Looking Forward, Looking Back.

[Mr. E. Monkey]

Nice moar.

[JCgoose]

Nice work mate I am enjoying this

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

I must have sat out there on the porch for a good two hours or so before I got up and walked back inside the house. Dallas was in the living room with Farmer John, who had brought her a cup of coffee and had one waiting for me as well.
" Well, Chimpov, I've talked with Dallas and she's ok with your plan of sticking around here for a couple days or however long you feel like staying." Farmer John said, handing me the cup of coffee.
" You sure about that, Dallas ?" I asked, taking a sip of coffee.
" Yeah, seeing as I'm no longer in a hurry, I figured why not." Dallas replied.
" I guess since we're both on the same page, I'm going to go grab our gear from the truck. " I said. I walked outside to my truck and grabbed Dallas' suitcase and my military pack from the back seat. In the back of my mind I kept thinking about the way Dallas must have felt, but I didn't want to push the issue any more than I already had. Besides, staying there for a few days would give me time to recharge and actually rest instead of waking up every few hours with a death grip on my AK whenever something made a sound in the darkness.

It got late in the evening and I decided to head off to bed, which was something I hadn't done for awhile.
"If you're feeling tired, Chimpov, you can sleep in one of the upstairs bedrooms if you'd like." Farmer John said.
" I appreciate that, but I think I'll crash on the couch. I don't want to take up any more space than I have to." I told him. " Besides, I think Dallas should take the second bedroom. I don't know how long it's been since she's slept in a bed, but from the looks of it, it's been awhile."
" Sounds good to me, Chimpov." Farmer John said to me.
" What do you think, Dallas ?" I asked. I never got an answer as I looked over at Dallas and found her asleep on Farmer John's old recliner.
" Well, I guess that answers my question then." I said. I crashed on the couch that night and kept my AK close, just for security and out of habit. The night went by very slowly, which in a way, was a good thing considering we were no longer in a hurry. I tried to sleep as best I could, but the combination of being in a strange place and generally being a paranoid wreck, kept me from doing so. The nightmares didn't help much either and I woke up with enough force to startle Dallas who was still sleeping on Farmer John's recliner.
"You ok, Chimpov ?" Dallas asked me, half asleep.
" I'm fine, just had a bad dream, that's all." I replied. " Go back to sleep, Dallas."

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

The next morning came and as if this was any other day, Farmer John was in his kitchen making breakfast.
"Smells good, John." I said, walking into the kitchen. "To be honest, you really didn't have to make breakfast for us."
"That's ok, Chimpov. Besides, it's been awhile since I had anyone to make breakfast for, other than myself, of course." Farmer John replied. "Now that you and Dallas are here, it gives me an excuse to make some real food instead of just eating sandwiches for every meal." he added. I guess the smell of bacon and eggs woke Dallas up from her slumber because as Farmer John and I were talking, she made her way into the kitchen.
" Morning, Dallas. You hungry ?" Farmer John asked her.
" Yeah, I could eat a little." She replied. After breakfast, I went out to my truck and checked on my gear. Even though we were staying at Farmer John's place for the next few days, I still prefered to keep the bulk of my gear in my truck. In the back of my mind, I still thought about zombies and how secure Farmer John's farm actually was.
"Hey John, I got a question I need to ask you." I said, walking back inside the house.
"Shoot, Chimpov. What's on your mind ?" Farmer John replied.
"Just how secure is your farm ? I mean, there's a lot of open space here and I don't see a whole lot of fences or barricades. That and it appears the only gun you have is currently occupying a space above the fireplace. " I said.
"Well, now that you mention it, Chimpov, I haven't seen many of those zombie things around here and I suppose my fences ought to keep them out. My grandaddy built them back in the 1930s and they've survived tornadoes and just about anything else the Maker has thrown at them over the years. I figure zombies shouldn't pose too much of a problem. I mean, it ain't like they know how to use heavy equipment, right ?" Farmer John said, laughing.

[Dogan]

RALFs on CATs? Disturbing.

Excellent! MOAR!

