Evelyn Mace's Story

Eve hurried toward the little town up the road as the light was dying. She was so unprepared for the darkness. Alan was supposed to be here, to tell her what she needed to do. How to get light to keep the rabid beasts away. She had a box of matches, but how would she make a torch when night fell? They had left their tiny town a week ago. Just two nights ago, they had been camping along the road. Alan had gone to find more stuff for the fire. He was supposed to stay within the firelight, but they'd already picked up everything within it. He'd been gone barely three minutes when Eve had heard the growl and the shout that Alan let out as he was attacked. She'd called out to him, but she knew there was no hope. She had spent the rest of that night slowly burning the books that Alan had brought just to keep the fire going, sobbing as she tore out each page, one by one. When morning had come, she'd found little of his body left, but she had lifted his wedding ring from where it had fallen next to the bones that were all that remained of his hand. She wore it now on a thin gold chain around her neck.

She burst through the door of the hotel just moments after the last of the light had gone, breathing heavily from her last moment sprint toward the light. She had gone straight to the bar and slid onto a stool toward the corner. Eve had never been a drinker before but tonight, she thought what the hell. She made her way to the bar, leaving the pack and the bow with its matching handmade arrows slung to her back as she slid onto a stool. The bartender gave her an odd look when she asked for a whiskey, but the dirt streaks and tear stains on her face were enough to entice him into giving her the drink with no issues. Quietly nursing her drink, she listened to the people around her. She wondered if she could get work around the town, somehow earn her keep and just stay there. Alan had planned on taking them to Trinity, but Eve had no idea how to get there on her own. She wouldn't survive an hour out there by herself.

She looked up when she noticed two men a few stools down ordering drinks. One of them had mentioned Trinity. Alan would never approve of her traveling alone with two strange men, but she had no choice, did she? "You left me," she whispered. Her eyes slid to a red-headed woman who had sauntered up to them. Eve tugged her own blonde ponytail over her shoulder and fiddled anxiously with it as she watched how the woman moved. She was so different from Eve. Her hips swayed and she was giving one of the men the biggest flirty grin Eve had ever seen. Well if they were traveling with at least one woman, they couldn't be so bad, could they?

Her eyes slid to the man all in black and she shivered a little. He was facing her direction and his face had the oddest look to it. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew he scared her. It was his face that caused her to hesitate and remain glued to her stool. You have to go over there, Eve. You need a group to travel with! she thought. No… I'm scared. I can't. I need Alan. And so she sat there for a few minutes longer, openly observing the three people, waiting until she built up the nerves to go over to them.

Blake was mid-offer of a cigarette to the guy when a red-haired bombshell sauntered over and butted in, sultry "May I?". Blake's head turned and he looked up to the woman and connected gazes with her. "Uh - certainly..." he said with a warm smile, pulling a cigarette out of the packet and leaving it on the table for the man if he wanted one, then moving his arm out to the woman so she could take a cigarette, "And who might you be?" Blake asked with curiosity, "Not many women out these ways on their own" he said.

Blake turned back to the man to look at him, "I'm Blake" he said with another charming smile, "And this is... Well, actually we haven't gotten that far into knowing each other" he said with a chuckle. "Is there anything we can help you with miss?" he asked putting the cigarettes back into his pocket. Blake then picked his gin up and took a swig, "ah, good stuff" he said grinning.

Blake then stood up and moved a bar stool over so the girl could sit with them, "here you go babydoll" he said plonking the stool down in between he and the other man. Blake looked around the room seeing who else might be in the bar with them and spied a timid looking woman across the room - she must have come in very recently - he smiled at her and motioned her over, "Hey there miss! Wanna join us? We're having a party over here and you look like you need one" he chuckled. He motioned again to the shy woman across from them, he didn't know if she was with someone, but ever since the death of his fiancé Blake never felt comfortable seeing anyone, especially women, alone. He knew it was very backwards of him to assume women were weak and couldn't defend themselves, but that's not why he was always concerned, it was just who he was; that was typical Blake right there... Always looking out to see if others were ever in need of company.

"The name's-" Before Mike could finish, the man abruptly placed a chair between them, as a young, beautiful woman came and sat down. Well, what do we have here... At this point, Mike had become less picky when choosing targets, but he did prefer women over men, and this girl was just his "type". He opened his mouth to ask the lady her name, when the overzealous man invited another woman over to sit with them. This man is a gold mine! Amazed at his luck in finding targets all the way out here, he could not even imagine what it would be like in Trinity. Maybe keeping these fools alive for a while might be a good thing. At least until we get to Trinity... Mike may have been evil, but he was not stupid. He knew that getting to Trinity by himself would have been near impossible, and now he has three companions, two of which he could indulge in once they arrived...

