Chapter 4a: Crossing the Threshold (Julie)

[evil_scientist]

"They say it's good against toxins, absorbs them in the stomach," Cavendish explains. "I don't know anything better. But I'm sure Sy's body will overcome this all. She is a strong young woman."

Julie doesn't remember activated charcoal in particular from the Civil Defense lessons as a radiation absorbent, although it's possible. The charcoal getting into the stomach and "tying" down whatever mess is down there sounds logical.

[Mr. Handy]

"That makes sense," says Julie. "You sure know a lot about medicine. A lot more than me, anyway. Where did you learn about it?"

[evil_scientist]

"From manuals, and a first aid course I did back when... well, a long time ago. I have to take care of my flock," Cavendish smiles. "Let's go outside, Sy needs to rest."

"...wake me up later... don't want to miss anything..." Sy mumbles as she drifts off.

Cavendish exits the trailer, Elizabeth follows him.

[Mr. Handy]

Julie leaves the trailer alongside Elizabeth. "What is it Sy doesn't want to miss?" she asks.

[evil_scientist]

"Our prayer and meditation session," Elizabeth explains. "We hold one every other evening."

[Mr. Handy]

"That does sound interesting," says Julie. "I wouldn't mind seeing that myself."

[evil_scientist]

"I'm not... I'm not sure that's possible," says Elizabeth.

Cavendish, who's a few steps ahead of you two, turns around.

"Sorry, Julie. The prayers, like everything we do here, are a communal effort. But, unlike the gardening, cooking, cleaning, or repairs, it is not something anybody can attend to straight away. There are stages you have to complete first," he explains. "You are free to stay on the compound as long as you wish. Perhaps you'll grow to like our way of living, work together with us. Work on yourself."

[Mr. Handy]

"Oh, okay," says Julie. "I might just stay here a while longer. It's be good to be with my best friend again and make up for lost time."

[evil_scientist]

Cavendish nods and smiles in a friendly way, then heads off towards the direction of the old house. "See you later, Eli!"

Elizabeth leads Julie towards the smaller houses, where they first met.

"I'm tired," Elizabeth says. "I want to catch some sleep. Maybe you should rest too? It gets awfully hot out here."

[Mr. Handy]

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," says Julie. "It is hot, and it's been a long day. Where does everyone sleep around here?"

[evil_scientist]

"Most of us sleep in the little house. I share a room with Ria. Sy lives in the trailer. 'N is in the big house, Do too. Some people keep changing places. So you can just pick any place you want. Did you bring any stuff with you?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Yeah, I've got a bag of stuff," says Julie. "Which room is yours? I'd like one nearby."

[evil_scientist]

Elizabeth and Julie enter the house once again.

There are two doors on each side of the corridor. There is a single window and a ladder leading up at the end of the corridor. The kitchen Julie already knows is the second door on the right.

Elizabeth opens the first door on the left side.

"This is me here."

There isn't much to show. The pink wallpaper is peeling. The room is void of furnishings. There are two mattresses on the floor, and a couple of cardboard boxes with stuff in them. Elizabeth grabs a blanket and offers it to Julie.

"The next room is empty, you can sleep there if you want. Or sleep on Ria's mattress for a few hours, she isn't around right now and she won't mind." She points to the second mattress in the room.

[Mr. Handy]

"Thanks, I'll just use her mattress for now," says Julie, accepting the blanket. She lies down on Ria's mattress and covers herself with the blanket. "Night, Liz."

[evil_scientist]

OOC,So, what's Julie's plan? Elizabeth will wake up or be woken up later, in the evening, to go to the prayer session. If Julie rests, we can fast-forward to that point, etc.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Yes, that's my plan. I'll also turn the wire off to conserve battery life, now that I can do so under the blanket without drawing notice. If I can do so without being overheard, I'll whisper into the microphone that I'm shutting it off. Then, when I wake up, I can turn it on again.

[evil_scientist]

OOC,Ok! Julie can go out to the outhouse again to report to her companions, share her plans, etc. (post what exactly she's saying, if you do this) If only one could be sure that the other side is receiving her messages!! ;)

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Maybe I should do that later. It might look suspicious if I go to the outhouse again so soon, seeing as I was just there. It did occur to me that maybe they can't hear me any more after I had that weird reaction from the wire, but if that's the case, there's no way to know and nothing I can do about it.

[evil_scientist]

OOC,Sorry for the delay! Can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post in this topic! :o

Like in the old days, when Elizabeth would stay over for the night, with her sleeping bag, on Julie's floor. Julie would listen to Elizabeth's slow, even breathing, and fall asleep to the rhythm. But now, here, in the dirty little room, Elizabeth doesn't sleep well. Her breathing is ragged, her body sometimes twitches. If it wasn't for Julie's tiredness from today's strange encounters, she wouldn't be able to sleep.

But she sleeps.

And dreams, and in the dream, she finds herself once again in that weird alien city.

The tall, monolithic white buildings are in ruins, toppled, half-sunken into the pitch black ground. Julie's skin prickles - an almost too real sensation in her dream. The faceless crowds are gone. There is only a small group of people, gathered in a the middle of a square. They stand in a circle. One of them turns into a beacon of light, and everybody else collapses to the ground... Julie, too, cannot resist, and falls forward --- she sees the black void closing in --- but wakes up before she hits the ground.

Elizabeth is already up, putting on her sneakers.

"You can get some more sleep if you want. We usually meditate for an hour or so. Sometimes a bit more, if---" short pause "---has a lecture. See you later!"

She walks out of the room.

[Mr. Handy]

"See ya," says Julie. She gets up and heads out of the room too, checking her watch to see what time it is. She intends to go to the outhouse first to get some privacy to turn the wire on and report in to the others before attempting to eavesdrop on the meditation ceremony. If she's noticed, she can just say she was curious - which is true.

OOC,Just to be clear, the wire was turned off while I slept to save the battery.