Steven went towards the shelter, looking around for different things. On the ground he found a soda bottle cap (the plastic kind, not the old fashioned ones), a pad of paper, and a random penny.

Steven yelled "YA! I am coming.". He was obviously intrigued at how safe this man's shelter was. If it was good, he might spare him. If not, well there would be a test in order and he had it all planned out. He walked cautiously towards the shelter and noticed something that wasn't in most shelters, a vent on the top of the shelter, probably for the air conditioner. He remembered this for later, as it might come in handy.

Steven walked in the door "Hey nice place here. What is the point in that vent by the way? It would make sense that this place wouldn't have a vent to protect against any radiation getting in. Maybe you knew something like this was going to happen before it did happen?" Steven was trying to do a psychological trick on this man, something like reverse psychology. He tried to make the man feel like he did something wrong. If the man got extremely defensive, it shows that he does know what is going on, and if he shrugged it off it means that he probably did know something. It's that perfect middle that would help Steven understand these things.

Steven then went to the supplies the man had. He saw a box of matches and put them carefully in his pocket. His pen was in his shirt pocket, the bloody side down. He went ahead and cleaned it off, how could he write with a bloody pen?

He sat down and waited for the man to respond.

Kiya walked into the hideout, it was by no means what she had hoped for. It looked like a shelter. Kiya’s hopes were dashed as she disappointedly plopped herself on a char near the girl. She examined the girl’s wounds, the man had done a good job. Kiya went out side and got medicines and pain relievers from her twinkie truck, she brought them back in and put them next to the girl, she would sure as hell need those when she woke up.

Kiya looked through the shelter and found a ripped black tank top and dirty blue jeans, it was the best she could do in such a mess. Definitely better than the bikini. Kiya went outside once more and strapped a dagger to her thigh under the jeans. It was small, thin and smooth. Kiya grabbed the belt of knifes and retied them to her. She refused to go unprotected any longer.

Kiya also took one deadly amount of medicine in her pocket. Just in case Steven tried anything. Same for the knife, after all, he was crazy and she was a crazy-beautiful woman. She crept back in the final time hoping he had not noticed her absence.

Alison walked through the front door in her house and dropped her bag on the ground. She was about to run up the stairs but turned to came face to face with her parents, who both held a stern look. Just by that she knew she had done something wrong. She walked passed them and sat on one of the stools in the kitchen. They followed her and placed a piece of paper in front of her. She didn’t need to look to closely to know it was her report card.

“What are you thinking?” Her fathers voice was calm although perhaps an octave lower then normal. Her mother just stood next to him with her arms crossed. “How do you expect to get anywhere with these grades? These wont get you into college, they wont get you a well paying career.” His index finger jabbed the paper that was in front of her. “What do you have to say for yourself?” She sat quietly and said nothing. It would do no good to argue, she had learned that at an early age. Her father sighed and told her to go to her room and think about her future.

The there’ve year old hopped down from her stool and went to her room. Out of the many classes she had only two of the grades were C’s the rest were A’s. She was raging inside. If they wanted her to work so hard why had they slaked off to begin with. And it was obvious that they had or they wouldn’t continuously be telling her how she had to be better and bring money into the family. None of her friends parents were like that…so stupid.

Alison woke with thinking about her grades and how she had to study harder. It didn’t take to long for the pain to interrupt that thought. She let out a low moan and her eye lashed fluttered before lifting and revealing chocolate brown eyes. Her face was streaked with dirt and her auburn hair matted with it. Her clothes were dirty as well, and her white hoddie probably wasn’t so white any more. She must have looked a sight but who wouldn’t after what had happened.

That thought snapped her back to the present. She tried to push herself up and managed to a least get her elbows under her. The movement made her dizzy and she almost let herself fall back again. She focused on her surroundings and noticed people around her. Her leg was throbbing, but she tried to push away the pain. She couldn’t remember where she was and that needed to come first. She tried to speak but her mouth and throat were too dry.

The girl was starting to wake up so Kiya went to her side. “Here babe, take these. It will help the pain and here’s some water.” Kiya said maternally. Maybe it was the fact of the natural disaster, or maybe it was the nurse she was training to be, but Kiya felt great pity for the girl. It was a very rare circumstance to think of someone beside herself. Maybe It was because Allison’s Asian eyes reminded her greatly of her great grant mother’s Osage Indian eyes. The shape of her face was similar too..