"The name's Mike Sanders, headed for Trinity to meet up with my girlfriend." He said to both Blake and Samara. Mike then asked the bartender for a simple glass of water. The man looked puzzled, water at a nice party like this, but Mike was neither a drinker nor a smoker. And the only time he ever does drugs is when he is slipping roofies into the drinks of his victims. He calmly gulped down his glass of somewhat filthy water, and let out a hushed cackle. This is going to be a fun trip...

Eve jumped a little and quickly looked down when one of the men turned her way and made eye contact. She looked up once more when he called her over. "Oh no, I'm ok, thank you," she responded quietly. But after a moment, she downed the last of her drink and slid off her stool to walk over to the small group.

She waited for the man who made her nervous to speak. Mike, he'd said his name was. "I'm Eve,"she offered in a soft voice. "Did I hear you say you plan to go to Trinity? I had been- well, I was headed there myself."

Eve pulled up a stool next to Mike and ordered another drink. She would need it to carry on much of a conversation with these people. She tended to be very quiet around strangers, never quite knowing what to say. That was one thing she'd loved about her husband. He had always found a way to include her and make her feel comfortable.

Samara bit down on her lip as she took the smoke in her fingertips and sat on the stool the gentleman had put down for her. "Here you go babydoll."

"Why, thankyou." She breathed, fishing her zippo lighter out from her deep pockets and setting the flame against the tobacco, inhaling the rich vapour deep into her chest and exhaling the rest from the corner of her lips. She brought the glass to her lips and watched across the chipped rim as the man waved the blonde woman who stood in the shadows over. She looked scared, unsure and although Samara's exterior told a different story, she too was terrified. But she had learned that relying on others, regardless of your pride, was crucial to survival in the wastelands. She had done things she had shouldn't have at her age, said and heard thing she shouldn't - but it was all to survive. And even though she wished she hadn't, her will to live was one of the strongest sentiment she had left. So she batted her eyelashes and swayed her hips, if it meant protection and other goods. And no-one else had to know any different.

She looked at the men and offered a smile. "Samara Dougherty. Call me Sam. And I wanna see the lights of the big city." She joked, before looking at her hands wrapped around her grubby glass, the amber liquid rippling. "I heard it was going to be the safest, y'know. From the darkness." She sighed, flicking her eyes to Blake and then Mike, a wistful look upon her features. "We'd be safest going together." She took another drag from her cigarette, relishing the calming affect of the tobacco. If my parents could see me now... Sam's stomach filled with acid shame and she looked away again, swigging the rest of the sour whiskey. She looked up, gasping as she swallowed and saw the other woman was drinking the same.

"Want 'nother round?" Sam hollered, the poisonous substance coursing through her veins.

Blake smiled when Mike introduced himself and the girl helped herself to his cigarette. Around most of the mid-west wastelands Blake was considered an unusual guy for many reason, two of the main reasons were how kind and caring he was of strangers and also because of his chosen career as a mechanic. Both were seen as odd because most people looked out for themselves alone and a car or anything machinery related was quite rare anywhere let along the wastelands.

Blake took a long drag of cigarette and butted it out, then took a swig of his gin, finishing it. He looked up to Mike, "not gonna drink aye? Mind if I take it then?" he asked, but didn't really wait for a reply and took a swig. "Ahhhh that's the good stuff". Blake then turned to the newcomer woman and also to the red head, "Yeah ladies, I am going to Trinity, so is my new buddy over here... Mike!" Blake took another sip of his drink, then looked at Samara, "Y'know... I think you're right!" he said with a charming grin, "Travelling together is always a good idea... that's why I stopped here actually" he said.

Blake often conveyed himself as openly and honestly as possible, and although we genuinely happy that he'd managed to have the best luck at finding three other people already who wanted to get to Trinity, he was still somewhat cautious about possibly travelling with them. Blake turned to Eve, "you look a little lost" he said half jokingly half seriously, "And please don't be offended, but you don't look like the type to be wandering around the darkness on your own... he turned to Samara and Mike, well actually... none of you do" he said matter of factly. Blake took another swig of his gin, "But I suppose I probably don't either..." he trailed off as the lights in the hotel dimmed and flickered for longer than usual and suddenly the howls of the monsters filled his ears.

Blake's blood ran cold for a moment, but it was less than five seconds before the lights started up again... But the howls Blake heard and the other would have too were definitely from creatures that were right outside. Blake tensed up his smily cheery face lost into a gaunt expression as he stared into the three other's eyes. "The damned things didn't waste anytime this year.." he said solemnly looking out at the darkness through the door. "They're already moving through the streets.." Blake was uneasy but this kind of event always happened when the darkness hit... You had to be careful when leaving a house or building. Unless you had a flash light, you were sure to be killed.

