*~Xorax~*

[Jadewoof]

Sign ups here: http://rpnation.com/index.php?threads/xorax.13576/#post-500888


Luna batted her eyes gently, the darkness of her small quarantine forcing her in to thinking it was night. She begrudgingly sat up and took her hair out of the messy ponytail, growling as she shuffled to the door. It must've been night, otherwise the Day Crew would have been banging on her door, demanding her to come outside. She cracked the door open and peered out, shocked to see the sun peeking over the horizon. Waking up at dawn by her own free will was a new experience. She allowed the door to shut again as she stared at the stack of clothes in the corner. When they were taken by the Day Crew, they were allowed to take a couple of outfits (after they were scrubbed raw). She slipped out of her nightgown and in to a simple sweatshirt and leggings. She didn't bring any designer shirts or expensive jeans like some people did, she preferred much more to be comfortable. Luna quietly stepped outside, not bothering to shut the door behind her. The only ones outside were the Day Crew, frantically rushing around like there was no tomorrow. She seated herself on one of the logs by the fire pit, leaning her head on her hand. They were ordering her to do things that she couldn't quite make out, so she simply scrunched up her nose and ignored them. She sighed as she began to crave her bed terribly, it was gonna be a long day.

 

[Nanashi]

Delilah paused as she walked out into the sunlight.


She stretched for a moment and looked around, originally thinking no one else other than the Day Crew was awake, she was rather surprised to see a girl sitting by the fire pit.


She went over to the fire pit, sitting on the log next to the log the girl was sitting on, and looked at the girl for a couple of moments, debating about whether or not to engage her in conversation, launching a long internal monologue about the pros and cons of this potential conversation.


Biting her lower lip, she looked at the girl for a minute or two, even after she had decided the pros outweighed the cons of starting a conversation, before finally opening her mouth to say one word :


"Hello."

 

[Sen Pai]

Axel





Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, a man wearing a very interesting looking gas mask was fiddling around with his white hoodie. "What if they don't like white?" Underneath the mask, Axel bit his lip and glanced over to the pile of clothing that was being made on his bed. None of them worked! Axel zipped the hoodie up and decided to take a risk as he stepped out into the sunlight, only to hurry back into the washroom. "Red's probably better."





A few minutes later, Axel finally emerged from the washroom, putting on a bunch of hand sanitizer all over any of his exposed skin. He wasn't going to risk catching an illness. Standing awkwardly in the shade, Axel's eyes widened when he realized that the shade was the perfect temperature for bacteria to multiply! Jumping out into the burning sun, Axel released a sigh of relief as he could already feel a bead of sweat trailing down his neck.

 

[Plume]

(I love Axel, he's just. . . ajnlas,mfenkbj,)


Marcel sat up quietly, awareness came with the dull taint of reality. Blinking the last wisps of sleep from his eyes, he pulled himself from his bed, the rough wood of the floor chaffing the underside of his bare feet. The room was dark, but his eyes had adjusted enough to make out the shapes blank walls, devoid of color and energy. It was things like this that made it hard to stay positive, he was used to color, warmth, family. The memory of his sister, with her head of soft golden curls, and his mother, her kind smile that resonated; it was too painful. Grasping the edge of the chunky wooden table strewn by the bed, he breathed sharply at first, then let the air soften until he felt level headed again. Remember, you're not dead, you're not alone. There are people just like me out there, I need to stay positive, everything could be a lot worse.





Picking his glasses from where he'd left them on the table, he quickly changed into a loose fitting sweater and a soft tan pants. Leaving his feet bare, he stepped out of his quarantine and across the clearing to where the washroom was. He hastily washed, aiming to finish before the night crew returned and the now empty clearing would become more crowded and loud. The sun hadn't risen yet, leaving the sky varying tones of gray. Marcel had always been a morning person, he loved the cool, satisfying air. Smiling, head turned upwards to the sky, he dug his toes into the chilled soil as the first few of his peers began to awake.


Retreating to his quarantine, he started rifling carefully through the possessions the day crew had allowed him. It wasn't much, but it was something, he was grateful to have anything in this situation. More than anything, the items he'd grabbed were more sentimental than practical; a few bits and ends that could survive being sterilized. "I wish I could get my hands on some paint," he whispered thoughtfully, eyeing the blank walls.


Leaving again when he heard the ruckus of the day crew, he stopped curiously when he spied Axel. Is he ok? Why's he jumpy like that? Approaching him, he knotted his hands behind his back, eager to get to know his new collective family. "Are you alright?" He chirped, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. "What's the gas mask for, are you sick?" He asked, concerned. "I'm Marcel by the way," he added, offering a hand.

 

[Jadewoof]

Luna flinched, dropping the lock of hair she was twirling in her hand. She expected no one to be awake at this early hour, but clearly people were considering someone was greeting her. She pulled a fist to her mouth and cleared her throat, pretending that she was never startled. "Hey." She muttered with a quick head nod and quickly turned away. The Day Crew were suddenly swarming, huddling around everyone like ants on candy.


