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ToastyPigeon

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skein-text-adventures

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[Themes: grimdark fantasy, serious, fantasy, war] Year 540 It's not there yet, but the political and social climate in the republic is finally getting to a point that's a little more recognizable to you. Thanks to Trog's actions the orcs have been attacking the Nalin just like you wanted. After a couple of burned down massacred villages, the Nalinites are a lot more supportive of military endeavors (Kobold citizens especially, but that's hardly surprising given their nature). The citizens are also becoming more fearful and suspicious of other "foreign threats" like the usksha. Highlighting the sandman drug epidemic and the crime due to it, Quintus has managed to get restrictions on the southern borders of Nalin. The usksha that used to live within Nalin are starting to go back to their desert due to the increasingly hostile population. Trade hasn't completely stopped, but the relationship between the republic and the emirates is very strained now. Of course some of this still wouldn't be possible without senate support, however that's become more in Quintus' favor due to a combination of several factors. Some are just like the peasants, they're getting scared because their comfortable lifestyle are at risk and want to protect themselves. Some were weak from the start and vote depending on which way the majority is heading. There are still holdouts that don't agree with the more militant policies however. Even the "will of the people" does not sway them to fall in line. The most vocal of these is Senator Batalimus Ventis who has been a long time rival of Quintus. He's stated that this trend towards militarism is going lead back to the dark days of when Matriarch Tarna ruled the land. He has also stated quite openly that Quintus is a warmongering fool that is only a puppet for his "mysterious Eternal" advisor. Quintus hates the man more than he hates the usksha and feels he's the main cause of all his woes. Apparently he's also decided that even if it isn't quite time to dismantle the senate, it is time to get rid of Batalimus and has tried to have the man assassinated on a few occasions. All attempts have failed so far though and all it's done is served to make Batalimus more cautious and legitimize his accusations about Quintus (Even if he can't quite connect Quintus to the actual assassins). You're going to have to speak with Trog soon about the attacks having served their purpose and that he needs to ease up. Trog is under the impression that after all this is over; he or at least his people will have a place within the new order when it finally comes about. In truth, you'd like to have a few orc legions if only for the intimidation factor of keeping the citizenry in line. However, you aren't exactly sure how likely that's going to be since orcs are increasingly becoming hated by the average citizen and are unlikely to want them to be incorporated into the new order no matter what. Let alone as soldiers. Another problem for another day you suppose. Right now though you're on your way back from another visit with Quintus (who basically did nothing but bitch about Bartalimus) and on your way back to Quala. You're a lot better known now and as you pass through you mostly get a lot of respectful nods from the military and worried glances from citizens. Your reputation within the republic has grown and it's much like it was back in the old Empire days. There's a certain familiar comfort in that. Before you leave Dalt you decide to pay a visit to Calvin's museum to see Jennifer. Since the orc war, expeditions to the Quala Badland have been put on hold so Calvin and Jennifer have returned to work at their museum to study what they have found in more detail and ultimately put it on display. When you enter, you see a sign that tells people to be sure to visit their brand new Empire exhibits. Naturally you wander over to where these displays are, so you can see how much they actually got right. When you get to the exhibit its currently empty of visitors. You're impressed with what you see though. They've managed to recreate a small portion of the Emperor's palace and fill it with the old stuff they found. Some of the things are just replicas, but they're very good replicas and in the correct locations. They even managed to restore one of the Emperor's big black statues. Just looking at all this stuff makes you feel like you're back where you should be. When you close your eyes you can almost imagine that you are where you WANT to be. If only things had been different, you wouldn't have to be starting all over again... "We tried to make it look like what we thought it looked like in the past and based on writings we found." You hear Jennifer's voice say and you open your eyes to see her stand to the right of you. "You did a good job, almost feels like home. That big ass black statue wasn't in the throne room though. In fact the Emperor never even used the throne room when I knew him." You say. "Yeah, but we did have any place else to put it. I think its impressive looking where we did put it though. Should draw in a lot of people. So did you come here to revisit old memories?" "Not at first, but this is was a nice distraction." "Glad to hear it, well I'll leave you to your thoughts." Jennifer says and begins to leave. "No, stay here with me, I came here to see you in first place. Besides, no point in reliving past glories when I don't have anyone to share said glories with." You say and grab her hand. Jennifer's reaction is a positive one in that she doesn't let go and moves closer to you. "So since you've got the time, how about you tell me about some of those old glories?" Jennifer asks. You gladly do so. You talk with Jennifer for hours until it starts getting late at which point you say you have to get back to your mission in Quala. Jennifer understands and wishes you luck on it. "If you're going wish me luck, how about you do it with a kiss?" you ask which takes Jennifer by surprise. "That's certainly new. What brought this on?" "I thought you liked me. You do don't you?" "Of course, I'm sure I was pretty obvious about it." "Well why ask why? I'm fond of you as well. I like your company and you're the only person I've ever considered my friend since I got dug up. You're independent, you're physically attractive and you listen to all my stories. What's not to like?" You say which causes a small chuckle from Jennifer. "Okay...we'll talk more about this later, but for right now, here's that kiss." Jennifer moves in to kiss you and the pair of you embrace. After your minor amorous interlude, you take your leave of the museum. You briefly wonder if pursuing a relationship with Jennifer is a good idea, but what's done is done and you'll just have to figure it out. Once again, another problem for another day you suppose. Just as you get out of the gates of Dalt, two guards approach you. They're not military or domestic security, they look like private guards, probably those of a senator. "You the Eternal?" one of them asks. "Yes." You answer. "Senator Batalimus wants to see you. If you would accompany us to his home please, it's just a few miles west of this city." Well this is an interesting turn of events, though perhaps not entirely unexpected. If you had to guess, Batalimus either plans to have you killed when you arrive to meet him or he's going to try to convince you to be on his side. You doubt he has the means to do either. You don't know if you should even bother entertaining him at all, but then you think if he does try to kill you, then you'll have eliminated the need to kill him later. Hell, even if he doesn't try to kill you, maybe you should just do it anyway. You agree to follow the guards and eventually you reach Batalimus' estate. His home isn't much bigger than Quintus' home, though there are a lot more trees and gardens on his grounds. As you expect there are a lot of guards patrolling about. When you step through the front door you feel like you've stepped into a barracks rather than a senator's mansion due to all the guards standing around. Soon an older balding man dressed in a purple robe comes down the grandiose staircase. It's Batalimus. "Ah the Eternal, at last we meet face to face." Batalimus says. "Yes, I'm surprised that you didn't confiscate my weapons though." You answer. "Whatever for? We all know you can just incinerate or fry everyone in the room with the snap of your fingers. It's not like you actually need a sword or even a pistol. You're a walking weapon without such things." "So? Why risk bringing me here then?" "Because I have nothing to lose. Your associate, Quintus seems quite determined to have me killed. Granted he always has harbored ill feelings, but now that the little reprobate has the advantage his confidence has reached an all time high. I suppose the fool has to have his fun though given the family he has. In any case I figure its only a matter of time before he sends you to do the deed and while I could increase my security even further, I quite frankly doubt if it would stop the likes of you. At best you might get mad." You have to appreciate someone who knows exactly where they stand. "So...you brought me here to kill you?" "Hah, I hope not, but I suppose that is a strong possibility. No, what I'd like to do is try to convince you to perhaps not kill the republic because that is what you and Quintus are striving to do, though I believe I actually have a shot with getting through to you. You aren't saddled with any emotions of hatred towards me. To you, I'm just another potential obstacle in your goals. If I have to be killed then you will, but if it isn't necessary you won't." Well it looks like Batalimus has opted to try to get you on his side, just like you thought he might. He is over estimating your willingness to kill him though. True you don't have any hatred for the man and quite honestly you probably already respect him more than Quintus within the short time you've met him, but you've been known to kill folks even if you believe that they will be potential obstacles in the future. Still, killing Batalimus right now isn't exactly part of the plan, so you'll most likely just leave unless he tries to stop you. Then again you did come all this way so there is no harm in hearing him out. > You Leave You know what this is going to be, his attempt to convince you of why you shouldn't be helping Quintus. You're not interested in anything he has to say, and it will be pointless to do so. "I'm going to just leave now and stop wasting both of our time, Batty. I suggest you don't try to stop me." You remark and begin walking towards the door. "But, you're already here! You can't just listen?" Batalimus says. "No. This was a lapse in judgement on my part I suppose. Still, I guess I got a good idea of the layout of this place when I eventually have to kill you." "Very well then, but I had hoped you'd be reasonable about this Eternal." With those last words you leave Batalimus' house and return to your duties in Quala. Just as you're thinking about how you need to go see Trog soon about your little arrangement you get an urgent message from a republic messenger. "He's fucking dead?!" you exclaim. "Yes sir, as I said he was found dead in his home, poisoned. His assets are all being seized due to him owing various people, though his wife is contesting..." As the messenger drones on about this, you realize you're in position that you really should've considered. Namely, you have no "patron" anymore. Sure, you're somewhat popular with the military, but Quintus' influence on the population and his fellow senators were a big deal. Batalimus must be behind this and even if he isn't, he's going to be the main one taking advantage of the situation. Without another word you ride off to Nalin and you don't stop until you arrive at Batalimus' place. Batalimus' personal guards are surprised to see you and even more surprised when you start chopping them down with your sword. Despite killing everyone in his home, you don't find Batalimus so you go to the next logical place to look, the senate building. You don't have any more luck there, all you manage to do is interrupt some of the senators debating something or other. "Where is Batalimus?!" you demand. "I don't know! We don't know!" the senator that has the floor answers, but it really isn't the answer you want to hear. "Lies!" you say and fry the senator with a lightning bolt. "You really think your republic is going to survive? Most of you were already supporting Quintus' ideas, now I bet you're ready to turn your back on those same ideas just because he's dead. Well Batty killed the wrong man. I will see the Empire return even if the rest of you are too cowardly to do so!" you shout and begin throwing fireballs at the rest of the senators. You don't stop until you leave the senate house in flames. By this time the military is on the scene, but they're unsure of what to do for several reasons. So you give them the reasons. You take immediate control of the military and tell them to start hunting for Batalimus and to maintain order. A few days later and it's official. You make your announcement that the Republic is dead and that the Empire now lives again. The general public doesn't know quite what to make of everything. You're sure that there will be some sort of misguided rebellion especially with Batalimus still on the run probably stirring up dissent, but with the military behind you're confident that you won't have too much trouble. Year 541 "You really think this is going to change anything? Look at the nation! Despite your attempts to crush its spirit with your outdated concepts of order it still resists you! Face it, you've already lost and my death will not save you!" Batalimus screams defiantly. You break a couple more of his ribs with a few stomps to his chest. The older man wheezes and gasps in pain. He won't show fear though; he's fully willing to die. "It may not change anything, but keep this in mind before I send you on your way. Your actions did NOT save the republic; it only increased the chaos and strife. You may have fucked up my plans, but you have completely destroyed and betrayed your own." "(Wheeze) Perhaps...Eternal...(gasp) but better the people should live in anarchy than under your brutal order!" You shake your head at his answer and crush his windpipe with your boot. At last the thorn in your side has been removed, but the damage he's done has not. In fact you're not even certain that you can repair it. Even with Jennifer doing her best with the propaganda machine, it's still not enough. You have attempted to recreate a secret police in a similar style of the Emperor's Eyes, but efforts haven't proved too successful mainly because you're too busy using the military to keep direct order. Even portions of your military have turned against you, if not outright treason then desertion. Some have fled to find work within the six cities of Arat or even joined up with the pirate groups in Delerg. It isn't that the people don't fear you, it's that they hate you more than they fear. Even after you've destroyed entire towns that have dared defy you, you still get pockets of resistance running off into the wilderness to cause ongoing problems. Your methods in the beginning months were probably too harsh in retrospect. Killing everyone in the senate certainly didn't help as perhaps some of those experienced fools might've still been useful in swaying public opinion and dealing with the more mundane issues of running the government. Combine this with the fact that the idea of things like "liberty" still lingered within the people, your brutal actions only proved to them what happens when a single tyrant takes power. Instead of cowing them into submission, you ended up lighting a fire of freedom that you still haven't put out yet and at this point you wonder if you ever will. Batalimus of course took advantage of that fact too. Between the steady attrition of loyal soldiers, the ongoing defiance of the people, external threats like the Flogger tribe hearing of your struggles and taking advantage of your lightly defended outposts in Quala (And certainly have no intention of joining your Empire now) you are pushed to the brink and beyond. You decide if the fools won't submit to your rule, you'll burn the whole damn thing down. Jennifer however talks you out of it saying that it won't solve anything. She also tries to convince you that maybe you should consolidate what holdings you do have and build from there. It's a nice thought and it's certainly logical, but you're so exasperated at the entire situation that you decide to just give up. You realize that your time has come and gone. The people don't want you around and at this point you don't even care to rule them anymore. In fact you don't even care about ruling anything anymore. All you really ever wanted to do was serve the Emperor and the Empire and enjoy your time with Alison. Things were so much simpler back then. You shouldn't have ever listened to Semra. Even if the Emperor had killed you, at least you wouldn't exist in a time where the Empire doesn't. You would've died at least knowing the Empire would still be around. Not being able to go on and unwilling to stick around, you suddenly leave Nalin forever. Where, nobody knows. Some say you found death in the Usksha Desert, others say you found it in the cold mountains of Rask, but ultimately what happened to you is lost to time.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist] Year 537 "Ah, there's nothing better than when a plan comes together! Your actions of stirring up the orcs have been paying off and I've finally managed to get the public to become in favor of a strong army and your training has been producing much tougher and disciplined soldiers to create that stronger army." Quintus remarks to you while he sips his wine. "I'm certainly glad someone you finally found someone more competent than yourself. Makes all your years of failure totally worth it." Quintus' wife Nalia remarks in a bored tone lying on a couch. She's already on her second bottle of wine and it's not even the afternoon yet. While Quintus dismisses his wife's usual emasculating remarks, you're wondering why you're here when you could be doing something more important to keep this plan in motion because its nowhere near coming together like Quintus seems to think it is. The orcs haven't even made a major attack yet. They've just been harassing a few patrols, but it's just as well since you're still trying to whip the paltry number of spirited soldiers you do have into shape so that they the orcs do attack they'll be ready for them. You can't really complain, because you are doing something you're familiar with and good at, but the main thing that's been nagging at you is Quintus himself. You don't respect him and it's starting to become a problem sometimes. It's not anything he's done to you either. He's practically bent over backwards to accommodate you in anyway he can. You wondered at first if it's his overly smarmy demeanor with you which at times seems fake, but that isn't it. Part of that is that he's a politician and he probably can't help but be that way as part of his personality, not to mention you've become quite a good judge of character and you believe his admiration for you is genuine. Regardless of what his wife claims, Quintus is extremely ambitious and a hard worker which you can appreciate. He's just been hampered by the social and political climate. If he'd been born during the time of the Empire, he would've fit right in. Might've even been one of the Emperor's advisors. Despite all this, you've been developing an increasing lack of respect for the man. Not to the point that you're ready to kill him or anything, but taking orders from him has got you questioning why? Of course you know the reasons why, because the republic is still a pussy whipped place that has long since abandoned the ideals of people like yourself and trying to take power like a strong man would ultimately only result in chaos and collapse. Ironically, you'd probably be more at home in one of the city-states in Arat where they still favor a single ruler. What it all comes down to you think is Quintus' family. Something about Quintus' lack of admiration from his own family bothers you. If he can't reach the people that are supposed to be closest to him, how the hell can you respect him? Gets harder to when you have to be subjected to these meetings and see his family walk over him first hand. They all either criticize him or belittle him even though he's been trying to make life better for them. His wife is a slothful alcoholic that has never a word of encouragement for him. She looks much older than she actually is mainly due to hitting the bottle so much. She's never truly addressed you directly, but her attitude seems apathetic at best. His teenage daughter Yollanda is a red headed trollop that routinely sleeps with the sons of his senate rivals and in some cases the rivals themselves. And those are the "classier" encounters. Quintus once complained that if there was a good purpose for her bed hopping like say for gathering important information on his enemies it could be acceptable, but she has no higher purpose other than the pleasure of her girl parts. You try to stay away from her as her outright sexual advances that's she's made towards you in the past is a complication you don't desire or need. Makes Jennifer's obvious minor crush on you downright subtle by comparison. Then there's his younger son Gelo who is an idiot. Not in the traditional sense that he does stupid things without thinking them through, no he's a dyed in the wool, born and bred moron. You imagine that his mother might've drank while she was carrying him, but who knows? By and large he's harmless, but extremely annoying. He yells a lot, breaks things and is generally obnoxious mainly because he doesn't even have a stable structure to mold him into something at least somewhat useful. You don't understand why he wasn't killed at birth. Such defective babies were usually either put to death by the family or at least sold into slavery so that they could be productive to the Empire on a minor level. It was a good policy. The only positive thing is he seems to be afraid of you and thus stays away (Often screaming his head off and runs away if you're ever in the same room.) And that's just Quintus' immediate family, it's not even counting the other in laws and extended family that basically mooch off of him. For a man that has ruthless ideals he's a doormat when it comes to his family. Fortunately for Quintus, he seems to have a lot more luck with the general population and has been getting more support just like he's been bragging about lately. If you were Quintus, you might crave the respect of strangers as well. "Quintus, why am I here? I'd like to get back to my job." You remark. "But that's precisely why you're here my Eternal friend! Your job! Since the army problem is well on its way to being taken care of, I think its time to move on to our navy." "Navy?" "Yes, you do remember we have one such as it is. I'd like you to have a hand in making it stronger as well." "And just how the hell am I supposed to do that?" "I dunno, you told me you were the military expert. Just do it the same way you did with our army I suppose. Stir up the pirates of the Delerg islands so they start attacking our costal towns en masse and the people demand a stronger navy." "Quintus, I'm glad you're excited about the plan, but the first part of it isn't even ready yet. I don't feel the soldiers are even ready yet. They've been in a few skirmishes, but nothing that is really going to test them. And there's still the matter of the orcs. They're riled and I have noticed large tribal gatherings as if they're preparing for a large attack against a bigger foe, but by and large they're still disorganized and in some cases still attacking one another." "But surely you've trained some of the soldiers enough that they can perform these duties in your stead? Delegate responsibility to the more talented ones?" "I have, but its a slow process from them to train their fellows as well as I trained them and I still wouldn't trust any of them to do what I'm doing with the orcs, or at least not do it and live. Quite frankly I need more time with them and diverting my attention to your navy is just a distraction." "But the senate is going to dismantle it!" Quintus exclaims. "Oh please will you stop whining in front of the help Quintus. It is soooo undignified. You don't have to try to impress me anyway; I always knew you weren't man enough to help my brother out with his shipyard. If the senate does dismantle the navy and his shipyard goes under because of less business, well he can always live here. No big deal." Nalia remarks taking another long swig out of her wine bottle. Quintus has no words he just throws his hands up and looks to you for help, but what can you do short of killing his wife? And you're fairly certain he doesn't want that no matter how much she gives him grief. You suppose you could see what you could do with the naval situation, but the main problem is you have practically no experience in such seafaring things. You dare say the average sailor has much more experience than you do about such matters. Sure you'll be assisted, but without the actual experience you'll still have a disadvantage that you don't feel comfortable with. On the other hand what exactly does the republic need with a powerful navy anyway? As far as you know they don't have an enemy trying to invade them from sea and they don't have contact with a big nautical trading partner. They just send merchant ships to travel along the southern coast to the Usksha Emirates. If the pirates got too out of control, they could just send large shipments through the desert. > You try to strengthen the navy While the military definitely still needs your attention, you've got the ball rolling on that aspect already. You can see that Quintus really wants this navy build up to happen for several reasons and there are still pirate troubles after all, so you might as well see what you can do on this front. "Alright, we'll get the navy strong again, or whatever it was before I showed up." You remark. "Good, good! I'm sure we'll make improvements so quickly that I'll be able to convince the senate that the navy shouldn't be dismantled. So, I guess you'll want to get started immediately, so you should make your way to Waveview, it's the largest of our port towns where our most experienced sailors are and most of the shipbuilding takes place. In fact Admiral Jarred Plickus should be there right now." Quintus says. "Wheeee! My incompetent husband finally managed to convince one of his goons to actually do what he wants for a change. This calls for a drink!" Nalia says and finishes off her bottle and grabs another one nearby. You leave before you insult Quintus' wife, well actually you leave before you do something worse than just insult her. You make your way to Waveview and then to seek out this Admiral Plickus. After asking a few passing sailors and shipwrights they direct you towards one of the larger ships and say he's aboard that one. The admiral apparently likes to spend all his time aboard his favorite ship. From afar the ship looks impressive, but when you're up close it looks less so. You expected the pride of the Nalin fleet with the admiral aboard it would at least look more presentable. With as many noticeable "patches" they've nailed into the hull, they might as well have just built a new ship. The rest of the crew direct you to Admiral Plickus' cabin when you finally board the ship where upon you find him fast asleep. He looks so damn old, you half wonder if he was alive during the time of the old Empire. (He's human though so you know that isn't the case) When you finally manage to wake him up to interact with him, he's not exactly young of mind either. You honestly don't know why this man is still commanding anything, let alone a fleet. Frustrated you leave the cabin call for the captain of the ship. "Yeah, I'm here." A bearded man little older than you replies. "I'm here? What the hell kind of answer is that?" you answer back in a threatening manner. The captain suddenly realizes who you are exactly and makes more of an effort. "Oh shit, you're that Eternal. Apologies sir. We didn't know you were coming. My name's Len." The captain says desperately attempting to straighten himself up. "By the status of the admiral it seems like he still doesn't know I'm here, let alone who I am." "Yes, well the admiral is getting on in years, but the senate doesn't seem to care. I believe two of his sons are on the senate in fact." "Figures. If he's here, then they don't have to take care of him at their own home. (Sigh) If this is supposed to be the best the fleet has to offer, I'd hate to see the other ships up close." You say. "It's um, well I dunno what to tell you sir, except the truth. It's true, the fleet isn't given much attention; in fact you'll probably find our cargo ships kept in better condition because of our trade with the usksha." "And that's fucking stupid for the sole fact that you need to defend those same ships from pirates. That means warships that don't look like they're on the verge of sinking themselves!" "I agree sir, and I've tried to make due with what I can, but spending on the navy has been cut a lot over the years. In fact I heard a rumor that the senate was going to dismantle the navy altogether." "Well not now they aren't. I've been told to try to get something done with this sorry excuse for a fleet." "Oh? Well I suppose that would be a blessing, sir." "Glad you think so, because as of right now, you're the new admiral of the fleet." "I am?" "Well I assume you're the next most competent and experienced sailor if you're commanding this wreck. Is that not the case?" "Well I don't like to boast sir, but I am indeed the best captain that the Nalin fleet has to offer...such as it is. But trust me sir, that I routinely make forays into the Delerg islands in the hopes of whittling down some of those pirate bastards." "Good, shows you're at least proactive." After a bit of explanation of what you want done to shape up the navy, you tell Len that you're going to go talk with the shipyards and have them to start concentrating on building new warships. "Didn't you want a demonstration?" Len asks before you leave. "Demonstration of what?" "Of whether I'm really up to this task. I mean I think it's a great honor that you've placed so much responsibility on me, but I'd still like to prove myself to you. Come with me on a patrol. I mean this might be my last time in a long time since I'll have to be organizing stuff for a while." You think about it for a while and you can appreciate the fact that Len wants to show you that he's up to the tasks you've set before him. "Okay, but what about the ex-admiral?" you ask. "Him? Bah, we patrol with him on board all time, he never even wakes up despite the cannons. Let's set sail." Len says. Soon you're on your way towards the islands of Delerg. That still seems odd to you. Wasn't a place you visited a lot, but the idea that that swampy landmass is now just a cluster of islands is still a little weird. You find that being on the open water isn't quite as bad as you thought either. You sort of had a minor concern about this whole navy thing at first, but going into battle on the water will certainly be a new thing you can experience and you're sure this crew will appreciate the extra magical firepower you can bring. You do ask Len about going on patrol alone and wouldn't it be better to bring more ships, but he mentions how half of them are being repaired and some are pulling shore defense duty elsewhere. He mentions that pirates usually try to run rather than fight anyway and that while this ship looks horrible, it's a lot more durable than it looks and certainly more than anything the pirates have. "The major handicap is speed and maneuverability, usually they can outsail us if they really want to get away, but our firepower prevents most from escaping before they get that far." Len laughs. A few days pass and you're finally in Delerg waters. You see several islands nearby, but the fog is making it harder to make out anything in the far distance. "Is it always this foggy?" you ask looking out across the limited foggy view. "Not always, but this is actually a good thing. This will allow us to sneak up on the pirates." "Or allow them to sneak up on us if we aren't careful." You say. "Funny you should say that..." Len says and then two gunshots are heard and a painful sensation in two parts of your back. You gasp and your upper half falls over the side of the ship. "Damnit, I told you idiots to aim for the fucking head!" Len says "Sorry sir, can't see for this fucking fog." A sailor answers. "Nevermind all that, help me throw him overboard!" Len replies. As you're gasping for air and trying to move to do something to defend yourself, captain Len and his treacherous crew grab your limbs and throw you overboard. "Sorry Eternal, but the smuggling business is too profitable for me to start making enemies out of my business partners. And with you around breathing down my neck with this navy shit, I'd never get anything accomplished." Len says as you plunge into the water below. Under normal circumstances, you might've been able to heal yourself of the two big bullet holes in your back that also caused severe internal damage, but floating in cold water, with limited mobility and a profuse loss of blood is a deadly combination. You eventually lose consciousness and the merciless sea does the rest.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, dystopia, fantasy] In for a silver, in for a sack as they say. If this spell is going to protect you from the Emperor, you'd best stick with it and worry about Semra's intentions later. Though at this point you don't even feel any pain on your side of things, but maybe that's because you aren't trying to hide anything from her. Your life has more or less always been an open book. You've never really hidden anything because you've usually come clean eventually anyway. You're not even going to be hiding your desires to kill the Emperor pretty soon. If Semra's hoping to learn something to use against you, she's in for disappointment. She already knows most of your combat techniques having taught most of them to you. She already knows your mindset well enough that she has more influence over you than you'd like. She already is well aware of your feelings towards her. There is quite literally nothing she is going to find out that won't give her any advantage that she doesn't already have. Yet you can sense she STILL wants more, its almost as if she's insecure about not having total control over you. You sense a lot of that actually. She can't comprehend why you can have a sexual desire for her, yet not desire her in the way you did with Alison. She's at a loss on what to do about it. And that confusion is a big ball of anger, frustration and pain. Suddenly you see the image of a young svelk girl. You aren't sure how old, but by human standards she would definitely be considered a child. It's Semra and she is holding the hand of an adult male svelk though you can never quite make out his face. They are both in a city where a large crowd of svelk are gathered having a good time throwing what looks to be sveld babies against a nearby wall which has a big target on it. Semra looks very happy and cheers whenever one splats into a bloody mess in the center. It would seem that Semra's entertainment preferences didn't change much for her. Several images of her enjoying similar activities with the same adult male flood your mind. You can only guess that the adult male might be her father, but Semra must be blocking you from confirming that. In any case, the idea that she was once a child is bizarre, but then everyone starts as one at some point right? She had a twisted childhood to be sure, but she had more of a childhood than you ever did. Just as think you're starting to see more images of a personal nature, the contact is broken off and Semra pushes you away. "There. It's done. Let's get this over with." She remarks while rubbing the sides of her head. She also starts rubbing her eyes and is sniffling a bit. You're silent for a moment, just staring at her. You know that she must be hiding loads of whatever unhappy memories she does have. And she certainly can't have you seeing them, she can't trust you enough to believe you wouldn't mock her in some way or exploit a weakness. "WHAT?!" she shouts when she notices you staring. "Nothing. Keep your secrets. Like you said, let's get this over with." As you make your way to the door to the Emperor's chamber, you do feel the connection of your mind to Semra's. Its not like you can read her thoughts, but its rather a sixth sense kind of feeling. You're curious how this will play out during battle. After speaking the password, the door opens and you both enter the Emperor's chambers. You look at each other, simultaneously cast your magical shield spells and spread out. Almost immediately you hear the voice of the Emperor, though he hasn't made an appearance yet. "So it's come to this has it? After all I've done for you. After all I've given you. You turn traitor for a piece of svelk tail?" The Emperor steps out from his bedroom. "Son, I am disappointed." He says and then just stares immediately in your direction. You feel a slight pain in your head, but its muted. Semra's shielding spell must be working. The Emperor looks genuinely shocked. Its an expression you don't think you've ever seen before on him. "You...you let this...creature into your mind?! Have you gone mad?!" "Probably." You remark and cast a lightning blast at the Emperor, but he easily deflects it back at you causing it to hit your force shield and knocking you to the floor. Semra casts a spray of acid, and while it sizzles and melts objects within the designated direction, the Emperor's own defenses absorb it. Realizing he can't just explode your brain, he casts a spell, which starts to turn the room very cold. You're reminded of the time you cast this spell on Cyrus' crew and you immediately cast a ring of fire around yourself in the hopes the heat will be enough to keep you from freezing. You follow up with a volley of small fireballs, which set the many bookshelves in the room ablaze. "You've made a dire mistake son, trusting this svelk whore. Even if you could defeat me, do you really think she'd allow you to live? She's lying to you son. She always has and I thought you were stronger than that." The Emperor remarks as sheets of ice cover the room extinguishing some of the flames. "And you weren't lying to me?! You had Alison murdered and you planned to kill me as well!" you shout back as you release your feet from the ice that has managed to encase around them. The Emperor sends a flash of light that blinds you and Semra. You stumble around to the left since you remember there being a solid stone table you can take cover behind. "(Sigh) Even if any of that was true my son, what of it? I was your father! Your master! Your life was mine to do with as I saw fit! Of course none it matters now. You've decided to stand against me and now your life is most certainly mine to take." You hear the Emperor say and then suddenly hear loud lighting blast followed by a yelp sound to your far right. Must be Semra, but you're still half blind from that flash of light. "Ha ha! Not as strong as we thought eh Semra? You always were an overconfident bitch. Won't be long before I break through your pathetic force shield." Your eyes clear up enough and see Semra across the room struggling to maintain her shield from a steady blast of lightning unleashed by the Emperor. Seeing that trading magic isn't going to work, you put up your own shield and try to make your way over to the Emperor to just butcher him, but the combination of your hampered eyesight and icy floor are enough to slow you down. "Ever the warrior aren't we son? Here, play with these!" the Emperor shouts and stops his attack on Semra, waves his hands and suddenly five hovering undead figures appear. You cast an enchantment spell on your sword and press forward to battle. Meanwhile Semra has taken advantage of her second wind and cast a telekinesis spell throwing a table directly into the Emperor. She follows this up with smacking him with several other smaller objects. He falls to the floor and re-establishes his own magic shield. "Keep up the pressure!" Semra shouts. You'd love to, but right now you're trying to destroy the undead creatures in from of you. While you've never faced such things before, you keep your cool and successfully cut down three of them. "You fools know nothing of the power you face! Now face the true supremacy of a necromancer!" the Emperor shouts and the entire room gets even colder, but this isn't even like the cold of ice or snow, this is something unnatural. You start to feel the tips of your fingers go numb and feel your energy starting to be drained. It's like when Cyrus touched you, but this is all around you. You nearly get your head cleaved in by one of the wraiths as you start feel dizzy. You dodge the attack and slash the thing in two. The last one is taken down with a blast of fire from Semra who you sense is feeling the affects of the Emperor's magic too. You stagger and prop yourself up on a burned lab desk. The Emperor stands only a few feet away, but he seems so far for you to do anything. You look over and see Semra staggers towards him, but collapses and begins screaming. You aren't sure what the Emperor's doing, but his eyes are glowing red. "A scared little girl still crying about her lost birthright. That's all you are and all you ever will be. You svelk think you know about pain and death, but you know nothing! I'll show you true pain and soon I'll show you death and the endless torture that can come after it!" Semra's confidence that the Emperor couldn't do anything to her mind because of her race has proven false. While he's not exploding her brain you do sense he's creating some sort of waking nightmare in her mind. She's literally crying and begging for him to stop, she even looks over to you reaching out with both hands telling you she's sorry. She pleads with you to help her and that she needs your strength. You never thought you'd ever feel a slight twinge of sympathy for her. In any event, you're not exactly doing so well yourself. You aren't even sure if you could help Semra even if you wanted to given how weak you feel. Though your chances of making a lunging attack to kill the Emperor are equally as slim. > You attack the Emperor Semra's just going to have to suffer a bit longer because you need to kill the Emperor. Besides, if you do kill him, you will have helped her anyway. You stagger towards the Emperor and raise your sword in an effort to strike him, but it's a clumsy attack that he easily evades. He instead grabs your sword hand and you feel an even greater drain on your energy than you did before. "Tch. Tch. What were you thinking son? I guess you weren't otherwise you wouldn't have tried to kill me in the first place." The Emperor continues to drain you of your life and it doesn't take long before you see your hand shrivel and wizen before your eyes. Your entire body soon follows this sequence until your organs fail and death is instantaneous though definitely not painless.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, serious] Year 35 While you've never been excessively fond of these important meetings because they take you away from the battlefield, you like them even less nowadays due to having to see the Emperor in such a weakened state. You remember when he first started displaying the signs of being unwell; you dismissed it and thought that he'd eventually get better. Five years have passed since you found out and he's only gotten worse. He barely gets out of bed anymore. Most of these important meetings take place while he remains horizontal under his blankets. He's still mobile, but he tries to conserve his strength for when it's necessary. He's never even told you what it is that's causing his decline, though you've never thought to ask. (And Jacob certainly hasn't) It may just be old age finally catching up with him which means there is nothing that can be done hence why he doesn't bother bringing it up. Its funny how when you first met him that he looked so healthy. You thought he was immortal despite him telling you that he really wasn't. Now you know he wasn't just being humble. You and Jacob have been doing your best as usual in carrying out his most important orders. Though today the order is given specifically to you. You have to go meet with Marik. Marik's been running a secret experiment for the last sixteen years and says that its finally ready. The Emperor knew about it and actually told him to abandon it on more than one occasion, but Marik insisted that it would be a good idea, so the Emperor relented as long as it didn't interfere with project that would be of a more direct benefit for the Empire. When you arrive at Marik's underground lab, he takes you through a metal door that opens up to a platformed level, which overlooks a huge room. It's nearly the size of a small hamlet you think. There are several ladders that descend down to the lower level which contain translucent containers all hooked up with tubing and connected with each other and large strange machines. Even from this distance you can make out figures floating in liquid within the containers. This experiment: Breeding a new army of Eternals. The derro has been growing them in these tanks. Literally hundreds, possibly even a thousand. "So...this is what you were hiding behind this metal door when I came here over ten years ago. Knew something else was going on." You say as you stand on a balcony overlooking all the rows of tanks. Unlike you and your siblings these Eternals were practically "made." From your understanding they went from some woman's womb to the tank immediately. (You can only hazard a guess what might've become of the mothers, but nothing good no doubt) From there they've been getting "grown" into the perfect soldiers. Marik has explained to you the "science" of what he's done, but some of it is going over your head. Personally you don't even think Marik understands all of it himself, he just believes it all works. While Marik did use human babies for this second generation of Eternals most would probably tell you that there isn't anything human about them. Given what's been said about you as well you can't really disagree. You are better than the average or even above average human in every way. You watch as two of them are released from their tanks, already teenagers and able to understand everything that is told to them. They're given weapons and display great skill with them when ordered to fight each other. Probably just as good as most Empire soldiers. Still, there's something about these Eternals that doesn't sit right with you. Maybe its because Marik was involved and that his experiments can be hit or miss. Maybe its because you feel that without the experiences of training they don't truly know what its like to struggle and earn their place. Whatever the reason, you don't feel like they are Eternals. As little in common as you have with your own siblings you still feel a small bond there. You have nothing in common with these tank babies. They're something else as far as you're concerned. However, none of this matters. What does matter is if these so called new Eternals are going to actually be an asset to the Empire. From what you've seen they aren't without skill, but they're going to need to be field tested along with drilling the concepts of loyalty and duty into them. "Sure, they look pretty, but can they fight?" you say after seeing the demonstration. This annoys Marik. He starts sputtering and stammering to the point where you think he's going to go into a seizure. "You just SAW what they're capable of! How can you even say such a thing?" "Yes, they were okay for children. I suppose we can find a place for them somewhere. Perhaps we can..." "Bah! You're just jealous!" Marik interrupts. "Excuse me? Jealous?" you ask. "Yes! They're already the perfect warriors and didn't need any training at all! They didn't need all the hand holding nonsense that you had to go through to become a killing machine. Face it, these Eternals are the future!" You stare at Marik in disbelief that he dares to say such a thing to you. To his credit, Marik doesn't back down, he stares back at you, ignoring your eyes burning through him. "You can give me that stare of death all you want Eternal." Marik remarks. "Alright...open up ten of the tanks. Let's put them to a real test." "What? So you can incinerate them with your magic?" "If they're truly as good as you claim then my advantages shouldn't matter, but since you seem to be unsure of your creations now. I'll make it easy for you. Open up twenty of the tanks and I won't use one damn cantrip." Marik starts making that annoying high pitched laugh you hate so much then he suddenly gets very serious. "Were you planning on fighting them right now?" Marik asks. "While I'm sure watching me slaughtering twenty naked teenagers would prove my point, I said I was going to make this easy. No, you go equip your twenty creations with whatever armor and weapons you wish. I'll wait." You wait as Marik orders twenty tanks opened up and has a few of his derro friends herd these children into another room presumably to get outfitted. Marik soon follows behind to oversee personally. While you wait, you reflect on the fact that they're all the same age as you were when you first got to meet the Emperor. It was one of the greatest days of your life when that happened. This happy moment passes very quickly when you have to dwell on the fact that the Emperor is now on his deathbed. You have no idea what's going to happen when the inevitable happens. Sometimes you look at the Emperor now and you wonder if that is what you have to look forward to when you get old. Is that the fate of everyone? No matter how powerful? What's the point of it all? Will the Empire even survive when the Emperor dies? He doesn't have a successor. You have often wondered if you would be it, but he's never mentioned it. Even if you were, you can't imagine ever doing the job better or even as well than he could. Leading armies is one thing, but an entire nation? You don't know if you'd have the patience for it. You're a soldier not a ruler and yet you couldn't dream of serving any other ruler except the one you think of as father. Your mood starts getting worse because you also start dwelling on less pleasant aspects of your sixteenth year before you met the Emperor. It always comes back to her. Why the hell can't you get her out of your head? Even now the woman hasn't been seen in three years and yet she still comes back to fucking torment you. Alison's dead, the Emperor's dying, these new "eternals" are obviously meant to replace you, your own future is uncertain, Semra still haunts your thoughts... At this point you wonder if it wouldn't just be best if you let these damn tank babies kill you. It would at least be a warrior's death and you'd die when the Empire was going through a second golden age of sorts. You had some good times and saw several major threats to the Empire destroyed. Why stick around to see a man you have nothing but respect for continue to whither and die? Why see the potential slow decline of a nation you spent all your life trying to keep from the brink of chaos? Maybe it is time to step aside gracefully and be replaced... > You Retire You think back to when you had to "retire" Kane. Different circumstances of course, but he knew when it was time. You know when its time too and the time is now. However, you aren't going to accept death so easily. It's going to have to be earned. Doesn't take long before twenty tank babies along with the other two that were involved in the first demonstration come out fully decked out in armor and weapons. Surprisingly the derro didn't deck them all out in the heaviest body encasing armor they could give them, though there are at least half of them dressed in such a manner. You can't help notice that the derro didn't limit their weapons to close combat, you see some with firearms. "Well here they are! Where the hell are you? Hehehehehehe! Did you lose your nerve and run away already?" Marik says calling out for you. Then you jump from the top of one of the tanks you climbed up on and bring your sword down on one of the tank babies, and quickly stab another in the throat with your dagger. You take advantage of their confusion by dispatching the ones with gunpowder weapons first. After snatching one of their flintlocks and blowing the head off of one, Marik tries to rally the tank babies with a simple instruction. "Don't just stand there letting him massacre the lot of you, kill him!" You cut down another three and begin to get into battle mode. "Marik, release more of them!" you shout ducking a mace at your head. "What?!" "I said release more of these tank babies! If they're going to replace me, they need to learn and these aren't going to be enough to teach that lesson!" you shout back and dispatch the mace wielding tank baby. You're too busy fighting to pay too much attention to what Marik is doing, but the sound of several tanks opening up followed by the sound several new footsteps are an indication that he listened to you. You slay more of them and demand that Marik keep throwing more at you. The tank babies aren't without skill, but you're proving to be a little too much for them to handle. Thoughts of "retirement" begin to leave your mind, and this thrill of battle is giving you that renewed incentive to live. Unfortunately you don't anticipate your derro host to take matters into his own hands. Seems Marik isn't pleased with you easily killing off his experiments. "Svelk loving bastard!" you hear Marik shout and then followed by a shot from a high platform above. The bullet hits you in the side and causes you to fall to the floor. The tank babies that you were currently fighting take advantage of the situation and gleefully stab at you or bludgeon you with maces and clubs. You try to get back up, but you're overwhelmed and too badly wounded. Boots stomp and kick your body followed by several blades through your internal organs. You're finally finished off by another gunshot to your head. Later on Marik explains to the Emperor that you insisted on fighting fifty of the new eternals to test them and that despite his warnings you were killed in the ensuing melee. If you were still alive you probably would be honored that the Emperor had Marik killed soon afterwards.

If this is some sort of shadow attack then the first thing you need to do is keep the palace secure, in particular the Emperor. Besides the city streets are going to be mayhem, you doubt if you'll be able to track down the assassin that killed Roldan. Hopefully others will get him though. Despite Alison getting most of the people back into the palace, Jacob is still sitting on the balcony in shock. "He...he...he's not...he can't..." Jacob stutters. "Jacob get your ass inside now!" you shout and drag him inside. You and Alison both start taking control of the situation telling the guards to lock up every opening they can and the mages on duty to magically seal up the rest. Alison tells the guests to find some place safe to gather, but you don't really care about any of them. Your number one concern is the safety of the Emperor. "Alison, I need to..." "I know, the Emperor. Go. I can help with keeping shit together here." You rush down to the Emperor's den constantly looking around the whole time. You keep thinking that a shadow, or whatever that was that killed Roldan is going to suddenly materialize at anytime. When you get inside the Emperor's chambers, he's in bed asleep. You don't want to wake him, but he needs to know the situation. "Huh? Mmmh? Oh hey...(cough cough) what're you doing here? Are the festivities already over?" he asks. "Emperor, there's been an assassination. General Roldan was killed during the parade by what I think was a shadow. We're currently trying to secure the palace just in case this is part of a greater attack." "Sounds like a lot happened while I was taking a nap. Shadow huh? Thought we killed all of them. Guess they were just playing a waiting game as usual. Always a few loose ends aren't there? (cough) I imagine Jacob isn't taking Roldan's death too well." "Not at all, he's pretty much in shock and was babbling the last time I saw him." "Hmm, well it is a shame. Roldan did turn out to be one of our best generals. I'll have to make sure he gets a nice funeral. If we can't celebrate his successes in life, at least we can honor him in death. (cough cough)...what's wrong my son?" the Emperor asks when he notices that you're looking slightly troubled. "I was one of the ones chiefly in charge of hunting down the shadows. The fact that I missed one or possibly several so that something like this could happen...I feel like I failed." You explain. "Nonsense, you did what you could to the best of your ability. I've always known that. Don't even start playing what if for this situation, because it's not worth it. While this event has certainly been tragic in that it ruined what was supposed to be a happy day, this really isn't excessively serious in the scheme of things. (cough cough) If you were worried about me, don't be. Even in my less than magnificent state, I'm more than able to handle a shadow or even a dozen of them. Assuming they could even get in here in the first place. Its probably just one crazed shadow that somehow hid under a rock all these years from our purges and thinks this one act is going to bring us down. Foolish of course, but what can you expect from such fanatics?" "You don't think this sort of thing could cause instability in the Empire?" "Hardly. (cough cough) The citizens might panic about things for awhile, they'll be fearful of the big bad shadows' return for revenge or whatever stories they'll make up, but ultimately it all works in our benefit I'm sure you know. (cough cough) We get to continue to display how without us they would be at the mercy of dangerous forces that would have destroyed them long ago." "So...what did you want me to do now?" you ask. The Emperor begins to sit up a bit more before answering you. "Nothing. In fact (cough cough) after things calm down a bit, you can return to your regular duties in the newly acquired Gan and Ibim provinces. I can handle things here in the palace and the city, just get Jacob down here and I'll start hammering out the plans." "You really don't need me to do anything?" "No, your talents are far more useful doing what you're doing right now. Besides, with Roldan dead you might be needed more than ever on that side of the Empire. Last I heard there were still gnolls running about. (cough cough) I of course appreciate your concern as always my son." The Emperor begins to slowly get out of bed and you take your leave. When you get back upstairs everything is more or less peaceful. Alison and some of the other officers have been making sure the palace is secure. Alison tells you there have been no signs of any potential attackers. Reports from outside the palace are about the same, other than Roldan's assassination the only other causalities have been from soldiers trying to maintain order or from people getting trampled in the initial chaos. No shadows or anything else like that. "So what's the next move? What did the Emperor tell you?" Alison asks. "He told me not to worry and when things calm down outside to just return to my normal duties." You respond "That's it?!" "That's it. He wants to see Jacob though, is he in a more coherent mindset now?" "Compared to before? Yeah, but he's still pretty shaken up. I know he's been crying." You walk over to Jacob who is sitting quietly in a chair with his head in his hands. He's still very upset. You have to repeat yourself twice when telling him that the Emperor wants to see him. You and Alison stay at the palace for a few more minutes, but when you get news that a carriage is able to take you back to Fort Stalwart you decide to leave immediately. Its hectic trying to leave at first since there is still a bit of turmoil in the streets as well as the surrounding countryside, but once you're a few miles from the capital the ride becomes more relaxed. Alison asks you if you're certain about leaving. "The Emperor told me to just return to more normal duties and not to worry, so that's what I'm going to do. If he says he can handle this incident himself then I have no reason to doubt that. Besides, he also said with Roldan dead I might be needed more on the western borders anyway." You say. "Hmm. I guess all those times I worried about you being punished seem sort of silly now...sheesh...today was surreal. I mean I've seen a lot of stuff in my years of service, but nothing like this. The general consensus seems to be that it was a shadow that killed Roldan. Certainly looked like one from where I was sitting." Alison replies. "I don't see what else it could've been. Similar style of clothing, invisibility, incredibly quick, sneak attack, the elements were all there. (Sigh) Damn." "You alright?" "I just...well I dunno. I just can't believe we...I missed a shadow. Really thought we got them all when I killed Cyrus. The Emperor said it wasn't my fault and I know it really isn't but I still feel like this is a major loss." "Yeah, I can imagine you'd feel that way having worked together with Roldan during the Felkan War." "Heh, well to be honest Roldan and I were never close. I mean we were professional and civil, but we never really did become what you'd call friends. Still though he didn't deserve to die like that. He wasn't just an excellent solder and general, he was an Eternal and I guess that bond was there to an extent even if it was faint. Now there's one less of us." "I guess given that you all grew up together and were subjected more or less to the same training, the other Eternals are sort of like, your siblings?" "Yeah, I suppose in some ways they are. Funny that I never thought of that before." You remark. As you reflect on all that's happened, Alison reaches out to touch your hand, you look over at her and return her smile with one of your own. Happy that you have her. Then your smile disappears when a bolt grazes your ear and hits Alison right in the eye. Her blood splatters on your face and her body slowly goes limp in your arms. You turn your head around just in time to see the assassin hanging outside the carriage window with one hand and his other arm reeling back from having launched his bolt from his armbow. It's definitely a shadow, but from this range you can also see it's also not human. The face is either severely burned or rotten. It grins at you with blacken teeth and before you can react, it rapidly climbs up which is followed by brief scream from the carriage driver and then the ride gets a lot bumpier really quick. The shadow has probably killed the driver and is probably in the process of detaching the horses. Meanwhile you're still holding the body of you beloved Alison. > You try to heal Alison Ignoring the increasingly bumpy ride and still holding Alison in your arms, you concentrate as hard as you can trying to heal her. "Hang on Alison. I can bring you back. I know I can. Just hold on..." you say. The carriage doesn't hold on however and soon its bumpy ride comes to a sudden stop when it crashes into a tree and turns over. You and Alison are thrown about causing you to lose focus. "SHIT!" you shout followed by several other curses as you scramble back to Alison's body which is now starting to grow cold. Once again you attempt to heal her, trying not to break down emotionally, but once again you are interrupted. This time by her killer who appears above you standing on the outside of the now ruined carriage. You don't react in time to avoid the bolt he shoots at you which pierces your skull. Your body falls on top of Alison's though you're not quite dead yet. The brain is a funny thing when damaged in a very specific way. Instead of dying immediately, your body is twitching involuntarily and you're helpless to defend yourself against any further attack. In your final moments the assassin jumps in the carriage with you and grabs you by your neck. You feel a great drain on your remaining strength. You can't see very well at this point, but the assassin's face even in this rotten form looks somewhat familiar. It almost looks like Cyrus. But it couldn't be him...could it? The assassin's grinning expression seems to say it all. But why or how he came to this state will remain a mystery to you along with whoever it was that raised him in the first place.

This may be the most "rebellious" idea you've had, but you can't just sit here like a Felkan waiting to get attacked. You need the battle, you were born for it. Not to mention if you're actively fighting someone it should keep your mind off of other things. Now all you have to do is to convince Alison. True she is technically in charge of the battalion and you have always respected that, but if push came to shove you could easily pull rank on her and you'd rather not do such a thing. Fortunately, it doesn't come to that. "It's about time we took the fight to those mongrel dogs." she says with a little enthusiasm, but then her cautious side comes out. "But this plan, is this approved by the Emperor?" "No, but you don't need to worry about that. I will take full responsibility if he gets angry about it. I'll just say I took command of your battalion." "Hah, I always knew you were going to do that some day, anyway." "Sorry, but I can't think of any other way." "Don't apologize to me, I won't have to face the Emperor's wrath, well I hope I won't at least." "Like I said, don't worry about that. And don't worry about me either. I don't want to sound prideful, but I'm fairly confident the Emperor won't even get too angry with me, especially since I intend on wiping out the immediate gnoll threat." "What happens if we get called to aid Roldan?" "If it's before we launch our major attack on gnoll lands then we'll comply. If it's during, well we'll give what aid we can. The main thing is to get this finished as quickly as possible hence why I'm sending svelk scouts first to give us info on key locations of where to strike." "You think we can trust them to do their job properly?" "Who knows, but they're still getting paid well and this is a much easier assignment than where they previously were, so they will most likely do their jobs. Besides I'll make sure to send some of our stealthier troops with them and make a point of how their safety is also a priority if they don't want me to think that they're up to some sort of treachery. They won't like it, but who gives a shit, they're svelk." Alison laughs at your comment and then says she'll start getting her end of things prepared. You tell the svelk leaders what you want done and how you want it done. You get no dissension or even any grumbles. They either realize you mean business or they're all silently conspiring against you to strike at a later time. Probably both, but for right now its enough that they just obey your orders. The next few weeks are semi-anxious ones while you're still waiting for svelk intelligence reports. You really hope you can take down the gnoll horde or at least cripple it before anything on Felkan front pops up. You experience a few gnoll raids during this time, but they aren't anything out of the ordinary. If the gnolls are on to any spying going on they haven't changed their usual attacks. Eventually the svelk bands start trickling back in and while most of the information is just standard intelligence that will come in useful during the main attack, one of the reports is more alarming. "The gnolls have a large group of wyverns in that small mountain in the distance. From what I can tell they've been keeping them fed just enough that they're still strong, but not enough that they're fat and happy. They're quite vicious. It's a wonder the flying beasts don't just eat the gnolls, but it would appear the mongrel dog men have a way with the creatures. Probably been training them since they hatched." Eldolith remarks. "How many wyverns exactly?" you ask. "Not exactly sure, we couldn't get that far into the caves without being detected since the place is extremely heavily guarded, but a good number of them. Enough to make things problematic if they attacked. I might hazard a guess that maybe they've been trying to lull you all into a false sense of complacency, but that almost seems a bit too cunning for gnolls. Still, its amazing what the...lesser born can accomplish when they aren't taken seriously." Eldolith says and gives you a look as if that comment was directed towards you specifically. Other svelk in the tent move a bit nervously since they know she's possibly endangering them as well. Why is she testing you like this? Ignoring her comment you get back to the business at hand. "Okay, well this changes things a bit, but we'll make arrangements. Glad you all found this out. Your actions have helped the Empire immensely. I'll make sure you all get a little extra gold for this service, dismissed." As everyone leaves your tent, Eldolith stays behind. "Is their something else you needed captain?" you ask as you mentally prepare yourself. "Funny I was going to ask the same of you. I thought that perhaps you'd like to discipline me for my earlier words." "That won't be necessary in light of your latest report on the gnolls. I'm willing to let it pass." "Oh? Well perhaps maybe I'd like my reward then for my work." Eldolith remarks and then moves over to you which causes you to move back. "What the hell do you think your doing?" "Don't worry, I'm not trying to kill you. I know I'd be no match for a great warrior like you. I just thought that maybe you'd like to take this opportunity to get to know me better. I see you still staring at me sometimes, probably wishing that you'd done what you wanted to do when we first met. Your hand clenched around my throat, your loins pulsating and wanting to violate me. Well here I am." At this point Eldolith takes your hand and wraps her lips around your index finger making "mmm" noises. While you can't deny the desires, you also can't help but find humor in this since you now know the clumsy intentions for certain. You pull your finger out of her mouth and laugh. "Why are you laughing?" Eldolith asks in annoyed tone. "You! This! This is a joke. I had my doubts at first when the svelk all got transferred here, but now I know for certain. Mistress put you up specifically to this to fuck with me. Well it won't work." "Are you sure? You seem pretty distracted." Eldolith says attempting to be seductive again. "Ha ha, I won't deny your beauty and my own fucked up cravings, but sorry your techniques in mindfuckery are sorely lacking and I've had the master, or Mistress if you prefer. You're not even worth me worrying about anymore now that I know your game, which is that you're just a pawn in Mistress' own twisted game, whatever that is." Your condescension and dismissal is bad enough, but what seems to set off Eldolith the most is... "Stop calling my mother by that ridiculous name! I don't know why she insists on adopting your lesser born titles and nicknames!" "Mother?" you ask genuinely surprised. "Yes, and I told her this was a stupid idea in the first place! She should be taking steps to return our people back to their rightful place, not playing mind games with some monkey grunt. Ugh! I can't believe I sucked on your finger." "I'm sure it was everything you dreamed about. So you're her daughter. I have to admit I thought there was a resemblance and it wasn't just that haughty strut or those cold eyes that are so common to your race... wait so what is her real name?" "Ask her yourself! I'm done here. From now on I'm just doing my duty as a merc until I'm transferred out of this human hellhole." Eldolith shouts and storms off. Well this little incident has been bizarre to say the least. Mistress basically sent her own daughter to have sex with you. You don't pretend to understand the mind of the svelk, but what kind of fucked up family dynamic do they have and for what purpose? Is this some sort of ploy to keep you unfocused so you'll make a critical mistake somewhere? Eldolith did mention about taking steps to return her people to their rightful place and how she's obviously pissed that Mistress isn't doing it. Of course knowing Mistress, maybe messing with you is part of the greater plan? But how? In any case you can't worry about it now since you do have to get back to accomplishing your immediate task. You meet back up with Alison to tell her of the new plan due to the wyverns. "So, I saw your svelk girlfriend stomp out of your tent pretty mad. Trouble in paradise?" Alison asks. "Hardly. Just more svelk bullshit. And she isn't my girlfriend." "Hey, I said we weren't betrothed to each other when we started our own little intimate encounters so you don't need to hide anything. I hear enough things around the camp about you two." NOW it hits you. "Oh shit, THAT'S what this is all about! I can't believe it!" you start laughing again. "What?" Alison asks. "She's jealous of you!" "Eldolith?" "No! Her mother, Mistress!" "Mistress is Eldolith's mother? "Yeah, and she sent her daughter to have sex with me hoping it would fuck up OUR relationship!" You tell Alison everything that happened between you and Eldolith, you even confess everything that happened the first time you met her which is probably why the rumors were going around about the two of you. Alison believes you since you've never been one to lie let alone to her. "So wait... your former instructor is jealous of me so she sent her daughter to have sex with you?" Alison says. "It's the only explanation." "I dunno, I mean...wow...that seems pretty hard to believe." "Believe it. The svelk mind is capable of some truly twisted petty shit." "Well I can believe that, but I'm just having a hard time believing that a svelk female would be jealous of the appearance of...as they would say a monkey." "Don't say that, you're beautiful." You say. "Okay I know I'm not ugly, but beautiful is pushing it." "Not at all. You're a soldier, a warrior of the Empire, a maiden of battle striking fear and terror into the hearts of our enemies. I've seen you slay many in battle with a skill that many could only hope to achieve. I've seen your sword and armor drenched in the blood of our enemies and the dirt of the battlefield. With each battle you win, with each enemy you kill you carry out the will of the Empire and the Emperor. Your cause is so pure and righteous... how could I not find that beautiful? Alison smiles at your unique attempt at compliments. "Well when you make it sound like that, how can I disagree?" You and Alison spend some intimate time that night and in the next few days you begin your risky attack on gnoll territory. It goes well at first, and you aren't suddenly taken by surprise when flocks of wyvern riders try to swoop in on the battlefield. Some of the peasants from the Felkan towns that were occupied by the gnolls actually welcome you as saviors and immediately pledge themselves to the Empire, mostly because the Felkan Kingdom failed to defend them in the first place and that any ruler is better than the gnolls. This comes somewhat as an unexpected benefit to your decision. After a month of slaughtering gnolls, two things major things happen, one of them good and one of them possibly bad. The siege on Yaquan is finally successful. A few Eyes managed to infiltrate and bring the walls down from within and from there, Roldan's army did the rest. While you're pleased to hear about a victory for the Empire, you've also just received a message telling you to return to the capital immediately. It would appear that your proactive approach to the gnolls has finally caught the Emperor's attention. You don't know if he'll be angry or pleased, or what. The second part of this dilemma is that you are still trying to make that one big push to wipe out the majority of the gnoll forces. Alison naturally says that if you have to leave she can handle it without you and you have no doubt about that, but that's not the issue. It's more that you'd like to finish what you started and that if you are going to return to the Emperor to answer for your disobedience, you'd like to at least have a complete victory under your belt. Surely when the Emperor sees that you've crushed another enemy in his name and even added more subjects and territory he couldn't be too mad could he? > You return after victory The Emperor might decide to reassign you again if you return and you don't want that now that you're on a winning momentum. You're going to push forward and keep the gnolls on the run. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean you did receive a message about returning to see the Emperor. I mean I know you're in good with the man himself, but you've already technically disobeyed once, might be a good idea to explain things to him now." Alison remarks. "Our work isn't finished yet, and I know the Emperor. He's overprotective of me sometimes and I can't allow that factor to get in the way of victory. I can't afford to possibly get transferred now." "Oh you saying I couldn't complete the job without you around?" Alison remarks. You're about to defend what you meant when she smiles and gives you a gentle push to indicate she was joking and in usual fashion you didn't catch it immediately. "Of course I'd rather have him think I didn't get the message at all rather than just ignoring it." You remark. "Well that might work to your advantage, but you already got it so what are you going to do?" "This." You say and tear up the letter, then you head in the direction that the messenger headed. A few minutes later you return to Alison who notices fresh blood stains on your boots. "Uh...I'm guessing there was no other way?" Alison asks. "Not really. Besides, it's a war zone, messengers are bound to get killed." "You do know when you don't return another one will get sent right?" "I know. And that'll be unfortunate as well." "Okay then...yikes..." Alison quietly says not wishing to dwell on the matter any further. You continue to make your push on the gnolls which goes fairly well. The gnolls begin to put up more of a challenge the closer you get to completely kicking them out of Felkan territory, but as you continue to liberate Felkan towns the more basic support you get to supply your troops. In the meantime you get at least three more messengers which you dispatch in an effort to lose the orders that are demanding that your return. Alison begins to get nervous for you and on a couple of occasions urges that maybe you should report to the Emperor, but you're still determined to gain your complete victory over the gnolls. "Come on, we've got these mongrel bastards on the run!" you shout as you plunge your sword through another gnoll. You take a brief moment to survey the closest threat, but there aren't any more in sight. The battle isn't quite over yet, but it surely is another victory. You turn around and see Alison in the distance and wave her over. The closer she gets the more you think about how close you're starting to get to her, or at least your feelings for her are stronger than they've been before. You aren't sure if its what you'd call love and you're not even sure if she feels the exact same way, but you do enjoy your time together. And then suddenly the image of her approaching you disappears along with current surroundings. You aren't on the battlefield anymore. You aren't even outside anymore. You're in a very familiar place. You're in the Emperor's chambers and this time you haven't been ordered here. You've been forcibly teleported, an ability you weren't aware the Emperor had, but then you shouldn't be surprised, he is the Emperor after all. You hear footsteps walk into the room and see him. He doesn't look happy. He doesn't even look angry, but he does look distant. His eyes are looking right through you. You say nothing, because you know why you're here. Making an excuse would do you no good. You only hope that the Emperor will show you mercy. He doesn't. Suddenly you feel a small pain in your chest, then that pain becomes worse and starts to spread across your body. Within a few minutes you've collapsed on the floor writhing in agony. You don't cry out because you're having trouble catching your breath. It feels like you're on fire while being slowly crushed as someone is shoving long needles into your head and body. You've experienced some of the worst pain while under Mistresses' tutelage and none of that is coming close to what you're feeling right now. Your mental conditioning to ignore pain isn't working either. Obviously whatever the Emperor is doing to you is impeding that normally useful ability. As you start to lose consciousness, the pain suddenly disappears as quickly as it came. You manage to sit up in time to see the Emperor finally walking over to you. "You know what grieves me the most my son? Its not that you disobeyed my orders, but its that you repeatedly ignored my requests for you to appear before me to explain why you disobeyed them in the first place." "I...I..." you start to say, but the Emperor waves a hand and you feel that pain again. "No. I don't want to hear it now. You had your chance. You had several chances. You may be my son, but nobody is above my orders. Nobody. Now you have to suffer the consequences like anyone else. I take no pleasure in this." The pain spreads all over your body again and this time three times worse. You twitch and convulse on the floor as the Emperor looks on at you. Those last moments you feel of disappointing him are actually worse than the pain you experience before you die. As several vessels in your brain burst at the same time you see the Emperor shed a single tear before your passing.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, war, serious] While it's not usually like you to play it too safe and you aren't one to avoid conflict, your present duty is to reach your destination in a timely manner. A short cut might seem quicker, but given that you know how hot the conflict is going on right now, its likely that you might very well get caught in the middle of it thus delaying your orders. Your trip is predictably uneventful save for running into a few small regiments of reinforcements that you redirect towards the town you just conquered. When you make it back to Arat you only make short stops in villages to water your horse. Eventually you see the factory within sight rather than just the permanent black cloud that hoovers over it. The factory has somewhat been a source of concern by the local population as the pollution from the place has contaminated the nearby rivers as well as the land surrounding it. However it has provided a new source of employment though its not the safest place to work, but in this world what is safe? When you get there you are met by a small contingent of Eyes standing outside the factory's gates, which are locked up. "I don't know if I should be happy or worried that the Emperor has sent his terrible weapon of righteous justice." One of the Eyes says. The Eye doesn't look familiar to you, but he obviously was with you during the capture of Cyrus. Good to know your words are remembered at least. "What's going on?" "Apparently a few days ago a giant green monster punched through one of the doors to the basement of the factory and killed several workers and guards before we got here. Someone claimed it was a troll. If it was a troll I can only imagine it dug itself up from the underground since that's where they live right?" "So I've heard, but what are you doing standing out here?" "Sightmaster Ansolom's orders. The troll hasn't left the factory for whatever reason and he wants to make sure its at least contained while he and some others try to kill the thing. Though they've been in there since yesterday, I fear the worst." "Ansolom? What happened to Warrick?" "Sightmaster Warrick is stationed elsewhere with another group of Eyes. I don't know where. So are you going in?" "Of course." "You...uh don't need us to come in with you do you?" the Eye asks while unlocking the gate. "No. Continue your little guard duty, I believe you would only get in my way anyway." You say and open up the gate. No sooner have you entered when the Eyes close the gate and lock it back up. You shake your head and cautiously walk through the factory's outer yard. You see all manner of strange machines along with hundreds of boxes of various weapons large and small set for shipping, but the place is dead silent. You're not even finding any dead bodies; you're guessing they must be inside the factory itself and probably the troll as well. You're wondering where Marik is in all this. From what you know he and a small group of derro work deep underneath this factory unknown to most, even the regular workers. There is supposed to be a battle mage that acts as the factory supervisor too. On top of everything else now you have to look for a sightmaster who is supposed to be here taking care of this problem and you still don't understand why you were dragged off the frontline just to handle a troll, or what you still assume is a troll. When you enter the factory itself, that's when you see all the damage to the place. It's a mess with broken equipment and dead bodies everywhere. While you've heard the stories about how terrible trolls are you nearly have a hard time believing it was just one of them that caused all this damage. Besides looking like a tomb the factory is about as silent as one as well. You would've thought the troll would at least be feasting on its kills or at least walking about the factory, but you've heard nothing. This of course puts you more on guard since now you're wondering if the thing is aware of your presence and silently stalking you. You climb up to one of the upper walkways to get a better view. You still can't see the creature from your position, but apparently it was up here at some point since you're finding the odd limb along the walkway. The supervisor's office is up here so you decide to head towards it hoping that maybe you'll find some answers. As you get closer you see that a battle must've taken place near there because you see a body just outside the doorway of the office. There are a couple other bloody bodies lying near it as well. Upon closer inspection the body just outside the doorway is headless but wearing a robe. This was probably the battle mage supervisor. The other bodies are a little fresher but still in mauled condition. They wear the uniform of an Eye, but you suddenly have more pressing concerns when not one, but two trolls appear on the far end of the walkways. They look every bit as vicious as you've heard. Big, green, long gangly limbs and seem to lope in a jerky manner towards you snarling and howling the whole time. You have no idea how such large creatures were able to hide from you, but they've made their presence known now and you're trapped with no easy retreat. They're quick, but you manage to unleash a single bolt of flame at one of the trolls, which causes it to immediately leap over the railing and take a long drop down to the floor below busily trying to beat the flames out of its hide. It is so focused on doing this that it fails to realize that it is in a factory with several explosive elements. All it takes is for the troll to crash its body into one of the small barrels of the volatile powder and the troll is blown to pieces though the force of the explosion is even enough to rock you to the floor of the walkway. You get up just in time for the second troll to smash its fist into your chest and you go flying into the office hitting the wall. You feel like you've been hit by a giant club and struggle to catch your breath. You scan the room and to your left you see another dead body of an Eye. This one is the sightmaster and he looks as if all his limbs have been broken. The troll advances and you manage to kick the door shut, which slows it down long enough to buy you some time. When it slams the door back open you cast a bolt of flame in its face. It reels back bellowing with pain and clutching its eyes, but unlike his friend he isn't running away. Ignoring the pain, you stand back up and with sword in hand you slash the troll across one of its knees causing it to stumble. It manages to swipe its claws across your stomach, but fortunately you dodge most of attack and only suffer ripped armor and a surface wound. The troll tries to continue its success, but even as quick as it is, you are able to get the advantage and bring your blade across its think neck. Unfortunately you fail to sever the troll's head completely and your sword gets stuck half way through it. Black blood is spraying everywhere and the troll grabs your sword arm digging its claws into the skin and muscle. It will very likely rip it off if you don't do something immediately. > You cast another bolt of flame into its face At point blank range you can't possibly miss and fire engulfs the troll's face. Naturally this does indeed cause it great pain, but just like the first time you hit it in the face with fire, it doesn't slow it down for whatever reason, it just enrages it further and its vice like grip on your arm squeezes tight enough to crush the bones within. As excruciating as that pain is, its nothing compared to when troll takes its flaming head and smashes you in the face with it. You nose is broken and your skull is fractured in several places, to say nothing about your own face now being on fire. The troll finishes ripping your broken arm off at the socket before throwing you off the platform several feet below. You can and have withstood lots of physical punishment in your life, but you can't survive this amount of massive trauma. You die as soon as the back of your head hits the stone floor.

Year 23 With another town taken, you put your sword through the chest of a Felkan soldier begging for his life, one of many from your experience. The average Felkan soldier to you does not seem to match up to Empire ones in any capacity. They are certainly not better in the ways of martial combat or endurance. The only real advantage you can see them having is their gunpowder weaponry and better proficiency with it and even that isn't much of an advantage anymore given that the Emperor's derro friend has been evening up the odds in that way. You walk around surveying the carnage of burning buildings and Empire soldiers busily searching homes to make sure there aren't any more of the enemy hiding out. A small explosion grabs your attention and you see a single Empire soldier stagger out of a home with one of his arms blown off. He stumbles for a bit and then collapses before others rush to his aid. Traps have probably done more damage to the battalion you were assigned to rather than actual combat. This was an easy battle. In fact your whole time being assigned to Major Krozer's battalion has been a bit of a breeze for you. The southwestern front of the Felkan Kingdom isn't as heavily defended or at least from your experience it isn't defended well. Perhaps all of the better Felkan soldiers are on the other fronts. You sort of wish the Emperor had seen fit to have you aid Captain Roldan whose battalion has been seeing a lot of major fighting. However, the Emperor firmly stated that your skills would be of better use here and so you shall carry out your duty. Your main goal is to keep the Felkans from attempting to pull any sort of major flanking maneuver and keeping them boxed in. While conquest isn't the main goal, it is a secondary objective to make a slow push northward towards the Felkan heartland though you imagine you'll soon face Felkan reinforcements from the west before then. That is if they don't still have their hands full with the gnoll tribes that are currently assaulting them their eastern front. "Another victory for the Empire, eh Mr. Sunshine?" you hear a voice from behind say. It's Major Krozer. She's a competent leader and has obviously earned her position, but much like your experience with Gruz, she seems a little "relaxed" on rules of protocol at times such as her periodic insistence on being too playful with you. "I've told you before to stop calling me by that ridiculous name." you snap. "Hey, I didn't invent it. That's what the troops call you behind your back due to your...unique personality." You begin to get angry. "Are you telling me I don't have the respect of the troops and they use this name to mock me?!" "No! They're scared shitless of you, hence why they don't call it to your face. The sunshine reference is due to the fact that you're so damn grim and merciless all the time. Its supposed to be ironic I guess. If you'd like, I could tell them to start calling you Mr. Harbinger of Destruction instead. Pretty sure the Felkans already call you that." Major Krozer replies. "I'm not interested in having any sort of witty nickname and if anyone continues to refer to me other than by my name or my rank, I'll have them flogged for their impertinence and that's just for the first offence." "Hm, well I guess I better relay that to the troops. Fun and humor are cancelled until further notice." "Fun? We're at war major! This is not a time to be having fun! It is not a time for jokes! It is a time to be crushing our enemies and ensuring their extinction!" "And you're claiming that YOU don't find those two bloody past times fun for you? Let's talk seriously for a moment, I've seen you in battle and you are truly a sight to behold. It's almost like watching a work of art with how you move from enemy to enemy slaying all those that oppose you. And that's just close combat, I'm not even referring to when you're throwing flaming hunks of rocks at the enemy and then following it up with a few lightning bolts. My point is, I've seen you lay waste to our opponents and I believe it's more than just a job to you. Yes, you're serving the Empire and the Emperor, but you're having fun doing it. This war is FUN for you and that good, but some of us need to find fun in perhaps less extreme ways and sometimes that might involve the cheap joke here and there. Surely that doesn't warrant a death sentence? I mean all of our lives could be snuffed out anytime, what's the harm in a little humor as long as everyone is still doing their job?" The major's words hit a mark with you. You can't deny that you are having what might be considered "fun" when you're in battle. You enjoy it because its what you were meant to do. You also think back to what the Emperor said to you one time "Sometimes, you're too tightly wound son." This might be one of those times. "Alright, alright, you've made your point. Fine nobody will be flogged, but I better not hear the name Mr. Sunshine or any other cute nickname within earshot." "Of course sir." "Good. So...the troops say my battle techniques look like a work of art?" "No. I believe they just see you as a whirlwind of violence that they need to stay out of the way lest they get caught in the path. I'm the one who believes your battle techniques look like a work of art, but then I'm a daughter of the army, so I don't know much about real art. I just know what I like." The major says with a smile. "Oh. Uh, well thanks." You answer and not feeling quite sure of what else to say. With the debate about acceptable protocol out of the way Major Krozer goes on to tell you that despite significant damage most of the town's population is still alive. While you're usually known for razing entire settlements to the ground, the major is slightly less bloodthirsty than you are. "While I know you like to eliminate enemies of the Empire and stomp them into a red spot on the ground. I'd suggest that we not do that this time and use this town as a stopping spot for our supplies and reinforcements." "Hmm. Perhaps, but we'll have to leave a detachment here to oversee this place." "Well how big is that going to have to be? Not that big I should think since I really don't believe the population is going to give us any more trouble. I've seen most of them and they look thoroughly defeated." "True, but I believe an example should still be made just to get the point across of who is in charge. I'd say about twenty peasants should do it. A mixture of different ages and genders too just to show them that we're being serious." "I'd ask you if that is really necessary, but I know what your answer is going to be. Very well, I'll get some of our soldiers on it. I sometimes have concerns that we'll go too far and their hate will override their fear and cause a revolt." "And that's why I prefer to raze entire settlements. Nobody can revolt when they're all dead." "But then what's left to rule?" Krozer asks before taking her leave. She has a point, but it isn't one you've concerned yourself with during this war mainly because the Emperor has made it quite clear to you that he's actually more interested in destroying the Felkan Kingdom rather than conquering it. This is more of a war of annihilation rather than one of subjugation. Just as you're about to oversee the execution of peasants, a messenger arrives. "For your eyes only sir. Important message from the Emperor." The messenger says and hands you a sealed scroll. You take the scroll and quickly open it. It has been too long since you've last heard anything directly from the Emperor. Upon reading it, it states that you are to report directly to the location where Marik has been making all of the new weapons. Doesn't state why, just says you need to be there. You've never been to Marik's factory before, actually you've never even met Marik before despite having heard of him several times. Guess this will be your introduction. It is a little odd to be taken out of the fighting like this and also not explaining why, but the Emperor must have his reasons. You immediately tell the major. "You're leaving? Why?" she asks. "Can't reveal why, but I assure you that it is on the Emperor's orders." You reply. "Oh. Well I suppose you have to go then. This'll be a huge blow to the might of our forces with you gone." "You shouldn't think such things. You're soldiers of the Empire. You are more than a match for any enemy, let alone the Felkans. You're also a skilled leader and tactician that has kept our losses to a minimum. You'll do fine without me." "I suppose we can get by without your battle skills, but how will we ever cope without your cheerful personality around here?" she says with a serious face which then slowly turns into a smile. Normally this is the kind of thing that perturbs you, but maybe you're getting used to it. "Well I'm sure my sunny disposition has made such a lasting impression that its now within all of your hearts so that you may experience it wherever you go." You reply in a deadpan manner, surprising the major. "Was that a joke you just made?" "How the hell would I know, its not like I've ever made one before." "Well you're on a roll now. Hopefully you will come back so we can actually experience this less self-controlled version of yourself." "Anything's possible I suppose." You say and take your leave. Your only major decision now is whether or not to take the long way around back within all the pacified territory you've been pushing through during your time with Krozer's battalion or risk taking a short cut north through disputed territory that you know is still being battled over by both sides. > You take the short cut When the Emperor gives orders, you should respond as quickly as possible. You know the conflict is hot right now, but a singular person should be able to get through and you only have to worry about one side anyway. You make your way north. You figure you're only going to have to go a few miles through disputed territory and then the rest is going to be Empire occupied land. Those few miles are a lot fiercer than you thought however. The ground has been completely battered by warfare. Besides the dead bodies, there are explosion marks all over the place, there have been attempts at building trenches and the sounds of gunpowder weapons echo everywhere. You try to sneak around the major conflict areas, but you inevitably get into a couple fights with Felkan scouts and skirmishers. At one point a stray cannonball nearly hits you, and you even have to deflect "friendly fire" in the form of arrows on several occasions. But as they say it's never the obvious thing that gets you. Wishing to get out of this crossfire as soon as possible, you sense that you're nearing friendly territory. You come across a quiet part of the combat zone and make a mad dash across a torn up field with several explosion marks. Unfortunately those explosion marks aren't the result of cannons they're the result of another Felkan weapon used extensively on this front of the war. Ground explosives or as the gnomes call them, "landmines." You soon learn why the Empire army hasn't advanced in this area when you step on one and you are blown completely apart. Your body parts and bits of burned innards fall to various areas of the explosive field.

Year 21 The time for all out war is getting closer and the Emperor is getting more impatient with delaying it any further. He probably feels he's wasted enough time with putting out the pitiful rebellious fires and the restructuring of the Empire in the past couple of years. You've been looking forward to a little action as well. You haven't had much to do in a while ever since your purges in Delerg and Quala. Ever since the official forming of the Eyes they're supposed to be the primary ones looking after the internal peace of the Empire and rebellious activity has been practically nil. Still, it was practically non-existent just as the Eyes were coming into service. One wonders if it wasn't due to the threat of a new "secret police" but rather the fact that you had already been overly efficient in purging dissension by depopulating entire areas. Indeed it was probably for the best that you were replaced before you deprived the Empire of potential soldiers for the upcoming war with the Felkans. Still, there are always those that refuse to give up. The prime one being the so-called "Last Shadow", Cyrus. Cyrus was an Eternal though you don't remember too much about him other than he always was one of the stealthier classmates that seemed to never fail in getting a cheap shot on you when Mistress was having you spar against him. You say "was" an Eternal because as far you're concerned he ceased being one the moment he betrayed the Empire. Now he is nothing more than a traitor who needs to be exterminated. Cyrus was one of those few shadows that happened to be on the surface at the time of the destruction of Gloom. He also avoided your purges due to initially being in Quala and then eventually fleeing to the rural areas in Arat. He constantly moves around a lot, making hit and run attacks on patrols or caravans. He does travel with a group, but they aren't so much rebels as they're just ambitious bandits and thugs. They probably don't give a damn about whatever Cyrus religious and philosophical views are for opposing the Empire. They're just in it for the killing and the loot. Nevertheless, they are a nuisance and given that the Arat province is the staging ground to attack the Felkan Kingdom, the Emperor is more than annoyed that the Eyes haven't succeeded in tracking him yet and he doesn't want to waste any proper military on Cyrus mainly because he sees it as Jacob's fault for various reasons... "Well he's your failure Jacob, fix it!" The Emperor exclaims. "The Eyes have been attempting to apprehend him my Emperor, but he has proven quite elusive. They just need more time to..." "Jacob when I told you to put together an efficient internal security force I expected you to succeed in this endeavor." "My Emperor the Eyes are efficient! I mean rebellious attitudes are the lowest they've been in...well probably more than I've ever seen!" "Well they aren't good enough, if they can't capture the so-called Last Shadow. I'd send in svelk mercs if I hadn't put our funding into Marik's factory to produce new weapons to combat the Felkans. You do realize we have a war with the Felkans to pursue and your bumbling is delaying that task!" "I understand that, but we shouldn't go to war until we have everything absolutely settled all internal matters in the Empire first! Cyrus is likely to start ambushing supply wagons and then where would we be?" You watch as the Emperor continues to verbally abuse Jacob. It's a scene you've seen many times in the past and will probably see many more times in the future. Jacob really does try to serve the best he can and from what you can tell he's fairly good at his job, but for whatever reason its just never good enough for the Emperor no matter what. While you normally don't interrupt such sessions, you do feel the need to interject. "I would have to agree that if we are to crush the Felkans we should just go ahead and start the process now. As much of a nuisance this last shadow has been, his impact has been minimal and certainly not enough to warrant a paralysis in our military matters. We are a large nation and we are always going to have a few internal matters to resolve." The Emperor naturally is pleased that you've backed him up in this matter, though Jacob looks less than enthused given that he's already fighting a losing argument. "Thank you son. See this Jacob? This is a TRUE Eternal! Not like the rest of those losers, traitors and ne'er do wells you oversee!" Jacob has no more words, he might continue but knows it would be a futile endeavor and he's walking on thin ice as it is given how the Emperor is really letting him have it today. Again you feel the need to interject. "If I may, I would be happy to assist in this matter with the shadow terrorist." You say. "That's not necessary, I wouldn't presume to take you away from whatever duties the Emperor has seen fit to bestow upon you." Jacob replies. "Considering how inept you've been in taking care of this, maybe I should send him to help." The Emperor says before turning to address you directly. "I did have plans for you to take a command position when we start our assault on the Felkans, but the position will still be there when you're done with bailing out Jacob if you so desire. I'll leave it up to you. In the meantime I'm going to finish up my preparations to make the first attack on the Felkans. Now go with Jacob if you wish to help him, or stay here, but in any event I don't want to hear anymore about this shadow matter from anyone until it's been resolved." Jacob makes his way slowly out the door, though while he hasn't said it you see a look in his eye that he's hoping you'll provide assistance despite his previous words of it not being necessary. > You proceed with the war You made the gesture, but you aren't going to press the issue if you aren't specifically ordered. Like the Emperor, you'd prefer to get on with attacking the Felkans. After Jacob leaves, the Emperor goes back to speaking with you. He tells you in the next few days he's going to call for a major meeting to begin battle plans against the Felkans. He warns you in advance that Mistress will be there and tells you to ignore her attempts to taunt you or any other pettiness she may indulge in. You're glad that the Emperor told you, so you could mentally prepare yourself. Then that day arrives... "Captain Gruz shall lead the initial attack. Basically he'll be making the frontline assault with the full intent on breaking through and marching onward into the Felkan heartland pillaging, burning, raping, you know the usual thing orcs are best at. While his rank doesn't denote it, he'll be in charge of three battalions of orcs, which is nearly all of them in the Empire." The Emperor explains. "Three battalions? Sheesh, I hate the very idea of that many orcs being together. They tend to get unruly in large groups. Isn't that why we usually keep them in small groups away from each other?" Jacob replies. "We won't have that problem thanks to my son over here. Thanks to him, the orcs haven't been giving us much discipline trouble at all. Besides, I fully expect that most of them won't survive this war, which will eliminate their drain on the economy due to their pay increase. Now coming in to support the orcs will be our golems. We've got the battle mages ready on that front." "How come he doesn't have a higher rank?" you ask. "I was told he didn't want it. Said that captain sounds more hands on than major or anything higher. I don't think he cares what his title is really." The Emperor replies. "What about Fort Soot? Who'll be leading the attack on that place, because from my understanding its one of the Felkan's best defended forts." Jacob asks. "General Ackerson. I took into consideration your Captain Roldan, but I think you've got enough to worry about apprehending Cyrus rather than any of your other eternals being involved in this war. As far as I'm concerned the only thing I want you to even worry about is internal security during this war. Best leave this to the professionals." Jacob looks disappointed, but doesn't argue the issue. You actually did try to help Jacob by suggesting Roldan in the first place, but as the Emperor said, he doesn't want any of the other eternals involved. As far as he's concerned, you're the only true Eternal he wants involved in this important task. "Okay so the third prong of this attack will be coming more from the southern front. Since the Felkans have weaker defenses there, we will be primarily using traditional troops though some of Marik's weapons will be used there as well." The Emperor continues. "Is that one being lead by that female captain?" you ask. "Major now actually. Major Alison Krozer. Her previous assignment was Fort Destiny in Rask until Kane replaced her." Jacob replies. "From what I know she was efficient at her job and due for a promotion." "Well this position is a good opportunity for her to prove if she was worthy of it. Though just in case she isn't, I have plans to have you assist personally on that front." The Emperor says to you. "Wherever you feel I would serve best." You reply. "Oh I have a few ideas of where you'd serve best." A familiar voice suddenly says and you wince when you hear it. "Easy. Easy there son." The Emperor whispers when he notices your discomfort of Mistress suddenly entering the room. "I'm fine." You whisper back, nodding at the Emperor. "How good of you to be on time as usual." Jacob remarks. "How cute of you to attempt sarcasm. I'll arrive when I please Jacob. Besides I don't see Marik here. I swear that rock eater could at least crawl out of his hole for one moment just to attend these big meetings." "Marik's duty is being served in other ways, he doesn't need to be here. He's designing our new weapons. Now did you do as I asked?" the Emperor asks Mistress. "What? Rile up the gnoll tribes on the western borders of the Felkan Kingdom? Yes of course though I don't know how effective they'll be given that they're a bunch of idiotic gnolls." "As long as they cause enough trouble for the Felkans' western front it'll be worth it. The more the Felkans have to stretch their resources the better." "So is that it? Was that all you needed from me?" Mistress asks. "I'll also be needing all the current svelk mercs in the area." "And I'll be needing a large sum of gold to convince them all to actually get involved in this little war of yours too and even then that might not be enough." "Since when do svelk turn down gold? Profit and pain are all your race cares about." you say. Mistress stares at you with those cold eyes of hers, still not accepting you as an equal. "You humans truly know nothing about our race. Of course I hardly expect a mewling baby like you to know anything anyway." "Mewling baby? I would've expected a better insult coming from you." You respond in a half bored tone. "Oh? Have you missed my verbal humiliation then? Well perhaps we can meet after this little gathering and I can once again subject to you REAL humiliation for old time's sake. Would you like that? Is that what gets you going?" "Sorry, but I'm afraid I'm fully aware of most of your best material now and it would be lost on me. I wouldn't want you to strain yourself in thinking up new ways to futilely try to make me mad." "Ah yes I imagine you would be beyond such things now. I suppose I'll just have to take joy in your continual torment that you know that you experienced my flesh intimately yet will never experience it again." "Considering you offered your body so freely in exchange for your life last time, I'd say my chances are still good that I could experience it again if I really wanted to." "Do you fancy your chances then? Do you wish to continue our engagement from last time? Because as I remember it was ultimately I who had the advantage and it's only due to Jacob stopping the fight that you still live..." "Enough! The pair of you!" the Emperor orders. "You'll get your damn gold in abundance. Just make sure you gather all the svelk in the area, I'll tell you where I want them later." "I'll relay the message to the main captains, but I can't promise you that they will stick around. Well at least not until they've been paid. Now is that all?" "Yes, yes, that's all." The Emperor says and waves his hand dismissively at Mistress which visibly irritates her and amuses you. As Mistress starts to leave she can't help but get in the last word. "I hope you realize that ultimately this war against the Felkans is pointless. Even if you win, the Empire will still fall eventually. Its time is coming to an end and the sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be." "Watch your acid tongue svelk bitch. I tolerate you because you're useful, but I won't be spoken to in such a manner." the Emperor remarks in an annoyed tone. Mistress stops and turns her head slightly to answer. "I wasn't speaking to you, I was speaking to the one who is currently watching my ass as I walk out the door. The one having lustful thoughts about the ways he'd like to violate my supple body and then slit my throat with the very dagger I gave him. I'll let you figure out who that is." She remarks and leaves. "I...I...wasn't!" you protest when the Emperor and Jacob both look at you. "Don't worry about it son, she's just messing with you again. Let's get back to business." The Emperor remarks. As the Emperor continues talking about battle plans, it takes you a little longer to get your head back into it. You can't believe you managed to let her get to you again with such a crude remark. Of course maybe it wouldn't have gotten to you if it hadn't been true. Year 22 Ever since the war started, Cyrus has still been on the loose much to the detriment of the Empire. If anything he's been a greater nuisance than ever. Shipments of Marik's new weapons have been getting hijacked and even sabotaged. This has had several negative effect. For one, the stolen weapons are now in the hands of Cyrus' followers, making them even deadlier. Its also created shortages of these weapons to use against the Felkans. The sabotage is the worst of it however. At one point several shipments were unknowingly tampered with and across the battlefront, muskets and cannons either wouldn't work at all or blew up in the hands of Empire troops. It was during one of these unfortunate incidents that Major Krozer was standing near one of your brand new cannons and fatally injured when it exploded, putting you in complete control of the battalion. You've been doing your best to keep up the fight on the southern front, but your soldiers have had to rely on the old melee weapons and bows rather than the gunpowder weapons that would at least even up the odds a bit. You've taken up the slack when possible by using your magic, but even you don't have the energy to cast powerful spells all the time. The Emperor as you might expect is furious about Jacob's failure to take care of this problem. To a certain extent you're blaming yourself for not insisting on helping Jacob with it before though. You've even received a message from the Emperor recently that if you feel the southern front can handle being without your leadership he wants you to return to the Empire so you can lend a hand in hunting Cyrus. > You hunt down Cyrus As much as you hate leaving your command, which does need you, you feel like this situation with Cyrus needs to be dealt with before it impedes the Empire's ability to wage war on the Felkans any further. You leave one of your lieutenants in charge, but explain to them that they should only keep advancing if they have a clear advantage in their attacks, as they will now lack any sort of magical support. Having accepted this assignment you discover you are to report to Marik's factory since Cyrus must be operating in the area and security there has been doubled. You've never even met Marik before despite having heard of him several times so you assume this will be your introduction. When you make it back to Arat you only make short stops in villages to water your horse. Eventually you see the factory within sight rather than just the permanent black cloud that hoovers over it. When you get there you are met by a small contingent of Eyes standing outside the factory's gates, which are locked up. "Were you sent here by the Emperor? We heard that the Emperor was sending his problem solver." One of them asks. "Yes, is Jacob here?" you ask as they let you in. "He is actually. He said he wanted to brief you on the situation before he leaves to attend to other business. Um...he's been a little on edge lately, so he might seem a bit nervous." "Given his failures, he should be nervous. The fact that none of you have apprehended Cyrus yet is appalling and there will be investigations later! For now though, Cyrus' capture is what we need to focus on." Your warning is met with a quick "Yes sir" and the Eye takes you into the factory proper which is very noisy and busy. You see many citizens running around operating odd looking machines and moving large boxes and barrels. Jacob is up on one of the higher platform levels where the foreman's office is located. When you arrive the foreman excuses himself to let you and Jacob talk privately. The Eye who spoke to you wasn't kidding, Jacob looks like he's aged several years since the last time you've seen him. The stress of not handling this task properly is getting to him. "Thank the Emperor you're here. I swear I don't know what I'm going to do." Jacob remarks. "Well the first thing you should do is calm down. You look like you're going to pass out." "I feel like I'm going to pass out. This place is very important to the war effort and its just a sitting duck! Do you realize how much explosive material is here? I feel like its only a matter of time before Cyrus strikes." "First of all he'd still need help in bringing down a whole factory and he's the only shadow left. Its not like the rest of his band of cutthroats are shadows too. They're thugs at best. Besides, I thought you had Eyes all over this place." "I do! Even at the expense of not having them located elsewhere. I wish I still had Warrick though. You know, one of your former classmates? He was the best tracker in the Eyes. Cyrus killed him last year and when we found him, he had his eyes cut out with a message saying: Eternally blind to the truth." Jacob remarks in his continued jittery state. "Okay like I said calm down. Now where is Marik? Shouldn't he be here?" "Marik?! Hah!" Jacob snorts. "Marik is underground along with the rest of his derro chums. He's so involved in whatever experiment he's working on; he's not even connected to the reality of the current situation. Don't expect any help from him. Besides, he's a derro, they never step foot above ground, even if its inside a building." "Okay, didn't realize that, well I guess its just you and me then. (Sigh) Alright, what you need to do is go report to the Emperor and tell him we need another factory built as quickly as possible. I mean we should be building more anyway given our war with the Felkans. As for what's going on here, just leave it to me. I'll take care of everything." Jacob seems a little relieved to hear you say that, though he still fears seeing the Emperor, as well he should. He gives you all the information on the situation here such as nearby raids and sightings. As you make note of this, you suddenly both hear loud shouting outside the office. You and Jacob both step out of the office and an explosion rocks you to the platform. Its enough to cause Jacob to fall over the side completely, though you catch his hand just in time. As you attempt to help Jacob up another loud explosion comes from the far end of the factory. Fire and fumes are everywhere along with workers running for their lives, well the few that are still alive anyway. "Shit, shit shit! He's here! I knew this day would come! We're all dead men!" Jacob exclaims. "Jacob will you stop panicking and give me your other hand, it'll make it easier for me to..." Before you can finish your sentence, you see Jacob's eyes widen as he looks up at you. He doesn't even get to tell you "Look out!" or any similar warning before you feel a long blade in your back. You wheeze and collapse, instantly letting Jacob go, who falls to his death onto the burning floor below. You feel the tip of the bloody blade sticking out your abdomen and try to get back up, but you feel a powerful kick to your head instead. Your vision starts to get blurry and you're having a hard time maintaining consciousness. "I could've destroyed this symbol of oppression long ago, but I knew it was only a matter of time before you were sent here. Now I can also kill the one responsible for the mass murder of my shadow siblings. Your Empire WILL fall. Die knowing this." You hear Cyrus say before he kicks your limp body off the platform. You're dead before you hit the cement floor.

You made the gesture, but you aren't going to press the issue if you aren't specifically ordered. Like the Emperor, you'd prefer to get on with attacking the Felkans. After Jacob leaves, the Emperor goes back to speaking with you. He tells you in the next few days he's going to call for a major meeting to begin battle plans against the Felkans. He warns you in advance that Mistress will be there and tells you to ignore her attempts to taunt you or any other pettiness she may indulge in. You're glad that the Emperor told you, so you could mentally prepare yourself. Then that day arrives... "Captain Gruz shall lead the initial attack. Basically he'll be making the frontline assault with the full intent on breaking through and marching onward into the Felkan heartland pillaging, burning, raping, you know the usual thing orcs are best at. While his rank doesn't denote it, he'll be in charge of three battalions of orcs, which is nearly all of them in the Empire." The Emperor explains. "Three battalions? Sheesh, I hate the very idea of that many orcs being together. They tend to get unruly in large groups. Isn't that why we usually keep them in small groups away from each other?" Jacob replies. "We won't have that problem thanks to my son over here. Thanks to him, the orcs haven't been giving us much discipline trouble at all. Besides, I fully expect that most of them won't survive this war, which will eliminate their drain on the economy due to their pay increase. Now coming in to support the orcs will be our golems. We've got the battle mages ready on that front." "How come he doesn't have a higher rank?" you ask. "I was told he didn't want it. Said that captain sounds more hands on than major or anything higher. I don't think he cares what his title is really." The Emperor replies. "What about Fort Soot? Who'll be leading the attack on that place, because from my understanding its one of the Felkan's best defended forts." Jacob asks. "General Ackerson. I took into consideration your Captain Roldan, but I think you've got enough to worry about apprehending Cyrus rather than any of your other eternals being involved in this war. As far as I'm concerned the only thing I want you to even worry about is internal security during this war. Best leave this to the professionals." Jacob looks disappointed, but doesn't argue the issue. You actually did try to help Jacob by suggesting Roldan in the first place, but as the Emperor said, he doesn't want any of the other eternals involved. As far as he's concerned, you're the only true Eternal he wants involved in this important task. "Okay so the third prong of this attack will be coming more from the southern front. Since the Felkans have weaker defenses there, we will be primarily using traditional troops though some of Marik's weapons will be used there as well." The Emperor continues. "Is that one being lead by that female captain?" you ask. "Major now actually. Major Alison Krozer. Her previous assignment was Fort Destiny in Rask until Kane replaced her." Jacob replies. "From what I know she was efficient at her job and due for a promotion." "Well this position is a good opportunity for her to prove if she was worthy of it. Though just in case she isn't, I have plans to have you assist personally on that front." The Emperor says to you. "Wherever you feel I would serve best." You reply. "Oh I have a few ideas of where you'd serve best." A familiar voice suddenly says and you wince when you hear it. "Easy. Easy there son." The Emperor whispers when he notices your discomfort of Mistress suddenly entering the room. "I'm fine." You whisper back, nodding at the Emperor. "How good of you to be on time as usual." Jacob remarks. "How cute of you to attempt sarcasm. I'll arrive when I please Jacob. Besides I don't see Marik here. I swear that rock eater could at least crawl out of his hole for one moment just to attend these big meetings." "Marik's duty is being served in other ways, he doesn't need to be here. He's designing our new weapons. Now did you do as I asked?" the Emperor asks Mistress. "What? Rile up the gnoll tribes on the western borders of the Felkan Kingdom? Yes of course though I don't know how effective they'll be given that they're a bunch of idiotic gnolls." "As long as they cause enough trouble for the Felkans' western front it'll be worth it. The more the Felkans have to stretch their resources the better." "So is that it? Was that all you needed from me?" Mistress asks. "I'll also be needing all the current svelk mercs in the area." "And I'll be needing a large sum of gold to convince them all to actually get involved in this little war of yours too and even then that might not be enough." "Since when do svelk turn down gold? Profit and pain are all your race cares about." you say. Mistress stares at you with those cold eyes of hers, still not accepting you as an equal. "You humans truly know nothing about our race. Of course I hardly expect a mewling baby like you to know anything anyway." "Mewling baby? I would've expected a better insult coming from you." You respond in a half bored tone. "Oh? Have you missed my verbal humiliation then? Well perhaps we can meet after this little gathering and I can once again subject to you REAL humiliation for old time's sake. Would you like that? Is that what gets you going?" "Sorry, but I'm afraid I'm fully aware of most of your best material now and it would be lost on me. I wouldn't want you to strain yourself in thinking up new ways to futilely try to make me mad." "Ah yes I imagine you would be beyond such things now. I suppose I'll just have to take joy in your continual torment that you know that you experienced my flesh intimately yet will never experience it again." "Considering you offered your body so freely in exchange for your life last time, I'd say my chances are still good that I could experience it again if I really wanted to." "Do you fancy your chances then? Do you wish to continue our engagement from last time? Because as I remember it was ultimately I who had the advantage and it's only due to Jacob stopping the fight that you still live..." "Enough! The pair of you!" the Emperor orders. "You'll get your damn gold in abundance. Just make sure you gather all the svelk in the area, I'll tell you where I want them later." "I'll relay the message to the main captains, but I can't promise you that they will stick around. Well at least not until they've been paid. Now is that all?" "Yes, yes, that's all." The Emperor says and waves his hand dismissively at Mistress which visibly irritates her and amuses you. As Mistress starts to leave she can't help but get in the last word. "I hope you realize that ultimately this war against the Felkans is pointless. Even if you win, the Empire will still fall eventually. Its time is coming to an end and the sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be." "Watch your acid tongue svelk bitch. I tolerate you because you're useful, but I won't be spoken to in such a manner." the Emperor remarks in an annoyed tone. Mistress stops and turns her head slightly to answer. "I wasn't speaking to you, I was speaking to the one who is currently watching my ass as I walk out the door. The one having lustful thoughts about the ways he'd like to violate my supple body and then slit my throat with the very dagger I gave him. I'll let you figure out who that is." She remarks and leaves. "I...I...wasn't!" you protest when the Emperor and Jacob both look at you. "Don't worry about it son, she's just messing with you again. Let's get back to business." The Emperor remarks. As the Emperor continues talking about battle plans, it takes you a little longer to get your head back into it. You can't believe you managed to let her get to you again with such a crude remark. Of course maybe it wouldn't have gotten to you if it hadn't been true. Year 22 Ever since the war started, Cyrus has still been on the loose much to the detriment of the Empire. If anything he's been a greater nuisance than ever. Shipments of Marik's new weapons have been getting hijacked and even sabotaged. This has had several negative effect. For one, the stolen weapons are now in the hands of Cyrus' followers, making them even deadlier. Its also created shortages of these weapons to use against the Felkans. The sabotage is the worst of it however. At one point several shipments were unknowingly tampered with and across the battlefront, muskets and cannons either wouldn't work at all or blew up in the hands of Empire troops. It was during one of these unfortunate incidents that Major Krozer was standing near one of your brand new cannons and fatally injured when it exploded, putting you in complete control of the battalion. You've been doing your best to keep up the fight on the southern front, but your soldiers have had to rely on the old melee weapons and bows rather than the gunpowder weapons that would at least even up the odds a bit. You've taken up the slack when possible by using your magic, but even you don't have the energy to cast powerful spells all the time. The Emperor as you might expect is furious about Jacob's failure to take care of this problem. To a certain extent you're blaming yourself for not insisting on helping Jacob with it before though. You've even received a message from the Emperor recently that if you feel the southern front can handle being without your leadership he wants you to return to the Empire so you can lend a hand in hunting Cyrus. > You stay on the front lines You have greater duties now and leaving your command now when they desperately need you would be folly. You write a letter back to the Emperor explaining how necessary your job is here and that perhaps redirecting svelk mercs to hunt down Cyrus might help. You also suggest building another factory as soon as possible. Months pass and things don't get much better. Cyrus is still on the loose and has actually succeeded in destroying Marik's factory. You have no idea if Marik was killed since being a derro he was underground at the time and the rubble is still being picked through. You do know that Jacob was there with several Eyes and they definitely were killed. More disturbing is that while Cyrus did cause the destruction of the factory, there is evidence that he had help from the inside, implying that he's been managing to secretly influence the weak minded peasants. A few Svelk merc bands have been redirected to hunt him down, but so far they've only succeeded in taking out his thuggish followers. The only good thing is a second factory was already in the process of being built and should be up and running soon. None of this really helps you on the war front however since you're still having to make do with old weapons and are continued to be out classed technology wise. You personally are starting to feel the drain from having to use magic constantly. You've been trying to curb your manpower losses with superior tactics, but it still isn't enough. You're not even assigned where the fighting is at its most fierce, you can't imagine the carnage that's been going on at the other fronts, but you've heard it's pretty brutal. Year 23 "Sir our new shipment is finally here." Captain Redis reports. "About time. I'm sure you'll all be happier being able to exchange gunfire with the Felkans rather than catching bullets now." You reply. "True, but thankfully your magical shields caught a lot of them." You aren't sure if your sergeant is being genuinely thankful or is making a joke, but in any event you're glad of the new weapons coming in. New shipments have been going out to all of the Felkan battlefronts ever since the "last shadow" problem has been taken care of. The svelk actually came through and managed to track Cyrus down. You're glad they finally came in useful for something. While Marik survived the destruction of his factory (Thanks to reinforced derro architecture) there's been no word on the Emperor's replacement for Jacob, but then you're guessing any competent "bean counter" will do as long as the Emperor decides they are worthy enough. While Jacob may be dead, the Eyes live on and they have been doing their best to tighten up internal security despite being stretched thin. Surprisingly, you've heard that Captain Roldan was put in charge of them. Last year was definitely a bad one, but this year is starting to look up. At last you'll be able to effectively fight the Felkans and you won't have saboteurs running about the Empire. "We've also received reinforcements. Most of them are new recruits, but they should at least be good enough to fire the new weapons sir." Redis continue. "Captain, why don't you have the troops test out those new cannons and muskets we've got. The troops probably need the practice anyway." Captain Redis acknowledges this command and leaves your presence to carry it out. It isn't long before you're hearing the sounds of explosions and gunfire. The problem is this is followed by several screams. You exit your tent and see your war camp in chaos and in flames. You grab Captain Redis who is trying to re-establish order. "What the fuck is going on? I thought these weapons supposed to be inspected before they even left the damn factory!?" "It's happened again! Someone has sabotaged the shipment!" Redis exclaims. You curse and start bellowing orders for everyone to stop running around like a kobold with its head cut off. You tell nearby soldiers to get the wounded to the medical tent immediately. "I thought the fucking svelk took care of Cyrus! I heard they dragged his bolt ridden body back to the capital as proof!" "They did, but not all of his followers! Down with the Empire!" you suddenly hear a half maniacal voice exclaim which is followed by a gunshot by a musket which hasn't been sabotaged. Its one of the new recruits. You feel a bullet pierce your skull and then nothing at all as your body falls to the ground. Cyrus may have been killed, but his influence outlived him and now it has outlived you as well.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, war, grimdark] As good as you believe you are in combat, you have to admit to yourself that you don't really have too much experience in leading a large group. Perhaps it would be wiser to defer to someone who does have such experience. "Very well, you may be right. I suppose we really shouldn't worry about anyone escaping since if they do, they'll eventually be found anyway. Did the svelk report say they saw any actual shadows at any of these places?" "Not at most of the locations as they seem to be just safe houses for normal rebels, but there was one in particular which seems to be more of an actual armed camp that they saw more than a few of shadows hanging around." "We're going to hit that place first then. I just hope the svelk were as silent about their scouting as you said they claimed to be. Anyway, let's get going we've got traitors to purge and I'm anxious to see it through." You and Gruz get the troops ready. The general idea is to first have the svelk to sneak up on the target locations and then after they initiate the attack the orcs come charging in from all sides. It seems simple, but perhaps simple plans work the best due to less chance of things going wrong. At least you hope they do. After a march through the swamp you reach your first target and it does indeed resemble a small military compound. It's really just a walled village though. You'd guess that this particular place is so far from normal civilization that this just went unnoticed and the shadows eventually just subverted the entire place or at least started placing sympathizers there. You order the attack and all goes well. The svelk and yourself easily scale the walls while Gruz and the orcs bash down the pitiful gates. Given how pathetic the opposition is though, you almost wonder if you couldn't have taken this place all by yourself. You still haven't seen any of the rumored shadows in this place though and that slightly concerns you. Did they already flee, or did they just cloak? "Keep alert! There may be shadows still lurking about!" you shout as you cut down one of the rebels. No sooner have you said that, when you sense something amidst the chaos. A feeling like you're being targeted... "GET DOWN!" Gruz shouts as a female shadow decloaks and fires a bolt at you. You're just quick enough to duck down and avoid being hit. An orc attempts to strike her down, but she easily fends off the attack and eliminates him instead. She's moving faster than anything you've ever seen. "Crossbows now!" you order and the svelk mercenaries closest to you unleash their own bolts at the shadow. She may be quick, but she can't avoid all of the bolts from the repeating crossbows. She catches more than few bolts and collapses in a heap. As she attempts to crawl away you go over to her to finish her off and that's when you get that feeling again only this time you know where its coming from and instinctively pull up your sword to deflect the hit. When the shadow decloaks you're close enough to see the hatred in his eyes, you're also close enough to hear him muttering about revenge for Bianca. You're guessing that was the female shadow that's now a pincushion. He attempts to pull the same speed trick, but you prevent him from doing so by interrupting his spell with a dagger to his side. "Not such a good day to be a shadow is it traitor?" you ask as you twist the blade around. Shocked by the metal piercing his insides, he reels backwards when you pull out the blade and his death follows when Gruz smashes his axe in the side of the shadow's head. You go over to finish off the female shadow who is still desperately trying to crawl away. "There will be no escape. The Emperor's eye sees all and justice will be delivered to all who oppose him!" you exclaim before running your sword through her back. You keep alert for the possibility of more shadows lurking, but either those two were the only ones, or the rest have fled. If they have, no matter, they will be found. The rest of the battle is more of a simple matter. The non-shadow rebels are no match for your superior force and a few try to surrender, pleading for you to at least spare their families. You spare no one as traitors cannot be tolerated. Your ruthless orders to cut down every man, woman and child are not questioned, though the svelk take a bit more pleasure in it. The village is put to the torch and you're eager to move on to the next target. You want to stomp out ALL of these traitors before they even get the possibility of regrouping. Day after day you wipe out several small encampments and hideouts of the rebels. It's sickening to you that there is as many as there are. How could any citizen defy the Empire or the Emperor? Don't they know it is a losing proposition? Don't they realize and appreciate how much he has done for all of their miserable lives? As for the shadows, their treachery is even more sickening. The Emperor gave them all a grand honor of serving him in a most important way and they've been nurturing rebellion in their black hearts for centuries and enticing the weak willed into helping them. Fitting that they call themselves shadows, as they are cowards who obviously rely on tricks and subversion to gain any sort of advantage. Well that stops very soon. "This one was an easy one. They gave up almost immediately." Captain Gruz says cleaning off his axe after a short skirmish. "Yes, a pity they should only realize until it's too late the folly of their treason." You reply. "Yes, I imagine many have felt that way." Gruz answers. "And all of them are fools for doing so. And fools deserve no mercy. The loyal and dedicated on the other hand are to be rewarded. Captain, we are nearing the end of our mission and I imagine I will soon return to the Emperor to give my report. I want to tell you that I will be speaking highly of you to him and suggesting that you receive some sort of higher position." Gruz isn't sure how to respond though he thanks you. "I was just doing my duty sir, but I thank you. However if you're serious about your wanting to do something for me and it isn't too bold of me to ask, I do have specific request." "Speak freely then." Gruz looks around as if he's being watched and then moves closer toward you and speaks almost whispering. "I know I'm sort of the Empire's token intelligent orc and that's fine. However it's my people sir. I really do try to keep them in line and for the most part it works, but I'm still just one man and despite common perception, orcs do have minds of their own and think about deeper things than just looting and pillaging sometimes." "What are you getting at?" "What I'm saying sir, is all I would request is you ask the Emperor if he could give his loyal and dedicated orc soldiers a pay raise. It doesn't even have to be that large. I mean the extra fighting and danger they are always assigned to do is fun and all, but just a little something extra so they know they're being appreciated for their hard work would be welcome." Well that was bold of Gruz, but you did tell him to speak freely. However, you're suspicious of his request, since it almost sounds a bit like blackmail. > You reprimand him for his words Gruz may have saved your life, but you are not about to let him make thinly veiled threats of rebellion if his requests aren't met. "Captain, you are a soldier of the Empire! ALL of your men are! YOU and they should be grateful that they are even serving in such a capacity! If you or any of the others feel that your duty is not being adequately appreciated then maybe you'd all like to be trash collectors instead? Perhaps working on a chain gang like so many of those ungrateful elves do? Or how about you never have to worry about anyone not appreciating you ever again by having the lot of you executed for treason?" Gruz's face is one of shame; he almost looks sorry he spoke, as well he should be. "I...I did not mean to imply any sort of disloyalty to the Empire sir, I just spoke my thoughts as you said I could." "Do not try to blame me for your thoughts of sedition! I expect this sort of talk from a svelk, but not from an officer of the Empire! Know this captain, I WILL be making a report to the Emperor himself about this and you better hope for your sake that he shows mercy by only stripping you of the rank that he saw fit to allow you to achieve in the first place! Now I'd advise that you tell everyone they need to get some rest because we still have a job of wiping out the rest of this rebellious scum. Dismissed!" You leave the captain to pondering his poor choice of words to return to your own tent. You're still pissed about the whole scenario. Did he really think he could get away with such a thing? The nerve. You guess you were right in treating him like a lowly subordinate right from the beginning. You see now that allowing him to speak as an "equal" only gave him the idea that he could start demanding things. If he hadn't proved to be such a competent warrior and leader you may have very well had Gruz executed, as it stands though he can finish out what will probably be his last days as an officer, possibly as a soldier. In any event its time for you to get some rest. In the middle of the night you suddenly hear gruff voices calling for you to wake up and exclaiming the camp is under attack. You immediately wake up, grab your sword and rush out of your tent ready to face the counter rebel attack. Unfortunately it isn't a counter attack its an ambush. It isn't the rebels either, or at least not the ones you've been fighting. You feel a blow to the back of your head, which forces you to the ground. You're dazed, but you feel several strong hands grab all your limbs and start trying them together like an animal. You see orcs and svelk working side by side in this act of treachery. "It is regrettable that it has come to this, but you left me with no choice. I fucking worked hard for my rank and I'll not let some young runt that has the ear of the Emperor mess that up." Gruz says as his men tie you up. "You really think you'll get away with this?" you exclaim trying to struggle free. "Actually yes. Yes I will. You might've made an impression with your little display to my men before, but they were ALWAYS more loyal to me. And as for the svelk...well I think you know how they really feel about you. You see, you were partially right in that I was considering that we orcs should go our own way, possibly even with the help of the shadows since I'm wise enough to know that we'd never be able to break free on our own. However seeing as the shadows have been all but wiped out now, I saw the only opportunity I could to advance myself and my people and that was possibly gain your assistance in the matter since you seemed to be a reasonable sort even if you were initially an asshole. I didn't think you had more asshole in you than reason though. A mistake on my part and one I'm going to fix." "You're going to die like ALL traitors, you..." you are interrupted when one of the svelk kicks you in the face. "You might be right, but not today. You on the other hand will be dying and the hands of traitors though of course we'll be blaming it on the other ones." While you're in your semi-conscious state, Gruz crouches down with a large dagger in hand. "Sorry kid, but you brought this on yourself." Is the last thing you hear before Gruz slits your throat. Afterwards they chop up your body and throw the pieces in various parts of the swamp where they are ultimately feasted upon by scavenging Sul Monkeys. True to his word, Gruz tells his superiors that your death came by the hands of the rebels and that you died in a glorious battle against three shadows. The Emperor laments your death for a few days, but soon comes to the conclusion that if you were dispatched so easily then you must not have been worthy anyway.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, action, fantasy, grimdark, anti-hero] Snow crunches underneath your footsteps. The thin layer isn't thick enough to limit your movement. It's only about an inch deep as the grass beneath is still able to poke its green tips through. Several pairs of boots follow behind you. Three to be exact. The hunter, you lead from the front. Kneeling, examining the trail, you speak. "Silvaras is close. These prints are fresh. See how the snowfall hasn't affected the prints much, if at all." "How soon until he reaches the pass?" asks Jaina, a sorceress who hates to repeat herself. She's dressed in a hood of blue, trimmed with white fur along the edges. Your head lifts slightly in thought, vision stretching gazeless, unfocused on a single point in front of you. Easier to think when your immediate senses aren't playing a distraction. "Three hours if the weather continues like this. Possibly four with a heavier snowfall." "We best get moving then," Maxx comments in a deep rumble. How he manages to keep pace with his heavy plate and tower shield is beyond you. "I must say, I agree with the big fellow...for once," the final member of your party, Richter, inputs. After traveling weeks with the man, you still don't feel comfortable sleeping around him. Things of value tend to disappear within his presence. "Onward then. Our prey grows weary." You rise, breathing in the cold mountain air. Pine trees, lightly covered in white, stand proudly around you. The trail you follow grows in elevation the further you press on. Silvaras has eluded you for too long. The former guard captain, turned traitor, has been a thorn in Lord Tiras' side for almost a year now. His revolution founded the militant organization calling themselves the "Spirit of Truth" is gaining momentum throughout the territory. Cultists, seeking to gain personal wealth through religion, in spite of Lord Tiras, needed to end. Lord Tiras' men failed at every attempt. That's where you come in. Your traveling companions are simply necessary expenses in order to succeed at the task. You press on. The path takes you up a twisting road, turning into a series of switchbacks. Steady breath and steady footsteps makes the journey blend into a timeless, subconscious one. Your reality becomes the next step, the next breath, only to repeat itself a moment later. Everything else is simply a backdrop, supporting actors playing their part in your story. It's happening again. Focus. Breathe. Remember to... The next switchback opens into a clearing. A few trees cover your current location, but taking ten steps forward would expose you to the camp. It's a series of tents arranged in a circle. Silvarus wasn't running towards the pass. Rather, towards the destination in front of you. The center one, the largest, draws your attention, not because of its size, but because of the symbol displayed on the canvas, a cross with a pair of wings behind it, commonly used to signify a medical ward. Whatever the specifics, it means healing attention could be had. This is the camp of the militant deserter? No, stick to the job. It's not your place to question. There are few guards posted. Guards should be positioned at the top of the switchbacks. It's the natural place to set up a defense. The entire camp looks too...civilian. No, stick to the job. It's not your place to question. You press on. The snowfall is heavier now, masking your approach in sheer whiteness, a misty cloud hiding all that's within. Strange. Even as you draw close, guards aren't posted outside. Wait, there's a few. They aren't patrolling like they should. They're standing in casual conversation, oblivious to the four figures infiltrating their camp. You cut them down in the very same manner. Casually. Your arrows fire true. Three let loose, three hit the mark. A few throwing knives from Richter join as insurance, not that it is needed. Still, it never hurts to be careful, a lesson the camp is currently learning. Silvaras must be in the large tent. He wouldn't risk his life, the survival of the Spirit of Truth, for anything else. Taking the overcoats from the guards, leaving Maxx behind—not that the coats would fit him, you slip inside, disguised, along with Jaina and Richter. Inside, cots fill the area, neatly, like the way a farmer would sow seeds. "Oh, you must be the..." a man begins before cutting off, apparently recognizing you aren't who your cloaks display. Silvarus. He isn't wearing armor. Rather, he wears the apron of a surgeon, medical tools displayed on his belt. The man's graying hair is neatly cut, a military man used to obeying orders without question. Something obviously changed. "I see. Very well, walk with me. I have a surgery to perform. You can fulfill your task after." You sense no deception in the man, and the camp poses the same threat as the three guards you felled. "Any sort of deviance from your task and you'll be ended swiftly," you say. "Yeah, yeah, then me and everyone in here dies. Got it," Silvaras comments, leading you down the rows of beds. The subject lies on a surgical table, one built sturdy from oak and sanded down to a smooth surface. Tears run down the woman's face, but that's not what catches your attention. Your eyes are immediately drawn to her stomach. She's pregnant, near the estimated due date by the looks of it. Her feet are flat on the table, knees bent, giving Silvaras room to work. Silvaras takes her pulse, then checks between her legs. This certainly isn't the surgery you were expecting. "So Lord Tiras sent you," Silvaras says as he continues to work on the woman. "Figures. That man is the type to take anything personally. It's not normally my place to disobey orders. There gets to a certain point when a man must act on his heart, even in opposition to the laws of the land." Jaina jumps in. "And how does the murder of one's countryman go against your heart?" Silvaras pauses for a moment. Then answers. "No, no. Is that what Tiras is spinning these days? These people here are refugees. There's a civil war happening on the other side of the pass. Nasty war. I merely wanted to allow them residence. Tiras closed the border. Decreed that anyone attempting to cross into the land is doing so illegally. We were ordered to execute them. Hell, the pass isn't even large enough for an enemy force to march through." "Spies. Sleeper agents," Richter says, picking a piece of dirt from his fingernail. "It's the perfect opportunity to slip an operative into the territory. I don't blame the lord." "Heartless fool! And if you were on the opposite side?" Silvaras questions. Richter flashes a toothy grin. "I wouldn't travel through such an exposed area, even if it's sparsely supported with soldiers. Naturally, I'd pick the winning side of the civil war and lend my services." "We're getting off topic. Keep speaking," you say. "What more is there to say?" Silvaras answers. "We've set up a temporary medical camp to house refugees. The Spirit of Truth isn't the militant organization you're led to believe. Quite the opposite actually. The only violence we're guilty of—pass me that knife there—is during direct confrontation from Tiras' men. It's unfortunate, yes. But we're able to save many more lives being alive. That's the only reason we take up arms. In defense. We're a peaceful group now. We've been part of the bloodshed for far too long. You see, this is our redemption." Silvaras pulls a crying baby from the woman connected, still, with its umbilical. The babe is covered in liquid. Obviously female. With the knife you handed to Silvaras, he severs the physical tie between mother and daughter, then places the baby in her mother's arms. "Now, assassin, where were we?" Stick to the job. It's not your place to question. The situation may not be as black and white as you were led to believe, but isn't that the case for most things? No one is truly good, despite their misguided attempts at redemption. Silvaras' own words condemn him. Righteous men don't seek redemption, only those who walk in darkness. You're willing to bet Silvaras traveled deep into the abyss, turning back after standing in the shadow of a larger monster. Perspective, it can change a man. So can fear. You have a job to do. It's your only reality, the only thing that matters. Everything else is faded into nonexistence. One thing remains. The job. Lord Tiras hired you to put an end to the Spirit of Truth. The organization will crumble without Silvaras' leadership. But how many more will he save? It doesn't matter. There are sick people that need his help. There are other medical experts in the world. He's not evil. That makes one of us. Before anyone can react, you nock and loose an arrow, snapping Silvaras' head back with the impact. His face doesn't even look surprised. His body collapses against the delivery table, sending the new mother into a wail rivaling her child. Right, wrong, whatever your decision turns out to be, you can't let emotions sway you from the task. That's what Silvaras tried to do. He tried to manipulate us, an appeal to our humanity. It won't...it didn't work. Bastard. He deserved his fate. God knows you deserve yours. > The Book and Devil's Altar A couple of weeks later, you're back in Lord Tiras' keep, a stronghold built at the top of a city spanning multiple levels. The higher in social status or wealth, the higher level one resides. They gave you strange looks at first, like the lord only meets with those of a similar status. Perhaps that's why his attempts to stop Silvaras were unsuccessful. No, that can't be it. Lord Tiras is smarter than that. Some people just like reminding those beneath them of their status. The four of you wait outside the lord's study, six guards waiting next to you ready to act upon one misstep. Brutes. Bullies. Those who have been in real combat don't crave for it, at least very few do. What are the chances that six of them are confined to the same guard duty? They posture from insecurity. Take each man and put him alone against an opponent. Then his true colors will show. The door cracks open, and a scrawny man sticks his head through. "Lord Tiras will see you now." "About time," Jaina utters to herself. Richter is oddly quiet. The scrawny man opens the door wider, allowing the four of you to walk in, the eyes of the guards still upon you. Inside, books line the walls. Strangely, the study is built like an amphitheater. Steps lead down to the stage, or in this case, a sizable desk, probably larger than most citizen's dinner tables. There are no seats placed in front for guests so you remain standing. "Thank you, Jensen. That will be all," Lord Tiras waves the scrawny man away as if batting a buzzing fly. "So, you've brought an end to the Spirit of Truth. Care to provide proof?" Lord Tiras is a man well-accustomed to getting what he wants, which explains his direct approach to conversation. His hair is graying at the edges, but otherwise a thick black, combed and tucked behind his ears. Lord Tiras' robe is of fine quality, a deep red embroidered with black, fitted to the exact measurement of his frame. Like the hair on his head, the tips of his goatee are beginning to gray. "Yes, lord," you answer, fishing into your pocket. You reveal a small leather bag and toss it onto the table. The look that Lord Tiras flashes signifies that he is un-accustomed to people tossing objects in his direction. One can't find another's limits without testing boundaries. Without recklessness, of course. After looking inside, Lord Tiras speaks again. "Yes, this is the ring of Silvaras. But how do I know you didn't just steal it from the man?" You nod to Maxx, who takes his turn fishing for an object of his own: Silvaras' severed head, your arrow shaft still protruding from his forehead, although it's been snapped off an inch in length. Boundaries. You imagine if that were tossed onto the desk, you'd be far past the line. Hopefully, then, Lord Tiras' men would be more careful with your severed heads, otherwise the cycle would continue. Maxx places the head back inside his lined bag. It takes a bag of great quality to transport a severed head. It needs to contain smell as well as the pesky remnants of blood. Plus, it can't appear too obvious. Taverns don't typically enjoy patrons transporting body parts, at least the ones you want to stay at. "Very well," Lord Tiras says, as if choosing which garment to wear in the morning. "Bring this letter to Jensen. He will ensure that you receive your payment." As you turn to leave, Lord Tiras adds on. "Did Silvaras mention his work at all? Of course he did. I've added a little extra to my writ in exchange for your discretion." "I don't think his words matter much anymore, lord," you say, taking the writ from Lord Tiras. That evening, the four of you are seated together at Herald's Fire, a tavern beneath the means of your recent payout. On Richter's preference, you've taken a booth at the far corner. Apparently being seated anywhere else is "too exposed." Jaina next to you, Richter and Maxx the opposite. For a group who traveled weeks together, surviving more than a few close calls, and completing the bounty successfully, no one is particularly cheerful, except Richter who seems to always wear a slight grin on his face. You slowly sip at your ale. The stuff used to be a problem for you. It still is to a degree, but you can't ignore the benefit. Just gotta take it slow. Be deliberate. Count each sip. Don't overdo it. The drink calms your senses. To be more accurate, it numbs it. There are a hell of a lot worse ways to feel than numb. It doesn't exactly ease the pain; it's a little like drying yourself with a wet towel. But something's better than nothing, right? The task, the job finished, you feel it arriving again, seeping in slowly. No, not like this. Dread. An empty hole in your chest, the void where purpose once stood. The inability to concentrate, nothing feels worth doing. What's the point of it all anyway? There is none. Whether you continue down the path or cut your journey short, the world continues without a care. It keeps going, whether you're around or not. Trace the origin! Yes. Peel back the downspiral, illogical thought by illogical thought. There is worth. There is meaning. See it for what it is. "You're a quiet one, aren't you?" You're sitting alone in the booth. Your three companions have left for night. A few empty tankards lie empty on the table, hopefully left by the others. As you start to address the waitress who broke your line of thought, you know immediately the tankards are yours. "Well you see, speaking to myself would draw unwanted attention." The waitress laughs. She's pretty. Loose strands of blonde hair have escaped from her ponytail, falling in front of her young face. There's a certain naivety to her, a flaw that you hope she overcomes without tragedy. "Does that make me unwanted then?" Your gaze naturally falls to her dress then back up to her face. Realistically, it fell chemically-altered from the ale. "That's not the word I'd use to describe you, no." You earn another laugh. Damn that feels good. "And what exactly would you use to describe me then?" (Trouble, temptation, distraction) "Curious." "Curious?" The waitress' brow curls in thought, perhaps thinking you're messing with her. "What makes you say that?" Another giggle escapes her lips at the irony of her question. "Yes, curious. Why else would you approach a man sitting alone, minding his own business? As far as I know, this place isn't closing any time soon, and as you can see, (you hold up the one tankard with ale still in it) I'm in no need of another. Curious is how I would describe you." Your response is rewarded with a third, and likely final, laugh of the night. "I haven't seen you around here. I'm Katia. Find me before you leave. But for now, I'll give you your much-wanted alone time." You force a smile and nod your agreement, taking another sip of ale. As she skirts away, you can't help but notice your descriptor is spot-on. With each table Katia visits, a genuine smile appears, not one moved by an ulterior agenda. Genuine, pure enjoyment of others, curiosity into their lives. That could be us, you know. Please. That's not us. Our smile makes others uncomfortable. It's not inviting. She approached though. That's because of her, not because of us. > You tell Katia you're leaving Final tankard empty, you approach the bar on the way to the door. Katia is behind taking a dirtied rag to cups. As if you needed another reminder the establishment isn't the nicest in town. If you didn't witness the dirty rag, you probably wouldn't notice the tankards being dirty. Oh well. After the first, you're not really concerned with the cleanliness of the cup. She doesn't notice you at first, but looks up after a few seconds. "Leaving then?" You nod. "I'm about off. Care to wait a few minutes and walk me home?" You mumble a sure and take one of the empty bar stools. By now, the tavern is mostly empty, save for a few patrons who look like they live there. Katia places another ale in front of you to keep you busy while she finishes her tasks for the night. You take a sip. She's using us, you know. Yeah? Maybe I'm using her too. No, not like that. She's dangerous. I can tell. It may not be on purpose, but that woman leaves destruction in her wake. Look at her. You do. Pretty, caring. You're willing to bet more than a handful of fools have fallen for her. Perhaps your younger self would have as well. Once she gets to know us, (don't say it), she'll be uninterested. Move on while you can. As you rise to leave, Katia returns. "Done!" she exclaims. "What a night. The other girl, Marta, didn't show, so it was just me running the floor." "You seem to have a handle on things," you comment as you both leave. She leads you down the city's main road. It's late. Not many people are out, and the few you do come across are drunk, doing their best to stumble home. Without Katia, you would be another one of them. You walk in silence for a few minutes before she breaks the silence again. "Listen, I don't normally do this..." Sure you don't. "I've been going through somewhat of a difficult time. I could use a distraction." Now that, I understand. Katia spins around, pulling you against her. Your hands instinctively reach around her lower waist, removing what little space stood between the both of you. Your lips meet, the warmth of her lips inviting, arousing. Then, just as suddenly, she pulls away. Cold returns to your lips, intensified by the moisture left by Katia's, somehow feeling emptier. You're back to the state you were presently in, but something's missing, like you were experiencing a high and were instantly made sober. "This is where I live. Come upstairs?" Katia asks. You nod. Her bed hardly fits the two of you. You lie awake, unable to sleep. Katia breathes softly next to you. Like her bed, Katia's place isn't much. Just a room above a bakery. It's early enough that you hear the owner up and about, getting ready to have fresh bread and pastries for morning customers. Footsteps echo, sounding just beneath you then head away. The building itself has thin walls; you can barely make out the baker humming in the kitchen below. Hopefully he was fast asleep a few hours ago, otherwise he likely heard you and Katia. If that's the case, then now it's his turn to keep you up, wide-awake, when you wish sleep would come. Somehow you imagine you have the better end of the deal. You feel the steady creep of a headache coming. It's subtle at first. Almost not noticeable. Soon it'll occupy your entire mind. No thought will appear without a reminder of last night's events. By now it's too late. No amount of water or home remedy will stop the inevitable. More ale might do the trick, but...but what? The job's finished. There's no reason not to. Your hand feels in the dark underneath the bed. After finding a few unrecognizable objects, you land at a jar, more of a pitcher really. It's not ale, but it'll do the trick. Yes, it'll do just nicely. You sit up, placing your feet on the floor, pausing a moment to sense if your movement awoke Katia. It didn't. You pull the cork from the top of the jar. Sweet red wine. Yes, it'll do just nicely. > Sunrise Confident you've done enough to stave off the headache, you place the wine back underneath Katia's bed. Hunting Silvaras, you rarely had the chance to sleep in an actual bed. Despite not really sleeping, it did feel nice to lie in warmth, Katia next to you even more so. She shifts, pressing her bare back against your skin. It wouldn't be a poor way to wake each morning, although you figure the level of comfort is detrimental in the long run. Enjoy it while you can. It won't last. "Found my reserves, have you?" she speaks, half-asleep. Guilty. Your voice, soft in the silence of morning, whispers, "A little medication never hurt. I don't mean to presume. I'll get you more." She doesn't respond at first, perhaps thinking about taking you up on the offer. "No, no. You're a guest. Make yourself comfortable." The way her skin is against yours, comfort might not be the best description. A better one could be found in a priest's list of vices. Katia speaks again. "I'm sorry my place isn't nicer. I'm sure you've visited nice places...not in this context I mean...well..." She continues for a bit. Your mind drifts off, not listening to the words she's speaking. Instead, as if a prearranged meeting, she visits your mind. No, not now. A blanket stretched on the bluffs, the two of you laying on top. Between conversation, waves crash on the shore, the water sparkling like perfectly cut diamonds on display. Time has no meaning. You're caught, trancelike, watching time speed up. One moment the sun is out, the next it's just past the horizon, it's reddish orange hue barely peeking over. Her body next to yours. A moment passing quickly, a moment you wish would last for eternity. "Isn't that just horrible?" What did Katia say? "Yeah, I can't even imagine," you answer, not knowing the context. "I know!" she exclaims, abandoning the gentle whisper you previously used. "I should probably get going," you say, planting a kiss on Katia's cheek. "Really? That's it then," she answers, more as a statement than a question. Naive is right. Maybe you are wrong. Maybe she doesn't leave destruction in her wake. Maybe you're the one who does, even if unintentional. Whatever the case, you can't stay. Whatever the case, this story doesn't have a happy ending. A clean cut causes less damage than a hesitant one. You grab your clothes and equipment and leave, doing your best to ignore the mumbling words under Katia's breath, ignoring the fact there are worse ones inside your head. Your journey takes you outside. The sun's barely risen, leaving the streets emptier than your walk to Katia's. It's brisk. In a few weeks, the ground will likely be covered in a layer of snow. After hunting Silvaras almost to the pass, you've had enough of it for a while. The first step is to find some food to offset the wine, avoiding a certain tavern of course. You almost stopped at the bakery downstairs for convenience. Almost. Instead, you find a quiet inn just off the main road. Warmth immediately greets you upon entering, the hearth fired up and inviting. You place your gear next to a table and take a seat. A few seconds later, a middle-aged woman approaches, her hair transitioning to white, more lines on her face appearing each morning. "I'll bring you some stew, hon," she says, not asking if you wanted any. Are you that readable? Warm stew sounds damn good. You nod your thanks and sit patiently for the woman to return. A boy, likely the woman's son, places a mug of warm tea next to you before shyly scampering off. Strange kid. The tea is watery, but you're thankful for the warm liquid. Eat, then find another mark. Down time isn't good for us. Did you just give positive advice?I want what's best for us. Doesn't feel like it. You're the one whose self-destructive behavior ruins us. There it is. That's more like it. The door swings open and shuts with a bang. Normally you ignore those around you, unless transactional interaction is needed. Something feels wrong. Heavy footsteps follow the loud entrance. Deliberate. Intentional. Whatever trouble the proprietor got themselves in, you want no part. You just want your stew, so you can move onto finding the next mark. Despite the inner voice's usual tone, it's probably right in this case. Two shadows draw closer. Seems the proprietor isn't their destination. Shame. "This him?" "Of course it's him." "Sure?" "Sure." They're standing directly behind you, obviously unconcerned with you overhearing their conversation. Two men dressed in black overcoats, more cloaks, really, frayed at the edges. "Lord Tiras is in need of your services again." > You go with them As you follow behind the two cloaks, you catch sight, and a whiff, of the stew that was being brought out for you. Unfortunately, you don't get a chance to partake. On the way out, you toss a few coins to the woman who sat you earlier. Good service is worth paying for. Still early, the street is still fairly uninhabited. There are a few more people out then on the way to the inn, but nothing like it would be in a few hours. Despite the sun barely rising, the cold temperature is even more of a reason for people to stay in bed. The pace is brisk. Your escorts are in a hurry. Suddenly, one of the cloaks turns down an alley, the one who seems to speak in questions. As you turn to address the odd behavior to the other, a hard blow hits the back of your head, sending your vision appearing in spots. You're thrown into the alley after the first man. World spinning, you see the follow up aggression just in time for a fist to land under your chin. The punch sends you sprawling on the ground. Dizzy, and being honest with yourself, a little drunk still, you do your best to defend yourself as the two cloaks take advantage of your prone state, kicking at your body, aiming for vulnerable locations. They pull your weapons from their sheathes and toss them to the side. Only able to protect a small amount, you guard the essentials, leaving a large portion undefended. Satisfied you're too damaged to run, they pause for a moment. Down the alleyway, a woman walks past. She notices the three of you, then continues on. "Where is it?" the questioning cloak questions. You give him a taste of his own medicine. "Where is what?" "The book. Where is the book?" You don't know anything about a book. But it's better if they assume you do, otherwise your value is quickly diminished along with their reason to keep you alive. "It's...safe," you answer. "Safe where?" "In a location," you lie, "where no one would think to look." "Which is...?" "Well, the temple library of course." Your two assailants glance at each other. Who the hell hides a valuable book in the library? Now's our chance. I agree. This would be a lot easier if you didn't impair our senses like this. Just making for a level playing ground. Not fully recovered, though just enough, you kick the heel of your boot forward, doubling one of the cloaks over, grabbing his crotch. That's how you aim for a vulnerable location. The other advances, meaning to catch you still on the ground. Instead of directly engaging, you roll backward, landing on your feet. The maneuver takes you close to the alley wall. As the second cloak is almost upon you, you kick off the wall with your foot, throwing all of your momentum into the punch. It lands solid, sending a shock of pain into your hand. Senses impaired, you allowed your two smaller knuckles to absorb some of the impact. Hit with the first two knuckles; they're much less likely to break. One down, you focus on the other frayed cloak. He's a little more tentative now, no longer standing with an ally. False courage, portrayed with a superior number. Power lies with the individual. The collective group is only made strong by the pieces that put it together. Weak links, an unsteady foundation. A man must learn to stand on his own: a lesson that you are currently teaching with each blow. Your fist lands to his gut, setting up an opening for an uppercut. A small grunt escapes his lips just before your punch lands cleanly on his chin, the first two knuckles this time, sending the man to a cozy sleep next to his partner. Standing over their two bodies, you pick up your bow, sword, and dagger from where the men tossed them. Another woman passes by the alley, sees you arming yourself over two fallen bodies, and continues on. Lord Tiras, the Spirit of Truth, a mysterious book... One thing's for certain, if someone sent these men after you, your companions from the job likely received a similar visit. You better check on... > Maxx Your heavily-armored companion didn't rent a room like the others. Rather, he stayed with a family. You remember the conversation vividly as you were on your way back to Lord Tiras. Heavy snowfall fills your vision as you travel from the Spirit of Truth's medical camp. Your confrontation still raises questions in your mind, but you're not in the place to ask them. Your job was to end a man's life, not to question the morality of it. Can you really apply morality to your deed? I do as I must to survive. Far from danger, the four of you travel with a more relaxed demeanor. After listening to a tale from Richter on his theft of a noblewoman's precious jewel, Maxx changes the topic. "None of you have military experience I presume?" The three of you glance at each other, seeing if your response is in accordance. It is. You take initiative. "No. Richter's behavior speaks for himself, but neither Jaina or I have experience." Richter, starting to take offense, stops and acknowledges the truth of the statement. "There is a bond forged through battle, one that is unshaken throughout time." Maxx pauses for a moment, finding it difficult for words to appear. Like his fighting style, he takes a forward approach. "I feel a similar bond between the four of us. Although our time together is brief, just a matter of weeks, I consider each of you like the men I served with in the auxiliary." The three of you, once again, glance at each other. You know your time is drawing to an end, and it was created around a single task. Once the job is complete, you'll go your separate ways. Bonds, companionship, even friendship, holds no place here. It's a job, clean and simple. Specific skillsets were required. That's the extent of it all. Maxx on the other hand, perhaps due to his military experience, is unable to differentiate the two. He continues. "There's someone I'd like you all to meet, a friend from my time spent serving. He lives near Lord Tiras with his family, my former sergeant, a mentor. Settled down after retirement. He always spoke with wisdom." You see where this is going. "Silvaras wasn't the man we were led to believe. That much is clear. He was different." You cut his thoughts short. Even now, such talk is dangerous. Lord Tiras would want to hear none of it, and if he's willing to hire killers to end Silvaras, he'll do the same for you. "Enough of that. Lord Tiras hired us to end the cultist. We have. That's it. End of story." Your harsh words hurt the big man. It's clearly shown on his face. Better his feelings hurt than risk the safety of the four. As the one who organized it all, you're willing to pay the cost. You find the house deep in the residential district. It's built to the same structure as those surrounding it, narrow, three stories, four windows, and a small stone staircase to the front door. You take the steps, drawing your dagger, but not wanting to look like you're planning to enter the house armed, you hide it behind your back. You knock. There's no answer. You place your ear against the front door to listen for movement inside. Nothing. Checking the handle, you find it unlocked, so you slowly turn the knob and slip inside. Calling it a bloodbath would be putting it lightly. The floor, furniture, ceiling, and walls are covered in it, like red paint spilled upon a canvas. Instantly, the smell brings queasiness to your stomach. Bodies, like puppets limply attached to their strings, are spread out before you, limbs in twisted positions. There are five in total, three adults and two children. Whoever was sent after you, found Maxx. The large man's body sits limp, tied to a chair, his shirt stripped, displaying several punctures on his torso. He was interrogated. His mentor's family used as motivation to talk. Did he know anything? I don't know. He's not the type to keep secrets. No, he's not. This looks bad, you know. I'm well aware. We should get out while we can. After I search the house. A man entering a home, five bodies found. I know. This is hard enough with a mysterious group after us. It will be worse with the law after us too. I know that! Your search comes up empty. After saying your farewell to the big man, you continue on. It's too late for Maxx. Hopefully that isn't the case for... > Jaina Last you heard, she was staying at a top notch inn on the west side of the city. The west side, more specifically, the Sevenfold District, is where the city's wealthiest members reside, not far from Lord Tiras' keep. Jaina, although able to travel and live in the wilderness for weeks, preferred comfort, and the bounty from Silvaras allowed her that lifestyle, the only cost being a few weeks of camping...and a man's life. Although able to afford a fine coat to blend in, you keep to your normal clothes, a long hooded overcoat, leather armor underneath, and, of course, your weapons. It's not that you're opposed to dressing nice,but the alley's events call for survival over social precedence. You'll worry about your social standing once convinced the threat is dealt with. After receiving more than a few strange looks, you find yourself standing outside of A Diamond a Dozen, commonly referred to as the Diamond. White paint, bright blue trim, it looks exactly like the place the sorceress would stay in. Ignoring the doorman offering to check your coat, you walk through the front door. Candles greet you upon entry. No, not candles, but rather magelight in lamps. Golden rays glow softly, illuminating the interior in fabricated angelic light. "Sir, if you're looking for food, you can find it down the street. The soup kitchen takes care of many people...enduring hardship." The assumption from the greeter catches you a bit off guard, although you should have expected it. "What? No, I'm not looking for food." As if it heard you, your stomach growls, remembering the stew left behind earlier. "Well now that you mention it, I'll take a bowl of stew." "Stew?" The woman curls her perfectly-manicured brow. "If you're looking for soup, the kitchen down the road can provide some at a reasonable rate...otherwise today's special is a shark meat broth, served with scallops and freshly-picked green onion. But company policy is to see the coin up-front..." Sure it is. It's likely the policy for anyone not wearing this year's edition of Garth Royale's coat and boot combination. In response, you pull more than a few gold coins from your pocket, much more than overpriced soup is worth, and toss them to the woman. "That should handle it. Prepare it to go. I'm meeting my companion here, a woman named Jaina. Which room is hers?" "Oh! you're with Jaina? Please, sir, the payment is not necessary then. Like your colleagues who arrived before you, you can charge it to the room. 812. While you're up there, please ask Miss Jaina if she needs more sheets." Other colleagues? Shit. You're too late. You thank the woman, then head to the winding staircase that leads to the rented rooms. Along the way, you take a few pieces of food from various servers working the room, bringing finger food to the guests lounging in the Diamond. Room 812, on the eighth floor, the top level of the inn. You find the door to Room 812 slightly cracked. Drawing your blade slowly so as not to create a sound, you listen for a few seconds before entering. Not hearing anything, you push the door open just enough to slip inside. There, you're greeted with what can only be described as an arcane mess. Clothes are spread across the floor, dresser drawers all open, their contents rifled through. The room looks as if a hurricane ran through. Pictures once hanging on the wall lie scattered on the ground, the same for Jaina's personal library. Luckily, she was convinced to leave it behind on your journey. No sign of the woman herself. > Richter Unfortunately, you know exactly where Richter is staying. He's renting a room at a tavern, a tavern that employs a certain waitress you weren't planning on seeing any time soon. The present situation, however, overrides uncomfortable social settings, so you make your way to Herald's Fire. It's still early, and luckily you don't see Katia as you enter. One of the waitresses gives you a dirty look. Somehow she's aware of last night's (and this morning's) events. Scorn a woman and you might as well be scorning their friends as well. Mindless fools. Learn to think for yourself. A small staircase lies at the end of the room, which leads to a hallway of rented rooms, four in total. It's a tavern, after all, not an inn. It's unusual they offer rooms at all, likely they've become the workplace for girls looking to fill their pockets with a few coins. Finding the door to Richter's room, you knock. Silence. "Richter?" you speak to the closed door. No answer. You could run downstairs and explain the situation to the owner. Given a man's life is in danger, you're sure you could procure a key to the room. But that could take too much time. Besides, your reputation is already low thanks to Katia. How much damage would a little vandalizing do? You kick open the door to Richter's room. The heel of your boot smashes into the door, sending splinters flying in the air. Lockpicking was Richter's job. You're certain Maxx would approve of your current strategy. Jaina would act unimpressed, like the way she acted for most things. Surprisingly, the room is in fair condition. It's a simple thing, a small bed in the center and a desk in the corner. A single candlestick sits on the nightstand, unlit for a while by the looks of it. No sign of Richter or any assailants. Strange. Out of your former companions, you assumed Richter was the one most likely for suspicious behavior. Everything in the room feels too...neat. You begin to search the room for clues. It hits you that it's possible Richter hasn't been visited yet. Whoever is after you might not know the whereabouts of the rogue. Either that or Richter skipped town already. He does have a disposition to avoid dangerous situations. Starting with the bed, you feel for hidden objects underneath the covers and frame. Nothing. Then, you transition to the desk. Nothing. As you turn to leave, a small scratching noise appears behind you. Errchh! It came from the back wall. Moving quieter now, you creep forward, drawing your dagger. You keep on the balls of your feet in order to limit surface area, reducing the chance of a floorboard creaking. Nearing the sound's origin, you notice a slight difference between one of the wood panels lining the wall. It looks looser than the others, as if it wasn't nailed correctly. You slide the point of your dagger between the panel and the wall, leveraging it open. It swings open easily, revealing a compartment with a ladder inside. The space is only large enough to climb up, and looking up doesn't afford any view to what lies on top. After listening for movement, confident that the chances you're climbing up to a trap are low, you take the ladder. Rope, blood, Richter. His arms are tied to a post behind him in a T shape, like a crucifixion without nails. His torso is stripped, bearing several open wounds still running down, pooling beneath him. It's a wonder it hasn't dripped into the room below. Richter's eyes are closed, his head hanging limply to one side. Thwunk! An arrow lands behind you, mere inches away from your head. The shaft vibrates slightly with its sudden impact. A figure emerges behind Richter, nocking another arrow, wearing a similar cloak to your assailants. The chances were low, not nonexistent. Abandoning subterfuge, you swing your body fully into the attic and sprint towards the man. Chances are he'll aim for your body. Close quarters. Sudden combat. He'll be aiming for whatever hits. There's no realistic way you're able to react to an arrow after it's fired, so you preemptively change your route, timing it before the man's able to adjust. As his bowstring is drawn back completely, you shift into a figure-four slide, making your body as flat to the ground as possible. Thwunk! Another hit lands on the far wall, the arrow flying harmlessly over your sliding body. You finish your slide with an upswing with your dagger, tearing into the inside leg of the man. He grunts, doubling over, just in time for you to land on your feet. One hand grabs his throat, the other forcefully plants your dagger against his spine. "Speak," you direct, putting more pressure on the dagger for emphasis. Oddly, the man breaks into a smile, his unshaven face marked with lines. He's not a young man. "You have no idea what you've got yourself into." "No. That's where you come in. The book. What is the book?" "You're better off just giving it to my employer," the man laughs. "Why do you seek it?" "Heh, that's not for me to disclose. Best of luck on your...endeavor." The man rams his body backward, impaling himself on your dagger. Quickly, you try to limit the damage, but it's too late. The man collapses to the ground at the feet of Richter. The wound is too serious for your limited field medicine knowledge. He bleeds out in front of you, information to aid your effort leaves with his life. > You search the man He may possess more information on his body than the words he spoke. Then again, it's highly unlikely he would kill himself if the knowledge could be found on his physical body. That is, unless he feared his employer would do worse. Either way, you have to search him, just in case. Your hands slide through his pockets, searching for a note, letter, or any sort of lead. The only thing in his trouser pockets is a piece of paper with "Herald's Fire" written on it, providing a rough map on the street location. You find less on the inside of the man's cloak. There aren't any pockets, so you check for signs of sewn in compartments. Nothing. You remove each boot from the man, checking the insides. All you find is a peculiar smell. No leads. He may not be carrying anything on him, but he can't hide himself. Squatting down to focus your attention on the body, you take in his defining characteristics. Frayed cloak, like the others. Weapons of good quality. Discovered alone. Two were sent after you. Willing to end his own life, rather than be interrogated, which speaks to his employer's dangerousness or unquestioned loyalty to the mysterious figure. Perhaps both. His face is unkempt. If he possessed military experience, the discipline of daily grooming didn't stick. Whatever skills he did possess were enough to catch Richter, no small feat. The rogue made his way through countless traps. However, this time, he got caught in the snare. > You search Richter You may have been too late to save the rogue, but at least you can see to his body. You weren't close. He simply was a set of skills needed for the task. Still, weeks of traveling with one another, it makes you see them in a different light. Experience is the tightest bond there is. He doesn't deserve to die like this. Pulling your dagger, you start to cut the rope holding Richter to the post. As the first few strands are cut, Richter suddenly gurgles, coming awake from a sleep you thought eternal. A few drops land on your overcoat. "...came back for me, huh?" Richter's voice is but a haggard whisper. You reply, keeping a similar volume as not to overwhelm the man. "Someone's after us. All of us. They seek—" "—I know," Richter cuts you off. "A book. Tell me, do you know which one?" You shake your head. "Heh... (cough)" You finish cutting the rope and slowly guide Richter's body down, placing his back against the post. He continues. "It contains great power. The selling price is worth more than a few small kingdoms. But that's not what interests you, is it? No, you never pursued the finer things in life. Funny, now I understand. Tell me, have you ever been in love?" A blanket spread out on the grass, placed underneath strong pine. Its leaves rustle with the wind, creating phantom spectators watching the two of you. The wind, a cool breeze. The moon, your only light. Her body, warm comfort. Only her outline is visible, a sensual silhouette in the night. Each familiar touch brings images, memories of time spent in the light. It's the way it should be. Simple. Uncomplicated. Just the two of you. Tomorrow can wait. Tonight it's just the two of you. You shake your head to clear the memory. Richter takes that as your answer. "Shame. Cynicism kept me from finding it earlier. I wish I had more time with her. (Cough). Here at the end, she's all I can think of. That's why I'm staying here, the place where she works." A sinking feeling begins in your chest. Bringing his focus back, you ask, "And what do you know of the book?" Richter's grin appears, bright teeth poking through dried blood. Even now, his apparent deception is something he's proud of. "More than most. Its location, for one. The promises it keeps, for two. It's of dark magic, an ancient curse if you believe that sort of thing. The Spirit of Truth held a certain...missing puzzle piece." "Which is?" Richter breaks into another fit of coughing, gurgling. His body convulses, meaning to empty his stomach's contents. Hacking, Richter shoves two fingers down his throat, triggering his gag reflex. In a waterfall of brown mess, taking away your appetite for stew, vomit pours down the front of Richter's torso along with a small leather bag, not unlike the one used to transport small jewelry. He motions for you to pick it up. "That will take you to the book." "Why are you telling me?" you ask. "Isn't it obvious? You could have skipped town, but instead (cough), you came to rescue me. Take it. Find the book. And promise me..." You have a feeling what his next words will be. "...you'll take care of Katia." You remain silent as breath escapes Richter for the final time. Your hand reaches for the leather bag, wiping it down with the dead man's cloak. So, Richter is the cause. Out of the four, he was the most likely to snatch an item of worth. Many questions fill your head. The book's origin, those who seek it, Richter's involvement, Katia, the possibility of seeking Lord Tiras for help. Answers are scarce. Weigh the options, then commit. Whether you choose right or wrong, the journey begins by taking a step forward. > You seek out Lord Tiras If there's a man who can help, it's Lord Tiras, the most powerful man in the region. Surely with his resources, he'll be able to keep you safe as well as offer additional information on the book. With the amount of scholars and magicians in his employ, someone's bound to know something. You leave the way you came, offering a final farewell to Richter. Luckily, it's still early in the day and Herald's Fire isn't populated. Even more fortunate is that Katia isn't there yet. You had placed the panel back on the wall, hiding the secret ladder. It's best if those after you don't know you disrupted the interrogation. That should buy you a little time at least. Once the man you killed doesn't show, they'll find out. Then you'll give Richter a proper burial. Lord Tiras' men recognize you, allowing you entry into the keep. However, like before, you're still made to wait outside the lord's study for more than a short amount of time. Six pairs of eyes watch you, daring you to misstep. Bored with guard duty, you imagine they're itching to jump to the "aid of their lord." Jensen, Lord Tiras' man, appears and commands your weapons be left behind. Once stripped, you follow him into Lord Tiras' study. You're greeted with a familiar sight of books and steps leading down to a sizable desk. Surprisingly, Lord Tiras isn't alone. A woman stands next to him, her coat lined with fur at the edges. Jaina. "Didn't expect to find you here," you comment. She laughs in a manner that seems to say I didn't expect you to expect me. "Oh come now. You can't be that thick-headed. Do you really think peaceful Silvaras was the main focus?" "That's enough, Jaina," Lord Tiras interjects, moving his hand with the command. A gesture that has become all too familiar with the man. "You've served me well recently. I'm not about to throw away your usefulness just because you think in a singular manner." "With respect, lord, you hired me to put an end to the Spirit of Truth. And that's what I did," you answer. "Yes, I suppose that's true," Lord Tiras muses, taking his hand to his chin in thought. "Then how is it that each member of your group, besides yourself, of course, traveled with the book in mind?" Jaina's involvement is apparent now. Richter's, obviously. But Maxx? The big fellow was concerned more with comradery than riches. You voice the thought. "All except Maxx, you mean." Lord Tiras raises an eyebrow. "So you've spoken to the rogue then?" > Lie "I have not," you answer. "If anyone was out there searching for treasure, it would be Richter." "A fair assumption," Lord Tiras says. "Jaina, what do you think?" The sorceress eyes you. "Our friend here isn't well-versed in deceit. Personal riches don't interest him, like it does most. He moves in a straight line, taking the direct route. Which begs the question, why would he lie?" "Well," Lord Tiras starts. "Why would you?" "Why would I?" you echo. Generalizing your answer, you add on. "To protect a friend. If I felt dishonesty brought the most favorable outcome." "And do you feel that now," Lord Tiras questions, demandingly. Both Lord Tiras and Jaina stare at you, distrust in their eyes, searching to pounce on one misspoken word. "No I don't," you answer, honestly. The truth is, you're starting to think coming to Lord Tiras was a mistake. If you disclosed your conversation with Richter, the outcome is likely going to be the same. Either way, the outcome isn't going to be the most favorable one. "Like I said, you're not well-versed in deceit," Jaina says. "That last portion was believable. Oh well. I'll adopt your straight-forward manner for a moment. You're not leaving here until you share everything you know." Shit. Jensen relieved you of your weapons too. You could surrender peacefully, sure. But the thought of interrogation, especially after what you've witnessed, doesn't sit well. Better to have a fighting chance. Better to take the offensive. The margin of victory is slim, but it's a greater chance than giving up. You do just that, charging forward, taking a nearby book to fling as a distraction. The book flaps in the air, its pages flipping open in the sudden movement. Your fist connects with Jaina first, then aims for Lord Tiras. The second punch lands cleanly, scoring a crunching sound from the man's nose. Your victory is short-lived, however, as a fully-recovered Jaina whispers her words of power. Blue light fires from her palms, tendrils of lightning cracking in a thunderous burst. A flash of light. Searing pain in your chest. Two figures stand over your body, a man and a woman. Your vision fades, tunneling inward, black at the edges. Boots. Your last thought is boots, two pairs of them standing just in front of you. Odd you never gave them much of a thought until now. Perhaps, realizing your misstep is too painful. Perhaps the mind latches onto the present when the spirit fades. Interesting. Your journey started with ending the Spirit of Truth. Now your spirit leaves you, and it started with a lie.

