Rapture

[Mistress of Whispers]

Wisperlee looked up when her automatic notification bleeped. One of the new accounts had received a message from a girl named Erin.

 

I'm Wisperlee, she typed, I'm in Hawkingsthorne, England. Where are you?

[Fangirl05]

So she wasn't the only person left in town. She raised an eyebrow at the stranger's name, but replied quickly:

 

Hawkingsthorne Hospital, outside the cafeteria. Where are you? Are you okay? Do you have any idea what's going on?

[Fortune86]

((Urm. I recieved an PM'd acceptance from Kestra put I see he hasn't been able to add my form yet. I'll make an intro post anyway and remove it later of need be. Everyone okay with that?))

 

Where the hell had they gone?

 

That was the question that kept plaguing James' thoughts. One minute they were there, they next they weren't.

 

He had been waiting at the normal meeting place just beyond the edges of the town just before midnight. Midnight was such a story-book, action movie time that smacked of drama, but it was an easy time to remember. None of that seven or eleven business to confuse things. The warehouse was old and dusty, mostly empty apart from a the skeletal remains of abandoned cars. It had been some kind of work shop years ago before the owners died. Who owned it now he didn't know, but no one ever bothered with it. Most people probably didn't even know the place existed.

 

The office window on the second floor gave a watcher a good view of the street outside. It was the only way you could come by car and it was more or less straight. Any cop cars that tried to come sneaking down would soon be spotted and James could be out the lavatory window and out across the fields before they even open the doors. Well if you could call it an office. It was more or less a giant bird box that had been attached to the wall just to give people somewhere to do the paper work.

 

James hadn't seen any cops, but he had seen the familar black SUVs that was Mr Durham's normal retinue. He had watched them draw up before climbing off the desk and heading towards the rickety stairs. He had heard some of the doors of the SUVs slam shut. And that had been it. By the time he was standing on the dusty cement of the first floor it had all gone quiet.

 

James had waited. It didn't do to rush Mr Durham after all. But by the time he had checked his watch nearly eight minutes had passed and still no one had opened the door. Wondering if somethign was up he cautiously crept over to one of the filthy windows to try and peek outside, ready to spring back at a second's notice.

 

He could see the cars, but where were the people? There should be at least ten of them. Confused and a little bit nervous James took a few steps back. Was it a trick? Was it the police in disguise? No. He was just a small fry. He wasn't big enough to warrant a set up like this.

 

He waited a bit longer before opening the warehouse doors himself and going out to inspect the cars. He could see fresh footprints in the grime, but none of them strayed far from the car doors. They just, stopped. As though the people who had made them had been plucked straight up off the ground.

 

He wasn't able to stop himself from looking up just in case, and then immediately shook his head and looked back down. Of all the stupid ideas.

 

James hunted round the cars and checked a few of the nearyby yards, but they were all empty and silent. He couldn't hear a thing.

 

With no further ideas on what to do in the situation he took out his cell and called Edward. Or at least he tried to. No one picked up. Now genuine fear was starting to creep in. Edward always answered. Always. The only time he'd ever missed a call was when he had had been jumped two years ago by that nutter Niall and his friends. He had been left a bloody mess and spent three months in hospital. Had it happened again? But who? Not many people tried to give the three of them trouble after Theo had tracked Niall down. Word had got around.

 

Next he tried to call Theo, but he didn't answer either. With another glance over at the empty SUVs James ran back into the warehouse, raced across the floor and climbed out the back window to where he had left his motorbike. A minute later he was back in Hawkingsthorne, racing through the streets at 40mph.

 

As he drove James became aware at just how empty the streets were. You didn't get many people about at this time at night, but there was normally the odd car on the roads. Sometimes a gaggle of woman heading back home from the pub or a drunk trying to get a late night take away.

 

James stopped at the traffic lights and looked around. There were a few shops nearby with the lights on, like the 24/7 convenience and the Chinese, but there was no one in them. Looking over across the road at the chippy he couldn't see anyone there either.

 

After another few minutes James finally got back to the flat he shared with his older brothers. He checked both their rooms just in case, but there was no sign of them. He checked the fridge and microwave for messages and as a last resort even went round to Mrs Appleby who lived next to them and hammered away on her door. No answer.

 

Confused and scared James started to systematically check ever door in the block. A few of them opened when he tried them but no one was in the flat behind. He didn't know how long it took him, but it was starting to get light outside when he finished.

 

He tried to call Edward again, fumbling the buttons in his panic. No answer. He tried again. No answer. He tried Theo. No answer. He tried to call his mother. No answer. He dialed 999.

 

No answer.

 

By the time he got back to his flat James was shaking badly. Where was everyone? He paced around the sofa trying to call every person he could think of and even resorted to pulling out the yellow pages and dialing a few numbers in there. The phones rang, but no one picked up.

 

Sitting down on the sofa he tried to calm down and think of a logical reason why everyone would suddenly vanish. Some kind of mass evacuation? No. His brothers would have let him know. Theo would have come and got him. Maybe some foreign army had invaded and rounded everyone up? But there were no signs of any struggle.

 

James grabbed the remote and tried the news. There was just a message saying there was a fault with the broadcasting and service would be resumed as soon as possible. Several other channels said the same. What the hell was going on?

 

His thoughts kept going back to Mr Durham and his men. They had been the last people he had 'seen' if you count watching their cars drive down towards him. Whatever had happened to them, why hadn't it happened to him too? Why was he the only one left behind?

 

He looked across the room at Edward's laptop. Edward was the only of them that really bothered with technology. Theo and James were happy with their cells and the TV. James didn't even know what Edward's password was.

