Futuristic The Last City (Casual - Detailed) (Still Open)

[The Shadow Realm]

The Last City
​

We all knew the apocalypse was going to happen some day. Many prepared for the end of our civilization while most didn't even bat an eyelash. The truth is, nobody was prepared for the end - not even the ones who tried readying themselves for it their entire existence. The end of the world started out like a knife cloaked within the shadows of its surroundings, masking itself with the rest of humanity's problems.


In the beginning, “the end” started as nothing but a mere cough in those already infected. The new pathogen was never thought a threat, as it disguised its chemical makeup to be almost identical to the common cold, and with no deaths it was never inspected thoroughly. Over the years the virus mutated in its smaller hosts, striking rodents and other smaller mammals in bizarre ways - ranging from complete organ failure to internal ruptures all along the inside of the hosts' bodies, inevitably drowning the creatures in their own crimson fluids.


A few months after the initial symptoms were shown in the various rodents and smaller members of the mammalian family, the virus had migrated to larger hosts - thousands of herds of cattle were found dead in a matter of three days. The cattle that was inflicted with this ailment came from all corners of the planet, ranging from North America to New Zealand. News outlets across the globe covered the incident without the slightest hint of worry on their faces, and the various sources explained that the virus only affected members of the mammalian family, deliberately excluding humans. After a couple more days, most of the fear surrounding the incident had faded, as did the the amount of media coverage on the subject.


Panic started setting in after a terrifying discovery was found shortly after the coverage of this new “Mammalian Flu/Virus.” The discovery was found in the northernmost portion of the United States in the region designated as “Yellowstone Park,” and was an enormous amount of animals ranging from bears to elk, all mammals, and all lying in a small lake of their own blood - it apparently originated from within them. Media coverage sparked once more and religious organizations proposed it was the next coming of the lord - meaning the end of mankind as we know it. Barriers were brought up around the healthy forests remaining around the planet, clear signs reading “Trespassers Will Be Met With Gunfire.” This action was taken by those partaking in the A.S.M. - Animal Survival Movement.


But in reality, mankind was boxing itself in from any hopes of running away from what was yet to come.


A mere two weeks following the global A.S.M. movement, millions of people around the world began to experience the same symptoms as the animals that had been found dead all around the world - internal bleeding, bloody coughing, etc. However, not all the people inflicted with the virus died like the animals before them. Instead, some of the people infected with the virus began to show evidence of rage fits, these outbursts getting to the point where people were brutally murdering each other. These attacks became more and more frequent over the following days, and eventually entire sections of cities fell into utter chaos. Nothing could stop the infection, as far as scientists knew, and the military quickly took notice and pulled the remaining troops out of disputed territory, leaving the remains of their cities and civilians to the hands of the infected.


Survivors of the initial infection were the first to come up with a name for the plague, fittingly naming it “The Agony Virus,” as the infected showed signs of being in constant pain. The name quickly grew normal to the survivors.


The remains of the World Government (like the U.N.) soon formed as one head of governmental structure as their countries fell to TAV one by one and their resources had run on empty, which was not sufficient enough to combat TAV. The countries partaking in the new form of government consisted of Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and France. They concluded that the only way to save the human race from insanity was to build one gargantuan city, and to save as many healthy individuals as they could. This city would employ every remaining resource the nations had in their stockyards, and would be the biggest feat humanity did in what remained of their small existence.


The city’s initial foundation had been laid down in late 20XX and was perhaps one of the most guarded places in the history of mankind. There, millions of workers skilled in their trade went to work in a manner similar to a system of ants, scurrying about and constructing the pillars of their new society. Throughout the years of construction, thousands upon thousands of soldiers died protecting the workers from those infected with the virus, but the government refused to give up on the city, since they viewed it as humanity's last hope at survival.


After 5 years of a constant 24/7 work schedule executed by millions of men and women, the city was completed. The city in and of itself was beautiful, and was now the beacon of their planet - made entirely of reinforced glass, futuristic in design, and most important of all, safe. Millions of non-infected people were scanned and proceeded into the city, and those infected with “The Agony Virus” in the systems they worked on for so long were killed on site.


The city is now run under a socialist-type government, with each member residing within the city doing work that would benefit everyone as a society in the long run. Nobody is allowed to be selfish anymore, since it's punishable by death, and love cannot happen unless it is approved. Pills are taken regularly to make the population of the Last City forget there was ever a disaster.


And the populace is was happy.
​

 

[TeaMMatE11]

Explosions. Gunfire. Grenades. RPG's. You name it, it was being fired. The supply raid has gone worse than expected.


Taylor was taking cover behind a collapsed wall from this raid, which has gone worse than she had expected. Ah, crap. She peeked out, exposing a little of her body, took aim through the scope, and put one through the skull of one of the guards. "Push up! Now!" She slipped and pushed with her group. One of her men died to her right. Another was shot and injured to her left. She saw this, and pulled the injured soldier into cover, and patched him up. "Stay here! don't fire unless you have to. You'll survive." The soldier gave a quick nod, and Taylor continued down. She aimed another one and put one through another guards chest.


The gunfire could be heard from miles around the firefight. It wasn't soft. Instead, it drew much more attention than anticipated. However, the rebels were in better shape than the guards. "RPG! Fire now!" an RPG flew overhead into a group of guards as the rebels continued pushing foward. A Blackhawk, even if it was outdated, flew overhead as Taylor threw the flares to signal where to land. As the rebels cleaned up the remaining guards in the area, they secured the supplies and started the transporting onto the Blackhawk. Taylor was caked in mud and dust. She waded through the battlefield as the soldiers continued to load the Blackhawk up. Too many casualties. She sighed, and ordered for others to clean up this mess and to burn the bodies.


As the soldiers headed back to camp, the soldiers involved in the last fight had worse morale than they came in with. Most of them lost their buddies. Taylor understood that. All soldiers knew this was part of war. It was part of fighting for what is right. They all understood, they were all making a sacrifice for a better change. "It only gets harder from here on in. If we lose our spirits now, then we've already lost. Remember what we're fighting for!"


The soldiers perked up a little bit more.


Camp was taking shelter in the old abandoned downtown areas where there used to be a lot of business. Most buildings had Ivy growing on it, and the roads were cracked, with tree roots, grass, and weeds growing through the cracks. Birds chirped in the air, and finally had free reign to wherever they wanted to land on. Lamposts were tilted, some collapsed. Buildings started showing of age, but the ones that were still standing were used as the home bases as it put a roof over the rebels' head. Cars were mere shells of metal, with all the paint scratched off of it. It was just the frame of the car. Almost every one of them didn't work. Some still had an ounce of gas remaining in their tanks.