If there's a man who can help, it's Lord Tiras, the most powerful man in the region. Surely with his resources, he'll be able to keep you safe as well as offer additional information on the book. With the amount of scholars and magicians in his employ, someone's bound to know something. You leave the way you came, offering a final farewell to Richter. Luckily, it's still early in the day and Herald's Fire isn't populated. Even more fortunate is that Katia isn't there yet. You had placed the panel back on the wall, hiding the secret ladder. It's best if those after you don't know you disrupted the interrogation. That should buy you a little time at least. Once the man you killed doesn't show, they'll find out. Then you'll give Richter a proper burial. Lord Tiras' men recognize you, allowing you entry into the keep. However, like before, you're still made to wait outside the lord's study for more than a short amount of time. Six pairs of eyes watch you, daring you to misstep. Bored with guard duty, you imagine they're itching to jump to the "aid of their lord." Jensen, Lord Tiras' man, appears and commands your weapons be left behind. Once stripped, you follow him into Lord Tiras' study. You're greeted with a familiar sight of books and steps leading down to a sizable desk. Surprisingly, Lord Tiras isn't alone. A woman stands next to him, her coat lined with fur at the edges. Jaina. "Didn't expect to find you here," you comment. She laughs in a manner that seems to say I didn't expect you to expect me. "Oh come now. You can't be that thick-headed. Do you really think peaceful Silvaras was the main focus?" "That's enough, Jaina," Lord Tiras interjects, moving his hand with the command. A gesture that has become all too familiar with the man. "You've served me well recently. I'm not about to throw away your usefulness just because you think in a singular manner." "With respect, lord, you hired me to put an end to the Spirit of Truth. And that's what I did," you answer. "Yes, I suppose that's true," Lord Tiras muses, taking his hand to his chin in thought. "Then how is it that each member of your group, besides yourself, of course, traveled with the book in mind?" Jaina's involvement is apparent now. Richter's, obviously. But Maxx? The big fellow was concerned more with comradery than riches. You voice the thought. "All except Maxx, you mean." Lord Tiras raises an eyebrow. "So you've spoken to the rogue then?" > Truth "I have," you answer, honestly. Jaina and Lord Tiras briefly glance at one another. "And just what did he say?" Jaina asks. Cards on the table. You've spoken the truth about Richter. But that doesn't mean you need to tell them everything. "I discovered his body in Herald's Fire. Took care of the man interrogating him. It was too late. I couldn't save him." "Yes, but what did he say?" Jaina repeats a second time. "He spoke of love," you say. Another glance shared between the two. "He was seeing a waitress that worked there. Katia. With his dying breath he told me to take care of her." "What do you think?" Lord Tiras says to Jaina, ignoring the fact that you can hear him. "I think he knows more," Jaina answers in a similar manner. "I concur." Lord Tiras raps his knuckles on his desk. Immediately, the door to the study bursts open, and six guards rush in, followed by Jensen. Six pairs of eyes, wishing, daring you to misstep. Seems they got their wish, as debatable as the "misstep" may be. Shit. Coming to the lord's keep is feeling like a mistake. Take the offensive. A quick apprehension may make the group second-guess themselves. You do just that, rushing towards the closest guard opening with a kick to his gut, stunning him in place. You grab a fistful of his tunic, using it for leverage as you spin around the man, your other hand pulling his sword from grasp. Suddenly you stop, allowing your momentum to carry through the man, sending him flying into his surrounding allies. Now armed, with the guards in disarray, you continue the assault. Short, quick bursts of movement is how you fight. Large sweeping maneuvers have no place when outnumbered, although they make for quite the spectacle. Such technique is meant for the arena or theater. Often those two places overlap. Winning the crowd is much the same as entertaining an audience. After competence, the thrill is all they care about. You adopt the opposite. Survival is all you care about, no matter how it looks. Recovered now, the six guards hold fast against your sudden assault, turning the tide, making you fight on the defense now. Not a good place when outnumbered. Better to look for a weak point and exploit. Playing defensive is only delaying the inevitable. You put all of your fury into the guard nearest to the exit, abandoning small parries and counters for heavy blows. Your sword crashes into his, hammering harder, attempting to overtake with sheer aggression. It works...for a moment. You manage to land a clean hit, slicing through the man's inner arm. Immediately, you make a break for the exit. You don't need to defeat them all. Just enough to make your escape. As you near the door, a bright blast of blue fills the study. Pain sears through your legs. One moment you're in full sprint, the next, you're collapsed in a heap, pain filling your senses. The air around Jaina's palms is filled with static energy, a result of the arcane blast just released. Several figures approach your fallen body. You managed to live longer than expected, but still, this is not how the journey should end. It dawns on you that you never looked inside the pouch. Your final moment is spent wondering what it contained.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, grimdark] You may have been too late to save the rogue, but at least you can see to his body. You weren't close. He simply was a set of skills needed for the task. Still, weeks of traveling with one another, it makes you see them in a different light. Experience is the tightest bond there is. He doesn't deserve to die like this. Pulling your dagger, you start to cut the rope holding Richter to the post. As the first few strands are cut, Richter suddenly gurgles, coming awake from a sleep you thought eternal. A few drops land on your overcoat. "...came back for me, huh?" Richter's voice is but a haggard whisper. You reply, keeping a similar volume as not to overwhelm the man. "Someone's after us. All of us. They seek—" "—I know," Richter cuts you off. "A book. Tell me, do you know which one?" You shake your head. "Heh... (cough)" You finish cutting the rope and slowly guide Richter's body down, placing his back against the post. He continues. "It contains great power. The selling price is worth more than a few small kingdoms. But that's not what interests you, is it? No, you never pursued the finer things in life. Funny, now I understand. Tell me, have you ever been in love?" A blanket spread out on the grass, placed underneath strong pine. Its leaves rustle with the wind, creating phantom spectators watching the two of you. The wind, a cool breeze. The moon, your only light. Her body, warm comfort. Only her outline is visible, a sensual silhouette in the night. Each familiar touch brings images, memories of time spent in the light. It's the way it should be. Simple. Uncomplicated. Just the two of you. Tomorrow can wait. Tonight it's just the two of you. You shake your head to clear the memory. Richter takes that as your answer. "Shame. Cynicism kept me from finding it earlier. I wish I had more time with her. (Cough). Here at the end, she's all I can think of. That's why I'm staying here, the place where she works." A sinking feeling begins in your chest. Bringing his focus back, you ask, "And what do you know of the book?" Richter's grin appears, bright teeth poking through dried blood. Even now, his apparent deception is something he's proud of. "More than most. Its location, for one. The promises it keeps, for two. It's of dark magic, an ancient curse if you believe that sort of thing. The Spirit of Truth held a certain...missing puzzle piece." "Which is?" Richter breaks into another fit of coughing, gurgling. His body convulses, meaning to empty his stomach's contents. Hacking, Richter shoves two fingers down his throat, triggering his gag reflex. In a waterfall of brown mess, taking away your appetite for stew, vomit pours down the front of Richter's torso along with a small leather bag, not unlike the one used to transport small jewelry. He motions for you to pick it up. "That will take you to the book." "Why are you telling me?" you ask. "Isn't it obvious? You could have skipped town, but instead (cough), you came to rescue me. Take it. Find the book. And promise me..." You have a feeling what his next words will be. "...you'll take care of Katia." You remain silent as breath escapes Richter for the final time. Your hand reaches for the leather bag, wiping it down with the dead man's cloak. So, Richter is the cause. Out of the four, he was the most likely to snatch an item of worth. Many questions fill your head. The book's origin, those who seek it, Richter's involvement, Katia, the possibility of seeking Lord Tiras for help. Answers are scarce. Weigh the options, then commit. Whether you choose right or wrong, the journey begins by taking a step forward. > You examine the pouch Whatever your decision turns out to be, you'll need to know what the pouch holds. Again, wiping it off, you pull the strings at the top and pour its contents onto the floor. It's a small mechanical cube, like the wooden block of a child, but with spinning gears and a metallic body. Interesting. As you examine it closer, your finger hits an unseen button. The inner section of the cube grinds in motion. In reaction, you place it on the ground in front of you, kneeling beside it, just in case something sharp, or arcane, shoots out. Instead, something else reveals itself. "Now, that's interesting," you comment to yourself. "Very interesting." A three-dimensional map appears, illuminated by a strange device within the cube. It's point of view is that of a soaring hawk, looking down on the world from far above. Trees are barely visible, little green pins scattered on miniature mountains. The map revolves around a single location, a shining bright light instantly drawing your eyes to it: a fortress deep in the mountains, nested comfortably between two peaks, ones that you are familiar with. Devil's Altar, a pair of volcanoes in the Sheol Mountains. Its ridges are black, unlike the snowy mountains that surround. Scholars say it's due to the internal temperature. Snow is unable to rest on top without melting. Religious figures say it's the entryway to hell, unsurprisingly. Whatever the case may be, those who approach the twin volcanoes don't return. "Is that..." a woman's voice softly speaks. You turn to find Katia peering her head into the room, her body hidden by the ladder compartment. "...Richter?" You jump to your feet, placing yourself between Richter's body and Katia's line of sight, conveniently hiding the map as well. "You should not be here. Forget anything you think you may have saw and climb back down." "Did you kill him?" Katia asks, bluntly. The girl is straightforward if nothing else. It catches you off-guard. "What? No. We traveled together. Seems he discovered something that caught the attention of some very dangerous people." "If they're after him..." The girl is smarter than she looks. "Then they're after you too?" "Yes." "The chances are high they're after me too, then." Smart, indeed. You hadn't thought about your associations. There's no doubt if the cloaks are interrogating the four of you, that will extend to family, friends, and lovers. Words shared between friends are dangerous when brought to light. "The chances are high, yes," you answer. "Leave town. Keep your distance from this place, at least until I handle things." "You mean until you take it for yourself." Does she know about the book? Everyone seems to know about it. She knows more than she's letting on. Press, search for answers. You do just that. "What did Richter share with you? I mean only to put an end to those who pursue us." Katia eyes you for a moment, searching for a hint of dishonesty. Finally, she says, "Richter said he found a score above the rest, a wealth of treasure to leave this place behind and start a new life with. When he returned we had a...falling out and I wanted to get back at him by...you know..." So you are—were—just a pawn in a game of chess between lovers. And you thought events were because of your charisma? Not exactly. Women don't just throw themselves at us without an ulterior motive. There's always an ulterior motive. Everyone has an agenda. Even us. You think it best to be honest with the woman. She needs to know the severity of the situation. "Listen, the 'treasure' is not what you think it is. It's a tome. An artifact. Sure, it could probably be sold for top coin, but some things shouldn't reach the surface of men." "Why? What's so dangerous about it?" "It's of dark magic," you answer, recalling the little information Richter shared with his dying breath. "Ancient curses, best kept buried." "And you're planning to find it for yourself? Then what? Destroy it?" You're not exactly sure. You alone hold the location of an artifact someone desperately wants. They'll keep sending men after you. No, you need to address the problem at the source. Find the artifact. Learn of its power. And perhaps use it to stop whoever's after you. Instead of a solid plan, you have fragments of ideas. It'll be a long journey. At least you'll have time to think. The first step is clear, however. Find the book. "Fine," Katia breaks you from your thoughts. "Don't tell me. But at least let me come with you, for the sake of closure." "...for the sake of closure." The words pour from your mouth as if a dream. Although they are spoken from your lips, somehow they don't seem quite yours. "I've got to move on," she whispers back. "There's a whole world to discover. I can't waste my life staying in one place." It's dark now. No longer does the setting sun linger with its orange glow. Its light, its warmth is replaced with cool darkness, a steady transition, unnoticeable until it's completely changed. You lay at the usual spot. Her blanket spread flat on the bluffs, overlooking the sea, hidden from the beach with small plants and trees. Private. Secluded. Yours. "This is a waste then?" you whisper, instantly regretting the loaded question. "I...I don't know. Maybe." "What you seek to avoid being here. It will follow you to the next destination." "Mm. Perhaps. But I have to try. I don't want to look back and wonder what could have been." Wishful thinking. A result of her immaturity. Life isn't some grand adventure. No, it's not. It's a daily struggle to stay afloat. Nothing with worth is built without sacrifice. It takes time. It takes sacrifice. Let her leave. We don't need her. "This is it then," you state, the words again appear as someone else's. Warm hands comfortingly embrace yours. You feel the familiar softness of her skin, tracing her hand, finding a few rough calluses in contrast to the palm in which they grow. They're smaller than before. Now that her wounds are healed, they'll likely return back to their previous size. Warm hands. Then cool metal. She places a small object in your open palm. A ring. The very one you placed on her finger from bended knee. She doesn't respond to your statement. Her action is answer enough. Tender lips meet your cheek. Better had she left you with nothing at all, rather than a fragment of once was. And just like that, as if the sun disappearing under the horizon, its warmth, its glow disappearing, she leaves, darkness, settling in. No confrontation. No hate. No closure. Just, emptiness. You rise to a seat, crossing your legs, resting your elbows on your knees, staring into the darkness. The movement causes you to bump into an object still laying on the blanket. Vodka. A little medication never hurt. Whatever it takes. Calm the senses. Suppress the thoughts. Numb them. Whatever it takes. Morning light rudely greets your headache. An empty bottle. A new day. The chance to move on. Doing your best to ignore the throbbing at your temple, you sit up and pack your things, first taking a few gulps from your waterskin. It's not cold. It tastes slightly of the leather pouch. But still, it refreshes, in this moment tasting like water from a fresh mountain spring. Perspective. Need. Desire. Nothing is absolute. You pack your things, leaving the blanket behind. Her blanket. Something you no longer have the need for. You pick up your bow. The weight feels powerful in your hand. Harnessed energy at your disposal. Its usefulness is wasted sitting around. It serves a specific purpose. Deadly, pointed in the proper direction. Purpose. Direction. You'll take those over adventure any day. A new day. The chance to move on. Today you hunt. "...for the sake of closure." You're brought back to reality. The memory that the statement triggered vanishes. It may be too late for you, but it's not for Katia. "You may come," you answer. "If you do exactly what I say. No questions asked." She doesn't look happy. The result of getting what she wants isn't a bright smile or cheerful grin. Rather, you get a solemn nod, a silent agreement to your authority. "It's no use returning back to your place. We'll purchase new equipment on the way out of town," you say. "I don't imagine you have any experience with combat?" Katia shakes her head. "No matter. We'll get you a simple crossbow. Just aim and shoot. Simple is right. The mountains will be cold. Better to pack warm. Horses will take us to the base of the range. From there, we'll need to hike, so can't have too much to carry." You realize you're rambling a bit, thinking out loud. Instead, you take a softer tone, likely a result of the memory that just came to mind. "It'll be easier once we leave the city. The open road, the ability to travel wherever you wish: some see it as true freedom. Somehow a change of scenery and viewing the land makes our problems feel smaller. Come now. We'll be off by midday." After purchasing supplies, mostly rations and warm clothing for Katia, you set off from Lord Tiras' city. Luckily, you didn't run into any trouble in the market from the cloaks. You procured a pair of dependable roans from a buck-toothed stablehand who kept twiddling a piece of straw in his mouth. The Sheol Mountain range is a few weeks in the distance, across the wind-swept Harken Plains, named after the city lord of a prominent city in the mountain range. However, your destination is far past his city, heading deep into the range rather than a passage through it. You travel mostly in silence. The two of you aren't glossy-eyed lovers, traveling for the sake of adventure and thrills. Each of you seek something. It just so happens that your path connects for now. Assuming the book and whoever's after you is handled, you'll likely go your separate ways. For you, that's nothing new. It usually happens after a job. Your traveling companions are a means to an end, a set of useful skills needed to accomplish a task. Your current situation may be a little different, but the end result will be the same. The plains are open. Small grass, mostly brown and dead, occupy the plains. There are no rolling hills filled with lush green, each hilltop bringing wonder to what lies on the opposite side. The ground is flat, dead. The constant wind causes you to pull your hood on a little deeper, both to stop the chill and because it threatens to be blown from your head. Your mind draws back to your memory. When she left. Is this the "adventure" she wanted? Ugly landscape. Chilling wind. No laughter. No companionship.No cheerful travelers. Just reality. Despite your best attempts to block the memory, it keeps coming back. You shake your head, hoping the physical response will garner some result. It helps, slightly. Suppress it. Focus on the task at hand. One step at a time. Press on. Only the task matters. This one may not be funded by a wealthy lord, but you still plan to navigate through it successfully. The coin provided with the assassination of Silvaras is more than enough to sustain you for a while, even with your current journey being self-funded. The sky is gray. Clouds cover the entire sky, giving off a monotone feel to the world. Gray above, dead and brown below. The plains feel exactly what their name would suggest. Several days you've been traveling through. It will take several more to reach the other side. Then you'll reach the Redwood Forest. Just through that will be the Sheol Mountains. The flatness provides more than an ample vantage to see if you're being followed. If the cloaks were after you, you suppose it makes sense for them to trail at a distance. If they could manage, then you would be leading them directly to what they want. That is, if they could stay unseen. You can see for miles, and no one's appeared. The snowfall will arrive soon as you continue north. Not many travelers are out. Checking again, you don't see any sign of others. "This is a good place to stop for the night," you say. Once there were trees here. A long, long time ago. You've stopped at the base of an old stump, which will provide as decent of a wind shield as you'll get for a small fire. You're not concerned with fire alerting others to your presence after checking the horizon. Plus, no one can safely travel during the night with the temperature drop. Katia dismounts and wordlessly throws her pack to the ground. You squat near the base of the trunk and begin starting a fire. The side facing you is darkened from flame already. Seems another has discovered this spot before you, unsurprisingly, as this is best natural shelter gets in the Harken Plains. Spark, flame, warmth. Soft glow from the fire springs into existence, giving some color to the previously drab environment. It falters for a movement, almost extinguished by a sudden gust of wind, but then resumes its constant dance, crackling underneath the tree stump. Times like these, the world doesn't feel like the miserable place it mostly appears to be. Perhaps that's because you're far from civilization. It's humbling, braving the elements, knowing it wouldn't take much for things to take a wrong turn. Perhaps there's more out there to discover, putting your own problems against the world. Somehow they don't seem as large. > You drift to sleep Wake up. The sunlight's barely risen, but it's enough to see. Katia is still asleep several feet from where you are, wrapped up tight, only her hair visible at the tip of her bedroll. You sit up, taking note of the extinguished fire. The morning air is brisk. On the plus side, the wind's died down a bit. You plan to make good use of the break. The rest of the journey through the plains is uneventful. You keep an eye on the horizon, scanning for sight of followers. If there is anyone, they're miles away. Losing a tail will be much easier through the Redwood Forest rather than the open, level ground you've been traveling on for days. The first signs of snowfall are starting to appear. Light flakes dance in the air, not heavy enough to stick, dying your vision in a white fog. You come across a few pine trees, scattered into the plains, then more and more appear. Finally, reaching the outskirts of the Redwood, you enter, allowing its thick canopy to shield you from the lackluster snowfall. Your path should only take you a few days through the forest, briefly passing through a section. Luckily, you won't be heading too deep into the trees. You travel in silence for the first day. The second, you come across voices. Traveling on the main road, just wide enough for a cart, you haven't come across anyone just yet. Until now. Directing Katia, you sneak into the surrounding trees and listen. A few minutes later a traveling caravan appears. Not a caravan exactly, but a single cart, a single man at the reigns. Three others, armed, walk next to the cart. One in front, two behind. Instead of a normal cargo bed, the cart boasts a steel cage protecting its contents. A prison. Slavers. The trade is legal in some areas of the world—not here, however. Three bone-thin people sit inside of the cell, dressed in rags, shackled at the wrists. Overkill, if they're securely locked inside. "Should we do something?" Katia whispers. > Yes "Follow my lead," you whisper back. So we're freedom fighters now? No. White knights? No. What then? Rations are low. Simple as that. You wait until the cart is a few feet past your current location, nocking an arrow to prepare. Two can be taken down immediately, provided Katia can aim correctly. You've spent a bit of time teaching her on the way. She could hit your makeshift targets from this range fairly consistently. The guards provide a much bigger area to hit. You mentally prepare for the situation, should Katia misfire. Now's the time. The guards are close enough for an easy shot, while still far enough away to fire a second shot. You give the signal to Katia. Almost simultaneously, two projectiles fire from your position. Your arrow fires true. Katia's doesn't. It flies too far to the right, planting itself in the wooden frame of the cart, beneath where the steel cage is built on top. Taking a deep breath, you nock another arrow. Best to stay calm in a situation like this. Nervousness, frantic movement will only hinder your ability to connect arrow to bowstring. He's four feet away. Arrow nocked. Two feet. Draw. One. Arrow loose. The arrowhead tears through the second guard's throat in a red geyser, his momentum from the charge continuing far past your current location, like a matador taunting a bull. Two down, three to go. They're upon you before you can issue any commands to Katia, two on you, one heading straight for Katia. You abandon the bow and draw your sword and dagger. There's no way you can draw arrows quick enough at this distance. Fighting outnumbered, the key is to take the offensive. Take down one instantly, and the others will second-guess themselves. You do just that, sweeping low with your sword, prodding with your dagger. You catch the first man focusing on your dagger. Your sword finds an opening in his guard. His leather armor offers little against your forward thrust. Your blade pierces through his gut and out his back. You pull your sword out just in time to block your other opponent. Katia's struggling. You can tell she has no formal training, not that you expected her to. She does more running than actual fighting, taking care to avoid her pursuer's mace. With a greater sense of urgency, you turn your attention back to the enemy in front of you. His face is unshaven, though there's not much of a beard, speaking to his age, and his body looks almost as starved as the prisoners he's transporting. This is not who ends us. Wouldn't that be something? He doesn't deserve it. There'll be another. What's taking them so long? You parry the next strike with your dagger, holding the boy's weapon in place. Twisting, you throw all of your momentum into the swipe. One second the unshaven face stares back at you, the next, an empty hole of a neck takes its place. Katia! She's fallen on the ground, her opponent standing over her, mace raised in the air. There's no time to pick up your bow and fire. They're too far away to sprint over. Your dagger flies through the air, rotating exactly four times before planting in the man's spine. He collapses, unmoving, falling on top of Katia's prone body. After helping her to her feet, Katia apologizes, obviously down on herself. "Sorry, I missed. I don't know why. It was an easy shot to make." "Happens," you reply, not all too sure how to comfort her. Three pairs of eyes stare at you from within the slavers' cage. Three men, ragged and bone-thin. > You free them True, your rations are low. You certainly didn't put your neck out on the line, after all you've been through, just to rescue three slaves. Make no mistake, the slavers possess something you want, and you'll take it. They did choose a dangerous trade. But somehow, not freeing the caged slaves would be...wasteful? As you pick through the fallen slavers' pockets, one of the slaves shouts at you. "So are you gonna let us out or what?" "I'm thinking about it," you absent-mindedly answer, pulling a small ring from one of the bodies, examining it, then tossing it to the ground. Worthless. "They caught us illegally. None of us have writs of ownership." "That's nice," you answer, digging through a second body. This one holds a small knife, which you think about taking. It's deadly sharp, but the steel itself looks frail, likely a result of over sharpening. "The key's over there. Next to the driver." Katia walks over to the driver's body, but you wave her off. "Not yet." "What the hell are you waiting for?" the slave shouts. You eye the cell. "I'm not done scavenging. And I'd rather not have to look over my shoulder while I do. Because the first thing you're going to do when I unlock the cell is sift through these bodies yourselves. You can take what I leave behind." The slave slinks to a seat within the cell. The others stay quiet for the time being. Katia approaches you, speaking with a low voice. "Do you really think they'd attack us after freeing them?" You glance back to the cell. They are bone-thin, yes, but they still outnumber you. Unlike the men you just killed, they'll be fighting with a suppressed ferocity, the chance to be free. Plus, you don't hold the ambush position any longer. "They might. I don't know. Who's to say they don't deserve being locked up? For all we know, they're violent criminals." "Then what's the point of attacking?" Katia asks. You pull a key from the driver's pocket and toss it aside for now. Still digging, you finally discover the item you're looking for. It's a small container meant for holding spices inside, and fresh at that. You carefully unscrew the lid, making sure not to spill its contents. "Mmm. This is why," you say, offering the container for Katia to smell. "Tea leaves?" "Not just any tea leaves. Baneweed. Brew a cup from this, and you'll stay awake for hours. Slavers always carry them. They get paid upon delivery, so the less they rest, the sooner payment arrives." "Please tell me we didn't just murder four men for tea leaves," Katia says. "We? No," you answer. "Besides, we're saving three, so it's about even at the end of things." "I don't get you," Katia comments. I don't get myself either. Pack up their rations. Time to move on. You toss a keyring into the prison cell on your way out. There are bigger things to worry about. The mountains are close. And so is the book. What will we do with it? Whatever we want. After fumbling with the lock for a few seconds, the cage door swings open. Three bone-thin slaves exit in a hurry as if waiting too long will forfeit their chance at escape. You make eye contact with the one who you had just spoken to. Suddenly, you're regretting the decision to free them. "You almost left us in there," he states. "Yeah? But I didn't, did I?" you retort. "Probably didn't for the sake of that lovely thing on your arm." Directing towards Katia, he adds on. "What are you doing with this bore? Why don't you join us, sweetheart. We have a camp not too far from here. Plenty of drink. Comfortable beds..." "Um. I'm good," Katia manages to answer. The sudden aggressiveness catches her off-guard. "That's enough," you say. "Now are we going to have a problem or will you be on your way?" The man doesn't answer at first. His eyes briefly draw on Katia, then your equipment, noticing the lack of goods left on the slavers' bodies. "That's a nice looking bow you got there." You see where this is going. For the second time, you wish you had just left them to die in the cage. Before the man can react, you pull an arrow from your quiver and nock it to your bowstring, drawing to full-length. "And my arrow? Do you admire that as well?" The former slave holds both hands up in defense, more of a surrender, really. "Ok, ok we'll be off then." You keep the arrow nocked until the three finish scavenging what they can from the slavers' bodies. There's not much, but they take their crude weapons and armor. All the rations, however, have been taken by you. As they disappear down the road, likely heading toward their camp, you voice your thought underneath your breath. "I should have left them to fucking rot." Katia overhears. "I'm starting to think the same. Despicable men, threatening the ones who saved them." "We've tarried enough. Onward?" "Onward," Katia replies. The little sunlight that manages to sneak through the canopy causes night to fall much earlier in the Redwood Forest. You're only able to travel a few more hours before darkness starts to settle in. Directing Katia, you find a small clearing far off the road. Any visitors that wander into your campsite will be hostile, much as it's been for the entire journey. Bandits, former slaves, the cloaks: it seems as if just about everyone is after you. Tonight you don't light a fire. The forest is much warmer than the Harken Plains. The wind chill is minimal at best as there is more than enough cover to hide behind. The clearing is only large enough for two bedrolls side-by-side, framed by trunks on either side. You do your best to clear out dried leaves and branches for comfort, placing them around the clearing a small distance away. It's an old trick you picked up. If an animal or person wanders close, they'll have to avoid snapping the branches and crunching the leaves. Not foolproof, but better than nothing. You briefly think about lighting up your pipe. The calming tobacco would feel nice after the skirmish earlier, but you decide against it. The smoke might attract unwanted attention. There will be plenty of opportunity once you hit the mountain range. Katia cozies underneath her bedroll. You do the same. There is much distance to travel tomorrow. As you drift off to sleep, your mind also drifts towards thoughts of the book. What it looks like, the power contained, the ancient— —a twig snaps. Dagger already in hand, you sit up, placing your other hand across Katia's mouth. It's dark, but your eyes have adjusted well enough to see her eyes widen. You motion her to stay quiet as you slowly rise from the bedroll. Unable to see clearly, you focus on your hearing. The trees remain quiet. Forest creatures chirp, scamper, and rustle their normal routine. Silence, silence, silence...a rush of footsteps. A blade whirls in the air. You don't see it, but you step back in instinct, tripping over Katia in the process. Thwunk! A man screams. This time, Katia's hand crossbow fires true. Unable to see details, you stab forward in the direction of the scream, quieting the man's voice forever. Afterward, you crouch low, ready to strike at other attackers. The forest resumes its normal chirping, scampering, and rustling. No other footsteps ring into the night. You whisper to Katia. "There could be others. Pack your things. There'll be no sleep this night." She whispers her agreement, and the two of you gather your equipment, preparing for a night of walking. Tea leaves. Rather than brewing a pot, you munch on the baneweed, offering some to Katia. It does the trick rather well, although you would much prefer to spend the time sleeping. One foot in front of the other. You press on, trying to ignore how you will feel in the morning. Losing a night of sleep is much worse after coming down from a baneweed high. However, that's a problem for another time. A problem for about four hours from now, to be exact. > You Continue Making it through the rest of the Redwood Forest was quick. Not three days after spotting the slavers, you emerge into the Sheol Mountain range. The protective canopy that shielded you from snow and rain is now gone. Back in the exposed air, you're at the mercy of whatever the sky decides to drop on you. Today, it's light snow. Mountain peaks, as far as the eye can see, greet you with their snow-tipped caps, welcoming you into their embrace, clouds of mist hanging near most. Thankfully, the mountain trails haven't been covered by the white dust yet. It's a siren's temptation, however; conditions are harsh, wildlife sparse. Doom awaits. Still, you trudge on. The trail has turned into a rocky climb, making the horses more a liability than aid. You leave them tied to a fallen tree a small distance into Sheol. Their fate will be the same as yours. As you travel into the mountains, the air starts to thin making your journey more physically taxing. Having spent the past several years hunting, your endurance is at a level most never reach. But this is an entirely different element. Periodically, you check the cube, and the map within, to ensure you don't stray from the path. The last thing you need is to lose a day or two by heading off course. Katia, mostly quiet the entire journey, is even more silent, saving precious breath for the hike. Truthfully, you're glad as you'd rather save yours as well. The journey continues. With each day, your legs feel heavier and heavier, as if the very pack you carry is gaining weight. The incline turns steep, forcing Katia and you to climb on all fours during various sections. Your feet navigate upon loose rock, threatening to slide you down sheer mountainside. More than once, a quick recovery is needed, bits of rock you previously stood on sent tumbling down the mountain. Your legs feel as if battered by hammers; dull soreness is now their natural state. By the way Katia is trudging on, her body moving in one lethargic state. You can tell she feels the same, likely even worse. Breathing doesn't come easy. Each inhale brings a satisfying intake of fresh air, but it's never enough. The air is too thin. It's as if breathing underwater through a thin reed. You're using it up at a higher pace than it's coming in, or at least that's how it feels. Your pack, digging into your shoulders, have become numb. There's no longer a sharp pain by carrying the weight. It just is. At night, you have to make a conscious effort to sit up straight, otherwise your back naturally hunches, conditioned by the daily hike. It'll be night soon. The days are shorter than when you first departed from Lord Tiras' city. The sun itself doesn't reach as far in the sky, a clear sign the solstice is near, nature itself mirroring your mood. Dark. Gloomy. This shouldn't be happening. Not now. We're keeping busy. Apparently not busy enough. Where's that drink? No, not now. A little distraction would be nice. It sure as hell would be. Katia has some. Not now. You pick a spot to rest for the night. You don't even bother spending the energy to create a fire. After tossing your pack to the ground and removing your weapons, you collapse to the ground, wrapping your cloak tightly around your body. Katia does the same, leaning her back against yours, the weight of each of you holding the other upright, warm. You doze off, still upright, resting your forearms against your knees. Katia doesn't move, whether due to sleep or not to disturb you is up for debate. A new day. The chance to move on. Sunlight gently nudges you awake. Stiff, back aching, inwardly you groan stretching your arms out. Still propped up by Katia, she sits unmoving, finally exhaustion getting the better of her. The morning air is chilling, although it's not much different than the afternoon air. Either way, your breath will be visible. As you stand up, you intend to lay Katia down, but she wakes up due to the movement. "That time again?" she mumbles. "Isn't it always," you reply, slinging your pack over one shoulder, the weight numb, like your body in the cold weather. Katia following suit, you press on. Your reality becomes the next step, the next breath. Steady pace, steady breathing. The journey blends into a timeless, subconscious one. The world around you simply becomes a backdrop. All that matters is the next step, the next breath. It's happening again. Focus. Breath. Remember to... Devil's Altar. The two volcanoes stick out like footprints in fresh snow. Black footprints. The mountains surrounding the Altar are more than snow-capped; their entire mountainsides are covered in white powder, unlike the twin volcanoes, which rise from the earth as dark as a stormy night. Rather than snow-capped peaks, they display a rim of red-orange, lava constantly overflowing and running down the sides. Sure enough, nested at their base, in-between the two black mountains rests a stone structure, a stronghold, ominous and uninviting. Your destination. It sits silent. Waiting. Daring. Its stone is dark, no sign of light within. Built from four walls, a guard tower at each corner, the keep itself is fairly traditional. There are no defining features of architecture drawing the eye. It simply is as intended, a fortification meant to withstand siege, only the drawbridge is down. Despite the apparent open front door, it's not a place the faint of heart enter. You've come this far. There's no turning back now. You willingly approach. Your footsteps upon the downed drawbridge announce your arrival. They're a dull echo. Somehow it feels quieter. Birds you noticed earlier aren't chirping. The occasional whistle from the wind, gone. Nature itself is silently watching your every move, breath held in suspense. The gate, an ocean of black, patiently waits for you. You don't keep it waiting long. You can see. Barely. It's dark inside. Your vision is as if wearing a piece of thin cloth over your eyes. Objects can technically be seen, although in a formless, undetailed state. Unlit braziers appear to line the welcoming hall. Something flies overhead. A sudden rush of air comes from above, twisting, growing in number. Incoherent whispers fill your ears, starting small and full of breath. Louder and louder the whispers rise, the words themselves still remaining unavailable. It dulls your sense of hearing, matching your inability to see normally. Katia screams. It pierces through your dull ears. Her voice fills the inside of the keep, resonating in its sudden shrillness. Then, just as quickly, Katia's voice is silenced, a soft echo the only part of her left behind. She's gone. You're left alone in darkness, the whispers in the air subsiding as well. Not even they can stand your presence. > You search for Katia Being barely able to see, you focus on what does appear to you. Unlit braziers lining the walls, dark, undefined columns supporting the room. No sign of Katia. You kneel to examine the place where she just stood, feeling the stone floor. It's rough with small rocks, dusty. Perhaps once the floor was smooth when the keep was occupied. However, now, its abandonment is made known. The floor is solid enough, and there aren't signs of a trap door. It's as if Katia just...disappeared into thin air. Speaking of which, the air is heavy with sulfur. Not a huge surprise since you're sitting in-between two volcanoes, but its depth is what stands out, like you're breathing directly into the mountains. There may be a collapsed tunnel underneath the keep allowing the element to stain the air. You never were a scholar, so the thought comes from instinct and what little experience you have. You could be way off base, but one thing's for sure, the sulfuric smell is much too strong than it should be. She's gone; we need to press on. I will not abandon her. The answer lies with discovering the book. Is that what we came here for? Isn't it? I'm—we're—still figuring that out. We're here. There's no point in wandering around aimlessly. Find the book. Find the girl. Katia will understand. She knew the risk in coming here. While on a certain level it feels wrong... You cut the thought short. You've never invested in your traveling companions. They've been nothing but tools, each with their own use to compliment certain skillsets that you lack. Katia is no different. She can't be different. If you are to survive, you can't allow others to dictate your action. No ties, no weakness. You act of your own accord. The book lies within the keep. Men have tried to kill you for it. Your future lies with the book. There's but one path ahead. > You press on The only option is to press on. Katia understood the danger. The book is close to being in your possession. Who knows? Finding the book could bring the secret to finding Katia. As far as you know, she's not dead. No, you came to the Altar to find the book and discover the mystery within. Her closure will be found along with the book. You can just make out an entryway at the end of the hall. A black hole, rising to the height of the ceiling. No door attached, simply an empty space. Walking more carefully now, bow drawn and arrow nocked, you make your way across the room, a lone man in the center of the room, crossing past circular columns several times thicker than an aged oak trunk. Evil marks this place. So we'll fit right in. The keep is silent, save for your soft footsteps on the stone floor. Your steps are muffled, intentionally quiet, but each small sound carries throughout the chamber. Something lurks in the shadows. Objects of worth aren't usually kept in the open. Or unprotected. Or unprotected. What are we going to do with the book? Haven't decided yet. Better decide soon. One step at a time. First, find the book. Our decision only matters after it's found. Best to focus on the present. The future is uncertain. One thing is certain. What's that? Life is fleeting. You pause, the latest thought unlike the others. Since when have you become sentimental? It's not an untrue statement, but it's not without implication. Life is fleeting. What are you going to do about that? What can anyone do about that? First, find the book. Existential thinking can be saved for later. The entryway takes you into a long and narrow hallway. By now, your eyes have adjusted fairly well to the dark. Small details fade into a formless mist, but other than that, you can make out your surroundings. Torches line the hallway, unlit of course, matching the braziers in the welcoming hall. Once, the keep displayed signs of life. Now it lies cold, dead. Tomblike. A spiraling staircase greets you at the end of the hallway, winding both up and down, its banister smooth stone carved into the keep. The staircase is wide. Eight could probably walk side-by-side and still have elbow room. The cube doesn't indicate whether the book lies at the top of the keep or the bottom. Its purpose was to lead you here, and that's just what it did. There could be a vault below, holding the keep's most precious artifact safely guarded away. Then again, whoever ruled here in the past would reside on the higher levels. As the book was likely in their possession, it makes sense to keep it close to them. Your guess is as good as any. Sometimes you find yourself in a seemingly random situation, uninformed on the outcome. It may appear to be a coin toss, but you have past experience to rely on, to guide your action. Make a decision and move on. What else can we do? Weigh the options, then commit. Whether you choose right or wrong, the journey begins by taking a step forward. > Up The book was in someone's possession. They wouldn't keep it locked away, far from their dwelling quarters. If what Richter said is true, and so far it has been, the book is something to be used, not tucked away. You take the staircase leading up, stepping on each stair as not to tire out your legs. Using the bannister would help, although you'd rather keep an arrow nocked. Up and up it rises, twisting, sending your climb into a slight lean to adjust for the non-linear route. You climb to the very top. After reaching it, you stop for a few moments to catch your breath. Your legs, still affected by the journey here, get some well-needed rest. Whatever lies in wait will be best confronted with fresh legs—well, as close to that as possible. As you're about to continue on, something catches your attention. A small scratching noise, perhaps a shuffle of boots, echos softly from a nearby room. From the top of the staircase, a series of rooms line both sides of the walls, their doors wide open, all leading towards a large pair of double doors. Ensuring your arrow is still nocked, you creep forward, ears trained towards the source of the sound. It's coming from the first room on the right. Drawing closer, you can tell the rooms are various studies and libraries, not residential like you first assumed. Heavy layers of dust gather on their desks and bookshelves, cobwebs almost as common as tomes themselves. No ally is to be found here. Only threats. You burst into the first room, bowstring drawn. Movement on the floor. Arrow released. The familiar scrape of your bowstring touches your fingers as you release, the arrow's feather lightly tickling your cheek as it's sent towards its target. A small rat lies skewered on the floor, your arrow almost traveling completely through the rodent, if not for hitting the stone floor beneath. A piercing screech fills the room, causing you to drop to a knee, both hands placed against your ears in defense. Papers fly from desks, books fall from shelves. Banshee's wail. Tormented soul. Pain. The screech tapers off, ending with an agonized whimper, the strength of the outburst turning soft. Wood creaks, hinges in desperate need of oil squeal. The large double doors open of their own accord. Picking up your bow from the floor next to the dead rat, you nock another arrow and stride towards the open doorway. Your presence is noticed; there's no point in attempting subterfuge now. Best to appear confident, sure of yourself. However, you still check each room as you pass by. Just because you mean to walk through the double doors doesn't mean danger isn't still present. Could be a trap. Could be. You walk through the open doorway. Small steps lead to a throne in the center of the room. An intimate setting, rather than a grand throne room. Perhaps meant for judging a small council, your best guess, considering the rooms leading here. A corpse sits on the throne, his body long into decay, the few long strands of hair remaining fall underneath a dust-covered crown, which once shined with splendor. Now, it's a dull yellow, fitting for the wearer. You take the first step. The corpse moves. Bones cracking, a groan escapes through his mouth where his lips once were; they've long since decayed from attachment. You pull back to fire an arrow. Dead eyes meet yours, framed by the remnants of long strands of hair. "Do it," the corpse whispers, a voice strained, soft, only loud enough to hear in total silence. > Shoot Nodding, you take a step back. You raise your bow into position, arrow nocked. Dead eyes meet yours. You release. The impact snaps the corpse's head back with a sickening crack. Your arrow pins his head against the throne behind him. From the lower levels of the keep, deep rumbling echos softly beneath your feet. Wisps of dark magic fly into the above you. Black violet rays, originating from the corpse's chest, bends his back unnaturally. Like ribbons in the wind, the wisps fly and twist in the air. Rumbling growing louder, the very ground beneath you starts to shake. He was bound to this place. Could the place also be bound to him? Seems that way. Chunks of stone begin to fall from the floor, disappearing into lower levels of the keep, leaving behind empty gaps under your feet. Another otherworldly screech fills the air. Instantly, your bow drops from your hands as you motion to cover your ears. Blood starts to pour from your ears as you crouch down as some sort of escape from the piercing sound. The ground quakes, knocking you sprawling to the floor. Where you land, the stone has fallen from the floor. Your hands manage to latch onto a piece of rock; your feet dangle in the empty space. Quake. You start to climb up. Quake. The blow slides you down, dangerously close to falling in completely. Quake. Your handhold crumbles under your weight. As you fall into the empty gap, the last thing you see is the corpse's head pinned to the throne behind him, a dusty crown on his head. A rush of air. Nothingness.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, action] The book was in someone's possession. They wouldn't keep it locked away, far from their dwelling quarters. If what Richter said is true, and so far it has been, the book is something to be used, not tucked away. You take the staircase leading up, stepping on each stair as not to tire out your legs. Using the bannister would help, although you'd rather keep an arrow nocked. Up and up it rises, twisting, sending your climb into a slight lean to adjust for the non-linear route. You climb to the very top. After reaching it, you stop for a few moments to catch your breath. Your legs, still affected by the journey here, get some well-needed rest. Whatever lies in wait will be best confronted with fresh legs—well, as close to that as possible. As you're about to continue on, something catches your attention. A small scratching noise, perhaps a shuffle of boots, echos softly from a nearby room. From the top of the staircase, a series of rooms line both sides of the walls, their doors wide open, all leading towards a large pair of double doors. Ensuring your arrow is still nocked, you creep forward, ears trained towards the source of the sound. It's coming from the first room on the right. Drawing closer, you can tell the rooms are various studies and libraries, not residential like you first assumed. Heavy layers of dust gather on their desks and bookshelves, cobwebs almost as common as tomes themselves. No ally is to be found here. Only threats. You burst into the first room, bowstring drawn. Movement on the floor. Arrow released. The familiar scrape of your bowstring touches your fingers as you release, the arrow's feather lightly tickling your cheek as it's sent towards its target. A small rat lies skewered on the floor, your arrow almost traveling completely through the rodent, if not for hitting the stone floor beneath. A piercing screech fills the room, causing you to drop to a knee, both hands placed against your ears in defense. Papers fly from desks, books fall from shelves. Banshee's wail. Tormented soul. Pain. The screech tapers off, ending with an agonized whimper, the strength of the outburst turning soft. Wood creaks, hinges in desperate need of oil squeal. The large double doors open of their own accord. Picking up your bow from the floor next to the dead rat, you nock another arrow and stride towards the open doorway. Your presence is noticed; there's no point in attempting subterfuge now. Best to appear confident, sure of yourself. However, you still check each room as you pass by. Just because you mean to walk through the double doors doesn't mean danger isn't still present. Could be a trap. Could be. You walk through the open doorway. Small steps lead to a throne in the center of the room. An intimate setting, rather than a grand throne room. Perhaps meant for judging a small council, your best guess, considering the rooms leading here. A corpse sits on the throne, his body long into decay, the few long strands of hair remaining fall underneath a dust-covered crown, which once shined with splendor. Now, it's a dull yellow, fitting for the wearer. You take the first step. The corpse moves. Bones cracking, a groan escapes through his mouth where his lips once were; they've long since decayed from attachment. You pull back to fire an arrow. Dead eyes meet yours, framed by the remnants of long strands of hair. "Do it," the corpse whispers, a voice strained, soft, only loud enough to hear in total silence. > You hold back You hold back. The sudden power of the screech vastly differs from the corpse in front of you now. His words speak with awareness—and the willingness to die. His obvious stance on what he wants you to do brings a certain hesitancy. "Do it," the corpse repeats. Again, strained. You lower your bow. A multitude of questions pour into your mind. You settle on one, more of a two-word comment. "You're alive." The corpse makes a choking sound. Laughter? "No, no. Not alive," he says. "But not dead yet either. Much like this place." "You guard the book then," you question, again more as a statement. "The book. It's what all seek. Your friend is close to discovering it." Katia. So she's alive. "Where is she?" you ask. The corpse gazes into the air. His eyes, dark orbs, roll back in their sockets. "Mmm. She's in the lower levels. Those in her force, some lost to the cavern. Soon they will join this place in dying life." Her force? One thing at a time. The book is on the lower levels. Instead, you traveled to the very top of the keep. Still, there is much to learn in the present situation. The object of your journey may lie below, but that does not mean there is not anything to be gained by coming here first. "Who are you? Tell me what you know of the book," you reply, noticing a detail previously missed. The corpse's wrists are bound in chains, the same for his ankles. Once a king, bound to his throne, now a prisoner to the crown. Choking laughter. "A man who thought too highly of himself. However great you think you are, you're nothing. You have no impact on the world. It continues long after you're gone." "You don't appear gone quite yet." "A worse fate. The living knowledge that my life held no meaning. You ask who I am. I will tell you..." Nations conquered, empire expanded, wealth overflowing. The world, his. At a young age, he knew greatness was his. History books would be filled with his name, of his many accomplishments. He was born to make an impact. He was raised to take all that he desired. And take, he did. The first-born of the king, all looked to him as their future. Thick hair grown long accompanied his princely face, symmetrical, his features sharp. The burden of the crown was something he yearned for, youthful vigor desperate for the challenge of strength. His father accomplished much; he would overshadow the man's memory with his own. His wife was chosen for him, an innocent mage, daughter of a former rival. Such is the nature of his position. Marriage, a strategic tactic meant to benefit the kingdom more than his bedchamber, not that it was filled only with their vows. Other women frequented it, addendums to the life contract. Still, despite the needs of his flesh, he loved her, and she loved him. Nations conquered, it wasn't enough. Empire expanded, stagnation occurred. Wealth overflowing, there was more to be found. Life is fleeting. All his work, for what? In mere years, he would be old and crippled. His life's work, unable to join him in the afterlife. What good is building an empire when one can't enjoy the fruits of his labor? The book, a tome of dark magic. Its power would bring him immortality. If only he knew what that meant. Its location was discovered after decades of research. The top scholars and spellcasters of the world at his disposal. His men were sent to scour the earth, given all authority to question, dispose, and interrogate those who stood in his way. Neighbor spied on neighbor in exchange for wealth. Houses were raided in the night. No citizen was safe from his search. Soon, they banded together, a revolution against his immortal rule. Vermin. He would exterminate those who stood against him. They found the cube, a map hidden within. It was protected by holy men, militant and zealous towards their god. A keep nested in-between twin volcanoes, their place of worship. His father left them alone. What danger did a secluded monastery bring, even if it was highly fortified. Little did he know its fortification was meant to guard against what lied within, rather than outside invaders. The holy men fought well. Their faith brought more than zealous ideology. Holy magic infused the monks, giving them strength far surpassing the common man. Their prayers smote thousands. Heavy casualties were suffered by his armies. In the end, they fell to his overwhelming forces, the conqueror himself leading the final victorious battle. Deep within the stronghold, he found the book. The tome of dark magic was his. Immortality was in its pages, a lasting empire never to be toppled. Betrayal. Another sought the book, and the promises it contained. Blinded by his pursuit, he didn't notice the knife at his back until it was too late. His wife, the innocent mage, enacted her revenge. A dormant hatred, silent, building over decades, made itself known. When all was within his grasp, she tore it from his fingers. His efforts, his life's mission, now hers. Passion overtook her actions. She could not be reasoned with. Her final words were an incoherent string of words, her mouth unable to keep up with the suppressed emotion. Dark magic within the book took hold, a curse from ancient times. It whispers to the mind, promising to fulfill one's deepest, darkest desire. Its manifestation is never as imagined, a lesson his precious wife learned, one shared by her husband as well. An immortal rule was his, freedom from tyranny was hers. "And so you're chained here, meant to serve an eternity on the throne," you say, your voice matching the whisper-like volume of the corpse. "Bound to an immortal rule," the corpse answers. "My greatest desire became the thing preventing my rest." "I don't seek fortune or fame," you speak. "My wish isn't to hoard great amounts of power to myself." "Mmm. Perhaps you've come to the wrong place then." "Perhaps..." "But you can end my suffering. Kill me. Set me free." > You kill him Nodding, you take a step back. Arrow still nocked, you raise your bow into position, drawing the string, the arrow's feather lightly kissing your cheek. Dead eyes meet yours. You release the arrow. The impact snaps the corpse's head back with a sickening crack, your arrow pinning his head against the throne behind him. Deep rumbling echoes softly beneath you, originating from lower levels of the keep. Wisps of dark magic shoot into the air, coming from the corpse's chest, his back bending unnaturally forward, while still being pinned to the throne. Black violet rays pour out, twisting, flying through the air like ribbons in the wind. The rumbling continues, growing louder, the very ground beneath you starting to shake. He was bound to this place. Could the place also be bound to him? Seems that way. The floor moves in a sizable quake, like being on a ship's deck during a storm. Another threatens to knock you from your feet. The dark magic pools in the air, hanging heavy like a dark rain cloud. The screech you heard upon skewering the rat appears, piercing your ears, but this time you remain standing. You need to keep moving if you're going to escape. The keep itself is about to collapse, the very structure itself enslaved to the corpse's rule. Whatever is happening in the lower levels is making its way up. Katia and "her force" are likely buried by now, the book along with them. With your current rations, there's no way you can spend weeks digging through the rubble. If anything, you'll need to mount an expeditionary team to help, which would take many weeks. That's a problem for another time. Now, you need to survive the collapsing keep. The room, filled with dark magic, is growing increasingly unstable. Blood pours from your ears. You sheathe your bow and rip of pieces of cloth from your tunic, stuffing them inside of your ears. The opponent you face isn't to be killed by arrows. Your opponent is crumbling in on itself and wants to bury you along with it. Run. Reach out. We need to escape. There's another solution. Leave this place. Reach out.Leave while you can. The power here, it can be ours. It's a prison. It's a tomb. > You Run The entire keep is collapsing upon itself. Book be damned, Katia be damned. You need to get out while you can. You take off in a dead sprint back the way you came, dodging a few falling rocks along the way. Instead of running down the stairs, you leap in the air, landing on the stone banister with your thigh, sliding down, putting your arms in a T position for balance. You fly down much quicker, the entire journey taking a matter of seconds. Hitting the ground floor, you push from the slide, landing in a front roll to negate the impact of your building momentum. To your left and right, columns collapse, unable to keep their erect nature with the floor imploding beneath them. More chunks of rock fall from the ceiling. Thankfully, you're able to dodge them, only taking damage from a few bits of smaller chunks exploding when hitting the floor. As you reach the drawbridge, still in a full sprint, you glance back. The keep, once standing proud and tall, is nothing but a rising dust cloud. Willing yourself to continue your pace, you finally reach the other side of the bridge. Not moments later, the drawbridge collapses, mirroring the action of the keep, unable to serve its purpose, attached to a heap of rubble. Weeks you traveled to reach this destination, only to destroy it the day you arrived. It's not the ending you imagined, but at least you remain alive. That's more than some can say. The secrets of the book are buried, along with any hope at redemption. You sit down, crossing your legs over one another and take in the scene before you. Rubble, dust cloud, death. Yet, you live. The corpse, the immortal king chained to the throne didn't receive the ending he imagined. According to his story, neither did his vengeful wife. You find yourself in a place no better and no worse off than when you first departed. Some might view that as a win in itself. After all, things aren't worse. But is that how you want to live? Defined by the ability not to slide into destruction? No, stagnation is just as bad. Progress is the only way to live. Life continues on. Staying in one place is getting left behind. Like Katia. We didn't have a choice. We could have searched harder for her. What's done is done. You never reached the book, but you escaped with your life. > Epilogue: Still Breathing, Yet. Weeks later, rested and healthy, you arrive in a city built from a passage in the mountains. There's nothing drawing you back to Lord Tiras' city; it holds nothing for you, only threat. You never did find out who's after you. Perhaps they still are. The city you discovered in the mountains is as good as any to start over, or at least to lay low for a bit. Sheol's Passage, named for once being a key pathway through the mountain range. The city itself is a series of winding roads, serpent-like. The city, your home for the time being. Down time. Never good for the soul. Best to stay busy. Your hands stay busy, although it's mostly to hold drinks. Without a clear direction, self-destruction takes over, the need to dull the senses with ale, the need to numb the ever-present memories. For the sake of closure. Her words haunt your memory. Ale, your field medicine, helps in the moment, but makes it worse after. What you seek to avoid will follow you to your next destination. Senses all but departed, your elbows rest heavy on the bar top. Your only company is a gathering of empty tankards. Still, the drink flows. The bartender isn't one to stop because you're at your limit. No, the bastard only cuts off those without coins. A heated conversation pulls you from...whatever you were doing. "I'm telling you, that man took my coin purse!" "Are you sure you didn't leave it behind?" "I think I'm capable of knowing what I bring with me." "Fair enough. But it's long gone by now." The words come from a man and a woman, obviously together, but likely not for long. The man wears a scraggly beard, and the woman's skin had certainly seen better days. The burden of life wears heavy on them, the very one that weighs heavy on your shoulders as well. "Which way did he go?" you inject yourself into the spiraling conversation. "Uh, that way," the woman points. Without a response, you slap enough coin to fit the bill along with a generous tip onto the bar top, packing up your things sitting next to your barstool. What you feel is not a sense to play the hero, it's not even for the benefit of the woman's coin purse. It's the hunt, clean and simple. Purpose. Direction. Down time, it's never good for the soul. Funny how staring into the bottom of an empty cup can remind you of that fact. You take off in the direction that the woman pointed, feeling the cool night breeze against your face. Your hair, tied in back, enjoys the rush of air, a few strands coming loose in the sudden movement. The city streets are mostly empty. You spent more time in the tavern than expected. Not the first time. Probably won't be the last time. Footsteps other than yours fill the night air. The thief, scours the city streets like a rat in the sewer. The thrill of the hunt spurns you on, despite your inebriated state. The footsteps echo from down an alleyway. You rush in, arrow nocked, bow drawn. "Little late to the party, it appears. Hmm. I don't remember sending you an invitation." Two figures are in the alley. One on the ground, another standing over the body. The one on the ground, the thief, groans softly, a dagger sticking from his back like a flag triumphantly planted in the earth. The one standing, the one who spoke, wears a dark faceplate, four slits carved into the mask, the edge running above the man's chin, tracing the edge of his jaw. A black half cloak reaches to his waist, which one might mistake for a cape. His features underneath are blurred together in a swirl of darkness. White teeth shine behind the mask, a warm smile like the way two old friends would greet one another. You lower your bow, but still keep the arrow nocked. "What cause do you have for ending this man's life?" "Ha! Need I have one? You seem keen on using that little twig and string of yours. Maybe I should inquire on your cause." "He's a thief." "Aren't we all," the masked figure comments, his voice perfectly articulate, not as rugged as his exterior would indicate. "I'm not," you answer. "Maybe not in the traditional sense," the figure muses. "Hmm. But I'd be willing to bet you steal lives in exchange for gold. No, not traditional at all. You steal the most precious treasure a man possesses. Even worse, it appears your grand theft extends inwardly as well." You gesture at the fallen body on the ground. "And you are different?" "I didn't say that." "Well," you begin. "I see you have this handled. I'll leave you to it then." As you turn to leave, the figure speaks to your back. "Rooftops." "What?" you ask, not turning back around fully. "Rooftops. Next time stick to them. It's much more theatrical." Movement behind you. This time you turn to look. The masked figure completes an over-indulgent bow, like the one an actor would give after a play. Next time. Perhaps meaning is to be found here. Perhaps it can be found anywhere, should you have the desire to search. It doesn't always manifest itself in the form of evildoers, meant to be put down. There aren't always clear lines of delineation. Sometimes the decision in front of you is but a coin toss, the odds in your favor equal to those in opposition. Sometimes the best you can do is make a choice and step in that direction. One foot in front of the other. We press on. Meaning is to be found. It can be found anywhere. That depends on where we look. Not into an empty cup. It hurts. We know. It'll continue to hurt. We know that as well. But still, we press on. We press on.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy] Nodding, you take a step back. Arrow still nocked, you raise your bow into position, drawing the string, the arrow's feather lightly kissing your cheek. Dead eyes meet yours. You release the arrow. The impact snaps the corpse's head back with a sickening crack, your arrow pinning his head against the throne behind him. Deep rumbling echoes softly beneath you, originating from lower levels of the keep. Wisps of dark magic shoot into the air, coming from the corpse's chest, his back bending unnaturally forward, while still being pinned to the throne. Black violet rays pour out, twisting, flying through the air like ribbons in the wind. The rumbling continues, growing louder, the very ground beneath you starting to shake. He was bound to this place. Could the place also be bound to him? Seems that way. The floor moves in a sizable quake, like being on a ship's deck during a storm. Another threatens to knock you from your feet. The dark magic pools in the air, hanging heavy like a dark rain cloud. The screech you heard upon skewering the rat appears, piercing your ears, but this time you remain standing. You need to keep moving if you're going to escape. The keep itself is about to collapse, the very structure itself enslaved to the corpse's rule. Whatever is happening in the lower levels is making its way up. Katia and "her force" are likely buried by now, the book along with them. With your current rations, there's no way you can spend weeks digging through the rubble. If anything, you'll need to mount an expeditionary team to help, which would take many weeks. That's a problem for another time. Now, you need to survive the collapsing keep. The room, filled with dark magic, is growing increasingly unstable. Blood pours from your ears. You sheathe your bow and rip of pieces of cloth from your tunic, stuffing them inside of your ears. The opponent you face isn't to be killed by arrows. Your opponent is crumbling in on itself and wants to bury you along with it. Run. Reach out. We need to escape. There's another solution. Leave this place. Reach out.Leave while you can. The power here, it can be ours. It's a prison. It's a tomb. > You reach out The very structure collapsing around you, threatening to bury you along with it, you reach out with one arm towards the pool of dark magic. It doesn't react at first, shying away like running a hand through mist. Your chances of making it through the imploding keep is minimal. You'd rather take your chance here. Magic pours from his body. Destruction started after. Confront the power. Stabilize the keep. Now, with desperation, you extend your hand further. The time allotted drawing on the wisps is too much to risk running now. You're fated for the throne room. Around you, chunks of stone fall from the ceiling, creating larger holes in the floor as the shrapnel continues its descent downward. It touches your finger, tenderly testing out the host. You. Slowly, it slides down the length of your hand, eventually spanning your entire arm. Dark light, swirling around your limb, feeding, devouring. Sharing, yet selfish. Time slows down. Memories rush into your mind as if a great wave towering over a vessel, building. You sense them coming, and you can't do anything about its crash. Laughter. Innocence. Sunsets. Sunrises. Happiness. Betrayal. (Thrall) Invader. Defiler. What new corruption is this? Another one joins us. Or do we join it? (We are bound, you and I. Master to slave, slave to master) Who speaks? Can it hear our thoughts? (We are one. Invaders. Defilers. They are here. I can sense them in the lower levels of this sacred place) It is us. And we are it. Two beings joined. Three. Joined together in harmony. Master to slave. Slave to master. No, resist! What's done is done. There are three of us now. Thrall. Defender. Guardian of the book. We are bound. You and I. Slave to master. Master to slave. (I will make you remember) Empty, you rest for the night. Empty, lies the bottle next to you. Relapse. It's not the first time it's happened. God knows it won't be the last. Once optimism flowed. Now, drink takes the reins. Head spinning, your body falls heavy on the mattress. It feels too large a space for one person. The wound, too fresh. Instead, you roll over, falling completely on the floor. The impact doesn't hurt as much. Fuck. It feels good to feel something else for a change. (Betrayal) Your head meets the hardwood floor. No pillow. No blankets. Comfort isn't something you deserve. No, that must be earned. Self-loathing. Self-destruction. It defines your life. It can't simply be her. Your wife. When you were together, the bottle wasn't as tempting. When you were together...before she left you. Alone. (Invader) Then, thoughts were singular. There was a single mind. It knew right from wrong. Each option, each path presented the ability to see the future, so to speak. Which path brings the greater good, it'd wonder. The choice was as easy as defining the best possible outcome. Now, it's fragmented. Corrupted. One body, two minds, constantly in debate, speaking with one another. (Defiler) Corruption fills. Pure streams of thought, poisoned. Self-loathing. Self-destruction. It earns its place in normalcy, the old guard extinguished in the revolution. Whatever took place before is gone, now replaced with toxicity. Purity be damned. Corruption reigns supreme. The good, no longer exists. It's twisted somehow. A school of thought, not too different from before. Just enough to alter the course, just enough to lose your direction. Back to reality, the world feels somehow...different, like you're home after a long vacation. Finally, after an extended journey, you've found yourself back to where you belong. A former life, a former love—they mean nothing. All that exists is the present. Thrall. Slave to the master. Master to the slave. Thrall. Guardian. Defender. They search the lower levels of the keep. Our kingdom. Invaders. Defilers. They seek to take what is yours. The book. It belongs here, to you, to the keep. They're in for a twisted surprise. Your arm no longer interacts with the black violet cloud of dark magic. Rather, it's infused within you, a part of you. They search the lower levels, seeking to steal from you. Even in Devil's Altar, your past catches up with you. The thieves will be dealt with. Your job is to rule. You approach the throne and the now truly dead corpse. The former king, chained to the throne for eternity. Until now. His feats bring a small familiarity, although your historical knowledge isn't extensive, certainly not for empires from millennia ago. Too many have risen and fallen to keep track, and scholars tend to embellish the great deeds of their emperors. However, in this case, the embellishment may be true. Dark magic fused within you, thoughts are in a haze. Ideas rush into your head. The inner voice brings them up, but is somehow...silenced, like they've been filtered out. Slave to the master. Master to the slave. All that matters is the kingdom. Continue to keep it running. The old king is dead. A new one takes his place. You pull your arrow from the corpse's forehead. The body collapses from the throne, the arrow being the thing holding it upright. As it falls, the dusty crown slips from its position, landing neatly on the throne. Both are yours now. Off in the distance, a silent scream echoes from within. A warning. A guiding voice now extinguished, only allowed to speak if the words align with the master. You place the crown on your head. (Do you accept the burden of ruling?) I do. Shackles manifest in the air through dark violet smoke, twisting, wrapping themselves around the throne. Slithering, they react with reverence to the crown. Then, in a sudden motion, they shoot out, clamping down around your arms and legs, forcefully pulling you into a seat on the throne. Better get comfortable. You'll be here a while.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy] You hold back. The sudden power of the screech vastly differs from the corpse in front of you now. His words speak with awareness—and the willingness to die. His obvious stance on what he wants you to do brings a certain hesitancy. "Do it," the corpse repeats. Again, strained. You lower your bow. A multitude of questions pour into your mind. You settle on one, more of a two-word comment. "You're alive." The corpse makes a choking sound. Laughter? "No, no. Not alive," he says. "But not dead yet either. Much like this place." "You guard the book then," you question, again more as a statement. "The book. It's what all seek. Your friend is close to discovering it." Katia. So she's alive. "Where is she?" you ask. The corpse gazes into the air. His eyes, dark orbs, roll back in their sockets. "Mmm. She's in the lower levels. Those in her force, some lost to the cavern. Soon they will join this place in dying life." Her force? One thing at a time. The book is on the lower levels. Instead, you traveled to the very top of the keep. Still, there is much to learn in the present situation. The object of your journey may lie below, but that does not mean there is not anything to be gained by coming here first. "Who are you? Tell me what you know of the book," you reply, noticing a detail previously missed. The corpse's wrists are bound in chains, the same for his ankles. Once a king, bound to his throne, now a prisoner to the crown. Choking laughter. "A man who thought too highly of himself. However great you think you are, you're nothing. You have no impact on the world. It continues long after you're gone." "You don't appear gone quite yet." "A worse fate. The living knowledge that my life held no meaning. You ask who I am. I will tell you..." Nations conquered, empire expanded, wealth overflowing. The world, his. At a young age, he knew greatness was his. History books would be filled with his name, of his many accomplishments. He was born to make an impact. He was raised to take all that he desired. And take, he did. The first-born of the king, all looked to him as their future. Thick hair grown long accompanied his princely face, symmetrical, his features sharp. The burden of the crown was something he yearned for, youthful vigor desperate for the challenge of strength. His father accomplished much; he would overshadow the man's memory with his own. His wife was chosen for him, an innocent mage, daughter of a former rival. Such is the nature of his position. Marriage, a strategic tactic meant to benefit the kingdom more than his bedchamber, not that it was filled only with their vows. Other women frequented it, addendums to the life contract. Still, despite the needs of his flesh, he loved her, and she loved him. Nations conquered, it wasn't enough. Empire expanded, stagnation occurred. Wealth overflowing, there was more to be found. Life is fleeting. All his work, for what? In mere years, he would be old and crippled. His life's work, unable to join him in the afterlife. What good is building an empire when one can't enjoy the fruits of his labor? The book, a tome of dark magic. Its power would bring him immortality. If only he knew what that meant. Its location was discovered after decades of research. The top scholars and spellcasters of the world at his disposal. His men were sent to scour the earth, given all authority to question, dispose, and interrogate those who stood in his way. Neighbor spied on neighbor in exchange for wealth. Houses were raided in the night. No citizen was safe from his search. Soon, they banded together, a revolution against his immortal rule. Vermin. He would exterminate those who stood against him. They found the cube, a map hidden within. It was protected by holy men, militant and zealous towards their god. A keep nested in-between twin volcanoes, their place of worship. His father left them alone. What danger did a secluded monastery bring, even if it was highly fortified. Little did he know its fortification was meant to guard against what lied within, rather than outside invaders. The holy men fought well. Their faith brought more than zealous ideology. Holy magic infused the monks, giving them strength far surpassing the common man. Their prayers smote thousands. Heavy casualties were suffered by his armies. In the end, they fell to his overwhelming forces, the conqueror himself leading the final victorious battle. Deep within the stronghold, he found the book. The tome of dark magic was his. Immortality was in its pages, a lasting empire never to be toppled. Betrayal. Another sought the book, and the promises it contained. Blinded by his pursuit, he didn't notice the knife at his back until it was too late. His wife, the innocent mage, enacted her revenge. A dormant hatred, silent, building over decades, made itself known. When all was within his grasp, she tore it from his fingers. His efforts, his life's mission, now hers. Passion overtook her actions. She could not be reasoned with. Her final words were an incoherent string of words, her mouth unable to keep up with the suppressed emotion. Dark magic within the book took hold, a curse from ancient times. It whispers to the mind, promising to fulfill one's deepest, darkest desire. Its manifestation is never as imagined, a lesson his precious wife learned, one shared by her husband as well. An immortal rule was his, freedom from tyranny was hers. "And so you're chained here, meant to serve an eternity on the throne," you say, your voice matching the whisper-like volume of the corpse. "Bound to an immortal rule," the corpse answers. "My greatest desire became the thing preventing my rest." "I don't seek fortune or fame," you speak. "My wish isn't to hoard great amounts of power to myself." "Mmm. Perhaps you've come to the wrong place then." "Perhaps..." "But you can end my suffering. Kill me. Set me free." > You leave him chained You decide to leave him be. The power that unnaturally prolongs his life is bound to the corpse, chaining him to an eternal service. It's a power you'd rather not mix yourself with. The corpse chose his fate, aligning himself to old magic. Looking at the result in front of you, that's not something you're interested in. The book is in the lower levels. Katia and her "force" are close. You've learned what you can here. Best to get a move on. You sheathe your bow and place the arrow back in your quiver. "Fool," the immortal king whispers. "Such power should not be ignored." "Perhaps it should have," you answer back, turning to leave. "...have you no mercy?" "It's not cruelty that stays my hand. But foresight. Your ambitions blinded you. I'll not make the same mistake and wind up shackled to that throne." His voice, more strained than before, asks, "Then what is it that drives you, mortal?" You pause a moment to think. Is that a question that can be answered in passing? "I seek closure, freedom, redemption. From myself. From others. Plain and simple. I want my actions to truly be my own. Not lust. Not vengeance. Not even pleasure. You wanted to rule others. I simply want to rule myself and be shackled by my past." With that, you exit the throne room, a choking attempt at laughter is the only response from the shackled king. Whatever power manifested the screech before is used up. Speaking was a strain. Nothing conflicts your departure. To the lower levels. What force could be with Katia? She lives. Yes, but who accompanies her? Back down the staircase you travel, quicker this time with knowledge that no threat is near, at least until you reach the ground floor, which causes you to revert back to subterfuge. The staircase continues down, winding in a spiral. Your bow is back in your hand. After a few minutes, light appears from the bottom. It doesn't come from torchlight or brazier; the glow is too consistent for such sources. It's unwavering like steady sunlight, only you're deep underground at this point. Its reddish-orange color can mean only one thing. Devil's Altar. Twin volcanoes. Deep underneath the keep lies pools of magma, somehow a fitting place for a book of dark magic. True to the location's name as well. You're not only met with magma pools. Voices carry up the staircase as well. You stop less than ten steps from the bottom, still hidden from sight. Looking straight down, though your vision is unable to see inside, you can tell the stone steps lead to rocky footing, a cavern. One small pool of magma sits near the entrance, likely many more further in. You wait a moment, just out of view, listening for signs of movement inside. Your efforts are rewarded. Shuffling of boots. More voices. They appear faintly, a great distance into the cavern. Silently hoping that it's enough distance not to notice your presence, you sneak down to the bottom of the stairs, staying near the wall. Sure enough, the stairs lead to a large cavern. Pillars of rock protrude from both the floor and ceiling, like water drops frozen in their descent. Several sizable pools of magma are spread out on the floor, arranged like a molten swamp, the rock pillars acting as unkempt grass. A far distance off, a group of soldiers stand in a semi-circle around a woman. Soldiers with Katia? They wear light chainmail displaying no colors. The entire group is transfixed on a single object before them. A stone pedestal with a book on top. It's too far away to see details other than its black cover. There's no mistaking this is the one you seek, the one they hunt you for, the one you hunt for. Under the cover of several pillars, you continue to creep forward, moving into a favorable position to strike, or at least observe which sort of traps may await you. Whoever the soldiers are, they'll do you a favor by springing any along the way. You reach a point where you can just make out their words. "So this is it," a soldier's voice speaks. "Lord Tiras thanks you for your service." "Grab it so we can move on. Your lord has a large amount of coin waiting for me," the woman answers. Lord Tiras. We weren't followed. I made sure of it. Apparently we were. Observe a moment more. Perhaps there is something to be learned. Nodding the soldier steps forward, his chain clinking softly. Two gloved hands reach out for the book. From your new position, you can see it more clearly. It's not as thick as you imagined. It could probably fit in the inside pocket of your coat. It's cover is a midnight black. No words. No images. Simplistic. As the soldier's hands grasp the book, his body suddenly tenses, paralyzed. He stands there, hands on the book, arms starting to shake uncontrollably. Suddenly, movement is granted. He vomits on the cavern floor, sending the others near him a few feet back in reaction. The soldier collapses, stomach convulsing, into his own bile. The book falls from his grasp, thankfully not landing in the mess, although it's been hit by a few drops. A hand places itself around your mouth. Startled, you turn meaning to fire your bow, but the arrow is pulled from your bowstring by the culprit's other hand. Katia. She drops the arrow, and holds a finger up to her lips, signaling you to stay quiet. Her hand leaves your mouth. If Katia's here, then who is... Jaina. The mage removes her hood, squatting down to examine the fallen soldier. So she is working with Lord Tiras. She followed you here meaning to take the book. Lord Tiras, Richter, now Jaina. Who's next? Your eyes span back to Katia next to you. Her blonde hair isn't as neatly tied back as before. Wherever she disappeared to, she doesn't look to have sustained any injuries. Distrust floods your mind. You certainly took great care not to be followed. Perhaps your traveling companion brought others with her. > Katia So close. So damn close. She wasn't accustomed to such prolonged travel. That's not to say she didn't enjoy it. Hell, it was like something written in a novel. A book of magic, handsome companion—in his own right—and weeks spent on the road. Being the daughter of a poor family not doing much better on her own, it provided a certain...opportunity. She'd survived so far by being open to such opportunity and taking advantage when it presented itself. This journey was no different. Her beauty always drew others to her. She knew it. They knew it. It was no different when that rogue made his interests known. Richter. Such a sweet man, once you got past his care-free exterior, that is. No, Katia was surprised she let it get as far as it did. Then again, the rogue wasn't the only one who'd fallen in love with her. There had been many over the years. Did she love him back? Perhaps. Maybe she just thought she did. It's hard for a young mind to know for certain, especially when experience is absent. He returned from a long journey tracking a rebellious organization. Secretly, Katia knew the real objective of the mission: finding the cube. At the time, she didn't know what it was. A treasure to give them both a new start. Damn, that sounded good to a poor tavern waitress who'd lived in poverty her entire life. If only she didn't cast her lot in with the rogue. Men of his type couldn't control themselves, despite their true feelings. They seek a new thrill. They head in whichever direction draws their attention, even if that isn't in their best interest or in the best interest of—whatever Katia was. She should have known. Damn inexperience. However, in the end his feelings were apparent. Left without other options, or short attention span taking him elsewhere, Richter had settled on Katia. It was too late. She'd already seduced his companion to spite him. Katia wondered if he knew. Unfortunate timing, that. Still, she had caught Richter underneath Marta's skirt. His body was unfaithful. But maybe, just maybe, his heart remained true. His death is recent enough for Katia to believe that. Give it a few months, and she'll curse him for his action. His type of love was intense, unwavering. But it was directed at whatever—or whoever—was in front of him. Richter... Katia truly wished he found peace. His destiny wasn't to discover the book. Perhaps, hers was. > Jaina "Hmm. Vomiting, convulsions, foaming," Jaina ponders to herself. The soldiers around her remain silent. "Let's see here." She weaves her arms into a spell, whispering arcane words under her breath. Blue light floods from her palms into the book—rather, the light coats the book in a thin layer of magic. It hovers a moment before dissolving, the defensive curse gone with it. Jaina speaks again, this time towards the nearest soldier. "Well, what are you waiting for? Pick it up." The man glances at his dead colleague and gulps nervously. He slowly approaches the book and timidly reaches his arms out, keeping his head as far away as possible, like it's going to spring up at him. Two gloved hands wrap around a black tome. Noticing his eyes are involuntarily closed, the man peers an eye open. Realizing he's, in fact, not dead, a smile breaks across his lips. "For you, milady," he says with more confidence than before, offering the book to Jaina. This is our chance. Jaina was kind to take care of the magical defenses for us. She's exposed; take the shot. The ever-familiar weight of your bow focuses you in the moment. Many hunts, many situations it's gotten you out of. The weapon has saved your life countless times, in more than just physically dangerous circumstances. It's a symbol of your chance at redemption. Perhaps one day that'll lie at the end of a hunt. She left. Betrayed you to search for a life of adventure. Ironically, that's the very life you lead now, catapulted into such a life after she left. What she seeks for was right in front of her, led astray by fanciful thinking and imagination. You hope she found it. Then at least one of you could have what you want. What you seek is seemingly just out of reach, always so, moving slightly further away with each outstretch of the arm. Peace. Contentment. Quieting of the mind. Your muscles flex with the bowstring draw. Once, a full draw was taxing on your arms. Once, nocking an arrow took deliberate attention. Now, both are handled with ease. It's nothing more than tying the strings of your boots. Bow drawn, arrow released. The instant it's sent, you know it'll land true. Countless arrows fired alert you to that fact. It's a feeling. Steady hold. Target lined up. Breath exhaling. Smooth release, automatic, like the weapon knew when to loose the arrow. The string slides from your fingers, rubbing where heavy calluses have been built up. No jerk. No pull. Just release. Its trajectory is absolute. The arrow flies through the air directly towards the back of Jaina's head, still uncovered by her hood. Impact. No blood. Like glass shattering, the arcane protection Jaina casted explodes in a shower of light. Your arrow falls harmlessly to the floor. Jaina turns, meeting your eyes. She flashes you a smile. "I was wondering when you'd show up," she says. "You know, you should have told me Richter gave you the cube. We could have traveled here together. You wouldn't be able to pass the keep's defenses otherwise." Your eyes narrow. "What do you know about the cube? Were all of you hunting the Spirit of Truth for it?" Jaina laughs. "In a word, yes. Do you really think that 'deadly' medical center provided much of a threat against Lord Tiras? Propaganda. All of it. Meant to lure someone with your skillset to lead us straight to the man. You always did focus too much on the task in front of you. You should really learn to look beyond the immediate." The soldiers accompanying Jaina shuffle their feet in nervousness. Not against you suddenly appearing. Against the fact that Jaina revealed their master's less-than-noble approach to obtain the cube. It's obvious who their allegiance lies with. Anger fills your mind. Anger against being used. She used you. Lord Tiras used you. Your traveling companions, Maxxx, Jaina, and Richter, used you. You aren't some child's toy to be played with. You should really learn to look beyond the immediate. Jaina's words. You're open to the advice. Your life hasn't gone in the direction you've wanted so far. Might as well change things up a bit. Jaina's words were meant as a taunt, but hell, you're going to put them to good use. Your life flashes before your eyes, similar to how men speak of near-death experiences, although in your case, it's in the opposite direction. You imagine a year from now, two, five even. In which direction are you heading? Will it be a constant cycle, taking job after job to keep yourself busy, to keep the mind occupied so it can't look inward? You've hunted men, exchanging blood for coins. It's always been known who the true enemy is, however. The true enemy lies within. It's the part of you that pulls towards self-destructive behavior. It's the part of you that ignores those who offer a hand out while you're lost in darkness. Will you continue the endless, inward fight or will you learn to change the battlefield? Questions, too many questions pour into your mind. The future is uncertain. It holds many possible paths. You care little where it leads you as long as the enemy within can be conquered. You should really look beyond the immediate. You have. Jaina stands in your way, a mere obstacle on your way to self-mastery. Her shield is down. Fire another. You pull another arrow from your quiver, firing it with your next breath. It flies across the cavern directly at Jaina. At the last moment, one of her soldiers jumps in front of the sorceress and blocks the arrow with his shield. First deal with the soldiers. Most of them carry shields, so your bow will not be effective from your current location. After the first fell to the book's curse, there are six left. Katia postures to fight alongside you, but you wave her back. She'll just be a liability. A distraction, drawing your attention away. She still holds her crossbow, though. One lucky shot from her will make things significantly easier. Shields raised, the six converge on your position. They're approaching quickly. Too quickly. Jaina must have whispered a few arcane words in their direction. You only have time to fire one arrow, aiming low, underneath the shield of the nearest soldier. It pierces through his left greave, sending the man sprawling to the floor, magical speed thrusting him into a harder fall. Tossing your bow aside, having no time to properly sheathe it, you draw your blade ready to meet the soldiers' onslaught. With your recently experienced foresight, you're not about to passively engage the soldiers. True, you're outnumbered. The soldiers' chainmail is much more protective than your light leather. And they have the support of a magic-wielder. The odds are highly against you. If this is how your story ends, hell if you won't go without a fight. You match their charge with your own, parrying several sweeps as you meet. Your willingness to take the offensive surprises them for a moment. That's all you need. You direct all your attention towards a soldier on your left, abandoning the others with a series of fury-filled heavy swings. He manages to block the first three, but then you break through, the fourth swing landing at the base of his neck. Not counting the man hit by your arrow, four to go. Your mind becomes a rush of memories. A flow state emerges, one that takes your mind from the present moment and the soldiers before you. Soft hands in your embrace. Tender kiss on your lips. Warmth of her body against yours. A strange outlook took hold. Suddenly, the world around you was full of opportunity. Hope. Each person in passing, each circumstance was a chance to experience more with her. That in itself took away the mundane. Nothing lacked excitement when she was near. (Faintly, you're aware a bolt from Katia's crossbow hits a soldier in the neck.) Then she started acting differently. You could tell. Your minor quips didn't result in smiles. She seemed restless in your arms, a mind divided from the life she lived. Divided from you. Your best attempts weren't good enough. Desperately, you tried to fill the gaps in her mind with your own. She left, taking it with her. Now you're left in the cold with a mind split. Fragmented. Lost. Back to reality. You stand alone, bodies laying unmoving at your feet. No, not alone. Katia comes alongside next to you, putting the finishing touches on one fallen soldier still clinging to breath. Your eyes meet. Words remain unspoken. The biggest threat of all still remains. Jaina. "How romantic," Jaina comments towards the two of you standing in pooling blood. "I do believe your little star-crossed journey has reached its final destination. There's no 'happily ever after' in your future. I'm sorry, my former friend, but this is where you die." Jaina's hand crackles with electricity. Blue tendrils release from her outstretched arm. You have a split-second to decide a course of action. > You brace yourself This is it. This is the end. After traveling weeks to arrive here, this is how your story ends. Not with redemption or some grand adventure to share with your grandkids one day. Betrayal, the siren song of your life. Perhaps you can't blame those around you for their actions. Perhaps you're just playing the part of the fool. Jaina, a former ally. Now, greed guides her actions. Oddly enough, you don't feel hate towards the woman. Sure, you could harbor ill will against her for choosing this path. And that's just it: she chose a path and stuck with it. You did the same. There's really no blame to be had by either side. It's just unfortunate you find yourself on the opposite side of a lightning bolt. Unsurprisingly, your mind draws back to her. To the place on the bluffs you called your own. To her blanket that you laid out. To her tender lips placed on your own. Your eyes close in anticipation. ... The blast never arrives. Sudden, searing pain doesn't fill your body. Your eyes peer open. The ground lies blackened where Katia once stood, the woman herself gone from the position. After weeks of traveling, she's gone in the blink of an eye, much like entering the keep. Then, movement. Katia appears on the other side of Jaina, a shadow appearing from mist, dagger in each hand. Jaina's eyes open wide in surprise. Both blades plunge into her back, her defenses destroyed with your initial arrow shot. The sorceress collapses, the book falling on the ground next to her. Katia flashes you a smile through several strands of hair that have fallen in front of her face. She bends down to pick up the tome. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're not the first to fall for the helpless maid act," she says. The illusions shatters. Whatever background you projected on the woman—along with the ones she told you—are gone. There is more than meets the eye with her. You shouldn't be surprised. The siren song of your life echoes in your mind. You respond. "How long? How long were you working for him?" She sighs. Regret? Not likely. Boredom, perhaps. "The entire time. Before you and I even met. I thought it would be Richter in your position, although when I saw you in that tavern I hedged my bet. Little did I know you would be so capable." "Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint you," you answer, eyes casually glancing to where your bow lies on the ground. "Where does this leave us?" "I admit I have grown a certain fondness towards you, as hazardous as it is to the profession..." You interject. "And which profession would that be exactly?" "Need you be so thorough?" Katia stares at you a moment. "Of course you do. I forgot who I was speaking to. I'm part of an...exclusive organization. Well, currently I'm just an acolyte. Nine there are. No more, no less. This book here is my ticket into a formal challenge with one of the Nine." "You would leave a trail of bodies just for a challenge?" you ask. "Please. Like you're so innocent yourself," Katia answers. She's not wrong. "It's not morality that guides the question," you say. "That book is worth a fortune. And you would trade it for an uncertain outcome. If it were me, I'd put it towards something more imminent." "Sure you would. That's why she left you isn't it? Yeah, I did my research on you. I can tell you it's more extensive than whatever rumors this sorceress found out. Our organization has eyes everywhere. Sleepers. Even in the most far out, unheard of towns, our watchful gaze is present. Your former life was a bit too secure for her, huh? No adventures into the unknown. No risk. No danger. Her life didn't end up quite the way she wanted." "...you know of where she went?" "You're not that thick-headed. Didn't you just hear me? We have eyes everywhere. Yes, I know what came of your wife's—former wife's—'life of adventure.' She settled down. Met some plain old farmer. Not exactly the thrilling life she left you for, eh?" The hair on your skin stands up. A strange feeling washes over you, similar to the one you experienced during your first battle. She...settled down. With a farmer, no less. Lies, all of it. Her reasons for leaving. Bullshit. All of it. Left the comfort of your arms for another. Lies, all of it. Your mind flashes back, not to your time with her, but to the moment when you decided to travel to Devil's Altar. For the sake of closure. Partially for Katia, partially for you. Somehow this doesn't bring conclusion to your former life. It should. The biggest question in your mind is answered, and nothing's changed. Emptiness still fills your heart. Richter's dying plea was built on a lie. Whatever grand plans you had for tracking her down, having things the way they used to be, is dissolved. There's nothing left. All have abandoned you. "Doing ok?" Katia asks, genuine concern on her face. Lies, all of it. No, she can't be trusted. Give her nothing back. I have grown a certain fondness of you. Your heart hardens, more than ever before. More than you ever thought possible. What's left for you? More hunts? Keeping yourself busy with work and drink to numb the pain? It's not a solid plan, but it's a plan nonetheless. "Just as well as I've always been," you answer. "So where does this leave us?" "Well," Katia begins. "You could allow pride to guide your actions and try to take the book from me, although I wouldn't advise that option." She flips her daggers in her hands for emphasis. "Or we both could walk out of here and go our separate ways. No hard feelings. I chose my path. Now you get to choose yours." > Pride Humility be damned, you're tired of being walked over. Tired of people taking advantage of you. Sure, you can admit your own shortcomings, but that doesn't mean you have to let others take what is yours. She chose her path. Katia chose hers. Now, it's your turn. Before Katia can react, maybe she was thinking you would submit, you dive towards your bow, scooping it up, completing a roll, and drawing upon completion. You aim the weapon at Katia. "And so our paths are chosen," you say. "I'm sorry it came to this." "Sorry?" Katia questions. "You were always different in your own right, but I never pegged you a fool. You've chosen death." "We'll see about that," you answer, firing the arrow. It travels directly for Katia. At the last second, her body fades from existence, the arrow lodging itself harmlessly into a rocky pillar. The sight of her appearing behind Jaina blinks into your mind. Chances are, she'll try the same with you. You dive to your left, firing another arrow in the place where you once stood. Your intuition is correct. Her body appears just in time for the arrow to land squarely in her chest. The impact knocks Katia back a few feet to the ground. Her daggers fly from her hands, clanking on the cavern floor, far from her reach. She coughs as you approach, the pain from the action visible on her face. "I've chosen death, yes. Though not my own," you say, staring down at your former traveling companion. Katia coughs again. The tips of her blonde hair are starting to be dyed red from her chest wound. "And here I thought I had you all figured out." After making sure she has no more daggers hidden on her, you bend down near Katia. "That wound is fatal. Removing my arrow would cause more damage." "Always with your mind on the immediate," Katia manages to say. She coughs again, a heavy wheeze. Her lung must be punctured. Blood is pooling inside. She has little time left. You nod towards the wound. "Would you have me thinking elsewhere?" "Fair enough," she answers. "So, no one else stands in your way. The book is yours. What will you do with it?" She asks the question that you've been pouring over the entire journey here. What started out as a search for closure, a hope that redemption still exists for you, is finally drawing to an end. And the fact is, you still haven't been able to answer that question. You've never been one to live a lavish lifestyle. Gold coins were simply to buy new gear and to keep living. It's not like you have a house. The price of inn rooms add up after a while, that is when you're not out in the wilderness. There's really only one option to take. Richter said the tome is of dark magic, ancient curses. But it also holds great power within. Perhaps it holds the power to free you from your past and the nightmares that haunt your dreams. There lies a danger, however. The corpse you found tied to the throne formerly possessed the book. His story is a warning. What you think you seek isn't what will be awarded to you. Your eyes draw to the book. It sits comfortably within Katia's inner coat still. She notices your glance and speaks again. "Just take it. It won't do me any good now." You reach out and take the book from her. As before, it's length is surprising. Since learning of the tome, you pictured a thick volume with ancient symbols inscribed on the cover. In reality, it's rather...plain. No symbols on the front or back. It's bound with leather, dyed black, like a tree trunk after suffering a fire. "This is it?" you wonder aloud. You're not met with a response. You glance back down to Katia. She lies silent, her eyes staring aimlessly forward. Her chest is absent from its normal cadence of breath. You reach out and gently shut her eyelids. Next you flip open the book. Its pages are nothing but ancient glyphs, foreign text that bears no meaning. Unable to decipher the words, you keep turning pages searching for some familiarity. A book of power betrays its namesake if the words are unable to be read, and you sure as hell don't want to hire an interpreter—that'd be as good as giving the artifact away. No, you need to find something usable. While the tome itself isn't extensive, the pages themselves are. Thick paper makes up each page, parchment from a time when paper wasn't made as sleek. They have a weight to them, a quality of the highest standard. As you continue to flip, the glyphs blur together. What once was rows upon rows of text, steadily becomes a single mass of black ink, swirling together. At once, the swirl puffs into the air, as if the tome were the mouth of a volcano. The cloud hangs in the air a moment before extinguishing completely. Your vision fades as well. Darkness. All around you is black, more so than the most starless of nights. It's like being underground with a blindfold tied around your eyes. Then, light. It starts small, just a small glow in the distance. It's luminosity is as if it were a firefly, though significantly larger. It draws near, seeming to move with intention. Intentionally heading for you. It hovers just above your body, waiting as if it wants some sort of reaction from you. Then it takes off in the distance. Not knowing what else to do, you break into a sprint after it. As you move, you notice your weapons and armor are gone. Instead, you're dressed in a flowing black robe, like that of a priest. Air doesn't rush by. You don't feel the strength of your arms pumping, the impact of your feet upon the ground. It's like you're running underwater, limbs moving frantically but going nowhere. After keeping pace for almost a minute, you realize you're not even breathing heavy. Wherever you are, normal physics has no place here. The light stops. So do you. The darkness gives way, retreating just to the edge of your vision, allowing you to see your surroundings. You find yourself in what appears to be a throne room, although not one for ceremonies. No, it looks as if a place of judgement, where one does not happily attend a summoning. And yet, you are summoned. A voice rings out, fading in and out of existence, attempting to twist your sanity along with it. Haunted by his past he comes. He thinks he can rewrite history. Ha ha ha. Many have tried, none have succeeded. "Who speaks?" you shout into the darkness. "I seek nothing but the mending of old wounds." Mmm. Interesting. Not power? Not wealth? Men are often such base things. Old wounds you say... The voice croaks, old and throaty. ...and why would you be after such a thing? > Closure "Closure," you say. "I wish to end this chapter so I can begin another." That is interesting. What makes you think the next chapter will be more fulfilling than the last?" "I don't. But I know it can't get much worse." Ha ha ha. I can't tell if that's wisdom or cynicism. Perhaps a bit of both. With their finals words, the one speaking seems to draw closer, although it could be an effect of the disorienting darkness. As you're about to respond, a face appears from the shadows. It's not a human face. It's something else entirely. Sharp eyes, feral yellow gaze at you. Its teeth are jagged knives wicked in nature, seemingly floating in place—the face itself, though clearly a face, isn't quite together. Its features hover in place, moving in unison. Its sudden appearance causes you to stumble over your words. "It's...well, it's the truth. Take your pick, wisdom or cynicism. I see it as simple, if not blunt, honesty." Mmm. I hold the power to grant you with what you seek. "...And?" And it's not freely given. The cost must be of equal value. Balance. The world is in a constant battle, opposites fighting against one another. The moon appears after the sun leaves, shining her lunar light until the sunlight takes over once again. Good versus evil—if only one existed, there wouldn't be much strife. Idealists and religious zealots like to imagine a world free from evil. It cannot be. Paradise is nothing but a myth to drive agendas. Neither can exist on their own. It's their contrast that reveals their nature. If you rid the world from evil—if that were even possible—man would reinvent it in a small matter of time, from sheer boredom and the need for excitement. "What is the cost for closure, then?" you ask, knowing it will be great. Your own desire for closure speaks to its weight. Closure. Balance. The world must maintain order. Closure, the ending of one chapter so another may begin. Closure, the severing of ties. Closure, finality. Birth, the beginning. The cost for what you seek will be your firstborn. The price for your ending is another's beginning. "I..." you start, imagining your future. Will you even conceive? You have no wife. No one in waiting either. But if you did, you would be condemning a child, your child, to death. The tome's gift will grant you the option to move on, but could you really love someone—did you deserve to love someone—if you would make your curse their own? There's always the chance children aren't in your future. The curse would bear no meaning. Void. However, there does lie a certainty: you would gain the ability to move on. When looking at it from that perspective, the cost doesn't seem so much. After all, there's a chance of it not even coming into action. Given a choice to gain what you desperately seek with the opportunity of no backlash, you take it. "I...accept." Just as I foresaw. Balance must be maintained. In order to gain something of value, you must surrender something equal. The joy you're about to receive will eventually turn to sorrow. Laughter must bring tears. Contentment, anxiety. I bestow upon you my blessing, taking the price which you freely offer. Now go! > Aftermath Upon acceptance, the darkness around you swirls like water rushing down a drain. Twisting, spiraling it goes, although silent and breathless. Such movement should bring a rush of air, but instead, nothingness accompanies. You stand still, at the mercy of this place and the being that resides within. Then, like a vessel approaching a waterfall, your body starts to be drawn towards the center, losing yourself in the sudden rush. Disoriented, you reach your arms out in protection, while also searching for handholds. Nothing of the sort appears. Your mind begins to spin as if under the influence of too much ale, and a deep anxiousness overtakes your body. Restless, at the mercy of the being, you're thrust deeper into the flowing darkness. Then, light appears. You're back in the cavern where you first opened the book. It's— —the sudden halt and brightness overtakes your senses. You collapse to the rocky floor, heaving and hacking. Vomit pours from your mouth, leaving a burning acidic taste on your tongue. After a few moments, you regather yourself. Nothing feels different. Whatever deal you made, doesn't seem to directly affect your senses or well-being. Instead of arriving at a new existence, everything feels the same. The long journey you took, the hardships you've endured: they mean nothing. Nothing's changed, despite your strife. You might as well have saved yourself the trouble. Whatever power Lord Tiras, Katia, and others sought after must be the thing of fairy tales. The immortal king. Yes, it must be real. He lives on. The soldier that touched the book. Perhaps, our perception isn't as great as we thought. Or perhaps, life-changing moments aren't grand experiences, simply sudden shifts of direction that will take you where you need to go. A subtle change of trajectory that will take you to your destination, eventually, as long as the path is kept. If this is the correct path, you silently swear to keep on it no matter the consequences. Finding the correct path is difficult—staying on it even more so. But how does one recognize the path they tread is the correct one? Make a decision, then commit. Often it feels like nothing but a coin toss. The odds are equal for which direction to take. Crossroads appear with frequency. Navigation is simply a game of chance. No. Make a decision, then commit. That's all you can do. You've made your decision. Time to commit. > Epilogue You take your leave of Devil's Altar, putting the twin volcanoes behind you. You survived. That's more than any of the others can say. After passing over the bridge, you turn back to gaze on the keep. Dead. Silent it sits, resting comfortably between both volcanoes. A feeling of finality appears with the glance, the same one that comes with finishing a sizable book after being lost in it for hours. The irony is not lost on you. Tired, drained of energy, you press on. There may not be a pressing task to accomplish, but that does not mean nothing can be done. There is always a task to complete if you have the perception to find it, no matter how large or small it may be. The cost. Your firstborn will be surrendered. A slight shiver runs down your spine. It may never come to be. Then again, the death of a child—your first child—is no small payment. Was it worth it? Time will tell. The tome, tucked into your inner jacket pocket, presses against your chest with each step, a constant reminder of the debt you owe. Closure, though. The ending of one chapter so another may begin. The thing you desire most is finally in your grasp. Do you feel like a changed man? Or did you allow personal selfishness to take the life of your firstborn? The answer may be a mix of the two. Still, you acted. Better than the paralyzation of inaction, too afraid to commit to the wrong deed. You backtrack your journey, heading back to where you left the roans. They should still be there, unless someone stumbled upon them. They were left with enough food and water to last this long. Even if they are gone, you scavenged enough rations from Jaina and the soldiers to survive a long walk back. After days of hiking, the constant soreness settling in, you approach the area where you left the horses. Off in the distance you can see the edge of the Redwood Forest, a wall of green against the gray rock of Sheol. As you draw near, sudden noise appears causing you to instinctually draw your weapon. "Are you planning on taming a horse with that?" A woman's voice rings out from the brush. After stepping off the path in the direction of the voice, you find a woman holding the reigns of both roans you left behind. The beasts clearly aren't interested in their new "owner," and, in defiance, pull their heads away from the reins. You answer. "The horses, no. But it'll do the trick against horse thieves." The woman pauses, loosening her grip on the reigns. Her hair is long and black, face slightly matted with dirt from days of travel. You guess she's a few years older than you based on the maturity of features, small lines starting to appear at her cheeks. Not beautiful by traditional means, but certainly in her own dirt-covered way. "Saving the lives of two animals is hardly stealing," she replies. "Found them here all alone. Even waited two days. How do I know you're not the thief?" "Because," you start, whistling in the air. Your horse attempts to trot towards you, gets halted by the reins momentarily, then forcefully pulls away from the woman's grip. The sudden strength of the beast catches her unaware, and the reins slip from her hand. "Thieves don't usually steal their own belongings." Humbled, the woman responds. "Fair enough. I couldn't help but notice only one recognized you. What about this one?" She shakes the reins of Katia's horse, which has stayed calm the entire time. "Her owner didn't make it." "I'm sorry to hear that," the woman answers, not feigning her sympathy. "She's yours if you want her. Not flashy, but she'll get the job done," you say, moving the subject on. Truthfully, you don't want to think about Katia at this moment. "You'd give a horse to a stranger?" You shrug. "What use do I have for two horses?" "You are quite the odd one, aren't you? I'll take you up on that offer. I'm Natasya by the way. Which way are you heading? Might be safer to travel together for the time being." You think for a moment. You hadn't decided on a destination yet, although you've had enough of the cold weather. South is as good a direction as any. At the very least, the weather is more forgiving. "South," you answer. "Just...south? Anywhere is better than the cold mountains in my opinion," Natasya says. "Lived here all my life, but I'm fairly certain I'm not wrong," she adds with a chuckle. "There's a lot of open road between here and 'south.' I hope you know I'm going to be asking you a lot of questions along the way." "I don't remember ever agreeing to travel together," you say. "Oh please. For someone who looks as if they know their way through the wilderness, you look lost as hell." Nataysa takes a more serious tone with you. You have been through a lot recently. There hasn't been much time to rest and wash up either. No doubt you probably look just as dirtied as Natasya, if not more so. "Fine," you give in. "Only until our paths separate." "That's what I thought," Natasya answers. "Now here, help me adjust the saddle. The previous owner must have had longer legs than me." Sighing, you head to help her. The motion causes the book in your inner pocket to remind yourself of its presence, like it's gently nudging you of the owed debt. You get a sinking feeling that the reminder will occur each time you meet a woman, no matter how casual the relationship. Closure, the ending of one chapter so another can begin. There's no guarantee that the next one will be better than the last, but damn, you can't stay in one place forever. Getting Natasya situated on her new horse, you take off south. There's a long journey ahead of you, the beginning of a new chapter. This one's at an end.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy] This is it. This is the end. After traveling weeks to arrive here, this is how your story ends. Not with redemption or some grand adventure to share with your grandkids one day. Betrayal, the siren song of your life. Perhaps you can't blame those around you for their actions. Perhaps you're just playing the part of the fool. Jaina, a former ally. Now, greed guides her actions. Oddly enough, you don't feel hate towards the woman. Sure, you could harbor ill will against her for choosing this path. And that's just it: she chose a path and stuck with it. You did the same. There's really no blame to be had by either side. It's just unfortunate you find yourself on the opposite side of a lightning bolt. Unsurprisingly, your mind draws back to her. To the place on the bluffs you called your own. To her blanket that you laid out. To her tender lips placed on your own. Your eyes close in anticipation. ... The blast never arrives. Sudden, searing pain doesn't fill your body. Your eyes peer open. The ground lies blackened where Katia once stood, the woman herself gone from the position. After weeks of traveling, she's gone in the blink of an eye, much like entering the keep. Then, movement. Katia appears on the other side of Jaina, a shadow appearing from mist, dagger in each hand. Jaina's eyes open wide in surprise. Both blades plunge into her back, her defenses destroyed with your initial arrow shot. The sorceress collapses, the book falling on the ground next to her. Katia flashes you a smile through several strands of hair that have fallen in front of her face. She bends down to pick up the tome. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're not the first to fall for the helpless maid act," she says. The illusions shatters. Whatever background you projected on the woman—along with the ones she told you—are gone. There is more than meets the eye with her. You shouldn't be surprised. The siren song of your life echoes in your mind. You respond. "How long? How long were you working for him?" She sighs. Regret? Not likely. Boredom, perhaps. "The entire time. Before you and I even met. I thought it would be Richter in your position, although when I saw you in that tavern I hedged my bet. Little did I know you would be so capable." "Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint you," you answer, eyes casually glancing to where your bow lies on the ground. "Where does this leave us?" "I admit I have grown a certain fondness towards you, as hazardous as it is to the profession..." You interject. "And which profession would that be exactly?" "Need you be so thorough?" Katia stares at you a moment. "Of course you do. I forgot who I was speaking to. I'm part of an...exclusive organization. Well, currently I'm just an acolyte. Nine there are. No more, no less. This book here is my ticket into a formal challenge with one of the Nine." "You would leave a trail of bodies just for a challenge?" you ask. "Please. Like you're so innocent yourself," Katia answers. She's not wrong. "It's not morality that guides the question," you say. "That book is worth a fortune. And you would trade it for an uncertain outcome. If it were me, I'd put it towards something more imminent." "Sure you would. That's why she left you isn't it? Yeah, I did my research on you. I can tell you it's more extensive than whatever rumors this sorceress found out. Our organization has eyes everywhere. Sleepers. Even in the most far out, unheard of towns, our watchful gaze is present. Your former life was a bit too secure for her, huh? No adventures into the unknown. No risk. No danger. Her life didn't end up quite the way she wanted." "...you know of where she went?" "You're not that thick-headed. Didn't you just hear me? We have eyes everywhere. Yes, I know what came of your wife's—former wife's—'life of adventure.' She settled down. Met some plain old farmer. Not exactly the thrilling life she left you for, eh?" The hair on your skin stands up. A strange feeling washes over you, similar to the one you experienced during your first battle. She...settled down. With a farmer, no less. Lies, all of it. Her reasons for leaving. Bullshit. All of it. Left the comfort of your arms for another. Lies, all of it. Your mind flashes back, not to your time with her, but to the moment when you decided to travel to Devil's Altar. For the sake of closure. Partially for Katia, partially for you. Somehow this doesn't bring conclusion to your former life. It should. The biggest question in your mind is answered, and nothing's changed. Emptiness still fills your heart. Richter's dying plea was built on a lie. Whatever grand plans you had for tracking her down, having things the way they used to be, is dissolved. There's nothing left. All have abandoned you. "Doing ok?" Katia asks, genuine concern on her face. Lies, all of it. No, she can't be trusted. Give her nothing back. I have grown a certain fondness of you. Your heart hardens, more than ever before. More than you ever thought possible. What's left for you? More hunts? Keeping yourself busy with work and drink to numb the pain? It's not a solid plan, but it's a plan nonetheless. "Just as well as I've always been," you answer. "So where does this leave us?" "Well," Katia begins. "You could allow pride to guide your actions and try to take the book from me, although I wouldn't advise that option." She flips her daggers in her hands for emphasis. "Or we both could walk out of here and go our separate ways. No hard feelings. I chose my path. Now you get to choose yours." > Humility "It was never about the book," you say. "The things I seek won't be fixed with a simple wish or curse or whatever the hell is inside that tome." Katia smiles. It strikes you as the first true smile you've witnessed from the woman rather than the facade she put on before. Dangerous woman, this one. "I had a feeling you might say that. I'm a student of character, among other things. How do you think I seduced you so easily?" That question is easily answered by having her look in a mirror. She flips the daggers again. "You've never been one for riches or women...however, you do enjoy a good drink, so you're not completely without sin." "You'll receive no argument from me in that regard." "Pessimism," Katia begins. "Is your other mistress. She goes hand in hand with the drink. At least there isn't in-fighting between the two." "This is it then," the words pour from your mouth. This time, they are yours. Not like when you spoke them to her. Memories. A blanket spread on the bluffs, overlooking the sea. Her warm body next to yours. Waking up to an empty vodka bottle. No hand to interlock with yours; it, instead, holds a hunter's weapon. The path is set, and there's no going back. For the sake of closure. It never comes as expected. There's not some sudden rush of feeling like that of a parent tucking you into bed. Life still moves on, with or without you. "This is it then," Katia returns your words back to you. "Where will you go?" You really have no idea. There are no ties holding you to a particular city. No employer. No lover. Some may consider that freedom. You could pack up at a moment's time and leave on nothing but a simple impulse. But still, there's something severely lacking: a sense of purpose. Some may thrive living without a sense of responsibility. Journeying to Devil's Altar was a quick fix, a ripped tunic acting as a tourniquet. Not a long-term solution. The book could be a long-term solution... You shake that thought from your mind. The path's already been chosen. "Do yourself a favor," Katia speaks again. "Learn to live outside that head of yours. There's a certain tenacity to you, a willpower guiding your actions for better or for worse. When your mind's made up, you press on ignoring everything else, tunneling on the objective." "That doesn't sound like a particularly negative thing," you comment. "No—but not every decision needs a hefty internal debate. Sometimes you just gotta pick the path and move on. Simple as that." Katia stuffs the tome inside of her inner coat pocket. She flashes you a smile a final time before heading for the staircase. Before picking up your bow, you sift through the bodies on the floor. Wherever you're headed, you'll need supplies. Besides, it doesn't look like the soldiers—or Jaina—need their equipment anymore. After taking a few military rations, tasteless but filling, you grab your bow and sling it on your back. The world is before us. The possibilities are endless. Where to go? I can think of a good place to start. Back to where it all began, to the one who put this into motion. A certain lord hired you to hunt a peaceful man with ulterior motives. You're tired of being used. You're tired of being other people's playthings. Betrayal: the siren song of your life. It's time to sing it for another. > Epilogue: The Siren Song A large desk placed in the center of an amphitheatre-like study. Bookshelves line the room. More accurately, the walls are bookshelves. Confident his guards are outside and he's not to be disturbed, Lord Tiras settles down at the desk, his sight becoming an ever-familiar one of thick mahogany and parchment paper. Jaina is late on her report. Sorceresses. The amount of punctuality they impose on others never extends to themselves. Ungrateful women. They think they're a higher status than they are, just because a few arcane spells lie within their abilities. Sure, they live a lavish lifestyle, but whose funds allow that? Lord Tiras'. The current sorceress in his employ is dangerously close to having that fact reminded to her. The lord sighs. The report in front of him is less than satisfactory. A certain thief has been causing trouble in his city, operating under the guise of charity. Steal from the rich, give to the poor. Lord Tiras has heard it before; it's simply a way to break the law using virtue as a shield. It's not the first troublemaker that has directly opposed Lord Tiras, and it won't be the last. Still, a demonstration is in order for the thief's eventual capture. Punishment will be imparted publicly. A dull thud. Something drops to the floor outside of the lord's study. "Jensen," Lord Tiras calls out. "What was that?" The study doors open, and the thin aide walks through. Gods, the man is shaking with fear. Lord Tiras hasn't seen him this nervous since first coming into his service. He must have bumped into one of Lord Tiras' more valuable artifacts. The Hexdarian vase, perhaps. Considered priceless to most men. Not to Lord Tiras, though. "Apologies, lord," Jensen meekly says, his head looking down like a disobedient dog. "What's the matter, Jensen? What fell?" Lord Tiras asks, his eyes narrowing. In a shower of red, an arrowhead pierces through the front of Jensen's neck. The man falls to the study floor in a similar thud that Lord Tiras just heard, although not muffled by the door. You stand directly behind where Jensen was, originally hidden by the man. You nock another arrow to your bowstring. "You!" Lord Tiras spits, recognition on his face. "Yes, me," you answer. The two of you stare at each other for a moment. Lord Tiras seems to have abandoned the graying goatee and has since allowed a full beard to grow. "Well," Lord Tiras starts. "What do you want? Money? I have enough to let you live like a king." You reply staring down the sight of your arrow. "No you don't. Last I checked, you're Lord Tiras, not King Tiras." "So what's this about then?" "Closure," you say. "Weeks ago, you sent men to kill me after I performed the job you hired me for. Why?" "I know nothing of what you speak," the lord answers with a blank face. He's good. Not good enough. Lie to yourself enough, and you'll understand when the truth is absent. There's a goddamn gaping hole where it should reside with Tiras' words. You put an arrow through his leg in response. It lands mid-thigh. His reaction is delayed. Almost a full second after impact, Tiras collapses in pain. You've got exceptional aim, surely it's good enough to hit whichever limb you desire at this range. The precision required to hit a vital artery or not is essentially a coin toss. Either way, you don't really care for the outcome. Either way, Lord Tiras doesn't survive this night. "I'll ask again," you say, pulling another arrow from your quiver. "Why?" "Damn you," Lord Tiras mumbles from the floor, both hands clutching his bleeding leg. "I've repeated myself once. I won't do so again." "Fine," Lord Tiras answers in defeat. "Then you'll spare my life?" Receiving only silence, and having nothing to bargain, he divulges everything. "Yes, I employed some men to find the cube. But I didn't know what they'd do!" "Bullshit," you reply. "Really," Lord Tiras insists. "I couldn't send my own men. That'd be too telling. I coerced an underground network in exchange for a pardon. Between you and me, I had no idea the extent that they'd go to..." "Their actions and the blood on their hands is on yours by association. When a poorly-trained dog misbehaves, you don't blame the dog. You blame the master that trained him...the one that let it off its leash." "Be that as it may, I am truly sorry for their deeds. I'll have you know, their pardon has been dissolved. Those men, the ones wearing the dark cloaks, are currently rotting in my dungeon. They are to be executed for their crimes." "Then I'll pay them a visit after our current one is over," you say. "We have unfinished business, them and I." "Go to them now!" Lord Tiras answers with much too excitement for the moment. He's used to operating from a position of power. Collapsed on the floor and bleeding from his leg, the man is out of his element. To be fair, the first time you were in that position, you didn't know how to react either, although you tried not to draw attention to yourself. A lesson you've since learned from. The same won't be true for your former employer. "I wouldn't want to be rude and leave our ongoing discussion." "It's not much of a discussion," Lord Tiras grimaces, his grip around his leg growing tighter. "I agree," you answer, putting an arrow between the man's eyes. Lord Tiras' head snaps back. In a split-second, you have a flashback to the way Silvaras' head snapped with impact, a similar motion occurring here. The lord is executed the same way in which he ordered another man's death. Finally, his deeds have caught up to him. It's only a matter of time until yours do as well. Until then, you'll continue on. You've chosen a path and will see it through. That's all a man can do. Inaction has been disregarded. Whether the correct one, whether the moral one, you've set the destination. You press on. There's not enough time to debate the wisdom in your choice. At the very least, you take solace in knowing you've committed fully.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, fantasy] "Hmm. Vomiting, convulsions, foaming," Jaina ponders to herself. The soldiers around her remain silent. "Let's see here." She weaves her arms into a spell, whispering arcane words under her breath. Blue light floods from her palms into the book—rather, the light coats the book in a thin layer of magic. It hovers a moment before dissolving, the defensive curse gone with it. Jaina speaks again, this time towards the nearest soldier. "Well, what are you waiting for? Pick it up." The man glances at his dead colleague and gulps nervously. He slowly approaches the book and timidly reaches his arms out, keeping his head as far away as possible, like it's going to spring up at him. Two gloved hands wrap around a black tome. Noticing his eyes are involuntarily closed, the man peers an eye open. Realizing he's, in fact, not dead, a smile breaks across his lips. "For you, milady," he says with more confidence than before, offering the book to Jaina. This is our chance. Jaina was kind to take care of the magical defenses for us. She's exposed; take the shot. The ever-familiar weight of your bow focuses you in the moment. Many hunts, many situations it's gotten you out of. The weapon has saved your life countless times, in more than just physically dangerous circumstances. It's a symbol of your chance at redemption. Perhaps one day that'll lie at the end of a hunt. She left. Betrayed you to search for a life of adventure. Ironically, that's the very life you lead now, catapulted into such a life after she left. What she seeks for was right in front of her, led astray by fanciful thinking and imagination. You hope she found it. Then at least one of you could have what you want. What you seek is seemingly just out of reach, always so, moving slightly further away with each outstretch of the arm. Peace. Contentment. Quieting of the mind. Your muscles flex with the bowstring draw. Once, a full draw was taxing on your arms. Once, nocking an arrow took deliberate attention. Now, both are handled with ease. It's nothing more than tying the strings of your boots. Bow drawn, arrow released. The instant it's sent, you know it'll land true. Countless arrows fired alert you to that fact. It's a feeling. Steady hold. Target lined up. Breath exhaling. Smooth release, automatic, like the weapon knew when to loose the arrow. The string slides from your fingers, rubbing where heavy calluses have been built up. No jerk. No pull. Just release. Its trajectory is absolute. The arrow flies through the air directly towards the back of Jaina's head, still uncovered by her hood. Impact. No blood. Like glass shattering, the arcane protection Jaina casted explodes in a shower of light. Your arrow falls harmlessly to the floor. Jaina turns, meeting your eyes. She flashes you a smile. "I was wondering when you'd show up," she says. "You know, you should have told me Richter gave you the cube. We could have traveled here together. You wouldn't be able to pass the keep's defenses otherwise." Your eyes narrow. "What do you know about the cube? Were all of you hunting the Spirit of Truth for it?" Jaina laughs. "In a word, yes. Do you really think that 'deadly' medical center provided much of a threat against Lord Tiras? Propaganda. All of it. Meant to lure someone with your skillset to lead us straight to the man. You always did focus too much on the task in front of you. You should really learn to look beyond the immediate." The soldiers accompanying Jaina shuffle their feet in nervousness. Not against you suddenly appearing. Against the fact that Jaina revealed their master's less-than-noble approach to obtain the cube. It's obvious who their allegiance lies with. Anger fills your mind. Anger against being used. She used you. Lord Tiras used you. Your traveling companions, Maxxx, Jaina, and Richter, used you. You aren't some child's toy to be played with. You should really learn to look beyond the immediate. Jaina's words. You're open to the advice. Your life hasn't gone in the direction you've wanted so far. Might as well change things up a bit. Jaina's words were meant as a taunt, but hell, you're going to put them to good use. Your life flashes before your eyes, similar to how men speak of near-death experiences, although in your case, it's in the opposite direction. You imagine a year from now, two, five even. In which direction are you heading? Will it be a constant cycle, taking job after job to keep yourself busy, to keep the mind occupied so it can't look inward? You've hunted men, exchanging blood for coins. It's always been known who the true enemy is, however. The true enemy lies within. It's the part of you that pulls towards self-destructive behavior. It's the part of you that ignores those who offer a hand out while you're lost in darkness. Will you continue the endless, inward fight or will you learn to change the battlefield? Questions, too many questions pour into your mind. The future is uncertain. It holds many possible paths. You care little where it leads you as long as the enemy within can be conquered. You should really look beyond the immediate. You have. Jaina stands in your way, a mere obstacle on your way to self-mastery. Her shield is down. Fire another. You pull another arrow from your quiver, firing it with your next breath. It flies across the cavern directly at Jaina. At the last moment, one of her soldiers jumps in front of the sorceress and blocks the arrow with his shield. First deal with the soldiers. Most of them carry shields, so your bow will not be effective from your current location. After the first fell to the book's curse, there are six left. Katia postures to fight alongside you, but you wave her back. She'll just be a liability. A distraction, drawing your attention away. She still holds her crossbow, though. One lucky shot from her will make things significantly easier. Shields raised, the six converge on your position. They're approaching quickly. Too quickly. Jaina must have whispered a few arcane words in their direction. You only have time to fire one arrow, aiming low, underneath the shield of the nearest soldier. It pierces through his left greave, sending the man sprawling to the floor, magical speed thrusting him into a harder fall. Tossing your bow aside, having no time to properly sheathe it, you draw your blade ready to meet the soldiers' onslaught. With your recently experienced foresight, you're not about to passively engage the soldiers. True, you're outnumbered. The soldiers' chainmail is much more protective than your light leather. And they have the support of a magic-wielder. The odds are highly against you. If this is how your story ends, hell if you won't go without a fight. You match their charge with your own, parrying several sweeps as you meet. Your willingness to take the offensive surprises them for a moment. That's all you need. You direct all your attention towards a soldier on your left, abandoning the others with a series of fury-filled heavy swings. He manages to block the first three, but then you break through, the fourth swing landing at the base of his neck. Not counting the man hit by your arrow, four to go. Your mind becomes a rush of memories. A flow state emerges, one that takes your mind from the present moment and the soldiers before you. Soft hands in your embrace. Tender kiss on your lips. Warmth of her body against yours. A strange outlook took hold. Suddenly, the world around you was full of opportunity. Hope. Each person in passing, each circumstance was a chance to experience more with her. That in itself took away the mundane. Nothing lacked excitement when she was near. (Faintly, you're aware a bolt from Katia's crossbow hits a soldier in the neck.) Then she started acting differently. You could tell. Your minor quips didn't result in smiles. She seemed restless in your arms, a mind divided from the life she lived. Divided from you. Your best attempts weren't good enough. Desperately, you tried to fill the gaps in her mind with your own. She left, taking it with her. Now you're left in the cold with a mind split. Fragmented. Lost. Back to reality. You stand alone, bodies laying unmoving at your feet. No, not alone. Katia comes alongside next to you, putting the finishing touches on one fallen soldier still clinging to breath. Your eyes meet. Words remain unspoken. The biggest threat of all still remains. Jaina. "How romantic," Jaina comments towards the two of you standing in pooling blood. "I do believe your little star-crossed journey has reached its final destination. There's no 'happily ever after' in your future. I'm sorry, my former friend, but this is where you die." Jaina's hand crackles with electricity. Blue tendrils release from her outstretched arm. You have a split-second to decide a course of action. > You tackle Katia out of the way There's no time to think. She stood by you in the end. Long have you traveled to arrive here. Perhaps it's due to your recent flood of memories or the fact that you might not make it out of the keep alive. But damn if you won't act for someone else for once, at least since she left you. Putting all your strength into the maneuver, you wrap your arms around Katia and tackle her to the ground. Searing pain. The bolt of energy lands squarely into your back, severing your spine and paralyzing you instantly. Blood from the soldiers splash in the air as you fall, dying the side of your face in red, like warpaint. Katia pinned underneath you, face and clothes painted the same red, attempts to push you off of her. She's too slow, however. And in your state, you're unable to aid. Jaina's boots echo in the cavern as she approaches the pair of you. "And to think, she would have betrayed you. It wouldn't be the first time if my sources are correct," Jaina says. "I didn't expect such heroics from you. Do you really care about her that much? Our own journey, short as it was, never saw you putting yourself in harm's way for one of us. I doubt you would have risked your life for Maxx, that big old softy. No matter. You'll both be dead soon." Katia finally manages to roll out from underneath you, but that leaves you face first in a pool of blood. You struggle to breath, the blood trying it's damndest to drown you. A death of your own making. Such clarity only comes with the end. This must truly be where your journey ends. "You know nothing of me," Katia answers back. Jaina laughs. "I know you'd likely steal my reward if left to your own device. I know your only reason for leading us here is because you're too weak to complete the mission on your own." Katia led them here? "Wrong. I lured you here to end the search. Plus, I needed a few expendable men to help dispose of the traps," Katia says, alluding towards the soldiers around you. Does that include us? "The book taken, his prized whore dealt with, Lord Tiras will have no choice but to abandon the search. Once I learn of the book's secrets, it will be too dangerous to continue the pursuit." "Fool. You don't understand the arcane. Reading the book's contents will likely result in your destruction." "Perhaps," Katia wonders aloud. "One way to find out for certain. After dealing with you, of course." A struggle ensues. Arcane magic fills the cavern in response. You don't live long enough to see the victor.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, anti-hero] The only option is to press on. Katia understood the danger. The book is close to being in your possession. Who knows? Finding the book could bring the secret to finding Katia. As far as you know, she's not dead. No, you came to the Altar to find the book and discover the mystery within. Her closure will be found along with the book. You can just make out an entryway at the end of the hall. A black hole, rising to the height of the ceiling. No door attached, simply an empty space. Walking more carefully now, bow drawn and arrow nocked, you make your way across the room, a lone man in the center of the room, crossing past circular columns several times thicker than an aged oak trunk. Evil marks this place. So we'll fit right in. The keep is silent, save for your soft footsteps on the stone floor. Your steps are muffled, intentionally quiet, but each small sound carries throughout the chamber. Something lurks in the shadows. Objects of worth aren't usually kept in the open. Or unprotected. Or unprotected. What are we going to do with the book? Haven't decided yet. Better decide soon. One step at a time. First, find the book. Our decision only matters after it's found. Best to focus on the present. The future is uncertain. One thing is certain. What's that? Life is fleeting. You pause, the latest thought unlike the others. Since when have you become sentimental? It's not an untrue statement, but it's not without implication. Life is fleeting. What are you going to do about that? What can anyone do about that? First, find the book. Existential thinking can be saved for later. The entryway takes you into a long and narrow hallway. By now, your eyes have adjusted fairly well to the dark. Small details fade into a formless mist, but other than that, you can make out your surroundings. Torches line the hallway, unlit of course, matching the braziers in the welcoming hall. Once, the keep displayed signs of life. Now it lies cold, dead. Tomblike. A spiraling staircase greets you at the end of the hallway, winding both up and down, its banister smooth stone carved into the keep. The staircase is wide. Eight could probably walk side-by-side and still have elbow room. The cube doesn't indicate whether the book lies at the top of the keep or the bottom. Its purpose was to lead you here, and that's just what it did. There could be a vault below, holding the keep's most precious artifact safely guarded away. Then again, whoever ruled here in the past would reside on the higher levels. As the book was likely in their possession, it makes sense to keep it close to them. Your guess is as good as any. Sometimes you find yourself in a seemingly random situation, uninformed on the outcome. It may appear to be a coin toss, but you have past experience to rely on, to guide your action. Make a decision and move on. What else can we do? Weigh the options, then commit. Whether you choose right or wrong, the journey begins by taking a step forward. > Down The book must be deep in the stronghold. In your experience, that's where it'd be. The most secure area lies below ground, guarded and buried. True, the upper levels would have housed the important members along with other artifacts that may catch a thief's eye, but you're not here for precious jewels and gems. Wealth isn't what you're after. You take the staircase downward. The staircase spirals down, twisting around a central column. You creep, bow in hand, ready to fire upon any appearing threats. It takes a matter of minutes to reach the bottom. You're met with an orange glow peering onto the bottom steps of the staircase, too constant to be traditional firelight. Devil's Altar, the space between twin volcanoes. Realization hits you. Confirmation accompanies the thought as you reach the bottom step. The staircase opens into a large cavern. Pools of magma fill the space, lighting the area with its red-orange glow. Instead of man-made stone, the floor is rocky. Pillars, like stony icicles, hang from the ceiling, more than a few creating their inverse from the floor. Besides the magma pools and rock pillars, one other thing sits in the cavern, resting comfortably, quiet: a stone pedestal with a black book sitting on top. The book. You've found it. Even though you're still quite a distance away, the book itself doesn't look like the kind men would kill for. If anything, it seems rather plain. Its cover is pure black as expected, but it's void of markings or inscriptions. You expected something to signify its worth. Also, it doesn't hold many pages. You've seen many religious texts with more content. As long as it contains the power Richter spoke about, it doesn't matter what it looks like. You confidently stride towards it. Everything you've struggled for is finally within your reach. The long journey to Devil's Altar, physically taxing it was, memories of your former past appearing with more frequency—it'll all be worth it soon. You pass by the rocky pillars, rows of stony pews leading towards the sacred text. Suddenly, the distinct click of a floor switch rings into the cavern. What did you get us into? Richter was the one who checked for traps. And you didn't think to check? We didn't notice it. The ground softly rumbles beneath you. More mechanisms locking into place, shifting gears. Your foot still remains on top of the pressure plate. > You leave your foot where it is Whatever is happening underground beneath you, one thing's for certain: taking your foot off the pressure plate is a sure way to die. Foot-spring traps tend to have that effect once pressure is relieved. You remain in place, senses high, scanning for threats. Movement. The pillars of rock from both the floor and ceiling burst open, sending shards of stone into the air in a small show of fireworks. Still keeping your foot on the plate, you cover your arms in front of your face, dropping your bow in the process. Heavy shrapnel showers on top of you, the sharp sides tearing into your exposed skin. Looming over you, a dark shadow builds, a large section of stone falls directly where you stand. Given no choice, you dive to your left to avoid being crushed completely. Through the explosion of rock, another distinct click rings. The pools of magma that light the cavern start to bubble, growing larger, threatening to overflow. You try your best to dodge the rain, but more stone lands upon your body, deadening your limbs. One large piece lands squarely to your head, dropping you to the floor. Dazed, you look towards the book one final time, a thing of evil, a thing of promises. The entire cavern collapsing on itself, magma flowing towards your fallen body, you accept your inevitable death. Finally, peace.

