Rapture

[Fortune86]

When James awoke it took him half a minute to place himself. Had it all been real? Were his brothers really missing, along with most of the planet? Opening his eyes confirmed that everything he could remember had indeed happened, the unfamilar furniture and room crushing his hopes that it had all been some weird dream.

 

James stretched and sat up, glaring at the room around him. He could smell cooking and hear voices from down below, so everyone was still here. At least he wasn't alone alone, something for which he was grateful for.

 

He got up and walked down the stairs. Finding a bathroom he performed a few small personal chores and then went off in search of the others and hopefully some breakfast.

[Kestra15]

"Morning Wisper, Micah, Petra," Mak replied to the others as he sipped at the tea Jaune had supplied. He lifted Micah's suitcase and looked over at Petra's vehicle, currently without supplies. "I'm okay for help thank you Micah - make sure you enjoy breakfast, eat your fill and have your favourites. We're not going to starve anytime soon, but we're probably not going to have the luxuries we normally enjoy." He was addressing all of them now, not just the Christian man. "We'll set off after we've enjoyed breakfast and packed. I've got the ambulance and one Rover ready to roll, and unless Petra had plans we can put our personal effects in her new ride. The drive won't take more than an hour or two, but we want to be there with plenty of daylight left to choose and set up our home."

[Salix]

“Of course, certainly” Petra replied to Mak’s comment about putting people putting their personal effects in the land rover she had just procured, if they wished.

 

“Unless you have already packed them, there were a couple of cooler boxes that Nay and I packed yesterday, with foods and things that we thought may come in useful – they were in the storage/cool room – I could pop them in the car too”.

 

“Thank you for preparing breakfast” Petra added before she made her way inside the pub, to check to see if Mak had noticed and packed the cooler boxes, and to get herself some breakfast.

 

[Kestra15]

"Already in the food wagon," Mak smiled to Petra, nodding to the other Land Rover which was already laden and ready to drive. "Pretty much splits that food is in the Land Rover, which Nay will drive, useful or bulky items in the ambu-taxi which I'll drive, alongside anyone who isn't taking a vehicle and probably the pets as well, and since you have the Land Rover we can put personal effects in there. And don't worry about breakfast," he added with a slight blush. He hefted Micah's suitcase into the new Land Rover.

[Mistress of Whispers]

"Erin found a great broadcasting set that we can use," Wisperlee chipped in, "so we should make sure to pick that up when we go." She would also need a battery (maybe from a car) and a bunch of cables to make sure it maintained power, but she was sure those would be available where they were going.

[Avialae]

Micah couldn't help but feel relieved at seeing Mak put his suitcase into one of the vehicles. He knew it was silly, but he felt much better at knowing for sure that his possessions would be making the trip with them all the same. "Do we really need a whole car for food? I mean, there'll be plenty of food where we're going, right?" Micah wasn't as worried as the others were about food. He knew that there were lots of kinds of food - rice, dried beans, canned stuff - that could last for years. It wouldn't be the best-tasting diet, but they wouldn't be in danger of starving.

 

Heading back into the pub's restaurant are, he made sure to smile and nod at everyone in the group. "Good morning, everyone," he said to them, wanting to be sure to be polite, even if he didn't quite trust everyone - namely Jaune - yet. He then made his way to the tables laid out with food and began to heap a plate full of everything that looked good. "I have a rental car that I can take to our destination," he said as he did so, raising his voice slightly so that Mak could hear him as well, hopefully at least. "At least if I can find the keys. They should be in my room, hopefully." He hoped they hadn't been in one of his sister's friends' possession when the Rapture happened, otherwise they'd be gone forever and the car would be unusable. He was also a little nervous about the trip itself - he hadn't actually driven in this country yet, and he wasn't sure he could follow the different traffic laws here. He'd studied up on them, but studying something and actually doing it were two completely different things.

