And Then There Was Darkness

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Charlie Vasilyev

Ferocious Beast
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per day
  2. One post per day
  3. 1-3 posts per week
  4. One post per week
  5. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
Hahaha...life likes to mess with this so ya know...depends
Writing Levels
  1. Beginner
  2. Elementary
  3. Intermediate
  4. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Female
  2. Primarily Prefer Female
Genres
Realistic, War, Apocalyptic, Modern, Futuristic, Family, Post-Apocalyptic
[stabs=bcenter|3000x3000]

{slide=POST|center}

JANE

Jane hugged her knees in the corner of the old mini-mart that she and Jason were using as shelter now. It was empty, the windows were broken and everything was gone. A couple days ago this would've been the worst place to be, but now that it was fully raided it was probably the safest place. Practically everything was gone, the back rooms had been raided anything useful and even the useless stuff had been snatched from the shelves. There wasn't even toilet paper in the bathrooms!

They'd found a can of Spam under a shelving unit and a crushed bag of Funions by the cash register. Also there'd been some useless weird toy things that were broken also. Glass was all over the floor, the cash register was tipper and broken. There was no money in it any more. It was funny if you thought about it. Money had from practically the most important thing to get something to useless chunks of metal and wads of paper in just days...hours really.

Jane wasn't thinking about that right now though. She was having one of her increasingly common panic attacks. She bit her nails and rocked in the corner. She always felt angry and stupid after these episodes. She didn't know why she had them, she just always had. Random things seemed to trigger them. She wasn't sure if there were triggers or if her brain and body just decided 'Screw it! I'm gonna freak out today! Yeah that'll be fun...'.

Jane struggled to breath trying to calm down, trying to make herself stop panicking before Jason got back. He would worry more if he knew how frequently her attacks were happening.

She was hiding in the backroom with the few supplies they had. Mainly the spam, Jason's knife, the Funions, some cigarettes and beer that Jane had taken from her house, and a lighter. There was also Jason's bag, he had some stuff he hadn't shown here. Jane had a small backpack that had some personal stuff for her in it too.


CARVER

Carver leaned back in the old recliner. They were in the lounge room or what used to be a community center. They'd managed to gather a good amount of supplies just because their group was a good size and was made up of mostly strong men, there were a couple women though. Carver was the second youngest. The youngest was 14 year old Dusty. The boy was the youngest cousin of Tyson one of the head members of the group. He was a strong boy and a good thief.

Carver lay back tiredly. He'd been on gathering patrols all day collecting good water and what he could find. He got up and lit the few candles in the room with a match. was off duty, but still had to keep up their sanctuary. He lay back on the recliner and pulled the thin wooly blanket over himself. He needed to catch some Zzzs.

He was exhausted, but it was still hard to sleep. Since the blackout everything had changed. You couldn't even fully trust your group. Everyone was struggling. At least in the country there was food and water they could get at. In the city was whatever you found.

Early tomorrow morning Carter and some other were going to be sent to attempt to fish while others would be sent to the outskirts of the city to hunt. It would be dangerous. If you were seen with food or getting food there was a high probability that you would be attacked. This was why Carter wanted to get plenty of sleep so he would have energy tomorrow morning.

{/slide}

{slide=DESCRIPTION|center}14 July 2017

An EMP struck the USA. We in the city of New Orleans were stuck first as far as we know. All electricity is out, the hospitals are broken, the cars won't run except for a few really old clunkers. The nursing homes are depressing, no one can be there to take care of the patients anymore. Those with mental problems roam free. Same with the institutions and the prisons. The boats won't run either.

We were hit 10 days ago. Ironically on our country's birthday. There was been no communication with the outside world since then. The riots are getting more and more violent.

Some have tried to escape out to see with sailing vessels. We haven't heard from those people. Some fled to the country and swamps in hopes of finding better living conditions. So far no help has come. The fleers have stolen have of the old cars that actually worked.

Many government officials fled too after yesterday when the riots were the worse. Those that are left are now trying to figure out how they will live now.

We don't know when the power will come back on or if it will. But we are American...We will live, we will survive, we will thrive.



The above transcript is a diary entry found decades later in the wreckage of an old school, it was a middle school and the writing looks like that of a 11-13 year old.
The writer of the diary is unknown, the rest of the entry was ruined by falling rubble and a lot of the small book was burned. It is unknown if the writer survived the Independence Day Black Out.
America is still rebuilding itself, but that is beside the point.

Our story picks up the same day of the above entry. A teenager who became an adult the same day of the blackout must learn to survive in this new world while not losing herself.{/slide}


{slide=CHARACTERS|center}
Name:
Beau(Bo) Carver Rickets

Nicknames:
Carver, Beau

Age:
18

Gender:
M

Looks:
Carver is half Jamaican half American. His skin is a warm milk brown. He generally has busted up knuckles and arms from fighting. He has scars on his arms and chest from fighting also. His hands are calloused.
Carver stand at 6'2". He has a strong build, slim, not buff, but strong looking.
Carver's hair is black and he keeps it short but it sticks up a bit because of how curly it is. He has stubble on his jaw and face most of the time.
Carver has dark brown eyes that have swirls of amber in them. They are surrounded by dark eye lashes and topped with normal eyebrows.