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

After my little conversation with Farmer John, he went back inside to check on Dallas and to make lunch, while I went around the house and kept my eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Dallas stayed inside most of the day and I left her alone because I figured she needed some time to mourn. I always kept the thought in my head that my family was still alive and they were just waiting for me to arrive. I kept a picture of them in my chest rig so I wouldn't forget what they looked like and I kind of hoped they did the same.
" Hey, Chimpov." Dallas called out to me.
"Hey, Dallas. What are you doing out here ?" I asked.
"I figured I could use some fresh air. " she replied.
" Listen, I'm sorry for asking John about your hometown. I didn't know and I guess my curiosity got the better of me." I said.
" It's ok, Chimpov. I know my family is in a better place now and that they'd want me to move on. I'm still going to miss them, though." Dallas said. I reached into me wallet and pulled out a photo of my family and a photo of my best friend.
"You remember when you asked me about my family ?" I said.
" Yeah, why ?" Dallas replied.
"Well, this is my family. The tall guy in the back is my Uncle Viktor, he's the guy I told you about yesterday, and the woman in front of him is my mother." I said, handing Dallas the photos.
" Who's the girl in the other picture ?" She asked.
"Oh, that's my best friend from my hometown. I've known her since we were little kids. " I replied.
"She's beautiful. " Dallas said, looking at the photo.
" Yeah, she was. I haven't heard anything from her since this all started. " I replied.
"Where does she live ? " Dallas asked.
" She still lived in our hometown the last I heard. I hope she's ok." I replied.
" I'm sure she is, Chimpov. She looks like she can take care of herself. " Dallas said, trying to reassure me.

[godseviltwin]

The moar zombie inside me wants to scream MOARRRR! Nice story so far, please keep it coming.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

We stayed with Farmer John for close to a week, helping him fortify his house and getting to know him. I taught Dallas the basics of shooting and though she shot a single magazine of ammo through her rifle, I could tell she was getting used to it. Even though she wasn't Annie Oakley after our little range session, she had gotten used to the recoil a bit and was able to at least put a good amount of rounds on the target. Dallas had a good supply of ammo for that rifle, but getting ammo for the .38 I gave her was going to be a problem.
" I don't think we have enough ammo for the .38, Dallas. It only holds five rounds and what's in the cylinder is what we have. I didn't see any extra ammo when I grabbed it." I said.
"So it's pretty much a last resort gun then ?" She asked.
" Unless you can figure how to pull a box of ammo out of thin air, then yeah." I replied.
" Great." Dallas said, sighing.
" Well, you've got the rifle figured out and there's nothing saying you can't learn how to shoot a handgun with different gun. Here, try shooting this." I said as I handed her my 1911. " This fires the .45 ACP round. It's different than the .38 Special your revolver fires, so recoil is going to be different. So is the way you operate the gun. With the .38, you just point and shoot, whereas the 1911 requires you to pull the slide back to cock it to chamber a round and whenever you load a new magazine." I added.
" Ok, so I pull the slide back when I want to shoot it and every time I put in a new magazine. That correct ? " Dallas asked.
" Yeah, that's pretty much it." I replied. I had to admit, Dallas was starting to surprise me with the way she was picking up things. After Dallas fired a few rounds through my 1911, we headed inside for lunch.
" Sounds like y'all were having yourselves a fun time out there." Farmer John said, handing me a cup of coffee.
" Yeah, we kind of did." I replied.

[Bearcat]

Not bad, tagged so I can read along.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

