Lioness' Test

Participants:

lucille2_icon.gif

Scene Title Lioness' Test
Synopsis Every wild animal must learn to survive in the jungle alone.
Date November 8th, 2010

Somewhere In The City


Screams fill the air on the once quiet street. Three men can be seen running like hell away from the blazing building on fire nearby. A woman’s screams and words being yelled in Spanish as gunshots ring about. Lucille’s head pounds as she swings her head in the gun shop that she’s currently standing in. Eyes watering from the smoke as she tries to see in front of her but to no avail.

The mother, Paulina screams as she tries to drag her husband across the floor with help from their daughter, Georgina. The oldest Ryans daughter sprints towards them, blood sliding down her forehead but she wipes it away before it can enter her eyes.

Come on Ricky! Wake up! Wake up!” Paulina screams and then sinks to the floor in the gunshop, no strength left to pull her fallen husband. “Papa!” Their daughter screams and she sinks to the floor along with her mother. Lucille skids to a stop in front of the two women and they look at her with hope in their eyes.

Will she help them save the man before them?


Earlier today…

The sound of boots crunching debris and other things on the alleyway floor are the only things that Lucille hears. It’s been quiet in this part of the city so far. Seeing as the rest of it is going up in smoke. A gentle breeze caresses the former model’s face as she turns her head to look behind her. She thought she heard something but nope, just her imagination.

Dressed in a pair of dark jeans that are tucked into her black boots, along with a dark tank top, long sleeve shirt and dark brown leather jacket her Sig Sauer pistol covered by her jacket. Lucille Ryans is making her way back from Jaiden’s garage after having it out with Delia.

Not that she really wanted to leave her sister but she couldn’t wait for her.. and things are just getting more complicated between the two. Plus, her dad is already going to pissed and freaking out that Delia isn’t with them. She doesn’t want him freaking out over her either.

Mom? Why can’t you be here and shut us both the fuck up?

Pause.

Sorry about the swearing.

Even in death, Mary Ryans demands and receives respect.

It’s now late morning to early afternoon and Lucille is booking it back to Gun Hill, sticking to alleyways and empty streets so that she avoids the riots and crazy people. Her light grey eyes scan the street before and finding it empty she sprints across the way to another nearby alley. The twenty-one year old blinks as she looks behind her again. She watches as a group of men and women seem to be huddling together and moving from alley to alley as well, Lucille doesn’t call out to them. Best to stick it alone, the bigger the party then the slower she’ll be.

Fucking ridiculous. She thinks as she stops for a moment and takes a moment to rest and run a gloved hand through her short, inky black hair do. Body tense after a moment, on alert for whatever threat comes her way. If this is how her father has been living his whole life. Then she had better apologize to him and let him know how much respect she has for him. They’ll be time for that later though.. hopefully.

Lu starts off ahead again in a slow jog; she’s not pressed for time. It’s not for hours that she has to be at the boats or risk being left. Eyes ahead, not willing to let anything distract her from her destination, she weaves in and out of alleyways. Fast and quiet as she can be, not wanting to attract too much attention.

Ten minutes later, she slides to a stop as a piercing crash and then scream finds her ears. Eyebrows rising a bit, she inches forward. Back pressed against the alley wall and she peeks her head out to a horrifying scene. “Fuck.. me.” She breathes out softly and shakes her head.

Before her is a single car on the street, a minivan turned upside down. Fire spreading from somewhere in the car, smokes wafts upward by the wind into the sky. The smoke like a signal for all the crazies in the city, come here. Besides the car are two women, one at least twenty years older than the other. The younger woman having a deep red-brown hair color and hazel eyes, she tries to help the older woman pull another figure out from the burning car. A man, this must be a family.

Lucille shifts her weight from one foot to another pondering what to do, should she risk being held up indefinitely or should she be the person that her parents raised her to be and help those that need it. While Lucille goes through the moral dilemma in her head, a tiny explosion can be heard from somewhere in the car and the two women give a shriek. This solidifies Lu’s choice as she dashes out from the alley and comes to a halt in front of the mess.

Please help us!” The older woman screams upon seeing Lucille, she having long dark hair that was previously pulled into a tight bun but now, most of it is hanging at the side of her face, whipping in the wind. Lucille quickly bends down to help the women, taking an arm and pulling until he is dragged out. The man is Caucasian but there’s no doubt that he is the younger woman’s father. They look so much alike. “Thank you so much!” The younger woman says as they drag the man further from the burning car.

“Of course.” Is Lucille’s short reply before she’s checking the man’s injuries, maybe there is something she can do?

Before the young woman can really take a look at the man, a loud crash can be heard as man runs out from a nearby apartment building and centers his gaze on the three women gathered around the man. Before anyone can really react, the man is running and tackling Lucille. She being the closet to him, she gets attacked. He starts to wail on her, punching her in the stomach and trying very hard to get her in the face.

