Among The Ruined: Cottonwood Falls

Pedro Antonio Rosario - Chase County Courthouse
"What happened?" That question kept running around in Pedro's head. It was like a mouse, hiding whenever he turned to face it. He knew he had to get out somewhere. Now that idea was like the cat. It'd face him, and dare him to even question it, if he were willing to suffer the consequences. His mother had told him something when he was a kid. What was it? It was fleeting.

He'd hit a man. He remembered that. The man retaliated. Something hard. A punch? Or a kick? Pedro couldn't even remember what had hit him. What was he doing? Was he stupid? Just going around starting fights! Like a pendejo. That's what he was. He wasn't a enchinchador, because he got involved. He was a stupid bolsa.

"Mijo cuando e' que tu va a entende' que tu no puede' hace' eso." That's what his mother had said. (Translation: When will you understand you can't just do that?). Pedro had started a fight, and he'd had consequences, he remembered that. "Te gu'taria que te hagan eso? Yo lo dudo mucho. Como tu cree' que se siente ese muchacho? De'pue', te queja de que te tratan mal." (Translation: Would you like others to treat you like that? I doubt it. How do you think that boy feels? Then, you complain that others treat you bad.)

This was a mess. He had to solve it. Pedro remembered trying to restrain the man, so he could perhaps avoid any more damage, but it just went on. He couldn't really do much. He'd fought a lot before, but this guy had more experience. That was obvious.

What else had happened? Pedro was now lying on the ground. The attack that woke him up had been like a truck, he felt something funny around his nose. He checked for any broken bones. The guy'd hit hard, but Pedro had defended alright. Nothing was broken, not even his nose.

He breathed in. He had panicked. He lost his temper, no, he lost his mind. He had to compose himself and get out of there. There was a nuclear blast. It wasn't safe. People ran around him, and many threatened to stomp him, but some godly kept them just away enough from him, perhaps the police.

Pedro tried standing up, but he felt like a wreck. Did he really not have any broken bones? He checked again, no. All muscular then, he'd walk some of it off, he knew, he also knew he wasn't walking anywhere in that condition. "Come on boy, move." He winced and spat as he sat up. Not blood, although it felt like something cut in there. "Move." He stood up, and for a second felt like he was going to fall. He clutched at his side and managed to stand, despite the hoard of people running into him.

He needed some way to get out. Not walking, he knew that much. He needed a ride. He looked around and knew what he'd find. Nothing. It was a small town, most people walked everywhere. From the corner of his eye, he saw metal glint, and the image of a motorcycle imprinted on his eyes. The girl eating noodles was almost an afterthought. Something in the back of his head told him that wasn't right. People aren't an afterthought. If he isn't one, then no one should be.

He limped over to her, thinking of what to say. He'd never seen this woman in his life, he couldn't just ask for a ride. Yet, sure enough, when finally managed to catch his breath and limp and even jump on a leg on occasion, he reached a respectable distance, and said. "Hey," He spat again, and now he thought he saw some blood. "Can I get a ride?"

@MrCalcium
 
Theodore Ivankov - Cottonwood Falls General Clinic - John Irving (@-QT-) Malia & Mason (@Mr.Scales ⚖ ) Aurora & Liam (@Wolverbells )

The kid had some balls, saying straight to his face that the sheriff could've maybe knocked him down on purpose. Theodore snorted, peering down at his leg as the kid's mother tried to make amends for his words, though it didn't seem to matter much within the next few seconds, with the lights going out and all. Of course, this was Cottonwood Falls. Nothing fancy about their power lines and generators. He wasn't exactly phased. "Ah, should be back up in a sec. Doubt it's anything serious."

How silly those words would seem in a few moments.

The chopped up response on the radio was all he needed to follow the others, pushing through the door of the clinic, only to be greeted by a plume of smoke in the distance. He could've sworn that his heart rate hadn't been so high a moment ago. His mouth opened, but nothing came out, and soon enough, more chaos was beginning to unfold, another officer running over whilst the mother and her child spoke. Theo could swear, he'd never spent so long just... Staring. But staring would have to wait, seeing as another pair was making their way over, as if there weren't enough people crowded around the clinic as is.

Sheriff Irving took charge, but he didn't mind. He supposed putting himself to work would be better than standing and waiting for another explosion to go off. Reaching out a hand for Malia, he gestured for her to come closer so he could inspect her wounds briefly, before quickly disappearing back into the clinic once more. Running up the stairs proved to be fruitless, since his grandfather was not in bed, like he always was. He tried not to think about it too much. He'd return soon enough, yes? He was probably just on a morning walk; a kind passerby would help direct him and they'd find their way back to each other.

It would be fine. Those words would become his mantra.

Grabbing a gym bag he'd found laying around, he stuffed his entire first aid kit in, alongside an ice pack and a bottle of water. It was a bit chunky, but if they were skipping town for their safety for the time being, he'd need all he could to ensure the woman was patched up. Sliding his phone into his pocket, he made his way back out, locking the clinic doors and pressing a hand ever so lightly on Malia's back. "Your arm isn't looking good. I need to bandage your head too. I can treat you before I drive you and..." he looked over to the kid for a moment, trying to remember what they'd said, "... Your brother home or uh, somewhere safe. Looks bad out there."

Taking a moment to glance at the mother and son duo, he opened up the gym bag and cracked open the first aid kit to pass them a bandaid. "You guys need anything else from me before I get to work on this arm?"
 
Marichel Rozario-Pacheco - Chase County Courthouse - Damian Wale (@Akashi)

The world as they knew it slowly descended into chaos. She'd never seen such a mess in Cottonwood Falls: it was a quiet town with quiet people. Fights were rare and petty theft only seemed to come up with strangers. But this, this was a stroke of madness that seemed to have hit everyone. A fight broke out somewhere, though she was too busy trying to keep her siblings together to even pay attention to it. Chel pushed through the crowd, lowering Renata from her shoulders to her chest, simply carrying her since she was small and easy to trample in the crowd. Ximena and Luna stayed close behind, though she could hear the beginning of a panic attack in Ximena's choppy breath.