After lunch, I walked back outside and began putting Dallas and my bags in the truck. In the back of my mind, I really didn't want to leave John's place, but I also didn't want to overstay my welcome.
"What's with the packing, Chimpov ?" Farmer John asked me.
"Well, it's been a few days and I don't want to overstay my welcome." I replied.
"Overstay your welcome ? Chimpov, I told you a week ago that you and Dallas could stay here for as long as you needed to. I'd actually like it if y'all would stick around for a bit longer, at least during the winter. It gets mighty cold during the winter here and driving around in the snow ain't exactly fun." Farmer John said. It seemed to me at the time, that John wasn't ready to say goodbye to us just yet. I guess we reminded him of some family or something.
"Is there any other reason you don't want us to leave, John ? I'm prepared for the winter and I've driven through snow numerous times." I asked. I noticed John had the same pained look on his face then as he did when he told us what went down in Dallas. "If it's something you don't want to talk about, that's fine." I added.
"No, I suppose it ought to do me some good to get this off my chest. Chimpov, the real reason I don't want you and Dallas to leave is not because of the weather. It's because you remind me of my son, Chimpov." Farmer John replied, pulling a picture out of his wallet.
"This is my son, Thomas, named after my grandpa. My boy led the zombies away from the farm in his truck before it ran out of gas and he got out, firing his pistol in the air to keep them on his trail. He may have died bravely, but it don't change the fact that he still died. I watched it happen through my binoculars. I kept quiet for a few days until the zombies moved on. I tried finding my boy, but all I found was his truck and a note he had written before they overwhelmed him. The note said ' Dad, if you ever find this, know that I love with all my heart. Your son, Thomas.' " Farmer John added.
"I wanted to hunt down every zombie I could find, but being as old as I am, that wasn't possible and it really wouldn't do any good anyway. My son was dead and there was nothing I could do about it." I could see it in Farmer John's eyes that it was hard for him to talk about his son.
"I suppose it did me some good to speak about my boy like that." Farmer John said, wiping away his tears.
"He sounds like he was a good kid, John. I'm honored that I remind you of him. " I replied. Farmer John and I stayed outside, just talking about his family until it got dark and kind of cold. As we walked back into the house, I noticed Dallas standing in the doorway. She didn't say anything, but deep down I knew what she was feeling. She missed her family as well, but didn't say anything. Her eyes said enough for me to understand.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Dawn came early the next morning and once again, I found myself outside checking the perimeter for anything out of the ordinary. Something on the highway caught my eye and I checked through my binoculars to try and see just what the hell it was. I looked through my binoculars and found out it was a large van, kind of like the ones used at airports to shuttle folks to and from the terminal. I wondered if they had a CB in the van so I figured I may as well try to reach them. I looked through my binoculars again and saw something that made my heart drop. A large mass of zombies was headed towards the van. I heard gunshots and just as I tried radioing the van, I heard "Mayday, Mayday. Can anybody hear us ? We're under attack and need assistance. Please help...", followed by rapid gunshots. I yelled something to Farmer John and Dallas while climbing into my truck. It wasn't until I was halfway down the road that I realized I was heading into the midst of the zombies by myself to rescue folks I didn't know. I just hoped I got there in time.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

"What the hell am I doing ? " I thought to myself. I drove down the road towards the van and could still hear gunshots, which meant that someone was still alive in the van. I just hoped I got there before the zombies did. I hit the brakes and looked out onto the highway towards the van. The zombies were still a good ways away from the van, but they were closing in fast. I looked at the group of zombies and saw a few drop in their tracks from some well placed rifle shots. Whoever was doing the shooting knew what they were doing. The group was getting thinned out and I made my way towards the van.
"If anyone in the large airport van can hear me, I'm on my way to help. Look for a black 4x4 truck coming from the east. That's me, so don't shoot. I repeat, if anyone in the large airport van can hear me, I am on my way to help. " I said over the radio.
"Oh thank you, whoever you are. We didn't know if anyone would hear us. Those things are still coming and the van won't start. " came a voice from the radio.
"Ok, just hold on for as long as you can. I should be there in a minute or two." I replied. I stopped my truck just a few feet from the van and climbed out. The zombies were closing in and I yelled to the man on the roof of the van and the two inside it to grab their stuff and get to my truck. I fired a few rounds towards the zombies and with some luck, managed to drop a couple. The guy on the roof hopped down and started firing towards the zombies as well. We covered the other two as they got into the backseat of my truck and the other guy covered me as I got in. He climbed into the bed of the truck and continued firing as we pulled away. I glanced at my sideview mirror and saw the guy in the back pick off two more zombies as I punched the gas. The remaining zombies did something that surprised me, they backed off and focused on something else off in the distance. In the back of my mind, I knew there were more in the area and this wouldn't be the last time we saw them. I just hoped we didn't see them for a long time.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

