Realistic or Modern Dead End ~Survival, Apocalyptic, Still accepting ~

[Lumeneire]

(Inspired by Stephen King's 'The Stand' and Guillermo Del Toro's 'The Strain'.)

​

A sickness has enveloped the world with it's elegant and unforgiving grasp.


It claws away unknowingly and hushes it's victims swiftly to keep it's secret.
​

At first, nobody had noticed at all. People died everyday but that was just something the human race gritted their teeth against and ignored. But the body count started to rise and people started to notice, as usual though it was the wrong people.


The governments in each major city across the world noticed that sickness was spreading amongst their land but managed to suppress the news and the panic of it. Instead, they worked in secret against the plague and silenced any outsiders that had any real evidence to bring to the people. They believed they were doing good for their countries and saving more lives by killing a few. And at first you would argue they would be right, sacrifice the lives of a few for the needs of the many but they were unaware of the other circumstances surrounding the situation and killed many more by keeping the world in the dark.


Another sickness, one of the mind poked and prodded at the disease. It let the illness flourish and bloom no matter which hand tried to snuff it out. Secret people with secret lives let chemicals and information slip through their fingers and drift off into the ignorance of the world to suit their own needs.


These are the facts:-


- A man made killer disease is sweeping across the planet and capturing the lives of the weak like a morbid collector. It devours their minds first and then consumes their bodies.


- There are people that survive the disease and their bodies are alive and safe but their minds are already gone. They are rabid and hungry. Starving for destruction and flesh.


- There are people that were naturally immune to the airborne killer but are quickly being hunted and killed off by the diseased ones or their inability to survive in a world of dwindling electricity and real danger.


- This was all planned out meticulously and out there in the great expanse of decay and detriment are a society of men who brought the world to it's knee's. They are rich in both money and influence. They were bored and sickened by the masses of people crawling across the planet like lost ants. They seek only pleasure and happiness for themselves by torturing others. There are more of them than anyone could ever have imagined and they should be feared more than any monster or deadly disease.


We start off our story before any of this has come to light. There have been a few stories on the news and the radio about a rise in certain diseases but they assure everyone that it is nothing to worry about. There have been whispers on the street and conspiracy theorists have gone wild. People from the government are beginning to resign and just yesterday there was a news breaking story about a terrorist attack. Officials representing different parts of the government were meeting and discussing very pressing matters, an affair that was to be televised to the whole world. But somehow someone had snuck in with a bomb and had obliterated the entire building. The nation is now on terror alert and security measures have tightened everywhere, including all forms of transport. But people just carry on, oblivious to the suffering of others and bumble through their everyday lives. Why? Because it is all they know and because it makes them feel safe.


Everything in your life is about to change. You could die at any moment and everyone you have ever known or loved is going to die. How do I know this? Because only 3% of the entire population of the world will survive the initial illness and when you do, you will wish you were dead like the rest of them. 

Rules.

1. Follow Rp Nations rules and Guidelines.

2. No God - Modding or spamming. No one will be the main character and no one person will know everything.

3. Romance of all kinds are encouraged and within this realistic world sometimes things will get nasty, but no descriptions of the act itself, fade to black. I don't want this thread or yourselves to be banned.

4. Please read these rules and all other information carefully.

5. Literacy please. This is an advanced thread so you should all know what is expected. All Ooc conversation to be had in the right section and any discussion on plots can be through private messages with me or on Ooc.

6. This is a long term Role play, so try and post when you can, and don't disappear without warning.

7. Be creative, include everyone and read all posts.

8. Check back often for updates and rule changes.

9. Do not be offended if I warn you. I will warn you if you go against any of the rules put forth here or stated by the site. I will warn you if your writing is not up to scratch with the standards that have been set. I will ban you with out warning if you are rude to another writer or kill them with out their permission.

10. Do not stumble upon other characters straight away. It just wouldn't happen. Find time to establish your character, the story and the world. It is important to keep this realistic, imagine yourself in your character's shoes, in this current world.

11. The most important rule! I'm sick of over the top, unrealistic writing. Don't jump from roof to roof, don't suddenly have a gun with no explanation to how you found it, and if you don't know how to use a gun, or how to use a tank, or anything like that, say that. This is realistic, I can't express that enough. Imagine yourself, in this situation.

12. This is a story for people of all ages. So a cast full of angsty teens is not going to happen. Also if there is already a certain amount of certain characters, then think a new one up. We don't want twenty soldiers and one civilian either. Once you submit a profile I will either approve it or not allow it. Do not be embarrassed if I reject you, it just means it is either not up to the standard for this roleplay or the character just isn't going to work. If it's just a few little changes needed I will message you and help you.

13. I may seem harsh at first but this is just because I want to find incredible writers with a passion that can engage with the story and deserve to be part of a team. Please have fun and learn new things along the way.​

 

(This story is to begin in the season of spring)


First post:

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The club she worked in was open as a bar during the day. It was on one of the main streets of the city, so it usually attracted a lot of different people. Business men would come in for a quick pint or a Scotch on the rocks on their lunch. House wives would gather together like a gaggle of geese and gossip about their husbands over cocktails and bowls of olives. Winta preferred working the days to the nights. It was a lot quieter and she was a self-proclaimed people watcher. She liked to study them, the way they talked, their mannerisms and their insatiable desire to get intoxicated no matter what time of day. The habit came from all of the books she read and from lessons she was taught at university. One day she was hoping to be a writer of great fiction and the best way to accomplish that was to ground your story with in depth characters. Every little detail she transcribed about the made up people would form a clear picture in the mind’s eye and cause it to leap off the page and stay with the reader long after they had finished the book. Winta watched as one of the housewives, dressed in faux fur with bleach blonde hair and unnaturally browned skin twizzled a cocktail stick that had impaled an olive in her fingers as she spoke. She wondered if it was a nervous disposition the woman had or if it was some sort of bluff she enacted subconsciously because of an over the top lie she was telling to impress her friends. Winta snapped out of her gaze when a gaudy business man trotted over to the bar with his plain Jane secretary’s ass cupped firmly in his hand. The secretary giggled and tiptoed along pretending to swat his grab happy hands away from her behind. They ordered without even glancing at Winta and she served them without saying a word.

***

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After finally managing to get away from the dimly lit bar and running through the drizzling rain to get to her apartment, she threw herself onto her sofa and slung her arm over her eyes. It had been a long day full of obnoxious morons and self-righteous douches. America was a lot different to England in every way and not always in the best. At least back home everything had a bit of familiarity to it. She understood the people and their motives. Out here, in good old New York City, it was like being trapped in a clichéd American sitcom. Everything was so over the top and the hustle and bustle of the crowds was everywhere. Their only motives ever being to gain money or sex. At first it was something Winta loved, well more marvelled at actually. She watched more American television than British and she loved the way they spoke, adored the drama and the rag tag personalities that littered every corner of the state. But after a few days the novelty wore thin. No one was really helpful and nobody wanted to help a tourist. It in fact seemed to her that they despised tourists and many of the street merchants and shops actually abused them and used them for their money, not caring about their story or even really noticing they were human. To Winta, she thought all anyone really saw in this place were walking wallets with money ready to be extorted at every turn.


She had settled in as soon as she could though. After her Grandmother had died, she was left with a little bit of money. So she found the cheapest apartment she could and stored the rest for when she decided to move on again. But for now, she needed time to grieve and really to explore the city she had always dreamed of visiting. She found a job in less than a day. She had seen the sign in the window, only a few blocks from her drab studio apartment and waltzed in with a fake bravado of calm. She had explained her situation and after the manager heard her accent and witnessed her create a couple of cocktails from the top of her head, he had hired her on the spot. She hated how the American population always romanticized the British accent. They always saw it as a posh Victorian dialect, when in reality, back home, Winta had had one of the more common accents in her country. But she supposed she always marvelled at the American accent and this time, she would use what she had to her advantage.


She slipped off her coat and pulled up a hefty novel from under her sofa. She flipped it open to the dog-eared page then just as easily slammed it shut as her phone began to buzz. She dropped the book to the floor with a thud and rolled her eyes. It was her night off and she had been dying to read her novel in peace. She lifted her bum and slipped out the phone from her back pocket with the name 'Katie' flashing on the screen. Winta hesitantly answered the call and brought the cold contraption to her ear. "Hello?"


At first there was no answer but after a spluttering cough from the other end, a raspy voice burst into life.


"Hey Winta. How are you?"


"Ummm, I'm okay thanks. How are you?" She raised her eyebrow quizzically and chewed on her lip as she thought. She did not know Katie very well at all. She was also an employee of The Vanity Tank club but she had been there much longer than Winta. In fact, she was the only person she could really call a friend, even though they were still just acquaintances, but it was the closest thing she had to a friend in this big scary city.


"Actually that’s what I'm calling you about. I'm really not feeling great. I was visiting my auntie in hospital yesterday and I think I've caught something."


"Oh." Winta mumbled, not really knowing how to reply.


"I think I've just got the flu or something. I'd usually try and work my shift no matter how ill I am but..."


She drew the phone away from her ear as a loud explosion of static and coughing burst through the speaker. Once the sound subsided she drew it back to her face and let out a sigh knowing what was coming next.


"Sorry about that. Yeah but my glands are all swollen and bruised and the boss won't let me work if I have a visible illness. It will freak the customers out and if someone catches it, they'll sue them and stuff."


"I'm sorry you're ill Katie, I hope you get better soon but could you just get to the point?"


"Yeah sorry I'm just rambling. I've had too many days off already and if I call in sick again, Gus is gonna fire my ass. So I was wondering if you could cover my shift and kinda say you needed the money so I did you a favour? But really you're doing me a favour and I'd owe you one."


Winta thought it over in her head. It would be good to have a future favour in this land of uncertainty but she was supposed to be working the day shift tomorrow as well and she was already exhausted. But if she could catch a few hours sleep now, it wouldn't be so bad.


"Alright Katie. I'll do it. But you do owe me. What time you meant to start?"


"In about an hour. It's Saturday night so people start drinking really early don't they." Winta gritted her teeth and kicked the arm of her sofa with the sole of her shoe and buried her head in some of the cushions. She had already said yes now so no sleep for her and no reading. After a few moments of suffocating her sorrows in the musty cushions and with a few questioning calls from her phone, she drew in a breath, faked a smile and tried to sound chirpy.


"Okay Katie. I'll head straight over. Get well soon okay." Winta disconnected the call, unclenched her teeth and threw herself off the sofa and onto her feet with a defeated slouch.


"Why am I being so nice? I came to a whole new bloody continent, I could have reinvented myself, but no instead of being a cold hearted bitch, I decided to be me." She hurried to her closet to get changed and laughed at herself for her own stupidity.

​

​

 

[xxDragonEater95xx]

Jason hadn't been able to sleep without the hideous images and memories haunting his sleep, so he had offered to pick up other officer's shifts and get any extra time he could. Sleep never came easy to him these days unless induced by his pal Jack Daniels or aided along by his medication of Xanax and Ambien. Friday he had managed to pick up a fellow officer's shift because the guy's anniversary had been that day, which he had forgotten, and needed time to hastily get things figured out. Jason had laughed at the man's predicament, poking fun at the possible astronomical trouble he was going to be in, but in the end he thanked his fellow officer for his shift. That day he had been on scene for 3 domestic disturbances, pulled over 7 people for traffic violations, and was at called to the scene of 4 different shootings within the 16-hours he had clocked in that day.





Winding down in his own little crappy apartment after showering, he sat on the couch watching the news with a glass of ice, a bottle of Jack, his service pistol and the memories and thoughts of those lost under his command. Sitting alone in the apartment always seemed to bring with it the darkness of his past but the Jack Daniels helped fight back the darkness...or perhaps it sped him through the darkness, but either way stopped the flow of feelings and recollections of time past. The news, as per usual was nothing but negative info; Governments blaming one another for this and that, civil unrest in certain parts of the world, militant groups rising up here and there in other countries...the usual. "One day this place is just gonna fall apart." he said aloud as he filled his glass and took a long draw from it. This had been his 5th glass and he was really starting to feel it and knew that soon it was going to be lights out for him, and looking at his service pistol he stood up, chugging the rest of the contents of his glass, "Not today...I'll see you in the morning," he said nonchalantly over his shoulder, responding to an inner monologue he had with himself daily.


5am Saturday morning the alarm on his nightstand began to blare whatever song had been playing on the radio, and with a loud groan and a slight headache he rolled from bed and stumbled his way to the bathroom. Today was his day off, but his father had instilled in him that regardless if it wasn't his day to do what others demanded of him, it was best to stay vigilant and be prepared for anything. He had formed a habit of being up early and being active, so even on his days off he would continue as if there was work to be done. After handling his personal hygiene for the day, he got dressed in gym gear and packed a spare set of clothes along with his dog tags, which held an extra tag on it with the initials of all those that were no longer with him. Leaving his apartment, grabbing his helmet and keys before exiting, he made his way to his black Hyabusa in it's usual parking spot and headed to the gym. He spent the majority of his day at the gym lifting and running. He took a 2-hour lunch break around 1pm, meeting up with his MMA trainer at a hole in the deli that he had found in his exploration of the city. His instructor, Emilio Vargas, was a veteran fighter in the MMA circuit and pushed Jason to the brink of exhaustion every session, which was saying a lot since he was in rather good shape


"How have things been lately?" Emilio asked after he had placed his order. Jason had become close to Emilio, not so much because they hung out or anything but through working with him they had formed a bond with one another.


"About the same," he answered as he bit into his sandwich, savoring the flavor, "I guess the nightmares have been getting worse, but I've got it under control." He knew that Emilio knew what that meant so there was no real need to say anything other than that, but he knew that bringing that up meant that he was going to pay for it later at Emilio's studio.


After eating and chatting for a bit they made there way to Emilio's studio where they had two 2-hour sessions with a 30minute break after the first 2 hours. The work load was hellish but it kept him in fighting shape and kept his wits about him as well as his mind sharp. The first 2-hour session was all about cardio, and even with his extensive personal training it took everything he had to make it through each session, which he could sense were becoming harder and harder. The second session was the physical portion where he would usually spar with Emilio with only leg gear and gloves, but today Emilio had invited one of his understudies there and turned it into a 2-on-1 match. Nonetheless Jason got his ass handed to him, but Emilio praised him for doing as well as he did. As there session came to a close Jason checked his phone and saw he had a missed call from his partner Chris Vilafane, telling him that he was expected to meet up with him later at the Vanity Tank tonight. With a sigh of reluctance and body sore and bruised, he thanked Emilio and his understudy for the workout and headed back to his apartment to get cleaned up an ready for a night out that he really didn't want to participate in.

 

[Clarity]

"I need more water!" Chasity shouted as she sat irritably, waiting for her turn to be called up for a stupid photo shoot her manager convinced her to do. T 
The small, white, room Chasity sat in was cluttered with people and camera equipment. Ranging from Camera assistants, managers, Models, and camera men - everyone was cluttered in each others space making it unbearable sit in. No matter which way you turned, someone's hand would be in your face or you'd constantly be bumbed up against someone. It didn't make it make it any better that the room was smoldering hot, and all the models were naked beneath their white robes. You could smell the heavy sweat in the room, but that was the least of everyone's problems. The models were snapping at there managers, who then snapped at the, cameramen who got so angry that they ended up firing an assistant or two (and that was within the first five minutes of the photo shoot). Irritation was everywhere but no one wanted to up and leave because most of the models were broke and really needed the job desperately.


Chasity didn't even want to take the job to begin with, which was probably why she was the most irritable out of everyone. For one, it was for some low class naked girls magazine which meant she'd have to be nude in front of the camera. When she found this out she immediately rejected the job without thought. She had way to much pride for that, and she didn't ever want to stoop so low. In her opinion, nude photo shoots for p0rn magazines were for people who couldn't make it anywhere else in the modeling industry. But her manager, Gary Faye, told her that if she did this job she'd get to meet this famous photographer who'd also be there. She trusted Gary more or less with her jobs and trusted his judgement on things. They met at a club she snuck into her first night in Hollywood. She was surprised at how well he took her crap and out right rudeness when they began talking at the bar inside the club, ever since then he's been the only ever support system she had besides her parents back home in Texas.


But she didn't see that famous photographer anywhere, and it was becoming increasingly apparent he wasn't coming anytime soon. Gary wasn't here because he had other models to manage besides herself, so the only people she could lash her anger on were the assistants, and she was definitely was giving them hell. Ordering them to get her water and then sending them back if the water tasted like it was from the tap. At the moment , she made an assistant massage her back even though though he hardly could do it with everyone pushing on him.


"You suck at doing this" She complained.


"Sorry Ms."


"Don't apologize, Just do it better"


"I will Ms."


"And stop calling me 'Ms.' It's annoying"


The assistant didn't say anything after that, probably because he didn't know what to say, that wouldn't earn him a complaint. Which Chasity thought was kind of funny. A few minutes later a cameraman called her name, to hurry up and get in front of the camera, which was in the part of the room the least cramped. She sighed, then took a sip of water. Time to do the most degrading job ever.


(Ignore my first reply please )

 

[iMeisaki]

Ethan woke up to a buzzing noise and small yelp. He looked at the alarm clock: 6:15 A.M. "God..Leah! What are you doing at this time?!" He got up from the bed and rushed downstairs. She wasn't in the living room. "Leah..where are you? I'm not in the mood for one of your stupid jokes." He said while rubbing his eye. He went through the door to enter the kitchen. "Leah?! What the hell are you doing?!" He saw her with some mini volcano, she was covered in red goo; red goo was everywhere. Ethan's eyes widened as he crossed his arms waiting for an explanation. "Well..? Start explaining girl. School doesn't start for another two and a half hours." He waited patiently for an answer, he was looking at the kitchen, parts of the walls were covered, the countertops were covered too, even the fridge. Leah was completely covered from her waist up.


Leah didn't know what to say. Her jaw was dropped a little and she was shocked by what happened. "It's my science project dad...I'm sorry I didn't mean it. I promise I'll clean it up though." She looked down at her mini volcano and noticed that she put way too much baking soda in the volcano which caused it to overflow and explode. Who knew that such a small volcano could make such a large mess. Her hair was soaked and had red foam all over it. She reeked of vinegar too. She saw her father at the door with his arms crossed. Leah knew he wasn't angry at her but he certainly wasn't happy with her. "I'm really sorry daddy." Her Tennessee accent was really strong.


Ethan rubbed his face with his palm. "Leah..you can't just do your project the minute it's due. Promise me you won't do this again." He went to the sink and went in the cabinet under it. He got a few sponges and tossed her some with some cloths. Then he filled up a bucket of water and started putting the sponge in the water. He rung out the sponge and started cleaning the counters. "Geez girl, you really know how to mess up a kitchen." He chuckled. "Once we clean this up, you gotta wash your hair and change. You look...interesting." He smiled and joked with her.


"Wow thanks dad." She laughed, cleaning up the wall. "I promise I won't do this again." She finished cleaning the wall and started cleaning up the spots that were on the floor. "Well, looks like it's gonna be a day where Tennessee won't have rain." She smiled. She started mocking the voice of the news lady. "It's going to nice and clear today, Good day for going on a good old picnic! Yee-haw!" She started laughing. "Man, she has such a strong accent, I feel bad for her dad. Don't you?" She laughed.


Ethan started laughing. "Girl, you got the same accent as her and so do I... We just don't have as heavy accent's as her." He chuckled. The goo was almost gone. Ethan was finishing up the counter. The only goo that was left was on Leah. Once he was done wiping down the counter and part of the wall. He took the dry rag and dried up the counter and the wall. Then, he looked up at the wall clock. "It's now seven o'clock. At least the kitchen is clean. But now you gotta clean yourself up." He dumped the bucket of red water in the sink and collected the rags so he could put it in the wash.


"Okay, I'll be quick." She started walking out of the room. She turned back and peeked her head through the doorway. "Oh and we do not have accents like her! She's pretty bad, we have no accents!!" She ran upstairs and changed into a graphic t-shirt she had about some cute cartoon character she liked. Then she went by the tub and washed out her hair. "I'm too lazy to blow-dry my hair." She said to herself. Her hair wasn't too short to not put in a ponytail. She put her hair in a messy ponytail and made sure that there was no goo left in her hair or anywhere else. She had another half an hour to kill. She went back downstairs and saw her father holding his guitar. "You know you gotta teach me one day. You know, how to play." She smiled and sat down next to him on the couch.


He chuckled. "Don't worry, I will. Look the news is replaying itself. Here's your favorite weather woman. Ms. Pam Mitchells." He looked at the screen. He tried doing a voice impression of her. "We got a nice clear sunny day, you could walk out in the park. No more rain." He started laughing and he saw Leah starting to laugh at him. "Oh so you get a kick out of that, I see." He smiled nudging her. She was laughing so hard that she couldn't answer him. "15 minutes until it's paradise time for me." He chuckled.