The injured were put into a concrete building across the street. Rebels reorganized beds and bedframes from various houses and orphanages to put in as hospital beds. The rebels, even if they didn't look like it, were relatively well equipped, but nowhere near as good as the forces in The Last City. Their training was good, since it was essentially private training, and supplies were gained from raids, and trading. Most of their weapons were outdated, however the Rebels are effective with them.


Taylor sighed as she entered the commanders quarter-where only the squad leaders met with the leader. "How are we doing?" Taylor asked. "Alpha and Bravo are holding their own, Charlie broke and are falling back to base."


"Can you tell me any good news?"


"The supplies you recieved on the last raid was..."


"Was what?"


"...Quite valuable. Let me show you." He opened one of the flaps of the crate he just opened. It was stacked full of bullets, magazines and food.


Taylor's eyes widened. "I had no idea..."


"You've done a good, hard blow on The Last City's forces, Commander."


"What's the next move?"


"That's for you to decide."


"I need time to think."


Taylor then walked out, and stood outside, in the middle of the street. Her rifle was on her back, pistols in her belt holsters. There used to be a time in which standing in the middle of the street would've gotten you killed. Not anymore. Those days are long gone.

 

[Amelia White]

"Please, You can't do this!" Lotus yells as two male enforcers drag her by her arms. Turning back, she looks at the city, she looks at the place she calls home getting smaller and smaller as she is taken further away. She tries to stop herself from moving, pushing her feet into the ground, creating friction between the soles of her shoes and the pavement beneath her. As she neared the gate, she could see other armed enforcers watching her like hawks stalking their prey. "I'm only 18, how am I supposed to survive out there?!" She pleads, hoping to God that the enforcers will understand and have some sort of sympathy for the young girl.


She discovered that she'd been infected with T.A.V a few days before now. During her work as a messenger, she was out running some mail when she had a severe coughing fit. At first she'd thought that something was scratching her throat, but after a while, she noticed blood staining her sleeve. She tried to hide it the best she could, she wore a scarf around her neck and mouth and tried taking cough medicine to slow it down, but when the medicine failed to work, her employer soon found out. "You best get away from the city." The employer told Lo. She went home to find her home smothered in flames. She tried to run, tried to hide, but to no avail. The enforcers located and detained her. She's lucky to have not been shot on sight.


"Please, You don't understand! I'll stay away from people! I'll wear a face mask!" She screams, desperately trying to get the men to understand. She couldn't be thrown out of the city, she'd have no where to go. Lotus was only a messenger in a city for the healthy, she didn't have the crucial survival skills needed to survive in the infected lands. Her only leg up is the fact that she is infected herself, meaning the Agony survivors would be less likely to target her. It wasn't long before they pulled her to the gate. The enforcers that were dragging her out showed no emotion on their faces, almost as if they were trying not to show any weakness. It'd would be hard for any adult to toss out a kid to fend for themselves, but they weren't going to risk the safety and health of the others in the city to save one girl. This Lo knew. She knew that no matter how hard she cried or how much she begged, there was no way she was staying in this city. She should feel lucky to be alive.


Opening the gate, they threw her out. She hit the dirt hard, falling onto her side. They quickly closed the gate, leaving her there in silence.


@ anyone who is there or saw this

 

[Vladimir Amikov]

David, true to Lo's thoughts, was trying his hardest not to show any emotion. It was horrible, leaving a kid to fend for herself out in the wild like that, but it had to be done. The virus could not be allowed to overtake the city, and he had a job to do. He couldn't bear to shoot the girl, stare her in the eye as her gaze flicked between the barrel and him. Pleading, they would have been pleading, no better than they were five seconds ago. He had to do it; any signs of the Agony Virus were taken as, essentially, permission to kill or evict. However, he'd never actually seen or carried through with that protocol until now. David, however badly he had wanted the job when he was sixteen, was already regretting it.


Throwing the girl out, poor, defenseless Lo, was no better than throwing a bunny rabbit to a starving wolf. She was guaranteed a slow death, by the virus or the infected. The thought ran through his head even as he marched down the street, in plain view of any passers-by. He had to keep a straight face, show that the Enforcers would do what they could to keep the city virus-free. Even if that included tossing a girl barely two years younger than him.


He should have just shot the poor girl between the eyes.


The street seemed to stretch out for eternity, the staring faces searchlights in a prison, looking for a guilty man. David had to stay strong. The rebels were at their peak now, and it wouldn't do them any good to show weakness. He practically wanted to scream at them, the bystanders, that he felt as guilty as they wanted him to. He wanted their eyes off. David was human, as the rest of them were. But he was the one who had to be a machine when he truly wasn't.


Finally, he reached the end of the street. The Enforcer posting wasn't far. All he had to do was walk a couple more blocks. He just had to walk a little more, then he could apologize eternally for an unforgivable crime. Even if it was in the name of justice.

 

[ObiSemKenobi]

I know that you are conscious enough to hear me, so listen carefully. Everything is going to be alright. You are not going to die. I’ll help you. Do not be afraid.


“Rose, are you awake?”


“Yes, I.. I’m up. Where are we?”


“Almost there Rose, almost there. Is your screen still green?”


“Yes. Yes it’s still the same.”


“Good, than you’ll be alright. We’ve passed the dangerous zone now. Hang on Rose, everything is going to be alright.”


“It’s funny. Those were actually the first words I heard your voice say. It seems so long ago. It amazes me that in all that time I still haven’t seen your face.”


“I assure you that it is a sight you are better off missing.”


“I know, I know, it’s just… I don’t know… It seems so unreal. You helped me so much, and in a few hours I’ll have to say goodbye to you forever. I’ll never see you again.”


“No, that would be very unlikely. But fear not, I have been, I hope, a pleasant companion in an unpleasant time. You will miss me, I am sure, but once you are there, you will no longer need me. You’ll be in good hands.”


“I just hope you’re right…”


An all-terrain jeep drives on an empty road. The rising sun pours it’s crimson light over the green scenery. It stops near an abandoned gas-station. The masked figure steps out from behind the wheel and starts rummaging through some of the cars that were left there until she finds one with a relatively full tank.


“Rose, could you get the jerrycan from the boot of the car please? Bring the hose too.”


“Yeah, I’m on it.”


The girl was still young. Probably in her early twenties. Her waving red hair, dancing in the wind, gave credit to her name. In the rising sunlight it was as if she had walked straight into a romantic painting. She was quite beautiful.


