Rapture

[Kestra15]

The walk to the Morrison’s was uneventful at best; Mak didn’t even have to pause to allow a car to pass, and didn’t bump into another person the whole way there. Caught up in his music and the cool morning air he decided he should come shopping more often this time of day – he must have just missed the school run and rush hour. Music playing in his ears Mak cut down an alley off Hospital Street to Pall Mall, and made his way down the street until the car park was in sight. Even Station Road seemed to be clear of traffic from here, though he doubted this moment of serenity would last long.

 

Weaving through the car park he frowned slightly at how empty the concrete plaza was. Yes it was early, but there seemed to be barely any cars there. It was Thursday so it wasn’t as if the shop would be closed for a Bank Holiday – and even if it was Bank Holiday most supermarkets remained open. Looking up at the building Mak noted that the doors were closed and yet lights were on inside, and a Labrador was tied up to the rails where the trolleys were stored. That was odd; the doors had always been open during daytime as long as Mak remembered – or had they? Slowing his pace for a moment Mak doubted himself and his memory. They were automated doors that would slide open at his approach, so perhaps they were supposed to remain shut and simply his tendency to shop during busy times merely meant he perceived them to always be open? His memory was simply tricking him? Plausible, but something niggled at the young man’s mind as he approached the supermarket.

 

At his approach the dog rose up onto all fours and started whining, a high-pitched keen that was interspersed with a few sharp barks. Mak diverted his course to come within stroking distance of the dog, which was straining on its leash to reach the young man. Stopping next to the dog it nudged at Mak as if he was the dog’s owner, still keening as it nuzzled into Mak’s proffered hand. To Mak’s surprise it seemed like the dog was shivering, as if it had been left there overnight; dropping to his knee Mak gave the dog more fuss and attention, making a mental note to speak to Customer Services and ask them about the poor thing. Happy to give a couple of minutes worth of attention Mak finally rose and gave the dog one last pat on the head before turning to enter the supermarket, followed by several sharp barks from the golden-coloured canine.

 

Two steps past the automated door, Mak came to a stop and pulled his earphones out, a warning chill running down his spine as he automatically pulled his iPod out and paused the music without looking down. He looked around the store slowly, and despite the warmth he had felt he shivered, the hairs on his arms standing on end as a primordial sense awoke with one message: danger. Moving forward on very slow, very soft feet Mak let his eyes pass from left to right to left again, glancing up at the ceiling before coming to a dead halt a few metres into the building.

 

‘Quiet’ just didn’t do the scene justice. The lights were only at half-strength as if someone had forgotten to bring them from the calm ‘night’ setting that shops used to the more powerful daytime glow that he was used to. Not a single till was manned; all twenty-three manned tills and the four kiosk points were abandoned, the machines themselves in standby mode, the lights that indicated their availability dark. The two aisles of self-service checkouts were still flashing their ‘Ready!’ screens but otherwise there was no activity at the front of the store.

 

Try as he might Mak couldn’t see a single staff member or customer from his vantage-point, not even the security guard who usually hovered within a few metres of the main doors. There was no squeaking trolley wheels, no muttering of staff or shouts of customers, not the slightest footfall that Mak’s ears could pick up. Only the eternal dull hum of the air conditioning and the now-muffled barks from the dog, the latter seeming so lost and forlorn in the face of such a cavernous space.

 

For the first time Mak realised just how big a supermarket truly was, just how much space there was in which to shop – and to hide, his imagination added darkly. The word ‘abandoned’ filled his head and he shivered again, taking an involuntary step backwards as he felt his heart start to speed up and his breath catch in his throat for a moment. He stopped, trying to scold himself for such a stupid over-reaction to a quiet day in the shops, but his imagination was convinced of a worse scenario. Had someone come and cleared the shop? Attacked the staff and customers? Was something watching him even now from around the corner of an aisle or behind the desks of the kiosk, waiting for his back to turn or his attention to waiver? Or was it something instead? He glanced up to the beams in the roof as if expecting to find a giant spider or wolf-man or Silent or something equally outlandish, equally make-believe…but utterly, utterly terrifying.

 

There was nothing up there. Of course there wasn’t. This was reality, it was just an empty shop, probably a fire-alarm or gas scare or something…something that made sense. Something that worked. Something that…but even as he tried to convince himself that all was fine Mak’s heart was starting to race and he found it difficult to breath, almost stifling, as if the mere action of expanding his chest would get the attention of…of whatever was in here. Was that movement he saw just out the corner of his eye, by Till 22? Was that a shadow flickering in the vegetable aisle? Behind the sound of the air-con and the fridges and freezers – had he heard something drag itself across the floor?

 

Mak was back-peddling faster, a cool sweat forming on his skin, and the urge to turn and take flight could barely be contained. But if he did turn…what would rear up and jump on him? Not even wanting to turn his head to check where he was going Mak relied on the sound of the barking dog to guide him to the door, and when he tripped the sensors and the doors started to slide open he jumped and turned – and in that moment cold terror griped him. He’d looked away from the empty store. He’d looked away from…whatever was in there. Rooted to the spot for a fraction of a second every muscle in his body tensed as if he expected to be disembowelled by some grotesque creature.

