sorry about the wait folks, i don't want to post too much in quick succession to make it easier on readers, but i didn't mean to leave it this long.
anywho;
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“Oh great! Leave me to tell ‘em the depressing bit!” Joe said, slightly outraged.
Muller and Crob looked at Joe, curious. Joe began his part of the story.
“Yeah, me and Relb left quickly, then a slig shot a mudokon.”
There was silence between them, the funny side of the story was over, even Muller had stopped sniggering. Then Crob spoke.
“Shit. Did you see it?”
“No. Just heard the gunshot.” Joe answered darkly.
“Get back to work!” Someone shouted from behind them.
Everyone turned around quickly, half expecting a slig to be standing there, soon realising Rol was winding them up.
“Hey Rol.” Muller said.
“Bloody hell! Is this the shiner crew or summat?” Rol said jokingly as he jumped down, looking at Relb’s black eye.
“He got into a fight at the canteen.” Crob informed.
“Oh yeah! I was gonna’ go in there but I heard shots fired, so I went the other way.” Rol told them.
“A mudokon was killed.” Crob said solemnly.
“Oh…well shit happens.” Rol answered insensitively.
“Wha?!” Joe exclaimed, half shocked.
“This is Rupture Farms, Joe. Not happy farms. People die, and you just gotta’ get used to it.” Rol said to Joe.
“That’s a bit harsh, Rol.” Muller said, out of his comfort zone.
“Oh for fucks sake! Are we gonna’ sit here mourning some fucking mudokon that we don’t even know?!” Rol said loudly, picking up the bottle of alcohol from the crate.
Crob stood up and pushed Rol, hard. He stumbled backwards, tripped over Muller’s foot and fell on his backside, spilling booze over his stomach. Muller gasped, and silence fell once more, Crob’s stocky form standing over Rol, breathing heavily and clenching his fists.
“Why did you do that?” Rol said quietly from the corner, his pride dented.
“It’s about time you showed some respect, mate.” Crob answered, not taking his eyes from Rol’s.
“Someone’s always gonna’ put you in your place if you act like that, Rol.” Joe said truthfully.
Rol looked at Joe from the floor, and his face contorted in rage. He stood up quickly, and took a deep swig from the bottle, scowling at Joe. Joe didn’t fancy getting into a fight with Rol, and so looked at the floor.
“C’mon everyone, lets just relax.” Relb said, trying to keep things pleasant.
Crob sat back down, and Rol wiped the spillage off his stomach.
“Well…I think now’s a good time to tell you what I’ve been thinking about.” Joe began.
“You’ve been thinking? Don’t strain yourself!” Rol remarked, to which Muller laughed.
Joe ignored this and carried on.
“What would you say to leaving Rupture Farms?”
Relb choked on his drink and Muller laughed nervously, as if wanting it to be a joke.
“Really?” Rol asked.
“Yeah. I mean it.” Joe answered.
“Your off your rocker, chump.” Rol said, taking another glug from the bottle.
“Joe,” Crob started. “We might be able to get past the stockyards, but there’s no way we’d get through the free-fire zone. Them sligs are fuckin’ evil.”
“Yeah, I had a friend that used to fix the fences in the stockyards.” Muller begun. “One night he was on the edge of the stockyards and free-fire zone and he said he saw the silhouette of a mudokon impaled on a stake.”
“I hear they skin any mudokons they find and feed ‘em to the slogs.” Relb joined.
“No no no…I reckon we should get past the stockyards, but then find a quiet part in the free-fire zone to live. I mean, we got food from the stockyards, and we got guns and cooking stuff we can pinch from the slig camps. The free-fire zone isn’t packed full of sligs, its just a few sligs here and there, setting up camps. We can do exactly the same.” Joe attempted to persuade.
“Yeah, but for how long?” Relb asked.
He looked worried.
“I don’t wanna’ have a stake forced through my stomach.” Muller said, suddenly out of character with the seriousness of the situation.
“Them sligs are fucking evil.” Rol repeated. “If they catch us, they wont shoot us, oh no! They’ll fucking skin us alive and hang us on a coil of razor wire!”
“Well there’s no point scaring ourselves. If Joe’s gonna’ do it, I’m goin’ with him.” Crob said valiantly.
Joe patted Crob on the shoulder, and Relb stood up.
“If you mean to do this, I gotta’ say, you got more guts than all of us…count me in.” Relb said, putting his tin can on the crate next to Muller and sitting back down.
“Well, if everyone else is…I spose I could-” Muller started before Relb spoke over him.
“Good mud! Good mud! Now its just Rol. Rol?” Relb said loudly.
Rol shook his head.
“Oh for shit sake! If everyone else is gonna’ kill ‘emselves then count me bastard in!”
“Right then,” Relb said, rubbing his hands together. “We’ll need weapons, ‘cus you can guarantee that we’ll bump into some sligs on the way outta’ here.”
“What about the weapon storeroom?” Rol asked Crob.
“No way, no way. There’s a keypad on the front and about three padlocks.” Crob informed them.
“Well I could always rob a few slig lockers.” Relb asked with a positive attitude.
“Yeah, I’ll try and get some weapons as well. I’ve got a handy contact.” Rol told them.
“Ok then,” Relb said. “Me and Rol will get the weapons. Everyone else, if you see anything worthwhile, take it.” He turned to Joe. “When we leaving?”
“Tomorrow night.” Joe replied.
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i know about the swearing, but it would be a massive pain to try and tone it down now; its all already written up.
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