Uptown Salon

A hair salon thats next to Dinkman's Big and Tall on Park Street.

__________________

Edgar Holden wrote:

Carrie Taylor wrote:Carrie was rummaging through the store mostly, looking at some of the custom orders listed in a Rolodex, when Ed returned. She glanced up and cocked an eyebrow with a clever grin on her face. "Pff, yeah. My older brothers would absolutely be a fan of you. You got that Wild West thing going on and everything. Hair included--however honey, its gotta be trimmed. Don't need to look like Chewy out there." She chuckled, before tapping on the wall behind her. "There's a salon this way I can spruce you up a little, but fair warning I'm not the best." She then rubbed her chin. "Weapons... either the Mall, which is way too damn far from here, or we could drop by Kendo's, see if the old bastard and his brother has any firearms left." She explained. "Other than that, there are a few odds and ends stores around here. Few antique shops, some with firearms inside them, even fucking swords!" She chuckled.

Ed's eyebrow raised a little, an effect lost under the hat. "Wasn't intentional" he replied.

When Carrie then suggested she cut his hair and beard shaved. he simply nodded. "Weapons and supplies are a priority. They'll become vital for survivors of this plague very soon... Food, Medicine, Clean clothes, Weapons and ammunition. The essentials. At least until we can find a way to get them out... What a goddamn mess..." Ed said as he buttoned up the cuffs on his coat sleeves, before throwing out a random series of jabs to test the materials of the coat for wear, and of course to check his growing familiarity with his limbs.

"Ok Carrie, Please lead the way" Ed said finally, tipping his hat to her with a grin disguised by the shadow of the hat and his black beard.

"Not a bad thing," she chuckled. "We have that all over Raccoon, you don't have to look too hard for them." She says, before turning her eyes to the door. "Yeah, its just next door." She says, curtsying his tip of the hat. She heads out of the building first, sweeping the street with her pistol till they enter the doorway of the building next door. Funny this one was unlocked, but she could see why. There was a few dead bodies inside, and one shambling corpse. "I got it," She says, holstering her gun, walking into the room slowly, grabbing the creature's attention. As it got within grabbing distance she slapped her hands out gripping the undead woman by her ears, and in a swift motion, snapped the creature's neck with a dry SNAP! She let the clammy feeling creature crumple to the floor, and she sighed. "I rather just shoot them. But the snap... sometimes hard to deny." She chuckled darkly, before turning to him. "These ones may be 'sleeping'. Might as well bloody your boots a little." She says, folding her arms and waited for him to follow suit.

Carrie Taylor wrote:"Not a bad thing," she chuckled. "We have that all over Raccoon, you don't have to look too hard for them." She says, before turning her eyes to the door. "Yeah, its just next door." She says, curtsying his tip of the hat. She heads out of the building first, sweeping the street with her pistol till they enter the doorway of the building next door. Funny this one was unlocked, but she could see why. There was a few dead bodies inside, and one shambling corpse. "I got it," She says, holstering her gun, walking into the room slowly, grabbing the creature's attention. As it got within grabbing distance she slapped her hands out gripping the undead woman by her ears, and in a swift motion, snapped the creature's neck with a dry SNAP! She let the clammy feeling creature crumple to the floor, and she sighed. "I rather just shoot them. But the snap... sometimes hard to deny." She chuckled darkly, before turning to him. "These ones may be 'sleeping'. Might as well bloody your boots a little." She says, folding her arms and waited for him to follow suit.

Ed watched as Carrie snapped the neck of the first infected like a matchstick, and in his mind he wondered if she was not enhanced. She mentioned that the other bodies might also be infected playing possum, and nodded. Wasting no time, Ed flicked one corpse over to test a reaction, before driving his heel through the forehead of the dead body. The crunch and splat was accompanied by a spray of blood, bone and brain matter shooting several meters across the floor.

The other body began to stir in response as it slowly tried to sit up, however, the large man's foot stomped down onto it's chest, pinning it there, before Ed raised his other boot, and ended the zombie's thrashing permanently with a second head exploding stomp.

"Hmm, I would have gotten paid to do this at a French Winery I think." Ed half joked about busting zombie heads like overripe grapes. He wiped his boots off on the last corpse's clothes like a floormat, before he removed his cap and coat, placing them on the coathanger by the door, before he sat down in the barber's chair. His large size and heavy frame rocked the chair a little, and he wondered if he was too tall for Carrie to even reach comfortably, even in this adjustable chair.

She chuckled at his stab about French Winery, when she chimed up. "Hey, you remember the French...! How unfortunate." She chuckled, before she tugged away the corpses. She checked the pockets of two of the infected, turning up with a set of keys. "Hmm somebody owned a car. Could be a speedy exit." She says, before turning to Ed who got ready. Granted, she was tall too, standing at about 5'10 herself. "Alrighty, lets see what we have here..." She says, inspecting his appearance. She took a nearby pair of scissors and a comb. "I saw your reaction a minute ago," she confided, pulling at the knots in his long hair with the comb. "I was once a military woman, I don't look it, but I was. Special Forces even, hence the tat." She says pointing to her bicep in the mirror to him. "I know, women aren't allowed in the special forces, but I was given a bit of a chance. And I did a few missions. I've had experience... killing before. Its not new to me." She admits, as she continued to comb out his knots. "Feel free to ask me anything while I do this." She says, having no issue with his seated height.

