Murdoc is sitting quietly in the passenger seat of the Winnie, humming to himself while torturing his home made 2D voodoo doll. He takes a drawing pin between his taloned fingers, and rolls it slowly, while thinking about where to place it in the doll. He lifts his eyes for a moment, and gazes out the windscreen, to the car park, still rolling the pin back and forth. Finally making his decision, he looks back down at the doll in his other hand, and jabs the pin hard into it's forehead. A satisfied smile creeps up the corners of the Bassists mouth, and he reaches for another pin.
After a while, and having run out of pins to jab into the unfortunate doll. Boredom has set in and the old man is now quietly puffing on a cigarette. Taking a final drag, he butts it out in the overfull ashtray near him, and taking the doll with him, stands up and walks over to one of the cabinets above the sink. Elbowing the zombie lady aside, he opens the cabinet door directly above them, and tosses the voodoo doll far into the back of the compartment. From the corner of his eye, he watches the zombie lady shaking beside him, looking anxiously down at her own doll in the sink, then back back up to the doll he'd just thrown into the cabinet above them. The old man sneers at her nervousness, his top lip curling back over his shark-like teeth, and he shuts the door again. Stepping back a little from the sink he watches as she nervously wrings her gloved hands, now rapidly looking from him to her precious doll.
"Yeah, you better watch yourself. Or I just might make your stupid doll my next victim. Ya got me"? He snarls cruelly at her. She wrings her hands even tighter, and gives him a short series of quaking nods. Then quickly reaching out to the sink, snatches her doll from the water and cradles it close to her chest. Waving the frightened zombie off, he looks down the aisle to the Winnies side door, just as his stomach begins to growl loudly with hunger. He pats it reassuringly and begins to wonder whether he should just drown it with more booze, or head off to the kitchen and see if Russel had bothered to leave anyone else some food? After a moments thought, he finally decides to go on a food hunt instead. Thinking maybe he'd bump into 2D on the way, and see if his 'Voodoo magic' had done it's job.
Casually striding to the door, and in no great hurry, his stomach protests loudly again, as he opens the Winnie door. He steps down into the car park and shuts the door behind him, before reaching down and comforting his stomach again. Frowning a little at it's impatience.
"Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time". He growls softly at it, turning and stepping towards the corridor door. He pulls open the door and steps inside, just as the over head light flickers and threatens to go out for a second, making the Bassist look over and up at it. 'This place.... is falling apart'. He thinks to himself as he walks through the dank hallway towards the bulb, which was now flickering with a strange yellowish glow. Finally standing underneath it, he reaches up to give it a few taps with one of his long talons, to see if that was all it needed to get it working properly. But just as his hand is close enough for him to tap the bulb, it brightens immensely, fizzles a little, then with a sharp pop. Goes out, leaving the Bassist standing in total darkness.
"Ah nads!"! he snaps. Turning around and guided only by the crack of dirty light filtering it's way under the car park door, he fumbles his way down the corridor, trying to get back to his wagon. He remembers on one of his drunken searches for Absinthe, he'd seen a light bulb in there. Not sure if it was blown itself, he decides to look for it again anyway.
2D almost falls through the corridor door, after having fumbled his way through the dark, trying to get back to the car park and his room. He wipes his hands down the front of his jeans, and looks up just in time to see a cushion shoot out of the Winnie, and sail through the air past him. He watches it bounce across the floor and tumble to a stop, beside some beer barrels next to the pillar near his room. Looking back at the Winnie, 2D can see Murdocs scattered belongings strewn across the car park floor, and carefully tiptoes between them. Curiously he peeks in through the door and sees the zombie lady sitting on the bench seat, clutching her doll and rocking back and forth, sobbing because she knows she's going to be the one who has to clean up all the mess Murdoc is making.
"Fuck it! I know it's round here somewhere"? The Bassist growls, tearing out one of his bedside drawers and upending it onto the floor. A light bulb rolls out from the pile and comes to a rest by his knee. "Ahhh, gotcha"! He grins with glee, snatching it up with his taloned fingers. 2D suddenly remembers what it was he wanted to tell the old man, and points back to the corridor.
"The light in the corridors gone, Muds". he says, turning in the direction he's pointing. Murdoc snatches his head around and looks back in the direction the voice is coming from. But not being able to see past the toilet wall to the door, he stands up. Kicking random bits of paperwork, and miscellaneous objects out of his way.
"I know that Dullard. Whacha think I'm doin' here? Spring cleaning?" he snaps as 2D comes into view. The Keyboardist stops pointing and turns back to the old man, thinking. Then looks all around him and inside the wagon at the mess the Bassist has made.
"I dunno? But ya Winnie was sort'a cleaner before Muds. So I don' fink you did a good job.... I f'ought that zombie lady woz ya maid anyway."? He replies, pointing at the still trembling creature on the bench seat. Murdoc looks down at 2Ds blue head, and moans softly in frustration, wondering why he bothers to say anything at all. He steps forwards and kicks out at him, scooting him back and out of the doorway.