Renata, now put off by all the yelling, clung to her sister in an uncomfortable fashion, "What's happening? What's wrong?" Chel would've answered, had she not been knocked over, taking Renata with her. The stomping of feet did not have enough mercy to ignore her hair, making her yelp when the sharp pain hit her scalp as she scurried back up, helped by Luna. Renata took the hand of the sheriff, grabbing onto him since Chel had fallen. In the mess of it all, it was hard to hear him, but Chel nodded, pushing her siblings in his direction to motion that they needed to follow him.

She needed to get back to mami and papi for sure. She could handle herself in this mess and perhaps Luna could too, but the streets were no place for Renata and Ximena when people were literally fighting and screaming.

They were soon passed off by the sheriff to a vehicle, to which Chel peered into cautiously. This... Did not seem safe. Though she trusted Sheriff Irving to not send them off with someone dangerous, she didn't like the idea of putting her and her siblings in a vehicle with someone they did not know. Regardless, time pushed on and she'd have to, whether she liked it or not. They needed to get home. Getting all of her siblings in first, Chel was the last to enter, getting her seatbelt on. "Um, thanks, sir." she said curtly, now fixing her ponytail, since it had gotten stomped on earlier. The pain lingered, but it was nothing compared to the worry that was creeping up on her now. They'd have to make do with whoever this was. "I'm Chel. The Rozario-Pacheco's kid. Siblings are Renata, Ximena and Luna." she introduced them briefly, just to be polite as he started driving.

"Our parents are probably still at the farm. You can drop us off there." She hoped he'd at least give his name. Sure, the smiles were slightly reassuring, she supposed, but he was still a stranger to them. Luna was whispering to her siblings in spanish quietly, attempting to calm them herself, letting Chel do the talking with the man. She gave him a nod when he stated he needed to grab something from his house. It made sense, since everything was such a mess right now. He was going to take them home, so it wasn't like they were in a position to complain.

He returned after a few minutes, and Chel nodded once more. "We're on the edge of town because of the farmland. Just drop us off on the side of the farm and we should be okay walking to the house."
 
Ellis Park -- Home, Emporia & Chase County Courthouse -- Pedro @Zackymas

Ellis lookd up as she saw the crowd get a bit rowdier with speeches of both the men. It was getting busier and of course there were some people who were trying to push each other around to get closer or because they just had different or opinions. Or that is what she thought. It was only when she saw people look in the same direction with an expression of shock that she realised what was happening. She saw the huge cloud and her heart rate went up drastically, her hand squeezing into the box of food in her hand.

She saw fights break out as her ears had a ringing sound, not from anything that she heard but this all just seemed... so unreal. She started breathing more heavily, but tried to remain as calm as she could. She shook her head and knew she had to get out of here but... no movement. She just couldn't bring herself to move at this moment, as if her feet, her motorcycle, as if her whole body was being pulled down by another force. But she had to get home.

She was about to leave when she saw a man walking over to her. He was clearly in bad condition and she was hoping he didn't mean any bad business. As he got closer, she recognized him as the guy that ran the bakery, but she had never actually spoke to him at all. When he reached her, he asked her for a ride. She nodded her head, throwing her food to the side into some shrubs, revving up her motorcycle. "Y-Yeah, you can get one. You're the guy from the bakery right? Name's Ellis. Lets go to my place first so I can pick up some stuff and then we'll go to the bakery. It's best to stick together in this situation right?"

She waited until he'd get on, hoping he had a good grip despite him being clearly injured, as she sped off towards her home. She avoided the people running rampant across the street, nearly avoiding multiple colissions. When she got to her house, she said nothing as she stepped off her motorcycle, turning it off and taking the keys with her. Never knew what people would do. She ran inside and began running around her home, grabbing whatever she'd need. She put clothing, shower supplies, a comb, her phone charger, a bag with 30 grams of weed, stuffed all the way beneath her clothes, rolling paper and a Browning Hi Power, also stuffed to the bottom.

She ran downstairs, grabbing a hiking backpack. She put some cooking supplies in it, including a frying pan, a boiling pot, camping cutlery and a portable stove with 3 gas cans. She then ran to her garage where she put some canned food and bottled water. She ran back outside and looked at Pedro signaling him to get ready. "Better be safe than sorry right?" She started up the motorcycle again, racing towards the bakery as well as she could in this crowd.

When they got there, she parked in front, looking at Pedro with a worried look. "You have a key right? We have to get off the streets. These people are becoming rowdier with the second and we don't know what else is about to happen. And can I put the motorcycle inside for so long?" She stepped off, turning the motorcycle off again as she held onto the bags she had with her.
 
Pedro Antonio Rosario - Marisa's Bakery

Pedro held on to dear life. Any other day, that wouldn't have been so necessary, especially recalling how people drove bikes in his country and how he, as a passenger, would have to hold on to the bike's back rail instead of the actual driver, since that wasn't considered proper. But today wasn't a normal day. Today, he was beat. Today, a maldita nuclear bomb had exploded dangerously close. Of course that anywhere from where he could see it was dangerously close for his taste.

The girl, who'd introduced herself as Ellis, drove the motorcycle skillfully. Pedro was surprised he hadn't met her before, in such a small town. She'd lived there for a long time, but she didn't go out much, and when she did, she spent time in the nearby wilderness, which explained why he hadn't seen her before. At the mention of nature, some old primal instinct kicked in Pedro, and he asked if she had any pets. Just a ferret named Huck. Pedro breathed, relieved, because she hadn't mentioned a dog. She was an online marketing consultant, which Pedro honestly had no idea what to even ask or think about in anything even remotely related to that, so he didn't ask. He'd replied instead with his own work experience, which was limited to baking, and management, of a bakery.

When they arrived at Ellis's house, Pedro was relieved once again, he realised, because he didn't see any dogs around. What a silly notion, she hadn't mentioned any, yet he couldn't believe it until he saw it with his own eyes. Pedro pinched himself. He had to focus.

