The Hero's Story

Background: The land of Tryn, a land torn by war and famine. The lower classes and reds (people who can't use magic) were revolting against the upper royalty and the magus. Millions of lives died every day, and the revolutionaries were at the losing end. That is, until they heard of an ancient power, hidden somewhere in the world, that has the ability to completely neutralize all the magic in the world. Everyone would become reds, and the revolutionaries would gain a fantastic edge, them already having a huge size advanatge. A revolutionary general and his many companions (this is where you make the characters, jump in whenever you like!) set off to find this ancient power. After much searching, they finally find the great temple of the ancient Trynia, the first Gods of their world. They finally make it inside, and are about to tap into the great power, when their pursuers (playing the villain in climaxes is fun too!) catch up, and deeply wound the general. His companions now have to make a choice, save their dear general using magic healing, or stop the war. This is where our Epic climax begins...

Tray Knight: One of the general's companions

I could only watch as our great general fell to the floor in a pool of his own blood. Our medic quickly ran to him to attempt to heal him with magic (not all magic users were happy with the situation either) while a few of our companions went off to hold the pursuers off. Everyone left knew that our medic wouldn't be able to heal the general in time, we were vastly outnumbered, and they had the ability to use magic, one which the vast majority of us didn't have...

"Dammit!" Tray yelled out in anger. The power to stop the war was right there in front of them and yet, doing so would kill the general. Tray had been saved by their courageous and strong general more than once, and that went for a lot of people on the team. Didn't they owe him this much? But if he didn't do it, they may all die. There was an escape route there, but he knew that they would never get the chance to use this power again if they ran now. Not only that, but the ones holding the damn magus off would probably be killed as well... "God damn it... God damn it all..."

(Aaaand CUT! I'll let you guys decide what'll happen next.)

Tray Knight

Tray was still thinking when he saw Zeke, one of the darker of our company, start walking right over the corpses of his teammates and towards the crystal that could change it all. Tray was about to yell, "No!" But he knew that he couldn't do that. He knew it and yet... He heard more screams from inside, the magus were getting closer and starting to break through their defense. The sight was gruesome, and he was at the brink of insanity when he saw a guiding light. "Tray..." The general was calling out to him. Without any hesitation he ran over to his side and hastily asked, "What is it?"
"Don't... Worry about me..."
"What do you mean don't worry? You're our leader, our-"
"Tray..." He looked solemn for a moment, but then suddenly let out a huge grin and said, "Do you think a small thing like this will get me?"
"Wh-What?"
"I'll *cough* be fine. But what I can't stand is to see you lazy bastards sitting around twiddling your thumbs."
A tear ran down Tray's cheek, this was their captain. Charismatic, strong, brave even in the face of death, and always so bitterly kind... Tray quickly got up from his crouch, wiped his tears, and saluted the general saying with renewed vigor, "Yessir!" The general let out a small laugh and said, "Now go get 'em."

He quickly ran past the bodies of his brothers and sisters towards the crystal. The general had been lying, he could tell by the medic's own salty tears that fell onto his blood-stained uniform. But he was prepared now. He yelled out, "Zeke!" He waited for him to turn towards him and, with new tears flowing down his cheeks, gave him an affirmative nod.

Zeke Marsters

He knew time was sparce. From the looks of things, everything was going downhill. Quickly. The entire army seemed to be keeling over and the few who were holding the Magus at bay seemed to be on their last leg. His brows narrowed at the approaching enemy. Bastards, he mentally spat, Self-righteous freaks. True, he didn't hold an overwhelming emotional attachment towards his comrades, he wasn't exactly the huggy-kissy-type, but knowing they had died for something so trivial was enough to fill his chest with rage. Everyone deserved an equal chance. Those lucky enough to be gifted with such abilities had no idea what life was like for those without. He was going to change all that. All the plans of this negating item was naive thinking. Just because all abilites would be vanquished didn't mean peace would come. No, once he found the relic he would make sure that not only would eveyone be granted abilities, but he would make those pay dearly for the gifts they so wrongly abused.