Kiya’s only parent figure she’d ever know was her great grand mother. She was always so feeble and old, yet one could slightly tell she was once as she likes to say “The most beautiful girl on the reservation”. She would tell old Indian stories and stories about their great great great grand mother. She was the most beautiful girl in the whole village as it is told. Great grandma was very humble, but secretly told her stories to them to make them more confident than she ever was.

The stories were true of course, Kiya’s great grandma was as pure as a saint. However, it made Kiya very cocky in addition to confident and strong in herself. Well, not only that, but the outrageous amout of attention she recived on a daily basis. Her sister and cosin she grew up with were difrent when they heard stories of beauty and magic. Lily, Kiya’s older sister became just like her great grand mother. Patent, Honest, maternal. Eve, a cosin raised with them became ver caught up in her native American side, as she was far more Osage then the sisters. Kiya grew up with this small close knit group as they only family she had, the only people she had felt real love for. Kiya is the type who says “I love you!” all the time. She never means it.

Robert looked up at the vent and looked at the man and shrugged

"im not sure,all the shelters on this base are built the same" he responded "i was pondering that myself a while ago." he leaned back,laying his gun over his lap

"to tell You the truth i havent been thinking much of it.Theres a hole in the roof thats been letting rain in so i was planning on moving to a building down the street since it looks a little safer."

He looked at the girl,she was starting to wake up.He put a hand on her shoulder "stay down.youve lost alot of blood and your very weak."

Robert looked back at the man'

"but it looks like now im gonna have to wait till shes able to move well enough without much difficulty.I assume your strong enough to carry large loads?" he asked the man

Daniel tried to drive carefully, but with haste. The road was badly damaged though, and even with all his care he couldn’t help but hit bump after bump. He knew if there was any chance for the girl in the back seat he would have to get her to Robert. Hopefully he had better medical supplies and could treat the girl’s wounds better than he. “Hold on little one.” Were his thoughts as he looked out from the windshield, watching the rain sprinkle down.

Finally the two reached San Antonio, and neared the military base in which he was instructed to go. Putting one of his white shirts in the window as a white flag. “Please be here.” He muttered under his breath as he pulled up into the base. Already a few cars were here. Stopping the car he sat there in the car, listening to the rain hitting the jeep’s frame. Honking the jeep’s horn he held if for a few seconds before letting go.

(Just a warning, this contains strong violence/gore, some cursing, and inferred rape.)

He didn’t really know why he was going to Texas, only that he had to. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. He clung to the voice on the radio like a lifeline, reminding him every two hours that he was still alive and still sane, barely.

He’d spotted a gas station earlier that had a few gas cans sitting in the back of an empty truck, once he’d gotten out of the Navigator warily he plucked them out of the bed of the truck and put them in the very back of the large SUV, as far away from him as possible, he’d always hated the smell of gasoline. He’d counted three total when he spotted another peeking from the other side of the truck.

Must be my lucky day.

Rounding the truck he froze, and his eyes went wide with shock and horror. There was a blackened corpse on its knees with a death grip (literally) on the nozzle of the gas pump, holding in over the gas can. No hair or clothing was left on the grinning skeleton, only bits of burned flesh that had yet to fall off or be devoured by the white maggots he could see writhing all over the corpse. And the smell, god, the smell was overpowering. He could feel the bile rising in his throat and he wondered how he hadn’t smelled it before as he bent over a trashcan waiting for his stomach to release its contents into the dirty plastic can. Pausing for a few moments after a few dry heaves he blinked. When his stomach had settled and he was completely certain that he wasn’t going to vomit he reached over and pulled the gas can away from the body and ran back to the car. He drove away without even looking in his rearview mirror for hours; he’d been too disgusted to put the gas can in the back.

I’d take the smell of gasoline over that any day.

As he got further south there were increasingly more buildings that had survived whatever the hell had happened to destroy everything, at this point he didn’t care he just needed people. Sane living people that he could talk to, that could tell him what happened and why. Why Lucy was gone.

I need a cigarette. I haven’t smoked in almost six years but goddamn it I need one now.

Pulling into a parking space at an old motel just outside of San Antonio he’d locked the car and warily slinked in the front door, the pistol gripped tightly in his shaking fingers. As he entered the lobby, he heard the click of a shotgun and froze.