Wears:
Carver generaly wears a plain coloured tank top and camo or plain cargo shorts. His shoes are a set of blue and gray sneakers with laces that have a bunch of knots in them because they've fallen apart a lot.

Personality:
Carver's a tough guy. He prefers to be around people and doesn't like being alone as much. Carver is ADHD, he has a short attention span as has seemingly boundless energy. He tries to remain positive, but has a temper and gets frustrated easily. He isn't the brightest and is rough around the edges, but he's a nice boy when he tries.

Short Bio:
Carver lived in Jamaica until he was 16 when his father took him to the US to 'start preparing a home for the rest of the family'. His mother though American lives in Jamaica and hast away soon after Poppy was born.
Carver's father was a drunk and left Carver to do most of the preparing for the rest of the family. They'd travelled a lot until they came to this city broke and starving when Carver was 17. He and his father lived in the shelter while Carver worked to earn enough money for a home.
After the EMP Carver's father died while trying to storm a liquor store. Carver fell in with a group of young men trying to survive and joined them. He traded his father's stash of cigarettes to be able to join and work with the group.

Other:
-Because his mother was an American citizen Carver is an American citizen.
-Carver's education isn't high. he skipped school a lot to help his family in Jamaica and was never good at paying attention in class.
-Carver is fluent in sign language because he was born with a speech impediment.
-A lot of his younger siblings have disabilities which is one of the reasons he wanted them to go to American where they could get good help for them

-Spencer has Autism and doesn't speak.
-Noah is blind
-Rosie has Down Syndrome.

-Carver wanted to join the US navy before the EMP.

Family:
Parents-
Nathan Max Rickets (Father)
Abigail Naomi Rickets(Mother, formerly Rash)
Siblings-
Charles Elliot Rickets (13, younger brother)
Spencer Reggie Rickets (10, younger brother)
Daisy Alice Rickets (9, younger sister)
Rosie Eleanor Rickets (7, younger sister)
Poppy Olivia Rickets (5, youngest sister)
Noah Kai Rickets (4, youngest brother)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Name:
Jason Aris Ventri


Nickname(s):
N/A

Age:
16

Gender:
Male

Looks:
Jason has short cut jet-black hair that often almost had a blue tint to it. He has dark brown eyes with a black ring around the iris. He had a slightly muscular build from daily runs and routines, his 5'6'' frame coming from his father's American bloodline and his thick jaw and broad muscles more from his mother's Russian bloodline. He weighs around 140 pounds and though not always the fastest, can carry a good amount of weight.
Wears: Jason typically sticks to grey or navy cargo shorts and a polo t-shirt, but sometimes he'll wear jeans and a hoodie of it's cold. He wears leather combat boots that were his grand father's on his mother's side when he's in jeans, and simple black Nike's when he is in shorts. He had a locket with a picture of his sister and his mom.

Personality:
Though very friendly, Jason sits about in the middle between an introvert and an extrovert. He tends to keep his emotions and thoughts to himself, but he likes making new friends and meeting new people. He is protective of those he cares for, but he tends to stray off the safe path himself.

Short Bio:
Jason was born in America and spent the first six years of his life with his father, who worked as a journalist. Jason loved to play catch on the weekends, as his father worked from home. When he turned 6, Jason went to Russia with his mom to see their side of the family. He stayed for about a year, learning a lot about his heritage and his mom, but missing home. Jason moved back to America with his father and mother, moving next door to three children. He almost instantly became friends with the oldest brother, but his twin sister didn't seem to take much of a liking to him. They hung out a lot and Jason slowly found out that their father was actually a very abusive man, despite how nice he seemed. After a bit, they had a younger sister and Jason didn't get to see his friend Kyran as much, but was surprised when Kyran suddenly stopped coming over. The day he went to check, he found their father beating Lily and that was when he learned Kyran was sick and dying. The news devastated him and he went to see his friend in the hospital. He promised to take care of his sisters... And he upheld this promise as well as he could intil the night Lily disappeared. Jason was panicked, taking close attention and care to Jane afterwards, wanting her to know he was always there. His mother moved back to Russia with his younger sister of about a year named Marrionette. He stayed with his father and a year later the EMP hit. His father died of disease when they couldn't find a doctor and he left his house to help Jane.