"Look" Blake said seriously, "I am going to Trinity.. and I am lookin' for travellers too - the more the merrier and all that - But I got two rules if we travel together" he said, "I don't leave anyone behind, but you gotta listen to me if I ask something of ya". Blake looked to the blonde girl who seemed more nervous than the red head or Mike. "I ain't lettin' anything hurt someone who travels with me..." he smiled bleakly, "and I ain't travelling for another eight hours" he said leaning back in his chair, "I need my rest and so do you guys probably..." Blake stood up and stretched, "Besides.. since there is no day or night anymore we might as well just rest when we're tired... and I certainly am right now... so i'm off to bed... If you're still keen in eight hours time, meet me back here... make sure you got some form of light on you too ok? I won't take you if you ain't got at least something to scare the damned creatures off".

With that Blake walked back up the stairs and to his room. He closed the door and lay on his bed, slowly, uneasily, but eventually drifting off to sleep for eight hours.

Samara sat back on the stool, her legs crossed tightly and took another drag from the cigarette, the ash on the end growing longer and weaker. She nodded along as Blake spoke, agreeing with him wholeheartedly. She had no real reason, no real purpose for going to Trinity - no lost love awaited her, no family. But in truth she was lonely, and the idea of spending the darkness in a city rumoured to be dripping in light appealed to her, she was human after all.

And as the lights wavered and the yowls from beyond the doors echoed, she was genuinely thankful to be in such company. The others, Mike and Eve, she didn't know much of, but they had survived this long, so must have been doing something right. And Blake, well, he sounded like he had some knowledge of the horrors in the black and how to evade them. This comforted her and somehow, Sam knew she would rest well this night. She looked at Blake as he stretched, flashing him a pearly smile as he announced he was off to bed and if they wished to travel in the morning, they would need to be up in eight hours with some light source. Samara had already worked that part out, spying it the moment she entered the hotel.

She stood, scraped her cigarette butt into the tray and twisted her hips and shoulders, stretching the muscles.

"Good night Blake. Nice to meet you." She nodded at the others, scooping up her coat from behind her. "Mike. Eve. See you all in the morning, I guess." Her eyes flicked towards the group of men behind the bar, playing darts loudly, as if the world had not sunk into a treacherous darkness. One of them, a young man whose happiness, innocence had obviously been beaten out of him wore a heavy leather coat. And sticking out of the pocket was a silver flashlight, one of those heavy-duty ones. It had glinted in the light when Samara had stepped into the pub, catching her eye instantly.

She took a deep breath and added a little more sway into her walk, moving silkily into their eyesight. And there she locked gazes with the man and his torch, her chest rising slowly, looking at him through her lashes. It wasn't long before she had washed away a bottle of whiskey, her world warm and spinning. The man's laugh boomed around her, filling her head. She grinned, allowing him to run his hands across her lower-back, her backside, her inner-thigh. She gasped, not really feeling any actual arousal. But it always helped, made them feel superior. Shadows danced around her, the ground she stumbled on was on an incline and soon she was in a room she didn't pay for, on a somewhat clean bed with sheets she didn't hire. Her company wasn't bad either, he wasn't rough or full of hatred for himself or others. He probably lost his family; a wife, children. But he did not take it out on her body. There had been mornings Samara had to crawl out, her body riddled with bruises. But he was nice, drunk but gentle. And as she lay underneath him, her breathy act under way, she looked to the roof and smiled slightly, she was going to Trinity. The land of lights. And whether it was the whiskey or the thoughts, Samara slept well, half-naked and curled in the arms of a kind stranger.

Eve had politely turned down the other woman's offer of another round of drinks. She was already feeling a slight buzz from the two she'd had. It was obvious she never drank much. She listened to the chatter between the one man and the other woman, a feeling of alarm popping up when Blake said he wouldn't travel with anyone without a light source. Well, she couldn't say she blamed him, but how was she going to find a light source now?

All of a sudden, Blake was leaving, and then Samara was, and Eve found herself alone with the one man she didn't want to be alone with. Downing the rest of her drink, she looked over at him with a sheepish smile. "They're right… Should be getting some sleep, I guess." She turned to the bartender, who had his back to them. "Sir?" she called out. When he turned around, she offered some money for her drinks and a room. "A room for the night, please."

The man took her money then tossed her a key. "Room six, little lady."

Eve thanked him then slid off her stool, wavering just a little. She hadn't eaten in two days, so the alcohol was definitely having an effect on her. "Good night, Mike," she said politely before turning to head to her room. As she made her way out of the bar and through the halls to the rooms, Eve came across a man, passed out drunk in a corner on the floor, vomit dried on his chin and shirt. Sticking out of the pocket of his pants was a flashlight. I can't steal his light! He needs it! she thought. She stood in the doorway for a moment, biting her lip. He's probably going to just stay here and drink away the rest of his miserable life, before the creatures outside overrun this place… He won't need it… And with that thought, she tiptoed forward. The man let out a grunt and turned his head her way, as if he felt her presence. She paused a moment, making sure he was still asleep, then reached down and slipped the flashlight out of his pocket. Glancing around to make sure no one had seen her, Eve quickly shoved the flashlight into the inside breast pocket of her husband's heavy coat, and took off at a quick walk toward her room.