“Thank you dear, now I need you to get back into the car and keep a close eye on your card. I’m going to take my mask off for a little bit and we don’t want you to get contaminated so close to your destination now, do we?”


A small sigh of satisfaction escaped from her lips as she took a deep breath of fresh air. Opening her eyes again, she continued positioning the hose into the car’s fuel tank. Sucking the air out from the other side, she quickly lead it into the jerrycan and let the fluid run. Taking one last breath of unfiltered air, she put her mask back on. As the fuel flowed, the robed figure turned her masked head back and forth a couple of times.


“I know you’re there. Come out or stay where you are, either way, we are no threat to you.”


From behind the pump a tragic looking figure appeared. His face looked like it had been mangled by a baseball bat, one of his arms dangled lifelessly next to his body and he dragged one foot after him as he walked closer. A few seconds after he appeared, other men, just like him, started to come out as well from all kinds of dark corners and hiding spots. The man who appeared first walked up to the robed woman with malice in his eyes. The woman uttered something under her mask as she approached, too softly for anyone to understand.


“Why do you take our fuel?”


“I wasn’t under the impression it was being used. I need it for my journey, if you wish I could trade you something for it.”


“You… you stand so straight in that suit of yours. You must not know the pain. First you must know the pain!”


“I have lived with the pain for twelve years, I assure you I am just as infected as you are.”


“You… you maybe. But maybe you just wear that mask to keep it out! And the girl! Her face looks pretty! She does not know the pain! She must feel the pain!”


The woman took a step sideways as to remain between the man and the girl. She lifted her cape from her right hip, revealing her revolver.


“Please. I have no desire to hurt you, but I will protect what has been entrusted to me.”


“Ammo is sparse around here. Do you think me worth the bullet?”


“Nobody should have to take a bullet, but some men have to die. You are right. I will preserve my munitions for someone stronger than me. Nevertheless I assure you I have no intention of letting you hurt this girl. Leave now. Don’t throw your lives away. I will not warn you again.”


Moving the other end of her cape, she moved her right hand to the handle of her rapier. She drew the weapon out of its sheath with great ease and a certain gracefulness. The man stepped in closer, his chest almost on the weapon’s tip, and started to laugh. He looked straight at the woman’s mask as the other’s started to circle around her.


“A fancy sword won’t save you from our numbers. Besides, I don’t think you’ll do it. I don’t think you feel the pain. If you did, you’d know that death is a release!”


“Then may God have mercy on your souls.”


The dark cape flew up as the woman moved forward. One quick thrust pierced the tip of the blade three inches into the man’s chest. Just enough to reach the heart, not enough to trap the blade inside. In one movement she pulled it out of one man and slid it’s sharp edge through the next man’s throat. With a quick change in step she tackled that second man and charged for the third. He made a step back to dodge the first blow but lost his balance and fell to the ground. With swift, flowing and precise movements she deflected the arms trying to bring her down and pierced this man’s heart like she’d done the first.


Meanwhile, a fourth man charged for her, but she ducked and stepped underneath his reach, slicing at his bare chest in the meantime. As he stumbled in pain the last man tried his luck with a lead pipe. He charged with the weapon above his head, ready to strike. Instead of stepping back, the lady stepped in and assaulted the man with a flurry of shallow, but puncturing strikes everywhere from his chest to his upper legs. Collapsing to his knees, she quickly ended his suffering.


The man with the rather nasty looking cut on his chest looked at this masked figure that had taken less than a minute to kill all of his partners and ran away. It was unlikely that he would make it very far.


The sound of a desperate man’s fading footsteps was all that could be heard while she knelt down and prayed for a long time. When she got up, she first walked near towards the car, but not too close. Just close enough to see Rose hold her green card up. This was not the first time this happened.


The woman started to bury the dead in a far too shallow grave for her liking. It took several hours. When it was done she walked back to the car and opened the boot. She took out a small cylindrical device and placed it straight up in front of her. After she pressed a blue button a vapour cloud shot out from the top, covering her entire body. After standing in the particle mist for a minute or two she took a green card from another box in the car and held it close to her body for another few minutes. It stayed green.


After taking back the jerrycan and whatever batteries she could find, she went back to the car, loaded it up with enough fuel and stepped inside. After a quick “Are you alright?” with a satisfactory answer, she put a battery in the old cd-player on the dashboard. The busted up device crackled to life and started playing the second movement of Beethoven’s seventh symphony.


“That should bring us far enough. Look out the window Rose, the city is quite the sight from here.”


With the sun now high, the plain wasteland surrounding the Last City looked like the ruins of an ancient civilization. With the gas-station on a small hill, you could see past all the ruin and decay and see the Great Wall. It seemed to reach up for miles and miles above any other building and it looked as if the guards in the towers would be able to touch the clouds if they would only reach high enough. With this light, some of the higher towers were clearly visible, poking out just above the wall, though not too close to it. It was a fortress, keeping out everything that would hurt humanity.


The jeep drove up to about three miles outside the main gate.


“This is as far as I go, I’m afraid. Bless you Rose, and have a good life.”


“Thank you Mrs. Worthington! Thank you so much. I won’t forget what you’ve done for me, I promise.”


“You’d be better off forgetting me real soon young lady, you’ll be in paradise from now on, no need to remind yourself of an old wrench like me. Nevertheless, for what it’s worth, you’ll be in my prayers too.”


“And you in mine. You’re an angel Mrs. Worthington. A real life angel.”


“No, I am nothing that holy my dear. I am a human being with all my faults and with my years I’ve made more faults than you ever could have, make no mistake. But in being human we are also higher than the angels, for we are made in God’s image. Never forget that either.”


“I won’t. I… I don’t know how to say goodbye.”


“Then don’t. We’ll see each other again, if not in this life then surely in the next. I look forward to meeting all of you there, when I am able to show you my real face at last.”


“Then I’ll look forward to it too. Not goodbye then, but Fare Well.”


“Fare well my dear, God be with you.”


There was a small rainbow in every teardrop Rose let out that morning. Walking those three miles she could only think of the friend she left behind. However, just before she approached the gates, she turned around and looked back at the road. She took the spyglass from her belt and stared at the road she had just travelled. Out there, little over three miles away, stood a single woman in a dark robe next to an all-terrain jeep. The mask was in her hand.


The face, now clearly visible above those slender shoulders, was a horrifying sight. A mess of dried blood and open wounds hid what had once been an exquisite beauty. The long, blonde-grey hair waved freely in the wind, accentuating the terrible contrast between the vision she had been, and the vision she was.