“You best be putting that gun away if you know what’s good for you.” A deep rumble echoed from the curving staircase.

Putting the pistol in his pocket and slowly turning he looked up into the piercing blue eyes that the voice belonged to.

“Derick?” He whispered incredulously, furrowing his brow.

“God damn Gabriel. You scared me half to death.” Derrick sighed lowering his shotgun and leaning against the failing.

“Don’t call me that. My mother didn’t even call me that.” He scowled at the big man hovering on the staircase above.

“Fine. Luke.” Derrick purred followed by a hearty laugh.

He couldn’t help but smile at his old friend; it had been years since they’d talked. Shit his mom had probably been alive last time they had spoken. What would she think of this mess? He was halfway through asking how Derrick had been when a bloodcurdling shriek came from one of the rooms down the hall.

Luke frowned and looked up at Derrick, “There are other people in here? Shit why didn’t you tell me. Your friend sounds like they’re in trouble. Shouldn’t we go help?” He grunted quickly, already headed for the stairs.

Derrick shook his head, a sad smile making its way to his lips, “Just because you’re an old friend I’m gonna tell you that you probably shouldn’t be here. It would upset your delicate sensibilities if I remember you correctly. You’ve been warned.”

“What are you talking about?” He asked curiously as he opened the door to the room that sounded like the screams were coming from.

Words could not describe how horrifying the scene in front of him was. Blood was everywhere, splashed on the curtains, on the walls, all over the bed. His eyes scanned the room until he found the source of the shrieks that had been reduced to sobbing and he almost vomited again. A young Asian girl, probably only a little older than sixteen lay tied down to a metal table that had been moved into the room, she had been stripped of her clothing and her innards were exposed and being scooped out with a metal tool wielded by a short bearded man with thick brown hair and an ugly troll-like face.

“Bet you want me now. Don’t you ya little cunt?” The goblin man growled scooping out what appeared to be a lung.

Catching his eye the girl breathed, a strangled wet cough made its way out of her throat and she whispered, “Help me?” Her big brown eyes gazed at him pleadingly before glossing over and losing the life she had been managing to hang onto.

Shifting his eyes away from her naked corpse, he found only a more distressing sight in the bathroom, the tiles and mirror were splattered with blood and the bathtub was full of an assortment of various organs. The goblin man turned and looked from Luke to Derrick.

“You gonna strap him down or am I gonna have to do it again? I don’t take kindly to getting kicked. Ain’t that right sugar? Lookie where you ended up.” The goblin man said absently patting the corpse’s thigh tenderly, as if he hadn’t just killed her and he was having a normal conversation with his grandmother.

Luke took a step back, the mans words confirming his suspicions. Cannibals. Christ I gotta get out of here.

Derrick placed a firm hand on Luke’s shoulder, grinning savagely at him, “Now where do you think you’re going?”

“Derrick you were my best friend.” Luke pleaded softly.

“I’m still your best friend. You understand, survival of the fittest and all that good crap.”

Not a second after the words escaped his lips Luke was out of his grasp and down the hallway listening to them growling as they thundered after him. There was no way he’d make it before they caught him. Thinking quickly he jumped over the railing and landed with a thump before scrambling up and out the motel door fumbling in his pocket for the keys.

Why did I lock the car? Why? Why? Why?

Finding the key he unlocked the car and dove into the drivers seat, slamming the door shut behind him and bringing his open palm down forcefully on the button to lock the doors before shoving the key in the ignition and taking off like a shot. Surprisingly the goblin man reached the door before Derrick, looking back into his rearview mirror he could see the troll shaking his fist angrily at the car.

No more pit stops until I find this Robert Parson.

Luke cruised through the streets of San Antonio searching for any signs of life in the semi-intact buildings.

((sorry this is gonna be a short post since i dont have much to work with))

Growing weary Robert leaned back and closed his eyes.This had been the most rest he'd had in a while.suddenly he heard a honking outside

"hmm?" he muttered softly

Robert peered out the window and saw a vehicle off in the distance "looks like another visitor,anybody wanna come welcome em with me?" he asked the group now standing in the shelter.

Alison looked at the pills she held in her hand then quickly swallowed them with the water. She was grateful for the water, her throat was no longer dry and he head was clearing up. There were a couple of people around her but she ignored them and looked for some one who matched the voice she had heard while she was out. It had been a girls voice probably not much older then herself.

