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Post by Salem Greer on Sept 14, 2013 17:10:15 GMT -5
Carver was shocked when Reese took him over to an expensive looking car. He'd never thought that she'd be able to afford a Corvette on her salary, especially with the house that she used to live in. He wondered just how she'd been able to get the money together and had to remind himself that Reese wasn't always a goody two shoes. After all, she was friends with him. The thought warmed his crooked little heart as he took a seat next to his best friend. That warm fuzzy feeling bled away as soon as she put her foot on the gas. Carver liked going fast, but he hated it when he wasn't the one driving. He didn't like that feeling of being out of control. He'd clung, single handedly to the handle above his door, the entire time. Responding to her with nods or a single word. When they finally arrived he almost dropped and kissed the ground.
Carver gave the house a once over upon entering. It seemed that Reese had been able to finish unpacking all of her belongings. At least, the ones in this room. He stood with his hands in his pockets, his red eye glancing about, taking in every detail. His gaze was instantly brought to the bookshelf that was on the other side of the room from them. Without being invited in further he walked towards it, closing the gap with several long strides before looking through it. Most of the titles on the shelf were familiar, some he had recommended to her and others that he had let him borrow once before. There was one book on the bottom shelf whose spine he had accidentally bent out of shape. He reached down and touched it, remembering the conversation they had when he returned it.
"It suits you." he said, glancing back over his shoulder at her. "Besides, you don't take up a lot of room. Never have." he said, poking fun at her. Carter had always towered over Reese... Well, for the most part. She'd been taller than him until middle school. Salem had gone away to camp during the summer between seventh and eight grade and when he came back a lanky six feet. Now, more than a decade later he'd grown a couple inches and filled in. He stood at an impressive six foot four and weighed in at close to two hundred pounds, his frame packed with lean muscle. He smirked as he stood up, using the shelf as support. He watched her as she disappeared into her room and he thought of the last time he'd actually seen it.
How long ago had it been? How many nights had he slept on her floor after running away from home or just to spend the night? He was half tempted to walk after her and catch a glimpse of what it looked like now. He restrained himself. Instead, limiting his curiosity to the front room and kitchen. When she had come back, his head was bent at a right angle, his head in her fridge. He smiled sheepishly as he closed the door and edged away from it. "Ready," he chimed, making a straight line toward the door. He stopped when he saw her grab something. He hardly saw it, but he'd seen enough to know what it was. So, she did keep it... he thought to himself. "Come on," he stepped outside and opened the door for her. "Now it's time to head to my place."
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Oz
Fawn
And so the insane has been tamed~ ♥
Posts: 107
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Post by Oz on Sept 14, 2013 17:21:35 GMT -5
She stepped outside and made sure that her house was locked. Moments later she would park her Corvette in the garage. No reason to take her nice car to an abandoned town. Nobody to impress there plus it'd likely just have to be cleaned and have the oil changed or something. It was a bit of a drive. Her old car was reliable though. It wasn't a slow little thing either. No way she was going to let Carver drive either. Sure, she wasn't a fan of driving, but some of the turns he took scared the hell out of her. Just to be a pain, she'd help him into the passenger seat. She knew all to well where he lived anyway. "You really are the reason I'm corrupt," she snickered. Seconds later she shot out of her driveway and nearly hit another car.
Reese didn't seem to care though. She simply continued to drive as if nothing happened. "Not sure if that's good or bad though.." A small shrug was offered and she'd sneak a peek over at him. He was also scared of her driving. Just to be a pain to him, she took the final turn to his place extra sharp as they approached it. The detective grinned and would then park. "Hurry up and we can go stop somewhere decent for dinner." Food motivated him still, right?