Rose just stood there, staring, until her tears blurred the lens. Then she turned around and walked up to the gates, just in time to see someone get thrown out. Someone showing the early signs of infection. She walked up to the woman, though not close enough to be in danger, and looked her in the eyes.


“Three miles from here there is a woman in a black robe and a black mask. Go to her. She will save your life.”


Without waiting for a reply, she walked up to the gates, checking her green card one last time. Today, everything would change.

 

[Anaxileah]

Addressed: @Vladimir Amikov


Mentioned: @Amelia White


Status: Healthy


Mood: Heartbroken/Upset


Location: Walls of Last City -> Outside -> Back Inside -> Heading to Enforcer's Post (location for Enforcers to be given assignments)


Inventory: Armor, Black Brass Knuckles, 9mm Pistols x2, and 6 9mm 12-round Cartridges.


Notes: Le feels. ;o;

"Please, You can't do this!" The girl's voice rang out through the city, her voice high-pitched and panicked. "I'm only 18, how am I supposed to survive out there?!" Please...please stop screaming... Adam begged the girl mentally but kept the expression on his face blank, just as his partner, David's, was. It's too painful to hear... Her cries and shrieks did not cease like he wanted them to, and in fact continued up until they were outside the gate of the Last City. With more force than he had intended, Adam released the girl with a shove and watched her hit the ground roughly with her pale green, tattered, backpack cushioning some of her fall. The male wanted to refrain from saying anything to the girl, but he couldn't help but speak. "Good luck, Lotus." I'll find some way to help you soon. Just hang in there. Adam thought the last part to himself, determined to help the Infected girl. He didn't know her too well personally, but before the Enforcers were assigned people to remove from the city via execution or banishment, their assignment-givers told them about the person they were to remove so that they would not be forgotten.





After the gate closed behind the two Enforcers, Adam could feel the stares of the farmers all around, and through his peripheral vision he could see them stop what they were doing to glare at the two Enforcers who made their way back to D.2. I already feel enough guilt and pain...please, don't look at us this way...we're only doing our jobs... Adam thought in agony, his heartbeat racing and tears threatening to break through the stoic expression on his slightly scarred face. Having to do this job on a daily basis, multiple people being kicked out or killed a day...it's heart-wrenching. With a sigh, Adam trudged onward beside his partner, the silence between them comfortable and somewhat mandatory. If they spoke about their job, they'd be judged, if they spoke otherwise, they'd still be judged. The world has only become more cruel with the unification of those selfish enough to live while others are put to death, and he was a part of it.


Adam glanced sideways at his business partner, David Hall. The two of them had been assigned on many a job together, and Adam wondered how they affected David, and if it was at all similar to how Adam felt. He knew they had similar values from past conversations, but David supported the city. Do you support the city now, David? Adam wanted to ask, but if he were to even utter those words, the eyes that hide throughout the city would find him and possibly kill him for questioning the city. He had already been avoiding taking the pills, he didn't need to be discovered for that stupid reason as well.


Oh, fuck it. "David," Adam murmured, sick of how the city threw innocent people out that were still only children, even if it was for a just reason. "What exactly do you think of how our city is controlled?" Adam murmured to David, whom was on his left hand side. The two of them walked on the large sidewalk, headed towards the Enforcer's Post, but they were close enough that a whisper could be heard by the other and no one else (shoulders almost touching kind of close).
​

 

[Vladimir Amikov]

No matter how much David was startled by Adam's comment, he couldn't look at his partner as if he had set off a gun. Which, for all his statement meant, he might as well have done. At least, to David, anyway. Instead, he merely glanced over at the other Enforcer. To anyone else, any other officer, Adam's words would have shot him dead like an infected man. But to David, who had just witnessed-no, committed-an act so horrible he would have killed himself if not for his own mental strength, it was a question worth asking.


"Follow me," was all he said, breaking off at a brisk pace, subtly waving for his partner to do as he said. He couldn't speak his mind out in the open like this, not with cameras as populous as pigeons in the old New York. "Screw heading to the posting," he murmured under his breath as he walked. The air was clean and fresh-suddenly too clean and fresh. It reminded him of how he had to keep the city in it's so-called perfect state. Sure, the idea was fantastic, but could David deal with the methods? He'd just seen a teenager, barely an adult, tossed out like a kitten with rabies.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

*static* "This is scout 5 from Delta, reporting in! Anyone out there?!"


Wait...Delta...? They were captured...





"This is Commander Woxwell. I hear you Scout, loud and clear. Where's your squad?"


"Dead. I'm the only one who made it out, over."





"What's your location?"


"5 miles out from the wall. Also, there's quite a scene. A girl just got thrown out of the city. Most likely infected. Late teens, looks like."


Poor soul. She won't even stand a day out here.


"Also, there's a mysterious person with a Jeep."


"Good copy. I'm on my way." She entered back into the room, and stated, "I'm going to be gone for a few hours. You know the rules; squadron commanders are in total control."


She walked out of the building, headed towards the Last City.

 

[Amelia White]

Quickly, she gets up, running over to the gate that had just closed before her. Banging her fists into it she yells. Placing her forehead on the cold gate, she stops hitting. "It's no use." She says to herself, "Keep the city safe. Keep the city healthy." She falls onto her knees, unsure of what to do, what to think.


Gun shots could be heard in the distance, making Lo flinch with each boom. There must be some battle going on.. She thinks. Looking up, she examines the area. Everything in sight had been taken over by ivy and vines. It was a polar opposite of the city. The city was clean Inside the city, gun shots were a rarity. Everything was perfect, or at least, made to seem perfect. Getting up, Lotus brushes dirt and mud off her clothes. What now? She thinks. She knew the city like the back of her hands, but the infected lands? This was unknown terrain for her as she's never left the city until now. With nowhere to go and no idea what to do, she looks away from the city. Hopefully, she'll run into some empty town houses or some sort of farm. In a couple days or so, even if she sticks to one small meal a day, she'd soon run out of food and finding a farm area would be very helpful for her survival.


Seeing someone approaching, she backs up. Soon hitting the gate with her back, she stares at the person. "...She will save your life" She says. Lotus could only nod and watch as the woman enters the city. The thought of running back through the gate, but that would only seal her fate. She'd be shot and killed on sight. Lo did have her doubts about what the woman told her, but where else could she go? Looking back towards the path, she starts her journey.