"Zeke!" His name snapped him out from his thoughts and he turned to meet the source. His head cocked some and a knot twisted somewhat in his gut. Shit. He thought, watching the familiar man approach. He had no idea who this guy was. Assuming from the man's tears and from where he was running, he was either a friend or an avid supporter of the General, which also meant he was probably high in rank.. He watched in interest as the man nodded as he neared. "It's about time somebody took some responsibility," he said with no apparent disrespect, "Thought I was going to have to do this by myself." Zeke returned the warrior's nod with a devilish grin. Oh well, names weren't much anyway, he'd prove himself worthy of remembering by helping him put a stop to this stupid war.

Turning, he continued his way into the temple. Time was of the essence. He had made it this far, he didn't want to risk losing it all just because he finally found a suitable 'partner'. Well, suitable might be too strong a word.. He suppose he'd find out upon seeing the man in action. For now, he could look pass the guy's sniffling since he seemed to be the only other being with his head out of the General's ass.

Once inside all sounds of war became muffled. Explosions, gunfire, screams, magic, all were drowned out by the thickness of the temple walls. Zeke allowed himself a moment to look around and study the ruins. The sight would've been awe inspiring, if not for the massive piles of equipment and the recent damage done. "Shame," he mumbled to himself, truly saddened by the inappropriateness of the place. "That's war for you.."

Inspired by the sight, his pace quickened and he no longer cared if the man was following him or not. The item that would fix everything was just in reach. All he need do was find it. He rushed towards the back of the temple, aware that most sacred objects were for some reason always in the back. Digging through the debris and foliage he scoured every nook and cranny until his eyes caught hold of an iridescent gleam. He paused, caught in between the item's sacredness and fear for the repercussions of what he was about to do. However, the fear was but a fleeting thought and without further hesitation he quickly scooped the crystal out of the filth, allowing it's glow to fill the decaying area. "Finally.." was all he was able to whisper.

Tray Knight

Tray felt a sudden shock wave blast through the temple. "Did it work?" He asked himself, so he turned to the battle with hope and anticipation. The magus were still casting their infernal spells. All the strength suddenly left Tray's legs and he fell to the floor. He knew that there was a possibility that it would not work, that it could have just been hopeful stories that were told to young children, but the affect was truly immense. After all they had gone through, after all the buildup, nothing? Was their climax going to be their end, with no resolution? Tray could not take this, and quickly ran towards Zeke.

He managed to make it fairly quickly, thanks to all the moved debris, and called out, "Zeke! It-It didn't work!" you could hear faint sobs between his words, "It didn't work God Dammit!"

(Now it's time to get creative)

Zeke

The sudden eruption of power took Zeke by surprise. He only managed to squeak as a shock wave entered through his fingers and filled his body with an almost electrical charge. His hands burned with so much energy, yet he was unable to release the crystal. He instantly regretted touching the relic as copious amounts of power transferred into him. He struggled against it, refusing to be overcome by that which he swore to defeat. He cried out, feeling he would surely explode, but instead the excess charge burst from him, sending the man and all which lay near him recoiling backwards. Unconsciousness threatened to take claim, but he fought it, leaving him dazed and pained. Slowly, he sat up on the pile of debris which had shot back with him and gazed about the room. His body betrayed him for a moment as all senses seemed overwhelmed. Sound was muffled, sight blurred, even his movements were painfully slow. He dragged his eyes across the room and was startled to see the soldier still with him and standing, seemingly perfectly fine.