 

Only for a fraction of a second. And then he ran.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Kestra15

[Mistress of Whispers]

Wisperlee was focused intently on the little screen of her smartphone. Navigating to the local church, she hadn't passed a single person or, for that matter, seen any sign of human life. Not a single smouldering cigarette butt or abandoned, still-lukewarm coffee. She had passed a car 'parked' neatly (front-first) into a tree. The engine was still running and all doors were closed. Wisperlee, mindful of the environment had tentatively tried the driver's side door and found it unlocked, much to her surprise. She had turned the engine off and, not certain what to do next, had 'hidden' the key in the glove compartment before continuing on her way. The little encounter had left her feeling decidedly odd, as if she were a voyeur breaking into someone's house (or in this case: car) whilst they were out.

 

A little while later she had come past a small first-floor apartment. The windows were slightly ajar, likely because April was already turning out to be quite warm. That wasn't what had upset her though. The apartment's curtain had been fluttering in the wind and, finding the scene strangely homely and comforting, Wisperlee had been about to ring the bell. She intended to ask the inhabitants if they had noticed anything off, when she glanced through the window and into the kitchen off the hallway. Sitting on the counter was an automated bottle warmer, intended so young parents could sleep through the night (or as much as young parents could) and simply grab baby bottles as needed without having to prepare them first. Three of the five bottles were empty (she could just see the tip of one peeking out from the kitchen sink), but the other two were still in place. Prepared, warm and ready to go, but no one had needed them. The scene was somehow disconcerting and she had withdrawn her hand, hovering near the bell, and continued on her way without ringing.

 

After that, she had focused on her phone as she made her way through empty street. She was so engrossed in her little town map, that she never heard the sound of running footsteps approaching her. It wasn't until someone literally ran into her, nearly looking her over, that she looked up. She felt a moment's of instinctual annoyance at being ran over, but that was quickly replaced by the relief of finally seeing another person. The man that ran into her looked to be a few years older than she, with messy dark hair and brown eyes. He looked somehow familiar, but she was too rattled from today's events to place him - perhaps it would come to her later.

 

"What's chasing you?" she quipped, not wanting to open with 'hey, do you know that there's no one online?' Wisperlee felt that the complete absence of online or network activity was important, but didn't want to come across as an internet nut right off the bat.

[Kestra15]

Instinct had carried Mak out of the building, past the barking dog, and into the middle of the car park before he'd stopped and looked back at the building, heart hammering and chest heaving from the sprint. It wasn't just exhaustion; years of conditioning meant that such a short sprint would have barely winded him, not turned him into the panting mess he was at that point. Fear had pushed him out into the fresh air, and only now was curiosity and common sense asking him to take a moment and take stock. The dim sunlight melted away the most acute of his fear, the thoughts of scuttling many-legged creatures disappearing in the stark reality of the car park, but his mind was running at full speed now. That old, analytic process that had served him through university woke up.

 

An empty supermarket. Completely empty, but lights were still on and the doors unlocked. It had been abandoned - evacuated more accurately. Not even pausing to lock the doors. And the near-empty car park meant people hadn't arrived that day - or if they had, they had found it empty and also left, in a better or worse state than he. The lone dog...that bothered him, and the pet was on its feet and barking at him as if asking to be taken with, to not be left alone near that mausoleum. Something had prompted a rapid evacuation...or had it.

 

As he heaved and panted, he listened to the world. Birdsong - yes. A distant cow called out. But otherwise there was silence. He couldn't hear a car, motorbike or push-bike. It wasn't like he was in his quiet little flat out of the way; this was the edge of Hawkingsthorne, the ring-road which normally shuttled traffic was eerily empty. He hadn't seen a living soul aside from the dog on his way to the shop...

 

Had Hawkingsthorne been evacuated, and he not know? The wine must have had him sleeping deeper than expected, despite his normal resilience. But why? Nuclear power-plants were hundreds of miles away, any sort of dirty bomb threat would surely have caused enough fuss to wake him and would there not be military personnel around? He hadn't smelled a gas leak, and power was still running so it's not as if there was a mass electrical failure that was making some unknown threat. No scenario made sense to Mak, and something else was itching at the back of his mind. Something important.

 

He had to get out of town, Mak decided. Go back to his flat, power up the laptop and see what he had missed out. See if he really had managed to sleep through something major. The lack of human activity was maddening, puzzling to say the least, and he needed to find out why , and just how much danger his wine-fueled stupor had put him in.

 

"I'll come back for you," he promised the dog quietly, though he wasn't sure just how well he could keep the promise or even if the dog could hear him, let alone understand him, but it made Mak feel better. He didn't want to just abandon it to whatever had prompted the mass evacuation, but at the same time he didn't want to stay at risk much longer. Turning on his heel Mak fled back down Pall Mall to the alley, his pace more measured but still urgent.