Thinking back to her days in the city, she wonders how everything works outside. How do people survive out in the infected lands. Inside the city, there were stores and shops where one could walk in with a couple dollars and buy a meal. Out in these lands, there weren't even signs of people. Lotus stops walking for a moment, remembering the stories she'd heard from her runs as a messenger about the people living in the infected lands. Setting her worn out back pack on the ground, she searches through it. Pulling out a steel tube, she presses a button and watches at it opens up to form a metal baseball bat. The teen wasn't sure exactly how violent people here would be, so having her bat in her hand made her feel slightly better about walking along the path.

 

[Keltoi]

Lyra was famished, yet she did not climb down from the roof of her small house. Not while there were beautiful Ray's of sunshine still outlining the grim walls surrounding the Last City. It was a very hope wrenching sight, at least for her. The walls represented cruelty, hardship, and a whole lot of pain. Other people said it gave hope, but not to Lyra.


Her dream was to be outside. Not to join the rebels or fight back the gangs of infected. No, she just craved to return to the cold and harsh wilderness. She felt free there. Alas, she hadn't been outside for nearly a year. She never understood why she decided to come live here... Lyra's Ono dream was to escape. In fact, no one knew that she was planning to leave shortly. That was mainly due to the fact she didn't talk with people. Yeah that's probably it.





After an hour or so of gazing into the distance, Lyra jumped down and landed on her feet. The fall wasn't far, so no damage. She turned, opened the thin metal door and walked inside. On the table was her bag, filled with rations, water, her bow and quiver. Her knife would go in a leather sheath on her waist. It took a while to pack a few more things and finally to get into her dark cloak. But once finished, Lyra took in a deep breath and had a final look around the place she called home for the past year. She would not miss it.


Lyra turned, put a hand to the door handle, and pushed.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

Taylor must've run for miles by now. Longsword and sniper on her back, pistols in her side holsters, and her best pockets were filled with magazines. As she ran, she sweat not a whole lot, but enough to keep her uncomfortably warm. As she was on the last stretch, she paused and scanned through the scope where people are. She saw the teen, with a baseball bat out. That's her. Taylor took out one of her pistols and loaded in a bright tracer mag. She fired s bullet in the air, to signal to the teen that someone was there. The tracer shone brightly- enough to see from 2 miles. Taylor put her pistol away and continued running towards the Last City's walls.


Her uniform was a dead giveaway to what she was, with the insignia of a pair of Eagles wings with 2 snipers crossed in the blank space between the wings. The rebellion is strong already, and could only get stronger. Taylor started to wave her arms in the air as she ran down the road towards Lo, hoping she would see Taylor.


@Amelia White

 

[Amelia White]

Hearing a shot fired fairly close to where Lo was caused her to be a bit on edge. She positioned her bat, ready to swing, and continued her way down the path. Seeing someone in the distance, Lotus stops in her tracks. The woman that had passed her earlier described another woman in a black robe and a black mask. This new person had neither. Although, Lotus still hasn't decided whether or not she truly trusts the judgment of someone she's never met, she didn't think that someone completely unrelated would be any better. Lo glances around, looking out for any other people. When she see's no one, She looks back to the running figure that was waving her arms. "Who are you?" She calls out.


She quickly hid her body behind a nearby tree in the off chance that this stranger felt urged to shoot. It would be hard for anyone to hit a such a small target as her head. Lo was unsure what to expect for the answer, but she prepared herself for the worst. Unfortunately, while she is waiting behind the tree, she is soon hit by a coughing fit. The side of her sleeve becomes stained with blood as she covers her mouth to muffle the sound.


@TeaMMatE11

 

[Anaxileah]

Addressed: @Vladimir Amikov


Mentioned: No one.


Status: Following the leader, the leader, the leader, following the leader, wherever he may go~


Mood: Uncertain/Nervous


Location: Sneaky sneaky place


Inventory: Same shit as before, yo


Notes: o-o I have problems -w-

Adam met David's glance with wonder and worry, hoping he didn't guess wrong about his fellow Enforcer. Rather than doing anything questionable, the other Enforcer simply whispered back to Adam, "Follow me," and waved in a new direction. After nodding tersely in response, the two Enforcers turned and walked away from the Enforcer's Post, rather than toward it like they should. Adam wasn't quite sure where they were going, but it was away from the cameras, which meant they could be doing one of two things. David could be planning to shoot Adam, as he had feared, because of the words he had uttered. Is this really going to be my end? Adam wondered to himself in slight panic before considering the other option.





Perhaps I was right...? However, the possibility of that option was much lower than the other possibility, so Adam had to be ready. Since it was around high noon (I'm picking a time since no one else has, as well as weather xD ) and it was a windy Autumn day, people were headed indoors for a quick lunch and to avoid the heat of the sun and the chill of the wind. Since people were leaving, the former possibility seemed more and more likely. If that's the case... I need to be ready. Adam concluded to himself as the two walked down an alley where there were no people nearby and no cameras to see them. However, unlike most alleyways in the past, this alley and every other alley in the Last City was almost spotless. As soon as they arrived, Adam formed a plan in his head.


I'm an inch shorter, but I have more muscle. Disarm him, pin him against the wall, and question him. Adam went over these steps in his head as the two walked to the middle of the alley and was tensed and ready. I'll wait until the last moment, though, I don't want to give him the wrong idea. Adam thought to himself, worried about what to do and what not to do. He watched David with wary eyes, uncertain of what was to happen.
​

 

[Vladimir Amikov]

David stopped and leaned against a wall, his sigh visible in the slightly chilly air. "You know," he began, not even looking at his partner for a few seconds, "I honestly don't know how to answer that question." As he spoke, his lip began to wobble, but he stopped it as best he could. Lo's screaming still rang in his ears, even though she was well out of earshot by now. And the look in her eye. The look in her eye...


He shook his head to clear it, then looked at Adam. "I don't know," he said. "The honest answer is, I don't know. I was raised from sixteen to think the city was all about being good, but now... Now I don't know."

 

[TeaMMatE11]

@TeaMMatE11[/URL]

As soon as Talyor got into talking distance, she said, "Look, I have no intention to shoot you." She had her hands away from any of her weapons. "One of my scouts reported that you were just thrown out of the city." She slowly reached into her pocket, proving the point that she had nothing in her pockets. Except for a small pin with the rebel's insignia on it. She flicked it over to the girls' feet. "I think that should explain who I am." Taylor was breathing not lightly, but not too heavily either.


Taylor also saw that she had pretty terrible equipment. "You won't stand a day out here. It's ruthless. I'm not infected, thankfully. But what you always have to assume is that any infected out here will try to kill you." She saw blood on the sleeve of the poor teen. That's why you got thrown out. Poor soul. "Cmon, I'll show you the remains of the old world."