He pushed himself off the ground, stumbling as he approached his comrade. Obviously, something had happened, else the man wouldn't be in such a frantic state. Dread suddenly quickened his pace and the haze over his body started to fade. Was the enemy here?! Did the crystal not work?! The soldier turned to him, finally acknowledging his presence, "Zeke! It-it didn't work!" Zeke stopped and stared, taking in the man's bitter sobs, "It didn't work God dammit!"
He turned away from the man, refusing to grasp that nothing had happened. He needed to see for himself. He looked outside and saw the Magus still using their abilities and frowned. Why were they still gifted? Regardless if he wanted to harness the crystal, the excess energy should've done something.. He stumbled forward to the entrance of the temple and fell upon the massive doorway. "No way.." his voice trailed off in disbelief as he gazed across the battlefield. His fingers dug into the ruins as a shocked smirk ghosted his lips, "It did work.." he whispered in awe, frantically beckoning the warrior to stand beside him. "It worked perfectly!"

What he had confused as the enemy fighting were also his comrades in arms. Those conscious enough, who were once without power, now fought back with new abilities, sending not only bullets but magic flying as well. The sight was both comical, awe-inspiring and horrifying. Confusion and terror spread through the battle field creating chaos on a much larger scale. Though, unrefined and novice were the newly acquired abilities, the Magus seemed too preoccupied to deliver the final blow.

Zeke backed away from the door, his confidence and strength growing with each step. "It really worked!" he laughed, his body trembling with excitement, "Sonovabitch! It really worked!" Now he was ready to take on the world.

Tray Knight

"Wha-What?"

Tray was dumbfounded. So this godly power that was supposed to level the playing field, did so, but like this? He looked back at Zeke's comment, it was true, his former "red" comrades were now clumsily shooting tiny, yet effective in confusing the enemy, bolts of fire and balls of energy at the magus, well, everyone was a magus now. He shook off these thoughts though, they had a chance of winning! He could not falter now. He quickly charged into the main battle field, and rallied his troops, "We have the power! We can fight!" A simultaneous yell answered and every able-bodied man charged at the enemy.



... Several years later...



Dear reader,

The battle was fierce, one that would never be forgotten by everyone on the planet for centuries to come, maybe even for thousands of years. I, myself, suffered some harsh wounds, and am now confined to a wheelchair for the rest of my life. But we won the battle, we won god dammit. Or, so I would wish to say.

Sometimes, before the war, and even during it, and hell, even now, I asked the question, "Why were there "reds" in the first place?" Quite possibly, the outcome of the Red Rebellion was the answer than God himself sent us from within that infernal crystal. After the crystal was activated, and everyone across the planet was given magic, all hell broke loose. The stalemate that had lasted for decades between the numerous reds and the powerful magus suddenly collapsed, and it was as if a new war had begun. Many things happened, the first being that we were, in the beginning, winning. Our power in numbers, and now magic, gave us a huge arms win. But, it filled us with too much confidence, and many pointless blood baths were fought, both sides losing without anything gained. Out of paranoia, the royals sent kills teams to slaughter previously red towns and villages, even if they were allied with them before the crystal's awakening.

The war ended, finally, after 55 years of man slaughter, but at what cost? The loss of more than half our world's population, not to mention a brutal famine and recession that would last for a decade. But even so, I do not regret what we did in that temple 15 years ago. I do sometimes ask, though, could there have been an alternative? After we had gained the power, the equality, was more fighting even necessary? Right now, my life is full of questions.

To those reading this, do not take my actions as a sign of regret. Do not take it as some way to repent for my possibly misguided actions. I am simply tired. And that is all there is to it.

Your's Truly, Tray Knight

Tray was found dead the next morning in his summer villa. The cause, suicide by hanging.

Zeke

He watched the battlefield for a moment more, taking the time to cool down. Though excitement and anticipation had him itching, he wasn't stupid enough to rush out into live fire, epsecially when there were so many random shots. He didn't make it this far just to get picked off by some bloke who had no idea what was going on. Apparently, other people had a different view.. "We have the power! We can fight!" He watched in shock as the soldier charged the battlefield, gathering what was left of the troops. The man's sudden enthusiam had Zeke baffled. What kind of warrior would fling himself, along with other troops, headlong into such danger with no plan whatsoever? Sure, the magus were falling back, but there was still so much friendly fire. He chuckled in disbelief, watching his allies take on the magus and shrugged. Better rage than tears, he guessed. Thank God the magus hadn't expected a powered attack, so surprise was at least on their side. Fear did wonders and he would make sure to see it on the enemy's faces.