Family:
Parents-
Drake G. Ventri (Father, 48~ Dead)
Sveta Yukia Ventri (Mother, 46~ Unknown)
Sibling(s)-
Marrionette Amineva Ventri (2 years old, younger sister~ Unknown)


Other:
-He is not always bright
-Allergic to penicillin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Name:
Liliane Kanya MacGrath

Nickname(s):
Lily

Age:
18

Gender:
Female

Looks:
Lily stand 5' 6'' and 115 pounds. She is thin and fairly fast for the seeming lack of muscle on her body. She had dirty blonde hair that is cut fairly short, almost a layered bob cut. She has startling cat-green eyes with little blue and gold flecks. Her skin is an olive tan in the summer, getting just a little lighter in the winter. Her looks tend to follow more her father's gene pool, accented by her naturally straight hair and heart-shaped face.

Wears:
Typically Lily wears black jeans with rips around the knees and a black tank top under a sky blue plaid flannel. She prefers tennis shoes, more specifically asics. She constantly has a pair of aviator sunglasses, as the sunlight gives her a headache because she's photo-sensitive.

Personality:
Shy, introvert, but she hides this behind a mirage of toughness and a pretend cold heart. She craves being loved and protected, but tends to hide her true nature around most people for fear of being hurt. She is overly protective of the few she holds close, but can be distant when she feels emotional, as she feels uncomfortable sharing her emotions with anyone, especially family.

Short Bio:
When Lily was little, her grandfather died. This caused her mother, already physically disabled, to become mentally unstable. Because of this, the handling of family affairs fell to her father. Her father was unable to handle the pressure and took it out on his kids, starting with the two oldest, Lily and her twin brother, Kyran. Kyran tended to take most of the beatings, as he always tried to protect Lily and got himself on their father's bad side. This went on for about 3 years when Kyran got really sick. Things started to simmer down as Lily and Kyran spent more time with a new neighbor next door. His name was Jason and he was best friends with Kyran. With the twins being gone more often, their parents decided to have another child. The first four years were fairly solid. Their father tried to take care of Jane, the younger sister, and when he got abusive, Kyran would take Lily and Jane to Jason's house to hang out and protect them. Then, Kyran got extremely sick. The doctors couldn't diagnose him and within three months of his 11th birthday, Kyran passed away. Lily was thrown into a deep bout of depression by the passing of her twin brother, and Jason was no consolation. He came over to help with Jane and try to resume Kyran's job of protecting them from their abusive father, but he just wasn't around enough. This abuse and depression went on for several years before, on her 17th birthday, Lily ran away. She left early in the morning, leaving Jason a note to care for Jane, and heading north. She started her 'new life' in a new state and a new town under the name 'Lily Siel' and lived there for about a year, rebuilding her mental state and actually enjoying life.

Family:
Parents-
Sophea Akara MacGrath (Mother~ Dead)
Adrian Murtagh MacGrath (Father~ Unknown)
Sibling(s)-
Jane Ramsey MacGrath (11, younger sister~ alive)
Kyran Leap MacGrath (older brother~ Died at 11 years old)

Other:
-She Can be clingy and has depressive mood swings
-She is Paranoid and fidgety
-She is self conscious


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Name:
Jane Ramsey MacGrath

Nicknames:
Janie, J.R.

Age:
12

Gender:
FM

Looks:
Jane has a nice slightly olive tan. She took more after her mother than her father. Her hair is black and slightly wavy. It's cut short so it brushes her ears and is slightly thicker on to. It's slightly spiky especially is she doesn't comb or wash it. It generally looks a little greasy from lack of washing.
She has dark brown eyes with flecks of green in them. She has similar facial features to her sister which is one of the only things that makes it look like their related. Her eyes lashes are dark and and thick and her eye brows normal.
Jane is a small girl standing at barely 4'7" and is slightly thin. She is underdeveloped a little flat chested. She has scars from being abused mostly on her legs and back.
Her nails are ragged from biting them.

Wears:
Jane wears a set of overalls normally and plain v-neck or a t-shirt with the sleeves ripped off. She hates shoes, but if she has to wear them she has a set of blue converses high tops that are dingy and pretty messed up.

Personality:
Jane has pretty severe anxiety. She's always had it, but right after her sister left she had a full on mental break down and everything got worse. She get's frequent panic attacks and struggles with trust and connecting with people.
She tends to be a loner and only has one friend. Jane is extremely loyal however if you break her trust it is almost impossible to rebuild it. Jane does have a sweeter side, she's very good at medic type stuff and can be very loving if she wants. She can feel very lonely sometimes.
All in all Jane is pretty messed up for a 12 year old.

Short Bio:
Jane had two older siblings, twins. Their father was always extremely abusive towards all the kids. Their mother had various mental and physical health issues so while she wasn't a bad mother she wasn't exactly there most of the time.
Jane was never good at making friends. She loved her siblings dearly and when her brother died her panic disorder got worse. After her sister abandoned her with her father Jane had a full on mental breakdown. Her only other friend was the only reason she didn't hurt herself.
A week after the EMP her mother committed suicide. Her father disappeared a few days later. Jane was alone in the house for about two more days before her friend found her and took her under his wing trying to help them both survive.