 

He tried to sit back to think but was hampered by the backpack he had on. In all the weirdness James had forgotten about it entirely. He pulled it off and opened it. There were only a few things inside, the most important being the package he was supposed to give to Mr Durham. After a moment's thought James zipped the pack back up and threw it back on. He had better keep it on him. If all this turned out to be some crazy....thing...he didn't want to get into trouble for losing it. More than his skin was worth.

 

The sun was well up now and James started towards the door. He hesitated and then back to Theo's room. After he rummaged around inside the drawers he pulled out the pistol Theo sometimes resorted to. James had only fired it a few times at some beer bottles, but the weight of it in his hand made him feel a little bit better. He stuffed it out of sight under his jacket and then went back out to his motorbike.

 

Twenty minutes later he was approaching the town centre in his desperate seach for people. The sounds of his motorbike echoed uncomfortably around the empty streets.

 

((That turned out to be longer than I thought...))

[Fangirl05]

((Urm. I recieved an PM'd acceptance from Kestra put I see he hasn't been able to add my form yet. I'll make an intro post anyway and remove it later of need be. Everyone okay with that?))

 

Where the hell had they gone?

 

That was the question that kept plaguing James' thoughts. One minute they were there, they next they weren't.

 

He had been waiting at the normal meeting place just beyond the edges of the town just before midnight. Midnight was such a story-book, action movie time that smacked of drama, but it was an easy time to remember. None of that seven or eleven business to confuse things. The warehouse was old and dusty, mostly empty apart from a the skeletal remains of abandoned cars. It had been some kind of work shop years ago before the owners died. Who owned it now he didn't know, but no one ever bothered with it. Most people probably didn't even know the place existed.

 

The office window on the second floor gave a watcher a good view of the street outside. It was the only way you could come by car and it was more or less straight. Any cop cars that tried to come sneaking down would soon be spotted and James could be out the lavatory window and out across the fields before they even open the doors. Well if you could call it an office. It was more or less a giant bird box that had been attached to the wall just to give people somewhere to do the paper work.

 

James hadn't seen any cops, but he had seen the familar black SUVs that was Mr Durham's normal retinue. He had watched them draw up before climbing off the desk and heading towards the rickety stairs. He had heard some of the doors of the SUVs slam shut. And that had been it. By the time he was standing on the dusty cement of the first floor it had all gone quiet.

 

James had waited. It didn't do to rush Mr Durham after all. But by the time he had checked his watch nearly eight minutes had passed and still no one had opened the door. Wondering if somethign was up he cautiously crept over to one of the filthy windows to try and peek outside, ready to spring back at a second's notice.

 

He could see the cars, but where were the people? There should be at least ten of them. Confused and a little bit nervous James took a few steps back. Was it a trick? Was it the police in disguise? No. He was just a small fry. He wasn't big enough to warrant a set up like this.

 

He waited a bit longer before opening the warehouse doors himself and going out to inspect the cars. He could see fresh footprints in the grime, but none of them strayed far from the car doors. They just, stopped. As though the people who had made them had been plucked straight up off the ground.

 

He wasn't able to stop himself from looking up just in case, and then immediately shook his head and looked back down. Of all the stupid ideas.

 

James hunted round the cars and checked a few of the nearyby yards, but they were all empty and silent. He couldn't hear a thing.

 

With no further ideas on what to do in the situation he took out his cell and called Edward. Or at least he tried to. No one picked up. Now genuine fear was starting to creep in. Edward always answered. Always. The only time he'd ever missed a call was when he had had been jumped two years ago by that nutter Niall and his friends. He had been left a bloody mess and spent three months in hospital. Had it happened again? But who? Not many people tried to give the three of them trouble after Theo had tracked Niall down. Word had got around.

 

Next he tried to call Theo, but he didn't answer either. With another glance over at the empty SUVs James ran back into the warehouse, raced across the floor and climbed out the back window to where he had left his motorbike. A minute later he was back in Hawkingsthorne, racing through the streets at 40mph.

 

As he drove James became aware at just how empty the streets were. You didn't get many people about at this time at night, but there was normally the odd car on the roads. Sometimes a gaggle of woman heading back home from the pub or a drunk trying to get a late night take away.

 

James stopped at the traffic lights and looked around. There were a few shops nearby with the lights on, like the 24/7 convenience and the Chinese, but there was no one in them. Looking over across the road at the chippy he couldn't see anyone there either.

 

After another few minutes James finally got back to the flat he shared with his older brothers. He checked both their rooms just in case, but there was no sign of them. He checked the fridge and microwave for messages and as a last resort even went round to Mrs Appleby who lived next to them and hammered away on her door. No answer.

 

Confused and scared James started to systematically check ever door in the block. A few of them opened when he tried them but no one was in the flat behind. He didn't know how long it took him, but it was starting to get light outside when he finished.

 

He tried to call Edward again, fumbling the buttons in his panic. No answer. He tried again. No answer. He tried Theo. No answer. He tried to call his mother. No answer. He dialed 999.

 

No answer.

 

By the time he got back to his flat James was shaking badly. Where was everyone? He paced around the sofa trying to call every person he could think of and even resorted to pulling out the yellow pages and dialing a few numbers in there. The phones rang, but no one picked up.

 

Sitting down on the sofa he tried to calm down and think of a logical reason why everyone would suddenly vanish. Some kind of mass evacuation? No. His brothers would have let him know. Theo would have come and got him. Maybe some foreign army had invaded and rounded everyone up? But there were no signs of any struggle.

 

James grabbed the remote and tried the news. There was just a message saying there was a fault with the broadcasting and service would be resumed as soon as possible. Several other channels said the same. What the hell was going on?

 

His thoughts kept going back to Mr Durham and his men. They had been the last people he had 'seen' if you count watching their cars drive down towards him. Whatever had happened to them, why hadn't it happened to him too? Why was he the only one left behind?

 

He looked across the room at Edward's laptop. Edward was the only of them that really bothered with technology. Theo and James were happy with their cells and the TV. James didn't even know what Edward's password was.