"G'on git you"! He snaps, as 2D quickly jerks back from the booted mans feet, finally positioning himself a good distance from the door. Reaching for the torch he'd found early in his light bulb hunt, and placed on the table for safe keeping, the old man picks it up and jumps down from the wagon.
"My head hurts". 2D moans, looking down at the floor, while rubbing the back of his his head. Murdoc looks back at the Winnie and remembers what he'd been thinking about going to the kitchen in the first place. He smiles and brushes past the young man, thinking how easier 2D had made it by coming to him directly instead.
"And I'm s'pose to care? Shuddup and take a pill, ya moron". he snarls with a smile, opening the corridor door. 2D sighs and shoves his hands deeply into the pockets of his jeans, leaning back up against the wall outside the corridor, as Murdoc walks inside. Flicking on the torch he walks over to the faulty globe, tucking it's replacement into the front pocket of his trousers, for safe keeping while he removes the old one. He places the end of the torch between his teeth and carefully reaches up to the globe with one hand, while holding onto it's shade with the other, manoeuvring the torch in his mouth so he can see what he's doing. The globe comes free and Murdoc takes the torch from his mouth again, shining it onto the components, so he can check it's truly blown. Seeing that it has, he takes the one from his pocket and replaces it. With a satisfied grunt, he walks back to the switch and flicks it to the on position. But nothing happens.
"Hmmm? That's not right"? he mumbles, flicking the switch rapidly on and off a few times more. "Should of come on on there..."? He adds, his voice fading off in confusion.
In the meantime, 2D has wandered off and gone back to his room for a lie down. Slightly annoyed at his persistent migraines, and Murdocs habit of making it out to bee all his fault for having them in the first place.
"Maybe if you hadn' of bounced a car off me bonce...."? He mumbles sarcastically to himself into his pillow.
"I wonder if it's a problem with the switch"? Murdoc says to himself as he marches to 2Ds door, studying the light bulb in his hand. He stops short of the door and shrugs, tossing the burned out bulb over his shoulder as he gives the Keyboardists door a few swift kicks.
"Wot"! 2D snaps at the door, barely lifting his head from the pillow. Murdoc looks sharply up at the door in front of him and grits his teeth hard. Bracing himself, he lifts his foot and with all his might thrusts it forwards again, breaking the latch. The door slams open, sending splinters of wood flying in all directions. 2D instantly slides off the bed, putting it between him and the angry Bassist standing in the doorway, gripping the shattered door frame tightly in his fingers.
"Did you just snap at me"? Murdoc demands, stepping into the room, clenching his fists. 2D rapidly shakes his head, wringing his hands and searching the fog in his mind for an excuse.
"No. I was just shoutin' so you'd hear me through the door Muds". he says suddenly, then drops his gaze to the floor, a little startled at just how plausible that sounded. Either way Murdoc accepts it and stands up a little straighter, his angry mask melting away as the old man considers it.
"Oh. Fair enough then. Now gitcher arse out here, and help me fix this damned thing". He replies, crooking his finger at the young man, and walking out the door again. "And bring a screwdriver"! he adds, heading back to the dark corridor. 2D silently mouths the word 'Screwdriver'? As he searches under his bed. After about ten minutes, he eventually comes across one he'd borrowed from Russel and failed to return, and walks out to the Winnie with it.
The zombie lady has made a bit of progress with the cleaning, and most of the carnage on the floor has now been put away again. She looks over at the blue head in the doorway, but doesn't really pay it much mind, as she once again returns the books in her hands to one of the over head compartments. 2D searches as much as he can from where he is, but can't see the old man. So he steps up into the wagon and looks down the aisle towards Murdocs bed. But the old man isn't there either, scratching his head he shrugs and turns back to the door, stepping down and out again into the car park.
In the corridor, Murdoc is sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. The torch in one hand, a cigarette in the other. He rests his forearms on his bent knees and flicks the torch on and off again. Impatiently waiting for the young man, he occasionally shines the light down towards the car park door. He brings his cigarette to his mouth again and draws heavily, almost sighing the smoke out and wondering what was keeping the young man.
"Glad I didn't ask him to bring me a replacement lung. Would'a carked it by now". He grumbles to himself, tossing the spent cigarette down near his foot and twisting his ankle around to crush it out. Finally the door opens and 2D pokes his head inside. The dim light from the car park floods the small area just inside the door, but the Keyboardist has just enough light to see the outline of the Bassist sitting on the floor.
"Oh there ya are". 2D remarks brightly, stepping into the room. Murdoc rolls his eyes and clambers to his feet again, slowly shaking his head in disbelief at how slow minded he finds the Keyboardist to be.
"Yes 2D. Isn't it remarkable? I'm exactly where I need to be to fix the bloody light switch". He growls dryly. "Now git over here and gimme that bloody screwdriver"! He adds angrily. 2D quickly moves to him, dropping the tool into Murdocs waiting hand and stepping back a short distance.