Other:
-Jane has panic attacks and anxiety. She also has possible OCD and PTSD.
Jane was sexually abuse, but hasn't told anyone about it.

-Jane's mother was on narcotics and various other medications and drugs during her pregnancy which is one of the reasons she seems mess up.

-Jane ingested a large amount of her mother's pills as a toddler because she found them and thought they were candy.

Family:
Parents-
Sophea Akara MacGrath (Mother)
Adrian Murtagh MacGrath (Father)
Sibling(s)-
Lily Kanya MacGrath (18, older sister, Kyran's twin)
Kyran Leap MacGrath (Died at age 11, older brother, Lily's twin)
{/slide}[/stabs]
 
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LILY

Liliane 'Lily' silently trekked along the side of the road. She had a nothing but the clothes on her back at the moment, other than a good size cut on her cheek from a run-in with a thief. The kid was fairly cunning, using a knife to discourage her from taking her bag back. Since everything and gone dark, Lily had fought just to find the backpack and enough food to get her by day by day.. Now she had neither. With a pained groan, she leaned on the side of an old clothing shop, feeling a little dizzy from the lack of nutrients. Did she see someone up ahead...? No.. No one came this way.. Right? She watched a moment before ducking into the store, peeking through the window. Three fairly muscular guys passed by, whispering to keep from drawing attention to themselves. Lily shifted uncomfortably. Maybe they could help her? Probably not.. She sighed.


JASON

Jason sighed when he saw that the pharmacy was empty. He had hoped to at least find some water or something, maybe candy, but the place was empty. He shook his head, hoping Jane was okay. He found himself worrying about her so much now... It always felt like something wasn't right.. Like right now. Jason ruffled his hair a bit as he stepped out, looking around. Would she be okay if he went down the street to the community bomb shelter? Maybe some supplies would still be there? He hoped! He started that direction, hoping Jane would be okay.
 
JANE

Jane slowly came down off her panic attack. She was glad Jason hadn't come back, he worried so much already about her. Jane hated how much she had to rely on him, she felt awful because he did so much for her and she couldn't offer anything in return. Jane leaned against the wall of the store breathing hard, trying to recover from her panic attack.

Jane knawed her nails anxiously as she waited for Jason to return. The child re supposed to be guarding the supplies. She knew if someone tried to take the supplies they'd get them though. Jane wasn't very strong, she knew a little bit of fighting, but had never actually fought anyone. She just hoped no one would check out an already looted mini-mart. Jane dragged the supplies over to her corner so she could reach them easier. She went and peeked out the back door of the small loading room they were in. It was getting dark out, probably evening. Most watches didn't even work anymore unless they were the old style with crystals and gears that you had to wind up.

Kyran had inherited one of those from their grandparents. It was a pocket watch, not expensive, but it was cool because you had to mind it regularly for it to work and the actual cover of the watch had some etchings on. The etchings the names of their grandfather's unit. He'd fought in Vietnam and had all the names of his friends who died on the front cover of the watch and all that survived or were declared missing on the back. On the front at the top was etched the USMC motto 'Semper Fidelis' and on the back around the edge was etched 'Honor, Courage, Commitment', the Marine Corps core values.

Jane hadn't seen the watch for a long time though. She guessed either Lily had taken it when she ran away or her father had sold it at some point in time. Though the first scenario was more likely, the watch wouldn't be worth much before the blast.

CARVER

Carver woke up not long after he went to sleep. It wasn't morning, but he was being shaken,

"Listen up, Carv." It was Dusty, "Hayes got attacked down near the harbor. David and Xavier went to help...it was an ambush...pretty brutal but David managed to get into a corner and fight them back. Their coming back now, get the med supplies it was bloody!" the boy told him. Carver quickly got up, the lounge was bustling. Someone was laying sheets out on tables for the injured coming in. Carver was their defacto assistant medic. He didn't really know medical stuff, but with 6 younger siblings he'd learned how to patch people up.

"Aidan?" Carver called. Aidan was the head medic, she had been an EMT so he knew some stuff.

"Wash you hands, water's been boiled." Aidan instructed Carver, he went and washed his hands before helping Aidan prepare the area. Soon Tyson, Red, and Grigori came in carrying Hayes. Pete and Calev half helping half carrying Xavier and lastly Sammi, a strong tall girl, came in helping David. They wounds looked nasty, jagged stab wounds and injuries that looked like they were inflicted by a bat along with other injuries.

The injured were laid out on the table. Pete, one of the 'medics' because he was a former Eagle Scout started helping Xavier while Carver told to help David. Aidan was working with Hayes, though there wasn't much hope for the poor boy. He was only 16, but he had the worst injuries it looked like and bleeding pretty badly. It must've been a bloody procession through the streets of this once beautiful city.
 
