17/04/22 11.23

[Misty-Moo]

17th of April 2022 11.23 am GMT​

The moment the first meteor hit the atmosphere. A shower of undetected meteors battered the Earth over the next eighteen hours, they struck with such force that EMPs were released over the whole planet, knocking out all communication and disabling technology. Millions died in the ensuing chaos and subsequent disasters such as tidal waves, fires and earthquakes.

When the disaster struck, I had taken advantage of the early spring weather to take a holiday from my job as a park ranger, walking in the hills and birdwatching. After two weeks camping, I hiked to the nearest town for supplies and discovered what had happened. As I approached, it became apparent something terrible had happened, even from a distance I could see that hardly any buildings were standing. I searched through the devastation for a few hours, trying to find out what had caused it. From what I could gather, a jumbo jet had crashed in the town centre, causing massive destruction and multiple fires. Over the next couple of days, I searched what was left of the town and the surrounding area without finding anyone alive. Over this time, I became increasingly concerned, because it didn't look like everyone I saw had been killed in the accident.

I knew I had to find out what had caused this, so that meant travelling to the nearest city. I tried to get several abandoned vehicles to start, but none of them would work. Therefore, I had to hike, which would take me at least two weeks. I decided to go by the most direct route, using my orienteering knowledge to travel across country. However, I needed to make several detours to avoid the widespread devastation, such as meteor craters and fissures caused by earthquakes. There was also more evidence of people attacking each other. Occasionally, I would hear things like distant screams or the sounds of gunfire and sometimes, I'd see the aftermath. This made it clear to me I needed to protect myself, so I acquired a compound bow and hunting knife from a wrecked country club that I passed through on my journey.

Finally, after several weeks, the city came into view on the horizon. I string an arrow into my bow as I walk through the deserted streets, alert to any sounds or indications of habitation. I near the centre of town cautiously, using any available cover. The only sounds are the baying of a dog pack in the distance.

 

[ME Grimlock]

After emerging from what was left of the academy, Bob finds himself on the roof of a bargain department store on the outskirts of a city. The store had already been looted but the top of the structure was built with a border all around, so it made for a good temporary resting spot. Bob is torn between heading further into the city or going the other direction out into the country. A large group of wild animals passes near enough that their hungry panting can be heard. One of the creatures lets out a howl that seems to last for a really long time before they continue roaming. It was unlikely that anything could reach Bob from down there but he stays out of sight all the same.

 

[Midorikawa]

Adrian can't help but find an irony in the abandoned streets of the city. It felt like something out of his favorite comic series growing up. The Walking Dead. He wouldn't be surprised if he saw a shambling corpse walk by. Instead he heard dogs howling. Animals usually avoided large groups of people, well unless they were used to city life. The sounds of a dog pack truly showed just how abandoned the city was. Fine with him. He didn't care much if he ran into anyone or not. He figured he would find somewhere to stay for the night and then continue walking. After all, now was a great opportunity to see the states in all their beauty. Even with the occasional person attempting to kill him.

 

[Misty-Moo]

(OK, we do third person narrative here )

Cara slowly made her way through the commercial district. All the stores had been looted of anything useful, such as food, equipment or weapons. She wanted to find somewhere safe to make camp, maybe even wash herself and clean her clothes. Working her way through a shopping mall, Cara found a still-functioning fountain where she refilled her canteen. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she made her way to the roof via the fire escape and made a small fire in the lee of the exit. While the water boiled, Cara checked over her supplies - a few cans and the remnants of a rabbit she'd trapped and cooked yesterday. Well, that had to be eaten, she thought. Cara ate the last bits of the rabbit as she scanned the area through her birdwatching binoculars.

 

[Olive]

Robert didn't need to consult his map to know that the city was near.

They gave off a very peculiar smell. The smoke of fires left burning and unextinguished, food that had spoiled, and of course the bodies that one occasionally found in streets and dark alleys. It only gave him a greater desire to drop off his parcels and make his way to the next town, hopefully somewhere rural.

As he made his way down the country road leading up to the city, he couldn't help but appreciate the silence. It was almost unnatural. Not just the absence of planes or cars, but it was as if even the birds and wind had taken the cue to lay low.

Total silence.

The forest eventually gave way to a sprawling clearing, which contained a medium-sized metropolis, largely unspoiled by meteor impacts. From this distance, the city almost looked normal.

Robert took stock of the area.

No one in sight.

Robert had yet to have any run-ins with miscreants, though he knew they were out there. Thankfully people he ran into on the road or in the small towns he passed through tended to leave him alone or give him a happy nod of acknowledgement. He supposed that it must have been engrained into people's heads not to mess with a man in uniform.