The bakery was closed than Pedro's place, and he did have quite a few things there in case of emergencies. He was worried about the other bakers. What had it been of them? There was still no signal, yet he knew he couldn't just go out for them. He had a short temper, but that didn't make him stupid, what happened earlier didn't make him stupid. He repeated that to himself. There was still no signal, no power, no way to contact his brother. Frailin was a big man, there was no need to worry, he could take care of himself.

"Okay, you can save your bike here," Pedro opened the door. "But don't you dare scrape the floor with its tires." He scolded with his finger pointing down. He had to go to the back of the counter, that's where he kept the emergency sack. In it were a first-aid kit, a change of clothes, a flashlight, and a pack of batteries. He'd have to go to the back of the bakery to get bread. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled like a whale on mating season. It was awkward, and he could but laugh. Laugh, in this disaster, still paining, he laughed. It was a good laugh. A needed laugh. "Coño me hacia falta eso." He winced. He quickly realised he'd said that in spanish, which Ellis most likely couldn't understand. Some people found that rude, and he didn't want to be rude. "Oh sorry, that got away." He felt he needed to apologise, not only for the spanish, but because he'd cursed in front of a woman. He remembered how his Marisa had whooped him more than once because of it. His father condemned it too, and just now did he realise that that was a little sexist. He was either going to curse at everybody, or at nobody. Old habits die hard.
(Translation: Fuck, I needed that.)

@MrCalcium
 
Damian Wale - Cottonwood Falls Streets (Marichel - @PavellumPendulum Mari - @Hell Hound Woof )​

Driving through the streets of Cottonwood Falls, everything seemed off. One moment they were having a debate about picking the next mayor in town, and the next moment, people were trying to get away from the town because of the big mushroom cloud. Damian wanted to find his way back to his family, but for now, he had something else he had to take care of.

Once the eldest one from the four girls introduced herself, he knew who they were. Or at the very least, knew of them. "I'll get you and your sisters to the farm." He re-assured Marichel.

"But you are positive that your parents are not in the city? Where you not with them just now?" Damian had to be sure. He couldn't leave them alone if that was the case. He was not the type either. He wanted to get them to their family.

"We can do one last drive through the streets of Cottonwood F--" Before he could finish his sentence, a teenager almost came in front of his car. He pressed the brake pedals, making the girls behind him move forward all of a sudden. "Hey!" He raised his voice. "Stay in the car.."

Opening up the door to his car, Damian stepped out. He had to make sure that the teenager or whoever it was, didn't get hurt. "You okay?" He asked again, carefully walking forward. Once he laid his eyes on the teen, he continued.

"You should be careful. Now's not the time to be around the streets." Was this teenager also without parents? Were they alone? What were they doing there? So many questions ran through Damian's mind. There was a lot to process, but he was used to adapting to a situation, but not the suddent mushroom one. That one was a mystery for now.

"Where are your parents?"
 
Aurora Miller | Cottonwood Falls Clinic to the Miller Residence | Theodore Ivankov – Malia & Mason – Liam Miller


Voices from outside began to fill the silence that had taken place after the explosion. Only the sounds of the gentle breeze along with a few birds near by we audible until people began to snap out of their states of shock outside. Jane hugged her son tightly, forcing him to mold to her body as she watched people outside lose their minds. Not soon after, a young woman with a boy around Liam's age ran in, claiming something about an accident. Jane had little to no time as she was watching the town citizens began to turn violent. She was looking for a way out, a space between the mayhem in order to be able to make a clear run towards the truck.

"Mom, that's Mason… he goes to my school."

Jane looked down at her son, then glanced over at the young boy who was helping his sister. She glanced at the doctor as he helped the two that had come in after and shook her head to let him know that they were not needing his help anymore. Looking back at the people running around, Jane frowned as she realized that Liam's friend and the young woman probably didn't have a working vehicle to get home. With a deep inhale, followed by a long exhale, Jane cleared her throat to get the attention of the young woman. She offered her a small smile before speaking, making sure to put her hair up in a bun as she was doing so. "Hi, I know we don't know each other but my son goes to school with Mason…. I wanted to offer you a ride, although it might not be back to your place. I have a house a few minutes from here but it is on the opposite side of the town so it's further off from the explosion. You're welcome to stay there until we figure something out?"

Jane was never one to offer first, but seeing the young woman injured and Mason's worried eyes, she couldn't help but put herself in their shoes. The young mother waited until she was given the okay by the two, Liam quickly going over to stand by Mason's side. Jane followed suit and went to wrap an arm around the young woman, hoping that she would accept the physical help. "My truck isn't far from here. We need to move quick so the madness out there doesn't trap us. Boys, both of you will stay directly in front of us in so I can keep an eye on you and so you can be at a hearing distance in case plans change."
@PavellumPendulum @Mr.Scales ⚖​
 
John Irving - Cottonwood Falls Courthouse - Everyone

Approximately four hundred Falls' residents attended the debate, many still attempting to exit the courthouse street. With only one outlet, the jam-packed horde of man failed to retreat in an organized manner. Their inability to cope with stress locked them at the center of town - all exit strategies becoming futile. People that reached their vehicles however ran their neighbors over in an attempt to flee. Watching cars and trucks trample helpless civilians was horrific. One doesn't realize how fragile the human body is until they see something like that. For John the brutal reality at hand was gut-wrenching, but not being able to help was a nightmare turned reality. John found himself tormented by his inability to stop anyone from these acts of terror. At points he even felt himself expressing the exact barbarism as the crowd, punching the guilty and shoving the innocent away in self preservation.

Suddenly however to everyone's surprise, the skies roared overhead as though bombs were dropped above them for a second time. John's eyes gazed upward, watching as the blue grew darker than ever before. An overcast had reached them faster than anticipated, thunder drumming as lighting grew from its form. The flashes of light and booming cries sent the residents further into panic - elevating their already-aggressive state of being. As their fear multiplied, all of their humanity escaped them. Bullets started flying left and right, bloodshed growing instantly. Alarming howls echoed with the thunder, John trying to reach them as fast as he could but failed to navigate the crowd. His skin grew red as he pushed and shoved through the mountain of man, but to no avail. He then felt a drop of water crash against the nape of his neck. Reacting physically, he dragged his palm over the base of his neck and brushed off the wet spot. Looking at his hand his eyes widened at the black fluid draining down his wrist. "Hurry! Everyone get inside!!!"

