to the group of waitresses in the hopes to ask them that perhaps there is some sort of wash up facility here.
The oldest waitress, a red head with hard features and a name tag that says Anne looks you up and down as you approach and her friends do likewise.
“Excuse me, but is there a wash room or shower or something I could use? I just feel so dirty what with the sweating and running from those things outside.”
You expect catty remarks or a few insults or some sort of hostility, but you’re met with a surprise.
“Why sure blondie. You can use the small shower we have for us in the back. You need a change of clothes too?” Anne says.
“You have some?”
“Well they’re extra waitress uniforms. If that’s okay.”
“Sure, if it’s clean it’ll be a welcome change.”
“Okay, hmm you’re a bit on the small side, Jasmine, go get Trudy’s old uniform. That should fit…Suzy wasn’t it?”
“Yes, and thank you.”
Soon, Jasmine returns to give you a uniform and you’re on your way to get washed up. The waitresses’ private bathroom isn’t much but the fact it has a shower that you can use to get clean is enough for you.
You feel a little odd wearing the uniform, which was obviously designed to attract a lot of male attention, but again you’re just glad to be out of those old dirty clothes.
By the time you get out of the shower, the waitresses are cooking up dinner for everyone. You ask if they need any help, but they say they got it.
You sit down and eat, a couple people make a bit of small talk, but nothing of importance. You mostly are left alone, but it’s a promising start at least. In any event the re-invigorated feeling you had after the shower is wearing off and you start to get tired which is when you ask Anne where the sleeping area is.
“Well some people are flopping right out here in these booths. A few really brave souls are sleeping out in their trucks out there. Henry’s got his own private office as you might expect. The wait staff has that small lounge area near our bathroom…though Jasmine is using one of the storerooms since she’s got her kids with her. I guess you could take one these booths or share the storeroom with Jasmine. Of course you’ve got that boyfriend…hmmm could give you the second storeroom. Doesn’t really have a lot of space though.”
“That’s fine, I just want some where to rest.”
And once again you succeed in a simple task with no major problems. Things have been going so well for you since you got here that you almost forget about the problems of the outside world going on. You don’t of course, but you honestly can say this is the safest you’ve felt since you left your basement.
Giving you a spare blanket, Anne directs you to the second storeroom, which is indeed lacking in space but it’s enough for you. You waste no time in laying down your blanket and falling asleep on the floor.