 

He tried to sit back to think but was hampered by the backpack he had on. In all the weirdness James had forgotten about it entirely. He pulled it off and opened it. There were only a few things inside, the most important being the package he was supposed to give to Mr Durham. After a moment's thought James zipped the pack back up and threw it back on. He had better keep it on him. If all this turned out to be some crazy....thing...he didn't want to get into trouble for losing it. More than his skin was worth.

 

The sun was well up now and James started towards the door. He hesitated and then back to Theo's room. After he rummaged around inside the drawers he pulled out the pistol Theo sometimes resorted to. James had only fired it a few times at some beer bottles, but the weight of it in his hand made him feel a little bit better. He stuffed it out of sight under his jacket and then went back out to his motorbike.

 

Twenty minutes later he was approaching the town centre in his desperate seach for people. The sounds of his motorbike echoed uncomfortably around the empty streets.

 

((That turned out to be longer than I thought...))

Yeah, fine by me, at least. Most everybody's at the Hospital, just so's you know.

[Fortune86]

((I read up and know that everyone is in the hospital, but since James in on his motorbike and it will be making a lot of noise I figured I should give people a chance to hear him coming.

 

Besides, James doesn't know where the others are yet and he has no reason (or has thought to) to check the hospital.))

[StarriAngel]

"Yeah I can hold Nougat," Ari said taking the dog from Emily. She had always felt a special connection to animals anyway. As she watched Emily go and look in the fridge she turned back to her salad, she picked up her fork and was just about to take a bite when she heard a loud whistle. The whistle startled her so much that she fell out of her chair, thus letting go of Nougat and spilling her salad. She quickly stood up and grabbed the dog, who was barking towards the entrance to the cafeteria. Ari was terrified. "Hey Em," she said, "Are you sure we're safe here?" She was panicking when all of a sudden she heard another sound, this one much brighter.

 

It was... A cell phone chime...

 

"I heard a phone," she said, "Maybe it's one of the others, or maybe there's more people besides us," she walked out of the cafeteria and saw a girl who looked a bit older that her.

 

"Um, hi," Ari said softly, "Were you the one who whistled?"

 

((Sorry I've been gone. I'm taking spring term for school and exams suck ))

[HgEmpire57]

The moment the young women shut the door behind her, Jexxal sprung into action. His false smile now gone, he swung his legs off the bed, his bare feet falling silently to the ground. He stood for the first time since he awoke, checking his body thoroughly he made sure nothing was amiss. Other then some sore muscles, his body was his own once more, except for one thing. Fumbling along his arm he gingerly pulled the needle out, wincing at the unexpected length. He finally pulled it out, throwing it into the trash next to the exit as he moved to the door, his footsteps barely brushing against the ground, in case the nurse was still near. Ever so slowly he opened the door to the room, just a crack, peeking into the hallway. Realizing the horror of his real situation.

 

The hallway was empty. not a single soul in sight, no doctor or nurse checking up on patients as his just did. No mothers or families walking through the halls, their faces etched with sadness for their loved ones were in the rooms just beyond. No Noise from the other rooms, no television, soft whispers, the cough or ragged breathing of the sick, nothing at all. He had to be sure, his silent approach forgotten he rushed to the door across the hall throwing it open. A empty bad half made was all that greeted him on the other side. the uneasiness he felt the paranoia coming back 100 fold, he could feel his heart beat against his chest trying to escape to run.

 

He swallowed his feelings back down, again checking anouther room, still nothing. Four more rooms he checked, every room the same, nothing. The last room he entered, he slowly moved into it, moving to the tv in the corner of the room. He switched it on, inside knowing already what he would fine. Still, he had to be sure. Static, every channel the same, static. Unable to bare it he turned and exited the room, numbly finding his way back to his room. Staring at the door for a moment, he half collapsed against it, pressing his knees to his chest as his body just, shut down.

 

At his own request of course, his body went numb as his mind raced on. He couldn't let what he just saw effect him, he pushed it away. I didn't see that he told him self, trying to calm down. Someone else did. If he let himself believe just a moment that he was not in the situation he was now finding himself, he could think of how this could of happened. His mind ran through the possibility's, examining every piece of information he knew, as if he was solving a hard question for a test. If only this test wasn't real life.

 

He stated in that state of half wakefulness for several minutes, in till finally, he stood again. his face grim and determined, he remained leaning against the door assigned to him. Waiting for the young nurse he saw earlier, 2 questions the only thing on his mind.

 

(So sorry someone died in my family :/ I should be on way more frequently)

[loviebeest]

As soon as she left the room she went to look for some clothes for him. Of course she could go to one of the small shops to look if there were some clothes he could use there, or she could look around for them somewhere else. But leaving him alone to much was no good idea, especially since he just woke up. In any case, his clothes wouldn't be near him since he was in a emergency room. Lydia stood still in front of the room were the dead person was. She hadn't been able find any wearable clothes except on the person who had already died. Shall I take those and give them to him? ... No I can't do that, that is worse than wearing hospital linen. She firmly turned away from the door and went to the stock room instead. I shall at least take the needle out, nobody likes to have a needle stuck in them. And in this situation it's just better to take them out. She entered the room and looked for the materials and suprise, suprise. There in the strangest place she could find it she found pants, they were big and there was no shirt tough. We will get a shirt and better fitting pants in the shop. For now he has to do with this. With the pants over her arm and materials in her hand she went back to the room.

