Now that we made it...

Cerulean

But does he know about second breakfast?
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  1. Elementary
  2. Intermediate
  3. Adept
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Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Primarily Prefer Male
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I like most. However, I have found I am most comfortable with Fantasy, Sci-fi, Fandom, and Modern.
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"No one really thought it would come true. No one saw it coming. No one lived to tell the tale...almost."

It had been 11 years since Y2k.

It was over so fast. The world went upside down quicker, than Jenna Jameson. There was nothing left.
Society was destroyed by a ignored crock-pot theory. This story is not for those with a weak heart...or mind.
For the earth have turned it's back on the human race. The human race has turned on eachother.
Hope lies in the hands of the few.

This is their story.

 


It was warm that day...Warmer than most days. Sam couldn't remember the last time it had be so...comforting.

It actually made her want to take off the heavy army jacket and bullet proof vest she wore so she could feel the sun on her skin. That would have been stupid though, especially in a new city. You never knew what lurked around the next corner. It could be a group of rabid dogs or cats or it could be a group of desperate thieves that would rather rape a woman that assist her. You just couldn't trust anything.

Anyway, she couldn't dawdle anymore. She had supplies to find. Rumor was there was a surviving Costco in this town, still talk full of can goods and water, apparently the owner had kept a gun in the store for "safety reasons" and any early on raiders had been "disposed" of. Apparently after insuring the safety of his Costco he packed up his bags and left, getting on the earliest ship to Europe that was offered to those who could afford it...apparently he could.

She hoisted her large rifle onto her shoulder, her hand hovering over the large fishing blade strapped to her thigh as she made her way through the cracked concrete streets alone.
 
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Not a sound had been made for an 2 days. He hid, waiting for some sign of life. Being chased was scary enough, without the possibility of castration. Jake was a man that needed to stay from people. It was not because he was dangerous. His sneaking around was attributed to the fact that the ruthless wanted him dead. Playing a goofy, mobile Robin hood was something of a "fine line to walk".

"Is that a Costco's?" he whispered to himself.

Just off in the distance, he could see it. The building lay under much foliage and such, but it was there. Wanting to get a better look, he pulled off his mask and sighted his sniper rifle. The coast looked somewhat clear. However, a lot can happen in a little walk. He still had to walk out of of mini-skyscraper he was in. Jake pulled his hoodie strings and adjusted his belt. It was digging into his skin



 
It took her awhile but she eventually made it to the Costco, thankfully without any run ins with thieves or worse. She stood at the edge of the parking lot, the place completely over grown with weeds, grass and trees. There were old wrecked cars, broken into or busted from the collapse of life and such. It truly was a haunting sight in a way....

But enough of that, time to gather supplies.

She held her rifle at the ready, scanning the area for any evidence of life before bending down and slowly making her way across the parking lot. She hid behind old junkers and bushes where she could, taking her time as she crossed that large expanse of concrete and plants.
 
Faintly, howls could be heard. Something was coming. That something sounded like a pack of wolves. Pant-pant-pant get louder as they come in from the east.​ They sounded well-fed too.



Soon enough, Jake found the young woman. His sights shook as she came into focus. It was if she had crept up and scared him. What the hell was she doing? Even with that cover, anyone could take pot shots at her. He knew this because she was could be the headless horsemen this year. Just one pull of the trigger, and it would be over.

"Not yet..."

He pulled his finger away. The young lady was an unknown, but she had not exactly earned a head shot. A innocent spying never really hurt anyone. Does it? Either way, he was too far away to see the wolves, so he had no thought to look.



 
Sam had made her way about half way through the parking lot at the moment, her gun still at hand as she hid behind a bush. She felt oddly open in this place, then again this made sense since the space had little covering. No matter where she stood she was gonna be open somewhere on her person. For now though she was fine, she couldn't feel anyone.

Then there was the howling...Fuck.

So much for keeping low cover, she'd be found if she did not move faster. It was time to put things into higher gear. She started to move a lot fast and without much hiding, she needed to get into that Costco!.
 
Barks replaced the howls. The wolves picked up some speed, for they had prey to track. Six broke into two groups of three. One went for the door while the others made a beeline for the woman. They were trying to block her safe haven.


"Oh shit." he whispered.

The wild dogs burst into his cross hairs. Adjusting his zoom, the took in what the pack was doing. Clearly they were trained. Normally, dogs just chases you down. They do this because the have the speed and numbers. However, this particular pack, put a nail in the coffin. How did they think to block the door?

The next obvious question emerged. Should he help her? It was obvious what might happen if he doesn't intervene. Then again, she could be someone after the bounty on his head.Thoughts weighed back and forth as the wolves drew closer to Sam. A choice had to be made.

Sigh...