"What?! What do you mean by paradise? You're gonna miss me so much." She said. She got up to fill her backpack with her homework. "I know you're gonna miss me dad. Don't deny it." She got her volcano and placed it on the table. She finished making her lunch and put a microwaveable waffle in her mouth. "Don't worry, I won't blow up the school with red goo." She said as her voice was muffled through the waffle.


"Good, you better not blow up the school or else I'll have to go out and get you. I'm just kidding with you, I'll miss the heck out of you." He looked at the time on the TV. "I'll walk you out to the bus stop and make sure you won't blow up the school bus either. Oh and I don't think I'll be home until later tonight. I got to fill out some paper work and your Aunt Melissa needs me to fix something in her house. Do you think you'll manage or do you want to go over to the neighbors? Then you can come home and go to bed." He asked.


Leah thought it out. "I'll stay home, I can start my drug dealing business with my friends and we turn the goo into a new addictive drug." She laughed. "Sure, I'll stay. I don't mind." She put her backpack on and held her project. "Alright, let's head out." She said.


"Yea, I'm sure your drug business will do good, you can start paying your tuition and maybe a maid to clean up your mess." He laughed. He put his hand on her back to help her walk out to the bus stop. The bus was coming down the street. "Love you kiddo. Don't blow up the school." He smiled and kissed her on the head.


"Love you too daddy. See you later tonight!" She said heading on to the bus. The bus left and Leah took her seat.


Ethan walked back into the house and got dressed. Then he went back on the couch and started practicing guitar again. 
(I'm so sorry it's long, I was switching between characters :sweat

 

[Lumeneire]

(I'm so sorry it's long, I was switching between characters :sweat

Don't worry, this is exactly the length of post we need here. 

​

As she dragged her feet along the damp concrete sidewalk, she could feel her eyelids begin to sag already, like leaden hooks were yanking them towards her toes. She wasn't too tired right at this moment but the thought of working another eight hour shift, with just three hours sleep before she was back in work again made her heart sink and her brain bubble. With her green coat hood pulled tightly over her head, the drizzling rain barely touched her curling brown hair, which is one less thing she would have to worry about when she reached the club. As she turned the corner, she could already spot the huge flashing "Vanity Tank" sign planted on the side of a bright blue building. With the sun almost set along the horizon, the surrounding buildings cast ominous shadows across it's exterior and the neon pink light embraced the queuing patrons like a strange alien aura. Winta sighed and rolled her eyes. The queue was already stretching down the road, with wannabes and women that looked like hookers. Saturday night was the night anyone could let go and be who they wanted to be. It was just a shame that all anybody wanted to be at a club was a sexual tramp. The sweaty bodies would writhe against each other under the pulsating lights and mesmerising baseline. They sized each other up like a predator ready to devour its prey. It was a veritable hunting ground for the horny and sexually depraved.


She smiled at the bouncer before slipping through the staff entrance. He waved at her and slipped her a secret smile. He was ginormous with muscles that almost tore through his tight white shirt and a bushy black beard that furled around his manly chin. To anyone else he looked absolutely terrifying which is why he was positioned at the main patron's entrance, but Winta knew Theodore aka Big Teddy was a softie inside. As she slipped into the staff room, she slung her damp coat on a hook and threw her satchel bag into a locker and hung the key around her neck with her work fob. She fluffed up her hair and stared down at the outfit she was told to wear on weekend nights. It was a tight pink polo shirt and a black skirt. She felt like a luminescent marshmallow or some prissy cheerleader that used their legs to enchant men. Winta straightened herself up and stamped out into the club.


The main dance floor was covered with hypnotic square tiles that burst forth with different colours depending on the heaviness of the bass. People were grinding and flouncing around each other like some strange mating ritual. The lights from below lit up their best features like a real life Photoshop. Shadows danced across their high cheek bones and extenuated the beautiful curves of the swaying women. The music was some heavy drum and bass that boomed in Winta's eardrums and she could feel the pulsating vibrations in her throat and chest. More lights flashed from above and spotlights swung around the room like searchlights hunting for an escaped convict. It looked like chaos but at the same time, it was perfectly organised.


She waltzed around the edge of the floor, swaying her hips a little to the beat and returned greetings and waves as other employees rushed back and forth. As she reached her bar, she slid her fingers along the surface. It was completely transparent with reinforced glass that was near impossible to break. Inside was full of water and green plants that swayed from left to right, like they too were entranced but the music. Just between the dancing leaves you could see golden Koi darting back and forth, foraging for algae and rushing through the bubbles of the filter like a thrill ride. It was a beautiful piece of art and the club adopted the whole idea for all of their fittings. The seats in the V.I.P lounger were curved and comfortable fish tanks that you sit in and the tables the patrons planted their drinks on were filled with octopus and sting rays. It was an interesting idea and they adopted the theme to coincide with their name "Vanity Tank".


She slid her fob against the plastic grid on the wall to clock in then instantly jumped into the job. There were already a hundred people at the bar and the lone barman looked at Winta with sheer panic and pleaded with his eyes for her to help. She patted him on the back and took the next customers order. She made two double Jack Daniels and Coke and slid them to the man leaning over the bar. He caught them half gracefully and only a little spilled out of the top. As she took his money, he asked for her number, making sure to stare creepily at her chest and with a polite refusal and a little joking, he slid away into the crowd and Winta moved onto the next. After three hours of constant flowing drunkards, she was finally due her break. With another barmaid to relieve her, she dashed off to the toilets, almost pushing people out of the way at their refusal to move. Almost every one who had their back to her was rude at first, but when they span on their heels to scream at her, the caught the name of the club on her shirt and apologized, letting her slip through. It made Winta feel powerful to know that no matter how crappy the customers treated you sometimes, they knew damn well not to bite the hand that fed them.


She slammed the customer toilet door open and let two drunk girls stumble out. One of them had red lipstick smeared across their otherwise plain face and the others hair had crusting vomit clinging to the end. Winta let out a brief smile, trying to hold back her disgust and shimmied on past them into the toilets. It was otherwise empty for this time of night, most of the people were too busy gathering phone numbers out on the floor or shacking up in the carpark behind the club. There were seven cubicles in the grey dingy toilets, two cracked mirrors and a florescent bulb ahead that fluttered every few seconds. Winta stepped over a wad of tissue on the floor and checked the first cubicle. A rogue tampon sat in the bowl, with blood strewn across the seat. Winta gagged a little in her mouth and bit back against the rancid bile. The second door was locked and she could hear someone throwing up. She hoped the girl could aim and she realised she did not envy the cleaners when they had to come in tomorrow. The third cubicle was empty and otherwise clean and there were a few pieces of toilet paper left. She slid in and slammed the door shut behind. She pulled down her pants, letting them slide to her ankles and sat down on the cold ceramic edge. She shuddered a little as goose bumps crept along her spine and she relieved herself with a sigh. She heard a group of girls come in and as the door opened, the temporary silence was flooded with the loud music and heart stopping bass again. The girls began to bicker and they stumbled back out, shutting the door behind them and leaving the room silent again.


When she was done, she reached down to pull up her knickers and saw a hand poking into her cubicle from the one next door. Winta pulled up her underwear and kicked at the girls hand to check if she would respond. When the girl didn't flinch, Winta slipped out of her own cubicle and knocked on the girls.


"Hey are you alright in there?" There was a slight murmur and a little cough but otherwise there was no response.


"You okay in there? Can you manage to get out where I can help you or have you locked yourself in?" There was no reply at all this time and Winta started to panic. It may just be an overly intoxicated idiot behind the door but she could be choking on her own vomit and Winta was powerless to stop it.


"Give me a second. I'll call the bouncers and they'll sort you out."


Winta rushed back out into the club and scanned the room to try and find one of the white shirted bouncers. It was hars to see with the sheer amount of people and flashing lights in the giant hall. She moved towards the entrance and saw Teddy talking to the woman at the ticket office. It seemed he was on his break too but at least he could call another bouncer over. Winta scurried down the steps and called out Teddy's name. He span his head and she was met with a toothy heart-warming grin.


"Hey there pudding chop. What's up darling? You look all flustered." Winta blushed a little and stood in front of him. She had to crane her neck to meet him in the eye and smiled back.


"Hey Teds. I know you're on your break, but there’s a girl in the toilets that’s passed out and I think she’s accidentally locked herself in. Can you help me out? Call another bouncer or something?" Teddy slapped her gently on the shoulder and beamed happily.


"Don't worry sweetheart I'll do it. You know I'd do anything for you."


"Thanks Teddy, I owe you one. I know it's nothing serious but you never know eh?"


Winta lead the way back to the toilets with her giant protector close behind. He kept a stern face and folded arms so patrons would step out of their way and keep a clear path. When they got the toilets, a group of stumbling girls were trying to get out back into the club but one of their handbags had snagged on the handle. They were half giggling and half crying at the situation and started sinking to the ground in fits of laughter. Winta unhooked the bag and Teddy gestured for them to get out of the way. The giggling fit was nipped in the bud and they stumbled away whispering to each other and glaring at the big scary bouncer. When they went in, it was still almost empty and Winta pointed to the cubicle.


"She’s in there. She was vomiting when I first came in but then she passed out I think." Teddy knocked on the door with his clambering fist but no one answered.


"Hey little lady." He said with his drawling Texas accent. "I'm gonna have to break the door to get you out so don't be alarmed okay." He waited a second for an answer but then proceeded to push the door. He held the wooden door at the top so it didn't fling too far forwards and hit the poor girls legs that sprawled out from under the cubicle and he pushed at it as hard as he could with his shoulder. The lock cracked and the door budged a few inches.


"Maybe you better slide in and check on her first. Make sure she's decent before I drag her out."


Winta nodded, a little in awe at the show of strength this man had portrayed and slid past him into the small gap he had opened up. When she was in, she ducked down and got a good look at the girl. She had bleach blond hair and bronzed skin and was wearing a bright orange dress that hitched up above her bum. Winta pulled down the hem to cover her ass cheeks and poked her arm to see if she would respond.


"Hey there Miss. You're not dead are you?" Winta shuffled forwards and noticed the vomit dripping down the girl’s cleavage. It was pink and orange, obviously she had been drinking a lot of the special offer shots tonight but it looked like there were chunks of blood floating around as well. She slid her hand forwards and brushed the girl’s hair from her neck. She pressed her fingertips to the artery that lay beneath the skin and let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding in relief. There was a faint pulse so at least the girl wasn't dead. When Winta removed her fingers though, she noticed that the girls glands were heavily swollen and purple bruising stood out against her bronzed skin. She looked closer and one of the girls half open eyes were completely blood shot and a little clouded over. Winta stood up and pushed herself back out through the gap.


"So, is she okay?" Teddy asked whilst gripping onto Winta's shoulder to keep her steady. She licked her lips and wiped some sweat that had been forming above her brow.


"Huh. Oh yeah. I don't think she's just drunk though. She looks pretty ill. You should probably call an ambulance or something." Teddy looked her in the eyes and tried to make her focus.


"Okay I'll do that. Are you alright sweet cheeks? You look like you've seen a ghost or something." Winta gave him a forced smile and shook her head as if to shake off the strange feeling.


"I'm okay man. It just scared me that’s all. I'm used to drunk people but she doesn't look right. Um, my breaks probably over now so I better get back." Teddy just nodded his head with a look of concern furrowing in his brow but didn't let it fester long. He bounced back with a smile and patted her on the shoulder again.


"Okay babe. You get back to it. I'll sort Miss Lightweight out over here and I'll let you know what happens later okay?"


"Okay." Winta replied whilst washing her hands in a mountain of liquid soap and scolding hot water.


She left the bathroom without looking back again and drifted back to her bar in a daze. It looked like the same thing Katie had said she had and it looked serious. Maybe some kind of flu was making itself rounds and Winta always caught whatever sickness was brewing. She let out a fake smile as her relief barmaid stepped off the bar and Winta threw herself into her work again, serving a beautifully made Sex on the Beach to a man in a suit who tipped her ten dollars in return.

 

[xxDragonEater95xx]

Jason had retuned to his partment, showered, and managed to get dressed before the calls started rolling in from Chris.


"So you are actually going to show up this time, right?" Chris' voice sounded a bit concerned.


"I told you I'd be there." he said as he applied a bit of cologned, and then wondered why he even bothered, "I don't see why you couldn't have asked Rodriguez or Charlie to come out with you." the annoyance in his voice a bit present.


Chris scoffed on the other end, 'You're my partner, in the streets and off of them. Plus, women seem to be attracted to you're Lone Wolf persona you got going on, so how about being a stand-up partner and backing me up tonight!" Chris was practically pleading over the phone.


Cris and Jason had been partnered with each other since Jason joined the force, and the two of them seemed to be a very good fit for one another. Chris really loved the job and was very proactive in his duties and the filling out of paperwork at the end of the day and sometimes even picked up Jason's slack. Chris took the lead when it came to this two-man squad and Jason followed that lead, but that didn't bother him too much at all since that's exactly the way he wanted things. All decisions made on a call were made Chris and Jason would usually follow them to the letter unless he saw a more efficient way to go about it in which case he would say something, and usually Chris would take his advice and then base his next set of orders with Jason's new insight in mind.


Jason strolled into the kitchen and poured himself a tall glass of Jack, pulling a few ice cubes from the freezer and dropping them in while still on the phone. "I got your back, don't worry about it. I'm almost ready to go," he began to chug his drink after popping 4 Xanax into his mouth, "I'll see you in 10, I'm heading to catch a cab now." He hung up before Chris had time to retort. Finishing his drink and placing his glass in the sink, he went back to his bathroom, grabbed his dog-tags and put it on, and then before heading out the door made sure to grab his wallet with his badge in it. He didn't really like to carry it when he was off-duty, but you never knew what was going to happen out there and sometimes all it took was a quick flash of the badge to make most people act right.


15 minutes later he was walking through the doors of the Vanity Tank and was greeted by the annoyed look of his partner, who was waiting for him at a table with 2 young ladies, a blonde and a brunette. Jason flashed a quick smile as he wondered to himself why Chris even needed him there, he seemed to be doing just fine all by himself. Chris waved him over and upon arrival introduced him to the ladies, the blonde's name was Vanessa and the brunette's name was Melanie. Jason smiled as he shook both of their hands and stood by as Chris began to regale them with a small comedic anecdote about their first encounter and then a funny story about the first call they were on together. Jason didn't really mind playing a wing-man for his partner as Chris was a standup guy, and he also liked the fact that Chris didn't try to pry into his personal life or his past.


The music was loud and bass was pumping so hard that if you actually stopped and thought about it you could actually feel the beat of the music resonating inside your body. As Chris and the girls mingled, with spurts of input from Jason, he turned his attention to the rest of the club. It was well structured and well put together from what he could see and it seemed that everyone was really enjoying themselves, but why wouldn't they be? It was a club, they came to drink to either forget about their long work week, to unwind, or just to disable their inhibitions so that they could act and be someone they weren't for the night only to wake up and totally regret the decisions they had made. After some more mingling and 2 Bud Light Platinums, he preferred beer when out because it didn't have as strong as an effect as liquor did, he excused himself from Chris and the girls and made his way up to the bar.


He could see that Chris didn't really need his assistance and figured that his partner had forced him here to just get him out of his apartment, and since he had promised to come he was going to stay until his partner decided to call it a night. He could see that his presence wasn't really necessary at the table so he decided that he would just post up at the bar and people watch as he had a few beers, and flagged down one of the girl's working behind the bar as he grabbed a center seat. "Let me get 2 Bud Lights." he said with a charming smile, the atmosphere made it hard for him to keep a sullen mood although he felt a bit out of place in such a spot and unconsciously tugged at the dog-tags beneath his shirt.

 

[iMeisaki]

Ethan was organizing the house and made sure that the kitchen was truly clean. Then he started practicing to play the guitar better. He played some old country song that his father always played in the house. Ethan didn't like singing so he just said the words to himself. He thought that Leah would love to sing the song more than him. Then he thought to himself that he was feeling much better than when he was in the hospital. Did he truly need the medication? He went to the phone to call the doctor.


"Hi, I'm Ethan Pierce. About a month ago I was in the hospital talking to Dr. Cayman." He said to an assistant


"Ah yes, Mr. Pierce. Dr. Cayman could see you later today. I wish I could say he could see you now but he is taking care with multiple people. Some flu must be going on. I recommend you get a flu shot today!" She said.


Ethan thought to himself. No way in hell he was going to get a flu shot, they make you sick before they work!


"Oh uh, yea maybe, I'll have to check my finances. But I just want to clarify the doctor about my medication. That's all really.." He replied


"Okay, we can see you in two hours. See you in a while Mr. Pierce. Have a lovely day." She hung up the phone.


He noticed that she hung up on him. "Well, that was quick to hang up on me..Whatever, at least I get to see them." He said to himself. Ethan could fill out the paperwork now to go on a break for his job. He had no more cases so he might as well go on a break until he feels completely comfortable to go back to work. He put on a suit jacket over his white shirt and put on fancy shoes so he could look semi-decent. He then went out the door and started the care to start out his day.


Leah got to school and held her project. 8th grade was almost over! She thought to herself. She walked inside with her volcano. She had her supplies for it and kept in mind about it exploding. Once she got to her classroom, she set her supplies down on her desk and put her jacket in her locker. Then she sat in her seat making sure the volcano looked right. Meanwhile one of the popular girls came up to her and started acting like a jerk as usual.


"Nice volcano there Leah, where did you get that idea from? The second grade?" Her small group of girls and her started snickering.


Leah ignored them and kept looking at her project.


"Oh what? You gonna ignore me and tell your mommy later? Oh wait! You don't have one!" She started laughing again


"Shut the hell up unless you want your Gucci handbag covered in red goo. Oops wouldn't want your daddy buying you another one. Or else he might get mad at you and cut your salary." She snapped at her. Leah hated this girl, if there were no rules, she would want to choke her to death.


"Ooh, sassy. You better keep your mouth shut Pierce or else people will know about your little anger problem. Wouldn't want to be sent to a therapist would you now?" She gave an evil smile and walked away.


"Stupid bitch.." She muttered to herself. One of her friends came over. James Kale.


"Hey, you okay? I saw what happened over there and was wondering if you were alright?"


Leah was angry at her friends for not sticking up for her.


"Please leave me alone James. I'm not in the mood." She said with her hand on her head.


"What did I do to you Leah? I just sat over there minding my own business. You know what? Whatever, you're just upset and I'll leave you alone until you cool down." He walked back to his seat.


Leah looked around to see if any of her other friends were there. Kara the backstabber was with that popular bitch. But three of her other friends were missing. She looked to see if there bags were there. Nothing. Could they be ditching school? Or were they sick? Leah seemed surprised. The teacher walked in the room and announced that before lunchtime, we would present our science projects and compete with the seventh graders. Yea, like seventh graders could beat them.


Ethan got to his office and signed his papers saying that he won't be working for about two weeks. His phone started ringing. Joanna Reese, his sister. He answered the phone.


"Hey Joanna, what do you need? I'll be at the house around four. I'm doing things now."


She started coughing and her throat was congested.


"Hey Ethan. I'm sick and I don't want you to get sick. So maybe you can fix the bathroom sink in a few days? That's all I wanted to say." She said.


"Are you sure? Cause I'll do it. You don't sound good though. You need some rest." He replied.


"Yea, I'm sure. At least the other sinks work. Thanks. Love you brother." She said.


"Alright, feel better. Love you too kiddo." He hung up the phone.





Now Ethan could surprise his daughter when she got home. It was almost time for him to go to the doctor. He filled out his paper work and started to head out. He waved to his partner talking as a signal of goodbye. Then he went to his car and headed towards the doctor. There was traffic today as usual. But the time of the traffic was unusual. Maybe people were late to work. He turned on the radio to check if anything has happened. There was nothing though. Just country music playing. Ethan started switching the stations.


"Music, music, and more music." He said while switching the channels. He got up to one channel where people were talking.


"Today, is a nice a beautiful day. Maybe head down to your local lake, walk in the park. Or just stay in your car to listen to some good Country music! We'll be playing all day! Stay tuned folks! Yee-haw!" The talking ended and there was going to be a marathon of country music.


Ethan kept the radio on and tapped on the steering wheel to the beat of the song.


It was almost time for Leah's project. The popular girl, Caroline. Already presented hers. Her project was computer generated. What a cheater Leah thought to herself, you were supposed to make the project not buy it. Leah gave a dirty look when Caroline was presenting. Finally it was Leah's turn and she went up. She took out the packet that had the chemicals for the volcano, then she took out baking soda and vinegar.


"My science project is a bit messy." She said while laying down newspapers all over the floor.


"However, I wanted to do a good reenactment of a Volcano!" She stated.


She started putting the whole bag of the chemicals, put in a nice amount of baking soda and a lot of vinegar.


"And now, here is my presentation on the volcano!" She said as she was went under the table.