 

[Amelia White]

Seeing the pin land by her feet, she barely recognizes it. Having lived in the city for so long, she never really heard much of the rebellion, and what she had heard was never good. Finally realizing what the insignia stood for, she went stiff. The word on the street was that the rebellion was out to kill everyone in the city. Lotus, along with all the other young adults that lived in the city, were always taught that the rebellion wanted everyone to suffer. "You're with the.." Her voice trailed off. Lo was trying to decide whether to run or trust the girl that had yet to kill her. If she were to run, she most likely wouldn't get too far from the rebel.


"How come you're willing to help someone like me?" She says, looking over at the girl. She was avoiding saying that she was infected, not wanting to believe it herself. Assuming that the rebel must have noticed the blood on Lo's sleeve, she didn't think it would hurt her to imply that she was infected. If this girl wanted Lo dead, she'd be dead. "I was told by someone to look for a woman in a black robe and mask.. You wouldn't happen to know who that is, would you?" She asks. She was still curious about this mystery woman who can supposedly save her life.


@TeaMMatE11

 

[TeaMMatE11]

@TeaMMatE11[/URL]

"I don't know what kind of bullshit propaganda they pump out in the city about us, but we're NOT what they say we are," Taylor said, seeing how the girl now went really stiff. Then, she answered, "No, but my scout also reported a mysterious person just up the road, with a Jeep. Something lucky you find these days out here," she murmured. "You'll need an escort at least. As to why I want to help you...well...that's what the rebellion does. Takes people who are still relatively healthy back. No, I am not recruiting you. But at least let me be your escort to find the mysterious person."

 

[Amelia White]

"I don't know what kind of bullshit propaganda they pump out in the city about us, but we're NOT what they say we are," Taylor said, seeing how the girl now went really stiff. Then, she answered, "No, but my scout also reported a mysterious person just up the road, with a Jeep. Something lucky you find these days out here," she murmured. "You'll need an escort at least. As to why I want to help you...well...that's what the rebellion does. Takes people who are still relatively healthy back. No, I am not recruiting you. But at least let me be your escort to find the mysterious person."

"Right, But you do choose to live out in the Infected lands when you have a perfectly clean and easy life waiting for you inside the city. Oh, and you attack the city for trying to keep the remains of humanity alive." She says. Lotus found it slightly irritating that a healthy bunch of people would choose to pass up an easy life in the city. Especially now that she's been thrown out. Growing up learning the ways of the city, learning to love the city and fear the outside world, didn't help with her opinion of the rebellion either. It almost makes her angry, but knowing of the side effects of the virus, she tries her best to stay calm.


She looks down at the pin once more. "I'd pick it up and hand it to you, but I might have some blood on my hands. It wouldn't be good if you got any one you." She says, softly. Although, Lo isn't exactly fond of the girl standing before her, she knew how horrible the virus was and wouldn't pass it onto or wish it upon anyone. No matter what a person has done, the virus was something that no one wants in them or wants another to have in them. It was almost unifying in it's own messed up way.


Listening to the rebel speak about being an escort, Lo thinks about her chances of just going off on her own. She was infected, so that helped slightly when it came to others with T.A.V, but there were still people that could kill her without any hesitation. Having someone who knows their way around might not be as bad as she thought. "Okay, You're right, I wouldn't last too long on my own. I might not last long anyway. But still, I'd really appreciate if you could help me out with finding this person." She says, her tone irritated. Lo was stubborn and very independent, she never liked relying on others. But, at this point, she had not choice.


@TeaMMatE11

 

[The Shadow Realm]

​

"Autumn my child, if you're reading this then it means that we're no longer.. with you. I know that your heart will break at our passing, but please know that all the pain we suffered while among the living effects us no more. With that all over you have to make us a promise - to NEVER give up hope on living, and to NEVER give up on anything you set your mind to.


We LOVE you!


-Love, Mom and Dad"


Tears ran down Autumn's face as they read the blood splattered letter. They murdered their parents, and nothing could ever bring them back again - not a wish, not some special concoction, not even the mercy of God. "I-I had no choice.. I'm sorry." With shaking knees Autumn walked out of their parents crimson soaked room, the smell of death following them with each step they took.


*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* The distant droning of an nearby alarm soon broke Autumn away from the nightmare that was their past, and with a sheepish yawn they quickly awoke to the area that was their room. The room itself was mostly grey in coloration, however unlike most houses it sported an artificial cherrywood floor. The furnishings were a little on the barehand side however, with it consisting of nothing more but a bed and a torn rug from days gone by, but nonetheless it was home. After scrambling out of bed, Autumn quickly got dressed and dawned the infamous mask that marked them, proceeding out of their apartment as they finished.


While walking towards the walls that bordered "The Last City", Autumn saw the sun peaking over with a friendly hello, with its warm rays licking the cold earth once cloaked in darkness. After arriving at the military checkpoint, Autumn was confronted by a pair of guards dawning hazmat gear, and was told to show their papers. Shortly after confirmation Autumn was permitted into the armory where they quickly got dressed and equipped with their weapons. @Anaxileah

Addressed: Nobody


Mentioned: Nobody


Status: Healthy


Mood: Unpredictable


Location: Inside the Walls


Inventory: A bottle of water


Notes: I'll always remember you both as my mother and father, not the monsters you became.. -Autumn

 

[Killthestory]

Rune Strong

​

The most dangerous job...


Accounting!
​

Addressed: No one.

Mentioned: Rebels, enforcers, scouts, medics, basically everyone.


Health: Fine, maybe a little thirsty.


Mood: Bored.


Location: D2 Accounting.


Inventory: His empty coffee cup.


Notes: Stole this from @Anaxileah

He was working, at usual, in his glass office. No one else did the work he did, it was too dangerous for them. He was the best of the best when it came to managing finances and numbers. Nobody could truly defeat him in mathematical equation and management of money. He was the best of the best, and everyone knew it. That's why he was here, in this shitty glass office that gave him no leg room, or any room, for that matter, doing the military's work with money.


He needed more coffee. God, he was already wired, but he was so bored. Like holy fuck, there was nothing of interest in the military's finances. No hookers, drugs, or even tanks! Tanks! Military's need tanks, but apparently they didn't have any!


The government used finances for the sake of keeping a steady economy, and since they couldn't print anymore, economy was somewhat stable. Government bought food and supplies from people, those people bought supplies from others, and others bought supplies from the government. The government also gave out salaries that came right back to them as they were they lead all the massive stores from which people could buy stuff from. It wasn't an entirely bad system, but it meant that a couple people such as him would have to make sure the economy stayed stable and well. Well, rather, it was only him that made sure everything was fine. He was fine with that for a while, he made a decent salary and all, but it was so boring, day after day, coming to this shitty job and doing the same thing. Nothing changed.


