HOME | DD

Description
Rikset paused for a moment at the western entrance of an old shopping mall. She knew that before the longdark, this was a place of commerce, that was transformed to housing after the war began. All the refugees from out west had to be put up somewhere when the SRC invaded. She shook her head, ridding the thoughts she had learned from the lorekeeper as a child.

Now was time for her to be mindful of her surroundings. Dangerous mutants still dwelled in ruined husks of the cities, no matter how persistent the hunters and slayers were. She slipped into one of the loose doors and made her way to the upper level where the housing had been. After the Pulse and Horsemen, people left valuables behind in stashes that she planned on liberating.

Bailey Lancaster knew that it was dangerous to be this far from her village, a fortified town outside the city limits, but she also knew that the neardeer herd was migrating this way this time of year and as one of the designated hunters, she needed to be bringing in meat for them. She followed the tracks to the eastern mall entrance and entered slowly, as not to spook her prey.

Rikset moved stealthily, slipping her sandals into her pack to stop any noise that might attract unwanted attention. The first home she entered was a bust, nothing but some rotten clothing and empty food cans, but the next was worth the effort, she found a stash hidden in a wall, and was able to pry it open with a pipe laying nearby. Jackpot! Predark cigarettes, some well-aged booze, a few improvised explosives, and ammo. She caught a flash of movement from the corner of her eye and pulled her Mini-14 to her shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw it was just a hunter tracking some neardeer.

Bailey spotted the scavvie when she drew her rifle and put her hands up. The scavenger lowered the rifle and gave a quick salute. Bailey nodded and continued on her hunt, another non-raider human wasn't likely to spoil anything. From the upper level she had a good vantage on the herd, and she crept closer, resting her crossbow on the old railing for stability. She heard a shuffling sound over her shoulder and glanced back at it, figuring it to be the scavvie. A fist clumsily aimed for her head dropped and she dodged out partially, the heavy limb still landing on her shoulder hard enough to spin her off balance and she cried out in pain.

A cry echoed through the old space, causing Rikset to jerk her head towards the sound. Dusters! A whole horde of them had gotten in while she was looting! She pulled her rifle up and was able to drop a few before her gun jammed. SHIT! Stovepipe! She dropped the gun as the mutants shuffled closer, instead pulling out her meteor hammer and whirling it up to smashing speed. Whipping it out at the closest ones, she smashed their skulls with the steel weight. The mass of bodies was too large for her to take them all out, so she opted to run. Rikset shouldered a duster down at the edge and sprinted toward the stairwell. She couldn't see any of the monsters on the lower floor, and decided to take her chances with finding a way out.

Bailey whipped up her crossbow just in time to block another blow from the mutant, and she was rewarded with the sickening crunch of bones breaking as the beast's arm connected with the steel stirrup. Her shoulder was still aching, but she was able to get upright and scramble away. She was lucky that dusters don't have quick reflexes.

Looking ahead, she spotted where a section of walkway had collapsed and ran that way. She slung her crossbow and drew her pistol, popping the head of a few of the creatures before sliding down the smooth flooring towards the lower level. She landed as gracefully as possible, glad not to have torn her stockings anymore than they already were. Glancing over her shoulder, she was pleased to see some of the dusters try and follow her, with predictably deadly results. She spotted the scavenger as she burst from the stairwell. They met in what once had been a food court. Shoulder to shoulder, the pair surveyed the upper level, seeing more monsters as the seconds passed.

"Well," said Rikset, "We won't be getting out that way. Try the kitchens?"

Bailey nodded, "There should be a way out there, and the counters will slow them down."

The doors to the stairwell opened, and the dusters shuffled out, slowly filling the food court. Bailey and Rikset didn't stay to see it, both of them sprinted towards the first restaurant, something with a chicken in the logo. Rikset slid over the counter, while Bailey leaped up with a bound before hopping down.

"They just keep coming!" Bailey said, looking at the oncoming horde, "Can you think of anything we can do to stop them?"

"Ummm..." Rikset replied, looking around the cramped cooking area, "Here! Help me pull this off!"

Bailey looked where she was pointing, an old gas line going to the fryers, and nodded. The pair dragged the fryer away enough to access the line and then they grabbed it, pulling with all their might.

To no avail, nothing budged.

"I've got an idea," Bailey said before grabbing a section of discarded pipe nearby. She jammed it between the wall a gas line and they both hauled on it. Rikset couldn't help but notice Bailey's sweaty form as it pressed up against her. A low moan from the dusters snapped her back to reality.