 

Quite how he managed to miss the blonde until he had nearly sent her flying across Hospital Road he wasn't sure; with the silence of the town around him his footsteps had echoed in his ears, and he'd barely the time to register her presence as he turned out onto the street. Mak had grasped to try and stop her from being sent sprawling to the concrete and also prevent ending in a pile on top of her, and as he grabbed at her arms to steady them both he nearly yelped in surprised relief - at finding someone, or finding that it wasn't a monster, he wasn't sure.

 

Letting go once he was sure she wouldn't fall he stepped back, catching his breath and giving a small but heartfelt chuckle. "Thank Gods," he chuckled as he caught his breath, putting his hands on his hips and stepping back from the athletic-looking lass. "Okay, I'm not going mad. Okay..." he babbled, then took a steady breath of air. "No...nothing chasing me. Just...needed to find someone - something. Needed to find...something."

[loviebeest]

Lydia was driving trough town. She wasn't really planning to go anywhere than just driving around before work. she had always enjoyed a little drive, except at rush hour. That was a reason for her to feel lucky today because it was so quet. She stopped before a red light and looked around. It was really quet. No pedestrians, no other cars or those annoying bikers. Just no people, it began to worry her. The red light turned to green as there were no other cars and she drove on.

 

How longer she drived around how more worried she got. everything was so empty. She grabbed her phone and tried to call someone. Ignoring the safety rules about driving and calling she dialed the number. First her mom, voicemail, then her dad, also voicemail. She tried calling her friends but no one anwsered. Work, someone at work should be there. Focused on the gaol she turned the car around, blatantly ignoring the road signs. She was to panicked, worried to think about it.

 

When arrived at the supermarket she stopped. There where no people here either but maybe there were some people inside, she tought. She stepped out of the car and walked to the door. In front of the door she stopped for two reasons. One there was a bound dog whining that she couldn't really ignore. And two, she had an eery feeling about going inside. Maybe it was her imaginagion but her inner self refused to enter. So she decided to go midway. She took a deep breath. "HELLOOOO.... ANYONE THEEEERE..." knowing that someone would anwser she waited a moment. But no one answered. No one's here. Am I all alone. A bit defeated she petted the dog who had started to whine again. "We are both alone aren't we?" The dog licked her hand and whined, wich she took as a confirmation. They probably are all just in one place, why didn't mom and dad tell me? Or why didn't your owner take you? "Come on, let's check the hospital. People always go there in emergencies." She almost wanted to cry, because she was used to being alone but not being the only person. It is just all a big joke. She freed the dog and guided it to her car. It hopped in as if it was his car and was used to car rides. And she drove further, hoping she wasn't alone.

 

After driving for a while she arrived at the hospital road. The dog started barking and scratched the door. "Hey stop that." She stopped the car to pull him away from the door. But the her suprise she saw people when she looked out of the window. She rolled down the window and yelled at them from the other side of the street. "Thank god, I thought I was the..." That moment the dog started barked at them. "Just shut up." She tried to silence him and push him from the window. This is just a great first impression.

[Mistress of Whispers]

The man was babbling incoherently, but Wisperlee didn't care. Someone was here and that was all that mattered. Perhaps the fact that he seemed rattled was even a good thing - it might make him more open to her own strange tale. She was about to reply to him when a car pulled over next to them. A young woman in white clothes ('hospital scrubs?' Wisperlee wondered) was driving and a labrador dog was sitting in the passenger seat. Like the man before, the woman seemed rattle. She started to say something, but was cut off by the dog. Wisperlee began to chuckle. Here they were, three strangers and a dog, and none of them particularly collected.

 

"There's no one online," she said, throwing caution and the semblance of sanity to the wind. "Or on the radio or television. Hasn't been since sometime last night."

Edited April 28, 2014 by Mistress of Whispers

[groundporkchops]

((This sounds really interesting. I'll PM my form once I'm done I think. )

[Kestra15]

((Not a problem -KM))

 

An empty town, then two people turn up at once; a young lady with a familiar-looking dog pulled up on the opposite side of the road from where he had nearly knocked over the lass with the blue streak in her hair. The dog was barking – again – while the driver looked upset to say the least and almost as glad to see them as he was, but before he could form a semblance of an answer the blonde blurted out a truth that had been tickling at his mind from the moment he’d paused outside the supermarket.

 

There’s no-one online…

 

‘The seconds of this meeting would look odd indeed,’ a wry voice in his head decided.

 

“Okay…” The slow, drawn-out word gave him the space to think, to assemble the information presented into a logical sequence, and most of all to return to a vague sense of calm. He looked first at the driver, the hint of red in her hair off-set by her pale clothing, then to the pedestrian who - unless he was horribly mistaken – was a student or recent graduate like himself, possibly in Arts. It wasn’t just the dress sense and worn bag, something that he had grown used to even in the prestigious colleges of Cambridge, but a sense of the familiar.