 

She was near the room when she started mumbling to herself and checked if she had everything. Lydia wasn't actually qualified to take out needles without permission or supervision, it made her a bit nervous. "cotton, tape... pants, should I have taken a hospital underpants? No, we can get one la..." She looked up from her stuff and saw Jexxal leaning against the door. Suprise was showing on her face before she had her professional smile on. Great, I can assume he didn't wash up. Wait that's not important now. She walked up to him and showed him the pants and material. "Here are pants, I couldn't find a shirt. I will also pull your needle out in a mo.." At that point she noticed the missing needle and the blood that was following a small line on his arm. "You could have waited with that, I said that you were in observation but that doesn't mean I could have taken it out for you." She couldn't hold back a sigh before she slung the pants over her shoulder and grabbing his arm. She ignored any complains he had and wiped the blood off with one cotton and taped another on the needle wound. "Don't underestimate wounds. Next time you should stay in your room and wait for someone else to do it." Secretly she was relieved that she didn't have to pull the needle out. She handed him the pants. "What where you actually doing outside your room?" She finnally gave him some room to complain or talk.

[HgEmpire57]

He watched her approach, his face covered in a mask of neutrality, not wanting to "give away his hand" before he wanted to. He watched uncomplaining as she fussed over his arm. The moment she mentioned him being outside his assigned room however, that mask cracked. His eyes grew cold and his lips curved downward in and angry frown.

 

"Why am i outside my room?" he said her question over again, his voice deathly quiet. "I dont know, maybe-" his voice slowly raising with every word. " it was the fact that there is NO one else in this hallway. No sound Not a peep, Like this entire Hospital is abandoned. " his voice close to yelling he glared at her throwing his hands into the sky to emphasis his words. "You come into my room and the first thing you do is not tell me something is going on but tell me im in Observation?" "Are you and me the only ones in this Hospital?"

 

He stopped suddenly, letting a deep sigh out as his whole body seemed to deflate. He looked at her again not really angry, more confused and deep down, afraid. "How far does it spread." he said in a voice a little louder then a whisper.

Edited June 13, 2014 by HgEmpire57

[Kestra15]

Mak had been standing outside the room, door open so that his one line of human contact right now could be maintained. The drip stand was out of his hands and instead leaning up against the wall; no rabid zombies had charged them down, no aliens had teleported into their inner sanctum, and no crazed survivors were trying to rip their faces off. Still the metal shaft stayed just within arm's reach as Mak leaned against the wall, ears keen to pick up any sound of approach. Down here in the underground level of the hospital they were unlikely to get random visitors, as without a keycard no-one could enter this level. Only staff would be found down here.

 

"Mak, I found it!"

 

Mak slipped back into the room and took a moment to try and read the screens Wisperlee had running. He was not computer illiterate and had an innate grasp of scientific principles, but this was a step beyond him, and he waited while Wisperlee gave him the summary of what was going on. The Internet was pretty much dead-space, with only automation occuring, and with servers down across Asia it was clear that whatever was happening it was a world-wide phenomena. The thought that they really were on their on weighed on the young man as he slipped onto a chair beside Wisperlee, and with considerable effort tried not to imagine the empty cities around the world. How many other small groups of people, like themselves, were there?

 

The notification sound only just penetrated Mak's thoughts, and he looked up in time to see Wisperlee reply to a request. For a moment instinct made him want to stop her from giving out their location, a childhood of internet security telling him not to give out their location, but the whole point was to find people now, not hide from them. He stood up as the reply came from their new friend, and he leaned over the keypad.

 

There's a couple of us here, he replied, fingers working slower than Wisperlee's but still clearly at the speed of a frequent typist. Wait at the cafeteria, we'll meet you there.

 

He looked down at the hacker. "Do you...do you think there's anything else you can gain from being in here?" he asked, a hint of defeat in his voice.

[loviebeest]

Lydia wasn't used to such outbursts of anger, at least not the ones that were aimed at her and it made her almost want to scurry away. Instead she stood firm and anwsered in a calm voice. "So you rather had the truth fall down on you when you just woke up? I actually said it with consideration for you in my mind." She realized that she probably sounded like she was preaching but she continued with a nicer voice and a honest smile this time. "You probably have no idea how shocked and relieved I was when I heard you call, you are the second suvivor I found." She wasn't mentioning that the other survivor was. Lydia was also avoiding to anwser the real question, she didn't want to admit to herself that they were the only one left. At this point her mask of profesinallism had broken and now she was her nervous self again. "It's uhmm... kinda..." She sighed and started over again her smile still visible on her face, tough it wasn't a happy one. "The people are in different places in the hospital. Mak and Lee are looking for computers with a good connection, Ari and Emily are in the cafeteria together with Nougat, Nay is running around here somewhere and than there is you and me." She waited a moment so the names could sink in, forgetting to say anything about the other survivor. "We were the only ones in the whole town, so far we know the world. No one on facebook no one anwsers calls." She stayed silent for a moment before she cautiously talked again, gauging his reaction. "This is why I didn't tell you immediatly, it's better to wake up slowly than with a bucket of ice cold water."

[Mistress of Whispers]

He looked down at the hacker. "Do you...do you think there's anything else you can gain from being in here?" he asked, a hint of defeat in his voice.

Wisperlee shook her head in the negatory. "I'll set up a remote access link in case we ever need the computing power again and then we're done here."

 

She worked swiftly and methodically, but some of her earlier exuberance seems lost. Then, after a minute or so of work, she voiced what was on her mind: "Do you think we'll all be here after 3:30 tonight?" They had no way to tell if the disappearances were a one-time occurence.

[HgEmpire57]

He turned away as she spoke, taking in her words, the sincerity in her voice. She was just trying to be nice. he thought to himself. he let her finish before even glancing back at her. He smiled, the first real one and slowly picked the loose fitting jeans off of her shoulder. He silently slipped them on under the linen, more or less clothed, though he had to keep a hand in one of the pockets to force them to remain around his waist and not around his ankles.