After we got to a safe distance, I asked my two passengers what their names were.
" Oh, I'm Flynn O'Bannon." said a young man about Dallas' age. He was dressed in khaki cargo pants and a rugby shirt. I figured he was either from New Zealand or Australia because of his accent.
"What about you, young lady ?" I asked. The girl was around the same age, dressed in a OD green t-shirt and torn blue jeans.
"Oh, we haven't learned her name just yet, sir. We picked her up outside of Fort Stockton about a week ago and she's been like that ever since." Flynn answered.
"You mean catatonic and staring off into space ?" I asked.
"Yes, sir." Flynn replied.
"You can just call me Chimpov, Flynn." I said.
"Chimpov ?" Flynn asked, with a slightly puzzled look on his face.
" It's a long story, but yeah, just call me Chimpov." I said, laughing.
"What about the big guy who's currently riding in the back ? What's his name ?" I asked.
" He says his name is Mike. I don't know his last name, but he's the bloke who pretty much saved our lives." Flynn replied. I stopped the truck and let Mike climb inside.
"Thanks for helping us, mister. We'd have probably been dead if it wasn't for you." Mike said as he got in.
" No problem and please, just call me Chimpov. I already told your friends here to call me that and I suppose I ought to tell you as well." I replied. 'What's your name ?" I asked.
" Mike. Mike Brown." Mike replied.
"Well, it's nice to meet the three of you." I said. Mike was a big guy, probably around 6'7" or so, dressed in woodland camo cargo pants and faded work shirt that had seen better days, as well as a chest rig similar to mine. Both Flynn and Mike had a rifle, but Mike was the only one who had a sidearm.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

I drove the three back to Farmer John's place and while the girl still wasn't talking, Flynn and Mike were happy to see someone else alive.
" So, what'd y'all do before all this ? " I asked. "That was some pretty good shooting back there, Mike. What were you before this, military, cop, avid outdoorsman ?"
"Well actually, I was a cop before all this started." Mike said. " I wasn't on the job very long before these zombie things showed up. I booked it as soon as I could when my department went down hard."
"What about you, Flynn ?" I asked.
" Oh, well I was visiting some friends when this happened. I was on my way back to the airport when I almost got run over by Mike in that van and he told me to get in if I valued my life. There was two other people in the van with him, but we lost them awhile back." Flynn replied.
" Yeah, we lost the Mitchells a month ago. Frank dropped dead of a heart attack and his wife Harriet just couldn't take it anymore and ended up eating a bullet soon after." Mike said. "It really sucked too, because they were really nice folks."
"Things have a way of changing folks, Mike." I said.
"So, how about you ?" I asked the girl. Still no reply. Whatever that girl saw was enough to make her catatonic and unresponsive to anything short of a smack upside the head, which I was not about to do. I figured maybe Dallas could get her to talk, at least I hoped she could. We got back to the house to find Dallas and Farmer John waiting for us. Dallas jumped off the porch and ran towards me, damn near knocking me to the ground when she hugged me.
"Please don't do that again, Chimpov. Please ?" Dallas said, trying to hold back tears.
"Ok, I promise I won't do that again, Dallas. You can let go now. I can't breathe." I replied.
"Mike, Flynn, whatever the girls name is, meet Dallas and Farmer John." I said.
"Pleasure to meet y'all." Farmer John said, tipping his cap. The boys grabbed their gear and headed into the house, while I tried one last time to get the girl to talk to me.
"What is your name, miss ?" I asked. Once again I got zero response and it was getting a bit frustrating.
"Hey Dallas, can you come here for a second ?" I called out.
"Sure, Chimpov, what do you need ?" Dallas said as she walked up.
"Can you see if you can get this girl to talk. I haven't had much luck. Mike and Flynn say they picked her up a week ago and she hasn't spoken since." I replied.
" I'll try my best, Chimpov." Dallas said. I left Dallas and the girl on the porch and went back inside the house. Farmer John had yet another pot of coffee brewing and I was feeling kind of cold.
Dallas sat out on the porch with the girl for about two hours, just talking to her and trying to get her to say something. I was sitting in the living room, talking to Mike and Flynn when she came back inside.
"I couldn't get her to talk either, Chimpov. I say we give it a few days and see what happens. She might have seen something that made her space out like that." Dallas said.
"Ok, we'll give it a few days and see what happens. In the meantime, you wouldn't mind letting her sleep in your room, would you ?" I replied.
"Nope, I wouldn't mind." Dallas said.
"Supper's ready, folks." Farmer John said from the kitchen.

[godseviltwin]

arg just caught up on the additions. Good story.