LILY

Lily stayed in the shop as the men passed out of sight. She shifted, looking around. Perhaps she could find something? She stayed for quite a while until she heard yelling outside. She froze, turning to the window. She stood shock still as the men started running back. There were fewer of them now.. She could heard more people yelling. Who were they? She slipped out of the shop, using the shadows to hide from sight. After walking for a bit, she noticed another small group, one of them badly injured. They must have been the people who the guys fought.. She slipped behind some buildings, following from there. She stopped as they disappeared inside a building.
"Hmm..."
She mumbled to herself, slowly climbing a ladder to the resteraunt she was behind, hiding on the roof to observe them. Maybe they could help?

JASON

Searching the bomb shelter was useless. The door was ripped off its hinges and the place was a mess. Jason shook his head, walking back towards the empty mini-Mart they took refuge in.
"Jane?"
He asked as he slipped into the front of the store. It was fairly dark outside now. He slipped inside, looking around, a little worried.
"Jane, where'd you- oh.." He let out a relieved sigh when he saw Jane in a back room.
 
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JANE

Jane had sat back down in the corner of the backroom again. She tensed when she heard someone com in and felt her hands start to shake nervously. Jane bit her lip, trying to keep her breathing normal though she was freaked out. What if it was someone trying to steal their stuff? What if it was a crazy person? What if it was an escaped prisoner? Since all electronics had failed that meant security systems were dead too. It meant everyone could go in and everyone could get out of places previously secure!

A wave of relief washed over Jane when she heard Jason's voice. She felt even more relieved when she saw hm come in. She had to squint in the evening shadows to see him properly. She watched him come in, trying to see if he'd gotten anymore supplies. Maybe he'd gotten some candles or maybe some flashlights. If the batteries hadn't been in the flashlight at the time they might work. Jane wasn't sure, but since the electrical current wasn't running through it at the time it might actually work right? Candles and fire were probably better bets though.

CARVER

Carver worked hard on bandaging up David. They had some old hurricane lamps that used oil and provided a good amount of light hanging from the ceiling. They were also in the front lounge room with the most windows to let in the most natural light. Though it was evening so not much was coming in. Their group had a couple of flashlights, but those were saved for serious emergencies like operations that had to happen when it was pitch black out or when they needed a closer light and couldn't bring a candle close enough. They only had a small stash of batteries that hadn't been fried because they weren't in anything at the time and didn't want to waste them.

Batteries were one of the first things to be stolen and rioted for. Another commodity that went quickly were cigarettes and alcohol. There group had some of those in storage for trading and bribing if needed. Tyson smoked before the blast and so did Pete, but they'd both on cold turkey afterwards seeing the value of keeping the cigarettes instead. If things got super stressful though each of the men had some if they wanted to smoke.


Carver took some string and a needle from the boiling water. He told Pete and Calev to help hold David down as he started to stitch up some of the nastier cuts.
 
LILY

Lily sighed. She felt tired and it seemed most of the excitement was over. She glanced around, debating if this was a safe place... She went to the ladder and nudged it. It was very squeaky and would most likely wake her if someone tried to come up... She looked back at the building.
"Maybe tomorrow.."
She said quietly, laying down and resting her head on her arms, watching the building. She yawned. She hoped they're friendly...


JASON

Jason smiled faintly at Jane as he moved to her side, sitting down. "Everything go okay while I was gone?" He asked softly as he crossed his legs, relaxing. He was glad Jane was okay. He set the small bag he took on supply runs beside him, leaning back against the wall.
 
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JANE

Jane nodded looking up at him. She didn't mention she'd had two panic attacks since he'd been gone. Jane had a small bag of her supplies besides the group supplies she'd been watching. She pulled it over. It was a denim backpack they'd gotten at GoodWill during elementary school. Her siblings had started getting her patches for it when she'd gotten it because she'd been sad about it being so boring.

She had an Autism Awareness patch that was a smiley with the puzzle piece design. Her siblings had gotten her this patch because when she was really young she was developing slower and everyone thought she might be autistic. She also had a black sheep patch, a rain cloud patch, a mushroom patch, and most recently an Animal Adoption patch that Jason had gotten her on her 12th birthday. Jane also had two zipper pulls one metal robot and one lemon with a straw in it. The lemon zipper pull was on the main pocket and the robot was on the top front pocket. The other zippers didn't have cool pulls because she'd broken a tiger one and never gotten one for the fourth zipper.

Jane hugged her bag. In it was just some small stuff she liked, it helped her feel calmer especially on bad days like today. She signed, her stomach growled. They hadn't eaten for a couple days because they'd been trying to go sparingly on the food. She looked over at Jason,

"Can we eat today?" she asked hopefully. She didn't know if Jason had found anymore food than their lima beans and funions, but she didn't care. She was hungry.

CARVER

Carver could hear David gritting his teeth as he sewed up the biggest cuts on his chest and legs. This was so weird. A couple weeks ago Carver had been working for mimimum wage collecting crawfish and other fish. He'd deliver them to the fish market everyday for the vendors and get paid. It's been hard work, but now it seemed easy as he bent over his buddy and stitched up knife wounds. People became brutal after the power went out. It's like darkness brought the animal out of them.

