(no subject)

[thisismyboomstick]

[after this]

It's a short trip, relatively speaking, from the front door of Milliways to the nearly empty S-Mart parking lot, but it feels like it should be a lot longer.

He lets go of Sheila's hand and gives her an apprehensive look.

Comments

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"You look kind of worried," Sheila says quietly, most of her concentration taken up by OMG PARKING LOT. Because, it's concrete, and that's new ... and stuff.

And also cars that aren't Deathcoasters.

And shopping carts.

And modern Michigan in general.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He shakes his head, more to get rid of the nervousness than to indicate a response.

"So whaddya think?"

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Big," Sheila observes with fantastic skill. "Very, very big. And ... lacking in a lot of grass and dust that should be here. Oh, is that yours?"

She is under the impression, of course, that there is only one Oldsmobile in the world of a tan shade.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Nah, it belongs to someone else who works here."

He watches her as she takes everything in.

[nepheliad.livejournal.com]

*not Rue's OOC journal! an NPC! have icon!*

"Yeah," says a nearby voice, "it's mine. Who's the girl, Ash?"

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Hey Fox. Didn't know you were workin' tonight."

He takes Sheila's arm and pulls her towards him.

"This is Sheila."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"... hi," says Sheila weakly, trying to smile more successfully than she actually is. "Good friend of yours, Ash?"

[nepheliad.livejournal.com]

"Hello. Sheila, Sheila, Sheila Sheila."

Fox blinks at Ash.

And then says something tactless.

"Never heard of her. "

Wasn't her name something else last week?

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"She's an old friend in more ways than one. We just got back together."

He gives Sheila a look that somehow manages to blend sympathy and annoyance.

"Him? He's more like a permanent pain in my ass."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

Sheila doesn't mean to be old. She doesn't look old, at least! And isn't insulted. Yet.

"Is he? That's a shame, you seem to get along."

She's also trying not to laugh.

[nepheliad.livejournal.com]

"You know, Sheila, I kind of thought we did too."

Fox sighs.

"Your Ash will need to be careful, the stuff I could tell--wait." He eyes his compatriot in Housewares curiously. "You. Committed relationship. What? You're eating Flint-processed hamburgers again, aren't you."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He rolls his eyes.

"Hey, weirder things have happened. And I should know."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"What's a hamburger?" asks Sheila. "And how can a piece of stone process anything?"

[nepheliad.livejournal.com]

"But seriously, Ash, what about--"

Luckily for Ash, Fox can't finish that statement, since he's busy laughing at Sheila's questions.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

Wordlessly, he reaches over and whacks him on the head, giving Sheila an apologetic 'I'll explain later' look.

[nepheliad.livejournal.com]

"OW shit that was so uncalled for."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Ash, did he really deserve ..."

Feel free to tell her 'yes.'

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

He shakes his head, this time in frustration.

"Just... she's new around here. Don't be an asshole."

His glare adds an unspoken 'or else.'

There's a hissing, howling sort of noise coming from somewhere not too far away, but for the moment, it's too faint to be heard.

[nepheliad.livejournal.com]

"Been keeping her in the dark about your social life? Isn't very nice -- oh, okay, I'll let up, I promise. Where'd you meet, anyhow?"

And then Fox laughs.

"Why would you want to bring your gorgeous new girlfriend to Dearborn, I don't know ..."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

Oh look, there's another whack on the head. At least this one isn't meant all that seriously.

"She wanted to see the place. God knows why I'd wanna introduce her to you..."

[nepheliad.livejournal.com]

"I bet you wouldn't! But I introduced me to her, because she asked about my car."

Fox grins, and then mutters under his breath, "Ariadne isn't going to be too happy about this."

Yes, the one at the keys had to use that name.

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

Sheila just stares. Men. And hitting each other. Sigh.

"Ash," she finally cuts in tentatively, not hearing the other man's muttering, "whatever 'no loitering' means, we're not doing that, are we?"