When she got inside her room, Eve locked the door then slowly began to slip off all her gear. She laid the bow and arrows aside reverently. Then, she headed into the adjoining bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She was a mess. She couldn't believe anyone had invited them to join their party when she looked so pitiful. Why would anyone even want to travel with her? She quickly cleaned herself up, then slid into the bed, curled up in a ball on the edge, and lay there staring at the dirty wall until exhaustion forced her to sleep.

After agreeing to Blake's "conditions", Mike decided it was probably time for him to get some shut eye too. "G'night everyone." That was when the lights flickered off for those long five seconds. Mike instinctively pulled out his butterfly knife. It would do little against a 400 pound creature, but slicing a sacrifice's leg was always a good strategy... Thankfully for everyone in the room, the lights came back on and Mike quickly stashed his knife. Gotta control myself...

He happily walked up the old stairs and on the way to his own room, which he had gotten previously, he saw a shivering young woman slowly shuffling down the hall. She was obviously scared in general, and the blackout must have spooked her. It was all too tempting. Mike quietly walked up to the woman, and placed his hand softly on her shoulders, asking in a kind voice, "Are you OK?" After talking about her dead family and blah blah blah, Mike offered to sleep in the room with her, for company. She agreed fairly easily, and Mike could not help but let out a wide grin as he closed the door behind them. Things really are starting to look up...

Blake awoke suddenly, his breathing heavy and sweat rolling down his brow. He had been dreaming of the horrific night his love was killed by the damned night crawlers. Blake shook his head and wiped his face with his right hand, taking a deep calming breath. He rolled over in the bed and looked towards the crappy, almost completely broken clock on the night stand near the fluttering lamp. "6:30..." he muttered to himself, yawning and stretching. He stood up and put his shoes and coat on. Briefly stopping to look at himself in the dirty mirror in the ensuite. He meekly smiled at himself saying a few words of encouragement, "Don't give up Blake. Yvette wouldn't want you to."

Blake picked his makeshift utility belt up and slung it around himself, making sure that his torch was poking out ready to be used. Blake quickly checked he had all the supplies he needed for the moment - his screwdriver, wrench and extra batteries. He knew he wasn't gonna get far with just two extra batteries, but his torch had just had two new ones placed in so it was going to keep him going for a bit at least. Blake walked back out into the room and stopped for a moment when the lights flickered out again, this time for ten seconds.

Blake's breathing stopped and his heart began to race. He was on the second floor but he could hear the unmistakeable huffing of something at his windowsill. It was absolute darkness however and he couldn't see a thing. The darkness happened so fast, but in times like those, it feels like millennia. As the light flickered back on Blake saw the grotesque face of a humanoid mutant. It's pushed in nose and wide, but useless dark black eyes stared coldly into the room. As the light flickered on the creature squealed and jumped back from the second story window to the ground and scurried off.

Blake sighed heavily and frantically, thanking god that it hadn't tried to break in. He knew that it knew he was in there... The night crawlers always do. They are the poor unfortunate result of radioactive evolution. When the asteroid hit, and it's shards collided with earth, many creatures were killed or affected by the radiation. Night Crawlers, it is said, are the result of extremely fast radiation exposure. It was theorised that those humans affected by the asteroids radiation lost their human cognitive abilities beyond basic survival skills. The are an offshoot species of primates now, but their smell is that akin to a dogs and while they only hunt in the dark they are actually not blind; it is common knowledge they cannot see well but people can rest at night in the knowledge that the Night Crawlers can see enough to be repulsed by any form of light. It also known that stronger light sources, such as flood lights, have the ability to burn their sensitive flesh, which is why they only come out at night.

Blake moved to the window, curiosity getting the better of him. Down below he could see a bunch of the Night Crawlers moving about down below. "How did humanity get thrown so far into hell?" he asked himself. Blake loathed them. It didn't matter to him that 100 years ago their ancestors were unfortunate humans. He wanted to hunt and kill every last one, but he was still terrified and avoided them too. An oxymoron that plagued him constantly.

Blake shook the blackout from his current mindset and opened his door and made his way back to the bar to wait for the others, more so to see if they would actually be joining him. He knew from the blackout just then he definitely wasn't going to make it out there in the darkness on his own.

It was the ten second power outage that woke Eve. Her subconscious knew that something was wrong. She shot up in bed, reaching for the bow that she typically kept close. But she'd stupidly left it across the room before she had laid down. Idiot! You're going to get yourself killed! she screamed at herself. She was about to slide out of bed when she heard it. A horrible rasping outside her window. The garbled sound of a breath being taken in and let back out. Eve shuddered.

"Alan…" she whispered desperately. But then the lights flickered back on and the creature was gone. She let out a strangled cry and buried her face in her hands. But she didn't cry. No, she had no more tears left for her husband or for her desperate situation. All she had left were the terror in her heart and the will to survive, because that was what her husband had taught her.