Carrie Taylor wrote:She chuckled at his stab about French Winery, when she chimed up. "Hey, you remember the French...! How unfortunate." She chuckled, before she tugged away the corpses. She checked the pockets of two of the infected, turning up with a set of keys. "Hmm somebody owned a car. Could be a speedy exit." She says, before turning to Ed who got ready. Granted, she was tall too, standing at about 5'10 herself. "Alrighty, lets see what we have here..." She says, inspecting his appearance. She took a nearby pair of scissors and a comb. "I saw your reaction a minute ago," she confided, pulling at the knots in his long hair with the comb. "I was once a military woman, I don't look it, but I was. Special Forces even, hence the tat." She says pointing to her bicep in the mirror to him. "I know, women aren't allowed in the special forces, but I was given a bit of a chance. And I did a few missions. I've had experience... killing before. Its not new to me." She admits, as she continued to comb out his knots. "Feel free to ask me anything while I do this." She says, having no issue with his seated height.

"I remember parts of the world... But specifics still elude me. Before, when I asked what an Illinois. At the time, I had no idea what that was... But... I remember now, it had something to do with a big city called Chicago."

After he said this, he listened to Carrie as she brushed the tangles and knots out of his lions mane of hair. When she mentioned the car keys, Ed looked skeptical. "Judging from the vehicular wrecks out on the streets, I don't know if the roads will be clear enough. Still, perhaps with a little bodywork, a vehicle could prove very useful."

Carrie then went on to explain her combat prowess and her training. Ed smiled - she didn't need to explain or justify herself to him or anyone else as far as he was concerned. "Old world nonsense that is. If a woman is capable of doing the job, then it all comes down to the best person for the job as far as I see." he answered. Then his eyes widened, and his minds eye travelled back. Back to a time he could not remember.



'You were always there for us, you helped us prepare for war, gave us a chance to win. You showed us the power of human potential, but more than that, you showed us a way to live. That we didn't have to fight for causes we didn't believe in. That we wern't tools of politicians, governments and rulers. And that the world must not be broken by the whims of those with power.'

'Joy, You are now the full commander of the COBRA Unit. Lead them well. To all of you, Follow your heart's true desire, always be true to yourselves, eachother, and the mission. Do that, and you'll have made this old man proud.'

'SIR!'

Ed's hands gripped the arm rests in a vicelike clasm, slowly bending the stainless steel beneath the leather.

"Chicago ain't too far from here... if you were by train at least." She says, before chuckling at his compliment. "You sound like my father, he thought the same. He was a soldier... too, I guess. He fought a lot, didn't want to stop fighting, he saw the world in its rawest form." She bowed her head inwardly.



"He lost faith in religion, world leaders, and society for the most part. I suppose he didn't want to face change, friends becoming enemies, people dying over centuries old squabbles. He couldn't help but get involved though, he was a sucker for the underdog, and didn't like to see a bully picking on a smaller faction, I guess." She continued, talking a great deal about her father, clipping Ed's hair as she did so. "But before that, he was a scholar. He was an anchor for us, my siblings and I, I mean..." She says with a half smile. "Taught us everything from roughing it on our own, to even chemistry, math, history... yeah, some kids complain about being home schooled, try doing that in a mosquito infested swamp, let alone other wildlife that could poison or eat ya." She chuckled, before she figured she'd said enough about him.

She then blinked, noting Ed's hands. "Hey... Ed? You okay? You're showing off your superman skills again.." she warned him, half teasingly, but with more worry than humour in her tone.

Carrie Taylor wrote:"Chicago ain't too far from here... if you were by train at least." She says, before chuckling at his compliment. "You sound like my father, he thought the same. He was a soldier... too, I guess. He fought a lot, didn't want to stop fighting, he saw the world in its rawest form." She bowed her head inwardly.



"He lost faith in religion, world leaders, and society for the most part. I suppose he didn't want to face change, friends becoming enemies, people dying over centuries old squabbles. He couldn't help but get involved though, he was a sucker for the underdog, and didn't like to see a bully picking on a smaller faction, I guess." She continued, talking a great deal about her father, clipping Ed's hair as she did so. "But before that, he was a scholar. He was an anchor for us, my siblings and I, I mean..." She says with a half smile. "Taught us everything from roughing it on our own, to even chemistry, math, history... yeah, some kids complain about being home schooled, try doing that in a mosquito infested swamp, let alone other wildlife that could poison or eat ya." She chuckled, before she figured she'd said enough about him.

She then blinked, noting Ed's hands. "Hey... Ed? You okay? You're showing off your superman skills again.." she warned him, half teasingly, but with more worry than humour in her tone.