The volcano exploded and got red goo all over the newspapers. At least it didn't get on to anyone. It did get on the table though. Leah looked up and saw Caroline's jaw drop. She's probably surprised because Leah was right that she would put her bag in that nasty goo. She got out from the table and saw that the goo did come out of the volcano but the volcano split from the top and cut half of it off. Leah got a little embarrassed but she was satisfied by how it came out. She got out a wet cloth and cleaned the table. Then she crumpled the newspapers and threw them out. She took her project down and put it on the display stand and sat back down. James looked at her and smiled and mouthed the words: "Nice Job Pierce." She smiled and nodded as her way of saying thanks.


Ethan had arrived to the doctors office. There were a lot of gurneys. Something more serious than the flu must be going around he thought to himself. He then went inside and went up to the check-in desk. People were crying for another person or family member. He felt bad for them because he didn't like seeing others cry. He went up to the desk.


"I'm Ethan Pierce and I'm here to see Dr. Cayman. Is he here?" He asked.


"Yes, he will see you in ten minutes Mr. Pierce. You can take a seat while you wait." She said typing at her computer.


"Okay thank you." He said going towards the seat. He waited patiently for the doctor.

 

[Lumeneire]

"Two Bud Lights? Two whole Bud Lights?! Wow, I think you're gonna have to wait for them like everyone else buddy." Winta scoffed at the rude hand gesture he had thrown her way, like he had been trying to beckon a slave. Too many patrons treated the staff like personal butlers and had no awareness or care for the other people waiting in line. She threw him one hard glance and took the orders of the handsy couple sat next to him. She poured the pint into the tall glass and her eyes were mesmerised by the sight of the flashing lights caressing the bubbles in the liquid. She slid the drink over and silently rejoiced as the man caught it in his hand. She spun on her heel and slammed open the lit up fridges at her knees and yanked out a blood red bottle of alcopop. She expertly popped the top off with a strategically placed bottle opener embedded in the back bar and gently handed it to the half standing woman. "That'll be $9 then sir." She stood for a few seconds impatiently tapping her fingers on the fish tank surface as the suit clad man rifled around in his back pocket. At first he slammed a receipt on the side and grabbed his ladies face to kiss it. But winta screwed up the mangled piece of paper and threw it at his head as his tongue dove into the woman's slobbering mouth. He whipped his head around, with stringy blond bangs sticking to his sweaty forehead and glared at her. "I only take payment with real money. Pocket crap just doesn't cut it in this place mate." The man stared intensely at her with his jaw squaring into an intimidating growl but snapped out of his anger as some of the impatient people behind him began to heckle him. He hesitantly drew out a twenty dollar note and slid it into her hand. His girl friend grabbed onto his collar and pecked him on the cheek. It seemed to instantly lighten the mood and he began to pour the bottle of red liquid down her neck, in an obvious attempt to speed up the intoxication process. Without looking back at Winta, he started to walk off and mumbled under his breath. "Keep the change Tootsie Roll."





After serving two or three more patrons in a similar manner, she slid over to the rude guy and slammed her hand on the top of the counter to get his attention. "Two Bud Lights right?" She swung around and grabbed them from the fridge behind her, popped the tops and placed them in front of the guy with two beer mats. Now that the club was starting to quieten down and two more barmen had started their shifts on her bar, she felt she could be more personal and actually fit in a conversation or two without people wanting to chase after her with torches and pitchforks from having to wait. "What is it with people and terrible nicknames in this country? Tootsie roll, who the hell says tootsie roll in the real world?" She let slip a side smile, feeling slightly guilty from the rude manner she had spoken to this unassuming man in the first place and sighed. "That'll be $7 please. You're welcome to tip too, you know, for the friendly service and all." She leant her elbow on the bar and watched as the other workers started to pick up the slack. It was about time someone else did some work around the club. She had been so good when she started that everyone else just took a back seat and let her do everything. But with three members of staff off tonight everyone was having to pick up the pace a bit.


Winta thought about Katie stuck at home in her bed and imagined her looking as sickly as the girl in the toilet had. Teddy hadn't relayed any new information on her yet about the strangers fate and it made her feel slightly anxious. As she looked around at the stumbling people leaning on the other side of the bar, some half spreading themselves across the surface and others waiting patiently, she realised that quite a few of them were secretly coughing into their hands and more than half had sweat dripping from their foreheads. Sweat and fatigue was a common sight in a club environment, but the sheer amount of droplets and the sagging darkened eyes made Winta want to cover her own mouth and scrub her hands every ten seconds. She held out her hand waiting for the guy she was serving to drop the money in her palm, so she could finish the exchange and squeeze a dollop of antiseptic that was kept on one of the low shelves of the back bar and grind it into her skin.

 

[xxDragonEater95xx]

Jason almost laughed at the snippy nature of the girl, he had had a long day and perhaps his manners were a little on the wayside. As he waited for his drinks to arrive he glanced out around the club, Chris seemed to be doing good and threw him a thumbs up as they catch eyes, and Jason returned the gesture as he chuckled a bit. He knew that in a few minutes or so Chris would probably disappear with one if not both women as they both seemed to be extremely into him, he had spied a kiss between all of them as he gazed about the room. The club seemed less rambunctious than it was when he first arrived and he it seemed as if some people were a bit under the weather, and he grinned as he found it a bit humorous that even when people were sick that it wouldn't stop them from a good time. "I take it the world could be coming to an end, and you'd probably still be able to find people sitting at a bar or hanging at the club." he muttered as he looked out around the club.


He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket and slowly drawing it from his front right pocket he took a look, it was a text from Rodriguez:


R: Hope you're not having too much fun out there. We're down a few men and need some hands


J: What happened?


R: They seemed to have gotten some flu that's going around, so the captain sent them home. He looked sick too, but you know how he is


J: Well today is my day off, and don't bother reaching Chris...he's done for the night


R: Well I'm at the station, so I'd appreciate some backup. This place is hella quite, aside from the coughing and sniffling of some of the guys who managed to avoid being sent home.


J: I'll see what I can do...no promises I'm showing up.





"Two Bud Lights right?" hearing his order snapped him back to reality, and he slipped his phone back into his pocket, nodding in affirmation of his order. She was a rather good-looking girl, and he thought he had caught a British accent when she spoke. His father had been stationed in many different places so he had heard just about every accent there was out there and learned the native language of any place they were stationed, which he didn't understand why it was necessary at the the time and honestly didn't see why he still kept up the practice. "What is it with people and terrible nicknames in this country? Tootsie roll, who the hell says tootsie roll in the real world?"...."That'll be $7 please. You're welcome to tip too, you know, for the friendly service and all."


"Je suppose que vous eu une assez longue journée ainsi?" he asked with a perfect french accent as the girl placed the drinks before him. He hoped she wouldn't take offense to his using another language, as most people found it irritating when he did this and most of the time that is why he did it. "You seem like you've had a long day of ripping and running," he said roughly translating what he had said in French. He knew the look of someone who was pushing themselves, the look of a person who hadn't quite got the rest they needed but had a job to do and was going to still do it to the best of their ability. His left hand fiddled with his dog tags, "It's not the best of nicknames he could've come up with but at least it wasn't an insult, you did put a little pause in his fun," he chuckled as he recalled the exchange he caught as he was surveying the room.


He stood up to get into his back pocket and retrieve his wallet, and from it he withdrew a $10, handing it to the girl with a smirk, "I'll be sure to tip you good later if your service is up to par," he smiled genuinely, "but for now I'll take my change." he gave her a charming grin. He never considered himself a charmer or a lady's man but there was no harm in flirting a bit. Plus, with her job, she was probably use to being hit on all the time and would simply brush him off anyway, but hopefully she wouldn't take his neglect of a tip right now the wrong way. As he handed the bill over he placed his wallet back into his back pocket and then picked up the first beer and began to chug it. The earlier mix of Jack and Xanax had given him a steady mind and an even buzz and the beers were simply to keep his buzz going, and after a few swallows he exhaled refreshingly as he set the cold drink back down on the counter and smiled at the girl. "Your accent, were you born in the U.K. or do you spend the summer's there or something?" he asked as he took another sip of his drink. Usually not one for conversation, his mixture of medication and alcohol and the safety of hitting on a girl who was use to being hit on made him more open to conversation at the moment.

 

[Lumeneire]

Winta threw the $10 into the till and gathered the change in as many coins as she could. She gently placed the pile of money in his palm and winked at the handful of shrapnel.


"Enjoy your change cheapskate. Money like that is gonna weigh your pocket down." Winta scanned the people waiting behind the bar and served a polite young man patiently waiting. He didn't speak much so just relayed his order and handed her the change which allowed her to speak during her transaction. She had to shout above the music so she could be heard but she was used to it. In her first couple of weeks working in a club back home, she had had a sore throat and constantly pounding ears from the high intensity of the music. But now it was second nature to her and she almost never heard the ringing in her ears by the time she would finish work and get into bed. On the odd occasion though, it still sounded like somebody had left the on air sign on the TV run in her ear, with the continuous no programming screech.


"Yeah, born in England but I kinda got sick of the place." She handed the drink and the change back to the quiet guy and politely smiled at him as he walked off.


"Came here just for a change of scenery and of course, to visit the sights like a true tourist." She leaned back against the bar again, resting her weight on her elbow and sighed with relief as the continuous flow of queuing people simmered down and began to fade away.


"As for translating your French for me, I understood most of it thank you very much. I'm not as stupid as I look." She let out a little laugh and watched curiously as a man surrounded by two women at a nearby booth seemed to be gesturing towards the man she was speaking to. He stumbled slightly, but the brunette caught him and forced her lips into his. He replied by putting his thumbs up and waving his hand at his friend again.


"I think you're friend needs some assistance." She said whilst nodding her head over in that general direction. She leaned in closer and looked him straight in the eye.


"I hope you're good with first aid because he's gonna be needing mouth to mouth resuscitation after that harpy gets her claws out of him." She playfully nudged him on the shoulder and served a girl that could barely stand up.


The red head dressed in bright pink short shorts and a white tank top waved her hand in the air like a mad man as she tried to spit out her words.


"Two, uh, no three, sambinis, sambuncar, uh, whatcha call it?" The girl tried to communicate through slurred words.


"Sambuca? You want two Sambuca shots?" Winta tried to fill in the gaps for the drunken mess and the woman nodded, crushing a $20 note into her hand. She shook her head and glanced over at the bouncer stood on the corner of the bar. His bright ginger curls and sheer height of 6"5 made him at least a head taller than anyone else in the club and the mop of locks on his scalp stood out like a beacon. He spotted the girl Winta gestured towards and nodded. He would keep an eye on her for the time being, but as soon as another member of staff pointed her out again she would be out. Oblivious to the exchange, the girl threw her arms across the surface of the bar and smushed her face up against the glass to see into the tank. As she was distracted by the swimming koi, Winta ran over to the sink with three shot glasses and filled them with water from the tap. She placed them on the back bar, doused a little Sambuca on her finger and rubbed them into the lip of each glass. She brought them over to the girl and had to tap her on the shoulder three times to snap her out of her trance. The girl lifted her head and downed the three fake shots in quick succession.


"Woweeeeeeee!" she cried and genuinely looked as if alcohol had hit the back of her throat and burnt her tongue. Winta slid the $20 back into the girls hand and smiled sweetly.


"Here's your change darling. Go easy on the booze or the bouncers will drag you out." The red head winked at her then stumbled away, appearing to be more intoxicated than before. It's powerful the effects of water could have on a person. Winta smirked and had to bite back a laugh. She had done a good thing but nobody else would know.


She went to lean on the bar again to continue her conversation but almost slipped off the slippery glass surface when she heard a scream erupt from the group of people at the other end of the bar. At first she thought it could have been a girl squealing in the way they did when they were excited to see their friends but thought otherwise when she saw the crowd begin to part and the mop of curly ginger hair disappeared into the middle of it. Winta pushed herself from the surface and ran to the other end of the bar without a second thought. She nudged the other barmen out of the way, sighing and rolling her eyes at their gormless and shocked faces and moved back herself as she saw the scene unfolding. A few of the clubbers had parted, allowing a gap big enough for two people to fight in. At first a few of them chanted and tried to egg the fight on but very quickly people became aware with how dire the situation was and all humour was lost. The 6"5 bouncer had a patron pressed up against the fish tank bar, pressing one of his arms firmly against his back. The man he was holding down was quite small in comparison, wearing a plain black polo shirt, blue jeans and supporting a shaved head. His teeth were clenched into a snarl and his eyes were slightly clouded over. Winta watched the creeps face intently and her first thought jumped to drugs. The bouncer was struggling to hold the man down as he thrashed about with his other arm, trying to grab anything of his captor's to turn the tide of the fight. A few more people started to gather around to watch the scene but kept a fair distance as well. Winta stood with her hand over her mouth in shock not knowing what to do. All of the other bouncers were too far away to get without running through the fight itself and the ginger bouncer had his hands to full to radio for backup.


Murmurs and whispers began to erupt so loudly that they could be heard just underneath the bass of the music and as the bald man snatched at the bouncers shoulder behind him, the whispers turned into screams and worried calls. Winta watched as the man’s hand dug into the gingers shoulder and flung him around so that they switched positions. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her stomach twisted at the sight. The ginger bouncer’s eyes met with hers and they were filled with tears. She could see the veins in his neck straining and as his cheek pressed against the glass, she saw spit dribbling from his lip through clenched teeth. The crazy man was causing an inhuman amount of pain with his fingers dug deep into the bouncer’s skin. The bald man grabbed a clump of the bouncer’s hair and wound his fingers through the separate strands and a greedy smile stretched across his face. Winta felt sickened and powerless. If this giant muscle bouncer who was built for the job couldn't fight back against the drugged up psycho, what on earth could she do. The ginger caught her eye again and his lip began to tremble in fear. She could tell that this man had never lost a fight in his life and he was being pinned down by a man almost half his size in weight. With a shriek and grunt, the bald man lifted the bouncers head up by his fistful of hair and slammed his face so hard into the fish tank surface that a hairline fracture began to splinter and crack along the glass. The crowd jumped back even further and strangers began to hold each other in fear and comfort. The big man’s lip had split open and one of his teeth clattered to the floor. His head was lifted up again and smacked even harder. The fish beneath the surface scattered into the reeds like a nest full of spiders spilling from their eggs and the fracture in the glass splintered off into smaller cracks like a web. This time, blood began to trickle from a cut on the bouncer’s forehead and he let out a manly grunt of pain. Winta waved her hands in the air frantically for any of the other workers to notice her but she knew they would just assume it was the flailing arms of a party goer. She turned to the three barmen next to her and screamed at them to go get help but they all stood there frozen on the spot. The closest one had a noticeable warm stain spreading across his crotch that dripped down his trouser leg and onto the floor. Winta grimaced and stepped back a little further so the puddle wouldn't soak into her shoes. "Useless bunch of cowards." She mumbled under her breath as the man’s head was cracked against the surface again and again.


By now the bouncer was unconscious and any grip he had had against the bar to try and dampen some of the force had slipped away entirely and his upper torso slammed against the glass freely like a rag doll. The bald man cracked his victims head open and blind rage enveloped his entire face. His mouth was caught in a frothing snarl, his nose was scrunched up as if he was sniffing the sweat and fear in the air and his eyes were burst wide open with clouded pupils and blood shot veins. With one more slam of the head, he let go of the body and let it slip to the ground with a thud. As the dead man’s open scalp slid down the glass, a trail of blood slithered down behind it with an almost comical dragging squeal. The crowd stood there frozen now that the mad man’s attention had drawn to them. He had turned around; his fists covered in blood and began to scan the huddle of people. He stood in the centre like a caged animal with his arms held wide and his body poised in a crouch ready to pounce. Winta looked at his back then at the scared faces ahead of her and licked her lips as she thought. He fingers trembled and she could hear a flood of blood rushing through her ears as the adrenaline and fear hit her like a wave from a burst dam. "Stop standing there and get out of here!" She screamed at the cowering crowd but they all stood glued to the spot like deer in an oncoming cars headlight.


Winta was responsible for these people now and she had to resolve the situation before someone else got hurt. The cowering barmen beside her would do nothing and the bouncers across the room weren't even aware of the situation. She had to act quickly and without regard to her own safety if she was to help these useless people. She grabbed a full bottle of Morgan’s spiced rum from the bar behind her and gently crawled onto the counter. The mad man in front of her still had his back to her and was beginning to creep forwards, unsteadily lurching left and right, scaring anyone he made eye contact with. Winta crouched on top of the surface, fully aware of how fragile the glass was now and she clenched every muscle in her body as the counter top began to groan. She swallowed hard and tightened her grip on the heavy bottle in her hand. She slowly sank to her bum ad gently threw her legs around the other edge. Another crack formed in the glass beneath her and she gulped at the thought. If it broke now, the thick glass could impale her lower half and dying by glass in ass wasn't the most glamorous way to go. The bald man rocked from left to right, his head whipping back and forth in nonsensical movements and his fingers twitched in anticipation at his side.


Winta dropped to the floor with a silent thud and pressed her body against the tank and the slumped corpse. She quickly placed her fingers on the ginger's neck and closed her eyes with relief as she felt a very weak pulse. A few of the crowd’s eyes had dropped down to her and she nodded at them so they would know he was alive and that they hadn't just witnessed an incredibly brutal murder. It had seemed that the terrifying nature of the situation had sobered the onlookers up but unfortunately hadn't knocked any sense into them either. They just wouldn’t move, like their feet hand sunk into quicksand and any attempt to shuffle away would drag them down further. At least seven of them were staring down at Winta now and she placed her finger over her lip as if to shush them. They discreetly nodded and kept silent as the mad man shuffled forwards another step. Winta slipped her hand under the dead weights bum and pulled out the radio that was clipped to his back pocket. She drew it up to her lips and held down the button. A red light flashed in the side to let her know it was broadcasting and she lifted it as close to her mouth as she could so she could whisper into it. Her other hand still tightly held the bottle of alcohol and the glass behind her grounded under the pressure of the water.


"Bar three needs assistance now. Urgent assistance needed. Calling all bouncers." She let go of the button and blinked droplets of sweat from her eyes. Her thighs began to burn from the crouching and her mouth had dried completely from nerves. The crazy man hadn’t heard her but the crowd started sighing in relief knowing help was on its way.


"What’s the problem bar three? Sending some support over." The radio had crackled into life and a loud burst of static bellowed forth before the words spilled out. It had caught the attention of the psychopath and he span on his heel with a globule of spit dangling from his lip. Winta gulped and tried to stand up a little but remained slightly crouched. "Shit! Run!" Winta screamed towards the onlookers as the man leaped for her. She ducked to the side and heard a thud and a crack as the bald man slammed into the front of the tank. The people around them had started to scream now, with their arms flailing in the air and bottles of alcohol being dropped and smashed as they ran for their lives. Winta was lying on her back and crawled backwards a few inches on her elbows. The floor chaffed at her bones and she bit back as a tiny shard of glass embedded itself into the thin layer of skin. A trickle of water caught her eye as it began to spill through a little crack in the glowing fish tank. The man shook his head as if to shake off the pain from his collision and threw himself forwards again so that he landed crouched on top of her. Winta lay there frozen with his face inches from hers. She could see the details of his crazed expression more clearly now. His eyes were completely glazed over with yellow and red veins bloodshot in the white around his pale pupils. His skin was so pale and sickly; it stood out against his dark shirt like stars in the night sky. His lips were chapped and covered in dried spit and mucus and his eye sockets were sunken in with a mixture of purple and black puffing around the edges. It looked as if he hadn't slept in a week and his hot decaying breath made Winta gag. The burning taste of vomit rose up her throat and sat on her tongue, but she swallowed it back and squinted her eyes as dribble slipped from his chin and slathered onto her forehead.


The crazed manic stayed crouched above her for what felt like a century and her fingers twitched around the neck of the bottle clasped in her left hand as she started to come to her senses. As she lifted it up to smack the man in the head, he struck first and punched her in the side of the face. Her world went dark for a second and a burst of blood exploded in her mouth. She had never been punched before and as her jaw clenched and a shockwave of pain shot up into her brain, she hoped it would never happen again. But it did as his other fist slammed into her gut. She pulled all her limbs in towards her and lay like a foetus as it slammed at her head again. The pain was excruciating but the desire to live filled her veins with adrenaline and her bones hardened as she brought up the heavy bottle and smacked it on the right side of his head. His skull crunched and his body rolled to the floor. She slid out from under him and through half lidded eyes could see three big bouncers run towards them. The one in the middle was Teddy and he ran ahead of the rest to help her. Still laying on her back, with her ears ringing and the bass of the music vibrating through her broken body, she managed to look at the crazy man’s face to her right. He lay sprawled out across the ground with his neck peeking out above his collar. It wasn't swollen like the others she'd seen, but it was purple and black looking as dark and bruised as his eyes.


Teddy lurched forwards and put out his hand for her to take. At first she didn't notice, but after he called her name three times, she threw up her hand for him to take and tried to smile at her friend. He gently lifted her so she was sitting up slightly and caressed the side of her face.


"Hey sweet pea." He said in a quiet and panicked tone. He was trying to be gentle and calming but the sight around him was shaking him to his very core.