Carver finished with David and they took him to the back to rest. Xavier was also transported to the back. Hayes on the other hand they were still attempting to save. They'd done CPR twice to bring him back and he was fading again. Aidan looked frustrated, she didn't want the boy to die, but she also knew she didn't have the equipment to save him. She stopped work and leaned against the table as Hayes passed away again. Aidan shook her head,

"I can't save him...we just don't have that type of equipment anymore." she choked out. Tyson nodded quietly and ran his hands through her short blond hair. He looked around.

"Get a sack ready. We'll weigh it down, bury him at sea." he ordered quietly. Calev and Red went to get the stuff they needed. Sammi helped Aidan wrap Hayes's body in the sheet while Grigori, Dusty, and Carver started to clean up. Tyson watch solemnly and Pete went to the backroom to wtach the other two injured.
 
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LILY

Lily let her eyes drift closed as it got closer to midnight. She hadn't seen any movement from the building nor had anyone attempted to climb up, so she decided that she needed at least a few hours sleep before deciding whether to confront them or not. She pulled her knees up to her chest. She slipped into a silent dreamless state, her sunglasses partially blocking her eyes from the morning light when it would come.

JASON

He bit his lip, looking down at Jane for a few moments. He had found just a little food, but not a lot...
"alright."
He nodded. He had found some canned peaches, which he wa surprised about, and some protein bars.
"Want some peaches?"
He asked curiously. He'd found them shoved under a fallen shelf, the protein bars in a broken metal casing.
 
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JANE

Jane nodded eagerly. The protein bars were light, they'd last a while and were very easy to transport. Jane grabbed Jason's knife and carefully opened the peach can. She reached in and grabbed a couple pieces of the fruit. She handed the can too Jane and started to eat slowly, trying to savor it. The slower she ate the more likely she was to trick herself into thinking she was getting more than she actually was.

Jane took another piece of peach. There were probably 9 pieces at most of fruit in the can which meant they each got 4.5 pieces at the most. The middle schooler licked her fingers and sucked the juices off. She was hungry, but Jason did most of the work in the pair so he should get the most. She wiped her hands on her overalls and lay down tucking her bag under head.

New Orleans was warm this time of year so she didn't need a blanket. She closed her eyes, hoping to distract herself from her hunger with sleep. She had a rough day between having to run around and find a place to hide at 1 AM this morning because their old hide out was attacked and her panic attacks had been pretty tiring. Jane started to rock gently. She always did. By the time she was born her mother had been extermely depressed and her father though not as abusive wasn't very affectionate towards her as a baby. Her little siblings had been too little to rock her so she had gotten use dto rocking herself to sleep and still did it even though she was 12.

CARVER

After Hayes was 'buried' at sea Carver went back to the lounge area. He collapsed in his recliner and went to sleep. He was so exhausted from being up all day and then assisting with his wounded comrades injuries had drained what little energy he had left out of him. His fishing trip was canceled until they figured out who had killed Hayes and attacked his crew and why.
 
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LILY

Lily woke up as light shined down. It was early dawn and she sighed. "Good morning.."
She mumbled to herself as she stood. She felt sore from sleeping out in the cold. Standing, she slowly stretched.
"Oww.."
She sighed as her shoulder popped, an old injury when she was young.


JASON

Jason looked over at Jane and sighed. He ate two peaches and did his best to close the can back. Jane could have them for breakfast. He sat back, gently placing an arm on Jane's shoulder as he tried to go to sleep. He would sleep light, where almost any noise would wake him. It was a habit he developed after the blackout. He wanted to keep Jane safe.. Even if it meant he didn't get to sleep too well.
 
JANE

Jane woke up slowly. She was still tired, very tired. She'd had nightmares again last night and had spent most of the night rocking, sometimes more violently than others. She finally fallen into a deeper sleep in the wee hours of the morning mostly was exhausting herself. She guessed it was now about 7:30 AM. Jane sat up slowly. She saw the can of peaches left and peeked inside. Seeing there were two peaches left she counted them. She gave in to her hunger and took one more before telling herself she had to make Jason eat the rest. He needed the energy.

Jane stood up and putting their new supplies in her little backpack she stood up. They normally never stayed in one place too long fro fear someone would find them and take their things. Jane yawned and rubbed her eyes. Her clothes were sweaty and dirty, she needed a wash, but water was too precious to wash in unless they did it down by the harbor and that was a dangerous area. Whatever gang controlled it guarded it pretty well and would make you pay fees in supplies, cigarettes, alcohol, whatever they wanted to let you use it. It wasn't worth depleting their precious supply for a bath.

Jason's bag held the alcohol in it and Jane's the cigarettes that way if someone stole one they'd still have some leverage.