 

"Most people," he began, at first not looking at her. "would want to be woken up slowly. I dont like the false sense of security." He looked at her and smiled again, the normal smirk on his face more real and friendly. "Thanks though, I know you tried to do the right thing." He let out a deep lengthy sigh, scratching the back of his head before continuing. "You should get with the others, I need to go find my backpack. Ill see you in a few." with one last sly wink he walked off before she could say something to stop him, disappearing down the halls.

 

[Fangirl05]

There's a couple of us here. That got her alarm bells twitching. "A couple" could mean a lot of things, and times of crisis could turn even the sanest of sane men savage; just look at her.

 

She looked up to a tiny blonde creature she could probably use to pick her teeth - how in the hell did she get left behind? - and slipped her phone back into her pocket.

 

"Yeah, that was me" she said a little brusquely and raised her hand in a quick wave. "Hi. Name's Erin. Fair warning, there's apparently a few other people here besides me, and they're on their way." She turned a hard look down the hallway and moved her hand to the hilt of her knife.

[Kestra15]

"Do you think we'll all be here after 3:30 tonight?"

 

Mak looked down at the hacker, and noticed a slump in her shoulders that mirrored his own state of mind. Standing up straight Mak looked around the small computer centre - the thought hadn't crossed his own mind. He shivered at the idea that they may just all be living on borrowed time now, that whatever had happened could come back again tonight.

 

"Something has taken out almost the whole of our species," he said morbidly. "Whose to say they, it or whatever won't just do it in ten minutes time?" He shrugged. "We have too much to worry about as it is, to be afraid of us disappearing again at any moment. I think for now we should work with what we can influence." He waited for Wisperlee to finish her work, then offered her a hand to help her out of her seat.

Edited June 14, 2014 by Kestra15

[Marcus Pheonix]

((Hey everyone I just got accepted))

 

Jaune sighed, a long vented sigh. It was a sigh designed to attract his mother into the room with a tray in her arms, laden with his breakfast.

No tea.

Jaune opened his eyes and sat up, his door was wide open and the sun was shining through the parting in the curtains, yet his mother was no where to be seen. He frowned angrily and sat up, kicking the cover off.

"Lucy come here," He said, a slight french slur to his voice. He leaned down towards the small pink mantis, his hand curled slightly. Lucy was busy eating a moth she had captured in the night, but at the sight of his hand she climbed up, the moth falling back onto the windowsill. Jaune smiled as he lifted the mantis up in front of his face.

"Good morning Lucy, I see you have had a successful hunt. Well done," His voice was smooth and clear, but he had a slight tendency to pause.

"Mothers didn't wake me up Lucy, she didn't bring me my breakfast. Do you mind if I..." His voice trailed off as he stared intently at the mantis. Lucy flexed her front legs and Jaunes shoulders slumped.

"Oh, you are a harsh mistress. I promise I will not eat all," He begged. But Lucy was unwilling to give up her food to the peasant that was her carrier. Jaune frowned angrily and stood up, the hood of his pikachu onesie flicked forward and covered his eyes, obscuring his dark hair. He placed Lucy on his shoulder and made his way outside. Hurrying down the steps he entered the kitchen, where he faltered.

"Mother!" He called. Jaune tilted his head and looked down curiously at Lucy.

"Do you know where she is? You were up all night" he asked her. She offered no answers.

Jaune scowled, she was the strong silent type after all.

"Mother, this isn't very nice game! If you were going to leave I would have appreciated a note!" He called angrily.

Jaune quickly made his way up to his mothers room and was surprised to find no one there. A slight grin formed on his face, and Lucy shuddered.

Jaune hurried down the stairs and opened the front door.

"Hello neighbourhood!" He cried. He gazed around the small little cul-de-sac that he lived, cars that should have been at work were still in there driveways. He ran over to the house across from his, the ears of his onesie flopping playfully.

He knocked repeatedly on the front door.

"Mrs Peterson! Are you there! Will you be angry if I break the window?" He called, the grin on his face growing more as no reply sounded.

Jaune picked up a nearby flowerpot and hurled it at the window. The glass broke away, a cross work of cracks spread across it. Jaune scowled and through the second pot, the glass shattered. Jaune vaulted the windowsill and ran up the stairs towards Mr and Mrs Peterson's room. No one was home. Jaune began to chuckle, and then began to laugh.

 

--------------

 

A couple hours later Jaune was once again outside his house. The neighborhood was considerably different. Multicolored streaks of paint coated the whole area. Every window in the cul-de-sac was shattered or lined with cracks. Every car was dented. Jaune now had a sinister half faced gas mask on his face. He was busy wheeling out a small crate of good, mostly leftover spray cans. The garage door to his house was open, and inside was a pile of every piece of furniture Jaune was bothered to move, every poster, every rug, the curtains from every window. If one were to walk inside they would see a near bare house. Jaune sighed in appreciation as he stopped, lowering the lifter to place the crates on the ground.

"Here you go Lucy, best seat in the house," Jaune said as he placed his beloved mantis on the top of the lifter. She once again had her moth, Jaune would not deprive her of her hard earned food. He then made his way back into the garage and lifted up the can of gasoline, placed aside the barbeque for later use. Jaune began humming, the sound was muffled slightly by his respirator, the Pokemon theme. He pulled off the lid and happily began dousing the pile of furniture. When he felt it was enough Jaune began shuffling backwards, leaving a trail of gas in his wake. He shook out the last few drops and through the can back onto the pile.

"Watch and be amazed Lucy, the light shall cleanse the evils" He said, his lips barley keeping his smile in check.

"Now, the Pièce de résistance," He reached down and picked up one of the spray cans, and a small packet of matches. He quickly swiped the match across the driveway and it lit up. He held the match at eye level, smiling at the quiet beauty of the fire. He flicked off the spray can lid and mechanically shook the can.