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Post by Salem Greer on Sept 14, 2013 18:14:49 GMT -5
"Well, the way I see it is that either I could of corrupted you or some other white collar criminal whose probably not nearly as funny or good looking." Carver joked, his smile vanished when they almost tboned a white van. His hand instantly went for the handle and his knuckles went white. Oh, how he hated it when she drove... He passed the time in silence after that, watching the world zoom by. As they drew closer to his home the buildings grew larger and larger until they became skyscrapers. He looked up, always impressed by the ingenuity that it took to make something so large. His building slowly came into sight. A tower of stone, steel, and glass that stood among the highest of buildings in the city. Reese pulled up on the opposite side of the street, in front of a smaller office building. He jumped out of his car and before she could refuse gave her the same treatment she had given him.
He yanked open her door and with as much grace and civility that he could muster pulled her out of the car, twining his arm around her's. He pulled her along, nodding to a man in front of two bright, brass doors. The man opened them and smiled at Carver. "Afternoon, Master Reed." Carver nodded as he strode through the entryway and towards an elevator with a brass door fitted together to look like a wrought iron gate. A man stood in front of this door as well and gave Carver the same greeting. Carver smiled and nodded, giving the man the okay to open the door for him. Once in the elevator the red haired man pulled out a set of keys. He inserted one into the panel on the elevator before hitting a lone button at the top.
The button chimed thirty one times, before the walls around them vanished and they were standing in nothing but a cage of twisted brass. The door gave one more pleasant chime as it opened up into the center of Carver's home.
His suite was roughly the size of Reese's new house. Unlike her's however it was furnished in a more modern style. The room was dimly lit, with a rich black carpet underfoot. Each piece of furniture was a work of art in and of itself, though they paled in comparison to the art that actually adorned Carver's walls. Where there wasn't a picture there was either an ornate bookcase or a large window, casting a view of his "yard", a stone courtyard with more furniture and a pool. Reese had been right. Carver did have style and a taste for the finer things. A hunger that had grown with his fortune. "I should have some things packed already. Never know when I have to run out." he said offhandedly as he made his way towards a twisted staircase the rose through the ceiling and into his room. "Make yourself at home!" he called out from the top of the stairs before vanishing.
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Oz
Fawn
And so the insane has been tamed~ ♥
Posts: 107
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Post by Oz on Sept 14, 2013 18:39:34 GMT -5
Reese whined slightly as he tugged her along, but then relaxed. Carver really did have a lot. Such a nice place. Even though he said to make herself at home, she knew they'd be leaving soon. She chose to simply lean back against a wall and close her eyes. They were really going home. As she stood there lost in thought, she pulled a map out that she remembered was folded in her pocket. It had the fastest route to their hometown highlighted, yet the town didn't quite exist on the map. It was a newer map and abandoned towns didn't earn a place. Reese knew that's where it was though. Surely Carver would as well. Though it'd be night by the time they got there. Was it really safe to be there at night upon arrival?
She decided that they could each manage and would be okay. They took care of each other a lot over the years, afterall. Another sigh slipped out. It was odd that they had moved around the same time and been friends all this time. He wasn't the type of person she would typically be around. At least not now that they were older. Thoughts like those would be shrugged off. If she thought too much on it she almost had a fear that Carver would disappear on her. That was the last thing she wanted. Sure, she had others in her life, but he was by far the most important. The map would be folded once more and back in her pocket.
For the first time all day her phone was pulled out. On it, she checked the time. Was it really only a little after 3pm? Maybe they actually would get there with some time to spare. Clearly her days of overworking herself and losing sleep messed with her internal clock. That or her phone was wrong. The latter was doubted. Reese did have a thing for meeting people earlier in the day that she realized. The cafe was open until ten at night anyway. Tended to be busiest around 6pm. Easier to meet early. Slowly she pushed off of the wall and stood up straight, looking around again while pocketing the phone.