He constantly talked to people on the streets, or heard whispers, and they all got to do the fun stuff! Enforcers, rebels, scouts, medics, even farming would be better than this! But no, he had to choose accounting because apparently that's all the government found him useful for. Whatever, fuck the military, he'd do their work.


More coffee. Now.


He went on break to get some coffee, and afterwards, he took a walk. The city was beautiful, and there was always something to explore in this glass fortress. Always something new to find, always something new to do. New people to meet, new friends to make.


Ah, fuck, who was he kidding? The city itself was beautiful, sure, but everyone was always on edge, always hating the next person. It didn't matter humanity was on the brink of extinction, no, not even the fucking infected mattered when it came to greed and power. You had the rebels fighting for dominance against the government, people fighting people, people losing lives. What were they losing their lives for? Absolutely nothing, that's what.


Sure, the government could be dicks sometimes, fine, whatever. However, there was nothing that bore ill bias against anyone. It was a simple system and simple process. If you're infected, you get thrown out. It prevented the spread of infection, the spread of the very thing that killed humanity off. They gave people work, and they kept humanity alive.


Could they do this in a better way? Well, duh. Give the infected some place to stay. Find a cure. Don't just take other's lives from them! That part pissed him off, for sure, but the rebels took it too far. He was angry, but he wasn't going to lose even more human lives to change it. That was a waste of resources, to put it bluntly. If you're fighting for the loss of life, and you kill more people, what better does that make you?


Both sides in this were ridiculous, but he didn't get involved. Never had to. Never needed to. No point, one side would eventually crush the other, and then someone else would get angry at the laws and views of the current government. Even more infighting would happen at that point, prolonging the search for a cure of any kind, or a solution of any kind to stop humanity from being the prey. Whatever, people never got the bigger picture.


People fought for the right thing, but they always had ulterior motives. Some wanted control. They wanted to be leading other humans, be making the right choices for them. Those people fail to realize everyone makes their own choices. They fail to realize that no choice is wrong if they themselves think it's correct.


Then, you have those who truly wanted to help others, but they got satisfaction from seeing others rely on them. They got satisfaction from receiving positive attention from others. They wanted to be the new hottest thing, too entrapped with helping people in the short term and not the long term.


Finally, you had the people who didn't care about helping others. They were probably the most honest of the three, just controlling people out of greed and lust for power. He preferred these people. At least they were honest with their intentions which usually included some calculated play for more power or control. Well, somewhat honest since they'd probably manipulate you to further their goals without a single double take.


It was almost the end of his break. He had to get back. He took a shortcut through an alley. It was when he was towards the end of the alley he realized his mistake. He's so dumb.


Three guys stepped out, each armed with a handmade melee weapon. A crowbar, a pipe, and a bat. Three men, burly fucking men, these two guys could be Vikings. They had the beard for it and everything, with their beard coming almost down to their collarbones. Their eyes had a hard glint to them, a sort of unforgiving glare always being casted. Their hair was tied back in ponytails, long, tough brown hair.


They each stood at least an inch taller than him, and they smiled when they saw him. "Hey, look, it's our friend, uh, what's his fucking name, Rube? Rule? Rune? It was Rune, definitely Rune. Hey, Rune, why don't you pay up now? You know, from your last alley visit?


He'd gone down a similar alley last time, having gone home from work and not knowing the streets were like this, and they'd found him. He told him he'd pay them double if they let him go. The buffoons agreed, and he thought he'd swindled them fully. Apparently, they had swindled him.


"Listen, uh, guys, we can really talk about this. I don't have the money on me right now, but I can pay interest! I'll even add a gun for you guys! How does this sound, uh, buddies. We're all friends here!"


The leader just jerked his head, and they all came after Rune. See, this is the part where I describe Rune getting his ass kicked, but I'll hold off on the details. It's rather gross and unhealthy for the brain, so I'll leave it up to your imaginations.


At the end of it all, Rune had no clothing save his pants, and he had absolutely nothing else. He had lost his trusty coffee cup, too, and he hadn't even finished it. He was bruised, scraped, and bloody in a lot of places. He's unconscious with his arm bent at a rather unnatural angle, and his face would be puffy from the beating he would sustain.


He'd lay there, unconscious, vulnerable and alone.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

@TeaMMatE11[/URL]

"Like it or not, the old world is your new home. Along with it, a lot of fighting." Taylor considered the girls' words. "I don't want to live in the city. Not after what I've heard about it. They say that we're inhumane out here. The infected are. Those who aren't, are perfectly capable humans. Also, don't worry about infecting me." She put on a mask over her nose and mouth. "Ready to see what the world looks like now?" Taylor asked the girl. Without hesitation, she started walking towards the street she ran down from. What's more inhumane? Throwing a girl out into the wilderness, or us being raiders? Taylor continued walking, not sure if the girl was following. Taylor was hoping she was.


Taylor realized that, the girl has to have a motive to stay alive out here. If anyone gives up, they're as good as dead. There's always something new to live for. For me, it's the rebellion. Nature's reclamation of the buildings were beautiful, and was an odd sight for anyone in the city. "Time slips by. Wish I still had a normal life," she said quietly. I still remember hearing cars passing by. Sad to see them gone.





"So tell me, what was life like in the city? What did they tell you what the old world was like?" Taylor was curious to hear this, cause this was the first person she's met that has been thrown outside of the walls. It'd be nice to hear stories from inside the wall. So I know what civilization is like in there. She could only dream what was hiding inside those walls. Beautiful, yet horrifying.

 

[Amelia White]

Listening to Taylor speak was intriguing. They were from two opposite worlds and thought horrible things about the other. Lo guesses that it's just how they were raised, how they were taught to think. "Ready to see what the world looks like now?" Taylor asks. "Yeah, I guess so." A lie. Lotus was not ready to leave behind everything she knows but what choice does she have now? Her hope would be a valid answer, although, her hope right now is very minimal. Not being sure how long you have to live wasn't something that helped with hope either.


Retracting her baseball bat into the steel tube it started in, she lets her back pack droop over one shoulder, allowing her to easily put the bat back inside. She, then, pulls the bag up and stretches her arm, hooking it through the strap. "Well, it was clean and peaceful. There were always a couple of not so good people, but overall it was nice. Nobody talked much of the world outside the walls. Nobody wanted to remember, too painful I guess. Everyone is on these pills that help us.. Wait." She stops mid-sentence as realization over comes her. She drops her back pack to the ground, pulling it open. She frantically pushes the contents of her bag around, looking for her small pill bottle. "No.. No, it has to be in here! C'mon, I was sure that I grabbed it this morning!" She freaks. Her pills, she needed her pills. Having left for the streets this morning, she was sure that she had taken them with her, but alas, no pill bottle was in her back pack.