"Chamrander use flamethrower!" He said, his voice breaking as the emotion flooded through him. Holding the match in front, he pressed down on the can and a stream of pressurized paint shot out and caught alight. The stream of fire spewed out and lit up the trail of gasoline. Jaunes eyes were wide as he watched the flame shoot up his driveway... and then stopped.

"No!" Jaune cried. He kicked the crate of spray cans over.

"No, no no!" He screamed and ran over to the gasoline, crouching over it.

"Why did you stop! You can't stop, you haven't reached the peer! There aren't enough life boats for the passengers, you must reach the peer!" Jaune stomped forwards towards the pile and once again lit up the spray can. He howled with joy as the thin fabric of the curtains took to the flame and flared up. Jaune hurried back out to Lucy, grinning ear to ear as a shuddering boom echoed as one of the gas tanks ruptured.

"Look at it Lucy!! Isn't it beautiful?" He asked, crouched down next to her. He watched with glee as the flames licked up the walls of the house, eager to spread, a thick plume of smoke already forming.

Jaune grinned and, turning way, bent down and began filling the onesie with cans. He had made several modifications and the inside was full of pouches and pockets for a handy snack, many of which already filled it. He picked up Lucy and placed her on his shoulder.

"Come Lucy! Let us go to the market place, maybe the hospital first. I can burn all of those textbooks! There's nothing worthwhile in them anyway, they never worked on me, and I'm the only one here!" He let out another cheer of joy and began skipping down the road, taking a quick glance back at his house, satisfied to see the fire spreading.

 

(( Hope its not too long))

[Fangirl05]

((Hey everyone I just got accepted))

 

Jaune sighed, a long vented sigh. It was a sigh designed to attract his mother into the room with a tray in her arms, laden with his breakfast.

No tea.

Jaune opened his eyes and sat up, his door was wide open and the sun was shining through the parting in the curtains, yet his mother was no where to be seen. He frowned angrily and sat up, kicking the cover off.

"Lucy come here," He said, a slight french slur to his voice. He leaned down towards the small pink mantis, his hand curled slightly. Lucy was busy eating a moth she had captured in the night, but at the sight of his hand she climbed up, the moth falling back onto the windowsill. Jaune smiled as he lifted the mantis up in front of his face.

"Good morning Lucy, I see you have had a successful hunt. Well done," His voice was smooth and clear, but he had a slight tendency to pause.

"Mothers didn't wake me up Lucy, she didn't bring me my breakfast. Do you mind if I..." His voice trailed off as he stared intently at the mantis. Lucy flexed her front legs and Jaunes shoulders slumped.

"Oh, you are a harsh mistress. I promise I will not eat all," He begged. But Lucy was unwilling to give up her food to the peasant that was her carrier. Jaune frowned angrily and stood up, the hood of his pikachu onesie flicked forward and covered his eyes, obscuring his dark hair. He placed Lucy on his shoulder and made his way outside. Hurrying down the steps he entered the kitchen, where he faltered.

"Mother!" He called. Jaune tilted his head and looked down curiously at Lucy.

"Do you know where she is? You were up all night" he asked her. She offered no answers.

Jaune scowled, she was the strong silent type after all.

"Mother, this isn't very nice game! If you were going to leave I would have appreciated a note!" He called angrily.

Jaune quickly made his way up to his mothers room and was surprised to find no one there. A slight grin formed on his face, and Lucy shuddered.

Jaune hurried down the stairs and opened the front door.

"Hello neighbourhood!" He cried. He gazed around the small little cul-de-sac that he lived, cars that should have been at work were still in there driveways. He ran over to the house across from his, the ears of his onesie flopping playfully.

He knocked repeatedly on the front door.

"Mrs Peterson! Are you there! Will you be angry if I break the window?" He called, the grin on his face growing more as no reply sounded.

Jaune picked up a nearby flowerpot and hurled it at the window. The glass broke away, a cross work of cracks spread across it. Jaune scowled and through the second pot, the glass shattered. Jaune vaulted the windowsill and ran up the stairs towards Mr and Mrs Peterson's room. No one was home. Jaune began to chuckle, and then began to laugh.

 

--------------

 

A couple hours later Jaune was once again outside his house. The neighborhood was considerably different. Multicolored streaks of paint coated the whole area. Every window in the cul-de-sac was shattered or lined with cracks. Every car was dented. Jaune now had a sinister half faced gas mask on his face. He was busy wheeling out a small crate of good, mostly leftover spray cans. The garage door to his house was open, and inside was a pile of every piece of furniture Jaune was bothered to move, every poster, every rug, the curtains from every window. If one were to walk inside they would see a near bare house. Jaune sighed in appreciation as he stopped, lowering the lifter to place the crates on the ground.

"Here you go Lucy, best seat in the house," Jaune said as he placed his beloved mantis on the top of the lifter. She once again had her moth, Jaune would not deprive her of her hard earned food. He then made his way back into the garage and lifted up the can of gasoline, placed aside the barbeque for later use. Jaune began humming, the sound was muffled slightly by his respirator, the Pokemon theme. He pulled off the lid and happily began dousing the pile of furniture. When he felt it was enough Jaune began shuffling backwards, leaving a trail of gas in his wake. He shook out the last few drops and through the can back onto the pile.

"Watch and be amazed Lucy, the light shall cleanse the evils" He said, his lips barley keeping his smile in check.

"Now, the Pièce de résistance," He reached down and picked up one of the spray cans, and a small packet of matches. He quickly swiped the match across the driveway and it lit up. He held the match at eye level, smiling at the quiet beauty of the fire. He flicked off the spray can lid and mechanically shook the can.

"Chamrander use flamethrower!" He said, his voice breaking as the emotion flooded through him. Holding the match in front, he pressed down on the can and a stream of pressurized paint shot out and caught alight. The stream of fire spewed out and lit up the trail of gasoline. Jaunes eyes were wide as he watched the flame shoot up his driveway... and then stopped.