Eve glanced at the clock on the nigh stand next to her bed. Well, at least she had slept for a decent amount of time. She could be somewhat rested and ready for the trip that she and the three others were about to make. "So few…" she thought. How could four people survive out there by themselves? They would be surrounded by the mutant beasts the entire time they were out there. Would they all make it?

Letting out a huff, she stood up. She walked over to a mirror and looked at herself once more. You look horrible, Eve. Grow a backbone. Those people won't give a damn about you unless you stop acting like such a baby. She straightened her back and squared her shoulders. She grabbed a brush from her backpack, a small luxury that she had brought along, and ran it through her long blond hair. She twisted her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck and tied a bit of ribbon around it to hold it in place. Nodding once at her reflection, she then turned away. It was time.

Eve slipped her husband's heavy coat back on, checking to make sure the flashlight was still hidden in the inside pocket. Once she confirmed that it was still there, she pulled her backpack on and strapped the bow and arrows over her shoulders as well. She glanced toward the window once more to make sure the creature had gone, then slipped out of the room. She made her way down to the bar, pausing on the way where she had found the man passed out against the wall. The man was no longer there. Where he'd been sitting, there was a dark red pool and a smear leading away from it. Eve prayed that he had been so drunk that he never felt the sharp teeth that had pulled him apart.

She shook her head and continued on to the bar. She let out a sigh of relief when she found the man that had called her over just hours before- Blake, she thought he had called himself. She made her way over to him, offering a small smile. "Do we say good morning anymore, or will it always be good night now?" she asked quietly, trying to lighten the mood and be a little less pitiful than the night before.

Mike slept the best he had in a while. He had to sleep on the chair, but that was only because the bed was taken by his "date". The gruesome sight of blood-soaked sheets calmed Mike, to the point of the short outage not bothering him so much. "Hmm, looks like I'll need something better than a butterfly knife huh..." He said as we slowly walked back to the corpse. He quickly checked her soggy pockets, and only managed to find a now red lighter, surprisingly still working, and a box of cigarettes. "Shame, I don't smoke... The lighter might be handy though." and so he stashed the metal box into his pocket, and tossed the cigarettes into his bag, maybe mutants like to smoke.

After making sure the door was firmly locked, he went downstairs to meet up with everyone else. When he got down to the bar, he found Blake and the other girl chatting, and so he interrupted with a cheery, "Hello, fellow companions! How goes it?"

As Blake stood at the bar, he ordered a water and sipped it quietly. The hotel was eerily quiet and the huffs and growls from the night crawlers outside did nothing to quell his uneasiness about travelling. However, he knew that staying here was just as bad of a death sentence as walking to Trinity was. Especially considering the the blackouts here that seemed to be getting more frequent.

Blake absentmindedly kept his right hand on the torch in his belt while he stuck another cigarette in his mouth and lit it up, taking a quick puff. He yawned deeply and suddenly a soft voice broke his internal worrying, "Do we say good morning anymore, or will it always be good night now?" Blake turned his head to see the shy blonde woman was the first new companion to make it down before set off. Blake smiled and his dimples showed with sincerity, "Ha! Who knows anymore... But, good morning" he said extending his hand to shake with hers. "Sleep alright?" Blake asked as he sipped his water, semi-regretting asking the question, no one would have slept that well with the constant fear of falling asleep and the reality of not waking up every night.

Blake swallowed deep and took another drag of his cigarette and then the man Mike surprised him for the second time "Hello, fellow companions! How goes it?" Blake smiled again and raised his glass of water and replied "Morning friend!" he looked to Eve and smiled at the good morning remark, "It appears we are awaiting our last new friend Sam and we can be off as soon as possible" Blake said trying to put cheer into his tone. He then looked to the two before him and asked, "So you've got a light source I imagine? We won't get far without one!" Blake tapped his torch in his belt, "got mine here... but we're gonna have to stop at the next town over, Lismoore I think?" Blake drank the last of his water, "I only have two spare batteries and we aren't getting much further than Lismoore without more batteries" he said with a matter of fact nod. He then looked around the room and thought out loud "Wonder where Sam is?"

Eve smiled right back and shook the hand that was extended to her. She slid onto the stool next to Blake and asked the bartender for a glass of water. "Sleep alright?" She let out a soft snort and shrugged. "Well, I slept." She gave a little shrug, looking up suddenly in surprise at the sound of the voice of the second man from the night before. They both seemed so cheerful. She waved a little, and offered a "Good morning" before taking another sip of her water.

"So you've got a light source I imagine? We won't get far without one!" Blake tapped his torch in his belt, "got mine here... but we're gonna have to stop at the next town over, Lismoore I think?" Eve touched the chest of her coat where the flashlight was hidden inside. She didn't want to pull it out right there. Maybe someone would recognize it and think she killed that man for his flashlight. That was all she needed. "I've got my flashlight," she said. "No spare batteries here, though. Hopefully we can find a stash or something in Lismoore."