His demands however were ineffective, the black rain was here and the people failed to heed warning. John quickly realized the situation was getting away from him - without backup or an entire group of men there was no stopping the madness nor Cottonwood's damnation. William Stan was nowhere to be found and their town lacked the local authority. Without wasting any more time, John rushed through the crowd and started forcing individuals to listen - one by one. "You need to get inside now!" he'd yell in the frightened faces of women and children. Not many people knew what black rain was, but watching enough history channel taught a person a thing or two. The black rain a form of nuclear fallout from the explosion. It carried radiation over from the targeted location. Like in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, if Cottonwood did not get indoors and isolated themselves from any exposure, their fates would be worse than death. "Get inside!"

Feeling another rain drop hit his shoulder, John picked up speed. He started forcing his will on women and children - forcing them to local shops and indoors. The rain picked up even more, his shirt slowly dyed black. He felt every droplet crash against him, the fluid heavier than normal rain. "Get inside!!" he'd echo as the rain picked up ferociously. As his persona became drenched in black, John felt his legs strengthless - all that running for an old fool like him was catching up. He bent over, placing his hands over his knees to catch his breath - the rain clashing against his back and running down his belt line. With every breath, John inhaled the poisoned rain. He knew his fate, but wasn't about to condemn everyone else the same - he had to save as many people as he could, that was his duty. Lifting himself back up he continued. One by one he would get as many people indoors as possible. The screams of fear were coated by the downpour. The peaceful sound of rain put John at ease as he battled to save the town.

Tags @Wolverbells | @PavellumPendulum | @Hell Hound Woof | @Zackymas | @Mr.Scales ⚖ | @Akashi | @MrCalcium ​
 
Ellis Park -- Bakery -- Pedro @Zackymas

Ellis was just finishing up with putting her motorcycle in the bakery when she heard a loud sound. She looked up to the skies, thinking some kind of other bomb had been dropped but she saw what it actually was. The skies became engulfed in dark clouds as thunder roared through the loud noise of the crowd outside. It was followed by long streaks of lightning coming down to try and strike the earth. She watched as chaos unfolded on the streets. She quickly closed the doors and sighed in relief, being glad she avoided the mess outside.

She laughed at Pedro when he apolagized for his stomach growling in front of her, or for the Spanish, whatever it might've been. "Don't worry about it. Just be glad we are inside, who knows wha..." It was then that she looked outside again and it began raining. Of course, that's why there was thunder and lightning. The black rain. She quickly turned to Pedro with a rather nervous look on her face. "I need you to shut all windows and doors, and turn off any ventilation systems. We can't have the nuclear fallout from outside come in here and we have to minimize our risk of breathing any toxic air from outside."

She couldn't do much without any keys so she just waited for Pedro to take care of it. Her priority was feeding Huck, he must be scared in such a situation. She took Huck out from her jacket's pocket and put him on one of the tables. She took a waterbottle from one of her bags and filled the cap with some water, taking out a some cat food and putting the small pieces next to the bottlecap, as the ferret began calmly eating and drinking.

She herself sat down on a chair next to that table, checking her phone once again to see no signal. "Man we really are just stuck here right now aren't we?. I guess we have to hope our military comes to help us soon. Though I guess they might not even know this place exists." She laughed. It was a laugh with a tone of sadness but she kept her head raised. "I just wish I could help more people. But I can't. It's too dangerous out there and I know doing something reckless is the worst thing. But the desire to do so is so strong..."

She hung her head down and sighed a bit, looking at the ferret still enjoying its meal. She refilled the bottlecap every now and then and took sips from it herself. Was humanity truly coming to its end? Or was this something else?
 
Pedro Antonio Rosario - Marisa's Bakery

"Nuclear what." Were the first words to cross Pedro's mind. Without thinking, and holding a loaf of bread in his mouth, he followed Ellis's orders. He had little idea of what was actually happening, or why was it raining black, but if he'd learn something from horror movies, it was that when something seems dangerous and out of place, it most likely is. There were only a few windows on the back, so it was a quick job.

His heart raced when he saw two black drops on the shutters, so he took the rag they used for cleaning, and used it to close the windows. It smelled odd. He didn't want to know what that smell was. He finished with the ventilation, and sat on the floor, relieved. He took a bite of the bread he'd carried in his mouth. It was still soft, the day's last batch. He eyed curiously, thinking about the last time he actually ate something produced in the bakery. Sure, he'd bake his own bread at home, but never eat what was made in the bakery, that was for selling. "Never get high off your own supply," he whispered, remembering some drug dealing movie he'd seen a while back.

"How do you even know about this stuff, anyways?" He asked Ellis, and pointed the bread in her direction, offering some. He'd never heard of black rain. If that happened back in Santo Domingo, they'd call it witchcraft from San Juan. He chuckled at that. He checked his cellphone again, still no reception. He wondered where was his brother. He hadn't seen him in a few days now, he'd gone down with his kids to Disney or something like that.

At the mention of being stuck, Pedro remembered. The delivery truck in the back. "Well, not exactly," he said. "There's a truck we use for big orders, the keys are next to the cash register, the AC works fine, and it still's got some gas." But, it was in the open.

@MrCalcium
 
Tania Hunsucker - Main St - Damian Wale, Marichel & Siblings
(A few minutes earlier)​


Tania had sat and watched as her father drove himself further into the crowd until eventually she couldn't see him. Whatever his plan was she was sure he would come back. As she had been watching things seemed to escalate. Something had happened towards the center of the stage that caused the crowd itself to swell as people backed away. Tania thought a moment about the chance of it having been her father but dismissed it. He wasn't dumb enough to start a fight here surely. It must have been a heart attack or some scene of the like. The crowd was dispersing now. Many members of the populace all seemed to be moving independent of each other. Priorities in hand with family or friends in tow. Some had taken to looting now in an effort to hopefully secure something before they fled home. All this over a bomb, she thought to herself. This wasn't how her family would have acted instead they would find a way to work as a group.She felt pity for them. Immediately after the thought struck she shouldn't pity them anymore than herself. The only one of Tania's family that wasnt states away was her father. A man with a severe shortage of communication skills and a surplus of malicious intent. She was in the same boat as the rest of these poor people. Sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle provided her an observational feeling of the goings on. Tania felt the simple detachment a thin layer of glass can provide was just enough to protect herself from her own panic. Even still the firearm clutched in her hands served as backup. Outside the car people sprinted past just close enough that she could hear the heaving breath.