She managed to sit up fine despite the mans warning, he must have been the guy from the radio. She put both her feet on the ground. “Could any one tell me what happened?” She meant about why the world around them seemed to be falling apart. But also what had happened to her when she had finally reached this place. “And, where is the girl?” She attempted to stand up again but fell back down.

Alison was frustrated at being so weak. And everything, the fires, falling apart buildings, dead people, were all taking a toll on her. She leaned forward and put her hands over her face. “What has happened.” This time the question came out sounding like a sob. She didn’t know how to deal with this. Not to mention she was somewhere in Texas on a base with what seemed to be the only survivors.

Raya was still knelt down in the mud she wanted to help the girl further but she couldn’t seem to get out of a flashback to when her sister was in pain and all she had was Raya. Raya knew that this situation is much different but she still has yet to cease blaming herself for what happen. She finally, after about a ten minute frame, stood up. Raya started walking over to where they all disappeared into the building. She stopped and remember him telling her about going to the hospital and wondered if what she had in the car would be sufficient. She ran over to her car and grabbed the bag full of medicine.

Raya made it to the door and turned the handle and walked inside and saw the girl on the couch and the man standing over her while she took the pills and mumbled something. “Hello.” She said slyly. She lifted up the bag, “Here’s some extra medicine and wraps for her ankle. I don’t know what else you need but I’m pretty sure the hospitals cooling system for the blood is out same with all the electricity in the hospital. But if you really want me to check I can.”

He didn’t want to go very far into the city after what had just happened in the motel. After the adrenaline wore off he immediately felt a throbbing pain in his ankle.

Damn, must’ve sprained it jumping off that [explicit]ing balcony.

He drove around for a few hours until the dark little droplets of what he guessed were rain began falling from the sky and splashing against his car leaving little grimy smears on his windshield. Every few minutes he’d see a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye and he’d reach for the pistol but every time he turned and looked there was nothing there. Even during the daytime this place was spooky, the dead bodies lying out in the street, hanging out of windows, halfway out of cars didn’t help. Parking the car and making sure it was locked, he winced as he climbed into the backseat to look through the groceries that were still in the trunk that he’d ignored before.

Bread. Eggs. Milk. Frozen pizzas. Ramen. Doritos. Hot dogs. Razors. Tampons. Lotion. A few cans. Some more boxes of food. Shampoo.

…Shampoo.

I need a shower.

Looking in the cars rearview mirror he cursed, not only was he covered in grime from just being outside, there was still blood on his forehead from his initial fall, his hair resembled something a cat would puke up more than human hair. It clung to his forehead in places, in others it stuck up at strange angles, where he had bumped his head it was matted to his scalp in thick clumps.

Curling up with a small travel pillow that was stuck in one of the seats and a dirty towel that he found in the back of the car. He’d give it a thorough inspection later but for now his body was screaming for sleep.

“Help me?” A soft sweet voice called, he could feel soft hands on his face. It was Lucy’s voice he had no doubt. His eyes fluttered open and he came gazed at the most horrifying creature he’d ever seen in his life. A little Asian girl stood on her tiptoes, half of her flesh rotting off of her naked body, her innards exposed and writhing with maggots. Half of her face completely blackened, a single murky gray eye staring at him.
“Help me?” She whispered with Lucy’s voice, flashing him a toothy grin and leaning in closer.

He jolted awake, looking around and then shuddering. Climbing back into the drivers seat, refreshed but deeply unsettled, he continued driving until he finally saw a cluster of cars gathered around a small structure.
Thank god.

He pulled up next to one of the other cars and warily got out, testing how much weight his ankle would hold. Thankfully he could walk; it’d just hurt like crazy. Making his way over to the group of people he stood around unsure of what to do.

Robert stood up and looked out the window at the vehicle off in the distance,

"no no,i was gonna make a trip over there soon anyways,and i was thinking it was gonna be a new hideout for me.for now i wanna go see who is that car over there.anyone coming?

He picked up his rifle and slung it over his shoulder.He didnt know whod be in the car,or if they were friendly of hostile,but he wasnt gonna take any chances at all.

Robert looked over the girl lying on his cot,he was hoping she'd be okay.He turned back and prepared to step out into the darkness of night.