She sat quietly for a few minutes then finished the rest of her water, sliding the glass back toward the bartender and turning on her stool so that she could lean back against the bar. She crossed one slim leg over the other and looked around the room. Eve glanced over at Mike. While she was more comfortable around Blake, she knew she couldn't just ignore the other man during their entire trip. They would all need each other if they were going to make it safely to Trinity. She offered Mike a smile. "So your girlfriend is already in Trinity?" she asked, trying to make conversation. "I bet you are excited to see her again." Everyone had their own stories, their own reasons for being where they were. She didn't much want to talk about her own, but she knew she'd have to at some point. Eve didn't exactly look like the type of woman who'd go off on her own through the hellish darkness. She was clearly more of a caretaker and homemaker than any kind of hunter. But she had a few tricks up her sleeves.

Her hand instinctively slid back to the bow slung across her back, her fingers gliding along the smooth wood. She let out a soft sigh.

Samara roused to the growls outside and when her eyes flew open, she was blinking into the darkness. Her pulse quickened and her breathing was shallow. The next ten seconds that passed seemed like an eternity and Samara wished she was not naked in the arms of a stranger, but standing and poised for defense. The lights returned, washing the room in a dull orange glow and she swallowed hard, her trembling hand gripping the knife strapped to her thigh. She sighed softly as she looked down at the deeply-sleeping man and almost smiled. He hadn't moved an inch, and Samara felt he was either brave or foolish. Looking around, she saw what she had came with him for, the silver flashlight jutting out from the pile of clothing in the corner. As gently as she had learned how to be, Samara slipped from his limbs and lightly hit the floor, shivering as the cold air squeezed her bare skin. She dressed quickly, keeping her eyes on the man.

She almost felt guilty, taking his source of survival. But at the same time, he seemed content staying within the hotel's shabby walls and had slurred something of the kind last night, asking if she would stay with him time the end of time. She had, of course, agreed at the time but she was sure deep down he knew she was not that sort of woman, that she would be gone in the morning. But for a night of drunken pleasure, he had swallowed her words and tongue with greedy desire.

Samara tucked the tattered arm of her overalls into the twist around her hips and then bent, rolling her fingers around the metal of the flashlight and feeling the satisfying warmth of a chance in this darkness wash over her. She stood, tucking it into her pockets and looked back at the man. She moved across to him, looking at him for a moment and wondering what it would be like to stay in the hotel for the rest of her life; drinking her sorrow away, playing darts and ending up in a different man's bed each night. But the idea made Samara's heart thud, she couldn't live knowing that the evil lurked within 20 centimeters of her, waiting for the darkness to seep in long enough to attack. She needed to move, she wasn't going to die a pickled, broken girl.

And with that, her face hardened and nodded to herself. She fished out a small packet of petrified peanuts and placed them on the chipped nightstand before she slid to the door and made her way to the bar.

She was combing a hand through her messy hair when the other three she had drunk with the night before came into her sight. The blonde woman Eve, the handsome yet strange man in the black suit Mike and the overzealous gentleman Blake. She smiled as she moved up beside them and waved her hand at the bartender and sighed, looking at Blake's dirty glass of water. "I guess there is no coffee... Water please." The unimpressed bartender grunted and placed the tumbler before her with enough force to slosh the precious liquid inside. She seized it and sipped, looking at the others. "Morning." She wasn't a brilliant morning person, and conversation was hard to muster under normal circumstances. "How was everyone's night?" She had to try, she was going to travel with these people.

Blake turned when Samara walked into the room, Eve and Mike seemed to be having their own conversation so when Samara walked over and said hello, he smile back and greeted her too. "MY mornings ok... but the blackouts the hotel is having are getting worse..." he sighed heavily and took a drag of his cigarette. He looked at the other two, apologised for interrupting them but continued to speak, "Sorry guys but I think we need to have a quick talk."

Blake hopped off his chair and walked a few steps away and turned so he was talking to them like they were his troops. "Like I mentioned, the blackouts here are getting worse, but I can bet my sweet ass that every town this side of the desert is royally screwed too... That's why we're going to Trinity..." Blake took another drag, his dirty habit getting the better of him, "We ain't gonna get far either without lighting... as you already know... So -" he looked to Samara, "I already told these two we're goin' to Lismoore... we need more supplies" then he continued to look at the other two, "I think it'd be best if we buddied up? Like.. if we have to split up.. always go with someone else? One guy and one gal? That sound alright?" Blake smiled gently, "The girls can decide I think" he said cheerfully then looked to Mike, "But this ain't a popularity contest hey!" he said smiling... "Don't have to do it now... just decide amongst you two so when the time comes we can help each other out without it gettin' messy... but we'll still travel together and help each other out and share rations and all that, ok?"