"No!" Jaune cried. He kicked the crate of spray cans over.

"No, no no!" He screamed and ran over to the gasoline, crouching over it.

"Why did you stop! You can't stop, you haven't reached the peer! There aren't enough life boats for the passengers, you must reach the peer!" Jaune stomped forwards towards the pile and once again lit up the spray can. He howled with joy as the thin fabric of the curtains took to the flame and flared up. Jaune hurried back out to Lucy, grinning ear to ear as a shuddering boom echoed as one of the gas tanks ruptured.

"Look at it Lucy!! Isn't it beautiful?" He asked, crouched down next to her. He watched with glee as the flames licked up the walls of the house, eager to spread, a thick plume of smoke already forming.

Jaune grinned and, turning way, bent down and began filling the onesie with cans. He had made several modifications and the inside was full of pouches and pockets for a handy snack, many of which already filled it. He picked up Lucy and placed her on his shoulder.

"Come Lucy! Let us go to the market place, maybe the hospital first. I can burn all of those textbooks! There's nothing worthwhile in them anyway, they never worked on me, and I'm the only one here!" He let out another cheer of joy and began skipping down the road, taking a quick glance back at his house, satisfied to see the fire spreading.

 

(( Hope its not too long))

*reads in increasing horror*

[HgEmpire57]

((Hey everyone I just got accepted))

 

Jaune sighed, a long vented sigh. It was a sigh designed to attract his mother into the room with a tray in her arms, laden with his breakfast.

No tea.

Jaune opened his eyes and sat up, his door was wide open and the sun was shining through the parting in the curtains, yet his mother was no where to be seen. He frowned angrily and sat up, kicking the cover off.

"Lucy come here," He said, a slight french slur to his voice. He leaned down towards the small pink mantis, his hand curled slightly. Lucy was busy eating a moth she had captured in the night, but at the sight of his hand she climbed up, the moth falling back onto the windowsill. Jaune smiled as he lifted the mantis up in front of his face.

"Good morning Lucy, I see you have had a successful hunt. Well done," His voice was smooth and clear, but he had a slight tendency to pause.

"Mothers didn't wake me up Lucy, she didn't bring me my breakfast. Do you mind if I..." His voice trailed off as he stared intently at the mantis. Lucy flexed her front legs and Jaunes shoulders slumped.

"Oh, you are a harsh mistress. I promise I will not eat all," He begged. But Lucy was unwilling to give up her food to the peasant that was her carrier. Jaune frowned angrily and stood up, the hood of his pikachu onesie flicked forward and covered his eyes, obscuring his dark hair. He placed Lucy on his shoulder and made his way outside. Hurrying down the steps he entered the kitchen, where he faltered.

"Mother!" He called. Jaune tilted his head and looked down curiously at Lucy.

"Do you know where she is? You were up all night" he asked her. She offered no answers.

Jaune scowled, she was the strong silent type after all.

"Mother, this isn't very nice game! If you were going to leave I would have appreciated a note!" He called angrily.

Jaune quickly made his way up to his mothers room and was surprised to find no one there. A slight grin formed on his face, and Lucy shuddered.

Jaune hurried down the stairs and opened the front door.

"Hello neighbourhood!" He cried. He gazed around the small little cul-de-sac that he lived, cars that should have been at work were still in there driveways. He ran over to the house across from his, the ears of his onesie flopping playfully.

He knocked repeatedly on the front door.

"Mrs Peterson! Are you there! Will you be angry if I break the window?" He called, the grin on his face growing more as no reply sounded.

Jaune picked up a nearby flowerpot and hurled it at the window. The glass broke away, a cross work of cracks spread across it. Jaune scowled and through the second pot, the glass shattered. Jaune vaulted the windowsill and ran up the stairs towards Mr and Mrs Peterson's room. No one was home. Jaune began to chuckle, and then began to laugh.

 

--------------

 

A couple hours later Jaune was once again outside his house. The neighborhood was considerably different. Multicolored streaks of paint coated the whole area. Every window in the cul-de-sac was shattered or lined with cracks. Every car was dented. Jaune now had a sinister half faced gas mask on his face. He was busy wheeling out a small crate of good, mostly leftover spray cans. The garage door to his house was open, and inside was a pile of every piece of furniture Jaune was bothered to move, every poster, every rug, the curtains from every window. If one were to walk inside they would see a near bare house. Jaune sighed in appreciation as he stopped, lowering the lifter to place the crates on the ground.

"Here you go Lucy, best seat in the house," Jaune said as he placed his beloved mantis on the top of the lifter. She once again had her moth, Jaune would not deprive her of her hard earned food. He then made his way back into the garage and lifted up the can of gasoline, placed aside the barbeque for later use. Jaune began humming, the sound was muffled slightly by his respirator, the Pokemon theme. He pulled off the lid and happily began dousing the pile of furniture. When he felt it was enough Jaune began shuffling backwards, leaving a trail of gas in his wake. He shook out the last few drops and through the can back onto the pile.

"Watch and be amazed Lucy, the light shall cleanse the evils" He said, his lips barley keeping his smile in check.

"Now, the Pièce de résistance," He reached down and picked up one of the spray cans, and a small packet of matches. He quickly swiped the match across the driveway and it lit up. He held the match at eye level, smiling at the quiet beauty of the fire. He flicked off the spray can lid and mechanically shook the can.

"Chamrander use flamethrower!" He said, his voice breaking as the emotion flooded through him. Holding the match in front, he pressed down on the can and a stream of pressurized paint shot out and caught alight. The stream of fire spewed out and lit up the trail of gasoline. Jaunes eyes were wide as he watched the flame shoot up his driveway... and then stopped.

"No!" Jaune cried. He kicked the crate of spray cans over.