He hands the young man the torch and tells him to focus the light on the switch, so that he can see what he's doing. 2D complies and watches as Murdoc removes the screws, holding them in his hand as they're passed to him. He thinks for a moment and is sure there is something wrong with this picture, but can't focus through the pain in his head. Instead, the Keyboardist gets a rather nice image of an ocean wave, decides it's much nicer to think about, so zones into it. After just a small amount of difficulty, the Bassist removes the last screw, and pulls the panel carefully from the wall. 2D in his zoned out state has let the light drop to the floor and Murdoc finds he can't see the wires inside any more, so he gives the young man a quick clip in the ear to snaps him out of his daze.
"Wake up Dullard! Or you'll get us both electrocuted here. And personally, the idea of dyin' with you, don't turn me on one little bit". he snarls, grabbing 2Ds hand and refocusing the light where he needs it to be. 2D looks at the panel and then at the wires worming their way from the hole, and suddenly realizes what it was he was trying to think of before.
"Ummm, Muds? Shouldn't you....?" he begins to say, but Murdoc is far too busy looking carefully at the connections, trying to work out if any of them are faulty to listen. 2D has let the light drop again and the Bassist moves quickly as if about to hit him again, making the young man cringe away and stop talking.
"Light D, light! Are you tryin' to kill me"? snaps the old man, reaching into the hole with the wiring. Not seeing that some of them are exposed a little further back than he could see, he grabs hold to pull the bundle out a little further for a better look.
There is a sudden fizzing sound and the light bulb overhead flashes to life for a brief second, then explodes. Muds jerks and shakes erratically in a rather bizarre dance, startling 2D and making the young man jump well back and away from him. He watches Muds for a second, before a sudden brilliant flash of logic tells him to do something. So he raises his foot and kicks Muds hard in the side. Knocking the Bassist sideways and freeing his grip on the exposed wires. 2D moves quickly to the unconscious man and drags him by his legs into the car park. Thinking that the further he gets him away from there, the better, and at least he could see better in the light. He looks down at Muds and can see his fingers are burned a little, but isn't sure if he's alive or dead. So he kneels down beside him, and checks for a heart beat, relieved to find the old man still has one, he sits up and shakes the old man gently.
"Murdoc? Murdoc? Are you ok?" he asks. For a moment he's not quite sure he really wants Muds to wake up with him sitting there. He'd made that mistake before when waking the old man from a long night of boozing, to tell him he had a phone call. Startled the Bassist had swung around with a fist and knocked the Keyboardist across the room. But he looks down at the still sizzling Bassist and is concerned enough to stay. Muds groans and moves a little, his eyes flickering wildly as he seems to be trying to focus on the room. 2D takes this as his cue to stand and prepare to run. But the old man doesn't come to straight away, and seems to of faded back into unconsciousness again. 2D looks carefully around the car park, then kicks Muds sharply in the side, hoping this would wake him up. Murdoc remains unconscious, the young man looks down at him again, thinking of all the times Muds had kicked him. So he gives him two more sharp kicks in the side. Quite surprised with how good that felt, he kicks him again, this time just for fun. Murdoc suddenly sits up sharply, snapping his eyes open and staring straight ahead as if frightened of something.
"No! I don't want to go there! It's too nice"! the Bassist shouts, startling 2D and making him jump back away from him. Murdoc quickly looks about and slowly his eyes and his mind focus again, and he realizes where he is. "Wha' happened?" he asks quietly. 2D raises an eyebrow and looks at the smouldering man, not sure exactly what to make of what he'd said before.
"Umm? You grabbed the wires and went funny." 2D responds, sure this is the trigger for a beating, because this would be the moment Murdoc would typically blame him, he braces for impact, cringing away. But Murdoc just looks down at his hands and doesn't move.
"Oh... I don't feel well D". he responds softly, and tries to get up. 2D blinks at him from behind his arms, before moving to help Murdoc to his feet. The smell of burning flesh and scent of rank Murdoc, mingling and making him feel a bit nauseous, but he swallows the feeling down and holds the old mans weight for a moment. Now on his feet, the Bassist shakily makes his way to the Winnie. "Maybe, I'll just have a lie down"? He says to the now completely perplexed young man, as he reaches for the door. 2D steps ahead of him and opens it for him instead, taking his arm and helping him up inside.
"Maybe a shower first will help to"? He asks him, wondering if the old man has blown a few brain cells as well as burning his fingers.
"Yes. That sounds like a good idea. I'll do that. Thank you". replies the old man happily and slowly he begins to make his way to the wagons small bathroom.2D closes the door and stands there dumbfounded.
Looking at the door, mouth agape, he shakes his head, not quite believing what he had just heard and witnessed. Not only is Murdoc quiet, he had said thank you, and is going to take a shower? 2D quickly checks his own pulse, convinced he must've somehow been struck by the electricity himself and died. Maybe he just hadn't noticed yet, and this is all somehow a dream? Suddenly the sound of rushing water from the Winnie fills the air. 'Murdoc is havin' a shower'! 2D slowly makes his way back to his room and pulls a calender out of the draw beside his bed. He quickly counts back the days to the last time Murdoc had been known to take a shower, then grabs his laptop and logs into the bands official forum, to tell everyone about the remarkable event. 'After all, this may be his last for a while. So we'd better mark it as an occasion for his fan girls'. he thinks with a smile, as he begins typing his message.