The book must be deep in the stronghold. In your experience, that's where it'd be. The most secure area lies below ground, guarded and buried. True, the upper levels would have housed the important members along with other artifacts that may catch a thief's eye, but you're not here for precious jewels and gems. Wealth isn't what you're after. You take the staircase downward. The staircase spirals down, twisting around a central column. You creep, bow in hand, ready to fire upon any appearing threats. It takes a matter of minutes to reach the bottom. You're met with an orange glow peering onto the bottom steps of the staircase, too constant to be traditional firelight. Devil's Altar, the space between twin volcanoes. Realization hits you. Confirmation accompanies the thought as you reach the bottom step. The staircase opens into a large cavern. Pools of magma fill the space, lighting the area with its red-orange glow. Instead of man-made stone, the floor is rocky. Pillars, like stony icicles, hang from the ceiling, more than a few creating their inverse from the floor. Besides the magma pools and rock pillars, one other thing sits in the cavern, resting comfortably, quiet: a stone pedestal with a black book sitting on top. The book. You've found it. Even though you're still quite a distance away, the book itself doesn't look like the kind men would kill for. If anything, it seems rather plain. Its cover is pure black as expected, but it's void of markings or inscriptions. You expected something to signify its worth. Also, it doesn't hold many pages. You've seen many religious texts with more content. As long as it contains the power Richter spoke about, it doesn't matter what it looks like. You confidently stride towards it. Everything you've struggled for is finally within your reach. The long journey to Devil's Altar, physically taxing it was, memories of your former past appearing with more frequency—it'll all be worth it soon. You pass by the rocky pillars, rows of stony pews leading towards the sacred text. Suddenly, the distinct click of a floor switch rings into the cavern. What did you get us into? Richter was the one who checked for traps. And you didn't think to check? We didn't notice it. The ground softly rumbles beneath you. More mechanisms locking into place, shifting gears. Your foot still remains on top of the pressure plate. > You break for the pedestal If the click was the only sound, then maybe you would stay put. What really concerns you is the mechanisms happening underground. Whatever they are connected to likely means bad news for whoever tripped the switch, in this case, you. Not willing to stick around and see what special surprise awaits you, you take off towards the book. Pillars of rock, both from the floor and ceiling, explode in showers of rock, filling the cavern interior with shrapnel. It's like running through a burning building—dust clouds appear, thickening your vision into a blur of brown-gray. Holding your hands in front of your face, you continue the sprint. Pools of magma start to overflow, blocking a direct route to the book. You keep up the pace, dodging stone and hopping between running magma. Closer and closer you get, your arms starting to wear the damage, although it's much preferable to taking the wounds in more sensitive areas. Somehow, you manage to make it to the book, clothes torn, skin bloodied. It sits quietly on the stone pedestal, untouched by the chaos you've just run through. After all this way, traveling from across the Harken Plains, through the Redwood Forest, and now into the Sheol Mountains, you've made it. The book is yours. With both arms you reach out towards the plain black cover. All your struggling has paid off for this moment. Men were sent to kill you for the book. They tried, but didn't succeed. Weeks have led up until now. Your fingers grasp around the book and— —paralyze. Your body becomes stiff, unable to control your limbs like being half-asleep during a night terror. Then, movement happens, although not of your own accord. Your arms start to shake uncontrollably as if carrying a great weight. Coldness overtakes your body. The next thing you know, you're on the floor convulsing, chest heaving up and down, shaking side to side. The book itself is trapped, your final thought before dying at the feet of the very thing you've traveled many miles in search of. If it's any consolation, you found it.

[Themes: horror, post-apocalyptic, horror, zombie, RPG, serious] Dead Man Walking! (Zombie Survival) Can you survive the Zombie Apocalypse? While challenging, it's not as hard as the movies would have you believe - where they always make the worst possible decisions for the sake of drama. Here, at least, you will be offered logical choices amid the foolhardy and your character cares about survival even more than you do. A serious game with gory detail. Style There is a lot of reading in this story. Pages are filled with lengthy descriptions of who, what, when, where, why, & how. The story is quite long (over 2100 pages) and comes in three major sections (of varying length, depending on what you choose to do in them). Don't forget your 'Save Game' option... Sections The first section is the shortest and involves escaping the subway tunnels. The second section involves moving around within the city and escaping. The third section involves moving through the suburbs to find and save your family. Objective Get the best ending (or) Get the highest score (or) Kill the most zombies (or) All of the above? Scoring Each choice is assigned a value from 10 - 50 points: Generally, 10 points are given for a bad decisions, 30 points for neutral decisions, and 50 points for the most logical choices. 20 & 40 points are also awarded, when certain choices fall between the other values. Your final Score at the end of the game is the total of all the decisions made, multiplied by a number of special factors (depending on what you accomplish during play). Note that the highest possible score will not be achieved by making all the right choices - as making the best choices often allow you to bypass certain other 'choice-filled' events, that will net you more points in the long run (if survived) than by simply skipping them altogether in the first place. Endings As this is a zombie game, the very best ending can only be achieved by not getting bit at all, but there are still a number of interesting endings available, even if you do get chomped on a time or two. In fact, you are not likely to get the Highest Score with the very best ending - but that's the trade-off. With each 'Death Page' and the 'Official Endings', you will have the chance to see how you did before quitting (or going back). A Rundown is included that shows how many zombies and/or people you killed, how many people you saved, how many zombies munched your brains, and of course your Total Score. If at the end of your game you have 10,000 or more points, you will also be able to see a write-up of the Zombie Virus and Zombie Types used during the game. The type of ending you achieve will also be reflected in the last digit of your Final Score: Death Pages will produce a score ending in '0'; Official Endings will show a '5'; and the Very Best Ending will show a '7'. Post a comment to show your high scores to the world! Troubleshooting Please PM me if you find bugs or breaks in logic (such as walking on foot in one scene, then riding a mountain bike in the next, without ever having found the mountain bike first). The most helpful thing you could do is tell me the name of the page with the bug (and) the name of the page you came into that page from, plus a description of what's not working correctly. Good Luck! This game dedicated to my lovely LadyZerka (and Five Hundred Feet of Heavy Rope in a Barrel) =) > You Begin... Dead Man Walking. You are drifting through darkness, floating weightless in an inky black void. Slowly you realize you are not quite awake, but coming out of unconsciousness; you must have passed out for some reason. You try to sit up, but some unseen force holds your body down. With a note of frustration you realize again that you are still not fully awake. Focusing your will you try to start yourself awake, and for a moment it seems to work – you sit up and look around and can see that you are in a dark tunnel with very little light. You notice a man stooped over some object to your right and try to call out to him, but your voice does not work. Regardless, the man turns to look at you and it is then that you see it is not a man at all, but a smoky silhouette of shadow in vaguely a man-like shape. The thing sets upon you in a flash and you feel a smothering presence overpowering you in the darkness, wrapping you up, holding you down; trying to invade you. In panic you jolt awake – this time for real. The first thing you notice is a sharp stabbing pain in your head. Reaching up, you feel your hair matted in blood and grimace as you run your fingers over the jagged edges of what must surely be a serious head wound. Part of your scalp has actually been torn free of your skull and hangs in a greasy mess over your ear. You're not bleeding from the wound very much – it seems to have clotted – but you definitely should get it seen by a medical professional sooner than later... In addition, your left arm, shoulder, and side are numb. Moving them slightly, you wince at small twinges of pain here and there, but are relieved to see that they are not broken – though it does seem that you have been thrown down on that side recently and with significant force. Sitting yourself up against a wall of cool damp stone you take in your surroundings. The floor is of hard packed dirt with a thick layer of dust on top and (from what you can feel), quite a bit of shattered safety glass lays around you. In the air you smell a mix of smoke and ozone, like when an electrical outlet shorts out. That and the heavy stink of blood (your own maybe, you do seem to have lost quite a bit) and something reminiscent of burning hair... All in all, it's somewhat hard to breathe, as if you're not quite getting enough oxygen with each breath. It is very dark, but a dim greenish glow stemming from a huge mass of twisted metal before you gives enough illumination to at least make out your hand in front of your face, as well as what's immediately around you. Looking at the mass in front of you, you can see that it is the wreckage of a subway train – or perhaps even two trains – as if one had run up into another on the same track. Now however, the subway cars choke the dark tunnel you are in, cast zigzag across the tracks in a crumpled and jagged pile of wreckage. The greenish glow comes from inside the smashed train cars themselves and you surmise that it would be illumination from the emergency exits. Looking to your right, you see a mangled body without a head. You shudder and wonder what it was you saw standing over that body in your half-conscious dream state. Thinking back, you try to remember how you could have arrived in such a predicament, but you can't get past the pain in your head. Your memory is all cloudy. How much of it have you lost? All of it apparently; you can't even recall your own name. Looking yourself over for a clue to your own identity, you note that you are wearing reasonably savvy business attire with a gold watch. Unfortunately, the watch is broken, its face smashed and the hands stopped at 7:40 am. Checking your back pocket you find your wallet and upon looking inside, you find your license. "Greg Bradley", you say to yourself, reading the name off the ID. The address shows a street in the suburbs. There's also a photo of the wife and kids (you guess). The woman is pretty enough and there are two cute girls – a ten year old and a younger one, maybe seven. A twinge of frustration creeps into your mind. Why can't you remember anything? Isn't seeing things like this supposed to jar a memory or something? You take the photo out of the wallet and tuck it into your breast pocket. Checking the rest of the contents, you find a number of low-end credit cards, $50 cash, and a half dozen of your own business cards; showing that you are an accountant for the Morgan Corporation, located on the 24th floor of the Summit Tower. Also in your possession is a crushed cell phone (totally dead) and a ring of keys including the key and fob to a Toyota, a house key, a PO Box key, a padlock key, and what you think is an elevator key marked 'ST 24'. Incidentally, your key chain also includes a small LED penlight – which upon testing in the darkness of the tunnel, seems to offer miniscule comfort against the engulfing blackness. It occurs to you that you should probably find something to bandage your head with. You consider for a moment trying to use your shirt as a makeshift bandage. It seems to work in the movies. It is then that you hear the rattle of movement from within the pile of train wreckage before you, followed by a long mournful sounding groan. Instinctively, you quickly turn off your penlight and remain still; waiting to see what is making the noise without yet revealing your presence. You don't hear the sound again and wonder if some injured person is trapped there in the twisted subway cars, waiting for you to make the first move...

> You wait quietly for help to arrive You sit in the darkness waiting. Surely someone must know about this train wreck and will be coming to the rescue any minute. The minutes pass... The hour passes... And then hours pass... You have been sitting in the darkness for a long time and are starting to feel weak and dizzy in addition to being in pain. Maybe you should have tried to find help for yourself, rather than sit here, probably bleeding out this whole time. On a side note, whoever is there in the train wreckage still seems to be alive – moaning incoherently from time to time. > You bind your head with cloth from your shirt As you tear some strips from your shirt, the noise seems to attract the attention of the person trapped in the train wreckage. The low mournful groans suddenly turn into heavy desperate panting snarls and a flurry of rattling and shaking from that direction. Whoever is making those noises does not sound very well off or even sane at this point. You quickly bind your head and... > You wait to see what happens There is a disturbingly wet 'tearing' sound and you can hear the desperate panting snarls suddenly beginning to get closer. You wait nervously in the dark, straining to see, as it emerges from the wreckage. Crawling toward you over the caved-in side of an overturned subway car is a bloody corpse, its lower half fully torn away at the waist and trailing innards behind. The thing can't possibly be alive, but there it is, frothing bloody foam at the mouth and snapping hungry jaws at you – like something right out of an old horror movie! > You find a large stone to smash its head in with Looking along the wall of the dark tunnel with your penlight, you spot a large chunk of cinderblock and quickly heft it up. The horrible thing is still clawing toward you when you bring the heavy piece of concrete down on the back of its head crushing it skull with a sickening splurch of blood, bone, and gray matter. You are still filled with adrenaline and somewhat dizzy from your exertion, when you look up to the sound of more moaning; and see two more subway passengers, shuffling towards you with outstretched arms from the front part of the train wreck. While they are not moving very quickly, they are on their feet and making a beeline straight for you. They are far enough away from you at the moment, that you are fairly sure you can easily avoid them if you so choose. > You wait and attack them with your cinder block Your cinderblock smashed one lunatic's head in easy enough; it should work on two more just as well. You have time to maneuver to a higher position on the wreckage of the train cars and there wait for the two subway passengers to pass by. That's when you'll get the jump on them. Sure enough, the two moaning subway passengers stumble by, not immediately seeing you from your position of ambush. As you leap down at them, you notice that both already look pretty mangled by the train wreck itself – one even walking on a completely dislocated ankle. Your chunk of cinderblock comes down with you, striking squarely on the top of the first's head. The monster crumples under the blow immediately as its head explodes in a messy display – along with your chunk of cinderblock – which shatters in a dusty rain of crumbling bits. You look with dismay at your now empty hands, trying to formulate a new plan of action through the mounting sense of panic. It is then that you realize the other one is already on you, having lunged with surprising agility for someone so broken up. Before you can do anything more, you are dragged to the ground as it lunges for your neck. Instinctively, you defend yourself with a raised arm, only to feel the monster bite deeply into it – tearing a chunk out and taking a moment to chomp on the meaty flesh. You ignore the pain and grit your teeth, taking advantage of the monster's momentary distraction to reach blindly for anything on the ground around you to use as a weapon. Amazingly, your left hand brushes over something metallic and heavy enough to give you hope. You grab hold and slam the object into the lunatic's temple, knocking it over and allowing you to scramble up. You no longer have whatever it was in your hand, but the thing isn't getting up either. Not waiting to give it a moment's quarter, you stomp on the back of its neck repeatedly, crunching up its vertebrae, until you are satisfied that it isn't going to get up anytime soon. That is when you notice the railroad tie spike buried in the side of its head. Taking a moment to calm yourself and regain your wind you think about what to do next. > You climb through the wreckage to the front of the subway train You move quickly, ignoring the mess behind you and the throbbing pain of your injuries, making your way over and through the wreckage of the train cars that scatter the tunnel in the direction the train was headed before the wreck. Along the way you see dead bodies everywhere, smashed into the twisted metal of the wrecked train cars – each more gruesome than the last. Disturbingly, you also notice an unusually large amount of entrails scattered about. You somehow doubt that that many people could all have been disemboweled simultaneously by a simple train wreck – even one as serious as this one appears to be. You're not sure (and you certainly don't want to get close enough to find out firsthand), but some of the bodies even look as if they have recently been savaged, as if by some wild animals' rending jaws. As you get further along, you also notice a large number of bloody footprints headed in the same direction you are going. They seem to be joined by more and more footprints as you pass through one mangled subway car after another. At length you get to the front of the train you must have been riding on. In walking, you surmise that you had been on the train and thrown out a window when it crashed. You must have struck your head when you landed, which knocked you out for who knows how long. On that thought, you risk approaching a random victim's arm sticking out of the wreckage to take their watch. Unlike yours, this one still works and indicates the time to be 6:04 pm. If that is correct, and your watch indicates the time of the crash, that means you were out of it for roughly ten hours. Wow, you'd better not go back to sleep until you can get yourself to a hospital or you might not wake up again. You also find a working cell phone in the aisle as you go and see that it still works, but there's no signal down here in the subway tunnel. Looking at the first car of your train, you see that it is completely flattened under the rear cars of another train. It looks as if the first train was stopped on the tracks and your train somehow ran into the back of it at a rather high rate of speed. Continuing on, you cautiously pass through the scattered cars of this train with much the same scene of carnage cast before your eyes, until you finally arrive at the head of the first train. Unlike your train the first car of this train is relatively intact. You know that at the very front of the train is a control room, which hopefully will have at least a first aid kit and if you're lucky, a working radio. As you approach, you see that all the bloody footprints leave the train at this point and continue down the tunnel in the direction the train was headed. They are quickly lost however in the hard-packed dirt and darkness of the tunnel itself – though following them won't be a problem – you only got one direction to go – unless you want to turn around and go back the way you just came. > You search the train's control room before deciding what to do The door to the train's control room is locked, but you are able to go outside and pull the smashed remains of the train car's windshield out, allowing you to climb inside. When the train was hit from behind, it caused the cars of both trains to accordion together, sending them sliding almost sideways down the tunnel into each other until this particular car got wedged in a narrow spot and caused the massive and jagged pileup behind it. As you enter the control room, you see that the driver of the train has been crushed to death by the front of the train as it smashed into the side of the tunnel and got wedged in. You try not to look too closely at his flattened and gore drained shell; or the pool of mess under what's left of his seat. Checking the area, you see a map of the train lines on one wall and note that the train was headed into the city before it crashed. That makes sense to you, as you would have been traveling from your house in the suburbs to your office in the city during the morning rush. Looking around some more, you find a well-stocked first aid kit, a proper flashlight, a crowbar, some signal flares, a large fire extinguisher, and working CB radio. You also find the train operator's book bag with his lunch in it and help yourself to the contents, seeing as he won't miss it anytime soon. You're actually surprised that it tastes so good, given that you're eating it in a small room with a horribly mangled corpse just a few feet away. After eating, you wrap your wounds in proper bandages and down a couple of pain pills and a no doze. You're pretty sure you don't want to fall asleep in here regardless of the head injury. You definitely don't feel safe down here in this tunnel of death. Packing the first aid kit, flashlight, and signal flares in the book bag, you heft the crowbar in your hand and check out the CB Radio – unfortunately, it's not the portable kind, but definitely worth trying to call for help on. You consider trying to take the large fire extinguisher, but are not sure about the weight versus utility. It can wait till you're ready to leave, so you decide to address it again after trying the radio. > You try the CB Radio After a while trying the current channel with no response, you try calling out on the other channels. Just when you are ready to give up, you dial channel 7 and hear a voice answer you on the other end. "Help, I've been in a subway train wreck!" you say over the com. "This is Officer Main of the 3rd Precinct, who is this, over." "Uh, my name is Greg Bradley", you identify yourself, "I'm on a wrecked subway car down in the tunnels, I don't know where exactly. Everyone onboard is either dead or gone." You hear an awkward pause on the other end of the com, and then Officer Main's voice comes back on, slow and grim. "Listen Greg, there is no easy way to tell you this, but the whole world has gone to shit, just like that train down there. Some sort of terrorist bio-weapon released on the city this morning. A poison gas, or virus, or the like. It causes those exposed to suffer death-like symptoms, including a semi rigor mortis like state, and then they go crazy with cannibalistic rage. Just like the zombies in them movies. And like the movies, you got to hit them in the head and destroy their brain in order to put them down for good. Also, if you get bit by one you got roughly ten minutes before you're one of them yourself – though I did heard this one guy actually lasted three hours before he changed. You haven't been bitten now have you" he asks, pausing for a reply. "No", you say quickly, looking at your arm but not wanting to lose contact with what could possibly be the last living soul in the city. "All right then," Officer Main continues, "Here's what you need to do. Follow the tracks to the first station and get to the streets above. The first thing you need to do is avoid contact with any zombies. Next, you need to get your bearings and know where you are in the city – get a street map if you can. Then find a pry bar or tire iron and drop yourself into the nearest 'center of the street' manhole cover. It has to be one in the center of a main street, not a side street or manhole cover near the curb. And unless you're Lou Ferrigno, you'll need the tire iron to lever up the hundred and seventy five pound manhole cover. Obviously a light is going to be handy down there too." "You still with me?" he asks. "Uh, yeah, I understand," you reply – more than a little apprehensive about some plan to go down into more dark tunnels with ravening cannibalistic zombies lurking about. "Good" he continues. "Once inside, set the manhole cover back behind you – this should keep the zombies from following you in, unless you really piss them off for some reason. There shouldn't be any zombies in the sewer tunnels – or if there are, there'll be a hell of a lot less in there than on the streets. Once in the main sewer line, follow it just like you would the streets above to our Precinct House here on 3rd and Spring Street. You'll see street names marked at each intersection of the tunnels and they run directly under the center of most streets. When you get to 3rd and Spring Street, you'll need to be careful. The zombies are thick in this area, but we're nice and safe here in our Precinct House. Like a fortress here, and well-armed, so you don't got to worry once you're inside – you just have to make a dash from the street to the door is all – you are good at running right? Over." "I'm injured; got a head wound", you reply, "but I suppose I can run a short distance all right. What about the hospitals though? I think I really need medical attention rather quickly. Uh, over." "No, don't go to any hospital! They are all overrun with the dead and undead. We have medical supplies here and a triage unit with doctors and a surgeon. You get yourself here and we can help you. You hear?" "Yeah, thanks for the information. I'll try to get to you," you say, not really certain about it just yet. "Good Luck. Over" comes back the final reply. > You take a moment to give thought to the situation After giving it some thought you conclude that you now have a number of things to consider. If the city really is overrun with zombies, then you'll need more than a crowbar to survive. You need real medical attention pretty soon too. The 3rd Precinct seems to offer both and is in the direction the train was going. Then there is your home and family. You don't remember anything of them yet, but perhaps seeing one of them in person will trigger the return of your memories. You know they must love you and wonder if they are safe. Has the attack spread into the suburbs; or is it contained in the city? What if it spreads further? Is this the only city to be attacked; or are there more cities across the country facing the zombie threat? You're not entirely sure how far your home is from the city, but you think you had just over a 40 minute commute – yeah, that sounds right. You try to work out in your head how far that would be in miles if you estimate the average speed of the train, when it occurs to you just to look at the line map on the wall of the control room. There you see that your suburb is twenty-six miles away from Summit Station (you presume under Summit Tower where you work), taking the green line from Summit Station to Fairmont Station and from there, the yellow line to Suburbia Station. Now all you need to know is where on the green line you are currently, which you won't find out until you walk in one direction or the other to a station. Of course, what is the point if you're just going to turn into one of those things in... You look at your watch, it says 9:05pm... You got about two hours left. Damn, that sucks. With this weighing on your mind, you... > You take the heavy fire extinguisher & continue heading further into the city in the direction the train was going You cautiously move through the silence of the tunnel, listening carefully as you go. You'd rather be anywhere else in the world than here right now, and the temptation just to give up, lie down, and die is almost overwhelming. You've never been prone to anxiety attacks, but this shit certainly has you on the edge. After traveling for what you thought was at least an hour, you look at your watch and see that it hasn't even been a full thirty minutes. Time flies when you're having fun, you think sarcastically. After another five or so minutes of plodding along, you begin to think you can see a dull light in the tunnel way up ahead. Turning your own light out momentarily confirms this, as you can definitely see a dull white glow in the tunnel – maybe a station you hope. Whatever it is, you're still a ways off; perhaps a quarter mile or so... > You continue toward the station As you walk toward the light at the end of the tunnel, it seems to never get any closer – Damn; how far away is it?!? That is when you realize that you have been dragging your feet as you walk recently – more stumbling forward actually than what could truly be considered a walk. Your muscles all feel tight and you're incredibly weak and tired – like your wounds and exhaustion are finally hitting you all at once. You stop and steady yourself on the wall of the tunnel a moment as your head swims and you nearly pass out. Nice. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel and now you're going to pass out and get eaten by wandering zombies before you even can make it. Typical. You begin to wonder if this is the zombie contagion at work – you have been bit after all. Are you really going to die and rise up as a brain eating monster? Yuck. You never did like the thought of eating brains, or livers, or that other disgusting stuff people eat sometimes. Hell, you can't even swallow sushi without gaging. Yeah, you'll make a real classy zombie, you think sarcastically to yourself, gagging on other peoples' brains. After another flash of near unconsciousness, you desperately look around the tunnel for some place of refuge to sit and weather out the storm – or at least a place to die in peace. You'd much rather be munched on by zombies when dead than to have them find and eat you alive. You find nothing significant, just an old sheet of heavy plywood leaned up against the side of the tunnel. With nothing more than that, and unconsciousness threatening to overtake you at any moment, you make due as best you can with what you have. You pull the bottom of the plywood sheet out a few feet from the wall of the tunnel, making a place behind that you can crawl into. You go inside and turn out your light, noting the ever faint light still visible down at the end of the tunnel. There you lie on the ground, hidden behind your makeshift shelter, feeling feverish while the pain of your head wound and the tightness of your muscles is lost in the burning sensation that has slowly spread out from where you were bit by zombies to fill your whole body. You lull in semi-consciousness; now almost sorry that you took that no doze. At least if you had fallen asleep and not woke up, you wouldn't have to be going through this right now. Your mind reels, jumping chaotically between the horrifying scenes of slaughter witnessed this day and half memories of your family, that feign to come back but then evaporate just before your mind can latch onto them. You then realize that the burning tightness in all your muscles has progressed to complete paralysis – you can't even move your fingers or close your eyes. You lay there completely rigid, unable to move, until even your vision blurs. You're not sure how long you lay there, drifting in and out of awareness, until you suddenly notice you can see clearly again and blink. You also hear what you think is the beeping of a morning alarm coming from somewhere. Then, all at once, every muscle of your body suddenly releases, and you find yourself drenched in sweat. Your fever is gone and you no longer feel a burning throughout your body or even where you were bit by zombies. Now you're just in good old fashion pain. You look at your watch and see that it's 6:00am – the time you normally get up in the morning to get ready for work. You then realize the alarm on your watch is beeping and you quickly turn it off and grab your crowbar, hoping the sound hasn't attracted any zombies to your position. You crawl out from behind your shelter to listen and then look yourself over. You appear normal – not the walking dead like you expected. You quickly do some math in your head. No problem. You're pretty sure zombies don't do math. Small blessing. Looking up the length of subway tunnel, you still see the light there at the end. Gathering your gear you: > You continue toward the station Eventually you approach the opening at the end of the tunnel, where it empties into a large underground subway station. Your heart sinks as you draw near and hear the echoing din of a large mass of zombies from within. You hover in the darkness of the tunnel, carefully venturing forward just enough to get a look inside. A hundred and some of the former subway passengers – all trapped in the rush hour mob and unable to escape the initial outbreak – pack the area, half on the landing platform itself and half down on the tracks. Those on the tracks look a lot worse for wear; most torn up from the subway crash you just came from – or even other crashes farther up ahead. They moan and snarl at each other, jostling and crowding toward the edge of the loading platform, trying most ineffectually at climbing up the four foot ledge. Occasionally one does manage to get up, but is quickly pulled back down by the rest trying to climb up over its back. You are reminded of a bucket of crabs. You remember once seeing one in Maine – there's another memory – you don't need to put a lid on a full bucket of crabs; they all try to climb up over each other. The moment one gets to the top, it is collectively grabbed by the rest and dragged back down to the bottom of the bucket. You snap out of your reflection and focus on the area itself. The zombies don't see you yet and you doubt they'd hear you over the clamor, unless you did something to intentionally attract their attention. The station is large and tiled, with a high vaulted ceiling and a large placard reading: "Fox Park Station". You see that the light is coming from a large number of battery powered emergency lights along the top of the walls. You also see, just beyond the crowded landing platform, two exits. The first is a turnstile gate at your end of the platform with an escalator and set of stairs going up on the other side. The second is an open set of stairs and an escalator at the far end of the platform beyond all the zombies. On the track level itself are two sets of rails, both empty of any trains. Apparently, the platform side is for stopping, while the outer track is for passing through. As the trains all go the same way through the tunnels, you know there must also be another tunnel and station nearby for the trains going in the opposite direction. Typically, it would be close enough that you could buy a ticket in the terminal above the tunnels and then simply come down the right set of escalators to your platform. You spot a dingy red metal door in the outer wall of the tunnel opposite the landing platform. While the light's not great, there is enough that you can make out the words on its surface: "Railway Workers Only!" As you stand in the shadows of the tunnel looking over the scene, you also spot a four foot long piece of heavy planking, lying on the ground where you would exit the tunnel. You'll have to be sure not to trip over it when you are ready to go. Man there are a lot of zombies in here! Given that, you think over your options – The open stairs and escalator at the far end of the landing platform is a no go – way too many zombies to get past even to think about it. Then there is the turnstile exit gate with the escalator and stairs on the other side. The problem with that is: to get to the stairs you'll have to hop onto the landing platform with hundreds of zombies and make it to the turnstile exit gate and jam it before they swarm you. There is also the matter of the turnstiles being one-way. If there are zombies on the other side of it, you won't be able to come back the way you came. The red door option on the other side of the tunnel would be much easier to get to, but if you're detected, the zombies on the tracks will move after you and block your way back to the tunnels. You don't even know if it's locked or even goes anywhere – for all you know it may just be an access door to firefighting equipment – though you would think it would say so if that was the case... You could also try to sneak past the horde altogether, while they are distracted, in order to continue further down the tunnels towards the center of the city. If the rest of the stations are like this one though, then you'll have to deal with getting out of the tunnels sooner or later... You could also just turn around and head back the way you came; trying instead to leave the city altogether rather than move any deeper into it. After weighing your odds, you: > You make a run for the turnstile gate through the zombie hoard Taking a deep breath, you rush out from the shadows of the tunnel and over to the nearest edge of the landing platform. As all the zombies on the tracks are looking in the direction of the zombies already on the platform, you are able to get right up to the edge of the zombie crowd and brush past two or three of them before vaulting up onto the upper level. There is an abrupt silence, as all attention is suddenly drawn to you, and then a roar of agitated groans and wails. As one, the entire zombie hoard starts toward you. Of course, you weren't waiting to see what they'd do, so you're already running full speed toward the turnstile gate at this point. Unfortunately, the zombie swarm had already partially blocked your path; and with them now actively moving toward you, you'll need to bust past at least five of them before you can get to the gate. You slam your shoulder into the first with a yell and send it flying into another, toppling both. Three more you think, swinging your crowbar with both hands at the nearest of the three. Your weapon strikes true, shattering the thing's jaw and knocking its head so far to the side that its neck snaps loudly. It falls to the ground twitching violently. That is when you feel grasping hands all over your back. It seems that your crash into the first two zombies has drastically slowed your charge. With horror you feel yourself suddenly being pulled backward into the crowd. The book bag you think! They have hold of your book bag! You drop one shoulder and spin out of the book bag freeing yourself of the hoard on the landing platform, but exposing your back to the two standing between you and the turnstile gate. Knowing that they are lunging at you even now, you do something radical and drop to the ground before rolling away to the side. The two zombies that were behind you attack the empty air where you were, while the zombie hoard still tears at your book bag. You can't help but laugh at the clumsy things, but here your laugh is cut short as realize just how dire your situation has really become. The two zombies you had knocked down simply get back up and those of the hoard not occupied with your bag have pushed forward around the melee. You now have eight or more of them between you and the gate, while a few dozen more on the tracks have actually managed to claw their way onto the platform behind you. You jump back up and manage to bash in two more heads, but you're working against the tide and are quickly overwhelmed. You are dragged down and torn to bits by hundreds of slavering jaws. A moment later and you're standing on the tracks in some sort of surreal out-of-body experience, watching the zombies on the platform spread your entrails out amongst themselves. Looking back at the tunnel you had rashly decided to come in from, you see that strange black shadowy shape from your unconscious dreams lurking nearby. You wonder what it is and what it wants with you, but that is another story... > You see How Well You Did (you can still back-page afterwards if you like) Here's a rundown of how you did – You Killed 6 Zombies You Killed 0 Drooler Zombies You Killed 0 Bloater Zombies You Killed 0 Ghouls You Killed 0 Banshees You Killed 0 Hell Hounds You Killed 0 Cannibal Gaunt Zombies You Killed 0 People You Saved 0 People (including yourself, unless you died) You were eaten by 177 Zombies Your Overall Score: 2050 (You played through 15 of 2,131 Pages and have proven to be Zombie Bait)

[Themes: love & dating, drama, humor, romance, serious] The sound of your alarm clock wakes you and you groggily switch it off. You go through your normal morning routine and grudgingly head off to your job. As always, you arrive at work on time and walk straight into the back room to put on your uniform. Once there you notice your best friend, Ian, is already dressed and preparing to begin. "Hey Jake." "Hey Ian, ready for another exciting day?" You ask sarcastically. "Oh yea, working here has been highlight of my entire life." He replies with equal sarcasm, "I hope I never quit." "Ah yes, stocking food has always been a dream of yours hasn't it?" "A lifelong-dream. Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to live that dream." He grabs a small nearby crate and rolls it into the main area of the store. You never thought he would end up as a stock boy in a grocery store. Then again, you thought both of you had bright futures. Although you were never really motivated to do anything, Ian was and certainly should have succeeded. You sigh and change into your uniform; this is your life and there's no point in brooding over what could have been. The day goes by relatively quickly, which is about the only benefit to the job. However it's a rather hollow benefit, as the day passing by faster just means you have to work that much sooner the next day. You and Ian wave goodbye to each other at five o'clock and you walk to your small one-bedroom apartment, reaching it by 5:30pm. > A strange dream You blink your eyes and look at your new surroundings. You're alone in the middle of a classroom, a very familiar classroom. Glancing down you notice you're sitting in a desk and that there's a small 'J' carved into the bottom right of its surface. This is your desk. At least it was, some point in time many years ago. Bringing your attention back up you notice the class is now filled with other students, each sitting in their own desks frantically writing notes. You don't recognize any of them, or rather you can't since none of their faces are clear to you. A teacher stands at the front of the class by the blackboard, presumably lecturing, though you all you can hear are muffled words. You idly glance around the room and notice something out of place. A girl stands in the doorway, with long blonde and pink hair, flowing down to just above her waist. You stare at her for a while, trying to remember who she might be. No one else in the class pays any attention to her, and like the rest of them, you can't seem to make out her face. Suddenly, she turns around and runs down the hallway. You stand up and walk out of the classroom, ignored completely by the rest of the class. As you enter the hallway, you look down the way you saw her ran, but see no one. Curious, you continue down the seemingly endless hallway trying to find her. Finally, you seem to reach the end, as a black metal door now blocks the path. Grasping the handle, you push it open. A bright light emits from the inside, blinding you and preventing you from seeing what's beyond the door. Curiosity gaining the better of you, you close your eyes and step through the doorway.

[Themes: love & dating, romance] > The other side "Jacob, wake up it's time for school!" You hear a familiar voice yell to you, and you groggily wake up in response. What a strange dream... You try and remember the girl from your dream, but can't figure out who she was. The classroom was probably from your high school, but as far as you can remember that girl was never in any of your classes. You shrug and proceed to get up. After all, high school was years ago, it wouldn't be unusual for you to forget a few people in that time. Once fully awake, the reality that you live alone dawns on you; there should be no one yelling for you to wake up. Then another thought occurs, you don't go to school anymore either. Confused, you stand up and walk over to your dresser, which seems different from usual. Opening your drawers you notice your clothes seem different as well. Now even more confused, you get dressed and exit your room to find some answers. Outside your door you find your younger sister standing in front of you, in the uniform that she wore during high school. That is to say, while she has the same face, green eyes, and short brown hair as your sister, she looks considerably younger than she should. "Mom says wake up." She states quietly, then turns to walk away. "Um, Tina?" you say, trying to confirm it's her. "Hm?", she replies softly, turning towards you. "Ah, um, never mind. I'm up." She nods and walks away. You return to your room and look for your backpack, the one you remember using in high school. Sure enough you find it, right beside your dresser. You open it and grab one of your notebooks, hoping to confirm what you think has happened. You turn to the last note in the book and look at the date: April 24th, 2008 You walk to your bed and sit down, trying accept what has happened. Yesterday was April 23th, but the year was 2018. Ten years ago you were 18 and in your last year of high school. The fact that your sister was in her private high school uniform confirms this, since she was in her first year of high school when you were in your last. Your thought process is interrupted by the familiar yell of your mother. "Jacob, hurry up! You're going to be late!" There's no point in thinking over this any longer. You quickly grab your bag and head down the stairs to the front door. "Remember, you need wake up early on Saturday to bring your sister to school, since I'll be working." Your mother tells you, as she stands beside you watching you put on your shoes. You nod quickly in response, and although you're tempted to hug her or say you've missed her, you put it off. The you in the past wouldn't have done it, so you're not going to do it either. After all, if this really is the past then doing something different could screw up the future in a major way. You open the door and find Ian standing in front of you. Well, a younger version of him. "It's about time Jake, you goin' to school today or what?" > Yes "Yeah." You turn and wave goodbye to your mom, who waves in response, then quickly walk down your front porch to Ian. The two of you reach the sidewalk before you take a brief look back at the house. Exactly as I remember it... The walk to school is uneventful. Ian tells you some story involving his older brother but you don't really pay attention. The thought that you're ten years in the past is all you can think about. "Hey." Ian pushes your shoulder once you reach the entrance of the school and the two of you stop. He has a concerned look on his face. "You alright? You sick or something?" He asks. "Huh? No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." You walk ahead into the entrance of the school and Ian follows shortly after. > Class Although you roughly knew how to get to the school on your own, you have no idea what class you have. You follow Ian in hopes that you have the same first class together. Once at the classroom door Ian turns to you with a puzzled look. "Aren't you going to class?" "Uh, yea...right..." "You're acting pretty weird today man." "Yea well...today's a pretty weird day for me." Ian seems even more confused now, but decides to drop it and heads to his seat once he hears the warning bell. You walk down the hallway a little further before opening up your bag in hopes of finding some sort of clue telling you where you're supposed to be. Inside you find various notebooks and textbooks, but nothing concerning your schedule. You sigh and notice the hallway is now completely empty. The final bell which marks the start of class should be ringing any minute and you have no idea where you're supposed to be. Unsure of what to do, you decide to sprint down the hallway and look for whatever seems familiar. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately) you find two room numbers across from each other which seem somewhat familiar: Room 134 and Room 135. You'll have to guess which is the right room. > Room 134 You quickly open the door to room 134, the final bell ringing almost as you enter. You managed to make it on time. At least you would have, had this actually been your 12th grade class. Inside you recognize the teacher as the one you had in your 11th grade history class. However, apart from her no one else looks familiar, so this isn't your class. This is further confirmed when the teacher begins speaking to you. "Why hello, Jacob. Did you miss me and my class so much you felt compelled to return?" You grin, unable to withhold a sarcastic reply. "Yes, yes I did. May I have a seat?" The teacher smiles, amused you played along. "Sadly no, you will have to return to your classroom." She then points you to the door. You shrug in response and walk across the hall to room 135, the correct room. > Late for class You enter room 135 a few moments after the bell rings, your attention quickly brought to the middle-aged man at the front of the room. He strokes his short beard while glaring at you. "So, Jacob, I see you've arrived late." He says in a angry tone. Luckily, and unfortunately, it seems like this is in fact your current class, which makes you late. The rest of the class joins him in staring at you as you awkwardly nod in response. You've never been particularly nervous in front of crowds, but you still dislike being the center of attention for a negative reason. "I'm sure you understand this means you will have detention after school today." He continues in a demeaning tone. Again you nod in response and quickly take a seat, trying to ignore the majority of the stares in the class. "Now then class, reviewing what we learned yesterday..." The teacher says, beginning his lecture as he turns to face the blackboard. You pay attention for the first few minutes, as a sort of apology for being late, but you quickly lose interest in the topic itself. If you really have gone back in time, then you already know all this anyway; at least that's the excuse you give yourself. You idly look around the room for anything that looks familiar as he drones on. You sigh softly, thoroughly confused at your current situation and bored with this class. Eventually, you spot a girl in the corner of the room that you seem to recognize. Or, rather than recognize, you should say you feel like you know her, for some reason or another. No name comes to mind, nor any memories involving her, but for some reason you still think she's someone you know. Long, black hair, with brown eyes, and a slim figure. What's most noticeable about her though, is her gothic outfit of all black, complete with a spiked dog collar, and black painted finger nails. Looking at her closer, you determine that her black hair is probably dyed, your guess being her originally hair colour is a light brown. You brood over how you may know her, and your predicament as a whole, until the class finally ends. As the goth girl leaves she seems to ignore you completely. Maybe you don't know her? > You continue with your classes The rest of the day goes rather smoothly, sort of. Eventually, your body seems to fill in the blanks as to where you're supposed to be going, and you manage to find the rest of your classes for the day without issue. Unfortunately, Ian wasn't in any of your classes, and you got lost during the lunch break, so you've spent the school day feeling incredibly awkward and alone. Sadly, that's the least of your worries. You've also spent the majority, or rather the entirety, of the day pondering over your current predicament. If you really have gone back in time, there's a lot you can do to improve your future, probably. While that's the conclusion you've reached, you really have no idea where to start in order to "fix" your future. Sure being a stock-boy isn't a grand job, but what else can you actually do? What exactly is there to "fix"? Maybe you're just meant to live unhappily in the future. Maybe you should just enjoy your youth while you can, and accept your future. Maybe you can't even change anything. If fate is real, then any attempt you make to actually change the future should result in, well, nothing happening and the future merely correcting itself. At least, that's what you think. Truthfully, you have no idea what may or may not happen if you attempt to change anything. In fact, you being in the past means you're bound to do something different at some point anyway. Putting all that aside, even more questions come to mind, that you actually try to ignore. "Why" and "how" being the two most disturbing. Even if you can accept you've gone back in time and need to relive the last ten years, you have no idea why this happened, or how it could possibly be possible. Sinister answers are the ones that come to the front of your mind, the most prominent one being that you've somehow pissed off some supernatural being that has decided to make you loop through time forever, until you're driven insane. You always were a pessimist. Although you try to shake it off as impossible, the idea of going back in time was also something you thought impossible up until recently, so you can't get rid of the idea completely. As the day ends, you walk to the front entrance of the school, mentally exhausted. > You remember you have detention Suddenly, as you reach the front entrance of the school, you remember you have detention. You sigh, not thrilled at the prospect of having to spend the next hour sitting in a class to make up for something you didn't even do intentionally. Ian approaches you from behind and then reaches your side, looking at your face as he does. "We going?" "Sorry, I was late for my first class. I got detention..." He frowns, though he doesn't seem that shocked. "Alright man, I told you to hurry there though." "Yeah I know...Where is detention by the way?" "Er, Room 225..." Ian replies, confused that you don't seem to know something that obvious. He looks like he's about to address the issue, but you quickly thank him and head towards room 225, leaving him behind. Sure enough, it's the correct room for detention. An older woman you don't recognize at all sits at the front of the room. She looks up from her book in time to give you a quick glance, then returns to reading. You put your bag at the side of the room and take a seat away from most of the other delinquents already in the room, not wanting to associate yourself with them. You're only here because you've gone back in time after all, you're not like them. As the minutes pass, you find yourself looking around the room for anything of interest, and quickly spot something, or rather someone. The gothic girl from your first class is also in the room, staring out the window and paying no attention at all to the others in the class. She's only two chairs over from you, and with no one between you and everyone else in the class already occupied, you figure you can use this time to talk to her. If you actually want to that is. It is detention after all, so if you're caught you'd likely be punished. > You try to talk to her You decide to take the chance and go for it. The gnawing feelings inside of you that say you know her are too much to ignore, especially in this situation. You wait for a moment when the older woman at the front of the room seems engrossed in her book, and gracefully move over to the chair beside the gothic girl. With all the grace of a stampeding elephant that is. Not only do you turn over the desk your were previously sitting in, you manage to miss sitting in the other desk, and fall to the ground. The class uproars in laughter before they are hastily shushed by the older woman at the front. You sheepishly smile and turn back your original chair to its original position, then sit in the one beside the goth girl. The woman at the front glares at you for what feels like eternity, before finally returning to her book. Meanwhile, the girl beside you is now turned towards you and glaring at you. Mustering your courage, you finally speak, or rather whisper, to her. "Hey, I'm Jacob." You say, darting a quick glance at the front to make sure you did it without being caught. The girl continues silently starting at you for a moment before replying. "Olivia." "Hey, Olivia. So, this is a bit forward, but I could swear I know you from somewhere." You say. "Have we, like, met before or something?" Olivia looks to the front of the room, then back to you and shrugs. "If we had, I'd probably be offended you forgot about me." She states with an apathetic tone. Though, if someone you knew had asked if they knew you, you'd certainly be offended they had forgotten as well. "Well, nice to meet you then." You say, extending your hand. She slowly extends her own hand and shakes yours. "Yeah, I'm sure we'll get along like the bestest of friends." Olivia says sarcastically. She then turns her attention back to the window, effectively ignoring you. Detention ends without too much else happening. You make your way back home afterwards, and along the way you try to retrace your steps from this morning. Although you go down a wrong alley or two, you eventually make it home. Of course, your mother is noticeably upset you are hours late from school. "So Jacob. Mind explaining why you have come home at such at late hour?" Your mother asks impatiently as you enter the house, two hours after you should have been home. "I...err...sort of had detention." You reply. "What for?" "I was late for my first class..." Your mother seems annoyed, but doesn't push the matter too much further. "Honestly Jacob, you won't ever succeed in life if you don't take things seriously. Even if you dislike school, being tardy is no excuse." She says in a rather condescending manner. You nod your head in agreement and your mother shakes her head, then walks away. The rest of the day passes by with nothing of interest really happening. At the end of the day you go to sleep and wonder if you'll wake up back in the future. > Waking Up You wake up to a brand new day, and to a familiar sight. Sure enough, you're still in the past, in your old bedroom. You get up, get dressed, and make your way downstairs to eat some breakfast. There you find your sister, already ready for her school, eating a waffle. She looks up at you and you can tell she's a bit surprised to see you up already, but you ignore it and grab a poptart for yourself. As you munch on it, you can feel Tina's eyes staring at you. "What?" You ask, slightly annoyed. She visibly flinches at your question and quickly returns her gaze to her waffle. The two of you never really got along, before and after she entered high school, so this kind of interaction is normal. You finish your food and head out there door, just in time to see Ian walk up. "Yo." He says, giving you a short wave. You walk to the end of the walkway and join him in walking to school. Like last time, Ian goes on about another story involving his older brother. This time, once you reach school, you split up and find your class without issue. > Class You first class begins, but instead of teaching like normal, your teacher just stands at the front of the class beside the door. "Today, a new student will be joining us". He says. As he does the new student enters the room. You see a pretty girl with familiar long blonde and pink hair flowing down to just above her waist. A realization hits you as the teacher introduces her. "This is Allison- Jacob, what are you doing?" He asks annoyed, as you stand up and point to Allison with you mouth open. This is the girl you saw in your dream the other day. Her features are far more defined than they were in then, but this is unmistakably the same girl. She smiles at you, amused at your action, while the rest of the quietly giggles. "I, um, her, ah never mind..." You say, returning to your seat flustered. You find it rather doubtful that the teacher will care you saw her in your dream. Rather he, Allison and the rest of the class would no doubt find it creepy. "Alright, Allison, please find a seat." The teacher says, and Allison walks over to an empty seat at the back of the room, flashing you another smile as she passes you. A familiar feeling you've been getting all too often reoccurs. Do you know Allison? > Lunch Lunch time comes, and after finally escaping from your class, you find Allison on your way to the lunch room. She smiles again once she notices you, but rather than approach you, chooses to go outside. Instinctively you follow her out to the bench she is now sitting on. "So..." You begin, cautiously taking a seat beside her on the bench. "I don't I know you, do I? I mean, it feels like we've met before." You ask, recalling that you asked Olivia the same thing yesterday. Why does it seem like you know but can't remember so many people in this school? "Hmmm. You could ask far more interesting questions than that." She replies. "Why I'm here, how I'm here, who I'm here for; all are far more interesting questions." She says. You silently sit together, unable to come up with a proper response for her rather odd answer. Sensing that won't change soon, Allison sighs then speaks again. "We just met now, correct? So it's safe to say it's our first meeting." She says. "If you believe in a linear concept of time that is." Allison adds in a playful tone. You frown, having no idea what she's going on about. Her answer puts you a bit at ease though. You haven't met before, according to her, so maybe you're just imagining things. Maybe your dream of her wasn't really about her then. As you think she stands up and walks a few feet away from you. "For the love long since lost, the old friend forgotten, the new one neglected, the sister he could never see, and the brother he could never be." Allison says suddenly, bending forward and leaning in your direction. "That's why I'm here." She says smiling, she then quickly runs away before you have a chance to question her about her cryptic message. Just who is that girl... You wonder, shaking your head. > You try to talk to Allison more You chase Allison into the lunch room and grab her hand as you catch up, stopping her from running. She turns to you and gives an exaggerated sad expression. "Well, ya caught me, now what?" She asks. You look into her eyes for a minute, and decide to try something. "You're lying." You replying accusingly. "I'm what now?" "Lying. You know who I am. No one acts that friendly to someone they just met, and what you just said before sounds like it has some deeper meaning to it." You say. Allison looks down to her hand, which you immediately let go of, then she glances around the room. Finally she sighs. "You caught me. I know you. But the more important thing here, isn't what I know, but what you know. So, what do you know of me, Jacob?" Allison replies, revealing that your guess was right. Unfortunately, you don't actually know anything about her. The closest you have to a memory of her is your dream, and even if she does actually know you, that'd be a rather odd thing to bring up. Then again, she seems like a rather odd person anyway. "How do you know me?" You ask, trying to ignore her question. She pouts and takes a step back. "Beep beep, wrong answer. Should I take this to mean you don't know anything about me?" She asks. > You tell her about the dream "That's not entirely true..." You reply to her. Curious, she takes a step towards you. "So, what do you know about me then?" Allison asks. "I, um, well, it was just a dream." You begin. "I saw you, at least I think it was you, in a hallway of the school. You ran and I chased you, and then..." "And then?" She asks. "And nothing. The dream just ended after I chased you." "Hmmmm..." She replies, clearly thinking about what you just said. "So, when was this dream?" "Just the other day..." You reply, leaving out the part that you actually dreamt it 8 years in the future. Allison appears to be thinking deeply again. Then she suddenly giggles. "That's kind of creepy to be honest." You almost grasp your chest in response to that critical hit of an insult. Sure enough, she finds it weird and creepy that you would have dreamt about her. "Well, I suppose it's not that bad. Even creeps and geeks have their own appeal after all." She continues, teasing you. "Catch ya later." Allison says, waving and walking away. You give her a short wave back and sigh, unhappy with the results of your conversation. Even so, you decide to hang out in the lunch room longer and have something to eat. > You look for Ian After a short search through the cafeteria, you find Ian sitting with a girl, with long black hair, brown eyes, and dressed in a goth outfit. Oddly enough, you recognize her as Olivia, the girl you were talking to in detention yesterday. Noticing you, Ian waves you over to their table. "Hey man, this here is Olivia." He says, motioning to Olivia. "We're both in the chess club together it seems, so I figured I should hang out with her a bit to get to know her better." Olivia looks at you with a mild expression of surprise while Ian speaks, before scoffing at his remark. "I have a boyfriend you know." She states, apparently thinking Ian had an ulterior motive. "Ah, well of course you do. A cute girl like you is quite the catch." Ian replies, although you can sense he didn't really expect her to have one. Olivia blushes slightly, but it's unnoticed by Ian. "That's right, I had forgotten you were in the chess club Ian." You say, finally sitting down. "Yep, I'm the best damn chess-inator there is!" He replies while puffing out his chest with an odd sense of pride. However you don't really doubt he's the best there, as he's always been incredibly smart. You gaze wanders to Olivia, who notices and speaks. "Just cause I look this way doesn't mean I'm stupid. Girls can be smart too, you know." She says harshly to you, apparently thinking you were judging her inability to play chess based on her goth outfit. You quickly shake your head in response. "I, wait, I never said you couldn't." You said defensively. She turns her head away from you, almost in disgust. Ian looks at the two of you confused. "Am I missing something here? Do you two got some history or something?" "No, of course not. We just met yesterday after all. Didn't we, Jacob?" Olivia replies angrily, even more upset now. "I need to go." She announces, quickly standing from the table and walking away. The two of you watch as she leaves and Ian shrugs as you turn to him. "Girls man. Confusing as hell, right?" He says before taking a drink of his milk in front of him. You nod, but can't help but think there was something more to what Olivia said. > The next morning The rest of the day goes by without much else happening. Neither Allison nor Olivia are in any of your other classes, and you don't seem to run into either of them. You walk home with Ian, and spend the rest of the day lounging around your home. You're beginning to feel like you've fallen into your old routine from back in the day. The next morning, Ian arrives at your door, as per usual, except this time he doesn't seem to have his backpack. "Yo, Jacob." He says while standing at the end of your walkway. "Hey Ian, where's your backpack?" You ask while walking towards him, a bit confused. "Ah, well about that, I was thinking we'd do something a little more interesting than school today." He replies. "Such as?" "Well...you'll see when we get there." He says with a bit of a laugh. "It'll be fun man, just hide your bag somewhere first, we won't need it for where we're going." He adds. If you remember right, skipping school so haphazardly wasn't something Ian often suggested. In fact, if you recall correctly, you were usually the one suggesting it and he was the one rejecting the idea. This makes you really wonder what he has in mind for the day. You stand there and consider if you really want to go or not. After all, if you go you'd be missing school, and you guess that would also mean you miss a chance to see Olivia or Allison. "You won't give any hints about what we're gonna do?" You ask, hopeful. "Not a single one." Ian replies smiling. > You go with Ian "Alright fine, I'll come with you." You reply somewhat grudgingly, trying to mask your interest. Fortunately, your mother had already left for work, taking your sister with her, so you easily return your bag to your closet without being caught. During the walk to the unknown destination, you and Ian converse. "So, now that I've agreed, care to let me in on where we're headed?" You ask. "You'll see when we get there." He replies with a smile. You glare at him, annoyed that he refuses to tell you, but continue to walk along with him. After a short walk he stops in front of what looks to be an abandoned warehouse. You glance at him then to the building. "Seriously? This is it?" You ask, clearly disappointed. A worn down and dangerous building isn't exactly your idea of fun, and it doesn't really fit Ian's either. "You'll change your mind about it once we're inside." He says, leading the way. You follow him into it, although you're rather doubtful your opinion will change. Sure enough, once you follow him through the main door, all you see is a large run-down warehouse, exactly like you expected. "Come on, what are we even doing here Ian?" You ask, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy about the situation. "Don't worry man, just a little further." He says, leading you through the large room and into a side-room. In the side room, which appears to have previously been an office of some sort, you see signs that it was recently used. In fact the furniture inside seems rather new, and there's even a mini-fridge at the side, plugged into a battery pack. Ian hops onto a large, comfortable looking couch, and then smiles. "Welcome to the wolves." > The wolves "The what?" You ask, thoroughly confused. You don't remember anything like this happening in the past. Maybe your decisions have been different from before, leading you to a different outcome. The possibilities run through your mind before Ian snaps you out of it. "The Wolves man. Our gang. Well, you're not really in them yet, but I'm sure my brother won't have a problem with it." Ian says, standing up and opening the mini-fridge, pulling out a beer. "Want one?" He asks casually. You don't really care that he's drinking while under aged, but this isn't how you remember Ian acting. "No..." You reply slowly. "Actually, what the hell is going on? Since when have you been in a gang?" You ask demanding an answer. Ian doesn't seem too put off by your response. It's almost as though he expected it. "Ah well, I've been telling you about this club for the last few days. I mean I never said it was a gang or anything, but it shouldn't come as that much of a surprise." He replies. That's when it hits you. The stories he was saying involving his brother that you largely ignored were about the gang he was in. Most likely he was trying to talk it up a bit before bringing you here. Still, Ian has a great future ahead of him, so he really has no need to be in a gang. "So, you in man?" He asks, with a bit of hesitance. > You protest him being in the gang "No." You reply bluntly. "And you shouldn't be in it either man. The hell is wrong with you?" You say, your voice getting louder. Ian at this points backs away a step, and seems a bit afraid. "You're fucking smart man. Why the hell would you throw that away by being in a gang? You won't -" You yell, then you suddenly stop. 'You won't go anywhere in life', is what you were about to say, but then it dawns on you that that is exactly what happens. He joins you, doing nothing with his life, as a stock boy. Your anger subsides, and your breathing normalizes, but Ian still keeps his distance. "I...I'm sorry." You say in a dejected tone, apologizing. You contemplate saying more, but decide against it. Slowly, you open the office door and exit the room. "I'll see you later." You say. Ian doesn't say anything in return, nor does he try to stop you. You leave the abandoned warehouse and wander around town for the rest of the day, wondering what you can do to help Ian. Along the way you run into a group of girls, wearing a uniform you recognize as the one from the school your sister goes to. They laugh obnoxiously and talk about some other girl in their class. You sigh loudly, annoyed by their interruption of your thought process, but continue walking rather than confront them. By the end of the day, you return home, hungry and without any real solution to how to help Ian. You've concluded that there's nothing you can really do to talk him out of being in the gang. Although you think you probably should have asked him why he's in it before leaving. You eat dinner and go to bed, your mom and sister blissfully ignorant of your day out. You glance at your alarm clock before dozing off, happy that tomorrow is Saturday. > You sleep in You happily decide to sleep in, it's Saturday after all. You do the same as all teenagers in high school do, sleep as much as possible. Or rather, you would have spent it sleeping, had you not been rudely awoken at about two by someone knocking on your front door. You groan as you exit your bed and move downstairs to answer the door. "What?" You ask angrily as you open it, only to find Allison happily standing in front of you. She smiles as you open the door. "Why hello there, Jacob, or should I say good morning?" She says cheekily. You open your mouth to retort, but she interrupts you. "Anyway, I've been out here for a while, so can I come it?" She continues, you go to reply, but she again interrupts you. "What do you mean no? Would you really leave a cute girl outside in the cold?" You stand silently and glare at her as she attempts to make a cute pose. "...Done?" "Yep!" > You say "Good, I'm closing the door" "Good, I'm closing the door." You reply, shutting it immediately in her face. You hear a cry of protest from the other side, and some more banging on the door. Happy with your revenge, you open it again to find her standing there pouting. You smile in response. "Done?" You ask. She nods in response. "Good." You reply, shutting the door yet again in her face and laughing. "Just let me in already, Jacob!" You hear her yell from the other side. You comply and smirk once you see her pouting face again. "Well, what you waiting for? Come in!" You say, feigning ignorance and opening the door wider, letting her in. Though it suddenly dawns on you that yourself and a high schooler are about to be alone in your house. You quickly shake off some of the thoughts that come to mind and shut the door once she enters, escorting her into the living room. "So, what'd you want?" You ask. She places her hand to her mouth and does an 'eh-hem', before replying. "I came to invite you somewhere." Allison replies. You wait for a moment for her to explain further, but get no such response. You're getting quite a few of these invitations to mysterious places lately. "And where would that be?" "Does it matter? You'll be there with me!" She answers, smiling. For someone you just met the other day, she sure is acting awfully close to you. "Alright, when did you want to go then?" Allison looks at the nearby clock, seems to nod approvingly, then looks back to you. "Right now." > Agree to go with her "Alright, I'll go with you." You reply. Allison does a triumphant fist pump to the air and smiles. "Great, well then let's go!" She says, standing up and leaving your house. You follower her obediently for about 10 minutes through the streets of your town before you reach your final destination - a park. She sits on a nearby bench and motions for you to follow. "So, what was the point of coming here?" You ask as you sit beside her. Allison gives a soft shrug in response. "No real reason." She answers as she kicks her legs back and forth. You sigh and turn your attention to the park, which while not full of people, still has a few pairs of children and parents playing. Allison makes small talk with you for a bit, about how she used to live in this area, and was fond of this park. You in turn tell her a few random facts about yourself, nothing really interesting. The mood slowly goes from being a light-hearted conversation into awkward silence. Then Allison sighs. "I can't take this anymore..." She says, and then she promptly grabs your shoulders and pushes herself into your chest. You freeze, her sudden show of affection catching you completely off guard. "I, um, Allison?" You manage say, incredibly conscious of the fact that her blonde and pink hair is brushing up against your face, and that you can feel her breathing on you. "Shut up...you're so stupid..." She mumbles into you as she clenches your shoulders. "Why can't you figure it out already..." You don't respond. You can figure by what she's doing now that she probably has a crush on you. You still have no clue how she knows you, however you can guess that the past you just didn't notice her. Thinking back, the you of the past was pretty oblivious to the things going on around him. You quietly curse your past self for not noticing this cute girl earlier. Then reality kicks in, and you remember that you're in a park with other people, being held by a girl a decade younger than you. Your moral center kicks in shortly after, and you force yourself to gentle push her away from you. Even if you're technically the same age now, something just doesn't feel right. Surprisingly, Allison doesn't protest at all. "I'm sorry..." You say, unable to say anything else. "Don't worry, I understand how you're feeling." She says softly with a forced smile. "That was pretty rude and selfish of me, sorry..." She continues, standing up. "I should have thought about how you felt too." Allison finishes. Before you have a chance to properly respond, she dashes out of the park. You sit there for a few minutes in silence. You hadn't thought that going back into the past would have revealed something like a past crush that you hadn't noticed. It depresses you, but eventually you pick yourself up and head home. > Sunday You wake up the next morning to the sound of your mother calling for you, saying something about a phone. You slowly manage to wake yourself up and get dressed, only to have your mom scold you when you finally get downstairs. "Honestly Jacob, it's noon now, it shouldn't take you this long to wake up on a Sunday." She says. "You won't be successful in life if you spend all your time sleeping." You nod your head, still somewhat asleep in response. You can't really disagree with her, given she's right about not being successful in life, though you rather doubt it's because you tend to sleep in. After she finishes scolding you she explains that Ian called and that you need to call him back, so you take the phone and return his call. "Hm? Why did I call?" Ian asks after you call him. "I'm bored, so I wanted to hang out. You busy?" He continues. You tell him you're not so he says he'll be over in a minute and hangs up. About twenty minutes later he comes over, and the two of you spend the afternoon together at your house. You reminisce about the times when you and Ian used to do these kinds of things. For you, high school was probably the high-light of your life, as after that you accomplished nothing but working in a dead end job. Sure it could have been worse, but you still wonder about what could have been. Eventually Ian asks you a question you didn't expect. "So, who you goin' to the fair with?" He asks. You frown and tilt your head slightly, indicating you really have no idea what he's talking about. "The annual fair? You know, the thing that comes here ever year? It's opening up next weekend." You think back and try to remember what Ian is talking about. You're pretty sure you remember a fair happening, or rather it'd be stranger if a fair hadn't happened. "Ah yeah, that fair." You reply, vaguely remembering it. "Yep, that fair. So who you goin' with?" You haven't asked anyone yet, but you should at least tell Ian your intentions. > You're not going Thinking it over, you decide you don't really want to go to this fair. "I'm not going." You reply. Ian gets visibly upset. "What the hell, man? You say that every year." He says. You shrug in response. "Just doesn't seem like it would be fun, no big deal. Who are you going with?" You ask, trying to move the conversation away from you. "I haven't made plans yet...I think I'll ask Olivia to go with me though." Ian says, with hint of nervousness. "Doesn't she have a boyfriend?" "Who cares? I'm not asking her to date, I'm just seeing if she wants to go to the fair with me." He retorts. Ian's intentions here are obvious, but he's really trying to deny them. You weren't aware he was into Olivia though. Thinking back it kind of makes sense, they're both on the chess team, and he even introduced her to you. "Anyway, she might say no, but you never know." He finishes. You give a short nod, and the conversation ends. The two of you carry on talking and hanging out until the night comes, and Ian leaves. > The next morning The next morning comes and you head out to school with Ian like normal. The day passes and nothing of interest happens at all. You're not surprised or disappointed by this. Thinking back, this was the way you had always lived, simply going through life day after day, doing as little as possible. With no real ambition, you're likely to end up right back at the grocery store after you graduate. Maybe fate really is preventing you from changing your ways, or maybe you're just afraid of what might happen if you pursue something you actually want. If you're just going to fail and get disappointed anyway, then what's the point of trying to change, right? At least, that's what you think. You become content with falling back into your high school routine. Weeks pass, and the thought that you're a decade in the past is all but a distant memory. That's fine though. This is what was supposed to happen; the way it's meant to be. It's because of fate, so it's not your fault that you were unsuccessful in changing anything. At least, that's what you tell yourself.

You wake up the next morning to the sound of your mother calling for you, saying something about a phone. You slowly manage to wake yourself up and get dressed, only to have your mom scold you when you finally get downstairs. "Honestly Jacob, it's noon now, it shouldn't take you this long to wake up on a Sunday." She says. "You won't be successful in life if you spend all your time sleeping." You nod your head, still somewhat asleep in response. You can't really disagree with her, given she's right about not being successful in life, though you rather doubt it's because you tend to sleep in. After she finishes scolding you she explains that Ian called and that you need to call him back, so you take the phone and return his call. "Hm? Why did I call?" Ian asks after you call him. "I'm bored, so I wanted to hang out. You busy?" He continues. You tell him you're not so he says he'll be over in a minute and hangs up. About twenty minutes later he comes over, and the two of you spend the afternoon together at your house. You reminisce about the times when you and Ian used to do these kinds of things. For you, high school was probably the high-light of your life, as after that you accomplished nothing but working in a dead end job. Sure it could have been worse, but you still wonder about what could have been. Eventually Ian asks you a question you didn't expect. "So, who you goin' to the fair with?" He asks. You frown and tilt your head slightly, indicating you really have no idea what he's talking about. "The annual fair? You know, the thing that comes here ever year? It's opening up next weekend." You think back and try to remember what Ian is talking about. You're pretty sure you remember a fair happening, or rather it'd be stranger if a fair hadn't happened. "Ah yeah, that fair." You reply, vaguely remembering it. "Yep, that fair. So who you goin' with?" You haven't asked anyone yet, but you should at least tell Ian your intentions. > You're going with Allison "I think I'm gonna go with Allison." You respond. The mysterious girl has been on your mind quite a bit lately, and you still don't know a lot about her. The fair would be a great time to get to know her, especially given she basically just confessed she loved you the other day at the park. There's no way she should feel that strongly about you after such a short time. "Allison? Oh, the new girl in our class? I didn't know you guys were talking." He says, mildly shocked. "Yeah, I've been talking with her this past week." "Hmm...well good luck man." Ian says. "So, who are you goin' with?" You ask, turning the subject onto him. "Me? Hm...I was gonna ask Olivia." "Olivia? Really?" You say surprised. Though, thinking back it shouldn't be too surprising. He did introduce you to her, and she is in the chess club with him. "Really." He replies. "Even though she has a boyfriend?" "Ah well, I'll deal with that when it's brought up." Ian says, laughing. You laugh with him and the conversation turns back to mundane things. The day passes and eventually Ian returns to his home. > Monday Morning As per usual, you and Ian walk to school together in the morning. He talks about his older brother, but by now you've learned to just zone out while he's doing so. You have far more important things to think about anyway, such as how you're actually going to get Allison to go to the fair with you. No, that's probably the wrong way of looking at it. The real hard part will be dealing with her being in love with you. Or having a crush on you. Or just really being into you. Truthfully you're not really sure which it is, but you'll need to settle that matter regardless. You do find Allison attractive, a thought that causes great conflicts within you, but you'd feel like you're taking advantage of her if you pursued her that way. Thinking about it further, you realize you still have no idea what her relation to you is either. After all, she clearly knew you before you met in class. The way she spoke to you and her avoidance of key questions made that clear, not to mention there's no way she'd feel strongly about you if you just met. You sigh as you enter the school, your thoughts becoming muddled. No matter which you decide to confront her on, the first step is to actually find and talk to her. A step greatly hindered by the fact that she isn't in your class when you enter. Confused, you approach the teacher. "Ah..." You say, remembering you still have no idea what his name is. "Um, is Allison sick or something?" You ask, pressing forward anyway. The teacher thinks for a moment then shakes his head. "She hasn't called the school. It's odd, she transferred in near the end of the year, and she has skipped most of the lessons..." He replies pondering. The answer isn't exactly what you were expecting or what you wanted to hear, but you thank him anyway and head to your seat. The first period ends quickly, and you're left wondering how you should proceed with this situation. > You continue with classes like normal Realizing you have no idea where she could be anyway, you decide to just continue with your classes like normal. Allison has to return to school sometime, so you can just speak with her then. Sure enough, in time for the start of your next class, Allison shows up. You don't really have a chance to speak with her during the class, but you can tell she seems pretty down. Not wanting to risk her leaving again before you get the chance to ask, you decide to slip her a note asking her to go to the fair with you. You can't think of a way to solve the other issues, so you'll just deal with them later. You raise your hand to leave for the bathroom, and on your way out you pass by Allison's desk, dropping the note as you do. Out of the corner of your eye as you leave, you notice her open it. When the class ends, you approach her. "So uh....do you have an answer?" You ask nervously. This whole scenario seems rather odd, but you can't help but feel like a high school boy asking out a girl. Allison gives you a short look and a nod. It seems like she's still upset over something though. "You okay Allison?" You ask concerned. She nods again. "I'm just thinking about some things, I'll be fine in a bit." She replies in a low voice, walking away. You frown, but can't think of anything else to say, so you leave it at that. > After School School ends and you met Ian as per usual at the front of school, however today you have something different in mind. "Hey, Ian, I'll catch you later, I'm going to go with Allison." You tell him, spotting her down the hallway. Ian nods and leaves without you, and you head towards Allison. She smiles as she sees you, apparently back to her normal self. "Why hello there Jacob! Why haven't you left for your house yet?" She asks. "Well, I was waiting for you of course. Care to walk with me?" You reply, gesturing for her to follow. Allison takes the hint and walks besides you. "Hmm, and where might you be taking me?" She asks with a coy smile. "It's a secret." You reply smiling, mimicking how she acted to you on Saturday. Rather than demand any further answers, she just continues smiling. "I see. Well, lead on." And with that, the two of you exit the school grounds. Just like on Saturday, the two of you end up at the park Allison brought you to. While you succeeded in asking her to the fair, you've been pondering the rest of the day as to how you should solve the other issues with her. You're curious as to how she knows you, but you also want to know how she really feels. It's possible you just misunderstood her the other day, so you need to clarify. As the two of you enter the oddly deserted park, you go to speak, but are stopped by her placing her index finger against your mouth. The intimacy of the sudden act immediately pacifies you, and you're left awkwardly staring into Allison's eyes. "One question. I'll answer one question, regardless of what it is, as honestly as I can." She says in a serious tone, removing her finger from your lips. "But after that I make no promises, hehe." She finishes. Allison seems to have read your mind and intentions here, so rather than tempt fate, you give in and ask her one question. > How do you feel about you? "Then....how do you feel about me?" You ask nervously. "That's easy. I love you, Jacob." Allison shamelessly confesses with a smirk. Your heart practically skips a beat as you hear the words leave her lips. It's just as you thought, Allison really does love you. But how? She barely knows you, right?" "W....why? How can you lo...love me when we barely know each other." You say stuttering. You shouldn't be this nervous in front of her, after all it's not like you'll actually act on her feelings towards you. You're a decade older than her after all, it just wouldn't feel right. Even so, you've never had a girl in love with you. You can't even put into words how you feel right now. Allison makes a cute pose and crosses her arms. "Beep beep. Nope, you only get one question!" She says triumphantly. "Besides Jacob, a cute girl just confessed her love for you. Shouldn't you be saying something in return?" Allison says accusingly. You take a step back in confusion. She's obviously talking about saying you love her back, but can you really say such a thing? You'll admit she's cute, and you do find her personality to be fun, but are you really sure if you love her or not? It's not something you ever considered before. You shake you're head. There's no way you can say such a thing so soon, even if it was true you've only know Allison for a week. "Thank you." You say. Allison pouts in response, but doesn't seem surprised. "You would say something like that. Just admit you like me!" "Well, I do like you. I can't say anything beyond that though..." You reply earnestly. "I really should be used to you doing this to me by now." She says with a sigh. "Oh well. That's your one question. I need to go now, see you later Jacob." She says, leaving you alone in the park with a wave. You wave back and let her leave, realizing you won't be able to stop her. "I love you, Jacob." Allison's words echo in your head as you watch her go. If someone had asked you what you would expect if you had gone back in time while you were in the future, a girl you never met confessing her love to you would have never come to your mind. > Tuesday The next day Allison appears to be missing again. You're still not sure why she's keeps disappearing like this, but after yesterday you're satisfied enough to not look for her. You got her to agree to go to the fair with you, and to answer one of the questions you were dying to ask, so you'll just be patient and wait for her to return. Although you think that, you're still hopefully she'll show up during the day. However she never shows. Classes pass and the school day ends, and Allison is still nowhere to be seen. "Hey Jacob, something wrong?" Ian asks as the two of you prepare to leave the school. Ian's pretty good at reading you, so he probably knows something has been on your mind all day. "Yeah, I'm really curious as to where Allison is." You reply absentmindedly. "Ah yeah, the new girl who keeps skipping school. You asked her to the fair already right?" "Yeah, she said yes." "Great man, so you ready for the fair?" "What do you mean ready?" The two of you reach the other perimeter of the school and Ian stops. "Ready, as in you planned what you're going to do with her..." He says, as though it's a really obvious fact you should already be aware of. You had been so focused on getting her there and your other issues, that you had forgotten what you'd actually do." "Shit...." You say. You then look to Ian. "What are you going to do then? You asked Olivia to go right? Did she say yes?" You ask. Ian frowns and sighs. "Sort of. I asked her but she's pretty keen on saying she has a boyfriend. Apparently she's not even going to go with him anyway." He complains. You nod sympathetically, and your mind wanders to thinking about what you should do with Allison when the fair comes while Ian speaks. > Wednesday The next day comes and you haven't been able to come up with much of a plan for what to do with Allison. From what you can remember about the fair, it was a rather small one, and was mainly comprised of the typical carnival games that no one can ever win. You think there was a Ferris wheel, at least there should be one, and a few other rides. Apart from the Ferris wheel though, there isn't anything romantic there. You shake your head at the thought and bring your attention back to class. The teacher is going on about something to do with your futures, which you quickly lose interest in, causing your attention to drift back to Allison and the fair. You're still feeling guilty about it all for some odd reason, but you asked her to the fair, which you can assume to implicitly mean she does like you. Well, actually you already know she likes you, you're just not sure how far you should take that. Your plan had been to take her to all the romantic rides, since you figured that's what you're supposed to do, but you're quickly realizing your situation isn't so typical. Halfway through the day, Allison finally arrives at the school. You're relieved to see that she's fine, but feeling somewhat anxious seeing her again. "Hey Jacob! Did I miss anything important?" Allison asks as she joins you and Ian in the cafeteria. "Nope, nothing at all." You reply. She smiles and sits beside you, with Ian smirking in a chair across from the two of you. "Ah, look at the time. Sorry Jacob, I'll leave you with the new girl, I gotta go find Olivia." Ian announces, standing up. Obviously he intends to have you and Allison spend some time alone, which you internally thank him for. "Seeya, new girl." Ian says waving to Allison, to which she politely waves back. She then turns and looks at you. "So...." You begin awkwardly. "Where were you yesterday?" You ask. Allison averts her gaze. "No where special. Just didn't feel like coming to school." She replies. "More importantly, how are things with you?" She asks. You shrug. "Fine. You're ready for the fair this weekend right?" You ask. Allison frowns, apparently unhappy with that reply. "Really? Nothing new or unexpected happened to you?" "Not in particular, no." You reply with a straight face. Apart from the fair and Allison, nothing new or important has been happening to you since you went back in time. Well, apart from you actually going back in time, but you don't intend on telling her that. You hear Allison mutter something under her breath in an annoyed tone, before she speaks again. "I see. That's a shame, new and exciting things happening is what makes life good." She says. "I suppose. We can count the fair as one of those things though, right?" You reply hopeful. Allison sighs, then smiles. "Yes, I suppose we can. I do love those carnival games after all." The two of you finishing eating and return to class. You continue attempting to plan your day at the fair with Allison throughout the afternoon, and by the end of school you think you have a pretty good idea of what to do. > Saturday The rest of the school week passes, and Saturday finally arrives. By now you've made lots of small talk with Allison, finding out what foods she likes, and what rides she prefers. The only thing left to do is to actually go with her. You've arranged to meet at the fair grounds at about 3pm. Before leaving for the fair, you swing by Ian's place to see what he's up to. Unfortunately, upon arriving you find that no one is home, which you find rather confusing. Even if Ian had already left, his brother, or anyone else, should have been home. After a quick scout around his house, you confirm that no one is home, and make your way to the fair alone. You had wanted to hang around Ian and his date to make things less awkward with Allison, but it looks like you'll have no such luck. You arrive at the spot in the fair you agreed to meet Allison at a good ten minutes earlier, enough time to give you a second to take in the experience. You haven't been to the fair before, so the first thing you notice is the overbearing lights and sounds. You'd be surprised if any sort of meaningful conversation could be had between the two of you in this environment. The carnival games create a path through the fairgrounds, and surrounding that straight path lie all of the various rides, along with some food booths. You hear the loud clanging of metal all around you, when suddenly you feel a tug on your shirt. Allison stands behind you, wearing a cute outfit you didn't expect her to wear. You really don't like thinking about her that way, but the way she's acting is forcing your mind in that direction. Then again, the fact that you took her to the fair on a date means you had accepted that you liked her, so you might as well make the best of it. Now that she's here, she looks at you expectantly, and you tell her where you plan to take her first. > You eat some food "Let's go eat some food." You tell Allison. Allison gives you a strange look. "It's a bit earlier for food don't you think?" She says skeptically. You shrug and lead her to the food area anyway. The food from the fair is exactly as you would have expected it to be. It's expensive, high in fat and sugars, and wildly mediocre in taste at best. However the two of you manage to enjoy some nachos together, and afterwards some cotton candy. During the week Allison had told you that she loved cotton candy, so you made sure to get some for the two of you. You had separate ones of course, but it made you happy to see her happy. Come to think of it, when was the last time you felt this way? After high school you had simply followed Ian into the supermarket, a decision that didn't have much thought or effort behind it. Then again, you never had the ambition to do anything anyway, so you were content. At least, you thought you were. "This is sooo good!" Allison practically squeals in delight while eating her cotton candy. "Here!" She says, stuffing some of her partly eaten cotton candy into your mouth. Embarrassed, you eat it, to which she smirks. "Is this really the kind of thing you should get embarrassed about, Jacob?" Allison asks playfully, but your mind is elsewhere. This whole experience for you is so confusing. How can you be so infatuated with someone you just met? Somehow it feels like you've known Allison for so much longer. The two of you finishing eating and go on to the next activity. > You go on the rides "Let's go on the rides." You tell Allison Allison looks you up and down before shrugging. "I would have preferred to go on them later, but alright." She replies. The two of you start off with the bumper cars, where Allison proceeds to repeatedly ram you against the wall with her car, much to your dismay and her pleasure. Next you play around in the hall of mirrors, then you go to the haunted house. It's at this point Allison questions whether or not you'd consider these rides or attractions, but you insist they count. After that, you decide to take her to a 'real' ride, the roller coaster that they have. The roller coaster turns out to be a success, and after it you take her to some spinning cups, spinning cages, and finally, the Ferris wheel. From the start the Ferris wheel had been the only ride you really wanted to take her on, admittedly with an ulterior motive. The two of you reach the top of the Ferris wheel and it stops. You gaze at the view. While it doesn't go that high, and there's nothing particular unique about the scenery in your town, there's something peaceful about seeing it from up here. You turn to Allison, who sighs as she too gazes into the distance. "Hey, Jacob?" She begins. "What do you think about me?" She asks. With her eyes looking elsewhere, she doesn't see you immediately dart your eyes away from her. You had come up here hoping for some sort of romantic scenario to unfold, but her tone and eyes seem distant and sad. Like she's trying to reaffirm something rather, than ask you for real. "I like you, of course." You manage to reply. You don't quite have the courage to say you love her as it stands, but you can at least say this much. She turns to you and smiles. "Yeah....I know...." Allison replies in almost a whisper. "Thanks, I just needed to hear that. Sorry to make you uncomfortable." She says in a more normal tone. You can't stand to see her looking so depressed, so you quickly reply. "Don't be. I'm having fun." You say with a smile. She smiles back, and the ride continues. After exiting the Ferris wheel, you decide on where you want to head to next. > You play some of the carnival games "Let's go win some prizes at the games." You tell Allison. She smiles and nods her head. "Yes! I love these games! You'll win me something right?" She asks, leaning into you. "Well, I'm not very good at them, so I can't promise anything." You reply, weary of her closeness. "That's no good Jacob. When a girl tells you to get something for her, you should just do it!" Allison proclaims in a bossy tone. "I don't think that's the way relationships work...." You reply skeptically. "Probably not, but it's how ours does, hehe." She says with a cheeky grin. "Well like I said, I'm not good at them, but I'll try." "Great, trying is all I ask of you." "So you won't be disappointed when I lose?" "But you won't lose." "I'm telling you I'm n-" You begin to retort, but Allison holds up her hand. "Try before deciding if you'll fail or not." She says calmly. You're slightly put off by her change in tone, but nod and agree to try. Much to your surprise, you actually turn out to be pretty good at carnival games, winning a few prizes for yourself and Allison. Allison has a big "I told you so" smile the whole time, but you don't mind. After winning enough prizes to satisfy Allison, you decide on where you want to go to next. > End of the fair After the fair, you and Allison make your way to a bench just outside of the fairgrounds. According to Allison, this bench is the best viewpoint for the fireworks they're having. You weren't aware they were even having fireworks, so you just agreed with her to view them from here. The cold air getting at the her, Allison moves closer to you and rests her head on your shoulders. At this point, you think it's all but official the two of you are dating now. All you'd need to do now is lean down and kiss her, but you put it off for now. Whether it's fear, or nervousness, or something else, something inside of you is saying not to right now. Your feelings seem to be somewhat conflicted on the manner still. Allison shifts her weight and nudges in closer to you, causing you to unconsciously put your arm around her. She looks up at you and smiles, and you turn your head and blush. She really is cute, is all you can think about at this moment. Her long blonde and pink stripped hair flows down into her lap, and her bright blue eyes seem to shine even on this poorly lit bench. If she was just cute you could probably deal with ignoring her, but she seems to understand you perfectly, something you never thought could happen. Suddenly, the fireworks start, interrupting your internal conflict. You hadn't even noticed, but by now others have all gathered around the two of you to watch the fireworks. Luckily, you and Allison still have space between you and them, but you're suddenly really self-conscious that you're holding her in your arms. The bright lights and loud sounds of the fireworks seem to memorize the crowd for the few brief minutes they burst in the sky. Then, as quickly as they started, the fireworks end, and the crowd begins to disperse around you. As they do, Allison grips a hold of your hand that's currently around her, and looks into your eyes. "Hey, Jacob?" "H...Hm?" "This is okay, right?" "What is?" "The two of us, together. It's okay....right?" Allison asks, as if she's pleading for you to answer for her. You're not sure if she's also conflicted, or if she just notices you are, but you need to answer her, to make a decision. > You say "No, it's not right" No, this just doesn't feel right. For some reason, you come to the conclusion that you just shouldn't be with Allison. You practically grimace in pain as you slowly move your arm away from her, and gently slide down the bench. "No....it's not right. I'm sorry Allison." You reply as you look to the side, unable to face her properly. There's a brief moment of silence between you, before Allison speaks. "You're probably right. I need to stop this...." She says softly. "I keep getting side-tracked into my own delusions, and I keep doing all these selfish things..." She continues. You look at her and notice she's now sitting with her legs on the bench and her arms wrapped around them. "I'm sorry I keep dragging you into this, Jacob. I'm sure I'll get it right one of these times." You tilt your head slightly in confusion and frown. This isn't exactly what you expected when you rejected her. She's saying all these things you don't understand. "What are you talking about?" You manage to ask, curiosity gaining the better of you. Allison turns to you and sighs. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. See you another time, Jacob." She says as she stands up and walks away from the bench, without looking back. You watch silently as she leaves, before making your way home. You're not sure what the future holds, but you know it won't be one with Allison. > Allison - Bad End Unfortunately, you got the bad ending for Allison's route. This means that you made a few wrong choices in her path, and as a result didn't get a high enough score to get the better ending option (or you simply choose this one over it) . As a hint, I'll tell you that the order of the events you do at the fair matters, and that being concerned for her earlier on could make a difference. Hope you try again!

[Themes: historical] "Thank you" You snarl through gritted teeth. Anger wells up inside of you like a storm, like an enraged beast trapped inside a frail cage of flesh and bone. Beside you, Orvyn notices your anger and tenses up, every muscle in his body is ready to spring into action. Even William notices the tension and waves discreetly to the Norman soldiers behind you. You feel cold steel pricking at your back. William glares icily, he leans forward. "You might be wondering why you are still alive, no?" You shrug sardonically. William pretends not to notice your insolence. "The North has proven especially difficult to pacify. I could have you executed, and place a Norman in charge, however I believe the peasants would disapprove, and I would prefer to keep them alive" He pauses briefly, mentally collecting his words "As such, I am reinstating you as lord in the North, providing you swear fealty to me" He leans even closer "Make no mistake. You will be closely watched by one of my men, whom you will take orders from. This is not an offer. Swear to me, or die. Your choice." > You attack King William With a short, deft movement, you leap to your left and crack a guard's knee with your boot. He gasps and collapses on the floor, cradling his injured leg. From his limp hands you tear his spear and whip around. The guard behind you parries with his sword, but you twirl your spear around his blade and plunge it into his gut. Leaving it there, you tear the sword from his grip. Behind you, Orvyn has also managed to acquire a weapon and is dueling with the remaining guard and the jailor. With his free hand, he waves to you "Go, Aethelwulf, go! Kill him!" You press onwards toward the throne. William's two guards stand ready for you. Taking a massive lunge to your right, you drive your sword at a guard's face. He deflects the blow easily with his heavy Norman kite shield, but the shield momentarily blinds him and allows you to cut past him. William, seeing you in front of him, reaches for an ornate gilded sword at his side. You don't give him a chance. Channeling all your strength, you drive the blade deep into his gut. Behind you, footsteps resonate, and shortly after you feel sharp steel driving into your back. It no longer matters. You keep pushing, driving the blade upwards. William's eyes roll back and his features curl into an insane grimace. More men enter the room. Orvyn dies. Your hand, up to your arm, is covered in blood. Another blade pierces you. Your grip weakens. You fall over, and your vision turns red. Blood pours from your mouth, but you manage to spit out two words "For England" > The Aftermath... With William dead, the Norman occupation crumbles. Multiple uprisings drive the Norman force out of London. In 1067 the Normans rally briefly under William's son, who is also named William. In an act of vengeance, he makes his last stand in Northumbria, your home. While he waits for the impending arrival of a unified English army, he makes Northumbria bleed. Entire villages are put to the sword, and your home is no exception. Your entire family is wiped out; an ancient bloodline extinguished. The English forces catch William II in a deft pincer; most of his army is killed during the battle. Those who are captured are put to the sword. William II is taken prisoner, he is brought to London and found guilty of numerous charges by a completely unanimous jury. On August 18, 1067, William II, at nineteen years of age, is executed. In the next four years a wave of bloodshed rips through England. Normans in hiding are methodically sought out and killed. By 1071, there are none left. Meanwhile, many English lords vie for the throne. In 1072, an English lord named Ryce takes the throne, and the English monarchy is preserved. Although you will be remembered as the man who saved England, your actions resulted in your people being massacred and your family being killed. As history progresses, facts will fade into legend, but you will always remain. Your name will be lost to history, but you will be remembered instead by your posthumous nickname; The Bloody Wolf.

[Themes: historical] All around you is the smell of warfare. Acrid smoke from the campfires, piss and refuse from the latrines, sweat from the men. And fear. You smell that too. These men have reason to be afraid. You have spent the last few months fighting King Harold's enemies, only to march double-time to confront his most dangerous yet; William of Normandy. His army is camped below, twelve thousand men strong, in comparison to your eight thousand. There is reason to be afraid. Are you afraid? No, you affirm decisively in your mind. You are not afraid. You are Lord Aethelwulf, The Lord In The North, King Harold's most trusted advisor, and the veteran of a hundred battles. Why should you be afraid of an army of ragtag Normans who come to die on your sword? Shaking such doubts from your mind, you stride purposefully through the bustle of the camp, intent on checking on the forward defenses. A pair of giggling urchins weave nimbly around you and a staggering drunk lurches out in front of you, notices your sparkling chainmail armor and backs away, apologizing profusely. Striding onward towards the edge of the English camp you pass the watchful gaze of the sentries unchallenged and stand at the upper slope of the hill. You are not alone. Another man sits on the hill, wreathed in the shadow of the setting sun. Drawing closer you recognize him as Acwellen, a minor lord, but stalwart fighter. His face is stone, his jaw grimly set and his eyes staring out at the horizon. Looking over his shoulder you see the black smoke smearing the red evening sky. In the distance the town of Hastings burns. In the blurry uncertainty of the setting sun, you cannot tell if the glisten at his eyes is tears or just the sparkle of dying sunlight. Acwellen's son, you remember, was put in command of Hasting's garrison. Above the treeline you can just make out the crackle of flames. Hastings burns. > You remind him his son could be alive Adamantly, you grip him by the shoulder and turn him to face you. Kneeling, you look him in the eyes, grasping his shoulders with sudden ferocity. "Listen to me Acwellen! Your son may not be dead. Every hour men from the garrison at Hastings enter our camp. There are survivors. Do not give up hope so soon" Acwellen sighs raggedly, and seems about to disagree, but instead nods fiercely. "Yes. You're right. I cannot give up hope, my son... my son could still be out there" His conviction appears slight, but at least you have gotten his attention away from the blaze of Hastings' buildings. Acwellen exhales shakily, opens his mouth to say something else, then closes it and remains silent, yet the words are plainly on his mind, trying to slip free like hounds on a leash. At last he speaks, grim and quiet, little more than a whisper. "Can we win this battle?" The question hangs there for an eternity, all the fear and anxiety of the English army expressed in the musings of one broken man. > Yes "Yes!" You bark, with a sudden harshness that surprises both Acwellen and yourself. "Yes" You continue in a softer tone. "We can win. This is not the end." In your mind there is no room for doubt. You cannot afford it. Behind the screen of trees the town of Hastings roils with flames and the Norman William's horde assembles. Adamantly, you grip him by the shoulder and turn him to face you. Kneeling, you look him in the eyes, grasping his shoulders with sudden ferocity. "Listen to me Acwellen! Your son may not be dead. Every hour men from the garrison at Hastings enter our camp. There are survivors. Do not give up hope so soon" Acwellen sighs raggedly, and seems about to disagree, but instead nods fiercely. "Yes. You're right. I cannot give up hope, my son... my son could still be out there" His conviction appears slight, but at least you have gotten his attention away from the blaze of Hastings' buildings. Acwellen exhales shakily, opens his mouth to say something else, then closes it and remains silent, yet the words are plainly on his mind, trying to slip free like hounds on a leash. At last he speaks, grim and quiet, little more than a whisper. "Can we win this battle?" The question hangs there for an eternity, all the fear and anxiety of the English army expressed in the musings of one broken man. > No Hidden by the dense screen of trees, twelve thousand Norman warriors wait. Each one is battle ready, and battle hardened; professional killers. Within your camp waits fewer than eight thousand men, but of those eight thousand only three thousand can be trusted. The rest are just farmers, weary and ill-disciplined. Even with the high ground, these numbers are far too slanted. You know it with a dull certainty; only death awaits you here. Acwellen is still looking at you, waiting for a response. Your mouth moves of its own accord, the words escaping in a wisp of breath. "No." Adamantly, you grip him by the shoulder and turn him to face you. Kneeling, you look him in the eyes, grasping his shoulders with sudden ferocity. "Listen to me Acwellen! Your son may not be dead. Every hour men from the garrison at Hastings enter our camp. There are survivors. Do not give up hope so soon" Acwellen sighs raggedly, and seems about to disagree, but instead nods fiercely. "Yes. You're right. I cannot give up hope, my son... my son could still be out there" His conviction appears slight, but at least you have gotten his attention away from the blaze of Hastings' buildings. Acwellen exhales shakily, opens his mouth to say something else, then closes it and remains silent, yet the words are plainly on his mind, trying to slip free like hounds on a leash. At last he speaks, grim and quiet, little more than a whisper. "Can we win this battle?" The question hangs there for an eternity, all the fear and anxiety of the English army expressed in the musings of one broken man. > Don't know Hidden by the dense screen of trees, twelve thousand Norman warriors wait. Each one is battle ready, and battle hardened; professional killers. Within your camp waits fewer than eight thousand men, but of those eight thousand only three thousand can be trusted. The rest are just farmers, weary and ill-disciplined. These are long odds, and even with the high ground, this will be no easy victory. Acwellen is still looking at you, waiting for a response. You shrug grimly. "I don't know Acwellen. I don't know." Behind the screen of trees the town of Hastings roils with flames and the Norman William's horde assembles. All around you is the smell of warfare. Acrid smoke from the campfires, piss and refuse from the latrines, sweat from the men. And fear. You smell that too. These men have reason to be afraid. You have spent the last few months fighting King Harold's enemies, only to march double-time to confront his most dangerous yet; William of Normandy. His army is camped below, twelve thousand men strong, in comparison to your eight thousand. There is reason to be afraid. Are you afraid? No, you affirm decisively in your mind. You are not afraid. You are Lord Aethelwulf, The Lord In The North, King Harold's most trusted advisor, and the veteran of a hundred battles. Why should you be afraid of an army of ragtag Normans who come to die on your sword? Shaking such doubts from your mind, you stride purposefully through the bustle of the camp, intent on checking on the forward defenses. A pair of giggling urchins weave nimbly around you and a staggering drunk lurches out in front of you, notices your sparkling chainmail armor and backs away, apologizing profusely. Striding onward towards the edge of the English camp you pass the watchful gaze of the sentries unchallenged and stand at the upper slope of the hill. You are not alone. Another man sits on the hill, wreathed in the shadow of the setting sun. Drawing closer you recognize him as Acwellen, a minor lord, but stalwart fighter. His face is stone, his jaw grimly set and his eyes staring out at the horizon. Looking over his shoulder you see the black smoke smearing the red evening sky. In the distance the town of Hastings burns. In the blurry uncertainty of the setting sun, you cannot tell if the glisten at his eyes is tears or just the sparkle of dying sunlight. Acwellen's son, you remember, was put in command of Hasting's garrison. Above the treeline you can just make out the crackle of flames. Hastings burns. > You say "..." You have no words. Perhaps Acwellen's son is alive, even now rallying survivors and waiting for the cover of night to slip into the safety of the English camp, yet more likely he is dead, cleaved open by a Norman axe, or gutted by a Norman blade, or shot by a Norman arrow. Lying there, consumed by the inferno that lights the evening sky in the distance. You cannot offer false consolation. Instead you stand by him, silently sharing in his grief. Acwellen exhales shakily, opens his mouth to say something, then closes it and remains silent, yet the words are plainly on his mind, trying to slip free like hounds on a leash. At last he speaks, grim and quiet, little more than a whisper. "Can we win this battle?" The question hangs there for an eternity, all the fear and anxiety of the English army expressed in the musings of one broken man. > Yes "Yes!" You bark, with a sudden harshness that surprises both Acwellen and yourself. "Yes" You continue in a softer tone. "We can win. This is not the end." In your mind there is no room for doubt. You cannot afford it. Behind the screen of trees the town of Hastings roils with flames and the Norman William's horde assembles. You have no words. Perhaps Acwellen's son is alive, even now rallying survivors and waiting for the cover of night to slip into the safety of the English camp, yet more likely he is dead, cleaved open by a Norman axe, or gutted by a Norman blade, or shot by a Norman arrow. Lying there, consumed by the inferno that lights the evening sky in the distance. You cannot offer false consolation. Instead you stand by him, silently sharing in his grief. Acwellen exhales shakily, opens his mouth to say something, then closes it and remains silent, yet the words are plainly on his mind, trying to slip free like hounds on a leash. At last he speaks, grim and quiet, little more than a whisper. "Can we win this battle?" The question hangs there for an eternity, all the fear and anxiety of the English army expressed in the musings of one broken man. > No Hidden by the dense screen of trees, twelve thousand Norman warriors wait. Each one is battle ready, and battle hardened; professional killers. Within your camp waits fewer than eight thousand men, but of those eight thousand only three thousand can be trusted. The rest are just farmers, weary and ill-disciplined. Even with the high ground, these numbers are far too slanted. You know it with a dull certainty; only death awaits you here. Acwellen is still looking at you, waiting for a response. Your mouth moves of its own accord, the words escaping in a wisp of breath. "No." You have no words. Perhaps Acwellen's son is alive, even now rallying survivors and waiting for the cover of night to slip into the safety of the English camp, yet more likely he is dead, cleaved open by a Norman axe, or gutted by a Norman blade, or shot by a Norman arrow. Lying there, consumed by the inferno that lights the evening sky in the distance. You cannot offer false consolation. Instead you stand by him, silently sharing in his grief. Acwellen exhales shakily, opens his mouth to say something, then closes it and remains silent, yet the words are plainly on his mind, trying to slip free like hounds on a leash. At last he speaks, grim and quiet, little more than a whisper. "Can we win this battle?" The question hangs there for an eternity, all the fear and anxiety of the English army expressed in the musings of one broken man. > Don't know Hidden by the dense screen of trees, twelve thousand Norman warriors wait. Each one is battle ready, and battle hardened; professional killers. Within your camp waits fewer than eight thousand men, but of those eight thousand only three thousand can be trusted. The rest are just farmers, weary and ill-disciplined. These are long odds, and even with the high ground, this will be no easy victory. Acwellen is still looking at you, waiting for a response. You shrug grimly. "I don't know Acwellen. I don't know." Behind the screen of trees the town of Hastings roils with flames and the Norman William's horde assembles.[Themes: grimdark fantasy, serious, war, fantasy, villain protagonist, grimdark] Well, you did it again. You slacked off all semester and didn't study for your finals. There's no way you're going to pass your nature magic test tomorrow. Those things are always killers. You don't even know why you enrolled in that class; you aren't even interested in being a nature mage. You don't even like the damn outdoors! Oh wait, you know why, it's because you saw a cute witch taking the class, so like a dumb ass, you signed up for it. Naturally the moment you tried to impress her with some sort of cantrip, she laughed at you and said even if she was straight, she wouldn't go for a half assed hedge wizard like you! You really should've known better, half of those witches are lesbians anyway. That whole Mother Earth Goddess worship caters to the rug munching. (And no, there aren't any MALE witches, any self respecting man would call himself a WARLOCK, not a damn witch!) (Sigh) Like your little sister's B'ar'b Dolly once said "Magic is hard!" Indeed. Sometimes you curse the day your mother passed her magical elven blood on to you. Still, you're here now, so you need to make the best out of your life. You're already going to hear it from both of your parents of how you've been nothing but a disappointment to the both of them. Your Dad will probably do a little more than say that, he'll probably personally ride up to the University and beat the hell out of you for wasting his hard earned pillaging money to send you there in the first place. Arrgh! You just wish you were good at SOME kind of magic! You have the ability; you just don't have the focus! That's always been the problem with you. Your sister has it easy, she took after Dad. Narrow minded focus on killing someone with a blunt instrument doesn't take too much effort. Of course you had to be the one that greater things were expected of. You've tried all the schools, evocation, conjuration, illusion, divination; all of them. You can't excel in any of it. You can only get so far and then the words and gestures and well all of it just becomes too fucking confusing for you. However, you haven't tried the "darker arts", but your Mom would definitely never approve. (Your Dad probably wouldn't care, but if you upset your Mom, it's a warhammer upside the head) In fact it's illegal to study any of them. They caused too much trouble in the past and nearly destroyed the world at one time. All who are known to even dabble in such arts are immediately taken into custody and executed. You don't think you'd want to be summoning demons anyway; even the few "friendly ones" that work on campus are fucking assholes to the Nth degree. You can only imagine how bad the ones who haven't been living among mortals are. However there is another dark art which you have to admit you've always had a bit of curiosity about. The art in question is necromancy. At this point you're willing to at least see if you're good at ANYTHING, so for shits and giggles you decide to blow off your test which you're going to fail anyway and go see if you can find out more about this outlawed dark art. Though being a lazy sort you decide to try the library first. [Author's Note: Additional Notes: This story is definitely more "story" than "game", however there are two distinct paths that can be followed, each with their own pitfalls and additional choices. There is also "one true" ending in which can be considered a "win" (You'll know if you got it, because you'll get an epilogue) This story can get long, and assuming you're surviving, years do pass in it and you and your environment will change. There are a few points in the story where there are links that lead to more background information on various people and things. While not completely necessary to understand the story, they do give you more insight into it. The text that accompanies some of the pics are also done for similar purposes (Your journal entries, personal thoughts, letters written to you, etc)] > You go make a trip to the library Even though you're supposed to be a wizard in training, you spend as little time as possible in library if you can help it. Normally you just check out whatever you need to read for a class and leave. You have little faith in finding anything substantial on Necromancy in there, but maybe you can find something that will at least quell this thirst for knowledge on it. You realize you're treading on dangerous ground, but you have to try to learn more. The library is huge however, and you're unsure of where to look, it's not like there's a section on Necromancy or Outlawed Magic, but you figure you'll look in the History section first. You glance and browse through the stacks until you pick up a few choice books that look like they might contain something, sit down in a quiet corner and begin to read. Naturally you don't learn too much. The history books mainly go on about how bad the Dead War was, important battles, the atrocities of the Lich Lord, the typical stuff you've read time and time again. Still, you're determined to find something new. You spend hours reading until you realize you've spent the day in the library and that it's now night time. Oddly the library is mostly empty, and that's probably because finals are now over, one of which you've now undoubtedly failed. You think of how stupid you've been to obsess over an outlawed art that you probably wouldn't be any good at anyway! You've only been dwelling on the subject to ignore your own problems that you could've tried to solve yourself, instead of fantasizing about being some Necromancer. Raising the dead...what good would that do you? Delusions of grandeur. You wouldn't have enough motivation to try to take over the world anyway. There was only one person who truly motivated you, and she's gone. You begin to think about Serena and begin to feel sorrow like when you first lost her. You've had enough of death. You leave the library in a daze and head back home to sleep off this miserable day. You can't escape though; even your dreams bring death. You dream about Serena. At first she's alive and vibrant, and then suddenly she dies before your eyes. Then you see her grave with you sobbing over it and shouting how you demand that she not leave you. Then she rises from her grave...and you wake up only to come face to face with her! She is a ghost floating near your bed. "HOLY SHIT!" you shout and back up against your headboard. "Shhhh! Hush my love, I'm risking a lot just by being here." She says looking around as if someone is going to bust down your door any minute. "Serena, what's going on? This isn't a dream is it?" "No, my dear I assure you that I am very real. And I have a message for you." "A message?" "Yes, embrace death and all the beauty it has to offer." "You want me to kill myself, to join you?" Serena laughs a bit. "No silly, you are to become a necromancer and bring the purity of death to the world." "...yeah right. With my aptitude of magic, I doubt if I could raise a mouse skeleton." "You always did lack confidence in yourself. I suppose that's why they sent me to motivate you one last time. Though I admit, I would've come to see you anyway." "They?" Serena side steps your question and continues. "Look we haven't much time, but you HAVE the ability to become the greatest Necromancer since the Great Lich Lord who brought the world near the brink of extinction centuries ago, but you cannot do it alone...at least not yet. You must have allies. There are others like you on this campus who long to practice the dark arts. Seek them out and take over this college as your first step to your destiny." "What? Hold on! What makes you think I want to do all this?" Serena floats closer to you and touches your face with a ghostly hand. You feel completely calm. "Because deep down it IS what you want. You know your thoughts are dominated by death. You even think of me rather than living girls and I've been dead for years. The very fact that your mind played a part in summoning me here is also proof of your desire." "I miss you..." "I know you do, but my point is, even before I died I remember you having an interest in the dark arts. Indeed it's part of what attracted me to you. But now I must return and you must fulfill your part in this world, whether you succeed or fail at this endeavor will ultimately be up to you, but I believe you will succeed." Serena then floats a little closer to kiss you. "Farewell, my love." She says and then disappears. You're now wide awake and pacing the floor. You've been ambivalent about pursuing this path before, but the more you think about it and with this visit from Serena, this is the path you're going to choose. And why not? It's not like you have any better options in your life at this point. You're going to do it, and though Serena mentioned others like you being on campus, you're damned if you have a clue to as of knowing who they are since you don't really socialize. Still, you can think of two people that could get you started. (Or at least not rat on you, when you start inquiring about Necromancy) The next day you take your first steps towards darkness... > Go talk to your creepy conjuration professor, Mr. Demar Serena's right, you're going to need the help of others and you head to Mr. Demar's office. Mr. Demar's class was probably the only one you didn't struggle in too much. It's not really a popular field given that conjuration can lead to summoning demons. Still, there is use for it on a minor level, though of course it's strictly regulated by most governments. Mr. Demar was a good professor, but the general agreement by everyone in your class, was that he was REALLY creepy. Plus there were always rumors about him. You always got the impression he was interested in doing a lot more with his area of expertise, but had to settle for teaching. He always seemed to be alright with you though. When you get to his office, surprisingly it's open and he's busily shuffling some papers around. "Mr. Demar?" "Huh? What? Damn it, I thought I locked that door! Oh it's you, what do you want? And lock that door." "Well uh...I had some questions..." "Okay, what are they? Out with it." He says continuing to look at some strange parchments. "Well, uh...I guess it's about magic, and I guess um..." Mr. Demar looks up at you like he's going to slap you for stuttering so much. You finally speak up. "I want to know more about Necromancy." Mr. Demar steps back and gives you a few inspecting stares. "I dunno what you're talking about, in fact if you don't get out of here I'm going report you to the dean for asking such questions." He warns, but you get the impression that he's not telling the truth. He probably thinks you were sent to spy on him by the dean or something. It's not like he hasn't been held under close scrutiny before. "Mr. Demar, I'm not trying to get you into trouble, it's me! I really want to learn Necromancy, and you're about the only one I think can help me! I actually was worried about coming to you and I was nervous about the whole thing!" "Hmm, well I guess I always did think you were inclined towards the dark arts and given your annoying stuttering a moment ago, you do sound like you were nervous. Okay, you want to learn? I'll teach you. I'll teach you like I'm currently teaching so many others right now. Surprised? Yes, the time is coming to pass that we who are inclined to REAL power begin to make our place in this world...permanently. Though I still have concerns about you, I mean while you did about average in my class, I'm well aware that you're not exactly the best student in other fields. I question whether you can handle the power of the dark arts, let alone become a Necromancer." You stand up straight and reply. "I'm confident that this is my path." "Good, I'm glad you said that, because there's no going back and this path is not for the weak. We also must maintain secrecy at all times until the day that we may take what is rightfully ours. Now come with me, we're going to see exactly what kind of potential you have." Mr. Demar casts a spell and opens up a portal. He then prepares to enter it and beckons you to follow him, which you do. Suddenly you're whisked away into a place of near darkness. Given your immediate surroundings you'd guess that you're underground somewhere. You can hear the clinking of chains though nearby and moans. "Where are we?" "Your testing area, this where we're going to find out what exactly you're made of. In the next room, you'll find some undead friends. They're currently chained up, but they won't be for long. Now, you can kill them, but as a Necromancer you're supposed to be controlling them, so obviously you should try to do that." "But I don't know how! You haven't taught me any spells!" "And I'm not going to, you're going to have to figure this out yourself, but I will say this, it's all about the strength of willpower. Tap into your magical energy and if you have what it takes, you'll succeed. I'll leave you to it." Demar disappears back into the portal and leaves you all by yourself. You've really gotten yourself into it and now there really isn't any going back, and you can hear the chains from the next room dropping to the ground and the moans getting louder and closer. There's a large bone on the ground and not much else in the room, and you can't run either as there are no other exits. > You pick up the bone and defend yourself You pick up the large bone and prepare for whatever is coming at you. A couple of zombies enter and as soon as they see you they shamble over. You're a little shaken, and you attempt to do exactly what Demar said, but you're not having any effect. Soon one of the zombies is almost upon you and you lash out with the bone. You give a few good whacks to the first one's skull causing it to collapse lifeless once again. You do the same to the second one. You're breathing hard and thank the fact that they were slow enough not to easily catch you. However, your victory is short lived, when Demar appears again. "(Sigh) you killed them, after I told you that was not the purpose. Plus you gave a poor showing in even attempting to control them. I don't see a future for you, if you cave under pressure like that." You're a little dejected, but the worse is yet to come, when you find you won't be leaving this place. Mr. Demar can't risk you knowing about this place yet not being a disciple of his. He didn't last this long being undetected by taking chances. With a few quick mumblings and you feel your body ravaged by rot. It's a horrible death, but one that results in you rising to take the place of the "test" zombies you just ruined. You spend your remaining undead life shambling around underground until eventually when Demar feels it's time to attack, you're one of the first cannon fodder troops to be destroyed in the attempted take over.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, war] Serena's right, you're going to need the help of others and you head to Mr. Demar's office. Mr. Demar's class was probably the only one you didn't struggle in too much. It's not really a popular field given that conjuration can lead to summoning demons. Still, there is use for it on a minor level, though of course it's strictly regulated by most governments. Mr. Demar was a good professor, but the general agreement by everyone in your class, was that he was REALLY creepy. Plus there were always rumors about him. You always got the impression he was interested in doing a lot more with his area of expertise, but had to settle for teaching. He always seemed to be alright with you though. When you get to his office, surprisingly it's open and he's busily shuffling some papers around. "Mr. Demar?" "Huh? What? Damn it, I thought I locked that door! Oh it's you, what do you want? And lock that door." "Well uh...I had some questions..." "Okay, what are they? Out with it." He says continuing to look at some strange parchments. "Well, uh...I guess it's about magic, and I guess um..." Mr. Demar looks up at you like he's going to slap you for stuttering so much. You finally speak up. "I want to know more about Necromancy." Mr. Demar steps back and gives you a few inspecting stares. "I dunno what you're talking about, in fact if you don't get out of here I'm going report you to the dean for asking such questions." He warns, but you get the impression that he's not telling the truth. He probably thinks you were sent to spy on him by the dean or something. It's not like he hasn't been held under close scrutiny before. "Mr. Demar, I'm not trying to get you into trouble, it's me! I really want to learn Necromancy, and you're about the only one I think can help me! I actually was worried about coming to you and I was nervous about the whole thing!" "Hmm, well I guess I always did think you were inclined towards the dark arts and given your annoying stuttering a moment ago, you do sound like you were nervous. Okay, you want to learn? I'll teach you. I'll teach you like I'm currently teaching so many others right now. Surprised? Yes, the time is coming to pass that we who are inclined to REAL power begin to make our place in this world...permanently. Though I still have concerns about you, I mean while you did about average in my class, I'm well aware that you're not exactly the best student in other fields. I question whether you can handle the power of the dark arts, let alone become a Necromancer." You stand up straight and reply. "I'm confident that this is my path." "Good, I'm glad you said that, because there's no going back and this path is not for the weak. We also must maintain secrecy at all times until the day that we may take what is rightfully ours. Now come with me, we're going to see exactly what kind of potential you have." Mr. Demar casts a spell and opens up a portal. He then prepares to enter it and beckons you to follow him, which you do. Suddenly you're whisked away into a place of near darkness. Given your immediate surroundings you'd guess that you're underground somewhere. You can hear the clinking of chains though nearby and moans. "Where are we?" "Your testing area, this where we're going to find out what exactly you're made of. In the next room, you'll find some undead friends. They're currently chained up, but they won't be for long. Now, you can kill them, but as a Necromancer you're supposed to be controlling them, so obviously you should try to do that." "But I don't know how! You haven't taught me any spells!" "And I'm not going to, you're going to have to figure this out yourself, but I will say this, it's all about the strength of willpower. Tap into your magical energy and if you have what it takes, you'll succeed. I'll leave you to it." Demar disappears back into the portal and leaves you all by yourself. You've really gotten yourself into it and now there really isn't any going back, and you can hear the chains from the next room dropping to the ground and the moans getting louder and closer. There's a large bone on the ground and not much else in the room, and you can't run either as there are no other exits. > You try to prepare and concentrate You begin to concentrate and prepare for whatever is coming at you. A couple of zombies enter and as soon as they see you they shamble over. You maintain your calmness and focus, backing up only to get out their reach. It's not work though, but you refuse to give up so you do something that you never thought you'd ever use. You're underground and there are a lot of roots where you're at, you remember a minor spell you learned in you nature magic class. You cast the spell, and the roots entwine the zombies' feet causing them to be unable to move at you anymore. You then concentrate on controlling them, which now comes a lot easier to you because you don't feel in danger anymore. When you're sure you have a hold on them, you release the roots and then practice telling the zombies what to do. Sort of fun, like having a pet. Your fun is cut short when Mr. Demar reappears. "Well, that was an interesting way of handling things. Don't think I've ever seen combining nature magic with necromancy before. Usually the student kills one of the zombies with a fireball or something and then focuses all their attention to control the other one. Still, whatever works, and you are one of the few that's managed to control the both of them with no training in necromancy at all, so you have natural talent. And natural talent will serve you better for this path." "I understand why you gave me the test, but I have to say I thought you'd start me off on raising the dead rather than controlling them first." You say. "Ah! Yes, that's a common misconception. You want to know why most necromancers fail even before they get started? Because they lack the control. Raising the dead is relatively easy; controlling them takes a great deal more focus and power. Most of the time a neophyte necromancer will go to the local graveyard and end up getting himself killed by the very bodies he raised because he can't control them. Okay, I think it's time we introduce you to the rest of the class. We'll have lots of time to practice while most of the so called regular students are away for vacation." "Uh, I'm ready, but I was supposed to go visit my family for vacation...and well also I don't think I've passed all my classes either, specifically the nature magic class." "What? (Sigh) Very well I shall take care of your grade; I know exactly how to handle the situation and I have a lot more pull in this school than most could ever dream of. As for your family members, I'll leave that up to you. Surely you can think up something to tell them, right?" "Yeah." "Very well then, it's all settled. Time to meet the rest of your kind." Once again Mr. Demar takes you through another portal. You're still underground, but now you're in a more structured setting with actual bricks rather than a cave like setting. You're soon introduced to the rest of Mr. Demar's "class" known as the Dark Order. Some of whom you've actually seen on campus or even in your other classes. Those that know you are surprised. "You're letting THAT guy in here? I remember him back in Illusion class, and he ended up creating clones that punched the professor in the face!" "That's nothing, back in Evocation class; he ended up setting the professor on fire." "Okay that's enough class! I can assure you that he has the potential to master the dark arts. He wouldn't be here if I didn't think so. Now Trelik and Felsa, you're coming with me, the rest of you practice your lessons and one of you help our newest associate here get started, we're all in this together you know." After Demar leaves with two of his students, you're left to your own devices as it seems nobody wants to help you. You look around the study area a bit and you start to pick up one of the many tomes lying around until someone comes up to you. "Hey, do you even know what those are for?" an ugly student asks you. "Well, they have a skull on the front, and from the looks of them they contain descriptions of various types of undead creature. My guess necromancy." "Yeah, so what do you know of it?" "Not much, that's why I'm here obviously, isn't that why everyone else is?" "Not at all, in fact you're only the fifth necromancer-to-be here. Most of the students are into studying how to control the infernal planes. You know Demonology. There's even a guy studying on the lost art of temporal magic." "Temporal? You mean time?" "Yep, a lot of people forget about that one being outlawed as well. Good reason, considering it could really fuck up something if not used properly. I'd actually stay away from Quayle, I think all that studying on time has made him a little loopy. He tends to talk backwards, and sideways a lot. Even Mr. Demar has a hard time keeping him on track." "Interesting, so what's your name, are you a demonologist?" "Me, nope I'm one of the disciples of death as they say. My name's Sebastian. You might as well meet the others, you'll be working with." Sebastian takes you over to two other students. Catalina and Irwin. They nod at you and go back to their training which involves creating a some sort of bone golem. Catalina looks somewhat familiar. Sebastian tells you the other is Trelik who just left with Mr. Demar. "He's the most skilled, besides Mr. Demar of course." Sebastian says. "So what exactly do I start on first?" you ask. "I'd start out with raising and controlling some skeletons. I know you probably did the zombie thing, but you'll need to hone your skill a lot and skeletons are easier to practice with. Take this book, and get started. You'll find the bone pits down the corridor and to the right, don't go left though; the demonologists got some bad ass demon locked in a circle down there. He's really pissed off too. Best stay away." You take one of the necromantic tomes and head down the corridor. On your way there, you begin to hear a voice penetrating your head. "You, come here. I know you. You seek power. I can give you that power; you need not waste your time studying anymore. I can grant it to you instantly. You want to be a master of death? Come to me..." This voice is very tempting. > You head down the left corridor You feel compelled to follow the voice and you head down the left corridor where eventually you come across a demon sitting in a couched position in a circle. He's looking at the chalk that creates the circle around him, before looking up at you. He's a lot bigger and meaner looking than even the demons you've met on campus. He certainly doesn't seem happy to be trapped. You suspect that they summoned this guy up from hell recently. "Who are you?" "My real name is unimportant, but you can call me Velzix...and you are the new disciple of Demar's delusional bunch of would be shit starters. They believe that they will be able to take over this school by using the dark arts. And perhaps they may, but such a victory will be fleeting. Mortals lack long term vision. They will not be prepared when the entire world unites against them...but you can be spared that fate. Free me, and I promise you that you will become a powerful force in the struggle ahead." "While that sound tempting, demons are known for their deceitful nature and infamous for getting around loopholes in so called deals they make." You say. "Yes, it is something we pride ourselves on...very well I will not harm you when you free me. That is what you worried about isn't it?" "It had crossed my mind." "Okay, now you may free me." > Free Velzix You easily remove the chalk around Velzix. "Ah yes, another lack of vision, if they had been smarter they would've also placed a magical barrier around the chalk circle and bound me in magic chains. Well, now they shall pay for their arrogance!" Velzix now free from his prison lets out an unearthly roar and pushes you aside to take revenge on his captors. As you recover and get off the floor, you can already hear the sounds of battle, followed by screams. You hesitantly head towards the study area, and there you see carnage. The demon has easily killed everyone and is now casting some sort of spell. "Now that I'm free, this world is going to suffer. That puny mortal Demar's petty plans pale in comparison in what I have in mind. He'll be first on the list that I'll track down. Shouldn't take long." He says and opens a portal to the infernal realm where upon several smaller demons come pouring out eager for blood. In fact they see you and begin to step towards you. "H...hey! You said no harm would come to me!" "I said that I would not harm you. I never said anything about them! Ha ha! Like I said you mortals lack such vision!" You don't even have time to run before the demons jump on top of you and begin to rip you to pieces, the only good thing is you were spared the horrors that Velzix unleashed upon the world.