Without looking down to her hand she realized she had cocked the hammer back. Staring out the window the level of detachment she had felt began to deteriorate. As panic crept so did her fingers. Gingerly she traced her index finger along the trigger guard to find its place. A gaggle of people made their way down the street, seeming to be a larger family. As they neared her index finger curled around the trigger anticipating whatever was to come. The group hurried past the van in an effort to get to their homes. She heard a woman shouting at her children to stay close then the same voice further down the road less intelligible this time. Looking into the side mirror Tania could make out the group dispersing, she shifted her eyes front to the crowd, then back to the mirror the group was gone. With a sigh she relaxed the grip she had on the pistol then looked down to her phone where it sat between her legs. She thumbed the home button only to be disappointed by the No Service message promptly displayed in the top left of the screen. She entered her password then tried calling her mother. Nothing.


"Coño," Tania spat before squeezing the phone harshly then tossing it onto the dash, "Where are you Dad…"


She couldn't sit here forever. People were running around lawlessly. Even if her father was planning on coming back he could be side tracked. Anything could happen to a man like him. He could be hours even if he wasn't sidetracked. The ill formed nature of her father's plan was apparent now. What was he going to do?


"Fah-reeeek-king idiot…" Lamented the idiot's daughter.


She set the gun on the dash as she let out a shaky breath. Her right hand faced down as it came to meet the upward facing left in front of her stomach. The fingers of each curled to interlock the hands in a meditative stance. Closing her eyes she cleared her throat then began breathing slowly. Escalating the depth and draw of each breath slightly each time until finally she was calmly breathing. A deep breath in… then a deep breath out… one final breath in. She opened her eyes. With fervor in her movements she raised herself from the passenger seat then climbed into the back of the van. In the back on top of the bed sheet she saw her purse with various items spilling from it. Deciding to be as efficient as possible she made short work of accumulating her things by sweeping her arm across the bed. Climbing over the mattress that covered the back of the van's cabin she snatched the strap of her purse. In one swift motion she pulled the bag in front of her while stuffing her things into the open canvas cavern. She bounded from the bed and checked herself in the rear view mirror. Her hair wasn't messed up as she was expecting it to be but it still fell freely around her head. then The little bit of make up she wore around her eyes had left eye a gray blotch her left eye. At some point she must have smeared it. Tania stuck her tongue out then ran her index finger over it. She rubbed the smear some to loosen the mascara. Afterwards she hooked her shirt collar with her thumb then used it to wipe her face. Checking the mirror again and this time satisfied she readied to exit the vehicle. She took a knee in the back facing the double doors on the side of the vehicle. Tania reached out to open one of the doors then stopped herself. She looked the the revolver sitting on the dash. The clean stainless steel finish of the barrel just barely catching what little light there was coming in from the windshield. Through the glass she could see the crowd swarming the streets now. People breaking into stores all along the street. She knew she couldnt leave a weapon just perfectly displayed on the dash for someone to see. Leaning into the front seat she reached to grab the pistol with her left hand. With her right hand she opened the glove box then shut it almost immediately. Tania knew if she left it her father would be furious. Looking out the window again she considered the fact he was probably right to have given her the gun. The gun was stuffed into her purse hastily before she stood with her back bent in the back of the van. Placing one hand on the door then the other over the handle she let loose one more exasperated sigh. She turned the handle and pushed outwards as she stood on the outside of the vehicle. She looked down the road behind the van where she'd seen the family disperse. Not a soul in sight. She considered walking that way for a moment but then reminded herself she needed to find her father. Turning to the opposite direction she saw a man running down the street at her. The man stood easily a foot taller than her moving at a speed that could easily have bowled her over. Her right hand shot into her bag desperately trying to clasp the pistol. The distance between the two grew shorter. In her panic Tania began fumbling around in the bag incapable of finding the pistol. She looked down as she reached her other hand inside trying to dig to the bottom of the canvas sack that hung from her shoulder. The man's feet struck the pavement close enough to hear now. Tania's eyes darted up in time to make eye contact with the man as he passed by. He gave her little more than a cursory glance. As he moved further down the street she took a breath. Relaxed at least for the moment she began walking down the street towards the crowd. Among them she heard allot of commotion about things that seemed to be unrelated. Random things. Every person had their own priorities. As she weaved through the crowd she noticed a distinct lack of evidence to where her father could be. Looking around she seemed to stand entirely alone while everyone else ran to something. Looking around she started to realize her father was nowhere to be found. She couldnt stay here.


Tania whipped around trying to get her bearings then spotted the stage she'd seen earlier. She began making her way to it in the hopes her father had figured out a way to talk to whoever it was in charge. Stages with podiums typically meant important people. She applauded herself momentarily as she began a jog to the stage. She looked around hoping to spot her father nearby. No sign of him but nearby she could see an unconscious man being helped to a car. The teenager hoped her father had nothing to do with it but the odds were in his favor. It could have been anyone in all this chaos. She made her way across the lawn of the big building that seemed to be the center of town. She came across to a pair of stairs that led to street level from the elevated lawn of the Chase County courthouse. Looking down the street she saw cars parked on either side. No sign of her father. She looked down the street adjacent to her both ways and scanned the crowd for any glimpse. Down the street in front of her crowds of people were gathering at one store in particular. People rushed in then rushed out clutching things in their hands. She couldnt be sure what was happening in there but she knew to steer plenty clear of these strangers. Beginning to worry now Tania decided to run. She began running down the adjacent street with her head jerking at the slightest sound or movement. She had cleared a block now. Two. As she she neared the next intersection she began to realize how hard she was breathing. Crossing behind a tall truck bed she entered the intersection just as a car came down the street. Looking like a deer in the headlights Tania screamed and threw her hands in front of her in some feeble attempt to save herself. She winced in preparation for the impact as the squeal of the vehicles tires on pavement resounded. Looking into the car she spotted a long blonde haired older man then children in the backseat. Bewildered Tania stood there staring with her mouth hung slightly agape. The man exited the car to ask if Tania was okay and to warn her about being out. She would have laughed if she werent so unnerved. Tania's next words fell from her mouth without thinking.