 

“Town seems empty too,” he finally continued. “Except for you two. Morrison’s was abandoned like everyone had just ran out without even bothering to shut down the tills or lock the door - or even retrieve their dog," he added with a nod to the familiar-looking Lab. "And my Facebook feed was certainly quiet this morning.” He looked at the driver directly. “And you thought you were…the only one?” He hazarded the guess, letting his mind run through the analysis automatically. “So you’ve not seen anyone on the roads I guess, from wherever you came from?”

 

Mak looked between the pair, shook his head and gave a curt, humourless laugh. “By the way – hi. I’m Mak.”

 

[Mistress of Whispers]

“Town seems empty too.”

 

Wisperlee looked at the man incredulously. That was impossible. People didn't just up and disappear. Except online, apparently, her second voice wryly noted. She looked to the woman in the car, as if willing her to deny the man's - Mak's - claim, to say that she had encountered people on the road.

 

"This is -" she began. What? Ridiculous? It was, except that she had confirmed it herself too. "- a global thing," she amended instead. "There are no live broadcasts or new online posts *anywhere*."

 

She was at a loss what could have caused something like this. A war? But what kind of war wiped out people everywhere in the span of one night?? Maybe it was a hoax and they were in some real life version of the Truman Show. Or in some kind of scientific experiment. She was pretty sure that either of the latter would be illegal without their consent, but it still made more sense than everyone just up and disappearing overnight. She hesitated, wondering if she should share her suspiscions with the others, then kept silent. She was still wary of being seen as some conspiracy nut and - not besides the point - if they were being kept as part of some hoax or experiment, one of the others might be in on it. Great. Forget *sounding* like a conspiracy nut; now I really *am* one. Nevertheless, she kept quiet. She wanted to get a gauge on the others first.

[loviebeest]

Pushing the dog aside she opened the door. The door was open just long enough for her to step out without the dog running off. She walked to the couple on the sidewalk and talked while she dusted the dog hair off. "Yes I thought I was the only one. I tried calling my parents and friends but only got voicemail. No one anwsers." She stood still next to the girl and continued. "There's no one on the roads and I'm driving on the street since leaving my house, I used the country road connecting to the street named waterlode. My colleagues from the supermarket are also gone." She was done with dusting herself and wanted to continue, just to keep herself from crying. God, don't cry don't cy. You're not that sensitive nor are you a crybaby. Just think, it's all a big joke. She gave a wrangly(? don't now the right word) smile. "I don't know how it's with the others at the hospital but maybe they are gone too?" Lydia looked at the two, for her they seemed really calm for this sitiuation. "But this is just all a big joke right? Like candid camera or something." She looked from one to the other checking their reactions. They should know something right, at least more than her. The dog started whining again, loud enough to be clearly heard from the car. She wanted to shush him but it started barking. "Shut it! Does anybody of you know who the owner is, because this dog seems to get lonely easily."

[Kestra15]

"Not just dogs," Mak remarked quietly as he looked to the barking animal; the young driver didn't look like a casual dog-napper and probably had taken in the animal for her own sanity as much as it's. After all, a drive with no-one around, not even her parents or friends answering the phone...and since the girl was apparently one of the employees of said supermarket clearly whatever it was that caused the store to evacuate wasn't planned. Right now he was immeasurably glad to find another person in town just to make sure he wasn't going insane.

 

"But a global thing?" he continued out loud, favouring the familiar-looking student with a slightly disbelieving look. "No, I don't think it could be that. Or a hoax either. There must have been some reason to evacuate the town overnight and we...we just slept through it. Whatever the cause for the evacuation has left local ISP servers frozen, or Heartbleed has caught them, or something. Giving us cached internet pages rather than the latest updates."

 

Despite his incredulity at the girl's absurd claim, there was enough of his mind open to that bizarre possibility simply through the principle of Occam's Razor. After all, the whole world disappearing but them would make everything much simpler than his counter to her claim, which would require a complex chain of events - but a chain that was surely more believable if one put aside the possibility of so many events coinciding in one night. And she sounded rather confident in her assertions too, someone who had done more than simply check if anyone had posted on her Twitter feed.

[StarriAngel]

((I hope this is okay!! ))

 

The alarm went off bright and early in Ari's sun filled apartment. Said girl bounced out of bed almost immediately, quickly ending the alarm's shrill noise. She stretched elegantly and then looked at her calendar on the wall. "Only three classes today," she said cheerily, and on she went to get dressed.

 

While she was on her way to the studio she normally said hello to the baker and his wife as she passed by their shop. Today, however, she realized they were nowhere to be found. "That's odd," she said perplexed, "Usually Mr. and Mrs. Applebaum are up and working way before I am. They must have slept in." She shrugged and, not thinking much of it, continued on her way, humming a tune as she walked.