“Ah fuck!” She screams out as she tries to defend herself from the lone, crazy rioter. Her eyes close as she tries to pull her gloves off. There goes one finger..

The other two women scream and shout at the crazy man, not wanting to get to close. For fear of him turning his rage on them instead of Lucille, so the Ryans girl is left to fend for herself. Finally getting one hand free of it’s glove, she slaps it against the man’s face and everything instantly changes.

The veins in the man’s neck bulge out, as do his eyes as they grow red. She’s done this before and she knows the feeling. Her teeth bare and she pushes the man back as she stands to her feet. Hands still on his face, Lucille Ryans indeed looks different as well as feels different. Her usually light grey eyes glow golden as the veins around her eyes and the side of her face bulge out, black and scary looking. Basically a creepier version of Willow Rosenburg gone bad.

The man’s body twitches as Lucille floods his system, placing him into shock. As Lucille pushes the man to the wall and her eyes flash, as her grip strengthens around his face. A loud explosion can be heard behind Lucille and that’s all she remembers hearing as she sinks into darkness..

The faint screams of two women can be heard in the distance, but all Lucille hears is her own heartbeat. Is that her heart slowing down?


Hours later…

Awaking with a gasp, Lucille sits up and immediately grabs her head. Ow, that really hurts. The young woman hisses as she grabs her head and she looks around to see where she is through half-lidded eyes. Her head was resting on her leather jacket and she takes a moment to massage her neck. Groaning, she takes a look again at where she is.

An all-purpose/gun shop. Well, it’s the place you wanna be in a time like this.. or not.. seeing as rioters might remember where these kind of places are and decide to stock up before going crazy.

“Ah, you’re awake.” Says a voice, to which Lucille goes for her gun and points towards the voice. But it’s none other than the younger woman whose father she helped drag out of the car.

“The car exploded.. my mother and I, got dad and you over here. A few blocks away.” She looks to be about twenty and speaks with a light accent. Placing some hair behind her ear she offers Lucille some water. “I’m Georgina. My mom is Paulina and my dad is Ricardo.” She offers with a slight smile.

Lucille Ryans takes the water and takes a sip before downing it. She’s going to need some food.. and soon. “Um.. what happened to the man?” she asks with a raise of her eyebrow as she sits up fully and then after a moment’s hesitation she’s standing and rubbing the back of her head.

“Well.. after you did.. whatever it is that you were doing, the car exploded and the impact made you fly into the wall.. the guy wasn’t so lucky.” Though she doesn’t sound all that upset about it. “Come through that door, when you’re ready. We’re trying to take care of my father.” And with that Georgina walks through a door that reads Employees Only.

Putting her arms back through the arm holes of her jacket, she then discovers her gloves in the pockets. But she decides to leave them off for now. Walking around the store, Lucille takes a backpack from a nearby rack and starts to load things into it. It’s not until she comes to the gun counter and spots the 12 gauge shotgun that her eyes widen and she climbs over the counter to get it.

Her foot lands on something soft and when she looks down, she blinks and falls over onto the floor. Her face level with the foot a body, a middle aged man who apparently decided to take his own life before the riots began. On the ground a note can be seen, laying next to the man’s corpse.

With shaky fingers and tears brimming her eyes, Lucille reads the man’s last words:

Dear Whoever The Hell Is Reading this,

As you can see. I’m dead, offed myself with my favorite gun. It’s probably laying not to far from me. A real work of art that is. Anyway, I couldn’t stomach what I saw in my vision and since I’m dead I don’t mind saying, I am a pussy that didn’t want to live anymore. I mean.. who would in this world? Anyhow, the key to the guns and all that is in my pocket. I sure hope the stuff in this store does you more good then it did me. God bless you.. should I even be saying that, being that I committed sucide?

Benny

Silent sobs have Lucille’s shoulders shaking as she leans over and dry heaves on the floor. After a few more moments, she reaches without looking and rummages through the dead man’s pockets. Finding the keys to the guns and ammo. Lucille shakily gets to her feet and gets to work on getting the shotgun and a large amount of ammo. Stuffing it all in her backpack. Slinging the pack on one shoulder, her back straightens as she comes around the counter and enters the employees only room.

There she sees Paulina and Georgina wiping at Ricardo’s forehead. “Bruja.” Paulina says in slight fear as Lucille walks in, through with her bloody and torn clothes.. she does look a little scary. “Paulina.” The sharp tone of disapproval comes from Ricardo as he coughs and sits up a little to peer at Lucille. “You know that’s not what she is.” he says softly to his wife and the woman simply looks away before leaving the room.

