The Fall of Bangor (Part 4)

Posted on Wed Feb 21st, 2024 @ 3:01am by Hale Stratton [Major, United States Army] & Alonzo Blazevic & Vienna Quinn & René Rouen & Reuben Baptiste & Victoire Olaffson [Lieutenant, United States Navy] & Emma Lynn Starsky

2,014 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Bangor or Bust
Location: Bangor Safe Zone, Maine
Timeline: 4 September 2010 - 06:00 p.m.

4 September 2010 - 06:00 p.m.

[Over at Vic's House]

Vienna walked quietly as she followed Vic and René to Vic’s house, she was curious as to who Vic’s special guest was. If they were to have a deaf person around they ideally needed to learn to communicate properly.

Vic led the way in; calling out to alert Emma to their presence. “Emma; I’ve brought a couple of my friends to keep you company for a little bit.” She led the way to the bedroom that Emma had set up in and Jasper jumped up onto the bed, curling up across Emma’s legs. Vic led the introductions speaking and signing simultaneously, slow enough that René and Vienna could catch the movements. “Emma, this is Vienna and René; they are trusted friends and I’ve asked them to stay with you while I find Vienna’s mom before we load up and leave with our group.”

Emma leaned down to kiss Jasper on his nose while listening to what Vic said. ~Hi. I can hear just fine`. She signed smoothly and then let her gaze drop to Jasper as she stroked his head, seeking reassurance, pushing away the larger issue, as she sought to reassure Vienna and Rene about the easier part. ~I just have a damaged vocal cord.~

Her troubled gaze returned to Vic. ~Is he here?~

~No; but the compound here is being evacuated due to the infected; as promised you can stay with me.~

Vic answered while she rummaged for a handbook before handing it to René and Vienna and signing for their benefit at a speed they could follow. “My friends are unfamiliar with ASL but I have a handbook that I found in the house for them.”

Vienna has seen her mother use sign language when talking with patients, now she wished she’d bothered to learn it herself. “It’s nice to meet you Emma.”

~Hello,~ Emma signed in return. The sign, dominant hand to forward and then outward, a sort of salute, was easier enough to understand especially when coupled with a warm smile. She mouthed the word 'hello' at the same time to reinforce the sign.

Vienna smiled warmly, taking note of the gesture that Emma made to sign hello.

~Are you sure~, Emma asked as she returned her attention to Victoire. ~I was only looking for a couple days' peace before slipping away.~

~Absolutely, with the world turning into what it quickly is… better odds together.~

René stepped forward. He placed a hand on his chest. "Mademoiselle, I am René Rouen. Pleasure and honor to meet you."

~Hello~, Emma used the same sign as before, dominant hand to forward sweeping on an angle to the side, and smiled. ~Parisian? I knew someone who was born there. ~ She switched to French sign and greeted him again. ~Bonjour Monsieur~.

Renè looked to Victoire for a translation. He was going to need to learn sign language rather quickly if he was going to understand Emma.

Smiled to Rene; walking him through the signs as she translated. “She wishes to know if you are from Paris and says that she knew someone else born there. She also greets you in French Sign.”

Renè turned back to Emma and nodded. "Oui. Yes, I am from Paris." He gestured at Emma’s hands as he shook his head. "My apologies. I am not familiar with either American or French sign language. Hopefully I can learn."

Emma nodded and let her hands fall to her lap.

“I wish I’d taken the time to learn sign from my mum now “ Vienna smiled warmly. “She’s a Nurse, so she learnt sign pretty early on to communicate better with patients.”

Emma nodded politely; she returned to the armchair by the window and picked up her sketchbook. She was working on a drawing of the house across the street with its lower windows boarded up and flickering candlelight in an upper window. And then, for dramatic effect, she drew a young boy, one of the 'dead' if you could call them that, returning to the front yard where a bicycle lay on its side.

René glanced at the drawing and gave a nod of his head. "I must say. You are quite the talented artist."

Emma looked up, surprised to see him standing there, and signed, ~Thank you~. Once upon a time, the dream had been art school but now, with the way things were, the dream seemed a long, long way off. Still, the need was there, and so she recorded what she saw, what she imagined, in the pages of her sketchbook. Every inch, both sides, of every page would be covered.

Course, what to do with it when it was completed was another matter entirely. There were questions she would have asked were there a way to communicate effectively but there wasn't. The habit of silence fell around her like a cloak and she returned to the drawing. The boy would be wearing a t-shirt, she decided, with just the hint of a cartoon character. Maybe Scooby Doo. That had been a favorite of hers once upon a time.

Vic gave Emma a moment or two to work in peace before breaking the silence “I can teach you both sign, and I am sure that Emma is happy to help as well, both of you are closer to her age than most anybody else in the group, medically speaking I think she could use some association from you guys” she chuckled slightly as she signed the same to Emma.