 

She got to the studio just in time to greet her young students, or so she thought. "The studio looks oddly dark. Is Natalie sick?" She walks to the door and uses her key to unlock it before going inside. The studio was dark and eerily vacant. She looked around all of the different rooms before shaking her head and going back to the door. "There's no way I'm going crazy. There's an explanation for everything. Maybe Natalie closed for today and just forgot to call me."

 

She walked outside after that and decided to go get breakfast since she now had time. But that was when she realized how empty everything felt. Normally there were people outside by now. It was about 10:30 already. Ari sighed and tried to ignore the nagging feeling in her head that something was wrong as she turned and started back towards the apartment building. She was almost home when she realized she was out of milk. "Might as well see if the grocery store has people," she says in a way she hopes sounds nonchalant. She goes towards the store and sees three people talking.

 

Good, so I'm not alone...

 

She starts to walk towards them when she hears woman say that there was no one online. That stops her dead in her tracks. No one online? And an empty town. But people don't just disappear! She approached them and tried to make her presence known by clearing her throat quietly.

 

"Um," she says softly, "I don't mean to be interrupting anything but, are you guys seeing a strangely empty town too?"

[DragonSpirit009]

Beep. Beep. Beep.

 

“Oh shush you annoying thing.” A rather messy haired up girl spoke as she slapped the alarm. To be awakened up by such an annoying sound quickly made the girls mood sour and it was still very early in the morning. Lying in bed Emily eyed the clock on the alarm watching it slowly tick on to the next minute. She knew she had to get up but she was enjoying the warmth of her bed too much. Her eyes slowly move away from the alarm clock only for them to land on her cell phone.

 

“Oh yeah it’s ‘make-a-call-home-day’ today.” Emily spoke to herself after she sat up in bed. Taking her phone she scrolled down the names until she reached her mother’s name. Hitting the call option she held the phone by her ear waiting patiently for her mother to answer. The line just rang and rang until the voice mail decided to come up and Emily looked at her phone confusingly.

 

“That’s odd. She never misses a call.” With those words she tried calling her father but still no answer. A bit worried she quickly dialled her brother and sister next and they also didn’t answer. Emily started to worry but when she looked at the time she wondered if they might have been out. The time is a two hour difference and it was a public holiday back home so maybe they went out where there was no signal, camping or something. “I’ll just try a bit later.” She spoke to herself still worried about her family. As she looked at the alarm clock she noticed what the time was and of course a new panic arised. She was running late and the family she au paired for wasn’t really all too happy about staff being late.

 

“Oh crap. Oh crap.” Emily spoke the whole time as she undressed herself and quickly redressed with clean clothes. Luckily for her she showered the evening before so she was clean as she can be. Heading to the bathroom to wash her face and brush teeth Emily’s mind was still wondering where her family might be. When she was finally done the young woman grabbed her bag and extra coat before she bolted out of her apartment.

 

((Yay Kestra. I finally made a post. Sorry for the wait))

 

[Mistress of Whispers]

Wisperlee was about to reply to Mak and the nurse, when another woman approached. She had long hair and dressed in a bright, fluffy skirt. "Um, I don't mean to be interrupting anything but, are you guys seeing a strangely empty town too?"

 

Looking from three other humans to the still-whining dog and back again, Wisperlee was gripped by a weird sense of the absurd. Had she walked into a Monty Python sketch? She couldn't help but laugh. Oh lord, they'll think I'm mad.

 

"Well, it's getting less and less empty by the moment ," she quipped despite her rising sense of unease. Four people - and a dog, don't forget the dog! - and none of them had seen another human on the way.

 

Alright. Focus. Someone - the man - had said something relevant.

 

Turning to Mak, she retorted: "No, it's not ISP servers or a virus or 'something'. *There is no one online.* And yes, global. I've checked from Al Jazeera to CNN and *no one is on*. That leaves two options. One: everyone is gone. Overnight. With no warning. Two: someone is playing us and setting up fake channels and a fake internet just for us. Take your pick."

 

With that, she briefly addresses the nurse: "Can I try?" She didn't really wait for a reply, as the dog didn't belong to the woman anyway. Besides, the whining seemed to be getting on people's nerves. Living in a student dorm, Wisperlee didn't have any pets (unless you counted the campus cat that sometimes deigned to drop by). She had grown up around dogs though, as her father was a big dog fan, so she hoped she might get it to settle. Truer to the point though, she needed to do something that did *not* involve talking about the total and disconcerting absence of people. Like petting and comforting a lost dog.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Mistress of Whispers

[Kestra15]

((No worries Spirit, the world isn't going anywhere -KM ))

 

A third arrival managed to settle Mak some more, and as the student moved to pet the dog he sighed and sank to the edge of the pavement, sitting comfortably on the curb as he looked between the three woman. They all seemed to be the same age - was that significant? - and all as shook up in their own way as possible. There was a sheen to the driver's eyes, as if she was holding back tears, and Mak sympathised with her for that. The student, whether she realised it or not, had sounded short with him, and the newcomer appeared nervous at best, almost apologetic for interrupting the three. If this was the opener to a new 'Big Brother' they'd certainly made a good choice so far.