"I um..." Tania tried, then the man asked her about her parents, "I don't know, I cant find my dad anywhere. I just left the car to go find him and he's only been gone like 20 minutes. I dont know what to do now I just need to find him. Have you seen a tall guy with long hair and shades, kinda mean looking?"

As she spoke her words became hastened and more frantic. The panic that had buried inside her began to swell as she tried to explain her situation rationally. In her head none of it was rational. This was so beyond the norm. After she described her father to the man she noticed the pair looked strikingly similar. If not for the fact this man were cleanly put together with a nice car he could easily have been related. In her head she knew that was too far fetched to be true but any semblance of connection right now was something. Judging the man superficially he seemed to be good.

@Akashi @PavellumPendulum
 
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Marichel Rozario-Pacheco - Cottonwood Falls Streets - Damian Wale (@Akashi ) Tania Hunsucker (@Hell Hound Woof )

Everything would be fine. Even if it wasn't she'd have to pretend it was, since she was the eldest. She was older, more capable of holding it together. Her siblings? Renata was a child. If Chel couldn't put on a brave face for her, she wouldn't be able to stay calm, she knew. The man was still talking to her, trying to confirm that her parents were at the farm rather than the town. She sighed, nodding, "They didn't care about they election so they stayed working on the field. Trust me." she stated, a bit annoyed that he wouldn't just take her word on it, but she supposed he didn't know her. Double-checking was fine and all, but considering the situation, she just wanted him to get the four of them out of the town as quick as possible. She couldn't plan until her siblings were safe with her parents.

On another note, he hadn't told them his name yet. It was a bit suspicious and all, and though she did not want to doubt him, it certainly was odd that he'd just taken their introductions and given nothing in return. She'd opened her mouth to ask, but before she could even get a word out, the car came to a halt, with the man jumping right out after almost hitting someone. Chel couldn't blame him, seeing how much chaos was out on the streets. Driving was a nightmare.

But this wasn't the end to the chaos.

A thundering noise came from the skies, making Chel and her siblings stare out the window, confused. A sudden rainstorm wouldn't be the most surprising thing in the world. After seeing that giant puff of thick smoke in the distance, she was certain that anything was possible, but... The rain was black.

Renata cried out, confused and scared, burying her face in Luna's chest. "It's alright guys, don't worry." Chel reassured them, though it was obvious that she was not in control of the situation, "Mantén la calma. Estoy aquí ." Reverting to spanish was the easiest way to keep herself intact. They needed to stay calm, somehow.

She just hoped the man would get back in the car soon. There was no telling how dangerous black rain was.

(Translation: Stay calm. I'm here.)
 
Damian Wale - Cottonwood Falls Streets (Marichel - @PavellumPendulum Mari - @Hell Hound Woof)​


Another one? Someone who was left by themselves during the commotion? Damien was at a loss of words at first. The young girl he almost crashed into was by herself. "I haven't seen anyone like that." He responded. To be fair, he had no idea who it could be. His focus was on something else after that nuclear bomb.

He also was not the type who could just leave her there by herself. From what he had seen thus far, he knew that the town wasn't safe. "I can help you find him." He took a step closer to her. Turning slightly to his side, he looked at the girls inside his truck, before returning his attention towards the girl before him.

Damian extended his hand for her to take. Perhaps the young girl had a hard time trusting a stranger like him. Before he could encourage her or re-assure her in anyway, a droplet of rain landed on his hand. Gazing it at,he could see that it was black. His eyes squinted ever so slightly. Black rain?
Followed by the nuclear bomb, this must be related. He knew quite well what that was.

"Come on! Now! We need to get somewhere safe!" Damian raised his voice, walked over to the girl. The rain picked up. "Shit!" He grabbed her by the arm, before pulling her with him.

"We need to find shelter from this rain. It's not safe. I'll help you find your father after the bad weather." Damian did not know how to exactly explain it to her. He could be blunt but that would only confuse her.

Damian and the girl rushed to his truck. Getting inside, he looked back at the others. "Listen, stay inside the car. It's not safe outside. The rain is carrying radiation!"

"Alright girls listen! I can't get to the farm, not yet. I can't promise that this old truck can keep the black rain away. To be safe we'll have to find a place to stay. Until the rain is over." Driving with not four, but five girls now, he drove into the driveway of a simple house.

The rain had picked up, and if he had to do something, he'd have to do it really quick. "Wait here!" He opened up his car door and ran to the entrance to the house. Turning on the doorknob, it did not open. He balled his fist and slammed on the door a couple of times. "This is not good."

Damian had no choice at that point. He was about to kick in the door but someone opened it up. "Damian!? IS that you?" A familiar voice on the other end. A friend of a friend. "Rick?" Curious, he knew the man behind the door.

"You don't mind me coming inside?! Need to get away from the rain."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't mind at all."

"Thanks!" Damian turned around and beckoned the girls to come out. Walking up to the car in a hurry, he opened up the door and helped them all inside. Once they all rushed back inside, Rick was confused and curious. What was going on?

Damian walked up to each and every girl too see how much of the rain was on their body. Luckily, they weren't as wet as him, but he wasn't exactly that wet either.

"Its the rain, Rick.. The black rain. It's filled with radiation. It's not safe to stay outside. Not now, not for a while because of the nuclear bomb."

"Damn it all to hell!" Damian really wanted answers. His radio was not working for some reason. There was no response from the other side. He was pacing back and forth in the house.

