The Lonely Road

Ben Finch/Former CDC worker

[lorenzosorrentino-blog]

“And there you have it. Don’t worry about it too much, pal. These days most people are too exhausted to even function.”

[ben--finch-blog]

“Can’t say I don’t feel a little silly now though.”

[washedoutx]

Casey simply waved his hand at the others comments and shrugged, taking a few steps closer, “You have every right to be jumpy.” He said with a chuckle. Hearing the others statement, he huffed and carded his fingers through his hair, “Yeah, kind of. My dog is somewhere in these woods…” He sighed, “He’ll find his way back to me. Just…kind of worried.” Casey admitted, “So I wanted to find him.”

[ben--finch-blog]

"Sorry to hear that. You want me to help look for him?" Ben asked, figuring it was the least he could do. He would have hated to lose a pet in a time like this. "I don't mind."

[lorenzosorrentino-blog]

“Did you consider the possibility of falling asleep with it already there?”

[ben--finch-blog]

"I think I would re--Oh. I did have that pudding before bed. You would think I would recall leaving a spoon in my mouth before I fell asleep though."

[todiealittledeath]

Despite his weariness towards men, Thomas looked to the man with slight interest. “What did you test?”

[ben--finch-blog]

"A cure for this plague we got ourselves stuck with. We were close. Otherwise we tested for vacines for other things. I was part of the Center For Disease Control."

[aimeelancaster-blog]

“Yeah, well, neither am I.” Her tone was slightly annoyed. She’d hoped that a man like him had hunting skills and she’d be able to get her hands on some meat without doing the dirty work herself. “What canned goods do you have?”

[ben--finch-blog]

"Well, I have a lot of different beans. Uhm, some corn. Nothing spectacular."

[lorenzosorrentino-blog]

“Do you er – need some help there?”

[ben--finch-blog]

"Someone tried to kill me with a piece of kitchenware. People are getting really desparate."

[jodie-franklin]

Jodie looked down at the floor not having the heart to meet the male’s gaze. Clearing her throat, she tried to get his attention. “Erm, I… erm, well … you see… I’ve, erm, kinda given up with science. I-I don’t really like to talk about it anymore. So you could probably keep the files for yourself and find someone to go through it with you.” She tried to explain.

[ben--finch-blog]

"What? No. Why?" Ben frowned, not understand why she would give it all up like that. They had been so close and maybe they still had a chance if they just tried. "You were one of the best, Jodie. What's going on?"

[ebonyfawn-deactivated20160208]

“Seems like the world was full of bad luck to begin with.” She sighed, looking up at him. “Was their even a possibility of a cure though?” She questioned, curiously. “I was okay, it kept my mind busy any way.”

[ben--finch-blog]

"I'd like to think we were close. We were working really hard, but the outbreak took over. We started losing team members and it reached a point where there wasn't anything else that could be done. Sad really. I would have kept trying."

[todiealittledeath]

“You got paid for chocking someone? Nice.”

[ben--finch-blog]

"Sort of. We tested on rats, and sometimes things happened that didn't always go as plan. So not people persay, but the rats led to human trials. We only had a couple fatalities but those were kept out of the paper for obvious reasons."

[maddie-jenks-blog]

“Wow uh, yeah.. so. Ahem” Maddie coughed awkwardly and shook her head as if to clear it, a small smile formed on her face. “That was… what was that exactly? I mean I know what it was.” She rambled trying to form a complete sentence.

[ben--finch-blog]

"Would it help if I said I thought you were pretty? Though that was awfully forward of me. I apologize. Apparently being on my own, I lost a good majority of my manners."

[ebonyfawn-deactivated20160208]

She raised her brows, taking a minute to catch her breath. “So you were a nerd?” She teased, shaking her head. “I’m totally kidding; I don’t think I was quite bright enough to understand computers all that much.” She laughed, shaking her head. “Volleyball, and rugby, I used to do a lot of running though.”

[ben--finch-blog]

"I worked for the Center For Disease Control actually. We were working on a cure before we became overwhelmed. It's unfortunate." Ben nodded, knowing the sports but never have played them himself. Maybe basketball once. "You must have been good at them then."

[todiealittledeath]

Thomas just stared at the man for a few moments; yes, he did know that. Finally, he grinned. “You put that fact to the test or did you read it off the internet?”

[ben--finch-blog]

"I had no choice but to test it once. That was for work though."

[eliasgeiszler-blog]

“Don’t come too close or I’ll puke. That’s gross. Fuck.”

[ben--finch-blog]

"If I were you I would avoid the bloated ones. I suppose I didn't think that through."

[pandorawiley]

“not anymore there isn’t - i mean, i’m pretty damn entertained.”

[ben--finch-blog]

"Well, funs over. Let's not repeat it."

[aimeelancaster-blog]

“And what exactly did you want to bargain?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.

[ben--finch-blog]

"Perferably food items. I have a few good cans left, and the peanutbutter. I'm not the best hunter you see, so I stick to the grocery shop type of things."

[todiealittledeath]

“I don’t know. I’ve never choked before. I was kind of hoping you could tell me.”

[ben--finch-blog]

"Did you know the brain starts to die without oxygen after four to six minutes? After that irreversible brain damage happens within ten."

[ebonyfawn-deactivated20160208]

An amused expression spread across Ebony’s face. Not only was she not used to compliments; but from somebody she deemed attractive was a bonus. However, running had managed to get her side tracked. She let out a laugh; turning her head slightly to see him running behind her. “I was always the fastest at school; won every school sports day.” She laughed, stopping to catch her breath. “You’re pretty fast too, you almost caught me.”

[ben--finch-blog]

"I never played any sports," Ben explained, coming to a halt and taking a moment to breathe again. "I always had my nose in a book or I was on a computer. I wasn't a big fan of athletics. What sports did you play?"