You feel compelled to follow the voice and you head down the left corridor where eventually you come across a demon sitting in a couched position in a circle. He's looking at the chalk that creates the circle around him, before looking up at you. He's a lot bigger and meaner looking than even the demons you've met on campus. He certainly doesn't seem happy to be trapped. You suspect that they summoned this guy up from hell recently. "Who are you?" "My real name is unimportant, but you can call me Velzix...and you are the new disciple of Demar's delusional bunch of would be shit starters. They believe that they will be able to take over this school by using the dark arts. And perhaps they may, but such a victory will be fleeting. Mortals lack long term vision. They will not be prepared when the entire world unites against them...but you can be spared that fate. Free me, and I promise you that you will become a powerful force in the struggle ahead." "While that sound tempting, demons are known for their deceitful nature and infamous for getting around loopholes in so called deals they make." You say. "Yes, it is something we pride ourselves on...very well I will not harm you when you free me. That is what you worried about isn't it?" "It had crossed my mind." "Okay, now you may free me." > You negotiate some more Velzix isn't pleased that you're attempting to negotiate with him. He feels he's given you a fair deal, and he begins to raise his voice at what he considers to be your outrageous demands. Of course this doesn't help since it causes some of your fellow students to come wondering what's going on and hoping Velzix hasn't escaped. "Hey! What're you doing here! You're not even a demonologist!" one of them yells. "Weak minded fool was probably tempted by Velzix's voice." "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. I never said anything to him, he wandered down here on his own accord, and started talking to me about striking a deal of some kind." Velzix says with a smile. "I DID NOT!" you protest. Your protests don't do too much to help you though. The rest of the students decide you're either lying, or you don't have the mental strength to resist the temptations of Velzix. And in either case you're a liability that they can't afford. You're struck by several lightning bolts and your corpse is completely burned black before you even fall to the ground.

You begin to concentrate and prepare for whatever is coming at you. A couple of zombies enter and as soon as they see you they shamble over. You maintain your calmness and focus, backing up only to get out their reach. It's not work though, but you refuse to give up so you do something that you never thought you'd ever use. You're underground and there are a lot of roots where you're at, you remember a minor spell you learned in you nature magic class. You cast the spell, and the roots entwine the zombies' feet causing them to be unable to move at you anymore. You then concentrate on controlling them, which now comes a lot easier to you because you don't feel in danger anymore. When you're sure you have a hold on them, you release the roots and then practice telling the zombies what to do. Sort of fun, like having a pet. Your fun is cut short when Mr. Demar reappears. "Well, that was an interesting way of handling things. Don't think I've ever seen combining nature magic with necromancy before. Usually the student kills one of the zombies with a fireball or something and then focuses all their attention to control the other one. Still, whatever works, and you are one of the few that's managed to control the both of them with no training in necromancy at all, so you have natural talent. And natural talent will serve you better for this path." "I understand why you gave me the test, but I have to say I thought you'd start me off on raising the dead rather than controlling them first." You say. "Ah! Yes, that's a common misconception. You want to know why most necromancers fail even before they get started? Because they lack the control. Raising the dead is relatively easy; controlling them takes a great deal more focus and power. Most of the time a neophyte necromancer will go to the local graveyard and end up getting himself killed by the very bodies he raised because he can't control them. Okay, I think it's time we introduce you to the rest of the class. We'll have lots of time to practice while most of the so called regular students are away for vacation." "Uh, I'm ready, but I was supposed to go visit my family for vacation...and well also I don't think I've passed all my classes either, specifically the nature magic class." "What? (Sigh) Very well I shall take care of your grade; I know exactly how to handle the situation and I have a lot more pull in this school than most could ever dream of. As for your family members, I'll leave that up to you. Surely you can think up something to tell them, right?" "Yeah." "Very well then, it's all settled. Time to meet the rest of your kind." Once again Mr. Demar takes you through another portal. You're still underground, but now you're in a more structured setting with actual bricks rather than a cave like setting. You're soon introduced to the rest of Mr. Demar's "class" known as the Dark Order. Some of whom you've actually seen on campus or even in your other classes. Those that know you are surprised. "You're letting THAT guy in here? I remember him back in Illusion class, and he ended up creating clones that punched the professor in the face!" "That's nothing, back in Evocation class; he ended up setting the professor on fire." "Okay that's enough class! I can assure you that he has the potential to master the dark arts. He wouldn't be here if I didn't think so. Now Trelik and Felsa, you're coming with me, the rest of you practice your lessons and one of you help our newest associate here get started, we're all in this together you know." After Demar leaves with two of his students, you're left to your own devices as it seems nobody wants to help you. You look around the study area a bit and you start to pick up one of the many tomes lying around until someone comes up to you. "Hey, do you even know what those are for?" an ugly student asks you. "Well, they have a skull on the front, and from the looks of them they contain descriptions of various types of undead creature. My guess necromancy." "Yeah, so what do you know of it?" "Not much, that's why I'm here obviously, isn't that why everyone else is?" "Not at all, in fact you're only the fifth necromancer-to-be here. Most of the students are into studying how to control the infernal planes. You know Demonology. There's even a guy studying on the lost art of temporal magic." "Temporal? You mean time?" "Yep, a lot of people forget about that one being outlawed as well. Good reason, considering it could really fuck up something if not used properly. I'd actually stay away from Quayle, I think all that studying on time has made him a little loopy. He tends to talk backwards, and sideways a lot. Even Mr. Demar has a hard time keeping him on track." "Interesting, so what's your name, are you a demonologist?" "Me, nope I'm one of the disciples of death as they say. My name's Sebastian. You might as well meet the others, you'll be working with." Sebastian takes you over to two other students. Catalina and Irwin. They nod at you and go back to their training which involves creating a some sort of bone golem. Catalina looks somewhat familiar. Sebastian tells you the other is Trelik who just left with Mr. Demar. "He's the most skilled, besides Mr. Demar of course." Sebastian says. "So what exactly do I start on first?" you ask. "I'd start out with raising and controlling some skeletons. I know you probably did the zombie thing, but you'll need to hone your skill a lot and skeletons are easier to practice with. Take this book, and get started. You'll find the bone pits down the corridor and to the right, don't go left though; the demonologists got some bad ass demon locked in a circle down there. He's really pissed off too. Best stay away." You take one of the necromantic tomes and head down the corridor. On your way there, you begin to hear a voice penetrating your head. "You, come here. I know you. You seek power. I can give you that power; you need not waste your time studying anymore. I can grant it to you instantly. You want to be a master of death? Come to me..." This voice is very tempting. > You head to the bone pits No way, you're not going down that path. There are too many stories about demons fucking people over in their deals. In fact, you're a little worried about the fact that this "class" has more dedicated demonologist than necromancers. Still you'll just have to deal with it for now, you can only hope they know what they're doing and have a better grasp on things than a certain cabal of wizards did during the Dead War. As for you, you need to start mastering your own branch of magic. When you get to the pits, you are literally surrounded by bones. You open up your book and begin to read a bit before casting your spell. Your first attempt isn't too bad. You animate one skeleton, and surprisingly it doesn't attack you. You continue to practice this, and while it's only been an hour, you've already animated thirty skeletons, all of which are completely obedient and not attempting to attack you at all. You're not sure if this is normal, good or bad for a beginner, but given how many problems you had with other branches of magic, you think you're doing pretty well. In fact you feel pretty proud of yourself. You decide to get a little more inventive and you see rusty weapons on the floor along with the bones. You command the skeletons to pick them up and begin to start sparring with each other. They do so, without problems. This sound of minor battle brings in a few of the students, most of whom are shocked. "What's going...whoa. I thought you said you never did this before." Sebastian says walking in. "I haven't...I dunno, it's just coming so easy to me. For the first time I feel like I'm actually good at something!" you say. "Well, it's a lot better than what you did in Enchantment class when you managed to charm all those frogs which then proceeded to attack the professor." Catalina says. "That was you? I even heard about that. Man, what is it with you and your spells accidentally hurting your professors in some way?" Irwin adds. You ignore Irwin's question, and address Catalina. "I thought I remembered you from somewhere. I asked you out once." "Hmm, yes and you were unsuccessful in that as well. I suggest you stop looking at me and pay attention to your little army there, before they get out of hand. Like that one." You turn around and stop one of the skeletons that's wandering in your direction and then command him to go back to sparring. "Man, I've never seen someone with this much control just starting out. Well Trelik comes to mind, but he was already very skilled in general magic and was learning directly under Mr. Demar. From what others have said, you were completely inept at magic and have no previous training in this stuff whatsoever. You're like an idiot savant of necromancy or something." Sebastian says. "Um...thanks. I think." "Well anyway, glad you've joined up. We'll leave you be. If you want to try something harder, there's more tomes in the study area and just ask one of us where the other practice centers are." And so it goes. You find your place among the Dark Order and practice your skills there, in fact it gets to the point that you rarely leave the secret underground base at all. You begin to catch the attention of Mr. Demar who is very impressed with your ability to learn and master so quickly. "Natural" isn't the word for it, more like prodigy. Trelik however is showing signs of jealousy... Mr. Demar has to tell you to take a break every now and then or else you'll drain yourself. You don't feel that way though, you feel like you have more energy than ever. As he promised your grades were "fixed" though Mr. Demar's actions meaning you don't get kicked out of the college. You tell your parents that you're taking an advanced course in magic that requires you to stay and how you're really excited about it. Your Mom is a little disappointed that she won't see you, but is happy to hear that you're doing so much better in school. If she only knew... The City of Nuro is a quieter place with less students around, but the guise of secrecy still must be kept. After a month has passed you find out that this "class" aren't the only allies Mr. Demar has. He's been teaching the dark arts for years and most of his "graduates" are living in this city. The attack is going to come when classes first start up again. Demar feels that it will actually be more beneficial to attack with more people in the city because after the demons are done with the killing, the Necromancers can raise the dead to reinforce the hold on the city. One key part in all of this is Quayle. He is to cast a slow spell of the greatest proportions over the city. While everyone else is moving at a near stand still, the Dark Order will be able to take over key locations much easier. While all of this sounds exciting you can't help but still be concerned about this plan. Mr. Demar is placing most of his faith in the demonologist, which you suppose is understandable given his background in conjuration, but you feel as if you necromancers are getting put on the backburner. Sure you're playing your part, but it almost seems as if you're just there as "back up". Not to mention you're still not keen on the whole idea of dealing with so many demons. Of course these concerns are the least of your problems as another month goes by, Trelik is becoming a complete asshole to you. Within the short time you've been here, he's time and time again attempted to sabotage your spells, but usually you manage to overcome. You've got a month to go before the final plans are in place, but suddenly Mr. Demar has some news he's not pleased to inform everyone of. "Class, we've got a delegate from the Vampire Clans. I don't think I have to tell you how annoying this is." You ask Sebastian what's the problem and what exactly is going. Sebastian tells you that ever since the clans heard about Demar's plans, they've been strongly opposed to them for they fear that it will draw attention to their one last stronghold which is kept invisible and secret to the rest of the world. It is there where the last of the "ruling" class vampires still exist, most of them having been killed or degenerated into little more than mindless beasts that are eventually hunted down. While you're fascinated by Sebastian's explanation of things, you're suddenly singled out by Trelik. "YOU! Do you find this so unimportant that you feel the need not to pay attention?" "No. I just didn't know the whole situation and I was asking..." "If you wanted more information you should've been asking Mr. Demar after he was done talking!" "Okay, okay. That will do Trelik. Someone should've explained it to him before actually, given that he'll be playing a large part in this plan. In fact, maybe he should come with me to meet the delegate instead." "But Mr. Demar! I have more experience in this sort of thing!" "True, but to be quite honest, the blood suckers don't care too much for you. You're too combative. So how about it? Do you wish to be present when I speak to this delegate?" > You go with Mr. Demar "Sure I'll go." "Very well, you and Felsa are coming with me. Trelik, you go brush up on the attack strategy." "But!" "No buts! Just do it!" Trelik storms off while you, Mr. Demar and Felsa head towards the conference room. When you arrive, you see a single pale emaciated figure. He doesn't look at all like the vampires you've heard of in past. There is no regality here. "It's about time you showed up. I must confess I was not enthused about you leaving me here waiting like a dog. We have very important matters to discuss!" he hisses. "My apologies Yolev. I just needed to take care of a few things. Please sit, and let us all discuss this." "There really is no discussion Mr. Demar! You are to cease your plan immediately lest you face the full brunt of the vampire clans! Your foolish mortal desires will kill us all and we cannot allow that to happen! We must continue to survive!" "Survive? Is that all you vampires worry about anymore? Why at one time you were secret rulers and puppet masters. Hell, without you the Great Lich Lord wouldn't have made nearly as much progress as he did." "And THAT folly of those ignorant vampires is exactly why we must stop you now. The Dead War cost us greatly, we should not have thrown our lot in with a mad man who was determined to bring death to the world. It was only at the last minute that the wiser of us realized to do so would be detrimental to us. Almost too late. We are only a shadow of our former selves, but that shadow is still long...and we can make life difficult for you." Yolev warns. "I don't respond well to idle threats, but I will say this, your fears are unfounded. The Dark Order is not seeking to bring death to the world, we are merely going to reestablish the proper order of things. The strong were meant to rule, and WE are the strong. Those who master the dark arts have always been strong. It is why we are so feared and hated and hunted. You should not be against us Yolev. You should see this as an opportunity to reestablish your rightful place as vampires." Mr. Demar's words have a slight effect on Yolev. He falls silent and looks almost wistful of ancient times, when his kind roamed more free in civilization, rather than hiding and cowering on the outskirts like animals. He quickly snaps out of it though. "Idealistic words, Mr. Demar, but even if we were still to use what little influence we still have, I cannot believe that you and a few students can change the world. Even if you manage to take this one city, you can't believe that you'll get away with it. You there! You're one of these students are you not? What do you think? And tell me what you TRULY think, not what Mr. Demar wants you to think." Yolev points to you. "Well uh...I think we can do it." You stutter off guard. "...You think you can do it? Is that all you have to say about it? This is what you're working with Mr. Demar? How could we ever place any faith in your plan when you're training near idiots that can barely form sentences?" "Yolev, you might be a delegate, but you best watch your tone, you're not in the best position right now, and given your previous threats you're already treading on dangerous ground." "You dare to threaten ME? I've crushed greater men AND women than you!" "Yeah, and now you're a running lap dog for some so called vampire king who rules over nothing but a few remaining scraps of a dying legacy." As this begins to get hostile, you notice Felsa preparing to cast something. You think that if you say anything, things are only going to get worse, so you stand back and do nothing, but hostilities don't cease and eventually Felsa casts a blast of fire at Yolev, he falls to the floor trying to beat out the flames, but Demar isn't pleased. "FELSA! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" he shouts and then finishes off Yolev by casting some sort of spell that causes his chest to explode. Two Imps suddenly appear and begin to rip Yolev apart before he can get a chance to recover. "The pair of you really fucked up today! You with your actions and you with your bumbling! I might as well had Trelik with me! Shit! (Sigh) Alright. Fine we can still do this, but the vampires are going to be pissed off at us now for killing their delegate and it's definitely going to make things harder. Come on we got a lot to prepare for." The last month is no picnic. Mr. Demar has you all training a lot harder than you have before. He's been pushing everyone a lot harder to the point that they're getting tired and sloppy. One of the demonologists gets eaten by a brimstone beast. Another accidentally casts a spell backwards and causes himself to be sucked into the infernal realm. Morale isn't exactly the highest. But the plan goes through and after the first week classes go back in session, the gates of hell are literally opened. Portals appear all over various parts of not only the campus, but also the city. Demons come swarming out of the portals gleefully killing all in their path. The demonologist lead the attack, while you and the other three necromancers take advantage of all the new corpses in the area. Soon, you have a fair sized army of dead. Mr. Demar himself is taking on the head professors at the college, with the help of Felsa and Trelik. Given the amount of explosions you're seeing from the streets, you're glad you got a "lower" assignment. All seems to be going well until it looks like the demons have decided to leave the city limits, one of the demonologists tries to corral them back shouting that they are supposed to only concentrate on Nuro, but they laugh and simply say: "You didn't mention that in the deal!" With the demons completely unreliable now, it's up to you necromancers to take up the slack. You do alright, but there's still a lot of resistance and something has gone wrong with Quayle's spell as your attackers are beginning to move at a normal rate instead of a slower one. You don't see this ending well, unless something changes quick. Even if you win, you know you got a shit load of problems ahead of you. > Attempt to regroup Victory isn't beyond your grasp, you just need to regroup and organize. You immediately seek out Irwin, Sebastian and Catalina. You find Sebastian and Catalina, and they're running low on viable corpses. "Hey, glad you could get here, the Nuro mage guards are putting up a hell of a fight! The demonologists can't keep the demons in line and whatever former graduates Mr. Demar had to help us are probably all dead by now!" Sebastian explains. "Yeah, it's bad all over. Where's Irwin?" you ask. "Irwin? He's dead; can't you see his body lying over there with all the arrows in it?" Catalina points out. "Well, no point in letting this go to waste, we need all the help we can get." You say and command Irwin to rise to join the rest of the horde You tell Catalina and Sebastian to hand control over the rest of their troops to you, as if you can concentrate them with a single mind, you'll be able to break the doors down of city hall and take out the remainder of the mage guards holding out there. You also tell them that one should head back to the college itself and go check on Quayle, and the other should go help out Mr. Demar. Oddly enough Sebastian and Catalina obey your orders immediately. You begin to feel even more confident in your power of command. You proceed to tell your now larger undead horde to attack the last bastion of Nuro's governmental control. You unleash blasts of dark energy at the mage guards who attempt to defend from the windows while your zombies and skeletons break down the doors and begin to massacre all those inside. You enter the building nearly oblivious to the carnage. You feel a very real sense of calming peace amongst the death. Eventually you encounter the "First Citizen" of Nuro busily trying to slay as many of your soldiers as possible, but as you continue to raise them, even he realizes it's a futile endeavor. A skeleton warrior hacks his arm off with an axe, and then a recently raised mage guard clubs him in the head with a small mace. He falls to the floor of his own office before your feet and looks up at you. "Why? You...you'll never get away with this..." he sputters as he bleeds out. "You might be right, but it'll be interesting to see if I do." You calmly say and kick him in the face before another skeleton lands a killing blow to him. He is then raised to join the ranks. You exit the building and notice that the city is near empty. At least as far as the living go. The dead however are plentiful, bodies litter the streets. More resources for you, you think. A demonologist looking very worn from battle sees you and you have to stop your small horde from attacking. "Hey hold on! I'm on your side! Shit, this didn't turn out as planned, did it?" "Oh I dunno, we got the city." "Yeah, but Mr. Demar is still battling the rest of the staff in the college and I'm really worried about what the hell's going on with Quayle's spell, I don't know if you've experienced it yet, but I've been seeing buildings phase in and out of existence. I knew fucking around with time would be trouble!" "Where are all of the demons?" you ask. "Most of them left! I mean there's a few that stuck around, most of the weaker variety. There was a major demon called Velzix who was supposed to be helping, but he took off as well. Bah! Unreliable lot they are. I should've done what you did, become a necromancer! The dead always obey." "Not always...but you may still fulfill your wish after all this is over, so where exactly are Mr. Demar and Quayle, I mean I know they're in the university, but where exactly?" "You can't miss either one of them, Quayle's located in east section of campus, where you see all the damn buildings phasing in and out. As for Mr. Demar, well I'm sure you can still hear the explosions. I'm going to try to corral at least some of the imps and help Mr. Demar, I'm not going anywhere near the eastside of the campus though. I'm off!" The demonologist runs to go do what he said, leaving you with a couple choices of proceeding. You could go try to fix this problem with Quayle since it won't do anyone any good if the city collapses on itself or disappears to gods know where, of course you don't know exactly what you're going to do, hell you've never even spoken to Quayle before. He was always kept locked up by himself in his room studying most of the time. Of course you could go help Mr. Demar, chances are he could solve the problem with Quayle a lot better if he survives. > Go deal with Quayle Mr. Demar is a powerful wizard and he's already got help, along with the help you sent and also the help that's coming. You need to do something about this time problem. When you get to the east campus, the demonologist was right, you see a lot of weird things going on, nearby plants are growing older and younger before your eyes, buildings are indeed disappearing and reappearing. It's a mess. You see Catalina watching it all in wonder. She looks at you briefly only to acknowledge your presence and then goes back to watching the changing landscape. "I see you choose to check on Quayle." You say. "Yeah, I think he's in that small gray building over there, the only one that seems to be stable. I can't get to him though, well at least I'm not risking it, I sent some of my troops in there and I watched them either accelerate in rot and disintegrate, or even stranger actually turn back into their living selves until they eventually became babies and then nothing. In fact I'm getting out of here as it only seems to be getting worse. This plan sucks." Catalina replies. "Well someone's gotta go in, so I guess I'll do it. I've risked too much already to fail. I suggest you go help Mr. Demar." you exclaim. "Wow, this whole thing has really made you really authoritative. You've come a long way since Enchantment class." "Yeah well I've had a revelation that I'm really good at this necromancy stuff and I won't be denied my career in it before it's truly begun." You suddenly grab Catalina and kiss her on the lips; she pushes you away and slaps your face. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?! Just because you're not incompetent at one thing, doesn't automatically mean I'm wet for you!" "Well let me show you I'm not incompetent in two things then!" "Ha ha. Maybe later, like next century. Nice try though. But I will go help Mr. Demar seeing as that would be the best course of action for me. Good luck with the time storm there." As you check out Catalina's ass as she leaves you realize you should be focusing on the task at hand, but it's just you feel so alive for the first time in awhile as ironic as that may seem given the circumstances. You begin to employ the same strategy that Catalina did, and you get mostly the same results she did, however you currently have a lot more troops than she, so eventually you manage to map out a safe path to the building she thought Quayle was located in. Apparently she was right, you see him sitting in one of the auditorium class rooms in a lotus like position on the floor in a trance. A strange white field of energy surrounds him. "You are the future...there is no future...there are many futures...it's all so fascinating..." he says in an echoed voice. "Hey Quayle, we pretty much won, you can stop doing whatever it is you're doing with time now. It's really starting to mess things up." "Things have started to get better...they will get worse...they will stay the same, all is relative... how will you proceed...you have decided..." "Uh, yeah. Look Quayle you NEED to stop what you're doing, the whole fucking city is going to disappear if you don't, and I don't want to know where it might end up. So stop this right now!" As soon as you give this order, a flash of light appears from above Quayle's head and a bizarre creature with way too many tentacles comes out. Naturally it attacks. You dodge out of the way of its tentacle whip and command what remains of your troops to attack. You don't know why, but you don't feel very well in its presence. You feel like you're about to vomit. "There are so many things...worse than hell...worse than death...madness...insanity...I must show everyone...I have shown everyone...I have lost...I have won..." Quayle's either gone completely mad, or he's speaking perfect sense. Probably both, but either way if this one creature is any indication of what he's talking about, you'll have to stop him, but you're having a really hard time concentrating as strange thoughts begin to enter your mind. You see all manner of images from the past and the present...you dare say the future. It's all going so fast though and you're getting dizzy. > You cast a blast of negative energy at Quayle You attempt to concentrate, but as you do so another strange creature appears and smacks you in the face, knocking you to the ground. You don't even have time to recover before it begins to wrap one of its powerful tentacles around your head and squeezes until your skull cracks and your brains come leaking out. Given what is in store for the world, you were lucky to be killed so quickly.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, fantasy] Mr. Demar is a powerful wizard and he's already got help, along with the help you sent and also the help that's coming. You need to do something about this time problem. When you get to the east campus, the demonologist was right, you see a lot of weird things going on, nearby plants are growing older and younger before your eyes, buildings are indeed disappearing and reappearing. It's a mess. You see Catalina watching it all in wonder. She looks at you briefly only to acknowledge your presence and then goes back to watching the changing landscape. "I see you choose to check on Quayle." You say. "Yeah, I think he's in that small gray building over there, the only one that seems to be stable. I can't get to him though, well at least I'm not risking it, I sent some of my troops in there and I watched them either accelerate in rot and disintegrate, or even stranger actually turn back into their living selves until they eventually became babies and then nothing. In fact I'm getting out of here as it only seems to be getting worse. This plan sucks." Catalina replies. "Well someone's gotta go in, so I guess I'll do it. I've risked too much already to fail. I suggest you go help Mr. Demar." you exclaim. "Wow, this whole thing has really made you really authoritative. You've come a long way since Enchantment class." "Yeah well I've had a revelation that I'm really good at this necromancy stuff and I won't be denied my career in it before it's truly begun." You suddenly grab Catalina and kiss her on the lips; she pushes you away and slaps your face. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?! Just because you're not incompetent at one thing, doesn't automatically mean I'm wet for you!" "Well let me show you I'm not incompetent in two things then!" "Ha ha. Maybe later, like next century. Nice try though. But I will go help Mr. Demar seeing as that would be the best course of action for me. Good luck with the time storm there." As you check out Catalina's ass as she leaves you realize you should be focusing on the task at hand, but it's just you feel so alive for the first time in awhile as ironic as that may seem given the circumstances. You begin to employ the same strategy that Catalina did, and you get mostly the same results she did, however you currently have a lot more troops than she, so eventually you manage to map out a safe path to the building she thought Quayle was located in. Apparently she was right, you see him sitting in one of the auditorium class rooms in a lotus like position on the floor in a trance. A strange white field of energy surrounds him. "You are the future...there is no future...there are many futures...it's all so fascinating..." he says in an echoed voice. "Hey Quayle, we pretty much won, you can stop doing whatever it is you're doing with time now. It's really starting to mess things up." "Things have started to get better...they will get worse...they will stay the same, all is relative... how will you proceed...you have decided..." "Uh, yeah. Look Quayle you NEED to stop what you're doing, the whole fucking city is going to disappear if you don't, and I don't want to know where it might end up. So stop this right now!" As soon as you give this order, a flash of light appears from above Quayle's head and a bizarre creature with way too many tentacles comes out. Naturally it attacks. You dodge out of the way of its tentacle whip and command what remains of your troops to attack. You don't know why, but you don't feel very well in its presence. You feel like you're about to vomit. "There are so many things...worse than hell...worse than death...madness...insanity...I must show everyone...I have shown everyone...I have lost...I have won..." Quayle's either gone completely mad, or he's speaking perfect sense. Probably both, but either way if this one creature is any indication of what he's talking about, you'll have to stop him, but you're having a really hard time concentrating as strange thoughts begin to enter your mind. You see all manner of images from the past and the present...you dare say the future. It's all going so fast though and you're getting dizzy. > You physically tackle him The tentacle creature has almost killed all your troops, you're too dizzy to cast a spell, you need to just bum rush this fool. You run towards the front of the class where he sits and just narrowly dodge another tentacle beast appearing suddenly in front of you. "...stop...stop it...you must stop..." You tackle Quayle and something completely unexpected and disgusting happens. His body literally breaks like a fragile glass vase and all manner of insects and maggots come crawling out, mostly on you. "EEEEYEEECAAAGH!" you yell trying to get them all off of you, completely ignoring anything else. Fortunately for you, whatever you did has stopped the temporal disturbance. The creatures disappear and everything else seems to go back to normal. After stomping on some centipedes you notice Quayle's head has rolled into a corner. Surprisingly it's still alive. "Thank you...you are the future...perhaps..." his head says before it just simply disappears. You shake your own head at all of this. As much as you've seen during your time in the Dark Order, you've never seen anything like this! And you hope never to again. You're still a little shaken. You take a breather while your few remaining troops wander about, but still obediently awaiting your orders. You can't hear anymore explosions; you wonder if Mr. Demar has won, you hope he has, considering you've been doing a lot for the "cause" so to speak. You exit the building and begin to walk over to the other side of the campus where the explosions were coming from. You're a little tired, but you feel like you might have to be ready for anything, so you raise more of the dead to protect you for possible battle. It's almost so easy now; you barely need to concentrate even in this fatigued state. You arrive to burning buildings and ruins of towers. Once again you see Catalina standing outside talking to a demonologist. After they leave, Catalina sees you and once again seems unimpressed by you. You think you're warming up to her. "Huh, took you long enough. You missed all the major battle while you were playing around with Quayle." "Playing around? You don't even want to know what I've been through, and I'll wager it wasn't nearly as...disturbing as what you went through." "Doubt it, by the time I got here Mr. Demar had already lost Felsa, Trelik had betrayed him, and Sebastian was killed. Luckily I was here to provide back up for the final battle with the Dean. We've won, but Mr. Demar is very weak right now, I dunno if he's going to survive his wounds." "Shit, sounds like I did miss a lot, so is Trelik dead?" "Nope, the coward ran off when he realized he couldn't beat Mr. Demar." "Can I see him?" "Sure I guess, he's in library, or what's left of it." You enter the library briefly remembering when you came in here to seek more necromantic knowledge. Now you have more than you could've ever imagined. You see Mr. Demar sitting at a table looking through a book while he winces in pain while clutching his stomach. He's bloody, as well as burned. He's a mess. "(Sigh) This didn't turn out the way I planned at all. Of course those that follow the dark path never seem to get their way. I wonder why. Is it simple arrogance or is it just the cosmos balancing things out?" he says not looking up. "Mr. Demar, those wounds, you really should..." "I know what my mistake was, I was thinking too big. I should've concentrated on one dark art. Spread my attention too thin, and this mess was the result. (Cough) Thought I was going to rule it all..." "Your wounds are..." "Ah fuck it; I knew what I was getting into when I started along this path. I have no regrets other than trusting Trelik. Treacherous bastard. Heed my words, this path is not one of trust. You are truly alone. No matter how powerful you get, there's always someone seeking to topple you and steal what you have." "Mr..." Mr. Demar now addresses you directly. "Listen to me; this is your last lesson. At least from me, because for what lies ahead of you will be the greatest test of all. You're obviously a powerful necromancer, and you're only going to become more so. You must take advantage of your powers, and do everything you can to survive and crush those who oppose you. If that means war so be it, but if you can achieve this through peace do not be so quick to dismiss it. Chances are this will not be an option for you, but anything is possible. Just never back down. You are a ruler, not a subject. The city is yours if you can hold on to it. The entire world is yours...if you can hold on to it..." Mr. Demar collapses on the table. Strange that someone so powerful chose to die, since you get the impression his death could've been prevented with some strong healing magic. Did he feel that he failed and death was what he deserved? Was he deep down too cowardly to handle the hardship ahead? Or was he just tired? You'll never know for certain you suppose. You exit the library, where Catalina meets you. "So what's going on?" she asks. "I'm in charge, that's what's going on." You reply. Catalina looks surprised at the bluntness and simplicity of your answer. "Well, I suppose we could do worse...so what's next fearless leader?" "Good question." > Good question indeed. You are about to take your necromantic career to its next level One year has passed... It's hard to believe it, but it's been a year since you took control of Nuro...or rather Aftermath as you renamed it. The "Nuro Incident" as it came to be known was a shock to the civilized world. Nobody had anticipated such a thing occurring despite all preparations. Certainly not to Nuro given it's near "invincible" reputation. The Grand Alliance was immediately formed to retake the city, but fortunately for you, you weren't the only problem they had. Velzix, a demon lord who soon left Nuro during its attack, managed to unite the rest of the demons that felt the need to break their contract with the Dark Order turned their attention to the Tulan Kingdom. Right now he's established his own rule, enslaving the population and is most likely planning further conquest assuming he can keep his own troops from fighting each other long enough. Trelik the "other necromancer" has been rampaging across the countryside in a vain attempt to establish some sort of dominion of his own, but so far without any real allies he's yet to be successful. His actions have still kept the Grand Alliance and other governments busy however. As for you, you've already managed to hold off one Grand Alliance attack quite successfully due to your preparations. The first thing you did was command all the surviving Dark Order members to become necromancers. Some of them the more die hard demonologists hated this idea, so you gave them the option of taking their chances with Velzix or alone against the Grand Alliance. After being presented with these two undesirable prospects, they grumbled, but the rest soon fell in line. Catalina was mainly responsible for training them, given that she's the only other "true" necromancer in the city. You're glad of that as it saved you from having to do everything. Your relationship with Catalina's has improved mainly because you've proven yourself to be a competent leader that has managed to hold on to the city despite the odds. She still acts like she's not interested in you, but you catch an extended glance from her every now and then. Oh yeah she's definitely warming up to you. You haven't heard anything from your family, you can only wonder what they think of all this and in some ways you don't want to know. While things are somewhat quiet now, that's not going to last. The Grand Alliance will keep attacking and who knows how long they'll be distracted with Velzix and Trelik? They may very well overwhelm you in time, if the other threats are taken care of. You can't just sit in your throne room and prepare for the next attack; you'll need to be proactive about this threat. This of course this means conquest. Your standing army is stronger than ever right now and your powers in necromancy have grown considerably with the last year. You're confident that you could probably take over a small kingdom. Gaining more territory that your enemy can't use is usually a good way of making things harder for them. > The path of conquest calls Ah the time honored the tradition of all true rulers... "Catalina, I think it's time we expand." You say walking into her study. "Oh you do, do you? Well, there's no shortage of places. Got somewhere in particular in mind?" "A few places, but this is sort of why I'm talking to you, I figure it'll be good to have your input." "Wow, laying it on thick today aren't we?" "Yeah...do you like it?" "Maybe." She says with a faint smile. "Good, but seriously I'm thinking we should attack the Brot Kingdom. It's close, and its military is weak." "Normally I'd agree, but I think you're forgetting that our former classmate Trelik has currently established a presence there." "Yeah, I was thinking we could get rid of him at the same time." "Easier said than done I hope you realize. I know he's a treacherous asshole that's been run ragged by the Grand Alliance, but that doesn't mean he's any less formidable. Not to mention we'll still have the Brot military to handle and hopefully the Grand Alliance doesn't show up in the area. Speaking of which, Trelik's pitiful endeavors have been keeping them busy. Get rid of him and they'll pay more attention to us." "Alright then, where do you think we should attack?" "Here." Catalina points to a rather barren area known as the Drozz Wasteland which contains barbaric orc tribes, though ogres, goblins and similar "uncivilized" races dwell there as well. "What the hell are we supposed to do with that?" "Do you realize how many soldiers we can get in that area? The tribes in there are disorganized and unlikely to give us a meaningful fight. We can suffer minimal losses and gain more than what we started out with. Then we can use those gains against more formidable foes!" "Cat baby, THAT is not going to be easy. First of all I know something of orcs and the green bastards don't know when to fucking quit most of the time. Even with the fear of an undead army, I guarantee they'll still fight. Same thing with the ogres, trolls, minotaurs and GIANTS that live in that area! Giants, Catalina. Fucking giants. Not to mention those tribes have the full advantage of the knowledge of the terrain." "What difference does that make? It's not like our army needs to eat or even sleep! Those tribes are fighting each other most of the time too. By the time we've slaughtered half of those mongrel tribes, it's still unlikely that the rest will unite against us in any meaningful way. You said giants live there and perhaps that will be a challenge, but think about it, we could RAISE those same giants to use against our enemies in the future!" While the idea of raising undead giants is appealing, you still have reservations about attacking the area. You have a big decision to make. > You attack the Brot Kingdom As much as raising undead colossuses would be cool, you decide that taking over the Brot Kingdom will be easier and you'll be able to take out Trelik at the same time. "I think I'll go with my plan of attacking the Brot Kingdom." "You just want to be all macho and kill Trelik." "Maybe...does it turn you on?" "Ha ha. Perhaps if you're successful. Are you going to do this personally?" "Of course, I don't think any of the other necromancers can take on Trelik by themselves, and I'd rather have you here looking after things." "Really? You're trusting me to run Aftermath?" "Yeah, now I want you to keep a good run of things here, and if the Grand Alliance attacks I want to know immediately, so I can get here!" "Okay, but I doubt if that'll happen. I'd be more concerned with them attacking you when you're at the Brot Kingdom." "I'll be fine, okay I'm off." "Good luck!" she says and quickly kisses you on the cheek before you leave. You stare at her for a moment in shock and she stares back. "What?" she asks as if nothing happened. "Nothing, but we'll discuss THAT later when I return." You say. "Maybe. If you're good and return victorious." "I don't think I'll be good, but I will be returning victorious." You decide to take a couple of extra necromancers with you for support as you march your undead horde towards the Brot Kingdom. By the time you get there you can see the destruction that Trelik has wrought. It's obvious where he's been. Some corpses linger around the razed towns he's obviously been through, but you immediately bring them under your control. It's apparent that Trelik hasn't focused on fortifying his holdings too much and he probably wasn't expecting you to arrive at all. Given his weakened state, you wonder if you should bother attacking Trelik immediately. Perhaps you should take out the remaining Brot military just to get them out of the way first seeing as they might be more of a threat. > Attack Trelik Your thirst to get rid of one of your rivals overcomes you and he is closer, so you continue your march towards where he's located, it doesn't take long as you just follow the heavier population of undead wandering around. You continue to easily take control of his unsupervised troops. At last you reach the heart of his domain, where you are less able to take control of his undead and you're forced to destroy them. You catch sight of each other during the battle. "You! You're the cause of my current problems! It should've been me to take Nuro! That's all gonna change today though! You were a fool to come here, you should've stayed behind your safe walls!" While Trelik is ranting at you, you choose to take a more active approach and blast him with a beam of negative energy. He falls and temporarily loses control of his undead. You take advantage of it and enforce your own will over them. Trelik's position isn't good considering he's surrounded. "NO! Don't follow him, follow me! You're supposed to follow me! NOOOOO!" are his last words before he's butchered by his once obedient corpses. "All too easy, now let's finish off the Brot military and take over this place completely." You remark. Taking Trelik's remaining army you march upon the heart of the Brot Kingdom. The place is better defended than you thought, but your numbers are overwhelming and you don't have to worry about Trelik being at your back. You conquer the Brot Kingdom within a period of a few days. A Grand Alliance army attempts to retake your conquests within the week, but you've fortified your position by then and successfully defeat them. You leave a few of your most competent necromancers in charge and return to Aftermath in triumph. Catalina meets you. "So, what's the update?" "I killed Trelik, I conquered the Brot Kingdom, then I kicked the Grand Alliance's asses." You say putting your arm around her. She's not resisting anymore. "Hmm, sounds like you were very victorious. So now what?" "Now what? You and me in the bedroom, that's what!" You and Catalina at last end this little dance and consummate your relationship. And just think all it took was destruction and killing on a grand scale! Four years pass... It's been five years since you took control of Aftermath and you've made progress. Though not much. Many changes have certainly have come about. Your territory now encompasses a little more than just Aftermath, but besides the former Brot Kingdom, your other holdings are minor towns that dot the landscape. You call your region the Dead Dominion. The population consists mainly of the dead, with necromancers typically being the only living beings, though there are pockets of living that have pledged their loyalty to you in exchange for mercy. You have granted it. You and Catalina are now truly King and Queen of the dead. Velzix has benefited a little from your success; he's managed to hold on to his own realm, but has failed to expand. While he's stilling having problems of his own, rumors are that he's attempting to rip open a portal of the largest size to unleash all of the horrors the infernal plane has to offer. The Grand Alliance is attempting to handle the pair of you, but has only succeeded in fighting to a stalemate. Rumors are the Zalan Empire is attempting to take full control over the Grand Alliance in order to pursue a more extreme course of action. You have not heard anything from you family. You know your Dad's mercenary company has been fighting in the outskirts of Velzix's realm. Your sister has become a respected and successful Grand Alliance captain. She's managed to hold back the tide of your dead horde from gaining anymore ground for a couple years now. As for your Mom, who knows? You'd prefer not to know what she thinks of you. You aren't making anymore progress. You've expanded as much as you're able without making yourself vulnerable. You know you're going to have to do something soon, but allying with Velzix isn't an option. Making peace with the Grand Alliance isn't either. The Vampire Clans have unsuccessfully sent assassins after you, but they have all failed. However one night you are visited by another vampire who you almost kill before he begs and insists that he has a message for you from the Clans. He states that they are willing to talk to you. He says he can take you to their secret fortress. That is the only area where Lord Rostov will agree for any types of negotiations to take place. At this point you're open to the possibility of peace talks if it'll reduce the number of enemies you have, though Catalina is wary of this. > You kill the messenger Catalina's right, you can't take the chance of trusting these bloodsucking bastards. If they get you in their fortress, that's going to be it for you. "I regret to inform you, but your trip here has been wasted and so has you existence." You say as Catalina sets him ablaze with a fireball and you cause his heart to explode. "Wow, that was oddly familiar." You reply and then order the remains to be cleaned up before going about your business again. Indeed it was very familiar since you were witness to Mr. Demar and Felsa doing a similar thing to delegate Yolev five years ago. And much like those two, you've set yourself on a course that will end badly like it did for them. Five years pass... It's been ten years since you took control of Aftermath and now it looks like that's all finally coming to an end. Velzix never quite managed to succeed in his plan to open up the portal, and was struck down by your Dad's mercenary company of all things. Your Dad died during the battle and he was declared a hero who sacrificed all in the cause of good. A statue of him now stands in the Zalan Empire's capital. Funny how mad men can be made into heroes so easily With no other enemies the Grand Alliance turns its full attention to you and they're relentless with your sister leading them. She manages to take back everything you ever conquered until at last she's at the gates of Aftermath itself. You defend her attacks many times and you only grow weaker each passing day. However, it is not your sister that kills you. It is by another group of vampire assassins who once again slip in under the cover of night. You're no longer able to fight them effectively due to all the energy you've been expending fighting your sister's army outside. Catalina is dispatched first when she attempts help you, when you see her fall; you gain a surge of adrenaline and manage to kill one of the assassins. You wound another severely, but ultimately they strike you down and only a bloody mess is left for your sister to find when she finally breaks down the gates of Aftermath.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, war] Your thirst to get rid of one of your rivals overcomes you and he is closer, so you continue your march towards where he's located, it doesn't take long as you just follow the heavier population of undead wandering around. You continue to easily take control of his unsupervised troops. At last you reach the heart of his domain, where you are less able to take control of his undead and you're forced to destroy them. You catch sight of each other during the battle. "You! You're the cause of my current problems! It should've been me to take Nuro! That's all gonna change today though! You were a fool to come here, you should've stayed behind your safe walls!" While Trelik is ranting at you, you choose to take a more active approach and blast him with a beam of negative energy. He falls and temporarily loses control of his undead. You take advantage of it and enforce your own will over them. Trelik's position isn't good considering he's surrounded. "NO! Don't follow him, follow me! You're supposed to follow me! NOOOOO!" are his last words before he's butchered by his once obedient corpses. "All too easy, now let's finish off the Brot military and take over this place completely." You remark. Taking Trelik's remaining army you march upon the heart of the Brot Kingdom. The place is better defended than you thought, but your numbers are overwhelming and you don't have to worry about Trelik being at your back. You conquer the Brot Kingdom within a period of a few days. A Grand Alliance army attempts to retake your conquests within the week, but you've fortified your position by then and successfully defeat them. You leave a few of your most competent necromancers in charge and return to Aftermath in triumph. Catalina meets you. "So, what's the update?" "I killed Trelik, I conquered the Brot Kingdom, then I kicked the Grand Alliance's asses." You say putting your arm around her. She's not resisting anymore. "Hmm, sounds like you were very victorious. So now what?" "Now what? You and me in the bedroom, that's what!" You and Catalina at last end this little dance and consummate your relationship. And just think all it took was destruction and killing on a grand scale! Four years pass... It's been five years since you took control of Aftermath and you've made progress. Though not much. Many changes have certainly have come about. Your territory now encompasses a little more than just Aftermath, but besides the former Brot Kingdom, your other holdings are minor towns that dot the landscape. You call your region the Dead Dominion. The population consists mainly of the dead, with necromancers typically being the only living beings, though there are pockets of living that have pledged their loyalty to you in exchange for mercy. You have granted it. You and Catalina are now truly King and Queen of the dead. Velzix has benefited a little from your success; he's managed to hold on to his own realm, but has failed to expand. While he's stilling having problems of his own, rumors are that he's attempting to rip open a portal of the largest size to unleash all of the horrors the infernal plane has to offer. The Grand Alliance is attempting to handle the pair of you, but has only succeeded in fighting to a stalemate. Rumors are the Zalan Empire is attempting to take full control over the Grand Alliance in order to pursue a more extreme course of action. You have not heard anything from you family. You know your Dad's mercenary company has been fighting in the outskirts of Velzix's realm. Your sister has become a respected and successful Grand Alliance captain. She's managed to hold back the tide of your dead horde from gaining anymore ground for a couple years now. As for your Mom, who knows? You'd prefer not to know what she thinks of you. You aren't making anymore progress. You've expanded as much as you're able without making yourself vulnerable. You know you're going to have to do something soon, but allying with Velzix isn't an option. Making peace with the Grand Alliance isn't either. The Vampire Clans have unsuccessfully sent assassins after you, but they have all failed. However one night you are visited by another vampire who you almost kill before he begs and insists that he has a message for you from the Clans. He states that they are willing to talk to you. He says he can take you to their secret fortress. That is the only area where Lord Rostov will agree for any types of negotiations to take place. At this point you're open to the possibility of peace talks if it'll reduce the number of enemies you have, though Catalina is wary of this. > You talk to the Clans You figure that this is worth the chance, so you agree, but Catalina is staying behind. The messenger says that only you were invited anyway so that is not a problem. "Are you sure about this?" Catalina asks you. "Not really, but I'm not too sure about our future...I mean I know we're doing okay now, but I get the impression that it's only a matter of time. If dealing with Lord Rostov can help us, then I gotta try." Catalina nods and kisses and hugs you goodbye before you and this messenger go teleporting off to the secret Vampire Clan fortress. He pulls out a black cube, presses a button and you both are immediately in the throne room of Lord Rostov. You still have no idea where this place is, but you're surrounded by several vampires. Some of which have a regal look about them as opposed to the hideous appearance that most of them have nowadays. Lord Rostov gets up from his seat and greets you. "Ah, the necromancer. You've been causing quite a bit of trouble I hear. The Grand Alliance has had many problems with you, though those should be coming to an end soon I should think." "Because you're gonna kill me?" you ask, expecting trouble. "Hmm, that's a rather blunt assumption, but I suppose a possible one. However, that need not be the case. That is why I have called you to talk." "Okay I'm listening." "Yes. What I'm offering is for you to give up your mad plan of murdering the world in exchange for immortality." "...what?" "I'm saying if you give up your plan, you may stay here and become one of us." You don't really know what to say at this point. "...I don't know what to say...I mean why would you offer this?" "Ah, a valid question. Well, as you know we've been monitoring you. So far you've outlasted far longer than you should have, showing that you are a survivor and a man who can thrive under pressure. I personally respect such traits. You would be a fine addition to the clans and quite frankly I wouldn't mind having someone new to talk to. Trust me these lot haven't said anything interesting for a LONG time." Lord Rostov says dismissively to his silent court. "While your offer has some appeal, I still don't know. I mean..." "Why the hesitation? You are a necromancer, is not immortality not your ultimate goal? And this is the only way you're going to achieve it my friend, for even if I choose to let you go, you will not last too much longer out there. As I speak the Grand Alliance will be pursuing a more efficient way to deal with you and that ignorant demon Velzix. I'm sure you're aware that we do have influence over the mortal world and we are setting things up to defend the status quo. A demonic playground and a graveyard are unacceptable outcomes." "I understand that, but you keep saying that I'm going to murder the world. I don't necessarily have any desire to do that. I mean I've been just trying to defend myself for the most part. If I could live in peace with the civilized nations I wouldn't be attempting to take anymore territory. In fact I haven't for a long time. I mean you said you had influence. Couldn't we just come to an understanding and you pull some strings to get the Grand Alliance to leave me alone?" Lord Rostov laughs at your proposal. "Even I cannot do that, even if I chose to do so! The living will always distrust and be repulsed by the undead. They would continue to attack even if we used our influence to cause a change in attitudes and policies. And I would not do so anyway. You are too much of a danger to the world. You claim you do not wish to turn the world into a mass grave, and you may even believe it. But how long really will you be able to contain your nature? You won't. Just as we cannot contain our nature either." "Well if you feel I'm so dangerous, why keep me alive at all, let alone turn me into a vampire?" "Because as I have said, you are worthy of such a gift and you would be someone new to talk to. Not to mention if you haven't noticed, our numbers are no longer what they once were, and they're even less due to our failed assassination attempts. It would be nice to get them back up again. And if you were to become one of us, your need to kill the entire world would lose its appeal. After all you cannot kill your food supply without killing yourself." "I guess that's true." "Yes. And just think, you'll still achieve immortality and in a much better form. Do you really want to be a rotting skeletal lich? Also, you can still control the world; we shall always have our hand in guiding the ways of our livestock. That is why we need more of us, so we can once again gain total control over them. You are being offered a better deal than you could ever achieve yourself. What will your answer be?" Lord Rostov has basically given you an "out" as it were. A rather generous one, almost too generous. You can't help but think he doesn't have an angle. Still, he's making a lot of sense. "...Catalina...may she join me?" "Ah yes. Your mate. I suppose so. Assuming she wishes to join you. So I take it, you are accepting my offer?" "Yes, yes I am." "Excellent. You will see that this was the best choice, now you may feel a slight sting..." Before you know what Lord Rostov means, you are suddenly grabbed from behind and bitten in the neck by a vampiress. You feel your blood drain from your body and soon your life fades completely. Your heart ceases beating and then you die. A few hours pass and you rise again. You feel quite different, but definitely stronger. Quicker too. In fact you feel better than ever. Lord Rostov stands by to watch you get up. "Welcome to your new life, now you may go attempt to convince your mate, but be quick about it, I will have further orders for you." You nod and head back to Aftermath where you meet Catalina in your new superior form. She can't believe it. "No! I was thinking about us the whole time! I mean why do you think I came back for you? We can have it all and we can have it together!" "Yeah, and I'm sure Lord Rostov has offered this gift out of the goodness his rotten heart. Didn't you think he has a hidden agenda?" "I'm sure he does, but look we can't fight them in our current state. If we go this route we can possibly be in a position where we can defend ourselves better. We won't have to worry about the Grand Alliance or any of that anymore." "Yeah, just a lot of shifty vampires probably all trying to plot against each other." "True, but if we're together we can handle it. Come with me Catalina, I want us to be together in this." Catalina thinks silently about it for a moment, and then allows you to embrace her where you begin to drain her blood. You feel completely invigorated by doing this, possibly because you have such a strong bond with her. She soon dies and after you wait a few hours, she rises again. She now will remain forever beautiful. "Are you ready my dear?" "Yes." You and Catalina return to vampire fortress via black cube and begin your new lives. and things change thanks to the influence of the vampire clans. Influence you played a part in. Velzix never quite managed to succeed in his plan to open up the portal, and was struck down by your Dad's mercenary company of all things. Your Dad died during the battle and he was declared a hero who sacrificed all in the cause of good. A statue of him now stands in the Zalan Empire's capital. Funny how mad men can be made into heroes so easily. Lord Rostov asked if you wanted to have the statue taken down, but you declined. It made your Mom happy. Your own dominion soon fell into disarray without your guidance. Many necromancers attempted to take your place, but ultimately the Grand Alliance army lead by your sister crushed them all and retook everything that once was under your control. The status quo is soon restored and the puppet master weavings of the Vampire Clans continue. You and Catalina will have other journeys during this new life, but your journey as a necromancer is over.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark] As much as raising undead colossuses would be cool, you decide that taking over the Brot Kingdom will be easier and you'll be able to take out Trelik at the same time. "I think I'll go with my plan of attacking the Brot Kingdom." "You just want to be all macho and kill Trelik." "Maybe...does it turn you on?" "Ha ha. Perhaps if you're successful. Are you going to do this personally?" "Of course, I don't think any of the other necromancers can take on Trelik by themselves, and I'd rather have you here looking after things." "Really? You're trusting me to run Aftermath?" "Yeah, now I want you to keep a good run of things here, and if the Grand Alliance attacks I want to know immediately, so I can get here!" "Okay, but I doubt if that'll happen. I'd be more concerned with them attacking you when you're at the Brot Kingdom." "I'll be fine, okay I'm off." "Good luck!" she says and quickly kisses you on the cheek before you leave. You stare at her for a moment in shock and she stares back. "What?" she asks as if nothing happened. "Nothing, but we'll discuss THAT later when I return." You say. "Maybe. If you're good and return victorious." "I don't think I'll be good, but I will be returning victorious." You decide to take a couple of extra necromancers with you for support as you march your undead horde towards the Brot Kingdom. By the time you get there you can see the destruction that Trelik has wrought. It's obvious where he's been. Some corpses linger around the razed towns he's obviously been through, but you immediately bring them under your control. It's apparent that Trelik hasn't focused on fortifying his holdings too much and he probably wasn't expecting you to arrive at all. Given his weakened state, you wonder if you should bother attacking Trelik immediately. Perhaps you should take out the remaining Brot military just to get them out of the way first seeing as they might be more of a threat. > You attack the Brot military You march your horde toward the heart of the Brot Kingdom where Trelik hasn't been yet. You find that it's a little better defended than you thought. They have mustered up all their remaining hero types to lend their hand to the defense. It takes a week before you manage to even reduce the Brot Kingdom to shambles and knocking on their capital gates. This probably would've went quicker however, had Trelik not been launching his own attacks at your back and stealing some of your troops. Another week passes and you finally complete your attack on the Brot Kingdom. You manage to drive off Trelik, but fail to kill him. You also end up having to fend off a Grand Alliance attack which further weakens you. Your resources are stretched out and you've lost many of your necromancers to help support a large army. It's draining much of your energy just to maintain your defenses. You send a message to Catalina asking if there's anyway to get reinforcements, but she replies that doing so would be unwise as the Grand Alliance has sent another army on the way to Aftermath. You decide to maintain a skeleton crew as it were in the Brot Kingdom and head back to Aftermath post haste. You arrive just in time to defend Aftermath, which you do successfully...barely. At this point you're running on empty and you have to rest to recharge yourself. All of this has been a greater ordeal than you thought and it's only going to get greater. Four years pass It's been five years since you took Aftermath, and you've made little progress. In fact you sense the end is near and you'll be happy about it because this has been a miserable time and you wonder what the hell you were thinking all those years ago when you pursued this path... When Velzix was finally defeated, the Grand Alliance was able to focus the full brunt of its attention towards you, leaving you in a perpetual state of being on the defensive. Never again were able to attempt another act of conquest and over the years you eventually lost the Brot Kingdom. Vampire assassins from the clans made multiple attempts on your life. You barely fought them off. The last attack left you horribly scarred; it was only due to Catalina's sacrifice that you survived. You'll miss her dedication to you and your time together which was the only good thing about any of this. You recently received a letter from your family. It's been so long you'd almost forgotten you had one. It's your Mom. She begs for you to give yourself up as she doesn't want your sister to have to fight you in the next Grand Alliance attack, which apparently she's leading. Good old Mom, she always did try to protect you from your sister. But not this time. You're going to carry this through to the end. You finish up writing your letter back to Mom just as The Grand Alliance has broken down your gates. The cause of "good" has won. You wait for their final arrival in your throne room. You see your sister approach with her elite guards, she says nothing. Just a look of scorn on her face says it all. You stand up. "Let's do it." You say and unleash a blast of negative energy and summon ghostly soldiers to defend you. The fight is furious, but your sister has the cause of righteousness on her side. She eventually reaches you and stabs you through the heart. You look down and tell your sister one last thing. "...letter...on the desk...take it to Mom...tell her...I'm sorry..."

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, serious, fantasy, villain protagonist] Ah the time honored the tradition of all true rulers... "Catalina, I think it's time we expand." You say walking into her study. "Oh you do, do you? Well, there's no shortage of places. Got somewhere in particular in mind?" "A few places, but this is sort of why I'm talking to you, I figure it'll be good to have your input." "Wow, laying it on thick today aren't we?" "Yeah...do you like it?" "Maybe." She says with a faint smile. "Good, but seriously I'm thinking we should attack the Brot Kingdom. It's close, and its military is weak." "Normally I'd agree, but I think you're forgetting that our former classmate Trelik has currently established a presence there." "Yeah, I was thinking we could get rid of him at the same time." "Easier said than done I hope you realize. I know he's a treacherous asshole that's been run ragged by the Grand Alliance, but that doesn't mean he's any less formidable. Not to mention we'll still have the Brot military to handle and hopefully the Grand Alliance doesn't show up in the area. Speaking of which, Trelik's pitiful endeavors have been keeping them busy. Get rid of him and they'll pay more attention to us." "Alright then, where do you think we should attack?" "Here." Catalina points to a rather barren area known as the Drozz Wasteland which contains barbaric orc tribes, though ogres, goblins and similar "uncivilized" races dwell there as well. "What the hell are we supposed to do with that?" "Do you realize how many soldiers we can get in that area? The tribes in there are disorganized and unlikely to give us a meaningful fight. We can suffer minimal losses and gain more than what we started out with. Then we can use those gains against more formidable foes!" "Cat baby, THAT is not going to be easy. First of all I know something of orcs and the green bastards don't know when to fucking quit most of the time. Even with the fear of an undead army, I guarantee they'll still fight. Same thing with the ogres, trolls, minotaurs and GIANTS that live in that area! Giants, Catalina. Fucking giants. Not to mention those tribes have the full advantage of the knowledge of the terrain." "What difference does that make? It's not like our army needs to eat or even sleep! Those tribes are fighting each other most of the time too. By the time we've slaughtered half of those mongrel tribes, it's still unlikely that the rest will unite against us in any meaningful way. You said giants live there and perhaps that will be a challenge, but think about it, we could RAISE those same giants to use against our enemies in the future!" While the idea of raising undead giants is appealing, you still have reservations about attacking the area. You have a big decision to make. > You attack the Drozz Tribes Catalina has a way of swaying you to her plan. (She does have experience in enchantment after all) She knew the whole raising undead giants thing would appeal to you! Of course you actually have to kill them first. "Alright Catalina, we'll go with this plan, but I'm going to do it personally, so you're in charge of things here for awhile." "Really? You're not only following my advice, but you're also trusting me to run Aftermath?" "Yeah I'm whipped, now I want you to keep a good run of things here, and if the Grand Alliance attacks I want to know immediately, so I can get here!" "Okay, but I doubt if that'll happen. They've been preoccupied with Velzix lately." "Hmm, y'know we'll have to do something about him too later, but first I guess I got some barbarians to kill." "Good luck!" she says and quickly kisses you on the cheek before you leave. You stare at her for a moment in shock and she stares back. "What?" she asks as if nothing happened. "Nothing, but we'll discuss THAT later when I return." You say. "Maybe. If you're good and return victorious." "I don't think I'll be good, but I will be returning victorious." You decide that given the long stretches of barren plains of where you're heading. Incorporeal undead shall work better. You need speed, and the tribes will probably have little in the way of magic to combat you. You also take a couple extra necromancers with you along with your army of ghosts, spirits and wraiths. You make pretty good time and suffer no attacks on the way, probably because of the rather low profile and somewhat hard to see aspects of your army. When you arrive in the Drozz region, it's night, but still as desolate as you remember it. Your Dad took you here a couple times during his attempts to "toughen" you up when he still thought he could turn you into a warrior. You hated it then, and you hate the place now. After casting a sense life spell, you start to head towards the direction of the nearest tribe, but your uncanny connection with death lets you know that you're being watched and not by the living... Suddenly from over a small hill top a group of misshapened creatures pop their heads up. After what looks to be chatter between the creatures, they lope in your direction. Ghouls. One of the filthier forms of undead. Typically they were created by vampires, who used to use them as tougher servants. (Basically mortals who weren't "worthy" enough for the gift of vampirism) but that would mean that there's a vampire in the area. You don't have time to think too hard about it, you just react and dominate your will over the ghouls. For some reason they're very resistant to you and you're forced to destroy them. More ghouls appear however, and soon you're surrounded. "Where the fuck are these things coming from?" one of your necros asks. "Stay calm. Don't lose control...VAMPIRE! SHOW YOURSELF! If you're going to assassinate me, I would've thought the clans were at least honorable enough to not rely on ghouls!" you shout. Your shouting is soon answered. The ghouls suddenly stop and a hideous figure appears on the same hilltop. He then walks towards you and your army and stops not to far from it. He's fearless and shows no signs of being concerned of your presence. "Clans? Don't speak to me of the clans! I was cast out long ago for my actions! Once I feasted upon the blood of royalty, with legions of mortals willing to die for me. Now I feast upon the carrion of barbarians with only ghouls as company." "So you're an outcast? I thought all you types of vampires degenerated into mindless beasts much like the ghouls." "Hah! Do you not think this is degeneration enough? I can't even make another vampire anymore. But you are quite correct. Most of us did. One thing keeps me going though and kept my mind sharp. Revenge. I vowed I would get revenge on the Clans somehow. Of course the reality is, I've had to hide in a hole in the ground while my ghouls scavenge the countless battlefields of this accursed place. I am the Ghoul King." "Ghoul King eh? I'm very surprised nobody's hunted you." "I haven't survived this long by being sloppy. The only ones who tend to be around here are barbarians and if any of them ever see us, it's their last time. But the tribes tend to be an anti-social lot anyway, so it's unlikely that any of them run to tell the civilized folks that there are ghouls and their king infesting the area. So what of you? It's been a long time since I've seen a necromancer...a long time..." "I'm attempting to supplement my army as it were. These tribes would make excellent additions. Especially the giants." "I see. So you mean to take away my food source? Not to mention my OWN supply of followers. These ghouls don't grow from trees you know!" This is an interesting situation. You didn't expect this, but perhaps you can use it to your advantage. This "Ghoul King" is close enough to you to attack with your troops. Chances are, if you killed him, you could take his remaining horde of ghouls to help you destroy the tribes in the area. However, maybe you could use a little diplomacy. > You kill the Ghoul King Why mess around with a middle man, when you can control the ghouls yourself? You order your troops to attack, at which point the Ghoul King orders his ghouls to do likewise, as he attempts to slaughter his way through your army to get to you! "Little necromancer, did you really think you could intimidate me? I am still more than a match for a mere mortal!" he mocks as jumps and leaps towards you. Your troops have no noticeable effect on him. Their draining powers do nothing, though the scythes of the wraiths do some damage. You have to use non-necromantic magic against him and you cast a fireball into his chest. It's enough to cause him to leap away from you and attempt to roll out the flame, but he kills two of your necromancers in the process. His ghouls are getting wiped out by your undead, but they're coming like hordes of lemmings, you have to kill the Ghoul King now. "Blast the bloodsucker with fire!" you order your last remaining necromancers to do. Fortunately being ex-demonologists, their knowledge of fire magic is still quite strong. The Ghoul King attempts to leap out of the way, but the flame spells still hit him. He runs around burning and howling horribly. Soon the wraiths put a final end to the Ghoul King with their scythes. The rest of the ghouls seeing their King dead, begin to run away in multiple directions. You manage to easily dominate most of them and corral them into your fold. Not too bad, though losing a couple of necros wasn't something you wanted. At least not so early. You press on with your quest to conquer the Drozz tribes. Weeks turn into months and your campaign there is going...mediocre. You did alright in the beginning, but after awhile the tribes began to unite in a way you didn't think they would or at least you'd think it would take longer. While mostly low in magic, they had more shaman and witch doctor types than you expected as well. They also know to start targeting you and your other necromancers whenever possible, which has resulted in you being the only one left and supporting the entire undead army. Given how long you've been without rest, lack of other magical enhancers, the constant drain and the large number of undead you're controlling, you could be over exerting yourself. Your time here hasn't really been profitable. You've gained more troops, but you've lost necromancers and you still haven't really conquered the area. The tribes have been simply moving and hiding around the area. You wonder if you should cut your losses... > You press on You're determined to make Drozz a deadland and you'll not have these barbarians defy you! You press on with your attack, now climbing into the more hilly areas of Drozz where most of the tribes have fled to. Things turn worse when they ambush you from higher positions. Witch Doctors use their primitive magic to whittle away your ghostly troops. You're nearly smashed when hill giants begin throwing boulders at you. Those heavy rocks crush several of your ghouls. You're so busy trying to get out of the way of the boulders, you don't even see the archers on the other side of you. Their arrows strike down the remainder of your ghouls and hit you as well. You attempt to retreat, but they've blocked it off. There's no escape. Your troops are at last destroyed and you're on the ground dying from being shot full of arrows. A large orc war chieftain walks slowly over to you with a huge axe in hand. You have no more strength to fight. "Hur hur, little dead wizard. Da tribes have never tasted defeat and dey never will." He grunts before bringing his axe down on your head.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, war] Why mess around with a middle man, when you can control the ghouls yourself? You order your troops to attack, at which point the Ghoul King orders his ghouls to do likewise, as he attempts to slaughter his way through your army to get to you! "Little necromancer, did you really think you could intimidate me? I am still more than a match for a mere mortal!" he mocks as jumps and leaps towards you. Your troops have no noticeable effect on him. Their draining powers do nothing, though the scythes of the wraiths do some damage. You have to use non-necromantic magic against him and you cast a fireball into his chest. It's enough to cause him to leap away from you and attempt to roll out the flame, but he kills two of your necromancers in the process. His ghouls are getting wiped out by your undead, but they're coming like hordes of lemmings, you have to kill the Ghoul King now. "Blast the bloodsucker with fire!" you order your last remaining necromancers to do. Fortunately being ex-demonologists, their knowledge of fire magic is still quite strong. The Ghoul King attempts to leap out of the way, but the flame spells still hit him. He runs around burning and howling horribly. Soon the wraiths put a final end to the Ghoul King with their scythes. The rest of the ghouls seeing their King dead, begin to run away in multiple directions. You manage to easily dominate most of them and corral them into your fold. Not too bad, though losing a couple of necros wasn't something you wanted. At least not so early. You press on with your quest to conquer the Drozz tribes. Weeks turn into months and your campaign there is going...mediocre. You did alright in the beginning, but after awhile the tribes began to unite in a way you didn't think they would or at least you'd think it would take longer. While mostly low in magic, they had more shaman and witch doctor types than you expected as well. They also know to start targeting you and your other necromancers whenever possible, which has resulted in you being the only one left and supporting the entire undead army. Given how long you've been without rest, lack of other magical enhancers, the constant drain and the large number of undead you're controlling, you could be over exerting yourself. Your time here hasn't really been profitable. You've gained more troops, but you've lost necromancers and you still haven't really conquered the area. The tribes have been simply moving and hiding around the area. You wonder if you should cut your losses... > You return to Aftermath A little dejected, you make your way back to Aftermath. Along the way, you come across Trelik who's looking particularly pathetic. It looks like he's got his ass handed to him once again by the Grand Alliance. He sees you and your army and runs towards you! You hold back from attacking as this should be interesting. "Please! Ya gotta help me! I've got no where to turn to! The Grand Alliance is unstoppable! They destroyed all of what I had accomplished in the Brot Kingdom! I hear they're even starting to make progress against Velzix! All around me are hunters! I can't rest! They're all out to get me!" he rants while groveling on the ground. He's badly scarred; he's even missing a few fingers. You have no sympathy for this dickhead though, especially not after what you've been through. You're going to enjoy this. "Pfft! Look at you. Useless. Why would I help a traitorous dog like you who obviously can't handle pressure?" you say kicking him in the face. He whimpers and begs for his life. "Pah! You wouldn't even make a good corpse! Ghouls, fulfill your hunger on this waste of flesh!" you shout as the ghouls eagerly follow your orders. Feeling a little better from hearing Trelik's screams you continue on your way to Aftermath. When you get there, things are more or less how they were. Catalina is full of questions, questions that you're really in no mood to answer. "So...what happened? No undead giants?" she asks. "No, it was a bad idea, and I never should've went there!" "...wait are you blaming ME for this?" "(Sigh) Me blame you? No of course not. Nope it was my own stupidity at work here for following your advice in the first place. Don't worry, you're off the hook." "Y'know maybe it was a good plan and it was your own incompetence that lead to defeat, you ever think of that?" "Watch it Catalina...don't fucking piss me off right now. The only reason why I'm in a tolerant mood is because I killed that dickhead Trelik on my way home. Damn that felt good." "Yeah, well I hope you're in the mood for a fight, because I hear the Grand Alliance is preparing another attack." "I don't give a fuck. Just let me know when they get here, and I'll save this city again like I always do." You say heading to your study. And so it happens, the Grand Alliance attacks and just like you said, you successfully defend against them. Four years pass... It's been five years since you took Aftermath, and you've made little progress. In fact you sense the end is near and you'll be happy about it because this has been a miserable time and you wonder what the hell you were thinking all those years ago when you pursued this path... When Velzix was finally defeated, the Grand Alliance was able to focus the full brunt of its attention towards you, leaving you in a perpetual state of being on the defensive. Never again were able to attempt another act of conquest and over the years you've gotten weaker in resources while your enemies have only gotten stronger. Catalina and you never got along really well after you came back from Drozz. She never saw you as the formidable leader she thought you were, and you blamed her for her idea to go to Drozz (Even though you said you didn't blame her). The relationship became strained and one day in a particularly heated argument, you struck her down with a powerful blast of negative energy. She died instantly. You apologized to her before ultimately burning her body. Vampire assassins from the clans made multiple attempts on your life. You barely fought them off. The last attack left you with missing fingers. You remember laughing at the time since they were on the same hand that Trelik was missing his fingers all those years ago. You recently received a letter from your family. It's been so long you'd almost forgotten you had one. It's your Mom. She begs for you to give yourself up as she doesn't want your sister to have to fight you in the next Grand Alliance attack, which apparently she's leading. Good old Mom, she always did try to protect you from your sister. But not this time. You're going to carry this through to the end. You finish up writing your letter back to Mom just as The Grand Alliance has broken down your gates. The cause of "good" has won. You wait for their final arrival in your throne room. You see your sister approach with her elite guards, she says nothing. Just a look of scorn on her face says it all. You stand up. "Let's do it." You say and unleash a blast of negative energy and summon ghostly soldiers to defend you. The fight is furious, but your sister has the cause of righteousness on her side. She eventually reaches you and stabs you through the heart. You look down and tell your sister one last thing. "...letter...on the desk...take it to Mom...tell her...I'm sorry..."

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy] Catalina has a way of swaying you to her plan. (She does have experience in enchantment after all) She knew the whole raising undead giants thing would appeal to you! Of course you actually have to kill them first. "Alright Catalina, we'll go with this plan, but I'm going to do it personally, so you're in charge of things here for awhile." "Really? You're not only following my advice, but you're also trusting me to run Aftermath?" "Yeah I'm whipped, now I want you to keep a good run of things here, and if the Grand Alliance attacks I want to know immediately, so I can get here!" "Okay, but I doubt if that'll happen. They've been preoccupied with Velzix lately." "Hmm, y'know we'll have to do something about him too later, but first I guess I got some barbarians to kill." "Good luck!" she says and quickly kisses you on the cheek before you leave. You stare at her for a moment in shock and she stares back. "What?" she asks as if nothing happened. "Nothing, but we'll discuss THAT later when I return." You say. "Maybe. If you're good and return victorious." "I don't think I'll be good, but I will be returning victorious." You decide that given the long stretches of barren plains of where you're heading. Incorporeal undead shall work better. You need speed, and the tribes will probably have little in the way of magic to combat you. You also take a couple extra necromancers with you along with your army of ghosts, spirits and wraiths. You make pretty good time and suffer no attacks on the way, probably because of the rather low profile and somewhat hard to see aspects of your army. When you arrive in the Drozz region, it's night, but still as desolate as you remember it. Your Dad took you here a couple times during his attempts to "toughen" you up when he still thought he could turn you into a warrior. You hated it then, and you hate the place now. After casting a sense life spell, you start to head towards the direction of the nearest tribe, but your uncanny connection with death lets you know that you're being watched and not by the living... Suddenly from over a small hill top a group of misshapened creatures pop their heads up. After what looks to be chatter between the creatures, they lope in your direction. Ghouls. One of the filthier forms of undead. Typically they were created by vampires, who used to use them as tougher servants. (Basically mortals who weren't "worthy" enough for the gift of vampirism) but that would mean that there's a vampire in the area. You don't have time to think too hard about it, you just react and dominate your will over the ghouls. For some reason they're very resistant to you and you're forced to destroy them. More ghouls appear however, and soon you're surrounded. "Where the fuck are these things coming from?" one of your necros asks. "Stay calm. Don't lose control...VAMPIRE! SHOW YOURSELF! If you're going to assassinate me, I would've thought the clans were at least honorable enough to not rely on ghouls!" you shout. Your shouting is soon answered. The ghouls suddenly stop and a hideous figure appears on the same hilltop. He then walks towards you and your army and stops not to far from it. He's fearless and shows no signs of being concerned of your presence. "Clans? Don't speak to me of the clans! I was cast out long ago for my actions! Once I feasted upon the blood of royalty, with legions of mortals willing to die for me. Now I feast upon the carrion of barbarians with only ghouls as company." "So you're an outcast? I thought all you types of vampires degenerated into mindless beasts much like the ghouls." "Hah! Do you not think this is degeneration enough? I can't even make another vampire anymore. But you are quite correct. Most of us did. One thing keeps me going though and kept my mind sharp. Revenge. I vowed I would get revenge on the Clans somehow. Of course the reality is, I've had to hide in a hole in the ground while my ghouls scavenge the countless battlefields of this accursed place. I am the Ghoul King." "Ghoul King eh? I'm very surprised nobody's hunted you." "I haven't survived this long by being sloppy. The only ones who tend to be around here are barbarians and if any of them ever see us, it's their last time. But the tribes tend to be an anti-social lot anyway, so it's unlikely that any of them run to tell the civilized folks that there are ghouls and their king infesting the area. So what of you? It's been a long time since I've seen a necromancer...a long time..." "I'm attempting to supplement my army as it were. These tribes would make excellent additions. Especially the giants." "I see. So you mean to take away my food source? Not to mention my OWN supply of followers. These ghouls don't grow from trees you know!" This is an interesting situation. You didn't expect this, but perhaps you can use it to your advantage. This "Ghoul King" is close enough to you to attack with your troops. Chances are, if you killed him, you could take his remaining horde of ghouls to help you destroy the tribes in the area. However, maybe you could use a little diplomacy. > You talk with the Ghoul King You can't say you've exactly been entirely enthusiastic about this plan to conquer these tribes. The reality is starting to set in that you'll never be able to get rid of them all. At least not without a concentrated effort, which would take a lot more time and troops that you're unwilling to commit at this point. But The Ghoul King could help. He most likely knows the lay of the land just as well as the tribes, and considering he lives here, he can dedicate as much time as he wants. "Very well Ghoul King I have no wish to take what is yours. I shall leave in peace if you'll permit." You say respectfully. "Hmm, I had not expected you to respond that way. Perhaps though you have yet another trick up your sleeve?" "No trick. But perhaps a proposal." "Diplomacy? Are you serious? I have rarely ever encountered a necromancer ready to discuss anything so calmly before. You are a rare breed. Okay, what's your proposal? I have to know just because you've managed to surprise me, twice today." "My proposal is an alliance." "An alliance? For what purpose? I imagine that you're being hounded by the civilized world. Why would I bring such troubles on myself?" "Because I'm your best shot at revenge. You said you've wanted revenge on the Vampire Clans, well I'm not exactly on their good side either. Eventually I'm going to have to deal with them. Look at you, you said it yourself. You've been forced to hide out from the world in a hole in the ground. Wouldn't you at least like that to change? Even if you die, at least you can say you tried! Changes ARE coming to this world, and this is your chance to be on the winning side." The Ghoul King looks in the sky. His expression reminds you of delegate Yolev's when Mr. Demar gave him a chance to join. You hope you have more success. "I have been told such promises before; a long time ago...this state that you see before you is what it got me. However, there's no fool like an old one. What more can be done to me? I've lost all as it is, I can only gain. I'm listening more to your proposal, but let's have some details. I won't ally with someone that's as foolish as me." You quickly explain that the Ghoul King should attack the tribes like he's been doing, but to just increase the frequency. All you ask is that he leave a portion of the dead for you (rather than eating them) to use as troops. You will leave one of your necromancers here as an emissary and transporter as it were. The Ghoul King finds this arrangement to be acceptable. He laughs when you say you would also like it if he managed to kill some giants for you to raise. He says he'll see what he can do and as an act of goodwill he allows you to have a sizable amount of his ghouls. "I can always make more!" You return to Aftermath feeling a great sense of accomplishment. Catalina is a bit leery of the entire situation though. "How can you be sure of this? He's a vampire! Last I heard they aren't too happy with us right now!" Catalina says. "He's an outcast from the clans. He's been living like an animal for who knows how long. I've given him a sense of purpose again. He'll help. Besides he's better suited to take care of the tribes in Drozz. He'll take all the risk and we'll gain the benefit. I see no downside!" "How do you know he won't just kill your emissary there and not do anything?" "It's certainly possible, but he did give me some of his ghouls as an act of good faith." "A bunch of mangy ghouls can't make up for one necromancer!" "Considering I left Hessan with him, you could make the argument that they do! Relax! I know what I'm doing." "I hope so, because I heard that the Grand Alliance is stepping up their military operations." Catalina leaves you in a huff. What's with this girl? One minute she's expressing interest, the next she's pissed at you. Oh well. You're not worried about anything, you're confident you made the right decision. A few months pass and you get a letter via bat from The Ghoul King. He tells you that he's got something special for you. Something that Hessan can't transport himself. You make your way back to Drozz, traveling invisibly for the most part, since last you heard, the Grand Alliance ousted Trelik from the Brot Kingdom and are currently stationed there, probably planning to attack you next. When you arrive, the Ghoul King meets you. "Well don't say I haven't held up my part of this alliance. Here are your giants. A whole tribe of them! Took a hell of a long time dragging them down here. You'll have to forgive the bite marks, but my ghouls do get hungry every now and then." You can't believe your eyes. You expected one or two. Not a whole tribe! You aren't even going to ask how he did it, you're just happy he did. "Alright Mr. Necromancer, I wanna see you raise these big ass things! Your emissary has been going on for months about how powerful you are, so I wanna see this." You begin to concentrate... Slowly one of the dead behemoths rises and stands ready to serve. You concentrate again and one by one each one stands up and fully obedient to you. It requires very little energy on your part surprisingly. You must be growing in power. "Well now, I guess you can walk the walk! Alright now you go have fun with those big boys. I have some barbarians to terrorize. It seems I've inadvertently united most of the tribes against me with this giant killing business." "You need some help?" "Nah, I got it all under control. I was sick of hiding anyway. Thanks though. Especially for making me feel like a true vampire again rather than a running scavenger." You tell Hessan to stay with the Ghoul King as you still need someone here in Drozz. One day you'll have to construct some sort of portal between here and Aftermath, but that will have to be later. Right now you've got undead giants and you're all prepared to use them right away. You remember The Grand Alliance is in the Brot Kingdom and tthat they're probably still recovering from battling Trelik recently. You march with your undead giants to the Brot Kingdom. You have no back up, just you. You're going to show them all what you're capable of... Your arrival isn't surprising since they could see you coming from quite a few miles away, but the utter fear you inspired was immense and there still wasn't enough time for the Grand Alliance to get reinforcements. Your undead giants smash and destroy buildings. They crush knights under foot. The carnage is great. You supplement your attack by raising the recent dead to your cause. Graveyards are your reinforcements. You see the remnants of Grand Alliance flee. Let them flee. Let them speak of the terror and the death! The news of what you did travels fast, and Catalina runs to meet you when you arrive back in Aftermath. "What the hell did you think you were doing risking your life like that? You should've come back to Aftermath for more soldiers before taking on the Brot Kingdom AND the Grand Alliance all by yourself!" "Why? Were you worried about me?" you smile. "Well... um...no! But, you should've told me!" "I did tell you. I told you I had everything worked out and look...I did." You say putting your arm around her. She's not resisting anymore. "Hmmm, well I guess you did. So now what?" "Now what? You and me in the bedroom, that's what!" You and Catalina at last end this little dance and consummate your relationship. And just think all it took was destroying an entire kingdom with some undead giants! Four years pass... It's been five years since you took control of Aftermath and you've made progress. Many changes have certainly have come about. Your territory now encompasses far more than just Aftermath. You now control several former kingdoms. You call your region the Dead Dominion. The population consists mainly of the dead, with necromancers typically being the only living beings, though there are pockets of living that have pledged their loyalty to you in exchange for mercy. You have granted it. You and Catalina are now truly King and Queen of the dead. Velzix has benefited from your success, due to the excessive problems you've given the Grand Alliance; he's expanded his own realm relatively unchecked. Minor conflict has come about between your respective domains, and it's only a matter of time before all out war occurs. Rumors are that he's attempting to rip open a portal of the largest size to unleash all of the horrors the infernal plane has to offer. The Grand Alliance is attempting to handle the pair of you, but has only succeeded in fighting to a stalemate. Rumors are the Zalan Empire is attempting to take full control over the Grand Alliance in order to pursue a more extreme course of action. You have not heard anything from you family. You know your Dad's mercenary company has been fighting in the outskirts of Velzix's realm. Your sister has become a respected and successful Grand Alliance captain. She's managed to hold back the tide of your dead horde from gaining anymore ground for a couple years now. As for your Mom, who knows? You'd prefer not to know what she thinks of you. The Vampire Clans have unsuccessfully sent assassins after you, but they have all failed. The Ghoul King suggests that an attack should be made on them soon. He mentions he knows where their secret fortress is and now that he has the support he wishes to take his revenge. He has completely conquered Drozz and turned into a true Kingdom (The only one semi-independent from your Dead Dominion) no longer does he hide in a hole. As for Trelik, you have heard nothing. For all you know he may be dead. He disappeared soon after his defeat at Brot four years ago. But today is another day and with that new problems come. You have to decide which new direction you're going to steer your Dominion. > You attack Velzix Sometimes it takes a "bad guy" to take out another bad guy, maybe even two... "Catalina I think it's time to attack Velzix." You say walking into her study. "Oh you do huh? Got a plan in mind of how to go about it? Because it's not going to be easy." "Well I figured we'd just go in there and chop his head off." You laugh. "Ha ha. Sometimes you have a really strange sense of humor. You realize that the Grand Alliance has been trying to chop his head off for years and they haven't been successful." "Yeah, well they ain't me. Besides I got an angle. My Dad's mercenary company is over there right now. I can get help from him." Catalina looks at you as if you've gone completely insane. "Your Dad? The one you've always complained about? The bastard that you say could barely stand you? The one I think is the reason you got into necromancy in the first place, to prove you could be more powerful than he could ever be?" "Uh...excuse me?" you say after hearing that last bit of psychoanalysis. "What makes you think he'll help you?" "He might not, I dunno just how pissed he is at me, but I figure if there's any chance he might, I'll try it. He probably has good intelligence on the realm. Besides, he's an opportunist first of all. If Velzix wins. We all lose. BUT if I win, well just maybe I'll take sentimental mercy on the old man and the family." "Would you?" Catalina asks. "With my Mom and sis? Sure." You grin. "I dunno about this family stuff, sometimes I'm glad I was an orphan." Catalina sighs. "But if you think it's worth a shot, you should try it. It's not like we have too much of an advantage over Velzix. I worry that we'll expend too much power in an attempt to destroy him, leaving us open for a Grand Alliance attack." "I'm really not worried about the Grand Alliance. They're suffering from their own internal squabbles from what I've heard and if I do this the way I think it might go, we won't need to waste one corpse on Velzix's realm. Okay, as usual you're going to be in charge of things while I'm gone." You kiss Catalina goodbye and make your way to Velzix's realm alone... Velzix's realm is appropriately a wretched place. Sure there is death here, but none of its purity or beauty exists. Demons torment the mortal population with much delight. You get a few attempts to torment you and you teach them a fatal lesson. You stay invisible while you can though. Using a few ghostly scouts and a couple of minor divination spells (Thank the gods Catalina's been around to help you with other types of magic!) you soon determine the exact location of your Dad. You don't know what to expect, you haven't seen him in years. When you approach the camp, you're immediately met by guards. "HALT! Who the hell are you?" "I'm more powerful than you could ever imagine...tell your asshole of a Captain that his son is here." The two guards' eyes widen, they know about you and they run off almost immediately to tell your Dad. You wait patiently and sure enough your Dad comes from out of his tent with his lackeys hiding behind him. "Boy, you gotta a lot of balls showing up here before me. Didn't think you had 'em either. Figured you'd be hiding in some tower somewhere." "Yeah, well sometimes you have to do things yourself." "True. So, you here to try to kill me boy? That why you here? Gonna break yer Mom's heart even more? Y'know she still cries over what you've become even after I've told her time and time again that you ain't worth one of her fuckin' tears?" You didn't like hearing that... "Yeah well Mom's always been the nice one, must be something like her wasting her love on a mean spirited abusive bastard that probably would've killed her AFTER he raped her if not for the powerful magic aura she exuded." He didn't like hearing that... "Bah! I don't need to hear this shit! If yer gonna try an' kill me, you best do it now boy!" your Dad shouts as he begins to draw his sword. > You kill Dad You can't put up with this asshole anymore. You had to put up with him as a kid and as a teenager and even when you went away to college! Well no more! You're a lot more powerful and you're going to finally teach the old man a lesson. You unleash a death cloud upon your Dad and his company, most of them fall to their knees choking up blood before dying. Your Dad is made of a little stronger stuff and charges at you, but you blast him with a bolt of negative energy. He falls, struggling to breathe. "(Wheeze) Hope yer happy boy...you killed an old man, with some sissy magic tricks...ha ha...Mr. Big Fancy Nec..." "SHUT UP AND DIE!" you shout and cause his flesh to age at an accelerated rate and rot. You don't stop until his skull becomes dust. You sit down beside the dust in exasperation. You allowed him to "get" to you. You didn't want that to happen. Especially since you wanted his help to get to Velzix. Still you may be able to probe the minds of his dead soldiers and still go through with your plan of killing Velzix yourself. Or you could decide that doing this alone would be suicide and go back to Aftermath. > You continue with your plan You didn't need your Dad to get where you are, you don't need him to kill Velzix either. You'll do it yourself, like you always have. You probe the minds of the dead to get your information. You scan them all to make sure you don't miss anything. Excellent, they've all been within the inner reaches of Velzix's realm. You know exactly where he dwells. You sneak and creep and lurk better than any dark elf assassin while on your way to Velzix's fortress. When you arrive, you go through the secret way you saw in the minds of one of the soldiers. You can feel the malevolence emanating from all areas of this place. It doesn't take long before you get into trouble. Demon and mortal patrols hunt you down. The mortal patrols you welcome since you can easily kill and then raise them. Still, you need to get to Velzix soon, before you're completely overrun. Eventually you reach Velzix's throne room. He's already prepared for battle. "Ha ha! At last a real fight! I shall enjoy ripping you apart and feasting on your soul little necromancer!" he chortles and swings a huge whip at you. You summon up ghostly warriors to assist you, and Velzix responds in kind by opening up several portals where large amounts of demons come pouring out. While you're powerful, you can't fight Velzix's seemingly endless reinforcement of demons. You land some good hits, but ultimately you're overwhelmed. Velzix picks up your drained bloody body to mock you one last time. "Since you took the effort to come visit me personally, perhaps I'll pay that little queen of yours a visit personally too. Show her what REAL power is!" Velzix then proceeds to make good on his promise and slowly rips your soul apart before ultimately sending you to oblivion.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy] You can't put up with this asshole anymore. You had to put up with him as a kid and as a teenager and even when you went away to college! Well no more! You're a lot more powerful and you're going to finally teach the old man a lesson. You unleash a death cloud upon your Dad and his company, most of them fall to their knees choking up blood before dying. Your Dad is made of a little stronger stuff and charges at you, but you blast him with a bolt of negative energy. He falls, struggling to breathe. "(Wheeze) Hope yer happy boy...you killed an old man, with some sissy magic tricks...ha ha...Mr. Big Fancy Nec..." "SHUT UP AND DIE!" you shout and cause his flesh to age at an accelerated rate and rot. You don't stop until his skull becomes dust. You sit down beside the dust in exasperation. You allowed him to "get" to you. You didn't want that to happen. Especially since you wanted his help to get to Velzix. Still you may be able to probe the minds of his dead soldiers and still go through with your plan of killing Velzix yourself. Or you could decide that doing this alone would be suicide and go back to Aftermath. > You head back to Aftermath You can't go in and kill Velzix just by yourself. This wasn't one of your best ideas, you decide you better head back before you attract anymore demon attacks. Catalina meets you when you get back and tells you that The Ghoul King has been iching to strike against the Vampire Clans and that he's going to do it, with or without your direct help. You're too tired from your recent ordeal to even argue or do anything about it. You tell her that he can do what he's gotta do. If he wants your help, Hessan and whatever pitiful army he can muster up is his to command. You don't care. You retire to your study where you reflect upon what will come next. Five years pass... It's been ten years since you took control of Aftermath and now it looks like that's all finally coming to an end. The Ghoul King's assault upon the Vampire Clans was a failure, though it was damaging enough for them to never again bother you again. You have to move some necromancers into the Drozz region to take command there, which stretches you out a bit, since you didn't need to worry about it so directly before, having the Ghoul King there and all. After years of fighting a three way stalemate, at last one side makes progress and unfortunately it's Velzix. Without your Dad's constant meddling and sabotaging, Velzix manages to permanently open up a large portal to his home plane. He declares all out war on the entire world determined to turn it into the same hell he once called home. The Grand Alliance attempts to stop him, but is soon crushed. You hear that your sister died defending the capital of the Zalan Empire during its last days. You can only presume your Mom suffered the same fate, seeing as she lived there as well. You hope that the pair of them have gone some place better With the last bastion of "good" out of the way, Velzix turns his attention towards you. You won't go without a fight though. For every bit of land he takes, you make him pay for it in demon blood tenfold. It's no use though, the hordes of hell are without end and while the dead are certainly just as numerous, you're the only necromancer powerful enough to command epic armies of them and you are only one standing against hell itself. Aftermath is besieged and ultimately falls to demonic armies. Catalina is killed during the attack and you disintegrate her body before escaping through a portal to Drozz as you refuse to let it be desecrated by demon scum. You wage a guerilla war in Drozz for months, and you can't help but realize you've become much like the Ghoul King; hiding in a hole while demons take over the world. For awhile you actually have some peace as the demons soon outnumber their "enemies" and begin to follow their natural instincts of in-fighting and you're forgotten. When the next winter comes you're caught out in a heavy blizzard while foraging for food. You're not going to make it back to your hiding place. Exhausted, you fall in the snow thinking about the hell that the world has become and how you're partially responsible. Eternal sleep is welcomed. You embrace the blessed death that you once held mastery over.

Sometimes it takes a "bad guy" to take out another bad guy, maybe even two... "Catalina I think it's time to attack Velzix." You say walking into her study. "Oh you do huh? Got a plan in mind of how to go about it? Because it's not going to be easy." "Well I figured we'd just go in there and chop his head off." You laugh. "Ha ha. Sometimes you have a really strange sense of humor. You realize that the Grand Alliance has been trying to chop his head off for years and they haven't been successful." "Yeah, well they ain't me. Besides I got an angle. My Dad's mercenary company is over there right now. I can get help from him." Catalina looks at you as if you've gone completely insane. "Your Dad? The one you've always complained about? The bastard that you say could barely stand you? The one I think is the reason you got into necromancy in the first place, to prove you could be more powerful than he could ever be?" "Uh...excuse me?" you say after hearing that last bit of psychoanalysis. "What makes you think he'll help you?" "He might not, I dunno just how pissed he is at me, but I figure if there's any chance he might, I'll try it. He probably has good intelligence on the realm. Besides, he's an opportunist first of all. If Velzix wins. We all lose. BUT if I win, well just maybe I'll take sentimental mercy on the old man and the family." "Would you?" Catalina asks. "With my Mom and sis? Sure." You grin. "I dunno about this family stuff, sometimes I'm glad I was an orphan." Catalina sighs. "But if you think it's worth a shot, you should try it. It's not like we have too much of an advantage over Velzix. I worry that we'll expend too much power in an attempt to destroy him, leaving us open for a Grand Alliance attack." "I'm really not worried about the Grand Alliance. They're suffering from their own internal squabbles from what I've heard and if I do this the way I think it might go, we won't need to waste one corpse on Velzix's realm. Okay, as usual you're going to be in charge of things while I'm gone." You kiss Catalina goodbye and make your way to Velzix's realm alone... Velzix's realm is appropriately a wretched place. Sure there is death here, but none of its purity or beauty exists. Demons torment the mortal population with much delight. You get a few attempts to torment you and you teach them a fatal lesson. You stay invisible while you can though. Using a few ghostly scouts and a couple of minor divination spells (Thank the gods Catalina's been around to help you with other types of magic!) you soon determine the exact location of your Dad. You don't know what to expect, you haven't seen him in years. When you approach the camp, you're immediately met by guards. "HALT! Who the hell are you?" "I'm more powerful than you could ever imagine...tell your asshole of a Captain that his son is here." The two guards' eyes widen, they know about you and they run off almost immediately to tell your Dad. You wait patiently and sure enough your Dad comes from out of his tent with his lackeys hiding behind him. "Boy, you gotta a lot of balls showing up here before me. Didn't think you had 'em either. Figured you'd be hiding in some tower somewhere." "Yeah, well sometimes you have to do things yourself." "True. So, you here to try to kill me boy? That why you here? Gonna break yer Mom's heart even more? Y'know she still cries over what you've become even after I've told her time and time again that you ain't worth one of her fuckin' tears?" You didn't like hearing that... "Yeah well Mom's always been the nice one, must be something like her wasting her love on a mean spirited abusive bastard that probably would've killed her AFTER he raped her if not for the powerful magic aura she exuded." He didn't like hearing that... "Bah! I don't need to hear this shit! If yer gonna try an' kill me, you best do it now boy!" your Dad shouts as he begins to draw his sword. > You stay calm "If I was going to kill you, I'd barely need to lift a finger, but what I'm mainly here for is your help." You say calmly That's caught his attention. "What's that boy? You want my help? Hanging around those corpses make you completely crazy?" "Not completely, but I know that you and your company has been fighting a guerilla war against Velzix. You've been a real pain in his demon ass from what I've heard." "Hah! Got that right! I've currently been hired out perpetually by the Zalan Empire. My mission is to generally fuck things up for Velzix, even try to kill him if possible. But I can't do that." "Why not?" "Why not? Because if you haven't noticed I'm a fuckin' old man that only has a few desperate and insane men following him that's why! I don't have a Grand Alliance army behind me like your sister and I can't just snap my fingers and bring my losses back to fucking life! SOME of us have to rely on pure skill!" "Sounds like you're making excuses." "Oh fuck you! Stupid ass kid, I don't see you doing shit about Velzix, what's the matter need more corpses to hide behind?" "Actually any corpses I hide behind will only be the ones I summon up during our assassination attempt." "What are you getting at boy?" "I'm saying you get me close to Velzix, and I'll kill him. In fact I'm very surprised the Grand Alliance hasn't sent some hero types to try to kill him yet." "Oh they have, they just haven't been heroic enough. My little company has done more damage than any so called heroes. But supposin' I WAS to help you, what's in this for me?" "Oh you'll be paid, have no fear of that. In fact you can even take credit for Velzix death, since I doubt you'd want anyone to know you were working with me. Now I'd imagine that would pay quite well wouldn't it?" "Yeah, yeah it would...alright boy. We'll do this, but after Velzix is dead, me and you end this father and son time got me?" "Wouldn't have it any other way." As your Dad proceeds to lead to where Velzix dwells, he explain the layout of it. He says they've gone in there before, but have never stayed too long. Just to sabotage stuff and get the fuck out. You proceed to have more interesting conversation along the way. "So why the hell hasn't the Grand Alliance done more about Velzix? Why are they relying on some broken down ex-cuthroat?" you ask. "I told ya, they have sent hero types after Velzix before, but he's defeated them every time. As for larger military concerns, I'm sure you're aware that they happen, but it's a question of balance. They can't attack Velzix, like they probably would prefer since they know that YOU would take advantage of their weakened state! Not to mention the Grand Alliance finds you to be a bigger threat. The world was almost consumed once already by some megalomaniacal necromancer, they don't want that to happen again. So little groups like mine fuck things up for Velzix, just enough to keep him occupied and doesn't gain anymore ground." "Actually I'm not a megalomaniac. Contrary to popular belief, I don't have some desire to turn the world into a graveyard." You say. "Oh well I guess all those kingdoms were just you being neighborly eh? What about that first attack on the Brot Kingdom? Those big ass undead giants? Hordes of undead troops slaughtering men, women and children?" "I did what I had to do to defend myself. War isn't pretty. People die." "True...but I still fail to see where yer NOT being a megalomaniac." "I told you I'm defending my dominion! If the Grand Alliance would stop attacking me, I wouldn't pursue anymore territory. I'd be happy to live in peace, side by side. Why do you think I want to get rid Velzix? I'm hoping after he's gone that I can come to some agreement with the Grand Alliance! Because in the end it isn't going to be good for anyone!" "Fancy words...but I question if that's what you really want. I haven't seen you in a long time, but within the short time I've talked with you now, even I can see a change in you. You have a lot of desire, somewhere within you, you want to control everything so there's no possibility of anything ever hurting you. You're actually good at something and you're reveling in it. I know what that's like. While you might have yer Mom's magic, apparently you DID inherit some of my qualities, and those are qualities that are all kinds of bad..." "I'm nothing like you!" you exclaim. "Ha ha! Oh yer right about that. You'll never be half the man I am. You can turn the entire world to a giant mass grave, but you ain't never gonna be me." Even now with all your power your Dad still somehow manages to make you feel small. You can't let yourself get angry though, As much as you might like to just cause the bastard's black heart to explode in his chest you can't do that, at least not yet. You, your Dad and the remains of his company eventually arrive at Velzix's fortress where you enter in a secret way. "Dumb ass demons, we've been using this entrance for like a year now and they still haven't caught on!" your Dad remarks. You make good progress in the fortress and then... "There they are, just like Velzix said they would be!" a demon guard shouts. You look at your Dad. "Haven't caught on yet huh?" "Quit yer bitchin' and start doin that death magic thing!" You proceed to do just that as demon as well as mortal guards attempt to stop you. You welcome the mortal guards as you can raise them to help you in your "heroic quest". "Hah, no lying down on the job anymore Cal!" your Dad laughs as you raise the last of his fallen company. By the time you reach Velzix's inner sanctum, it's just you and your Dad. You never thought in a million years you'd be fighting alongside your Dad. Velzix on the other hand has been expecting you. "Ah how good of you both to come. You're the miserable little has been thug that's been fucking up my realm with your guerilla warfare. And you're the wannabe Lich Lord that's been impeding my own plans of conquest." "Wow, guess he got it in one." You say. "Yeah, and I guess this would make him the pathetic ass demon lord that can't even beat said has been and wannabe." Your Dad adds. "Enough! The pair of you have sealed your doom today! I have lured you into my trap where today I shall take the father and the son and then..." You blast Velzix in the face with negative energy, causing him to grab his face and roar in pain. "Ha ha! Fucking melodramatic idiot!" your Dad laughs charging at Velzix with his sword You quickly decide on what to do next. > You summon up some ghostly warriors to help your Dad You need to keep Velzix as occupied as possible, before he starts opening up portals to summon in reinforcements because if he gets a chance to do that, you're fucked. Using tremendous power you summon up revenants. Souls of the dead who harbor a desire for revenge against their killer and given how many Velzix has killed, you barely need to even to control them. They immediately go for the attack. "ASH! I'll turn you ALL to ash!" Velzix claims, unleashing a blast of hellfire disintegrating one of the revenants. You have a hard time aiming, do to the constant movement of Velzix, but you manage to land in your own magic attacks. Your Dad is doing pretty well, though it's obvious that he's tired. He's running on pure adrenaline right now. While Velzix might be too occupied to open portals, he's still got his guards in the fortress. More of them arrive, but you take care of them and raise the mortal ones to attack their former master. Eventually Velzix manages to grab your Dad and proceeds to smash him into the stone floor several times before throwing him into a wall. The corpses and revenants continue to strike Velzix the entire time. He's severely wounded himself, and attempts to open a portal while ignoring the pain. You cast greater blast of negative energy at Velzix hitting him in the eyes and blinding him. "NO! I cannot be defeated! Not like this!" he bellows in agony while falling to the floor You take your Dad's sword which is lying nearby on the floor. "Nope, you'll be defeated like this." You say and with one good chop you sever Velzix's head from his body. In a horribly comical display, Velzix's body flails about wildly for a few minutes until its finally hacked to bits by the revenants. Some more of Velzix's guard arrive and seeing their leader in pieces, they run off. You tell your revenants to hunt them down and fulfill their need for revenge. Just you and Dad now. He lies against the wall broken and bloody. He's very near death. He's hardly the imposing figure that instilled fear in you when you were little. "...fuck...I coulda had that demon bastard if I'd been younger." He growls. "I'm sure you could've." "Shit, I'm all fucked up...guess this is a good day for you. One rival dead and me soon to join him." "Oddly, I don't feel too much of anything right now. I probably would've taken joy in your death at one time, but not now. I'm not sure what that means though." Your Dad just grunts at your answer, before saying one last thing. "Heh, you chopped that bastard's head off. No magic tricks. Just visceral physical violence...you impressed me..." Your Dad dies with those last words. A violent end for a violent man. You wonder why he felt the need to praise you before he died though. Guilt? Regret? Genuine respect? Did he think that by giving you "validation" you might change your ways? Perhaps he felt responsible for your path in some way? Whatever the reason, you dismiss it all. You chose this path for yourself. Nobody else. Whatever you've done, or are going to do it'll be because you chose to do it. "(Sigh) Can't say it was a pleasure Dad, but I guess you were finally alright in the end." You say and cast a small fireball spell to burn his body. You make your way back to Aftermath where Catalina meets you. Catalina asks you what happened exactly in Velzix's realm and you tell her the truth. "It's just like I said Cat baby, I went in there and chopped Velzix's head off. And then my Dad died." "Oh. Wow. Are you alright?" "Yeah, I guess." "Okay, well I guess I should tell you, the Ghoul King has been itching to strike against the Vampire Clans and he says that he's going to do it, with or without your direct help." "Very well, I'll go meet him. Might as well get rid of another enemy today." Catalina stops you before you leave again. "Really, are you okay?" "You're by my side. Of course I'm okay. I want you to start making arrangements to take over Velzix's territory. When word gets out that he's dead, the Grand Alliance will be all over it, So let's get a head start before they do." You say and kiss her goodbye. Soon you go meet the Ghoul King in at his "Kingdom" in the Drozz region. Other than the small castle he erected and the ghouls that now roam openly and freely, the area doesn't look too much different. When you arrive, he gives a big pointy toothed smile while his hordes of his ghouls wait around. "Well now, I wasn't sure if I'd see you. When I spoke to Catalina she mentioned you were having a big show down with Velzix! I trust that went well then, since you're here." "Yep, he's dead." "Ha ha! Excellent! I guess after this little foray, we'll only have the Grand Alliance to worry about!" "I don't think I'll have to worry about them at all actually." "You might be right...so are you ready to go? I've been lusting for this revenge for years, so if you don't mind, I want to kill Lord Rostov myself." "No problem GK, I'll just be here as support. So where is this Vampire hideout anyway, you never did tell me. How long will it take us to get there?" "Oh I can get us there real quick. I still have the magic key to teleport there. I've enhanced its power to transport several of us to invade. As for its location, I'm sure you're aware that it's hidden by powerful magic, but its site is in the Deshun Mountains." The Ghoul King explains while pulling out a small ebony cube "Hm, good location. Remote, treacherous terrain, nobody climbing up there. Let's do it." Before you know it, The Ghoul King presses a button on the cube and you and he materialize in the foyer of a large fortress. No ghouls with you though. "SHIT! This was supposed to transport all of us!" he shouts, before suddenly quieting his voice. "Yeah, well magic never works out like you want it to half the time. Let's just get on with it. I've already killed a Demon lord today, I'm hardly worried about some decadent bloodsuckers...no offense." "None taken...but here. Take this." The Ghoul King hands you a brass ring with several small rubies embedded in it. "Wear it. It's imbued with magic that will protect you from the gaze of Lord Rostov." "What? I'm a fucking necromancer; I think I'm a little more strong willed than the average mortal. The stares of some vampire aren't going to make me go all to mush." "Maybe, but I still say you should wear it. Lord Rostov is very old and he is more powerful than the average vampire and can be tremendously influential. While you may also be powerful you are still mortal and all the weakness that entails...no offense." "None taken." > You wear the ring You figure it's better to be safe than sorry so you slip the ring on your finger. Suddenly you feel an incredible paralysis overcome you. You fall to the floor in a weakened state. You can only groan as you see The Ghoul King hover over you. "I lost my status once for following one insane necromancer with dreams of murdering the world. Now I have gained it back by stopping another one. I did want revenge at one time...but as I said Lord Rostov is a very influential vampire. My lost status was more appealing than revenge or destroying the world. I regret nothing, but I do thank you. For without you, none of this would've been possible and I still would've been living like an animal in a hole. Thanks to you no more shall I have to be known as the Ghoul King." The Ghoul King then whispers one last thing to you. "And my thanks will extend to giving you a quick death before Lord Rostov arrives." The Ghoul King then with his powerful claws smashes your skull in while you lie helplessly on the floor.

You need to keep Velzix as occupied as possible, before he starts opening up portals to summon in reinforcements because if he gets a chance to do that, you're fucked. Using tremendous power you summon up revenants. Souls of the dead who harbor a desire for revenge against their killer and given how many Velzix has killed, you barely need to even to control them. They immediately go for the attack. "ASH! I'll turn you ALL to ash!" Velzix claims, unleashing a blast of hellfire disintegrating one of the revenants. You have a hard time aiming, do to the constant movement of Velzix, but you manage to land in your own magic attacks. Your Dad is doing pretty well, though it's obvious that he's tired. He's running on pure adrenaline right now. While Velzix might be too occupied to open portals, he's still got his guards in the fortress. More of them arrive, but you take care of them and raise the mortal ones to attack their former master. Eventually Velzix manages to grab your Dad and proceeds to smash him into the stone floor several times before throwing him into a wall. The corpses and revenants continue to strike Velzix the entire time. He's severely wounded himself, and attempts to open a portal while ignoring the pain. You cast greater blast of negative energy at Velzix hitting him in the eyes and blinding him. "NO! I cannot be defeated! Not like this!" he bellows in agony while falling to the floor You take your Dad's sword which is lying nearby on the floor. "Nope, you'll be defeated like this." You say and with one good chop you sever Velzix's head from his body. In a horribly comical display, Velzix's body flails about wildly for a few minutes until its finally hacked to bits by the revenants. Some more of Velzix's guard arrive and seeing their leader in pieces, they run off. You tell your revenants to hunt them down and fulfill their need for revenge. Just you and Dad now. He lies against the wall broken and bloody. He's very near death. He's hardly the imposing figure that instilled fear in you when you were little. "...fuck...I coulda had that demon bastard if I'd been younger." He growls. "I'm sure you could've." "Shit, I'm all fucked up...guess this is a good day for you. One rival dead and me soon to join him." "Oddly, I don't feel too much of anything right now. I probably would've taken joy in your death at one time, but not now. I'm not sure what that means though." Your Dad just grunts at your answer, before saying one last thing. "Heh, you chopped that bastard's head off. No magic tricks. Just visceral physical violence...you impressed me..." Your Dad dies with those last words. A violent end for a violent man. You wonder why he felt the need to praise you before he died though. Guilt? Regret? Genuine respect? Did he think that by giving you "validation" you might change your ways? Perhaps he felt responsible for your path in some way? Whatever the reason, you dismiss it all. You chose this path for yourself. Nobody else. Whatever you've done, or are going to do it'll be because you chose to do it. "(Sigh) Can't say it was a pleasure Dad, but I guess you were finally alright in the end." You say and cast a small fireball spell to burn his body. You make your way back to Aftermath where Catalina meets you. Catalina asks you what happened exactly in Velzix's realm and you tell her the truth. "It's just like I said Cat baby, I went in there and chopped Velzix's head off. And then my Dad died." "Oh. Wow. Are you alright?" "Yeah, I guess." "Okay, well I guess I should tell you, the Ghoul King has been itching to strike against the Vampire Clans and he says that he's going to do it, with or without your direct help." "Very well, I'll go meet him. Might as well get rid of another enemy today." Catalina stops you before you leave again. "Really, are you okay?" "You're by my side. Of course I'm okay. I want you to start making arrangements to take over Velzix's territory. When word gets out that he's dead, the Grand Alliance will be all over it, So let's get a head start before they do." You say and kiss her goodbye. Soon you go meet the Ghoul King in at his "Kingdom" in the Drozz region. Other than the small castle he erected and the ghouls that now roam openly and freely, the area doesn't look too much different. When you arrive, he gives a big pointy toothed smile while his hordes of his ghouls wait around. "Well now, I wasn't sure if I'd see you. When I spoke to Catalina she mentioned you were having a big show down with Velzix! I trust that went well then, since you're here." "Yep, he's dead." "Ha ha! Excellent! I guess after this little foray, we'll only have the Grand Alliance to worry about!" "I don't think I'll have to worry about them at all actually." "You might be right...so are you ready to go? I've been lusting for this revenge for years, so if you don't mind, I want to kill Lord Rostov myself." "No problem GK, I'll just be here as support. So where is this Vampire hideout anyway, you never did tell me. How long will it take us to get there?" "Oh I can get us there real quick. I still have the magic key to teleport there. I've enhanced its power to transport several of us to invade. As for its location, I'm sure you're aware that it's hidden by powerful magic, but its site is in the Deshun Mountains." The Ghoul King explains while pulling out a small ebony cube "Hm, good location. Remote, treacherous terrain, nobody climbing up there. Let's do it." Before you know it, The Ghoul King presses a button on the cube and you and he materialize in the foyer of a large fortress. No ghouls with you though. "SHIT! This was supposed to transport all of us!" he shouts, before suddenly quieting his voice. "Yeah, well magic never works out like you want it to half the time. Let's just get on with it. I've already killed a Demon lord today, I'm hardly worried about some decadent bloodsuckers...no offense." "None taken...but here. Take this." The Ghoul King hands you a brass ring with several small rubies embedded in it. "Wear it. It's imbued with magic that will protect you from the gaze of Lord Rostov." "What? I'm a fucking necromancer; I think I'm a little more strong willed than the average mortal. The stares of some vampire aren't going to make me go all to mush." "Maybe, but I still say you should wear it. Lord Rostov is very old and he is more powerful than the average vampire and can be tremendously influential. While you may also be powerful you are still mortal and all the weakness that entails...no offense." "None taken." > Do not wear the ring "Nah, I don't need this ring, but thanks anyway GK. Come on let's..." "I feel you really should wear it. I don't want you suddenly turn against me during the fight!" "Won't happen, trust me. Let's go..." The Ghoul King is getting noticeably agitated. "Look! He'll be coming soon just put the fucking ring on, before he gets here!" Now you're getting agitated. "GK, you better just calm the fuck down. I don't like being told what to do, unless it's by Catalina in the bedroom. So..." "Damn you! We'll do this the old fashioned way then!" he shouts and attacks! With one powerful blow he knocks you to the floor. You're still shaking off the cobwebs by the time he's ready to land a killing strike. He's stopped by Lord Rostov however. "That will do Ghoul King. His mortal life is not for yours to take." Rostov says calmly while entering the foyer with a small group of female vampires. "I told you to stop calling me that! I have delivered my end of the bargain! You promised me that my status would be restored!" "Yes, but you attempted to kill him, when I specifically told you I wanted him alive. You were not completely dedicated to your end of the deal. So while you may continue to stay in the glory of my presence, I think you'll still remain the Ghoul King." The Ghoul King looks like he's about to argue, but instead he submits. "Yes, Lord Rostov." "Ha ha ha ha. You sad sack of shit. Selling me out to be Lord Rostov's bitch, some deal you made." You say while getting back up. Lord Rostov now turns his attention towards you. He looks exactly like what you always heard vampires are supposed to look like. Regal, refined, confident and arrogant as all hell. "Do not judge the Ghoul King too harshly; his actions were based on survival. True he did long for revenge at one time, but when I came to him with this...arrangement, he jumped at the chance because in the end the Ghoul King has always chosen his own survival over anything else." "Then he's failed miserably in that endeavor because he won't be surviving this." "I fail to see how idle threats are going to help you right now. In fact this situation would be unnecessary if you hadn't pursued this path. You only have yourself to blame. Causing chaos and destroying the natural order of things. Ending all life on this world is simply unacceptable." "...(Sigh) Why is everyone assuming that? I'm PROTECTING myself! Look, I know you still have the puppet master strings going on in the mortal realm. Shit, you're probably responsible for the Grand Alliance. I'd even be willing to live in peace with the civilized world if they'd stop attacking me!" "I once heard the same thing from another of you ilk long ago. We all did. It's the reason why we're in this state we are today. You're growing more powerful with each death you bring. Whether you know it or not, you're already addicted to the power. You're addicted to death. Do you REALLY think you can stop yourself at this point? You won't. You can't deny your nature no more than we can deny ours. The Great Lich Lord didn't stop, and neither will you. The status quo must be kept and for that to happen, you have to die." With those words, Lord Rostov uses his supernatural speed before you can react and prompty breaks your neck. Your heart stops beating. Your lungs stop drawing breath. You fall to the floor dead. "Best to take care of these things quickly. Remember the lessons of poor Duke Tolov who..." While Lord Rostov is pontificating about his predecessor, your body undergoes a change. You body is regenerating. The bones in your neck have re-knitted. You open your eyes; your heart is still not beating. You draw no breath, yet you're still alive. You feel more knowledgeable in the ways of magic and death in particular. You are the Great Lich Lord reborn...and you are pissed. You immediately get up and launch a fireball into Lord Rostov's back. He howls in pain before you cause his heart to explode in his chest, followed by his brain. He falls uselessly on to the ground. His nights of existence are over. The other vampires in the immediate area sound an alarm, but you're not worried. A few manage to attack you and land some deep blows, but you feel nothing but numbness. Then you strike back. You begin to dominate all of their minds. Your powers have grown to an extent that you're able to directly control even intelligent undead like these. You don't even want to dirty your hands with dealing with these miserable blood leeches. You cause them all to gruesomely attack one another, until you're ultimately the last one standing in a fortress filled with dismembered vampires, well one still lives. He still struggles against your mind control, but he knows the end will soon come. He even welcomes it at this point. "Shouldn't have done it GK. You had everything. Now only oblivion awaits you." "I don't care anymore. This world is going to end soon; I'd rather die before I see that happen. How will it feel when the world is finally under your utter command? What will you do when there is nothing left? Will you be able to be satisfied on just continued existence?" "I guess I'll find out, because you won't." You cause the Ghoul King to rip his own heart out and bite into it before setting him and the rest of them on fire. With all the bloodsuckers dead you leave the burning fortress and transport yourself back to Aftermath. When you return Aftermath, Catalina sees your wounds and unnecessarily worries about you. "Baby, you're wounded!" "Catalina, I'm fuckin' dead." You say sharply and enter your study. You retire to your study where you put your vampire ordeal out of your mind and reflect upon what will come next while you write a letter to your Mom and Sister about Dad. You figure they should know the truth even if nobody else will. Even in this new state of existence, you're so tired... > Once again you enter a new stage of your journey Five years pass... It's been ten years since you took control of Aftermath and many changes have come about. Without Velzix's brutal leadership, his realm soon broke apart. Demon leaders fought amongst themselves and became easier to deal with for the Grand Alliance. Little by little territory was liberated. However you were not idle and you also took pieces of Velzix's former territory. Due to all the problems caused by Velzix a new order was enacted by the Grand Alliance. No more chances are being taken and the civilized world has a zero tolerance policy on demons. Demons are to be killed on sight anywhere they are found. Even the so called "nice ones". Any government found tolerating their presence will be found guilty of demonology and invaded. This lead to a few misguided liberal types claiming that it was infringing on certain rights, but considering the increasingly draconian Zalan Empire had pretty much taken complete control over the Grand Alliance at this point, they had final say in the matter and executed all such protestors. The Grand Alliance is now merely a name much like Vampire Clans. In reality, it's the "Zalan Empire and its little friends that better do what it says Alliance". Speaking of the Vampire Clans, since your total destruction of their last remaining enclave, their influence has completely left this world. You've noticed a reduced effectiveness in Grand Alliance strategy because of this despite that they've become more united in recent years. Except for the near mindless bestial ones that roam the countryside they're effectively extinct. Still, you feel no need to show them mercy and bring them under your control. When one is found, you have it destroyed. The treachery of the Ghoul King has brought this genocide upon their "race." Your letter to your family was never replied to, but you are aware it was received. You don't know exactly how the truth was spun, or who exactly was involved. But you do know your Dad has a statue erected of him in the Zalan capital stating how he nobly gave his life fighting Velzix. Funny how mad men can be turned into heroes so easily. Your sister is a general of a Grand Alliance army now, which of course continues to attack you despite some of your attempts at coming to some sort of peace agreement. The fools won't even listen to reason. There's no way the Grand Alliance can win this war. You've only been growing in power and show no signs of stopping. Even with their stabilized internal struggles under the Zalan Empire's iron fist they still won't be able to defeat you. The world has gone mad and you're the only one making sense anymore. They call you a villain and evil, but from what you've seen, you're no different than any of the other leaders in power. You're just better at it. Maybe you should turn the world into a giant graveyard. Everyone thinks of you as a monster anyway, you see no reason to disappoint... "Catalina, I think it's time we finish this war once and for all." You say walking into her study. "Oh you do, do you? Well, I figured that it was coming eventually. So is there any specific way we're going about this?" "Yeah, we just make a massive push and don't stop until every living thing is dead." "Wow. Everything?" "Everything. I gave the world of the living the chance for peace and they don't seem to want it. Well I'm tired of fighting, so if the only way to get some peace is to kill everything so be it!" "Well, I mean what happens if some people surrender? I mean you'll still allow them to live like you usually do right?" "What? What's with this line of questioning Catalina? You've never been one to wince at grand scale carnage." "...I know, but I..." "Alright, out with it." "Well I mean after we destroy the Grand Alliance, what then? There will be nothing else to do. I mean do we just reign over a land of the dead until the end of time?" "Sounds about right." "I dunno, is that our only option?" "For fuck's sake Cat, what the hell did you become a necromancer for then?" "Because much like you I probably didn't feel like I had much in common with people and I could feel a pull towards the dark art of necromancy." "Well what's the problem?" "...there isn't a problem...it's just I feel like the end is coming soon and question what I've accomplished in my life. I mean other than genocide what have I done?" "You're Queen of the Dead! What more could you want?" "Yeah, queen. Big whoop. I'm basically a glorified concubine for a..." "Damn it Catalina I've NEVER thought of you as that! You know I cherish you and all of you have to offer. I never could've gotten this far without you." you say holding on to her and looking into her eyes. "...I know...it's just in some ways I see you starting to change and I don't mean your general loathing of the living either. I mean you've always been powerful, more powerful than me, but it's different. It's like you're becoming something else. I sometimes think your path is going to differ from mine to a degree that we will no longer be able to be together." For a moment you forget about your problems and address Catalina. "Catalina my beautiful queen...no matter what happens I shall never leave you." you say and kiss her. "And I shall never leave you...Okay, where are we going to attack?" While you've temporarily reassured Catalina's feelings, you do wonder if she isn't right. Will there come a day when you and her will have so many differences that you won't be able to be together anymore? You wonder if you've been taking some things for granted. You have everything you could ever need or want. Maybe you don't need to go on the attack. The Grand Alliance surely does not have the strength to defeat you; you doubt it would even attempt to expend all its resources in trying. Sure you might have to continue to fight them, but when you think about it, would it be less tedious than an existence without any conflict? > You continue with your attack You can better appreciate what you have when all those that would do you harm are gone. You order an attack of the largest size. While you're attacking from several directions, you decide to focus specifically on the Zalan Empire given that they're glue holding the Grand Alliance together. Get rid of them and you've effective put an end to the war. Corpses, skeletons, ghosts, wraiths, and all other manner of undead are raised to your grand plan. Town after town is taken. The Grand Alliance nor the Zalan Military can do anything to stop you. They use magic, they use new technological wonders, but none of it works. It is only when your dead legions approach the gates of the Zalan capital that you call a stop to the carnage. You arrive personally to oversee your mission and to meet with your family one last time, because even after all this, you don't want to kill them. Somewhere you hope that they'll see reason and come with you. Things won't be so bad. You storm the gates as cannons destroy multitudes of your troops only to be replaced with more. You see your sister on top of the battlements ordering her soldiers to fire upon you. During this attack you feel several bullets enter your body breaking through your magical defenses. You fall. You then rise again. "You can't kill me, I'm the fuckin' Great Lich Lord!" you laugh. Not stopping, you enter the gates of the city realizing that this was inevitable. Things could've only been this way. Your undead slay all those that oppose you, but you mentally make sure none of your undead has murderous intentions towards any of your family. You head towards your parent's old house, taking little notice of the death around you. When you arrive you find the house empty. In fact it looks like it's been empty for months. So many memories here...a different time... even a different life now... "She left when the attacks first came. She didn't say where either. She just told me she was leaving. I even had her followed for awhile, but she was quite adept at eluding my scouts, not to mention I had other concerns to take care of." Your sister says entering behind you. "I don't know why, I would've made sure no harm came to her. That's why I came here." "You already harmed her by becoming what you are! I mean...you're not even alive anymore! I saw you die and come back to life on the battlefield!" "Oh that. The first time was a surprise to me too. Kind of a numb feeling really." "How can you be so at peace with what you've become?" "Because it was obviously in my nature all along. Death is my calling, I've only grown closer to it by dying. Can't change who I am." "Dad did." "No he didn't. Not really. He just directed his nature into a slightly more positive way and it was only due to magic that caused it in the first place. Funny how magic did the same with me, but just in reverse. However, as I've said, this does not mean I'm not without total feelings. I'd rather not have to kill you sis, but if you stand against me, I will." "I have to stand against you." "Why? For some noble cause of a corrupt mortal empire that's just as oppressive? Sis you always were a bit too duty bound." "No, because while you still exist, life ALL life is in danger. You're evil, what you've been doing is evil, what you've become is unnatural. You can delude yourself all you want, but I'm not fooled and if I joined you or whatever it is you want, then I'd be just as guilty of contributing to your evil. You're not even my brother anymore, I have no brother!" You shake your head in regret at your sister's insistence on being stubborn, but then again you expected no less. "I'll give you one last chance sis. Will you join me?" Your sister raises her magical glowing sword. "So be it." > You allow her to kill you You might have become the Great Lich Lord, but if it means killing those you care about, you don't want it. There's still time to stop this. As your sister approaches you make no attempt to defend yourself. She doesn't hesitate, because she sees in your now dead eyes that you're giving her this one chance to kill you. You feel the sword rip through your body, you don't feel pain, but you definitely feel a loss of power. She then pulls the sword out of your body. "Better do it now sis. I don't think I can hold back my nature forever." With those words, your sister cleaves your head from your shoulders. Once again the world has been saved from the brink of death. In time things get better, though never back to the way they truly were. Catalina committed suicide soon after she found out about your death, but other necromancers quickly attempted to fill the power vacuum. They of course were never able to approach your power, but a few established a permanent dominion of death in the Drozz region. The area to this day is avoided. Your sister became celebrated as a Hero and eventually took the Zalan crown leading the Empire in a nobler direction. Your Mom came back from where ever it is she disappeared to and together with your sister, mourned your death in private. For in reality it was you who stopped death from taking over the world, proving that even death can show mercy.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, war, serious, grimdark] You can better appreciate what you have when all those that would do you harm are gone. You order an attack of the largest size. While you're attacking from several directions, you decide to focus specifically on the Zalan Empire given that they're glue holding the Grand Alliance together. Get rid of them and you've effective put an end to the war. Corpses, skeletons, ghosts, wraiths, and all other manner of undead are raised to your grand plan. Town after town is taken. The Grand Alliance nor the Zalan Military can do anything to stop you. They use magic, they use new technological wonders, but none of it works. It is only when your dead legions approach the gates of the Zalan capital that you call a stop to the carnage. You arrive personally to oversee your mission and to meet with your family one last time, because even after all this, you don't want to kill them. Somewhere you hope that they'll see reason and come with you. Things won't be so bad. You storm the gates as cannons destroy multitudes of your troops only to be replaced with more. You see your sister on top of the battlements ordering her soldiers to fire upon you. During this attack you feel several bullets enter your body breaking through your magical defenses. You fall. You then rise again. "You can't kill me, I'm the fuckin' Great Lich Lord!" you laugh. Not stopping, you enter the gates of the city realizing that this was inevitable. Things could've only been this way. Your undead slay all those that oppose you, but you mentally make sure none of your undead has murderous intentions towards any of your family. You head towards your parent's old house, taking little notice of the death around you. When you arrive you find the house empty. In fact it looks like it's been empty for months. So many memories here...a different time... even a different life now... "She left when the attacks first came. She didn't say where either. She just told me she was leaving. I even had her followed for awhile, but she was quite adept at eluding my scouts, not to mention I had other concerns to take care of." Your sister says entering behind you. "I don't know why, I would've made sure no harm came to her. That's why I came here." "You already harmed her by becoming what you are! I mean...you're not even alive anymore! I saw you die and come back to life on the battlefield!" "Oh that. The first time was a surprise to me too. Kind of a numb feeling really." "How can you be so at peace with what you've become?" "Because it was obviously in my nature all along. Death is my calling, I've only grown closer to it by dying. Can't change who I am." "Dad did." "No he didn't. Not really. He just directed his nature into a slightly more positive way and it was only due to magic that caused it in the first place. Funny how magic did the same with me, but just in reverse. However, as I've said, this does not mean I'm not without total feelings. I'd rather not have to kill you sis, but if you stand against me, I will." "I have to stand against you." "Why? For some noble cause of a corrupt mortal empire that's just as oppressive? Sis you always were a bit too duty bound." "No, because while you still exist, life ALL life is in danger. You're evil, what you've been doing is evil, what you've become is unnatural. You can delude yourself all you want, but I'm not fooled and if I joined you or whatever it is you want, then I'd be just as guilty of contributing to your evil. You're not even my brother anymore, I have no brother!" You shake your head in regret at your sister's insistence on being stubborn, but then again you expected no less. "I'll give you one last chance sis. Will you join me?" Your sister raises her magical glowing sword. "So be it." > You defend yourself "I'm sorry." You say calmly and blast your sister with powerful beam of negative energy causing the color to drain from her face and turn her hair completely white. She's still continues towards you, but another blast causes her to fall. She looks up at you with tears in her eyes and to your surprise she attempts to reach out to you. You crouch down and take her hand which she grips on to tightly. "...don't...turn me into...one of those things...please...don't" she wheezes. "Never. You shall die as you lived. With honor. Your body will be burned." This statement seems to reassure her and she closes her eyes and lets go of life. You really wished you hadn't had to do that. "Be at peace at last dear sister. May whatever afterlife you go to be better than this one." You cast a small fire ball at your sister's body and leave the house to burn, feeling yet another piece of your mortalhood die. One of your necromancers sees and comes up to you. "Lord, we've pretty much taken the city. The Emperor and Empress of Zalan were killed in their own throne room. We've won." "Of course." You say dismissively. "So what do you want done with the city?" "Burn it all to the ground." "Burn it? Don't you..." "I SAID BURN IT." You say not wishing to repeat yourself. "Um Right! Okay you heard the Great Lich Lord! Burn it all to the ground!" Ten years pass... Twenty years since you embarked on your path of necromancy. The end of all life looms ever closer. After the destruction of the Zalan Empire, the remnants of the Grand Alliance fell apart. One by one the remaining kingdoms and other governments fell before your armies. It was almost pathetically easy. The civilized world as it was known is no more. Only the dead exist. You even had those subjects that once pledged their allegiance to you while still alive killed. You can barely tolerate your own necromancers. Catalina is the only one you still care about anymore. She's still supportive, but nervous around you. You wish she wasn't though. Some races such as elves, sprites and other fairy type folk retreated to their woods and forests, relying on illusions, tricks and other ways to conceal themselves. Other races like dwarves, gnomes and subterranean types dug deeper into the earth hoping that you will forget about them. Yet others like humans, orcs and the like still insist on fighting you from their makeshift camps, using hit and run tactics when they can. It doesn't matter what any of them do however, you won't rest until all life has been extinguished, if it takes you centuries, so be it. You'll hunt them all, you'll find them all, you'll kill them all. Lately, though there have been odd occurrences. You have sensed disturbances in the very landscape from time to time. In your new undead state you of course never sleep anymore, but you've been having visions. Flashbacks. And they seem all too real sometimes. After months of research you've tracked down one of these disturbances to the old Vampire Clan fortress. You make haste to find out if any of those accursed bloodsuckers still live. You don't see how though as you were thorough in their destruction. This time you don't even bother telling Catalina what you think you should do next, you know exactly what you're going to do. You just walk in her study and tell her you're leaving for a little while and to keep an eye on things as usual. You teleport yourself to the location of their now desiccated fortress. Partially burned and falling into disrepair from your actions fifteen years ago. You throw open the massive doors with ease. "Little blood leeches, if any of you still remain, your best idea would've been to hide and stay that way." Your voice echoes throughout the halls. "No, Great Lich Lord they are all dead. You made sure of that. You always do. It's just you and me." you hear a voice shout back. The voice sounds somewhat familiar, but you immediately home in on it since whoever felt the need to talk shit is obviously the one behind all this. After walking a bit, you enter the throne room where you still see a few traces of dust from the vampires you slaughtered long ago. You hear a maniacal laugh and a man materialize a few feet in front of you. This man looks much different now; his clothing is ragged and filthy. He has a manic grin and giggles a bit while constantly looking around, but you still recognize him and you have to say you're genuinely surprised to see him. He's very much alive too. "Trelik...thought you were long dust by now." "Nearly was, quite a few times, but after my shameful defeat in the Brot Kingdom I decided to lay low. For when that day came, I knew then I would never be able to defeat you or anyone else. So I waited and watched you gain power. Watched you destroy your enemies. Watched you have everything that I wanted since the days of the Dark Order. Remember those days? Seems like so long ago no?" "Another life time." "Indeed...I've learned that time can be a very bizarre thing...who knows what might've happened had events occurred slightly differently due to a split second?" "Is there any point to your insane ramblings Trelik?" "Not really...but perhaps! We shall see...or rather we have seen...all has been seen..." You don't like where this is going... "While I might not be able to kill you, I can do something else! Here's another blast from the past!" Suddenly Trelik disappears and you feel yourself going in slow motion... Oh fuck. "Ha ha ha ha! Ol' Quayle's books sure come in handy, but man do they make you see some crazy shit! I think I've gone completely bat shit insane at this point, but who cares? We're all dead men! Fuck killing the world! Let's kill reality!" Trelik isn't kidding either; the very fabric is warping to a degree you didn't even see when you were dealing with Quayle. You suddenly find yourself in the middle of a battle. You notice you're living again. It's been so long you almost forgot what's like to breathe. You take a brief look around and you're in Aftermath...or Nuro rather. A demonologist looking very worn from battle sees you and you have to stop yourself from attacking "Hey hold on! I'm on your side! Shit, this didn't turn out as planned, did it?" "Oh I dunno, I think it turned out EXACTLY as planned." You say getting the very real sense that you've done this before. The demonologist ignores your strange talk and continues. "Mr. Demar is still battling the rest of the staff in the college and I'm really worried about what the hell's going on with Quayle's spell, I don't know if you've experienced it yet, but I've been seeing buildings phase in and out of existence. I knew fucking around with time would be trouble!" "Yeah, it is. I guess I better go handle this. I hope I remember what I did last time." You say and make your way to see Quayle... again. When you get to the east campus, you see Catalinia right on time. Looking at her at this age again makes you remember when you desired her mainly for her body rather than all of her other exquisite attributes. "Nice to see you again. Quayle's in the gray building right?" You say. "Um, yeah. I think he's in there, but..." "Yeah I know it's dangerous, but someone's gotta go in, so I'll do it. I've risked too much already to fail. I suggest you go help Mr. Demar." you exclaim. "Wow, this whole thing has really made you really authoritative. You've come a long way since Enchantment class." "Yeah I've heard that somewhere else before." This time you dispense with your attempts to kiss Catalina. There will be plenty of time for that in the future. "Now let's see, if I remember this..." you say as you make your way to the gray building avoiding the time disturbances. When you enter the building you see Quayle again. Same position. Same glow of white light. "You are the future...there is no future...there are many futures...it's all so fascinating..." he says once again in an echoed voice. "Hey Quayle, you know we've done this before right?" "...yes...yes we have...we will continue to do so...such is time...it is inevitable..." Any second now the weird tentacle creatures are going to start popping out and you don't feel like dealing with them again. You didn't want to do it the first time. In fact this whole event is making your mind feel weird again, you feel like you're losing something just by being here. > You run and tackle Quayle You remember what you did last time and it was successful, so you confidently try again. You run towards Quayle narrowly dodging a tentacle creature along the way... Quayle once again splatters into a gooey insect mess. Something changes though. You're no longer aware of the fact that you're in the past. In fact your memories only lead up to this particular moment and right now all you're concerned about it is getting these centipedes off of you. And so it goes, you live out the same exact "life" as you did before. Taking over Aftermath, destroy Brot with undead giants, killing Velzix...all of it. Eventually you meet Trelik again, and the same things happens. And again. And again. And again. You don't realize it at all. Trelik has trapped you in a time loop that you have no knowledge of anymore. And that is where you will stay. Until the end of time...