"Hello, we hope you've slept well." One announced, his voice nearly audible. "After research conducted by the Night Crew, we've realized that the ability to get the disease lies within the puberty cell. That is why even though most of you have come in contact with the disease, you didn't contract it. We fortunately have a chemical that will basically prevent you from ever hitting puberty. If you don't allow us to give you this 30 day treatment, you will be allowed to leave to die a painful death." He finished, pulling a clipboard up to his face to closely read the text. "It's an okay cost to pay to prevent you from dying, so come with me. We have a nice tray set up just south of your-" Suddenly, vomit began to leak out of his gas mask, making him shudder and fall to his knees. Instantly the Daw Crew began to panic, a few picking him up and carrying the sick Day Crew member off.


Luna began shaking, covering her mouth in fear. Her bravery was suddenly out of her system, flying away and hiding in a corner. The smell of vomit and blood began to fill the area, forcing her to gag slightly. The remaining Day Crew standing there didn't dare to even move an inch.

 

[Lori Williams]

Xavier woke up to the sound of feet shifting on the ground and got up startled. He looked around to see some other teenagers that looked his age or younger. When he looked in front of him he saw a beautiful girl (Luna). He saw her shaking and walked over to her. "You okay?" he asked and held out his hand. "Xavier. Xavier Johnston." He said and managed a smile, but it was kinda hard to. Everyone was having a hard time smiling.


Kathleen woke up to see her sister beside her. She looked around and realized that she wasn't at home in her silk bed anymore. Kathy gently shook her sister. "Kassandra. Kassie, wake up." She said gently. "C'mon, you gotta wake up." She said. Kassandra shifted in bed. "Tell the cook to hold the bacon." Kassie said half asleep. "We're not at home anymore." Kathleen calmly said, and Kassandra shot up faster than a bullet. "Where are we?! Where's mom and dad!?" She said loudly. Some people stared, but she didn't care. Kassandra started to tear up a bit. Kathleen hugged her. That was what sisters were for, right? After a bit explaining Kassandra calmed down, remembering what had happened the other night.

 

[Plume]

Before Axel had a chance to respond to Marcel's greeting, the conversation was disrupted before it even began as a voice dominated the clearing. He listened attentively as the man gave the double sided news, Marcel recognized him as one of the people responsible for rescuing him from his house. "That's amazing, we're safe now that we can't get sick," he thought out loud, feeling the weight of hopelessness that had been slowly sneaking up on him lift to allow the smile playing on his lips to grow. "Maybe this means they can find a cure, and nobody else has to die," he muttered excitedly to no one in particular.


Suddenly, a sticky liquid oozed from the respirator on gas mask, a slow dripping that quickly escalated into a dense chunky spray laced with blood. The man began to convulse as he lost control of his muscles to the sickness. Marcel forced his gaze away, feeling bile rise in his own throat. When the reeking sour of illness hit his throat, he retreated hurriedly to a nearby tree and emptied the contents of his stomach. It wasn't much, nobody had much of an appetite lately. At least he knew it wasn't the Xorax making him puke. Why does this keep happening? Once we finally start hoping again. . . He gathered himself, hesitantly turning back to the scene as a few members of the day crew dragged the poor soul out of the clearing. What if everyone except us kids die-? His chest cramped painfully in fear. How will we survive all alone?

 

[Jadewoof]

Luna stiffened, gently shying away from his hand. "Luna." She muttered, raising an eyebrow. She refused to get close to people, everyone she met had died. A member of the Day Crew stepped up, clearing his throat obnoxiously. "We have all witnessed a case of Xorax. Xorax only comes from direct contact, so all of you must have blood drawn along with a thorough cleansing. Come." He finished, turning on one heel and walking off.

 

[Nanashi]

Blood drawn? Delilah sighed, she knew it was odd for that to be the thing she was focusing on, considering the fact she'd witnessed her family die from Xorax not long ago, but she absolutely hated blood - she hated seeing other people get bloody wounds, even bad cuts, not even to mention the fact this would be her own blood- so this would be an especially unpleasant experience for her.


She rose from the log, though, knowing it was best not to argue with the Day Crew, and began to follow them.

 

[Lori Williams]

Xavier wanted to argue, but followed, not wanting to be beat to pieces. He began to follow them, annoyed that they were treating them like crap.


Kathleen and Kassandra stood up as well and started to follow the Day Crew. They were scared and still couldn't believe that they weren't at home with their parents. Kassandra followed close to her sister, due to the fact that she was the only person that she could trust.

 

[Plume]

Still feeling lightheaded and ill, Marcel followed the Day Crew member hesitantly, in a perpetual clenched state, as if he were still flinching. In the back of his mind, he saw this man becoming ill as his peer had seconds before. I thought we kids were all immune? Never mind, it's still important that we find a cure, and if I can help with that, who am I to complain about the methods? He trailed the man, running his violently shaky hands through his hair. Marcel hated the strong chemical that burned at his skin every time they were cleansed, the thought of having it done again made his mood and face drop in disappointment.