Ed's hands didn't immediately relax, it was slow, and as he did, he closed his eyes, and tried to grip the memory as much as he could. "Your words... Triggered a memory" he said. "A remnant of a time long past. A memory I should not have..." he explained, and a tear escaped his eye. 'This memory could not be real. It was from a time long before World War Two... And yet... It was MY voice! I know this woman. But if that is true... Why am i still alive? Why am I still so young? I'd be nearly 80 years old, and yet, I look no older than 25... What happened to me?' When his mind became less of a maelstrom, he focused on Carrie's words, as she described her childhood, and growing with her siblings under their father's guidance.

"Do you remember your mother?" Ed suddenly asked. noticing that Carrie did not mention her.

"Oh... I suppose it wasn't a good one then? Sorry." She apologized, snipping more hairs away. When he brought up her mother she paused. "...Gonna tilt your head down for a moment." She says, doing so, ignoring his question for a moment. She wanted to avoid the topic, as it was one she truly did not have much to speak of. But she supposed she could oblige him. "She died giving birth to me." She said after several minutes of silence. "Never met her. Dad got very sad when we ever brought it up, and my older brothers were too young to really remember her. From what I was told, she had black hair like my brother and I. I think she was Romanian or something. As you can guess, my father was something of a survivalist. However, the jungle is a bad place to give birth to a pair of twins. I suppose, its why he smiled when the jungle claimed him years later. We fell into a... bigger family I guess you can say after our Dad died. We learned some interesting values from that extended family. Everyone is equal, blood is blood." she says with some fondness in her voice.

Carrie Taylor wrote:"Oh... I suppose it wasn't a good one then? Sorry." She apologized, snipping more hairs away. When he brought up her mother she paused. "...Gonna tilt your head down for a moment." She says, doing so, ignoring his question for a moment. She wanted to avoid the topic, as it was one she truly did not have much to speak of. But she supposed she could oblige him. "She died giving birth to me." She said after several minutes of silence. "Never met her. Dad got very sad when we ever brought it up, and my older brothers were too young to really remember her. From what I was told, she had black hair like my brother and I. I think she was Romanian or something. As you can guess, my father was something of a survivalist. However, the jungle is a bad place to give birth to a pair of twins. I suppose, its why he smiled when the jungle claimed him years later. We fell into a... bigger family I guess you can say after our Dad died. We learned some interesting values from that extended family. Everyone is equal, blood is blood." she says with some fondness in her voice.

Ed tilted his head forward for Carrie as she explained her story, Ed noticed that she had a difficult time remembering her, as she said, her mother died in childbirth. A frown creased his features and crinkled his beard. "All things must die in the end I suppose... It all depends on how and when."

His eyes then shifted towards the window, and the various infected milling about the streets. "We all wish that things like this had not happened... A passed loved one, or the tragedy that has befallen tonight... So do I, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

She continued to snip as he spoke. "Some people... just need killing." she said softly, as she pulled his head up and began to trim his beard. "Well, aside from getting out of this shop soon, I don't know what to do. The city's in turmoil no matter which direction you head to. But I suppose all we can do now is look for survivors and hunker down and come up with a plan..." Carrie suggested. "Almost finished."

Carrie Taylor wrote:She continued to snip as he spoke. "Some people... just need killing." she said softly, as she pulled his head up and began to trim his beard. "Well, aside from getting out of this shop soon, I don't know what to do. The city's in turmoil no matter which direction you head to. But I suppose all we can do now is look for survivors and hunker down and come up with a plan..." Carrie suggested. "Almost finished."

"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. But, do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement - That kind of responsibility is not ours to determine... To take such a job onto yourself means you have to live, and die, with the weight of the blood you spill on your own hands" Ed explained. "It's a cursed weight I would wish on nobody..." he finished, his voice lowering several octaves.

"It haunts you... You never forget the names, and the faces, of those condemned by your sword..."

Edgar sat there a few more minutes until Carrie finished cutting his beard. He rubbed the stubble of his chin, splashing on some aftershave there as he did. "I thank you for your assistance there Carrie" Ed complemented as he shook off the clippings of hair from his shoulders, brushing them off.

Carrie closed the scissors and smiled back at him through the mirror. "It was nothing." She says setting the blades down, and helped brush him free of hair clippings. "I suppose we should get you a proper weapon, I'd use your odd sense of strength only when you're by yourself or only in extreme circumstances. You don't want someone to blow half your ass away with a high powered rifle now." She chuckled, before helping him up.

Ed nodded and smiled again, even as he picked up his coat, he thought for a moment.

"Hm" he let out a noise of thought as he picked up several sets of scissors, as well as some hairclips, safety pins, and some of the older style straight razors. "Any improvised weapon can have a use, even when they seem as mundane as this. They'll do for now, until we find something more suitable." he said as he secured them in the pockets of his cargo pants.

Then he walked out the door, back onto the street, placing his hat on as he did so.

(Continued here)