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"... Actually, we might be. You wanna go inside?"

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Sure," says Sheila, still clueless to what Fox -- who is following after them -- is muttering about.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

The store's fluorescent lights cast a strange glow on the trio as they enter, Ash taking hold of Sheila's hand again.

The noises are growing closer...

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

The immensely plucky soul that is Fox queries with the same talent for language Ash has, "Dude, what is that?"

"I don't hear anything," answers Sheila, although she does squeeze the hand in hers. "Did you?"

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I did."

He hears it again, the faint but growing hissing scrape of a noise.

"I can't tell what it is, though."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"It sounds like fingernails on slate, sort of ... sort of."

They don't have chalkboards in the 14th century.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"That's-"

He's interrupted by the appearance of a large, shreiking, evil-looking winged creature.

"Oh fuck. Get down!"

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

Oblivious to Fox's cries of "The hell, Housewares, not again!" Sheila obliges.

And, quietly, from the floor, "Now what?"

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Find something big and heavy to hide behind, I'll deal with it."

He grabs for the nearest weapon-like object he can find, which happens to be a baseball bat.

"Same shit, different day..."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Ash, why can't I--"

Sheila's tugged behind the 20% off refrigerators by Fox before she can finish her sentence.

"Let me help him," she protests, but doesn't manage to yet escape the grasp of the protective friend over the girlfriend.

(The other shoppers are all running straight for the door.)

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

And then the beast dives. Ash manages manages a direct hit on its head with the bat, but not before its claws graze his shoulder. He winces as the Deadite gathers itself for another attack.

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

Except that it's hit over the head by the collaborative effort of Sheila, Fox, two random shoppers, and ...

... one of those bags of ice they sell in stores.

Three of them, actually.

"Did it work?" someone calls nervously to the backdrop of other people screaming, and Sheila catching up to Ash's side.

"You're bleeding. Let someone else--"

(Arthur said never get in the way of what one is destined to have to do)

She stops there.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"I'm okay, just stay outta the way."

He gives her a Significant Look.

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Ash. No. Curse it, Ash --"

Advice is fighting with instinct.

Fox yanks Sheila out of the way again just as the Deadite stands up and flings the ice in their general direction.

"That," it says without any real thought, "was not very nice."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, well... neither's trying to rip my head off."

He swipes at it with the bat, but thanks to his injury, there isn't much power behind the hit.

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"You're difficult."

It ducks, slashing its scary-pointy-claws out at Ash on one hand, and over toward Fox and Sheila with the other.

The look on most of the shoppers faces' are something like 'oh shit' now.

Sheila ducks under Fox's arm, letting out a shriek similar to her shrieking at Evil Ash -- and Fox is just not sure what he's doing anymore.

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

With one last desperate swing, he sends the creature sprawling backwards, its wing torn.

"Fucking bastard."

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"Shit man," says Fox at last, after all of the shoppers have definitely run away, "this stuff follows you everywhere, doesn't it?"

As an afterthought, he adds, "And now we've got a big partially dead already dead thing on the floor, everyone's ran outside and your girlfriend's bleeding all over a new white fridge. Never gonna sell now."

Sheila is 90% unconscious. The 10% that is awake is trying very hard to stay that way.

"Let's go back to Milliways."

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

Ash mutters something incoherent as he makes sure the Deadite is really completely dead.

"Someone oughta give the janitors a raise."

Tossing the splintered remains of the bat away, he turns to Sheila.

"Shit. Can you hear me, baby?"

[horseblanket.livejournal.com]

"In one ear," answers Sheila.

"Probably the one that's not bleeding," contributes Fox helpfully. "I'll leave a note for the janitors, 'kay?"

[ash--evildead.livejournal.com]

"Better than nothing. Hang on, we'll get someone to fix you up."

He picks her up carefully, heedless of the sharp pain in his shoulder, and nods to Fox.

"Thanks, man."