Without further hesitation, he followed the men into battle, although more cautiously. He didn't want to die so soon after obtaining such gifts. He was not going to let his name fade away. He would make sure the enemy knew who it was who delivered the final blow. Everyone would know it was Zeke Marsters who turned the tide of the war. He would make sure his name lived forever.

...several years later...

Revolution was paid for with blood. Fifty-five years of genocide had scoured the land, turning many against eachother. Senseless slaughter became normal. Female, male, elder, child, healthy, sickly..none were spared the reprocusions of those who had played God and abused what had be given to them fifteen years ago. Was it worth it? To some, yes. They had gained their freedom, their equality, but most concidered the gift a curse, something that had been forced upon them. It was a harsh transformation. The Magus had it easy. Being born with such abilities, they had time to work with it and properly learn to use it. The 'reds' had no such luck. Of course, there's always the amazing story of some prodigy or lucky bastard someplace far away who took to it as if it were second nature, but to most power was a bitch.

The name Zeke Marsters had gone down in history along with everyone who had fought in that battle. Though, many poor sods were driven to suicide by the sheer madness and harshness of the war, the man Zeke, even fifteen years later, couldn't be happier.

John could not feel his legs anymore, but it was thanks to that that he could keep running. He could not look back, or go back, it was too... Too horrible. The adrenaline kept his sense up, and every little sewer rat sent shocks down his spine as he ran through the abandoned town, looking for help. That was about when he started to hear the ghastly screams of "them". The creatures of the dark that nobody ever sees, but know that they are there. He quickly took out his small handgun and started to run faster. Suddenly, a figure swooped down in front of him, and he opened fire until his entire clip was gone. He had managed to kill the horrid beast with his wild shots, but more were surely going to be attracted by the sound.

In the distance, he saw the form of a person, and started to run towards it without another thought. All he could do is hope it was not some puppet, long gone and no use to him. Thankfully, his prayers were answered, and there was Zeke, a very beneficial scout that had joined their camp a while back. "He quickly ran in front of him and calling out his name. When he finally reached him, he said, gasping in between words, "They're all dead! Ricky and Sally and Jackson... The entire camp is gone..."

John

"Alright, I'll cover the rear. Let's hope you're right about this base..." And their chase through the city began. John's gunshots had awakened many more creatures of the night, and soon so many different creatures were chasing them, it just looking like a giant, dark mass of flesh and claw. Occasionally, a slightly faster bat-like creature or dog-like creature would emerge from the mass and start to catch up. Luckily, John was one of the best shots in the camp, easily dispatching the quicker ones. He had hastily swiped several guns and clips of ammunition during the attack, which was not cruel, but part of their motto, "Every man for himself." In a break during the attacks, he handed Zeke a handgun and a few clips, "Make em count." John knew this would be a long night...

Zeke

He was glad to have someone with him, especially since that person was so handy with a gun. Zeke wished he could say he was handy with weapons, but in all honesty, he'd probably injure himself more than defend himself. He wasn't exceptionally strong, and he definitely wasn't the leader type, not that he was much much of a follower either. If anything were useful about him, he was proud to say was his intellect. He had a photographic memory, which made scouting, hunting and anything which required mental work simple- which was why running through these woods was a no-brainer. He already knew the way back, the hardest part was recognizing landmarks in the dark. He kept low, a natural reaction to not wanting to get caught in John's crossfire, and lead them quickly through the foliage.