"Can you tell me what happened darling? Are you okay?" Winta tried to speak strongly but her jaw was in agony and blood trickled down her chin as she opened her mouth. As she spoke it sounded as if her words were forced through cotton wool.


"He's fucking crazy Teds. You gotta pin him down whilst he's out cold." Teddy looked down at the man and nodded his head in agreement. From what she could tell, the other two bouncers were tending to the injured one but with one command they would come and pounce on the bald guy.


"Get me out of here please Teddy." Winta pleaded, trying to hold back the tears and cradling her bruised side. He tucked his lumbering arm around her stomach to help her up but grunted as he fell back. The crazed man had woken up and leaped towards them. He had knocked Teddy out of the way and winded Winta with full primal force. Her breath exploded from her lungs as his arms pushed into her stomach and sternum and he charged forwards on crouched feet. The sheer force almost lifted her from the ground and an ear piercing scream escaped her lips as her back slammed against the fish tank counter. Her head lolled forwards and her vision blurred. The flashing lights and ringing in her ears made her feel like she was hypnotised or drugged at a rave. She tried to lift her heavy leaden head and tears streamed down her cheeks. She could feel a warm liquid trickle down her back and she wasn't sure if the tank had finally broken or if blood was gushing out of her spine. As the scene in front of her unfolded, she wiggled her toes and lazily smiled thankful that she wasn't paralyzed. The three bouncers had slammed their bodies on top of the bald guy like a dog pile and pinned him to the ground. He thrashed and squealed and one of the men shouted down his radio.


"Gus, call the cops now! This guy is doped up to his eyeballs and he’s really hurting people. Call the damn cops!!" He slammed the radio onto the ground and concentrated his full force into holding the guy down again.


Winta sat as still as she could whilst water trickled out around her. Pain tingled up and down every inch of her body and her face and stomach throbbed. Her hair was dripping wet from the water pouring out from above her and pieces of glass embedded itself in her shoulder blades. She shivered from the mixture of sweat and water being prodded by the cool fan above the bar. She licked her lips and blood smeared across them like an alluring rouge lipstick. Ted looked over at her and saw how damaged she was and tried to reach for her to help, but as soon as he lifted his hand, the man beneath thrust forwards and smacked him in the gut. Theodore pushed his full weight back onto the man and grunted in annoyance.

 

[iMeisaki]

"Dr. Cayman will see you now Mr. Pierce." The assistant said to Ethan.


Ethan got up and looked around to see angry faces looking at him. What happened? Why were people mad at him for something he didn't do? Ethan got over it and went into the small white examination room and saw Dr. Cayman writing down his duties. He was wearing a mask.


"Dr. Cayman? Is everything alright?" Ethan asked.


"Ah yes. Everything is just alright. Just some sickness going around, I certainly don't want to get it." He chuckled. "Take a seat Ethan. Ask me anything you want to know about your health." He said while pulling up Ethan's health chart.


"Well Mr. Cayman. It's been almost a month since I was in the hospital. I've taken the pills and they are working just fine doctor. But, do I really need them now? I'm not stressed anymore and my chest doesn't hurt. I think I'm fine now. So do I need these pills?" He asked.


The doctor thought carefully and wrote notes on the papers he had.


"Well Mr. Pierce, by what you've been telling me..I think you should hold onto the pills just in case. However, I won't prescribe you until something serious comes up. Just keep them but don't take them when nothing is wrong. Got it?" He smiled.


"Yes thank you and one more ques--" Ethan was interrupted


"Calling all doctors and staff to come level 3. This is an emergency, doctors and staff please come to level 3. This is an emergency."


The doctor became serious and ran out of the room. Something was definitely wrong..Ethan followed the doctor to check out what was wrong. Instead of using the elevator, he took the stairs so he wouldn't be spotted. Making his way to get upstairs he heard crashing noises. He peeked through the window and patients were running across the hall. Doctors started coming up and then the patients stopped and stood still. A doctor was saying that everything would be alright and took one step forward. Next thing you know, almost all the patients ran after him and started acting very violent towards the doctors. One of the doctors fell on the ground and the patient pounced on top of him and put their thumbs in his eyes, killing him.


Ethan was in pure terror and noticed that one of the patients saw him. Ethan's eyes grew wider and started to run downstairs. He heard the screams from both the patients and doctors. "I have to get Leah. What the hell is happening?" He said to himself in a panic.


"Emergency! Everyone evacuate the building. NOW. I repeat: Everyone evacuate the building NOW, This is an emergency!" The voice said through the speaker.


When Ethan got to the front desk, people were screaming and crying at the same time. They were running around the room and were running outside. Ethan pushed people and left the building. He went in his car and was about to start the car. One of the patients got out and started running towards Ethan's car and kept banging the window while grunting. Blood spewed at the window and Ethan started the car. He quickly pulled out of the parking spot and drove out of the hospital. "I'm coming for you baby, just wait. I promise I'll get you Leah. Don't worry." He said as he was starting to speed to get to her school.


The science fair was over and it was a tie between the seventh and eighth graders.. As usual. It's been like that for four years because some kid complained that it was rigged. Leah and her class went back up to their classroom. She saw Caroline starting to cough. Ha. Finally, she's getting some payback. Leah smiled to herself that she was happy that Caroline was getting a dose of her own medicine. The teacher turned on the TV in the classroom for the class to watch the news. She thought it was educational for them...yea right.


"Breaking news: Do not leave your homes. If you are out somewhere. IMMEDIATELY go to your homes now. There is an infection spreading across the town. Please stay in your homes until further notice. STAY IN YOUR HOMES." The newscaster said and the news went off air.


The teacher's jaw dropped and she closed all the windows.


"Children, we are going to call your parents to pick you up. Please pack your things now!" She said panicking.


Leah was getting worried. She quickly got her things and packed up her bag. She sat down in her seat and waited. She looked at James.


"I wish I had a cell phone so I could call my dad to tell him to get over here." Her eyes widened as she was getting scared. James looked a bit frightened too. He nodded to what she said though.


Caroline kept coughing, kids were getting mad at her to keep it down. She gave an attitude. She just kept coughing and sweating.


"She looks like she's in a heat wave.. Jesus. What's wrong with her?" Leah asked James.


"I don't know and I don't want to know. I don't know what's going on Leah.." He said to her.


After hearing Caroline cough for a good ten minutes, she fell to the ground. Leah got up from her chair and gasped. Everyone in the room stood still and silent while seeing the popular blonde girl drop to the floor. The teacher went down to check her pulse.


"Children..I need to go to the nurse. Stay here to watch her and check her pulse every five minutes!" She left the room running down the hallway.


"No way in hell I'm checking that girl's pulse." Leah said.


Everyone stood still for a second and when one of her friends started crying and went down to check her pulse, Caroline started grunting and grabbed her hand. The friend started screaming when Caroline's grip became tighter. No one knew what to do and everyone was scared to death doing anything. Caroline looked up and there was foam coming from her mouth her eyes were bloodshot and blood was starting to come out from her nose. She ripped the girl down the ground and went on top of her hitting her face repeatedly. Everyone started screaming.


Ethan was almost at the school. There was some traffic but Ethan was cutting everyone off because he only cared about Leah. "Please be okay. Oh god, be okay. Please let there be no monsters there." He said to himself. He was just around the corner and he was speeding towards the school. A woman started running towards the street. She looked like a patient from the hospital: Crazy. Ethan pulled up to the school and saw other parents running towards the front door. Once he got in, he heard screams from every classroom. He quickly ran up the stairs to the eighth grade classroom and entered the room. "Leah, get your things, we are leaving now!!" He said to Leah.


Leah saw her dad shouting to her to get out when she was stuck watching the girl get beat by Caroline. Caroline's hands were bloody and the girls face was punched in. Everyone went to a corner of the room and Caroline looked up and Leah and started running towards her. Leah grabbed her bag and started running towards her father. However, Caroline got a hold of Leah's bag and pulled her down to ground.


"Leah!!" Ethan said running towards her. He punched Caroline in the face and knocked the wind out of her. Then he pulled up Leah and started running down the stairs and out the door. They both headed to the car and saw a bunch of crazy people starting run to the school and towards them. They quickly got into the car and started driving home.


"Daddy!? What's happening? Why are those people killing others and coming after us?" She was worried but didn't cry.


"I don't know Leah. All I know is that we need to pack a few clothes. I need to get my pistol and you need to get your baseball bat. Once we are done, I want to pick up your Aunt. She can't be alone. Okay?" He replied.


"Okay dad. I'm scared." She said.


"I know honey..We will be okay." He said out of nervousness.


"Promise?" She asked.


"I promise baby girl." He said.

 

[MisfortunateDreams]

Samuel Murat

"I can't believe you're just leaving us here like this. Isn't that child abandonment, or something?" If the approaching departure of their parents wasn't enough, the high whine of his sister was surely going to drive Sam into a fit of anger. He was perched on their kitchen counter, a glass of milk in one hand and a freshly baked cookie in the other. Though he was alone in the kitchen, he could easily hear the argument taking place just down the hall in his parent's bedroom. A loud, spiteful argument that involved his sister trying very hard to guilt their parents into bringing her with them on their trip to the city. Not that Sam completely disagreed with her pleads to go, it would be quieter around the ranch if she wasn't around.


"It's a five day trip, sweetheart. I'm pretty positive that doesn't count as child abandonment." The calm voice of their mother responded, amusement clear in her tone. "Plus you're already eighteen, legally an adult." Sam snickered, picturing the look on his sister's face as she stumbled for her next argument. Abigail didn't often not get her way, she was used to being able to talk her way into anything. It was a trait that she had gotten from their mother, who was a lawyer. That might have been the reason why their mother never fell for Abigail's musing, she was immune to the persuasion that had been passed on to her daughter. Sam hadn't gain the trait, but he could pretty much tell when someone was talking him in circles.


"Samuel James Murat." The voice was fierce, enough to freeze Sam mid-bite as his eyes trailed over to the stern look that his mother had on her face, "I told you. Those are for Grandma Kathryn's funeral." His eyes glanced downward, looking at the cookie still held in front of his mouth for a split second. Then, quickly, he shoved what remained of the evidence into his mouth and leapt from the counter. Darting around the island, Sam snickered and disappeared into the back of the house with the noise of his mother calling after him.


His parents left close to an hour later, Abigail tucked happily into the back of the car after her hours of complaints that their parents had gotten tired of. The goodbyes were simple, a list of chores was passed to him and he was smothered with kisses. They were then gone, driving up the road and turning right. About three hours and they'd be in New York if they didn't hit traffic. Sam had the next five days to himself and didn't hesitated to hurry inside to call up a few of his buddies. His days usually consisted of taking care of the animals and going to school, the only difference now was that he wouldn't have his parents breathing down his neck.


"Yeah, I got the house to myself for the next few days." He said into the phone, munching on a bag of chips. "I'm thinking on Saturday we invite a few people over. Cassie and her friends can hook us up with alcohol." There was a noise of water running in the background along with a fit of coughing. The noise died down when a door closed.


"Dude, I'm up for anything as long as I get out of this house." Steven responded, "My sister's sick. She looks like a plague victim."


"Gross." Reaching for a chip his hand brushed bottom of the bag. He lifted it, peaking inside to see that it was empty and let out a groan. The disappointment was tiring, the chips had been his favorite and the last of the bags in his little stash he had been hiding from his sister. He'd have to replenish it before his family got home.


"Tell me about it." His friend stated, "I feel like just breathing the same air as her will infect me with her germs." Sam laughed at his friend's comment, crumpling the chip bag. A moment of silence followed, broken by the sound of horses. Standing, he headed toward the window and peered out through the darkness. A light had been lit in the stables, or at least it seemed like someone was walking around with a flashlight.


"Damn. I'll see you at school tomorrow, man." Sam stated, "Something's up with the horses."


"You sure? Want me to send my dad over to check it out?"


"Na, I got a gun in the garage." Swinging a jacket on, Sam entered the garage through the door in the kitchen and grabbed one of his dad's hunting guns. They often took trips up into Canada during the hunting season, it was an annual thing that just he and his father did. It hadn't happened this year because of a last minute business trip his father went on. Sam was a bit more than disappointed, not that he'd say anything though.


"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."


"Bye." With that, Sam hung up and checked the gun to make sure it was loaded.





(I had planned to make it longer, but I'll cut it in half and put the rest in the next post.)

 

[xxDragonEater95xx]

Jason laughed as he was handed a fistful of change, this girl had a great sense of humor. He didn't really care for being out on the town at all and was almost cursing the fact that Chris had forced him out here, but this simple interaction made it a lot more tolerable. Chris had tried to set him up with girls in the past and it always ended badly, Jason wasn't one for surprises and especially when it came to dealing with the opposite sex. This girl, in his eyes, was different though because her job required her to interact with customers, so he figured that talking to her and finding some common ground for interaction. He felt that this conversation was a little like a safety net, he got to talk to a beautiful girl and didn't really have to worry about anything.


"I think you're friend needs some assistance. I hope you're good with first aid because he's gonna be needing mouth to mouth resuscitation after that harpy gets her claws out of him."


Jason had leaned forward as she leaned toward him so he could hear her better, and he laughed as he watched the scene with Chris unfold. He turned back toward the girl smiling and returned her gaze. "He's a big boy, he should be able to handle himself, but as far as the first aid goes...I'll do the chest compression and I'd appreciate it if you could handle the mouth-to-mouth," he looked back over at the slobber-fest taking place before turning back to the girl, "Yeah, there's no telling where those mouths have been, but I have faith in you" he grinned at the girl.


"J!J!Jason!! J!!" Jason could hear Chris yelling his name and turned to see his friend wildly motioning him over. Jason turned back to the girl for a moment, and seeing that she was dealing with another patron, he waited a moment. As she finished and was about about to re-engage him he watched her almost slip on the wet surface of the bar, and although he chuckled at the mishap, but he didn't have time to make a joke as he was bumped by someone who had stumbled into him. By the time he had helped the guy up and looked up, the girl was running to the other end of the bar. "Guess someone was really thirsty," he joked aloud to himself as he followed her with his eyes. He could see that a crowd had gathered all looking in the same direction and all huddled together, which was usually the universal action of crowds watching a fight. He assumed that was the cause of what he was looking at and even though he knew he should probably do something about it, he decided to go see what Chris wanted instead. As he approached the table he smiled at his drunken friend who was fishing through his pockets, "What can I do for you, Chris?" he asked almost laughing as the brunette was struggling to keep Chris upright.


"I'm going to go ahead and head back with these ladies," Chris pulled his keys from his pocket and tossed them at Jason, "I'm parked in the handicap spot across the street...d-d-don't scratch her or dent her okay, man. Be safe...safe sex is okay sex, but it's still...you understand." Chris slapped Jason's shoulder as the girls giggled then winked and blew kisses before leading Chris toward the doors.


"Vous êtes un homme sale!" Jason yelled after his partner with a smile. He turned back to the bar and could see that everyone's attention seemed to be on whatever was going on on the other side of the bar, and the fact that everyone was still so focused on it made it seem to be something big. Did a couple of guys get into it over there? Jason thought as he began to slowly walk over to the crowd of onlookers. Jason could hear a few mutters from the crowd as he got to it and it sounded like he was right about a fight taking place, and as he began to force his way into the crowd with a few polite "excuse me's" he heard what sounded like a pained scream. The crowd was a little too thick for Jason to get through without shoving people aside and he was getting frustrated with the fact that he was going to have to work on his day off, and with an aggravated sigh he reached into his back pocket drawing his badge-wallet and holding it up high. "NYP-" he was interrupted as the crowd violently jolted backwards, loosing his footing and falling to the ground, taking a few patrons with him. "Damn, I probably just caught something." he said with a scowl as his left hand found a wet sticky spot on the floor as he began to stand back up, now visibly upset.


Jason was a good officer, although he did have a few complaints against him for excessive use of force. Granted, the complaints came form gang-bangers who had been brazen enough to think their numbers were enough to intimidate the officer, and then when they realized that he wasn't frightened thought that intimidation would work. That was there near-fatal mistake, Jason wasn't hard to piss off but he usually managed to keep his temper under raps, but he was essentially a wounded beasts. He was meant for war and confrontation and dealing with the confrontation in a very singular manner: Kill. The group of eight gang members, who had just a few minutes ago assaulted the younger sister of a young man who had stumbled on to their turf unknowingly, had circled Jason and were taunting him as they were slowly closing in on him. To Jason it seemed like a blur, and as he recalled it to his Captain, all he saw was a flash of light and the next moment there were bodies lying everywhere and groaning coming from everyone. He had come a long way from just lashing out at others like he use to, but the suffocating feeling was beginning to rear its ugly head as he fought his way back into the crowd.


"N-Y-P-D! Get the hell outta my way!" he screamed, holding up his badge as he yanked people out of his way and forced his way between people. Everyone seemed to be frozen in place and unresponsive to his words, which was making him agitated. He got a few stares from some , who would look at him then his badge and then move aside, others would simply shriek out of his way, and others wouldn't respond at all and he would just man-handle them out of the way. It seemed that as soon as he managed to start making some headway that suddenly everyone suddenly came to life and began running for the doors, which meant that he was now trying to fight his way through a frantically retreating crowd. What the hell are these bastards running from? Get the f*** outta my way! he said in his head as he fought against the crowd. For every 3 steps forward he made he had to take 5 back or to the left or right to find some room to press forward. Jason got through to see a guy rush a bouncer, who seemed to be holing the bartender he was talking to earlier, and knocked them both down.





"Gus, call the cops now! This guy is doped up to his eyeballs and he’s really hurting people. Call the damn cops!!"


Jason stood frozen for a moment as he took in the scene of all the bouncers atop one man and seeming to be struggling with keeping him put, but he knew that sometimes when people were on PCP or other narcotics that they were somtimes nullified to pain and seemingly impossibly strong, but as he looked over and saw the state of the bartender he snapped into motion and ran to her side. "Hey! you still with me!" he quickly knelt down beside her, keeping his eyes on the man beneath the pile as he placed his left hand on her neck and checked her pulse. Her pulse was racing, which was a good thing, and using his right hand he flashed his badge at a bouncer who looked back this way. "Keep that man pinned until help arrives!" he barked as he pulled his cellphone out and dialled 911 before turning his attention to the girl. "This is Officer Richards of the NYPD, I'm at The Vanity Tank with a D&D suspect, possible narcotics invovled, I have..." he further surveyed the scene and saw another body lying in a pool of blood, his head seemingly split like a coconut, "We may have a possible homicide, so send the EMS here asap, and I have an assault victim here..." he waited for a response. He had heard the phone get picked up but since he had been talking he hadn't heard a response or another sound on the other end for that matter, and looking down at the phone he saw that the call had been disconnected. "F***!" he looked to the bouncers holding the man down and rushed over to the dog pile, moving the bouncer closest to the guy's head out of the way and placing the guy in a strong and locked choke-hold until he felt the man's muscle's loosen and his hos body go limp and then held it for a few extra seconds to be sure.


He went back to the girl and knelt beside her and was joined by a bouncer, although he placed a hand on the ma's chest to stop him from coming any closer. "I got this, you make sure that guy doesn't get back up," looking back to all the bouncers, "Keep an eyes on him...police and EMS are on the way!" screaming was only really relevant now because of the music, which he instructed the closest bouncer to him to have cut off. He moved over to the downed bouncer and checked his pulse, a quick flash of blood and bodies flashed before his eyes and he nearly toppled over, but caught himself on the splintering glass of the bar-tank. He placed his fingers against his neck checking for a pulse and sat there a moment before he released a slight sigh. It was there but it was very weak, and he prayed that the call didn't get disconnected before he got all the info out. He moved back to the girl, who was clearly in pain, and moved her from the leaking tank after assessing that moving her wouldn't make any of her wounds worse. He had seen his share of gashes and wounds and if necessary he knew how to fix her up, but he was praying none of that would be necessary. He scooped her up like a bride on her wedding day, without much effort and moved her closer to the door and laid her on top of the bar closest to the door. "You're gonna just fine," he dialed the number to the hospital, "Get Dr. Lewis on the phone now! This is Officer Richards!" he didn't even give the nurse enough time to say her greetings or anything.


"Jason, is that you? Is everything alright?" Jason exhaled in relief as he heard the doctors voice.


"Not even close, I got two assault victims coming your way. 1 Male you has severe head trauma and a female with lacerations amd a few bruises. I'm not sure if my call to the station got through, but can you have an ambulance sent here anyway...also I've subdued the perp...," he looked back at the guy's unconscious body, "Bring another ambulance for him and have some heavy sedatives and some thick straps, i want to know what this guy is on...he damn near overpowered 3 guys who double him in size."


~7 minutes later~ First response ambulance shows up and is instructed by Jason to take the bouncer


~5 minutes after that~ Second ambulance appears and Jason has them take the girl. "Don't worry, I know the doctor of the hospital. I'll stop by and see you a little bit later. Try to relax and just listen to the doctors, and don't leave there until I get a chance to talk to you okay?" he could tell that she was out of it. Her adrenaline must have run out, he knew what that looked like and she was exhibiting all the signs. She couldn't really respond to his words but he knew that she heard him, and as the EMT's placed her on the gurney he waved her away. "I'm not sure you'll be getting that tip after all, tonight was an absolute disaster." he joked trying to lighten the mood of the situation a bit.