"Alright, alright Damian.. I'm just glad you're safe" Rick added.

"Yeah, thanks."
 

John Irving - Cottonwood Falls Courthouse - Everyone

Cottonwood Falls received more rain in the last five minutes than it seemed to have accumulated in the past month. The black rain smeared death all over the town's 'family-oriented' heritage. The streets became vacant as townsfolk escaped the downpour and found shelter in their surrounding shops. Even with hazed vision, John could see the local buildings fully stocked with pedestrians. He sighed in relief as his chest tightened - making it difficult to breath. He caught a cough in his hand and noticed blood running through the creases of his palm. He coughed again, this time with an aggressive rasp. His throat felt dry like sandpaper and his chest continued to tighten gradually.

Slowly he started to lose feeling in his hands, a light tingle running through is veins as though absent blood. He felt himself unbalanced, looking down at his feet to blame them for his inability to walk in a straight line. He watched his legs shiver, but he wasn't cold. Again he felt his chest tighten, his body growing with pain. He coughed aloud, blood escaping him. What was happening? Dragging a foot after the other, he moved towards the grocery store - the streets were empty so his job was complete. He smiled at his success, but he didn't feel his face make the gesture. His jaw had gone numb and he started to feel pinching in his abdomen. He hunched forward, back rounding like a hunchback - the pain grew unbearable. Again his chest pulsed tight, seemingly crushing his lungs. He coughed. "Dammit.." he cursed, dropping to his knees.

He fell forward but was unable to catch himself - he'd lost feeling in his arms. With his face against the pavement and a puddle growing under him he started swallowing water right outside the grocery store. He rolled his eyes forward watching pedestrians contemplate the decision to save him. They feared the consequences of stepping in the rain and seemingly would not do so to save a life. They simply stared in awe, waiting for an absent hero to save the day.

John tried to yell for help, but only mumbled as water drowned his voice. Darkness engulfed his sight and any sounds he could produce. He could no longer see his potential saviors and was finally feeling the outcome of death. In less than a minute Sheriff John Irving's soul took its last breath and left the earth. Unfortunately his canvas remained and citizens walked out of that grocery store to meet his limp body too late. To their surprise John returned to the land of the living admits his death. His soulless corpse forced itself to walk among the ruined. His blurry eyes crazed at the sound of chatter. His claws thrusted in attempt to rip away at the flesh of his enemies. Water flushed out of his lungs and out of his mandible as he gnawed at the civilians.

With an uncontrolled flash step, John shot forward and drew blood. He ran his teeth into the forearm of one of the men in his proximity. The individual let out a painful howl, tripping backward in an attempt to flee. John fell with the man, landing atop his feeble body. With another bite he tore at the man's neck, chomping all the meat he could manage. The remaining crowd freaked as some rushed back into the grocery store and others attempted to free the poor man from John's animal instincts.

Inside the grocery store people continued to watch in awe - frozen and silent. Bloodied coughs from multiple occupants spooked the crowd even more, forcing them back outside into the fray. The panic that had receded ensued yet again. People rushed back out of the neighboring stores and reinstated the riots. Individuals mirrored John's state of being, dawdling about the crowd with open chops. The moans that these 'creatures' produced echoed amongst the crowd. One by one individuals dropped at the hands of these beings. Fighting them appeared useless as they would simply rise back up everytime - unnerved. Cottonwood Falls had become ground zero - nearly the entire town had been exposed to the radioactive rainfall. Sooner than later those windswept by the radiation would die and return…

---

The Next Morning - Basement (Cottonwood Falls)

"I need to get the hell outta here!" Mr. Mitchell announced madly, hitting Santiago in the leg with his wooden cane. Santiago jumped back in response to the aggression, moving away from the crazy old man and closer to the others. "Calm down Mr. Mitchell, Tai will be back soon, I promise," Santiago assured, trying to stop the continuous demands. In the past week Mr. Mitchell's alzheimer's symptoms intensified, but when fully conscious of his surroundings a cane-full rage manifested. The other basement dwellers kept their distance from Mr. Mitchell - Takeshi (Tai) on the other hand seemed to be the only one from crew that could calm the poor man. Unfortunately for Santiago and the gang, Takeshi was on a supply run and would not return for at least another half hour.

"Mr. Mitchell, please…" Santiago started, kneeling next to the man's seat. He however was struck again by the infamous cane, this time on the shoulder. "God dammit!" Santiago cursed to himself, walking back towards Ellie and Roger. "He's not listening," Santiago told the others who nodded in agreement. Roger moved away from the crew towards the remaining supplies. His basement supplies were originally for his personal survival in the case of an emergency - meant to keep a single person alive for a couple of weeks during the event of a natural disaster. He however was not prepared to what had become of their little town.

"We haven't heard from Tai in a while now, should we reach out?" Ellie asked Roger and Santiago - Mr. Mitchell yelling in the background. "No, not yet. He said an hour, it's only been thirty minutes. We have to wait, preserve the battery life on these things," Roger insisted, doing his best to keep the walkie's operational for as long as he could. Without functioning cell towers or internet, communication was almost impossible. Fortunately for them they had a set of two way radios with decent radius to stay in touch - a luxury many out there did not have.

On the other end of that radio was Takeshi Akihiko, a dentist from Kansas City who escaped the nuclear disaster just in the brink of time. He found Roger and the others in his way into Cottonwood Falls, just as the bomb went off. After the rain cleared Tai was the one to leave safety to see what had become of the town - a way to repay them for their hospitality. He currently heads towards the courthouse to witness the aftermath.​
 
Ellis Park -- Bakery -- Pedro @Zackymas

Ellis looked at the bread for a bit and took off a piece, beginning to tear smaller pieces as she fed herself and her ferret. She looked at Pedro and shrugged a bit. "The van is definitely an idea. We could bring along some food, water and other supplies easily, I could load my motorbike into the back if we absolutely need a getaway in the more narrow areas. He also asked about why she knew so much about what was happening. "I have always been a very enthusiastic survivalist, since a very young age. I would go out with my dad into the areas around here to go camping or hiking and the hiking is something I still do every day as it keeps my head cool and it lets me enjoy the earth around us. I also watched a lot of documentaries on this sort of stuff so I am very knowledgeable about it. Though to have it happen now just seems... crazy. I have no other way to describe it. It's scary and I wish it was all a dream. Maybe once this is all over I could sh-..."