"I'm sorry." You say calmly and blast your sister with powerful beam of negative energy causing the color to drain from her face and turn her hair completely white. She's still continues towards you, but another blast causes her to fall. She looks up at you with tears in her eyes and to your surprise she attempts to reach out to you. You crouch down and take her hand which she grips on to tightly. "...don't...turn me into...one of those things...please...don't" she wheezes. "Never. You shall die as you lived. With honor. Your body will be burned." This statement seems to reassure her and she closes her eyes and lets go of life. You really wished you hadn't had to do that. "Be at peace at last dear sister. May whatever afterlife you go to be better than this one." You cast a small fire ball at your sister's body and leave the house to burn, feeling yet another piece of your mortalhood die. One of your necromancers sees and comes up to you. "Lord, we've pretty much taken the city. The Emperor and Empress of Zalan were killed in their own throne room. We've won." "Of course." You say dismissively. "So what do you want done with the city?" "Burn it all to the ground." "Burn it? Don't you..." "I SAID BURN IT." You say not wishing to repeat yourself. "Um Right! Okay you heard the Great Lich Lord! Burn it all to the ground!" Ten years pass... Twenty years since you embarked on your path of necromancy. The end of all life looms ever closer. After the destruction of the Zalan Empire, the remnants of the Grand Alliance fell apart. One by one the remaining kingdoms and other governments fell before your armies. It was almost pathetically easy. The civilized world as it was known is no more. Only the dead exist. You even had those subjects that once pledged their allegiance to you while still alive killed. You can barely tolerate your own necromancers. Catalina is the only one you still care about anymore. She's still supportive, but nervous around you. You wish she wasn't though. Some races such as elves, sprites and other fairy type folk retreated to their woods and forests, relying on illusions, tricks and other ways to conceal themselves. Other races like dwarves, gnomes and subterranean types dug deeper into the earth hoping that you will forget about them. Yet others like humans, orcs and the like still insist on fighting you from their makeshift camps, using hit and run tactics when they can. It doesn't matter what any of them do however, you won't rest until all life has been extinguished, if it takes you centuries, so be it. You'll hunt them all, you'll find them all, you'll kill them all. Lately, though there have been odd occurrences. You have sensed disturbances in the very landscape from time to time. In your new undead state you of course never sleep anymore, but you've been having visions. Flashbacks. And they seem all too real sometimes. After months of research you've tracked down one of these disturbances to the old Vampire Clan fortress. You make haste to find out if any of those accursed bloodsuckers still live. You don't see how though as you were thorough in their destruction. This time you don't even bother telling Catalina what you think you should do next, you know exactly what you're going to do. You just walk in her study and tell her you're leaving for a little while and to keep an eye on things as usual. You teleport yourself to the location of their now desiccated fortress. Partially burned and falling into disrepair from your actions fifteen years ago. You throw open the massive doors with ease. "Little blood leeches, if any of you still remain, your best idea would've been to hide and stay that way." Your voice echoes throughout the halls. "No, Great Lich Lord they are all dead. You made sure of that. You always do. It's just you and me." you hear a voice shout back. The voice sounds somewhat familiar, but you immediately home in on it since whoever felt the need to talk shit is obviously the one behind all this. After walking a bit, you enter the throne room where you still see a few traces of dust from the vampires you slaughtered long ago. You hear a maniacal laugh and a man materialize a few feet in front of you. This man looks much different now; his clothing is ragged and filthy. He has a manic grin and giggles a bit while constantly looking around, but you still recognize him and you have to say you're genuinely surprised to see him. He's very much alive too. "Trelik...thought you were long dust by now." "Nearly was, quite a few times, but after my shameful defeat in the Brot Kingdom I decided to lay low. For when that day came, I knew then I would never be able to defeat you or anyone else. So I waited and watched you gain power. Watched you destroy your enemies. Watched you have everything that I wanted since the days of the Dark Order. Remember those days? Seems like so long ago no?" "Another life time." "Indeed...I've learned that time can be a very bizarre thing...who knows what might've happened had events occurred slightly differently due to a split second?" "Is there any point to your insane ramblings Trelik?" "Not really...but perhaps! We shall see...or rather we have seen...all has been seen..." You don't like where this is going... "While I might not be able to kill you, I can do something else! Here's another blast from the past!" Suddenly Trelik disappears and you feel yourself going in slow motion... Oh fuck. "Ha ha ha ha! Ol' Quayle's books sure come in handy, but man do they make you see some crazy shit! I think I've gone completely bat shit insane at this point, but who cares? We're all dead men! Fuck killing the world! Let's kill reality!" Trelik isn't kidding either; the very fabric is warping to a degree you didn't even see when you were dealing with Quayle. You suddenly find yourself in the middle of a battle. You notice you're living again. It's been so long you almost forgot what's like to breathe. You take a brief look around and you're in Aftermath...or Nuro rather. A demonologist looking very worn from battle sees you and you have to stop yourself from attacking "Hey hold on! I'm on your side! Shit, this didn't turn out as planned, did it?" "Oh I dunno, I think it turned out EXACTLY as planned." You say getting the very real sense that you've done this before. The demonologist ignores your strange talk and continues. "Mr. Demar is still battling the rest of the staff in the college and I'm really worried about what the hell's going on with Quayle's spell, I don't know if you've experienced it yet, but I've been seeing buildings phase in and out of existence. I knew fucking around with time would be trouble!" "Yeah, it is. I guess I better go handle this. I hope I remember what I did last time." You say and make your way to see Quayle... again. When you get to the east campus, you see Catalinia right on time. Looking at her at this age again makes you remember when you desired her mainly for her body rather than all of her other exquisite attributes. "Nice to see you again. Quayle's in the gray building right?" You say. "Um, yeah. I think he's in there, but..." "Yeah I know it's dangerous, but someone's gotta go in, so I'll do it. I've risked too much already to fail. I suggest you go help Mr. Demar." you exclaim. "Wow, this whole thing has really made you really authoritative. You've come a long way since Enchantment class." "Yeah I've heard that somewhere else before." This time you dispense with your attempts to kiss Catalina. There will be plenty of time for that in the future. "Now let's see, if I remember this..." you say as you make your way to the gray building avoiding the time disturbances. When you enter the building you see Quayle again. Same position. Same glow of white light. "You are the future...there is no future...there are many futures...it's all so fascinating..." he says once again in an echoed voice. "Hey Quayle, you know we've done this before right?" "...yes...yes we have...we will continue to do so...such is time...it is inevitable..." Any second now the weird tentacle creatures are going to start popping out and you don't feel like dealing with them again. You didn't want to do it the first time. In fact this whole event is making your mind feel weird again, you feel like you're losing something just by being here. > You try something else This isn't "your time" and something is very different. You can sense it. Something is here that wasn't before. You quickly scan the room again and from the far left side of the room you hear a little giggle. One of tentacle creatures appear once again and you fight back the nausea long enough to cast a blast of negative energy towards the sounds of the laughter. Trelik materializes from your lucky direct hit and howls in pain before collapsing on the floor. His high pitched screech seems to irk the creature and it grabs him with one of the tentacles. "NO! NO! HAHAHAHA! I WAS GOING TO CONTROL TIME!" Trelik laughs before they turn into screams when the creature proceeds to devour him. Trelik might've been dealt with, but you still have to preserve the time line! You immediately rush to tackle Quayle and narrowly dodge another tentacle beast that appears near you. You are just about to reach Quayle... "...once again...the future...the past...unite..." you hear Quayle just as you're about to collide with him. Except instead of colliding with him you collide into the stone floor of the vampire fortress! Or at least you thought it was... You stand up and find yourself in the middle of a castle, but it's different. You see dead elves and humans lying on the floor. Looks like they were fighting each other. You attempt to raise them, but nothing happens. Your powers aren't working at all and in this living flesh cage you've been once again cursed with, you feel pretty vulnerable. You hear human soldiers laughing and running and you hide. "Har har! This was a good idea. Elves can't fight worth shit! Where's the captain anyway?" "Oh you know him; he's probably finding something of more value to keep to himself." After they pass by you proceed to make your way through the ruins of this castle which is obviously under siege. You think you're nearing the exit when all of a sudden you hear the sounds of battle and a very familiar voice... "You better save your own ass elf, I mean to have whatever is behind that door and the likes of you aren't going to stop me!" your Dad remarks. "Never! I have sworn to protect the treasure behind here with my life!" the Elven guard exclaims. You see your Dad and this elven guard clash swords. You watch from the shadows and it's obvious that this elf is slightly more skilled than your Dad. You might not have your powers, but you realize what has happened. You've been transported to the past again. This is the elven castle that your Dad laid siege to. He's supposed to meet your Mom here. She's probably the "treasure" that the elven guard is protecting. Another familiar voice calls out to you in your mind with a sorrow filled tone. "You wish to end all life because you loathe it so? Or is it that you loathe your own life? I have seen you set out on this path and while regrettable I see that it was inevitable. Perhaps I am to blame. I give you a chance to make things right and allow life to bloom once again instead of an existence of ultimate isolation and loneliness." That voice sounded very much like your Mom. But you haven't discovered any trace of her despite your searches. Then again that might make sense if she's gone into this time slipping business. "Mom...do you defy me as well? Have you and Trelik formed some unholy alliance?" you whisper under your breath to her while attempting to contain your anger and wounded feelings. Feelings you haven't really had in a long time. "No, my son. Trelik's mad plan was his own. I have merely taken advantage of his poor judgment in attempting to alter time. Yes son, you are not the only one in the family who has the knowledge of forbidden magic and a master of it. I give you a choice...life or death. Think carefully about making your decision. Think about your possible future. Think about what you've become. Think about what you've done. Your existence has caused the end of the world's own. Is that really what you want?" This question has been posed to you many times before in the past. Every time you've dismissed it because it's been so far off before. But as the end grows ever closer, you'll have to come to very real possibility that immortality on a dead world may very well grow dreary. This latest time trip has been the most excitement you've had in years... You look over at your Dad, who is losing his battle with the elven guard. Maybe it would be better had you never been born... > You help your Dad Destiny can be changed, but you're not changing yours. You were meant to do this. You'll see this out to the very end. Since you don't have any of your powers, you pick up a hefty nearby vase and hurl it at the elven guard from the shadows. Your aim is pitiful as the vase completely misses him and instead flies over his head and hits the wall. However, the elven guard glances briefly in the direction to which the vase was thrown long enough for your Dad to take the advantage. He skewers the elf and smashes him in the face with his armored gauntlet. "Ha ha! Stupid fucking elf! Shoulda been paying attention to the fight!" he laughs and gives the guard one last kick to the head before opening up the treasure door... You slink away. Your birth has now been assured and you suddenly are transported back to your proper time period and back in the ex-vampire fortress. Once again you are undead, however, you find that you have a letter in your hand which is addressed to you Son, If you're reading this then you have chosen death, as was predicted. I do not blame you for embracing your destiny. The pull of dark magic has always been strong in the bloodline. Elves typically can control such urges, however as you know you are not full elven, but still I did not think this possible of you though. You were so unskilled in the ways of magic that the chances of you becoming a competent necromancer seemed so unlikely, let alone an emissary of death. I will not stand in you way for I cannot bring myself to destroy you, even though I could. This is why I gave you the choice to destroy yourself. Do not look for me as I have long left this world and time, a simpler time, long even before the rise of the first Great Lich Lord. Indeed, I am already long dead by the time you have read this. My final gift to you my son, one less death you need concern yourself about. I only hope that you can find peace in your path for eventually you will be alone. Love Mom. You crumple the letter. "Thanks Mom." You say and return to Aftermath as you have shed one more link to your mortal life. Thirty years pass... Fifty years have passed. Peace reigns. There is no more conflict. All serious resistance has been eliminated. There will be no heroes to save the world. Death has won. Your powers have grown to the extent that your mere presence is slowly killing the world. You tested out this theory when you spent some time in one of the last elven defended forests. The trees began to rot and wither within a day. Reports talk of even the creatures in the oceans dying and you haven't even been anywhere near there. Anything still alive will die soon; it's only a matter of time. Your poison is enveloping the skies, the waters and the ground far beneath the earth. You truly have become death personified. Your necromancers have all died and you didn't allow them to try to become liches either. A small coup was attempted, but it was easily put down. You're controlling it all. The one last link to your mortal "life" remains. Catalina. She lies on her bed dying. It is only due to her own powers that she's been able to survive your presence this long, but she can't do it any longer. You're too powerful. You sit by her bed to talk to her one last time. You stroke her hair and hold her hand relishing the warmth that it still gives off even in this near death state. "...I'm sorry I can't stay with you." she says. "You could. You have the power to become a lich." "...no...I don't want that. It's not my desire or path. I once said I thought the differences between us would be too great for us to stay together." "I remember. And you were right. You usually are." "We had a good run though didn't we?" "Yes, yes we did." You agree. "Are you going to be alright? I mean what are you going to do?" she asks. "Me? I'll be fine. I'll stick around and oversee things I guess. Watch the world die. I have to carry this out to end." "I know you do...maybe we'll meet again? On the other side?" she smiles weakly. "I'm sure if it's possible. We will." "I love you..." You then kiss her one last time as life finally fades from her body. "My love from this world is now gone, what little was left has followed you to the other side my beloved queen. May it be with you always." Death now walks alone. After burning her body, you retire to your study, waiting and wondering when the end will finally come... > Epilogue Epilogue: Dark Destiny One hundred years later... One hundred and fifty years have passed and the world is completely dead. There is nothing else left. You long ceased letting corpses, ghosts and other undead roam around. You tired of seeing the mockery of life and let everything stay dead as it should be. You're the only being that moves on this dead world anymore. You rule everything and nothing. You now sit on your throne contemplating the past a lot. You remember your Dad's abuse. You remember your sister defending you from orc youths. You remember your times as a bumbling wizard who could barely cast a fireball back in college. You remember your Mom's encouragement. You remember the tentacle time beasts. You remember making an alliance with the Ghoul King. You remember decapitating Velzix. You remember destroying the vampires. You remember storming the gates of the Zalan Empire. You remember Trelik's time trick. You remember Catalina. You remember... You've finally done it all and this is what's come to. Alone on a dead world bored out of your hooded skull. Many times you've wished you could've joined Catalina all those years ago. You've attempted to kill yourself in various ways and even attempted to "will" yourself to die over the years, but you're unsuccessful every time. Ironic that the only being that you can't kill is yourself. You wonder about this world's gods. How is it that they never intervened? How could they let you do this? Even the evil gods that were once worshiped surely must've had a stake in not seeing the world become this. You've come to the conclusion that they either never existed, or they abandoned this world to die long ago. One day blears into the next as you time and time again just experience your solitude. Then one day is different... "I see you finally did it. Everything's dead." "Serena?" Once again Serena's ghostly form appears before you. You're not sure of how to react, but you're certainly relieved to break up the usual monotony. "Yes, it's me. They decided to send me here again, though I must admit I was interested in how you were doing. The solitude must be overwhelming." "Oh you know me, it's not the solitude so much as it's the boredom of having nothing to do anymore. I'm sitting here in a sort of limbo day after day waiting for something to happen. Looks like that finally occurred today. Certainly didn't expect it to though." Serena smiles a bit at your comment. "You always did need a bit of a push to get you going sometimes. Catalina even mentioned that. She's a very nice girl. You certainly chose a good queen." "...you...you've spoken to Catalina?" you say oddly feeling a mortal sense of concern. "Oh yes. Oh don't worry, I didn't expect you to mourn my death forever. You moved on like you were meant to. Just like you're supposed to move on now." "How? I can't die. I know because I've tried it." "You've been so focused on the death of this world that you've neglected to consider that there are others. Other worlds, other planes of existence. Dimensions you've yet to encounter." "Uh, I don't really have any desire to enter the infernal realm or whatever that one is with those tentacle creatures." "No, not those. There are many many more. You've outgrown this world long ago. You were meant to walk the planes. You are a sort of god now. Perhaps a young one, but a god none the less. It's time to leave." Suddenly a portal opens up. Serena approaches it and beckons you to come with her. "Where am I going?" "That's up to you. The multi-verse is your playground, but remember that you are not alone out there. And if the time should come that you do tire of roaming, you may eventually join the realm of the dead and be at complete peace. Goodbye God of Death. We'll all be waiting for you to join us one day." As Serena disappears you write one last thing in your journal before you leave. While it's true the entire world is dead, who's to say that life won't bloom here again some day? You feel a record of what happened here should remain even if nobody will ever read it. After you finish, you put the journal on your throne and prepare to step into the portal. Once again your journey of death takes another step, what awaits you this time is unknown, but it should certainly be interesting. "Let's do it." You step through the portal...

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, war] This isn't "your time" and something is very different. You can sense it. Something is here that wasn't before. You quickly scan the room again and from the far left side of the room you hear a little giggle. One of tentacle creatures appear once again and you fight back the nausea long enough to cast a blast of negative energy towards the sounds of the laughter. Trelik materializes from your lucky direct hit and howls in pain before collapsing on the floor. His high pitched screech seems to irk the creature and it grabs him with one of the tentacles. "NO! NO! HAHAHAHA! I WAS GOING TO CONTROL TIME!" Trelik laughs before they turn into screams when the creature proceeds to devour him. Trelik might've been dealt with, but you still have to preserve the time line! You immediately rush to tackle Quayle and narrowly dodge another tentacle beast that appears near you. You are just about to reach Quayle... "...once again...the future...the past...unite..." you hear Quayle just as you're about to collide with him. Except instead of colliding with him you collide into the stone floor of the vampire fortress! Or at least you thought it was... You stand up and find yourself in the middle of a castle, but it's different. You see dead elves and humans lying on the floor. Looks like they were fighting each other. You attempt to raise them, but nothing happens. Your powers aren't working at all and in this living flesh cage you've been once again cursed with, you feel pretty vulnerable. You hear human soldiers laughing and running and you hide. "Har har! This was a good idea. Elves can't fight worth shit! Where's the captain anyway?" "Oh you know him; he's probably finding something of more value to keep to himself." After they pass by you proceed to make your way through the ruins of this castle which is obviously under siege. You think you're nearing the exit when all of a sudden you hear the sounds of battle and a very familiar voice... "You better save your own ass elf, I mean to have whatever is behind that door and the likes of you aren't going to stop me!" your Dad remarks. "Never! I have sworn to protect the treasure behind here with my life!" the Elven guard exclaims. You see your Dad and this elven guard clash swords. You watch from the shadows and it's obvious that this elf is slightly more skilled than your Dad. You might not have your powers, but you realize what has happened. You've been transported to the past again. This is the elven castle that your Dad laid siege to. He's supposed to meet your Mom here. She's probably the "treasure" that the elven guard is protecting. Another familiar voice calls out to you in your mind with a sorrow filled tone. "You wish to end all life because you loathe it so? Or is it that you loathe your own life? I have seen you set out on this path and while regrettable I see that it was inevitable. Perhaps I am to blame. I give you a chance to make things right and allow life to bloom once again instead of an existence of ultimate isolation and loneliness." That voice sounded very much like your Mom. But you haven't discovered any trace of her despite your searches. Then again that might make sense if she's gone into this time slipping business. "Mom...do you defy me as well? Have you and Trelik formed some unholy alliance?" you whisper under your breath to her while attempting to contain your anger and wounded feelings. Feelings you haven't really had in a long time. "No, my son. Trelik's mad plan was his own. I have merely taken advantage of his poor judgment in attempting to alter time. Yes son, you are not the only one in the family who has the knowledge of forbidden magic and a master of it. I give you a choice...life or death. Think carefully about making your decision. Think about your possible future. Think about what you've become. Think about what you've done. Your existence has caused the end of the world's own. Is that really what you want?" This question has been posed to you many times before in the past. Every time you've dismissed it because it's been so far off before. But as the end grows ever closer, you'll have to come to very real possibility that immortality on a dead world may very well grow dreary. This latest time trip has been the most excitement you've had in years... You look over at your Dad, who is losing his battle with the elven guard. Maybe it would be better had you never been born... > Do not help him Life must continue. At last you have seen reason. You watch a bit more and the elven guard is hard pressed, but it becomes apparent that he's dedicated to his duty. He strikes your Dad with a couple of sword blows to his chest. He falls cursing and swearing, before the elven guard finishes him off with a thrust to his neck. "Heh, that's what should've happened in the first place." You say and quietly slink off. You walk into an empty room and wonder what will happen next. You've just destroyed your existence. Though you're still here, so you're not sure what that means. Are you going to disappear soon, or will you just continue your existence until you reach your "proper time?" You hear your Mom's voice again, one last time. "You have chosen life as was predicted. Your time as you know it is no more...time...time defeats all. Time even defeats death...however time is not without mercy and your existence in history is not gone, just altered. ...the future...the past...does it matter? You will die ...all has been written...farewell son. We shall not meet again. You shall have no knowledge of any of this or what has occurred before. But your actions have preserved life, even if you are an emissary of death..." You suddenly find yourself transported on some desolate hilltop. You have no idea where you're at, let alone how you got there. In fact you don't have too much memory of anything. All you're sure of is that you have a great knowledge of magic and that you're not truly alive. Suddenly a ragged bunch of individuals approach, you prepare to defend yourself, but these half crazed tribals are in awe of you. "It's him! He is the one we called upon! Our prayers have been answered! We have sacrificed our remaining livestock to appease you! Please our village has suffered a great loss. We have lost many of our people to a plague. We beg you to reunite us with those loved ones we have lost." And so began the first steps of the Great Lich Lord's quest for the extinction of life...

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, war] Five years pass... It's been ten years since you took control of Aftermath and many changes have come about. Without Velzix's brutal leadership, his realm soon broke apart. Demon leaders fought amongst themselves and became easier to deal with for the Grand Alliance. Little by little territory was liberated. However you were not idle and you also took pieces of Velzix's former territory. Due to all the problems caused by Velzix a new order was enacted by the Grand Alliance. No more chances are being taken and the civilized world has a zero tolerance policy on demons. Demons are to be killed on sight anywhere they are found. Even the so called "nice ones". Any government found tolerating their presence will be found guilty of demonology and invaded. This lead to a few misguided liberal types claiming that it was infringing on certain rights, but considering the increasingly draconian Zalan Empire had pretty much taken complete control over the Grand Alliance at this point, they had final say in the matter and executed all such protestors. The Grand Alliance is now merely a name much like Vampire Clans. In reality, it's the "Zalan Empire and its little friends that better do what it says Alliance". Speaking of the Vampire Clans, since your total destruction of their last remaining enclave, their influence has completely left this world. You've noticed a reduced effectiveness in Grand Alliance strategy because of this despite that they've become more united in recent years. Except for the near mindless bestial ones that roam the countryside they're effectively extinct. Still, you feel no need to show them mercy and bring them under your control. When one is found, you have it destroyed. The treachery of the Ghoul King has brought this genocide upon their "race." Your letter to your family was never replied to, but you are aware it was received. You don't know exactly how the truth was spun, or who exactly was involved. But you do know your Dad has a statue erected of him in the Zalan capital stating how he nobly gave his life fighting Velzix. Funny how mad men can be turned into heroes so easily. Your sister is a general of a Grand Alliance army now, which of course continues to attack you despite some of your attempts at coming to some sort of peace agreement. The fools won't even listen to reason. There's no way the Grand Alliance can win this war. You've only been growing in power and show no signs of stopping. Even with their stabilized internal struggles under the Zalan Empire's iron fist they still won't be able to defeat you. The world has gone mad and you're the only one making sense anymore. They call you a villain and evil, but from what you've seen, you're no different than any of the other leaders in power. You're just better at it. Maybe you should turn the world into a giant graveyard. Everyone thinks of you as a monster anyway, you see no reason to disappoint... "Catalina, I think it's time we finish this war once and for all." You say walking into her study. "Oh you do, do you? Well, I figured that it was coming eventually. So is there any specific way we're going about this?" "Yeah, we just make a massive push and don't stop until every living thing is dead." "Wow. Everything?" "Everything. I gave the world of the living the chance for peace and they don't seem to want it. Well I'm tired of fighting, so if the only way to get some peace is to kill everything so be it!" "Well, I mean what happens if some people surrender? I mean you'll still allow them to live like you usually do right?" "What? What's with this line of questioning Catalina? You've never been one to wince at grand scale carnage." "...I know, but I..." "Alright, out with it." "Well I mean after we destroy the Grand Alliance, what then? There will be nothing else to do. I mean do we just reign over a land of the dead until the end of time?" "Sounds about right." "I dunno, is that our only option?" "For fuck's sake Cat, what the hell did you become a necromancer for then?" "Because much like you I probably didn't feel like I had much in common with people and I could feel a pull towards the dark art of necromancy." "Well what's the problem?" "...there isn't a problem...it's just I feel like the end is coming soon and question what I've accomplished in my life. I mean other than genocide what have I done?" "You're Queen of the Dead! What more could you want?" "Yeah, queen. Big whoop. I'm basically a glorified concubine for a..." "Damn it Catalina I've NEVER thought of you as that! You know I cherish you and all of you have to offer. I never could've gotten this far without you." you say holding on to her and looking into her eyes. "...I know...it's just in some ways I see you starting to change and I don't mean your general loathing of the living either. I mean you've always been powerful, more powerful than me, but it's different. It's like you're becoming something else. I sometimes think your path is going to differ from mine to a degree that we will no longer be able to be together." For a moment you forget about your problems and address Catalina. "Catalina my beautiful queen...no matter what happens I shall never leave you." you say and kiss her. "And I shall never leave you...Okay, where are we going to attack?" While you've temporarily reassured Catalina's feelings, you do wonder if she isn't right. Will there come a day when you and her will have so many differences that you won't be able to be together anymore? You wonder if you've been taking some things for granted. You have everything you could ever need or want. Maybe you don't need to go on the attack. The Grand Alliance surely does not have the strength to defeat you; you doubt it would even attempt to expend all its resources in trying. Sure you might have to continue to fight them, but when you think about it, would it be less tedious than an existence without any conflict? > You call off the attack You realize something. You've won. You don't need to commit worldwide slaughter. In fact at this point you'd rather just give it all up in exchange for peace and quiet with Catalina. And you know the place you could do such a thing. "Catalina, let's forget all this." "What?" "I'm saying fuck this shit. I'm getting bored with it, there's not really a challenge anymore, so what's the point? Let's just leave." "Well where are we going to do that?" "Let's go to that hidden Vampire Clan fortress. Nobody else is using it and all it needs is a little fixing up. I can easily set up the magic to hide it again." "Easily eh? Boy you have come a long way. I remember when you cast that spell in enchantment class and caused all those frogs to attack the professor." "Boy you're never going to let me forget that are you? I still think those were a species of killer frogs and they would've attacked anyway." "What? Those were pygmy Eraw frogs! They're one of the most benign creatures on the planet! YOU turned them into killers!" Catalina laughs. "Yeah, well he deserved it anyway. He was going to fail me." "I'm surprised he didn't after that, though he probably was a little afraid of you. Guess you always had it in you even back then." "Yeah...well you ready to go?" "Wait we're just leaving? Shouldn't we make arrangements or something first?" "Like I said fuck it, let all these necromancers fight over it. If one of them thinks they can try to take my place then let 'em. I predict it'll all fall apart within a year though. They can't be me." "No they can't. Let's go." You and Catalina then press the key to the old vampire fortress. Fortunately it doesn't need too much fixing up and you have it restored in no time. It is from here where you and Catalina stay to watch the world events unfold in fascination. Just as you predicted your dominion of the dead collapsed due to infighting. To your surprise Trelik popped up again and amusingly he even claimed he'd destroyed you and Catalina. Even more amusingly he was one of the first usurpers to die during the civil war. The Grand Alliance took advantage of the situation and eventually broke the stranglehold that the dead once held over the living. Your sister stormed the gates of Aftermath itself and reclaimed it. She became a hero of epic proportions. You're glad. You're glad you made this decision. You didn't want to have to kill her or your Mom. The world didn't immediately go back to normal though. Your actions have had repercussions and there yet still remains areas of the world where necromancers rule, possibly the undead will always have a strong influence in some areas, but the threat of the end of all life is no longer a possibility. Your own powers seem to have grown a bit weaker, make no mistake, you are still very powerful. Possibly still the most powerful being on the planet, but with the rise of life once again, you do feel a change, and you don't mind it. The years pass and you and Catalina are content to just watch the world go by and enjoy each others' company undisturbed. One day though, Catalina's life force is giving out and she does not wish to continue her existence into undeath like you and you certainly understand. You and her say goodbye and then you promise you will soon join her. After burning her body you sit on your throne, you write one last thing in your journal about why you did what you did in case anyone should find this. Then you concentrate and will yourself to die. It takes some effort, but eventually you feel a release and your powers are fading completely. "I'm coming home Catalina." At last, death has died.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, fantasy, serious] "If I was going to kill you, I'd barely need to lift a finger, but what I'm mainly here for is your help." You say calmly That's caught his attention. "What's that boy? You want my help? Hanging around those corpses make you completely crazy?" "Not completely, but I know that you and your company has been fighting a guerilla war against Velzix. You've been a real pain in his demon ass from what I've heard." "Hah! Got that right! I've currently been hired out perpetually by the Zalan Empire. My mission is to generally fuck things up for Velzix, even try to kill him if possible. But I can't do that." "Why not?" "Why not? Because if you haven't noticed I'm a fuckin' old man that only has a few desperate and insane men following him that's why! I don't have a Grand Alliance army behind me like your sister and I can't just snap my fingers and bring my losses back to fucking life! SOME of us have to rely on pure skill!" "Sounds like you're making excuses." "Oh fuck you! Stupid ass kid, I don't see you doing shit about Velzix, what's the matter need more corpses to hide behind?" "Actually any corpses I hide behind will only be the ones I summon up during our assassination attempt." "What are you getting at boy?" "I'm saying you get me close to Velzix, and I'll kill him. In fact I'm very surprised the Grand Alliance hasn't sent some hero types to try to kill him yet." "Oh they have, they just haven't been heroic enough. My little company has done more damage than any so called heroes. But supposin' I WAS to help you, what's in this for me?" "Oh you'll be paid, have no fear of that. In fact you can even take credit for Velzix death, since I doubt you'd want anyone to know you were working with me. Now I'd imagine that would pay quite well wouldn't it?" "Yeah, yeah it would...alright boy. We'll do this, but after Velzix is dead, me and you end this father and son time got me?" "Wouldn't have it any other way." As your Dad proceeds to lead to where Velzix dwells, he explain the layout of it. He says they've gone in there before, but have never stayed too long. Just to sabotage stuff and get the fuck out. You proceed to have more interesting conversation along the way. "So why the hell hasn't the Grand Alliance done more about Velzix? Why are they relying on some broken down ex-cuthroat?" you ask. "I told ya, they have sent hero types after Velzix before, but he's defeated them every time. As for larger military concerns, I'm sure you're aware that they happen, but it's a question of balance. They can't attack Velzix, like they probably would prefer since they know that YOU would take advantage of their weakened state! Not to mention the Grand Alliance finds you to be a bigger threat. The world was almost consumed once already by some megalomaniacal necromancer, they don't want that to happen again. So little groups like mine fuck things up for Velzix, just enough to keep him occupied and doesn't gain anymore ground." "Actually I'm not a megalomaniac. Contrary to popular belief, I don't have some desire to turn the world into a graveyard." You say. "Oh well I guess all those kingdoms were just you being neighborly eh? What about that first attack on the Brot Kingdom? Those big ass undead giants? Hordes of undead troops slaughtering men, women and children?" "I did what I had to do to defend myself. War isn't pretty. People die." "True...but I still fail to see where yer NOT being a megalomaniac." "I told you I'm defending my dominion! If the Grand Alliance would stop attacking me, I wouldn't pursue anymore territory. I'd be happy to live in peace, side by side. Why do you think I want to get rid Velzix? I'm hoping after he's gone that I can come to some agreement with the Grand Alliance! Because in the end it isn't going to be good for anyone!" "Fancy words...but I question if that's what you really want. I haven't seen you in a long time, but within the short time I've talked with you now, even I can see a change in you. You have a lot of desire, somewhere within you, you want to control everything so there's no possibility of anything ever hurting you. You're actually good at something and you're reveling in it. I know what that's like. While you might have yer Mom's magic, apparently you DID inherit some of my qualities, and those are qualities that are all kinds of bad..." "I'm nothing like you!" you exclaim. "Ha ha! Oh yer right about that. You'll never be half the man I am. You can turn the entire world to a giant mass grave, but you ain't never gonna be me." Even now with all your power your Dad still somehow manages to make you feel small. You can't let yourself get angry though, As much as you might like to just cause the bastard's black heart to explode in his chest you can't do that, at least not yet. You, your Dad and the remains of his company eventually arrive at Velzix's fortress where you enter in a secret way. "Dumb ass demons, we've been using this entrance for like a year now and they still haven't caught on!" your Dad remarks. You make good progress in the fortress and then... "There they are, just like Velzix said they would be!" a demon guard shouts. You look at your Dad. "Haven't caught on yet huh?" "Quit yer bitchin' and start doin that death magic thing!" You proceed to do just that as demon as well as mortal guards attempt to stop you. You welcome the mortal guards as you can raise them to help you in your "heroic quest". "Hah, no lying down on the job anymore Cal!" your Dad laughs as you raise the last of his fallen company. By the time you reach Velzix's inner sanctum, it's just you and your Dad. You never thought in a million years you'd be fighting alongside your Dad. Velzix on the other hand has been expecting you. "Ah how good of you both to come. You're the miserable little has been thug that's been fucking up my realm with your guerilla warfare. And you're the wannabe Lich Lord that's been impeding my own plans of conquest." "Wow, guess he got it in one." You say. "Yeah, and I guess this would make him the pathetic ass demon lord that can't even beat said has been and wannabe." Your Dad adds. "Enough! The pair of you have sealed your doom today! I have lured you into my trap where today I shall take the father and the son and then..." You blast Velzix in the face with negative energy, causing him to grab his face and roar in pain. "Ha ha! Fucking melodramatic idiot!" your Dad laughs charging at Velzix with his sword You quickly decide on what to do next. > You unleash a greater blast of death magic on Velzix Once again you aim for Velzix, ready to unleash a great blast of negative energy at him. Unfortunately as you do so, he picks your Dad up and both of them get caught in it. Your Dad is killed instantly, but Velzix is of course made of stronger stuff. He recovers from the attack and opens up several portals where demons come pouring out. You summon up ghostly warriors to assist you, and while you're powerful, you can't fight Velzix's seemingly endless reinforcement of demons. You land some good hits, but ultimately you're overwhelmed. Velzix picks up your drained bloody body to mock you one last time. "Look on the bright side; at least you got to kill your Dad!" Velzix then proceeds to slowly rip your soul apart before ultimately sending you to oblivion.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, war, villain protagonist, grimdark] You can't say you've exactly been entirely enthusiastic about this plan to conquer these tribes. The reality is starting to set in that you'll never be able to get rid of them all. At least not without a concentrated effort, which would take a lot more time and troops that you're unwilling to commit at this point. But The Ghoul King could help. He most likely knows the lay of the land just as well as the tribes, and considering he lives here, he can dedicate as much time as he wants. "Very well Ghoul King I have no wish to take what is yours. I shall leave in peace if you'll permit." You say respectfully. "Hmm, I had not expected you to respond that way. Perhaps though you have yet another trick up your sleeve?" "No trick. But perhaps a proposal." "Diplomacy? Are you serious? I have rarely ever encountered a necromancer ready to discuss anything so calmly before. You are a rare breed. Okay, what's your proposal? I have to know just because you've managed to surprise me, twice today." "My proposal is an alliance." "An alliance? For what purpose? I imagine that you're being hounded by the civilized world. Why would I bring such troubles on myself?" "Because I'm your best shot at revenge. You said you've wanted revenge on the Vampire Clans, well I'm not exactly on their good side either. Eventually I'm going to have to deal with them. Look at you, you said it yourself. You've been forced to hide out from the world in a hole in the ground. Wouldn't you at least like that to change? Even if you die, at least you can say you tried! Changes ARE coming to this world, and this is your chance to be on the winning side." The Ghoul King looks in the sky. His expression reminds you of delegate Yolev's when Mr. Demar gave him a chance to join. You hope you have more success. "I have been told such promises before; a long time ago...this state that you see before you is what it got me. However, there's no fool like an old one. What more can be done to me? I've lost all as it is, I can only gain. I'm listening more to your proposal, but let's have some details. I won't ally with someone that's as foolish as me." You quickly explain that the Ghoul King should attack the tribes like he's been doing, but to just increase the frequency. All you ask is that he leave a portion of the dead for you (rather than eating them) to use as troops. You will leave one of your necromancers here as an emissary and transporter as it were. The Ghoul King finds this arrangement to be acceptable. He laughs when you say you would also like it if he managed to kill some giants for you to raise. He says he'll see what he can do and as an act of goodwill he allows you to have a sizable amount of his ghouls. "I can always make more!" You return to Aftermath feeling a great sense of accomplishment. Catalina is a bit leery of the entire situation though. "How can you be sure of this? He's a vampire! Last I heard they aren't too happy with us right now!" Catalina says. "He's an outcast from the clans. He's been living like an animal for who knows how long. I've given him a sense of purpose again. He'll help. Besides he's better suited to take care of the tribes in Drozz. He'll take all the risk and we'll gain the benefit. I see no downside!" "How do you know he won't just kill your emissary there and not do anything?" "It's certainly possible, but he did give me some of his ghouls as an act of good faith." "A bunch of mangy ghouls can't make up for one necromancer!" "Considering I left Hessan with him, you could make the argument that they do! Relax! I know what I'm doing." "I hope so, because I heard that the Grand Alliance is stepping up their military operations." Catalina leaves you in a huff. What's with this girl? One minute she's expressing interest, the next she's pissed at you. Oh well. You're not worried about anything, you're confident you made the right decision. A few months pass and you get a letter via bat from The Ghoul King. He tells you that he's got something special for you. Something that Hessan can't transport himself. You make your way back to Drozz, traveling invisibly for the most part, since last you heard, the Grand Alliance ousted Trelik from the Brot Kingdom and are currently stationed there, probably planning to attack you next. When you arrive, the Ghoul King meets you. "Well don't say I haven't held up my part of this alliance. Here are your giants. A whole tribe of them! Took a hell of a long time dragging them down here. You'll have to forgive the bite marks, but my ghouls do get hungry every now and then." You can't believe your eyes. You expected one or two. Not a whole tribe! You aren't even going to ask how he did it, you're just happy he did. "Alright Mr. Necromancer, I wanna see you raise these big ass things! Your emissary has been going on for months about how powerful you are, so I wanna see this." You begin to concentrate... Slowly one of the dead behemoths rises and stands ready to serve. You concentrate again and one by one each one stands up and fully obedient to you. It requires very little energy on your part surprisingly. You must be growing in power. "Well now, I guess you can walk the walk! Alright now you go have fun with those big boys. I have some barbarians to terrorize. It seems I've inadvertently united most of the tribes against me with this giant killing business." "You need some help?" "Nah, I got it all under control. I was sick of hiding anyway. Thanks though. Especially for making me feel like a true vampire again rather than a running scavenger." You tell Hessan to stay with the Ghoul King as you still need someone here in Drozz. One day you'll have to construct some sort of portal between here and Aftermath, but that will have to be later. Right now you've got undead giants and you're all prepared to use them right away. You remember The Grand Alliance is in the Brot Kingdom and tthat they're probably still recovering from battling Trelik recently. You march with your undead giants to the Brot Kingdom. You have no back up, just you. You're going to show them all what you're capable of... Your arrival isn't surprising since they could see you coming from quite a few miles away, but the utter fear you inspired was immense and there still wasn't enough time for the Grand Alliance to get reinforcements. Your undead giants smash and destroy buildings. They crush knights under foot. The carnage is great. You supplement your attack by raising the recent dead to your cause. Graveyards are your reinforcements. You see the remnants of Grand Alliance flee. Let them flee. Let them speak of the terror and the death! The news of what you did travels fast, and Catalina runs to meet you when you arrive back in Aftermath. "What the hell did you think you were doing risking your life like that? You should've come back to Aftermath for more soldiers before taking on the Brot Kingdom AND the Grand Alliance all by yourself!" "Why? Were you worried about me?" you smile. "Well... um...no! But, you should've told me!" "I did tell you. I told you I had everything worked out and look...I did." You say putting your arm around her. She's not resisting anymore. "Hmmm, well I guess you did. So now what?" "Now what? You and me in the bedroom, that's what!" You and Catalina at last end this little dance and consummate your relationship. And just think all it took was destroying an entire kingdom with some undead giants! Four years pass... It's been five years since you took control of Aftermath and you've made progress. Many changes have certainly have come about. Your territory now encompasses far more than just Aftermath. You now control several former kingdoms. You call your region the Dead Dominion. The population consists mainly of the dead, with necromancers typically being the only living beings, though there are pockets of living that have pledged their loyalty to you in exchange for mercy. You have granted it. You and Catalina are now truly King and Queen of the dead. Velzix has benefited from your success, due to the excessive problems you've given the Grand Alliance; he's expanded his own realm relatively unchecked. Minor conflict has come about between your respective domains, and it's only a matter of time before all out war occurs. Rumors are that he's attempting to rip open a portal of the largest size to unleash all of the horrors the infernal plane has to offer. The Grand Alliance is attempting to handle the pair of you, but has only succeeded in fighting to a stalemate. Rumors are the Zalan Empire is attempting to take full control over the Grand Alliance in order to pursue a more extreme course of action. You have not heard anything from you family. You know your Dad's mercenary company has been fighting in the outskirts of Velzix's realm. Your sister has become a respected and successful Grand Alliance captain. She's managed to hold back the tide of your dead horde from gaining anymore ground for a couple years now. As for your Mom, who knows? You'd prefer not to know what she thinks of you. The Vampire Clans have unsuccessfully sent assassins after you, but they have all failed. The Ghoul King suggests that an attack should be made on them soon. He mentions he knows where their secret fortress is and now that he has the support he wishes to take his revenge. He has completely conquered Drozz and turned into a true Kingdom (The only one semi-independent from your Dead Dominion) no longer does he hide in a hole. As for Trelik, you have heard nothing. For all you know he may be dead. He disappeared soon after his defeat at Brot four years ago. But today is another day and with that new problems come. You have to decide which new direction you're going to steer your Dominion. > You attack the Grand Alliance The Grand Alliance is more unified and suffers less in-fighting (at least not on a violent scale) than Velzix's crew. You figure you should take them out first. "Catalina I think it's time to attack Grand Alliance and wipe them out once and for all." You say walking into her study. "Oh you do huh? Got a plan in mind of how to go about it? Because it's not going to be easy." "I figure the strongest link is the Zalan Empire. If we take them out, the rest of the Alliance will quickly fall apart and we can concentrate on Velzix." "Hmm, you make it sound so easy. I hope you know what you're doing." "Relax, I always know what I'm doing. Set it up and organize the troops, I'll be overseeing this one personally." Months pass and you make good progress. You begin taking town after town like an unstoppable juggernaut. However, when you reach you reach the Zalan Empire's borders you begin to face heavier resistance. The Grand Alliance combined with the full brunt of Zalan's own military is proving to be more troublesome than you anticipated. They've developed a lot more technological advances since the last time you were here. The cannons are really taking a toll on your corporeal troops. You slog on through, but eventually reach a stand still when you finally reach the gates of the Zalan capital. Your sister is overseeing the defense of Zalan's capital which might explain why you're having so much trouble. She is successfully countering every one of your plans. You've attempted to send a message to her, but you've yet to hear any kind of response You don't quite have enough strength to break through and you're starting to stretch yourself a little thin. Reports tell you that other civilized nations are sending military detachments to help and another Grand Alliance army is on the way. At this point you're either going to have to send for reinforcements yourself or retreat and regroup. > You send for reinforcements You don't want Catalina to send any since you do need to defend your territory, so you figure the Ghoul King would be a good candidate. He can help you, before you help him destroy the Vampire Clans. You send a message to him via ghostly courier and in the next day you get one back. He says he'll be there soon, which relieves you a bit. In the meantime you continue to try to break through the capital's defenses and repair some of your more salvageable troops that have fallen. About a week passes and the Ghoul King hasn't shown up yet, you've suffered a counter attack which allowed you to temporary replenish your troops, but you lost quite a few necromancers in the process. The strain of commanding such a large army is making you a little more fatigued than it would if you had some support. You send a message to the Ghoul King again as well as to Catalina. You don't get anything back from the Ghoul King, but Catalina tells you she hasn't heard from him either and she's had to defend the home territory from Velzix who heard about how preoccupied you are with the Grand Alliance and is taking advantage of the situation. A month passes and you have to retreat from the siege. You're the last remaining necromancer and you've been running on empty. The Grand Alliance along with the Zalan military has completely decimated most of your troops with holy magic and powerful gunpowder weapons. You have to make your make back to Aftermath mostly through hostile territory now since most of your recent conquests have been liberated. By the time you get to Aftermath you find it in ruins. It has been thoroughly raided by Velzix's elite demon warriors. You rush in to check on Catalina, but you find her ripped to shreds by demons. You cry out vowing revenge as you hold on to her body, but there will be no revenge for you. Your back is suddenly home to several stabbing blades. You attempt to turn around to face your attacker, and when you do your throat is slashed open. Clutching your throat you bleed out onto the floor before the vampire assassin completes the job and severs your head from your body.

The Grand Alliance is more unified and suffers less in-fighting (at least not on a violent scale) than Velzix's crew. You figure you should take them out first. "Catalina I think it's time to attack Grand Alliance and wipe them out once and for all." You say walking into her study. "Oh you do huh? Got a plan in mind of how to go about it? Because it's not going to be easy." "I figure the strongest link is the Zalan Empire. If we take them out, the rest of the Alliance will quickly fall apart and we can concentrate on Velzix." "Hmm, you make it sound so easy. I hope you know what you're doing." "Relax, I always know what I'm doing. Set it up and organize the troops, I'll be overseeing this one personally." Months pass and you make good progress. You begin taking town after town like an unstoppable juggernaut. However, when you reach you reach the Zalan Empire's borders you begin to face heavier resistance. The Grand Alliance combined with the full brunt of Zalan's own military is proving to be more troublesome than you anticipated. They've developed a lot more technological advances since the last time you were here. The cannons are really taking a toll on your corporeal troops. You slog on through, but eventually reach a stand still when you finally reach the gates of the Zalan capital. Your sister is overseeing the defense of Zalan's capital which might explain why you're having so much trouble. She is successfully countering every one of your plans. You've attempted to send a message to her, but you've yet to hear any kind of response You don't quite have enough strength to break through and you're starting to stretch yourself a little thin. Reports tell you that other civilized nations are sending military detachments to help and another Grand Alliance army is on the way. At this point you're either going to have to send for reinforcements yourself or retreat and regroup. > You retreat and regroup As much as you're loathed to do so, you decide it's better to retreat and fortify your recent conquests. You've still done much damage to the Grand Alliance. A month passes and you suffer counter attacks, and a few of your conquests get retaken, but for the most part you hold on to what you've acquired. Velzix takes advantage of the situation and decides to launch his own attacks on you and the Grand Alliance however, he's a little more successful having managed to conserve his own manpower and not being stretched out Catalina informs you that The Ghoul King has been itching to strike against the Vampire Clans and that he's going to do it, with or without your direct help. You're too preoccupied with your own problems to even argue or do anything about it. You tell her that he can do what he's gotta do. If he wants your help, Hessan and whatever pitiful army he can muster up is his to command. You don't care. Five years pass... It's been ten years since you took control of Aftermath and now it looks like that's all finally coming to an end. The Ghoul King's assault upon the Vampire Clans was a failure, though it was damaging enough for them to never again bother you again. You have to move some necromancers into the Drozz region to take command there, which stretches you out a bit, since you didn't need to worry about it so directly before, having the Ghoul King there and all. Over the years Velzix managed to build up much strength while you and the Grand Alliance fought a see-saw battle. Velzix manages to permanently open up a large portal to his home plane. He declares all out war on the entire world determined to turn it into the same hell he once called home. You heard your Dad's mercenary company attempted to stop him, but failed. The Grand Alliance is the first to fall. Already weakened by your previous attacks, they could not put up much of a fight against the hordes of demons. You hear that your sister defended the capital of the Zalan Empire much like she did during your siege, except this time she was less successful and died. You can only presume your Mom suffered the same fate, seeing as she lived there as well. You hope that the pair of them have gone some place better With the last bastion of "good" out of the way, Velzix turns his attention towards you. You won't go without a fight though. For every bit of land he takes, you make him pay for it in demon blood tenfold. It's no use though, the hordes of hell are without end and while the dead are certainly just as numerous, you're the only necromancer powerful enough to command epic armies of them and you are only one standing against hell itself. Aftermath is besieged and ultimately falls to demonic armies. Catalina is killed during the attack and you disintegrate her body before escaping through a portal to Drozz as you refuse to let it be desecrated by demon scum. You wage a guerilla war in Drozz for months, and you can't help but realize you've become much like the Ghoul King; hiding in a hole while demons take over the world. For awhile you actually have some peace as the demons soon outnumber their "enemies" and begin to follow their natural instincts of in-fighting and you're forgotten. When the next winter comes you're caught out in a heavy blizzard while foraging for food. You're not going to make it back to your hiding place. Exhausted, you fall in the snow thinking about the hell that the world has become and how you're partially responsible. Eternal sleep is welcomed. You embrace the blessed death that you once held mastery over.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, war, serious] Victory isn't beyond your grasp, you just need to regroup and organize. You immediately seek out Irwin, Sebastian and Catalina. You find Sebastian and Catalina, and they're running low on viable corpses. "Hey, glad you could get here, the Nuro mage guards are putting up a hell of a fight! The demonologists can't keep the demons in line and whatever former graduates Mr. Demar had to help us are probably all dead by now!" Sebastian explains. "Yeah, it's bad all over. Where's Irwin?" you ask. "Irwin? He's dead; can't you see his body lying over there with all the arrows in it?" Catalina points out. "Well, no point in letting this go to waste, we need all the help we can get." You say and command Irwin to rise to join the rest of the horde You tell Catalina and Sebastian to hand control over the rest of their troops to you, as if you can concentrate them with a single mind, you'll be able to break the doors down of city hall and take out the remainder of the mage guards holding out there. You also tell them that one should head back to the college itself and go check on Quayle, and the other should go help out Mr. Demar. Oddly enough Sebastian and Catalina obey your orders immediately. You begin to feel even more confident in your power of command. You proceed to tell your now larger undead horde to attack the last bastion of Nuro's governmental control. You unleash blasts of dark energy at the mage guards who attempt to defend from the windows while your zombies and skeletons break down the doors and begin to massacre all those inside. You enter the building nearly oblivious to the carnage. You feel a very real sense of calming peace amongst the death. Eventually you encounter the "First Citizen" of Nuro busily trying to slay as many of your soldiers as possible, but as you continue to raise them, even he realizes it's a futile endeavor. A skeleton warrior hacks his arm off with an axe, and then a recently raised mage guard clubs him in the head with a small mace. He falls to the floor of his own office before your feet and looks up at you. "Why? You...you'll never get away with this..." he sputters as he bleeds out. "You might be right, but it'll be interesting to see if I do." You calmly say and kick him in the face before another skeleton lands a killing blow to him. He is then raised to join the ranks. You exit the building and notice that the city is near empty. At least as far as the living go. The dead however are plentiful, bodies litter the streets. More resources for you, you think. A demonologist looking very worn from battle sees you and you have to stop your small horde from attacking. "Hey hold on! I'm on your side! Shit, this didn't turn out as planned, did it?" "Oh I dunno, we got the city." "Yeah, but Mr. Demar is still battling the rest of the staff in the college and I'm really worried about what the hell's going on with Quayle's spell, I don't know if you've experienced it yet, but I've been seeing buildings phase in and out of existence. I knew fucking around with time would be trouble!" "Where are all of the demons?" you ask. "Most of them left! I mean there's a few that stuck around, most of the weaker variety. There was a major demon called Velzix who was supposed to be helping, but he took off as well. Bah! Unreliable lot they are. I should've done what you did, become a necromancer! The dead always obey." "Not always...but you may still fulfill your wish after all this is over, so where exactly are Mr. Demar and Quayle, I mean I know they're in the university, but where exactly?" "You can't miss either one of them, Quayle's located in east section of campus, where you see all the damn buildings phasing in and out. As for Mr. Demar, well I'm sure you can still hear the explosions. I'm going to try to corral at least some of the imps and help Mr. Demar, I'm not going anywhere near the eastside of the campus though. I'm off!" The demonologist runs to go do what he said, leaving you with a couple choices of proceeding. You could go try to fix this problem with Quayle since it won't do anyone any good if the city collapses on itself or disappears to gods know where, of course you don't know exactly what you're going to do, hell you've never even spoken to Quayle before. He was always kept locked up by himself in his room studying most of the time. Of course you could go help Mr. Demar, chances are he could solve the problem with Quayle a lot better if he survives. > You go help Mr. Demar You might be a competent necromancer, but you're leery about messing around with time. You better help Mr. Demar so he can better deal with the possible Quayle situation. You head towards campus where various explosions are taking place, it doesn't take long before you encounter Sebastian lying on the ground. You guess he attempted to help Mr. Demar and got killed for his troubles. "Damn, sorry about that." You say and then raise him to join your horde and hope Catalina is doing a better job with Quayle. You enter the administration building. Smoke, fire and body parts look all around. In the distance you hear shouting followed by magic blasts. "Ha ha! You're weak old man and I'm taking over this shit!" You order your undead horde to run ahead of you as you approach the sounds of battle. You turn the corner just in time for Trelik run into you, he's definitely caught off guard. "YOU! You little sycophant come to help teacher eh, well it won't..." You don't listen to his melodramatic speeches, you tell your horde to kill him and they do so easily given that he's heavily outnumbered and can't cast a spell quick enough. Mr. Demar arrives just in time to see the aftermath. "Damn, I was hoping to kill him myself. No matter, what's done is done now. Our enemies here are defeated. Most of the high ranking professors have been killed, I'm just looking for that cowering Dean. Have you secured the city?" "Yeah, I personally stormed city hall and slew the first citizen and all of his mage guards." "Ha ha! I knew you had potential!" Mr. Demar laughs and pats you on the shoulder. "Mr. Demar I think you should know something. Quayle's spell is becoming erratic, someone said buildings are starting to phase in and out of existence. I think Jasmine's over there, but I don't think she'll be able to handle what's going on." "Dammit, I'd hoped that Quayle was stable enough to...aaargh! Nevermind, I'll have to take care of this, because if his actions go completely wrong we're all dead. Since you seem to be good at killing high officials, you take care of the dean." Mr. Demar takes his leave towards the eastside of campus, leaving you to take out the dean. You're a little unsure of yourself, the dean of the university didn't get that way by being a push over. Though Mr. Demar did say he was cowering somewhere so maybe he's not that tough. You tell your undead troops to spread out and search the building. Along the way you see Felsa's body. Oh well, another follower for you... You begin to grow tired of searching mundane office after mundane office so it's a treat when you once again hear the sounds of battle and see the dean at the end of a corridor fighting off your horde. "Back, foul things!" The dean shouts casting a ray of pure light in the faces of many of your troops. He hasn't seen you yet so you take advantage and cast your own blast of negative energy into his side. He falls in pain, but returns fire which you barely dodge. He crawls out of your line of sight and behind a corner. "So Demar sends one of his students to take care of me, too cowardly to do it himself eh? It'll take more than a few skeletons and a neophyte necromancer to bring me down! Come and get me if you dare!" You have to kill him while he's still weak, if you let him regain energy he could possibly escape, or worse, kill you. > You raise more dead and march them down the corridor You decide the best way is to take the straight forward approach and just overwhelm the dean. You raise more nearby bodies and add them to your tireless horde. As they march down the corridor, you stand near the end of the corridor figuring, if the dean comes out to cast a fireball he won't get you. However you severely underestimated the dean. He does indeed come out from behind the corner again and he casts a very powerful version of chain lightning, it zaps through your troops, not really doing anything except halting them briefly and rattling their dead bones, however when the lightning reaches YOU, you feel the effects a lot more severely as every organ in your body is fried and your skin is charred black. You fall to the floor dead and your horde soon follows.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, serious, fantasy, grimdark] You might be a competent necromancer, but you're leery about messing around with time. You better help Mr. Demar so he can better deal with the possible Quayle situation. You head towards campus where various explosions are taking place, it doesn't take long before you encounter Sebastian lying on the ground. You guess he attempted to help Mr. Demar and got killed for his troubles. "Damn, sorry about that." You say and then raise him to join your horde and hope Catalina is doing a better job with Quayle. You enter the administration building. Smoke, fire and body parts look all around. In the distance you hear shouting followed by magic blasts. "Ha ha! You're weak old man and I'm taking over this shit!" You order your undead horde to run ahead of you as you approach the sounds of battle. You turn the corner just in time for Trelik run into you, he's definitely caught off guard. "YOU! You little sycophant come to help teacher eh, well it won't..." You don't listen to his melodramatic speeches, you tell your horde to kill him and they do so easily given that he's heavily outnumbered and can't cast a spell quick enough. Mr. Demar arrives just in time to see the aftermath. "Damn, I was hoping to kill him myself. No matter, what's done is done now. Our enemies here are defeated. Most of the high ranking professors have been killed, I'm just looking for that cowering Dean. Have you secured the city?" "Yeah, I personally stormed city hall and slew the first citizen and all of his mage guards." "Ha ha! I knew you had potential!" Mr. Demar laughs and pats you on the shoulder. "Mr. Demar I think you should know something. Quayle's spell is becoming erratic, someone said buildings are starting to phase in and out of existence. I think Jasmine's over there, but I don't think she'll be able to handle what's going on." "Dammit, I'd hoped that Quayle was stable enough to...aaargh! Nevermind, I'll have to take care of this, because if his actions go completely wrong we're all dead. Since you seem to be good at killing high officials, you take care of the dean." Mr. Demar takes his leave towards the eastside of campus, leaving you to take out the dean. You're a little unsure of yourself, the dean of the university didn't get that way by being a push over. Though Mr. Demar did say he was cowering somewhere so maybe he's not that tough. You tell your undead troops to spread out and search the building. Along the way you see Felsa's body. Oh well, another follower for you... You begin to grow tired of searching mundane office after mundane office so it's a treat when you once again hear the sounds of battle and see the dean at the end of a corridor fighting off your horde. "Back, foul things!" The dean shouts casting a ray of pure light in the faces of many of your troops. He hasn't seen you yet so you take advantage and cast your own blast of negative energy into his side. He falls in pain, but returns fire which you barely dodge. He crawls out of your line of sight and behind a corner. "So Demar sends one of his students to take care of me, too cowardly to do it himself eh? It'll take more than a few skeletons and a neophyte necromancer to bring me down! Come and get me if you dare!" You have to kill him while he's still weak, if you let him regain energy he could possibly escape, or worse, kill you. > You attempt to summon spirits You always meant to try this, but never got around to it. No time like the present... You concentrate and attempt to summon the spirits of the nearby dead to help you kill the dean. At first nothing seems to happen and you hear the dean killing more of your skeletons and walking corpses, but soon an eerie howl is heard. Several tormented ghostly beings rise up and you give them the simple order to kill. It takes a bit more concentration to control them, but you manage. The dean is surprised by the ghosts and fumbles with an appropriate spell, but isn't quick enough before they touch him and his life force begins to drain. Eventually he becomes a desicated husk and drops to the floor. "Damn that was cool." You giggle. Feeling totally pleased with your victory, you then remember Mr. Demar and Quayle's spell. You'd blocked it out of your mind during the battle, but you're hoping that's been resolved. You head towards the eastside of campus, and you see no disturbance, at least no buildings disappearing and reappearing. You do see Catalina standing by though; she sees you and waves you over. "Wow, you're back, I guess that means you killed the dean huh?" Catalina questions. "You sound surprised." "Hmm, I guess maybe I'm a little impressed." "What's going on?" "I dunno, I'm not sure myself, it was really weird. When I first got here I couldn't get to Quayle due to all the temporal disturbances, I was about to leave when Mr. Demar arrived, he told me to stand back and he would take care of this. He managed to walk straight into that gray building over there where I assume Quayle was. I saw Mr. Demar become a child, a rotting corpse and then revert back to his normal age before he got there. I then heard terrible noises within. I even saw some strange tentacled creatures come out of the building. I thought I was going to have to fight them, but then the entire mess just seemed to stop and there wasn't a disturbance anymore. I guess Mr. Demar won...but I haven't checked on him, I'm still hesitant about going near there." "Well I guess I'll go in then." You enter the gray building cautiously, you see a bunch of little centipedes crawling all over the place, some really slimy yellow ichor and just a general feeling of sickness. You've seen a lot in the Dark Order, but whatever happened here was really fucked up. You attention is turned to Mr. Demar who is on the floor...or rather IN the floor. Half of his body is embedded in the stone floor, you don't see how you can help him. "Shit! What the hell?" you exclaim. "Ugh...long story...look there isn't much time. (Cough) This take over has been a failure." "No it hasn't, we got the whole city, I killed the dean, and you stopped this temporal disturbance..." "I haven't stopped it, at least not permanently. The damage done was far too severe by the time I got here. Quayle's actions have ripped open a hole to a place you don't even want to know about. (Cough) I've temporarily patched it up, but who knows how long it will last. You better get out of here while you still can...I won't lie though, life for you is going to be rough. You'll be hunted when they find out what happened here and they WILL find out about you. They always do. Still, you may survive. You are powerful, maybe you'll be able to succeed where I failed...but I doubt it. Ugh...the odds...just too great...you want my last advice? Take that Catalina girl and have fun while you can." And with that last bit of advice Mr. Demar dies. Well this was a big downer. Here you thought you were ready to take on the world and then you find out all your actions have been for naught! Still, what does Mr. Demar know? He's dead! Perhaps you can find a way to fix the hole permanently or at least keep it patched. It seems folly to just abandon this city after having risked so much to gain it. Then again perhaps it would be better to follow Mr. Demar's advice. If you leave now, it might take awhile before your identities are discovered. Life on the run isn't going to be easy, but perhaps it won't be forever. > You take over the city You exit the gray building and approach Catalina, she looks at you expectantly. "So what're we going to do?" "We're taking over this city. From now on, it's you and me." You reply. Catalina is taken aback by your orders, given all of what has happened she senses that staying in the city wouldn't be the best plan. But she has no other allies. She has no idea of where to run. She will stick with you, if only because together you'll be a more formidable force when trouble surely arises. You and Catalina prepare yourselves for the trouble ahead... A month passes The Incident of Nuro has finally become well known knowledge. You and Catalina have managed to shore up the defenses of Nuro pretty well, all things considered. Some of the demonologists help out, but only because they have nowhere else to go and this is the safest place for them. You begin to instruct them to learn the ways of necromancy. You also manage to turn back a Grand Alliance army which didn't expect such a large resistance. The demons that left the city ran amok all over the countryside and took a particular interest in the Kingdom of Tulan under the guidance of Velzix, an arch fiend. Which is fortunate since it draws a little attention away from you. No signs of that "temporal hole" opening up again, but you tell some of your new acolytes to keep an eye on it. In the mean time nothing of importance is to be placed in that area. A year passes The Kingdom of Tulan has finally put the sword to every last demon infesting the area, which doesn't bode well for you since now you're the only "big evil" around now. The Grand Alliance attempts another siege of the city and once again they fail. You aren't confident you can hold out forever like this though, you attempt to claim that you have no plans for conquest, but your claims (true or not) go unheeded. They aren't taking any chances that you might build up. You and Catalina have at this point basically become "King and Queen" of the city. It's a logical pairing. Sometimes though it's more than just one of convenience. Your acolytes warn you about seeing strange things. Object temporarily disappearing. You begin to worry and unlock those old tomes that Quayle was reading hoping you can learn something. Another years passes You suffer two more attacks by the Grand Alliance. The last one lead by your own sister. You attempted to parley with her before battle, but she would have none of it. Indeed you received a letter from your Mom a month before the attack begging you to give yourself up. Of course you couldn't do that. You wrote her back with regret and told her that you shall probably not speak again. Your sister got farther than most, but in the end she died by your own hand. You didn't raise her. She was not deserving of such a fate. You burned her body instead and wished her well in the afterlife. How you wished that your Dad's mercenary company had been sent, but for whatever reason you have not heard anything from him. The coward. He knows you are more powerful and could easily crush him. The temporal disturbances are getting worse, and you're not learning anything new from Quayle's books, it's all just so damn confusing. You feel like you did when you were in school. Completely inept and helpless. Catalina tries to be understanding, but your behavior from reading the damn books is making you very erratic. She has to pick up the slack when you begin to make mistakes. Another year passes The temporal hole rips open once again. Horrible creatures come lurching out. You manage to fight them off, but the hole is getting bigger. Catalina insists that you both have to leave the city, but you're too far gone at this point, the books on temporal magic have begun to make you as mad as they did Quayle. (If without the talent) This is your city and you're bound and determined to hold it no matter what. She cannot endure anymore; she takes her leave of you one night...only to be killed by vampire assassins somewhere in the countryside. The Grand Alliance is preparing to attack again, more tentacle creatures are seeping into this reality. You don't care; you'll take them all on. You laugh insanely on your throne as the screams and unnatural howls fill the city. Battle and death is everywhere. You hear something coming up the stairs, and it's probably not Grand Alliance soldiers... "What was the point of it all? Nothing!" you laugh before being utterly destroyed.

You always meant to try this, but never got around to it. No time like the present... You concentrate and attempt to summon the spirits of the nearby dead to help you kill the dean. At first nothing seems to happen and you hear the dean killing more of your skeletons and walking corpses, but soon an eerie howl is heard. Several tormented ghostly beings rise up and you give them the simple order to kill. It takes a bit more concentration to control them, but you manage. The dean is surprised by the ghosts and fumbles with an appropriate spell, but isn't quick enough before they touch him and his life force begins to drain. Eventually he becomes a desicated husk and drops to the floor. "Damn that was cool." You giggle. Feeling totally pleased with your victory, you then remember Mr. Demar and Quayle's spell. You'd blocked it out of your mind during the battle, but you're hoping that's been resolved. You head towards the eastside of campus, and you see no disturbance, at least no buildings disappearing and reappearing. You do see Catalina standing by though; she sees you and waves you over. "Wow, you're back, I guess that means you killed the dean huh?" Catalina questions. "You sound surprised." "Hmm, I guess maybe I'm a little impressed." "What's going on?" "I dunno, I'm not sure myself, it was really weird. When I first got here I couldn't get to Quayle due to all the temporal disturbances, I was about to leave when Mr. Demar arrived, he told me to stand back and he would take care of this. He managed to walk straight into that gray building over there where I assume Quayle was. I saw Mr. Demar become a child, a rotting corpse and then revert back to his normal age before he got there. I then heard terrible noises within. I even saw some strange tentacled creatures come out of the building. I thought I was going to have to fight them, but then the entire mess just seemed to stop and there wasn't a disturbance anymore. I guess Mr. Demar won...but I haven't checked on him, I'm still hesitant about going near there." "Well I guess I'll go in then." You enter the gray building cautiously, you see a bunch of little centipedes crawling all over the place, some really slimy yellow ichor and just a general feeling of sickness. You've seen a lot in the Dark Order, but whatever happened here was really fucked up. You attention is turned to Mr. Demar who is on the floor...or rather IN the floor. Half of his body is embedded in the stone floor, you don't see how you can help him. "Shit! What the hell?" you exclaim. "Ugh...long story...look there isn't much time. (Cough) This take over has been a failure." "No it hasn't, we got the whole city, I killed the dean, and you stopped this temporal disturbance..." "I haven't stopped it, at least not permanently. The damage done was far too severe by the time I got here. Quayle's actions have ripped open a hole to a place you don't even want to know about. (Cough) I've temporarily patched it up, but who knows how long it will last. You better get out of here while you still can...I won't lie though, life for you is going to be rough. You'll be hunted when they find out what happened here and they WILL find out about you. They always do. Still, you may survive. You are powerful, maybe you'll be able to succeed where I failed...but I doubt it. Ugh...the odds...just too great...you want my last advice? Take that Catalina girl and have fun while you can." And with that last bit of advice Mr. Demar dies. Well this was a big downer. Here you thought you were ready to take on the world and then you find out all your actions have been for naught! Still, what does Mr. Demar know? He's dead! Perhaps you can find a way to fix the hole permanently or at least keep it patched. It seems folly to just abandon this city after having risked so much to gain it. Then again perhaps it would be better to follow Mr. Demar's advice. If you leave now, it might take awhile before your identities are discovered. Life on the run isn't going to be easy, but perhaps it won't be forever. > You leave the city You exit the gray building and approach Catalina, she looks at you expectantly. "So what're we going to do?" "We're getting out of here, and we're not looking back. From now on, it's you and me." You reply. Catalina is taken aback by your orders, but given all of what has happened she senses that staying in the city wouldn't be the best plan. She too has no other allies. She will stick with you, if only because together you'll be a more formidable force when trouble surely arises. You and Catalina leave the decimated city of Nuro behind you... A month passes The Incident of Nuro has finally become well known knowledge. A few demonologists attempted to run the hollow shell of the city, but severely lacked any sort of manpower, natural or unnatural to hold it. They were easily defeated when the Grand Alliance army came to retake the city. The demons that left the city ran amok all over the countryside and took a particular interest in the Kingdom of Tulan under the guidance of Velzix, an arch fiend. You and Catalina still remain unknown as far as being involved, but other members of the Dark Order that escaped are starting to be hunted down... A year passes The Kingdom of Tulan has finally put the sword to every last demon infesting the area. Most of the demonologist have been caught and hung for their crimes as well. Your name has also come up on the wanted list along with Catalina's. You both now keep to the rural locations; many times you have to fend off attacks from barbaric orc tribes. Fortunately your skills in necromancy protect you (as well as scare the hell out of the orcs) Despite the hardship (Or perhaps because of it) you and Catalina form a sort of relationship beyond one of just mutual protection. There are times when you forget that you're being hunted constantly. Two years pass Just like Mr. Demar predicted a temporal disturbance in the city of Nuro reappears again. Horrible creatures come lurching out creating a "Second Incident" before the time hole is repaired for good. However the city is evacuated due to mass insanity caused there and is considered a danger zone under observation by the Grand Alliance. Catalina is killed by vampire assassins during the night, you take vengeance, but it's too late for her. You weep for the first time in a long time. You briefly flirt with the idea of raising her...but you burn her body instead and carry on your path alone. And all you can think about is how tired you are... Two more years pass You hear them coming for you, there is no more running. This is your fate. To die in this cave. You don't even want to fight it anymore. You regret the day you set out on this path. Such is often the fate of a necromancer.

"Sure I'll go." "Very well, you and Felsa are coming with me. Trelik, you go brush up on the attack strategy." "But!" "No buts! Just do it!" Trelik storms off while you, Mr. Demar and Felsa head towards the conference room. When you arrive, you see a single pale emaciated figure. He doesn't look at all like the vampires you've heard of in past. There is no regality here. "It's about time you showed up. I must confess I was not enthused about you leaving me here waiting like a dog. We have very important matters to discuss!" he hisses. "My apologies Yolev. I just needed to take care of a few things. Please sit, and let us all discuss this." "There really is no discussion Mr. Demar! You are to cease your plan immediately lest you face the full brunt of the vampire clans! Your foolish mortal desires will kill us all and we cannot allow that to happen! We must continue to survive!" "Survive? Is that all you vampires worry about anymore? Why at one time you were secret rulers and puppet masters. Hell, without you the Great Lich Lord wouldn't have made nearly as much progress as he did." "And THAT folly of those ignorant vampires is exactly why we must stop you now. The Dead War cost us greatly, we should not have thrown our lot in with a mad man who was determined to bring death to the world. It was only at the last minute that the wiser of us realized to do so would be detrimental to us. Almost too late. We are only a shadow of our former selves, but that shadow is still long...and we can make life difficult for you." Yolev warns. "I don't respond well to idle threats, but I will say this, your fears are unfounded. The Dark Order is not seeking to bring death to the world, we are merely going to reestablish the proper order of things. The strong were meant to rule, and WE are the strong. Those who master the dark arts have always been strong. It is why we are so feared and hated and hunted. You should not be against us Yolev. You should see this as an opportunity to reestablish your rightful place as vampires." Mr. Demar's words have a slight effect on Yolev. He falls silent and looks almost wistful of ancient times, when his kind roamed more free in civilization, rather than hiding and cowering on the outskirts like animals. He quickly snaps out of it though. "Idealistic words, Mr. Demar, but even if we were still to use what little influence we still have, I cannot believe that you and a few students can change the world. Even if you manage to take this one city, you can't believe that you'll get away with it. You there! You're one of these students are you not? What do you think? And tell me what you TRULY think, not what Mr. Demar wants you to think." Yolev points to you. "Well uh...I think we can do it." You stutter off guard. "...You think you can do it? Is that all you have to say about it? This is what you're working with Mr. Demar? How could we ever place any faith in your plan when you're training near idiots that can barely form sentences?" "Yolev, you might be a delegate, but you best watch your tone, you're not in the best position right now, and given your previous threats you're already treading on dangerous ground." "You dare to threaten ME? I've crushed greater men AND women than you!" "Yeah, and now you're a running lap dog for some so called vampire king who rules over nothing but a few remaining scraps of a dying legacy." As this begins to get hostile, you notice Felsa preparing to cast something. You think that if you say anything, things are only going to get worse, so you stand back and do nothing, but hostilities don't cease and eventually Felsa casts a blast of fire at Yolev, he falls to the floor trying to beat out the flames, but Demar isn't pleased. "FELSA! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" he shouts and then finishes off Yolev by casting some sort of spell that causes his chest to explode. Two Imps suddenly appear and begin to rip Yolev apart before he can get a chance to recover. "The pair of you really fucked up today! You with your actions and you with your bumbling! I might as well had Trelik with me! Shit! (Sigh) Alright. Fine we can still do this, but the vampires are going to be pissed off at us now for killing their delegate and it's definitely going to make things harder. Come on we got a lot to prepare for." The last month is no picnic. Mr. Demar has you all training a lot harder than you have before. He's been pushing everyone a lot harder to the point that they're getting tired and sloppy. One of the demonologists gets eaten by a brimstone beast. Another accidentally casts a spell backwards and causes himself to be sucked into the infernal realm. Morale isn't exactly the highest. But the plan goes through and after the first week classes go back in session, the gates of hell are literally opened. Portals appear all over various parts of not only the campus, but also the city. Demons come swarming out of the portals gleefully killing all in their path. The demonologist lead the attack, while you and the other three necromancers take advantage of all the new corpses in the area. Soon, you have a fair sized army of dead. Mr. Demar himself is taking on the head professors at the college, with the help of Felsa and Trelik. Given the amount of explosions you're seeing from the streets, you're glad you got a "lower" assignment. All seems to be going well until it looks like the demons have decided to leave the city limits, one of the demonologists tries to corral them back shouting that they are supposed to only concentrate on Nuro, but they laugh and simply say: "You didn't mention that in the deal!" With the demons completely unreliable now, it's up to you necromancers to take up the slack. You do alright, but there's still a lot of resistance and something has gone wrong with Quayle's spell as your attackers are beginning to move at a normal rate instead of a slower one. You don't see this ending well, unless something changes quick. Even if you win, you know you got a shit load of problems ahead of you. > You run away Sensing impending doom, you decide your best course of action is to escape. You immediately take your undead horde and fight your way out of the city. You then attempt to put as much distance as you can between you and Nuro. You curse the day you decided to fuck around with the dark arts. Where are you going to go now? You have no idea, but you can't be seen walking around the countryside with a bunch of rotting corpses in tow. Quickly you dismiss your small army, which instantly collapses back to death and you run to the nearest settlement. You get to the town of Selawag, which is part of the Brot Kingdom. You enter an inn there with no problems. It would appear that the news of what's happened hasn't traveled here yet, but you know it won't be long. And then how long will it be before someone finds out that you were involved? You suppose it's possible that you could escape without suspicion, but it's unlikely. The hunters always find out. They always know. And life on the run, is what you have to look forward to now. You'll have to constantly move, and never rest. You prepare yourself for your new life... A month passes The Incident of Nuro has finally become well known knowledge. The take over was a failure, but the damage done was severe. A temporal disturbance in the heart of the city has made the entire area unstable as buildings phase in and out of existence. Two of the well known culprits Mr. Demar and Felsa were killed in battle. A third, Trelik escaped and is considered to be at large. Many of the Dark Order were either killed or went into hiding. Demons are running amok all over the countryside and have taken particular interest in the Kingdom of Tulan. A year passes The Kingdom of Tulan has finally put the sword to every last demon infesting the area. Necromancer Trelik was finally hunted down and killed after he was cornered in a small village that he'd turned into his own personal domain. Most of the demonologist have been caught and hung for their crimes as well. Your name has also come up on the wanted list along with the two remaining necromancers involved: Sebastian and Catalina. You now keep to the rural locations; many times you barely survive attacks from barbaric orc tribes. Fortunately your skills in necromancy protect you (as well as scare the hell out of the orcs) Two years pass Nuro has completely collapsed in on itself due to the temporal disturbance leaving nothing but a gaping hole there; a war breaks out in the nearby area. Sebastian took his own life as the Retlad Guard beat down his door. Catalina was found dead by an unknown assassin. Nobody knows who, but it wasn't by any government. You have a good idea though, considering you have been attacked several times by vampire assassins during the night. Two more years pass You hear them coming for you, there is no more running. This is your fate. To die in this cave. You don't even want to fight it anymore. You regret the day you set out on this path. Such is often the fate of a necromancer.

No way, you're not going down that path. There are too many stories about demons fucking people over in their deals. In fact, you're a little worried about the fact that this "class" has more dedicated demonologist than necromancers. Still you'll just have to deal with it for now, you can only hope they know what they're doing and have a better grasp on things than a certain cabal of wizards did during the Dead War. As for you, you need to start mastering your own branch of magic. When you get to the pits, you are literally surrounded by bones. You open up your book and begin to read a bit before casting your spell. Your first attempt isn't too bad. You animate one skeleton, and surprisingly it doesn't attack you. You continue to practice this, and while it's only been an hour, you've already animated thirty skeletons, all of which are completely obedient and not attempting to attack you at all. You're not sure if this is normal, good or bad for a beginner, but given how many problems you had with other branches of magic, you think you're doing pretty well. In fact you feel pretty proud of yourself. You decide to get a little more inventive and you see rusty weapons on the floor along with the bones. You command the skeletons to pick them up and begin to start sparring with each other. They do so, without problems. This sound of minor battle brings in a few of the students, most of whom are shocked. "What's going...whoa. I thought you said you never did this before." Sebastian says walking in. "I haven't...I dunno, it's just coming so easy to me. For the first time I feel like I'm actually good at something!" you say. "Well, it's a lot better than what you did in Enchantment class when you managed to charm all those frogs which then proceeded to attack the professor." Catalina says. "That was you? I even heard about that. Man, what is it with you and your spells accidentally hurting your professors in some way?" Irwin adds. You ignore Irwin's question, and address Catalina. "I thought I remembered you from somewhere. I asked you out once." "Hmm, yes and you were unsuccessful in that as well. I suggest you stop looking at me and pay attention to your little army there, before they get out of hand. Like that one." You turn around and stop one of the skeletons that's wandering in your direction and then command him to go back to sparring. "Man, I've never seen someone with this much control just starting out. Well Trelik comes to mind, but he was already very skilled in general magic and was learning directly under Mr. Demar. From what others have said, you were completely inept at magic and have no previous training in this stuff whatsoever. You're like an idiot savant of necromancy or something." Sebastian says. "Um...thanks. I think." "Well anyway, glad you've joined up. We'll leave you be. If you want to try something harder, there's more tomes in the study area and just ask one of us where the other practice centers are." And so it goes. You find your place among the Dark Order and practice your skills there, in fact it gets to the point that you rarely leave the secret underground base at all. You begin to catch the attention of Mr. Demar who is very impressed with your ability to learn and master so quickly. "Natural" isn't the word for it, more like prodigy. Trelik however is showing signs of jealousy... Mr. Demar has to tell you to take a break every now and then or else you'll drain yourself. You don't feel that way though, you feel like you have more energy than ever. As he promised your grades were "fixed" though Mr. Demar's actions meaning you don't get kicked out of the college. You tell your parents that you're taking an advanced course in magic that requires you to stay and how you're really excited about it. Your Mom is a little disappointed that she won't see you, but is happy to hear that you're doing so much better in school. If she only knew... The City of Nuro is a quieter place with less students around, but the guise of secrecy still must be kept. After a month has passed you find out that this "class" aren't the only allies Mr. Demar has. He's been teaching the dark arts for years and most of his "graduates" are living in this city. The attack is going to come when classes first start up again. Demar feels that it will actually be more beneficial to attack with more people in the city because after the demons are done with the killing, the Necromancers can raise the dead to reinforce the hold on the city. One key part in all of this is Quayle. He is to cast a slow spell of the greatest proportions over the city. While everyone else is moving at a near stand still, the Dark Order will be able to take over key locations much easier. While all of this sounds exciting you can't help but still be concerned about this plan. Mr. Demar is placing most of his faith in the demonologist, which you suppose is understandable given his background in conjuration, but you feel as if you necromancers are getting put on the backburner. Sure you're playing your part, but it almost seems as if you're just there as "back up". Not to mention you're still not keen on the whole idea of dealing with so many demons. Of course these concerns are the least of your problems as another month goes by, Trelik is becoming a complete asshole to you. Within the short time you've been here, he's time and time again attempted to sabotage your spells, but usually you manage to overcome. You've got a month to go before the final plans are in place, but suddenly Mr. Demar has some news he's not pleased to inform everyone of. "Class, we've got a delegate from the Vampire Clans. I don't think I have to tell you how annoying this is." You ask Sebastian what's the problem and what exactly is going. Sebastian tells you that ever since the clans heard about Demar's plans, they've been strongly opposed to them for they fear that it will draw attention to their one last stronghold which is kept invisible and secret to the rest of the world. It is there where the last of the "ruling" class vampires still exist, most of them having been killed or degenerated into little more than mindless beasts that are eventually hunted down. While you're fascinated by Sebastian's explanation of things, you're suddenly singled out by Trelik. "YOU! Do you find this so unimportant that you feel the need not to pay attention?" "No. I just didn't know the whole situation and I was asking..." "If you wanted more information you should've been asking Mr. Demar after he was done talking!" "Okay, okay. That will do Trelik. Someone should've explained it to him before actually, given that he'll be playing a large part in this plan. In fact, maybe he should come with me to meet the delegate instead." "But Mr. Demar! I have more experience in this sort of thing!" "True, but to be quite honest, the blood suckers don't care too much for you. You're too combative. So how about it? Do you wish to be present when I speak to this delegate?" > Decline "No that's okay." You say not wishing to cause trouble. Mr. Demar frowns a bit, but accepts your decision. "Very well, I guess you're with me Trelik, and for fuck's sake don't be so damn hostile this time. These matters have to be handled with care!" As they leave to the conference room, you go back to practicing your lessons. While you're in the middle of them you and the rest of the students soon hear some noise and the sounds of battle. "DAMN IT TRELIK IF YOU'RE GONNA KILL THE SONOFABITCH, AT LEAST GET IT RIGHT!" you hear Mr. Demar yell. You and a few of the other student go running toward the conference room, a figure runs at you in flames! He smashes into you wailing horribly setting you on fire as well, you can't get him off of you in time before you begin to burn up, but it hardly matters as Trelik soon comes to finish off the vampire delegate...and you as well with another fireball. "Sorry Mr. Demar, couldn't be helped."

Even though you're supposed to be a wizard in training, you spend as little time as possible in library if you can help it. Normally you just check out whatever you need to read for a class and leave. You have little faith in finding anything substantial on Necromancy in there, but maybe you can find something that will at least quell this thirst for knowledge on it. You realize you're treading on dangerous ground, but you have to try to learn more. The library is huge however, and you're unsure of where to look, it's not like there's a section on Necromancy or Outlawed Magic, but you figure you'll look in the History section first. You glance and browse through the stacks until you pick up a few choice books that look like they might contain something, sit down in a quiet corner and begin to read. Naturally you don't learn too much. The history books mainly go on about how bad the Dead War was, important battles, the atrocities of the Lich Lord, the typical stuff you've read time and time again. Still, you're determined to find something new. You spend hours reading until you realize you've spent the day in the library and that it's now night time. Oddly the library is mostly empty, and that's probably because finals are now over, one of which you've now undoubtedly failed. You think of how stupid you've been to obsess over an outlawed art that you probably wouldn't be any good at anyway! You've only been dwelling on the subject to ignore your own problems that you could've tried to solve yourself, instead of fantasizing about being some Necromancer. Raising the dead...what good would that do you? Delusions of grandeur. You wouldn't have enough motivation to try to take over the world anyway. There was only one person who truly motivated you, and she's gone. You begin to think about Serena and begin to feel sorrow like when you first lost her. You've had enough of death. You leave the library in a daze and head back home to sleep off this miserable day. You can't escape though; even your dreams bring death. You dream about Serena. At first she's alive and vibrant, and then suddenly she dies before your eyes. Then you see her grave with you sobbing over it and shouting how you demand that she not leave you. Then she rises from her grave...and you wake up only to come face to face with her! She is a ghost floating near your bed. "HOLY SHIT!" you shout and back up against your headboard. "Shhhh! Hush my love, I'm risking a lot just by being here." She says looking around as if someone is going to bust down your door any minute. "Serena, what's going on? This isn't a dream is it?" "No, my dear I assure you that I am very real. And I have a message for you." "A message?" "Yes, embrace death and all the beauty it has to offer." "You want me to kill myself, to join you?" Serena laughs a bit. "No silly, you are to become a necromancer and bring the purity of death to the world." "...yeah right. With my aptitude of magic, I doubt if I could raise a mouse skeleton." "You always did lack confidence in yourself. I suppose that's why they sent me to motivate you one last time. Though I admit, I would've come to see you anyway." "They?" Serena side steps your question and continues. "Look we haven't much time, but you HAVE the ability to become the greatest Necromancer since the Great Lich Lord who brought the world near the brink of extinction centuries ago, but you cannot do it alone...at least not yet. You must have allies. There are others like you on this campus who long to practice the dark arts. Seek them out and take over this college as your first step to your destiny." "What? Hold on! What makes you think I want to do all this?" Serena floats closer to you and touches your face with a ghostly hand. You feel completely calm. "Because deep down it IS what you want. You know your thoughts are dominated by death. You even think of me rather than living girls and I've been dead for years. The very fact that your mind played a part in summoning me here is also proof of your desire." "I miss you..." "I know you do, but my point is, even before I died I remember you having an interest in the dark arts. Indeed it's part of what attracted me to you. But now I must return and you must fulfill your part in this world, whether you succeed or fail at this endeavor will ultimately be up to you, but I believe you will succeed." Serena then floats a little closer to kiss you. "Farewell, my love." She says and then disappears. You're now wide awake and pacing the floor. You've been ambivalent about pursuing this path before, but the more you think about it and with this visit from Serena, this is the path you're going to choose. And why not? It's not like you have any better options in your life at this point. You're going to do it, and though Serena mentioned others like you being on campus, you're damned if you have a clue to as of knowing who they are since you don't really socialize. Still, you can think of two people that could get you started. (Or at least not rat on you, when you start inquiring about Necromancy) The next day you take your first steps towards darkness... > Go talk to the demon, Big Red Serena's advice might've pointed you in the right direction, but as far as you needing the help of others you're going to take a pass on that. You don't need anyone else except yourself. That's the way it's been for a long time and that's the way it's going to stay. That leaves you to go where various other students have gone when they want to get something illegal and keep it to themselves. "Big Red". Technically Big Red isn't actually all that big, in fact for a demon he's probably on the smaller size, but like most demons he likes to think he's very important. Big Red typically hangs around in the seedy parts of Nuro, but he also hangs around the park area on campus late at night. His presence in Nuro is barely tolerated, but he's been known to acquire things for high ranking officials and provide important information that is beneficial to Nuro security. Oddly for all his mercenary criminal behavior he's tight lipped for a demon and will only tell on someone if asked directly and only then for the right price. Given how low profile you are, it's unlikely anyone's going to ask about you, let alone what for. Chances are if anyone does see you with Big Red they'll just think you're another college student looking to get high. You wait until night and then stalk the campus park area looking for Big Red, but instead he finds you, catching you off guard. "Y'know you'd look less guilty if you weren't lurking around like a damn dark elf assassin. Haven't seen you around before, I guess that explains why you're coming to me AFTER finals are over. Most students come and get the answers before hand y'know." "You sell those? Damn, I didn't have to fail my nature test final after all." "I could probably fix that too, for a price of course." "...maybe, but what I'm looking for is uh...a little different." "Ah, so high exactly do you want to get?" "No, not that..." "Well, I'm not selling sex slaves if that's what you're looking for...well at least not here." "No! I'm looking for something different!" Big Red gives you a strange look. "Okay, what kind of freak are you exactly then?" "I'm looking for something on Necromancy." Big Red throws you up against a tree when you make that remark and begins to whisper to you in a harsh tone. You can feel (And smell) the brimstone emanating from his breath. "You fucking little mortal pissant, you trying to get me killed? I don't sell that shit! Get the fuck outta here!" he says before throwing you on the ground and walking away. Now it may be that he's telling the truth, but he may be more worried that you're trying to set him up. You're determined to find out regardless of the consequences. You run back to him, but stay out of his immediate range. "Look, I know you're a guy who can get a hold of lots of things and I also know you're available for a price. I'm not a spy, I'm not gonna rat you out, I'm not working for anyone, I just have a...need..." Big Red turns back towards you and walks in your direction, you think he's going to attack and you nearly run, but chances are he'd catch you first anyway. He's looking around in all directions and speaking in a low tone. "Alright. Look. Since you're obviously new and not hip to how this works, I'm inclined to believe you're not working for someone. Someone undercover wouldn't be so obviously clueless as you seem to be, at least not to catch the likes of me. Plus I can sense the darkness around you...it's a neat ability we have and again let's us tell who's a goody two shoes and who isn't. You don't seem to be either though just yet. You seem to be more confused and curious than anything which is almost as bad." "So you can't you help me?" "It's not that I can't, it's whether I should. This isn't selling you some Hobgoblin Hashish so you can go get high and wind up naked the next morning with a Dwarf in your ass." "Um...what? Excuse me?" you stutter at Big Red's odd scenario outcome. "This is serious shit, if word got around that I was selling information on the Dark Arts, let alone books on it, my ass would be strung up and killed. And to have some dumb ass college student fucking around with something as dangerous as that is asking for trouble since YOU'RE probably going to get yourself caught, which will then lead to possible questions before they kill you...which can then link to me. And that can't happen." "I'm not going to get caught." "Hah! Heard that one before from people getting busted for less. I dunno, I don't see you as a good risk and even if I did consider this request my price would be VERY high and I don't see you as having that kind of money to spend." Big Red's denials of your request are actually making you want what he has even more. You KNOW he can help you. In fact you're beginning to get irritated. Why the hell is he denying you this? He's a fucking demon who sells illegal shit! He shouldn't care at all! You're desperate for his help though so you tell an outlandish lie. "Look my parents are rich! I can get the money for you, just gimme your price and I can get it...it might take me awhile, but I can get it." "Oh you can huh? Alright then I'll play your game. He's my price." Big Red pulls out a little pad of paper and pencil and writes something on it and then hands it to you. You read the astronomical price while Big Red's face turns into a smug demonic grin. He probably did that for dramatic effect. There's no way you can pay this, even if you somehow managed to convince your parents to give you money to support your grossly illegal studies in necromancy. You're not going to let it stop you though. "Wow...that is high...okay. I can get this, but it'll take me a few days." You say feigning a mixture of shock, but calmness too. Big Red himself looks surprised that you agreed. He begins to write down something on his pad again and gives it to you. "Well alright money bags, we got a deal. You come meet me at this time and location in a week. If you ain't there, then you can forget about coming to see me for anything ever again. If you come and you don't have the money...well I don't think I need to stress how bad that would be. So my advice is if you don't have it, don't show. See ya." "Hey wait, you said you can fix my grade too." You suddenly remember. "Don't you think you've spent enough money tonight? Alright then maybe you ARE made of gold after all, so what's the class?" "Nature magic." "Oh yeah, you said that. Yeah, that's definitely doable, mainly because the professor is, I just need to slip the deviled ham into her and she'll be willing to pass anyone." "I thought she was a lesbian." "Feh, not when it comes to Big Red. It ain't just a name ya know. Alright, my price for this task is two hundred gold pieces. Normally I might charge less, but hey you got the money right?" Indeed, but you don't have much now after forking it over to Big Red. You were hoping the gold you brought was going to go towards a necromantic tome, but instead it's just going to cheating. "Thanks, and as appreciation for your generous business tonight, I think I'll go take care of that grade situation of yours right now, if I'm lucky maybe she'll have one of those little elven bitches with her. Ha ha!" As Big Red leaves you, you head back to your apartment to scheme for the rest of the week. You go through a wide variety of emotions: fear, anger, desire, anxiety, obsession, etc. None of it really means anything though since you don't really have too much in the way of choices now. You're either going to have to kill Big Red when you go to meet him, or just forget about this necromancy stuff and go home for vacation. > You kill Big Red While all the other students are on their way home for vacation, you're planning a murder... You're in this all the way now. You've decided that you can't live life as you have been. You have to take this chance, regardless of the consequences. You're just wondering how the hell you're going to go about killing Big Red. He's not going to be a push over and is probably more than a match for most college students, let alone one who can barely cast spells competently in first place. Still, you must try. You get one of your oversized back packs and begin stuffing it with rocks. The only plan you have is when he asks to see the money, you'll tell him you got it in gemstones, throw it at him to catch it and then unleash a blast of lightning in his face. After that you're going to hope for the best. You head down to the location given to you by Big Red. Even though Nuro is a prosperous city, it still has its "bad parts" and right now you're walking in one of them. You half expect to get mugged by orcs at any moment; you almost wish your sister was with you. Eventually you get to the location, you're already nervous about all this and walking through this neighborhood just made you more so. However, this dilapidated house that you're currently standing in front of looks like its shown signs of battle recently. The door is smashed open and there's a whiff of charred flesh coming from the broken windows. "Heeeeeey....(hic!) youz ain't goin' in dere is ya?" some drunken goblin lying by some trash cans nearby utters. "This is Big Red's house isn't it?" "(hic!) Nope, his girlfriend lives here, well one of 'em anyway." "What happened here?" "Shit. (hic!) Fuck if I know. I was passed out for most of it, but I heard some screams a couple of magic blasts and well...(hic!) a whole buncha shit really." "Is Big Red in there?" "Dunno, I think I heard his voice...didn't sound good either. (hic!) Guess it all caught up to him. Here's to Red! Demon Bastard! (hic!) Hope dey didn't kill his pretty little girlfrien' doh. She was swee-eet!" the goblin says and takes another drink out of his pocket. "Nobody's come out here, to investigate?" "Har har! Datsh a good one boy! Come out here? Man those mage guards like us poor folks killing each other. Ain't nobody gonna show up here probably for like a few days. (hic!) fuckin...no good (mumble mumble)" As the goblin wino lapses back into an alcoholic coma, you cautiously enter the house. The house is a wreck. Though you get the impression it wasn't a palace to begin with. You look on the floor and see Big Red. You also see him on the walls and even the ceiling. Whoever wanted him dead, made sure of it. Of course this doesn't exactly help you get what you wanted to get from him. Not knowing what else to do, you begin to search the house, but you're not finding too much, but for some reason you sense you aren't completely alone in this house. Someone is still here. You stand completely silent and listen carefully, then you see a blood trail leading to the bedroom closet... "Alright, I know someone is in the closet, I can hear the stifled cries. Just come out, and I won't hurt you. I just want to know what happened to Big Red and some information." You shout. The closet slowly opens and you see a young human woman crawl out, she's hurt badly and you don't think you can help her in time. She looks up at you with tears in her eyes. "I've nothing more to give...they've taken everything...I am dead...I have nothing else..." she sobs. "Who came? What's going on?" "That damn college professor and his Dark Order that's who! Mr. Demar! He and Big Red have had dealings for years in forbidden tomes and the dark arts. Well Mr. Demar said since their business was nearly at an end he demanded that Big Red just hand over all the rest of his collection. Violence soon followed. It was horrible what they did... I only lived this long by playing dead (sob)...but then I just wanted to crawl into a dark place and die." This bit of information is very interesting, but you still have to figure out how it can serve you. "What does Mr. Demar have planned?" "I don't know! Something about restoring the rightful place of those who practice the dark arts. I don't care! They took my whole life away! Maybe it wasn't much, and maybe Big Red was a demon asshole...but I loved him and in his way, he loved me! I'll never know!" the girl cries. You feel slightly bad about coming here to try to kill Big Red now. This girl's feelings while most likely misguided seem to be genuine. Just proving that even the lowliest of scoundrels can be loved. Your mind briefly thinks about Serena before addressing this situation again. "Okay, look shhhh. I'm sure Big Red probably did love you. He was a demon though, you know he had to put on a show and act tough." You say. "...(sniff) yeah...You're absolutely right. You are right....mmm I'm sleepy..." She says as her eyes begin to start closing. "Hold on, before you go to sleep, I need to know something. Big Red was holding a book for me too, a book on necromancy. I was coming to pay him and pick it up here. It sounds like Mr. Demar was trying to rip the both of us off and that ain't no way of doing business. I mean to get revenge on the lot of them that killed Big Red, but I'll need the help of that book, you don't happen to know where it is, do you?" "...oh...yeah, you must be the one that Big Red briefly mentioned before they came...I dunno, they searched the house, maybe they got it, but it would be in a small hidden floor safe behind the toilet. Ha ha...nobody searches behind a toilet Red used to say...I love you Big Red..." The girl says and then closes her eyes and stops breathing. Poor girl, you think as you leave her to search the bathroom. You curse as soon as you look behind the toilet and see a small panel open. You're so frustrated you nearly miss the false bottom of the safe... Jackpot. You pry up the false bottom and greedily grab the tome you were looking for, in fact there are a few other books there too, but you only keep the necromantic ones, and destroy the rest as you have no interest in demon summoning. (And not going to let anyone else use them either!) You pour out the rocks in your backpack and place the books inside; you're now ready to go back home. Or are you? In your last minute peruse you search the remains of Big Red, and as luck would have it, you find his infamous pad and paper still somewhat intact. You briefly glance through it and make out one other address, not too far from here. It could be his real home or maybe just another place where he stashed stuff. Either way it could be lucrative. > You go back home You head to your apartment where you study your acquired books until morning and then sleep for the entire day. When you wake up you write a letter to your family saying that you're going to be staying at Nuro for vacation since you have some extra curricular studying to do and a big opportunity could be opening up. You mostly study your necromantic books and absorbing the knowledge within. You keep up with local news and the deaths of Big Red and his girlfriend are barely mentioned. You gather that you're in the clear. Next week you get a letter in return from your Mom who says she's disappointed you won't be coming to visit, but pleased that you're doing well and your grades are back up. (At least Big Red came through for you on the nature magic thing before he died) She also mentions how proud she is of you. If she only knew... A month passes and you've almost finished the books you acquired, but you haven't been able to do any practicing which is something you desperately want to do. You feel like you got all this power within you and you're being forced not to use it. You're so hot on raising some corpses you're on the verge of doing something rash. You ponder going to the local graveyard which is really risky given that there are always guards on duty and magical monitors in place to prevent such things from easily occurring. Your other alternative is to kill someone and then raise them. > You go to the graveyard The city isn't as busy now since most of the students have left, so maybe you won't have too many problems. Initially all goes well. You sneak into the graveyard at night, managing to avoid the guards. You then break into one of the mausoleums where you hope you can find some easily accessible coffins. You shut the door and pry open one of them trying to be as quiet as possible. The skeletal remains inside are calling to you. You take out your book and begin to cast your spell and within no time at all the skeleton inside begins to rise. Success! And it barely took any effort at all. You were born for this! You open up another nearby coffin and raise another one. Two skeletons! You're controlling two at a time with no problems! You're positively euphoric. Of course you've been making a lot of noise. Noise that one of the guards hears and comes to investigate, when he sees the door lock broken and opens it, he sees you. "NECROMANCER!" he screams and runs away! You don't care that you've been caught though. You're ready to show the world what you're really made of! You begin the chant and cast, and all that other stuff you've been reading about. You're going to raise an army to swarm this city and take it over! None shall oppose you! And if Mr. Demar gets in your way, you'll crush him too! Soon you're raising the dead from their graves, and even though you're a "natural" at this, you're still shy of practice so you have a bit of a hard time controlling so many. By the time you reach the hundreds, you're losing control over most of them and you have to leave the graveyard to save your own life. You march down the street with the dead horde you do have control over causing havoc on a small scale. You have some fun reveling in the terror you're bringing, but it is short sighted and not to last. The Nuro mage guards soon arrive on the scene and they don't fuck around. They use every spell against you, destroying entire blocks in an effort to bring you down. It is at this point you realize that you've handled this poorly. When you've lost your last corpse, you attempt to run away only to bump into a few of the dead that had wandered away from your control. In a kind of ironic justice, you are killed before you can reestablish your dominance over them.