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Post by Salem Greer on Sept 16, 2013 22:25:29 GMT -5
It didn't take long for Carver to gather everything up. Like he'd said earlier he often had some provisions packed in case he had to leave town for a bit. He never thought he'd use them for a spur of the moment vacation though. In the back of his large closet there were was a suitcase, stashed underneath a small bench. He reached down and popped it open, examining it's contents. As far as clothing went there was nothing too terribly expensive. Jeans, tees, some under clothes and a sweater or too in case of cold weather. After making sure he had the basics he felt along the lining of the lid. After a few minutes of searching he was rewarded with a soft click. The lining folded down revealing a large sum of money as well as several passports. He emptied the contents of this secret compartment, but once he did he paused. He reached to his side and replaced one of the passports and several stacks of money. He'd rather be have them and not need them then the opposite.
When Carver reappeared, his black suitcase hand, he'd caught Reese putting her phone away. Despite his instruction she'd barely moved since he'd gone up stairs to get his things together. He'd kinda wished that she had, just to postpone their trip for a few hours. It would have been nice to just have her over like in the old days. He thought about how many hours they had wasted in his parent's basement just enjoying each other's company. It would have been nice to relive some of the pleasant memories from his hometown before having to face the hellish facade that it had become. He doubted that was likely to happen now. "This is all I'm bringing" he said, slinging his suitcase over his shoulder.
"So whose car are we taking?" he asked, arcing an eyebrow. He was all for traveling in style, but having a brand new black Corvette parked outside of an abandoned city wasn't the most inconspicuous thing. That, and Carver didn't like the idea of going one hundred and fifty down the highway, dodging in and out of cars. The thought made his stomach flip, but he kept a straight face.
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Oz
Fawn
And so the insane has been tamed~ ♥
Posts: 107
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Post by Oz on Sept 17, 2013 1:21:05 GMT -5
Reese had clearly thought about that too. Her car would be odd in a place like that. "My red one." Sure, they could take one of his, but she didn't want to. Plus, even though his place was safe, it just made her more comfortable to have her car parked in her garage. She wasn't about to wait for him either. With a good hold on his arm, she quickly guided him out of his place. She'd been here enough times to know the layout. Unlike the first time, she could navigate the large area with ease now. Carver almost seemed to intentionally bother her with the positioning of items though. He knew she was picky about the setup and could also easily tell when things had been moved in the slightest. On the way out, she noticed a few things seemed out of place.
When they reached the corvette, she would more or less take the suitcase from him. It would be placed away and she'd get him back into the car. Reese was a pain. "Sorry I'm in a rush.. it's just, I want it to be light out when we get there. " Obviously getting to the town would take a few hours and the fact that it would be in bad shape wasn't appealing to see for the first time in awhile at night. Soon enough they would be back at Reese's place. The car swap didn't take long and soon enough they would be on the highway. In this car, she hardly went over the speed limit. Took care of it due to it being her first car. Plus, she had a corvette for other times.
The drive seemed to take forever and Reese didn't say a lot. Music would be turned up a bit loud anyway. Rock, Pop, Techno, you name it and it probably played. Another one of her prized possessions was her large case of cds. It helped pass the time and when she was driving by herself at night, helped her nerves be at ease. Certain places made her uncomfortable when passing. Once they had been driving for a good two hours, Reese headed off of the paved road they were on and across an old bridge. From the bridge was a gravel path which she took up until a hardly visible paved path was to the left. The path was old and beat up. Full of cracks and holes. Edges were chipped away and grass even seemed to be growing from it. Tall grass was in front of the turn which is why most wouldn't realize such a road existed.
This was it. Once they were on it, her driving would slow down more. Hardly moving along. A forest was ahead of them. Reese entered it with a deep exhale. It was only around 6:30 at night, yet it seemed so dark here. The drive seemed to take a good ten minutes before a dirt road could be made out. At this she turned right. Now it didn't seem as dark, but she was still tense. A couple miles on this road and a sign could be seen. It was old, worn, full of crack and moss. The words on it couldn't be made out, but she knew that it was the town sign and continued on the road. Another five miles and she made a left turn at a fence. This was it. There were here.