He thought things were going well, but of course as things usually did, they took a turn for the worse. "Every man for himself," John said, after holding off a few monsters. He handed a gun to Zeke, who took the weapon in horror. He'd have no trouble shooting it and it wasn't his first time with a gun, but there was a reason he didn't walk around armed. He stepped closer to John, careful not to point the gun in his direction and gulped at the man's advice, "Make 'em count." His eyes scanned the area and he fired at the slightest dark movement. He took out a few creatures, beginners luck he figured, but it was quickly dwindling away. After a few more random shots, he put the weapon on safety and continued towards the base. "Eff this shit!" He exclaimed in frustration. He knew how to scout, so that was what he was going to do. "Come on!" He yelled back to John. He didn't want to leave the man behind, but he would if it came down to it. He wasn't made for fighting and afterall, using John's own words, it was 'every man for himself'.

John

John watched Zeke clumsily fire at a few stray mutants, missing mostly. Well, he did not expect much, but it was better than nothing. And if Zeke ever did start to hold him back... Well, this goes back to the motto. After a few minutes of running, the tall roof of the base rising from the rose from the dark trees. Hmm, not bad. He thought while picking off small pack of hounds. Soon they were able to see the base only about 50 meters away. The problem was that an imposing barbed wire fence surrounded the encampment. "Looks like I'll have to use that. Start climbing the fence and don't turn around!" he yelled to his companion, as he rummaged through his bag for a small, dark orb. After he saw that Zeke's back was turned, he quickly covered his eyes, bit into the orb and tossed it onto the floor, and shortly after it exploded in a bright flash of light. This managed to easily distract the monsters for the precious seconds it took the two to climb the fence to the other side. "Alright Mr. Scout, what now?"

Zeke

He took a few minutes to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees for support. In all reality, he was surprised they made it, what with all the puppets and running.. He didn't know how long John had been out, but Zeke was begining to lose steam. Guess that's what happens when you're running on adrenaline and have been in a constant state of movement for over 24 hours.. With a final gasp of breath Zeke pushes himself into a standing position. The light gave them a few precious moments, but now every dark creature within a mile radius or so would know their exact location. They needed to get inside. It was a military base, so hopefuly there'd be a new arsenal of weapons, food, maybe even power- if it hasn't been vandalized already.

"Alright, Mr. Scout, what now?" Still a bit breathless, he decided to let actions speak for him and he waved the man to follow as he quickly walked towrds the building. He had no idea if people were living inside or even if the place was full of those monsters, walls and corners were a perfect shelter for darkness. "I hope you have a good supply of ammo," Zeke said bluntly as he lead them to the door of the building, "Because for all I know, this place could be crawling with creatures.." It was a teriffying truth, but one that needed to be faced. The miraculous military base was a rumour afterall. He had no idea if there was an actual weapon which would take out the Darkies and in all honesty, a weapon which did that, military or not, seemed too good to be true. People forgot that military personel were human just like them, meaning they had an equal chance of death or puppetry.

It took a few yanks, but the door finally gave way with a groan. He staired into the shadowy building before stepping back and looking to John. "I'm glad you're here, man," he said with difficulty, patting the man on the shoulder. Death was death, no matter how one went, but it was comforting knowing he wouldn't be walking into it on his own. He just hoped to God that the stories would be true and that everything would turn out alright in the end.

[b]John[/b[

"Don't thank me yet. If this turns out to be a bust, then you might just be on your own, pal..." It was harsh, but it was the truth. Staying in groups was helpful, and it was not like Zeke was completely useless, but John was always a bit of a loner; he much rather would go alone. But right now, he had an objective: save the world... Boy, that sounds cheesy. John was doubtful, but they were already there. Plus the base was not in bad shape, it could serve as a nice new base if it was not too infested...

When they entered, the base was oddly in good shape. There was not anyone there, of course, but the lights were miraculously still working (working as in half of them were giving a dim, flickering light, but it was enough to see). "Well, at least we won't have to fumble in the dark, let's go." He kept his gun cocked and loaded as he checked the various rooms, most of them used for storage. There were not any monsters to be seen, just empty rooms. At the end of the hall was a reinforced steel elevator, at least it seemed like it was one. An ominously brightly lit keypad was to the side, and without the password, continuing seemed impossible. "Well, unless you know the password to this damn thing I suggest we loot all we can and-" John's metaphor was interrupted by a dark, howling roar that echoed inside the building. The sound had obviously came from outside, and it sent chills down the spines of our two heroes. Crap... A colossus... Colossi were giant creatures, at least 15 feet tall, who slowly stalked less inhabited areas. Wherever they went, swarms of smaller monsters always followed, making just the possibility of one coming, a very bad thing. "We're fucked..."