While he thought that, he wasn't naïve, and he brushed his jacket away to display the revolver at his side as he entered the outskirts of the city. Hopefully the presence of the firearm would dissuade anyone who didn't recognize the uniform of a post man.

He glanced up at a street sign. Galley Avenue and 4th. The city's central post office wasn't far. He had been told that it was still in operation. News traveled slowly now though, and he had passed through plenty of towns where the offices were boarded up and empty. If that was the case here, he would leave his letters on the doorstep, spend the night, pick up any outgoing mail, and move on.

It was his life. It wasn't the most glamorous, but at least it was something.

That was more than he could say of most people, he thought to himself as he surveyed the shadows of abandoned skyscrapers, making his way quietly towards the city center.

 

[ME Grimlock]

Bob had opted to circle around the city limits and keep looking around. During this trek he had noticed a few things of interest far away from him, such as a group of grizzly bears and what could be smoke signals. While trying to stay hidden inside of a mostly empty trash can, Bob attempts to translate what the smoke could be saying..

 

[Misty-Moo]

The water on Cara's small fire had reached a rolling boil, so it was definitely safe to drink now, she took the mess can off the flames and set it to one side to cool while she continued searching her surroundings. Cara caught sight of some movement in the distance and trained her binoculars in that direction. Instead of the other people she hoped to see, she saw a dog pack, seemingly led by a large, shaggy dog, possibly a St. Bernard. They were rooting through the debris, obviously in search of food. As she watched them, one of the dogs, a Husky or Malamute, froze and sniffed the air, then raised it's muzzle and opened its mouth wide. She couldn't hear, but it was apparent to Cara it had called to the other pack members, they all headed off. What were they pursuing? Another animal, maybe even a person? Cara had to know, she moved closer to the building's parapet and scanned the are again, trying to relocate the dog pack.

 

[Midorikawa]

Adrian stopped in front of what seemed to be a mall, noticing someone by the edge of it's roof. He knew they might be dangerous, but considering their positions, he felt okay. Of course he wouldn't randomly call up. So instead he entered the building, finding the stairs and walking up to the roof. He made sure to have a hand on his gun, and well not enter the roof further than the doorway. "Hello," he greeted what he discovered as a woman.

 

[ME Grimlock]

The message was crude but seemed to mention something about "a safe place for survivors". It was a nice thought but could just as easily be a trap. Still, communication through smoke was not a common skill so Bob decides to investigate.

 

[Misty-Moo]

Cara finally caught sight of the dog pack, they were a lot nearer now, she assumed they must have cut through the ground floor of one of the nearby buildings. By their movements, Cara was now certain the pack was in pursuit of something, but what? She looked ahead of them and finally saw it, or rather, him. A tall man dressed in dark clothing, maybe some sort of uniform? He clearly had no idea the dogs were hunting him. This was the first living person she'd seen, Cara decided that had to warn him. It must have taken her about half an hour to get up here, so she couldn't get down to street level in time. Also, he was most likely too far away to hear her if she called out, so she had to send him some sort of signal, but how? Cara looked around her, all that was really up here were her things, her bow and the fire. An idea came to her, it was a bit far-fetched, but it might work. Cara ran to the small fire and jammed an arrow into a burning ember, then ran back to the parapet. The man was a good few hundred yards away, too far for her to trust her accuracy. But he was nearing a city bus, lying on its side, she could definitely still hit that from here. Cara knelt to steady herself and quickly loosed the arrow towards the wrecked vehicle. It didn't go how she planned, the extra weight affected its flight and the arrow dropped far too short. But it did have the desired effect, the arrow landed in the middle of the pack, spreading sparks all around as it bounced off the tarmac. The dogs scattered in all directions, most probably yelping in fear and surprise.

"Hello" Cara heard a man's voice. She turned in surprise
"Who's there?" Cara looked towards the stairwell, trying to discern who had spoken, or their intentions. She cursed herself, she'd only brought the one arrow that she'd fired into the street below, all the rest were with her things, right by the stairwell, far too close for her to get to. Cara reached inside her jacket for her hunting knife, at least she still had that "What do you want?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level.

 

[Midorikawa]

Adrian chuckled at the woman's response taking note of her hand going inside her jacket. He tightened his grip on his gun, just in case she tired to shoot him or kill him with something else. "Adrian Dragomir at your service," he introduced himself with a bow And thick Romanian accent, gun hand hidden in the shadows. "I saw you looking over the edge and merely was curious as to what type of person you are. It can be quite boring being by oneself so much."