 

 

[Fangirl05]

"Speaking of that broadcasting set," Erin said, "I'm gonna go do another sweep, see if anyone responds."

 

She slid off the small brick ledge she'd sat on and turned back into the pub, unintentionally casting a worried glance at Micah as she passed him; the guy had barely looked directly at her since she and Wisperlee had gotten back the night before. Maybe she'd gone to far with that question about scars and beatings....

 

When no one responded to her message on either radio, she rolled up her blanket and pillow and stuffed them into her suitcase. As an afterthought as she passed the kitchen, she started hunting around for Tupperware and utensils; no need for the uneaten bits of smorgasbord to go to waste.

[DragonSpirit009]

((Just so you know. Emily greeted everyone in the room including Erin and then she went outside and greet the others there.))

 

Emily waited patiently for Nougat to finish her business but listened to the groups conversations. She figured before they leave she needed to go to one of the shops and get some clean clothes. Thou she is use to roughing it in the outdoors she was still amongst strangers and still needed to change in to some decent clothes and underwear. She will probably only need something for a day or two so that they can at least settle in from there they can go into town and gather what is needed on a later stage.

 

Still in her own thought Nougat had sneaked passed the young woman as was already waiting for something to eat by the table of food. Emily could only sigh. It was clear the pooch wasn’t going to do her thing until she had something tasty. With an annoyed feeling Emily went back in and started to dish some breakfast for herself where she occasionally dropped something for Nougat to nibble.

 

[Fortune86]

When James found where most of the others had gathered it seemed like they were all busy getting themselves sorted. The bag of food he had left by the seat he had used last night was gone. Probably already loaded into one of the vehicles.

 

He didn't really feel hungry, being used to just grabbing food as and when he could, so looked around to see if anyone needed help with anything.

 

"Is there anything that needs doing?" he asked the room in general. "Might as well get some use out of me while I'm feeling helpful."

[Fangirl05]

"Yeah" Erin called to him through the kitchen doorway, "You can help me find containers and start loading up all these leftovers."

[Fortune86]

James crossed the room and joined Erin in the kitchen and started to look through the cupboards. In the third one he came across he found some little plastic containers with lids. Not quite tupperware, but the sort of thing the chinese take out people might put your rice in.

 

"What about these?" he asked pulling one out of the cupboard and holding it out for Erin to inspect.

[Fangirl05]

"Perfect" Erin smiled. She held out her hand and flexed her fingers. "Toss me a few."

[Fortune86]

James grabbed a handful and passed them over to Erin. There were also a couple of washed out plastic ice cream tubs at the back which might do for storing larger items. He grabbed a couple but to his surprise found a weight in the second.

 

Curious he put the other tubs down on the floor and peeled the lid off the weighted one. There were several rolls of banknotes inside. After checking the denomination, he guessed the tub held about seven to eight hundred pounds.

 

 

[Fangirl05]

Erin glanced up from scraping scrambled eggs into one of the containers at the sound of something hollow and made of plastic hitting the floor. James had apparently found something very interesting in the bucket he hadn't dropped.

 

"What is it?" she asked, craning her neck over his shoulder to catch a glimpse, "Mold moving by itself?"

[Kestra15]

((OOC: Sorry for the delay on this one, was ill over the last couple of days. -KM))

 

As everyone seemed to have had their fill of breakfast and were getting ready to go Mak did a quick head-count; everyone but Ari was up. He smiled slightly. He was surprised, in honesty, that so many people had been up as early as he if not more so in spite of the events of the previous day; everyone had still been slightly dazed and tired and he'd thought they would probably all be still abed until late morning. Instead it seemed the sudden disappearances had kept many from sleeping. Not Ari though. She was getting the rest they all desperately deserved. Taking his time to finish his tea and make his way through a bacon sandwich Mak left the rest of the group to their Tupperware Challenge and took the stairs to Ari's room.