Zeke

The man's statement hit hard. Though, he couldn't quite blame the guy. It was merely moments ago when he was thinking the same thing, but to actually hear it? - was like a kick in the groin. He gave no snappy comeback, showed no anger, sadness or disappointment, just an emotionless nod to confirm he heard. At least he knew where they stood. John made it with him this far, but depending on luck, he may not be that reliable. "Hell," Zeke scoffed, "At least your honest.." Though, unsettling, he was happy to get this information now rather than later. It'd be a pretty shitty move to be back-to-back amongst a pack of creatures then suddenly be left to fend for yourself. At least now he could plan accordingly incase shit went downhill.

With a deep breath he entered the base. Dim lighting flickered throughout the halls, reminding him of the old horror movies he used to watch as a kid. An uncomfortable smirk came to his lips as he cautiously stepped further into the building. Who would've thought, after all these years, he'd get his dream of acting in a movie? Though never a fan of those types of films, he hoped this was the kind that ended in 'happily ever after.' He remembered the wieght in his hand as they neared the end of the hall.

"Well, unless you know the password to this damn thing I suggest we loot all we can and-" John's suggestion was cut short as a terrifying and very much unwanted sound cut through the air. Every hair on Zeke's body stood on end as the scream penetrated his ears. He suddenly remembered the gun he was carrying and brought it up to his chest. "Fuck.." He looked toward John, all colour drained from his face and waited to see if he would run. Chances were the thing already knew they were here. Maybe he could by them some time before the creature and his miniony dudes made it to their position. Without sparing another second, he took to the keypad. Hacking into military security was pointless; he wasn't that skilled, but he did know his wires. Using the gun as a hammer, he bludgened the protection pad off the wall. Pulling the cords out from the pad itself, he began fumbling about, twisting and turning the wires, hoping for some kind of reaction. Thankfully, they were colour-coded, which made his work a bit easier. With a sudden flash the hallway lights blared on. Whatever dark spot or shadow the creatures might have used to get near was gone now. He allowed himself a 'whoop' of trimuph before running into the unusable elevator. "That'll buy us some time I hope," he said between jumps, "I can't hack the system, but we can climb the shaft." With each jump he gave a satisfying smash to the elevator ceiling with his gun. /I like this better as a hammer,/ he chuckled mentally. "Gimme a boost," he beckonded John over, "I'm not sure how long the lights'll last."

John

Well whaddaya know. He's got some skills after all... John quickly ran over and lifted the man up through the vent. Once he was up there, he called, "Alright, now help me up!" John was getting a bit hasty, the lights were already starting to flicker, and he thought he could see glaring figures at the doorway. But he had a greater fear right then, being left behind. Sure, he said those cruel things before, but he did not want to die. Maybe John was just being paranoid, but he had experienced betrayal before, and almost lost a leg from it. All he could do was hope that Zeke was kind enough to lend him a hand.

Zeke

Zeke quickly pulled himself the rest of the way up and turned back to John. "Alright, now help me up!" Though satisfying it was, knowing that the man who just claimed he would basically ditch you panic for a moment, Zeke wasn't a cruel man. He wasn't the kind to play games with people's lives. Grabbing hold of the elevator support bar he bent over and offered John his hand. He hoped the man wouldn't pull him down in the effort of getting up. He knew what fear did to people, he just hoped John could work through it and not injure himself or Zeke. "Hey, just take it easy alright."

He couldn't see any figures down the hall, but he could see the lights flickering in and out. Well, that didn't last long.. "Move your ass man."