"Welcome home," she told Carver as she parked. Everything she had heard about the place was true. It was abandoned and most of it was in ruins. The buildings that used to be stores looked as if they'd been burnt. Vines wrapped around some of these almost like a support system. The church and town hall seemed to be okay. A little beat up from weather, but still standing. If this was how the once thriving part of town looked, she was scared what the farms, school, and homes looked like. Reese was already wondering if this was a good decision,but wouldn't back down.
She got out of the car and stretched. It'd been a long trip. Her eyes were on the look out for anything suspicious. What was she hoping to see here? Already she had her proof that the place was in ruins. Still, she felt that she was getting closer to uncovering something.
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Post by Salem Greer on Sept 26, 2013 20:13:41 GMT -5
Everything had happened so fast that Carver's head was reeling. One moment he was talking business with Reese and the next thing he knew he was swept up in some whirlwind vacation to take a stroll down memory lane. He was all for reminiscing, but actually going back home... He couldn't even describe how it made him feel. During the duration of the ride he remained silent, staring out the window at the passing scenery. Not once did he offer to drive, or to ask for food, or even stop to use the restroom. He just sat and thought of his old hometown and hoped it was nothing but rubble by now. He was in no such luck.
The car slowed as the town came into view. It wasn't quite intact, but neither was it completely ruined. Carver bit the sides of his cheek as they neared. "Well, this place has seen better days." he said, finally breaking the silence that had filled the last three hours. He followed Reese's lead and pulled himself out of the car, the sound of his door closing echoing behind him. He walked a few paces behind Reese. He didn't stretch as extensively as she did. He simply placed his hand on his neck and craned his head the opposite direction.
"So, what do you hope to find down there in that mess?" he asked, straightening his neck and placing his hands in his pockets. "Because it honestly looks like the only thing we're gonna find down there is tetanus and hobos." He took several steps forwards before turning to look back at her. Most of the time he could figure out what Reese was going to do before hand. It wasn't that she was predictable, he just knew her that well. Of course, she had surprised him plenty of times in the past. Now was the latter rather than the former. His single red eye scanned her features looking for any hint as to what she might expect to find in the vine covered structures that sprawled out before them.
In Carver's mind the only thing they would find would be memories better left forgotten and old wounds better off left alone.
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Oz
Fawn
And so the insane has been tamed~ ♥
Posts: 107
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Post by Oz on Sept 26, 2013 20:32:24 GMT -5
Reese was silent and stood there a long moment. Eventually she sighed. "There's something here I have to remember." She didn't know what it was, but felt it was vital. Seconds after speaking, she would begin to walk off. Where had that fire started? It took her a moment and it's almost like she knew perfectly where it happened. Near the barn. The fire started there. Mentally, she could almost picture the building on fire.
"We used to play by the old barn a lot, right?" Somehow it seemed like she knew more now, yet still didn't. A sigh slipped out. The fire, the duo, the barn. What connected it all? If they did something, there had to be another cause, right? They had left around the same time with their families. Her thoughts raced as she walked. Even without being here all these years, the hardly visible path out to the barn and old farm seemed to be as fresh as it was back then to Reese.
Her eyes would close for a good chunk of this walk. She felt the need to not let her sight interfere with this journey. Yes, her sight was better than others typically, but not all things could be found by sight. Even with closed eyes, she hardly had an issue navigating the various items in the way. Tree stumps, rubble, small critters. All of that she could avoid with closed eyes. It wasn't until her foot hit a board that her eyes would open.
This wasn't the barn she had hit. It was too close to be the barn. As she glanced down, it appeared the board came from another structure. It took a moment for her to process it. What had been there? Maybe a shed? It wouldn't make sense for a shed to have been in this area though. The forest was on one border while the direction she was leading them went to the clearing and farm land. There was no reason to build something here.
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