PING! The line snapped, dropping both women to the ground, and gaseous fuel began to hiss out.

"Yes!" Bailey pulled a quick fistpump, "What now?"

"Now," Rikset rummaged through her bag, "This."

Bailey's eyes got big, "Is that a bomb? Are you sure it's stable?"

"Yeah, this is military plast-ex. The timer and everything seems to be in order."

"I don't think we have time for another option. I'll trust you here."

"Good. You put it over on the back wall set it for four minutes, I'll draw them in."

Bailey nodded and Rikset jumped up to the counter. She drew her knife and pulled back her sleeve, slashing the outside of her arm. Nothing deep, but a fair amount of blood, which she then smeared across the counter top.

Bailey tapped in the timer and saw Rikset doing her smearing, "What the hell?"

"It'll frenzy them, that'll draw them all down here, I don't want anymore of those bastards. Come on, we've got to go."

She grabbed Bailey by the hand and led her through the narrow corridor behind the restaurants mumbling under her breath, "Come on, come on, there's got to be a way out..."

At last they saw it.

"There!" Bailey pointed to the red letters above the faded blue door. They ran up to it a pushed, but it wouldn't budge.

"Shit!" Bailey yelled, "Let's ram it together!"

Rikset nodded and they squared their shoulders. Bailey admired Rikset's lithe body when they pressed up against the door. The lock squealing in protest before giving, sending the pair sprawling into the former loading dock and staff parking.

Riket scrambled to her feet, "We need to move! That bomb is going to go off any second now!"

She grabbed Bailey by the hand and dragged her into the bed of a truck a hundred yards away, pulling the other woman into her lap, "We should be fine here, just keep your head down."

BOOOOOOMMM! The pair felt the explosion as much as they heard it; dust and debris flew by them, obscuring sight for a good distance.

They stood up cautiously, surveying the damage. Broken glass and concrete littered the ground, including a huge piece that had missed their vehicle by mere feet. This time it was Bailey's turn to grab Rikset's hand, and she felt reassured by it.

"Come on, you know that will attract raiders and muties from miles around. I've got a safehouse nearby, this way."

The two headed out, taking time to watch for enemies. They knew that dusters were in the area, and with a city this size, there was always a chance of trolls. Luckily, the rest of the morning proved exceedingly tame compared to the beginning. At one point, Rikset motioned for Bailey to stop, and then gestured for her to get down, crouching herself. She slowly pulled her rifle into her shoulder and checked the action. Flipping off the safety, she squeezed the trigger.

BLAM!

Bailey flinched slightly at the sound, her heart still racing as she prepared for the worst. Was it a mutant? Lone raider?

Rikset stood and motioned for her to follow. The pair walked to creature Rikset dropped. It was a neardeer!

"You said you were hunting, right? This should be better than going back empty handed."

Bailey looked at her and smiled, feeling her cheeks getting warm, "Uh, lets get a pole to carry this."

Rikset smiled back, "Good thinking, I'll bind the legs." She wasn't sure what made her want to help Bailey out. Maybe it was the life-or-death situation they had just survived. Maybe it was more...

Between the two of them and a small tree, they continued to Bailey's safehouse. As they walked, Rikset found herself hypnotized by Bailey's swaying body. It was a few seconds before she realized Bailey had said something.

"Huh? What was that?"

"I said we're here." They set the meat down on the sidewalk and approached what appeared to be a concrete wall.

"What? This?"

"Just trust me," Bailey reached down and tripped a hidden latch, swinging a large section of wall in, "Our village wanted to have secure places for hunters to process kills, so we made these all over the city. The hidden-pivot system with a slab of concrete can keep a full grown Wendigo out."

Rikset just whistled in appreciation while helping Bailey haul their animal in. Bailey flicked a switch and a weak bulb lit up, revealing a chain hoist coming down from a metal arm, some kind of cot, a rough table and a spartan shower set up over a dirty floor drain.

They lowered the hoist and hooked in the front legs, pulling the neardeer up to a hanging position.

"Well, what should we do till the area settles down?" Rikset asked, leaning back on the table and biting her lip slightly.

"I've got some ideas on that. I saw how you were looking at me on the way over here..."

Bailey crossed the room and pulled Rikset to her, pressing their lips together.

"MMMmmmm..." Rikset moaned, "I agree..."