 

[Misty-Moo]

"My name's Cara ... Cara Jackson" trying to appear calm, but her wide dark eyes giving her away, Cara instinctively held her bow across herself as a shield, regardless of whether it would offer her any protection or not. Now she could see this man clearly, Cara was even more nervous, he was about a foot taller than her and seemed very well-built. She may have been fit and strong, but more than likely didn't stand a chance against him physically. She hadn't spoken to anyone else in so long, her words came out almost without her realising it " ... There were some dogs down there ... and a man ... I had to warn him about them"

 

[Midorikawa]

"That's oddly kind of you. It's a good trait to have," he replied to her, noticing her defensive measure with her bow. Which meant she probably had no gun. So he showed his in a non aggressive matter before putting it away in a holster at his belt so that she could see he really meant no harm. "It's nice to meet you Cara. As I said before I am merely looking for some company since being alone is well lonely. Mind if I join you up here?" He offered her a friendly smile.

 

[Misty-Moo]

"Erm ... well, he was the first person I've seen ... who wasn't dead" Cara stopped short, her eyes instantly locking onto the gun as Adrian brought it into view, she followed it intently as the large man put it away. Cara looked him over, his size still made him intimidating, but Adrian's manner appeared friendly, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt "Sure ... " Cara said cautiously, as she slowly stood "I don't really have much food, but I've got some water, I boiled it, so it's safe" Cara remained where she was, in the corner of the building's parapet "Why don't you sit down?"

 

[Midorikawa]

"I'm fine on both water and food. Have plenty in my bag. I served as a soldier in my younger days so I learned quite well about rationing and surviving," he told her as he walked to the edge, sitting down and leaning against it. "What about you? What did you do before all of this?" he asked, looking up at her.

 

[Misty-Moo]

Cara actually expected that Adrian would sit by her fire, not come closer to her. His composed manner and easy, almost fluid way of moving made Cara think this was someone who was extremely confident of himself and his abilities.
"I was a park ranger, on the East coast, hundreds of miles away" she squatted down beside Adrian and rested her bow against the parapet "When all this happened, I was in the mountains" Cara vaguely waved a hand in the general direction of where she'd came from "I thought it was very strange to see that many shooting stars, but I didn't think much about it. It was only when I came back down that I discovered all the destruction. Since then, I've been mostly living off the land - you know, things like roots and berries and whatever I could trap or find"

 

[Olive]

A sharp hiss sliced through the silent air.

Robert dropped to the ground.

A pack of dogs somewhere out of sight let out a series of confused yelps.

He crawled to cover under an abandoned car and held his breath. Nothing but silence now. Robert remained on the ground, waiting for his heart to slow back down, assessing the situation. A pack of dogs, what sounded like some sort of projectile launched at him. He had heard tales from some of the villages he had passed through about people hunters, though he had dismissed them as boogeyman stories. Regardless, someone must have seen him. He fell quiet , listening to the surrounding.

Silence again.

He slowly drew his revolver, something he very rarely did, and crawled out from under the car. He waited for a moment, half-expecting at any moment another projectile to come sailing at him. Robert surveyed the area. There were plenty of building where his assailant could have been hiding. Off in the distance, wafting over the skyline, he saw a stream of black smoke. A fire meant a camp of people who were probably cooking things. He mentally took a note to avoid leaving the city in that direction.

Confident that whoever was hunting him was gone for the time being, Robert quickly slipped into a dark-looking side street, his pistol clenched firmly in his hand.

 

[ME Grimlock]

Edging closer to the camp, Bob can make out what appears to be a mid sized machine gun emplacement. Whoever was in charge of the camp had access to at least one piece of heavy duty fire power. A "safe place" indeed. This discovery does make Bob highly curious though.

 

[Misty-Moo]

Jacqui scanned the perimeter through the long binoculars mounted in the gun emplacement, she paused, moved back and looked again. Was that some movement there? She tapped her companion on the arm "I think someone's out there"
"Where?" Carlo asked, reaching for the sniper rifle they used mostly for spotting ... mostly
"The base of that oak tree with the broken branch ... umm ... two fingers to the left" Jacqui waited until Carlo was looking in the right place "Can you see anything?"
"Yes, I've got them" Carlo replied, squinting through the rifle's sight "They're geed ... and whoever they are, they really don't want to be seen"
"Do you think it's another raid?"
"I don't know ... " Carlo rubbed his beard, something he always did when he was thinking deeply " ... Keep an eye on them, I'm going to talk to the other lookouts, see if they've seen any movement" Jacqui briefly watched the big Hispanic man climb down the access ladder, then fixed the binoculars back on where she'd seen the movement.

 

[Midorikawa]

"Mountains are one of the safest places if you know how to survive in them. I was in the basement of my work. I was a medical examiner. Got lucky it didn't crush me. Not much use for it now though. Nice to live off of and with nature though. The world was too polluted," Adrian replied to her, looking up at the sky.