You head to your apartment where you study your acquired books until morning and then sleep for the entire day. When you wake up you write a letter to your family saying that you're going to be staying at Nuro for vacation since you have some extra curricular studying to do and a big opportunity could be opening up. You mostly study your necromantic books and absorbing the knowledge within. You keep up with local news and the deaths of Big Red and his girlfriend are barely mentioned. You gather that you're in the clear. Next week you get a letter in return from your Mom who says she's disappointed you won't be coming to visit, but pleased that you're doing well and your grades are back up. (At least Big Red came through for you on the nature magic thing before he died) She also mentions how proud she is of you. If she only knew... A month passes and you've almost finished the books you acquired, but you haven't been able to do any practicing which is something you desperately want to do. You feel like you got all this power within you and you're being forced not to use it. You're so hot on raising some corpses you're on the verge of doing something rash. You ponder going to the local graveyard which is really risky given that there are always guards on duty and magical monitors in place to prevent such things from easily occurring. Your other alternative is to kill someone and then raise them. > You kill someone You were planning on killing Big Red and he was a demon, you think you'll be able to handle killing someone else that's less formidable. You head back to the seedy part of Nuro at night. There are plenty of winos and ladies of the evening you can kill and then practice on. You enter the alleys like some common murderer and begin to do your dirty work on those unfortunate enough to be in the general area. You typically drag these victims into some abandoned building and cast your spells. You do this over the course of a month before one night while you're raising another prostitute you're walked in on by some common thugs who were using the building you were in as a hide out. "Oh shit! That's Tina! I wondered what happened to her, she was my favorite whore!" "And that's a fucking necromancer! Let's get outta here!" "Fuck that, I don't back down from shit!" You order your dead whore to attack one thug and then blast another with a beam of negative energy. The last one escapes screaming about a necromancer. "Well, I guess it's time to play..." you giggle and raise the two thugs to join you. You march through the slums killing everyone; it's all so easy for you. You don't feel a challenge; your dead horde just grows as you fill its ranks with the poor. You aren't even fatigued, you feel invincible and you're now determined to bring death to the entire city. No one can oppose you and if Mr. Demar and his Dark Order tries too, they'll get the same, for you're going to be the head necromancer in this city! Soon your horde is numbering in the hundreds and you've drawn the attention of Nuro's mage guards at last. They do everything in their power to stop you, even leveling entire blocks to get to you. It's at that point you realize you might be in over your head. You continue to fight however, you refuse to give up, but the odds are too great, and eventually a single sniper on a rooftop with a crossbow takes aim and pieces your skull, putting an end to your petty desires of conquest and your necromancer career.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, war, grimdark, serious] While all the other students are on their way home for vacation, you're planning a murder... You're in this all the way now. You've decided that you can't live life as you have been. You have to take this chance, regardless of the consequences. You're just wondering how the hell you're going to go about killing Big Red. He's not going to be a push over and is probably more than a match for most college students, let alone one who can barely cast spells competently in first place. Still, you must try. You get one of your oversized back packs and begin stuffing it with rocks. The only plan you have is when he asks to see the money, you'll tell him you got it in gemstones, throw it at him to catch it and then unleash a blast of lightning in his face. After that you're going to hope for the best. You head down to the location given to you by Big Red. Even though Nuro is a prosperous city, it still has its "bad parts" and right now you're walking in one of them. You half expect to get mugged by orcs at any moment; you almost wish your sister was with you. Eventually you get to the location, you're already nervous about all this and walking through this neighborhood just made you more so. However, this dilapidated house that you're currently standing in front of looks like its shown signs of battle recently. The door is smashed open and there's a whiff of charred flesh coming from the broken windows. "Heeeeeey....(hic!) youz ain't goin' in dere is ya?" some drunken goblin lying by some trash cans nearby utters. "This is Big Red's house isn't it?" "(hic!) Nope, his girlfriend lives here, well one of 'em anyway." "What happened here?" "Shit. (hic!) Fuck if I know. I was passed out for most of it, but I heard some screams a couple of magic blasts and well...(hic!) a whole buncha shit really." "Is Big Red in there?" "Dunno, I think I heard his voice...didn't sound good either. (hic!) Guess it all caught up to him. Here's to Red! Demon Bastard! (hic!) Hope dey didn't kill his pretty little girlfrien' doh. She was swee-eet!" the goblin says and takes another drink out of his pocket. "Nobody's come out here, to investigate?" "Har har! Datsh a good one boy! Come out here? Man those mage guards like us poor folks killing each other. Ain't nobody gonna show up here probably for like a few days. (hic!) fuckin...no good (mumble mumble)" As the goblin wino lapses back into an alcoholic coma, you cautiously enter the house. The house is a wreck. Though you get the impression it wasn't a palace to begin with. You look on the floor and see Big Red. You also see him on the walls and even the ceiling. Whoever wanted him dead, made sure of it. Of course this doesn't exactly help you get what you wanted to get from him. Not knowing what else to do, you begin to search the house, but you're not finding too much, but for some reason you sense you aren't completely alone in this house. Someone is still here. You stand completely silent and listen carefully, then you see a blood trail leading to the bedroom closet... "Alright, I know someone is in the closet, I can hear the stifled cries. Just come out, and I won't hurt you. I just want to know what happened to Big Red and some information." You shout. The closet slowly opens and you see a young human woman crawl out, she's hurt badly and you don't think you can help her in time. She looks up at you with tears in her eyes. "I've nothing more to give...they've taken everything...I am dead...I have nothing else..." she sobs. "Who came? What's going on?" "That damn college professor and his Dark Order that's who! Mr. Demar! He and Big Red have had dealings for years in forbidden tomes and the dark arts. Well Mr. Demar said since their business was nearly at an end he demanded that Big Red just hand over all the rest of his collection. Violence soon followed. It was horrible what they did... I only lived this long by playing dead (sob)...but then I just wanted to crawl into a dark place and die." This bit of information is very interesting, but you still have to figure out how it can serve you. "What does Mr. Demar have planned?" "I don't know! Something about restoring the rightful place of those who practice the dark arts. I don't care! They took my whole life away! Maybe it wasn't much, and maybe Big Red was a demon asshole...but I loved him and in his way, he loved me! I'll never know!" the girl cries. You feel slightly bad about coming here to try to kill Big Red now. This girl's feelings while most likely misguided seem to be genuine. Just proving that even the lowliest of scoundrels can be loved. Your mind briefly thinks about Serena before addressing this situation again. "Okay, look shhhh. I'm sure Big Red probably did love you. He was a demon though, you know he had to put on a show and act tough." You say. "...(sniff) yeah...You're absolutely right. You are right....mmm I'm sleepy..." She says as her eyes begin to start closing. "Hold on, before you go to sleep, I need to know something. Big Red was holding a book for me too, a book on necromancy. I was coming to pay him and pick it up here. It sounds like Mr. Demar was trying to rip the both of us off and that ain't no way of doing business. I mean to get revenge on the lot of them that killed Big Red, but I'll need the help of that book, you don't happen to know where it is, do you?" "...oh...yeah, you must be the one that Big Red briefly mentioned before they came...I dunno, they searched the house, maybe they got it, but it would be in a small hidden floor safe behind the toilet. Ha ha...nobody searches behind a toilet Red used to say...I love you Big Red..." The girl says and then closes her eyes and stops breathing. Poor girl, you think as you leave her to search the bathroom. You curse as soon as you look behind the toilet and see a small panel open. You're so frustrated you nearly miss the false bottom of the safe... Jackpot. You pry up the false bottom and greedily grab the tome you were looking for, in fact there are a few other books there too, but you only keep the necromantic ones, and destroy the rest as you have no interest in demon summoning. (And not going to let anyone else use them either!) You pour out the rocks in your backpack and place the books inside; you're now ready to go back home. Or are you? In your last minute peruse you search the remains of Big Red, and as luck would have it, you find his infamous pad and paper still somewhat intact. You briefly glance through it and make out one other address, not too far from here. It could be his real home or maybe just another place where he stashed stuff. Either way it could be lucrative. > You go to the address Thirsting for more possible knowledge you head to this new address. This time you're not in a residential area and more in a warehouse district, still not a safe area though. When you get to the warehouse, once again the signs of battle abound, except this time it would appear that you arrived in the middle of one still going on. "Don't just stand there, the fucking thing, damn it!" "Shit! Thing's too fucking tough!" "Well summon another...arrrggh!" You enter cautiously and see a huge stone golem battling a couple people in robes. One lies on the floor dead. Given the dead imps that also litter the room, they're probably demonologist. Some of Mr. Demar's no doubt. You stand back and watch the battle from the shadows, staying hidden the whole time. While keeping an eye on the battle you take out one of your necromantic books and quickly glance through it. You come across a spell that allows you cast a bolt of pure negative energy. It seems pretty easy, so you decide to try it. You come out from behind the boxes you were using as cover and blast the golem in the face with a powerful beam of dark energy. Its head explodes into several stone pieces, but it doesn't stop. Such a hit will not automatically kill a creature like this. The demonologists look surprised to see you and even more surprised when you bark orders at them. "Get it now! While it's blind! Take its legs!" you shout. They do exactly what you say and cast super hot blasts to the golem's knees burning right through them, causing the rest of it to collapse and shatter. It's definitely dead now. "Whew! Good thing you came along. When Mr. Demar sent us to search this address we didn't expect to encounter a golem guard. How did he know to send help?" one of the demonologists asks. "He didn't." you say and blast him. "Hey..." is all the other manages to utter before you blast him as well. You're now left alone in a warehouse with multiple dead bodies, and as a certain goblin wino once said, the mage guard probably won't be coming around here anytime soon. You see this as a perfect opportunity to practice some REAL necromancy. You open the page to the appropriate spell and begin the cast it. Soon one of the dead demonologists begins to rise. It doesn't even take you much effort to control him. It's very easy actually. You've never had such an easy time at any kind of magic before, but this feels so right to you. You summon the second one and then the third one. You command them to do various things for you just to see how well you can control them. It barely takes you any concentration at all. You spend the rest of the night practicing, before making a search of the place which as it turns out contains nothing, but banned pornographic writings. You then head to your apartment where you sleep for the entire day. When you wake up you write a letter to your family saying that you're going to be staying at Nuro for vacation since you have some extra curricular studying to do and a big opportunity could be opening up. You mostly study your necromantic books and absorbing the knowledge within. You keep up with local news and the deaths of Big Red and his girlfriend are barely mentioned, and nothing is mentioned of the warehouse. You gather that you're in the clear. Next week you get a letter in return from your Mom who says she's disappointed you won't be coming to visit, but pleased that you're doing well and your grades are back up. (At least Big Red came through for you on the nature magic thing before he died) She also mentions how proud she is of you. If she only knew... A month passes and you've almost finished the books you acquired. You can't really do too much practicing though, which is something you desperately want to do again. You know you've got all this power within you yet you can't use it. The problem is dead bodies aren't exactly something you can just come across. Oh sure you could go to the graveyard, but that would most likely attract a ton of attention given that most of them are always monitored to prevent such things from easily happening. You wonder if you should approach Mr. Demar and join his Dark Order. While you typically don't work with groups, but if it gets you some practice maybe it would be worth joining. Plus you'd get to find out what's going on with all that, since it seems like something you should worry about. Then again large groups tend to get targeted first. So maybe you could try summoning spirits. It's not like they're as obvious. Though from what you've read controlling such incorporeal dead requires more experience and you haven't been able to practice a lot. > You join the Dark Order As they say there is strength in numbers. You head over to the campus to seek out Mr. Demar. You figure he'll be in his office. You knock and he tells you to come in and shut the door behind you. When you do, he's surprised to see you. "Hello. This is bit of a surprise. You took my class two semesters ago and I would've thought that you'd be on vacation now instead of here. So what brings you to my office?" You decide to get straight to the point. "Mr. Demar, I want to join the Dark Order. I'm skilled in necromancy and I want to learn more. I think I'd make a worthy addition to your class." Mr. Demar says nothing for a minute and just studies you before speaking. "I see, and how do you know that I am the head of such an...organization." "Well, uh I've heard rumors that's all..." you quickly say. "Rumors eh? Such rumors going around about me would be very dangerous to my well being. Hope this isn't a common rumor." You're silent to this statement, as you're unsure of what to say. Mr. Demar continues for you though. "And tell me, if I was head of such an organization, you say I would want you? How is it that you are skilled in the ways of necromancy? How have you managed to train? Do you have access to the dead and possession of necromantic texts? How did you come across such things?" "Well uh...I don't like to mention this...but I have an ancestor who served under the Great Lich Lord and a couple of books of his have been in my family's possession for centuries." "Well now, necromantic tomes from the era of the Great Lich Lord himself! I am impressed. And you say you had an ancestor who served under him eh? That's even more impressive considering the Great Lich Lord eventually grew to loathe anything alive and only associated with the dead. That was why he was bringing death to the world in the first place. Such an ancestor would've had to been undead an unable to have children." "Uh...well he had 'em before becoming undead." "Okay, but his family would've had to join his fate and hence they also would've had no children." "He...uh...liked prostitutes and..." At this point Mr. Demar raises his hand to you. You instantly feel yourself paralyzed. You can only watch helplessly as he stands up from his desk. "Stop. While this is amusing watching you squirm, I am a busy man. You want to know what I think? I think you recently stole those books from Big Red. I also think you recently killed three of my students in a certain warehouse in your attempts to gain more. While I might've considered you as Dark Order material if you'd come in here and told me the truth, I can't abide by liars, especially someone so poor at it. Such a pity." With those final words, Mr. Demar causes your heart to explode.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, serious, villain protagonist] Thirsting for more possible knowledge you head to this new address. This time you're not in a residential area and more in a warehouse district, still not a safe area though. When you get to the warehouse, once again the signs of battle abound, except this time it would appear that you arrived in the middle of one still going on. "Don't just stand there, the fucking thing, damn it!" "Shit! Thing's too fucking tough!" "Well summon another...arrrggh!" You enter cautiously and see a huge stone golem battling a couple people in robes. One lies on the floor dead. Given the dead imps that also litter the room, they're probably demonologist. Some of Mr. Demar's no doubt. You stand back and watch the battle from the shadows, staying hidden the whole time. While keeping an eye on the battle you take out one of your necromantic books and quickly glance through it. You come across a spell that allows you cast a bolt of pure negative energy. It seems pretty easy, so you decide to try it. You come out from behind the boxes you were using as cover and blast the golem in the face with a powerful beam of dark energy. Its head explodes into several stone pieces, but it doesn't stop. Such a hit will not automatically kill a creature like this. The demonologists look surprised to see you and even more surprised when you bark orders at them. "Get it now! While it's blind! Take its legs!" you shout. They do exactly what you say and cast super hot blasts to the golem's knees burning right through them, causing the rest of it to collapse and shatter. It's definitely dead now. "Whew! Good thing you came along. When Mr. Demar sent us to search this address we didn't expect to encounter a golem guard. How did he know to send help?" one of the demonologists asks. "He didn't." you say and blast him. "Hey..." is all the other manages to utter before you blast him as well. You're now left alone in a warehouse with multiple dead bodies, and as a certain goblin wino once said, the mage guard probably won't be coming around here anytime soon. You see this as a perfect opportunity to practice some REAL necromancy. You open the page to the appropriate spell and begin the cast it. Soon one of the dead demonologists begins to rise. It doesn't even take you much effort to control him. It's very easy actually. You've never had such an easy time at any kind of magic before, but this feels so right to you. You summon the second one and then the third one. You command them to do various things for you just to see how well you can control them. It barely takes you any concentration at all. You spend the rest of the night practicing, before making a search of the place which as it turns out contains nothing, but banned pornographic writings. You then head to your apartment where you sleep for the entire day. When you wake up you write a letter to your family saying that you're going to be staying at Nuro for vacation since you have some extra curricular studying to do and a big opportunity could be opening up. You mostly study your necromantic books and absorbing the knowledge within. You keep up with local news and the deaths of Big Red and his girlfriend are barely mentioned, and nothing is mentioned of the warehouse. You gather that you're in the clear. Next week you get a letter in return from your Mom who says she's disappointed you won't be coming to visit, but pleased that you're doing well and your grades are back up. (At least Big Red came through for you on the nature magic thing before he died) She also mentions how proud she is of you. If she only knew... A month passes and you've almost finished the books you acquired. You can't really do too much practicing though, which is something you desperately want to do again. You know you've got all this power within you yet you can't use it. The problem is dead bodies aren't exactly something you can just come across. Oh sure you could go to the graveyard, but that would most likely attract a ton of attention given that most of them are always monitored to prevent such things from easily happening. You wonder if you should approach Mr. Demar and join his Dark Order. While you typically don't work with groups, but if it gets you some practice maybe it would be worth joining. Plus you'd get to find out what's going on with all that, since it seems like something you should worry about. Then again large groups tend to get targeted first. So maybe you could try summoning spirits. It's not like they're as obvious. Though from what you've read controlling such incorporeal dead requires more experience and you haven't been able to practice a lot. > Summon spirits You've been doing pretty well by yourself so far, so you decide to continue that trend. Still you do wonder what Mr. Demar's Dark Order is up to. During the night you head out of the city and into the nearby wilderness. After checking around, you're sure nobody else is around and you begin to cast your spell. Soon it happens. You've summoned several ghostly figures to your side. The strain to control them is much greater, but you manage. However you don't want to push your luck so after a few brief commands you dismiss them. You've satisfied your desires for awhile. Another month passes and you go about your life more or less. Soon classes will start again, but you have no idea what you're going to take. How can you? You're sitting on all this forbidden knowledge that you seem to be extremely good at while the "acceptable" magic is stuff you can't perform worth shit. Doesn't seem fair somehow. Still you're going to have to at least put up a front of normalcy if you're going to not arouse suspicion. You're convinced you were born in the wrong time period. You should've been alive during the time of the Great Lich Lord. Ah how exciting those times must've been! But as you soon find out, today's times can be just as exciting... As the first week of classes start rolling around you finally decide on taking something easy and head towards the registrar offices as a late arrival. As soon as you step out of your apartment building, you hear screams, sounds of battle, explosions and general sounds of chaos. Portals are opening up all over the city and demons are pouring out of them! Amidst the bedlam you notice a few young wizards directing the demons. Demonologists. They have to be part of the Dark Order and this has to be some kind of plan of their to take over the city. You wished you'd joined up with them after all, but you think perhaps it might not be too late to get in on the action. You're about to do so, when you feel your whole body going in slow motion. Apparently you're not the only one, but it doesn't seem to be affecting the demons or Dark Order members. They must have someone also dabbling in temporal magic (A practically forgotten branch of magic which is also illegal, and obviously for good reason!) It would seem that The Dark Order certainly has their shit together as far as this attack is concerned. You're not going to be deterred, but you know you need to be cautious. You slink back into your apartment building and back into your room. Remembering your spirit summoning from last month, you decide to try it again. You need defenders and ghosts are probably going to serve you better for as long as this slow spell lasts. Once again you succeed and with your ghostly bodyguards you march outside a little more confident. You find that the city is one big killing zone. Demons are really running amok through the streets, a few of them attack you, but your ghost protect you. It would appear that they don't see you as an ally. Sensing the need for even more protection, you raise some of the many dead bodies that now litter the streets. A few of Nuro's mage guards attempt to stop you, but you easily defeat them and add them to your ranks. It's so easy for you. Soon you're commanding a small army and it's barely taking any effort from you at all. "HEY! Who the hell are you? You're not in the Dark Order!" a voice calls out to you, and you turn around to see another necromancer. He's rather non-descript looking and isn't controlling nearly as many dead as you are. No ghosts either. "I'm not. I'm what you call...independent I suppose." "Oh is that right eh? Well if you ain't with the Dark Order, you're against us!" You attempt to ask if you can come to some sort of arrangement, but he's not hearing it, he orders his horde to attack you. So much for making allies... He and his troops are going to be faster, even if you do outnumber him, so you decide to do something else. You enforce your will upon his advancing horde, and with a little effort you're successful. They stop in their tracks, and then they turn around in his direction. "Hey! Stop that! You can't do that! You're supposed to listen to me!" he shouts totally losing his cool, not to mention his control. Instead of trying to regain it, he attempts to blast you with a bolt of negative energy, but at this point you're well protected by meat shield of corpses, who seem to be moving faster... The slow spell! It's gone! Or at least it's not affecting you anymore. You smile wickedly at the enemy necromancer. Now you can show him real power! He doesn't get a few inches from his position before he's overwhelmed and killed by your forces. Besides the effects of the slow spell being gone, you also notice many of the demons jumping over the city walls, or otherwise leaving Nuro. You hear demonologists shouting at them to come back and once again you shake your head. It would appear that Mr. Demar and the Dark Order didn't have their shit as together as you thought. "Pah! This is what Mr. Demar had to work with? I guess I was lucky not to have hooked up with such fools!" you say to a nearby zombie who doesn't answer. You march through the city truly exercising your power for the first time, soon you come across two more necromancers attempting to destroy city hall where the last bastion of resistance resides in the city. An ugly man and a woman. Naturally it's the ugly guy who calls over to you. "Hey Irwin glad you...hey you're not Irwin! Who are you?" "I'm the guy who can probably save your ass from this fiasco you Dark Orderites call a take over." "Huh and I suppose YOU could've done a better job?" the woman sneers. "Better job than you're doing. Look at you, you lost your demonic support and you can't even take out the first citizen and his weak ass mage guards." You retort. "Hey Catalina stop fighting! We got enough problems!" he says to the woman before addressing you. "Look, my name's Sebastian and if you want to help out I'm not going to turn you away because you're right, we could use it! I'm sure Mr. Demar is having no problems taking care of the dean and the other professors, but I'm more concerned with Quayle!" "Who's that?" "He's the guy that was responsible for that slow spell you were probably feeling the effects of earlier. I don't what's gone wrong with the spell, but some demonologist came by here a minute ago saying that the whole east side of campus is fucked up. Like it's phasing in and out of existence or something. Someone needs to go check it out or stop it before we're all killed!" > You go check on Quayle While these Dark Orderites haven't completely impressed you, you remember that Serena mentioned you would need allies and they could serve that purpose. From what you can tell, you're a better necromancer than the rest of them and this city would be an excellent beginning of your career especially since you don't have any better ideas in mind. You know that even if this event plays out well for you, you're going to have a whole shit load of trouble ahead of you so you better get a few people on your side now even if they need to be "disposed" of later... "Alright, I'll help out, but I'm not doing this for you or following your orders, I have my own agenda!" you say flat out to Sebastian. Before you leave Catalina speaks to you. "So, come a long way from Enchantment class huh?" she says. "...I thought I recognized you...and yeah I have. I finally found a branch of magic I'm really good at." You say finally realizing who she is. "Just remember, as good as you are, you aren't the best." "We'll see." You retort and leave. The march towards the university where on the west side of campus you see and hear explosions. That must be where Mr. Demar is. You wonder how you'll have to deal with him after you take care of this Quayle problem. When you get to the east campus, Sebastian was right, you see a lot of weird things going on, nearby plants are growing older and younger before your eyes, buildings are indeed disappearing and reappearing. It's a mess. You see a small gray building that doesn't seem to be suffering any effects; you bet that's where Quayle is. You march over with your horde only to start feeling very ill. You try to shake off the effects so you can keep control, but it doesn't matter as you begin to see your various undead troops go through weird changes. You watch them either accelerate in rot and disintegrate, or even stranger actually turn back into their living selves until they eventually become babies and then nothing. You're only halfway to the building and you begin to worry that you're going to suffer the same fate, but manage to get in the Gray building which contains a simple auditorium like classroom. You must be back on campus. At the front of the class you see a strange man surrounded by a white glow. This must be Quayle. "This is not the way...you have lost...you may win...it's all so fascinating..." he says in an echoed voice. You have no idea what the hell he means, all you know is you need to kill this guy before he fucks everything up. You're having a hard time concentrating still though and once again you begin to feel very sick. That feeling becomes stronger when you see grotesque creatures pop into existence. They have writhing masses of tentacles and give off an aura completely hostile and alien. Not even the demons you've had contact with give off anything like this. You have no time for spells you'll have to do this the old fashioned way. You run towards the front of the class where he sits and just narrowly dodge another tentacle beast appearing suddenly in front of you. "...stop...stop it...you must stop..." You tackle Quayle and something completely unexpected and disgusting happens. His body literally breaks like a fragile glass vase and all manner of insects and maggots come crawling out, mostly on you. "EEEEYEEECAAAGH!" you yell trying to get them all off of you, completely ignoring anything else. Fortunately for you, whatever you did has stopped the temporal disturbance. The creatures disappear and everything else seems to go back to normal. After stomping on some centipedes you notice Quayle's head has rolled into a corner. Surprisingly it's still alive. "You have won nothing..." his head says before it just simply disappears. You shake your own head at all of this. As much as you've seen during your short time raising the dead, you've never seen anything like this. You can't hear anymore explosions; you wonder if Mr. Demar has won. You exit the building and begin to walk over to the other side of the campus where the explosions were coming from. You arrive to burning buildings and ruins of towers. Once again you see Sebastian, he's sitting outside holding his head in his hands. He looks like he's sobbing. "What the hell is wrong with you?" you ask. "It's over! It's all over!" "What are you talking about? It looks like the city is ours." "But for how long? All our so called demon allies took off! By the time I got here Mr. Demar had already been severely wounded and his second in command Trelik had betrayed him. Catalina and I managed to kill Trelik, but Catalina fell in the battle! The Dark Order is over and I dunno what's coming next, we're all in a lot of fucking trouble! Trouble that I wasn't prepared to handle! I'm not really a leader. Mr. Demar was a leader! Oh man why did I choose this path!?" Sebastian is having a complete mental break down and it sickens you. It's unbecoming of a necromancer. "Where's Mr. Demar?" you ask. "He's dead in the library!" "Good, saves me the trouble." "Huh? What's going on?" "I'm in charge, that's what's going on and I'm not going to tolerate whimpering weaklings like you." and you blast Sebastian with negative energy to his face, killing him. Yep, you're in charge. A month passes The "Nuro Incident" as it came to be known was a shock to the civilized world. Nobody had anticipated such a thing occurring despite all preparations. Certainly not to Nuro given it's near "invincible" reputation. You've renamed the city Aftermath. The Grand Alliance was immediately formed to retake the city, but fortunately for you, you weren't the only problem they had. Velzix, a demon lord who the Dark Order summoned to help them, soon left Nuro during its attack, and managed to unite the rest of the demons that felt the need to break their contract with the Dark Order. They turned their attention to the Tulan Kingdom. Right now he's established his own rule, enslaving the population and is most likely planning further conquest assuming he can keep his own troops from fighting each other long enough. As for you, you've already managed to hold off one Grand Alliance attack quite successfully due to your preparations. The first thing you did was command all the surviving Dark Order members to become necromancers. They're mediocre at best though, they might be better if you took a more direct hand in training them, but you're too impatient and you have so many other things to take care of as well. You haven't heard anything from your family; you can only wonder what they think of all this and you don't really care. While things are somewhat quiet now, that's not going to last. The Grand Alliance will keep attacking and they may very well overwhelm you in time. You can't just sit in your throne room and prepare for the next attack and you need to be proactive about this threat, but the big problem though is, you're basically doing all of this yourself. There isn't anyone anywhere near your equal, let alone anyone you can trust to handle important things. As much as you loathe thinking of it, you could ally with Velzix, granted he's an untrustworthy demon, and not fond of the Dark Order for imprisoning him, you were never a member of the Dark Order and may be receptive. You soon send messages to him asking for an alliance. Eventually you get a response, and it's a positive one. Velzix even says he'll meet you in the city of Aftermath. Apparently he isn't worried about you. When he arrives he gets right to business. "Nice decorations...so, you wish to make a deal with me?" "I've come to propose a pact between us yes. We have a common enemy." "Yes, but what does this pact entail exactly?" "Simple, we don't attack one another and we coordinate our attacks to be more effective against the Grand Alliance." "And I suppose while my attention isn't on you, and I waste my valuable resources, you build up strength and attack me eh? Heh heh, I know you little necromancer. I see the desire to murder the entire world in your eyes. I even respect it, but if you think I'm trusting you, you're as brain dead as those corpses you raise." "What?! You're a fucking demon and you're accusing ME of being deceitful?" "Of course. Who better to see treachery than one who is an expert at it? But assuming you genuinely mean for us to be best buddies forever and ever, I still don't see what you can do for me in your current state." "What are you on about now?" "I'm saying as a military power you ain't shit that's what! Your necromancers are barely competent enough to hold your defenses of that little necropolis you rule. It's mostly you doing all the work, and while you've got a little power, it still ain't enough to attack anything in a meaningful way." You hate the fact that Velzix is right, but you hate it even more that he's so damn smug about it. Which makes you wonder why he called you out here...in fact you're starting to prepare yourself for trouble. "Alright then what the hell are you proposing?" you ask. "I propose a...merger rather than an alliance." "You're proposing that I let YOU take over Aftermath and I just become your bitch." "Not exactly how I worded it, but if you prefer that designation..." "NO! I don't prefer it!" "Okay then how about this? I say you'll last maybe another year tops if you stay walled up in this little city of yours just letting the Grand Alliance constantly beat down your gates until they finally succeed. Then assuming you don't die during that final attack, I predict that you live a ragged existence on the run for maybe a couple years afterwards at which point you'll end up getting hunted down and killed hiding in some cave somewhere." "And that's what you see?" "Seen it happen to more powerful mortals than you. BUT! It doesn't have to be that way. Joining with me can be more beneficial than you think. You don't think I don't see the power in you? You would be a very valuable asset to my plans. Your ability to control the dead is very strong and quite frankly it would be nice to actually have not just troops that aren't fighting among themselves, but a great general as well. Think about it! You'll gain more power and you could still bring death to thousands and not have to worry about all the bullshit of ruling, because as I'm sure you know, it isn't as fun as it should be most of the time. You will prosper, if you continue to prove yourself worthy and useful." > You join Velzix Velzix's offer does have some appeal to it, you must admit, but having to answer to Velzix is repugnant to you. You feel that you were meant to rule, not follow. Perhaps you can build up a following though while serving under his rule, there's nothing saying you HAVE to be loyal... "Very well. I'll join you." Velzix smiles. "Ha ha! I knew you'd see the smart thing to do little necromancer. I predict this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship..." You transfer your city over to Velzix, though the majority of your undead are still there, he just supplements its defenses with some of his own demons and the humans that have pledged their servitude to him. > Are about to take your Necromantic career to its next level One year has passed... It's been one year since you made an alliance with Velzix, and so far it has paid off. With your combined might, you both have successfully held off the Grand Alliance. You haven't gained too much ground, but that's looking like it's about to change. Everyday Velzix has somehow been managing to attract "free demons" from other nations to join him, though its not as if they have too many other options as mere suspicion has turned into hatred and they are to be rounded up and killed as possible enemies. Though again, thanks to mortal failings and greed, there are those few nations that are still letting their small demonic populations run free. Not surprisingly Velzix has been attempting to convince the leaders of these governments into joining him in exchange for even greater power. Velzix has also been attempting to open portals to his own infernal realm on a permanent basis. Right now he can summon in a few reinforcements to replace battle losses, but nothing on a major scale. As for you, things could be worse, but they could be better. All your potential "acolytes" reverted back to being demonologist when the merge came, though many of them were purged by Velzix himself, as he still remembered their attempts to imprison him before during their days in the Dark Order, not to mention if they were so quick to change allegiances so quickly, then they obviously weren't to be trusted. Your magic powers in other branches of magic have somewhat improved, though this might be due your infernal dealings. Necromancy is still your area of expertise obviously and as it stands, you're the only true necromancer allied with Velzix. You sort of hold a unique position, but you question its importance in the scheme of things. You've been basically put on defense duty. Your undead troops are nothing more than meat shields for the most part, and while that is what they are there for, you'd rather they be YOUR meat shields than some asshole demons, (or worse mortals). You feel like your talents are being wasted to a degree, like you've got a lot of untapped potential that's dying to get out. However, open rebellion against Velzix isn't likely to happen, but there's nothing stopping you from setting the stage. You still have Aftermath under your control, even if you do have to put up with the demons and mortals stationed there now. One night in your study while you're contemplating how to go about all this, you figure there are two ways. You've actually got a lot of troops at your immediate disposal. You believe you could probably take over the nearby Brot Kingdom by yourself without any help. They have a weak military and most of the Grand Alliance armies are busy elsewhere. You could build up a bigger power base. You might piss off Velzix by doing this by yourself, but you could take the chance that he might over look it if you're successful as it's also increasing his own territory. The other option is to remain doing what you're doing and engage in a more secret assassination conspiracy against Velzix. You already know that tons of others are probably doing it, why not you? The problem is, individually most of you are fairly weak against him; though together you'd be more successful. Of course getting a bunch of demonic assassinating liars to trust one another is probably even more difficult than the attempt itself. > You engage in military conquest What's the point of having power, if you aren't using it in any meaningful way that can help you? You're sick of being "reined in". You're going to do what you've been wanting to do for a long time. You prepare to march an army of undead to the Brot Kingdom. The demons and mortals stationed at Aftermath are wondering what's going on though since most of them know you're mainly used for defense. "Where do you think yer goin'?" a demon solder steps up to ask you as you're about to leave the city gates. "I'm gonna go conquer the Brot Kingdom, got a problem with that?" "Me? No, not at all. Just didn't know Velzix let you off your leash." The demon soldier grins. This remark is met with a negative energy blast to his face, completely ripping the flesh off and revealing the still grinning skull underneath. As the rest of this body falls to the ground, you feel the need to make a speech to the gawking onlookers. "I am not on anyone's fucking leash! Nobody tells me what the do! Now what's going to happen, is I'm going to leave and lay waste to the Brot Kingdom. The rest of you are going to defend this place while I'm gone! And when Velzix comes here, like I know he will I'LL handle it. The rest of you can cower before that fucker, but I ain't the one." Having made your thoughts known, you return to your undead army, which obediently still stands only awaiting your commands. As the way things should be. The way ALL things should be. After a few days you eventually reach the Brot Kingdom. You start by decimating the small border villages and then quickly raising the peasants you slaughtered. You've moved on to larger towns before the Brot military manages to start opposing you. Their military is weak though. Most of them see your horde and run in terror before the fight even begins! Those are the smart ones. The rest soon become just more fodder for you to raise. You actually feel more powerful after your conquests, which is odd given the amount of energy you've been expending. You can only take this as a sign of this being what you were meant for! Within the week you've single handedly taken control of the Brot capitol and most of the Kingdom in general. Much of the royal family has abased themselves before you in an attempt for you to spare their lives. You laugh and grant this request, after all someone has to still run this territory. You've successfully subjugated your first territory. In fact, it's the first "real" territory conquered since Velzix took over the Tulan Kingdom. Tivadol's petty victories haven't even compared to what you've done. When you return to Aftermath, you're half expecting to be met by Velzix, who has undoubtedly heard of your actions by now. It's only now that you realize you may be in more trouble than you thought! However, you're surprisingly met by Sesisek instead who sits in your study. "This place is as dead as my status among demonkind." He says looking at the many skeletal structures and decorations. "It's a fucking necropolis, I'm a necromancer, and what do you want? I figured Velzix would be here meeting me." "Oh he's on his way, and from what I've heard, he's quite pissed about you playing the role of conqueror. He's just a little more preoccupied with the Grand Alliance army that's currently attacking him directly right now, which probably explains why you met little resistance at Brot. Congratulations on your victory, I'm sure Tivadol won't be too pleased with accomplishing something he couldn't either." "Yeah, yeah, so why are you here?" "I'm here to help you get out of this shit pit you've stepped in and are quickly in danger of sinking further into. You've showed entirely too much ambition, too soon, my mortal friend." "What of it? Like I'm the only one plotting against Velzix? Hah! Tivadol makes no pretense of his goals." "Ah yes, but you're not taking some things into consideration. Tivadol is still a demon and you my mortal friend are not. We are not fond of ever being bested, but to be bested by a mortal is even more repugnant to us. Tivadol is also a predictable loud mouth brute who is never going to achieve his goal. Velzix knows exactly how to manipulate him. Perhaps the day will come where he'll have to kill him, but that day is far off in the future. You on the other hand are still new and he's still learning about you. Velzix probably thought you could be manipulated and cowed into submission by his sheer strength and magic abilities alone, but it's apparent that you aren't afraid of such things. I could've seen that though. Necromancers embrace death; fear of it won't be a factor. Though there are worse things than death..." "Guess you're proof of that." You mock. "Hmm, your pointless barbs at me are quite unproductive and are in fact hindering you. I am offering to help you, I'd advise that you take it before you meet Velzix." "Offering me help huh? I seriously doubt you're doing this out of kindness." "Of course not. I'm doing it because I see an opportunity for revenge and quite frankly, you are the only one that will be able to help me achieve it. However, I assure you that we will both profit greatly from this, if you listen to me. If you don't want my help though, I shall leave." "Okay I'm listening, what are you suggesting?" "Ha ha, no my mortal friend. I would be quite the fool if I told you how to handle Velzix before I got your word that you are in fact accepting my help. ARE you accepting my help?" Sesisek looks at you expectantly. > You accept his help Well, you probably could use the help in this matter. Smoothing this out with Velzix is going to be a delicate affair. "Alright, I'm accepting your help." "Excellent." Sesisek smiles. Sesisek explains that even if you do manage to talk Velzix into not killing you for your actions, he's still going to take away your hard earned victory for himself. You can't let him do this, nor are you to get into a fight with him. Instead you must convince Velzix that you are indeed loyal and would never dream of betraying him, but that you must take a more active role in things if you are to be effective. You must remind him that if you're doing activity, then Velzix can concentrate more on opening up the portal to back home and victory will come quicker. Finally you must always point out of how weak you are compared to the might of Velzix, remind him that you are but a lowly mortal and will always remain so when compared to a demon lord. After advising you, Sesisek leaves you as he mentions he doesn't want to be around if things don't go well. He doesn't need anymore of Velzix's anger to spread out to him, but if you happen to be successful; he'll definitely be around to provide more help in the future You feel just by agreeing to this you've lost something of yourself. Much like when you allied with Velzix. Maybe you haven't gone so far to sell your soul and granted you were walking the path of darkness to begin with, but the twisted taint of hell that you've been getting deeper into is definitely starting to change you and it's probably not for the better. In any case a couple days pass and Velzix arrives, he's a little more calm than you were expecting, but he could blow up at any minute. "So little necromancer, I hear you have been taking matters into your own hands and acquiring territory yourself. I am displeased that you have done this. The Grand Alliance has been attacking and you've been squandering my potential reinforcements elsewhere. What if they had succeeded in breaking through my defenses? I would've had no troops to support my position, and much would've been lost." "Forgive me, but I felt that with the Grand Alliance focusing their attention elsewhere, I believed an attack on the Brot Kingdom would be a good idea. And I might add, it was. The conquest was very successful." "Yes, but you have dodged the question of what would've happened had the Grand Alliance broke through my defenses?" "I did not worry about such a thing since I knew they would be no match for a powerful demon lord such as yourself and even if they had, I'm sure you personally could've dealt with the few stragglers. They are only mortals after all; they would never be a match for you." "Obsequious words little necromancer...I have never heard any such tone from you before. You have always carried an air of arrogance about you. Tell me, is my mere presence enough to make you regret your clumsy attempts at gaining more power?" "I fear you have misjudged me in this. I simply feel that my talents have not been used to their full degree, because you believe I shall be treacherous in the future. I have no desire to do such a thing. What would be the point? I could never hope to defeat you anyway. I only wish to be more active in your eventual conquest of this world. I have already proven to be a more competent general than Tivadol." Velzix laughs out loud at this last statement. "I'm sure Tivadol will be thrilled to hear that a mortal has achieved more in military victories on this world than he has...very well. You wish to choose a more active role, so be it. It will be most amusing to see Tivadol compete with you, perhaps this will even inspire him to succeed, since as you have pointed out, he has yet to conquer an entire kingdom for me like you have...and it IS MY kingdom is it not?" "Yes, it is." You say with a bow. "Hmm, yes. Well you've talked your way out of this one necromancer, but know that I will still be watching you. You had best prove successful in your new active role, but also remember who is in charge and who serves." "Of course." Velzix informs you that since you have taken on this role, he'll be issuing more orders to you AND that it will be up to you to oversee larger areas of territory (Starting with the recently acquired Brot Kingdom), not just Aftermath. And if you fuck up, you're going to get fucked up. And with that, you have your new place in the hierarchy... Four years pass... It's been five years since you made your alliance with Velzix, so far it's proven most beneficial more or less. You've managed to carve out a niche for yourself as a good general, and just in time too since Velzix has been successful in keeping infernal portals open longer which is allowing more demons to come in. While your undead troops are looking to be somewhat "obsolete" your expertise in military planning has assured you a place in this demonic empire. You don't lead demons though of course. They'd never allow such a thing. You lead a strange combination of undead and mortals who have decided to throw their lot in with the infernal forces. Sesisek has even provided you with a few mortals who have displayed an interest in necromancy, allowing you to not carry the weight of up keeping an undead army constantly anymore. While you haven't completely abandoned your necromantic roots, you've been forced to broaden your magical horizons and tap into the infernal plane, which has allowed you to create potent unnatural abominations. However, this type of magic is highly experimental and you're probably the first one to even attempt it. It's beginning to take a toll on your deteriorating health, because as they say, you don't change hell, hell changes you. However your power is keeping you going. You haven't lost sight that one day you'll be in charge... Your immediate rivals haven't lost sight either, in fact you've become more of a threat. Tivadol the Destroyer constantly makes threats that he'll one day see you crushed underneath his foot. Sinthinia is a little more interested in your relationship with Sesisek and finds the fact that you two are on too good of terms to be very suspicious. Oddly Velzix doesn't seem worried about this though, or if he is, he hasn't made it known to you. Indeed he's been pre-occupied lately with finally opening up a portal permanently to his infernal home. He believes he will soon be successful. In the meantime, the Grand Alliance has been hard pressed to hold the line, they are slowly losing ground to you and Tivadol. Heroes from all over the civilized governments have been employed, but so far they've have proven unsuccessful in even getting to Velzix, let alone killing him. Vampire assassins however have had a little more luck, but Sinithina's internal security magic guards have detected them all as soon as they get near Velzix's fortress. You can't say you're too thrilled yourself with Velzix opening up a permanent portal as it could certainly make your job a lot harder of killing him in the future. Sesisek, realizes this too and has recently approached you about this. He tells you to meet him for a plan to kill Velzix, in a couple days. While you're in your study pondering what this could entail, you are suddenly "greeted" with Sinthinia's presence. Unusual since she's directly kept her distance from you ever since you conquered the Brot Kingdom. (Indirectly through her spies is another matter however) Whatever she has come to see you for probably isn't good...or is it? "Hmm, this place still reeks of death I see. It is much too cold in this place. Not warm like many of our other conquests. Look how hard my nipples are. Why it's cold enough to make me almost want to put on clothes...almost." She says touching herself in a seductive way. You've seen her in action before, and you're not some weak willed fool, so this routine has little effect on you. "Yeah, well zombies tend to be flammable and I hate the heat, so this grave chill stays. You'll just have to deal with hard nipples." "How about YOU deal with them. Hm?" "Sinthinia what do you want?" "Besides your dick in my nice warm body? I want to see you not ruin your most promising career by siding with a loser like Sesisek. I know that the two of you have been collusion together ever since you conquered the Brot Kingdom...a most bold move might I add. Only the first of many. You are obviously a man who knows what he wants and takes it..." At this point Sinthinia is turning on her demonic seduction and getting closer to the point of touching you. You'd be lying if it wasn't having any effect on you. "Yeah...well just get the point Sinthinia!" "See? So forceful! Very well, the point. My point is Sesisek is an obsessed fool who's time is running out. I know he's got plans to kill me and Velzix, so far I haven't exactly determined how he's going to attempt it, but I know it's coming soon. My concern is, if YOU have anything to do with such plans. It would be a shame if you did..." "Well he hasn't said anything to me about any specific plan." You reply. "Ah, careful words you chose without actually lying. You have been hanging around our kind and learning! However you will not dodge me so easily. Specific plan. Specific being the key word. I'm guessing he's approached you about some act of treachery though and just hasn't given you the details yet." You say nothing and she presses up against you while speaking into your ear so close that she nibbles on it a bit. "I'll take your silence as a yes. Know however that you are still not powerful enough to kill Velzix. I am very close to him just like I am very close to you right now and I can tell you with all certainty that you will not be able to defeat him. Not even with that bitter old idiot Sesisek helping you...I advise that you not go down the same path as he is." "Oh yeah? Well if you think we're doing something, why not just kill us both right now?" "It's not how I work my necromantic cutie. Besides, I am giving you a chance to join with a better and more grateful ally in the long run. Namely me. I want you to find out what Sesisek's plan is and then at the right time, betray him. I would be most grateful." "Hmm, I don't trust you. Sesisek trusted you once and look what happened." "Sesisek proved to be weak and unworthy of my loyalty, but of course you don't trust me, nor should you. Still, you think on this, I have offered to become your ally and more if you wish. I run the internal security of Velzix's empire. Do you not think that having me as an ally would be more beneficial for your future than to stay allied with Sesisek whose plan is surely doomed to failure? I already KNOW he's planning something. He will be punished soon, along with all that have conspired with him. Stay loyal to him and you'll suffer his fate. Betray him, and you'll suddenly find yourself in control of his holdings and have one less potential enemy to worry about. Not to mention you will make me very happy. So happy that I may provide favors for you that you could never dream of. So what do you say?" Normally you'd think more about it, but Sinthinia has made a somewhat appealing offer and the fact that she's currently shoved one of her hands down your pants and stroking your cock isn't exactly helping you think straight either. > Agree If Sinthinia already knows that something is going on, chances are she's already got counter measures to solve it. Her overtures for an alliance, must be some what genuine to some degree otherwise she'd just let you go through with this plan and just have you all killed when you attempt it. "Okay, Sinthinia I'm in." you say. Sinthinia continues to rub against you and then looks into your eyes before kissing you. "Mmmm, I can taste the truthfulness on your lips. A rare flavor around here. I'm glad you decided to join me; we're going to have so much fun together. Now, let me taste more of you. Something more...carnal." A few hours later Sinthinia leaves your study (Which is now a mess) and remarks that she'll be expecting to see you soon after you meet with Sesisek. A few days pass and you meet Sesisek in the forsaken area known as the Drozz Wasteland. The barbarian tribes here still hold sway, but you need not concern yourself with such minor threats, they know enough to stay away from two dark individuals such as yourselves, and the others... The others in question are vampires. It would appear that Sesisek has been planning more than just "normal" betrayal. The vampires eye you warily. "So, how did you swing a deal with the vampire clans?" you ask. "Let's just say we all have similar interests. And that interest is seeing Velzix die and that bitch Sinthinia." "Remember Sesisek, our primary target is Velzix! Your desire for revenge on other targets is secondary!" one the vampires exclaims. "And I assure you that taking out Sinthinia is very necessary to our goals as well. She's head of internal security. Killing her is vital to our plan." "I thought getting Mr. Necromancer here to mask us long enough to enter Veltrix's fortress was the plan?" "He will be, but..." "Hey hold on, what am I supposed to be doing now?" you interrupt while exaggerating your clueless act. "You mean you haven't even informed him yet or what's going on?" "I was going to do it now!" Sesisek hisses before turning to you. "Look isn't it true that you can use some sort of necromantic magic to hide our friends here? The reason why assassination attempts have been so unsuccessful before is thanks to all the magic detection security in the fortress." "Oh. I see what you're getting at. Yeah, but I can't just do it myself. I'd still be giving off too much of a deathly aura that would probably arouse suspicion from Sinthinia's detection shit. I'd have to enter the fortress with either a bunch of zombies and skeletons, or I suppose I could just enter with a few of my abominations. Those would arouse less suspicion since I use them as bodyguards anyway. You vampires could travel with us invisibly, and you shouldn't be detected until you decide to go into a blood frenzy and start killing everyone." "Ha ha! See! I told you he could do it." You all "agree" to this plan and hammer out some other details before parting ways. You head back to Aftermath, when your undead abomination bodyguards begin to sniff the air and you feel a presence stalking you, you stop and prepare yourself for an attack. Once again the vampire assassins become visible. Apparently they've been following you. "You can't sneak up on a necromancer. I can sense your undead presence remember blood leech?" "Is that what you still consider yourself? I thought you'd become a worshipper of demons rather than death, given how long you've been with them." One of the assassins says. "No. I don't worship anything. I'm concerned with my own power; all of this is just a means to an end. And I have not given up the necromantic arts; you would be wise to remember that vampire." "Good. Then it's not too late." "What are you on about?" "Look, this plan will be more successful if you fully cooperate with us. After we kill Velzix, Lord Rostov wants to invite you to join us. He feels that your connection and understanding of death along with your power would serve the Clans well. Among us, you would find a sort of peace. You would not have to deal with demons anymore." "You must be joking! After I kill Velzix, I'm taking over! And anyone who opposes me is going to feel my wrath!" you say still keeping up the illusion that you're going through with this assassination. The vampire assassin runs her fingers through her hair and pauses before speaking again. "No you won't. And I'm not talking about a knife in your back by one of us either. I'm saying if you believe you'll be able to control an empire mixed with mortals, demons AND while controlling all your undead troops, then you're beyond delusional. Look at you. You're a wreck from all the infernal magic you've been taping into. Is it any wonder that demonologists don't live a long time? It's probably only due to your baffling plentiful necromantic energy that's kept you going this long. Even if you do manage to rein in the chaotic nature of the demons, and hold off the Grand Alliance, I doubt you'll live enough to enjoy any of it, let alone conquer anymore territory." "I guess you bloodsuckers forgot that I can always become a lich." "A lich? There hasn't been one of those since the time of the Great Lich Lord! The amount of death energy to become one must be huge! You're not there yet, you're not likely to get there and you're not pure enough anyway. You're tainted too much by hell. While you haven't directly sold your soul, you've thrown your lot in with them long enough to be damned. You will not be allowed to escape death on your own. BUT...becoming one of us will give you a chance. You will defeat death, and live lifetimes." You think on the assassin's words. Much of what she says is true. You aren't in the best condition anymore. You're in pain a lot though you try to ignore it and not display your weakness. As far as being damned, you're not sure, but it's probably true. Your thoughts have focused less on death and more on demonic nightmares. The purity of what you once pursued HAS been tainted. You could almost kick yourself for allowing yourself to turn into what you are. However, you wonder if the vampire is just telling you this to get you on their side. They must be worried about you if they want you to join this bad. Of course he could just be lying, but you don't think so. After being around so many liars you've come to see the signs, not to mention your own insights into the undead. > You join the vampires You've come to the realization that the assassin is correct. You foresee a long struggle plagued by headache after headache if you continue to deal with these demons. It's been nothing, but back stabbing and double dealing since you've dealt with them. Given your recent "alliance" with Sinthinia, you can only expect more of the same from her. Is that what you really want to deal with? Not to mention if Velzix DOES open the portal to his infernal realm he'll be even more powerful and no matter what you do, you can't stand against hell alone and the demons would NEVER follow the likes of you. Joining the vampire clans might not be ideal, but then again nothing you've done so far has. "Alright, I'll join." "Excellent. Though I certainly hope you're being sincere. It would be such a shame if you lying..." "No I mean it. My days of walking with demons are going to be at an end soon. One way or another." Coming to an agreement, you prepare yourself for this assassination attempt. You also plan to have all your undead troops strike at just the right time to cause even more chaos since you won't be sticking around after Velzix's death. At least you hope you won't. A few days pass and Sesisek tells you that he has everything ready. He mentions he'll be taking care of Sinthinia personally along with her whole secret service. You'll meet the vampire assassins in a dead forest near Fury. You send Sinthinia a message that you'll be arriving at Fury to report what Sesisek is planning. She'll be expecting you, but what will actually happen, will be completely different. You make your trek to Fury, without incident with your hidden friends in tow. You take a deep breath before entering the gates where upon you half expect the demon guards to stop you, but nothing happens. You've succeeded. Your next move is to get as quickly as possible to Velzix's inner chambers. You don't get far when an alarm is raised... "Assassins! Kill them! Sinthinia's orders!" one of the demon guards says. Suddenly you're surrounded on all sides Shit, apparently Sinthinia was somewhat wise to your last act of treachery. You mentally call out to your undead minions to attack anything living. "Come on! Secrecy is over! We gotta haul ass to Velzix!" you exclaim. While chaos is reigning in the fortress, you and the vampires easily dispatch those that would attempt to stop you. When you get to Velzix's inner chambers where he's attempting to open up a portal to get reinforcements. "Treachery. I expected this from Sesisek, but I am very disappointed in you. I had such plans...oh well perhaps I will yet get pleasure when I break your bones and have you flayed over the course of a very long and painful torture period. And I assure you, you'll be very much alive to experience it." Velzix's portal opens and a swarm of demons come pouring out. The vampire assassins waste no time and begin their work with deadly efficiency. Your abominations have less finesse, but they get the job done. Velzix unleashes horrible infernal magic that causes a couple of the assassins to liquefy. You're just trying to stay out of the way of most of the fighting and attempting to keep a control over your troops, but you soon realize you're going to have to play a direct role in his death and unleash your own negative energy bolts at Velzix. The battle is brutal, and dead bodies soon litter the chamber. You're beginning to feel the effects of the energy you've expended in this fight. Thankfully Sesisek arrives with some of his mortal lackeys, giving you a breather. He looks like he's seen a hard battle already, but still has a lot of fight left due to the revenge that fuels his rage. "Velzix! Your bitch is dead! Now you shall join her!" he shouts and unleashes a flurry of blades upon his former master. In the mean time the femal vampire assassin that first approached you comes to help you up. "Come on let's get out of here." "We haven't killed Velzix yet." "Yes we have, look." You look over at the battle between the two demons and its clear Sesisek has the upper hand, literally. He's chopped off one of the Velzix's limbs at the forearm. You take the assassin's advice and leave with her. After a little more fighting to get out of the Fortress, eventually you find refuge in the dead forest again. Chaos has overtaken Velzix's realm. You doubt if his demonic empire will be able to recover from this, even if he manages to survive. You're so tired that you don't have time to react when you're suddenly bitten on the neck and drained of your blood. You feel your life force ebb and then disappear completely... You die and for a moment you can feel yourself being pulled towards the infernal realm and the hideous tortures that await you there, however you are sudden brought back to the living, so to speak within just a few minutes. You don't feel the taint of hell within you anymore, but you also feel less powerful in terms of necromantic energy. You can sense that whatever undead troops you raised or controlled have now crumbled or collapsed. "Good, you're up. Welcome to your new life. Your blood tasted terrible. Ugh. All tainted and shit. Spat most of it out." "Wow, I'm really one of you now." You say ignoring her comment and still in awe of your new form. "That's right. But I think you'll find that you won't have some of your powers anymore. While this transition does have benefits, it has it's downsides as well. But I'm sure Lord Rostov will still find you a welcome addition to the clans. I think he's actually been interested in meeting and talking with you. Been awhile since we had someone new join us. We should go now, the sun will be up soon." The vampire assassin pulls out a black cube like device and presses a few button and you're whisked away to the Vampire Clan secret fortress. It is there that you begin you new life. In the years to come, the chaos caused by Velzix's demonic empire settles down somewhat. Velzix did indeed die that day in battle with Sesisek, but he did not live long after getting his revenge. He was soon cut down by other demons who saw a grand opportunity to kill the hated traitor. The Grand Alliance once again gained the upper hand as the demonic infighting begins to take its toll. Tivadol the Destroyer who was the last remaining demon with any meaningful leadership skills was eventually struck down in battle by your sister who became a hero. Your parents also survive the chaos. This pleases you, well about your Mom and sister anyway. As for you, once again you find yourself under orders, this time by Lord Rostov, but you don't mind them. You find this life of ruling the mortal world through the shadows to be more appealing and less hassle. While it is true you no longer possess the powers you once had, and may never get them back, you've come to be satisfied with less and not living a life in constant pain anymore. Your existence continues and the future is unknown as the world's status quo is starting to return, but your life as a necromancer is over.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, fantasy, serious] If Sinthinia already knows that something is going on, chances are she's already got counter measures to solve it. Her overtures for an alliance, must be some what genuine to some degree otherwise she'd just let you go through with this plan and just have you all killed when you attempt it. "Okay, Sinthinia I'm in." you say. Sinthinia continues to rub against you and then looks into your eyes before kissing you. "Mmmm, I can taste the truthfulness on your lips. A rare flavor around here. I'm glad you decided to join me; we're going to have so much fun together. Now, let me taste more of you. Something more...carnal." A few hours later Sinthinia leaves your study (Which is now a mess) and remarks that she'll be expecting to see you soon after you meet with Sesisek. A few days pass and you meet Sesisek in the forsaken area known as the Drozz Wasteland. The barbarian tribes here still hold sway, but you need not concern yourself with such minor threats, they know enough to stay away from two dark individuals such as yourselves, and the others... The others in question are vampires. It would appear that Sesisek has been planning more than just "normal" betrayal. The vampires eye you warily. "So, how did you swing a deal with the vampire clans?" you ask. "Let's just say we all have similar interests. And that interest is seeing Velzix die and that bitch Sinthinia." "Remember Sesisek, our primary target is Velzix! Your desire for revenge on other targets is secondary!" one the vampires exclaims. "And I assure you that taking out Sinthinia is very necessary to our goals as well. She's head of internal security. Killing her is vital to our plan." "I thought getting Mr. Necromancer here to mask us long enough to enter Veltrix's fortress was the plan?" "He will be, but..." "Hey hold on, what am I supposed to be doing now?" you interrupt while exaggerating your clueless act. "You mean you haven't even informed him yet or what's going on?" "I was going to do it now!" Sesisek hisses before turning to you. "Look isn't it true that you can use some sort of necromantic magic to hide our friends here? The reason why assassination attempts have been so unsuccessful before is thanks to all the magic detection security in the fortress." "Oh. I see what you're getting at. Yeah, but I can't just do it myself. I'd still be giving off too much of a deathly aura that would probably arouse suspicion from Sinthinia's detection shit. I'd have to enter the fortress with either a bunch of zombies and skeletons, or I suppose I could just enter with a few of my abominations. Those would arouse less suspicion since I use them as bodyguards anyway. You vampires could travel with us invisibly, and you shouldn't be detected until you decide to go into a blood frenzy and start killing everyone." "Ha ha! See! I told you he could do it." You all "agree" to this plan and hammer out some other details before parting ways. You head back to Aftermath, when your undead abomination bodyguards begin to sniff the air and you feel a presence stalking you, you stop and prepare yourself for an attack. Once again the vampire assassins become visible. Apparently they've been following you. "You can't sneak up on a necromancer. I can sense your undead presence remember blood leech?" "Is that what you still consider yourself? I thought you'd become a worshipper of demons rather than death, given how long you've been with them." One of the assassins says. "No. I don't worship anything. I'm concerned with my own power; all of this is just a means to an end. And I have not given up the necromantic arts; you would be wise to remember that vampire." "Good. Then it's not too late." "What are you on about?" "Look, this plan will be more successful if you fully cooperate with us. After we kill Velzix, Lord Rostov wants to invite you to join us. He feels that your connection and understanding of death along with your power would serve the Clans well. Among us, you would find a sort of peace. You would not have to deal with demons anymore." "You must be joking! After I kill Velzix, I'm taking over! And anyone who opposes me is going to feel my wrath!" you say still keeping up the illusion that you're going through with this assassination. The vampire assassin runs her fingers through her hair and pauses before speaking again. "No you won't. And I'm not talking about a knife in your back by one of us either. I'm saying if you believe you'll be able to control an empire mixed with mortals, demons AND while controlling all your undead troops, then you're beyond delusional. Look at you. You're a wreck from all the infernal magic you've been taping into. Is it any wonder that demonologists don't live a long time? It's probably only due to your baffling plentiful necromantic energy that's kept you going this long. Even if you do manage to rein in the chaotic nature of the demons, and hold off the Grand Alliance, I doubt you'll live enough to enjoy any of it, let alone conquer anymore territory." "I guess you bloodsuckers forgot that I can always become a lich." "A lich? There hasn't been one of those since the time of the Great Lich Lord! The amount of death energy to become one must be huge! You're not there yet, you're not likely to get there and you're not pure enough anyway. You're tainted too much by hell. While you haven't directly sold your soul, you've thrown your lot in with them long enough to be damned. You will not be allowed to escape death on your own. BUT...becoming one of us will give you a chance. You will defeat death, and live lifetimes." You think on the assassin's words. Much of what she says is true. You aren't in the best condition anymore. You're in pain a lot though you try to ignore it and not display your weakness. As far as being damned, you're not sure, but it's probably true. Your thoughts have focused less on death and more on demonic nightmares. The purity of what you once pursued HAS been tainted. You could almost kick yourself for allowing yourself to turn into what you are. However, you wonder if the vampire is just telling you this to get you on their side. They must be worried about you if they want you to join this bad. Of course he could just be lying, but you don't think so. After being around so many liars you've come to see the signs, not to mention your own insights into the undead. > You decline their offer To side with these bloodsuckers would be folly. First of all they would not be asking for you to join them, if they didn't feel you were a threat. This means you have the upper hand. Second of all, despite what they claim about your dealings with the infernal plane, you ARE still a necromancer, and as such it is not you who should be taking orders from the dead, it is THEY who should be taking orders from YOU! You're confident that you'll be able to "beat" Hell without losing yourself to it. The assassin did make you think somewhat on your future. You're going to have to be twice as more intimidating than you are if you want to survive, and what you have in store is going to ensure such a thing. "I shall have to think on it." You say with a non-committal answer. "Yes, well you don't have too much time to do so. I" The assassin says and leaves with her brethren. You make your way back to Aftermath and then send a message to Sinthinia that you've got the entire plan. When you explain to her what exactly is going to happen, she's positively having an orgasm at the thought of what she's going to have done to Sesisek in her special torture chamber. Afterwards you begin to make plans of your own. A few days pass and Sesisek tells you that he has everything ready. He mentions he'll be taking care of Sinthinia personally along with her whole secret service. You'll meet the vampire assassins in a dead forest near Fury. You send Sinthinia a message that you'll be arriving at Fury to report what Sesisek is planning. She'll be expecting you, but what will actually happen, will be completely different. When you meet the vampire assassins, you arrive in a "hurried and disheveled" state so that you look like you've been in an attack. They're wondering what's going on. "They found out about the plan! Someone found out and told Sinthinia and Velzix! I barely survived an ambush! I've definitely made my decision, I'm joining you!" "And what makes you think our offer still stands?" the female assassin asks "Because I risked my life to even warn you guys about this! I could've just ran off and left you here waiting for the demon detachment that's on its way now! You also still obviously need all the help you can get to defeat Velzix, and he's only gotten closer to opening up his permanent portal. I still can be of use, I still have vital information that can hamper his goal, but we need to get out of here right now! Take me, or don't, but you have nothing to lose by taking me with you, after all I am currently depleted and hopelessly out numbered by your kind." The female assassin turns to her fellow vampires and they converse a second before agreeing. "Very well, we'll take you. I hope for your sake you'll have something of importance to tell Lord Rostov, or you'll find yourself trading one death for another. And you will still have to prove yourself more before we'll make you one of us." You nod, and contain your smile. The vampire assassin pulls out a black cube like device and presses a few button and you're whisked away to the Vampire Clan secret fortress. Now to put your plan into action... Suddenly you greatly draw upon the hellish energy of the infernal realm and summon the very souls being tormented there to assist you. Stealing from hell like this is a very dangerous task and you feel very drained, but you manage to maintain your control. The vampire assassins barely have time to react before the hellfire spirits set them on fire on the inside out as them attempt to enter their soulless shells, looking for a new "home". The short lived screams of the vampires is one of extreme agony, proving that even the undead may feel pain. "YES! Onward my tormented slaves! There are many corporeal shells for you to inhabit!" You walk calmly through the Vampire Clan Fortress as the hellfire spirits slaughter the vampires with ease. The screams begin to grow on you. You may be a necromancer, but you think now you have a better understanding of what it means to be a demon. Your thoughts have become steadily more twisted with each passing blood leech death. Finally you reach Lord Rostov. He looks very regal and dignified even when certain doom awaits him. He says nothing merely attempts to fend off your fiery minions. He does better than his underlings, but ultimately he too is burned to a crisp, putting an end to the vampire clans once and for all. Now it's just you alone with several of these burning souls still screaming for a host body. You're barely keeping them from attacking you and you begin to dismiss them immediately, sending them back to hell. Except one. One which you have plans for and are going to take the ultimate gamble with. Letting your guard down you release the spirit from your command which enters inside your body. You've felt pain before as you've slowly aligned yourself with hell, but none of it has ever compared to this. Your whole inside of your body is literally on fire. You feel the organs in your body rise in temperature, and explode as they burn up. There is no way you should be surviving this, but something else within you has taken control. Your will and your desire for one. Your unnatural ties to necromantic energy for another. "NO! I will NOT die like this! YOU are MY servant and I am the master here! I will be master of ALL! You will obey me and cease this behavior instantly!" you bellow, as your vocal cords burn away making your "bellow" sound more like a terrible hissing raspy sound. You collapse and continue burning and convulsing on the stone floor trying to fight off death and tame this disobedient spirit. After about a day of this, the transformation is complete. What you are exactly is questionable however. Are you alive? Are you undead? Are you a demon? Perhaps you're all three now. The tormented hell spirit is still within what's left of your burned body, though you've completely absorbed whatever "free will" it might've had. The pain is still there though somewhat duller. You probably shouldn't be feeling anything given that all your nerves have been destroyed and technically being dead and all, but the powers of hell are known to extend pain even after death. You know it's somehow keeping you alive, but at a heavy duty price obviously. You get up wracked with pain all over your blackened and smoldering body. If you were a mess before, you're a complete wreck now, but you've gained more power than you ever could've while as a mortal. And you've not only swindled death, but hell as well. You've achieved something even the Great Lich Lord didn't do. And if all goes as planned you'll achieve ANOTHER thing he didn't do. But first you'll go check on your new "ally" Sinthinia. When you leave the Vampire Clan Fortress, you find that Velzix's realm had to put down a very small rebellion. Sesisek seeing that his plan had gone to complete shit when you and the vampires didn't arrive decided he was going to go ahead with it anyway. He and a few thousand foolish mortals that followed him attacked in open revolt. He didn't last long before he was easily put down. You were actually thought to be dead (Which isn't entirely inaccurate) while you were undergoing your new transformation and struggling to survive the process, all the undead that you had under your control slumped back to death again. A few of your acolytes picked up the slack, but given how many undead troops that suddenly dropped, it was still assumed that someone had killed you. How surprising it was for Sinthinia when you went to meet her in private. The first being to be graced in the presence of your new form. Not surprisingly she didn't recognize you at first, she's even a little unnerved. You like that. "Ah, lovely Sinthinia...you were quite right to choose me as an ally. Even in this new form I would still find it quite a shame to destroy such a beautiful form..." "...you? I thought...where the fuck have you been and...what the hell are you?" "Hell. Hell's exactly what I am." You hideously laugh. You proceed to explain the whole story since you feel in a mood to do so. She's very fascinated by the process since even she didn't know it was possible for a mortal to achieve something like this. She seems particularly intrigued by the fact that you're in a lot of pain constantly. She mentions that Velzix will probably start being more concerned with you, but of course you care not for such matters. You've defeated Death, you've cheated Hell, what's one demon lord? > Once again you enter a new stage of your journey Five years have passed... It's been ten years since you allied with Velzix, an alliance that's becoming more tenuous with each passing day. Startled by your transformation and surge in power, Velzix proceeded to work extra hard on opening the portal, which he did...permanently. Velzix now has unlimited reinforcements, but you do as well. Your new found abilities allow you to not only summon the torments spirits of the infernal plane, but you soon were also able to raise dead demons as hellish undead. Something that couldn't be accomplished before, by any being. Not even the Great Lich Lord. Combine this with your other regular necromantic abilities and you're a severe threat with completely loyal troops who will have to be dealt with soon as far as Velzix is concerned. But for now, the alliance still stands. Your other "ally" Sinthinia still maintains her grip on her spy network, but it's of little importance to you now. You've completely filled your holdings with undead be they former mortals or demons. None of them are going to rat on whatever it is you're plotting. As for the "Grand Alliance" it's in its death rattle. The Zalan Empire has basically taken full control of it, but even with more of a unified leadership, this last hope for mortals is doomed. You don't even know why they persist in struggling. You alone have pushed your undead hell legions towards the gates of the capitol yourself, beating that idiotic Tivadol to the punch. You hear of how he roars with rage at your successes. Having accomplished this feat, and despite your transformation, your thoughts can't help, but turn to your family. It's been years since you've had any kind of direct contact with them. You know your Mom still lives in the capitol of the Zalan Empire and that your sister is still currently holding the last pitiful lines of defense there as a general. As for your Dad...well you know exactly where he's at right now. He's in your dungeon. Sinthinia recently had him captured after he and his company had been waging an ongoing guerilla tactic campaign of irritating raids on Velzix's Realm. When you found out, you insisted that he be brought to you and she was only too happy to oblige, knowing that your dislike of him, only grew and festered into full blown hatred after your transformation. While it's true you're supposed to oversee the destruction of the Zalan capitol personally, you're going to enjoy yourself in tormenting the one who sired you first. You open the door to his cell and see a beaten and bloody old man. No longer is he the figure of intimidation that you once quaked in fear of when he was around. His wounds are recent from the lashes he's been taking. You decided it would be best to start off with the basics before moving on to more elaborate tortures. However, upon seeing you, he manages to compose himself the best he can. "Ugh...too chicken shit to do your own dirty work, huh?" he says spitting blood. "I think you'll find that by letting others do my dirty work, I'm actually showing mercy. Because when I starting doing it, you won't be in any condition to perform this poor attempt of bravado." Your Dad finally stands up and addresses you more directly. He looks at you and shakes his head. "You think by killing me, that you're proving something? You ain't proving shit boy except what a lousy disappointment you truly are. Now your sister, THERE'S a child to be proud of. Even yer mother gave up on you. Broke her heart you know that?" You can't believe this arrogance! "Feh, aligning yourself with the hordes of hell, I always knew you were too weak to do anything on your own. You couldn't even follow the path of darkness without help." Your Dad mocks. You don't know how he's doing this, but he's actually managing to get to you. You're tired of hearing this and you cast a spell that strips a portion of his skin off. He falls to the floor in pain. "You will NOT dictate your judgment on me! I am beyond such things now, especially from the likes of you! A blood thirsty thug who committed more than a few atrocities in his day and up until I began my path of darkness, was still committing foul deeds under the guise of law. You are no better than me!" "Wrong again boy. I cleaned up my act...heh heh, okay maybe not completely. But I ain't never got myself in league with demons. Let alone turn myself into some unnatural...thing. Yer dammed boy. And while you might think you're going to be controlling everything, you ain't. You don't control hell boy, it controls you. Yer nothin' but a slave to..." "ENOUGH!" you shout and kick him before he can complete his sentence. The rage building up in you is enough to twist steel, but still your Dad mocks you. He's laughing! "Ha ha ha, broke yer mother's heart..." You don't have time for this right now. You're supposed to oversee the final attack of the Zalan capitol, and you're still going to do that, and your Dad is going to feel the pain when you come back. In the meantime he can rot in his cell. You arrive and the final attack is ordered. You storm the gates as cannons destroy multitudes of your troops only to be replaced with more. You see your sister on top of the battlements ordering her soldiers to fire upon you. During this attack you feel several bullets enter your body breaking through your magical defenses. You ignore the pain, as its nothing compared to what you've been exposed to. Not stopping, you enter the gates of the city realizing that this was inevitable. Things could've only been this way. Your undead slay all those that oppose you, but you mentally make sure none of your undead has murderous intentions towards any of your family. You have special plans for them. You head towards your parent's old house, taking little notice of the death around you. When you arrive you find the house empty. In fact it looks like it's been empty for months. So many memories here...a different time... even a different life now... "She left when the attacks first came. She didn't say where either. She just told me she was leaving. I even had her followed for awhile, but she was quite adept at eluding my scouts, not to mention I had other concerns to take care of." Your sister says entering behind you. "Mom always was smart, well except maybe when it came to Dad, but he's rotting in my torture cell right now. So who cares?" you remark. Your sister doesn't make her sense of concern noticeable by your revelation, but instead looks upon you with complete disgust. "I can't believe you've let yourself become what you are. What you've done..." "I've found that one is capable of quite a bit, when one sets their mind to it. Even the demons fear me and I have only myself to congratulate. Soon they too will fall...perhaps this is a lingering sense of brotherly concern, but you could join me in this. You would be a great asset in the coming war with Velzix. Perhaps I could even help you transform as well." She spits on the floor, and then raises her magical glowing sword. "I thought as much." You blast your sister with powerful beam of negative energy causing the color to drain from her face. She's still continues towards you, but another blast causes her to fall. She's near death and your twisted mind still ponders what to do. Your sister was a great warrior, and you weren't joking when she would be a great asset to you if she was on your side. You're sure if given enough time and using the right magic rituals you could transform her like you did to yourself. Part of you also still has your Dad's words of how she was someone to be proud of ringing in your head. Transforming her into a vessel of evil would be destroying that image in your mind. > You transform her Overcome with irrational hatred and jealousy of an opinion that technically shouldn't matter to you at all, you grab your sister's body and have dark plans for it. Even better, you're going to have your Dad see exactly what you're going to do. Two tortures in one. You infuse her with a bit of unholy energy to keep her alive. As you're leaving one of your mortal necromancers approaches you in the middle of the chaos. "Uh sir, we've taken over the city. The royal family was butchered in their own throne room." "Huh? Yeah, yeah. Well you know what to do, recruit the weak willed, kill the resisters, and raise the dead. I got more important things to do." You take your sister back to Aftermath and begin your work. You start to perform rituals and have your Dad watch every reprehensible act you do to your sister over the course of several weeks. She slowly goes from becoming a noble warrior to a malevolent murderer. She screams in pain from the vile assaults upon her mind and body. For the first time you think you've seen your Dad weep and display any kind of emotion. He even begs you to stop, which really make you smile. When you're ready to represent the final act of your work, you approach your Dad who's a completely broken man at this point. "See, and look upon your pride and joy now Dad. You were proud of her because she was everything she represented that you weren't right? She shook off the brutality and replaced it with nobility. She wasn't a self-serving mercenary; she was a duty bound fighter who believed in something. So much so that she was willing to try to kill me even though the odds were against her. She chose a path because it was what she BELIEVED in, not something she became due to falling under some spell like you did. Well guess what? I CHOSE my path too. And I've chose to turn your beloved daughter into you. Did you know she had the capacity for great evil already? Guess your genes are always there, no matter how much you try to deny them. I had to look deep, but I found that part of her. That darkest part of her hates, her violent tendencies, all of it. I nurtured and coaxed it out through...well I think you saw most of the process. Now behold my greatest achievement since my ascension." You sister comes from behind the door; she looks much different than from what your Dad remembers. No longer is she a force of good, but one of evil. Of course though you've made sure she's totally obedient to you. The tormented hell soul that inhabits her body is completely under your command. It causes her great pain, but then again so are you. Why should you be the only one who suffers? She sneers at you as she walks towards your Dad. You can feel her hatred toward you, yet she knows she cannot do anything toward you. Instead she takes it out on your Dad who can only give a mournful look of what she's become before he's hacked to bits in a bloody fury. Yes, she will certainly be a terror on the battlefield, you think. Ten years pass... Twenty years have passed, and the world has tilted firmly into the grip of evil. Demons pour into this world more and more each day. The Grand Alliance is dead and the "civilized" governments of mortals have fallen to demonic hordes or your own undead ones. Pockets of resistance always exist, but they will soon fall in time as well. With the success of your sister's transformation, you proceeded to pick other powerful mortals and unnaturally twist them to your will, turning them into something more than demon, more than undead and certainly more than human. They are much like you except they are completely obedient to your will. They hate you of course for their painful existence, but is it not the way of all children to want to kill their father? Perhaps Hell has changed you, but you've made quite a few changes to Hell... Of more immediate concern is Velzix, who demanded years ago that you stop your experiments on mortals. He and most of the other pure blood demons already didn't like the fact you could raise their dead, but they REALLY didn't like how you were achieving something that they hadn't thought of, let alone even accomplish. Of sure a few can possess a body, or turn an idiot to evil, but how many can create a whole new "race" of beings who are rivaling them in wickedness yet subservient to their creator? Of course you told Velzix to fuck off and there begun a civil war. Your undead, mortal servants and Hellbred warriors now control your territory known as the Forsaken Dominion. Velzix still calls his territory "Velzix's Realm" but it's primarily inhabited by demons now, though mortal slave do serve them under their clawed heels. Neither place is particularly appealing to any right and good thinking being though. Tivadol the Destroyer was the first fool to directly challenge you. He decided that if he could get you out of the way, he could prove that he was the ultimate warrior and easily take Velzix's place. He soon found out how poor his judgment was, when your sister personally slew him on the battlefield and his now undead shell serves her every whim and take her every abuse. Sinthinia broke off her so called alliance with you, and somehow managed to ingratiate herself back in Velzix's good graces. Perhaps your actions really have put the fear into them. Indeed there is less infighting occurring in Velzix's Realm nowadays. This new unified front the demons have put up is the only thing that's really giving you problems as of late. Get them to start fighting amongst themselves again and you'll be able to roll over them. You were here first. You're going to rule this world, nobody else. You get an idea. You know the demons hate your new Hellbred creations yet you're pretty sure Velzix wouldn't mind having some on his side. He's merely using this new found unity to his advantage, just like he'd use your creations to his advantage as well. You decide to stage a small revolt, though you're not telling anyone about it. Only you'll know the truth. You figure your sister would be the best one to start with since it's well known how much she loathes you even amongst the enemy. The first revolt in the Dominion is set off by your sister. She slays several of your mortal servants, some of them even necromancers. Undead die by the droves. You could care less. This is for a greater goal and after all, you'll just raise them again later. The second revolt occurs next and then another. By the end of the month several of your Hellbred warriors have rebelled and some have even acquired small contingencies of mortal followers. All of this grabs Velzix's attention. He moves in to take your weakened areas, but he also sends feelers out to these rebel Hellbreds. Since this was supposed to be impossible he's very interested to see if he can use them against you... Excellent the first part of the plan is set. He has Sinthinia approach them, as he's still too smart to directly face them. The cowardly demon lord hasn't left his magically fortified inner chamber in years. Of course Sinthinia has her own personal guards approach them first since she's not risking her life either. Of course the Hellbreds act appropriately hostile and suspicious, but mention how much they hate being used as your pawns and how arrogant you were to think that you could control them just because you created them. They want nothing more than your death. That response is enough for Velzix to start offering them positions in his armies. They accept of course. At first they're just kept to their own units, but after Velzix wins some territory from you (More than he has in years) he realizes their efficiently would be better spread out to maximize there fighting skills and strategic minds. He begins to have them lead demon contingencies. This doesn't go over well. Part two of the plan has come about. Soon the demons begin to resent Velzix's decision. Saying that he's favoring these Hellbreds over them. Velzix tell them he'll do what he wants as he's the leader and what he says goes. Sinthinia doesn't like this either and mentions that he's stirring trouble by pursuing this course of action and she doesn't like the fact that she can't sense what they're thinking or feeling like a normal (or not so normal) living creature, but Velzix insists he's doing the right thing since he's winning the war against you now. It doesn't take long before the demons revert back to their chaotic natures and start getting disobedient with their new Hellbred "companions". Now you have your Hellbred stop holding back and lash out which they do in violent ways. This of course causes the death of several Hellbreds, but these acts cause a greater spiral of destruction. Demons begin fighting among themselves again, arguing that Velzix doesn't know what the fuck he's doing and isn't worth following since he trusted these creatures to lead. Velzix has REAL rebellions going on all over his Realm. Portions of it begin to split away from the whole and several demons begin forming their own warlord domains. Domains that you easily conquer as you bring your full unified force to bear. Eventually Velzix's reputation isn't strong enough anymore and he can't bring enough reinforcements anymore to help, as the knowledge of his failures have spread even to the infernal planes. In fact he has to close up his portal just so other opportunistic demon lords don't come around to finish him off, he's having enough problems with you. You get the impression that Sinthinia had something to do with that as she disappeared soon after this elaborate deception came about. (Possibly her "parting shot" at Velzix who she never had any true loyalty to anyway and fled back to the infernal plane to save her own skin) Now the endgame begins Your sister storms Velzix's fortress with an army larger than the one used to storm the Zalan capitol ten years ago. You never even have to dirty your hands, and you heard he was slain with ease by your sister. When she presents his head to you, you do something you haven't done in a long time. Grant act of mercy. "You've served me well dear sister, let this be your final reward." You snuff out the tormented spirit inhabiting your sister which releases her from her painful servitude and allows her to die. Now nothing stands in your way, Velzix's hasty actions of closing the portal have made things even easier for you. No longer do you have to deal with these interloping demons any longer. You've suffered their kind long enough. Even from the very beginning when Big Red gave you shit when you tried to buy a book on necromancy from him, how long ago that was... You vow to have every last one of them killed. > Godhood? Thirty years pass... It's been fifty years since you set out on the path of darkness. Every demon on this world has indeed been hunted down and killed. If any still exist, they've found the deepest darkest hole to hide in and you're even having those searched. Mortal resistance is non-existent. You've stomped out every wannabe hero/last hope/chosen one whenever they've presented themselves. Such idealism is the past. A few times there have been a few of your necromancer underlings that have attempted to have you killed, but such attempts are futile and the conspirators are typically caught, tortured and then killed. Most mortals know better than to stand against you now though. You have done something remarkable in your cruel iron fist and that is the fact you've brought peace to the world at last. Nobody fights on any meaningful major scale anymore. All mortals, from the lowliest goblin to the haughtiest elf (Though there aren't too many of the latter left) all obey your terrible will and seek to become one of your many undead minions when they ultimately die. Their "afterlife". They cannot hope to stand against no less than a god. Are you a god though? After all is it not you who drove the demons from the world? Is it not you who created the Hellbred? Is it not you who has achieved world peace? Is it not you who is complete master of life and death? Is it not you who continues to suffer your agonizing existence merely to give these fools some purpose in their lives? Where are all the gods of "old" anyway? Why did they allow this to happen? Why have they not stopped you, if this was not destined to happen? You're of the mind that the gods of this world either never existed or cowered in fear of your rising power and abandoned it long ago. While you ponder these questions in the solitude of your study and decide that you ARE a god, you are suddenly visited by the contrary. "Well, well, well, this turned out a lot better than I expected. I guess it was good I placed my faith in you...ha ha faith. Probably not the most appropriate word, but I can't think of a better one right now." You turn around to see a face you thought dead long ago. Even you are surprised, and that rarely happens nowadays. How he got in here you have no idea. "Big Red?" "Yep, it's me." "I saw you dead. Years ago." "Oh that, yeah well let's just say that wasn't me or at least no the real me. Doesn't matter. This world is ready for the infernal plane." "Excuse me? Just because you have somehow managed to cheat death, do not presume that you can challenge me. I am god here. This world is mine and mine alone." Big Red laughs and then you feel a sudden paralysis over come you. Powerful magic is at work here and you can't do anything about it. Your anger rages. "This world COULD'VE been yours, had you chosen a different path, tis true. But the day you came to me, was the day that path ended. I knew a change in this world was coming long before you showed up, and not necessarily one in my favor. The stench of death had risen once more just like in the days before the Great Lich Lord,. in fact I was already to haul my red ass back to the infernal realm. I already went through that shit once, didn't feel like dealing with it again. Mortals are certainly fun to be around, but the undead...never cared for them. If they were going to retake this world, I saw no point in staying. Demons are indeed assholes, but hey I can related to them." "When I get free, I'm going to make you beg for death!" you yell while he continues his speech. "However, when you came to me, I could sense the great power of necromancy flowing in you. Oh sure Mr. Demar and his motley crew THOUGHT they were dark wizards, but their power paled in comparison to what I sensed in you. I thought about killing you right then and there to stop the possible dead onslaught, but then I thought why do that, when I can bend and taint you to infernal purposes?" "You didn't do shit! I DID THIS ALL!" "I'm sure you think so, and that's exactly what I wanted you to believe. Those necromantic books you took from my place when you found my dead body were infused with hell magic, secret languages from my home. Of course if you had been a little more experienced in such matters you might've caught on, but you were too eager to start raising the dead to not realize that the seeds were slowly taking root in your mind. I watched you turn slowly away from the purity of death and begin to consort with demons. The moment you allied with that blowhard Velzix I knew then the seeds had taken started to bloom." "NO! You're lying!" "It was a good thing that my plan worked too, because it stunted your potential power. The purity of your unnatural link to the dead was spoiled and ultimately severed long ago. Who knows how powerful you could've gotten had I not intervened? Maybe you would've surpassed the Great Lich Lord. Why you might've ascended into godhood. Scary to think about the road not traveled eh?" "Well okay I can't take credit for ALL your decisions, but come on. When you began summoning tormented souls from the infernal realm, did you really think you could've gotten away with that without some kind of help? You were STEALING from Hell. Then when you transformed yourself you were going beyond normal hubris. Not even our kind has the balls to defy Hell itself. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to convince the high ups to let you get away with it. Your Hellbred experiment made things even worse, but in the end it was all worth it. Hell's getting an entire world in return and their stolen souls back." This revelation...you don't want to believe it, but somehow the hard reality is crashing down upon you, and the paralysis wears off and you suddenly feel completely drained as you fall to the floor. "No...no...I was in control the whole time...I'm just...just a puppet...a slave..." "We're ALL slaves to Hell, my dead friend. Its just all of the question how high up you are in the hierarchy you are. You might've been allowed some leniency, and been allowed to be my second in command, but as I said your grand theft soul displeased the high ups. So you gotta pay. Pay dearly I'm afraid. Shame really, you really were quite efficient at your work, but having someone like you around would've been dangerous to my well being anyway. I think Sinthinia will be more fun than you'd be as well. She's proved a most useful spy and saboteur through this whole endeavor. She was the one who told you to look behind the toilet for the necromantic books fifty years ago after all." Its just one deception upon another as the plot has unfolded to prove how you were lead down the path to Hell. Now there's just one more thing as you're crumpled miserably on the floor hoping that all of this is some bad dream, but of course when Big Red crouches next to you and grabs your wrist this is all too real. "It's been said time and time again, but you chose to ignore it. You don't change Hell, Hell changes you. And it's changed not only you, but this world as well. Time for both of you to come home necromancer." And with these last words, the entire world is transported into the infernal plane where Big Red is allowed to run it as he sees fit. All your undead and Hellbred are destroyed instantly as your powers are stripped away immediately. Hell gave you your powers, and now it's taking them away. Drawing back ALL its energy it ever gave you. You now lay in some forsaken deep pit of Hell completely helpless. You have nothing to defend yourself against the demonic torments that you now suffer. Physically, mentally and especially spiritually. Your punishment is eternal and not even the power of death can save you.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, war, serious, fantasy] Five years have passed... It's been ten years since you allied with Velzix, an alliance that's becoming more tenuous with each passing day. Startled by your transformation and surge in power, Velzix proceeded to work extra hard on opening the portal, which he did...permanently. Velzix now has unlimited reinforcements, but you do as well. Your new found abilities allow you to not only summon the torments spirits of the infernal plane, but you soon were also able to raise dead demons as hellish undead. Something that couldn't be accomplished before, by any being. Not even the Great Lich Lord. Combine this with your other regular necromantic abilities and you're a severe threat with completely loyal troops who will have to be dealt with soon as far as Velzix is concerned. But for now, the alliance still stands. Your other "ally" Sinthinia still maintains her grip on her spy network, but it's of little importance to you now. You've completely filled your holdings with undead be they former mortals or demons. None of them are going to rat on whatever it is you're plotting. As for the "Grand Alliance" it's in its death rattle. The Zalan Empire has basically taken full control of it, but even with more of a unified leadership, this last hope for mortals is doomed. You don't even know why they persist in struggling. You alone have pushed your undead hell legions towards the gates of the capitol yourself, beating that idiotic Tivadol to the punch. You hear of how he roars with rage at your successes. Having accomplished this feat, and despite your transformation, your thoughts can't help, but turn to your family. It's been years since you've had any kind of direct contact with them. You know your Mom still lives in the capitol of the Zalan Empire and that your sister is still currently holding the last pitiful lines of defense there as a general. As for your Dad...well you know exactly where he's at right now. He's in your dungeon. Sinthinia recently had him captured after he and his company had been waging an ongoing guerilla tactic campaign of irritating raids on Velzix's Realm. When you found out, you insisted that he be brought to you and she was only too happy to oblige, knowing that your dislike of him, only grew and festered into full blown hatred after your transformation. While it's true you're supposed to oversee the destruction of the Zalan capitol personally, you're going to enjoy yourself in tormenting the one who sired you first. You open the door to his cell and see a beaten and bloody old man. No longer is he the figure of intimidation that you once quaked in fear of when he was around. His wounds are recent from the lashes he's been taking. You decided it would be best to start off with the basics before moving on to more elaborate tortures. However, upon seeing you, he manages to compose himself the best he can. "Ugh...too chicken shit to do your own dirty work, huh?" he says spitting blood. "I think you'll find that by letting others do my dirty work, I'm actually showing mercy. Because when I starting doing it, you won't be in any condition to perform this poor attempt of bravado." Your Dad finally stands up and addresses you more directly. He looks at you and shakes his head. "You think by killing me, that you're proving something? You ain't proving shit boy except what a lousy disappointment you truly are. Now your sister, THERE'S a child to be proud of. Even yer mother gave up on you. Broke her heart you know that?" You can't believe this arrogance! "Feh, aligning yourself with the hordes of hell, I always knew you were too weak to do anything on your own. You couldn't even follow the path of darkness without help." Your Dad mocks. You don't know how he's doing this, but he's actually managing to get to you. You're tired of hearing this and you cast a spell that strips a portion of his skin off. He falls to the floor in pain. "You will NOT dictate your judgment on me! I am beyond such things now, especially from the likes of you! A blood thirsty thug who committed more than a few atrocities in his day and up until I began my path of darkness, was still committing foul deeds under the guise of law. You are no better than me!" "Wrong again boy. I cleaned up my act...heh heh, okay maybe not completely. But I ain't never got myself in league with demons. Let alone turn myself into some unnatural...thing. Yer dammed boy. And while you might think you're going to be controlling everything, you ain't. You don't control hell boy, it controls you. Yer nothin' but a slave to..." "ENOUGH!" you shout and kick him before he can complete his sentence. The rage building up in you is enough to twist steel, but still your Dad mocks you. He's laughing! "Ha ha ha, broke yer mother's heart..." You don't have time for this right now. You're supposed to oversee the final attack of the Zalan capitol, and you're still going to do that, and your Dad is going to feel the pain when you come back. In the meantime he can rot in his cell. You arrive and the final attack is ordered. You storm the gates as cannons destroy multitudes of your troops only to be replaced with more. You see your sister on top of the battlements ordering her soldiers to fire upon you. During this attack you feel several bullets enter your body breaking through your magical defenses. You ignore the pain, as its nothing compared to what you've been exposed to. Not stopping, you enter the gates of the city realizing that this was inevitable. Things could've only been this way. Your undead slay all those that oppose you, but you mentally make sure none of your undead has murderous intentions towards any of your family. You have special plans for them. You head towards your parent's old house, taking little notice of the death around you. When you arrive you find the house empty. In fact it looks like it's been empty for months. So many memories here...a different time... even a different life now... "She left when the attacks first came. She didn't say where either. She just told me she was leaving. I even had her followed for awhile, but she was quite adept at eluding my scouts, not to mention I had other concerns to take care of." Your sister says entering behind you. "Mom always was smart, well except maybe when it came to Dad, but he's rotting in my torture cell right now. So who cares?" you remark. Your sister doesn't make her sense of concern noticeable by your revelation, but instead looks upon you with complete disgust. "I can't believe you've let yourself become what you are. What you've done..." "I've found that one is capable of quite a bit, when one sets their mind to it. Even the demons fear me and I have only myself to congratulate. Soon they too will fall...perhaps this is a lingering sense of brotherly concern, but you could join me in this. You would be a great asset in the coming war with Velzix. Perhaps I could even help you transform as well." She spits on the floor, and then raises her magical glowing sword. "I thought as much." You blast your sister with powerful beam of negative energy causing the color to drain from her face. She's still continues towards you, but another blast causes her to fall. She's near death and your twisted mind still ponders what to do. Your sister was a great warrior, and you weren't joking when she would be a great asset to you if she was on your side. You're sure if given enough time and using the right magic rituals you could transform her like you did to yourself. Part of you also still has your Dad's words of how she was someone to be proud of ringing in your head. Transforming her into a vessel of evil would be destroying that image in your mind. > You kill her A fleeting thought of vicious cruelty all to get back at your Dad crosses your mind, but leaves you. You don't need to bother proving anything. You know who you are. The old man is defeated and he'll be dealt with when you get back. The second reason is you wish to remain unique; transforming your sister into something similar to you would be destroying that. "Well sis, this is where we say good bye, you may thank me for this mercy I'm displaying. Dad won't be so lucky." You say and snuff out the last bit of her life essence and leave the house. As you're leaving one of your mortal necromancers approaches you in the middle of the chaos. "Uh sir, we've taken over the city. The royal family was butchered in their own throne room." "Good. Well you know what to do next, recruit the weak willed, kill the resisters, and raise the dead. I got more important things to do." You return to Aftermath where you inform your Dad of his beloved daughter's death and how she died mewling and begging like a pathetic stuck Halfling. You also mention he won't get to die with half as much dignity. His torment stretches for months before his body at last gives out. Lasted longer than you expected, but then again he was always tough. Ten years pass... Twenty years have passed, and the world has tilted firmly into the grip of evil. Demons pour into this world more and more each day. The Grand Alliance is dead and the "civilized" governments of mortals have fallen to demonic hordes or your own undead ones. Pockets of resistance always exist, but the damage they do is negligible. There is little hope left. As for your own "alliance" that also no longer exists. You and Velzix couldn't exist together any longer and the need to destroy each other was finally unleashed. The land is split and your territory is known as the Forsaken Dominion. The war goes on for years in a bloody seesaw event. Tivadol the Destroyer attempts to raise his own status by trying to launch an all out assault upon you. Hoping that by killing you personally, everyone will see he's a better leader than Velzix. His fanatical berserker troops do much damage initially, but soon even they fall before the relentless hordes of undead. By the time Tivadol gets to the inner reaches of your lands, he's fighting by himself. He dies in an onslaught of wraiths, wrights, skeletons and all other manner of undead. Sinthinia who once again sided with Velzix during this split sends some of her personal assassins after you. More than a few times they nearly ended your existence. With each one you killed you had their corpses kept in a cell. Then when you felt you had enough of them in your possession, you raised them and ordered them to use their skills to kill Sinthinia and Velzix. Velzix proved to evade this fate, but Sinthinia wasn't so lucky and died by the hands of her own assassins. Still even with these successes, you aren't gaining too much ground. Velzix just replenishes his army with more demons coming from the infernal plane. The only way to stop that from happening is to close the motherfucker, and quite frankly you're about the only one on your side powerful enough to do it. You prepare to make a large scale attack into Velzix's Realm. After a long hard fight you manage to close the infernal portal, cutting off his troop supply. Of course after having done this, you realize you're already deep in his territory. He's close. Why stop there? He'll just open it again later, and you ARE trying to kill him... Not stopping, you assault his nearby fortress Fury. With each demon you kill they cut down ten of your undead. They make you pay for every success, to the point that you even have to conserve some of your energy to stop raising the dead to replenish your losses. You've expended enough as it is closing the portal, you'll need all you have to defeat Velzix. Eventually you reach Velzix's inner chamber. He bellows and makes his usual threats of how he's going to make you pay and such. It's all so boring now. You've heard it all before. You don't bother with your own remarks, because you've also said it all before too. The pair of you engage in combat, casting every terrible spell imaginable and destroying portions of the fortress in the process. For years the world has suffered under the both of you, and little by little hope died. However, perhaps after this battle hope shall once again live. For the level of evil will definitely be vastly diminished after this day. You fight with much ferocity, but at last Velzix catches you off guard and lands a crippling blow. He wastes no time in following up and after he's done, you can even feel yourself losing grip on the hellish magics keeping you alive. However, you vow if you're not winning neither is Velzix. You expend your last bit of power and blast Velzix in the face with a combination of negative energy and hellfire. He reels back from you and falls. You then force the tormented soul in your body to exit and enter inside Velzix and command it to wreak havoc on his internal organs out from the inside. Velzix's howls as his organs explode and his body is ripped apart. It's the last thing you hear as you die a final death with a smile on your face.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, serious, fantasy] Well, you probably could use the help in this matter. Smoothing this out with Velzix is going to be a delicate affair. "Alright, I'm accepting your help." "Excellent." Sesisek smiles. Sesisek explains that even if you do manage to talk Velzix into not killing you for your actions, he's still going to take away your hard earned victory for himself. You can't let him do this, nor are you to get into a fight with him. Instead you must convince Velzix that you are indeed loyal and would never dream of betraying him, but that you must take a more active role in things if you are to be effective. You must remind him that if you're doing activity, then Velzix can concentrate more on opening up the portal to back home and victory will come quicker. Finally you must always point out of how weak you are compared to the might of Velzix, remind him that you are but a lowly mortal and will always remain so when compared to a demon lord. After advising you, Sesisek leaves you as he mentions he doesn't want to be around if things don't go well. He doesn't need anymore of Velzix's anger to spread out to him, but if you happen to be successful; he'll definitely be around to provide more help in the future You feel just by agreeing to this you've lost something of yourself. Much like when you allied with Velzix. Maybe you haven't gone so far to sell your soul and granted you were walking the path of darkness to begin with, but the twisted taint of hell that you've been getting deeper into is definitely starting to change you and it's probably not for the better. In any case a couple days pass and Velzix arrives, he's a little more calm than you were expecting, but he could blow up at any minute. "So little necromancer, I hear you have been taking matters into your own hands and acquiring territory yourself. I am displeased that you have done this. The Grand Alliance has been attacking and you've been squandering my potential reinforcements elsewhere. What if they had succeeded in breaking through my defenses? I would've had no troops to support my position, and much would've been lost." "Forgive me, but I felt that with the Grand Alliance focusing their attention elsewhere, I believed an attack on the Brot Kingdom would be a good idea. And I might add, it was. The conquest was very successful." "Yes, but you have dodged the question of what would've happened had the Grand Alliance broke through my defenses?" "I did not worry about such a thing since I knew they would be no match for a powerful demon lord such as yourself and even if they had, I'm sure you personally could've dealt with the few stragglers. They are only mortals after all; they would never be a match for you." "Obsequious words little necromancer...I have never heard any such tone from you before. You have always carried an air of arrogance about you. Tell me, is my mere presence enough to make you regret your clumsy attempts at gaining more power?" "I fear you have misjudged me in this. I simply feel that my talents have not been used to their full degree, because you believe I shall be treacherous in the future. I have no desire to do such a thing. What would be the point? I could never hope to defeat you anyway. I only wish to be more active in your eventual conquest of this world. I have already proven to be a more competent general than Tivadol." Velzix laughs out loud at this last statement. "I'm sure Tivadol will be thrilled to hear that a mortal has achieved more in military victories on this world than he has...very well. You wish to choose a more active role, so be it. It will be most amusing to see Tivadol compete with you, perhaps this will even inspire him to succeed, since as you have pointed out, he has yet to conquer an entire kingdom for me like you have...and it IS MY kingdom is it not?" "Yes, it is." You say with a bow. "Hmm, yes. Well you've talked your way out of this one necromancer, but know that I will still be watching you. You had best prove successful in your new active role, but also remember who is in charge and who serves." "Of course." Velzix informs you that since you have taken on this role, he'll be issuing more orders to you AND that it will be up to you to oversee larger areas of territory (Starting with the recently acquired Brot Kingdom), not just Aftermath. And if you fuck up, you're going to get fucked up. And with that, you have your new place in the hierarchy... Four years pass... It's been five years since you made your alliance with Velzix, so far it's proven most beneficial more or less. You've managed to carve out a niche for yourself as a good general, and just in time too since Velzix has been successful in keeping infernal portals open longer which is allowing more demons to come in. While your undead troops are looking to be somewhat "obsolete" your expertise in military planning has assured you a place in this demonic empire. You don't lead demons though of course. They'd never allow such a thing. You lead a strange combination of undead and mortals who have decided to throw their lot in with the infernal forces. Sesisek has even provided you with a few mortals who have displayed an interest in necromancy, allowing you to not carry the weight of up keeping an undead army constantly anymore. While you haven't completely abandoned your necromantic roots, you've been forced to broaden your magical horizons and tap into the infernal plane, which has allowed you to create potent unnatural abominations. However, this type of magic is highly experimental and you're probably the first one to even attempt it. It's beginning to take a toll on your deteriorating health, because as they say, you don't change hell, hell changes you. However your power is keeping you going. You haven't lost sight that one day you'll be in charge... Your immediate rivals haven't lost sight either, in fact you've become more of a threat. Tivadol the Destroyer constantly makes threats that he'll one day see you crushed underneath his foot. Sinthinia is a little more interested in your relationship with Sesisek and finds the fact that you two are on too good of terms to be very suspicious. Oddly Velzix doesn't seem worried about this though, or if he is, he hasn't made it known to you. Indeed he's been pre-occupied lately with finally opening up a portal permanently to his infernal home. He believes he will soon be successful. In the meantime, the Grand Alliance has been hard pressed to hold the line, they are slowly losing ground to you and Tivadol. Heroes from all over the civilized governments have been employed, but so far they've have proven unsuccessful in even getting to Velzix, let alone killing him. Vampire assassins however have had a little more luck, but Sinithina's internal security magic guards have detected them all as soon as they get near Velzix's fortress. You can't say you're too thrilled yourself with Velzix opening up a permanent portal as it could certainly make your job a lot harder of killing him in the future. Sesisek, realizes this too and has recently approached you about this. He tells you to meet him for a plan to kill Velzix, in a couple days. While you're in your study pondering what this could entail, you are suddenly "greeted" with Sinthinia's presence. Unusual since she's directly kept her distance from you ever since you conquered the Brot Kingdom. (Indirectly through her spies is another matter however) Whatever she has come to see you for probably isn't good...or is it? "Hmm, this place still reeks of death I see. It is much too cold in this place. Not warm like many of our other conquests. Look how hard my nipples are. Why it's cold enough to make me almost want to put on clothes...almost." She says touching herself in a seductive way. You've seen her in action before, and you're not some weak willed fool, so this routine has little effect on you. "Yeah, well zombies tend to be flammable and I hate the heat, so this grave chill stays. You'll just have to deal with hard nipples." "How about YOU deal with them. Hm?" "Sinthinia what do you want?" "Besides your dick in my nice warm body? I want to see you not ruin your most promising career by siding with a loser like Sesisek. I know that the two of you have been collusion together ever since you conquered the Brot Kingdom...a most bold move might I add. Only the first of many. You are obviously a man who knows what he wants and takes it..." At this point Sinthinia is turning on her demonic seduction and getting closer to the point of touching you. You'd be lying if it wasn't having any effect on you. "Yeah...well just get the point Sinthinia!" "See? So forceful! Very well, the point. My point is Sesisek is an obsessed fool who's time is running out. I know he's got plans to kill me and Velzix, so far I haven't exactly determined how he's going to attempt it, but I know it's coming soon. My concern is, if YOU have anything to do with such plans. It would be a shame if you did..." "Well he hasn't said anything to me about any specific plan." You reply. "Ah, careful words you chose without actually lying. You have been hanging around our kind and learning! However you will not dodge me so easily. Specific plan. Specific being the key word. I'm guessing he's approached you about some act of treachery though and just hasn't given you the details yet." You say nothing and she presses up against you while speaking into your ear so close that she nibbles on it a bit. "I'll take your silence as a yes. Know however that you are still not powerful enough to kill Velzix. I am very close to him just like I am very close to you right now and I can tell you with all certainty that you will not be able to defeat him. Not even with that bitter old idiot Sesisek helping you...I advise that you not go down the same path as he is." "Oh yeah? Well if you think we're doing something, why not just kill us both right now?" "It's not how I work my necromantic cutie. Besides, I am giving you a chance to join with a better and more grateful ally in the long run. Namely me. I want you to find out what Sesisek's plan is and then at the right time, betray him. I would be most grateful." "Hmm, I don't trust you. Sesisek trusted you once and look what happened." "Sesisek proved to be weak and unworthy of my loyalty, but of course you don't trust me, nor should you. Still, you think on this, I have offered to become your ally and more if you wish. I run the internal security of Velzix's empire. Do you not think that having me as an ally would be more beneficial for your future than to stay allied with Sesisek whose plan is surely doomed to failure? I already KNOW he's planning something. He will be punished soon, along with all that have conspired with him. Stay loyal to him and you'll suffer his fate. Betray him, and you'll suddenly find yourself in control of his holdings and have one less potential enemy to worry about. Not to mention you will make me very happy. So happy that I may provide favors for you that you could never dream of. So what do you say?" Normally you'd think more about it, but Sinthinia has made a somewhat appealing offer and the fact that she's currently shoved one of her hands down your pants and stroking your cock isn't exactly helping you think straight either. > You act like you do not know what she is talking about You don't trust her, and you'd be a fool to do so, so you play dumb. "Sorry Sinthinia, but I don't know what you're talking about. I sometimes talk to Sesisek, and while he does scheme, I can assure you that I'm not part of them. I have no wish to side with a loser like him." Sinthinia stops the seduction routine and eyes you suspiciously. A pity since you were enjoying her fondling. "Very well necromancer. Play your little game. I hope for your sake that you're telling the truth, because if you aren't, I think you'll find that I play this game a lot better and I won't be offering this opportunity again." Sinthinia walks out of your study and you dismiss her threats. A few days pass and you meet Sesisek in the forsaken area known as the Drozz Wasteland. The barbarian tribes here still hold sway, but you need not concern yourself with such minor threats, they know enough to stay away from two dark individuals such as yourselves, and the others... The others in question are vampires. It would appear that Sesisek has been planning more than just "normal" betrayal. The vampires eye you warily. You're about to speak when all of a sudden Sinthinia materializes not to far away from this meeting spot. "Ah thank you necromancer, your help in exposing Sesisek's collaboration with vampires will be rewarded!" she exclaims. "YOU BETRAYED ME TO THAT BITCH!?!" Sesisek bellows "She's lying! I never..." You don't get a chance to finish your explanation before a dozen or so of Sinthinia's personal guards also materialize and attack. You're temporarily so distracted by this that you don't react in time to avoid Sesisek's blow to your head, knocking you senseless to the ground. When you come to, you find yourself tied up and on your knees before Sinthinia while being held roughly by her guards. You're still in the Drozz plains, but you're not going anywhere. You can't cast any spells with your mouth gagged and your hands bound. "Well, I told you I could play this game better. I'm sure if he could Sesisek would agree with you." You look over you your left and see Sesisek lying on the ground in a bloody pitiful state and being kicked mercilessly by more of her guards. "However, your fate shall be much kinder than the one that awaits him. After all I do have to reward you." Sinthinia strokes your face gently and then abruptly claws your eyes out with the same hand. This is followed by a tearing sensation in your chest. If you could still see, you would be looking directly at your heart being ripped out before you. You fall to the ground and are left there to be eaten by passing beasts.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, grimdark, war, villain protagonist, serious, fantasy] What's the point of having power, if you aren't using it in any meaningful way that can help you? You're sick of being "reined in". You're going to do what you've been wanting to do for a long time. You prepare to march an army of undead to the Brot Kingdom. The demons and mortals stationed at Aftermath are wondering what's going on though since most of them know you're mainly used for defense. "Where do you think yer goin'?" a demon solder steps up to ask you as you're about to leave the city gates. "I'm gonna go conquer the Brot Kingdom, got a problem with that?" "Me? No, not at all. Just didn't know Velzix let you off your leash." The demon soldier grins. This remark is met with a negative energy blast to his face, completely ripping the flesh off and revealing the still grinning skull underneath. As the rest of this body falls to the ground, you feel the need to make a speech to the gawking onlookers. "I am not on anyone's fucking leash! Nobody tells me what the do! Now what's going to happen, is I'm going to leave and lay waste to the Brot Kingdom. The rest of you are going to defend this place while I'm gone! And when Velzix comes here, like I know he will I'LL handle it. The rest of you can cower before that fucker, but I ain't the one." Having made your thoughts known, you return to your undead army, which obediently still stands only awaiting your commands. As the way things should be. The way ALL things should be. After a few days you eventually reach the Brot Kingdom. You start by decimating the small border villages and then quickly raising the peasants you slaughtered. You've moved on to larger towns before the Brot military manages to start opposing you. Their military is weak though. Most of them see your horde and run in terror before the fight even begins! Those are the smart ones. The rest soon become just more fodder for you to raise. You actually feel more powerful after your conquests, which is odd given the amount of energy you've been expending. You can only take this as a sign of this being what you were meant for! Within the week you've single handedly taken control of the Brot capitol and most of the Kingdom in general. Much of the royal family has abased themselves before you in an attempt for you to spare their lives. You laugh and grant this request, after all someone has to still run this territory. You've successfully subjugated your first territory. In fact, it's the first "real" territory conquered since Velzix took over the Tulan Kingdom. Tivadol's petty victories haven't even compared to what you've done. When you return to Aftermath, you're half expecting to be met by Velzix, who has undoubtedly heard of your actions by now. It's only now that you realize you may be in more trouble than you thought! However, you're surprisingly met by Sesisek instead who sits in your study. "This place is as dead as my status among demonkind." He says looking at the many skeletal structures and decorations. "It's a fucking necropolis, I'm a necromancer, and what do you want? I figured Velzix would be here meeting me." "Oh he's on his way, and from what I've heard, he's quite pissed about you playing the role of conqueror. He's just a little more preoccupied with the Grand Alliance army that's currently attacking him directly right now, which probably explains why you met little resistance at Brot. Congratulations on your victory, I'm sure Tivadol won't be too pleased with accomplishing something he couldn't either." "Yeah, yeah, so why are you here?" "I'm here to help you get out of this shit pit you've stepped in and are quickly in danger of sinking further into. You've showed entirely too much ambition, too soon, my mortal friend." "What of it? Like I'm the only one plotting against Velzix? Hah! Tivadol makes no pretense of his goals." "Ah yes, but you're not taking some things into consideration. Tivadol is still a demon and you my mortal friend are not. We are not fond of ever being bested, but to be bested by a mortal is even more repugnant to us. Tivadol is also a predictable loud mouth brute who is never going to achieve his goal. Velzix knows exactly how to manipulate him. Perhaps the day will come where he'll have to kill him, but that day is far off in the future. You on the other hand are still new and he's still learning about you. Velzix probably thought you could be manipulated and cowed into submission by his sheer strength and magic abilities alone, but it's apparent that you aren't afraid of such things. I could've seen that though. Necromancers embrace death; fear of it won't be a factor. Though there are worse things than death..." "Guess you're proof of that." You mock. "Hmm, your pointless barbs at me are quite unproductive and are in fact hindering you. I am offering to help you, I'd advise that you take it before you meet Velzix." "Offering me help huh? I seriously doubt you're doing this out of kindness." "Of course not. I'm doing it because I see an opportunity for revenge and quite frankly, you are the only one that will be able to help me achieve it. However, I assure you that we will both profit greatly from this, if you listen to me. If you don't want my help though, I shall leave." "Okay I'm listening, what are you suggesting?" "Ha ha, no my mortal friend. I would be quite the fool if I told you how to handle Velzix before I got your word that you are in fact accepting my help. ARE you accepting my help?" Sesisek looks at you expectantly. > You refuse his help You're not going to be anyone's puppet. You can handle Velzix yourself. "Get out of here, I don't need your help! In fact I'd say dealing with a loser like you would put me in a worse position. Go scheme elsewhere." Your words cause Sesisek to give you a look of mixed disapproval, disappointment and disgust. He quite obviously doesn't like your insults, but he was also hoping that you'd help him. All he can do now is attempt to save what little pride he has and leave. "Very well little necromancer, you think you know best, I'll leave you to it. You'll never be one of us though and that's why your pitiful lifespan here will be even shorter than normal. Enjoy your victory, it will be your last." He remarks and leaves you. You dismiss his warnings and attempt to prepare yourself for Velzix's visit. You come up with how you're going to explain your actions to Velzix. A couple days pass and you hear about The Grand Alliance army breaking off their siege. Velzix will be coming soon. Velzix arrives and you're readying every spell and summoning you can think of. If it does go down, you'll have to act quickly. You're actually surprised he's coming down here instead of summoning you to his fortress instead. "So little necromancer, I hear you have been taking matters into your own hands and acquiring territory yourself. I am displeased that you have done this. The Grand Alliance has been attacking and you've been squandering my potential reinforcements elsewhere. What if they had succeeded in breaking through my defenses? I would've had no troops to support my position, and much would've been lost." "Well if that had happened I guess I would've had to take over." That remark wasn't the best one you could've made, but you can't contain yourself for some reason. By Velzix's statement alone, you're sensing weakness in him, weakness that you could take advantage of. Why should you have to explain your actions? In the meantime Velzix is barely containing his anger at your arrogance. "Tread VERY carefully mortal! Do not presume that you are not expendable! You are NOT a demon, do not attempt to play this game in which you are ill equipped to play. You are under MY command! Normally I would kill you for your insolence, but your recent victory has been a great one from what reports I have heard. However, it is MY territory! Not yours! Do not think that you are going to build up some power base to betray me later, because that is not going to happen if you value your existence! So you better just put such thoughts out of your mind right now and fall in line!" Velzix hasn't raised his voice too much, but there is definitely a very real threat there. The temperature of the room is much hotter as you can feel the heat from his body rise with his anger. If you're going to make a move, you better do it now. > You kill Velzix You make the first move... A huge battle ensues, you summon up shadows and wraiths to your aid while Velzix attempts to rip you limb from limb. Soon the others in Aftermath are drawn into the fight as well, most of the demons side with Velzix, the mortal troops tend to just get out of the way, while your undead are loyal as always. This battle causes damage to Aftermath not seen since the Dark Order attempted to take it over. You certainly have the upper and hand, and Velzix realizes that you're more powerful than he thought, but unfortunately for you, he manages to get away. "LITTLE MORTAL YOU HAVE NOT WON THIS DAY! YOU WILL SOON COME TO BEG FOR DEATH WHEN I HAVE YOUR BROKEN FUCKING BODY BROUGHT BEFORE ME IN CHAINS!" he bellows before flying away. You're left with a city in shambles, but at last free of any ideas of servitude, as well as a large portion of territory yourself. You now have some breathing room. Of course you now have more enemies, but you're confident that you'll be able to handle the troubles ahead. Four years pass... Five years have passed since you took control of Aftermath, and now that's coming to an end. After your treachery against Velzix, he was so consumed with rage over it that he ordered constant attacks on you even at the expense of his own defenses. This not only weakened your position, but his as well, allowing the Grand Alliance army to break through and retake the Tulan Kingdom. Velzix and his cohorts were all slain. After this occurred, most of the demons fled into the wilderness only to be hunted down and killed. A few even ran to you, you accepted them since you needed all the help you could get at that point. After taking care of Velzix, The Grand Alliance wasted no time in attacking you. You tried to maintain your holdings, but ultimately you lost your grip on the Brot Kingdom, when the royal family there once again switched alliances (Though to no avail as the Grand Alliance took them all into custody and had them executed for treason) Soon you were just left with Aftermath. When the Grand Alliance wasn't trying to break down the gates, you had vampire assassins attempting to kill you. In fact right now, you are dying from several deep blade wounds from their latest attack. The last bastard must've used some sort of assassin's blade that doesn't allow you to heal, because you're bleeding out like a hemophiliac. Oh well, at least you killed him. The Grand Alliance is also outside. Damn vampires probably set this up so you really wouldn't be able to escape. Funny that you worried about Velzix and his crew killing you for so long, and it was some bloodsuckers that got you. Things are getting dark now; you can hear Grand Alliance troops breaking down your fortress door. Well they'll never take you alive that's for sure. You wonder exactly what went wrong and if you could've done things differently. You curse your lack of proper planning and regret your choices as they have ultimately lead you to ruin. You lie on the floor, you see armored troops stand around you; one of them is your sister. She looks at you sternly with her sword at your throat, which is pretty pointless considering that you're obviously near death already. Looks like she has a higher rank than you last remember. Good for her, at least one of you made something of your lives. "...congrat...on your...promotion..." are your last words before she finishes you off.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, serious, grimdark, fantasy] You're not going to be anyone's puppet. You can handle Velzix yourself. "Get out of here, I don't need your help! In fact I'd say dealing with a loser like you would put me in a worse position. Go scheme elsewhere." Your words cause Sesisek to give you a look of mixed disapproval, disappointment and disgust. He quite obviously doesn't like your insults, but he was also hoping that you'd help him. All he can do now is attempt to save what little pride he has and leave. "Very well little necromancer, you think you know best, I'll leave you to it. You'll never be one of us though and that's why your pitiful lifespan here will be even shorter than normal. Enjoy your victory, it will be your last." He remarks and leaves you. You dismiss his warnings and attempt to prepare yourself for Velzix's visit. You come up with how you're going to explain your actions to Velzix. A couple days pass and you hear about The Grand Alliance army breaking off their siege. Velzix will be coming soon. Velzix arrives and you're readying every spell and summoning you can think of. If it does go down, you'll have to act quickly. You're actually surprised he's coming down here instead of summoning you to his fortress instead. "So little necromancer, I hear you have been taking matters into your own hands and acquiring territory yourself. I am displeased that you have done this. The Grand Alliance has been attacking and you've been squandering my potential reinforcements elsewhere. What if they had succeeded in breaking through my defenses? I would've had no troops to support my position, and much would've been lost." "Well if that had happened I guess I would've had to take over." That remark wasn't the best one you could've made, but you can't contain yourself for some reason. By Velzix's statement alone, you're sensing weakness in him, weakness that you could take advantage of. Why should you have to explain your actions? In the meantime Velzix is barely containing his anger at your arrogance. "Tread VERY carefully mortal! Do not presume that you are not expendable! You are NOT a demon, do not attempt to play this game in which you are ill equipped to play. You are under MY command! Normally I would kill you for your insolence, but your recent victory has been a great one from what reports I have heard. However, it is MY territory! Not yours! Do not think that you are going to build up some power base to betray me later, because that is not going to happen if you value your existence! So you better just put such thoughts out of your mind right now and fall in line!" Velzix hasn't raised his voice too much, but there is definitely a very real threat there. The temperature of the room is much hotter as you can feel the heat from his body rise with his anger. If you're going to make a move, you better do it now. > Capitulate to him As much as your desire is there to kill Velzix, your caution overtakes you. You do exactly what Velzix requests. "...the territory is yours ...I have no control over it." You say and even make a little bow. You feel disgusted with yourself for even doing that, but Velzix is quite pleased. He's broken you a little. "Yes it is, and I'm glad to see you've gotten with the program. The less pride one has, the more likely one is to survive and in the end, that's what it's all about. Now, we shall never have another incident like this again I trust?" "...no..." "Good, now I think the best place for you, would be directly by my side where you can be more useful." "What?!" "Sure, I could shore up my defenses in the heart of my realm, and place more elite troops on the front lines. Plus I think it would be a good idea to keep a closer eye on you. Just to make sure you don't forget your place." Meekishly, you travel back with Velzix and become a permanent fixture in his fortress Fury. You really hate it there as you're watched constantly; it's unbearably hot all the time and have to put up with more demons than you did in Aftermath. Predictably they're all hostile towards you, "loyal" to Velzix and set your zombies on fire for laughs regularly. Four years pass... It's been five years since you made your alliance with Velzix and you fucking hate it even more than ever. While you've managed to still carve out a niche for yourself, your position is increasingly becoming in danger of being obsolete. Velzix has been successful in keeping infernal portals open longer which is allowing more demons to come in. The Grand Alliance has been hard pressed to hold the line and it seems like more and more mortals each day are willing to bend before demonic might. Your undead troops aren't even necessary for defense too much anymore. Because of this you've been forced to broaden your magical horizons and tap into the infernal plane. It's only due to the fact that you've been delving into darker necromantic magic and fusing it with infernal powers to create potent unnatural abominations that you're still serving your purpose. However, this type of magic is highly experimental and you're probably the first one to even attempt it. It's beginning to take a toll on your rapidly deteriorating health, because as they say, you don't change hell, hell changes you. Everyday you're in pain and probably losing what little of your black soul you have left. If this keeps up, you won't be around long enough to see Velzix achieve his goal of opening up his permanent portal which looks like is might be soon. You haven't heard anything of your family, except you know that your sister is a captain of a Grand Alliance army and your Dad's mercenary company has been hired to launch on going raids to harass and hinder Velzix's efforts. Your Mom is probably saddened by your actions. You're just another mortal submitting to demonic supremacy. It's a long way from what you originally envisioned for yourself and it's probably too late for you to do anything about it now...or is it? Recent reports have spoken of another assassination plan on Velzix. It's known that the vampires have been sending their own, but haven't gotten anywhere close to him. A few "heroes" from the civilized governments have been sent as well, but none of them have been successful either. However, if you could locate one of these groups and try to help them get to Velzix, maybe you could at least get some sort of satisfaction. You don't really have anything else to lose at this point. > You help one of these assassin groups You failed to kill Velzix when you had the chance five years ago when this alliance was being proposed, then again four years ago after you conquered Brot, maybe you can make for lost time. And as they say, third time's a charm. You have no idea how you're going to accomplish this though, it's not like you have some sort of contacts then it hits you; why not go see Sesisek? You know he's still harboring desires of revenge and he's supposed to be returning to Fury soon You wait a week attempting to plan for this proposal, but you know its really going to come down to "Hey Sesisek, I'm going to kill Velzix, do you want to help or not?" In fact that's exactly what happens, when you catch him in an empty hallway. He looks at you with a smirk on his face. You almost expect him to think that you're setting him up, but he can tell by your pitiful state that you're speaking the truth. "Sooo, finally wised up eh? You know, you wouldn't be in this condition had you taken my help four years ago. I dunno. I've got my own plans, why should I involve you in them?" "Because I do still have power. Power that can help you take out Velzix and regain respect among your own kind. You're talking to a desperate man here, I don't even care if I die at this point, I just need to get my own revenge on Velzix." "You and multitudes of others. You're not special. However, you are desperate. And you are powerful. Dangerous combination. Very well, I'll talk with you further, but let's go some place less likely to be listened in on." You and Sesisek speak in your study. He is very open about his plan to you and explains that he has been in contact with Lord Rostov and working out a deal with the Vampire Clans that will be beneficial to him. This deal could be extended to you as well, provided you are helpful enough. Another group of vampire assassins have managed to make their way into the heart of Velzix's Realm, but if they are to strike they need to do it now, before Sinthinia's internal security forces sniff them out once again. Sesisek's job was to sneak them into Fury without too much opposition, given that you're in on this plan now, you could do a better job since your necromantic magic could mask the vampire assassins' movements. He mentions he will set up the plan and while you and the bloodsuckers are heading to Velzix's chamber, Sesisek says he will be dealing with Sinthinia personally. It will also provide a diversion. A day passes and you're preparing yourself for the battle of your life. You memorize every powerful spell you can think of and strengthen up your undead minions. When this goes down there is no turning back, so you're just going to order all of them to attack the moment Sesisek's attack on Sinthinia becomes known and an alarm is raised. Hopefully the added chaos will help. Another day passes and Sesisek sees you fairly early in the morning. He mentions that the assassins will meet you by the dead forest nearby when darkness falls. He hopes you've prepared yourself, because it was very hard to convince them in this change of plans. When darkness comes, you take a few of your hellish undead abominations with you and make your way to the dead forest. Once fairy folk and the like frolicked here, now it's just a group of desiccated tree husks waiting to be taken away to build more war machines. Your powers in necromancy aren't quite as pure as they used to be thanks to the tainting of hellish magics, but you can still sense the assassins are close by. You aren't taken by surprised when they materialize around you. Indeed you have your abominations to act if they try anything. "So, you're Velzix's little necromancer eh? You don't look like much." One of them says. "Maybe, but you ain't getting in that fortress without me. You think Sesisek could've snuck you in? Please. The moment you entered, you would've been detected. Sinthinia's got magic detection up the ass in that place. Fortunately I can mask your presence, just make sure you all stay invisible until the right time." "Don't worry about us, you just hold up your end and get us to Velzix, necromancer." You make your trek back to Fury, without incident with your hidden friends in tow. You take a deep breath before entering the gates where upon you half expect the demon guards to stop you, but nothing happens. You've succeeded. Your next move is to get as quickly as possible to Velzix's inner chambers. You don't get far when an alarm is raised, you think it's for you at first, but you soon realize its Sesisek doing his part. You hope it's enough of a distraction, but if it isn't... You mentally call out to your undead minions to attack anything living. "Come on! Secrecy is over! We gotta haul ass to Velzix!" you exclaim. While chaos is reigning in the fortress, you and the vampires easily dispatch those that would attempt to stop you. When you get to Velzix's inner chambers where he's attempting to open up a portal to get reinforcements. "Treachery! I expected this from Sesisek, but I thought you learned your place! No matter, you will learn pain instead, and your blood leech buddies won't be able to help you either!" Velzix's portal opens and a swarm of demons come pouring out. The vampire assassins waste no time and begin their work with deadly efficiency. Your abominations have less finesse, but they get the job done. Velzix unleashes horrible infernal magic that causes a couple of the assassins to liquefy. You're just trying to stay out of the way of most of the fighting and attempting to keep a control over your troops, but you soon realize you're going to have to play a direct role in his death and unleash your own negative energy bolts at Velzix. The battle is brutal, and dead bodies soon litter the chamber. You've suffered a mortal wound, but it hardly matters now. Deep down you didn't expect to survive this. Velzix isn't either though. Sesisek arrives just in time to slam an axe in his back while he was finishing off the last vampire assassin. Velzix roars in pain, but falls to the floor where upon Sesisek pulls out a second weapon, a sword and severs his head from his body. It's done. Velzix is dead and you don't feel too much different. You're still dying and you're not hopeful that Sesisek is going to help you out. "Ha ha! Vengence is mine! Velzix and that bitch are both dead!" he yells in triumph "Uh huh, great..." "Yes...well it looks like you're hurt pretty badly there. I don't think I can do anything for you. In fact I need to make my escape. I think you'll understand if leave you here. After all you would only slow me up and I may have lied about my deal being extended to you anyway." "...yeah...I sorta figure that..." you say holding on to your bleeding side. "Besides, you got your revenge and that is what you wanted right? I can honestly say though I couldn't have done it without you." "I can honestly say something too...I'm still nobody's puppet." You hit Sesisek in the face with a negative energy blast. He screams as it strikes his eyes. He collapses on the floor blindly reaching for a weapon yelling about how he's going to kill you. You smile though as more demons come to the inner chamber and butcher Sesisek while he's on all fours like some sightless dog. You then give way to the release of blessed death.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, villain protagonist, grimdark, fantasy] As much as your desire is there to kill Velzix, your caution overtakes you. You do exactly what Velzix requests. "...the territory is yours ...I have no control over it." You say and even make a little bow. You feel disgusted with yourself for even doing that, but Velzix is quite pleased. He's broken you a little. "Yes it is, and I'm glad to see you've gotten with the program. The less pride one has, the more likely one is to survive and in the end, that's what it's all about. Now, we shall never have another incident like this again I trust?" "...no..." "Good, now I think the best place for you, would be directly by my side where you can be more useful." "What?!" "Sure, I could shore up my defenses in the heart of my realm, and place more elite troops on the front lines. Plus I think it would be a good idea to keep a closer eye on you. Just to make sure you don't forget your place." Meekishly, you travel back with Velzix and become a permanent fixture in his fortress Fury. You really hate it there as you're watched constantly; it's unbearably hot all the time and have to put up with more demons than you did in Aftermath. Predictably they're all hostile towards you, "loyal" to Velzix and set your zombies on fire for laughs regularly. Four years pass... It's been five years since you made your alliance with Velzix and you fucking hate it even more than ever. While you've managed to still carve out a niche for yourself, your position is increasingly becoming in danger of being obsolete. Velzix has been successful in keeping infernal portals open longer which is allowing more demons to come in. The Grand Alliance has been hard pressed to hold the line and it seems like more and more mortals each day are willing to bend before demonic might. Your undead troops aren't even necessary for defense too much anymore. Because of this you've been forced to broaden your magical horizons and tap into the infernal plane. It's only due to the fact that you've been delving into darker necromantic magic and fusing it with infernal powers to create potent unnatural abominations that you're still serving your purpose. However, this type of magic is highly experimental and you're probably the first one to even attempt it. It's beginning to take a toll on your rapidly deteriorating health, because as they say, you don't change hell, hell changes you. Everyday you're in pain and probably losing what little of your black soul you have left. If this keeps up, you won't be around long enough to see Velzix achieve his goal of opening up his permanent portal which looks like is might be soon. You haven't heard anything of your family, except you know that your sister is a captain of a Grand Alliance army and your Dad's mercenary company has been hired to launch on going raids to harass and hinder Velzix's efforts. Your Mom is probably saddened by your actions. You're just another mortal submitting to demonic supremacy. It's a long way from what you originally envisioned for yourself and it's probably too late for you to do anything about it now...or is it? Recent reports have spoken of another assassination plan on Velzix. It's known that the vampires have been sending their own, but haven't gotten anywhere close to him. A few "heroes" from the civilized governments have been sent as well, but none of them have been successful either. However, if you could locate one of these groups and try to help them get to Velzix, maybe you could at least get some sort of satisfaction. You don't really have anything else to lose at this point. > You continue doing what you are doing You've given up on hope or anything else a long time ago. Even if you could contact one of these groups, Sinthinia would probably sniff out the attempt due to her constant internal security measures, and you're being watched a lot anyway. Nope, you've resigned yourself to a fate of subservience. Five years pass... Ten years have passed since your deal with Velzix, and you've lived long enough just in time to see the world being slowly turned into a demon's playground due to him finally opening up a permanent portal to his infernal realm. Already he preparing to use the resources and conquests of this world to attack other demon lords in his home plane. You won't be alive for too much longer though. You're no longer necessary to Velzix for one thing, and the second is that your hellish dealings have finally become fatal; even now death is very near. The only thing that's kept you going this long is your unnatural ties to necromancy that have steadily grown weaker over the years. You can only wonder what might've been had you been allowed to let them grow to full bloom. You think back to when you conquered the Brot Kingdom by yourself. Ah, that was a good time. There was purity in the death you caused there. Since then you've seen much more death, but rarely have you had any hand in it yourself. Your Dad died during an attempted raid on Velzix's fortress. Sinthinia had her guards butcher him and his company before he even managed to sneak inside. Sesisek was killed when it was discovered he had come to an "arrangement" with the vampire clans and was collaborating with them in an assassination attempt. During his last pain filled moments he revealed their location and Lord Rostov and his vampire clan were slain in their secret fortress by Velzix himself Not long ago the capitol of the Zalan Empire was razed to the ground by Tivadol the Destroyer. A place you once called home. You heard your sister died attempting to defend it. You can only assume your Mom died during the attack as well. The Grand Alliance has been broken, all that remains now are pocket of resistance that do little to stop the demonic onslaught. At this point most mortals find death a more promising outcome as it is surely a more merciful release to the torments that the demons bring. You wish you could grant it to them. You regret you set out on this dark path. It's brought you nothing but fucking misery and you didn't even get what you wanted. Well you might not have lived how you wanted, but you sure can choose to die like you want. You order a few of your skeletal guards to end your suffering. The pain wracking your body has become too great and you're not going to wait around for it or demons to kill you. Following your last orders your skeletal guards strike you down with their swords. Their work is efficient and swift. You fall to the floor and soon your minions of death join you.

One year has passed... It's been one year since you made an alliance with Velzix, and so far it has paid off. With your combined might, you both have successfully held off the Grand Alliance. You haven't gained too much ground, but that's looking like it's about to change. Everyday Velzix has somehow been managing to attract "free demons" from other nations to join him, though its not as if they have too many other options as mere suspicion has turned into hatred and they are to be rounded up and killed as possible enemies. Though again, thanks to mortal failings and greed, there are those few nations that are still letting their small demonic populations run free. Not surprisingly Velzix has been attempting to convince the leaders of these governments into joining him in exchange for even greater power. Velzix has also been attempting to open portals to his own infernal realm on a permanent basis. Right now he can summon in a few reinforcements to replace battle losses, but nothing on a major scale. As for you, things could be worse, but they could be better. All your potential "acolytes" reverted back to being demonologist when the merge came, though many of them were purged by Velzix himself, as he still remembered their attempts to imprison him before during their days in the Dark Order, not to mention if they were so quick to change allegiances so quickly, then they obviously weren't to be trusted. Your magic powers in other branches of magic have somewhat improved, though this might be due your infernal dealings. Necromancy is still your area of expertise obviously and as it stands, you're the only true necromancer allied with Velzix. You sort of hold a unique position, but you question its importance in the scheme of things. You've been basically put on defense duty. Your undead troops are nothing more than meat shields for the most part, and while that is what they are there for, you'd rather they be YOUR meat shields than some asshole demons, (or worse mortals). You feel like your talents are being wasted to a degree, like you've got a lot of untapped potential that's dying to get out. However, open rebellion against Velzix isn't likely to happen, but there's nothing stopping you from setting the stage. You still have Aftermath under your control, even if you do have to put up with the demons and mortals stationed there now. One night in your study while you're contemplating how to go about all this, you figure there are two ways. You've actually got a lot of troops at your immediate disposal. You believe you could probably take over the nearby Brot Kingdom by yourself without any help. They have a weak military and most of the Grand Alliance armies are busy elsewhere. You could build up a bigger power base. You might piss off Velzix by doing this by yourself, but you could take the chance that he might over look it if you're successful as it's also increasing his own territory. The other option is to remain doing what you're doing and engage in a more secret assassination conspiracy against Velzix. You already know that tons of others are probably doing it, why not you? The problem is, individually most of you are fairly weak against him; though together you'd be more successful. Of course getting a bunch of demonic assassinating liars to trust one another is probably even more difficult than the attempt itself. > You engage in conspiracy You decide that military conquest would be too risky and would draw too much attention to your desires for power. You need to be sneakier about it. After thinking on it, you decide to go for Sinthinia. She's in the best position to help you, so you send a message telling her that you need to see her since it's an important matter vital to security. A few days later she arrives in Aftermath with a small group of guards. Of course the pair of you talk in your study in private. Her attitude is one of interest and playfulness. "Brrr, it's really cold in this place. It's not nice and warm like in other parts of Velzix's Realm. See how hard my nipples are?" "Yes, I see. Perhaps I can warm you up after we discuss business." "Mmmm, I like the sound of that, but only if this business is worth my time. So what is this security matter?" "Assassination." "On who?" "On Velzix." "Well it was bound to happen eventually, though I'm surprised I haven't heard about this yet. Who is planning it and how did you come across this information?" You take a deep breath. "I came across this information quite easily because it's me." Sinthinia is silent for a moment before giving a little chuckle. "Ha ha, very funny." "I'm serious." "I know and that's why I find it funny. You do not have the means." "I know that's why I'm proposing an alliance between us to set Velzix up." "I see...and you believed that I would just go along with this?" "Well it's a gamble. But I KNOW you truly have no loyalty to Velzix, surely you must already be plotting against him." "And even if I was doing such a thing...hypothetically speaking of course. I fail to see why I'd need your help to do so." "Because somewhere deep down Velzix fears me, I know it. He wants me as an underling to take advantage of my powers. But he doesn't allow me to do too much since he wants to keep me weak and have an eye on me. I have more power than he's willing to admit and if I unleashed it completely on him, he'd be hurting. I dare say I might be able to kill him. I just can't fight all of his minions obviously. I would need your help." Once again Sinthinia is silent for a moment before speaking. "...I must say you have always intrigued me mortal. You do have a lot of desire in you to come to me like this with such a plan, knowing that I could turn you in and have Velzix deal with you...fortunately for you I have no such plan." Sinthinia says and begins to get closer to you. Her movements begin to grind up against you. "So tell me, do you really feel you have that much power?" she asks. "Yes." "More power than Velzix?" "Yes." "Then show me lover." She says and the pair of you fall to the floor in a zealous embrace. While you're enjoying Sinthinia's sexual skills, she begins to get more aggressive. In fact she begins to get abusive. You tell her to stop, but at this point she's transformed into something a lot less appealing, and you're lying underneath her helpless as she pins your arms down and begins sucking out your life force. "Yes, mortal you DID have much power within you. It will certainly come in handy for Velzix's eventual overthrow." She growls and you become nothing more than an empty husk.

While these Dark Orderites haven't completely impressed you, you remember that Serena mentioned you would need allies and they could serve that purpose. From what you can tell, you're a better necromancer than the rest of them and this city would be an excellent beginning of your career especially since you don't have any better ideas in mind. You know that even if this event plays out well for you, you're going to have a whole shit load of trouble ahead of you so you better get a few people on your side now even if they need to be "disposed" of later... "Alright, I'll help out, but I'm not doing this for you or following your orders, I have my own agenda!" you say flat out to Sebastian. Before you leave Catalina speaks to you. "So, come a long way from Enchantment class huh?" she says. "...I thought I recognized you...and yeah I have. I finally found a branch of magic I'm really good at." You say finally realizing who she is. "Just remember, as good as you are, you aren't the best." "We'll see." You retort and leave. The march towards the university where on the west side of campus you see and hear explosions. That must be where Mr. Demar is. You wonder how you'll have to deal with him after you take care of this Quayle problem. When you get to the east campus, Sebastian was right, you see a lot of weird things going on, nearby plants are growing older and younger before your eyes, buildings are indeed disappearing and reappearing. It's a mess. You see a small gray building that doesn't seem to be suffering any effects; you bet that's where Quayle is. You march over with your horde only to start feeling very ill. You try to shake off the effects so you can keep control, but it doesn't matter as you begin to see your various undead troops go through weird changes. You watch them either accelerate in rot and disintegrate, or even stranger actually turn back into their living selves until they eventually become babies and then nothing. You're only halfway to the building and you begin to worry that you're going to suffer the same fate, but manage to get in the Gray building which contains a simple auditorium like classroom. You must be back on campus. At the front of the class you see a strange man surrounded by a white glow. This must be Quayle. "This is not the way...you have lost...you may win...it's all so fascinating..." he says in an echoed voice. You have no idea what the hell he means, all you know is you need to kill this guy before he fucks everything up. You're having a hard time concentrating still though and once again you begin to feel very sick. That feeling becomes stronger when you see grotesque creatures pop into existence. They have writhing masses of tentacles and give off an aura completely hostile and alien. Not even the demons you've had contact with give off anything like this. You have no time for spells you'll have to do this the old fashioned way. You run towards the front of the class where he sits and just narrowly dodge another tentacle beast appearing suddenly in front of you. "...stop...stop it...you must stop..." You tackle Quayle and something completely unexpected and disgusting happens. His body literally breaks like a fragile glass vase and all manner of insects and maggots come crawling out, mostly on you. "EEEEYEEECAAAGH!" you yell trying to get them all off of you, completely ignoring anything else. Fortunately for you, whatever you did has stopped the temporal disturbance. The creatures disappear and everything else seems to go back to normal. After stomping on some centipedes you notice Quayle's head has rolled into a corner. Surprisingly it's still alive. "You have won nothing..." his head says before it just simply disappears. You shake your own head at all of this. As much as you've seen during your short time raising the dead, you've never seen anything like this. You can't hear anymore explosions; you wonder if Mr. Demar has won. You exit the building and begin to walk over to the other side of the campus where the explosions were coming from. You arrive to burning buildings and ruins of towers. Once again you see Sebastian, he's sitting outside holding his head in his hands. He looks like he's sobbing. "What the hell is wrong with you?" you ask. "It's over! It's all over!" "What are you talking about? It looks like the city is ours." "But for how long? All our so called demon allies took off! By the time I got here Mr. Demar had already been severely wounded and his second in command Trelik had betrayed him. Catalina and I managed to kill Trelik, but Catalina fell in the battle! The Dark Order is over and I dunno what's coming next, we're all in a lot of fucking trouble! Trouble that I wasn't prepared to handle! I'm not really a leader. Mr. Demar was a leader! Oh man why did I choose this path!?" Sebastian is having a complete mental break down and it sickens you. It's unbecoming of a necromancer. "Where's Mr. Demar?" you ask. "He's dead in the library!" "Good, saves me the trouble." "Huh? What's going on?" "I'm in charge, that's what's going on and I'm not going to tolerate whimpering weaklings like you." and you blast Sebastian with negative energy to his face, killing him. Yep, you're in charge. A month passes The "Nuro Incident" as it came to be known was a shock to the civilized world. Nobody had anticipated such a thing occurring despite all preparations. Certainly not to Nuro given it's near "invincible" reputation. You've renamed the city Aftermath. The Grand Alliance was immediately formed to retake the city, but fortunately for you, you weren't the only problem they had. Velzix, a demon lord who the Dark Order summoned to help them, soon left Nuro during its attack, and managed to unite the rest of the demons that felt the need to break their contract with the Dark Order. They turned their attention to the Tulan Kingdom. Right now he's established his own rule, enslaving the population and is most likely planning further conquest assuming he can keep his own troops from fighting each other long enough. As for you, you've already managed to hold off one Grand Alliance attack quite successfully due to your preparations. The first thing you did was command all the surviving Dark Order members to become necromancers. They're mediocre at best though, they might be better if you took a more direct hand in training them, but you're too impatient and you have so many other things to take care of as well. You haven't heard anything from your family; you can only wonder what they think of all this and you don't really care. While things are somewhat quiet now, that's not going to last. The Grand Alliance will keep attacking and they may very well overwhelm you in time. You can't just sit in your throne room and prepare for the next attack and you need to be proactive about this threat, but the big problem though is, you're basically doing all of this yourself. There isn't anyone anywhere near your equal, let alone anyone you can trust to handle important things. As much as you loathe thinking of it, you could ally with Velzix, granted he's an untrustworthy demon, and not fond of the Dark Order for imprisoning him, you were never a member of the Dark Order and may be receptive. You soon send messages to him asking for an alliance. Eventually you get a response, and it's a positive one. Velzix even says he'll meet you in the city of Aftermath. Apparently he isn't worried about you. When he arrives he gets right to business. "Nice decorations...so, you wish to make a deal with me?" "I've come to propose a pact between us yes. We have a common enemy." "Yes, but what does this pact entail exactly?" "Simple, we don't attack one another and we coordinate our attacks to be more effective against the Grand Alliance." "And I suppose while my attention isn't on you, and I waste my valuable resources, you build up strength and attack me eh? Heh heh, I know you little necromancer. I see the desire to murder the entire world in your eyes. I even respect it, but if you think I'm trusting you, you're as brain dead as those corpses you raise." "What?! You're a fucking demon and you're accusing ME of being deceitful?" "Of course. Who better to see treachery than one who is an expert at it? But assuming you genuinely mean for us to be best buddies forever and ever, I still don't see what you can do for me in your current state." "What are you on about now?" "I'm saying as a military power you ain't shit that's what! Your necromancers are barely competent enough to hold your defenses of that little necropolis you rule. It's mostly you doing all the work, and while you've got a little power, it still ain't enough to attack anything in a meaningful way." You hate the fact that Velzix is right, but you hate it even more that he's so damn smug about it. Which makes you wonder why he called you out here...in fact you're starting to prepare yourself for trouble. "Alright then what the hell are you proposing?" you ask. "I propose a...merger rather than an alliance." "You're proposing that I let YOU take over Aftermath and I just become your bitch." "Not exactly how I worded it, but if you prefer that designation..." "NO! I don't prefer it!" "Okay then how about this? I say you'll last maybe another year tops if you stay walled up in this little city of yours just letting the Grand Alliance constantly beat down your gates until they finally succeed. Then assuming you don't die during that final attack, I predict that you live a ragged existence on the run for maybe a couple years afterwards at which point you'll end up getting hunted down and killed hiding in some cave somewhere." "And that's what you see?" "Seen it happen to more powerful mortals than you. BUT! It doesn't have to be that way. Joining with me can be more beneficial than you think. You don't think I don't see the power in you? You would be a very valuable asset to my plans. Your ability to control the dead is very strong and quite frankly it would be nice to actually have not just troops that aren't fighting among themselves, but a great general as well. Think about it! You'll gain more power and you could still bring death to thousands and not have to worry about all the bullshit of ruling, because as I'm sure you know, it isn't as fun as it should be most of the time. You will prosper, if you continue to prove yourself worthy and useful." > You decline his offer Never. You'll never submit to anyone else's rule. You'd rather die first. But if you can help it, maybe you can eliminate one rival right now. You don't answer Velzix's offer, you immediately attack! You blast Velzix, with a beam of negative energy. Your nearby undead soldiers rush at Velzix, and your necromancers provide some back up. Velzix somewhat expected your attack though, and he blocks your beam with a magic shield and then flies through the wall of your fortress burning your corpse soldiers in the way. "Short-sighted little dead wizard! You've sealed your own doom!" you hear him shout as he flies away back to his own realm. You aren't impressed by his threats however, you order your wall to be fixed, while you plan your next move... A year passes... The Kingdom of Tulan has finally put the sword to every last demon infesting the area. You laugh when you hear how easily Velzix was defeated, however this celebration is soon short lived. The Grand Alliance attempts another siege of the city and this time they succeed. You barely manage to escape. You try to establish some sort of rule elsewhere, but the Grand Alliance isn't letting you get dug in again. You begin your long road of hardship and keep to rural areas; many times you barely survive attacks from barbaric orc tribes. Fortunately your skills in necromancy protect you (as well as scare the hell out of the orcs) Two years pass... You hear them coming for you, there is no more running. This is your fate. To die in this cave. You think bitterly about Velzix's all too correct prediction about your fate. You wonder if you'd been less prideful and accepted his offer, you wouldn't be in this state you are right now. You shake your head to this however. No point in regrets. You've made your choices and now you make one last one. You leave the cave to face your enemies and prepare to die for your heinous crimes... Such is often the fate of a necromancer.

You've been doing pretty well by yourself so far, so you decide to continue that trend. Still you do wonder what Mr. Demar's Dark Order is up to. During the night you head out of the city and into the nearby wilderness. After checking around, you're sure nobody else is around and you begin to cast your spell. Soon it happens. You've summoned several ghostly figures to your side. The strain to control them is much greater, but you manage. However you don't want to push your luck so after a few brief commands you dismiss them. You've satisfied your desires for awhile. Another month passes and you go about your life more or less. Soon classes will start again, but you have no idea what you're going to take. How can you? You're sitting on all this forbidden knowledge that you seem to be extremely good at while the "acceptable" magic is stuff you can't perform worth shit. Doesn't seem fair somehow. Still you're going to have to at least put up a front of normalcy if you're going to not arouse suspicion. You're convinced you were born in the wrong time period. You should've been alive during the time of the Great Lich Lord. Ah how exciting those times must've been! But as you soon find out, today's times can be just as exciting... As the first week of classes start rolling around you finally decide on taking something easy and head towards the registrar offices as a late arrival. As soon as you step out of your apartment building, you hear screams, sounds of battle, explosions and general sounds of chaos. Portals are opening up all over the city and demons are pouring out of them! Amidst the bedlam you notice a few young wizards directing the demons. Demonologists. They have to be part of the Dark Order and this has to be some kind of plan of their to take over the city. You wished you'd joined up with them after all, but you think perhaps it might not be too late to get in on the action. You're about to do so, when you feel your whole body going in slow motion. Apparently you're not the only one, but it doesn't seem to be affecting the demons or Dark Order members. They must have someone also dabbling in temporal magic (A practically forgotten branch of magic which is also illegal, and obviously for good reason!) It would seem that The Dark Order certainly has their shit together as far as this attack is concerned. You're not going to be deterred, but you know you need to be cautious. You slink back into your apartment building and back into your room. Remembering your spirit summoning from last month, you decide to try it again. You need defenders and ghosts are probably going to serve you better for as long as this slow spell lasts. Once again you succeed and with your ghostly bodyguards you march outside a little more confident. You find that the city is one big killing zone. Demons are really running amok through the streets, a few of them attack you, but your ghost protect you. It would appear that they don't see you as an ally. Sensing the need for even more protection, you raise some of the many dead bodies that now litter the streets. A few of Nuro's mage guards attempt to stop you, but you easily defeat them and add them to your ranks. It's so easy for you. Soon you're commanding a small army and it's barely taking any effort from you at all. "HEY! Who the hell are you? You're not in the Dark Order!" a voice calls out to you, and you turn around to see another necromancer. He's rather non-descript looking and isn't controlling nearly as many dead as you are. No ghosts either. "I'm not. I'm what you call...independent I suppose." "Oh is that right eh? Well if you ain't with the Dark Order, you're against us!" You attempt to ask if you can come to some sort of arrangement, but he's not hearing it, he orders his horde to attack you. So much for making allies... He and his troops are going to be faster, even if you do outnumber him, so you decide to do something else. You enforce your will upon his advancing horde, and with a little effort you're successful. They stop in their tracks, and then they turn around in his direction. "Hey! Stop that! You can't do that! You're supposed to listen to me!" he shouts totally losing his cool, not to mention his control. Instead of trying to regain it, he attempts to blast you with a bolt of negative energy, but at this point you're well protected by meat shield of corpses, who seem to be moving faster... The slow spell! It's gone! Or at least it's not affecting you anymore. You smile wickedly at the enemy necromancer. Now you can show him real power! He doesn't get a few inches from his position before he's overwhelmed and killed by your forces. Besides the effects of the slow spell being gone, you also notice many of the demons jumping over the city walls, or otherwise leaving Nuro. You hear demonologists shouting at them to come back and once again you shake your head. It would appear that Mr. Demar and the Dark Order didn't have their shit as together as you thought. "Pah! This is what Mr. Demar had to work with? I guess I was lucky not to have hooked up with such fools!" you say to a nearby zombie who doesn't answer. You march through the city truly exercising your power for the first time, soon you come across two more necromancers attempting to destroy city hall where the last bastion of resistance resides in the city. An ugly man and a woman. Naturally it's the ugly guy who calls over to you. "Hey Irwin glad you...hey you're not Irwin! Who are you?" "I'm the guy who can probably save your ass from this fiasco you Dark Orderites call a take over." "Huh and I suppose YOU could've done a better job?" the woman sneers. "Better job than you're doing. Look at you, you lost your demonic support and you can't even take out the first citizen and his weak ass mage guards." You retort. "Hey Catalina stop fighting! We got enough problems!" he says to the woman before addressing you. "Look, my name's Sebastian and if you want to help out I'm not going to turn you away because you're right, we could use it! I'm sure Mr. Demar is having no problems taking care of the dean and the other professors, but I'm more concerned with Quayle!" "Who's that?" "He's the guy that was responsible for that slow spell you were probably feeling the effects of earlier. I don't what's gone wrong with the spell, but some demonologist came by here a minute ago saying that the whole east side of campus is fucked up. Like it's phasing in and out of existence or something. Someone needs to go check it out or stop it before we're all killed!" > You leave the City You weren't impressed with these losers before and you're still not impressed with them now. "Yeah, well I got my own plans. Thanks for the heads up on the city though, guess I'll leave this shithole." You say. "Hey! Come on! Where do you think you're going to go? Staying here is your best shot at survival, we just gotta..." "Let him go Sebastian, we don't need the likes of him helping us!" With those last words ringing in your ears, you march out of the city with your undead horde ready to take on the world. Your first stop is some little town on the outskirts of the Brot Kingdom. You're merciless. You slaughter all those that oppose you, leaving none alive. Your army grows and you march on to other endeavors, but not really having any kind of plan other than mindless slaughter... One month passes The Incident at Nuro has become well known knowledge and while the take over was a failure, much damage was done. A temporal disturbance in the heart of the city has made the entire area unstable as buildings phase in and out of existence. Mr. Demar and most of his Dark Order were killed though a few managed to escape and go into hiding. Demons have been running rampant through the countryside and seem to have taken an interest in the Kingdom of Tulan. You're a well known threat due to your actions in Brot Kingdom. Already mercenaries are on your trail. You have to keep to the rural parts of the countryside where you come in conflict with several barbaric Orc tribes. You of course add these to your army when you're done massacring them. One year passes The Kingdom of Tulan has finally put the sword to every last demon infesting the area. Most of the demonologist have been caught and hung for their crimes as well. You now have the Grand Alliance's attention and they hound you at every turn. You refuse to give up. They will know your full power, just like your Dad did when you utterly destroyed his mercenary company that attempted to stop you. How you laughed when he attempted to still grab his sword to strike you even though he had been separated from his lower half at the time. You put the old bastard out of his delusions when he gurgled to you that no good would come of your path. Hah! Like he knew what it's like to be a "good man." Still you always wondered what Mom thinks...but then you don't want to know what she thinks of you. A twinge of sadness strikes you, before you erase it entirely from your thoughts. You press on further north. Two more years pass Nuro has completely collapsed in on itself due to the temporal disturbance leaving nothing but a gaping hole there; a war breaks out in the nearby area. You suffer four attacks from the Grand Alliance and several attacks from various other forces. Your sister was leading the last Grand Alliance attack, and you barely escaped. You're the last "problem" from the Nuro Incident that needs to be eliminated. You're growing weaker from the lack of rest, and you turn to eating dead flesh to survive. Survival, that's all you care about now. Two more years pass You can hear them coming, you curse the fact that you left yourself no retreat. You're magically spent and exhausted. Fuck it. You walk towards your pursuers and prepare to die for your heinous crimes... Such is often the fate of a necromancer.

[Themes: grimdark fantasy, serious] Serena's advice might've pointed you in the right direction, but as far as you needing the help of others you're going to take a pass on that. You don't need anyone else except yourself. That's the way it's been for a long time and that's the way it's going to stay. That leaves you to go where various other students have gone when they want to get something illegal and keep it to themselves. "Big Red". Technically Big Red isn't actually all that big, in fact for a demon he's probably on the smaller size, but like most demons he likes to think he's very important. Big Red typically hangs around in the seedy parts of Nuro, but he also hangs around the park area on campus late at night. His presence in Nuro is barely tolerated, but he's been known to acquire things for high ranking officials and provide important information that is beneficial to Nuro security. Oddly for all his mercenary criminal behavior he's tight lipped for a demon and will only tell on someone if asked directly and only then for the right price. Given how low profile you are, it's unlikely anyone's going to ask about you, let alone what for. Chances are if anyone does see you with Big Red they'll just think you're another college student looking to get high. You wait until night and then stalk the campus park area looking for Big Red, but instead he finds you, catching you off guard. "Y'know you'd look less guilty if you weren't lurking around like a damn dark elf assassin. Haven't seen you around before, I guess that explains why you're coming to me AFTER finals are over. Most students come and get the answers before hand y'know." "You sell those? Damn, I didn't have to fail my nature test final after all." "I could probably fix that too, for a price of course." "...maybe, but what I'm looking for is uh...a little different." "Ah, so high exactly do you want to get?" "No, not that..." "Well, I'm not selling sex slaves if that's what you're looking for...well at least not here." "No! I'm looking for something different!" Big Red gives you a strange look. "Okay, what kind of freak are you exactly then?" "I'm looking for something on Necromancy." Big Red throws you up against a tree when you make that remark and begins to whisper to you in a harsh tone. You can feel (And smell) the brimstone emanating from his breath. "You fucking little mortal pissant, you trying to get me killed? I don't sell that shit! Get the fuck outta here!" he says before throwing you on the ground and walking away. Now it may be that he's telling the truth, but he may be more worried that you're trying to set him up. You're determined to find out regardless of the consequences. You run back to him, but stay out of his immediate range. "Look, I know you're a guy who can get a hold of lots of things and I also know you're available for a price. I'm not a spy, I'm not gonna rat you out, I'm not working for anyone, I just have a...need..." Big Red turns back towards you and walks in your direction, you think he's going to attack and you nearly run, but chances are he'd catch you first anyway. He's looking around in all directions and speaking in a low tone. "Alright. Look. Since you're obviously new and not hip to how this works, I'm inclined to believe you're not working for someone. Someone undercover wouldn't be so obviously clueless as you seem to be, at least not to catch the likes of me. Plus I can sense the darkness around you...it's a neat ability we have and again let's us tell who's a goody two shoes and who isn't. You don't seem to be either though just yet. You seem to be more confused and curious than anything which is almost as bad." "So you can't you help me?" "It's not that I can't, it's whether I should. This isn't selling you some Hobgoblin Hashish so you can go get high and wind up naked the next morning with a Dwarf in your ass." "Um...what? Excuse me?" you stutter at Big Red's odd scenario outcome. "This is serious shit, if word got around that I was selling information on the Dark Arts, let alone books on it, my ass would be strung up and killed. And to have some dumb ass college student fucking around with something as dangerous as that is asking for trouble since YOU'RE probably going to get yourself caught, which will then lead to possible questions before they kill you...which can then link to me. And that can't happen." "I'm not going to get caught." "Hah! Heard that one before from people getting busted for less. I dunno, I don't see you as a good risk and even if I did consider this request my price would be VERY high and I don't see you as having that kind of money to spend." Big Red's denials of your request are actually making you want what he has even more. You KNOW he can help you. In fact you're beginning to get irritated. Why the hell is he denying you this? He's a fucking demon who sells illegal shit! He shouldn't care at all! You're desperate for his help though so you tell an outlandish lie. "Look my parents are rich! I can get the money for you, just gimme your price and I can get it...it might take me awhile, but I can get it." "Oh you can huh? Alright then I'll play your game. He's my price." Big Red pulls out a little pad of paper and pencil and writes something on it and then hands it to you. You read the astronomical price while Big Red's face turns into a smug demonic grin. He probably did that for dramatic effect. There's no way you can pay this, even if you somehow managed to convince your parents to give you money to support your grossly illegal studies in necromancy. You're not going to let it stop you though. "Wow...that is high...okay. I can get this, but it'll take me a few days." You say feigning a mixture of shock, but calmness too. Big Red himself looks surprised that you agreed. He begins to write down something on his pad again and gives it to you. "Well alright money bags, we got a deal. You come meet me at this time and location in a week. If you ain't there, then you can forget about coming to see me for anything ever again. If you come and you don't have the money...well I don't think I need to stress how bad that would be. So my advice is if you don't have it, don't show. See ya." "Hey wait, you said you can fix my grade too." You suddenly remember. "Don't you think you've spent enough money tonight? Alright then maybe you ARE made of gold after all, so what's the class?" "Nature magic." "Oh yeah, you said that. Yeah, that's definitely doable, mainly because the professor is, I just need to slip the deviled ham into her and she'll be willing to pass anyone." "I thought she was a lesbian." "Feh, not when it comes to Big Red. It ain't just a name ya know. Alright, my price for this task is two hundred gold pieces. Normally I might charge less, but hey you got the money right?" Indeed, but you don't have much now after forking it over to Big Red. You were hoping the gold you brought was going to go towards a necromantic tome, but instead it's just going to cheating. "Thanks, and as appreciation for your generous business tonight, I think I'll go take care of that grade situation of yours right now, if I'm lucky maybe she'll have one of those little elven bitches with her. Ha ha!" As Big Red leaves you, you head back to your apartment to scheme for the rest of the week. You go through a wide variety of emotions: fear, anger, desire, anxiety, obsession, etc. None of it really means anything though since you don't really have too much in the way of choices now. You're either going to have to kill Big Red when you go to meet him, or just forget about this necromancy stuff and go home for vacation. > You go home Once again you have second thoughts. You can't do this. You can't become a necromancer; it's not going to make your life any easier and is only going to make it vastly more difficult. You figure with your mediocre grades and magic skills, you can probably get a job working at children's parties or something after you graduate. That least if you make a mistake it'll be "funny" and just be part of the act. Your Mom probably won't be too disappointed since she also works with children and you give a shit what your Dad thinks. Yep, that'll probably be your "life". You don't go meet Big Red and instead take the next carriage home to visit your family for vacation. Your Mom is happy to see you and makes the appropriate fuss. Your sister is okay when she stops by between her duties. In fact for awhile you don't feel so bad about your life. Sure it'll be dull and not very glamorous, but you can deal with it... After a month of your visit, your Dad finally comes back from one of his mercenary jobs. He's in a typical asshole mood and gives you a bunch of shit as soon as he walks in the door. He belittles what few accomplishments you have, compares you to your sister and is a general dick to you as usual. While your Mom attempts to rein him in, you leave the house and curse your Dad. He always spoils everything for you. You can't wait for classes to start again just to get away from the old bastard. You almost wished you'd taken that risk and attempted to kill Big Red and get that necromantic book. The powers it must've contained...you know you would've been able to master them. The more you think about this, the more you think that might be what you'll do when classes start again. After two more months of putting up with your family, you're heading back to school. Once again your "feelings" have died down again. You're not going to kill Big Red or any of that, you're going to go to class and struggle as usual. You're going to be less than an average nobody. You're going to live the rest of your life like a halfling. But not for long... About a week after classes start, something terrible happens in the city of Nuro. Portals suddenly open up all over the city and demons come pouring out of them. Loud explosions take place and there's a strange feeling of "slowness" occurring to you and most others. You're in class at the time when this chaos begins. It's obviously an attack of some sort, but nobody knows from where or who, right now everyone is just trying to escape. Demons run amok through the streets and campus gleefully killing people. Running while suffering the effects of this aura of slowness is proving very difficult so you try to stay hidden most of the time. Demonologists direct this attack, you even recognize a couple as students you went to class with. Apparently you weren't the only one with the dark arts on your mind. Eventually you get closer to the city gates and that's when you see a horde of recently raised corpses lingering around it. You think maybe you can make it. The dead aren't known to be fast after all. You make your run and the group of corpses and skeletons notice you and shamble in your direction. Normally if you weren't slowed, you probably might make it, but instead they manage to surround you and cut off escape in any direction. In desperation you cry out for this to stop and wishing that somehow they would stop attacking you. And for a moment, they do. They just stand there obediently. You can't believe it; you just stand there in shock, not taking advantage of the situation. Did you really have a natural gift for necromancy after all? Unfortunately, you'll never know because they quickly resume attacking and strike you down before moving on. As you lie in the street dying from your wounds, you laugh at the absurdity of it all. "Ha ha...I coulda...(cough) been...the next Great Lich Lord..."