Rikset and Bailey last seen here: fav.me/d60zhgu & fav.me/d3fl237

Description
Rikset paused for a moment at the western entrance of an old shopping mall. She knew that before the longdark, this was a place of commerce, that was transformed to housing after the war began. All the refugees from out west had to be put up somewhere when the SRC invaded. She shook her head, ridding the thoughts she had learned from the lorekeeper as a child.

Now was time for her to be mindful of her surroundings. Dangerous mutants still dwelled in ruined husks of the cities, no matter how persistent the hunters and slayers were. She slipped into one of the loose doors and made her way to the upper level where the housing had been. After the Pulse and Horsemen, people left valuables behind in stashes that she planned on liberating.

Bailey Lancaster knew that it was dangerous to be this far from her village, a fortified town outside the city limits, but she also knew that the neardeer herd was migrating this way this time of year and as one of the designated hunters, she needed to be bringing in meat for them. She followed the tracks to the eastern mall entrance and entered slowly, as not to spook her prey.

Rikset moved stealthily, slipping her sandals into her pack to stop any noise that might attract unwanted attention. The first home she entered was a bust, nothing but some rotten clothing and empty food cans, but the next was worth the effort, she found a stash hidden in a wall, and was able to pry it open with a pipe laying nearby. Jackpot! Predark cigarettes, some well-aged booze, a few improvised explosives, and ammo. She caught a flash of movement from the corner of her eye and pulled her Mini-14 to her shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw it was just a hunter tracking some neardeer.

Bailey spotted the scavvie when she drew her rifle and put her hands up. The scavenger lowered the rifle and gave a quick salute. Bailey nodded and continued on her hunt, another non-raider human wasn't likely to spoil anything. From the upper level she had a good vantage on the herd, and she crept closer, resting her crossbow on the old railing for stability. She heard a shuffling sound over her shoulder and glanced back at it, figuring it to be the scavvie. A fist clumsily aimed for her head dropped and she dodged out partially, the heavy limb still landing on her shoulder hard enough to spin her off balance and she cried out in pain.

A cry echoed through the old space, causing Rikset to jerk her head towards the sound. Dusters! A whole horde of them had gotten in while she was looting! She pulled her rifle up and was able to drop a few before her gun jammed. SHIT! Stovepipe! She dropped the gun as the mutants shuffled closer, instead pulling out her meteor hammer and whirling it up to smashing speed. Whipping it out at the closest ones, she smashed their skulls with the steel weight. The mass of bodies was too large for her to take them all out, so she opted to run. Rikset shouldered a duster down at the edge and sprinted toward the stairwell. She couldn't see any of the monsters on the lower floor, and decided to take her chances with finding a way out.

Bailey whipped up her crossbow just in time to block another blow from the mutant, and she was rewarded with the sickening crunch of bones breaking as the beast's arm connected with the steel stirrup. Her shoulder was still aching, but she was able to get upright and scramble away. She was lucky that dusters don't have quick reflexes.

Looking ahead, she spotted where a section of walkway had collapsed and ran that way. She slung her crossbow and drew her pistol, popping the head of a few of the creatures before sliding down the smooth flooring towards the lower level. She landed as gracefully as possible, glad not to have torn her stockings anymore than they already were. Glancing over her shoulder, she was pleased to see some of the dusters try and follow her, with predictably deadly results. She spotted the scavenger as she burst from the stairwell. They met in what once had been a food court. Shoulder to shoulder, the pair surveyed the upper level, seeing more monsters as the seconds passed.

"Well," said Rikset, "We won't be getting out that way. Try the kitchens?"

Bailey nodded, "There should be a way out there, and the counters will slow them down."

The doors to the stairwell opened, and the dusters shuffled out, slowly filling the food court. Bailey and Rikset didn't stay to see it, both of them sprinted towards the first restaurant, something with a chicken in the logo. Rikset slid over the counter, while Bailey leaped up with a bound before hopping down.

"They just keep coming!" Bailey said, looking at the oncoming horde, "Can you think of anything we can do to stop them?"

"Ummm..." Rikset replied, looking around the cramped cooking area, "Here! Help me pull this off!"

Bailey looked where she was pointing, an old gas line going to the fryers, and nodded. The pair dragged the fryer away enough to access the line and then they grabbed it, pulling with all their might.

To no avail, nothing budged.

"I've got an idea," Bailey said before grabbing a section of discarded pipe nearby. She jammed it between the wall a gas line and they both hauled on it. Rikset couldn't help but notice Bailey's sweaty form as it pressed up against her. A low moan from the dusters snapped her back to reality.