 

"A prank?" Mak mulled the thought over in his head, leaning back and putting his hands behind him to support him as he scanned his eyes first over his four companions, then at the street around them. "The logistics of evacuating the whole of Hawkingsthorne, in silence, without any of us knowing, and then taking the time and effort to block the Internet and instead insert a frozen version that only our servers can access? Leaving an entire superstore - the whole town - unmanned for us to go mad in? Imagine the cost and logistics of such a process, the weeks or months of planning, the amount they'd be paying everyone even if this was a twenty-four hour experiment...and then the ethical and legal implications of me turning around and suing whoever arranged this for unlawful, non-consensual enrollment and the psychological implications of this experiment?"

 

He blew out a breath. Certain he was now going to start sounding as mad as the woman ranting about a global internet freeze indicating everyone had disappeared - because he was about to tentatively agree. "You're right. Option two is far, far too complex and shaky - ethically and practically - to be valid. The disappearance of the human race would be more likely." He laughed, a short harsh bark. "But I'm not ready to buy a Doomsday scenario just like that. There must be another option, surely?" Almost pleading on that last word, hoping for another, more realistic scenario. But so far he couldn't come up with anything.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Kestra15

[loviebeest]

She almost jumped out of suprise when she heard a sound other than the dog. Lydia turned around and saw another person, to her relief. But her attention was already quickly divided between the others. "Can I try?" Wanting to anwser she turned to the student, but she was already going to pet the dog. Not long after the guy sat down on the pavement and started talking about the theories. She didn't really know what to make out of it so she just said something. Mainly to make it more reasonable for her. "Maybe it's a bit of a combination. For example, there was an evacuation and we didn't know about it. What I find quite strange because I live with my parents, they would have told me. But with the evacuation maybe also something went wrong on the internet and everything else. That caused a wrong connection." The whole time while she was rambling she was also talking with her hands. It was a habit that she had since she was younger, it was easier to explain things that way. The problem was that she almost always came over as nervous or panicking. "I just don't get why me, us. Maybe we where choosen like those cheesy fantasy shows. I don't know. Maybe it's because we have something in common because of our name or age." Crap, I'm really starting to ramble. Where did my communication skills from nursing go? "Anyway I'm Lydia 21 years old, what about all of you?" Of course she didn't know why she wanted to even know their age, maybe some sense of comfort. Maybe just because to have said something. She wanted to sit down after not knowing what to say anymore. Two reasons she did not, one white outfit, two it would be rude after just asking things from people. Lydia also noticed that the dog had become quiet so she smiled to the student petting the dog, relieved that there was silence. Yet she became more uneasy because of it.

 

(Let's keep the dog in for the whole roleplay )

[DragonSpirit009]

Emily walked briskly down the street towards the home she worked. She barely paid attention to the area around not even noticing the current change in the world. All she knew was that she had to get to the house before time runs out. Her walk slowed a bit down as she reached the back gate of the perfectly cut hedge which surrounded the high fence. The gate screeched as Emily opened it sending a couple of goose bumps down her back. Giving a quick look around she noticed that no one was outside, none of the other servants or the gardener. Emily didn’t think much of it at that moment seeing the estate was large and they could be anywhere.

 

Emily eventually she reached the door and fiddled in her bag for the keys. It wasn’t long when she finally entered the house but for some reason she had a bad feeling poking her as she walked down the corridor.

 

“Melisa?” Emily called out softly. The head of the maids is usually there to greet her but there was no answer. “Melisa, I’m here.”

 

Still no reaction after waiting for several minutes it started to freak Emily out. It was only then that she had noticed that there wasn’t any sound in the house. Only the wind blew softly outside followed some leaves being scattered by it. This wasn’t normal. Not normal at all. Where is everyone?

 

Emily hurried down several corridors opening every room she came by trying to find someone but she was completely alone in the whole house. The main bedroom showed signs that someone did sleep in the bed but no was there nor in the children’s room. Emily’s heart started to race as fear rolled into her body. She need to find someone and quickly before her mind started playing tricks on her. Just as she thought that something creaked in the house and Emily sprung around.

 

“Oh hell no.” Without thinking a twice Emily started running finding her way out the back door and back in the open. She gave a look back at the house and shuddered having a feeling that someone was watching. “I hope someone can tell me what’s going on.” With that Emily left the estate and started to make her way down the road.

 

((I apologies before hand for spelling and sentence things.))

[StarriAngel]

Ari mulled over all the theories in her head while bouncing a little from foot to foot, as she always thought better when she was moving.

A full scale evacuation of the town?

This seemed completely plausible an her case. She rarely pays attention to the news and she doesn't have that many friends. Surely her CNatalie would have called her though. The nervous energy caused Ari's movements to get even more frantic seeming as she raised her index finger to her lips and bit down harshly, a habit she had picked up as a child.