"No, no no!" He screamed and ran over to the gasoline, crouching over it.

"Why did you stop! You can't stop, you haven't reached the peer! There aren't enough life boats for the passengers, you must reach the peer!" Jaune stomped forwards towards the pile and once again lit up the spray can. He howled with joy as the thin fabric of the curtains took to the flame and flared up. Jaune hurried back out to Lucy, grinning ear to ear as a shuddering boom echoed as one of the gas tanks ruptured.

"Look at it Lucy!! Isn't it beautiful?" He asked, crouched down next to her. He watched with glee as the flames licked up the walls of the house, eager to spread, a thick plume of smoke already forming.

Jaune grinned and, turning way, bent down and began filling the onesie with cans. He had made several modifications and the inside was full of pouches and pockets for a handy snack, many of which already filled it. He picked up Lucy and placed her on his shoulder.

"Come Lucy! Let us go to the market place, maybe the hospital first. I can burn all of those textbooks! There's nothing worthwhile in them anyway, they never worked on me, and I'm the only one here!" He let out another cheer of joy and began skipping down the road, taking a quick glance back at his house, satisfied to see the fire spreading.

 

(( Hope its not too long))

Aaaaaanarchy..... -wipes eyes from such beauty-

[DragonSpirit009]

“Ari are you okay?” Emily spoke as she saw the younger girl walking to where they came from. She was barely in the kitchen when she quickly hurried back out after she heard a little commotion outside. When she looked around she saw Nougat by Ari but the salad was on the floor and the chair was knocked over. Not knowing if Ari was really okay Emily grabbed the closest thing she could find, that being a spatula and walked over to where Ari was.

 

“Is everything fine?” She spoke as she came around the corner meeting a new face.

 

[StarriAngel]

"I'm Ari," Ari said. Then she heard Emily ask if she was okay. "I'm fine Em," she said, "Wait what others?"She paused. "Do you mean the rest of our group? We just met and decided we were the only ones left this morning. Well I guess we weren't the only ones, seeing as you're here too." She shifted lightly back and forth As her mind wandered a little. She was probably telling this new girl too much, she didn't even know if the girl was friendly or dangerous yet. With that in mind, she straightened up her posture to her full height, which wasn't much, and tried to look as threatening as possible.

 

"Are you alone?" she said. Maybe there were others, and they might be dangerous. As threatening as Ari was trying to look she could feel her teeth chattering slightly with nervousness and she picked Nougat up to try and calm herself down.

[Fangirl05]

The question "Are you alone?" hit her unexpectedly hard. Her stomach lurched and her eyes and throat tightened up in that horrible pre-tears way.

 

"Yeah" she answered shortly, trying to force her voice into its lower octaves to keep it from breaking, "The others aren't mine."

 

She turned her back on the girls; she didn't want these strangers to see her cry.

[StarriAngel]

Ari frowned as she saw the girl's, Erin's, reaction to her last question. Stupid, stupid stupid! she thought. You had to upset her. She had to act fast to remedy the situation before it got worse. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so rude. I was just wondering if there were more people around." Think, she thought to herself. How did I comfort the kids in class when something was worng? She stood pondering for a minute. This should work!

 

The compulsion to comfort this new girl overrode Ari's fear of the girl being dangerous, so she put down Nougat, who ran straight over to Emily, and took a step towards Erin, putting a hand on her back to try and make her feel better. "It'll be okay. Don't worry. We're all pretty alone here. But we can be friends and keep each other company, cuz when you have friends, you're never truly alone right?" She smiled lightly at Erin, hoping she would agree with her. However, in the process, Ari reminded herself of how alone she felt. Mom and Dad aren't gone, they're not. They just in London. They want you to be independent. Ari thought, starting her inner monologue. And you are independent. Look! You've dealt with today really well so far. Only a few minor freakouts, no panic attacks, yet, and now you're helping someone else. It's going to be okay. Or, hopefully it is.

 

Ari's teeth chattered a little bit but she kept up her smile to the other girl who she hoped would stop looking so sad. "Like I said, it'll be okay?" She said again, but who was she really talking to...Erin, or herself?

[Fangirl05]

Erin flinched a little at Ari's touch; a lifetime of loner-hood can make you a little leery of unknown persons getting handsy. She rolled her eyes at her words, but smiled as she turned back toward her, albeit sarcastically.

 

"I'll forgive the unbearably cheesy line out of gratitude" she said, wiping her eyes. She glanced over at the dog, wondering why it didn't seem to want anything to do with her, then turned her attention back to Ari. "By the way, one of the folks on their way's named Wisperlee. Does that mean anything to you?"

[DragonSpirit009]

((StarriAngel Nougat is a Labrador dog… I doubt you could pick her up Just by the way I thought I tell you.))

 

Emily listened to the pairs conversation and could tell both of them were nervous and scared wrecks. It seems she needed to break the ice a bit and get them to sit down and relax.

“Hi I’m Emily.” She finally spoke to Erin. “Yeah we know her. She is checking if there are other people like us out there.” Emily spoke giving a little smile. “Come on and take a seat. I’m just checking for something for Nougat to eat. Ari I’ll fix you up a new salad quickly.”

 

Emily turned around releasing the grip on the spatula and headed back towards the kitchen. She didn’t think this girl will cause much danger. “Do you also want something Erin? Here is a couple of readymade stuff here but I can whip something up. We are waiting for the others and might as well have breakfast as we wait.”

 

[Fangirl05]

"Hey, if you guys want food, I've got some here." She plunked her suitcase down on the nearest table and undid a few of the zippers, nudging the dog's nose when it tried to get into her stuff. "Granted it's mostly meat," she continued, "and I don't have utensils, but." She set the beans and bread out with the meat and crumbled a couple of burgers by hand, then knelt down to feed them to the dog by hand.