MOAAaRRR pweez.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Over dinner, we got to know Mike and Flynn a little better. Mike had grown up in Fort Worth and moved to Los Angeles after his stint in the Marines was over. He had tried to get back to Fort Worth, but it, like Dallas, was gone. So instead he made it a point to help as many folks as he could. He picked Flynn up at the airport and they made their way out of the city. They picked up a few more survivors, but as the weeks progressed into months, their number slowly dwindled to what I picked up a few hours earlier. Flynn was born in Canberra and was in the US visiting some friends. He had been on his way to the airport to catch an early flight out, but had accidentally slept in late. Flynn got to the airport in time for Mike to stop him and get him out of the hell hole the airport had become. Mike told us about the other survivors they had picked up, but lost along the way. He said they were the Mitchells, the old folks he and Flynn mentioned earlier in the day, Frank and Harriet Mitchell. Frank had a heart attack just out of the blue and died in his wifes arms. Mike told me that Harriet had been sort of cheery and optimistic before that and after Frank passed away, she just stopped living. They had stopped just outside of Santa Fe to stretch their legs and eat when Harriet said her goodbyes to Flynn and Mike. Before they could react or even say anything, Harriet had taken Frank's service revolver and walked off into the darkness. The last thing they heard was a gunshot and the sound of Harriet's body hit the ground. Flynn told us that he and Mike just sat there, unable to move or speak, trying to comprehend what just happened.
"Like I told you boys earlier, the events of the last few months have a way of changing folks. Some for the good, but most for the bad." I said.
"What about you, Chimpov, what's your story ?" Flynn asked.
" It's not really that interesting, Flynn." I replied.
" Well, you've heard ours and I'd kind of like to hear the story of Chimpov. If you don't mind, that is." Flynn said. I told them my story, of how I made my way out of the hell hole my neighborhood had become, the stuff I saw along the way and how some things would forever haunt me.
" Like what sorts of things, Chimpov ?" Mike asked.
" You remember how you were afraid of the Boogeyman as a kid ? Well, I've seen things that would give him nightmares. The most fucked up thing I saw in my travels was an abandoned car in the middle of nowhere with a kid, or what had been a kid at one point, strapped into a car seat in the back seat. It was still moving around and trying to get at me through the glass. So I took my .45 and fired a shot through the window. The bullet blew out the other window after it blew out the back of the kid's skull. After that I just walked back to my truck, got in and cried for an hour. Up until that point, I'd occasionally stop and check cars for supplies, but after I saw that, I quit doing so. I just couldn't stand the thought of running across something like that again." I replied. "Now, if you all will excuse me, I'm going outside for a smoke and I'd prefer to be left alone, if you wouldn't mind." I added. With that, I got up from the table and went outside. I needed to be alone for awhile.

[Bearcat]

So why, if the main character was insitent on not getting close with the girl and sharing names, did he ask what the two new guys what their name's are?

[Dogan]

So he knew what to put on their grave markers?

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

So why, if the main character was insitent on not getting close with the girl and sharing names, did he ask what the two new guys what their name's are?

The whole not sharing names thing was before Dallas' home got wiped out and I guess I just wanted to move on from that trait that I lifted from Zombieland.

I'll explain why in a later update and I'll probably end up revealing the main character and the girls name later on.

You actually gave me a good idea for the story, Bearcat.

[Bearcat]

So why, if the main character was insitent on not getting close with the girl and sharing names, did he ask what the two new guys what their name's are?

The whole not sharing names thing was before Dallas' home got wiped out and I guess I just wanted to move on from that trait that I lifted from Zombieland.

I'll explain why in a later update and I'll probably end up revealing the main character and the girls name later on.

You actually gave me a good idea for the story, Bearcat.

Glad to inadvertently help! But now that you alluded to moar, you better make good on that.....

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

So why, if the main character was insitent on not getting close with the girl and sharing names, did he ask what the two new guys what their name's are?

The whole not sharing names thing was before Dallas' home got wiped out and I guess I just wanted to move on from that trait that I lifted from Zombieland.

I'll explain why in a later update and I'll probably end up revealing the main character and the girls name later on.

You actually gave me a good idea for the story, Bearcat.

Glad to inadvertently help! But now that you alluded to moar, you better make good on that.....

Roger that, Bearcat.

I'll probably have a new update posted within the next week.

[3Fingas]

I am really enjoying your story, Chimpov -- I mean, 12_gauge_chimp

[Mr. E. Monkey]

Looking Forward to Moar.

[Dogan]

Every time someone comments in here, i think ZOMFG UPDATE MOAR STORY! then click and it's "Moar plz".

So yeah. MOAR CHIMPOV!