CARVER

Carver woke up around 5:45. He got up and ran his hands over his face. He looked around. Most of the team was crashed sleeping. The night patrols were just coming in. Tyson came in from a different room,

"Everyone get up." he said as his crew gathered. "Last night we lost one of our own. We need to do something about this. The gang that control the water front are too powerful That needs to be stopped. We're never going to rebuild if we just keep scrounging and living day by day." he told his crew. Carver listened. He could't believe Tyson was already thinking and talking about rebuilding. They were barely surviving how were they going to rebuild?

"We need to take out the Waterfront gang. If the wter opens up, food and water are both available for the city again. Once the desperate need for supplies is filled the violence can calm down and we can figure things out. As a community not as little clans fighting to the death," Tyson explained.

"Why wouldn't we just use the water front ourselves? We'd have the power then and be able to fix whatever you want." Dusty asked

"Because stupid we need to stop the violence not promote it. We don't need anymore boys like Hayes dying." Sammi said smacking Duty upside the head.
 
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LILY

Lily looked down and sighed. She climbed down the ladder, holding her shoulder as she glanced around. She didn't see anyone, but felt cautious anyway. She slowly made her way to the building before pausing.
"I don't know..."
She stepped back, biting her lip. She decided perhaps she needed to wait, be sure they were friendly. She backed off, hiding in an alley. Her shoulder hurt and she slowly examined it. It was bruised...


JASON

Jason was still quietly sleeping, though he shifted as Jane woke up. He mumbled softly, stilling again back to a deep sleep. His hand had fallen to the floor as she had gotten up, a peaceful, almost vulnerable expression on his face.
 
JANE

Jane sighed and sat down. She was going to let Jason sleep until she heard someone enter the store. It sounded like more than one someone. Jane shook Jason,

"Jason...jason, wake up." She whispered her voice tight scared. She heard whoever was outside kicking through the glass, searching for stuff. She shook Jason again. She needed him to wake up. She couldn't protect them both, she'd never even been able to protect herself before! She looked up as the sound of searchers got closer.
Jane felt her anxiety going up. her hands were shaking and becoming sweaty, her breathing was becoming heavier, her thnking more cloudy. O why wouldn't Jason wake up!

CARVER

After Tyson's speech they crew who'd slept had been sent out to search the near by neighborhoods and find more supplies possibly bring in more people. They were scattered all over town. Carver had stayed to help check on David and Xavier and change bandages before he went out it took about an hour and half meaning he left around 7:30. He was searching their neighborhood.

Carver came upon an alley way and saw someone in it. A girl...not a threat unless she had friends. He watched her a for a few moments, it was a dead end alley she couldn't run. It would be a dumb idea to go down unless you had friends. or a very good ones, people wouldn't mess with you if you looked to be part of an ambush,

"Hey!" Carver yelled, "Are you OK?" he asked not moving closer.
 
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LILY

Lily looked up as she heard a voice, tensing. She stepped back a little.
"Uh... Yeah.."
She felt fear trickle into her.
"I-I'm okay.."
She quietly, mentally cursing herself for stuttering. She crossed her arms loosely.
"Where'd you come from?" She said with as much courage as she could muster.


JASON

Jason felt Jane shake him and he yawned, trying to wake up. It wasn't until he heard a gruff whisper and glass. He sat up, tensing and putting a protective hand on Jane's shoulder and motioning for silence.
 
Jane

Jane say there fearfully. Why didn't they just leave out the backdoor? She felt another panic attack coming on, though this time she knew what triggered It.

It was the same type of panic she'd feel in her chest when hiding from her father as she heard his footsteps coming ever closer. The same type that made her sweat in her sheets when she heard foot steps coming down the hall. She was afraid of what was coming and thought it was going to awful. Nothing good ever started like this!

She now heard footsteps at the back door and sitting there started to rock gently biting her fingers to keep from making noise. The door swung open and one tall man along with a boy.

The man looked Hispanic or Native...possibly moxed. He had long black hair that shone in the light. It was pulled back into a pony tail. His fave was covered in stubble. He was pretty muscular, not the type of man you'd want to run into in a dark alley. He was wearing a black vneck and a set of raggedy denim cargo shorts.

The boy was tallish at least for what his age looked like. He was skinny and awkwardly lanky. He has messy blond hair that wasn't long yet, but wasn't a night short cut either. The boy boy had hazel eyes and dirty tanned skin. There was no sign he could grow a beard at all.

"I'm Pete." The man greeted gruffly.

A tall African American woman was now standing silently at the back door. She looked like she might have some Pacific Islander in her too, but Jabe was too busy freaking out too pay much attention to any of this right now.

They were trapped. That's all Jane could think they were trapped. They were going to die.


Carver

Carver leaned back and looked at the lady.

"You look hurt. I have med supplies stuff and can patch you up if you'll come here." He said. After he said it he realized how creepy and demanding that could come off as.

"Not a creeper I swear. I can help you. " he added quickly. He slowly took his bag off and opened it. Holding it so she could see his supplies. There was mostly medical stuff in it, a bottle of water, and one granola bar.