Blake pulled his flashlight from his belt, "So anyways... I wanna go now if that's all cool with you? I had a night crawler outside my window just before and I think they're massing outside too... so if we can get away as soon as possible.." Blake lowered his voice and moved closer to the three before him, "Between us.. I think this towns generator is only and hour or so away from conking out... and I don't like to say it... but we gotta get outta here before that proverbial hits the fan..."

Blake stood back away from them looking down at his feet. He hated thinking of such morbid things, and hated the idea of leaving a town to possibly fall like that too. But realistically, he wasn't some superhero who could save them all, and the people here, just like the fools at Black Falls, wanted to stay, wanted to believe they could survive here... Blake knew better than to try and convince these rednecks they were wrong.

He turned to the door, hitched his knapsack across his shoulder and hitched his pants and belt up too. "Let's get a move on then gals and guy!" Blake tried to move the mood back to a happy one as much as he could. He flicked his flashlight on and opened the doors out into the darkness. He shone it down to the ground and heard the sniffing and disgruntled huffs of the night crawlers in the street. "Bloody bastards are always waiting" he hissed under his breath. As Blake walked through the streets, he noticed some people were out too. Some street lamps worked and that's where people gathered. Safe in their little light islands. "You're better off inside" one of them chimed across the way to Blake and the group. "We'll see" Blake replied not really paying attention.

The feeling of being out in the open made Blake's chest feel tight. He hated this time of year... Hated the knowledge that anything could be out in front of him... Hated knowing that the light kept attackers at bay, but also invited them to know where his location was. Blake stopped at the outskirts of the town, "So... this is your last chance to say no coming with me..." he sighed heavily and took the last drag of his cigarette before throwing out into the dark. "I know I'm pushing you hard already... making you walk off into the unknown with three other random people... but we ain't got time to sit around here and play nice... We can get to know each other on the way to Lismoore.. it's about thirty minutes away"

Blake turned to look out across the darkness and gritted his teeth with hesitancy to move forward. He shook the thought of staying form his head, mumbling with his first step from the town, "Trinity is our only hope..."

Eve halted her conversation when Blake called the members of their little group over to him. He seemed to be a natural leader, and Eve was more than happy to be just another follower. She would follow any commands the man gave without question. That's just who she was. "Like I mentioned, the blackouts here are getting worse, but I can bet my sweet ass that every town this side of the desert is royally screwed too... That's why we're going to Trinity..." Blake took another drag, his dirty habit getting the better of him, "We ain't gonna get far either without lighting... as you already know... So -" he looked to Samara, "I already told these two we're goin' to Lismoore... we need more supplies" then he continued to look at the other two, "I think it'd be best if we buddied up? Like.. if we have to split up.. always go with someone else? One guy and one gal? That sound alright?" Blake smiled gently, "The girls can decide I think" he said cheerfully then looked to Mike, "But this ain't a popularity contest hey!" he said smiling... "Don't have to do it now... just decide amongst you two so when the time comes we can help each other out without it gettin' messy... but we'll still travel together and help each other out and share rations and all that, ok?"

The young woman blinked when he said that they should pair up, one man and one woman together at all times. Her eyes slid toward Mike for a split second. She had a feeling that she'd end up with him somehow. What was it about him that seemed to unsettle her so much? She wasn't sure. Perhaps it was the look in his eye, the way that he seemed to size everyone up. She sighed inwardly. Oh quit it, Eve. You don't even know the man. He's probably just as kind as Alan was. The thought made her smile a bit, and she turned the smile toward Mike, deciding to drop the uneasiness that she felt toward him. This was it. This was the group that she could possibly be spending the rest of her life with. And the rest of her life could be anywhere from hours away to years. No one knew anymore these days.

Blake was still talking, and she listened quietly, watching as he finally made his way toward the door. "So... this is your last chance to say no coming with me..." he sighed heavily and took the last drag of his cigarette before throwing out into the dark. "I know I'm pushing you hard already... making you walk off into the unknown with three other random people... but we ain't got time to sit around here and play nice... We can get to know each other on the way to Lismoore.. it's about thirty minutes away"

Eve hopped off the bar stool she had been sitting on and walked over to the man. "I'm in. I'd rather take my chances with you three than sit around here and wait for death." She pulled the flashlight out of her inner coat pocket and flicked it on. She glanced nervously past Blake into the darkness, then straightened her back and removed the emotion from her face. There was no room for timid people like Eve in this world anymore. You had to be strong and carry on or fade into the darkness where the beasts waited to guide you to your death.

The long journey across the endless wasteland had seemingly come to a halt when Nicole entered a small town; however, she was unfamiliar with the landscape, the area, or the name of the town itself. She only knew that this was the way to get to Trinity: "the last shimmer of hope" as it was called. She had been walking for days or at least what she thought were days; light had disappeared from the world and it was cast into darkness. Day and night could only be told by time now. Nicole walked through the town looking for a source of food or drink. She noticed onlookers would stare from their windows at her; she was not 'normal' by any standards. She still looked as tribal as the day she was cast out into the wilderness. Nicole expected this kind of reaction so she ignored the various people who would gawk and stare.