“Sorry Lucille, mom is just freaked out.” Georgina says as she runs after her mother, leaving Lucille and Ricardo alone.

“I owe you my life.. thank you.” The man says to Lucille who is quick to shake her head. “Please, I didn’t do much sir.” She says with a dip of her head before he beckons her closer. “I might not make it, hell I probably won’t make it.” He coughs again and as Lucille kneels by his side. He takes her hand. She flinches at first, but she realizes that her ability isn’t being used.

“Georgina is special like you are. Please.. keep her safe?” He asks the young woman who nods, tears falling again onto their clasped hands. “I’m a military man, ya know? Paramedic.” He says to Lucille who perks up a bit.

“Did you know someone named Benjamin Ryans? He’s my father. Served in Nam I think”, she says to the older man but he feebly shrugs his shoulders. “I can’t really remember. But.. God bless him.” he pats Lucille’s hand and smiles softly in her direction.

“I.. I’m gonna try and take the pain away for a little bit.. okay?” Lucille says to Ricky, to which the man nods his head and closes his eyes. “Give it ya best shot, honey. Ain’t got nothing to lose.” As he says this, Lucille’s eyes close and when she reopens them her eyes are glowing the warm gold color and Ricky sighs and blinks as he looks over to Lucille. “You’re a natural kiddo.”

Lu chuckles and shakes her head. “I’m just getting lucky.” She states as she closes her eyes and holds his hands tighter. Focused on giving him relief for as long as she can. A few minutes of silence go by before a crash and the roaring of flames can be heard. She quickly releases the man’s hand and he takes in a breath as the pain, previously held back hits him full force. “I’ll.. I’ll be right back.” Lucille says and she takes her shotgun with her as she enters the store proper to find a rioter laughing and throwing Molotov cocktails all over the store.

“Stop!” Lucille yells as Georgina and Paulina quickly duck into the other room and soon remerge with their father, dragging him as fast as they can towards the exit of the store. When the man doesn’t stop, Lucille strides up to him and points the shotgun at his chest. He blinks down at the gun and then places a hand on it. Without saying a word, he prepares to light and throw another one before she pulls the trigger.

Boom

Can be heard as the front window of the store shatters and the man’s body flies through it. Lucille is thrown back a few steps and she gasps as blood flies onto her clothes and a few specks tickle her face. “Oh..” she stares in shock down at the shotgun and then she quickly pokes her head outside to see that yes, the rioter is dead.

Before Lucille can much else then stare at man that she’s just killed three men come racing towards the commotion. Baseball bats and crowbars in their hands, before they can get too close. Lucille fires another round in the air outside of the shop.

“Leave.”

Is all she says and the men take but two moments to turn into another direction. Deciding that the chick with the shotgun means business. Look at the dead guy on the pavement for proof.

Screams fill the air on the once quiet street. Three men can be seen running like hell away from the blazing building on fire nearby. A woman’s screams and words being yelled in Spanish as gunshots ring about. Lucille’s head pounds as she swings her head in the gun shop that she’s currently standing in. Eyes watering from the smoke as she tries to see in front of her but to no avail.

The mother, Paulina screams as she tries to drag her husband across the floor with help from their daughter, Georgina. The oldest Ryans daughter sprints towards them, blood sliding down her forehead but she wipes it away before it can enter her eyes.

Come on Ricky! Wake up! Wake up!” Paulina screams and then sinks to the floor in the gunshop, no strength left to pull her fallen husband. “Papa!” Their daughter screams and she sinks to the floor along with her mother. Lucille skids to a stop in front of the two women and they look at her with hope in their eyes.

Will she help them save the man before them?

As she bends to help them pick him up, Ricardo stops them with a raised hand. “I’m.. slipping.” He says, screams from his wife following. “I remember when the soldiers on the field were slipping they said they were seeing a bright light.. well.. I see mine.” The older man says and his eyes become unfocused.

“Take care of them.” He says, eyeing Lucille before reaching a hand up to say his goodbyes to his family. Lucille quickly stands as she charges into the next room to grab the backpack full of stuff she’s taken from the store.

As she enters the store again, Paulina is being led out the store. Sobbing, by her daughter whose eyes brim with tears but she keeps her shoulders back as she tries to stay strong for her mother.

Lucille kneels once again to place a hand on Ricardo’s head. “Goodbye.” She says and before he can say another word, she knocks him out. Luckily since he’s tired when she removes her hand, he stays asleep. The fire rages around her and she quickly leaves the store through the front window and over the body of the dead rioter.

As black smokes rises into the air and an explosion that rocks the whole neighborhood takes place, three dark figures could be seen making their way into a nearby alley. The one with a shotgun looking briefly over her shoulder as she leads the two grieving women to safety..


Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License