Jason stays behind until the drugged guy is picked up by EMT's and then hops in Chris's car and heads to the hospital. Calling ahead he meets Dr. Lewis at the front doors and explains what he witnessed first hand and learns that the bouncer is in the critical care unit and that the girl is being taken care of. Dr. Lewis assures him that she'll be just fine and takes Jason's card and instructions from Jason's for her to call him once she's awake. Stress, anxiety and adrenaline, which were all in the red zone for Jason, were rapidly depleting and Jason felt the crash was imminent. Dr. Lewis had a nurse usher him to an empty room where they hooked up an IV to him so he could get some fluids in his system. Dr. Lewis was Chris's stepfather and was one of the few people who knew a little bit about Jason's military history, and had actually been the one who had suggested the therapist that he was seeing on and off, and he was able to see that Jason had been going through a hard time.


Laying on the hospital bed hooked up to an IV, Jason's eyes became heavy. He was slowly drifting off to sleep, worried that the nightmares were waiting for him just behind his eyelids. The darkness had finally come but instead of crazed dreams and haunting memories, it was the deepest and most peaceful sleep he had had in a long time.

 

[Lumeneire]

"Don't worry, I know the doctor of the hospital. I'll stop by and see you a little bit later. Try to relax and just listen to the doctors, and don't leave there until I get a chance to talk to you okay?" Winta wasn't really aware of what was happening anymore. She had slowly drifted in and out of consciousness, like after hitting snooze on the alarm clock in the morning and slipping into strange dreams and then into reality again, unable to pick out which was in her head and where she really was. She had a vague recollection of being in a fight but that could have been part of the hazy dreaming. She replied to the mans gentle voice and tried to nod. She was aware of how much pain she was in and that must mean this was the reality. There was no way you could imagine such immense pain.


"I don't think i'll be going anywhere soon." She mumbled through her swollen cheek. Her mouth was incredibly dry and her tongue felt like sandpaper against the raw skin of her inner cheek.


"I'm not sure you'll be getting that tip after all, tonight was an absolute disaster." Winta was sure this was a scenario she was making up in her mind. It appeared the guy she had been talking to at the bar was also a cop but life rarely offered such pleasant coincidences. Often when she was thinking of characters for her stories, she would write about a male creation that was witty and mysterious then ended up being more than he first appeared and more often or not became the love interest in a whirlwind adventure. Winta was sure she was imagining all this now. That the Cop who had first appeared to be a nice unassuming guy would whisk her off her feet and delve her into adventure. She chuckled delightedly at the thought and applauded herself for thinking up such an interesting idea when half asleep. She closed her eyes once more as they slid her into the ambulance and shut herself off completely from the rest of the world.


The hours past and she lay unconscious on a hospital bed as her bones and bruises ached and throbbed. After a few more hours of doctors and nurses scurrying back and forth to her room, poking and prodding her with needles and drugs, she finally awoke with a dramatic start. Her nightmare had been so forthcoming in her mind, that her thrashing limbs jolted her back to life. She gritted her teeth as her bruised arm smacked against the pole of the IV drip at her side and her jaw jarred and clenched to reel in the scream of agonising pain. She lay there for a few seconds with her eyes squeezed shut and concentrated on her breathing, making sure to slow it down and keep it under control. Her heart pumped viciously in her chest, so hard that it felt as if it would tear through her rib cage like a battering ram at a door. As the sharp jolt in her arm ebbed away to a dull ache, she opened her eyes and squinted against the harsh light. The blinds were vertical shutters and they were slightly ajar. A flood of sunlight streamed through the little gaps and cast streaks of morning shimmer across the small room. Winta groaned to herself as her eyes adjusted to the brightness and rolled over onto her back. She could feel her spine creaking as she did so and was terrified that her body had been permanently broken. She wiggled her toes and sighed with relief. She had a brief memory of doing this very thing the last time she was awake and with that thought, a flood of other information swamped her muggy brain. She lay as stiff as a cadaver with the thin cotton sheet just covering her legs. It had seemed that she had twisted and turned so much in her sleep that the cover had almost slipped off her body entirely.


Her mind picked through images locked away behind a cloud of drugs. She could see golden Koi and handfuls of money. Sweaty bodies writing against a backdrop of pulsating lights and feel the heavy rhythm of bass thrumming through her bones. Winta licked her dry and cracked lips in concentration and closed her eyes to focus harder. She remembered a girl passed out in the toilets and her friend Ted leaning over her asking if she was okay. But why was the bouncer leaning over Winta when it was the girl that needed help. She grunted in frustration and strained her neck as she tried to force the images into a more coherent pattern. Teddy had been leaning over her to help her up and then some unimaginable strength had thrown her backwards and water had cascaded over her numbing limbs. Yes she was onto something. She pulled the thin cotton cover up to her chest and gripped onto it tightly with her weak fingers. She remembered a man laying close to her face. A bald man with clouded iris' and a bruised neck. Winta clutched onto the cover unknowingly and frayed the edges with her nails. The man had crouched on top of her and pinned her to the ground. Hot breath melted onto her face and then she saw the ginger bouncers caved in head crushed against cracking glass. Winta's eyes flew open and she threw the cover from her grasp. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead and slid down the swollen curve of her cheek.


She turned to look up at the IV and caught her reflection in the metal pole that she had smacked her arm with. Her reflection was distorted in it's curved metal but she could see enough detail to make her stomach tighten in defense. Her left eye was surrounded by black and blue but it had not swollen, allowing her to fully open and close her eye. Her right cheek puffed with a bright pink pinch of colour and her lip was split open down the left side. She drew her gaze from the pole and looked down at her body. She could see little cuts all over her arms and a few larger ones were covered in stitches. She was about to hitch her gown up from her legs to examine her stomach and torso when the door to the right swung open and a nurse walked in. She was rather small and had scraped back black hair with pink scrubs and squeaky white sneakers. She was wheeling in a cart and almost jumped back in surprise as Winta's scared eyes caught her gaze.


"Oh my!" She mumbled as she brought her hand up to her heart in an overly exaggerated shocked gesture.


"I thought you were still asleep. Well I've just brought in the blood pressure cart with me and your IV refill. I won't be long and then i'll let the doctor know you're awake." She trotted closer with the cart pushing in front of her and Winta winced as the wheels squealed. They sounded as if they needed a good oiling and the nurses shoes shuffled with their own screech across the polished floor. She said nothing as the nurse slipped the blood pressure band onto her wrist and up her arm. She turned the machine on and the band began to inflate, crushing Winta's fragile arm and pinching at her sore skin.


"What happened? Why am I in here?" She thought she already knew the answer from the swarm of images that had swamped her brain but she had to make sure in case she imagined it all and in fact she had dreamt about it all in a comatose state after being hit by a car or stabbed by a burglar.


" You were rushed in here after an accident at a club. It's all over the news dear. How awful that someone you worked with would attack innocent people." As the nurse wrote down her blood pressure numbers in a chart, she slipped off the band and cocked her head at Winta's confused face.


"What's wrong? Oh i'm sure it must be a shock to have someone you work with end up being a murderer and you were one of the only survivors to witness it. The police officer who called it in wants to drop by later. No doubt they'll want to send you to witness protection. How exciting!" The nurse giggled as she spoke and genuinely believed everything she was saying and it worried Winta to see someone so excited by the prospect of witness protection like it would be a massive adventure. When in reality, it meant your life was being threatened every day.


"What are you on about? There were loads of people there and he wasn't a murdered, the other guy was..." Winta frowned in confusion and drew the cotton sheet closer to her body again, like a barrier she was forming against the harsh truth of the world.


"Oh you must be so confused. The pain medication will mess with your head a bit. You just rest for now and the doctor will see you later. We're very understaffed today so just bare with us. The tv remote is on the bedside table dear." The nurse looked down at her with pity, shook her head, then trotted back out with her squeaking trolley, slamming the door behind her.


Winta sat up even further and winced as the stitches on her back flexed against the movement of her muscles. She reached over to the table and grabbed the cold tv remote. Before turning it on, she ran through what the nurse had said and then the events she had come to understand in her head. The two contradicted one another and it terrified her. She brushed some matted hair behind her ear and pressed the On button. After the tv screen burst into life, she flicked through the channels, still not used to American programming and found a 24 hour news channel. At first there was a story about a kitten stuck in a tree that took seven firemen to rescue. Winta rolled her eyes and recognized it as the fluff piece to draw peoples attention away from the more serious stories. Next was a recap on the past few days events. How certain countries were threatening to go to war with each other, something about a group of government officials being assassinated in a massive explosion minutes before they were planning to host an important debate on national television. Then the newest story came onto screen, with a banner of condensed information streaming across the bottom of the screen. A man with a neatly pressed blue suit and shimmering grey hair stood in the middle of the screen. They introduced him as Thomas Gellifer and announced he was on sight of the devastating scene. Winta sat up straighter in her bed, fluffing the pillows behind her and turned up the volume so she could hear everything loud and clear.





" Hello. Yes Janine, thank you for the introduction. After news reports flooding in from every source, we have finally managed to procure an onsite interview with the first response team. Just to recap for anyone that has just tuned in, I am stood outside the flaming remains of the highly renowned Vanity Tank club in downtown New York. Earlier this morning, an employee by the name of Krisoff Heams used his authority as a bouncer to start a mass killing spree. Witnesses state that he had started a fight with a patron, turned on another employee who is now critical condition and then killed the rest of his team with brute force. Seven bouncers, four barmen and the boss were all targeted and killed from what we've been told and then the building was burned to the ground. Many customers and other employees died inside in the blaze and the fire fighters are still trying to put out the raging fires." The well dressed man walked over to the front doors of the club and the camera zoomed out to show the flaming remains. One of the police officers then waltzed over and stood twiddling his thumbs. The news reporter pushed his microphone to the man's lips and continued his rant.


"I have been told that you were one of the first officers on site. Can you conclude that the information we have been given is correct and if you have anything else to add?" The police officer, safe under his helmet coughed nervously and spoke into the microphone. Feedback buzzed through the speakers and then once he coughed again, the sound settled and he answered the question.


"Uh yes sir. I was one of the first responders. The video footage from the club is linked up to the police headquarters online system and although much of the footage has been damaged, from what we have seen, your statement is correct. The death toll so far has been 36 and once the fire is out, we expect to find more bodies. There was no way of knowing accurately how many people were still in the establishment at the time or why this Kristoff did all of these things, but we will find out soon. The only witness is in hospital now and we hope she pulls through her coma so we can gather more information."


Winta shut the tv off and threw the remote across the room as if it would burn her hand.


She sat still, with a beam of sunlight streaking across her upper face, highlighting the surreal shock and fear in her eyes. The news was lying. That was not how events went down and she knew the hospital knew she wasn't comatosed. From what she could tell she wasn't in the critical care unit either. The ginger bouncer had not started the fight and he was not dead when she had left him. The building was still standing when the ambulance rolled her out from what she could tell and she distinctly remember another ambulance before her taking away the broken bouncers body. Her palms sweated and her head pulsated with a wave of nausea. As the bile rose in her throat, she reached over the side of the bed, grasped the bedpan and heaved her entire stomach contents into it. The pills the nurse had given her as she spoke sloshed around in the basin and dissolved in the chunks of stomach acid. Winta thought it was probably best, they could be trying to drug her and keep her sedated so she couldn't talk. It all felt like some strange conspiracy theory that she had been thrown into the middle of. She took a sip of warm water from the full glass on the bedside table and swooshed it around in her mouth to get rid of the burning taste. She sat back to think and small things began to fall into place. People were getting sick, really sick and others were going crazy. A government assassination had taken place after they were about to reveal something on air, from the grey matter at the back of her brain she clawed some vital information and vaguely remembered it had something to do with public health. Events that had happened the night before were unreal and had spiralled out of control, ending with her being in hospital. But the news was claiming something else entirely had happened and a lot of people had died for their cover up. The nurse had been very pressing about her version of events and that as soon as she expelled the drugs from her body, her head instantly began to feel clearer and sharper.


Winta looked up at the IV drip the nurse had also changed whilst they were talking and almost growled at the needle in her arm. She hesitantly tugged at the white tape around it, enough to allow her fingers some grip and yanked at the needle stuck firmly into her skin. She silently screamed as it squelched from her body but she kept it under the tape, wrapping the tip with a loose piece of sticky white so the needle still looked as if it was attached to her arm. She had read enough books in her time and seen enough films to put together what was happening. There was a plague sweeping across the city, certain people were covering it up and she would die very soon from a heart attack of suffocation in her sleep. She nervously laughed, hoping she was over thinking things but as hot tears rolled down her face, she knew she had figured it all out and she would die for it. She wept for the people that had senselessly died and wept even harder as she thought of Teddy. She cried for the future soon to come and for the terrifying reality that had consumed her life. She had always wanted to be in an adventure story but now she was in a horror and it made her teeth chatter together in impossible fear and sadness.


After a few minutes of weeping silently, she brushed the tears from her face with the edge of her cover and mentally slapped herself. She knew the cop that had brought her in would come by soon and question her. He had witnessed the truth too but he could be working for the people up above. He could be coming to kill her. Winta wanted to throw herself out of bed and fashion a sharp weapon from whatever she could first lay her hands on but was thrust back into reality as the door to her room slammed open. She briskly tried to compose herself and closed her eyes to pretend she was asleep. She heard the door quietly close with a click and then silence. She lay still, with her arm outstretched to one side and her head tilted towards the door. She began to hear a heavy breathing and creeping feet and she knew someone had snuck in to try and kill her. She kept her arm out ready, in case she had to fight back but knew in her weakened state and with a lack of self defense skills that she couldn't hold a murderer off for long. As the shuffling steps edged closer, blood rushed through her ears and she struggled to squeeze her eyes shut. The room was completely silent except for the beating of her own heart and the breathing of her oncoming doom. She flinched as a hand gently brushed hers and was about to scream out for help as another hand clasped across her mouth, blotting out any sound that would have escaped her lips. Her eyes burst open and then quickly filled with tears again as Teddy loomed over her. He gestured for her to stay silent, removed his grasp from her face and squeezed her hand in reassurance. Winta sat up straight again and smiled through tears of happiness.


"You're alive!" She shouted and shook her head in disbelief. The man before her was a broken husk compared to the night before but he was still a gentle giant. His beard was singed around the edges and his face was unbearably dirty. His white shirt was covered in patches of blood and dirt and one of the sleeve was completely torn. Winta pressed her hand against his muscled torso and poked one of the splotches of blood. She looked up at him warily and he crouched down to her eye level and clasped one of her hands in both of his.





"I don't have much time Pet. Don't worry the blood isn't mine. I'm guessing you've seen the news and you know the truth. They think I'm dead but I fought my way through and hid in the cellar. When they realise there's one body less though they'll be after me." He held her hand tighter as her face sagged in confusion and her eyes whipped back and forth across his features, trying to determine if he was telling the truth. She looked scared and she knew it.


"No don't be afraid of me Buttercup. I risked a lot to come here and see if you were okay. I want to take you with me but there's disguised security all around the hospital. They will not let you leave. What we saw last night, we weren't meant to and they gonna kill anyone that gets in their way." Winta gulped and screamed silently in her head.


"I don't understand what's going on Ted. Why did they try and kill you? Who did? Who's they?" Teddy tightened his grasp so much that it nearly crushed her fingers and he let go when he realised he was hurting her. He caressed his beard and looked her in the eye. His dirty face stern and pleading.


"The government I think. Something big's going down and we're caught up in the middle. They're saying Kristoff did all this but we both know he ended up in this hospital. I'm confused myself. I'm gonna try and see what I can find out about all this then get as far away from here as I can. I can't take you with me right now though without getting you killed quicker. So here take these." He pulled out a taser gun and a swiss army knife from his trouser pocket and slid them under the bed sheet.


"Use these to escape. Hide them and wait until the right time. Wait until the doctors seen you and that cop has spoken to you and maybe even then you might have to incapacitate him. I'll try and come back for you if they don't get me first so try and stay alive long enough. Be safe chick pea." He clasped her hand once more, kissed her on the forehead and left as quickly as he had arrived. Winta took in a deep breath and grimaced as she watched him leave.


She reached under the cover and prodded the weapons with her fingers. She gently caressed the smooth metal of the swiss army knife, yanked it from the sheet and tucked it down the side railing of the bed. She then slid out the other object then stared hard at the taser gun. She had never used one herself before but films were creative instruction guides and she got the gist of it. She forced it inside her pillowcase and sank down into the bed again. This time she pulled the cover completely over her head and lay wide eyed with Ted's word's pressing at her mind.

 

[SweaterJane]

Grace stepped out of her classroom, screaming down the hall for the school nurse, or at least anybody who could help her. 7th grade children in the room behind her were becoming feral, beating each other into senseless messes. "Hello!" She pleaded, hugging a girl in her waist, tight against her chest with it's face nestled into her golden blonde locks. Her eyes flashed back to the chaos, scanning over the children behind her for just one left sane and a possibility to save them.


A man came barrelling down the hall pass her, brushing wind into her face from his immense speed. He stopped at the end of the hall, just before the stairs and turned back. He fled towards her with a wild look within his eyes. "Anna!" He cried, as the girl Grace pressed against her with protection peeled off towards what could only be assumed as her father. Relief swept over the teacher as she closed the door to the music room and took off the opposite way of the hall.


It had killed her inside to leave the school, but it was turning into a shit-storm way to fast. Students and teachers charge out of the building, pushing the small woman down with a light thud. Every time she'd force herself to get back up, it'd be another struggle to stay that way. Finally, her escape was on it's last leg. She stood in the street, gazing at the nightmarish scene from the edge of the road. Cars flew pass her, sweeping her red skirt into their breeze. People rushed about in what seemed like a hellish riot. How was Grace getting home? For she had no car, and getting any kind of public transit right now was impossible.


With that thought and the flushing of adrenaline into her veins, her shoes came off and were flung to God knows where. It was off she sprinted, down the road in utter panic. Every car or truck that pass, the petite blonde plead out a cry for help as she ran. It attracted attention, but not necessarily the right kind.


"Please, come on! I need to get home! Someone!", her southern accent twisted her words sharply, mixing them nearly illegible with the fear caught in her throat. The next thing she knew, like in a game of tackle foot ball with her cousins on thanksgiving, someone had jumped on her and pushed her onto the ground. The back on her head throbbed in pain and ears rang with a high pitched screech as she hit the road. Straddled on the side walk, Grace's attempts of self defence rendered nearly useless to a wild looking woman who clawed at her arms. It took every bit of might and strength within herself for her to roll the monster of a lady off of her and pin her opponent on the ground before her. Punches rain down from the usually peaceful young woman, landing upon her attacker's face with near reckless abandon until she stopped moving and Grace's knuckles began to swell and bleed.


In pain, one more attempt was made to get to safety. She began to run again, this time with less energy available and tears running down her cheeks.


"Please!", her calls were desperate, cracking in her throat as she'd try her best to run up to the sides of cars and beg the drivers.

 

[iMeisaki]

As they were driving back towards the house, there was chaos everywhere. Gas stations blew up, medical building caught on fire. People were screaming bloody murder. Ethan was quickly looking out his window to check out what was happening and if anyone was going to come after them. All of the radios were filled with the sound of static. Everyone had abandoned everything. Leah was looking out the window, she was in shock of everything.


"We're almost there Leah. Just get ready to run into the house and lock the doors behind you. Get your bat and empty your backpack with a shirt, pants, and your personal things. Then fill the rest with food and water just in case you, your aunt, or I need some. I don't know where we will go afterwards but I just want you to be ready." He said to her


Leah looked at him and responded to him. "Okay don't worry. I'm sure this will pass in a week or so. I'm sure Aunt Jo is okay, we'll go get her and the three of us will stick together. And...maybe her husband."


"Yea..maybe. Hopefully your Joanna has more room in her house. I wonder if she sold her house upstate where it's more in the woods." He sighed as he was driving carefully.


Leah nodded to what her father said and the looked back to the window. She was in shock and horrified seeing people being beaten and running away. Her father was trying to be careful with driving through the streets because of people running. However, he had to be careful with the people who were crazy, murdering people. She was spectating what people were doing and how they were reacting. She saw the crazy people brutally beating others and saw the innocent people crying and running away.


"Daddy? Why are people doing this?" She asked as her voice cracked.


"I don't know baby, but we have to find a place safe. Hopefully the police come to take care of this." He replied.


"I can't believe those crazy people are killing the others." She said.


"I know, that's why we'll get out of here. We have to..." He told her.