"Everyone takes pills. We take them everyday. I mean I don't exactly know what they do, but everyone has to take them, so I did too. I left them in my apartment. God, I'm stupid." She says, talking almost too fast to be understood. She's always been very responsible when it came to her pills. They made her nervous, she felt as if something bad would happen if she ever forgot to take them.


@TeaMMatE11

 

[TeaMMatE11]

@TeaMMatE11[/URL]

Pills? What the...





Taylor stopped and let the girl search through her backpack. "Wait...do you remember anything about the initial outbreak?" Taylor asked this in a soft tone. The last thing Taylor wants to do is make the girl afraid of her. Well, more afraid. She was already very nervous when they met. Sticky situations.





Thinge were about to get more sticky, as Taylor hood footsteps. She quickly grabbed the girl's arms and dragged her into cover. Taylor reached for her pistols. She popped out, and asked, "Who's there?" She put away the pistols. Out from the shadows came 4 infected humans. Ah great.





"You're not infected," one of them said. "You don't know what this is like. Living with he virus." Taylor was a little startled. "What do you want?" Taylor had nothing on her to trade with them.


"We want you to feel the Agony!" Taylor quickly drew her sword from her shoulder, and with a quick thrust, killed the first infected to charge her. She pulled out the sword and cut another one's head clean off. A third charged her with an old wooden baseball bat. He swung an overhead. Taylor sidestepped to the right and overhead swung into the infected's head, which cut down to his neck. The 4th one started running as soon as he saw his 3 friends drop like flies. Taylor put away her sword and sniped the infected right into the chest. "Now that's out of the way...you ok?" She asked the girl.

 

[Amelia White]

"The initial breakout.. Not really. I mean, I know it happened.. Weird.." She says, looking around as if the wildlife would give her the answers she seeks. Everyone in the city knew about the virus but no one talked about how it was started or how it came this far. Inside the walls, there was only the city, the rest destroyed. Lo thought for a moment. Something didn't make sense to her. She's been on so many runs with so many destinations, how come she's never heard anyone talk about the start of it all? There had to be a start, and she's older than the city is so why can't she think of it? It feels as though it's on the tip of her tongue but she just can't make it out.


With her thoughts interrupted by Taylor dragging her to cover, she covers her mouth to prevent any noise from escaping her lips. Listening to the commotion, her hands slowly switch from covering her mouth to covering her ears. It had only been a couple minutes in the infected lands and yet she's already been exposed to the anger that comes with the T.A.V. She could still hear the shouting through her hands, it terrified her. The sword piercing its victims, the shift in the air as someone threw a punch. She's never been this close to a fight, she's never witnessed someone die, nor did she want to. She shuts her eyes tight and waits for it to be over.


"You okay?" She hears Taylor say. Slowly opening her eyes, she lets her hands fall to her sides. "No, I'm freaking out." She says, panicing slightly. "I'm infected, so I'll either die soon or live in pain for the rest of my life. I was just thrown out of the only place I knew. Some people just tried to kill us and I don't have my damn pills." She rambles on, tears building in her eyes. Lotus hates feeling scared and helpless, but how could she feel otherwise? For all she knows, she could drop dead in a couple minutes. Forgotten along with all the others that lost their lives to the virus.


@TeaMMatE11

 

[ArcticViolin]

Amber Greene

​

"He's infected!" The poor man in long-sleeved, khaki shirt and jeans coughed ferociously, drawing blood from his already inflamed throat. It has not been that long since they were airborne that one of them had started to show symptoms. Blood had sputtered across the person who stood in front of the man. Soon, panic ensued.


"Land! We should land right now!" yelled one the passengers.


"We can't! There's no landing zone and it's too dangerous around these areas!" the pilot responded.


Bodies swiveled in panic as the sight of blood permeated the surrounding area. Flailing hands tried to drastically contain the infected man but to no avail since nobody really wanted to go near him.


"Confine him at the back!" one suggested.


"Our supplies are there," another countered, "We can't have those contaminated!"


"Get this blood off of me! Get it off of me!" The other man who was sprayed with blood knew the protocol but was taken over by worry and panic that he started to touch his face with his bare hands and rub the blood on one of the seats.


"You said you checked everyone!" A lady in her mid forties was now crying hysterically. Drowned in tears and with her sanity taken over by anxiety and panic, she grabbed a knife and started to launched towards the infected.


"Stop her!"


"Are you mad, lady? Stabbing him would only make things worst!"


"What makes this any different, then? Do you think we can get out of this situation alive? We're only halfway across the Pacific!" The enraged lady continued to wave her knife, but this time, it was directed to anyone who would oppose her.


A click of a gun was heard. "Stop your bickering or you'll meet your doom right here, right now." The man with the cowboy hat stood firm with his gun pointed at the troubled souls. His voice was calm yet strong, exhibiting his authority over the others. His position near the cockpit added to his advantage and helped with his assessment of the situation.


"Jim. You are infected."


The quiet crowd turned their eyes to the infected.


"Roger, you have become infected."


Roger's eyes could only grow wider at the realization of it.


"You two will be quarantined at the back. Constraints will be placed but it is for everyone's protection, including yours." Then tipping his gun, he added, "Protocol." He gave the others a glance, "Everyone else who came too close to both of them, check yourselves. Any stains or blood residue should be reported." He eyed the mad woman who had now reduced her hysterics to semi-controlled sobbing. "We're not killing anyone here. We'll wait for the next symptoms to occur then we'll go from there."


The sound of raging water can be heard from afar. The hunter who lay flat on the ground had opened her eyes to a brand new day. But nothing was new; nothing was grand except for the magnificent falls that arose before her that was once famously known as the Niagara Falls. "Another dream," she said, sitting up, "But it wasn't as bad as the last one." She shook her head, hoping to drive the images away which had stayed with her ever since their crash landing. The same dream but different parts of the crash visited her almost every night. Taking her belongings, she quickly did an inventory, a habit she developed when she started her journey. "All here. Good." The altered map that now lay in front of her had several markings and one of them, with big X on it, was the Last City. "I should be there within a week, provided I keep away from the infected and don't encounter other problems." Sighing, she folded her map neatly and put it in one of the outer packets of her backpack. She took in the view from her spot before taking another step, on her way to what was left of New York.