 

Peering in through the door Mak originally only cast a quick glance around the room, not wanting to accidentally see something that would leave one or both parties blushing. However it took barely a millisecond for his brain to register her absence before he pushed the door wide open. Cold fear gripped his heart for a moment and the oppressive emptiness of the superstore returned, that urge to just run as fast as he could as far as he could, but with a small laugh he rejected that feeling. She was probably getting washed and changed. Certainly she hadn't gone out for a walk as her trainers and bag were still next to the bed, but not her clothes from the previous day. The bed was messy, slept in. No, she was probably making use of the facilities to ready herself for the day.

 

Still, the group were focusing on tidying up and Mak reckoned he should probably put something aside for her. He couldn't remember if she was vegetarian or not though. With a shrug he moved over to the closed door of the room's en suite and knocked, reasoning he would grab a good plate of whatever she asked for, and it wouldn't be too great an ordeal if anything was left behind. But rapping on the wooden door gave no response, and he couldn't hear a thing when he pressed his ear to it - no running water, no rustling of clothing.

 

Again his heart froze in his chest and his stomach knotted around his bacon sandwich, and this time he had to work to stop some bile creeping up his throat as he put a surprisingly-steady hand to the door-handle. "Ari?" he asked, voice betraying his nerves. Maybe she had passed out? Maybe she was so caught in her own world, perhaps staring catatonic in the mirror or perched on the edge of the toilet? Anything, any disaster other than...

 

Pushing the door open revealed an empty, unused bathroom. No ruffled towels. No half-filled basin. Nothing. It was untouched, unused. Mak stared at the room for several hurried heartbeats, then turned and made for the other, larger bathroom on this floor. This time he hammered on the door, calling her name before bursting in...but no-one was there this time, though a pile of used towels attested to others having been there.

 

"No..." he whispered. This wasn't fair. They were together. Safe. Had it not had enough the previous day, whatever it was? Wasn't the whole damn world been enough? With regrettable precision Mak launched a fist at the door in frustration, the blow enough to shatter a hole in the flimsy wood and leave him with bloodied knuckles and a stinging wrist; a primal response to the situation but the only one open to him. With a muttered 'damn' he went to the sink and washed his hand off, wrapping it in a spare white towel.

 

Slowly he descended the stairs to the bar, and looked around at those assembled. "There's no chance anyone has seen Ari today?" he asked dully, nursing his wrist.

 

((GM Note: Sadly, StarriAngel has asked to leave, and we wish her luck. -KM))

[Fortune86]

James wordlessly tilted the ice cream tub so that Erin could see inside.

 

It was odd. Normally James would have pocketed the rolls of cash instantly, but in a world without people did money really matter? He had been a thief most of his life, like most kids he started off nicking sweets from the corner shop, but was he still a criminal if there was no one to steal from? He sort of understood why people went mad in isolation. Without other people, your place in the world had no meaning.

 

He heard Mak's voice drift in through the doorway, asking about Ari. James walked over to where he could see him.

 

"You can't find her?"

[Fangirl05]

Oh. Money. Not nearly as interesting. She went back to packing the food.

 

Until Mak came down saying that Ari had vanished.

 

"She's gone?" she asked in a voice that sounded small and devastated even to her. It was like finding herself alone in that rental house all over again. She sank miserably into the nearest chair. Dingo mewled up at her in concern, and she picked him up mechanically and rubbed his scruff for comfort.

[Avialae]

Micah looked up from his plate as he heard Mak's words. "Ari . . . I'm sorry, but I don't quite remember what she looked like," he told the other man. He'd gotten to know some of the members of the group better than others over the course of the previous day, and Ariella was one of the ones that had just, for one reason or another, failed to make much of an impression on Micah. "I'm pretty sure everyone who came down after me is still here, though. But I haven't been awake for that long." He shrugged and went back to his plate. It hadn't occurred to him that Ariella might have *vanished* vanished; to him, the Rapture was a singular event and that was that. And Micah could well understand why someone might want to travel on their own. He didn't think it was exactly safe for a lone woman to do so, of course, but Mak had said nothing to make him think that Ariella might have left permanently. He didn't know about the state of Ariella's room, and since he had only come downstairs recently the girl could have just gone outside for a short walk for all Micah knew.