As Ethan was getting out of the city and started coming up to the "Country-side" of Tennessee A house he passed was caught on fire. No.. no. God no, please don't have any crazy people up here. Please, we wouldn't have enough time then. He though to himself. He was starting to panic a little but not too much to give himself an anxiety attack. He thought back to when he was at the doctor's office. How one of the doctors got their eyes pushed in their head. It was a horrific site to witness and would probably scar him for life. Ethan went back to concentrating on the road. They were getting closer by the second. Only a few more miles. Good thing his pickup truck was fully filled with gasoline.


They finally pulled up to the house and the minute they stopped, they both got out of the car and ran inside the house. As her father closed the door and locked it, Leah had her backpack on and ran upstairs to pack. She came into her room and packed what her father told her to: One shirt, long pants, underpants, and a tank top with a built in bra. She wanted to pack extra socks too because she was wearing sneakers that she probably wouldn't take off. She went in her closet to get her baseball bat. Then she started heading downstairs.


Once Ethan locked the door, he followed Leah upstairs and went into his bedroom getting his hiking backpack. He packed a t-shirt, jeans, and boxers. Then he took out his revolver. He had a box of bullets; about fourteen of them were in there. He started putting six of them in the gun and put the rest in his shirt pocket. He got his backpack and followed Leah downstairs.


Leah ran to the kitchen and went into the pantry and got a bag of goldfish. Then she got a candy bar. She filled up her bag with more of food she liked and thought more about herself. However, she got three water bottles: One for everyone. She thought. She saw her dad pack more water too and then packed more healthy snacks. Once she finished packing, she saw she had a little bit of room for one more thing. She packed her favorite photo of herself with her father at the bookstore. She thought back at her memory; she won first place in the poem she wrote, she got a medal for it and she dressed up fancy that night. It was the greatest night for both of them.


Ethan saw Leah stopping and looking at the picture. He knew that they had to go so he tapped her on the shoulder and guided her towards the door. They both ran out and saw that some crazy people were coming towards them from the right. Ethan ran into the car and started the car. Leah ran to the passengers seat and got in the car. She put her seatbelt on and made sure that no one was too close to the car. Ethan started up the car and started driving towards Joanna's house, leaving the trail of crazy people behind them.

 

[xxDragonEater95xx]

~5am~


Jason had awakened early and called a nurse to have her get Dr. Lewis, but was informed that doctor had stepped out and wasn't sure when he would be returning. He rolled his eyes as the nurse took the IV out of his arm and feeling revitalized he helped himself up and out of his room. "Please tell me you guys have some coffee somewhere?" Jason was glad that he wasn't feeling any effects from drinking last night, but he was still a bit lethargic at the moment and was in need of a caffeine rush.


"Yes, there's a fresh pot over at the nurse's station. I made it myself." The nurse smiled as she moved her shoulder-length brown hair from her face. Jason checked all of his pockets and made sure he had his wallet and cellphone before he made a move for the door, but stopped just as he exited the room, turning back to the nurse.


"The guy that was brought in with the head trauma, is he still in the ICU?" Jason asked as his phone began to vibrate. As he withdrew the phone the screen read "Captain" and as it vanished he saw that he had at least a dozen missed calls and about just as many texts from his partner and the captain.


"From what I heard he's out of the woods, but he may not be awake until later this afternoon," the nurse wouldn't meet his eye-contact as she spoke and instead was fiddling with the chart she had in her hands, "The girl you brought in is doing just great though! She should be awake in a few hours or so, but for now it would be wise to let her rest." the nurse kept her eyes on the chart.


Jason raised an eyebrow as he stared at the nurse, "Yeah, I got to get back to the station anyway, so I'll be back in a few hours to talk to the girl and the bouncer. Tell Dr. Lewis that I'd like to talk to him about the third man that was brought in when he gets back, I want to see the full workup on that guy," Jason recalled the overpowering strength the crazed man displayed, and wondered if his blood tests would validate his suspicions of PCP or not. Jason waited for the nurse to acknowledge his request as she seemed to be standing completely still and silent and a moment later a male nurse had approached Jason from behind, almost catching him by surprise.


"Nurse Wendy, I was just looking for you." his smile, though bright, seemed rehearsed and a bit sinister...but perhaps Jason's instincts were a bit off since he hadn't had his coffee. "I see the officer is already up and on the move." The nurse didn't respond but instead hustled out of the room, leaving Jason standing just outside the doorway almost face-to-face with the male nurse. Upon closer inspection this nurse seemed a bit suspicious, just on appearance, he seemed a bit too gritty to be a nurse and he also gave off an air of danger. The hair on the back of Jason's neck was standing at attention as the man smiled at Jason, his hands behind his back. The moment the nurse passed between them the space was quickly filled with a thick tension as Jason returned the man's questionable smile with a fake smile of his own.


Jason was positive there was something off about this man and he could tell that the man was conscious to the notion that Jason was on edge, they were both standing within each other's personal space and neither of them was budging an inch. Jason's phone began to vibrate again and this broke through the tension as the Nurse took a step back from him, and as he took his phone out and answered without looking away from the nurse, Jason took two steps back. "Hello?" he looked back over his shoulder for a moment before he went back to looking at the nurse before him."Jason? Is that you, buddy?" Chris's concerned voice blared into his ears.


Jason almost laughed at how anxious his partner sounded, "Yeah buddy, it's me," he said as he turned his back to the male nurse and headed for the elevator, he figured that whatever strange feeling he had felt must have been something else, "I'm your old man's hospital...actually just about to leave the place." He reaches the elevator, pushing the down button, and looking back over his shoulder to see no one there.


"You need to get to the station right away. The Captain is pissed, he's been trying to reach you for the longest and there is someone here who wants to ta-....just get here fast." Chris hung up abruptly. Jason hadn't quite gathered himself yet and as the elevator door pinged open he gazed at his phone for a moment, slightly irritated that Chris had hung up on him and stepped inside.


5:42am


Entering the police station he had noticed that there were two men he didn't recognize sitting in chairs just inside the main entrance dressed in black suits, and upon making into the bullpen of the station he could see the captain talking with some other man. What the hell is going on here? he thought to himself as he realized that they seemed to be the only people in the bullpen and perhaps the entire station. The two men entered the Captain's office and he was motion to followed, and after double-checking to make sure his phone was on vibrate he entered the room. "Morning, Cap. What's with the suites?" he asked as he took a seat even though the other two men were standing. The captain poured a fresh cup of coffee into a mug and handed it to Jason, who was beginning to feel a bit uneasy about the atmosphere in the room. "Is there something wrong? I got here as soon as I could." He tried to explain as he sipped from the coffee cup. It was a still a tinge too hot and burned his tongue, and with an audible grunt he placed the cup on the captain's desk.


"Jason Richards, right?" The man is the neat blue suit said as he picked up a manila folder off the captain's desk and opened it, "Your file paints the picture of an exemplary young man, aside from your military incident." The man said plainly as he thumbed through the pages. "Excellent marks in all across the board, almost as if you were a natural born leader," he walked walked slowly behind Jason as he stared at the file still, "It's a shame such that your military career ended the way it did. I can see that you were heading for great things. Your captain tells me that your an excellent officer and that you were actually soon going to be promoted to detective." The way the man spoke, it was as if he was telling a bad joke, and Jason wasn't liking the vibe he was getting from the guy.


"Did I do something wrong?" He sat up in his seat, eyeing his captain to try to get a read of the situation, but his captain just stood quietly behind his desk as if thinking about how to respond.


"This is Thomas Gellifer, and he's here about the incident that occurred last night." The captain's tone and facial expression relayed to Jason that this was something serious and more importantly that this man was from somewhere above their station. "We've been over the recording of the call you made ab-." The captain was cutoff by the other man.


"Officer Richards, this is now a National Security issue, and will be handled as such, so you'r involvement, though much appreciated, will be no longer required. You did a good job getting things handled but this is something that no longer needs your interference..." The man's condescending tone pissed him off, and he couldn't keep listening any further.


"Interference? I stopped some doped up by from possibly killing two people and probably others, incapacitated the man, and got the injured cared for...so exactly how is that interference!" Jason spoke through gritted teeth as he tried not to yell at the man, "What was that guy on anyway? Had to be PCP or something, he nearly threw off 3 men twice his size from a completely pinned down position?" he asked as he picked up the mug and took a few more sips now that the heat had settled a bit.


The two men remained silent for a moment and then Mr. Gellifer leaned on the front of the desk, facing Jason. "You are no longer on this case. I will be handling it from here on out," he looked at Jason with a piercing gaze but through an almost hypnotizing smile on his face, "You will not ask about the case, you will not raise questions about it, you will not talk to anyone about it, you will not question anyone about it. This is an issue of National Security and I will not have this all go to hell because one cog in the machine doesn't do what it's told...understood?"


Jason didn't like the position he was put in at the moment but he had no choice but to simply nod his head. The rest of the meeting was an overview of the events as Officer Richards could recall them from the beginning to the end, and the whole time Gellifer asked the questions while the captain sat at his desk and said nothing. The captain explained what he and Mr. Gellifer had been discussing and how they had come up with a cover story for the incident to not induce mass panic, although they refused to specify why the situation would create such panic, and simply said that they were going to say that a fight broke out among patrons that ended up starting a fire but nobody got hurt. Jason knew what a cover-up was and knew that they were trying to drag him into it, but sitting in this room with them, what was he suppose to do? He felt helpless as he was being told by his superior that this is the way things were going to go and also being told by someone superior to his superior that things were going to be done in this manner, so he was a bit caught off guard by the entire situation. He was instructed to simply ignore anything that he heard about the conflict last night and was even going to get some paid time off for a job well done, and in his head he was almost laughing while hearing this. His father had instilled in him to do the right thing no matter what the cost and that sometimes doing the right thing came at heavy price, but he never imagined that he would actually be put in a position where he was just suppose to look the other way and ask no questions and not get the bottom of something that almost cost innocent people their lives.


~7:30am~


He knew he was going to head back to the hospital as soon as he left the station and he figured that the captain and Gellifer both knew that too, which made the end of their time together a bit awkward. He didn't want to ruffle any feathers but at the same time Jason couldn't just forget about the events that took place and needed to know why it happened and what exactly had caused that crazed man to act the way he did. He would hopefully get a chance to talk to the bouncer who was attacked and get his recollection of the event and then he would go check on the girl to make sure she was okay. As he got up and excused himself while bidding both men a farewell he could feel the heat of their stres on the back of his head as he made his exit, he and they all knew where he was going and what he was going to do but Jason wasn't exactly sure what they were going to do to about it. The truth always gets out eventually and that's all he wanted to know, the truth. Walking past the two men in dark suites as he left the station he jogged to Chri's car, started the engine, and quickly started back toward the hospital, and the whole ride back he thought about how weird this morning had been...first Nruse Wendy, then the male nurse, and then this Gellifer guy...something was going on, and after he got what he wanted from the witnesses at the hospital he was going to have to make some calls of his own to get a read on this Gellifer guy. Good thing he still had some contacts high up the chain, or more like a 5-star General who was practically his uncle. As he sped toward the hospital he was reminded about how the truth sometimes came at an unbelievable cost, and his mind started to wander back to days past....


~Flashback~


Location: Saudi Arabia (Exact location unknown)


Jason and his team had split up from the main group to secure the perimeter of a facility thought to be sued in the production of a biological weapon that was to be used by terrorists for attacks on the US, and after neutralizing all threats outside the building they were told hold position. Jason's concentration was at an all time high as he sat poised ready for his next set of orders from Alpha squad, but as none came for about 5 minutes , his company began to get a bit restless. Bzzt! Yo, you think their alright in there? This doesn't feel right... his team-link radio on his chest rang out. He reached for it and pushed the button, "We'll give them a-" shots began to ring out throughout the building, "Breach and clear!" he had ordered his team, as they descended on the building from the west entrance, which was to be the rendezvous spot with Alpha squad. As they breached the first door they were met with a room full of tables and papers and portable chalkboards with all kinds of things written on them that they couldn't understand. It looked as if a university math class or science class was being taught in there and the smell of lead and death was fresh in the air. There were multiple floors to the building and it was now there duty to go room to room and clear each of them until the found Alpha squad....Jason wished he had simply followed orders that time instead of doing what he thought was right, because a heavy price was paid and was still being paid.

 

[Lumeneire]

Winta drifted in and out of sleep as the pain from her body weighed down her mind and then the danger of surviving alerted her back to reality. Her head was filling with explanations and scenarios. She thought of all the books she'd read that were based in a post apocalyptic world and tried to pick out which guidelines she should follow and what would happen next. Visions of storming hordes of zombies flashed across her eyes, streets filled with decaying corpses and in one day dream, she imagined everyone was turning into vampires. This last one though she knew was the least likely and that's what shook her out of her reverie of wondering. It didn't matter what was happening or why it had occurred, it only mattered that she survived for now so she could answer those questions later.


The beams of light were shining through the slits of the shutters. In the holy streams of sunlight, she could see little pieces of shining dust dancing along the lines like fairy dust. As she smiled at the simple beauty, her face dropped as she heard the door creak open. It was as quiet as it had been when Teddy first crept into the room unannounced and she turned her head to greet him. Thankful that he had arrived and could help her escape. But a pit sank to the bottom of her stomach and the moisture in her mouth dried up as the door creaked closed and a stranger stood at the door way. He was a man of average height, wearing short sleeved green scrubs and had brown stubble dappled along his strong jawline. At first, Winta thought it could have been a new nurse checking on her but the dark shadows that enveloped his eyes and the injection in his hand told her it was the harbinger of her doom. She sat up straight and tried to force a smile back onto her face. She would play along for now and hoped it was just her imaginative mind playing tricks on her.


"Good morning. You startled me." She tried to sound casual and stronger than she actually felt. Appearing weak in front of this man would make it easier for him to kill her. The male nurse smiled back menacingly. The expression had turned so rapidly that it looked grotesque. His face suited a darker expression and the smile looked toothy and out of place.


"Good morning Miss. I'm here just to check on you and to administer your meds. I'm just gonna pop this in your drip and then leave you to get some rest." His voice was gruff and cold. He definitely did not have the bedside manner of a real medical practitioner. Winta swallowed the dry ball of fear in her throat and licked her chapped lips from nervousness. Sweat perspired on her head and her hands shook quietly at her side as he began to walk towards the bed. He never once dropped his false bravado and neither did she. It was like a game of chicken and whoever would break their character first would lose.


He stepped around the side of the bed and she thought she saw him bend down slightly lower so he could look straight into her face. She realised that he was examining her eyes and his smile upturned even higher, this time she could tell it was a true smile from the lightness that touched the edge of his eyes. She understood now that he wanted to watch the life slip from her face and witness her last breath shakily escaping her lungs. Winta began to breath heavily and she could no longer hold the fake happiness on her lips. It sank away like a mask being pulled from her features and she lost the game of chicken.


"What exactly are you giving me?" She asked him through exasperated breaths, not caring how scared she looked. She was about to die and they both knew it so why carry on with the charade?





"It's just a little something to calm you down. You'll feel a slight tingling in your left arm and you'll drift off to sleep." The mans stubbled face beamed at her and the reassurance on his face sickened her.


"I don't think I need it. I feel fine. I've had enough sleep." The man chuckled like a gentle giant and shushed her reassuringly through his teeth.





"It's doctors orders I'm afraid. You need a lot of rest to heal that broken body of yours. Now sit back and relax." Before Winta could respond, he plunged the needle into the IV drip line and pushed down on the milky substance inside. Winta watched as the thick pink liquid drifted up into the bag and mixed with the clear solution. The pink swirled and danced like oil trying to mix with water and the man stared at Winta's face waiting for a reaction. But nothing happened. He looked back and forth between her and the heart monitor at her side, attached with wires and more needles. The beeping for her heart rate escalated from panic but nothing else. He flicked the IV bag and pushed his face right up to hers. She could feel his hot breath caress her skin and her eyesight crossed as she tried to stare into both of his. Then she remembered. She had taken the IV needle out of her arm and wrapped it in the white cello tape. She had the upper hand now, but only for a brief moment.





"I don't understand. You should be dead by now!" He hissed in anger. Flecks of saliva squeezed through his gritted teeth and splashed across her chin. She tightened her lips and kept his gaze as her arm slid up behind her and her hand slid into the pillow case. Her fingers brushed against hard plastic and she grasped the end. As she pulled it out, one of the prongs caught on the fabric of the pillow case and her arm jolted to a stop. Not enough to really notice unless you were millimetres from her body, which the nurse was. His eyeline ripped from her face and scanned upwards to her hand. She acted quickly, knowing this would be her only chance to stop the assassination and pulled his face closer to hers. She pressed her lips against his and violently kissed him. He was so taken aback by the gesture that his gaze dropped to her face again and he kissed her back for a brief second before he realised what was going on. It was a ridiculous distraction she knew, but enough to pull out the taser gun and press it to his neck. She pulled back from his face and released her other hand from his neck and flicked the switch on the gun. She watched as his eyes bulged from pain and disbelief and his body convulsed unnaturally. She removed the sparking prongs from the soft skin of his neck and let her arm drop to the side in exhaustion. She let out a grunt as the air was pushed from her lungs once again. She had rendered the man unconscious and his dead weight body had flopped onto hers entirely. Her rib cage felt as if it was being caved in and her legs were pinned to the thin mattress.


She lay there for a minute with his heavy body collapsed on hers and thought how intimate the position could have been. But in this situation, it looked comical and inconvenient. She let the taser gun drop to the floor and thrust forwards all of her weight to try and gain some leverage. She managed to lift herself up slightly and gripped onto the railing of the bed. With enough purchase she hoisted herself higher but had to stop as the assassins head lolled from her shoulder to her cleavage. She looked down at his head nestled between her breasts and shuddered. A disgusting yuck noise escaped her lips and she tried to push his head from her positions. With her upper body free, she could finally breath normally and felt her head clear enough for her to think. She ran the whole scenario through in her mind and rolled her eyes. In all of the films and books about apocalyptic events and assassinations she had ever witnessed, not one had such a comedic factor to it. She was disappointed in herself and it only reminded her how generally disappointing reality was.


Only her legs were pinned to the bed now and her arms ached from the effort. A few of the closed up cuts had torn open again and droplets of blood rolled down her arms. She looked up at the IV drip and thanked herself for her quick thinking earlier. She tore the white cellotape and needle attached to it from the tender flesh on the inside of her elbow and tossed it to the floor with a clink. She yanked out other needles and tore at wires and plaster strapped and attached to her chest and arms and threw them all to the floor as well. With a giant effort and a lot of grunting, she managed to pull her legs from under the passed out man and free herself completely. She rolled the sheet over his contorted body, no longer wanting to look at his face and pushed as hard as she could. The meat sack of the man slowly rolled off the end of the bed and slammed to the floor with a crunch and bang. Winta crawled to the edge and looked over. The sheet had unfurled itself from his body and she could see quite clearly the damage she had caused him. A large red lump swelled his forehead and Winta clasped her hand over her mouth in fear. She thought she had killed him but let out a laugh as she saw his chest rise and fall. He was breathing at least, so she wasn't a murderer yet. His left arm bent unnaturally under his body and the bone tore through the skin. A pool of blood gathered around the appendage and tiny pieces of shatter bone scattered around him. He would live, but he wouldn't be killing anyone for a while. Winta squealed happily to herself and winked at him.


"I'd say you're the worlds worst assassin. Can't take down a little lady like me can ya!" She sushed herself and swung her legs over the right edge of the bed.


She grimaced as she saw what she was wearing. It appeared they had taken away her own clothes and dressed her in a simple patience gown. It came to her knees and the ties at the back were tight enough to draw the fabric together and cover her naked behind. She rolled her eyes in defeat and laughed again to herself. It seemed that the universe was playing a joke on her. It kept all of the silly things from her favourite fictions accurate but none of the more fantastical ones. As she pushed herself up from the edge of the railing, her fingers brushed against cool metal and she remembered the army knife Ted had given her. She grasped it in her shaking hand and was glad to have such a useful tool. She hadn't noticed her body was still shaking though. It appeared that the adrenaline of the moment was still surging through her veins but very soon it would dissipate and she would be exhausted again. Fear, hunger and pain would claim her body and she would be ripe for another murderous plot. She slid onto her tiptoes and shuddered as the cold tiled floor whipped at her feet. Goosebumps travelled up her spine at an alarming rate and a shiver brushed at her brain. She stood up and tiptoed over to the window. Instantly the cold left her body and she was enveloped in a warm embrace. Beams of sunlight cascaded across her skin and the shimmering fairy dust danced around her. She slipped her finger through one of the slats of the blind and gently pulled it to the side. Her eyes hurt at first from the natural light and as her sight adjusted, she unclenched her eyelids and tears swelled up in her eyes. She could see the entire skyline of New York city. It was a beautiful sight to behold. Skyscrapers rose up in the distance like gigantic glass mountains and cars drove down below like miniscule ants. Winta hugged her chest with her spare arm, the knife still nestled safely in her grasp and sighed with wonderment. This was the reason she had to to visit this place in the first place. For the fantastical view.