Vienna smiled warmly. “I’d like that, it’d be a handy skill to learn to sign.”

Emma nodded, smiling in return, in Vienna's direction. She could hear quite well but not being able to speak, to cry out, even in her sleep, was beginning for the first time in a long while to seem more of a benefit than a handicap. ~Be happy to teach you.~

René took the sign book and looked up several phrases from the book. He glanced at Vic for a moment after reviewing how to ask a few questions in sign. "Would you please translate her answers?"

Vic nodded, looking to Emma in preparation and watching her body language as well.

~Where did you grow up?~

Annoyed now, Emma slanted a glance at him and fired off a rapid response. ~For the third time, I can hear as well as you can, maybe better.~ She snapped the sketchbook closed and placed the pen on top of it, stuffing it into her backpack as she resigned herself. There was always a price, she reminded herself, for a bed or a meal. Always. ~Originally, from Houlton, near the Canadian border, but I don't remember much about it.~

“She reminds that she can hear just as well, if not better than us, though in answer to your question she says that she grew up in Houlton near the Canadian border, doesn’t remember much of it”

~How did you meet the Doctor?~ He pointed to Vic to.

Emma slanted a glance at Vic and her expression softened and then hardened again as she faced Rene. ~I know who the doctor is.~ Theirs had been an unusual meeting, none of which she wanted to share. ~We met at the hospital. Why all the questions?~

Understanding her discomfort Vic nodded to Emma. “Our meeting was rather unusual, she came in as a patient in pretty rough condition and after I got her stable and sorted out I sort of ‘adopted’ her out of care. She is curious why you have so many questions, but if I were to guess I can answer that much.” She seated herself on the edge of Emma’s bed. “René was a foreign exchange student before hell fell, and he is very bright and curious. Also he is very blunt” with her last words she looked to René smiling though her eyes betrayed that she was somewhat worried.

~Where is your family?~

~Dead. Long time ago.~ Emma regarded the young man, her expression flat and unreadable, as she waited for the next question. ~Why do you want to know?~

Vic touched Emma’s leg for a moment before translating for René. “Her parents are long dead and she wishes to know what your desire to know about them is.”

She turned to Emma and in sign alone spoke with her ~I apologize for the discomfort; I promise you that you can trust them both. They are unique and young, perhaps a little naïve but they are good. Are you okay?~

~I don't mean to be ungrateful. You gave me shelter and safety and I'm appreciate. It's just that my past isn't something I'm ready to share with the group, I guess,~ Emma signed. She dropped her gaze to her lap for a moment and when she raised her eyes again, she was calmer if a bit more guarded. ~Not a happy story. I'll tell you sometime but ... not now, alright?~

~In your time only, there is no rush… if it is too much right now they can be elsewhere in the house. Your comfort is important.~

She nodded, lapsing into silence, and wished, for about the thousandth time, that there was something (anything) that could distract her from the worn rut in which her thoughts always wandered.

Mother-in-Law apartment

Reuben had retrieved his survival knife and quickly attached it to his riggers belt. He then went to the small kitchenette and opened some of the drawers. Seeing several types of kitchen knives. He quickly selected an 8-inch-long chef's knife, a 7-inch meat cleaver knife, and he was surprised to find a 7-inch Santoku knife. In another drawer he found a roll of black and a roll of red electrical tape, and a bonus a roll of silver duct tape. He then went over to the small utility/pantry closet and looked in there. He found what he was looking for a mop handle with its mop head removed and a broom, he grabbed both and sat down on the chair, next to his still packed backpack and Kenny’s saddle bags. He made another decision and grabbed Kenny’s saddle bags, “Okay boy come here.” He quickly took off Kenny’s vest and attached the saddle bags, then replaced the vest and saddle bags on Kenny. “Here is the deal boy. I am going to have you carry the cleaver and chef's knife as back-ups.” Kenny just licked Reuben’s left hand and wagged his tail. Reuben went to work and took the 7-inch Santoku knife and both the broom handle, after her removed the broom head and the mop handle. He placed the Santoku knife between both handles and wrapped them with some of his 550 paracord. He then wrapped the paracord with the duct tape, using the tape always down to the bottom of his broom and mop handles. Next, he used the red electrical tape and repeated the same. Once he was done, he inspected his work. He then took the black electrical tape and crisscrossed around the base of the blade and top of his two handles. Everything appeared to be stable.

“Here we go boy. One improvised spear. Should provide us some extension from the infected.” With that he quickly packed away the tape he had found in Kenny’s saddle bags. The two left the Mother-in-Law apartment. Reuben ensured he locked the door. He then ensured he and Kenny avoided the upper step and when he reached the third step from the bottom, he reattached his calf high string. He then led Kenny to the house. Once at the front door, he knocked.

 

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