A wolves head seemed to explode on the impact.
 
"Shit, shit, shit..." Sam murmured under her breath.

She bolted.

She knew she couldn't out run them, not at this distance. Three were already at the door and three more were on top of her, she'd be lucky to get away with a simple bite on her ankle. She was almost there, the doors were just only a few feet away and she could crash through the glass. At least in there she could find something to keep them off of her...maybe the raw and probably rotten meat left behind?

She turned to look over her should, just in time to see a wolf behind her to stop dead, it's head splattered on the ground.

Oh Fuck.

If it was possible to run the speed of like, Sam probably went faster at that second.
 
The hungry wolves tried to swarm her. It was almost as if they were more interested in holding down than actually killing.


He could see how they moved. No doubt they were someone else's trained pets. Whose were they? Not many people have the means or patients to train that many animals. Wild animals and strays more more likely to end up as food than companions.

Jake let out a deep breath, as he fired another killing shot. This time, the wolf yelps, when the blood spattered on a wall. Smoke started to collect from in the room. Two murderous shell casings rolled on the floor. He hoped she would survive. After all, Jake just gave position and two bullets. If she went too far into the Costco, his line of sight would be broken.

"Don't die...not yet." he whispered.



 
Sam had been fumbling with her shot gun as she was running towards the door, the two of the wolves behind her were down and the three near the door were still alive and kicking. She eventually loaded a bullet as she ran and aimed at one of the wolves at the door, if she could startle and scatter them she could dive in without much issue, though it would be lively for them to follow after her with no way for her to close it.

It was a rough shot, she barely aimed as she was running so much. However, it was just was she needed. She shot the wolf in the middle right between the eyes, the animal dead in and instant. The shot caused the other wolves to jump back, though it increased their senses quite a bit. She couldn't make it though! Getting desperate, she made a sharp turn from the door. Whoever was sniping off these wolves for her was more use than she originally thought.

She continued to run as she loaded another bullet desperately, hoping for the hidden sniper to keep doing her a favor until she could get loaded again.
 
The wolves barked and began to give chase. She was breaking though and they had to stop her.

The third shot took out a wolf and the window. Hopefully, that would help funnel them so that she could get a head start, into the Costco's. This was getting fun. Maybe, if things go well, Jake could get her to share supplies.

"Get in the store. Closer quarters are better for a shotgun."

He knew she couldn't hear him. It was just his knowledge seeping out. The same way a mechanic points out how 18-wheelers need more room to turn: because of the size of the vehicle. Maybe she knew already.

Jake pulled the trigger a forth time. It clicked. The clip was empty.
Damn it. He had forgotten to change it after taking care of a few thieves, earlier. Quickly, a new clip was slapped in. Checking his sights, he tried to find them again. Breathing heavily, they were found, just in time to take the pack down to one.
 
Another shot, another wolf down. Now only two remainded. Sam was starting to get winded from all of this running. She kept moving though, even in this hellish world she would rather live than die. She made another sharp turn, heading towards the Costco once more. She was almost done loading her gun, but she needed him to take out a final wolf before she sht.

The doors were getting closer...Closer...

"Shoot damn it...fucking shoot!"

There, the gun shot and the dead wolf. She turned on her heel, shoving the barrel of her gun into the wolf's face.

BOOM

The wolves were dead...thank god.
 
Jake didn't move. He just watched, the woman annihilated a wolf. With a gun meant to destroy in close quarters, no less. The smoke from his sniper rifle had now taken over about 1/10 of the room. It was an old rifle, after all. These bullets he was firing, would be the last for this rifle. It was time for him to get a new one. Still the thought remained...

"Should I shoot her?" he whispered

He didn't know why, but he wanted to. This woman could be trouble. No one could truly trusted, out here. Sure her life was prolonged, but that didn't mean she would not gut him. For the rest of his arsenal, he might even kill a man.

Putting the mask back on, he started to gather his things. Just for giggles, he pulled out a little mirror and played with the reflection. Jake was trying to signal where he was to this woman. Mine as well meet the damsel, yes?
 
Sam was panting roughly, she could barely think at that moment as she had run so hard. She would have to rest early after this little battle, maybe she could make camp in the Costco for the night, climb up on of the shelves and sleep on top just in case anything nasty wandered in at night. A sudden flash of light caught her attention. There, in the small office building that remained standing. It seemed that her sniper friend was parked there...Did they want to meet up? Part of her didn't like the idea, what if they had been originally the one to send out the dogs?...Then again, she doubted sound would waist the time to train so many animals just to kill them off in an attack, not even the thieves were that wasteful or dumb.