It made her realise how much she wanted to live and see it all. She straightened herself up in a courageous stance and began to form a plan in her mind on how to get past the guards in the hall. But she was no strategist and her body ached with pain. She preyed Teddy would return and help her but somehow she knew she was all alone. She stood against the window with the sunlight illuminating her like an avenging angel and her eyes hardened with hatred and anger. She would leave this place and she would survive no matter what.

 

[MisfortunateDreams]

Samuel Murat

The night air was crisp, heavy almost, with thick gray clouds in the sky. A dull moonlight illuminated the ground beneath his feet as he slunk toward the barn; his gun raised as he strained to hear. It was chillingly silent, the night creatures mute against the stirring wind and whimpers of the animals in the stable. Sam was almost sure it was going to rain soon, a spring shower that was greatly needed in the area. After a very cold winter it would be nice to have a warm storm. He just hoped it wouldn't start within the next couple minutes. He didn't need to grapple in the mud with some person - or animal - who was crazy enough to wander around in the dark.


He'd be lucky if it was just a small animal taking shelter from the coming storm but he had learned not to get his hopes up. His dad had shot a fair few mountain lions, foxes, and other scavenging beasts that looked to find a taste meal. While Sam had shot animals hunting, he had never done anything on his own land. What worried him the most was if it wasn't an animal at all, but a person. The woods around those parts had been known to house a few unsavory characters. Homeless people that couldn't make it in the city, drug-dealers that had hidden farms, even a few people who probably belonged in the loonie-bin. The best case scenario would be that they were homeless since they tended to be friendly if you gave them some food and sent them on their way. Worst case would be a person that wasn't quite right in the head.


Sam would have to face them either way so as he reached the wooden door at the side of the building he took a moment to gather himself. He checked the gun. Loaded with the safety pulled back and his finger resting just above the trigger on the cold metal. His dad had told him something once, that someone should never put their finger on the trigger until they were ready to fire. That way if something happens the finger won't slip and kill someone. He took this into consideration now, not wanting to have to call the police because he had accidentally killed someone.


The door creaked as he pushed at it with his toe, first slowly and then all at once. It flung back and slammed against the wall, shuttering before groaning and going still. The moonlight pooled into the silvery room, lit by the flashlight that sat in the center of the barn. It's beams cast a strange glow of shadows in the barn, engulfing some parts of the barn in darkness while the circular pillar of white light illuminated a random corner and it's reachable areas.


The horses had stamped unhappily at the loud entrance he had made. Whickering in complaint, the fidgeted but seemed to calm a considerable amount at the sight of him. It was a tense feeling, seeing them so restless. Enough to make him freeze in the doorway with his eyes taking in every inch of the visible room. He stood there for a good few minutes, waiting for whatever was in the barn to move or make some sort of noise. Nothing happened though, it was silent.


"Hello?" His voice cut the air like a knife, sharp against the thick silence. "Anyone there?" No response. Sam took a step inside, his shoe kicking up dust as it slide through the dirt. It puffed in cloud through the light as he slowly revolved, eyes darting around the room as he inched toward the flashlight. There was a moment of tense silence when Sam reached the object, wondering if it was a good idea to bend and pick it up. He decided it was better than leaving it on and stooped, gun still pointed at the darkest part of the barn as his hand clumsily stumbled to pick it up.





The pain was shocking when the object struck Sam on the top of his head. The world spun as he staggered forward, white flashes blinding him momentarily. He rolled in and out of consciousness, one second being unable to see and the next making out the blurred figure of a man standing above him. He didn't speak and Sam's voice couldn't seem to escape his throat so the pair stared at each other. Sam struggled to stand at one point but the man's boot held him down.


"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid." His rough voice said. "You'll hurt yourself more if you move around to much." Sam supposed the stranger was right, figuring he wouldn't have been able to stand anyways. His eyes couldn't focus, everything was spinning, and the room was slowly going black. He tried to curse but the word was caught on his tongue. Then finally, Sam fell into darkness.


 

* * *

​

It was the pain that finally brought Sam out of his coma. His body felt heavy, his head throbbing horribly, as he shifted around in his blankets. The smells of food cooking and gentle voices filled his ears. He wished his family would be quiet, they had to have been talking pretty loud for him to hear it all the way in his room. The pain in his head was more than he ever remembered it being, the closest feeling being a hangover he had had once after a party at some girl's house. It wasn't a hangover though. That he was mostly sure of.


The night before was hazy, a blur of random pictures that he tried to work out for several long minutes. With the pain it wasn't very successful. He needed meds or he felt like he might pass out again so he allowed his eyelids to peel open. The light that filled the room brought a fresh wave of pain but Sam fought against the urge to duck under the blanket and turned his face toward the pillow under his head. The sight of the badly made object his mother had crafted brought back the last day, his family had gone to the city. He was supposed to be home alone. He wasn't though.


Sam's head shot up. The movement caused a new wave of pain to engulf him, his balance tipping with the room and sending him sprawling across the wood floor. He had been spread across one of the benches usually housed in the living room. It had been dragged into the kitchen though, shoved against the far wall in close view of the other couches that had been dragged out of their usually places. His body was tangled in a thick woolen blanket, one that they kept stuffed into the closet.


"Finally awake, huh?" the voice sent chills down his spin, the memories from the night before pulled to the front of his mind. Sam violently pushed up from the floor, blankets making it hard to move as he looked around for the stranger. The man was by the stove, a spatula in hand as he calmly waited for whatever he had in the pan to cook. He didn't appear old, his clean cut brown hair was a messy and he wore clothes that he had clearly stolen from Sam's dad. Handsome was the only way that Sam could really think to describe him. "I imagine you're hungry."





There was a moment of silence before Sam spoke. "What?" He had pictured several different things that the stranger could have said to him, but offering him food wasn't one of them. This must have been apparent on his face because the stranger laughed and gestured to the pan.





"Eggs, they're good for you so come eat. There's toast too." As he spoke, the stranger scooped a pile of scrambled eggs from the pan and dished it onto one of the three plates set out on the counter. "You got any orange juice?" Sam got to his feet slowly, nodding as he gestured toward the door to the garage.





"In the fridge in the garage," He answered, "bottom shelf." The stranger nodded, picking toast out of the toasted so he could replace the bread.





"Lindy!" His shout scared Sam, causing him to jump and grab for anything that could be used as a weapon. There wasn't anything in arms reach, the stranger had clearly thought ahead. "Lindy, get your *ss in here!" The faint sound of feet sounded from somewhere in the house, growing in volume until a red haired girl appeared through the archway. Her green eyes widened slightly at the sight of Sam, but it was replaced at once by a smile.





"You're awake." She said happily, "I thought Ben had killed you. What do you want?" Her question was directed at the man Sam assumed was named Ben. The attitude was very apparent in her tone, almost reminding Sam of his sister. He didn't seem so happy with this way of addressing him.





"I told you not to call me Ben." He responded, "Will you do daddy a favor and go get the orange juice from the fridge in the garage?" Lindy made a face, her nose of freckles wrinkling as she looked over ben.





"Don't call yourself daddy, it's gross." Was her only response as she headed toward the garage, disappearing for a few minutes until she entered with the container of OJ in her hand. She set it down on the counter, searching through the cabinets in a quest to find cups. She seemed to be opening every on except the one that they were in.





"Next to the sink." Sam instructed, pointing to the upper cabinet. She shared a looked with Ben before pulling the door open and retrieved three cups. Lindy then set them down, filled them with the juice, and carried them over to the table. With that she patted a chair next to her in a gesture for Sam to take it.





"I'm Linda Maze." She told him after he had sat down, "That guy over there is my step-father, Benjamin Cath. Sorry about him, he wouldn't have hit you with a shovel if the situation was so dangerous." Situation? Dangerous? As far as Sam new the only dangerous part was that these strangers had hit him over the head and were now eating his food. He usually wouldn't have questioned her, he wasn't really interested in other people's problems after all. The look in her eyes, however, made him curious.





"Situation?" He asked, "What situation?"





He noticed the look that Lindy and Ben shared as Ben set the plates down on the table. "Don't blame yourself, " Ben said, taking his seat. "The government doesn't want you guys to know about it."





"About what?" These people weren't making sense.





"About the apocalypse."

 

[xxDragonEater95xx]

Jason had finally made his way back to the hospital and even though he couldn't see the black sedans that most movie bad guys drove, he decided to go to the parking garage. He figured that he could enter the hospital from another point of entry and perhaps he'd stand a better chance of getting to his witnesses, and as he thought about that he decided to go see the bouncer first. He was heading for the parking garage and quickly turned away from there and headed to the Emergency Entrance and parking in a NO PARKING ZONE where an ambulance would park, and under normal circumstances he would be worried, but at the moment he was more worried about what the hell was probably going on inside. Jason was smart enough to know that when people went about telling certain people that an issue needed to disappear and you weren't part of that meeting, you were in for the surprise of your life...or more to the point, what was left of it before the surprise. He hoped he wasn't too late and he cursed himself for the fact that he didn't have his gun, so it looked like some improvisation was going to be necessary and essential.


Checking the emergency entrance, he sighed in relief as he found it open. He figured that if the place had in fact been overrun by a few men then they would had everyone evacuate as soon as possible, and since their main concern would be the containment of the 3 he brought in, they probably weren't so keen on checking every single point of entry. He laughed at the thought of having to raid a building with no weapons and no equipment against the type of enemy he had been shaped to eliminate, and the fact that whoever was inside hadn't taken all necessary precautions seemed to indicate that they were either confident that no one of his caliber would ever appear, which was the most likely reason, or that they would be able to handle the situation quickly and disappear, which was also a good hypothesis. He slipped into the hospital and as quietly as he could he advanced down the hallways, only ever stopping to check inside every room or peer around corners. The cameras would undoubtedly show him on the premises and he could only imagine that Gellifer had probably called ahead to warn them that he was on his way there, so with that being said he needed to be cautious in case they had prepared for his arrival. The great thing about hospital was that the walls let you know where you were going, and after reading a sign that pointed him toward the ICU unit, he knew exactly where to go. Still as silently as he could he made his way through the quiet hallways still checking door after door, no sense in getting hit from behind when a simple check was all that was necessary. He had made it all the way to the ICU ward before he heard the crackling of a radio around the corner where he was about to turn, and hugging against the wall as tightly as he could he knelt down and listened. "Just got a report from Gellifer, the cop that brought them in is probably going to drop by, so if you see anything you need to call it in," the voice commanded. Jason quickly peered around the corner and watched saw that the man, who had his back to him, continued to walk along the hallway, "Rodger that!" the man exclaimed.


Jason moved around the corner, silently and still in a crouched position, and once he had made it a few steps around the corner he began to take big yet quiet strides toward the man. As he got closer he sprang into action, jumping at the man's back, wrapping his right arm around his neck, kicking the back of his right knee to knock the man off balance, and hooking his left arm into his right for added pressure to the man's neck. By the time he had brought him to the ground the man was knocked out. A few minutes later and he arrived in the ICU ward and after checking a few charts he found the room that belonged to the injured bouncer, but as he crept in he was met with a room that looked as if no patient had ever been in there. Damn! Am I too late? his adrenaline began pumping as eh realized that they may have already gotten to the bouncer and the girl, but as he thought about that he realized that that couldn't be the case. Why would they still be here if they had accomplished all objectives, that wouldn't make any sense to spend anymore time here than necessary. He had to think of something and quick or risk losing the girl to, if they hand't already gotten to her, and at the same time he wondered if that guy who had attacked them was a target as well. He went back to main desk in the ICU, looked at the controls on the phone, picked it up, and did an all call throughout the hospital. As the intercom boomed to life he spoke, "Si vous voulez toujours que la pointe , j'ai besoin de vous rendre à l'ascenseur de service et le prendre au premier étage , immédiatement. Je suis toujours en colère à propos de cette poignée de changement , par la voi" he said before hanging up. He hoped that she got the message and was capable of following directions, because he felt that he was soon going to have his hands full. Before he left he saw that the door to the nurse's work room was cracked open and decided to investigate, and as he peered in he could see the body of one of the bouncer's from last night. He opened the door fully to see the name sprawled out on the floor, motionless, and a quick pulse check revealed that he was dead. What the hell is going on here? They're not messing around with this, I got to get some answers he quickly hustled out of there and made it back to the passed out body of the of the patrolling guy and began to search his pockets. No wallet, no I.D, a 9mm pistol, a walkie-talkie, and a cold container that looked like what you might place your toothbrush in when you traveled. He took it all and quickly made his back the way he came, choosing to use the stairs instead of the elevator.


With his gun drawn, he entered the stairwell, and once he cleared the stairwell he took out the walkie-talkie and beggan to go through the channels to see if he could get a reading on what was going on. As he went through each channel he paused for a few seconds before switching to the next and the next, and then his heart began to pump furiously and blood ran cold as he picked up a line that was open. There was screaming in the background and the sound of shots ringing out, and from where he was in the stairwell he thought he heard the faint echo. "They're getting back up! They've killed 5 of our guys! What the f*** is going on here!" the man on the line seemed exasperated and to be running, Jason continued to listen as it sounded like the man found a quiet place. "Listen, that thing we were supposed to get got lose, and we trapped him on the 7th floor, but by the time we got here in was a bloodbath. The patients are insane, they began to attack us," Jason heard a door in the stairwell fly open with a loud crash. He immediately turned the radio off, clipped it to his belt and raised his gun as he began to move down the stairs toward the first floor, hugging the wall tightly, but keeping his gun aimed high. He wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but he sure as hell didn't want to stick around and find out. He hoped that the girl got his message and was getting to that service elevator and he prayed that she wasn't caught between the men patrolling and whatever was going on inside the hospital. He was now on edge, and knowing that these men had firearms worried him a bit, he hoped he wouldn't have to use his against them. He slowly slipped into the first floor hallway and again following the signs made his way to the service elevator, and waited patiently with his gun trained at the door that led back to where he was. Come on, come on. Get your ass down here, we need to leave this place now!

 

[Lumeneire]

A sound burst in the hall and echoed outside her room. It sounded like crackling feedback from a microphone and then a male voice burst through. Her ears pricked like a dogs and she winced at the noise. And the words spilled out, a slight recognition tugged at the back of her mind.


"Si vous voulez toujours que la pointe , j'ai besoin de vous rendre à l'ascenseur de service et le prendre au premier étage , immédiatement. Je suis toujours en colère à propos de cette poignée de changement , par la voi" She was confused by the french words. Why had a doctor decided to speak french in an American hospital. She rattled her brain for an answer and was jolted back to a brief conversation from the night before. She remembered a patron speaking french to her and having to translate, apparently thinking she was as stupid as she looked in her work outfit. A smile tugged at her lips as the memories of her french language lessons came back to her. She wasn't fluent in any respect but she knew enough keywords to decipher some sort of meaning. It was like cracking a code and the adrenaline in her body kick started her brain like a car battery. She repeated the words slowly on her own tongue and grimaced as she grasped their meaning.


"If you still want the tip.. Service elevator... Angry change." She struggled to get more information from the message but understood enough to know that it was the Cop she had had a brief encounter with and she thought that either he was trying to make a joke about the change she had given him or he was genuinely angry. Either way, knowing she had a comrade multiplied her chances of survival, whether he hated her or not. She revelled a little in his intelligent communication then span on her heel to attempt to reach the elevator.


She poked her head through a slight crack of the door and saw a badly disguised guard to the right of it. He was half slumped against the wall, pretending to read a newspaper, whilst wearing a doctors white coat. She could see a lumpy bump protruding just inside the pocket which undoubtedly was a gun. She retreated and clicked the door closed again. It was one of the worst disguises she'd ever seen. For starters, why would a doctor be loitering in a hospital hallway just reading a paper all day and why had no one noticed the completely obvious gun stashed in his pocket. She would have to think fast and clever so she thought of what would a character in a book do. She lunged forwards and skidded to her knees at the base of the bed. Her head loomed over the unconscious assassin and she eyed up his size. If she could get the green scrubs off of him. She could possibly pose as a nurse just long enough to get down the hall, then she would have to figure it out from there. She poked him in the face and the stubbled man lay completely still. She poked him on the bump on his forehead, waiting for his arm to whip up in reflex from the pain, but it lay limp and broken at his side. She forced open his eyelids to see if his pupils would react to the light, but they stayed dilated. She let go and cringed as she heard the eyelids squelch back into place. She sized up the man again and realised how much of an effort it would be to remove his clothes. She took in a deep breath and got to work.


She rolled him over on his stomach and tried to hold in a laugh as his nose and mouth squashed up against the tiles of the floor. She covered her mouth to suppress the giggles and then shook her head to stay focused. She crawled over to his legs and untied his trainer laces. They were size elevens and way too big for her feet which meant she would have to go bare foot. She felt like a scene from Die Hard would be heading her way soon and preyed there wouldn't be any shattered glass, she wasn't anywhere near as tough as John MCclane. After freeing his stinking hot shoes, she threw them to the side and started on his trousers. Winta reached to the top of the waistband and started to shimmy them down his legs. For a brief moment, she held her breath in fear and then released it with relief as she saw his tidy whities strapped firmly to his hairy behind. For a second, she thought he could have been naked, but really, what self respecting assassin would let his janglies roam free when he had important work to do? She shimmied and shuffled the trousers down from his thighs, to his ankles and then whipped them off like a magician. She stood up and stepped into them. They were still warm from the mans body heat and she should have found that gross, but was pleasantly surprised seeing as she was stark naked under the gown. She pulled them up and smiled in ecstasy as the heat surrounded her. She noticed the waistband was far too stretched for her and had to pull at the strings as tight as they would go and tie them in a knot. Half dressed, she got to work on his torso. This would be decidedly more difficult than the lower body.


She rolled him over again so his face was no longer smushed into the floor and tried to stretch his arms out above him. One of them lay easily flat but the other was incredibly broken and contorted. She would have to deal with that section last and with the rest of the shirt free, she would be able to get it over his arm without breaking it more, or covering the garment in too much blood. She struggled to hitch it over his stomach and stopped for a brief moment as she examined his six pack. If he hadn't been someone trying to kill her, he would have been incredibly attractive with out his clothes. She told herself off and pulled it up further. She managed to pry one arm free and then yanked it over his head not very gently and stopped for a moment to catch a breath. She sat down next to him and rested her elbow on his rock hard pecs to rest. She wiped the sweat from her brow and tried to slow down her breathing. Normally such actions wouldn't have tired her out too much but she had been beaten up the night before and any action was a struggle. As she poised to get up, her eyes danced around his chest and she noticed a peculiar yet beautiful tattoo drawn across it. At first she thought it was a masquerade mask but then realised it was a plague doctors medicine man mask. It was a long bird like beak with ornate goggles attached to the top. It was coloured brown with copper metal edges and rims for the goggles. Intricate bronze patterns in the shape of vines and swirls danced up and down the beak like thread in a gown. It was delicate work and looked expensive. Underneath in an old italic font was scrawled two initials 'G.C'. Winta forgetting where she was placed her fingers on the design and traced some of the lines. How could someone so brutish have such a beautiful and expensive piece of art on their body?


She drew her hand back as if it had been licked with flames, as the man beneath her began to grumble at her touch. He was coming to and she was running out of time. She got to work again and with much less care as she did before. She yanked the last sleeve over the jutting bone and the man mumbled a cry. Winta stepped back, tore off the stupid gown she had been wearing and shuffled the green scrubs shirt over her naked torso. It was a little big and she made a mental note not to bend over too far. She threw the useless gown over the mumbling assassins face and turned towards the door but turned back on herself instead. She grabbed the swiss army knife she had kept on top of the bed and her mind drifted to Teddy. She hoped he was alright but right now she had to concentrate on herself. She picked up the chart from the side table that the man had brought in with him and unclipped the pen that hid snuggly under the clasp. She then tucked the knife under the clip ready to pull out if she was desperate and was quietly pleased with herself for the simple disguise she had put together.


As she stood at the door, the man on the floor started to mumbled louder and his working hand grasped the fabric from his face and tried to throw it to the side. Winta was stuck between a rock and a hard place now and would only have moments to make a move before the man on the floor gained full consciousness. As she opened the door slightly, her heart pounded and butterflies invaded her starved stomach. Blood rushed to her ears and her mouth dried again in fear. The noise behind her became louder and more coherent. The man was calling for help whilst cradling his arm. Winta glanced at the guard still reading his paper and saw him start to lower the pages to the sound. In a panic, she grasped the loose pen in her hand and threw it out the door. It sailed past the guard and pinged off of a plant pot at his feet behind him. In the second that he lowered his guard to inspect the noise, Winta squeezed through the gap in the door and clicked it shut behind her. She kept her head low and scurried down the opposite end of the hall. Her clumped hair hung down over her face and her bare feet were almost covered by the long legs of the trousers. But she felt vulnerable and exposed. The clipboard in her arms felt like some sort of a shield and her sword lay neatly in the clip holding the blank pieces of paper to it. The assassin hadn't even bothered to bring in her actual chart when he tried to kill her, just a mockery of one with plain white paper. It twinged at her heart slightly to realise how little anyone cared about her in this big lonely city. But that fear would have to envelope her later if she managed to avoid the ones behind her now.