[Themes: modern, female protagonist, humor, serious, romance, science fiction, post-apocalyptic, horror, drama] "Are you worried about these uncertain times? Do you..." Click. You're so damn sick of these Ground Zero commercials you think as you turn the TV off. If you older brother Ben hadn't shot his family and himself in a tragic paranoid breakdown you can only imagine he'd be going on about how right he was in building that underground bunker out in your backyard. You look at the time and realize you've spent most of the day procrastinating watching TV even though there's not much on that interests you on TV anymore. All the channels you used to watch that had interesting shit on them now all have shallow reality shows and quite frankly you've got enough dysfunctional family drama going on in real life without needing to watch it on TV. You remember a time when you could avoid most of the mess by hiding out in your basement. Unfortunately you can't even do that anymore. Ever since dad drank himself to death, the gravy train of living at home for free came to an end. Without the help of your dad's pension checks anymore, your older Amazonian sister Kelly said there was no way in hell that she was going to keep supporting the house on her own unless she was the only one living in it. Seeing as she's a roller derby bitch as well as an illegal fight club brawler, it isn't like you or any of your siblings were in any position to argue with her. Your younger brother Peter, having given up his lofty dreams of being a famous movie director now spends a lot of his time in the garage making amateur porn with various guys he picks up at the clubs. He makes enough money through his website that it keeps Kelly off his back. He seems to enjoy what he's doing and at least he's not stealing your clothes anymore. Your younger sister Donna simply moved out and moved in with your best friend Julie who is still the eternal party girl. Really you're surprised Julie hasn't caught every STD known to man at this point. To be honest Donna's had more in common with Julie than you have for many years now. You're sure Donna's a lot happier at a "party house." As for you, you didn't have much in the way of options. Trying to get a job has failed spectacularly in this economy. Though your..."unique" and reclusive personality doesn't exactly help in that department. Given some of the junk that's laying around the house you sometimes wonder if you shouldn't try to sell some of it over the Internet to support yourself. Seems like a lot of work though and you're no wheeler and dealer. Donna suggested that you move in with her and Julie, but that whole scene isn't for you. As much as you hate dealing with Kelly, you'd also hate having to put up with drunk horny guys (and girls) trying to get into your pants every five minutes, not to mention the loud music, crowds and the ever growing possibility of the cops busting the place for illegal drugs. Which brings you to your boyfriend Bobby Morningstar who naturally has suggested that you move in with him on several occasions. This would be the ideal solution if it weren't for the fact that his own family consists of like a million siblings that all live in his cult compound. There's also the fact that his ex-girlfriend/sister Diana is wicked pissed at you for stealing him away from her. It's been an ongoing source of tension between you and Bobby and you wish he'd just leave them all behind and you two could make a life together elsewhere, but his duty to family is strong, as is his faith to the Babylonian Goddess of Chaos, Tiamat which still involves human sacrifices. Right now you're having a period of separation with him. Sometimes you think about breaking up with him completely, but then you can't just dismiss the good times you do have with him. You have that special bond that only a couple could have when one warns the other about their serial killer relative lying in wait for them in the woods. Thank god Bobby took care of your uncle Ed. That had to be the scariest moment of your life dealing with that situation. Of course none of this delightful recap of past events really helps you. Kelly is starting to get very impatient with you and you fear that your months of stalling are coming to an end. Kelly's currently not home, but she'll be back in a few hours to get a bit of sleep before heading off to her fight club stuff. Continuing to enjoy the time you have to not have to deal with her you go back to procrastinating, which mainly involves goofing off on the Internet, "stumbling" upon a porn site and then using battery powered means to relieve yourself of stress. Eventually you hear the familiar slamming of the door and stomping around upstairs, which signifies that Kelly is indeed home. "SUZY! Stop splittin' the kitten and get yer bony ass up here!" you hear Kelly shout. You were afraid of this. You clean yourself up a bit, mentally prepare yourself and then head upstairs. "Hey Kelly..." you start to say, but are interrupted. "Shut up. I've got exactly a couple hours to get some rest before I have to drag my ass to my other job to support this fucking house and it's a fucking mess! You can't even clean up around here? Did you even look for a job today? Let me guess you spent the whole day fucking around on the Internet and masturbating didn't you?" "Well uh..." "Jesus fuckin' Christ Suzy, you're goddamn useless you know that? The only reason I'm not kicking your ass right now is because I need to save my energy and it would be too fucking easy." Before you can even speak, Kelly continues her rant. "GET A FUCKING JOB! I don't care what kind! Just be a contributing member of this household like Peter or get the fuck out like Donna!" "Kelly I'm trying, but I'm just not having any luck in finding anything, can't you help me out?" you say. "Help you out? I'm helping you out right now by supporting your ass! I've been helping you out for quite some time! In fact I originally suggested that you could probably become a ring girl at the fights, but you said no because you didn't want to dress up in skimpy clothing and parade around in front of a bunch of drunks." "Kelly, you know I don't want to dress like that in public, especially not after what uncle Ed made me wear that night..." "Oh here we go, crazy old uncle Ed! How long you going to keep using that as an excuse? Sheesh, the way you go on about it, you act like he raped you. What happened instead? He got killed, you weren't even touched and you got a fucking boyfriend out of that deal! Some of us should be so lucky to be in a fucked up situation and STILL come out ahead! You know what I deal with on a regular basis? Steroid freaks trying to break my fucking neck that's what! You think I'd be making a living trading punches with fucktards if I LOOKED like you Suzy? You got the biggest advantage and you're just wasting it! What the hell is your goddamn problem?" You can see that Kelly is in full-blown jealousy mode and shows no signs of stopping. Attempting to walk away will only result in her getting physical with you so the only thing you can do is endure the verbal assault. "This is sink or swim time sis. You either get your shit together by the end of this week or you're out on your ass! This sheltered girl act is really fucking OLD! You're a grown ass WOMAN. Start acting like one! Now get out of my fucking sight." You meekly slink back to the basement and leave Kelly alone. You silently mope for a while pondering what the hell you're going to do next. You then notice that your phone has been under your couch cushions and on silent all day. Bobby apparently has been repeatedly trying to contact you. Even left multiple texts saying that he really wants to talk, but the mood you're in right now, you don't want to deal with it. You don't want to deal with anything. You just want to be safe in your own little world in the basement. How you miss those days... Well today isn't completely over yet. You've still got time to salvage some of it. Hell, maybe you can even make a major change in your life. > You get help from Peter You don't want to move out and you can't trust yourself to not get distracted as usual trying to find a job. You need help and the only other person you know that has one in the house is Peter, so you decide to go see him and hope he isn't in the middle of "working." You head to the garage and knock on the door. From within you hear a come on in so you do so, unfortunately given Peter's state of near nakedness and a tube of KY in hand its obvious he wasn't expecting you. "Oh. It's you. What do you want? I got a couple of guys coming over soon and I still need to lube up." he says "Ugh...I need to speak to you." You say trying not to look at him. "Can you put some damn clothes on?" "(Sigh) Fine, but let's hurry this up." Peter says and puts on a robe. "Peter, I need your help in finding a job and before you even suggest it, no I'm not going to do what you do for money." "Oh of course not. Wouldn't enter my mind to suggest such a thing to the likes of you. Which means I don't have many other suggestions for you. I mean I can only imagine you've failed horribly at getting a normal job due to your lack of a college degree, personality quirks and crippling introversion. You don't seem to have the motivation to start your own business and for some baffling reason you don't even take advantage of the natural gifts you do have. Pfft, if I was you, I'd start now because you're just getting older." "Peter, I'm not a whore. I'm not going to just spread my legs to everyone for cash." "Who said everyone? Just get one rich one, shit shouldn't be that hard for you." "That's not who I am, besides I have a boyfriend..." "Who? Bobby? I thought you two broke up." "No, well sort of...it's complicated." "Well then you need to work something out with him then and let him take care of you because while I didn't hear the whole rant, Kelly was loud enough that I made out some of it even from here. Sounds like she gave you an ultimatum." "I know. I know. I don't know what to do." You say slumping into a nearby chair. Peter and you have never been close and most of the time he's annoyed you by constantly stealing your clothes in the past, but to his credit he go over and tries to console you a bit with a hug, given that his dick is still swinging out of his robe, you'd rather he didn't and politely tell him you're fine. "Have you tried the circus?" Peter suddenly asks. "What?" you respond. "The circus. There's a small one set up a few miles west outside of town. Almost like a gypsy camp really. Remember how our family used to go together? I think it's about the only time we all got along." "Yeah...I always liked the clowns the most. I liked how outgoing and happy they always were. Even thought I'd grow up and be one at one point." "Hm, I think you were the only one as far as that went. I still remember you used to paint up your face with mom's make up and try to entertain Donna and me at home. Though to be quite honest all you did was scare the hell out of us." "Yeah...that's why I gave up that dream. Figured I was doing it wrong." You say gloomily. "Oh. Sorry about that, didn't mean to be a dream crusher." "It's okay, given my introversion I doubt if I would've been able to actually get in front of a crowd and do it anyway." "Hey, you shouldn't have given up if that was what you wanted to do. I mean maybe you should pursue it now. I mean you don't have much to lose right and how hard could it be? Put on make up, dress up silly, and generally act creepy...erm I mean goofy." Peter's words do light a certain spark in you. "Hmmm, maybe you're right...I'll do it!" you suddenly exclaim. "Good, glad to hear you're excited about something. So are you good now? I mean I'd talk more, but y'know still got guys coming over and..." "Oh right, yeah I'm good. Hold on, can I borrow your car to get to the circus tomorrow?" "Uhhh, yeah sure. Keys are over there." "Thanks again Peter." You say taking the keys and leave. You head back down to the basement filled with excitement at the prospect of pursuing your childhood dream again! It all seems a little crazy right now, but the more you think about it the more it makes sense. You spend the rest of the night in good spirits and maintain a positive attitude that everything will be okay tomorrow. > Next day... "...our shelters are all equipped with the latest in state of the art technology, order now and..." Click. You fell asleep watching tv again. Seems like they're playing those damn commercials all the time now. Nothing like praying upon people's fears due to recent world events. You look at the time and see that you've slept for most of the morning, but given that you're going to the circus to apply for a job you figure they will be open all night. You also check your phone and see that Bobby's been trying to reach you, but you can't let yourself get distracted today. You need to focus on your goal of becoming a clown! You take Peter's car and head towards the circus. The drive is fairly uneventful though one thing you notice is the increase in police cars and police in general. Apparently there's been some civil disturbance in multiple locations. You swear this one of the reasons why you never like leaving the basement in the first place. You hate the chaotic nature of people. But then, if you have any hope of being a clown, you're going to have to get used to dealing with crowds and people. In fact you're going to have to get used to a lot of things, but you can't let yourself get a panic attack about this. You have to go through with this. Eventually you arrive at your destination. Or at least you assume it is. Peter wasn't joking when he said it resembled a gypsy camp as opposed to a proper circus. You see a lot of little tents and some trailers, but nothing like a "big top." Most of the people here are dwarves and last time you knew there wasn't a large population of little people in your town, so you can only assume that they're part of the circus. In fact from what you can tell there aren't actually any customers, just carnies. As you wander a bit, you start getting a lot of looks, you aren't sure if they're staring at you because you're an outsider or if they're just gawking at you. Might be a bit of both. Doesn't take long before you're surrounded by a lot of the little people and you start to feel like Dorothy. "Hey goldie with the legs, what're you doing around here? We're not open yet." One of their numbers says. "Oh, well I wasn't here for that. I'm here because..." you take a deep breath. "I want to be a clown!" That certainly wasn't the response that they were expecting. You hear a few whispers before the one that was talking speaks again. "A clown? Heh, well I'm not sure how successful that's going to work out for you, but luckily for you the owner of this fine circus is also a clown, so you'll need to speak with him either way. He's in the tent over there. Roofie is probably still hung over so try to speak quietly." "Roofie?" "Yeah, that's his clown name... actually it mean be his real name as well. Anyway, don't worry he's not a rapist or anything like that, he's just a drunk. In fact he's probably the most mentally stable clown that we've ever had in this circus!" Taking the dwarf's directions, you head over to Roofie's tent. The smell of booze is strong and when you enter you see a balding older man in oversized pants and suspenders sitting at a table holding his head in both hands. Beer and whiskey bottle are plentiful enough that you make yourself heard just by tripping over some. "Goddamn it, it isn't fucking showtime and nobody's been coming anyway! Leave me alone, shit!" Roofie shouts not even looking up and continuing to hold his head. "Uh Mr. Roofie, I was told to speak to you." Roofie turns and looks at you. A big red nose still on his face. "Huh? Wbo the hell are you? You look way too damn classy to be any whore that I'd be able to afford." "My name's Suzy and I want to be a clown." At this point Roofie slowly gets up from his seat kicking a few bottles aside. You continue to stand there starting to wonder if this was such a good idea. "A clown? Now why the hell would a cute blonde like you want to be a fuckin' clown. Doesn't make sense. You playin' some sort of angle honey, because I assure you I'm in no mood and I ain't got any money for you to grift anyway." "No, it's always been a life long dream ever since I was a little girl!" you say and then start to go into detail of how you enjoyed circus clowns and a bunch of other life story shit that doesn't really interest Roofie. In fact he's just struggling to stand up and listen right now. "Alright, alright, enough! Shit. I get it. (Sigh) Look honey I dunno what to tell you, we're not exactly the Ringling Brothers here. I'm also not exactly looking to hire and I barely keep this place running as it is." "Please let me be a clown! Just give me a chance!" "Argh, too fucking loud! Fine show me your clown stuff, just keep your voice down." "Clown stuff?" "Uh yeah, like can you juggle? A little magic maybe? Some slapstick? Do you have a character like being a hobo or something? What you think it's just easy as putting on white face make up, jumping around and laughing like an idiot?" "Well sort of..." "Sheesh. That's the kind of thinking that makes us look creepy rather than amusing. You do realize that most people hate clowns right? Doesn't help that we're constantly vilified in horror movies nowadays. Yer wastin' my time and yours if you don't even know the basics." Roofie isn't exactly inspiring your confidence in this anymore. You feel like just heading home, but can't run from this like you do with everything else, you've got no other options! You start to break down in tears. "Maybe I don't know the basics, but I'll work hard! (Sob) I'm serious about this! (Sob) I've tried to get a job everywhere else and if I don't get this, I'll get kicked out of my house! This is my last chance! (Sob)" you exclaim in between the tears. "Last chance? Darling, if bein' a clown is your last chance, then you've got some major problems. (Sigh) I dunno even know why I'm entertaining this save for the fact that you're easy on the eyes even without the need for alcohol and I'm a sucker for a damsel in distress. Besides if the news is any indication, we're all gonna be dead by nuclear fire soon anyway, so fuck it. All right, stop yer weepin' an maybe we can do something with you." You clear up your eyes a bit completely oblivious to Roofie's brief doomsday expectations. "So you'll help train me?" "Well, hopefully you'll pick up something in time, but I'm not going to bother with regular training, you're going to learn trial by fire which all good clowns do anyway. Now the greatest thing going for you is that you're cute, so I'm thinkin' we create a character for you that utilizes your, shall we say natural talent." "Wait, I'm not going to have my breasts exposed while wearing nothing but red clown noses on my nipples do I?" you ask with concern. "(Snort) Jesus girl. No, nuthin' like that." Roofie chuckles "You'll be fully clothed, though you'll still be cute lookin'. Kinda like that one girl. Y'know in the funny books? The one with that rich vigilante. Anyway, the key thing to remember is you need to act cutesy. That's going to be your character. You'll be a cute clown while all the other clowns around you hilariously fail to try to win you over, hit each other with mallets and all that sort of shit...hmmm, this is actually sounding like a pretty good skit. I'm going to go round up the others and have a run through. In the meantime there's a bunch of clown outfits in the trunk over there. Fairly certain we got a bunch of unused girly ones that should fit you. Some make up over and a mirror over there. Don't worry about getting that just right for now since I know the lighting sucks in this tent. And uh, I dunno try to practice acting demure and shy." Roofie leaves the tent and you're left realizing that you might just succeed at getting this job! You quickly go through the trunk and find some pink and black-checkered leotard thing with a mini-skirt attached around the waist. It fits and fortunately while form fitting, it isn't excessively tight, though your legs are still exposed so you put on some knee high purple striped leggings. You feel sort of vulnerable undressing in a tent that someone could just enter at any time, but fortunately there's at least a privacy-screen you can dress behind. You complete your look by putting your hair in girlish pigtails and applying a bunch of white face make up on and making your eyelashes and lips stand out with black eye liner and red lipstick. You haven't had time to practice when Roofie returns with a bunch of other men in various clown outfits. One of them is even a little person like you met out front. "Goddamn Roofie, I think I'm gonna have to rethink my plans of leaving your shitty carnival." One of them says. "Leave? Hell, I think I'm in love." Says another before Roofie speaks up. "Holy shit girl, I said cute clown, not harlequin seductress! You might need to tone it down in the future we're still trying to run a family show more or less. All right never mind, let's run through this and you guys TRY to remember to keep your tongues in your mouth on occasion." So you run through the routine while Roofie gives everyone directions. At first you naturally feel a little unready and uneasy what with everyone flirting with you, but soon you start to get into the swing of things. In fact it starts to come easy, you bat your eyes, give a few girlish giggles when someone slips and falls trying to give you a balloon flower and similar things. Eventually Roofie stops everyone and says the skit needs to be refined a bit, but it should work. He then tells everyone to leave since he wants speak with you privately. This seems to disappoint the others who all continue to stare at you while leaving. "Well, other than the fact that I could tell some of them were having a really hard time in not actually groping you, I'd say that went well and even you seem to have gotten into character quickly. Maybe you do have what it takes after all. You still seem a little nervous though, which sort of helped your performance, but I'd rather you remain at ease. Anything that can help with that?" Roofie asks. "Well its like you said, I partially felt like one of them was going to jump on me at any given time. I mean is that something I'm going to have to worry about?" "Nah, that won't happen. We carnies have a rule against hurting each other. I mean I won't lie that they aren't going to stare a lot at you and most likely a few are going to make crude comments, but that's about as far as it is going to go if you decide to join and stay with us." "You want me to join?" "If you're still interested, sure. I think you've got something to offer. Though like I said, I'm still not sure why someone like you would want to join a broken down circus like this one. I still think someone like you would be a model or something." "Well, I'm wearing an outlandish outfit, my face is all painted up and a bunch of guys are falling over themselves just to get a look at me. Seems like I'm doing the same thing as a model save for the eating disorder." Your comment causes a laugh from Roofie. "Ha ha! That's pretty good. I think I'm making the right decision. Okay, so about your sleeping arrangements, I might have to re-arrange some folks and that's always going to cause problems, so you might have to sleep in your car for tonight..." "Wait you want me to move in here?" "Well yeah. I mean I told you we weren't going to be staying here too much longer and you have to know that circus' do tend to travel right?" "Yeah, right. Of course. It's just, heh, I guess when I jumped into this I didn't think all of it through. Though that's probably obvious." "Hrm, well it's your choice. I'm not gonna lie and say this life is the easiest and if you feel more comfortable at home or have loved ones you don't want to leave that's understandable." "I dunno if I'd say all that, but the concept of leaving my home...well it's a bit of a big change for me. Like a VERY big one. And oddly, this opportunity has me seriously considering it." "Well you do what's in your heart. Anyway, we aren't leaving today or even tomorrow, so I mean if you want to go back home and pick up some stuff, say goodbye to whoever, then you've got time. But even though we're not leaving tomorrow we are going to be open for our last show and I'll need you here. I'm hoping we'll at least get some people here and make at least a bit of money before picking up stakes and all that." You aren't sure what to do. The logical thing to do would be to go back home and gather some belonging, say a few goodbyes and try to convince Peter to drive you back up here so he gets his car back. But there's something within you that wonders if you shouldn't just make a clean break immediately and stay. You know yourself and if you get back home you're likely find some reason to stay and back out of this opportunity. You think about Bobby and how he'd be one of those reasons. You still haven't called him back. > You stay at the circus If you're going to do this, you need to be all in right now. You feel slightly bad about essentially stealing Peter's car, but you figure you can call him later and he can get someone to drive him over to pick it up. (Assuming he doesn't call you first) As for Bobby you're not going to bother. You've come to the conclusion that you and he have too many differences to make it work and that this final break up has been a long time coming. Calling him would just make you fall for his charms and hinder your own goals and you can't have that happen. "Mr. Roofie, I'll be staying." You say. "Okay, great. We'll be opening up soon, dunno if anyone's actually going to show up, but you might as well get out there and wander around to make this place look festive." "Did you want me to change, you said something about this outfit being too much?" "Eh...don't bother. I'm thinkin' it's an appropriate look for you. Like I said, you might have to put up with some cat calling from some of the cruder employees here, but that's about it. And if anyone starts getting out of line with you, be they carnie or rube, let me know about it. Trust me it'll be taken care of immediately. This carnival might be on its last legs, but I'll be damned if it'll descend into anarchy. My dad didn't work and sacrifice all those years for nothing." Roofie says. "Your dad owned this carnival? Was he a clown too?" you ask. "Heh, no. He was a geek and I don't mean in the lovable nerd sense either. I mean he was a bonafide circus geek. Ate all manner of disgusting things to bring in the customers. Raw animal organs, heads of chickens, rotten food, you name it. He always told me though he was drunk most of the time so it wasn't quite as bad as you'd think. Fortunately he didn't stay a circus geek though. Apparently he helped the original ringmaster with something very important and after that happened my dad got a better job around here as the ringmaster's assistant." "What did he help the ringmaster with?" "Dunno exactly. Like I said, my dad was drinking a lot heavier during those geek days. He said it had to do with a power struggle within the circus, but he couldn't quite remember all the details. In any event when the original ring master one day decided it was time to move on to something else my dad got control of the circus. Kept it going too despite the changing times. I've tried to follow in his footsteps, but so far the only thing I've succeeded at is the drinking part." Roofie takes a drink from a nearby bottle after this statement. "So, uh what made you become a clown?" you ask. "I dunno, I was trying to help out I guess. Y'see my dad had to raise me himself since my mom died giving birth to me and I guess when I got old enough I felt I should contribute for all the extra burden I put on him." "Sorry to hear that." "Hm, well all I know about her is that she was a runaway that joined up with the circus shortly after my dad took over as owner. Anyway, for a while, this circus didn't have a single clown. Apparently it did a long time ago, but my dad said there were some horror stories about them and they were eventually...let go. Despite this circus' odd apprehension about having clowns again I convinced my dad that it would be a good idea to have clowns. So he gave me a shot and it worked. Rest is history, anyway that's enough story time you've got your own clown work to do, so get to it." You take your leave and re-assure that you'll do everything in your power to keep people entertained. No sooner have you left Roofie's tent when you're nabbed by a couple of the other clowns, this time they're full clown uniform. "Hey tulip we've been lookin' for ya. If you're staying, we're going to need to polish up our routine." One of them says. "Yeah, and after that, you can polish something else. Ha ha ha ha ha!" says another which causes some snickering from the others. "Could you please not talk that way to me?" you ask politely. "Awww are you sensitive? You're such a delicate pretty little flower aren't you?" the clown who made the polishing comment says. "Sheesh, Ranko don't be a fucking asshole. Don't mind him sweetheart he's never been this close to a woman before." Another clown says. "Fuck you Klepto and stop playing white knight. You're not foolin' anyone. You know damn well you got a raging boner for this little blonde number too. Am I right fellas?" This gets a small positive acknowledgement by the other clowns, including Klepto who chuckles while confessing his transparent white knighting. Once again you're starting to wonder if this is going to be worth it. Is this what its always going to be like? You haven't even been officially an employee five minutes and you're already getting subjected to dirty innuendo and harassment. You know Roofie tried to assure you that nothing is going happen and that if someone did try anything you could let him know, but really though you don't want to have to feel like you have to go running to him like a tattletale every time. If you could brave your serial killer uncle and your cultist ex-boyfriend, you can certainly handle some loutish clowns. In fact you start thinking about all the times Kelly has verbally abused you and you begin to get angry. You channel some of that anger that you have for her and direct it towards your new co-workers. "Ranko, I'm guessing that's your name due to the bad breath your giving off right now. It smells like shit which still makes it about two steps higher than you look." You say, which catches him off guard and stops the others from laughing. Before Ranko can retort you continue. "Your name oughta be Zero, because that's exactly how far you're ever going to get with me. The same goes for the rest of you fucktards! Just because I'm new here doesn't mean I'm just going to take your fucking abuse!" For a moment there's silence and even some of the nearby employees look on wondering what the rest a going to do. Ranko is the only one who says anything though. "Hmm, looks like the delicate flower has a few thorns. That's okay though. I like a little spirit, keeps things interesting. In any case we still need to go over the routine so if you're done bitching at all of us, let's go." He says and motions everyone to follow. You're slightly apprehensive about following this group anywhere, but there's little else for it since these are going to be your coworkers. You can only hope that in time they'll see you as something other than an outlet for their lust. As you walk to the location you scan the rest of the carnival, which mostly consists of a lot of game barker types setting up their crooked games. You do see a few stages where the more traditional sword swallower and fire eater types are preparing themselves. This being a circus and the fact that Roofie said his father was a geek, you can't help but wonder if there are any "freaks" anywhere. "Hey just wondering are their any Siamese Twins around here or something?" you ask trying to break up the silence. "Siamese Twins? Way to be racist darlin'. Ha ha, nah just fuckin' with ya, but I believe the correct term is conjoined twins and no we don't have any. There haven't been any freaks in this carnival for decades now. I heard back in the day there were a lot of them here though. Cyclopes, pinheads, four arms abominations of nature, you name it." Ranko remarks. "How come there aren't any here anymore?" "Well because we live in a developed country that has access to modern medicine nowadays? I mean most of those freaks were just unlucky bastards that rolled low on the genetics chart when they were born. Thanks to modern medicine they can correct that shit now y'know? Plus you've got all those politically correct types going on about exploitation or some shit. Also if someone IS a genetic freak of nature they can just go on a talk show or the Internet and make money that way. Nope, the time of the sideshow freak has long since passed. I mean sure you get the self made freaks like tattooed and pierced folks, but that's not really the same and it isn't even shocking anymore especially when you've got people cutting their dicks off or shoving glass jars up their ass for free on the net. The best you're going to get around here to freaks are the midgets and they're a dime a dozen, no offense Shrimpy." Ranko says referring to the dwarf clown. "Fuck you too Ranko." Shrimpy remarks. Soon you get to an open location near a couple trailers where Ranko says you're all going to go through the routine. It's pretty much like how you first went through it, but you notice several of the clowns are getting a little bit more grabby now. "Alright, stop, stop. You assholes are supposed to be trying to woo me and fighting with each other, not attempting to gang rape me! I feel one more hand trying to grab my ass and they're losing it!" you say. "Oh for fuck's sake according to you whatever we do is offensive. I'm just thinking of a way to keep the routine fresh. It'll be funny!" Ranko says. "Fresh? We haven't even performed it for people yet! Besides isn't this supposed to be a family show? The way Roofie suggested will be fine." "That old drunk doesn't even perform anymore, he's too busy running this carnival into the fucking ground. He's so fucking out of touch its ridiculous. Kids these days are watching hardcore anal porn as soon as they can log on to the Internet nowadays, so I doubt if a couple of clowns grabbing your ass is even going to register." Ranko says. At this point Ranko is starting to get more hostile. Your continued defiance of not wanting to be a squeeze toy is getting to him. Despite Roofie being the owner, it's obvious that this Ranko is the "ring leader" of the clowns and he's going to be a dick no matter what. Continuing to antagonize his authority is going to just result in unifying the rest to his side, so you try something else. "All right Ranko, you want this routine to incorporate a little more risqué business fine, but you're going about it the wrong way. You've got no style." "Oh? Only been a clown for a few hours and you're already an expert eh? Well go on and enlighten us all then sweetheart." "Well for one thing Shrimpy should be trying to look under my dress whenever he can due to his size." You say. "Wait what?" Ranko asks. "Hey, I'm liking her ideas already!" Shrimpy exclaims. "You all still need to play to your traits, don't you see? You, Lifto. You're the biggest of the lot so you should be relying on feats of strength in order to impress me like picking me up in your arms." "Yeah, that makes sense." Lifto remarks. You go through what the rest of the clowns should be doing and they're remarkably receptive to you and your ideas. You come up with a whole new routine where they each attempt to charm you and how they fail either due to their own ineptness or another clown sabotaging them. The only one who's not liking this idea is Ranko. "Hey, hey, hey, what about me? Where do I fit in?" Ranko demands. "You? Well I figured you'd be that completely disgusting suitor that never even gets close to being charming seeing as you're already pretty good in that role. You can be an ongoing participant that gets constantly beat down by the others. Lifto hits you with a mallet, Klepto steals your pants, Shrimpy gives you a hot foot...you know clown stuff. It'll be funny." You say snidely much to Ranko's chagrin. "Oh no, you're not turning my crew against me! I'M head clown around here not some bottle blonde split tail! We're not agreeing to this shit!" Ranko shouts. "Speak for yourself Ranko." Klepto says. "Yeah, I kinda like this idea better, my bit doesn't seem to rely on as much movement on my part." Fatty remarks. "You're just pissed that a newbie took your idea and made it work against you." Shrimpy adds. Ranko at this point begins ranting and raving at everyone. He unleashed a torrent of swears that causes the whole carnival to take notice. He calls you a bitch and the rest of them pussy whipped. "That's it, I'm done with this fucking loser carnival and the rest of you losers as well! I'm fucking RANKO the goddamn clown! I can get a job anywhere! Enjoy living in obscurity with miss frigid over here!" Ranko exclaims and storms off in a huff. "Good riddance rank breath! And I'm a goddamn natural blonde, you asshole!" you shout as he continues to walk away. You have to say this plunge into assertiveness has given you a bit of a rush. You like it. When you go back to going through the routine with the others and you notice a decrease in your former uneasiness. The "boys" are still doing a lot of leering and the routine is a little more physical now, but something is different this time. Namely you feel more in control of the situation and that's probably because you are. "Wow, I really was wasting my natural talent." You think to yourself. In the middle of the routine, Roofie shows up. "Well this looks...friendly." He remarks as Lifto is in the middle of setting you back down on the ground. "Just going through the tweaked routine boss. It was the new girl's idea!" Klepto remarks. "Yeah, it's going to be good." Shrimpy adds. "Hrm. Well let's at least try to keep everyone's clothing on shall we?" "Of course! There isn't going to be any of that. Just going to keep it entertaining for the adult audience too." You say. "Couldn't help notice Ranko swearing like a sailor and stomping away from the carnival. Ranting about how he's never coming back. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?" "Not really boss. He just couldn't keep up with the recent changes around here I guess." You say, Roofie smirks a bit. "Heh, okay. Well I'm not going to lose any sleep not having to pay that asshole anymore. In any case, saw a few people actually driving up. Look like actual customers, so you guys need to go do your stuff for the crowds." The rest of the day goes pretty well for you. You and the rest entertain the small crowds (who seem to be mostly from the trailer park community just outside of your town.) that do show up. By the end of the night you're actually pretty tired and anxious to just flop down somewhere to sleep. Roofie says that thanks to Ranko leaving, his trailer is now empty and says that you can have it if you're willing to ignore the mess he probably left it in. You accept the offer since it'll be better than sleeping in Peter's car. And its at that point you forgot to call Peter back to let him know to pick his car up! You check your phone and see that Peter did indeed try to get a hold of you, and once again Bobby left a bunch of texts and messages as well. You're too tired to even bother to read them. You try to call Peter back, but you get no answer. Probably doing god knows what. You'll try again tomorrow, for now you enter Ranko's trailer and breathe a sigh of relief that the place isn't a health hazard and lie down on his bed. As you drift off to sleep you chuckle at the irony that Ranko wanted to get you into his bed really badly and all it took was for him to leave. > Next day… "...remember time is running out! Our shelters won't be..." You wake up to instinctively to grab the remote to turn off the TV only to realize that you have no TV, yet you're still hearing those damn Ground Zero commercials. You groggily sit up and look out a side window and see one of the carnies holding a radio, which is loudly playing one of those advertisements. Just as well you're up anyway, now that you have actual responsibilities and will have to live these new people you should take this opportunity to meet everyone since despite getting acquainted with your co-workers and the boss, you didn't really interact with anyone else working here. Still dressed in your outfit from yesterday (mainly because you lack anything else to wear right now) you go out and meet your brand new family full of hope that this will be the start of something wonderful! The reality turns out to be much different though. "Honey, why the hell are hanging around with those clowns? I'm sure you'd be better as a sword swallower; in fact I got a way you can practice if you come to my trailer right now!" "Hey clown girl, I've got a way to paint your face white without the need for make up!" "Nice tits!" The female carnies aren't much better. "So you're the new girl that got her own private trailer huh? Guess a blowjob gets you a lot preference nowadays. Was Roofie even sober at the time?" "Hey Bozo the Hoe, you think you're hot shit wiggling your ass at everyone? Let me warn you right now, you take my man I'll make sure you won't need to wear a red clown nose at your next performance!" "No, I don't have any extra clothes you can borrow, Miss Living Skeleton. Go away you anorexic bitch." Life is never easy outside the basement is it Suzy? Unfortunately that part of your life is over. You could go back to your trailer and hide you suppose, but it's not the same and besides you've already come to the conclusion that hiding won't solve your problems. Still, you are feeling a little "ganged up" on so for temporary relief you return to currently the only people that are halfway decent to you now, your fellow clowns. You enter the clown tent and see them all sitting around talking about something, but then when you enter all their attention is turned towards you. "Oh hey Suzy, you're here early. We don't usually warm up until a few hours before showtime." Klepto remarks. "Oh, I'm not here for that, I'm just here since half of the carnival seems to want to fuck me and barrage me with clumsy sexual innuendo." "And... you came here to get away from that?" Lifto asks. You chuckle a little. "Yeah well at least if I stay in here part of it will be work related." You answer which causes a couple of laughs and smiles from the rest. "Well considering you are one of us, maybe we should go easier on that now." Klepto says. "I'd certainly appreciate it." "Hey there are a lot of other women who work here, maybe you could go bond with them and do that whole sisterhood thing?" Lifto says. "I tried that. They all insulted me and seemed to want to punch me. Well except for that woman with the short red hair that juggles knives. I think she wanted to punch AND fuck me. (Sigh) No, looks like you guys are my only tribe here for now." "Hm, well get used to it I guess. Nobody likes us clowns that much. To be quite honest one of the reasons we decided to knock off the crude remarks toward you is because you'll be the first new person in years that will be civil to us. No point in making new enemies." Klepto says. "Really? I thought all carnies stuck together." You say. Now all the rest of the clowns laugh. "Hardly. I mean yeah there's a certain unspoken rule that carnies stay united against outsiders and rubes. And we aren't supposed to kill one another, but...well lets just say this very carnival doesn't exactly have a spotless track record in that regard." Klepto says. "People kill each other here?" you ask a bit alarmed. "No! Well not in my time anyway..." Klepto remarks trailing off. "What the hell does that mean? Look I don't want to be part of some murder circus!" "Damn it Klepto you've scared the girl now! You should've just kept your mouth shut!" Shrimpy exclaims. At this point the clowns begin arguing with each other, but after a few moments of this bickering you demand that someone explain the situation exactly. Once again Klepto takes it upon himself to be the storyteller. "Look, I've probably blown it all out of proportion, but there are stories of how back in the day before Roofie or even his dad owned this carnival there was a violent power struggle for control over it that resulted in a lot of dead bodies afterwards." "Weren't just stories, shit it happened! My family has been a fixture of this carnival for generations too and my grandfather told me about the blood that ran during that fateful day." Shrimpy adds as if Klepto didn't quite put as much stock in these stories and takes over as the storyteller. "Battle lines were drawn that day. I mean you had dwarves, normals and freaks all siding against each other and the most hated group out of the bunch? The clowns. Now from what my grandfather told me, these clowns were definitely the reason why everyone today thinks of them as being monsters under the beds nowadays. Things of course have changed since then, but as they say the more things change the more they stay the same." "What do you mean?" you ask. "I'm saying there's going to be another power struggle soon and given that we're clowns, WE are going to be on the losing end no matter what happens" "Wait a minute, what about Roofie? I mean isn't he one of us?" you ask. "Roofie? The fact that he's a clown just makes everyone think we already get preferential treatment. He'll probably be the first one killed being the owner and all. He's old and doesn't have nearly the amount of control he used to anymore. Nope, I believe the change will be coming soon and it'll be truly be a dark day for clowns...well maybe I'll be able to get my people to take me back and YOU can offer to be someone's girlfriend, but the rest of you are fucked." "Gee, glad to know we'll be able to count on your support Shrimpy, if something does happen." Klepto remarks. You never realized that carnie "politics" was so complex and dangerous. Before you can panic too much about it Roofie shows up with a bottle in his hand. "Hey, what're you lot still doing in here? We've actually got people showing up early. Apparently your little routine yesterday got people at that trailer park talking and they brought all the rest of their redneck buddies. Looks like we'll get to rake in one goodly amount of cash before leaving this place. Oh and Suzy, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the car you drove up in? Well looks like it was vandalized in the night." "What?!" you exclaim. "All the tires were slashed and someone wrote cunt all over it with face make up. It might be just a hunch, but I'd say Ranko felt like he needed to have to last word." "(Sigh) Great." You say. "Well anyway you all need to get out there and do what you do." Roofie orders and leaves. While the rest get going, you remain sitting starting to worry about what you've got yourself into. Once again you start to wonder if you shouldn't just leave until Klepto touches your shoulder. "Don't worry Suzy, Shrimpy has been going on like that for as long as I've known him. While things get tense around here at times, I don't think it's going to come to some bloodbath. Besides you can't spend your life worrying about the future, gotta live for the day I say, so let's just take our minds off our troubles by putting on a good show." Klepto remarks. While Klepto's reassurance is nice, it doesn't really alleviate your concerns. Hell, you can't even leave if you wanted to given that Peter's car is trashed. You can only hope that perhaps in time peoples' attitudes towards you will soften a bit. Right now, you do have work to focus on. Roofie wasn't lying when he said more people showed up today. You and the rest of the clowns spend a majority of the afternoon walking around keeping the people entertained Eventually you take a break and decide to check out Peter's car and if it is at all salvageable. When you get to it, it's exactly as Roofie said, all four tires slashed and the word cunt painted all over it. You can't believe nobody saw any of this even during the night. Or maybe they did and didn't give a shit considering you haven't exactly been accepted by most here. In any event you try to call Peter again, but you get no answer. He hasn't even tried to call you. He must really be involved with work or something. Or maybe he doesn't give a shit about his car. He could easily afford a new one. You also notice Bobby hasn't tried calling you either. You guess he got the hint. You attempt to start to the car and just as you suspected Ranko must've sabotaged the engine or something under the hood as well. No matter, when you leave you weren't going to be driving this thing anymore anyway. Lacking anymore use for the car, you take a look in the trunk just to see what might be in there and that's when you find something useful. Namely a bunch of clothes...specifically YOUR clothes! Well some of them anyway. Apparently Peter still had a lot of your old clothes that he stole from you in the past. The other stuff looks like S&M garb, though not all of it the traditional black leather or latex. Some of it is sort of colorful. Festive even. Well at least you won't be walking around in the same stuff day in day out now. You pack up what you can and head back to your trailer to drop it off. Afterwards you find the rest of your new clown "family" and eat with them. You take the opportunity to tell them a little bit about your former life; you get a surprising amount of sympathy from the others. "Holy shit, I thought I came from a fucked up family." Klepto remarks. "Yeah well, like I said I did a lot of hiding in the basement for the most part. Not much of a life I guess, but it kept me sane for the most part." You say. "Hey, whatever helps you survive the day right?" Shrimpy says. After a bit more chatting you all get back to work. As time goes on, there is one person you keep seeing nearby throughout the day, a large man in overalls who while attempting to look like he's NOT staring at you, obviously is. This isn't the usual ogling either because you've gotten accustomed to that, you're getting a really creepy vibe from this guy. "Maybe we should get Roofie to throw this guy out or something." You say. "Roofie? I just passed by one of the tents when I got another snack and saw he's currently passed out as usual. Besides, he never throws anyone out as long as they aren't doing something violent. As far a he's concerned every low life that visits this carnival is a potential mark and worth putting up with to get their money." Fatty says. "The guy looks like a retard. He's probably not used to seeing a girl as beautiful as you before. I mean even under the white face make up and clown clothing, you still look miles better than any of the trailer trash mothers that have come here with their spawn." Shrimpy remarks. "Well he's really fucking creepy and I don't trust him." You say. "He's not going to do anything in broad daylight, and even if he does, you know we got your back. Just stick near us and Lifto look extra intimidating." Klepto says. The night the crowds start thinning out a bit. You imagine that after they put their illegitimate spawn to bed, trailer trash prefers to spend their nights at bars, strip clubs and getting high and/or drunk at home. As for the big retard that was staring at you all day, he seems to have left as well, but you still feel uneasy. Meanwhile Roofie has reawakened from his temporary drunken stupor to tell everyone that today was a good day and that everyone should get some rest since you're going to be packing this place down first thing tomorrow morning and moving on. He then mumbles something about it all being pointless anyway and staggers back to his own trailer. "Well looks like that's it. See you tomorrow Suzy." Klepto remarks as he and the rest head towards their trailer. You on the other hand are still a little nervous about going back to yours. "Uh, guys do you think I could sleep with you tonight?" you say which causes all of them to turn back towards you in disbelief. "Wow Ranko would have had a field day with that remark." Klepto chuckles. "You know probably nothing is going to happen. That guy was just some goony retard. Hell, if the freak show still existed, he'd probably be one of the side shows here." "Look, I'm just still feeling really on edge about that guy from earlier. I mean I could sleep on the floor, I don't care." You say. "That would be incredibly uncomfortable and probably quite disgusting. Our trailer isn't exactly the cleanest. I mean I'd offer my bed, but given that we're going to need all our energy to pack up tomorrow, I'd like to get a good night's sleep." Klepto remarks. "Why don't I sleep over in your trailer?" Lifto asks. "I know Ranko's trailer is big enough for one other person. I could stay over, you guys would get a little extra room tonight and you can sleep safely without worry." "Hrmm, that's...generous of you Lifto." Klepto remarks. "It's not like that, I'm just offering a solution." Lifto says though it does seem like he might be hoping this act of chivalry will lead to something more. While you'd hate to cause hard feelings within the group or possibly lead someone on, you know one thing is certain; you still don't want to sleep alone tonight. > You take up Lifto's offer The more you think about it, the idea of sleeping in possibly cramped quarters isn't exactly appealing, not to mention Klepto said the place wasn't the cleanest. If you lay down the law to Lifto, you're fairly certain he won't try anything. "Okay Lifto, get your stuff, you can stay over, but I think you know I don't need to tell you to not try anything." "Sure. Really, it'll be nice just to stay some place less crowded for a change." Lifto remarks and goes to trailer to get whatever it is he's going to need for the night. Klepto looks a little disappointed, but says nothing and just meekly heads back to his trailer as well. You already can imagine how rumors are going to spread, but you really can't worry about that now. You're not going to worry about possible "hurt" feelings especially when you're not involved with anyone here anyway. Lifto and you soon head over to your trailer. "Haven't really had a chance to completely clean up since I was given the place." You mention. "Still cleaner than our place, and I've been over here a couple times when Ranko had it. Trust me it's starting to look better already." "(Yawn) Thanks. Man, didn't realize I was getting so sleeping so quickly. I'm going to bed." "Sure. I'm probably going to be awake for a little while longer, and eventually sleep on the floor." "You sure you're going to be okay? I mean I know you have to sleep as well." "I'm sort of a light sleeper, so even when I do fall asleep, I'll easily be able to wake up if someone even tries to pick the lock and creep in here. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." You settle down to sleep and speak about a few superficial things to Lifto about how you think you're fitting in here and how you're glad he's staying here the night. He of course is very positive and tries to reassure you that it'll just take awhile, but eventually the rest of the carnies will accept you. You aren't inclined to believe that, but it's nice to hear before you fall asleep. At some point in the night you're awakened by Lifto noisily rushing to the door. "What the hell?" you utter still half asleep. "Suzy, stay where you are, some motherfucker's trying to break in!" he shouts and with some sort of blunt object in hand he slams the door open. It doesn't sound like he hit the person with the door, but you do hear a scuffle outside. You look out the window and see who Lifto is fighting with and it's an equally large man. It's same creepy retard that was staring at you all day today. You knew it wasn't going to be safe to be here alone. You quickly look around for a weapon of your own to help Lifto. Hopefully with all the noise someone else from the carnival will come running to help. (You hope) Grabbing a knife you cautiously head towards the door still hearing the fighting between Lifto and the retarded hick. You open the door and see them both rolling on the ground. You can't really help due to the retard not being still enough for you to be confident to stab at him, not to mention you're really scared about this whole situation. Nobody is out to help out either. You call out a couple times and you know it has to be loud enough for SOMEONE to hear now, but its like you're not being helped on purpose. Lifto and the retard are really going at it and unfortunately it's starting to look like the retard is getting the upper hand. You really don't want to leave, but you figure the best you can do is to go get help from the other clowns. You turn to run and you manage to get to the end of your trailer, before someone trips you to the ground in the dark followed by a blunt object smashing you in the back of the head. You go unconscious immediately. When you wake up, you're groggy, naked and firmly strapped to a medical gurney of some sort. You also have a ball gag in your mouth. The room you're in looks to be some sort of basement with a bright light hanging overhead. The stench of chemicals fills the air and to your left in a darker corner of the room you see a man in a doctor's coat hovering over another gurney with a body on it. Naturally in such a state you start to panic and ineffectively struggle to get free. The "doctor" hears you and walks over to you. "Oh, you're up. I'll have to give you more sedative. When Jed and Hugo brought you in, I thought you were going to be a useless slab of meat like they normally bring in. I was glad they showed some restraint this time. Honestly I'm very surprised they just didn't keep you themselves and have some good ol' fashioned fun or at least a quick in out before handing you over, but Jed did mention something about having to haul ass from your carnival as quick as possible." As you continue to try to struggle and make muted sounds to cry out, the doctor begins fondling you and moving his hands to roam all over your body. "Mmmm, nice. Not as great as my sister, but then none of them ever are. If I had the time, I'd probably shove it in your vertical smile for a while, but sadly I don't." The doctor goes over to a tray and grabs some sort of syringe he fully intends on use on you and you've gone from mere panic to sheer terror. "Really, you're luckier than most that come through here. Normally I keep 'em awake when I do my work, but I need you unconscious to take out those pretty eyes and other vital organs of yours. Wouldn't want you thrashing about or blinking to cause me to cut them all up and making them useless." You watch helplessly as the needle goes into your arm. The tears run down your cheeks. "There we go. Won't be long now. (Sigh) I swear it seems like I never get to enjoy my work any more though. I really would've liked to have fun with you. Oh well, I've got some other things to still look forward to." You drift into unconsciousness again and your life ends where you ironically spent most of your time. A basement.

"...remember time is running out! Our shelters won't be..." You wake up to instinctively to grab the remote to turn off the TV only to realize that you have no TV, yet you're still hearing those damn Ground Zero commercials. You groggily sit up and look out a side window and see one of the carnies holding a radio, which is loudly playing one of those advertisements. Just as well you're up anyway, now that you have actual responsibilities and will have to live these new people you should take this opportunity to meet everyone since despite getting acquainted with your co-workers and the boss, you didn't really interact with anyone else working here. Still dressed in your outfit from yesterday (mainly because you lack anything else to wear right now) you go out and meet your brand new family full of hope that this will be the start of something wonderful! The reality turns out to be much different though. "Honey, why the hell are hanging around with those clowns? I'm sure you'd be better as a sword swallower; in fact I got a way you can practice if you come to my trailer right now!" "Hey clown girl, I've got a way to paint your face white without the need for make up!" "Nice tits!" The female carnies aren't much better. "So you're the new girl that got her own private trailer huh? Guess a blowjob gets you a lot preference nowadays. Was Roofie even sober at the time?" "Hey Bozo the Hoe, you think you're hot shit wiggling your ass at everyone? Let me warn you right now, you take my man I'll make sure you won't need to wear a red clown nose at your next performance!" "No, I don't have any extra clothes you can borrow, Miss Living Skeleton. Go away you anorexic bitch." Life is never easy outside the basement is it Suzy? Unfortunately that part of your life is over. You could go back to your trailer and hide you suppose, but it's not the same and besides you've already come to the conclusion that hiding won't solve your problems. Still, you are feeling a little "ganged up" on so for temporary relief you return to currently the only people that are halfway decent to you now, your fellow clowns. You enter the clown tent and see them all sitting around talking about something, but then when you enter all their attention is turned towards you. "Oh hey Suzy, you're here early. We don't usually warm up until a few hours before showtime." Klepto remarks. "Oh, I'm not here for that, I'm just here since half of the carnival seems to want to fuck me and barrage me with clumsy sexual innuendo." "And... you came here to get away from that?" Lifto asks. You chuckle a little. "Yeah well at least if I stay in here part of it will be work related." You answer which causes a couple of laughs and smiles from the rest. "Well considering you are one of us, maybe we should go easier on that now." Klepto says. "I'd certainly appreciate it." "Hey there are a lot of other women who work here, maybe you could go bond with them and do that whole sisterhood thing?" Lifto says. "I tried that. They all insulted me and seemed to want to punch me. Well except for that woman with the short red hair that juggles knives. I think she wanted to punch AND fuck me. (Sigh) No, looks like you guys are my only tribe here for now." "Hm, well get used to it I guess. Nobody likes us clowns that much. To be quite honest one of the reasons we decided to knock off the crude remarks toward you is because you'll be the first new person in years that will be civil to us. No point in making new enemies." Klepto says. "Really? I thought all carnies stuck together." You say. Now all the rest of the clowns laugh. "Hardly. I mean yeah there's a certain unspoken rule that carnies stay united against outsiders and rubes. And we aren't supposed to kill one another, but...well lets just say this very carnival doesn't exactly have a spotless track record in that regard." Klepto says. "People kill each other here?" you ask a bit alarmed. "No! Well not in my time anyway..." Klepto remarks trailing off. "What the hell does that mean? Look I don't want to be part of some murder circus!" "Damn it Klepto you've scared the girl now! You should've just kept your mouth shut!" Shrimpy exclaims. At this point the clowns begin arguing with each other, but after a few moments of this bickering you demand that someone explain the situation exactly. Once again Klepto takes it upon himself to be the storyteller. "Look, I've probably blown it all out of proportion, but there are stories of how back in the day before Roofie or even his dad owned this carnival there was a violent power struggle for control over it that resulted in a lot of dead bodies afterwards." "Weren't just stories, shit it happened! My family has been a fixture of this carnival for generations too and my grandfather told me about the blood that ran during that fateful day." Shrimpy adds as if Klepto didn't quite put as much stock in these stories and takes over as the storyteller. "Battle lines were drawn that day. I mean you had dwarves, normals and freaks all siding against each other and the most hated group out of the bunch? The clowns. Now from what my grandfather told me, these clowns were definitely the reason why everyone today thinks of them as being monsters under the beds nowadays. Things of course have changed since then, but as they say the more things change the more they stay the same." "What do you mean?" you ask. "I'm saying there's going to be another power struggle soon and given that we're clowns, WE are going to be on the losing end no matter what happens" "Wait a minute, what about Roofie? I mean isn't he one of us?" you ask. "Roofie? The fact that he's a clown just makes everyone think we already get preferential treatment. He'll probably be the first one killed being the owner and all. He's old and doesn't have nearly the amount of control he used to anymore. Nope, I believe the change will be coming soon and it'll be truly be a dark day for clowns...well maybe I'll be able to get my people to take me back and YOU can offer to be someone's girlfriend, but the rest of you are fucked." "Gee, glad to know we'll be able to count on your support Shrimpy, if something does happen." Klepto remarks. You never realized that carnie "politics" was so complex and dangerous. Before you can panic too much about it Roofie shows up with a bottle in his hand. "Hey, what're you lot still doing in here? We've actually got people showing up early. Apparently your little routine yesterday got people at that trailer park talking and they brought all the rest of their redneck buddies. Looks like we'll get to rake in one goodly amount of cash before leaving this place. Oh and Suzy, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the car you drove up in? Well looks like it was vandalized in the night." "What?!" you exclaim. "All the tires were slashed and someone wrote cunt all over it with face make up. It might be just a hunch, but I'd say Ranko felt like he needed to have to last word." "(Sigh) Great." You say. "Well anyway you all need to get out there and do what you do." Roofie orders and leaves. While the rest get going, you remain sitting starting to worry about what you've got yourself into. Once again you start to wonder if you shouldn't just leave until Klepto touches your shoulder. "Don't worry Suzy, Shrimpy has been going on like that for as long as I've known him. While things get tense around here at times, I don't think it's going to come to some bloodbath. Besides you can't spend your life worrying about the future, gotta live for the day I say, so let's just take our minds off our troubles by putting on a good show." Klepto remarks. While Klepto's reassurance is nice, it doesn't really alleviate your concerns. Hell, you can't even leave if you wanted to given that Peter's car is trashed. You can only hope that perhaps in time peoples' attitudes towards you will soften a bit. Right now, you do have work to focus on. Roofie wasn't lying when he said more people showed up today. You and the rest of the clowns spend a majority of the afternoon walking around keeping the people entertained Eventually you take a break and decide to check out Peter's car and if it is at all salvageable. When you get to it, it's exactly as Roofie said, all four tires slashed and the word cunt painted all over it. You can't believe nobody saw any of this even during the night. Or maybe they did and didn't give a shit considering you haven't exactly been accepted by most here. In any event you try to call Peter again, but you get no answer. He hasn't even tried to call you. He must really be involved with work or something. Or maybe he doesn't give a shit about his car. He could easily afford a new one. You also notice Bobby hasn't tried calling you either. You guess he got the hint. You attempt to start to the car and just as you suspected Ranko must've sabotaged the engine or something under the hood as well. No matter, when you leave you weren't going to be driving this thing anymore anyway. Lacking anymore use for the car, you take a look in the trunk just to see what might be in there and that's when you find something useful. Namely a bunch of clothes...specifically YOUR clothes! Well some of them anyway. Apparently Peter still had a lot of your old clothes that he stole from you in the past. The other stuff looks like S&M garb, though not all of it the traditional black leather or latex. Some of it is sort of colorful. Festive even. Well at least you won't be walking around in the same stuff day in day out now. You pack up what you can and head back to your trailer to drop it off. Afterwards you find the rest of your new clown "family" and eat with them. You take the opportunity to tell them a little bit about your former life; you get a surprising amount of sympathy from the others. "Holy shit, I thought I came from a fucked up family." Klepto remarks. "Yeah well, like I said I did a lot of hiding in the basement for the most part. Not much of a life I guess, but it kept me sane for the most part." You say. "Hey, whatever helps you survive the day right?" Shrimpy says. After a bit more chatting you all get back to work. As time goes on, there is one person you keep seeing nearby throughout the day, a large man in overalls who while attempting to look like he's NOT staring at you, obviously is. This isn't the usual ogling either because you've gotten accustomed to that, you're getting a really creepy vibe from this guy. "Maybe we should get Roofie to throw this guy out or something." You say. "Roofie? I just passed by one of the tents when I got another snack and saw he's currently passed out as usual. Besides, he never throws anyone out as long as they aren't doing something violent. As far a he's concerned every low life that visits this carnival is a potential mark and worth putting up with to get their money." Fatty says. "The guy looks like a retard. He's probably not used to seeing a girl as beautiful as you before. I mean even under the white face make up and clown clothing, you still look miles better than any of the trailer trash mothers that have come here with their spawn." Shrimpy remarks. "Well he's really fucking creepy and I don't trust him." You say. "He's not going to do anything in broad daylight, and even if he does, you know we got your back. Just stick near us and Lifto look extra intimidating." Klepto says. The night the crowds start thinning out a bit. You imagine that after they put their illegitimate spawn to bed, trailer trash prefers to spend their nights at bars, strip clubs and getting high and/or drunk at home. As for the big retard that was staring at you all day, he seems to have left as well, but you still feel uneasy. Meanwhile Roofie has reawakened from his temporary drunken stupor to tell everyone that today was a good day and that everyone should get some rest since you're going to be packing this place down first thing tomorrow morning and moving on. He then mumbles something about it all being pointless anyway and staggers back to his own trailer. "Well looks like that's it. See you tomorrow Suzy." Klepto remarks as he and the rest head towards their trailer. You on the other hand are still a little nervous about going back to yours. "Uh, guys do you think I could sleep with you tonight?" you say which causes all of them to turn back towards you in disbelief. "Wow Ranko would have had a field day with that remark." Klepto chuckles. "You know probably nothing is going to happen. That guy was just some goony retard. Hell, if the freak show still existed, he'd probably be one of the side shows here." "Look, I'm just still feeling really on edge about that guy from earlier. I mean I could sleep on the floor, I don't care." You say. "That would be incredibly uncomfortable and probably quite disgusting. Our trailer isn't exactly the cleanest. I mean I'd offer my bed, but given that we're going to need all our energy to pack up tomorrow, I'd like to get a good night's sleep." Klepto remarks. "Why don't I sleep over in your trailer?" Lifto asks. "I know Ranko's trailer is big enough for one other person. I could stay over, you guys would get a little extra room tonight and you can sleep safely without worry." "Hrmm, that's...generous of you Lifto." Klepto remarks. "It's not like that, I'm just offering a solution." Lifto says though it does seem like he might be hoping this act of chivalry will lead to something more. While you'd hate to cause hard feelings within the group or possibly lead someone on, you know one thing is certain; you still don't want to sleep alone tonight. > You stick with your idea Lifto might mean well, but you'd rather stick with your original plan. "No, I'm not going to feel safe in my trailer until we leave the damn area, so I still want to sleep in your trailer." "Well, okay but I'm telling you it's going to be crowded and like I said that floor isn't something you want to sleep on." Klepto says. You assure the rest that you'll be fine and head back with them to the trailer and that's when you truly begin to appreciate Klepto's warnings. The floor of their trailer is filthier than Ranko's. A lot of food leavings, wrappers and some dirty clothing. You imagine that Fatty is probably the biggest contributor to the trash. Oddly the smell isn't that bad, but you're not sure about sleeping on the floor anymore. "Uh, I see what you mean. I think you're right. If I slept on the floor, I'd wake up stuck to it." You say. "I told you, so what did you want to do?" Klepto asks. "My offer still stands Suzy and I swear I'm not going to try anything. The alleviation of your worries is my foremost concern." Lifto remarks. "And that's sweet, but I'm still sleeping here and not on the floor. I'm taking one of those beds." At this point the rest of the clowns are a little surprised by your demand. "Uh look Suzy, I know you're concerned about sleeping in your trailer tonight even if I think there isn't anything to worry about and I know we've all gotten a little closer and we all like each other, but come on you don't seriously think one of us is going to give up our bed for a disgusting floor!" Klepto remarks. "You don't have to I'm taking Shrimpy's bed." "I'm not sleeping on the floor either!" Shrimpy remarks. "You don't have to, I'll share it with you." "WAIT WHAT?!" all of them say. "Look, it's like this. I'm not going to take up that much room in your beds, which means Fatty and Lifto's beds are out since they themselves can barely fit in them. That leaves Klepto and Shrimpy. Personally I want as much room as I can get and with no offense to Shrimpy due to his size, he's got more room to spare." Shrimpy smugly smiles at the others. "Makes sense to me! Okay let's get to bed everyone!" Shrimpy says excitedly. "Hey wait a minute! We didn't agree to this!" Klepto remarks. "Yeah, it seems like you were worried about me trying something yet you're going to sleep in Shrimpy's bed? You might be waking up sticky anyway with that little perv next to you." Lifto says. "Oh no I won't because Shrimpy is going to not only sleep with his back towards me, we're also going to sleep head to toe...well toe to waist anyway. And if I so much feel any sort of unwanted grope, fondle or bad touch during the night there will be severe consequences to his man parts. I might be a little nervous about sleeping by myself tonight, but I'm not nervous about punching a dwarf in the balls because he's perving on me. Understood?" "I get it." Shrimpy remarks, but he doesn't seem any less disappointed in this arrangement though. "And if anyone doesn't like it, well my trailer is currently empty for anyone. Lots of room to get a good night's sleep." You add. Nobody takes you up on your trailer offer or says anything else though you hear some grumbling from Fatty who says he just wants to get off his feet and sleep and on that note you all head for dreamland. You get in Shrimpy's bed first and get into a comfortable position, and then Shrimpy does likewise at the opposite end of the bed. You're semi-awake for a while wondering if Shrimpy is going to ignore your warning, but he's asleep pretty fast. Honestly its Fatty's snoring that's more bothersome. You guess the others are used to it. As you start to get sleepy you can't believe you're not only sharing a bed with a midget clown, but that you're going to leave everything behind tomorrow. The funny thing is you're getting a lot more comfortable with that idea now. You think this is the longest you've gone without constant Internet or TV stimulation and you don't mind at all. Eventually you do fall asleep feeling almost as safe as you did in your basement. > Next day… "Hey Suzy get up, time to start packing up." Klepto says tapping your shoulder. "Okay..." you reply groggily. You don't feel a small figure near the bottom your legs so you assume Shrimpy must've already gotten up. "Well that wasn't that bad, Shrimpy even honored the agreement." You say sitting up. "Or maybe you're just a really sound sleeper." Klepto remarks. "Hrm, well if that's the case he better at least have the sense to not brag about it. Anyway, I suppose I'll take my leave to wash up a bit and change clothes." "Wish I could come with you." Klepto says. "Excuse me?" you say. "Ha ha ha no not that, I meant it sucks having to share the small ass bathroom we have in this trailer. Fatty's in there right now and well you can figure out how it's going to be after he leaves." "Yeah, I'd rather not have that mental image right now. See you around." You say and start to leave. "Wait, uh Suzy...I..." Klepto calls out. "Yes?" "(Sigh) Look I know I probably haven't been showing exactly prince charming behavior, but I just want to say, I really like you. I mean REALLY like you." "Yeah I got that impression a long time ago." You respond. "Yeah, but I'm trying to say it's not just physical." "I find that a little harder to believe...however I'm not really going to fault you for it, but I'm going to need a lot more proof that you want something deeper than just sex." "Well what? Like a ring or something?" "Heh, I don't think you're exactly in a financial position for all that. Look, I like you too, but this probably isn't the best time to expect anything more from me than just friendship. I'm still trying to get used to the fact of this being my new life now not to mention I'm just getting over breaking up with what was my first and only boyfriend. So I might prefer my own company for a while. However that doesn't mean you shouldn't TRY to gain my affection. But only IF you REALLY want something meaningful with me. If not, then I'd suggest that you not waste either of our time and you go find a less discerning mate. I don't need prince charming either, I just need someone I can count on and isn't going to be a complete jerk. And if it helps, so far you're doing a little bit better in that department than anyone else here." "Okay." Klepto says with a nod and brief smile before you leave. Well there it is, someone has openly professed a desire to be your boyfriend. You knew it was going to be one of them eventually though. You can only imagine the others will be attempting to woo you as well just like in your routine with them. Funny how life starts to imitate art. You don't know how sincere Klepto is even if he has been pleasant for the most part. (Can you really ever trust a guy with the name Klepto?) Attractiveness wise, Klepto probably is the best of the lot. Lifto would probably provide the best protection, but the guy is tough to look at even with clown make up on and as far as Fatty is concerned, the only thing that runs through your mind is potential sexual positions and only one of which doesn't result in you being crushed. Part of you wonders if you're bad for being shallow, but then you remember they're all attracted to you mostly due to your looks in the first place. Though for some reason you find Shrimpy's size adorable... in fact you might find some of the others dwarves that work here adorable as well if they weren't quite so vulgar with you. Maybe you've got a hidden dwarf fetish you didn't know about before. Oh well, you're not going to worry about any of this right now. As you head back to your own trailer, you see most of the dwarves doing all the labor of packing down the carnival; others are helping, but most are just packing down their own respective stages and such. "Hey clown slut, if you're not actually going to be sleeping in your own trailer and just going to be playing cum dumpster to your painted freak friends, the least you can do is give it to one of us!" a tattooed lady with big black Mohawk and several piercings in her face remarks catching you off guard. A couple of other tattooed women stand behind her agreeing with her statement. You briefly remember her calling you names from yesterday. Her name's Razor and she does a human pincushion type act. "I didn't use my trailer last night, because I didn't feel safe by myself." You say. "Oh? Just a scared little babe in the woods huh? Well you're by yourself now. What're you going to do without your clown crew to protect you?" Razor remarks and pokes you in the chest with her finger. You look around and while there are a couple of people standing by, none of them are helping you. While Razor isn't much bigger than you, she definitely looks tougher. Combine that with the fact she has two friends that also look like they'll join in and you don't think you'll stand a chance if it actually came down to a fight. > You Run Running was always a tried and true tactic when you had to deal with Kelly's bullying, no reason to change now... You turn immediately to run to your trailer, but predictably Razor and her lot aren't going to just let you get away. "Get that fuckin' clown bitch!" Razor shouts. As you rush past the other carnies you can't help but notice none of them are trying to stop this. You start to think that maybe travelling with this fucked up carnival might not be in your future. When you get to your trailer the door is slightly ajar. You also notice a couple things out of place from last time, not to mention it looks like someone spent some time in your bed and soiled it with their "essence". You don't have time to notice anything else, but its apparent that someone was here last night and you dodged a bullet, unfortunately you aren't ducking twice. As you attempt to lock your door, Razor smashes it open causing it to hit you in the face. While you reeling back from this, Razor has already picked you up and punched you in the face. The rest of her goons are right behind her. "Lock that door, I wanna enjoy this!" Razor orders one of her crew and pulls out a straight razor. "Now, I'm do you a favor. I'm gonna cut your mouth so wide that you'll be able to chug three cocks at the same time. You'll be able to make it part of your act, Sucko the clown!" Razor says and lunges at you. Naturally you're not going to just let her give you a Glasglow smile, so you try to defend yourself. You manage to throw a few nearby items at her, but it isn't enough to stop her. In fact, your struggling makes her "accidently" stab you in throat and cutting an artery. You fall to the bed clutching your neck, which is bleeding profusely. "SHIT!" Razor shouts. "Fuck! I didn't think we were going to kill her!" one of her goons says. "I wasn't trying to, but the bitch kept struggling. Let's get outta here!" she shouts and soon all of them have left your trailer. You on the other hand continue to bleed out and soon die from your wound.

[Themes: modern, drama, post-apocalyptic, science fiction, romance] "Hey Suzy get up, time to start packing up." Klepto says tapping your shoulder. "Okay..." you reply groggily. You don't feel a small figure near the bottom your legs so you assume Shrimpy must've already gotten up. "Well that wasn't that bad, Shrimpy even honored the agreement." You say sitting up. "Or maybe you're just a really sound sleeper." Klepto remarks. "Hrm, well if that's the case he better at least have the sense to not brag about it. Anyway, I suppose I'll take my leave to wash up a bit and change clothes." "Wish I could come with you." Klepto says. "Excuse me?" you say. "Ha ha ha no not that, I meant it sucks having to share the small ass bathroom we have in this trailer. Fatty's in there right now and well you can figure out how it's going to be after he leaves." "Yeah, I'd rather not have that mental image right now. See you around." You say and start to leave. "Wait, uh Suzy...I..." Klepto calls out. "Yes?" "(Sigh) Look I know I probably haven't been showing exactly prince charming behavior, but I just want to say, I really like you. I mean REALLY like you." "Yeah I got that impression a long time ago." You respond. "Yeah, but I'm trying to say it's not just physical." "I find that a little harder to believe...however I'm not really going to fault you for it, but I'm going to need a lot more proof that you want something deeper than just sex." "Well what? Like a ring or something?" "Heh, I don't think you're exactly in a financial position for all that. Look, I like you too, but this probably isn't the best time to expect anything more from me than just friendship. I'm still trying to get used to the fact of this being my new life now not to mention I'm just getting over breaking up with what was my first and only boyfriend. So I might prefer my own company for a while. However that doesn't mean you shouldn't TRY to gain my affection. But only IF you REALLY want something meaningful with me. If not, then I'd suggest that you not waste either of our time and you go find a less discerning mate. I don't need prince charming either, I just need someone I can count on and isn't going to be a complete jerk. And if it helps, so far you're doing a little bit better in that department than anyone else here." "Okay." Klepto says with a nod and brief smile before you leave. Well there it is, someone has openly professed a desire to be your boyfriend. You knew it was going to be one of them eventually though. You can only imagine the others will be attempting to woo you as well just like in your routine with them. Funny how life starts to imitate art. You don't know how sincere Klepto is even if he has been pleasant for the most part. (Can you really ever trust a guy with the name Klepto?) Attractiveness wise, Klepto probably is the best of the lot. Lifto would probably provide the best protection, but the guy is tough to look at even with clown make up on and as far as Fatty is concerned, the only thing that runs through your mind is potential sexual positions and only one of which doesn't result in you being crushed. Part of you wonders if you're bad for being shallow, but then you remember they're all attracted to you mostly due to your looks in the first place. Though for some reason you find Shrimpy's size adorable... in fact you might find some of the others dwarves that work here adorable as well if they weren't quite so vulgar with you. Maybe you've got a hidden dwarf fetish you didn't know about before. Oh well, you're not going to worry about any of this right now. As you head back to your own trailer, you see most of the dwarves doing all the labor of packing down the carnival; others are helping, but most are just packing down their own respective stages and such. "Hey clown slut, if you're not actually going to be sleeping in your own trailer and just going to be playing cum dumpster to your painted freak friends, the least you can do is give it to one of us!" a tattooed lady with big black Mohawk and several piercings in her face remarks catching you off guard. A couple of other tattooed women stand behind her agreeing with her statement. You briefly remember her calling you names from yesterday. Her name's Razor and she does a human pincushion type act. "I didn't use my trailer last night, because I didn't feel safe by myself." You say. "Oh? Just a scared little babe in the woods huh? Well you're by yourself now. What're you going to do without your clown crew to protect you?" Razor remarks and pokes you in the chest with her finger. You look around and while there are a couple of people standing by, none of them are helping you. While Razor isn't much bigger than you, she definitely looks tougher. Combine that with the fact she has two friends that also look like they'll join in and you don't think you'll stand a chance if it actually came down to a fight. > You stand your ground Maybe this isn't the best idea you've ever had, but after all those years of dealing with your sister Kelly, you aren't going to put up with bullying anymore. You've never really been a fighter before (Trying to protect your face from Kelly's couple attempts to disfigure you don't count) so it isn't surprising that when you throw a punch at Razor she easily dodges and catches your arm. "Oh ho! Harley Quinn has some fight in her! Good, didn't want this to be too easy!" Razor says and throws you to the ground. Before you can get up you feel a kick to your ribs. Lacking any other tactics you lunge at one of Razor's legs and sink your teeth into it hard enough to draw blood. "AH SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK!" Razor yells trying to get you off of her leg, at this point her friends step in to help pull you off. You're dragged off and restrained while Razor takes a moment to examine her wound. "Goddamn it! Shit!" Razor exclaims looking at the fairly deep bite wound you've left. "I thought you were a human pincushion, what's the matter can't handle a few little teeth?" you ask spitting blood in Razor's direction. "Hope you enjoyed yourself, because that's the last time you're going to be using those pearly whites. Say hello to eating through a straw from now on, but look on the bright side, the next time you engage in your favorite past time of sucking clown dick, they won't have to worry about getting scraped." Razor says and starts to walk toward you, but suddenly Roofie stops her. "Alright that will do Razor, I saw what happened and I'll not have unnecessary strife in this carnival! Go back to packing down your stage!" Roofie scolds. Razor looks at him a moment and then you and then waves to her friends to let you go. "One day you aren't going to be running this show Roofie." Razor says as she leaves with her friends. "Maybe not, but that day isn't today." Roofie says. As you get up and try to brush yourself off, Roofie slowly walks over to you. He already smells like alcohol. "Well Suzy, first Ranko, now Razor, looks like you're just making friends all over." "It's not my fault! I didn't do anything to her!" "I know you didn't, you alright?" "Yeah, but now I probably got a target on my back, one of many probably since Razor isn't the only one who hates me around here." "Yeah I've noticed. Just because I'm half drunk most of the time doesn't mean I'm not aware of what goes on around here. Listen some of the negative feelings that some have for you will die down in time. You seem to be getting along with your new clown co-workers very well though. You spent the night over in their trailer despite the fact you have your own." "I only did that because I didn't feel safe sleeping alone last night. There was a really creepy big guy staring at me all day yesterday, I dunno maybe I was just being paranoid." "Hmm, did you wish to bunk with them or even someone else then? I mean I can make arrangements if you feel uncomfortable sleeping alone." "No, I appreciate the fact you gave me my own trailer. Besides, given all the new friends I'm making, I'd be safer sleeping alone and bunking with Klepto and the rest, well I get the impression that would cause other problems." You say. "Okay then. Well, I'll let you get back to your trailer. We'll probably be ready to go just before nightfall so I'm sure Lifto will be around then to hook this thing up to one of our trucks. So until then just enjoy the downtime." "Wait, aren't I supposed to be helping pack up the carnival?" "You? Nah, the rest of the guys can handle it. Really I get the impression they wouldn't let you do much work anyway what with them all being enamored with you and all. And the dwarves got the overall pack up covered. Always have, it's what they do. Backbone of the carnival and all...and all a bit of a waste of time given what's to come, but hey we do what we know." Roofie says and leaves. A little more cryptic future doom prediction by Roofie, you get the impression that's his general personality, but at least he's always pleasant with you. With no more distractions you arrive at your trailer and that's when you begin to feel nervous again. First of all the door is slightly ajar. You also notice a couple things out of place from last time, not to mention it looks like someone spent some time in your bed and soiled it with their "essence". Your cell phone that you left here is also gone, but given that its batteries were starting to die and you wouldn't have Bobby to pay for it much longer it isn't much of a loss. Someone was definitely here last night. You don't know if it was Ranko, that big creepy retard staring at you or someone else, but either way you dodged a bullet. You half expect the person to jump out at you from some hidden spot, but that doesn't happen. Whoever was here, probably left before the morning, and probably when they realized you weren't coming here. You re-check all the trailer's locations (even if it isn't the biggest place) and block the door with a chair before feeling safe enough to shower and get changed. Afterwards you go through the mundane process of actually cleaning up the trailer. You figure if you don't need to help pack up the carnival, you can at least spend your time clean up your living area. (First thing is throwing out the befouled bed sheet) By the time you're finished it's the afternoon and you're tired again. You're still not used to being awake so early and you didn't get much sleep last night so you lie down in your now cleaner bed and shut your eyes for just a bit... You don't know how much time passes while you're asleep again, but when you do wake up it's to a loud thumping at the door. National Guard? What the hell is going on? "Hold on, hold on, I'm getting up!" you shout. "Open the door miss or we'll be forced to bash it open!" a voice calls back. Not wishing to potentially get shot you comply and upon opening the door several national guardsmen stand outside. "Come with us miss, we need you all together for your safety." A young soldier says guiding you out. "Where are we going?" you ask. "Just to that big tent over there. Don't worry, this is all for your protection." Somehow you don't quite believe that, but when you scan your surroundings, you see that the carnival appears to be under control by the National Guard so there isn't much choice but to comply. You don't know why or how this came to be, but from some of the military radios you overhear it sounds like riots have broken out in your town. Is this some sort of martial law? When you arrive in the big tent, most of carnival is there. Most are sitting at tables and complaining about this fate. You see Roofie actively arguing with one of the higher ranking soldiers who looks utterly unmoved by what he has to say. "Goddamnit, just because people are rioting in the town doesn't mean any bullshit is going on here! We're not even locals! We're just passing through and were about to leave!" Roofie says. "Yeah I heard you the first time, but my orders are to secure this entire area and will be under watch until further notice. Now I suggest you get out of my face before I stomp a mud hole in your ass clown!" the officer remarks and walks out of the tent. You go over to Roofie. "What's going on exactly?" you ask. "End times like I always knew would come Suzy. Just didn't figure I'd have to spend my last days stuck under the gun by a bunch of fascists! These government dickheads think they can control what's coming soon, when they really can't control shit. These fools don't even know they're all really just puppets for that fucking Ground Zero corporation that's been shilling bomb shelters ads all over the damn place." This is definitely a new side you've seen of Roofie, he's really mad. He's also really drunk even if he's pretty coherent. You see Klepto and the rest waving you over. "Why don't we just go over there and..." "Y'know what Suzy? There aren't even that many of these fuckers. It's a skeleton crew at best. I bet we can take them. I mean we certainly outnumber them." "What?! Are you nuts? They're armed with machine guns!" you say. "And? So a few of us die? We're ALL gonna be dead soon anyway, why wait? Better to die on your feet than live on your knees. Seriously, all we gotta do is get a couple of those guns away from them and it already evens up the playing field. Seriously you think they're probably going to let us live anyway? They're probably going to line us up like baby seals and blow our brains out by tomorrow. I'm telling you I'm getting our own troops in order to rebel tonight." Roofie seems pretty intent on going through with this plan, the only thing you can think of to do is either try to help or try to prevent the violence. > You help Roofie "Okay well maybe you've got a point, but can you really stir this lot up to swarm attack people with machine guns?" you ask. "One way to find out!" Roofie says and without another word he runs over to the nearest guard and smashes a bottle over his head. It might've been more effective had the guardsman not had a helmet on. The guardsman that was assaulted bashes Roofie to the ground and fires several shots into him. This causes shock from everyone and in your case you even freeze up for a moment. Nobody is bum rushing the guardsmen though. Roofie won't be getting up again, but at this point the guardsmen continue to panic and believe they're under a greater attack. (Despite that everyone is too scared to do so) "SHIT! WE NEED BACK UP! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" the other guardsman exclaims and begins firing randomly at carnies, which includes you. Unfortunately, you were close enough that you fatally get hit by some of these bullets despite trying to get out of the way.

Maybe this isn't the best idea you've ever had, but after all those years of dealing with your sister Kelly, you aren't going to put up with bullying anymore. You've never really been a fighter before (Trying to protect your face from Kelly's couple attempts to disfigure you don't count) so it isn't surprising that when you throw a punch at Razor she easily dodges and catches your arm. "Oh ho! Harley Quinn has some fight in her! Good, didn't want this to be too easy!" Razor says and throws you to the ground. Before you can get up you feel a kick to your ribs. Lacking any other tactics you lunge at one of Razor's legs and sink your teeth into it hard enough to draw blood. "AH SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK!" Razor yells trying to get you off of her leg, at this point her friends step in to help pull you off. You're dragged off and restrained while Razor takes a moment to examine her wound. "Goddamn it! Shit!" Razor exclaims looking at the fairly deep bite wound you've left. "I thought you were a human pincushion, what's the matter can't handle a few little teeth?" you ask spitting blood in Razor's direction. "Hope you enjoyed yourself, because that's the last time you're going to be using those pearly whites. Say hello to eating through a straw from now on, but look on the bright side, the next time you engage in your favorite past time of sucking clown dick, they won't have to worry about getting scraped." Razor says and starts to walk toward you, but suddenly Roofie stops her. "Alright that will do Razor, I saw what happened and I'll not have unnecessary strife in this carnival! Go back to packing down your stage!" Roofie scolds. Razor looks at him a moment and then you and then waves to her friends to let you go. "One day you aren't going to be running this show Roofie." Razor says as she leaves with her friends. "Maybe not, but that day isn't today." Roofie says. As you get up and try to brush yourself off, Roofie slowly walks over to you. He already smells like alcohol. "Well Suzy, first Ranko, now Razor, looks like you're just making friends all over." "It's not my fault! I didn't do anything to her!" "I know you didn't, you alright?" "Yeah, but now I probably got a target on my back, one of many probably since Razor isn't the only one who hates me around here." "Yeah I've noticed. Just because I'm half drunk most of the time doesn't mean I'm not aware of what goes on around here. Listen some of the negative feelings that some have for you will die down in time. You seem to be getting along with your new clown co-workers very well though. You spent the night over in their trailer despite the fact you have your own." "I only did that because I didn't feel safe sleeping alone last night. There was a really creepy big guy staring at me all day yesterday, I dunno maybe I was just being paranoid." "Hmm, did you wish to bunk with them or even someone else then? I mean I can make arrangements if you feel uncomfortable sleeping alone." "No, I appreciate the fact you gave me my own trailer. Besides, given all the new friends I'm making, I'd be safer sleeping alone and bunking with Klepto and the rest, well I get the impression that would cause other problems." You say. "Okay then. Well, I'll let you get back to your trailer. We'll probably be ready to go just before nightfall so I'm sure Lifto will be around then to hook this thing up to one of our trucks. So until then just enjoy the downtime." "Wait, aren't I supposed to be helping pack up the carnival?" "You? Nah, the rest of the guys can handle it. Really I get the impression they wouldn't let you do much work anyway what with them all being enamored with you and all. And the dwarves got the overall pack up covered. Always have, it's what they do. Backbone of the carnival and all...and all a bit of a waste of time given what's to come, but hey we do what we know." Roofie says and leaves. A little more cryptic future doom prediction by Roofie, you get the impression that's his general personality, but at least he's always pleasant with you. With no more distractions you arrive at your trailer and that's when you begin to feel nervous again. First of all the door is slightly ajar. You also notice a couple things out of place from last time, not to mention it looks like someone spent some time in your bed and soiled it with their "essence". Your cell phone that you left here is also gone, but given that its batteries were starting to die and you wouldn't have Bobby to pay for it much longer it isn't much of a loss. Someone was definitely here last night. You don't know if it was Ranko, that big creepy retard staring at you or someone else, but either way you dodged a bullet. You half expect the person to jump out at you from some hidden spot, but that doesn't happen. Whoever was here, probably left before the morning, and probably when they realized you weren't coming here. You re-check all the trailer's locations (even if it isn't the biggest place) and block the door with a chair before feeling safe enough to shower and get changed. Afterwards you go through the mundane process of actually cleaning up the trailer. You figure if you don't need to help pack up the carnival, you can at least spend your time clean up your living area. (First thing is throwing out the befouled bed sheet) By the time you're finished it's the afternoon and you're tired again. You're still not used to being awake so early and you didn't get much sleep last night so you lie down in your now cleaner bed and shut your eyes for just a bit... You don't know how much time passes while you're asleep again, but when you do wake up it's to a loud thumping at the door. National Guard? What the hell is going on? "Hold on, hold on, I'm getting up!" you shout. "Open the door miss or we'll be forced to bash it open!" a voice calls back. Not wishing to potentially get shot you comply and upon opening the door several national guardsmen stand outside. "Come with us miss, we need you all together for your safety." A young soldier says guiding you out. "Where are we going?" you ask. "Just to that big tent over there. Don't worry, this is all for your protection." Somehow you don't quite believe that, but when you scan your surroundings, you see that the carnival appears to be under control by the National Guard so there isn't much choice but to comply. You don't know why or how this came to be, but from some of the military radios you overhear it sounds like riots have broken out in your town. Is this some sort of martial law? When you arrive in the big tent, most of carnival is there. Most are sitting at tables and complaining about this fate. You see Roofie actively arguing with one of the higher ranking soldiers who looks utterly unmoved by what he has to say. "Goddamnit, just because people are rioting in the town doesn't mean any bullshit is going on here! We're not even locals! We're just passing through and were about to leave!" Roofie says. "Yeah I heard you the first time, but my orders are to secure this entire area and will be under watch until further notice. Now I suggest you get out of my face before I stomp a mud hole in your ass clown!" the officer remarks and walks out of the tent. You go over to Roofie. "What's going on exactly?" you ask. "End times like I always knew would come Suzy. Just didn't figure I'd have to spend my last days stuck under the gun by a bunch of fascists! These government dickheads think they can control what's coming soon, when they really can't control shit. These fools don't even know they're all really just puppets for that fucking Ground Zero corporation that's been shilling bomb shelters ads all over the damn place." This is definitely a new side you've seen of Roofie, he's really mad. He's also really drunk even if he's pretty coherent. You see Klepto and the rest waving you over. "Why don't we just go over there and..." "Y'know what Suzy? There aren't even that many of these fuckers. It's a skeleton crew at best. I bet we can take them. I mean we certainly outnumber them." "What?! Are you nuts? They're armed with machine guns!" you say. "And? So a few of us die? We're ALL gonna be dead soon anyway, why wait? Better to die on your feet than live on your knees. Seriously, all we gotta do is get a couple of those guns away from them and it already evens up the playing field. Seriously you think they're probably going to let us live anyway? They're probably going to line us up like baby seals and blow our brains out by tomorrow. I'm telling you I'm getting our own troops in order to rebel tonight." Roofie seems pretty intent on going through with this plan, the only thing you can think of to do is either try to help or try to prevent the violence. > You prevent the violence Roofie's plan isn't going to accomplish anything except get a bunch of people killed, and you could be one of them! You think fast. "Uh, okay Roofie, let's just go over here and get the battle plan together first okay? I'm sure Klepto and the rest are going to want to hear this first." "Hrgh, okay. You don't need to guide me damn it, I'm not that drunk!" Roofie says and pulls his arm away from your hand. When you get to Klepto's table he and the rest know something is wrong when Roofie starts going on about "bum rushing those government puppet bastards." Shrimpy and Fatty both attempt to calm him down, but he's not having any of it. "What the hell is going on Suzy? Roofie's talkin' crazier than usual." Klepto asks. "He wants to have the entire carnival attack the National Guard, do something before he causes too much of a scene." You say. "Do something like what? You don't mean kill him do you?!" Klepto asks. "No! But I dunno maybe knock him out to buy us time and he can sober up or something. Lifto, knock him out." You say. "Me?! Why me?" Lifto asks. "Because you're the strongest of all of us and I'm guessing you could do it in one hit. Just do it, before he gets all of us killed!" Lifto's a little reluctant and probably wouldn't do it normally, but it the situation does seem dire enough so while Roofie is continuing to rant at Shrimpy and Fatty he punches Roofie in the back of the head, knocking the older man completely out and falling into Fatty's arms. Some of the other carnies have witnessed this, but they don't seem to do anything about it. In fact it just goes to show how little most of them respect Roofie in the scheme of the things. Sort of a shame. "Holy shit, did you have to punch him so hard? He's an old guy! You might've put him in a coma!" Shrimpy remarks. "I just did what Suzy told me!" "Alright look, I didn't want harm to come to Roofie either, but the guy needed to be silenced for at least a moment. I think the bigger problem we've got is the other carnies. I get the sense that they think Roofie is no longer a factor in the leadership role, so expect a power play. We all need to stick together for protection." "What about the National Guard? I mean shouldn't we be worrying about them?" Lifto asks. "The National Guard is what's keeping this carnival from exploding into an orgy of violence right now. Nobody's going to risk pissing them off by causing problems, well not now at least without Roofie's plan of stirring them all up." You reply. "Well what the hell do we do now?" Klepto asks. "I don't know! I mean I'm just thinking on my feet here! You all told me that we're the most hated group in the carnival, so we should make friends somehow? Shrimpy, do you have ANY pull with the dwarves?" "Pull? I suppose I have enough for me, I mean even as a clown deep down I'll always be a dwarf. But as I've mentioned before I can't promise anything for the rest of you." "Well I dunno, do some diplomacy or something. As for the rest of us, we need to just stick to our table and look after Roofie, and make sure he's doing okay throughout the night. Maybe I'll try to charm one of the soldiers or something. The key thing to remember is we need to survive this together." You never thought you'd start sounding like your older brother Ben with the whole survivalist shtick, but if it helps thinking like a paranoid person then you aren't going to dismiss such thoughts. As night starts to fall the mood in the large army "quarantine" tent grows more restless. Two guardsmen remain on duty at all times though they're not exactly happy about the situation either. You do manage to get friendly with one of them by the name of Roger and extract a bit more info. Roger tells you that you and the rest of your carny friends shouldn't worry too much since this is just a formality. He says that things are much worse in the town and expects his unit will be transferred to support his fellow guardsmen there in a day or two. At which point you'll all be free to go. Hearing about the mass riots in town makes you wonder how things are going for your family. You're almost sort of worried about them, even Kelly, but there isn't much that can be done now. Hopefully they've found some sort of safety. "Is this going on everywhere?" you ask. "Well I don't know a lot of detail, I'm just a grunt in the scheme of things, but things are getting pretty bad, I mean haven't you heard the news lately?" Roger says. "Not really, sort of disconnected from the rest of the world lately." You say. "Well world tensions have been really high, it's like every country is gearing up for world war three and domestically people have seemingly gone batshit insane with regards to the rules of common decency and morality. I guess a lot of people are just scared and I can't blame them on some level, but we still need law and order. Surely you can understand that right?" "Sure." You say in agreement since you'd rather not make any potential enemies of the military even if it is just one grunt. In any case Roger smiles when you agree, you get the impression he's just as concerned being out here. After a few more pleasantries, Roger says he really needs to get back to "standing guard" and not talking to you as his superior is a real hard ass and he doesn't want to get into trouble or you for that matter. You thank him for the talk and head back to your colleagues. Of course some of the carnies seeing you get "cozy" with one of the guardsmen makes them even dislike you even more and you occasionally hear mutterings and name calling by others. Razor hasn't taken her eyes off of you the whole time you've been here. She's obviously got her sights set on you, regardless of what goes down, she's just waiting for opportunity. On the plus side when Shrimpy returns he says that while the dwarves are going to make their own play when the time is right, he's managed to convince them not to attack the clowns as long as you stay out of their way. (And apparently they're ONLY extending that courtesy because of Shrimpy's ties as well you being...well you, though the female dwarves predictably don't like you too much) The night goes on and while everyone is in a heightened state of readiness nobody can stay awake forever, so eventually people start falling asleep though its mostly in shifts for most groups and you are no exception. Eventually though when it's your turn to sleep, you try to find some sort of comfort on one of the many sleeping mats provided. It's pretty much impossible, but exhaustion helps you along. Eventually you drift off... > Next day… Several gunshots cause you to wake up. "What the?!" you say still staying on the floor. "Shhhh! Quiet!" Klepto remarks and points over to the one in charge of the guardsmen. He and five others stand near the tent entrance with weapons out. "I don't give a shit WHO started the fight or even why! You carny freaks can tear each other apart after we leave, but until then we're here to maintain order and by god that's what the fuck we're going to do! If I have to break up another fight for any reason, next time the shots aren't going in the air!" the officer remarks and leaves. The other guardsmen continue to stand near the entrance watching everyone who eventually all sit back down. "What the hell happened?" you ask. "Razor and some of the others got into an argument with Phil and his friends." Klepto says. "Who's Phil?" you say. "He does that fire eating stuff. Anyway, they kicked his ass and just as things were going to get worse, the guardsmen came in and put a stop to it like you just saw. Looks like the battle for control over the carnival is already starting." "Surprised we didn't get attacked then." "Well like Shrimpy said yesterday, we've got dwarf protection for now, but who knows how long that arrangement is going to last." "Can't believe I slept through a fight, where's Roofie?" "Oh him? He's still over there out of it, even the gunshots didn't wake him up." Klepto says pointing to Roofie, who then surprises everyone. "I'm quite awake Klepto, I'm just resting with my eyes closed No point in getting up at this point anyway. It's obvious this carnival has lost respect in me; I'd blame you all for smashing me in the back of the head last night, but that was really just a catalyst. (Sigh) Doesn't matter, I predict that we'll all be dead in two days at best." Roofie says. "Roofie, we really didn't want to do it, but you were talking crazy with your idea of attacking the military. Your plan would've gotten everyone killed." You say. "And that may still happen if recent events are any indication. At least with my plan I would've died with the carnival intact rather than seeing it splitting up before my eyes." Nobody else really knows what to say at this point, so you all just get silent and continue to converse with each other. "So what's the next move?" Klepto asks. "I dunno, escape I guess? Can we get to one of the vehicles quickly and drive off?" you say. "Good luck with that given all the guardsmen on high alert now." Fatty points out. "Yeah I don't think we're getting very far." Lifto adds. You sit down and exhale wondering what to do next, but you can't really think right now. It would seem that due to your more proactive suggestions and Roofie's apathy you've somehow become the "leader" of your little group now. You hadn't really planned on that. "For right now, we're just going to stay put, I'll try to think of something." You remark. The rest of your group lack any ideas of their own, so they comply with your plan (or lack there of). Time passes and you mostly do a lot of casual conversation and mental speculation of what might happen "if you do X." You half expect someone else to try to escape, particularly when they say they need to use the bathroom, but given that they always return under the same guard they left with it would seem nobody has the guts to really try it, not even Razor. Nobody else in your group comes up with any plans either, but you do notice Shrimpy occasionally heads over to the group of dwarves. He claims he's just securing the "alliance" but you're more inclined to believe he's just trying to secure his own safety. So far though the dwarves are still supposed to be on your side. Roofie has continued to lie on the sleeping mat not saying anything to anyone. You still feel a little bad about betraying him especially given that he not only brought you into this carnival and liked you enough to give you a personal trailer, but also that he potentially saved you a lot of pain when Razor was going to kick your ass. You go over to talk to him. "Hey Roofie." You say. "Hrm, hey Suzy." He grunts. "Are you okay?" "Me? Well other than not having a drink all day, I'm fine. Just been making peace with my life I suppose." Roofie says. "Roofie, I'm still very sorry about..." "What? Having Lifto wack me over the head? I've forgotten about that or rather I've rethought my own stance on that. You probably were right, I mean sure I would've rather died like that, but that was sort of selfish of me to want to use my last bit of dwindling influence to get everyone to follow me. Would've especially been a shame if you'd gotten killed in the crossfire. You're actually very talented." "You're just saying that." "No it's true. I didn't make my decision to hire you based on looks or on a whim. In the brief moment you've performed as a clown you were good. I mean it's obvious you're even a leader with how you got the other clowns hanging on your decisions. (Sigh) If only you had come across this carnival sooner. Things might've been much different." "Well I'm not sure how much of a leader I am, because I can't think of what comes next." You say. "You'll figure out something I'm sure. One thing though and while I don't hold out much hope, if you can somehow keep this carnival together...do it. I know the current situation isn't the best and I know you haven't exactly been welcomed by everyone, but I see something in you that would feel fulfilled if you could experience the carnival like it once was. Like a family." "A family?" you say with a smirk. "Hey like I said, you came in during the family fight. And that's what happens in families sometimes. Family fights are always the most vicious, but after it dies down, sometimes the family unit can be stronger than ever. And I think you could be happy if you can keep this family from tearing itself apart completely. But you'll have to be the one to do it. I don't have it in me anymore." At this point Roofie touches your hand and you pat his before leaving him be again. You wonder if this is more of a last request by a "dying" man rather than looking out for your personal fulfillment. Still, you think he's genuine and sure it would be nice if the entire carnival became the happy family you never had, but you just don't think that's going to be possible. You look around and see nothing much has changed except a changing of the guards. One of them happens to be Roger, which makes you think of a possible way you could escape. The only problem is it's going to rely on being more "charming" than you already have been with Roger and that could potentially get you into a situation you don't want to be in. > You go to Roger While you hope you don't have to go too far, if it means getting the hell out of this place, then maybe that's what you'll have to do because whether the National Guard leaves or stays the fact remains, you're not the one to lead this carnival like Roofie thinks you are and you feel your life is in danger. You start to walk over to Roger. "Hey where are you going?" Klepto asks. "Not sure yet, but don't wait up." You reply and continue walking to Roger. When you get to Roger you're all smiles, poses and charm. "Hello Roger are you doing well today?" You say in a friendly tone. "Hey, Suzy. I'm okay I guess, but I really wish your friends wouldn't cause so much trouble. Somebody is libel to get hurt. My commanding officer isn't exactly the tolerant type and I think you saw that earlier." "Yes, I did. I was so scared. In fact I'm scared of the whole aura this place is giving now. It's becoming very violent, but I feel so much safer being near you." You say and start to touch Roger. At this point Roger is smiling back at you, but his buddy nearby is a little less approving, though you imagine its jealousy more than anything else. "Roger, we're supposed to be keeping an eye on these carnie freaks, not fraternizing with them." "What's the harm Ernie? I mean she says she's scared. What, you think she's going to clobber me in the head and take my weapon? Come on, stop being so paranoid. We shouldn't even be here anyway." "Orders are orders...ugh. Whatever, I'm not going to watch you make goo goo eyes at some carnie whore. I'll be outside this tent, try to keep your eyes on the detainees and not on her ass the whole time." Ernie says and steps outside the tent. "What a rude person. I'm glad you're not like that." You say now with your arms wrapped around Roger. "Well you know, I treat people the way they want to be treated." Roger replies. As distracted as Roger is, he's actually keeping it together better than one would think. He keeps a tight grip on his rifle and an eye on if you're going to attempt to grab his pistol. He also periodically looks away from you to make sure nobody is taking advantage of this situation. (Which Klepto and the rest look like they were going to do, but realize they're still too far away to rush at Roger before he could shove you aside and open fire) Though your plan wasn't necessarily to save everyone, but rather yourself. "So Roger, what's a girl gotta do to get out of here?" you say seductively. "Well, like I said we should be gone later today or tomorrow at the latest." "Too long and anything could happen within that time! Can't you do something? I mean I could make it worth your while." You say and run your finger across Roger's chest. "Suzy, look, I'd really like to help, but...hey!" Roger is interrupted when you grab his hand. You bring his hand to your face and closing your eyes, you insert his index finger in your mouth and slowly suck on it making "mmmmm" sounds. This scene hasn't gone unnoticed by more than a few carnies watching you. In fact the predictable calls of "whore", "slut" and worse are uttered your way. Roger on the other hand is practically speechless. "I...uh...shit..." he says and then pulls his hand away staring at his finger for a moment. "Awww....but I wasn't done sucking on you..." you say and flutter your eyes a bit, trying to look as cute as possible then you whisper in his ear: "Take me back to my trailer and I'll show you the REAL greatest show on earth." then you lick his ear. Roger immediately calls in Ernie loudly. Ernie rushes in with his weapon ready to kill something. "What?! What?! Are they rioting again?!" he exclaims. "No. But I REALLY need a favor! You need to watch these people and if the commander checks in on us, tell him I had a to take a shit really bad." "What...wait... Oh fuck no! You're gonna go fuck this little carnie whore aren't you? Goddamnit Roger!" "Come on Ernie, you can't help me out?" "Motherfucker, I'm always helping you out! I don't understand why you can't just fuck the bitch right here. Not like these people are shy and from the looks of her, she looks like it wouldn't be the first time she's gotten fucked in front of a live audience." Ernie remarks. You know, while you've gotten used to the baseless comments about you being a woman of loose morals, it still hurts sometimes. In any case, Roger is not a man to be deterred from his lust for you right now. "Alright, fine. I didn't want to hold this over your head, but you leave me no choice..." Roger starts to say, but whatever the threat is, Ernie doesn't even let him finish it. "Oh fuck. (Sigh) Don't even say it. Fine. Go. Go. Go! And don't take too long, though I imagine in your case that won't be a problem." Ernie says defeated. "Thanks man! Seriously I really will remember this favor!" "Hrm. That you only got through blackmail." As you and Roger leave, Ernie says one more thing. "Hope you've got condoms, because lord knows what diseases she's got being a carnie. Her kootch might turn your dick into a fucking Siamese Twin or some shit." "How the hell does that even make sense? Fucking asshole..." you say and start to get angry at Ernie's comments, but Roger just take you by the hand to go back to your trailer. "Don't mind him. Let' hurry though, because we don't want to bump into anyone else. It isn't like I got leverage over everyone like I do with Ernie. So where is your trailer?" You tell him the location and the pair of you are heading over in that direction fluctuating between being "stealthy" and running. While you're doing this, it occurs to you that you have to think up your next move. Are you really going to let him fuck you? Roger is distracted enough that you probably could grab his side arm to give you enough time to make a run for it, but while Roger might not shoot you immediately (And that's rolling dice there) there's nothing to say the other nearby Guardsmen won't and you know they'll be alerted as soon as you try to run away from Roger. Of course if you really are willing to make that ultimate "sacrifice" for freedom, Roger might even help you out a lot more in your escape attempt. Of course he could turn out to be a complete asshole and march you back to the tent after he's had his way with you. > You make a break for it Roger is so busy keeping a look out for running into his buddies and getting to your trailer he's now suitably distracted and while you're so close to him, you easily grab his pistol. "HEY WHAT..." he exclaims as you back away quickly and hold the gun on him. "Drop the rifle!" you shout. He doesn't though. "Shit. I should've known better. Ernie's going to have a field day." Roger says. "Sorry Roger, but I really need you to drop that rifle!" you say. "...nah...if you had it in you to shoot me, you would've by now. You've never shot a person and this whole situation is scary to you. You're hoping your sex appeal will be enough to carry you through this and that I'll be weak willed enough that I won't call your bluff and just shoot you dead right now." That's an incredible amount insight for someone you thought was nothing more than just a horny grunt. Unfortunately he's pretty much on target. For a moment there is a pause and you look at him hopefully, you even manage to start tearing up a bit. "(Sigh) Look, I told you we were going to leave soon, I dunno why you feel the need to go through this elaborate escape plan when it really isn't necessary. Just hand the pistol over and we'll head back to the tent." You're too scared of what might happen if you just surrender, so all you can do is continue to aim it at Roger. "Suzy, I'm not fucking around now give me the..." Roger begins to say and moves towards you. With his rifle slightly lowered and his hand outstretched, you nervously fire two shots at him. At this range you don't miss even though you're in a heightened state of anxiety. Roger falls to the ground with two in his chest and doesn't move, you've killed him. "Oh my...oh god I'm sorry...(Sniff)" you say. The shots of course have drawn the attention of the other guardsmen. You hear shouting which is getting closer to your location, so you run. You hear more shouting followed by gunfire. At first you think they've seen you and are shooting at you, but that isn't the case when you start to hear a few screams. Now you're even more scared as you have no idea what's going on. Did the carnies take advantage of this situation and start to fight back? You have no idea, but you don't intend on sticking around. You duck and hide the best you can through the small maze of trailers and vehicles. The screams, shouting and gunfire are now accompanied by unnatural growing. Like animals of some sort. Unfortunately as you reach the far end of the carnival limits you are ambushed by something skulking behind the corner of the last trailer you were passing and the pistol goes sprawling out of your hand. You don't even know what it is, except that you're on the ground and it's on your back breathing heavily and making that growling sound you heard. You then feel teeth sink deep into your shoulder. Pain and fear both rise up in you for a moment as you struggle to get free, but this thing what ever it is has a strong grip and with one of its hands it smashes your face repeatedly into the ground into your struggling becomes less, then it breaks your neck before feasting on the rest of your dead body.

While you hope you don't have to go too far, if it means getting the hell out of this place, then maybe that's what you'll have to do because whether the National Guard leaves or stays the fact remains, you're not the one to lead this carnival like Roofie thinks you are and you feel your life is in danger. You start to walk over to Roger. "Hey where are you going?" Klepto asks. "Not sure yet, but don't wait up." You reply and continue walking to Roger. When you get to Roger you're all smiles, poses and charm. "Hello Roger are you doing well today?" You say in a friendly tone. "Hey, Suzy. I'm okay I guess, but I really wish your friends wouldn't cause so much trouble. Somebody is libel to get hurt. My commanding officer isn't exactly the tolerant type and I think you saw that earlier." "Yes, I did. I was so scared. In fact I'm scared of the whole aura this place is giving now. It's becoming very violent, but I feel so much safer being near you." You say and start to touch Roger. At this point Roger is smiling back at you, but his buddy nearby is a little less approving, though you imagine its jealousy more than anything else. "Roger, we're supposed to be keeping an eye on these carnie freaks, not fraternizing with them." "What's the harm Ernie? I mean she says she's scared. What, you think she's going to clobber me in the head and take my weapon? Come on, stop being so paranoid. We shouldn't even be here anyway." "Orders are orders...ugh. Whatever, I'm not going to watch you make goo goo eyes at some carnie whore. I'll be outside this tent, try to keep your eyes on the detainees and not on her ass the whole time." Ernie says and steps outside the tent. "What a rude person. I'm glad you're not like that." You say now with your arms wrapped around Roger. "Well you know, I treat people the way they want to be treated." Roger replies. As distracted as Roger is, he's actually keeping it together better than one would think. He keeps a tight grip on his rifle and an eye on if you're going to attempt to grab his pistol. He also periodically looks away from you to make sure nobody is taking advantage of this situation. (Which Klepto and the rest look like they were going to do, but realize they're still too far away to rush at Roger before he could shove you aside and open fire) Though your plan wasn't necessarily to save everyone, but rather yourself. "So Roger, what's a girl gotta do to get out of here?" you say seductively. "Well, like I said we should be gone later today or tomorrow at the latest." "Too long and anything could happen within that time! Can't you do something? I mean I could make it worth your while." You say and run your finger across Roger's chest. "Suzy, look, I'd really like to help, but...hey!" Roger is interrupted when you grab his hand. You bring his hand to your face and closing your eyes, you insert his index finger in your mouth and slowly suck on it making "mmmmm" sounds. This scene hasn't gone unnoticed by more than a few carnies watching you. In fact the predictable calls of "whore", "slut" and worse are uttered your way. Roger on the other hand is practically speechless. "I...uh...shit..." he says and then pulls his hand away staring at his finger for a moment. "Awww....but I wasn't done sucking on you..." you say and flutter your eyes a bit, trying to look as cute as possible then you whisper in his ear: "Take me back to my trailer and I'll show you the REAL greatest show on earth." then you lick his ear. Roger immediately calls in Ernie loudly. Ernie rushes in with his weapon ready to kill something. "What?! What?! Are they rioting again?!" he exclaims. "No. But I REALLY need a favor! You need to watch these people and if the commander checks in on us, tell him I had a to take a shit really bad." "What...wait... Oh fuck no! You're gonna go fuck this little carnie whore aren't you? Goddamnit Roger!" "Come on Ernie, you can't help me out?" "Motherfucker, I'm always helping you out! I don't understand why you can't just fuck the bitch right here. Not like these people are shy and from the looks of her, she looks like it wouldn't be the first time she's gotten fucked in front of a live audience." Ernie remarks. You know, while you've gotten used to the baseless comments about you being a woman of loose morals, it still hurts sometimes. In any case, Roger is not a man to be deterred from his lust for you right now. "Alright, fine. I didn't want to hold this over your head, but you leave me no choice..." Roger starts to say, but whatever the threat is, Ernie doesn't even let him finish it. "Oh fuck. (Sigh) Don't even say it. Fine. Go. Go. Go! And don't take too long, though I imagine in your case that won't be a problem." Ernie says defeated. "Thanks man! Seriously I really will remember this favor!" "Hrm. That you only got through blackmail." As you and Roger leave, Ernie says one more thing. "Hope you've got condoms, because lord knows what diseases she's got being a carnie. Her kootch might turn your dick into a fucking Siamese Twin or some shit." "How the hell does that even make sense? Fucking asshole..." you say and start to get angry at Ernie's comments, but Roger just take you by the hand to go back to your trailer. "Don't mind him. Let' hurry though, because we don't want to bump into anyone else. It isn't like I got leverage over everyone like I do with Ernie. So where is your trailer?" You tell him the location and the pair of you are heading over in that direction fluctuating between being "stealthy" and running. While you're doing this, it occurs to you that you have to think up your next move. Are you really going to let him fuck you? Roger is distracted enough that you probably could grab his side arm to give you enough time to make a run for it, but while Roger might not shoot you immediately (And that's rolling dice there) there's nothing to say the other nearby Guardsmen won't and you know they'll be alerted as soon as you try to run away from Roger. Of course if you really are willing to make that ultimate "sacrifice" for freedom, Roger might even help you out a lot more in your escape attempt. Of course he could turn out to be a complete asshole and march you back to the tent after he's had his way with you. > You go through with it You aren't confident that you'd make it with trying to ambush Roger. While it's possible you'll get some sort of better opportunity while in the trailer, at this point you're going to hope that Roger isn't an asshole and this will actually get him to help you escape. That's a lot to place on hope, but it's going to have to do. Soon you get to your trailer and you enter it with Roger still looking around before going in himself. You stand by your bed and look at it and then look at Roger. "So here we are." He says. "Yeah...so here we are..." you reply. "Well? Come on, we don't have much time." Roger says and puts his weapons down though of course he puts them out your reach and starts guiding you to lay down on the bed. This is going to happen. It isn't that Roger isn't unattractive to you and this isn't exactly like he's coercing you to do anything (though you're afraid he might if you resist at this point) its just...well directly using your pussy to get yourself out of a jam isn't exactly how you do things. Indirectly by teasing and flirting? Sure you've gotten used to doing that, but this is a step you don't think you're ready to take and it's too late at this point. Roger is already stripping his clothes off and you're slowly doing likewise. Soon the pair of you are naked and his dick's coming at you like a monster. As he moves in to kiss and embrace you, you stop him. "Um...could we not look at each other while we do this?" you say. "Huh?" he asks, almost looking a bit wounded by that comment. "Uh, I just mean can we do it doggy style? I just prefer it that way." You ask. "Oh. Well yeah! Sure, however you want it. I'm cool with that." Roger says and you get into position. Well at least now you can close your eyes and pretend its Bobby. Hopefully Roger isn't much of a talker and just gets on with it. While you prepare yourself for this "experience", gunshots are suddenly heard outside. Several of them in fact. This is followed by a lot of shouting. "Oh fuck! What the hell?!" Roger exclaims and no longer do you feel his hands at your haunches, he's gotten off the bed. You turn over and see him starting to get dressed, periodically looking out the narrow windows. "What's going on out there?!" you ask. "I have no idea, but whatever it is, YOU stay inside and keep down. I don't want you getting hurt." You start to get dressed as well, wondering what calamity has happened now. Did the carnies finally decide to rush the guardsmen? Roger, with his clothes back on, grabs his rifle and pistol and prepares to head out. "Suzy, remember what I said, stay inside...OH SHIT!" Roger shouts as he opens the door. Something humanoid runs into Roger who drops his rifle and is pinned against the wall. It's growling and snarling and Roger is holding its neck in an attempt to not let it bite him. Fear grips you, but not so much that you can't grab a nearby knife from the kitchen area in an effort to stab it. "Suzy stay back! I got it!" Roger shouts and manages to shove the thing off of him and out the door. He then pulls out his pistol and presumably fires at the thing several times. He then slams the door shut and attempts to lock and barricade it. "Did you kill it?" you ask. "I dunno. I think I did." Roger answers. "You think? Don't you think you better know?!" "Yes! Yes! I killed it! I mean I put two it's head and three in its chest. Jesus Christ, gimme a moment here! One moment I was nearly in paradise and the next I'm fending off a fucking...zombie...or something...shit I dunno what the hell..." Roger says trying to wrap his head around this unexpected turn of events. Zombie. Did he just say that thing was a zombie? It was humanoid and trying to bite him, while making snarling and growling sounds. Then again it didn't look exactly rotten, could've been new dead though. Maybe just a rabid human? Seems silly that you're actually considering that you're getting attacked by zombies. Never the less, the gunfire and chaos you're hearing outside seems to suggest you're being attacked by SOMETHING. Meanwhile Roger is sitting and mumbling to himself. Suddenly he stands up. "Fuck it. Suzy, you still wanna get out of here right?" Roger says. "Well of course." You say. "Come on, we're taking one of those trucks. I got the keys." "Okay? But what about your friends?" "Hah, most of those guys I serve with are assholes. I mean you saw my commanding officer and Ernie. Can't say any of them are my friends. What about you and your carnie family?" "Well... the clowns were cool with me and the owner...but well it's complicated and let's just say I wasn't fitting in there, so while I do feel slightly guilty just abandoning the ones that I was getting along with, I can't stay someplace where I don't feel entirely welcome or safe." "Okay, then its settled, we'll leave now." "But what about those things out there?" "Well we're going to have to grab the truck now because either one or two things is going to happen. One, the rest of my squad is going to put these things down and both of us are going to be up shit's creek or those things are going to kill everyone and we'll have to brave through them while they're not distracted by others." Roger unblocks the door and kicks it open, ready to shoot anything that might be lurking outside, fortunately that isn't the case right now. "Alright let's do this and stick close to me." he says and the pair of you run out the trailer. The sounds of creatures and gunfire are all around you and you haven't stepped out of the trailer a few seconds when Roger has to shoot two more of the things. He doesn't hit them in the head and they still stay down, so you're guessing maybe the zombie thing isn't the case. Still don't want to get bit though, who knows if this is contagious? You see a few dead bodies of guardsmen on the ground and in one case one of those cannibals eating it and not paying any attention to anything else. The fact that the sounds of gunfire dying down and an increase in the screaming and yelling signals to you that things are getting grim. You wonder if they've gotten to the carnies yet. Is this going on everywhere? Is this local? You'll have to figure that out later. Right now you're just happy to get inside a heavy-duty military truck. Roger gets in the driver's seat and with more snarling creatures banging on the doors and trying to get in, Roger starts up the truck and promptly runs over three of them on your way out this place. Soon you're on the road, but what next? "Where are we going?" you ask. "I dunno. If this is some sort of plague or invasion or something I'm wondering if we shouldn't head to Fort Timons, it's the closest military facility around here and where I was stationed before I got sent here. Still quite a drive though." Roger says. "What? Are you nuts? Didn't you just go AWOL and now you're thinking about going to an military base?" "Well... I mean yeah technically I just deserted my post...but considering it didn't seem like anyone else is going to live through that attack I doubt if anyone is going to call me out on it. We could just tell them we were the only survivors." "But if this is some sort of disease will a military base even be safe? I mean don't these sorts of thing originate from them what with all the secret experiments and bioweapons?" "What? You watch too many horror movies or science fiction! Unless its some secret base with top level government security, the average ordinary military base isn't going to have a lab where they're making bioweapons! In any case I know that stuff isn't at Fort Timons." "I dunno...just doesn't seem the safest place." "Well where do you propose then?" You don't have an answer. "See? Look, it's still a long drive there, maybe I can get something on the radio and we can find out more. Too bad this one doesn't have a two-way radio, we'd actually be able to communicate with someone and I lost my fucking cell phone. In fact I probably left it in your trailer." As Roger attempts to get a signal on the radio, you think about how you've now run away from two "families" and who knows what's become of both of them. Are they dead? Are they alive? Has you hometown been overrun by those things? Is it under marshal law? You feel a little sad about it all, but what can you really do? As the day eventually turns into night, Roger continues to try to get something on the radio, but its just static on the military channel he's using. He doesn't understand it. Switching over to the normal radio just gets music, which is broken up by the periodic Ground Zero advert. Absolutely nothing about the creatures though, not even regular news. It's very frustrating. Your aren't encountering too much traffic on the road either, granted this isn't the busiest of roads, but it feels fairly isolated. Still, at least you're not seeing a horde of those things roaming about. Roger talks a little about his past to break up the long periods of silence, most of it fairly mundane. You just mainly listen although you're only really half listening and re-direct questions about yourself to something superficial. You're not in the mood to talk about yourself. Eventually you start to get sleepy and Roger does as well. He pulls over and the both of you go to sleep and thankfully he never once suggests picking up where you left off in your trailer. Nothing like a bunch of cannibal creatures to break up the mood. You drift off to sleep... > Next day... "...this was a paid announcement by the Ground Zero Corporation..." "Agh! Shut the fuck up already. What the hell did GZ buy up all the goddamn stations?!" you hear Roger shout as he angrily turns the radio off, waking you up. It would seem you're in motion again and you slept through it. "What's going on?" you ask. "Huh? Oh you're up. Nothing's going on, just dumb ass Ground Zero commercials warning about an impending nuclear holocaust as usual. Never mind the fact we got a very real threat that I can't seem to get any information on. Anyway I didn't sleep that much so I just started driving again. Figured you could still sleep though so I didn't bother waking you" Roger says. "So how long have we been on the road?" "More than a few hours definitely. Starting to by pass all this farmland area now, we'll probably be hitting a more populated area soon. I also started to see a few more moving vehicles, though I've also been seeing a lot of abandoned vehicles as well. Oddly no military. Saw a few people even trying to hitch a ride, but I'm not playing good Samaritan right now." "You see any of those things?" you ask. "Hrm, I thought I might've seen a few while I was driving, but from the distance I could quite tell. Wasn't like I was going to check." So far it looks like the plan is still going to Fort Timons, but if you didn't think that was a dubious idea before, you're really uncertain now. He can't get any signal from the radio, for all you know the base might be overrun by those things. Which is exactly what you bring up to Roger, but he seems confident that wouldn't be the case and he's determined to head to Fort Timons. Funny thing considering he abandoned all his comrades at the carnival and said they were all assholes. Guess he's still military at heart. He senses that you still aren't comfortable with his plan though. "Suzy, you don't need to come with me you know. I mean I can drop you off at the next town we go through." Roger says. "And what exactly am I going to do there? I don't have anything except the clothes on my back and with the way things are going, I can imagine I'd be resorting to taking those off a lot just to survive." You say. There's a moment of silence before Roger replies. "I'm guessing that's what you were doing with me back at the carnival. It's fine, I sort of knew that's what was going on. I knew you didn't actually like me." "If you knew all that, why did you risk your career and possibly your life?" "You're kidding right? I mean I know I'm not hideous, but you're a little out of my league. When the hell am I going to get a chance to be with someone that looks like you? I mean sure I knew it was all an act, but in MY mind I could pretend you were being genuine. Though I admit when you stopped me from kissing you and didn't want to look at my face, that sort of hurt." "It wasn't personal. I just don't know you that well and I wasn't ready for that level of intimacy. I was going to pretend you were my ex-boyfriend. (Sigh) I can't believe I even went that far and was going to go through with it. I mean contrary to whatever you may have heard shouted at me, I don't do stuff like that like...ever." "Really? Because you're pretty good at the whole seduction thing, even if you are a bit obvious with it." "I'm obvious with it because it's only just a new skill I developed within the last few days I joined a goddamn carnival just to get out of my goddamn shitty life at home...What the hell was I even thinking?! I'm not cut out to take care of myself! I should've just stayed home and let cannibals eat me in the comfort of my basement!" you say, tearing up a bit. The stress of the week is starting to get to you. "Whoa! You don't mean that. Things aren't totally horrible. Hey if it make you feel any better, I felt a little bad knowing that I was going to take advantage of what was obviously the act of a desperate woman." Roger says. Now you stop sniffling and start to chuckle at the absurdity of that statement. "But of course that wasn't going to stop you." You say. "Well no of course not, but I assure you I would've felt guilty about it." "No you wouldn't have." "Okay you're right, I wouldn't have, but I would have still gotten you out of that carnival if you had asked afterwards." "Well at least it wouldn't have been for nothing. (Sigh) Guess it all worked out anyway. I mean we're both still alive due to our choices and I am thankful I'm not dead and that you probably saved my life back there." "And I'm thankful I at least got to see you naked." "We'll always have the trailer I suppose." You don't exactly feel good about your situation, but Roger's attempt to lighten up the mood at least has you feeling slightly better. "So...why don't you tell me about this ex-boyfriend of yours? I'm guessing he must've been some sort of handsome stud if you're still thinking about him." Roger says. "Heh. Not especially. He was a normal looking guy. Not too much different from you in that department. He's just the only guy I've ever been with, so, it was more comfortable to think about him instead. Anyway it was sort of complicated with him. Long story that I don't want to get into right now." "I understand. Well I'll just say this, he was lucky to have you as a girlfriend and was a damn fool to let you get away." "Hrm...actually you know what? You're exactly right. He WAS lucky to have me and a damn fool to let me get away!" you say with a bit of pride. You know Roger is half saying this just in the hopes to get you into a compromising position again, but what the hell, it's an ego booster and it keeps you in a positive mindset at least. "Shit." Roger suddenly says. "What now?" you ask. "I just looked at the gas gauge, we're practically out. Goddamn it I thought Ernie gassed this thing up recently." "We can't make it to Timons?" "Well we could risk it on fumes to Fort Timons, but I'd rather not chance that during these circumstances. I don't even have a rubber hose that we could use to suck out the gas from one these abandoned vehicles we've been passing." "Well I guess we're stopping at the next gas station then." "Assuming they got any. I get the impression just popping into the next gas station isn't going to be that simple." You and Roger continue to drive for about a half hour before you see something of interest in the distance. Namely a truck stop, which apparently has been converted into a minor fortress. "Hey look at that!" you point out. "I see it. It's a truck stop and it looks like whoever is there is trying to block the place off by putting trucks around it. They even got people standing on top of the trucks with rifles as look outs. They probably got gas." Roger says. "I dunno. Whoever is there probably isn't going to be too trustful of anyone, especially someone from the military. They might just try to rob us." "We gotta try. I mean we need gas, and given how well this place is defended, we at least know they probably got some. Who knows if we'll get lucky some place else." You and Roger drive to the truck stop, which immediately causes the lookouts to point and raise their rifles in your direction. When you stop in front of it there are a lot of shouts for you to stay in the truck. "We don't need any government assistance here, we're doing just fine as you can see. I highly suggest that y'all just continue on your way." One of them shouts. "I'm not here for trouble. I just need some gas. We get that and we'll be on our way to Fort Timons." Roger shouts back. "Gas? Don't fucking think so soldier boy. With the way society is collapsing that shit's gonna be valuable and money is gonna be worthless." "Well, would you accept a trade of supplies for gas?" "Hrmmm, well whatta you got?" "Got some military rations in the back of this thing. Those things last for years you know." "We got tons of food, what else? Any weapons?" "Uh...there might be a couple...oh we got some medical supplies in here!" There is a long pause and he tells you to wait before climbing down the truck and disappearing from sight. Eventually you hear his voice again which is now coming from behind the truck barricade. "Okay, we're gonna move this truck, but one funny thing happens and you're the first one getting a bullet to the head. Alright, we're letting this one in, everyone keep extra look out for those rabid bastards!" "You still think this is a good idea?" you ask. "Well it's like I said, our options for gas are limited." Roger answers. As soon as the truck is moved out your way, the man who was barking orders at you waves you in and motions you over to the gas pumps. As soon as you drive in they put the truck back. Either they're really safety conscience or they don't want to risk having you get away. From this distance you see several more people in the building part of the truck stop. Looks like it's a general store/diner combo. Most of them are watching you from the windows, though a few of them come out, one of them is an older man with a cane who walks directly to the pumps. "Okay, I want the two you in that truck to exit it slowly. I don't care if you got weapons, but don't point them at me or anyone else in a threatening manner." The old man shouts. Roger takes his rifle over his shoulder and exits the truck. You do like wise, though being unarmed you exit from Roger's side just so you don't feel quite as vulnerable. Naturally rifles are pointed at the pair of you, but the old man with the cane shouts telling them to calm down. "You lot, stop pointing your guns and start unloading this truck. Sorry about that, everyone's a little on edge. Name's Henry. I own this place." He says. "Roger and it's understandable." "Well, a military man eh? Thought all the National Guard were off fighting those rabid things in the city. From what I've heard the place is completely overrun now." "The city? You mean Security is overrun?" you ask. "Yep. Heard it on the radio. Not the regular one of course. Those GZ bastards seem to be clogging those up, but on my Ham Radio. Been trying to communicate with Fort Timons, but my radio isn't exactly in the best condition..." "Hold on! You've been in communication with Fort Timons?!" Roger exclaims. "Well, somewhat. More like my old buddy I served with back in the day who still works there as an inventory clerk. Haven't heard anything from him since yesterday. All I know is the last thing he told me was the fort was on high alert and further communication was going to be limited to a need to know basis and only to those with the proper clearance. Typical military bullshit I suppose, well I don't need to tell you." "Uh, we were on our way to Fort Timons. Do you think it's safe?" You say. "Heh, well I couldn't tell you if the fort is safe, but I can tell you that those rabid fuckers have been making their way out of the city en mass and given how far the city is, they apparently don't get tired and can cover a lot of ground. We just repelled a bunch of them yesterday. Hence the make shift fortress here. Fort Timons is even closer to the city, so at best I'd wager that you're going to have to wade through a bunch of those things before getting there. Not something I'd want to do to be sure." Henry remarks. "Shit, those things are in the city and they were in my town! This means this can't just be a local thing! It's probably a nationwide epidemic! We can't go to Fort Timons now!" you exclaim. "We don't know if the place has fallen to those things." Roger replies. "Exactly! We don't know!" you say. At this point Henry interjects. "If I may, the both of you can stay here. We've got the room and your truck full of supplies as far as I'm concerned buys your way in. And I'm sure as a military man, you'd pull your weight here to defend this place if need be. So you and your girlfriend can stay here if you wish." Henry says and then walks over to oversee his people unloading the truck. It's an incredibly tempting offer and one you'd jump at the chance for, but Roger still seems sure that Fort Timons will better in the long run. You wonder if he feels a little obligated to go back to Fort Timons because deep down he feels like he abandoned his post even if hasn't admitted it. The only downside is if Roger doesn't stick around and you do, you'll be left in the company of a bunch of strangers again and that didn't go so well last time. You can only imagine all the leers, grope attempts and possibly worse from a bunch of horny trucker types. > You insist on staying here Something in your heart is telling you that going to Fort Timons would be a huge mistake. The length of the trip and the possibility that it's going to be swarming with those things just doesn't seem safe. This place might not be safe either, but at least it's a secure place that you don't need to travel any further to. "Suzy, I still think going to Timons is a better idea than staying here. I'm going, so if you want to stay..." Roger says before you interrupt him. You grip Roger by the head with both hands and move it downwards so you can kiss him on the lips. The kiss is then followed your arms moving downward in a tighter hugging motion. He returns in kind as the pair of you continue to embrace. "Don't go. Please don't go to Fort Timons. It won't be safe and I need you here with me." You say stopping your kiss to speak. "Suzy..." "Please. Stay with me." "(Sigh) Suzy... do you really mean this? I mean I really need to know where we stand...because...you can't just flutter your eyes and kiss me without meaning it now. I'm really starting to have feelings for you, but if you're just doing this out of survival again..." You stare him directly in his eyes. "Yes, Roger. I mean it. Not just for me, but for you. I don't want you to put yourself in any danger anymore than I want myself to be in danger. And Fort Timons is just going to be unnecessary danger. I know we haven't known each other long, but we have been through a lot together and if this is the way this shitty world is going to be, then I want to at least spend the rest of that time with you." Well if you didn't mean any of that, it sure was enough to convince Roger because he resumes kissing and hugging you immediately. Of course you did mean it since you have grown attached to him. Just a sucker for men who save your life you guess. You both don't even notice Henry walking up to you. "Hrm, looks like I interrupted something. So did you two decide on what you're going to do...besides suck on each others faces?" he asks. "Well..." Roger says and then smiles at you before turning his attention to Henry. "I think we'll be staying." "Great. Glad to hear it. Need more people to help defend this place. Think you could help with look out for awhile with that rifle of yours?" Henry says. "Sure. For how long?" Roger asks. "Hmm, probably until midnight. Earl needs to get some sleep, that's why he's so irritable right now. As for you little lady, why don't you head on inside and get acquainted with everyone. You and your boyfriend can pick up where you left off later." Henry goes to wander over to Earl to give him the news that he'll be relieved soon and you and Roger are left alone again. "Okay, well I guess I'll see you later tonight then." Roger says. "Yes, though I wonder where we're supposed to sleep." You answer. "Well presumably together now." "Ha ha, of course but that wasn't what I meant." "Hrm, I'm sure someone will tell you inside what the sleeping arrangements are, well anyway I probably should get over to my new job. See you later." Roger says. As he leaves, you shout to him to be careful which he just smiles and waves as a reassurance that you don't need to worry about him. And now you turn towards the truck stop building which no longer has the small crowd outside it anymore and people have gone back inside. People which you now have to be social with... "Okay, Suzy. You can do this. It won't be like the carnival." You mumble to yourself as you walk to the building. As soon as you walk in you see a mixture of people. Mostly older men, but women as well and even a couple children. Most of them look up when you enter. "Hi everyone. I'm Suzy and my boyfriend Roger are going to be staying here, but we brought in a whole bunch of medical supplies and food with us to help pull our weight around here." Your introduction is met with apathy. Half of them grunt in acknowledgement and the other half just go back to doing whatever it is they were doing. Well it's better than most of what you got at the carnival. Seeing that nobody is speaking to you, you decide to sit quietly by yourself in a booth far away from everyone else. You mainly spend your time in introspection and listening to the random conversations. Most of them naturally are talking about the situation at hand, but it's broken up by periods of "normalcy" of just joking around. Nobody here seems to be overly worried about rabid people running around and the breaking down of society, then again most of the people here are truckers so they're probably used to roaming about and the employees of the place seem like they spend so much time here it's a second home. Eventually enough time passes and you get tired of being a wall flower, or more specifically you're tired of wearing the same clothes for the past few days along with no shower. You walk up to the group of waitresses in the hopes to ask them that perhaps there is some sort of wash up facility here. The oldest waitress, a red head with hard features and a name tag that says Anne looks you up and down as you approach and her friends do likewise. "Excuse me, but is there a wash room or shower or something I could use? I just feel so dirty what with the sweating and running from those things outside." You expect catty remarks or a few insults or some sort of hostility, but you're met with a surprise. "Why sure blondie. You can use the small shower we have for us in the back. You need a change of clothes too?" Anne says. "You have some?" "Well they're extra waitress uniforms. If that's okay." "Sure, if it's clean it'll be a welcome change." "Okay, hmm you're a bit on the small side, Jasmine, go get Trudy's old uniform. That should fit...Suzy wasn't it?" "Yes, and thank you." Soon, Jasmine returns to give you a uniform and you're on your way to get washed up. The waitresses' private bathroom isn't much but the fact it has a shower that you can use to get clean is enough for you. You feel a little odd wearing the uniform, which was obviously designed to attract a lot of male attention, but again you're just glad to be out of those old dirty clothes. By the time you get out of the shower, the waitresses are cooking up dinner for everyone. You ask if they need any help, but they say they got it. You sit down and eat, a couple people make a bit of small talk, but nothing of importance. You mostly are left alone, but it's a promising start at least. In any event the re-invigorated feeling you had after the shower is wearing off and you start to get tired which is when you ask Anne where the sleeping area is. "Well some people are flopping right out here in these booths. A few really brave souls are sleeping out in their trucks out there. Henry's got his own private office as you might expect. The wait staff has that small lounge area near our bathroom...though Jasmine is using one of the storerooms since she's got her kids with her. I guess you could take one these booths or share the storeroom with Jasmine. Of course you've got that boyfriend...hmmm could give you the second storeroom. Doesn't really have a lot of space though." "That's fine, I just want some where to rest." And once again you succeed in a simple task with no major problems. Things have been going so well for you since you got here that you almost forget about the problems of the outside world going on. You don't of course, but you honestly can say this is the safest you've felt since you left your basement. Giving you a spare blanket, Anne directs you to the second storeroom, which is indeed lacking in space but it's enough for you. You waste no time in laying down your blanket and falling asleep on the floor. > The next day… You wake up to a body grinding up against you, an arm holding you tightly around your mid-section and warm breath blowing in your ear in between the kissing. Not exactly what you expected, but it beats those Ground Zero advertisements. "Well, looks like someone is feeling friendly this morning. When did you get here?" You ask. "A little after midnight. It was boring and I would've rather been with you, but at least I didn't see any of those things. You of course were already asleep so I just slept besides you the whole night. You're a pretty sound sleeper, you didn't even wake up." Roger says. "Hrm. Surprised you didn't take advantage of my vulnerable situation." "I thought about it, but honestly by that time I was pretty tired myself. I actually haven't been awake long. So they make you a waitress to help out around here?" "Oh. This? No. They were just good enough to let me borrow some clean clothes. I won't say everyone here has been social with me, but at least nobody has been hostile." "Hm. Well you look hot in that uniform." Roger says and resumes groping you. "Oh? You like this? Got a role play fetish eh?" "Sure, and its short so I'll be able to hike the skirt up for easy access." "Well that definitely is the practical side to it." You chuckle. Your laughter is turned to semi-surprise when Roger moves one of his hands under your skirt. You didn't quite expect him to go there so quickly, but it isn't unwelcome. "Mmm yeah..." It's been like a whole week that you've gone without pleasuring yourself (let alone had anyone else do it) so as far as you're concerned you're about due. You quickly start to undo Roger's pants and few moments later your legs are wrapped around him and he's thrusting into you. "Oh shit this feels so fucking good..." you exclaim. Honestly that's not all you say. You say quite a few things fairly loudly and you don't really care if anyone hears you. (Roger on the other hand is a bit more on the quiet side) You don't know how much time passes because you're enjoying yourself so much and then you feel it. "Oh my God! I'm almost there! Keep doing that! Harder! Faster! Oh yessss..." you exclaim and then the explosion. Though not that one. There's a loud noise and a faint rumble, but you don't really pay it any mind because you and Roger are more focused on the task involving each other's fun parts. A few moments later and someone starts banging on the door. At first you think its someone that's complaining about you being too noisy, but they start yelling you two need to come out now. "There's a fucking nuke going off in distance!" the voice yells. "What the fuck?!" Roger exclaims. "What?!" You say. "I said there's a..." "Yeah I heard! (Sigh) Hold on." Roger interrupts. That must've been the rumble and noise from earlier. Talk about a mood breaker. "So...they finally went and did it." You say. "I guess so. Shit...I hope it wasn't too close." Roger says. "We'd be all vaporized if it was a big one, so maybe it was just a little one?" "The one they dropped on Hiroshima was a little one too." "Well I suppose there's not much for it now. Our building is still intact so that's a good sign." You say trying not to wonder if you're still going to be in the range of a fatal dose of radiation. Roger starts to slowly get his pants back on and you pull your skirt back down. When you both leave the room, you see Jasmine trying to calm her children down. A couple people are arguing. A few are just sitting in a silent state of shock. Henry is actually outside the diner looking in the direction of where the bomb must've gone off. You can see the lingering remnants of a mushroom cloud in the far distance even from inside the diner. You can't help but hold on the Roger a bit tightly. "I don't exactly know how far or how big the bomb was, but I do know it went off in the direction of Fort Timons. Hell, that might've even been the target. Well either that or the city. Either way both of those places are probably radioactive ruins now and it looks like you saved my life too." Roger says squeezing you around the waist. "You think maybe this was just a way to get rid of those infected people? Maybe this is only occurring on a small scale?" you ask. "I dunno. Maybe, but I get the impression this bomb was just one of many to the nuclear end of the big war that the Ground Zero ads kept going on about. Guess it doesn't matter because I imagine things are going to be severely changing and the world as we once knew it is going to be much different. Harder for one thing." Surprisingly as frightening as this event is, you aren't as filled with dread as you normally would be. Maybe its because after all the other craziness you went through this week, you could've ended up a lot worse off. Maybe you're finally trying to find the silver lining for once in your life. "We'll handle it...together." You say with certainty. Roger looks at you and nods. "We will." At this point Henry steps back in the diner and after calming some of the arguing truckers. He begins addressing the situation and stating that nothing has changed and that the situation is still the same, namely if people help, then they are welcome to stay. If not or if they don't want to stay then they are free to go. A couple of the truckers who apparently have families elsewhere do leave. Everyone else stays and the work towards creating a permanent new "home" is begun. While you're pitching in by doing inventory on the medical supplies you have you briefly wonder what would've happened had you not abandoned the carnival when you did. Could you have made a difference had you stayed like Roofie wanted you to? You shake your head. You don't mind helping out, but you know you're no leader. Better to be safe and be around a group that you at least feel more comfortable around and so far that's what you've encountered here at this truck stop. Most people here despite the highly stressful situation have still been pleasant with you. Funny where one finds a place to belong. > … Nice and Safe The Future... "Take it or leave it. Don't have all day to haggle with you." You say to the scavenger. He looks at the plastic bag of 9mm ammo for a moment. "Alright I'll take it." He says and hands over two damaged rifles and takes the ammo without another word and leaves. You look at the rifles again and think how glad you are to have someone who has a natural affinity to fixing thing. "Daniel! Come out here, got a project for you." You son comes out from his work area to see what you're yelling at him about this time. "Mom, what is it now?" Daniel replies. "Here. Got more rifles you can fix and we can sell for better profit later on." You say and pass the rifles to him. "These need new bolts. I'm not sure if I have any spare ones. At least not for two rifles." "Well do what you can. I'm sure you'll think of something. You usually do. Besides you know how everyone that comes through this place is always interested in weapons. If you get just one of them fixed, it'll still be a profit for what we got them for." "Don't most people buy their weapons from Earl on the far side of the bazaar?" "Yeah, but he specializes in that, the beauty of what we do is sell and buy a little bit of everything. So someone who might be looking for medicine might also end up buying a gun too. Besides, he's getting a reputation of ripping people off, so we need to be prepared for the possible day for when people start coming to us to buy their guns instead." Daniel nods and says nothing else. He isn't really much of a talker or a thinker for that matter. Not that the boy is stupid, its just he focuses on other things. Like fixing. Sometimes he reminds you a bit of your older brother's son from the old days. That boy was definitely a savant. Daniel head back to his workstation. You're so glad you've never had problems with him, though Roger thinks he should mix more with people...but then you remember your own isolationist days in a certain basement and laugh to yourself. Compared to you back then, Daniel is a social butterfly and has an actual trade. He'll be fine. Really its odd to you sometimes that you basically run the equivalent of a post apocalyptic general store, but as this place got bigger and better fortified, the original people began to rise in status and responsibility and here you are. It certainly is better than being a wanderer out there. You've heard the tales and have no desire to leave the walls of New Security. Its safe here and you have everything you'd ever want. It's your new basement. You remember Roger wanting to lead the New Security recon team when it was formed, but you managed to talk him out of that nonsense. You didn't talk him into staying here in the first place and avoid getting nuked to atoms just so he could go play wasteland warrior and get his head blown off that way. His job as lead protector of New Security holds more than enough danger and a test of his skills. "Hey mom, how's business?" Cindy asks walking in. "Fine. I'm guessing you went with your father today?" "Yep. It was really cool. I got to learn how to shoot. I even killed something!" "What?" you ask. At this point Roger walks in and has heard the end of the conversation. "It wasn't a person and she wasn't in any danger. It was just a large rat that had wandered on the range. She got it in right in the head on one shot. She's a natural." Roger says in an effort to reassure you. You know it's a harsh new world now, and you know your daughter learning how to shoot is probably one of the best things for her, but you can't help worry. "Well, glad to hear you had fun." You say. "Yeah! I even got to see the New Security Scout Team coming in from a mission! They said they had to fight a mutant! Sounded exciting! I can't wait to be able to become one of them one day!" Well now you're worried and Roger already knows it. "Uh, Cindy why don't you go into the back, I'm sure we'll all be eating soon." Roger says. Cindy complies, but she knows all too well an argument is going to be occurring soon. You give Roger that "look" that he knows all to well is one of displeasure. "Suzy, before you even start I really did not put that idea into her head! I didn't even know the scout team was coming back today! Let alone that she was going to bump into them." "You're the head protector! How would you not know that?!" you say. "Hey, I take care of internal safety first. Besides, sometimes the scouts come back early if they don't find anything out there." "A mutant sounds like something to me. Look I know Cindy's a teenager and I know she finds all this military type stuff exciting, but I'd at least rather not encourage her desire to want to go traipsing about the wasteland." "Well I'd rather her be safe too, I mean that's why I'm trying to teach her how to shoot and other skills. I mean we can only guide so much and eventually she's going to be an adult and we won't have any control over what she does. You know that." This is an old argument and Roger is right, but you really wish he wasn't. "I know. I know. Just...(sigh) could you at least next time emphasize that being a scout isn't as glamorous as it sounds?" "That I can do. Can't promise you it'll work, but I'll definitely do that." "Well that's the best I can hope for." Roger moves in to kiss you and you return it. "Besides, I don't see why SHE gets to be in the scout team when I'm not a allowed to." Roger says with a smile. You laugh and you close up the store so that you can spend time with your family. It's not the easiest life, but it's more than you ever had before.