[Fangirl05]

"This isn't the first time this has happened" Erin told him, tightening her hold on Dingo to the point that he started squirming, "There was another girl with the group yesterday, Lydia, and we found some other Yank after they found me. They both disappeared outside the hospital in Hawkingsthorne."

[Mistress of Whispers]

Wisperlee had just transferred postal bag, the dog food and a bag of apples to the bottom of the sidecar. She was busy getting Cujo's harness in place when she caught the tail of the conversation between Mak, Erin, Micah and James. She looked up sharply, colour draining from her face. "Ari is gone?" she said with a sharp hint to her voice.

 

"Maybe she's out getting supplies before we leave. We should give her some time before we jump to conclusions." The words sounded hollow even to her, but she would never forgive herself if they simply moved on without giving Ari a chance.

[Fortune86]

"Somehow I doubt it" said James in response to Wisperlee's suggestion that Ari was simply out gathering supplies.

 

James tossed aside the ice cream tub of money and stood in the doorway to the kitchen looked feeling annoyed. He might not know what was going on, but if he ever met whoever was responsible for all this, he'd kill them.

 

"We need to make some kind of group rule. If anyone is going anywhere for whatever reason, tell someone or leave a note or something."

[Marcus Pheonix]

Jaune watched on in bemusement.

"Don't get your hopes up Whisperwhisper, I didn't see anyone leave last night... also I disagree with you James I don't want to have to tell you people when I'm leaving... the flaw with your idea what if someone leaves a note saying they'll be back but they don't return?" Jaune rebutted.

"Perhaps the kittens are taking them!" He exclaimed, and quickly began glaring at dingo. Raising his hand up to his eyes he pointed back and forth between the feline and himself.

"Im watching you, if you take the she witch before I can burn her you've got another thing coming!" He dared the cat.

[Fortune86]

"If you want to leave Jaune then leave" snapped James. "No one is making you stay. For those of us that give a damn it might be a good way to stay in touch."

 

When Jaune started rambling on about burning Erin again James threw up his hands in dismissal and walked back into the kitchen. Going over to the sink he pulled aside the net curtain so that he could see out into the garden. It wasn't the best cared for of gardens, it wouldn't win any prizes, but you could see where someone had tried. There was a flower bed of sorts, lined with slate tiles, and a trellis. Judging by all the little ties someone had put some effort into keeping the sickly looking climbing plant growing in the right direction.

 

This pub might not have been much, but to someone it had been a home. And then something or someone had snatched them away.

 

Why did they go?

[Fangirl05]

Erin curled her arms protectively around Dingo, adding a murderous glare for added oomf.

 

"You hurt one fur on his head," she snarled, "and I swear to God, I'll tape your eyes open and make you watch me gut your pet weasel alive and feed Dingo his entrails."

[Avialae]

Micah let out an exasperated sigh as Jaune started up again. He resolutely turned his back on the boy and Erin, pointedly deciding to ignore their squabble. As long as things didn't get dangerous, he had no intention of getting involved with any problems Jaune might cause. The others were the ones who wanted Jaune to travel with them for whatever reason; they could take responsibility for him.

 

"I still think everyone is overreacting," Micah said, confident in his interpretation of events. God wasn't supposed to pick up stragglers after he raptured His faithful, after all, so that couldn't be what happened to Ariella in his mind. And he had no way of knowing that Jaune had been awake all night, so his statement that he hadn't heard anyone leave didn't mean anything to him. "I think Wisperlee's probably right; and as for the other two earlier, doesn't it make more sense that that they decided to travel by themselves and you just didn't notice when they left? Let's face it, we don't exactly make the most pleasant of traveling companions."