Nicole eventually found a bar and slipped in and sat on a stool, set her weapons to her side and looked at the bartender who eyed her with suspicion and fear. Most people recognized the tribal types that raided their villages, raping and killing at will. "I'm not here to cause trouble," Nicole stated, "I only want a drink: whatever's strongest." She threw some money on the counter and looked around the bar. A few people were eyeing her, but most carried on after an initial glance. No one really acted with too much hostility towards a tribal like Nicole because they usually travelled and attacked in large raiding parties; how they earned the nickname 'Raiders'; furthermore, being a woman also made the bar frequenters less weary of her. Sexism worked to Nicole's advantage in certain circumstances.

Nicole turned to see a group of four people preparing exiting the bar together; two women and two men. One of the men looked to be leading the group; he was quite tall and rather attractive. Something about him seemed to pull in attention. The other man wasn't saying too much, but Nicole had trouble reading him. He was wearing dark clothes; that, combined with his slick hair, brought a mysterious charm to him. The first woman that caught Nicole's eye was dressed in a rather messy attire compared to the blonde-haired woman. They both were very attractive. Nicole wondered where they were heading.

"Where are those four off to?" Nicole asked the bartender, nudging her head towards the group. "Where else?" He answered, handing Nicole a shot of brownish-green liquid. "City of Trinity." Nicole tilted her head back and swallowed the shot. It burned as it travelled its way down her throat. She stood up and walked towards the group. She stopped a few feet away from them. She didn't like it, but she was going to need companions if she wanted to survive.

"I hear you're going to Trinity?" She asked aloud.

Blake had turned to descend into the seemingly endless darkness and peril when he paused at the words behind him, "I hear you're going to Trinity?". Blake turned to see where the voice came from. "Uh... yeah.." he said a little surprised, he looked at the others then turned to them and raised an eyebrow. "Uh... yeah, yeah we are" Blake said looking over to the woman. She was strange to look at, tribal tattoos, a fierce presence exuded from her. Blake knew that her tattoos alone were enough to make her wary, he stepped back into the light of a nearby street lamp.

"You wanna come?" he asked hesitantly. Blake knew all about the wastelands tribes that littered the desert. Since the fallout 100 years ago some people took to making their own civilisations and unique cultures... Many however were less than savoury to put it nicely. Blake couldn't deny in his thoughts that having a raider-bandit woman was a great ally for the darkness... But when they were in a town there was always trouble to follow... and when they were alone, even more trouble was begging to follow.

"How come you're on your own?" Blake asked, kicking himself internally. He sometimes had a habit of thinking out loud, such as this instance. 'I mean.. uh.. Yeah.. If you're going to Trinity we are too, you're welcome to come." Blake looked at the others with a pitiful smile. He knew he could potentially regret inviting a wastelander into their party, but he reasoned the more the merrier and the better protected. "But we're not wasting time.. we're leaving now! So I hope you got some light and are well rested!" Blake said with a stern look and then broke it with a smile. Blake turned and left the lamp street post then this time thoughtfully walked into the darkness.

The ring-leader of the group answered first as the men and women turned to Nicole; he seemed hesitant which was to be expected. To Nicole's surprise, he actually invited her to come along with the group to Trinity. It was obvious there was a lot going on in his mind; he looked doubtful of Nicole or her intentions. Most 'outsiders', as the Raiders called them, didn't trust the Raiders, and usually vice-versa. Outsiders was a term for anyone who wasn't part of a tribe. The man questioned Nicole's solitariness. He must have known enough about tribes to know they don't travel alone. Nicole didn't see any problem with revealing some of her past to him if it would ease his worries. He turned and walked out into the darkness. Nicole caught up to him and walked alongside him.

"I'm sure you can tell that I'm not from here," she stated, "I was tribal, or a Raider... but I was banished. Exiled. Probably what kept me alive." Without Nicole to organize her former tribe, it fell into disoray; the new leader had no knowledge or training in leadership or country management, and with the size of the tribe, he was bound to lose control. Most of the Raiders who didn't flee died from infighting or the mutated creatures.

"I ask to join you to Trinity. I will not cause trouble; I can fight, I can be resourceful, and I won't speak up much." Nicole reached into her pockets, looking for some sort of light source; a flash-light, some matches, anything, but aside from some money, there was nothing. "I don't have a light source but this wouldn't be the first time I've had to navigate through the dark; I'll manage." Thankfully, her new travel companions had some source of light; however, Nicole was used to the dark. She welcomed it: it was perfect for hiding, raiding, staging an ambush, escaping... it was a Raider's paradise, but the creatures of the night enjoyed the darkness too; a fate many Raiders had suffered.

"And my name is Nicole," she added, "if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. I'll answer to the best of my ability; I understand your hesitation to trust me."