John

Thank God. John quickly grabbed the kind man's hands and pulled himself up on top of the elevator. He looked straight up, and saw that the elevator only went up another two floors, although John was no architect. John quickly looked around for a way out, they couldn't just huddle there for the rest of their lives. "Hmm, not to many places to run huh..." John then decided that their only hope would be to get into the higher floors. He grabbed onto a crevice in the old shaft, and pulled himself towards the next floor's door. Before the darkness came, John was quite the rock climber, and all the aerobic running from monsters kept him in good shape. He managed to plant himself in the corner of the shaft and jabbed his large hunting knife into the gap between the two elevator doors. "Here goes nothing..." He strongly kicked the knife, hoping to get some leverage. Sadly, the knife simply broke in two, and fell to the floor, barely missing Zeke. "Whoops, sorry. Damn cheap knife."

Evidently, he needed more leverage, and he knew what would work. He slowly pulled out a long hunting rifle from his bag. The knife had managed to make a large gap so that the muzzle would fit but, John really loved that rifle. It had helped him in more than one situation, and now it was going to help him one last time. I'm sorry, Betsy... He muttered to himself before jamming it into the gap, and slowly prying the door open until it was open enough for the two of them to slide in. He deftly hopped through the doorway, and held his gun close in case of an ambush. Luckily, nothing came out, and he want back to the shaft. First, he moved away the horribly bent remains of his rifle, and hung his arms down for Zeke, "Here, now we're even."

Ria

She'd been stalking the darkness for hours trying to find the way deeper into the base. She knew the place hid some source of power or even the weapon that she'd heard so much about. However, finding it was an entirely different story all together. Ria tightened her gloved hand around the pistol she held pointed down to the ground as she walked silently down the hall.

It was then that she heard voices from the far end. Two males voices came rumbling down the empty hall towards her. She froze as she couldn't quite make out the words and thought it to be the sounds of puppets who could very possibly be inhabiting the area. Ria had already killed two of them, the third she'd lost a while ago. Reaching to her belt she pulled out a huge hunting knife and held it with the blade facing horizontally from her hand. Pulling her gun up she knew she had a few rounds left as she quickly stalked after the noise.

She was silent as she came up upon the two men who were trying to pry open a door on the other side of the elevator. Replacing her knife, she took a running start and got herself up onto the elevator as well, the only sound she made was when she landed, her boots thudding against the metal lightly. She pointed her gun at both of them and smiled.

"Now, mind telling me what you're doing? Do be quick."

John

John froze, and without moving his hand, calmly said to the still stranded Zeke, "Just one moment..."

Then with a swift roll, he suddenly dived behind the nearby corner, out of sight from the mysterious woman, and quickly pulled out his gun. He really wanted to avoid a gun fight, but he was much better with a gun than with words. Truth was though, he was quite scared. First there was the horde waiting for the lights to opportunistically go out, Zeke was stuck in the elevator shaft, and now some crazy girl with a gun came out of nowhere. Things never go as planned, ey? Still hiding behind the chipped concrete, he called out, "Well, honey, we're here to save the god damn world," John was surprised at how he said that so confidently and naturally, "and it's going to be pretty hard to do that dead."John probably should have explained a bit more, but he was thinking a lot more about how to jump out and shoot the bitch than how to reason with her. Every man, or woman, to him, or herself just doesn't have the same ring...

Ria

Moving quickly, she pressed herself against the wall of the elevator shaft, her gun still pointed at the other one who stood there with her. She dropped down to one knee and looked briefly to where the other man had rolled to. From the darkness she heard his voice calling out to answer her. Ria bit her lip as she thought over what he'd said. She never moved her gun from the position it held pointed straight at the other man's head.

"Save the world hu? My, my, what a concept. I was thinking about doing that as well. But work isn't cheap. Right now I have an employer who wants me to do just that. So, darling," she rolled the word out of her mouth, "Lets strike a deal. I play for the highest bidder."