She dared to glance back and noticed the guard had gone back to his position of reading the paper, apparently finished with his investigation into the pen distraction and deeming it as nothing. Winta kept her eyes forward again and darted around the corner. Finally she felt she could breath for a moment and a constant fear for her life wasn't pressing against her brain. She kept walking but slowed her pace. Her feet were cold but sweating and streams of doctors and patients scurried back and forth past her, just living out normal lives. A few glanced down at her feet but none dared to say anything. They all looked so busy and no doubt would be forced into a conversation on how her shoelessness had occurred which was unnecessary and would eat up their precious time. She carried on ahead, head down, clipboard to chest and followed the directions on the wall. 'Critical Care ward Left. Neurologist right. Elevators ahead.' Winta stormed forwards ready to jump into the lift but her feet uncontrollably veered left. She screamed in her head to stop what she was doing but curiosity had won her over. Before she left, she wanted to see the man that had put her in hospital. She wanted to see if he was still alive and to definitely make sure everything that had happened was real. She needed proof that what the news was saying was a lie and that her theory about a dangerous disease was correct. Of course more than anything she wanted herself to be wrong and she would rather be in a coma dreaming it all up than actually experiencing it.


She shuffled down the ward corridor and looked from room to room with no luck. She peered through a few windows and saw rows of beds with dying people laying in them. They were all coughing and spluttering. Some were on life support machines and others had breathing apparatus. It was the same in every room and one thing she noticed more than anything else, was that all of them had bruised glands and tired eyes. Dozens upon dozens of people lay in their death beds with the terrifying disease she now knew to be real. After a few minutes of investigating, she noticed two women sat behind the reception desk. One of them was busy filing paperwork whilst the other clicked absent mindedly on the computer. As Winta cautiously moved closer, she felt an inkling of recognition and clicked her fingers in sudden realisation.


"Maria isn't it?" Winta said in the girliest and most casual voice she could muster. The woman looked up at her with bloodshot eyes and yawned.


"Yes can I help you?"


"Hey mare mare don't you remember me. You were at the Vanity Tank last week. One of your friends knew mine and we ended up all doing shots together. We really hit it off."


"Mare mare... How did you know my nickname? I don't remember you but I did drink a lot that night."


Winta did know the girl but not in the way she described. She had served her and her friends and overheard them shouting each others nicknames. They were all so drunk by the end of the night she had to call over Teddy to kick them out, but this girl didn't know that. The girl seemed skeptical but Winta was good with people.


"I loooove what you've done with your hair. I'm glad you went with the blonde. Black would have totally dulled the green in your eyes." The girl lit up with this and a spark of recognition flashed in her eyes. She smiled and was much more pleasant with her. The hair conversation was one of many she had heard once the night had started to die down and Winta had rolled her eyes in exasperation over such a useless topic, but was glad for her eavesdropping skills now.


"Oh yeah. I got the platinum highlights, used my boyfriends credit card so who cares right?"


"Haha yeah milk them for all they're worth. So anyway yea, did you hear about that guy they brought in last night. He was crazy or something. I heard they had to restrain him." The girl sank back into herself again but smiled like a little school girl relishing at her chance to gossip. She leaned in closer and tried to whisper but almost burst into a louder speech halfway through from excitement.


"I know right. People aren't supposed to know he's here. I think it's a government experiment gone wrong. I tried to get a look earlier but they've quarantined his entire room, there's people in hazmat suits and everything. Just stay away from the end of the hall cuz Jimmy's under strict orders to fire any nurse caught snooping." The girl placed her finger over her lips and shushed Winta but her cheeky her smile burst out both sides of her finger.


"Wow Mare mare that's so awesome. Well I better get back to my rounds. I owe you a drink next time we're out." The girl nodded and sank back to her computer as the filing nurse glared at her disapprovingly. Winta backed away from the desk and tried to casually walk down the hall.


She daren't look into the rest of the rooms at the sick people. It appeared this was one of the bigger and more major hospitals of New York city and she knew when the shit hit the fan, this would be one of the ground zero's that would start and end everything. Doctors brushed passed her and one knocked the clipboard out of her hand. As it clunked to the floor, she bent down to pick it up and through the legs and gaps of the oncoming crowd, could see a quarantine door at the end of the hall. She gulped as she stood, with board in hand and discreetly tried to weave her way through the hustle and bustle of hospital professionals. As she came face to face with the door, she expected to be rugby tackled and dog piled by a mass of guards but noticed that they were off to one side having a serious conversation. Chatter was coming through one of their radios but she couldn't hear it from so far away. The door was connected to a little plastic tunnel and at the end of the tunnel was the bald man strapped to the bed by his wrists and ankles. Two met in hazmat suits circled him like sharks and jotted down little notes as they poked and prodded him. The mans head whipped back and forth in an angered frenzy and Winta thought it looked like a rabid animal chained to a floor, just looking for a means to escape and hating everything it had ever came into contact with. She pressed her hand against the plastic panel of the door and retracted it back as the mans head whipped up. It strained it's neck to look over its body and straight into her eyes. For a moment it was silent. It glared deep into her soul with its chest heaving up and down, he almost looked normal but then the veins on his neck strained against his skin. Frothing saliva exploded from his screeching mouth and the hazmat suits stepped back cautiously. They turned their clunky bodies towards Winta's direction and one of them pointed at her whilst the other shouted. His voice came through muffled and strained through his plastic helmet.


"Hey! You can't be here." The shouting mans head whipped back to the patient as a howling screech bounced off the plastic tent walls. The guards to her right noticed the irregular sound and the three of them lunged towards her. One grabbed her by the wrist and pulled out his gun. Winta's legs shook beneath her and she almost crumbled in fear.


"What are you doing? Who are you" One of them shouted in her face but Winta's lip trembled and silence followed.


"Oh my god. It's the girl they brought in. She's meant to be dead!"


"Deal with her then!"





Winta tried to wrestle her way free as the guard holding her forced his arm around her chest and almost lifted her from the floor. His other arm brought up a pistol and he pushed it against her temple. She felt the cold calculating metal of the barrel graze her skin and as it did the world slowed. One of the doctors inside the tent screamed as the patients wrist broke free from one of it's constraints. He yanked off the hazmat helmet and groped at the mans hair. The other two guards broke focus from Winta and pulled out their guns. They whipped around and pushed down the plastic covered entrance. As they stormed in, the patients other arm broke free and he snapped the neck of the man in his grasp. The other one tried to run but was pinned to the ground as the crazed man leaped on top of his body and dragged him down. A bullet burst from one of the guards guns and crunched into the doctors head. The guard cursed as brain matter exploded across the floor and the doctors body lay limp. The crazed man spun around and charged towards the guards. They fired into his chest, two, three, then four times but he kept his pursuit and knocked one of them down. He tore at the man's throat and bloodied veins spilled out onto his black shirt. The other guard retreated and shot more into the creatures body. All the while, Winta kicked and scratched trying to scrambled from her captors grasp. Finally, with the clipboard still in one hand, she pulled the swiss army knife from the clip and tried to pry out the knife from the bombardment of contraptions. The only thing she could grasp with her nail was the corkscrew and that would have to do. She lifted up her hand as she kicked and writhed and slammed it into the fleshy part of the guards lower arm. His grip loosened as the spiralled coil tore into his skin and globules of blood gushed out. Winta used the chance to drop to the floor and yanked the device from his arm. Her eardrum felt like it burst as the gun he had been holding fired right next to her ear. At first she thought she was deaf, but a horrifying ringing bounced around in her head. She looked up and noticed he wasn't concentrated on her anymore but was shooting at the charging beast in front of them. Winta saw this as her chance and ran.


She fell twice, with one ear ringing obscenely loudly, she was unable to keep a steady balance. Swarms of people stampeded around her and screams echoed in chorus above the bassline of gunfire. As she charged down the hall, she could see more disguised guards running down towards the quarantined zone and their radios crackled with shouts and cries for help.


"They're getting back up! They've killed 5 of our guys! What the f*** is going on here!" Winta ran and ran as fast as her bare feet could carry her and her chest burned like fire from the exertion. She skidded to a halt as she reached the elevators but saw the open one was completely full. She thought about squeezing in until she heard a shot fire from behind her. It pinged off of the metal door as it slid closed and as she turned, she felt a bullet bury into the floor just millimetres from her foot.


"I'm gonna get you you little bitch! You don't just stab me and walk away." Before he fired again, Winta had already slammed open the door to the stairwell and stormed inside. She slipped on the first two steps, regained her balance and ran again. The man stood at the top of the stairs firing at her below but she managed to block it by skidding down to the next level. The bullet ricocheted off of a railing and the piercing sound echoed down the stairwell. Her feet were frozen from the metal staircase and the only thing keeping her going was fear.

 

[xxDragonEater95xx]

Jason had posted by the service elevator for a while now and he hadn't heard the machine move yet. Was I too late? Did I leave something out? No, I definitely said service elevator...shit something's not right here. Or perhaps I gave her too much credit in understanding me last night he thought to himself as he cursed himself for possibly getting her killed because she jumped to conclusions. He had to think fast, there was already one dead body and a knocked out guard, and soon there would be more guards aware of his presence and looking for him, or at least that's what he thought. He had come in the hospital with the determination to locate and evacuate the girl from last night, and that meant that he was going to find out where she was and what happened regardless if she was dead or alive. He inched back to the door that led into the hallway of the main floor, moving silently so that he would be able to hear any approaching footsteps or anything that seemed out of place, which was a tad hard seeing as though the first floor had a creepy silent vibe about it. He slowly pressed the door open and peered to his left, gun drawn firmly grasped in his right hand, and then he looked to the right and saw that it seemed to be clear. Once in the hallway he clung tightly to the nearside wall as his head darted back and forth as he slowly made his way to the stairs, he was going to have to search for her the hard way. Why does everything have to be the hard way, and why do I seem to always get caught up in sh*t like this? he kept creeping to the end of the hall.


*Ding* The lobby elevator was far from where he was, on the whole other end of the hallway and through a pair of doors two thin but long panels that allow for one to see through them, even from the distance he was at. He slowly raised his gun as he began to almost back pedal against the wall, not sure what might come through the doors but not wanting to end up in a possible shootout without any cover. He heard a few yells and screams and saw what appeared to be nurses and doctors flooding by in quite the rush, almost toppling each other as they pressed forward toward the exit of the building. Jason was momentarily stunned as he had expected to be confronted by the guards at this point, but could see that apparently something else had taken precedence over his being there. That can't be a good sign, perhaps they found her and sh- his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a gunshot. He quickly dropped low and swung in the direction the fired shot came from and saw no one behind him, and after realizing that the sound was muffled, he knew that it had to have come from behind a door or something. With both speed and caution, staying in a crouched position, Jason maneuvered down the hall, searching for the the shots origin. He quickly came back to the door that led to the stairwell and knowing that he was going to have to go up and check each floor for the girl, he hung his head for a second and let out a long sigh in frustration. "It's like I'm cursed," he murmured to himself as he relaxed a moment and opened up the door, just then hearing a piercing shot ring out again, "The f**k!" he exclaimed as he threw himself underneath the stairwell, slamming hard against the wall. Two more shot rang out in rapid secession and Jason stayed put as he heard one ricochet and the other slammed into the floor near the door, the blow against the wall had momentarily evacuated the air from his lungs but he was now back in the game as he blood began to boil. "Watch your fire up there!"he screamed out from under the stairwell, hoping to at least make the shooter cease fire so he could think and get a grasp of the situation. There was a possibility that word had gotten through that he was in the building and perhaps the shooter had spotted him as he entered, and as the echoed shot began to fade he heard the voice of a man, and a rather angry one at that. "Are you done messing around down there, finally!" the man seemed enraged about something, "That bitch from the bar is in between the two us," that was all Jason needed to hear before he peered out a little and could see that the man was a few flights up, aiming his gun where he had last seen her, "I'll work her down toward you and you come up here. We'll teach this little bitch a lesson before we send her off. You hear that, you bitch! You thought that you could just stab me and run," he began to laugh as the sound of his footsteps began to echo, "Looks like you're trapped."


Jason smiled at his luck, she was still alive, and now all he had to do was get her past this guy. It seemed that she had angered him by attacking him, and now he was out for revenge. He smirked as he found it a bit humorous how offended the guy seemed that she defended herself from possibly being murdered by him, and quickly he wiped the smirk off his face. This was someone employed by the government to silence her and he was about to stop that from happening...but how? He didn't want to have to kill the man because he would then for sure be hunted down just as much as she was being right now, but then again Gellifer had probably made that happen already, if not simply stated that he should be detained on sight. To kill the man or not kill the man, his instincts said that there was no backing out of the situation and that he would have to take point and full responsibility. He hated himself for evening getting involved at the moment. He gritted his teeth as he peered out again, this time hearing both sets of steps as the girl seemed to be inching her way down, he had no choice but to act or risk her getting off on a random floor and being shot down by the man that had been pursuing her. He let out a loud laugh, hoping to distract both parties and get their attention, and as the sound of footsteps stopped he felt he had succeeded. Step one of the plan, identify target, complete. Step two was to locate the target, he raised his gun as he stepped from beneath the stairs and aimed his gun up at where he thought the guy was. "That stupid bitch doesn't know what she's in for, J'ai une énorme pointe de son!" he said hoping that she'd recognize who he was by his use of french. As he finished talking he heard the gun clank against the railing, knowing that the man was about to lean over and see who the hell was talking.


Seeing the gun and hands grasp the railing, he trained his gun to the approximate location that his face would end up, Step 2 was complete. The next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion as his trigger finger was poised and ready, and Jason had steeled himself to the fallout that this action was bound to cause. With any luck Gellifer wouldn't want it known what happened here and would have it swept under the rug, but even then he knew that his face and name would be handed out to any and all military personnel. This decision would more than likely seal his fate, but regardless of the that, the moment he saw the man's forehead break the plain of the railing he fired a single shot. He was sure that the shooter didn't even have the time to register what had hit him as a plume of rest mist could bee seen spraying out from above him as his head whipped back viciously. The next sound was that of his body slumping to the floor and rolling down the stairs, which sounded like a bag of rocks. Jason waited until the noise stopped, and not hearing the girl moving, he spoke again. "I'm with the NYPD, I'm the offic-...I'm the patron from last night that you handed all the change to, I'm also the one who brought you here. I don't have time to explain everything but we need to leave here. Now! I have a car right at the ambulance emergency entrance, so we need to get moving." Jason looked up to see where she might be, hoping that while he was focused on taking out the shooter that she hadn't slipped on to another floor. As he waited for a reply he moved to the door, cracking it open and peering outside to make sure that the hallway was clear, and all that was heard was the sound of rushing feet as if people were still coming off the elevators. "I always seemed to get the shit details." he said aloud to himself, thinking back to days long gone but not forgotten.

 

[Lumeneire]

((All check Ooc thread Please.))

 

[iMeisaki]

As they kept driving, Leah noticed how much chaos was starting. All she could think of or say about this was: Why..? Why now? Why did have to happen today? Leah was too young if anything was going to happen to her. Her head rested on her hand as she stared at the window noticing people struggle to leave. They were starting to get closer to her Aunt's house. She gave a sigh and a sad facial expression. She started to ask her father something.


"We're gonna be okay right?" She asked her father.


"Yea...we'll be okay." Ethan responded.


He had to lie to Leah. He couldn't just say that he didn't know, she would be so scared. He kept focusing on the road making sure that he wouldn't hit anyone or get into an accident. Just a few more miles...he thought to himself. Ethan was starting to make a plan: Once they get to Joanna's, he would take her and her son and they would probably go to a different state or two. That's if nothing happens in the middle. He stayed on the left lane and kept his pace in driving: Not too slow but not too fast either. Exit 91 is where they would have to get off. There was traffic coming on the way down instead of up, wonder why everyone is going the opposite way...


While they were driving Leah kept looking out the window, she moved to the back seat of the truck and looked out the other side of the window. People were honking their horns, giving each other the middle finger, cursing, the whole nine yards in road rage. They kept yelling to go when someone came out of their car and started screaming to move. All of the sudden, another person with red foam coming out of their mouth raced towards the screaming person and launched themselves at them. The person started screaming in pain and everyone else tried to drive; some even fled their cars because the traffic was blocked. Leah gasped when she saw this, this was starting to happen to multiple people.


"Daddy..We gotta start driving faster, they're coming closer!" She started to panic.


"Hold on baby, I have to start driving faster. Put your seatbelt on now." He stated.


"Okay. Daddy, I'm scared." She said.


"I know honey, it'll be alright." He said uneasily.


Some police cars started rushing towards the scene, they weren't much help. They just tased some of the mad people and shot them. Three cops were taken down in five minutes. They would need an army to take down the whole traffic zone. Ethan was worried and looked back through the mirror simultaneously. He passed Exit 89; almost there, he thought. He saw some mad people starting to run on the empty side of the road, Ethan tried to dodge them but also tried to be careful because of other cars. He hit a few people, he couldn't tell who was crazy and who was normal. He didn't mean to hit them, he just kept focusing on going to Joanna's house.


Leah's eyes widened in horror by seeing the helpless people being taken down and bitten. She noticed that the car jolted a few times when people were getting hit.


"Dad! What are you doing?!" She panicked.


"Honey! I'm sorry, they came in front of the car and-" He was interrupted and the car jolted again as another person was hit.


"I'm sorry, they keep running in front of our car!." He finally finished his sentence.


A couple minutes later, they got off Exit 91 and started driving through the town. They were getting closer to her house. As they pulled up to house, Leah noticed that it looked very quiet and nothing was happening..hopefully she was safe. They pulled up to her driveway and looked at the house. They were both still but Leah didn't want to say anything. She hesitated to speak.


"So what are we...uh..going to do now?" She asked.


"Let's go in, be careful, I don't want to scare her so just bring your bat with you. Alright?"


"Okay, sure." She climbed in the back to get her baseball bat.


They both got out of the car and looked at the quiet house. In a way, it looked empty and abandoned but there was someone in there and they were going to take them so they can be safe. They started pacing towards the house. Ethan opened the door and carefully looked through the doorway. His eyes widened and he became horrified.


(Finally! I'm sick today so I got to type. ^0^ )

 

[Lumeneire]

Winta felt like a rat caught in a trap. There were two men at either end of the staircase and her body froze like a deer caught in oncoming headlights. As they exchanged pleasantries and plans to murder her, her mind rushed through ways of escapes and a range of scenarios that could occur. No matter what trail of thought her mind had followed, it always seemed to end up with an image of her corpse sprawled across the railing, with a bullet hole embedded between her eyes. Winta was just a normal girl in a once normal world and now she had been thrown into a situation she had no concept of how to handle. So far, she had been a huge slice lucky with a sprinkling of pure stupidity on top. If only she had left her bravery in the books she so desperately clasped in an escape from her mundane existence. Instead, she had thrown herself headlong into a situation she could neither fully comprehend, nor worm her way out of. However, as the villain below spoke out to her, morbid thoughts slipped through her fingertips like grains of sand and a seed of hope blossomed in her chest. Everything up until now had sounded muffled and lost in her eardrums as blood had been rushing through her brain, splashing and coursing through her veins with a force of adrenaline. Her mind cleared and allowed for ehr senses to return as French words echoed from below. It was a feeling of familiarity and it snapped her back to the horrific reality her erratic thoughts were trying to protect from. She couldn't quite translate the meaning with a head full of cotton wool but abruptly threw herself to the floor as the briefest acknowledgment shook her body.


The loud sound bounced off the plain concrete walls and a spray of red rained from above. Her hands were clasped firmly over her ears and her eyes stung from the sheer force of squeezing them shut. As the confined area fell silent, she slowly removed the palms from her face and pressed her cheek to the cold metal step. She was still alive and had managed to escape imminent death yet again. At first, she stayed on the floor, keeping her stomach and chest pressed against the steel landing but as the man called up from below, her joints popped as she slowly shifted her body.


"I'm with the NYPD, I'm the offic-...I'm the patron from last night that you handed all the change to, I'm also the one who brought you here. I don't have time to explain everything but we need to leave here. Now! I have a car right at the ambulance emergency entrance, so we need to get moving." She hesitated a few seconds after his speech with every fibre of her brain telling her not to trust. But the twinge in her stomach assured her that her gut instinct was more reliable than her foggy mind. She grabbed onto the railing to pull herself up and dared to look over. Up above, she spotted the corpse of the man half dangling over the side and brain matter dribbled down his face. Winta retched in her mouth but bit back the bile. She cared not for the mans life and the images of her own body in that position instead was enough to get her legs moving. She silently scurried down the stairs and called out ahead of her with a hushed voice, afraid that more men or crazed people would burst through the door up above.


"Hey. I'm coming. Just grab my hand and run, I'll follow. I'm starting to feel a little lightheaded from the concussion so I might drag us down without help."