She waved in the direction of the light before motioning to the parking lot. She wasn't going to meet him in his territory, not when he was such a good shot. However, she needed to be fair and the parking lot was an open enough space. If things went sour she could duck behind a car and sneak around to him.
 
Step after step, he crept down the office steps. It smelled of dust and broken rock. His pack rustled, ever so slightly. Though, Jake's intent was to be more tactical. There was nothing that gave a reason to be carless. One slip and it could be your head. Who knows what could have been watching.

He approached the lot, with hands up in the air. Though, he didn't have them up too far. She could still try to pick him off. His hoodie and sweats waved back and forth, in the wind. Slowly, the track stopped about 10 yards from the woman. She was rather pretty. Who knows good-looks still existed?

"Hey, I am Jakob Gamble, and I will be your savior today."
 
Sam moved out into the parking lot slowly, emptying her rifle and slinging it over her shoulder. There was no need to look intimidating...well, at least she hoped not. He had wasted ammo on saving her after all so she saw no reason for him to actually want to kill her. She watched him approach, not liking the lack of skin on his person. It seemed as if he didn't want to be known at all.

He seemed to be coming peacefully, his hands up slightly and away from his gun. She slipped her own rifle into her back pack officially once he was close enough, finding his words a little demeaning to her. She couldn't help it if she was attacked by trained wolves, it's not like she wanted to be a target today.

"Sam...Samantha Reed officially. Thanks for the assistance, I'd say more but I'm not too comfortable with this place at the moment." She said as she glanced over at a headless wolf body on the ground. "Sorry you had to waste bullets on me."

She really was trying to be civil, but in these times it was hard to trust or be kind to anyone. It was a time for survival, not making new friends."
 
"Fair enough, shall we?"

His hand lifted to point at the Costco. Jake knew they had to get out of the open. Hopefully, there would be something in there. She made not be a friend, but they might at least be temporary allies. He was already making his way to the Costcos when he turned to Sam.

"It wasn't wasted, it I wanted to do it. No one should be mauled by wolves. I had been meaning to use up the remaining bullets for old Alex here." he smiled and pats his sniper rifle.

Glass crunched, as the boot mad its way to the Costco floor. Pulling out a pistol, Jake starts to move down a aisle. Not much to grab so far. After 11 years, what could one expect?
 
"We shall..."

Sam walked slowly with Jakob towards the Costco, She'd be a little more friendly once they were out of the open and away from the dead wolves. If anything it would be a place to camp for the night, somewhere out of the wind and the cold evening air.

"Well, If you're sure...I find myself clinging to every bullet I can." She said simply as she walked with him. "It's not easy finding ammo shops that still have what you are looking for...then again, considering how rare it is to run into people these days it makes you wonder where it all went in the first place."

When they finally entered the Costco it wasn't what she had been told. It was picked over, which wasn't much of a surprise. She should have seen this coming she thought, what owner of a store wouldn't take advantage of the large stock, take as much as they could and bolt to the nearest available ship out of the county? However, they had only just entered, she had to keep the back shelves in mind. People probably never dared to wander too far in fear of what lurked in the darker back allies. She pulled out her long fishing knife, the weapon rather intimidating and sharp. You could tell she took very good care of it.

"You want to lead? or should I?" She asked him as she scanned the area herself.
 
A smile cracked his face. He couldn't put a finger as to why either. Maybe, it was because nothing was here. Perhaps, it was the way he was able to keep a decent stock of weaponry. It could have been how she asked him a question that suggested they were somewhat becoming friends. Either way, they had to make sure this place was safe. It seemed that they both were going to be here for the next day or so. Couldn't hurt to spend some time with another human being.

"You can do, whatever you want." he retorted.

More crunches, woofs, and cracks were heard. Jake's footsteps had found a floor full of a grab-bag of cereals. Pistol in hand, he glanced over to see her knife. It was for fishing. Her care, of the weapon, impressed him. Jake used to be a fisher, as a hobby. His favorite thing about fishing was the half-relax, half-excitement. You never know when you will get a bite. If they didn't you could still just sit out and watch the sun set.

"So what kind of fishing are you into?"

 
Sam gave him a simple glance before she slipped ahead of him and started to focus more on the shelves. Nothing would be hiding out in the open in such a place, they would take to higher ground and perch where they couldn't be seen. She planned to do the same after all. She was also checking for edible food, things that she could break down and store in her back pack.

If she could she would take every last remaining jar and can, but her backpack only had so much room and she was already going on only two pairs of underwear...that reminded her, she needed to check out the clothing area and see if any of the packaged underwear remained...She'd even wear some boxers at this point.

She looked to him again at her question before looking at her knife slightly.

"I'm not really...I only ever liked the gutting part, not the sitting and waiting. It was my father who was the fisher." She explained simply as she continued on in front of him.