It was not normal to try and help someone after the blackout. But Tyson had said recruit people and you couldn't exactly win people over by dragging them kicking and screaming to the community center and then forcing them to join. You had to convince them it was the best option for them. You show them that the best means of survival was too join up.

Carver didn't know what this girl could do. She looked pretty weak and small. Though he never could tell. Aidan wasn't big and she was strong. Sammi was pretty big though. At least tall.
 
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LILY

Lily hesitated, but slowly approached.
"I just.. It's just bruised... The bone's damaged from a.. An accident when I was young.." She said as she stopped near him, still nervous. "I'm... I'm Lily.."




JASON

Jason stood, holding his knife tight. "I'm Jason." He said with a calm tone. "May I ask what you're doing here?" He tilted his head.
 
Carver


Carver looked her shoulder over. It look like some sort of old break that hasn't healed right. There honestly wasn't much he could do for a bruise. They didn't have ice to put on it. He pulled out a price of cloth and pours a little water from a water bottle with brown water in it onto the cloth. The water so no good to drink, but it was colder. He lay the cloth gently on the bruise.

"There isn't much I can do for a bruise. It looks like whenever you broke your shoulder it didn't get set right so it healed wonky. " he admitted. Carver had a slight Jamaican accent when he spoke.

"Me and my crew gonna take down the Waterfront gang. Wanna join us? You'll get supplies and friends. " he offered as he zipped his bag back up.

"I'm Carver." The young man added politely.


JANE

Jane was rocking on the ground panicking. She had tried to remain calm, she truelly had, but it was very hard for her. She wasn't as bad as she could be though. She still could hear what was going on around her. Jane bite her nails and rocked trying to calm herself and actually be useful.

These people weren't her father...why was her mind stuck there? She kept expecting to be dragged up by her hair and yelled at or kicked or have something thrown at her. She sucked her head between her knees maybe if she couldn't see them she'd calm down.

"We at looking to recruit for our crew. " Pete explained.

"You get supplies, weapons, shelter, and protection in exchange for working for us. We are going to take down the main gang at the water front. If we free up a good and water source maybe things will look up for New Orleans." The girl explained.
"I'm Sammi." She added.
 
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LILY

Lily nodded as she looked at her shoulder. "Sometimes it just.. Acts up.. I guess." She looked back at the stranger. "The guys at the waterfront... The scary big ones that attack people?" She tilted her head a little, a hint of resentment as she described them. "I mean.. I'm not too versed in combat but... I could try and help... I can be pretty stealthy.." She glanced down, realizing how pathetic she was. What could she do to help someone? She was pretty stealthy from having to sneak around as a child to avoid her father... And she was good at keeping schedules and stuff for the same reason, but that was about it.

JASON

Jason hesitated. "I need to-" he glanced at Jane, "let me talk with her for a minute before I make up my mind." He said calmly before turning, kneeling by Jane. He hesitated, shifting so he could still see them as he set his knife on the ground. He wrapped his arms gently around Jane, holding her close and gently rocking with her. "Shh... Hey.. It's okay.." He whispered, resting his head on her shoulder. He wanted to know her opinion on this whole thing.
 
JANE

Jane's arms jerked up defensively when she was suddenly touched. She covered her face like she would do when she was little. Covering her face wasn't so much to protect herself, but so she didn't have to see how angry her father was at her.

Jane felt herself being rocked. Jane bite her nails hard cracking one. She wasn't used to physical affection. Even she and her siblings hadn't hugged each other much. Mostly because they'd been to hurt to a lot of the time.

It took Jane a good while to finally calm down. The boy and Sammi were getting impatient, but Pete wasn't. He waited calmly watching the older boy try and soothe the girl. He didn't know how useful the girl would be. If she panicked too easily she couldn't fight. The boy would be useful though so they stayed.


CARVER

"There are always jobs that need filling." Carver told Lily.

"And yes..those lovely fellow." He added spitting in the dirt. Carver led her too the community center and into the lounge.

"Take a seat." He told her. The lounge had been clean up since last night and Adian was there to welcome newcomers. Tyson was also there. There were some new recruits too sitting and waiting. Tuson wanted a good amount before he started talking so he didn't have to repeat himself a lot.
 
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LILY

Lily followed him slowly, one hand on her shoulder to hold the rag, her eyes darting around. She paused before entering the community center. So they were friendly... She followed him in, glancing uneasily at the other people before sitting down. She looked up at Carver, almost like she was going to speak.. But then she returned her gaze to the ground. She wasn't going to thank him or ask questions... Not yet at least.

JASON

Jason gently pulled away when Jane was calm. "Hey... These people want to help us Jane." He said softly, placing his hands gently on her knees. "I'll still be right beside you, but if we join them you won't be alone if I have to get supplies. It'll be safer.. Are you okay with that?" He asked softly.
 
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