 

”I don't think it's a prank either,” she said. ”That would be a little silly.” Then she noticed the other girl's sttement asking why it was,only them. ”maybe we're still here because we have some special destiny or something?” She supplies.

 

Great, she thought. Now they probably think I've lost my mind.

 

She tried to convince herself in her head that she's being stupid, but she can't shake the nagging feeling that something else is going on here. ”I mean, we wouldn't be the only people left on earth for no reason right? Provided that us being the last humans is the dominant theory,” she said, her voice still shaky. She looked to the others wondering if they had any ideas.

 

((sorry for any spelling mistakes and such. My phone's not the smartest))

[Mistress of Whispers]

((I am also for keeping the dog in the entire RP! "Rapture: The Heroic Tale of Bolt the Dog". /jk))

 

By now, Wisperlee had taken the dog out of the car by its leash. It responded to "Sit, boy, sit" by sitting down somewhat hesitantly. A second try of "Sit, girl, sit" garnered much quicker results. Well, that answers one question then. The animal seemed eager to work with her, as if proving that it was a good dog who shouldn't be abandoned again. Although, the latter was probably projection on her part. Labradors were quite smart and it wasn't hard to teach them basic tricks. Wisperlee assumed that the dog would know 'sit' and 'lie' at the least. Since it was a Lab, and therefore probably a family pet, 'paw' would likely be part of the repertoire too. Assuming that the word command was 'paw' of course - it might also be 'high five' or something of the like. Part of her mind commented wryly on the fact that she was playing around with a dog when PEOPLE had disappeared. Didn't she have anything better to do? But the truth was that the dog helped her relax, which in turn helped her think.

 

She listened to Mak, the nurse - Lydia - and the bright girl banter around theories. Her own mind reviewed what she knew to be true. Did the facts only support one outcome? Or were there other options?

 

"No one online, no television or radio broadcasts." she mused softly. "It's not the connection - the net is fine. We just don't have any input. What can cause that? Mass extinction? But then why are we still here? And where are all the bodies?"

 

She paused for a moment, then continued: "Alternative theory: a hoax. Evacuate the town and set up a system that appears to be the internet, yet is closed off and good enough to fool me. Requires phenomenal resources. Possible culprits: government experiment; the 1% running a crazy - and illegal - show with us as subjects; a shadow-government or the likes."

 

So, those were her theories. Now, how to test which one was right. The thought came to her. It was so simple, that she laughed again.

 

"We can test it. If it's a hoax, they might be able to evacuate a small town like Hawkingsthorne. But not, say, London." Now all they needed to do was pile themselves into a car and drive out to England's capital. Oh, and bring the dog. Don't forget the dog.

 

Something else nagged at her, a question that had been repeatedly asked. Right. "My name is Wisperlee," she offered. Okay, technically speaking that wasn't her name. But what did it matter? The alias felt secure and comfortable, and it's not like there was anyone here who knew different.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Mistress of Whispers

[DragonSpirit009]

Emily walked worryingly down the road looking left and right. She couldn’t believe that she hasn’t noticed that there was on single person out here. No car roaring past her or talking of people it was dead silent. The wind occasionally blew allowing the dried leaves to follow her as she walked. In a way it kept her a bit aware not knowing what might pop out anywhere.

 

Pausing for a bit she thought she heard a dog barking not far from where she was and come to think of it the families pet wasn’t at the estate either. Out of instinct she placed her fingers on her lips and whistles loudly, like she did back home on the farm with the livestock. She fell silent once again to listen and before she knew it a dog barked in the distance again.

 

“Okay just keep barking buddy.” Emily spoke as she whistled again and once again the dog bark. Walking towards the sound she could easily tell where to go. It wasn’t long when she came around the corner to see a couple of people and next to them a dog.

 

“Thank goodness. Finally I found someone!”

 

[loviebeest]

Lydia almost jumped out of her skin when the dog barked again. Again it barked and a few times more before she noticed the whistle. The whistle was soon followed by a dark haired girl greeting them, who apparently also knew nothing. "Welcome by the club. We also thought we were the only ones." Funny it's almost a harem for... Mak? was his name. And what the hell am I thinking of? She smiled sadly to her so she didn't sound sarcastic. Lydia also noticed what Whisperlee --? she tought that it was a strange name she had but it was enough.-- said. "That hoax thingy, that is what I meant. Thank you for clearing up my explaination. I'm not really good in theories, especially if it's about something like this." She looked at the other two who had joined and then at the buildings. "I don't know on what theory we are going to decide on that is true. But shall we go inside the hospital? I mean it's still chilly outside at this time. What is the time anyway? And we are on the hospital road anyway. We can also check if the patients are there. Some of them are not allowed to move." She tried to convince them to go more for personal reasons than anything else. Maybe I will feel better if we are in a familiar place. "If it's a hoax or anything than they should still be there."

Edited May 2, 2014 by loviebeest

[Mistress of Whispers]

"We can also check if the patients are there. Some of them are not allowed to move. If it's a hoax or anything than they should still be there."