PING! The line snapped, dropping both women to the ground, and gaseous fuel began to hiss out.

"Yes!" Bailey pulled a quick fistpump, "What now?"

"Now," Rikset rummaged through her bag, "This."

Bailey's eyes got big, "Is that a bomb? Are you sure it's stable?"

"Yeah, this is military plast-ex. The timer and everything seems to be in order."

"I don't think we have time for another option. I'll trust you here."

"Good. You put it over on the back wall set it for four minutes, I'll draw them in."

Bailey nodded and Rikset jumped up to the counter. She drew her knife and pulled back her sleeve, slashing the outside of her arm. Nothing deep, but a fair amount of blood, which she then smeared across the counter top.

Bailey tapped in the timer and saw Rikset doing her smearing, "What the hell?"

"It'll frenzy them, that'll draw them all down here, I don't want anymore of those bastards. Come on, we've got to go."

She grabbed Bailey by the hand and led her through the narrow corridor behind the restaurants mumbling under her breath, "Come on, come on, there's got to be a way out..."

At last they saw it.

"There!" Bailey pointed to the red letters above the faded blue door. They ran up to it a pushed, but it wouldn't budge.

"Shit!" Bailey yelled, "Let's ram it together!"

Rikset nodded and they squared their shoulders. Bailey admired Rikset's lithe body when they pressed up against the door. The lock squealing in protest before giving, sending the pair sprawling into the former loading dock and staff parking.

Riket scrambled to her feet, "We need to move! That bomb is going to go off any second now!"

She grabbed Bailey by the hand and dragged her into the bed of a truck a hundred yards away, pulling the other woman into her lap, "We should be fine here, just keep your head down."

BOOOOOOMMM! The pair felt the explosion as much as they heard it; dust and debris flew by them, obscuring sight for a good distance.

They stood up cautiously, surveying the damage. Broken glass and concrete littered the ground, including a huge piece that had missed their vehicle by mere feet. This time it was Bailey's turn to grab Rikset's hand, and she felt reassured by it.

"Come on, you know that will attract raiders and muties from miles around. I've got a safehouse nearby, this way."

The two headed out, taking time to watch for enemies. They knew that dusters were in the area, and with a city this size, there was always a chance of trolls. Luckily, the rest of the morning proved exceedingly tame compared to the beginning. At one point, Rikset motioned for Bailey to stop, and then gestured for her to get down, crouching herself. She slowly pulled her rifle into her shoulder and checked the action. Flipping off the safety, she squeezed the trigger.

BLAM!

Bailey flinched slightly at the sound, her heart still racing as she prepared for the worst. Was it a mutant? Lone raider?

Rikset stood and motioned for her to follow. The pair walked to creature Rikset dropped. It was a neardeer!

"You said you were hunting, right? This should be better than going back empty handed."

Bailey looked at her and smiled, feeling her cheeks getting warm, "Uh, lets get a pole to carry this."

Rikset smiled back, "Good thinking, I'll bind the legs." She wasn't sure what made her want to help Bailey out. Maybe it was the life-or-death situation they had just survived. Maybe it was more...

Between the two of them and a small tree, they continued to Bailey's safehouse. As they walked, Rikset found herself hypnotized by Bailey's swaying body. It was a few seconds before she realized Bailey had said something.

"Huh? What was that?"

"I said we're here." They set the meat down on the sidewalk and approached what appeared to be a concrete wall.

"What? This?"

"Just trust me," Bailey reached down and tripped a hidden latch, swinging a large section of wall in, "Our village wanted to have secure places for hunters to process kills, so we made these all over the city. The hidden-pivot system with a slab of concrete can keep a full grown Wendigo out."

Rikset just whistled in appreciation while helping Bailey haul their animal in. Bailey flicked a switch and a weak bulb lit up, revealing a chain hoist coming down from a metal arm, some kind of cot, a rough table and a spartan shower set up over a dirty floor drain.

They lowered the hoist and hooked in the front legs, pulling the neardeer up to a hanging position.

"Well, what should we do till the area settles down?" Rikset asked, leaning back on the table and biting her lip slightly.

"I've got some ideas on that. I saw how you were looking at me on the way over here..."

Bailey crossed the room and pulled Rikset to her, pressing their lips together.

"MMMmmmm..." Rikset moaned, "I agree..."

Rikset and Bailey last seen here: fav.me/d60zhgu & fav.me/d3fl237