It was a very abrupt sound that would turn Ellis' head towards the window to look outside. It was the terrified screaming of the citizens outside that made her turn and look. She saw a man drop dead onto the ground because of prolonged exposure to the black rain. What happened next though would terrify her. She saw the man slowly rise from the ground, and his face was full of hunger. Hunger for blood, as if a primal urge had awakened within him. She saw him lunge at another man and bite into his face. The man that got bitten was screaming intensely and she could only hear his screams fade as the risen man was finishing him up.

She turned to Pedro and shook her head a bit, her face having turned very pale. "I-I... think we should sleep for tonight. As much as we can. Tomorrow we should try and get out of here, or I will try to at least, you can do whatever you think fits you best. I-I just need some time to myself right now..." With no other words or looks towards Pedro, she went over to the chairs and moved some against the wall. She took her jacket off and used it as a pillow, lying her head on it, closing her eyes, and trying as much as she can to catch some sleep.

~~~~

The next morning, Ellis woke up quite early. The sun was still rising and she felt like she had awakened from a very bad dream. However, she as she looked outside of the window of the bakery she had slept in, she saw dead bodies on the ground. The rain from the day before had already stopped but it was clear that the whole place was in shambles. The streets were empty, but she saw no more risen people walking around. She sighed in relief and looked at the ferret that was sleeping on the table near her. "Goodmorning Huck..." she softly whispered, pressing her lips on its head. She took a bottle of water from one of her bags and also took out a small pouch with a powder for an electrolyte drink from her bag as well. It had a cherry flavour and it was as simple as adding it into the bottle, and shaking it.

She walked over to the counter, looking at the loafs of bread. She just picked a half loaf of wholegrain bread, using a breadknife to cut off some pieces. She wasn't sure if there was anything like cheese or anything of the sort so she just ate the slices of bread as they were. It was good bread and it felt great to eat along her drink in the morning. She sat back at the table and waited for Pedro to come over to her. Perhaps they could discuss plans to leave today, or at least find some other survivors.
 
Pedro Antonio Rosario - Marisa's Bakery

Pedro was in awe, just listening to Ellis's exposition, and wondering to himself, how could one actually get interested in that? Sounded so friggin' crazy to him. It was all good and dandy, until he heard a scream. He'd heard it just a fraction of a second before Ellis, but that's all that was needed. His eyes saw a compound of elements which he understood as individual concepts, but their amalgamation in a single image was something that he just couldn't process.

There was a man. Okay. The man was dead. Okay. The dead man rose. No? The dead man walked over to a not-so-dead man. No?! The dead man bit into the not-so-dead man. And he screamed for help. He was bleeding, bad. On instinct, Pedro touched his nose, a ghost of the punch he'd received before.

A part of him wanted to help, but he couldn't quite move. He couldn't quite think. He could feel himself slipping away. It was happening again. He was falling in shock, again. No. No he wouldn't. At least not in the same day. God, please, don't. Ellis talked about sleeping, and Pedro could only nod, not like he'd gotten anything other than "sleep" through his stricken mind. As Ellis fell to slumber, Pedro kept watching. His eyes were glued to the pair outside. He was seeing a man, a dead man, eat another man, devour, another man.

"Mijo! Pero que tu 'ta' 'ciendo?!" Pedro could remember that. He knew that. It was the voice of his mother. "No mire' eso que te va' frustrar! Eso no e' de Dio'".
(Translation: "My boy! What're you doing?! Don't look at that! It's devilwork!")

Pedro blinked, and realised the dead man was no longer there. Instead, the other man had been opened up, and all his organs had been dragged out. Or what was left of them. It was a carcass. Pedro felt an acid taste in the back of his throat, and rushed to the restroom. He opened the toilet, and vomited. He felt all liquids in his stomach leave his body. He looked down at the yellowish green liquids in the toilet, and frowned. "That used to be inside me. Just like that, flesh, was inside that man."

He walked back to the front of the bakery, and realised, it was already nighttime. Many a few people walked down the street. And a glimmer of hope shone in his eyes as he realised it was all back to normal! They could go back to their lives and act like this was some horrible nightmare. It'd been a horrible nightmare, there was no bomb and no dead people and he was alright and-.

He hit his own stomach, and somehow, his body allowed the punch through. All oxygen left his body, and he gasped for some, and he realised that it wasn't a horrible nightmare, or rather, reality had become so. He could see the people walking down the street, and their chests didn't rise as they breathed, their skin was pale and anemic, and they limped slowly. Their eyes were empty. And something deep in Pedro's head said "Están muertos, están todos muertos, pero todavía no lo saben."
(Translation: "They're dead, they're all dead, they just don't know it yet.")

The man wasn't lying on the street anymore, he was walking with the others. Pedro walked to the back of the counter, and hid."God, please. I've never been much into you, nowhere near as much as my mom, but please, please…" and he realised, he didn't know what he wanted. "Just please." He wept.

The following day​

There were bags under Pedro's eyes. He'd slept, yeah, like four hours. He was up about an hour before Ellis, most of the "people" (if they can still be called that) outside had moved on. There were still a few around. Although still a coward (and he knew it), Pedro had tried to throw something from the Bakery's roof to the other side of the street, and see if they'd notice it. It was a spoon. He'd thrown it to a bush, as far as he could. The spoon made its cling sound, and the "people" looked in that direction, stopped for a second, and then just moved on. He felt as if his heart would leave his body in an angelic ascension to some untold heaven. He remembered a breathing technique he'd learned in singing lessons, and calmed himself down it with, sending the air as deep as he could into his body, breathing deeply, and slowly.

By the time Ellis was up, he was simply sitting on a chair, looking at the outside. "Good morning," was all he could say.

@MrCalcium
 
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