 

That was smart. And it would take a lot less time than her 'drive to London' plan. But...

 

Wisperlee shook her head. "IF this is a hoax -" she bit back on the words and I don't think it is "- then whoever did this went through a LOT of trouble. Evacuating the town overnight, setting up a fake internet, persuading all your friends and family to keep you in the dark -" she gestured to Mak "- dealing with the lawsuit of the century. Might as well throw in moving a patients who shouldn't be moved." Not to mention that if this was also an *illegal* hoax, the perpetrators might be perfectly okay with a few critical patients dying.

 

Besides, there was something else to consider. Something that had been playing at the back of her mind ever since 'survivors' had started popping up. "And, to be honest, if it's a hoax, then one of us is probably a mole. Maybe what I'm telling you about the internet being empty is complete rubbish. Or maybe what you're saying about those patients is. We have no way of knowing, which means we cannot take anything at face value."

 

Alright, so she had just introduced both conspiracy theories and a fair dose of paranoia into the group. If this was some strange reality show, the producers might just get their money's worth. It might be better to simply assume that everyone had vanished and go with that.

[Kestra15]

((Well, Mak isn't going to kill the dog -KM))

 

Mak looked up at Wisperlee as she mentioned about being a plant. "Unless you are playing a very elaborate bluff, I doubt you are the plant," Mak smiled at her. "And given how easy it would be to disprove your claim of the internet being gone it wouldn't be a good idea for an infiltrator to take such a bold stance." He sighed and looked back to his outstretched feet, wishing he'd worn his Scarpas instead of his trainers. The hospital idea seemed a good one to begin with; standing or sitting around outside was getting them nowhere and the cool day was fine for walking, but not for hanging around doing nothing. He got up slowly to his feet and surveyed the group; a nurse, a student who knew her way around computers, the dog and her potential owner, and the nervous lady. Certainly an odd group, and he couldn't help feeling a little outnumbered at that point - even the dog was female! Perhaps the idea of being the only man in a world of women was a dream come true for some, but outside of work this was the largest group he'd been a part of for a long time, preferring a couple of close friends for company.

 

"I vote for a trip to the hospital," he said, standing up and brushing himself down. Despite the heart-racing fear he'd felt in Morrisons, he'd been alone then. Alone and afraid. With a few people to walk alongside perhaps he would feel better about entering such a daunting complex, especially since they had Lydia with them.

[DragonSpirit009]

Emily walked closer and heard a rather weird conversation. She had no idea what was going on and here they were talking about hoax’s and going to the hospital. She didn’t completely know but luckily someone explained what they were planning on which pleased her a bit. She wasn’t sure what else to say at the moment but she did agree with their current plan.

 

((Short post is short))

[groundporkchops]

(The dog is definitely a keeper. )

Nay was glad that she had set her alarm clock the night before, the mind-numbing exhaustion of last evening had her crashing into bed before she'd even cooked herself dinner. Speaking of which, her stomach growled and groaned in its food-denied state. Checking the time, she jumped out of bed and raced into the kitchen, hurriedly cooking and eating two pieces of toast. She was late and her fellow instructor was going to give her hell for it!

Dressing quickly and efficiently, she packed her lunch and kyudo/karate uniforms into a messenger bag just as quickly. She skillfully avoided the mess of her apartment, knowing she would have to clean it at some point and after grabbing her phone from beside the door, ran down the stairs and slipped out the side door of the complex.

Nay was for the thousandth time, grateful that her complex was only a few streets away from the hospital and the dojo was only a few blocks from there. The streets were quiet and devoid of life, like a scene from those trashy horror movie reruns. When she arrived at the dojo, it was still locked and the lights were still dimmed down. To be honest , it was slightly creepy and she stopped at the door, fishing for her phone in her bag.

She dialed Hiro's number as quick as she could and listened to the dial tone, then the answering machine. Hiro had never missed her calls before, her phone had been working fine and there was almost no time difference to speak of. She clicked the safari app on her iPhone, checking her emails, Facebook and anything she could think of. Nothing and no-one.

Odd.

Nay could hear the barking of a dog and she wondered if there were people nearby. There was only one way to find out, so she trudged off with her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach. She had a bad feeling about this.

[Mistress of Whispers]

Wisperlee couldn't help but smile at Mak's matter-of-fact assessment that she wasn't a plant. This time, it wasn't the half-believing laughter of earlier, brought on by their Kafkaesque predicament, but an honest smile that touched her dark eyes and made them shine.

 

"Fair enough," she acquiesced, "though my point wasn't necessarily that *I* am a mole, but that *anyone* might be. Perhaps it's you." The latter was added in a playful tone, clearly intended to be a joke and carrying on the good mood she now found herself in.

 

With merriment, her manners were also restored and she turned to the two new arrivals. "I'm Wisperlee," she introduced herself. "Guy's name is Mak and the nurse is Lydia." 

 

She then addressed Emily specifically. "Is Goldie yours?" she said, referring to the dog.