[Themes: modern, horror, post-apocalyptic, female protagonist] "...this was a paid announcement by the Ground Zero Corporation..." "Agh! Shut the fuck up already. What the hell did GZ buy up all the goddamn stations?!" you hear Roger shout as he angrily turns the radio off, waking you up. It would seem you're in motion again and you slept through it. "What's going on?" you ask. "Huh? Oh you're up. Nothing's going on, just dumb ass Ground Zero commercials warning about an impending nuclear holocaust as usual. Never mind the fact we got a very real threat that I can't seem to get any information on. Anyway I didn't sleep that much so I just started driving again. Figured you could still sleep though so I didn't bother waking you" Roger says. "So how long have we been on the road?" "More than a few hours definitely. Starting to by pass all this farmland area now, we'll probably be hitting a more populated area soon. I also started to see a few more moving vehicles, though I've also been seeing a lot of abandoned vehicles as well. Oddly no military. Saw a few people even trying to hitch a ride, but I'm not playing good Samaritan right now." "You see any of those things?" you ask. "Hrm, I thought I might've seen a few while I was driving, but from the distance I could quite tell. Wasn't like I was going to check." So far it looks like the plan is still going to Fort Timons, but if you didn't think that was a dubious idea before, you're really uncertain now. He can't get any signal from the radio, for all you know the base might be overrun by those things. Which is exactly what you bring up to Roger, but he seems confident that wouldn't be the case and he's determined to head to Fort Timons. Funny thing considering he abandoned all his comrades at the carnival and said they were all assholes. Guess he's still military at heart. He senses that you still aren't comfortable with his plan though. "Suzy, you don't need to come with me you know. I mean I can drop you off at the next town we go through." Roger says. "And what exactly am I going to do there? I don't have anything except the clothes on my back and with the way things are going, I can imagine I'd be resorting to taking those off a lot just to survive." You say. There's a moment of silence before Roger replies. "I'm guessing that's what you were doing with me back at the carnival. It's fine, I sort of knew that's what was going on. I knew you didn't actually like me." "If you knew all that, why did you risk your career and possibly your life?" "You're kidding right? I mean I know I'm not hideous, but you're a little out of my league. When the hell am I going to get a chance to be with someone that looks like you? I mean sure I knew it was all an act, but in MY mind I could pretend you were being genuine. Though I admit when you stopped me from kissing you and didn't want to look at my face, that sort of hurt." "It wasn't personal. I just don't know you that well and I wasn't ready for that level of intimacy. I was going to pretend you were my ex-boyfriend. (Sigh) I can't believe I even went that far and was going to go through with it. I mean contrary to whatever you may have heard shouted at me, I don't do stuff like that like...ever." "Really? Because you're pretty good at the whole seduction thing, even if you are a bit obvious with it." "I'm obvious with it because it's only just a new skill I developed within the last few days I joined a goddamn carnival just to get out of my goddamn shitty life at home...What the hell was I even thinking?! I'm not cut out to take care of myself! I should've just stayed home and let cannibals eat me in the comfort of my basement!" you say, tearing up a bit. The stress of the week is starting to get to you. "Whoa! You don't mean that. Things aren't totally horrible. Hey if it make you feel any better, I felt a little bad knowing that I was going to take advantage of what was obviously the act of a desperate woman." Roger says. Now you stop sniffling and start to chuckle at the absurdity of that statement. "But of course that wasn't going to stop you." You say. "Well no of course not, but I assure you I would've felt guilty about it." "No you wouldn't have." "Okay you're right, I wouldn't have, but I would have still gotten you out of that carnival if you had asked afterwards." "Well at least it wouldn't have been for nothing. (Sigh) Guess it all worked out anyway. I mean we're both still alive due to our choices and I am thankful I'm not dead and that you probably saved my life back there." "And I'm thankful I at least got to see you naked." "We'll always have the trailer I suppose." You don't exactly feel good about your situation, but Roger's attempt to lighten up the mood at least has you feeling slightly better. "So...why don't you tell me about this ex-boyfriend of yours? I'm guessing he must've been some sort of handsome stud if you're still thinking about him." Roger says. "Heh. Not especially. He was a normal looking guy. Not too much different from you in that department. He's just the only guy I've ever been with, so, it was more comfortable to think about him instead. Anyway it was sort of complicated with him. Long story that I don't want to get into right now." "I understand. Well I'll just say this, he was lucky to have you as a girlfriend and was a damn fool to let you get away." "Hrm...actually you know what? You're exactly right. He WAS lucky to have me and a damn fool to let me get away!" you say with a bit of pride. You know Roger is half saying this just in the hopes to get you into a compromising position again, but what the hell, it's an ego booster and it keeps you in a positive mindset at least. "Shit." Roger suddenly says. "What now?" you ask. "I just looked at the gas gauge, we're practically out. Goddamn it I thought Ernie gassed this thing up recently." "We can't make it to Timons?" "Well we could risk it on fumes to Fort Timons, but I'd rather not chance that during these circumstances. I don't even have a rubber hose that we could use to suck out the gas from one these abandoned vehicles we've been passing." "Well I guess we're stopping at the next gas station then." "Assuming they got any. I get the impression just popping into the next gas station isn't going to be that simple." You and Roger continue to drive for about a half hour before you see something of interest in the distance. Namely a truck stop, which apparently has been converted into a minor fortress. "Hey look at that!" you point out. "I see it. It's a truck stop and it looks like whoever is there is trying to block the place off by putting trucks around it. They even got people standing on top of the trucks with rifles as look outs. They probably got gas." Roger says. "I dunno. Whoever is there probably isn't going to be too trustful of anyone, especially someone from the military. They might just try to rob us." "We gotta try. I mean we need gas, and given how well this place is defended, we at least know they probably got some. Who knows if we'll get lucky some place else." You and Roger drive to the truck stop, which immediately causes the lookouts to point and raise their rifles in your direction. When you stop in front of it there are a lot of shouts for you to stay in the truck. "We don't need any government assistance here, we're doing just fine as you can see. I highly suggest that y'all just continue on your way." One of them shouts. "I'm not here for trouble. I just need some gas. We get that and we'll be on our way to Fort Timons." Roger shouts back. "Gas? Don't fucking think so soldier boy. With the way society is collapsing that shit's gonna be valuable and money is gonna be worthless." "Well, would you accept a trade of supplies for gas?" "Hrmmm, well whatta you got?" "Got some military rations in the back of this thing. Those things last for years you know." "We got tons of food, what else? Any weapons?" "Uh...there might be a couple...oh we got some medical supplies in here!" There is a long pause and he tells you to wait before climbing down the truck and disappearing from sight. Eventually you hear his voice again which is now coming from behind the truck barricade. "Okay, we're gonna move this truck, but one funny thing happens and you're the first one getting a bullet to the head. Alright, we're letting this one in, everyone keep extra look out for those rabid bastards!" "You still think this is a good idea?" you ask. "Well it's like I said, our options for gas are limited." Roger answers. As soon as the truck is moved out your way, the man who was barking orders at you waves you in and motions you over to the gas pumps. As soon as you drive in they put the truck back. Either they're really safety conscience or they don't want to risk having you get away. From this distance you see several more people in the building part of the truck stop. Looks like it's a general store/diner combo. Most of them are watching you from the windows, though a few of them come out, one of them is an older man with a cane who walks directly to the pumps. "Okay, I want the two you in that truck to exit it slowly. I don't care if you got weapons, but don't point them at me or anyone else in a threatening manner." The old man shouts. Roger takes his rifle over his shoulder and exits the truck. You do like wise, though being unarmed you exit from Roger's side just so you don't feel quite as vulnerable. Naturally rifles are pointed at the pair of you, but the old man with the cane shouts telling them to calm down. "You lot, stop pointing your guns and start unloading this truck. Sorry about that, everyone's a little on edge. Name's Henry. I own this place." He says. "Roger and it's understandable." "Well, a military man eh? Thought all the National Guard were off fighting those rabid things in the city. From what I've heard the place is completely overrun now." "The city? You mean Security is overrun?" you ask. "Yep. Heard it on the radio. Not the regular one of course. Those GZ bastards seem to be clogging those up, but on my Ham Radio. Been trying to communicate with Fort Timons, but my radio isn't exactly in the best condition..." "Hold on! You've been in communication with Fort Timons?!" Roger exclaims. "Well, somewhat. More like my old buddy I served with back in the day who still works there as an inventory clerk. Haven't heard anything from him since yesterday. All I know is the last thing he told me was the fort was on high alert and further communication was going to be limited to a need to know basis and only to those with the proper clearance. Typical military bullshit I suppose, well I don't need to tell you." "Uh, we were on our way to Fort Timons. Do you think it's safe?" You say. "Heh, well I couldn't tell you if the fort is safe, but I can tell you that those rabid fuckers have been making their way out of the city en mass and given how far the city is, they apparently don't get tired and can cover a lot of ground. We just repelled a bunch of them yesterday. Hence the make shift fortress here. Fort Timons is even closer to the city, so at best I'd wager that you're going to have to wade through a bunch of those things before getting there. Not something I'd want to do to be sure." Henry remarks. "Shit, those things are in the city and they were in my town! This means this can't just be a local thing! It's probably a nationwide epidemic! We can't go to Fort Timons now!" you exclaim. "We don't know if the place has fallen to those things." Roger replies. "Exactly! We don't know!" you say. At this point Henry interjects. "If I may, the both of you can stay here. We've got the room and your truck full of supplies as far as I'm concerned buys your way in. And I'm sure as a military man, you'd pull your weight here to defend this place if need be. So you and your girlfriend can stay here if you wish." Henry says and then walks over to oversee his people unloading the truck. It's an incredibly tempting offer and one you'd jump at the chance for, but Roger still seems sure that Fort Timons will better in the long run. You wonder if he feels a little obligated to go back to Fort Timons because deep down he feels like he abandoned his post even if hasn't admitted it. The only downside is if Roger doesn't stick around and you do, you'll be left in the company of a bunch of strangers again and that didn't go so well last time. You can only imagine all the leers, grope attempts and possibly worse from a bunch of horny trucker types. > You continue to Fort Timons While you probably could talk Roger into staying if you turned on the charm again, you've done enough of that for quite some time and honestly he might be right as far as safety is concerned. Despite the best efforts of the people here, this truck stop is still open enough that those things could get in. (Crawl under the trucks for one thing) Also while the owner seems cool, you don't know everyone else and the last time you encountered a cool owner was the carnival and you know how that turned out. You also imagine that a military base might indeed survive an extended siege a lot better than this place. "Suzy, I still think going to Timons is a better idea than staying here. I'm going, so if you want to stay..." Roger says before you interrupt him. "No, I'll go with you." "But I thought you thought it was a bad idea." "Well, I still sort of do, but I guess if this is a major crisis and the end of civilization, I'd rather be with you. So if you believe we'll be safe there, then I believe we'll be safe there." Roger smiles at that remark. He immediately goes to hug you, which you weren't quite expecting, but you hug back. You suppose you are getting attached to him. Just a sucker for men who save your life you guess. After this happy experience Roger goes over to gas up the truck and you wait nearby. You don't even notice Henry come up to you. "So you two decide on what to do yet?" "Huh? Oh, yeah we're going to try to make it to Timons." "Hm. Well I wish you luck on that. Too bad you're not staying though, could use a few more people to guard this place and help out around here." "Yeah, well I wish we were staying too, but well he wants to go to Fort Timons so that means we're both going." "Heh, well love for another always has a way of making you act out of character." "Y...eah something like that I guess." You say reluctantly. Henry still hasn't caught on that you aren't really "with" Roger, but you don't bother correcting him. "Don't worry, you got this big truck, so you should be safe as long as you don't get out of the thing or stop for a long period of time to let those things swarm you. And despite my doom and gloom earlier, don't take that as truth. I mean what do I know. I'm stuck here with a Ham Radio that I can barely get to work right at the best of times. Things might not be as bad as they seem. Who knows? Maybe this will all be over in a day or two." "Heh, one can only hope." You say. "Remember though, if Timons doesn't work out, you're welcome to come back here." "Thanks Henry that's very generous of you." After your short talk with Henry, Roger is ready to get going again and you've got the fuel to get to your destination. "We left you those MREs and the water. No need to leave you without the basics. Anyway, like I told your pretty girlfriend here, I wish you luck and if it doesn't work out, you're welcome to come back here." Henry tells Roger "Thank you and we'll keep that in mind." Roger replies and drives off towards the "truck gate" which is now opening up. And with that you're on the road again. "Hey I just want you to know, I'm really glad you're coming with me. I mean I know you didn't want to and...look I think you know I really like you and it's not just because you flirted with me and I saw you naked and all that. I really enjoy your company. Probably not the best time to be addressing all this shit, but I think its better I just tell you where I stand right now. Especially with everything that's going on. Anyway that's all I want to say and I'll drop the subject." Roger says. You're having a déjà vu moment like when Klepto admitted all his feelings for you, though with Roger it feels a little different. You get a little more sincerity with him. Klepto was always a little too sycophantic as far you were concerned. Hell, maybe you didn't just decide to go off with Roger out of survival. Here or even back at the carnival. Maybe somewhere you did have an attraction to him and you just denied it for some reason. It's that damn "good girl" trait you never shook off from your mother drilling it into your head when you were growing up. "I...I like and feel close to you too Roger." You say and smile back at Roger. With this acknowledgement of your feelings for each other, a good period of your drive is in silence, but not an awkward silence, a comfortable one. The silence isn't just going on in the truck, it's also going on outside or least relatively speaking. Despite what Henry said, so far you haven't encountered any hordes of those rabid things and you're driving through suburbs by this point. You also haven't seen many people walking about, but you assume most people are taking shelter somewhere. Happily the streets aren't clogged with abandoned vehicles. That was one thing that Roger was more worried about. A line of vehicles is a little harder to drive over even with a big truck. Night comes and the rabid are a little bit more active though nothing that can't be handled. Most of the time Roger just drives past them and they give chase for a while, but sometimes he runs them over. "Sheesh, they are getting thicker. Glad we don't actually have to go INTO Security. Pftt, Security. Now that's an ironic name for the city. Anyway we should actually get to Fort Timons around two or three in the morning." Roger says. "Glad to hear it. I'm getting tired, but I'm too on edge to sleep." You say. "Eh, go ahead and close your eyes at least. I'll try to keep the zombie smashing to a minimum." "They aren't zombies, I think we established that they're living right?" 'Yeah, pretty sure they're all alive, just rabid. Or whatever is wrong with them. Dunno if they infect anyone though, don't want to ever find that out." "I agree." You reply and then try to take Roger's advice by closing your eyes. You don't really sleep so much as you rest and sort of drift in and out. You aren't fully awake again until Roger calls your attention to your destination which isn't far now. "Ha ha! Suzy wake up! We're here! We made it and look they even got the towers lit up! The fort still stands!" he exclaims in joy. "Huh, yeah. That's really..." before you can finish your groggy words Roger has stopped the truck, grabbed you and kisses you full on the lips. You're too tired to resist, though you wouldn't have bother anyway. "Well was it everything you expected?" you ask after he's done. "Even better!" Roger says and then tries to kiss you again. "Whoa, hold on there, let's save the victory kissing until AFTER we get in this place. I mean how do we even know they'll let us in?" "Oh we'll get in, I know we will." Roger says and starts up the truck again. You get within range and suddenly spotlights move in your direction and a loud speaker calls out for you slow your speed to a crawl and to stop at the gates and to prepare to be inspected. Roger complies and soon you're sitting before the gates of Fort Timons. You can imagine snipers from the towers are pointing their weapons on you and when the gates open a whole damn squad of soldiers comes out. A young man with glasses comes up to the driver's side. "Riley? Is that you? Holy shit, we thought your squad was dead." "It's me Keller and I'm the only survivor. You'll never believe what the hell happened." "Riley?" you think, but then you realize that must be his last name. In fact it's right on his shirt. Funny how you never noticed before. Never noticed he was a corporal either. "Well there's been a lot going on here too, so probably won't be too surprised. Anyway Captain Higgins will want to see you. Uh, he's in charge now." Keller says. "Shit, I guess a lot has changed." "Yeah, who's this in your passenger side?" "This is Suzy. She actually saved my life out there. Don't worry she's not bit or infected or anything." "Guess you never had to suffer it first hand, but if you're referring to those rabid, they don't infect you if they bite. One good thing about all this I suppose. Saved your life eh? How'd that happen?" "Oh I got something surprised when I first encountered one of those things and it was on top of me snarling and growling. Suzy here got a knife and stabbed it in the face. Just enough for me to put it down permanently with a few rounds to its head and body." "I'm also his girlfriend!" you add, hoping that by having a closer tie to Roger that they'll let you in. "Girlfriend? Hrm. I guess stressful situations really do cause close bonds. Well under normal circumstances we wouldn't let a civvie in that isn't blood related or your spouse, but I guess we can make an exception. All right come on in. Don't want to risk having this gate open any longer than it needs to be." As you drive in you at last feel safer than you have been in a long while. Roger and you both exit the vehicle and Roger tells you that some people will probably take you to the barracks or some place with a bed. He says he'll meet up with you later as he has to go report in. "Okay, I'll see you then." You say and you move in to kiss him goodbye. Well if you weren't his girlfriend before, you certainly cemented it now. You are escorted to a barracks area just as Roger said you would be, but it's mostly empty. The two soldiers that escort you mention that most of people stationed here never came back after being sent to the city, so there's a lot of room now. They don't say much else and soon leave you to your own devices. And for the first time in a long time during this hellish week, you're alone. It's almost a bit scary, but in a way you've missed it. You're too tired though to really appreciate it and you collapse on one of the beds and start to drift off... > The next day… You wake up to a body grinding up against you, an arm holding you tightly around your mid-section and warm breath blowing in your ear in between the kissing. Not exactly what you expected, but it beats those Ground Zero advertisements. "Wha the...Roger that better be you." You say. "Of course its me. Who else would it be? Bobby?" Roger answers. "Well I couldn't tell, your erection pressing into me feels to be about the same size." "Wow... way to make a guy feel special." Roger says. "Oh don't be sensitive, I could've said it was smaller. Anyway, isn't there some sort of protocol against this in the barracks?" you say turning you head. "Pfft, protocol isn't what it used to be. If you haven't noticed there isn't even anyone using this one, except you and barring an assault on this place, the captain was good enough to give me a day to rest up before going back on duty full time. Higgins always was cool about things, glad he's in charge now." "Hmm, so what's going on?" you ask. "Nothing important, just holding out until we re-establish contact with the government I guess. Higgins might be cool about certain things, but he said he really couldn't give out any more information other than the infected humans are not going to be a threat to us as long as we stay in the base. All the units that were sent out into the city were long since asked to pull back here though obviously not a lot made it back and there has been no contact with any of the units sent to your town." "Shit." You say. "Yeah, guess we both got really lucky. I spoke with some of the guys and a lot are still shaken up about stuff that went down in the city. It's times like this that make you really glad to be alive." "Yeah, I guess we are survivors." You say and for a moment you lie with Roger finally feeling totally safe from the horrors that are occurring outside right now. You haven't felt this way since you left your basement. Your moment is then broken by Roger resuming his groping and kissing on you. "Mmm, you smell so good right now..." Roger says. "Smell good? I haven't had a proper shower in days! Nevermind the fact I've been running and sweating in the same clothes. I'm disgusting, I'd ask how you're even getting turned on by me right now, but I probably do smell like roses compared to you." You say. "Well, come on let's go use the shower together." "...NOW? I mean those things are open, what if someone walks in on us?" "Nobody will. I told you, there isn't even anyone here in this area. Besides we can make it quick." "Quick. Just what every girl wants to hear...(snort) don't you think this is all a little presumptuous of you anyway? I said I liked and felt close to you, when did I say I was going to fuck you?" "When I helped you escape." Roger says continuing to kiss on you. "Oh, that's low..." you chuckle. "So is this more about me owing you something? Is that the way you want it?" "Hey, I'll take it." "Fuck it, I was tired of playing hard to get anyway. It's been several days since I've even managed to pleasure myself so I'm about due. Come on let's go hit the showers." You say and get off the bed. You and Roger go to the nearby shower room. The pair of you are stripping your clothes off on your way there. By the time you've turned on the water, the both of you are naked. You enjoy both the force of the cleansing water hitting the front of your body as well as the force of Roger hitting your girl parts from the back. One of his hands starts to grope your breasts while his other remains gripped at your side. Every thrust feels like a great release from the stress you've endured this week. You scream out in ecstasy for more and you don't give a shit how loud you are and who might hear you. You just hope Roger's got that military stamina to go the distance. You don't know how much time passes because you're enjoying yourself so much and then you feel it. "Oh my God! I'm almost there! Keep doing that! Harder! Faster! Oh yessss..." you exclaim and then the explosion. Namely the nuclear bomb that explodes over the base. Whether this seemingly insignificant military base was a legitimate target or a misalignment from hitting the city of Security (Which probably still got hit too) is irrelevant. Who launched the nuke is irrelevant. Why it was launched is irrelevant. What is relevant is that you, Roger and many others with the large radius of this blast are instantly vaporized. At least you went out with a bang.

[Themes: modern, romance, drama, post-apocalyptic, humor] Several gunshots cause you to wake up. "What the?!" you say still staying on the floor. "Shhhh! Quiet!" Klepto remarks and points over to the one in charge of the guardsmen. He and five others stand near the tent entrance with weapons out. "I don't give a shit WHO started the fight or even why! You carny freaks can tear each other apart after we leave, but until then we're here to maintain order and by god that's what the fuck we're going to do! If I have to break up another fight for any reason, next time the shots aren't going in the air!" the officer remarks and leaves. The other guardsmen continue to stand near the entrance watching everyone who eventually all sit back down. "What the hell happened?" you ask. "Razor and some of the others got into an argument with Phil and his friends." Klepto says. "Who's Phil?" you say. "He does that fire eating stuff. Anyway, they kicked his ass and just as things were going to get worse, the guardsmen came in and put a stop to it like you just saw. Looks like the battle for control over the carnival is already starting." "Surprised we didn't get attacked then." "Well like Shrimpy said yesterday, we've got dwarf protection for now, but who knows how long that arrangement is going to last." "Can't believe I slept through a fight, where's Roofie?" "Oh him? He's still over there out of it, even the gunshots didn't wake him up." Klepto says pointing to Roofie, who then surprises everyone. "I'm quite awake Klepto, I'm just resting with my eyes closed No point in getting up at this point anyway. It's obvious this carnival has lost respect in me; I'd blame you all for smashing me in the back of the head last night, but that was really just a catalyst. (Sigh) Doesn't matter, I predict that we'll all be dead in two days at best." Roofie says. "Roofie, we really didn't want to do it, but you were talking crazy with your idea of attacking the military. Your plan would've gotten everyone killed." You say. "And that may still happen if recent events are any indication. At least with my plan I would've died with the carnival intact rather than seeing it splitting up before my eyes." Nobody else really knows what to say at this point, so you all just get silent and continue to converse with each other. "So what's the next move?" Klepto asks. "I dunno, escape I guess? Can we get to one of the vehicles quickly and drive off?" you say. "Good luck with that given all the guardsmen on high alert now." Fatty points out. "Yeah I don't think we're getting very far." Lifto adds. You sit down and exhale wondering what to do next, but you can't really think right now. It would seem that due to your more proactive suggestions and Roofie's apathy you've somehow become the "leader" of your little group now. You hadn't really planned on that. "For right now, we're just going to stay put, I'll try to think of something." You remark. The rest of your group lack any ideas of their own, so they comply with your plan (or lack there of). Time passes and you mostly do a lot of casual conversation and mental speculation of what might happen "if you do X." You half expect someone else to try to escape, particularly when they say they need to use the bathroom, but given that they always return under the same guard they left with it would seem nobody has the guts to really try it, not even Razor. Nobody else in your group comes up with any plans either, but you do notice Shrimpy occasionally heads over to the group of dwarves. He claims he's just securing the "alliance" but you're more inclined to believe he's just trying to secure his own safety. So far though the dwarves are still supposed to be on your side. Roofie has continued to lie on the sleeping mat not saying anything to anyone. You still feel a little bad about betraying him especially given that he not only brought you into this carnival and liked you enough to give you a personal trailer, but also that he potentially saved you a lot of pain when Razor was going to kick your ass. You go over to talk to him. "Hey Roofie." You say. "Hrm, hey Suzy." He grunts. "Are you okay?" "Me? Well other than not having a drink all day, I'm fine. Just been making peace with my life I suppose." Roofie says. "Roofie, I'm still very sorry about..." "What? Having Lifto wack me over the head? I've forgotten about that or rather I've rethought my own stance on that. You probably were right, I mean sure I would've rather died like that, but that was sort of selfish of me to want to use my last bit of dwindling influence to get everyone to follow me. Would've especially been a shame if you'd gotten killed in the crossfire. You're actually very talented." "You're just saying that." "No it's true. I didn't make my decision to hire you based on looks or on a whim. In the brief moment you've performed as a clown you were good. I mean it's obvious you're even a leader with how you got the other clowns hanging on your decisions. (Sigh) If only you had come across this carnival sooner. Things might've been much different." "Well I'm not sure how much of a leader I am, because I can't think of what comes next." You say. "You'll figure out something I'm sure. One thing though and while I don't hold out much hope, if you can somehow keep this carnival together...do it. I know the current situation isn't the best and I know you haven't exactly been welcomed by everyone, but I see something in you that would feel fulfilled if you could experience the carnival like it once was. Like a family." "A family?" you say with a smirk. "Hey like I said, you came in during the family fight. And that's what happens in families sometimes. Family fights are always the most vicious, but after it dies down, sometimes the family unit can be stronger than ever. And I think you could be happy if you can keep this family from tearing itself apart completely. But you'll have to be the one to do it. I don't have it in me anymore." At this point Roofie touches your hand and you pat his before leaving him be again. You wonder if this is more of a last request by a "dying" man rather than looking out for your personal fulfillment. Still, you think he's genuine and sure it would be nice if the entire carnival became the happy family you never had, but you just don't think that's going to be possible. You look around and see nothing much has changed except a changing of the guards. One of them happens to be Roger, which makes you think of a possible way you could escape. The only problem is it's going to rely on being more "charming" than you already have been with Roger and that could potentially get you into a situation you don't want to be in. > You stay in the tent While it might be an opportunity to escape, you're not going to risk it. Roger might be a little smitten with you, but he's athletic enough looking that you don't think you could easily fight him off if something went wrong. Given that there is a state of martial law right now, you're likely to get yourself shot or worse. Better to stay in the tent and come up with a plan where you at least might have some back up. So you're currently back to square one, sitting around doing much of nothing until the National Guard decides to leave (whenever if and when that happens). You spend most of your time thinking on what Roofie said and your current position at the carnival. The only way you're ever going to have safety and have a family is if you take direct action towards those goals. "Lifto, Shrimpy, you're with me." You suddenly say and say you going to see the head of the dwarf faction. "Uh, I dunno if that's a good idea, he's been doing a lot of preparation lately." Shrimpy says. "I'm sure he has, and its in our best interest to find out exactly what that is. Maybe YOU can afford to play both sides, but I'm not taking that chance." You say and start walking over to the crowd of little people. As you approach, the dwarves instantly start closing ranks and their demeanor changes to a defensive one. "Back again Shrimpy? I didn't anticipate your sycophantic antics for another hour or so. And you must be Suzy, the new clown girl that's been pissing off all the ladies and turning on all the guys. Hrm. Upon a closer look, I understand the appeal, but you're still no dwarf woman." an older dwarf says, though many of his fellows probably don't share that opinion. "I take it you're the leader of your group?" "Yep, though I don't suppose Shrimpy's bothered to mention my name is Billy. If you're here about our current alliance, you needn't worry since I've reassured Shrimpy so many times about it that it's getting to the point of annoyance. Glad to you at least changed it up by appearing yourself, could've done without the big ugly clown behind you though, but I'm guessing he's a poor attempt at intimidation." "A girl likes to have a big strong man to watch her back sometimes." "Heh, and that's why you've practically begged a bunch of little men to do it to eh? Let's cut to the chase, what do you really want? I already know that you're the new leader of the clowns given what you did to old Roofie over there. Bet he didn't see that coming." You don't know how else to put it so you just say it, which comes to a surprise to Shrimpy and Lifto as well. "I'm going to be the new leader of this carnival and YOU'RE going to support me in this endeavor." Billy smiles at this remark and then chuckles. Several of the other dwarves do likewise. "You? Really? And you think we're just going to support you in this? I hope you had a better plan than preparing to fuck every munchkin in munchkin land Dorothy, because at this juncture I guarantee that would be the ONLY way that you MIGHT come close to your dreams of being in charge. And if that was your plan, you can forget it, because I'm happily married. However, it might gain you favor with some of my friends. Could ensure that your group will have a place in the new carnival order that will be coming soon, but that's a choice you'll have to make on your own." "You really think the rest of the carnival is going to follow you?" "They won't have a choice, we dwarves have always been the backbone of it and it's about time we just took the spotlight. Just like my Great Uncle Charley always wanted to do so long ago." "Yeah and apparently that didn't work out so well given your current situation. You know why? Nobody truly respects you. They're content to let you do the grunt work, but they don't want you to be in the spotlight, unless you're making a fool of yourself like Shrimpy here." You say. "HEY!" Shrimpy remarks. "Watch your tone there blondie, you're starting to tread on very dangerous ground." Billy warns. "Yes, I know and I'm also trying to explain that you're ALREADY in control by being the backbone of the carnival. You might very well be able to win this internal struggle, but would there be anything left? This place has languished under Roofie, obviously, but it could be great again if it had the right ring master. Someone who could bring in the people. You said it yourself, I've got most of the guys here salivating over me just by my presence. You know how advertising works, I bring 'em in with a wink, a smile and some sweet talk, the other performers get the money out of them and someone has to keep the infrastructure together and that's you. We could work together as a more than just co-workers we could be like...a family. Like how carnies are supposed to really stick together." Your words give a moment of pause for Billy who ponders them for a moment, but then shakes his head. "Y'know, that's a really good speech, the problem is you haven't been here but a few days and you're already trying to take over. In family terms, you're like the hot twenty year old nurse that married great grandpa on his death bed in the hopes of inheriting everything despite the fact he's got a multitude of family members that are far more deserving since they had to put up with his shit a lot longer. Now that doesn't mean I don't think you're sincere or even that your idea isn't a worthy one, its just I don't see YOU as that potential leader. If this carnival does split apart after the dust clears, well maybe it was meant to be, but I'm not spending the remainder of my life following another half-assed leader again. So to sum up, if you want to be on our side then great, if not, then I highly suggest you all get in your clown car and all get jobs at a rodeo or something." At this point Billy's done talking and waves you all away. Well that could've went better. "Are you nuts?! Why the hell did you do that for? You're lucky he isn't cancelling our protection!" Shrimpy says. "Well I can't say it was the best of moves, but I guess you had to try." Lifto says. Between Shrimpy's concern for his own self-preservation and Lifto's impotent comment, you're wondering if you shouldn't re-consider trying to escape again. Ultimately you all head back to the table where upon Shrimpy and Lifto explain what happened. Fatty and Klepto are both surprised by your actions, but Klepto again makes the usual attempt at being more "understanding" than the others. Christ, he never quits. "I don't need this right now, I'm going to be by myself." You say grabbing the small radio that they were listening to and head to where Roofie is still lying on his mat with his eyes closed. You don't know if he's still awake or genuinely asleep now, but he at least doesn't appear to be in any mood to bother you right now. You spend a few more hours listening to one of the radios while the others play cards and try to talk about mundane things. You're not getting the best reception and it's no Internet, but it's better than nothing. You mostly listen to a lot of special breaking news talking about how bad things are getting in various parts of the world. You hear about the riots going on and think about your own town and how your "real" family is doing. Ben's hidden personal bomb shelter was somewhere in the backyard, you wonder if you shouldn't have just tried to look for it and moved in there, it probably was stocked. Then as the sun starts setting, you hear a bunch of shooting and shouting outside. You see the other guardsmen near the tent entrance rush off, leaving everyone unsupervised. Naturally no longer being supervised means chaos within the tent begins to erupt though you have no idea why people aren't more concerned about why the National Guardsmen are shooting and yelling at something outside. Lacking any better idea, you try to wake up Roofie, but he doesn't stir. "Oh shit..." you say to yourself. Apparently his last words to you WERE his dying request literally. While you're the only one aware of poor Roofie's unexpected passing, a full on fight in the tent breaks out. Predictably, it's Razor and her faction vs. Billy and his faction. Some of the smaller factions join in while others just run out of the tent altogether. It's very lucky that your group is nowhere near the center of the tent where the fighting is and more or less in a corner. "Suzy! It's begun!" Lifto shouts. "Yeah! We need to get in and help Billy or we're going to be next!" Shrimpy adds. > You help Billy With all the gunfire going on outside, you don't exactly feel as if that would be any safer. Better help Billy for now. You all approach the massive brawl, but none of you save for Lifto has any real desire or ability to fight. Shrimpy finds a place to hide and occasionally throws something at someone, Klepto gets knocked out by one of Phil's crew and its only with the help of Lifto that he doesn't get his face stomped in. Fatty does a little better due to his size, but he's not much in the endurance area and has to stop to catch his breath every few minutes (which results in someone inevitably trying to attack him) You try to stay out of it and maintain a close distance to either the dwarves or Lifto. You occasionally point out potential dangers and sometimes even manage to club someone in the head with a juggling pin you found on the ground, but you're nowhere near in the thick of it. While all this is going on, you notice a decrease in the gunfire from outside and a lot more screaming and groaning. Through the chaos you see Roger staggering just outside the tent and collapsing near the entrance of it. Seeing that you're not really affecting the "power struggle" you rush over to Roger to see what the hell happened out side the tent. When you get to Roger, you notice he's badly wounded and bleeding a lot. You don't know if he's going to make it. "Roger! What the hell...what happened?!" "(Gasp) They...just...came out of nowhere...(gasp) a bunch of them." "What?! What came out?" you ask. "I dunno. Ugggh...hurts...(gasp) they were insane looking...snarling, biting..." You notice that most of Roger's wounds do look like bite marks. You can't believe that you're even pondering this, but... "Shit, Roger, are you telling me you just got attacked by...fucking zombies?" At this point Roger doesn't respond he's falling unconscious and his breathing is getting short. You attempt to sit him up and smack him awake, but nothing is working. He's going to die and if your vast knowledge of zombie movies is any indication he's going to soon become on as well. That's the least of your concerns however since while you're holding on to Roger, one the "zombies" that Roger alluded to suddenly comes out from behind one of the parked military vehicles. It doesn't see you immediately, but it will if you hang around out here. Standing up and backing away from Roger's soon to be lifeless body and trying to get back in the tent, you bump into another equally unpleasant individual and no less dangerous. Her face is bloody and several of her piercings have been pulled out, but if she's out here that can only mean she won. "There you are, clown bitch. I was hoping to get the pleasure to beat your blonde ass myself, too bad Wanda the Red caught a knife to the throat because it might've been fun to watch her anally rape you with her twelve inch strap on before I kicked the shit out of you." Razor remarks. "Razor, there are zom...there are some insane people that just..." you start to say and then Razor punches you across the face, knocking you to the ground. While you're holding the side of your face, Razor pulls out a bloody straight razor. "Don't worry, I don't plan on killing you, I just plan on making you the first in our brand new freakshow!" Razor says and is about to get on top of you to carry out her promise, but all your survival instincts kick in and you scream and kick at her. If she were a man, you would've gotten in a couple good ball kicks. Eventually she grabs one of your legs with one arm. "Good! Struggle bitch, this is just making it more fun for me. Ain't nobody gonna save you anyway. Everyone else is licking their wounds or dead! The carnival is under my control now!" "I wasn't screaming for someone in carnival to save me." You say. Razor is confused by your remark only because she's been so focused on doing harm to you that she's completely ignored her surroundings. Not only did the zombie hear your scream, but so did several of his fellows and unfortunately for Razor they're the fast variety. The one that was near the military vehicle is already upon Razor by the time she does look up and two more are loping quickly behind. You quickly scramble into the tent hoping that the dead that Razor mentioned inside aren't turning and this is a "bite style" infection. Razor wasn't kidding when she mentioned people either being wounded or dead. Granted there are more than a few people in fair condition, but resting from the past brawl is more of a priority right now. Too bad for them that isn't an option. "Oh god! Hel... AGGGGGH!" "You hear that? That's the sound of your short-lived leader getting ripped to shreds by cannibal freaks. So if you idiots are done killing each other over power, you better get ready to kill for survival!" you shout and grab the nearest blunt object as you hear the screams of Razor being presumably eaten alive outside. No sooner have you grabbed a piece of chair leg, one of the zombies rushes in. You manage to bash it once across the head and then again before it goes down. It grabs at your feet and you're about to smash your improvised club on it, when Shrimpy suddenly has run up and done it for you with a juggling pin. You both at that point keep hitting the thing until its brains are mush and it isn't moving anymore. "(Whew) Thanks Shrimpy. Glad to see you survived." "You as well, what the hell are..." "Later, Shrimp. Concentrate!" you say as the other two zombies come lurching in. Fortunately at this point you and Shrimpy get a little more back up from some of the other carnies and luckily nobody else gets hurt. After killing the pair of them, you're suddenly bombarded by questions about what the hell they are. The only thing you can think of is zombies, but after a bit of cautious investigation by some of you, you start to wonder if that's even accurate. You come to several fortunate conclusions and discoveries. First of all it looks like there aren't anymore of those things alive anymore and the National Guard are all dead as well. So those dangers are out of the way. Second, nobody dead has come back to life, (bitten or not) so at least this isn't contagious whatever it is. In fact you see one of the "zombies" laying dead with several bullet wounds to the chest and no head wound, so you don't think these things are undead at least. But the fact that you've got crazed cannibal people running loose is still cause for concern! As you, Shrimpy and several others continue to cautiously investigate outside the tent, Shrimpy mentions some bad news while you two are away from the group. Namely Lifto, Fatty, Billy and Roofie were all dead, though you mention you already knew about Roofie. "Yeah, the old guy died peacefully in his sleep I guess. Probably best that he did just before what happened. So what about Klepto?" you ask. "Oh he's still alive. He's still unconscious, from that first hit, but he's still alive. Hey, I meant to say I'm sorry about being so self-serving like I was, before all this went down Suzy. I guess I just got scared." "Well...it's in the past now. Besides you came through for me when I really needed it. So you said Billy's dead?" "Yeah, that bitch Razor got him just as he was finishing off Wanda the Red. As you might expect the remaining dwarves are pretty broken up about it. But then I guess Razor's dead too, so I'm not sure where that leaves us." "A possible opportunity I'd say. Looks like the National Guard left a lot of supplies that could be useful in the near future. Come on let's head back." You say and pick up one of the rifles. Laying on the ground nearby. When you get back to the tent, people haven't moved much from their original positions though the medical supplies taken from one of the military trucks should help patch up the wounded. You stand in front of everyone and give a speech. You know it probably won't go over well, but this is as good of time as any. "Okay people as a great man who recently passed away once said, a carnival can be like a family. Now we've just gotten over a major in house feud and an external threat and guess what, we're all still here and alive to talk about it. That means we can move on and grow stronger from this because I get the impression that we're REALLY going to need to have that unbreakable bond of family in the near future. A strong family also needs a strong leader and that's why seeing as I'm currently the only one more or less in good physical condition at this time, I nominate myself as ringmaster." You expect some verbal outbursts at this point, but everyone is still too exhausted or unwilling to get into more conflict, but you are getting a lot of frowning looks. "Now I already know what you're thinking, this bitch hasn't been here but for a few days so who does she think she is telling us all what to do? Well let's answer that. You're right, I'm new here, but I know A LOT about dysfunctional families. And every dysfunctional family ALSO needs a scapegoat to place the blame on. Now as ringmaster all the major decisions and such would fall to me and as such if I fuck up severely, well who gets the blame? Me of course. It's my hope of course that as a leader I can change everyone's perspective of me through successes. However, most of the females here already hate me based solely on how I look, and most of you guys just see me as a living sex doll, so really what have you got to lose? If it turns out that I'm a total failure as a leader then you all can easily throw me out on my ass and choose someone else." Nobody says anything. Just an awkward pause, which you decide to fill in with more talking. "And if someone is worried that one group is going to get preferential treatment like say the clowns well you can stop worrying since most of them are currently dead and I'm probably going to be too busy with being ring master than clowning." "Fuck it, let the cute clown slut run this place. Her mouth looks like it's a highway for oral sex, but she can't be any worse than what that mean ass cunt Razor had planned. At least she's got a positive attitude." Some dwarf woman says in the back holding a bloody rag over her forehead. And with that "sterling" endorsement several others just agree as well. Looks like you're the new leader of this carnival and all it took was a complete bloodbath and the apathy of the survivors to do it. The remainder of the night is spent building a small barricade around the big tent and clearing out the dead. Nobody knows if more of those geeks (Which is the new name for the "zombies" and appropriate considering the history of what a carnival geek does for a living) are going to show up and where they came from so for safety reasons everyone stays close for the night. Some are in no condition to move anyway. Eventually you fall asleep realizing that tomorrow is going to be a busy day for you. > Next day... "Hey fearless leader, wake up, your people demand it." Shrimpy says tapping you on the shoulder. Groggily you sit up, you swear you feel like you've barely gotten any sleep at all. Shrimpy stands nearby along with Klepto, the dwarf woman who "endorsed" you yesterday and a wiry scraggily looking man. You think he runs one of those carny games...specifically the one where you shoot a water gun at a clown's mouth. "What's going on?" you ask. "What's going on is a bunch of shit, that's what darling. After the midgets here..." "Fuck you Jack, we're DWARVES." The dwarf woman interrupts. "Whatever Dolores. Anyway after the...little people rounded up all the military supplies last night I got one of their radios tuned in to other military frequencies. Turns out that the nearby town has been overrun with those things we killed yesterday. The poor bastard that I spoke to just before it sounded like he got his guts ripped out said they don't know whether it was a virus or not., just that there were a shitload of them. Either way I say we got lucky that only a few wandered out this far. We need to get the fuck outta here." "My town...wow...uh..." you say being surprised by this revelation. You really are at a loss for words right now. You start to think about your real family and even Bobby. Are they okay? Are they already dead? Are they one of those things? "Suzy? You okay? You're spacing out." Klepto says. "Huh, yeah, I'm just...okay yeah we obviously need to get out of here. Start packing up the rest of our stuff and..." "Sweetheart didn't you hear what I said? I said there's probably fucking crazed cannibals on their way here right fucking now! We ain't got time for that shit! We need to just load up as much supplies we can and take off in our vehicles. This is the fucking end times man!" Jack says. "It's not going to take that much longer to pack down, we had most of the stuff ready to go before the National Guard arrived. Some of our people are still wounded badly and need the rest as well. Besides, living in our trailers is going to be a lot more desirable than living in just a regular vehicle if there is a complete collapse of society going on right now." Shrimpy remarks. "Okay then Tom Thumb YOU and the rest of the lollipop kids do it. Me and some of the others? We're taking supplies and leaving. Not stayin' around here waiting to be cannibal chow." You've been in charge for less than one full day and already someone is threatening to break away and worse, not even taking any notice of you. You just bludgeoned crazed freaks to death yesterday, you're tired of not being taken seriously. "Jack, if you or others want to leave you're free to do so, but what you're not doing is taking any of those military supplies from here. Those belong to the carnival and as such belong to all of us. Now if you don't want any part of that any longer, lots of luck, but you and anyone else that wants to leave you go with what personal items you came with." "Pfft, whatever. I didn't elect you as leader. I'm only telling you as a courtesy, you can stay here and get eaten or come along and I can keep you safe. In fact to pass the time we can play shoot the clown in the mouth, except it won't be water going in your mouth, it'll be my..." Jack isn't expecting you to kick him in the balls. The moment you do he winces and crumples. You follow up with a knee to his face. He's down and you have everyone's attention in the tent. "That's the last fucking blow job reference I'm going to hear from you or ANYONE else for that matter. Now listen up, as I remember most of you were fine with me being in charge yesterday and goddamn it that's what I'm going to do, be in fucking charge. This is STILL our carnival, that hasn't changed and I'm not going to let it fall apart just because the rest of society seems to be. Now this is what we're going to do, we're going to finish packing up our shit, get our trailers and such in order, we're going to also take the military trucks and then we're going to move on. Now if some of those geeks show up well we've got some brand new rifles and pistols to try them out on. Anyone who doesn't like this plan can leave with the shirts on their back and nothing else! Now let's stop fighting and get some of this damn shit done!" At this point those that are in condition to work, proceed to do so. "What about him?" Shrimpy asks pointing at Jack who is still on the ground. "Throw his ass out, he made his decision." You remark and then notice Dolores smiling. "What're you smiling about?" you demand. "Nothing, but I'm beginning to like you, blondie." Dolores says and then whistles over several dwarves who promptly pick up Jack and haul him away. Dolores then leaves to go tend to other matters. Shrimpy says he's going to go help and leaves as well, leaving you alone with Klepto. "Well, looks like you underwent quite a change while I was knocked out yesterday. I like it. Assertiveness is an attractive trait on you." "Klepto, I've got a lot on my mind and I'm in no mood for your nice guy trying to get into my pants routine right now." You say. "Okay, okay, sheesh, I'm just...nevermind...fuck I'll just leave you alone ringmaster." Klepto says and walks off. You can't worry about Klepto's fragile ego right now, you've got bigger concerns and that's on top of still thinking about your "old" family. You know you made the decision to leave them all, but that was still just a few days ago and you still never wanted any of them to suffer at the hands of whatever the hell those things are. Speaking of which you still have to worry about those geeks. Jack might've been out of line, but he still might've been correct about some wandering towards the carnival like those yesterday did. Considering the dwarves still seem to be the largest faction and friendliest toward you, you have some of them armed with the rifles to stand on top of the trailers and keep a look out. You keep yourself busy by helping with the clean up. Hours pass and that's when your lookouts see something approaching. Not the geeks, but rather a few pick up trucks which look like they're holding several men carrying shotguns and rifles. You call everyone to immediately take a defensive position and to fall back. You aren't sure what to expect, but a bunch of heavily armed men can't ever be a good thing. Unfortunately as leader, you're going to have to be the one to handle this visit, hopefully peacefully if you can. As the pick up trucks stop, you stand several feet away with your "snipers" keep a bead on your visitors. You hang on to your own rifle and several other carnies do likewise. One of the men gets out one of the trucks with his hands up. Looks like a redneck, in fact you imagine this lot are from the trailer park a few miles down the road. "It's okay, it's okay li'l lady, I see yer guys up there. Ain't nobody lookin' for a fight." He says. "Doesn't look that way, given that you've come with three trucks full of armed men and don't tell me its hunting season." You say. "Heh, well I'm sure given your own heightened state of awareness, you know things are getting' dangerous nowadays. Anyway my name's Mel, I'm guessin' since you're the one talkin' you're in charge here. Ringmaster or something like that?" "Something exactly like that." you say. "Okay. You...uh...got some military gear here too I see. That truck over there." "Yeah, what of it?" "Oh nothing, but that brings about the question of where are the guardsmen...heh yeah they tried to tell us what to do too. Didn't work out so well. The second amendment says you got the right to pack it after all. Government can't just do what they want." At this point more of Mel's men get out of their trucks as well. Your people and Mel's people are both starting to eye each other waiting for someone to fire a shot. "Look let me cut to the chase honey. I'm assumin' you might know by now what's been happenin' back in town. Besides the government tryin' to pull their shit, there's a bunch of freaks runnin' around tryin' to eat people. A bunch of them attacked us last night and while we fought them off, some of us got badly hurt and are in need of medical supplies. Now of course we did try goin' into town first, but was just too fucked up there an' we didn't make much head way what with the freaks AND the guard all over the damn place. Then it occurred to me today that your circus might still be around and the National Guard probably would've been here as well so we decided to investigate. Now the group of weekend warriors at the trailer park had shit for medical supplies. So I'm hoping your detachment had more in that department." Mel looks up at your dwarves upon the trailers. "Now you might get a few of us, but I'm bettin, most of us are better shots than y'all, so if you give us what medicine supplies you do have we'll leave here in peace, if not well..." At this point things could get very violent very quickly. > Open fire You let these assholes come in and take medical supplies and they won't stop there. After all you've been through you're not putting up with MORE people not taking you seriously. "FIRE!" you shout and run back for cover as your people do just that. Naturally the trailer park crew do the same as their own leader runs for cover too. You've never shot at a human before, but you do remember when your brother Ben tried to show you how to shoot once. You weren't very good at it then, and you're not very good at it now, and sadly neither are a lot of your people. Several carnies get killed in the ensuing gun battle and many more get hit. While your own side does score a few hits of its own, Mel wasn't bluffing when he said his people were better shots. It's actually amazing that you come through unscathed, though that might be because Klepto in his foolish attempt to play hero gets fatality shot when trying to shield you. The only thing that prevents the rednecks from completely overrunning you is one of the jugglers lobs one of the few grenades that were acquired from the military with fairly good accuracy, blowing up two of their trucks (and some of them) and giving the survivors enough pause to understand that a continued attack is not in their best interest. Mel and the rest quickly pile into the surviving truck and drive away. You've won, but at a high cost. The carnies have already suffered losses and wounded with the recent internal struggle. Those that aren't wounded or dead are now experiencing a mixture of sorrow, rage and loss of hope. "Well what now fearless leader?! We got even more dead and wounded thanks to your leadership!" Dolores exclaims. "Would it have been better if I just let them come in a take all our shit?!" you snap. "It would've been better had we not got all our asses shot off! If it hadn't been for Zackary throwing a grenade we'd probably all be worm food!" "And how the hell is that my fault?! I was shooting at those hillbillies right along the rest of you! I didn't see YOU hitting any of them!" While you and Dolores continue to argue Shrimpy steps in to try to mediate. "Hey we don't have time for all this infighting! Haven't we had enough of that shit? Now we survived and that's the most important thing. I say we continue with our original plan and get the fuck outta here, in fact I think we should just pack up and go RIGHT NOW. Those rednecks aren't going to just take this loss, they're going to come back in force." "Are you kidding me? You want us to just turn tail and run after this? We need to get revenge!" "Dolores, we already got several wounded people who are in no condition to fight! Never mind the amount of dead! We have no idea how many of those gun toting rednecks there are or even how much weaponry they have!" Shrimpy says. "Most likely a lot and that's not even counting whatever they got from the military." You add. Dolores isn't deterred however, she's just angrier specifically at you. "Are you...(Sigh) can't believe I supported you as a leader, must've been the goddamn blood loss from my head wound after the carnival fight. Look, now maybe this gunfight was a cluster fuck and that's why I'm pissed, but I suppose in the scheme of things you at least stood up to these bastards. If we hit them now, they probably won't even expect it, and you heard their leader, he said they had a lot of wounded of their own, so how many of them could there really be?" Dolores exhales and now gives you an even more glaring look, which you didn't think was possible. "However, your plan is to just run off and not avenge our fallen then maybe you need to get the fuck outta the way and hit the road like you told us to do with Jack not too long ago. Suzy, if YOU want to continue running this carnival YOU better do the right thing. " Dolores' intentions are obvious and clear. She's going to go take revenge no matter what. What isn't quite obvious is if she's going to have the support. There are probably some that will support her, but several more are likely to not want to do any more fighting. > You leave now "Dolores, you're not going to intimidate me any more than those stupid rednecks, if you want to go get your head blown off in a futile task then be my guest, but the rest of us are leaving..." Without another word, Dolores points her weapon at you. This action causes the few that are still in fighting condition to raise their own weapons as well. Some of them at Dolores and some at you. "Don't think so blondie. I'm running this show now." "Dolores have you lost your mind?!" Shrimpy exclaims. "Shrimpy, you better pick a fucking side, because your days of riding the fucking fence are soon coming to an end, now you either support the carnival or you can get the fuck out too!" Dolores says. While having a rifle pointed straight at you, would've been terrifying at one time for you, it's not anymore. "Dolores, if you think this is going to make me back down, you're sorely mistaken." "And if you think that I won't shoot you, you're sorely stupid." "Dolores look around you, I don't see a united front against me. All you're doing is going to cripple your own cause by opening fire and that's assuming you even survive this. If you really want to get revenge on those rednecks then you're going to need everyone you can get. And THIS is not the way to do it." Dolores might be angry, but she's not stupid and knows you've got a point. "All right then, you got a suggestion blondie? And don't say just to follow you, because that's not happening." "No, I can see that. (Sigh) I can see that this carnival is doomed to tear itself apart so the way I see it, anyone who wants to come with me, leaves right now. This means we're going to leave with most of our personal possessions and some supplies, half of that stuff is still ours, but we'll just take what we need. We're also going to be travelling lighter, so we're just going to take some of the smaller vehicles. You can have all the trailers and the bigger trucks. Since I imagine most of the wounded won't be in any condition to travel so you'll need those if only to give them comfortable transport when the time comes." "What about weapons?" Dolores asks. "Well everyone keeps their personal ones along with some ammo and YOU make due with whatever is left. Hopefully for you, most people that are armed stay with you. As a gesture of good will though, you can keep the few grenades we have. While I get the impression they would come in useful, I also think if you have any chance of beating those rednecks, you're going to need them more than we will." At this point you hold out your hand to solidify the deal, which Dolores gives you a sideways glance before returning the gesture. "Fine, but I better not catch any of you cowards taking more than you need!" Afterwards she starts calling everyone and anyone who'll listen of why they should stay with her and take revenge on the trailer park. You on the other hand aren't going to try to convince any more people, you're done with speeches for a while, as far as you're concerned it's been a bit of a waste of time. If they want to come, then good, if not, then oh well. On your way back to your trailer to pick up your personal belonging, you notice that it must've caught a few stray bullets during the gunfire. When you open up the door, you're met with an even bigger surprise. On the floor you see Ranko with several bullet holes in him and bleeding out. Nearby is a straight razor close to his hand. He sees you and struggles to speak. "Suz...zy...you gotta (cough) help...me..." he says. "Oh this is rich, you want ME to help you? What the hell were you doing in my trailer in the first place? Going to attack me? Maybe rape me perhaps?" you say picking up the straight razor. "I...was...goi...pologize...(gasp) (gurgle)..." "Yeah, excuse me if I don't believe you. You deserve to die and with the day I've had, I think I'll take the opportunity to enjoy watching it." "(gurgle) Fuck...you...(gasp)..." Ranko utters. Those words are his last as he slowly finishes bleeding to death. Well he certainly left a mess, but considering this isn't going to be your trailer anymore at least you don't need to worry about cleaning up. As you're packing up, someone enters the trailer, you're a little paranoid, so you immediately draw your weapon only to see Shrimpy. "Whoa! It's just me! I was just wondering which...holy shit, is that Ranko?" "Yeah, the asshole apparently was hiding in here waiting to ambush me. Caught some stray bullets as you can see. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. So what did you want?" You say. "Oh well, I was just coming to ask which vehicle did you want? I mean considering Lifto and Klepto are both dead, I figure we got more right to those two before anyone else might at least." "So you're coming with me?" "Of course. I was against attacking the trailer park remember? In fact there are several people ready to leave. Dunno how Dolores' raid on the trailer park is going to go, but that's hardly our problem right?" You pause a bit before addressing Shrimpy's rhetorical question. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing, abandoning the carnival like this? I mean Dolores had a point when she said I just threw out Jack without supplies because he wanted to leave. I feel like sort of a hypocrite." You say. "Well...I think you're doing the best with the cards that were dealt and that's all you can do sometimes. I mean there are people here that have been with the carnival longer and they're ready to leave without hesitation, so you certainly shouldn't feel bad about it. I mean with the way the world is going nowadays, does something like a carnival even have a future anymore?" Shrimpy says. "Maybe not, we probably should stick to rural areas for at least a few days until some of this shit dies down, but I'm just wondering what we're going to do with ourselves for the future in general." "Well I'm sure we'll figure something out. But just know that I'll stand by your decision whatever it is." "Thanks Shrimpy...hey what is your real name anyway?" "Heh, oh that. Well haven't been called it in year, but its Lance." "Really?" "Yeah, I know I look far from being a Lance though. You probably picture a big tall heroic guy with a square jaw or something." "Eh, those guys don't exist in real life anyway, well at least they've never existed in my life, but you've been all right." Lance smiles and waits for you to finish packing and the pair of you head to Lifto's vehicle, which to your surprise has been fitted to accommodate a "shorter" driver. You, Lance and several others leave the carnival which is now in the process of gearing up for the raid on the trailer park (or housing the very wounded) you can't imagine how that's going to go, but you hope Dolores is successful even if you didn't see eye to eye with her. Lance and you drive along with several other vehicles in an odd caravan like fashion. Really there is no reason why everyone needs to stay together, since everyone is free to go their own separate way, but perhaps leaving the carnival is too much of a change and at least there is a little bit of a familiarity by sticking with the same people. You and Lance converse the entire time you drive, though eventually at one point you start to get sleepy and Lance takes over with the driving. Feeling the safest you've been in days, you drift off to sleep... > Next day... A loud noise in the distance wakes you up and you also notice you're no longer moving. "HOLY SHIT SUZY WAKE UP! LOOK!" Lance yells and you feel a rough shake to your arm. You instantly open your eyes and with a brief head swivel, you see something that is going to change your life more than anything else in the world. A mushroom cloud in the far distance. You're not feeling any tremors or aftershocks, a wave of fire hasn't engulfed you, so you're guessing that it wasn't excessively close, maybe it was even a small one. Still, you can't help but wonder if you're in some sort of deadly radiation radius though. If so there isn't much that can done about it. "That's it then...the world finally went and did it..." you say to yourself. You're much calmer than Lance is, who is obviously distressed. In fact given that most of the vehicles haves stopped, you can only guess that he's not the only one. Some are getting out to look and that's soon followed by a few breaking down into tears or arguements. "Lance, we're going to be okay. Just like you said, we'll figure something out." You say and start unlocking the door. "Where are you going? I think we should stay inside, I mean there might be radiation or something." "Lance, if we are within the fallout blast, then we've probably already acquired enough rads to kill us anyway. I'm going to go try to calm everyone down because if this is it, then we'll actually do a lot better in the survival aspect if we all work together." It takes a moment and you stand on top of your vehicle to do it, but you soon get everyone's attention. "Hey! Listen up! This might be the end of civilization as we know it, but it isn't the end of the world! Sure life is going to be harder now, but when hasn't it been for us carnies? Why just this damn week we suffered through a military occupation, an internal civil war, an attack by freaks, and an attack by a bunch of rednecks. We've already splintered apart enough already. No way are we going to descend any further. We've come too far." You think you're getting better at making speeches because this time you're seeing less frowning faces and general attentiveness. "We used to drift from place to place providing entertainment as a source of our survival well what has really changed? We'll still be drifters because that's how we'll survive. This world just got a whole lot shittier and we ARE nomads and vagabonds by nature. Surely we'll be picking up, collecting, and scavenging useful material, items and the like to trade in our travels. I know we all have useful skills, surely with those, our ability to learn and adapt and a team effort we'll be able to keep this FAMILY together a very long time." "Yeah. Suzy's right. We can survive this." someone says and several others agree. While you don't get a feeling of enthusiasm, at least this time you are not met with apathy. In any case, you and some of the others get together to decide where to head next and what to do about food, and fuel. This isn't going to be easy, but then this whole week has been a trial for you. No longer are you the shy "good" girl who hid away in the basement, harassed by your family and living as one day blurred into the next. You are part of something bigger and not just that, but a leader. It's a brand new day and this is just the beginning of your brand new life. > … Nomad The Future... "Mom, why can't we just head to Rebirth, it's closer and we can get better deals there." Lucy asks you. "Because last time we stopped through, they were beginning to go through a power struggle and while I know it's over now, the new ruling head of that town is an asshole." You reply. "And how exactly does that make him any different than the last guy?" "The last ruler of Rebirth at least tried to curb the amount of wanton violence and rape in the community. This guy encourages it. The place is little more than a glorified wasteland thug haven now. We walk in there and at best we're going to come out of a firefight alive and poor. At worst, well I think you know what will happen." Lucy doesn't say anything. She's fully aware of the dangers of being female, let alone a teenage girl that looks like her in this new harsh world. Still, she can't help arguing the point. "But don't we risk death and worse just by roaming from place to place all the time anyway? Wouldn't it be better if we found some place to settle down?" "Heh, I guess you don't remember because you were so young, but your father and I tried that once. Didn't work out very well when the little town that we THOUGHT was secure got overrun by raiders. That was probably one of the scariest days of my life. After years of previously being drifters, we let ourselves get unprepared. It was a mistake on my part since I thought a more stable environment would be better to raise you in, as it turned out, should've stayed a nomad and I'd say that's worked out a lot better." "How? We're always living a hand to mouth existence. Our group still loses people to violence and other causes. I mean dad died because we don't have proper medical treatment available." "Lucy, your father might've died anyway even if we hadn't been living a nomadic existence. I know they say civilization is rebuilding, but most of the places we've been to aren't exactly stellar in their medical facilities themselves. The exceptions might be those fucked up Ground Zero communities and I doubt if you'd want to live some place like that." "No, I guess not." Lucy says. You look at Lucy and understand she's just being a little rebellious due to her being a teenager right now. She's at the age where she doesn't want you to be so close all the time. It's funny because you went through no such rebellious period yourself and your lifestyle was the exact opposite right now. You never went anywhere; you never really did anything save for staying in your basement. Now? You've seen more and done more than you ever could've imagined. In fact you've lived a nomadic existence long enough that you think you prefer it, even when you temporarily settled down years ago. You (and her father) have taught Lucy how to take care of herself in this harsh world. Still, you do wonder if you're probably a little overprotective of your daughter, you won't be around forever and she should have the opportunity to live her own life and if that means she wants to live in a permanent residence then perhaps she should be given that chance. "Lucy, the world is still pretty fucked up now, but despite my previous cynicism, I suppose parts of it are getting better. Maybe one day you can find a nice place to settle down that won't be run by a bloodthirsty warlord or in danger of being raided by mutant cannibals. And if that's your choice, then you're free to do it. I know you'll have to live your own life eventually." You say. Lucy smiles at the permission, but reassures you that she had no intention of leaving you yet. It's comforting, since it shows that she still wants you around. She's still your child. You, Lucy and the rest of your ragtag band of traders, tinkerers and scavengers make your way to the town of Blivop. Not exactly the best for trade, but at least the people there aren't complete amoral rapists and murderers. Later that night when your caravan sets down for the night, you drift off to sleep with an old worn clown nose in your hand. You squeeze it a couple times, remembering happy times with your now departed husband. "Goddnight Lance." You say and slowly drift off with the round red foam ball in your hand.

[Themes: modern, humor, female protagonist] You let these assholes come in and take medical supplies and they won't stop there. After all you've been through you're not putting up with MORE people not taking you seriously. "FIRE!" you shout and run back for cover as your people do just that. Naturally the trailer park crew do the same as their own leader runs for cover too. You've never shot at a human before, but you do remember when your brother Ben tried to show you how to shoot once. You weren't very good at it then, and you're not very good at it now, and sadly neither are a lot of your people. Several carnies get killed in the ensuing gun battle and many more get hit. While your own side does score a few hits of its own, Mel wasn't bluffing when he said his people were better shots. It's actually amazing that you come through unscathed, though that might be because Klepto in his foolish attempt to play hero gets fatality shot when trying to shield you. The only thing that prevents the rednecks from completely overrunning you is one of the jugglers lobs one of the few grenades that were acquired from the military with fairly good accuracy, blowing up two of their trucks (and some of them) and giving the survivors enough pause to understand that a continued attack is not in their best interest. Mel and the rest quickly pile into the surviving truck and drive away. You've won, but at a high cost. The carnies have already suffered losses and wounded with the recent internal struggle. Those that aren't wounded or dead are now experiencing a mixture of sorrow, rage and loss of hope. "Well what now fearless leader?! We got even more dead and wounded thanks to your leadership!" Dolores exclaims. "Would it have been better if I just let them come in a take all our shit?!" you snap. "It would've been better had we not got all our asses shot off! If it hadn't been for Zackary throwing a grenade we'd probably all be worm food!" "And how the hell is that my fault?! I was shooting at those hillbillies right along the rest of you! I didn't see YOU hitting any of them!" While you and Dolores continue to argue Shrimpy steps in to try to mediate. "Hey we don't have time for all this infighting! Haven't we had enough of that shit? Now we survived and that's the most important thing. I say we continue with our original plan and get the fuck outta here, in fact I think we should just pack up and go RIGHT NOW. Those rednecks aren't going to just take this loss, they're going to come back in force." "Are you kidding me? You want us to just turn tail and run after this? We need to get revenge!" "Dolores, we already got several wounded people who are in no condition to fight! Never mind the amount of dead! We have no idea how many of those gun toting rednecks there are or even how much weaponry they have!" Shrimpy says. "Most likely a lot and that's not even counting whatever they got from the military." You add. Dolores isn't deterred however, she's just angrier specifically at you. "Are you...(Sigh) can't believe I supported you as a leader, must've been the goddamn blood loss from my head wound after the carnival fight. Look, now maybe this gunfight was a cluster fuck and that's why I'm pissed, but I suppose in the scheme of things you at least stood up to these bastards. If we hit them now, they probably won't even expect it, and you heard their leader, he said they had a lot of wounded of their own, so how many of them could there really be?" Dolores exhales and now gives you an even more glaring look, which you didn't think was possible. "However, your plan is to just run off and not avenge our fallen then maybe you need to get the fuck outta the way and hit the road like you told us to do with Jack not too long ago. Suzy, if YOU want to continue running this carnival YOU better do the right thing. " Dolores' intentions are obvious and clear. She's going to go take revenge no matter what. What isn't quite obvious is if she's going to have the support. There are probably some that will support her, but several more are likely to not want to do any more fighting. > You get revenge If you're going to have any hope and future of keeping this carnival together with you as leader, you're going to have to get revenge on those rednecks. Maybe Dolores is correct in that there won't be too many of them in fighting condition. "Okay, okay, we'll do something about those hicks. Just gotta get organized first..." you say before Shrimpy interrupts. "Suzy are you serious? Haven't you noticed all of the wounded and dead we have?" "Yes, and that's exactly why we're going to hit those bastards back hard! Look Shrimpy, if this is the way the world is going to work now, we need to always stand up to bullies or else they'll just walk all over you. Trust me, I know what the hell I'm talking about. Now you can either get with the program or hit the road." You say. Shrimpy is taken aback by your harsh tone. He doesn't reply, he just nods and leaves. He doesn't leave, so he's willing to fall in line despite believing that this is a bad idea. Dolores and yourself both gather those still in fighting condition and convince them that an attack is in order. You manage to convince most, but there are a few that leave. Dolores is nearly ready to blow their heads off for wanting to take some supplies with them, but not wishing to cause another potential internal firefight you allow them to leave with minimal of supplies. Within an hour and a half everyone that is willing to come with you is loaded up and ready to go. Shrimpy, in perhaps an effort to show his dedication says he'll come too, but you tell him to stay behind with the wounded just so there is someone that can help them in case they have to be moved immediately. "I'm not exactly how much I'm going to be able to help in that regard. My name isn't Lifto." Shrimpy says. "Well, not all of them are down for the count. I'm sure you'd be able to help a few at least." You say. "Suzy, you don't need to do this, we could just leave. This attack is a suicide mission. It's obvious from the last firefight with those good ol' boys we can't hit for shit." "Well, fortunately we've got some automatic weapons in that regard, more bullets, more likely to hit the targets. Hey it happens." You say. Sensing he isn't going to talk you out of this, Shrimpy wishes you good luck and you're on your way to a path of rip roarin' revenge, though there is a part of you that would just like to run. You lead the drive to the trailer park since you actually know where it is exactly. When you arrive, it's hard to tell if the place is in shambles from when their leader said they were attacked or if it always looked this way. No sooner have all your vehicles stopped, when Dolores has already gotten out of the military truck you took and started lobbing the remaining grenades at the trailer homes. "Come on out you inbred sister fuckers!" she shouts and begins firing randomly at the rest of the homes. "Dolores, get back in the..." you begin to say and then suddenly Dolores actions have attracted return fire. "Over there! Fire over there!" Dolores shouts and takes cover. At this point Dolores is giving out orders and you're not being listened to at all. Despite Dolores' enthusiasm for revenge it doesn't suddenly make her a better "commander." You at least try to remember all those times you played video games on your computer and know that wading straight forward into battle is traditionally a shit strategy so you attempt to try the classic pincer maneuver. Unfortunately given that you're the only one using any sort of critical thinking and nobody is actually listening to you, you're mainly stuck by yourself, trying to pick off the hillbillies when you see them pop up. If you were actually a good shot, you might've actually turned this attack into a successful one. As it stands, the trailer park crew even with the wounded they have and catching them off guard with the grenades, still outnumber you severely and STILL have better shots. They also have explosives of their own perhaps not military grade like you had, but when you've got a lot of half empty liquor bottles lying around and people with too much time on their hands well sometimes even the lower born get creative. Your vehicles and your people are suddenly bombarded by several Molotov cocktails and someone even has a homemade "launcher." The explosions are big, loud and fatal to most of your people who were still taking cover behind them. The others who weren't have already gotten cut down by the gunfire. Dolores herself is lying dead with a bullet hole in her head and you're suddenly hearing hillbillies whoopin' it up and seriously worried about your physical safety. "Whoo hoo! Somebody keep the pretty blonde one alive! We can have a good time wit her!" you hear one of them shout. "Goddamnit Ray, stop thinkin' with yer dick for one minute, she's still armed ya dumb shit!" you hear Mel shout back. Seeing as none of the vehicles you came in are usable anymore you attempt to run. You just hope you've got more endurance than a bunch of overweight beer swillin' hicks. They aren't going to be able to follow immediately by any working vehicles they might have due to the flaming scrap heap blocking the trailer park entrance created by their homemade bombs. You MIGHT have made it, if they weren't lead by a more pragmatic leader type. Just goes to show that you can't judge people just by where they come from... As soon as you make it to the road, a single shot rings out and you feel a burning sensation run through your upper back and up your spine. You then feel numb and collapse instantly. You're paralyzed, not just from the waist down, but from the neck down. You panic and the tears start when you know this is it. Mel arrives before the rest of his crew who are now complaining loudly about Mel shooting you. "(Sigh) Well darlin' you asked fer this. I get why you attacked, but that doesn't fuckin' mean we're gonna sit and take it in the ass any more than you did. Just be glad, I'm puttin' you outa yer misery rather than lettin' the rest have their way with you." Mel says. You don't reply and just close your eyes waiting to hear the final shot.

"Hey fearless leader, wake up, your people demand it." Shrimpy says tapping you on the shoulder. Groggily you sit up, you swear you feel like you've barely gotten any sleep at all. Shrimpy stands nearby along with Klepto, the dwarf woman who "endorsed" you yesterday and a wiry scraggily looking man. You think he runs one of those carny games...specifically the one where you shoot a water gun at a clown's mouth. "What's going on?" you ask. "What's going on is a bunch of shit, that's what darling. After the midgets here..." "Fuck you Jack, we're DWARVES." The dwarf woman interrupts. "Whatever Dolores. Anyway after the...little people rounded up all the military supplies last night I got one of their radios tuned in to other military frequencies. Turns out that the nearby town has been overrun with those things we killed yesterday. The poor bastard that I spoke to just before it sounded like he got his guts ripped out said they don't know whether it was a virus or not., just that there were a shitload of them. Either way I say we got lucky that only a few wandered out this far. We need to get the fuck outta here." "My town...wow...uh..." you say being surprised by this revelation. You really are at a loss for words right now. You start to think about your real family and even Bobby. Are they okay? Are they already dead? Are they one of those things? "Suzy? You okay? You're spacing out." Klepto says. "Huh, yeah, I'm just...okay yeah we obviously need to get out of here. Start packing up the rest of our stuff and..." "Sweetheart didn't you hear what I said? I said there's probably fucking crazed cannibals on their way here right fucking now! We ain't got time for that shit! We need to just load up as much supplies we can and take off in our vehicles. This is the fucking end times man!" Jack says. "It's not going to take that much longer to pack down, we had most of the stuff ready to go before the National Guard arrived. Some of our people are still wounded badly and need the rest as well. Besides, living in our trailers is going to be a lot more desirable than living in just a regular vehicle if there is a complete collapse of society going on right now." Shrimpy remarks. "Okay then Tom Thumb YOU and the rest of the lollipop kids do it. Me and some of the others? We're taking supplies and leaving. Not stayin' around here waiting to be cannibal chow." You've been in charge for less than one full day and already someone is threatening to break away and worse, not even taking any notice of you. You just bludgeoned crazed freaks to death yesterday, you're tired of not being taken seriously. "Jack, if you or others want to leave you're free to do so, but what you're not doing is taking any of those military supplies from here. Those belong to the carnival and as such belong to all of us. Now if you don't want any part of that any longer, lots of luck, but you and anyone else that wants to leave you go with what personal items you came with." "Pfft, whatever. I didn't elect you as leader. I'm only telling you as a courtesy, you can stay here and get eaten or come along and I can keep you safe. In fact to pass the time we can play shoot the clown in the mouth, except it won't be water going in your mouth, it'll be my..." Jack isn't expecting you to kick him in the balls. The moment you do he winces and crumples. You follow up with a knee to his face. He's down and you have everyone's attention in the tent. "That's the last fucking blow job reference I'm going to hear from you or ANYONE else for that matter. Now listen up, as I remember most of you were fine with me being in charge yesterday and goddamn it that's what I'm going to do, be in fucking charge. This is STILL our carnival, that hasn't changed and I'm not going to let it fall apart just because the rest of society seems to be. Now this is what we're going to do, we're going to finish packing up our shit, get our trailers and such in order, we're going to also take the military trucks and then we're going to move on. Now if some of those geeks show up well we've got some brand new rifles and pistols to try them out on. Anyone who doesn't like this plan can leave with the shirts on their back and nothing else! Now let's stop fighting and get some of this damn shit done!" At this point those that are in condition to work, proceed to do so. "What about him?" Shrimpy asks pointing at Jack who is still on the ground. "Throw his ass out, he made his decision." You remark and then notice Dolores smiling. "What're you smiling about?" you demand. "Nothing, but I'm beginning to like you, blondie." Dolores says and then whistles over several dwarves who promptly pick up Jack and haul him away. Dolores then leaves to go tend to other matters. Shrimpy says he's going to go help and leaves as well, leaving you alone with Klepto. "Well, looks like you underwent quite a change while I was knocked out yesterday. I like it. Assertiveness is an attractive trait on you." "Klepto, I've got a lot on my mind and I'm in no mood for your nice guy trying to get into my pants routine right now." You say. "Okay, okay, sheesh, I'm just...nevermind...fuck I'll just leave you alone ringmaster." Klepto says and walks off. You can't worry about Klepto's fragile ego right now, you've got bigger concerns and that's on top of still thinking about your "old" family. You know you made the decision to leave them all, but that was still just a few days ago and you still never wanted any of them to suffer at the hands of whatever the hell those things are. Speaking of which you still have to worry about those geeks. Jack might've been out of line, but he still might've been correct about some wandering towards the carnival like those yesterday did. Considering the dwarves still seem to be the largest faction and friendliest toward you, you have some of them armed with the rifles to stand on top of the trailers and keep a look out. You keep yourself busy by helping with the clean up. Hours pass and that's when your lookouts see something approaching. Not the geeks, but rather a few pick up trucks which look like they're holding several men carrying shotguns and rifles. You call everyone to immediately take a defensive position and to fall back. You aren't sure what to expect, but a bunch of heavily armed men can't ever be a good thing. Unfortunately as leader, you're going to have to be the one to handle this visit, hopefully peacefully if you can. As the pick up trucks stop, you stand several feet away with your "snipers" keep a bead on your visitors. You hang on to your own rifle and several other carnies do likewise. One of the men gets out one of the trucks with his hands up. Looks like a redneck, in fact you imagine this lot are from the trailer park a few miles down the road. "It's okay, it's okay li'l lady, I see yer guys up there. Ain't nobody lookin' for a fight." He says. "Doesn't look that way, given that you've come with three trucks full of armed men and don't tell me its hunting season." You say. "Heh, well I'm sure given your own heightened state of awareness, you know things are getting' dangerous nowadays. Anyway my name's Mel, I'm guessin' since you're the one talkin' you're in charge here. Ringmaster or something like that?" "Something exactly like that." you say. "Okay. You...uh...got some military gear here too I see. That truck over there." "Yeah, what of it?" "Oh nothing, but that brings about the question of where are the guardsmen...heh yeah they tried to tell us what to do too. Didn't work out so well. The second amendment says you got the right to pack it after all. Government can't just do what they want." At this point more of Mel's men get out of their trucks as well. Your people and Mel's people are both starting to eye each other waiting for someone to fire a shot. "Look let me cut to the chase honey. I'm assumin' you might know by now what's been happenin' back in town. Besides the government tryin' to pull their shit, there's a bunch of freaks runnin' around tryin' to eat people. A bunch of them attacked us last night and while we fought them off, some of us got badly hurt and are in need of medical supplies. Now of course we did try goin' into town first, but was just too fucked up there an' we didn't make much head way what with the freaks AND the guard all over the damn place. Then it occurred to me today that your circus might still be around and the National Guard probably would've been here as well so we decided to investigate. Now the group of weekend warriors at the trailer park had shit for medical supplies. So I'm hoping your detachment had more in that department." Mel looks up at your dwarves upon the trailers. "Now you might get a few of us, but I'm bettin, most of us are better shots than y'all, so if you give us what medicine supplies you do have we'll leave here in peace, if not well..." At this point things could get very violent very quickly. > You continue to negotiate Being a "native" of the area, you do know something of the types that do live in the trailer park. Most of them probably do nothing else except practice-shooting beer cans all damn day. Mel, is most likely right in that his people are going to be better shots and a gun battle is going to result in a lot of dead on your side. However you can't just let them take your stuff, especially since you're using a lot of it and there isn't much to begin with. "Well, if we had the extra supplies we might be inclined to share, the fact is we don't have much and what little we have, well we need. You start a shooting match here and you're likely to wind up with more dead and wounded than what was worth the effort." You reply. "You'll forgive me if I don't believe you darlin'." Mel replies. "It's true, seriously come on in and take a look yourself. We got a shitload of wounded ourselves in that big tent back there. Just you though, the rest of your people can stand out here and look fearsome." Mel chuckles. "Oh just me huh? And as soon as I go in I'm at your fuckin' mercy. Nah, I don't think so." "Fine so take me as hostage. Here..." you say and drop your rifle and walk over to Mel. A couple people shout at you, but you just wave a hand at them as if to tell them to calm down. Meanwhile Mel stands watching you approach. When you're before him, he's definitely staring you up and down. "You got a pistol I presume?" you ask Mel. "Yeah." "Well pull it out and put it to my head." You say turning around and putting your body against Mel's and then putting one of his arms around your waist. "Well... shit girl, you're just somethin' else ain't cha?" Mel says barely keeping his composure as he pulls out his pistol. "If you say so. In any case you now have a little insurance that should be good enough for you shouldn't it? I mean...I'm putting my complete trust in you. You're in complete control" you say and grind up against Mel's body a little more while turning your head a bit to flutter your eyes at him. Mel is at a loss for words, but his buddies aren't. "Woo Hoo, looks like the li'l blonde number is sweet on ya Mel!" "I say we take her back, instead of medical supplies. I never liked Bobby Ray to begin with. Motherfucker can bleed out fer all I care!" "You plannin' on tradin' Tina up fer her? "Why's Mel get all the pretty ones? He's already got Tina, I say one of us should get the blonde!" At this point some arguing breaks out, followed by Mel shouting at them to shut the fuck up. He then turns his attention back to you. "Heh... you ...you are trouble girlie. If I took you back to the trailer park, you'd probably have every man ripping each other apart over you. I can barely keep these dumb fuckers from doing that now. In any case, let's go look at the medical supply situation. Come on." Mel says motioning you to move. "As you wish." You say. Mel and you head back towards the carnival where upon you give him the "grand tour" showing him that it is indeed true that you don't really have much in the way of medical supplies. He also sees all the people that are wounded too. "Hmm, well I suppose y'all COULD still be hidin' such things somewhere, but honestly I'm inclined to believe ya. This place has even less military vehicles than the ones that were at the trailer park and it sounds like from what you told me there weren't even that many guardsmen here. From the amount of wounded I see, you probably did use up most of the pittance that the military brought with them...how did you get all these wounded though? Nobody looks like they're suffering from gunshot wounds. The cannibal creeps?" "Nope. All these wounded are from each other. Long story, let's just say carny politics is complicated and I came out on top." You reply confidently. "I see...well you have certainly displayed a certain amount of balls putting yourself in the vulnerable position you did. (Sigh) All right, you dealt straight with me, so I'll deal straight with you. Guess we'll try the town again." At this point you and Mel head back to the "neutral zone" where upon Mel releases you (reluctantly) and waves at his people to get ready to go. As they drive away, you breathe a heavy sigh of relief and rush back to the others. Dolores approaches you when you arrive. "Well that was an interesting way to handle things, but it worked. Those good ol' boys woulda probably killed and wounded a lot more of us." "Yeah, an' now we need to get the hell out of here. I don't trust them to not come back with a bigger group and attack us anyway." "Well, we probably could've done with a bit more of a rest, but I can't argue with that logic, they weren't the most reputable lookin' an' you're the boss. One good thing about having some recently departed, is that the trailers have a lot more room in them now. Speaking of which, your own trailer is already hooked up to a truck. We should be ready to roll in about an hour." Feeling like you deserve a rest after recent events, you head back to your trailer to relax. As soon as you enter though, you are suddenly grabbed and tackled to the floor and the stench of bad body odor fills your nostrils. "Don't scream bitch." A familiar voice whispers. You get a good look at your assailant and see a man with half worn clown make up on his face. It's Ranko and he smells even worse now that he's laying right on top of you. "I see a lot of fuckin' changes to this here carnival have happened since I've been gone. Saw some of it from afar while hiding and waiting for the best time to strike. Nearly got eaten by those geeks in the process, but heh heh heh, I got away..." Ranko begins to press his weight on you so you can't wiggle away while keeping one hand on your mouth and holding a straight razor in his other. His whole outfit is filthy presumably from lurking about in the wilderness for days, but you also notice that he's sporting a couple wounds of his own in the form of bite marks. "Nothing smart to say now bitch? Thought you were the ringmaster now. Head cunt in charge and all that. Fuck you, I SHOULD be in fuckin' charge!" At this point you manage to bite Ranko's hand, which tastes foul, but it's enough to cause him to take it off your mouth, giving you a chance to scream for help, before he backhands you across the face. "Bitch! Maybe if I raped you, you'd KNOW who's in fuckin' charge!" he exclaims and fumbles with pulling down his pants, and keeps the straight razor to your throat with his other hand. (Carnies must love straight razors) All Ranko has to do is make a quick swipe and your throat is going to be opened if you struggle. If you do nothing he may very well rape you assuming nobody heard you scream. Of course he'll probably kill you anyway after he's finished. > You give in Maybe it's because of everything you've been through within the past week, (not to mention the incident with your uncle) but the oddest thing about this situation is that you're more revolted than scared. That isn't to say you're not scared though, you don't want to be raped and you certainly don't want to die, especially given everything you've just survived. The thought sickens you, but you realize there might still be a way to avoid your current horrible situation without resisting. "You gonna treat me like a whore? Come on then do it!" you say. "What?" Ranko asks. "Come on, stick it in me daddy. I want to feel..." you start to say when Ranko pushes the razor against your throat that it feels like its going to break the skin. "You playin' with me bitch?" Ranko says with his face so close to yours that you have to prevent yourself from pulling away due to his bad breath. "Not at all, you're doin' it the way I like it. Daddy used to come into my room late at night and get rough sometimes, but I knew he only did it because he loved me..." "You...are one twisted..." Before Ranko can finish his sentence you muster up the courage and put aside the revulsion long enough to move your head forward to kiss Ranko's lips and even shove your tongue in his mouth. It's the worst thing you've ever tasted, and it's only due to your strong gag reflex (Yes, if most people knew that about you they'd have a field day with the jokes due to that knowledge) that you don't puke. Ranko's blade has cut your neck superficially due to moving your head forward, but your action has had the desired effect of him relaxing a bit. Not enough that you'd trust being able to escape or successfully get the straight razor away, but it bought you some time. "Hah, I KNEW you were into me! No bitch can resist a man who takes charge! You want me to do you like daddy did huh? Well did he ever do this?" Ranko says and then flips you over. "I'm gonna ride your ASS so hard, you're not gonna shit right for a long time!" he says and starts pulling your pants down. "Oh no! I'm a virgin back there!" you say in the most innocent way possible, which of course makes Ranko only laugh like the rapist creep he is and rips your panties off. Meanwhile the blood must've completely left his brain and gone all to his dick, because the idiot dropped his straight razor in his desire to fuck you in the ass. You grab the straight razor, which is now near your hand. Before Ranko can get his dick into the "promised land" you turn your head and swipe backwards with the razor. He's close enough that you catch him across the face. "AGH! GODDAMNIT! FUCKING BITCH!" he shouts and falls backwards holding the side of his face. You scramble forward and grab a couple of nearby items before turning around to throw them at him. He blocks and screams a bunch of obscenities, but before he can advance towards you, someone has at last heard the commotion going on. "Motherfucker..." Shrimpy says opening up the door and rushes to punch Ranko in the small of the back. Ranko back kicks Shrimpy causing the little guy to fall. Sensing he's no longer in control of the situation, Ranko tries to escape out the door, only to trip and fall awkwardly on his face due to his pants and underwear still being around his ankles. You aren't about to let Ranko get away with shit, so you plunge the razor into Ranko's ass and twist. His screams are predictable. "Was it good for you?" you say and then slam his face into the door twice, breaking his nose and causing him to gurgle a bit on his own blood. And for the finisher, you pull the bloody, shitty razor out of his ass and slit his throat with it. You then fall back and sit on a nearby chair breathing heavily after your ordeal. Shrimpy at this point recovers as well. "Shit, I know this is a silly question, but are you all right?" he asks. " (Pant) Well, I'm alright in that at least this fucktard didn't ass rape me, but this wasn't a pleasant experience (pant). Fuck. " "Well at least its over now..." Shrimpy starts to say before he's interrupted. (Knock knock) "Hey what's going on in there, heard all this...holy fuck..." Dolores says as she opens up the door revealing Ranko's bloody face as the first thing she sees. "Nothin' Dolores, just an ex-disgruntled employee. It's been taken care of." You shout. "SUZY! What happened?! Are you all right?!" you hear Klepto remark from outside. "Uh, she's fine Klepto, she just needs some time by herself. Why don't you help pull this asshole out of the trailer?" Shrimpy says and gets Ranko's body by the feet while presumably Dolores and Klepto pull the rest of him out of the trailer. "What the hell happened to his ass? It's all bloody...ugh, this guy smells worse than when he was alive." You hear Dolores say, as the door slams shut. You grab something to cover your naked lower half with while Shrimpy continues to stand in the doorway, just in case Klepto wants to play "white knight" and come see you. "Thanks Shrimpy." You say. "For what, I barely did anything." He replies. "It was enough that you got here when you did." "Well I was initially on my way to ask where are next destination was going to be, but I guess that can wait for now. And don't worry I won't be telling Klepto or anyone else about seeing you...well less than fully clothed." "Well I appreciate that too. As for our next destination, I dunno, with as crazy as things seem to be getting maybe we should just stick to rural areas for awhile." "Yeah, probably for the best. Well I'll leave now, but remember we're all here when you need to talk." "Shrimpy?" you call out once more. "Yes, Suzy?" "What is your real name?" "Heh, oh that. Been awhile since anyone used it, but it's Lance." "Really?" "Really. I know I don't look like a Lance. You tend to think of a big tall guy with a square jaw. A real hero type." "Well like I said, you were a hero today." Lance smiles at this comment and nods before walking out the door. And you're all by yourself again. You look around the trailer and the new blood stains you're going to have to clean. You immediately lock the door, go wash up and allow yourself to break down a bit in the shower. Still through the tears, you realize that you're a lot stronger than you could've ever believed. You're also glad you've got a "family" of sorts now, there is some comfort in that. The rest of your day is spent staying alone in your trailer though given that the whole carnival is soon on the move it isn't like anyone is going to just walk up and knock on your door now. The motion of the trailer combined with the stress of the day causes you to collapse on your bed and close your eyes as you eventually fall asleep... > Next day… A loud noise in the distance wakes you up and you also notice you're no longer moving. A quick look out one of the window and you see something that is going to change your life more than anything else in the world. A mushroom cloud. You're not feeling any tremors or aftershocks, a wave of fire hasn't engulfed you, so you're guessing that it wasn't excessively close, maybe it was even a small one. Still, you can't help but wonder if you're in some sort of deadly radiation radius though. If so there isn't much that can done about it. "That's it then...the world finally went and did it..." you say to yourself. You hear some commotion going on outside, presumably several of the carnies are freaking out, arguing, and generally concerned on what to do next. It's a reasonable reaction to a doomsday situation. You calmly get dressed and make your appearance. It takes a moment, but you soon get everyone's attention. "Hey! Listen up! This might be the end of civilization as we know it, but it isn't the end of the world! Sure life is going to be harder now, but when hasn't it been for us carnies? Why just this damn week we suffered through a military occupation, an internal civil war, an attack by freaks, and avoided another possible attack by a bunch of rednecks. And hell, I had the extra struggle of trying to fit in here and fight off a rape attempt. No way are we going to descend into anarchy again. We've come too far." You think you're getting better at making speeches because this time you're seeing less frowning faces and general attentiveness. "We already drift from place to place providing entertainment as a source of our survival well what has really changed? We can still do that. We WILL still do that. This world just got a whole lot shittier and if we can bring a little joy to some people, well they just might be grateful. And if our entertainment value isn't appreciated, well we ARE nomads and vagabonds by nature. Surely we'll be picking up, collecting, and scavenging useful material, items and the like to trade in our travels. I know we all have useful skills, surely with those, our ability to learn and adapt and a team effort we'll be able to keep this carnival...no this FAMILY together a very long time." "Yeah! Suzy's right! We can survive this!" someone shouts and several others agree enthusiastically. This time you are not met with apathy, but with applause. At last you have truly been accepted. You half expect them to all shout "One of us." Over and over, but perhaps that might be a bit too obvious. In any case, you and some of the others get together to decide where to head next and what to do about food, and fuel. This isn't going to be easy, but then this whole week has been a trial for you. No longer are you the shy "good" girl who hid away in the basement, harassed by your family and living as one day blurred into the next. You are part of something bigger and not just that, but a leader. It's a brand new day and this is just the beginning of your brand new life. > … Greatest Show On Scorched Earth The Future... After yet another successful show, the performers of the Cataclysm Carnival begin to pack down for the night and engage in their usual banter. "Well that was certainly fun. It's been a long time since we got to actually perform an entire show like that." Sparkle remarks while putting away her chainsaws. "Ha ha ha ha, yeah I wouldn't exacty call General Hellstorm's totalitarian city state civilization, but it was a nice change from the usual shanty towns or worse, those Ground Zero owned shelter communities. God, I sometimes wonder what the fuck happened in some of those places after the bombs hit. I swear most of those folks are more fucked up than the people who got caught on the surface." Randy adds. Hector and Lucy step inside the trailer. "I imagine being stuck in close quarters with a bunch of people for long periods of time is bound to make a lot of people weird. I mean you don't have to look too far to see that." Bruno says after hearing part of the conversation. "I hope you remembered to lock up those cat-rat things, this time. Last time they got out and chewed several holes in one of the trailers." Sparkle says. "They're called Nibblers and yes, I made sure they're all locked up. I threw in some meat too so they should be good." Hector remarks. "Hrm, I still dunno how you can work with those things. I saw a wild one take off an arm in one bite before." Randy says. "Just gotta show the little bitey bastards whose boss." Hector says proudly displaying how he still has all ten of his fingers. Lucy says nothing and just walks to the nearest mirror to take her clown make up off. Randy and Sparkle sense something amiss. "You okay?" Sparkle asks. "Shes's pissed because apparently General Hellstorm was flirting a lot with her hot mom at the end of the night. In fact I'd wager that's how we landed this job in the first place." "Hector, I'd appreciate it if you didn't call my mom hot. I told you that before. And I'd REALLY appreciate it if you didn't imply my mother was a whore!" Lucy says. "For fuck's sake Lucy, I didn't say she was! I just meant ol' Hellstorm probably went all soppy when he first saw your mother. She turned on the charm and just reeled in the rube. Shit, we ALL should have such talent when we get to be that age. IF we get to be that age in this shitty world." "Ever the flatterer I see, Hector. Glad to know that a woman in their forties still has a place in this rotten world." You say stepping into the trailer. Hector isn't quite sure how to react. "Um, apologies Ringmistress Suzy." "Relax, you don't ever have to worry about not being charming Hector, you'll always have your Nibblers to keep you warm. Your father Klepto would've been so proud." You say patting Hector on the head in a condescending manner. Sparkle and Randy both greet you, but your daughter continues to focus on the mirror. "Anyway, I'm just making the rounds to everyone and I just wanted to say it was a good show tonight and I'm proud of all of you. In fact we might be coming here to perform again in a few more months. Mr. Hellstorm really enjoyed the show. You'd think a guy that goes by the name General Hellstorm would be all WAR DEATH RAGH! But the guy actually is pretty even tempered, well as far as wasteland warlords go anyway." "Hey which act did he like the most? Did he like my chainsaw bit?" Sparkle asks enthusiastically. "Heh, well to be honest he wouldn't stop going on about the freakshow portion. The guy really liked that bit. If there's one good thing about living in a radiated post apocalyptic landscape, it has got this carnival's freakshow up and running again. On the pragmatic side of things we also exchanged some of those weird laser weapons we found. We'd never use the damn things, but Hellstorm seemed to really like the idea of them and thought he could get them working so we've got food and medical supplies for months. I think Dolores is making a count now..." While you're explaining the upbeat news, you notice that your daughter is still looking into the mirror and scowling the entire time as she finishes taking off her make up. "Could the rest of you leave for a moment, I have to speak to Lucy." You say. Nobody argues and one by one they exit the trailer leaving you alone with Lucy. "All right, what are you pissed about this time?" you ask. "Nothing. Don't you have some guy to go lick your lips at?" Lucy replies. "Not at the moment no, but I'm glad you continue to have such a high opinion of me." "Flirting with power mad warlords, great reason to have a high opinion..." Lucy at this point turns to you with anger in her face. "Goddamn it, Dad hasn't been dead a month and you're already fawning all over some other man! It was bad enough that you did it when he was alive, but can't you even respect the dead?!" "We've been over this MANY times Lucy. I loved your father and I never once was unfaithful to him, but your father would've actually understood better than anyone. Show must go on Lucy. Besides I'm not actually doing anything with Hellstorm, except a tease and most likely giving him something to dream about. I've always done that to the rubes to get their attention, it's part of being a ringmaster. Even that idiot Hector gets that, don't know why you never did." "Because it's fucking embarrassing to constantly hear the sexual innuendo about your mother from passing rubes about how they'd like to master YOUR ring." "Hmm, hadn't heard that one before, sort of an obvious pun when you think about it though..." you remark. "Stop being so fucking calm about this! I mean...sorry...I just...I mean I KNOW it's all an act, but I just wish you'd tone it down sometimes." Lucy says. "Believe me, I do. You've never seen me in full-blown seductress mode. Look, I'm a big girl and not doing anything that I'm forced to do. (sigh) I know you're a worldly girl and all, but there's still a small part of you that's a bit naïve. Must be a genetic trait passed down from me." "Naïve?" "Yes my wonderfully oblivious darling daughter. You seriously believe that nobody is making comments about you? You walk around in a pink and purple skintight outfit with fishnets stockings blowing luminescent bubbles during your act. How do you know that all those lewd remarks are about me? Half of them are probably about you, but you're so concerned with my actions that you're too blind to see that you're just as much of a tease as I am. You're just unaware of it. Much like I was at your age." Lucy is suddenly silent at this realization. It's sort of funny how on the mark you actually were with that statement. You and her father both taught her about this bad new world and she isn't unintelligent, but for some reason the girl has never really caught on to what a real knock out she is. Perhaps in some way you did shield her a bit from having to be really subjected to the "curse of beauty" since the carnival is a "safe zone" of sorts. "Back before the world turned to complete shit I pretty much squandered my natural gifts. Now? I've used them to my fullest advantage, but not just for myself, but for you AND this carnival that we all call a family. You're really lucky Lucy, most people nowadays don't even have a family to look out for them. Shit, even BEFORE the nukes hit, I didn't have such a luxury, so if I have to give a little peck on the cheek to some petty tyrant to help us survive, then so be it. Better that I do it than YOU having to do it." Lucy doesn't reply, she just looks at you. She knows she wouldn't have the stomach to go through the act that you go through at times. This might be the first time she realizes the sacrifices you've made to make her own life easier. Lucy nods a few times before speaking. "Okay, mom. I get it. And I appreciate it." "Good, that's all I ask. Okay I'm going back to my own trailer now. We're heading out tomorrow morning. Get some rest, you deserve it anyway after the wonderful show you put on." "I will mom. Thanks." Lucy replies. As you walk away you see Sparkle, Randy and Hector all slowly sneak back into the trailer. You enter your own trailer and lay down on the bed thinking about how far you've come in life. It isn't the life you ever expected, but it isn't a bad one all things considering. Before you fall asleep you look at the old worn clown nose by the nightstand. You grab and squeeze it a couple times, remembering happy times with your now departed husband. "Goodnight Lance." You say and slowly drift off with the round red foam ball in your hand.

[Themes: modern, serious, post-apocalyptic, science fiction, horror, humor] Being a "native" of the area, you do know something of the types that do live in the trailer park. Most of them probably do nothing else except practice-shooting beer cans all damn day. Mel, is most likely right in that his people are going to be better shots and a gun battle is going to result in a lot of dead on your side. However you can't just let them take your stuff, especially since you're using a lot of it and there isn't much to begin with. "Well, if we had the extra supplies we might be inclined to share, the fact is we don't have much and what little we have, well we need. You start a shooting match here and you're likely to wind up with more dead and wounded than what was worth the effort." You reply. "You'll forgive me if I don't believe you darlin'." Mel replies. "It's true, seriously come on in and take a look yourself. We got a shitload of wounded ourselves in that big tent back there. Just you though, the rest of your people can stand out here and look fearsome." Mel chuckles. "Oh just me huh? And as soon as I go in I'm at your fuckin' mercy. Nah, I don't think so." "Fine so take me as hostage. Here..." you say and drop your rifle and walk over to Mel. A couple people shout at you, but you just wave a hand at them as if to tell them to calm down. Meanwhile Mel stands watching you approach. When you're before him, he's definitely staring you up and down. "You got a pistol I presume?" you ask Mel. "Yeah." "Well pull it out and put it to my head." You say turning around and putting your body against Mel's and then putting one of his arms around your waist. "Well... shit girl, you're just somethin' else ain't cha?" Mel says barely keeping his composure as he pulls out his pistol. "If you say so. In any case you now have a little insurance that should be good enough for you shouldn't it? I mean...I'm putting my complete trust in you. You're in complete control" you say and grind up against Mel's body a little more while turning your head a bit to flutter your eyes at him. Mel is at a loss for words, but his buddies aren't. "Woo Hoo, looks like the li'l blonde number is sweet on ya Mel!" "I say we take her back, instead of medical supplies. I never liked Bobby Ray to begin with. Motherfucker can bleed out fer all I care!" "You plannin' on tradin' Tina up fer her? "Why's Mel get all the pretty ones? He's already got Tina, I say one of us should get the blonde!" At this point some arguing breaks out, followed by Mel shouting at them to shut the fuck up. He then turns his attention back to you. "Heh... you ...you are trouble girlie. If I took you back to the trailer park, you'd probably have every man ripping each other apart over you. I can barely keep these dumb fuckers from doing that now. In any case, let's go look at the medical supply situation. Come on." Mel says motioning you to move. "As you wish." You say. Mel and you head back towards the carnival where upon you give him the "grand tour" showing him that it is indeed true that you don't really have much in the way of medical supplies. He also sees all the people that are wounded too. "Hmm, well I suppose y'all COULD still be hidin' such things somewhere, but honestly I'm inclined to believe ya. This place has even less military vehicles than the ones that were at the trailer park and it sounds like from what you told me there weren't even that many guardsmen here. From the amount of wounded I see, you probably did use up most of the pittance that the military brought with them...how did you get all these wounded though? Nobody looks like they're suffering from gunshot wounds. The cannibal creeps?" "Nope. All these wounded are from each other. Long story, let's just say carny politics is complicated and I came out on top." You reply confidently. "I see...well you have certainly displayed a certain amount of balls putting yourself in the vulnerable position you did. (Sigh) All right, you dealt straight with me, so I'll deal straight with you. Guess we'll try the town again." At this point you and Mel head back to the "neutral zone" where upon Mel releases you (reluctantly) and waves at his people to get ready to go. As they drive away, you breathe a heavy sigh of relief and rush back to the others. Dolores approaches you when you arrive. "Well that was an interesting way to handle things, but it worked. Those good ol' boys woulda probably killed and wounded a lot more of us." "Yeah, an' now we need to get the hell out of here. I don't trust them to not come back with a bigger group and attack us anyway." "Well, we probably could've done with a bit more of a rest, but I can't argue with that logic, they weren't the most reputable lookin' an' you're the boss. One good thing about having some recently departed, is that the trailers have a lot more room in them now. Speaking of which, your own trailer is already hooked up to a truck. We should be ready to roll in about an hour." Feeling like you deserve a rest after recent events, you head back to your trailer to relax. As soon as you enter though, you are suddenly grabbed and tackled to the floor and the stench of bad body odor fills your nostrils. "Don't scream bitch." A familiar voice whispers. You get a good look at your assailant and see a man with half worn clown make up on his face. It's Ranko and he smells even worse now that he's laying right on top of you. "I see a lot of fuckin' changes to this here carnival have happened since I've been gone. Saw some of it from afar while hiding and waiting for the best time to strike. Nearly got eaten by those geeks in the process, but heh heh heh, I got away..." Ranko begins to press his weight on you so you can't wiggle away while keeping one hand on your mouth and holding a straight razor in his other. His whole outfit is filthy presumably from lurking about in the wilderness for days, but you also notice that he's sporting a couple wounds of his own in the form of bite marks. "Nothing smart to say now bitch? Thought you were the ringmaster now. Head cunt in charge and all that. Fuck you, I SHOULD be in fuckin' charge!" At this point you manage to bite Ranko's hand, which tastes foul, but it's enough to cause him to take it off your mouth, giving you a chance to scream for help, before he backhands you across the face. "Bitch! Maybe if I raped you, you'd KNOW who's in fuckin' charge!" he exclaims and fumbles with pulling down his pants, and keeps the straight razor to your throat with his other hand. (Carnies must love straight razors) All Ranko has to do is make a quick swipe and your throat is going to be opened if you struggle. If you do nothing he may very well rape you assuming nobody heard you scream. Of course he'll probably kill you anyway after he's finished. > You try to struggle He might very kill you, but you're definitely not going to let him rape you. You continue to yell for help and with all your strength you begin to fight back, moving your legs and arms. You even get a couple good hits to his face, but it doesn't deter him, all it does is anger him. After he recovers from your assault outburst he punches you in the face several times and swipes wildly with his razor muttering obscenities the entire time. Your throat is slashed open and your body isn't even cold before he starts violating anyway.

[Themes: modern, horror, humor, serious, science fiction] While it might be an opportunity to escape, you're not going to risk it. Roger might be a little smitten with you, but he's athletic enough looking that you don't think you could easily fight him off if something went wrong. Given that there is a state of martial law right now, you're likely to get yourself shot or worse. Better to stay in the tent and come up with a plan where you at least might have some back up. So you're currently back to square one, sitting around doing much of nothing until the National Guard decides to leave (whenever if and when that happens). You spend most of your time thinking on what Roofie said and your current position at the carnival. The only way you're ever going to have safety and have a family is if you take direct action towards those goals. "Lifto, Shrimpy, you're with me." You suddenly say and say you going to see the head of the dwarf faction. "Uh, I dunno if that's a good idea, he's been doing a lot of preparation lately." Shrimpy says. "I'm sure he has, and its in our best interest to find out exactly what that is. Maybe YOU can afford to play both sides, but I'm not taking that chance." You say and start walking over to the crowd of little people. As you approach, the dwarves instantly start closing ranks and their demeanor changes to a defensive one. "Back again Shrimpy? I didn't anticipate your sycophantic antics for another hour or so. And you must be Suzy, the new clown girl that's been pissing off all the ladies and turning on all the guys. Hrm. Upon a closer look, I understand the appeal, but you're still no dwarf woman." an older dwarf says, though many of his fellows probably don't share that opinion. "I take it you're the leader of your group?" "Yep, though I don't suppose Shrimpy's bothered to mention my name is Billy. If you're here about our current alliance, you needn't worry since I've reassured Shrimpy so many times about it that it's getting to the point of annoyance. Glad to you at least changed it up by appearing yourself, could've done without the big ugly clown behind you though, but I'm guessing he's a poor attempt at intimidation." "A girl likes to have a big strong man to watch her back sometimes." "Heh, and that's why you've practically begged a bunch of little men to do it to eh? Let's cut to the chase, what do you really want? I already know that you're the new leader of the clowns given what you did to old Roofie over there. Bet he didn't see that coming." You don't know how else to put it so you just say it, which comes to a surprise to Shrimpy and Lifto as well. "I'm going to be the new leader of this carnival and YOU'RE going to support me in this endeavor." Billy smiles at this remark and then chuckles. Several of the other dwarves do likewise. "You? Really? And you think we're just going to support you in this? I hope you had a better plan than preparing to fuck every munchkin in munchkin land Dorothy, because at this juncture I guarantee that would be the ONLY way that you MIGHT come close to your dreams of being in charge. And if that was your plan, you can forget it, because I'm happily married. However, it might gain you favor with some of my friends. Could ensure that your group will have a place in the new carnival order that will be coming soon, but that's a choice you'll have to make on your own." "You really think the rest of the carnival is going to follow you?" "They won't have a choice, we dwarves have always been the backbone of it and it's about time we just took the spotlight. Just like my Great Uncle Charley always wanted to do so long ago." "Yeah and apparently that didn't work out so well given your current situation. You know why? Nobody truly respects you. They're content to let you do the grunt work, but they don't want you to be in the spotlight, unless you're making a fool of yourself like Shrimpy here." You say. "HEY!" Shrimpy remarks. "Watch your tone there blondie, you're starting to tread on very dangerous ground." Billy warns. "Yes, I know and I'm also trying to explain that you're ALREADY in control by being the backbone of the carnival. You might very well be able to win this internal struggle, but would there be anything left? This place has languished under Roofie, obviously, but it could be great again if it had the right ring master. Someone who could bring in the people. You said it yourself, I've got most of the guys here salivating over me just by my presence. You know how advertising works, I bring 'em in with a wink, a smile and some sweet talk, the other performers get the money out of them and someone has to keep the infrastructure together and that's you. We could work together as a more than just co-workers we could be like...a family. Like how carnies are supposed to really stick together." Your words give a moment of pause for Billy who ponders them for a moment, but then shakes his head. "Y'know, that's a really good speech, the problem is you haven't been here but a few days and you're already trying to take over. In family terms, you're like the hot twenty year old nurse that married great grandpa on his death bed in the hopes of inheriting everything despite the fact he's got a multitude of family members that are far more deserving since they had to put up with his shit a lot longer. Now that doesn't mean I don't think you're sincere or even that your idea isn't a worthy one, its just I don't see YOU as that potential leader. If this carnival does split apart after the dust clears, well maybe it was meant to be, but I'm not spending the remainder of my life following another half-assed leader again. So to sum up, if you want to be on our side then great, if not, then I highly suggest you all get in your clown car and all get jobs at a rodeo or something." At this point Billy's done talking and waves you all away. Well that could've went better. "Are you nuts?! Why the hell did you do that for? You're lucky he isn't cancelling our protection!" Shrimpy says. "Well I can't say it was the best of moves, but I guess you had to try." Lifto says. Between Shrimpy's concern for his own self-preservation and Lifto's impotent comment, you're wondering if you shouldn't re-consider trying to escape again. Ultimately you all head back to the table where upon Shrimpy and Lifto explain what happened. Fatty and Klepto are both surprised by your actions, but Klepto again makes the usual attempt at being more "understanding" than the others. Christ, he never quits. "I don't need this right now, I'm going to be by myself." You say grabbing the small radio that they were listening to and head to where Roofie is still lying on his mat with his eyes closed. You don't know if he's still awake or genuinely asleep now, but he at least doesn't appear to be in any mood to bother you right now. You spend a few more hours listening to one of the radios while the others play cards and try to talk about mundane things. You're not getting the best reception and it's no Internet, but it's better than nothing. You mostly listen to a lot of special breaking news talking about how bad things are getting in various parts of the world. You hear about the riots going on and think about your own town and how your "real" family is doing. Ben's hidden personal bomb shelter was somewhere in the backyard, you wonder if you shouldn't have just tried to look for it and moved in there, it probably was stocked. Then as the sun starts setting, you hear a bunch of shooting and shouting outside. You see the other guardsmen near the tent entrance rush off, leaving everyone unsupervised. Naturally no longer being supervised means chaos within the tent begins to erupt though you have no idea why people aren't more concerned about why the National Guardsmen are shooting and yelling at something outside. Lacking any better idea, you try to wake up Roofie, but he doesn't stir. "Oh shit..." you say to yourself. Apparently his last words to you WERE his dying request literally. While you're the only one aware of poor Roofie's unexpected passing, a full on fight in the tent breaks out. Predictably, it's Razor and her faction vs. Billy and his faction. Some of the smaller factions join in while others just run out of the tent altogether. It's very lucky that your group is nowhere near the center of the tent where the fighting is and more or less in a corner. "Suzy! It's begun!" Lifto shouts. "Yeah! We need to get in and help Billy or we're going to be next!" Shrimpy adds. > You escape this place Billy has made it quite clear that no matter what happens you're going to be on the bottom rung of any sort of restructuring so why should you even bother? This whole area is going to shit and it would be best if you just got the hell out of here. "Do any of you have keys to your vehicles?" you ask. "I got my truck keys." Lifto remarks. "Good, we're getting the hell out of here while everyone is distracted." "What?! We're just going to leave Billy?" Shrimpy asks. "Look, if YOU want to help Billy then go right ahead, but he's basically said that I'm the low girl on the totem pole, and I am NOT going to go through a bunch of verbal and possible physical abuse for the rest of my time here. I left home to get away from that shit. Quite frankly given how disliked clowns are around here, I'd suggest the rest of you follow me because no matter who wins, you're going to lose." You say and turn to leave Lifto, Klepto and Fatty don't even think twice, they're following you out the tent and leaving the chaos of the carnival clash behind. Shrimpy however is unsure, his loyalty to his "kind" is still holding him back, but you're not waiting around. When you exit the tent, things aren't much better. There aren't any guardsmen in the immediate area, but you still hear the shooting and their yelling. You also hear odd growling sounds and a couple of screams. "I don't know what's going on, but we need to get to your truck NOW!" you exclaim where upon Lifto takes the lead. You don't get too far when you see Roger staggering from between two other tents. He's wounded heavily and bleeding profusely. He sees you and desperately calls for your help. "Suzy...hel..." is about all he gets out before collapsing a few feet from you. He tries to crawl towards you and you nearly head towards him to help, but given all the gunfire going on and the big brawl still going on, you focus on your goal of placing as much distance as possible from this place. "Sorry, Roger." You say quietly and continue moving. Lifto points towards a pick up truck in the area where you first parked your own vehicle. "Shh, you hear that?" Klepto remarks. "No." you remark. "Exactly. All the gunfire stopped." "Well we need to hurry up because that either means the guardsmen killed whoever was attacking and they'll be returning to us soon or..." And then from behind one of the army vehicles you're passing something leaps onto Lifto. It's human but its snarling and growling unnaturally. If you didn't know any better you'd almost think it was a.... "ARGH! ZOMBIE!" Lifto shouts and struggles to get it off of him. Fatty moves in to help immediately and between the two of them they easily knock it to the ground. Lifto then proceeds to stomp on its head repeatedly with his brightly colored clown boots. While Lifto is determined to smash its head into mush, another one of these creatures pop out of nowhere and nearly grab you. You scream and manage to pull away before Klepto steps in and tries to help. Unfortunately the creatures manage to bite him in the process. He cries out in pain, but manages to get the creatures off of him thanks to someone else helping by blowing the thing's head off. Blood, bone and brains splatter all over Klepto. "Come on! I don't know how many more of these things there are!" Shrimpy shouts with one of the guardsmen's assault rifles in both hands. Looks like he's made his choice. Lifto finishes destroying the one that was attacking him and soon all of you are off and running again. You look around as you run thinking more are going to be jumping out at you, but that doesn't happen. You are slightly concerned about Fatty getting bit though. You don't think anyone else has noticed it yet except you and of course him. When you get to the truck, Lifto quickly opens up the driver side and opens up the passenger door. You get in, followed by Klepto, meanwhile Fatty gets in the bed of the truck along with Shrimpy. "Where the hell are we going?" Lifto says as he drives from the carnival. "I don't know yet, but we probably should stay away from large areas of population if those...things are any indication. Just head further away from the town for now." You say. Honestly you don't know what comes next, but you're seriously starting to believe Roofie's comments about the end coming soon. Were those creatures zombies? Crazed humans? Alive? Undead? Does it matter? How many are there? Have they overrun civilization already? Has any of your old family survived? Is this the beginning of the end? And most importantly...do their bites work like they do in the movies? Klepto sits next to you nervously still clutching his arm where he was bit. Lifto hasn't noticed yet because he's been paying attention to the road and while you haven't said anything yet Klepto's not subtle enough about keeping his wound secret... "Why do you keep rubbing your arm?" Lifto remarks. "Uh, that thing grabbed me and its grip hurt a lot and uh..." "Klepto, I've known you long enough to know when you're lying! Did that thing bite you?!" Klepto doesn't answer so you try to unsuccessfully help. "It was just a little bite, we don't even know if..." you start to say before you're interrupted. "Oh fuck! That's it man! Game over!" Lifto shouts and suddenly stops the truck. Fatty and Shrimpy both knock on the window shouting what's going on. "Klepto, I know we've known each other a long time, but you need to get out of this truck right now." "Lifto, I..." "I don't wanna hear it. Get out before I make you get out or worse." "Lifto, we don't even know if this is infectious! This isn't a movie you know!" you exclaim. "And you willing to take that chance? You're sitting right next to him! Not to mention he's covered in that thing's blood when Shrimpy blew its head off. Who knows what the hell he's caught." As paranoid as Lifto is right now, you have been feeling a little nervous sitting next to Klepto this whole time. Without another word Lifto shifts towards you and reaches over towards the glove compartment. He opens it up revealing a pistol, though Klepto already figured out what he was doing and tries to grab it before Lifto can. Despite Lifto being in an awkward position and you being in his way, he's strong enough to get the grip on the gun first. Klepto grabs his hand and the struggle ensues. At this point Fatty opens up the driver side door and Shrimpy opens up the passenger side. "What the fuck is going on here!?" Shrimpy asks. "ARGH! Sonofabitch!" Lifto suddenly shouts, Klepto has bitten his hand causing him to drop the pistol on the truck floor. "Shrimpy keep that rifle on Klepto!" Lifto shouts. You're stuck in the middle with Lifto's body half on you. All you know is you're scared and desperate to get out. You manage to wiggle down a bit and grab the pistol on the floor. Klepto hasn't proceeded with an attack and doesn't look any different. "I'm not a zombie! Or whatever you think I am! I'm fine! And if you kill me, you're going to have to kill Lifto too!" Klepto exclaims to everyone. Klepto may or may not be right, but he was pretty quick to bite Lifto. Whether that was a desperate attempt to ensure his own safety or a possible glimpse of what's to come, you don't know. With the pistol in your hand you don't know if you shouldn't just shoot them both. > You shoot the pair of them You really don't want to do this, but you don't see any choice. "Sorry." You say and point the gun at Lifto who has just gotten off of you. "Wait." he says which is just enough give you pause due to your nervousness and give Lifto time to grab the gun from you, or at least attempt to grab it because you actually manage to struggle for half a minute before he accidently shoots you with it. The gun goes off, you catch a bullet in your throat and you fall backwards into Klepto. "Holy shit! I didn't mean..." Lifto shouts. "SUZY! NO!" Klepto screams. "What the fuck did you do Lifto!?" Fatty yells. "Goddamn it!" Shrimpy exclaims. At this point the rest of the shouting becomes one loud noise to your dying ears. As your vision starts to blur, Klepto cradles you in his arms trying to tell you to fight off your impending death. It doesn't work.

[Themes: modern, humor, science fiction, romance, horror] Billy has made it quite clear that no matter what happens you're going to be on the bottom rung of any sort of restructuring so why should you even bother? This whole area is going to shit and it would be best if you just got the hell out of here. "Do any of you have keys to your vehicles?" you ask. "I got my truck keys." Lifto remarks. "Good, we're getting the hell out of here while everyone is distracted." "What?! We're just going to leave Billy?" Shrimpy asks. "Look, if YOU want to help Billy then go right ahead, but he's basically said that I'm the low girl on the totem pole, and I am NOT going to go through a bunch of verbal and possible physical abuse for the rest of my time here. I left home to get away from that shit. Quite frankly given how disliked clowns are around here, I'd suggest the rest of you follow me because no matter who wins, you're going to lose." You say and turn to leave Lifto, Klepto and Fatty don't even think twice, they're following you out the tent and leaving the chaos of the carnival clash behind. Shrimpy however is unsure, his loyalty to his "kind" is still holding him back, but you're not waiting around. When you exit the tent, things aren't much better. There aren't any guardsmen in the immediate area, but you still hear the shooting and their yelling. You also hear odd growling sounds and a couple of screams. "I don't know what's going on, but we need to get to your truck NOW!" you exclaim where upon Lifto takes the lead. You don't get too far when you see Roger staggering from between two other tents. He's wounded heavily and bleeding profusely. He sees you and desperately calls for your help. "Suzy...hel..." is about all he gets out before collapsing a few feet from you. He tries to crawl towards you and you nearly head towards him to help, but given all the gunfire going on and the big brawl still going on, you focus on your goal of placing as much distance as possible from this place. "Sorry, Roger." You say quietly and continue moving. Lifto points towards a pick up truck in the area where you first parked your own vehicle. "Shh, you hear that?" Klepto remarks. "No." you remark. "Exactly. All the gunfire stopped." "Well we need to hurry up because that either means the guardsmen killed whoever was attacking and they'll be returning to us soon or..." And then from behind one of the army vehicles you're passing something leaps onto Lifto. It's human but its snarling and growling unnaturally. If you didn't know any better you'd almost think it was a.... "ARGH! ZOMBIE!" Lifto shouts and struggles to get it off of him. Fatty moves in to help immediately and between the two of them they easily knock it to the ground. Lifto then proceeds to stomp on its head repeatedly with his brightly colored clown boots. While Lifto is determined to smash its head into mush, another one of these creatures pop out of nowhere and nearly grab you. You scream and manage to pull away before Klepto steps in and tries to help. Unfortunately the creatures manage to bite him in the process. He cries out in pain, but manages to get the creatures off of him thanks to someone else helping by blowing the thing's head off. Blood, bone and brains splatter all over Klepto. "Come on! I don't know how many more of these things there are!" Shrimpy shouts with one of the guardsmen's assault rifles in both hands. Looks like he's made his choice. Lifto finishes destroying the one that was attacking him and soon all of you are off and running again. You look around as you run thinking more are going to be jumping out at you, but that doesn't happen. You are slightly concerned about Fatty getting bit though. You don't think anyone else has noticed it yet except you and of course him. When you get to the truck, Lifto quickly opens up the driver side and opens up the passenger door. You get in, followed by Klepto, meanwhile Fatty gets in the bed of the truck along with Shrimpy. "Where the hell are we going?" Lifto says as he drives from the carnival. "I don't know yet, but we probably should stay away from large areas of population if those...things are any indication. Just head further away from the town for now." You say. Honestly you don't know what comes next, but you're seriously starting to believe Roofie's comments about the end coming soon. Were those creatures zombies? Crazed humans? Alive? Undead? Does it matter? How many are there? Have they overrun civilization already? Has any of your old family survived? Is this the beginning of the end? And most importantly...do their bites work like they do in the movies? Klepto sits next to you nervously still clutching his arm where he was bit. Lifto hasn't noticed yet because he's been paying attention to the road and while you haven't said anything yet Klepto's not subtle enough about keeping his wound secret... "Why do you keep rubbing your arm?" Lifto remarks. "Uh, that thing grabbed me and its grip hurt a lot and uh..." "Klepto, I've known you long enough to know when you're lying! Did that thing bite you?!" Klepto doesn't answer so you try to unsuccessfully help. "It was just a little bite, we don't even know if..." you start to say before you're interrupted. "Oh fuck! That's it man! Game over!" Lifto shouts and suddenly stops the truck. Fatty and Shrimpy both knock on the window shouting what's going on. "Klepto, I know we've known each other a long time, but you need to get out of this truck right now." "Lifto, I..." "I don't wanna hear it. Get out before I make you get out or worse." "Lifto, we don't even know if this is infectious! This isn't a movie you know!" you exclaim. "And you willing to take that chance? You're sitting right next to him! Not to mention he's covered in that thing's blood when Shrimpy blew its head off. Who knows what the hell he's caught." As paranoid as Lifto is right now, you have been feeling a little nervous sitting next to Klepto this whole time. Without another word Lifto shifts towards you and reaches over towards the glove compartment. He opens it up revealing a pistol, though Klepto already figured out what he was doing and tries to grab it before Lifto can. Despite Lifto being in an awkward position and you being in his way, he's strong enough to get the grip on the gun first. Klepto grabs his hand and the struggle ensues. At this point Fatty opens up the driver side door and Shrimpy opens up the passenger side. "What the fuck is going on here!?" Shrimpy asks. "ARGH! Sonofabitch!" Lifto suddenly shouts, Klepto has bitten his hand causing him to drop the pistol on the truck floor. "Shrimpy keep that rifle on Klepto!" Lifto shouts. You're stuck in the middle with Lifto's body half on you. All you know is you're scared and desperate to get out. You manage to wiggle down a bit and grab the pistol on the floor. Klepto hasn't proceeded with an attack and doesn't look any different. "I'm not a zombie! Or whatever you think I am! I'm fine! And if you kill me, you're going to have to kill Lifto too!" Klepto exclaims to everyone. Klepto may or may not be right, but he was pretty quick to bite Lifto. Whether that was a desperate attempt to ensure his own safety or a possible glimpse of what's to come, you don't know. With the pistol in your hand you don't know if you shouldn't just shoot them both. > You try to save the situation You didn't leave the carnival just for MORE in fighting. If the end days are coming you NEED all the people who you are actually on good terms you can get because you don't fancy your chances on going it alone. So you'll be damned if you're not going to try to keep this little group together. "ALRIGHT GODDAMN IT! STOP IT! JUST FUCKING STOP IT!" you shout pointing the gun towards the truck ceiling. Lifto at this point has returned to his driver's seat position. "NOW EVERYONE OUT OF THE TRUCK AND JUST LISTEN!" you say looking at Lifto and briefly glancing back at Klepto. Lifto steps out looks at you as if he is thinking about taking the pistol away from you. He probably could without any problems because as close as you are to shooting someone, you aren't exactly "there" yet. Thankfully Lifto doesn't try anything. When everyone exits the truck, you follow and Shrimpy now stands by you as back up (Fatty doesn't have a weapon, but he stands near you anyway) "Okay, Suzy what next?" Lifto calmly says. You've got an idea, but it would go better if rope was involved. You take a quick look in the truck bed and see some locks and chains sitting there, which will work just as well. "Look everyone, we don't have all the information on what this creature situation is, killing someone who got bit, might be jumping the gun. I mean this isn't a movie!" you say. "Yeah!" Klepto says. "Shut up, I haven't finished! Of course that doesn't mean we need to be foolish about this because Lifto could be right. Now Lifto we don't know if a bite causes infection, but if it does then you're already doomed unless we cut your hand off, but I'm guessing you don't want that. Do you want that?" Lifto gives a dirty look at Klepto before answering. "Look if you're going to shoot me, at least shoot Klepto first so I can watch." Lifto says. " What the...I thought you two were supposed to be friends! (Sigh) I'm trying to give you another option here! Like I said, we don't know if this sort of thing is contagious. I don't want any of us to die, do you get that? I'm proposing that the pair of you stay in the bed of the truck until we get to a destination where we can get some medical attention. I mean if the pair of you start not feeling well or different in any way, then we can consider shooting you." Lifto doesn't say anything, but Klepto is certainly agreeable. "Sure Suzy, whatever you say! I mean that sounds reasonable to me!" he remarks, though you get the impression he'd go along with what you'd say even if he wasn't bitten. "We're going to have to tie you up you know." You say. "That's fine. I totally get it." Klepto remarks. "Lifto?" He exhales and doesn't say anything while looking at his hand. Then he looks back at you. "You really don't want any of us to die?" Lifto asks. "No. Why the hell would I want that? I mean if these are the end days coming then we're all we have left! We need to stick together as much as possible. And in any case you lot are the closest I've had to family for years, well other than the fact that most of you are undressing me with your eyes half the time...but I'm getting off track my point is that despite all the fucked up shit that's occurred this week, I know I want you guys in my corner. All of you." At first you wonder if you've laid it on a bit too much, but you hear a couple of sniffles in Fatty's direction and Klepto is obviously showing signs of emotion. He probably thinks you just professed your love for him or something. "Okay. Okay. We'll do it your way, but if I start to turn or if I think I'm going to become something other than I am, then I want YOU to be the one to shoot me." Lifto says. "Well let's hope it doesn't come to that, but I promise." You say. With those words Lifto and Klepto both submit to being chained up and to sit in the truck bed. Lifto is still giving Klepto angry looks, but hopefully they can work out their differences during the ride. Fatty takes the wheel, Shrimpy gets in the middle and you sit near the passenger's side. You've never exactly been the best with directions, so you just tell Fatty to stay on the main road and hopefully you'll reach a place that is in better shape than your own home town which probably is a warzone by now. You can't help but wonder how your real family is doing, but really you'd rather not dwell on it. Fatty turns on the radio in the hopes of finding out something, but he doesn't get much other than a few random religious stations talking about salvation and end times, but those things are ALWAYS talking about the end times so its hard to tell if they're even referring to what's currently going on. You'd think something like the news or an emergency broadcast might pop up, but nothing. Oddly you do get some stations just playing nothing but those infernal Ground Zero advertisements. Hours pass of driving through farm country and Klepto and Lifto aren't moaning or even arguing so you're guessing that they're feeling okay. Still, even though you don't want any of them to die, you do know it still might be a possibility. As it begins to turn to night you're already tired from the events of the day. Feeling somewhat safe you allow yourself to close your eyes and drift off as the truck drives onward. > Next day… "...don't delay, buy a Ground Zero shelter today!" "Fatty turn that radio off, there hasn't been anything on it of importance for hours. It's just those damn Ground Zero ads. Christ, you'd think someone would be reporting about oh you know a zombie apocalypse?" Shrimpy says. "I still say those things are still alive. The ones we saw didn't look like they came back from the dead or anything." Fatty remarks. "Well whatever, still seems like reporting SOME sort of outbreak would be of importance." "Maybe its local and not happening anywhere else?" At this point your eyes open and you completely rouse from your sleep. "(Yawn) What's going on?" you ask. "So you're finally awake." Shrimpy says. "We've been driving all night?" you ask. "Somewhat. Fatty here pulled over at one point and we both slept a little. If you're wondering about the gruesome twosome back there, we checked on them and from what I can tell both of them feel fine. In fact I think they're both still sleeping. Guess all that bite drama yesterday really exhausted them. Dunno if that means they're okay or not, but right now we do have another problem." Shrimpy says. "What's that?" you ask. "Well Fatty here managed to get us fucking lost." "Hey it's not my fault, I couldn't see shit in the night and I thought we were on a main road. Damn GPS." Fatty says. "Told you that it was broken and hasn't worked correctly for years. Anyway, I know you're native to this area so I'm hoping you know your way around." Shrimpy says. A brief glance of the practically non-descript landscape to the left and right of you leaves you at a loss. "Sorry, but like I said, I never was a big traveller. Never left the basement if I could help it." You say. "Oh yeah, that's right. Well any suggestion regardless of that fact?" Shrimpy asks. You don't really have any, though you probably should be near some sort of farmhouse as you do know there are some out this way. You could get your bearing by stopping at one and asking for directions. You also remember Fatty's comment about supplies. "There should be some sort of farmhouse nearby. Just keep driving along this road and we'll probably hit one where we can ask for directions and possibly get supplies." "Sounds like as good of an idea as any." You really don't know if that will be the case, you're just hoping at this point. Fortunately, your hopes come true this time. "Well, there's a house. Can't tell if anyone is home or not though." Fatty says pulling up to a large traditional looking farmhouse. "Okay, so how are we doing this?" "Well...I suppose I'll go up to the front door and see if anyone's home and the rest of you guys stay in the truck." You say. "You nuts? This place looks like it's out of a horror movie! Might be a bunch of psycho rednecks living in there! They see a pretty young thing like you and they'd grab you before we could even do anything." Shrimpy remarks. "Right like arriving at a door with a group of clowns isn't straight out of a horror movie. I'm currently the only one dressed in regular clothing and not covered in blood, I think it would be best if I just asked for help at first." "Hey what are we going to do with Klepto and Lifto?" Fatty asks. "Well check on them again and if they seem to be well unchain them I guess. I mean they could use a stretch. Anyway like I said I'm going to the door. I'm taking the pistol with me and I'm confident that if something does happen you'll be able to react in time to save me from getting chopped up or whatever you think is going to happen. We need help getting back on track and looking at the gauge we might even need gas so hopefully they got that here too. Don't worry I'll be fine." You say and get out of the truck. You make your way towards the front porch looking around the entire time. This place is creepily quiet. Seems like you should at least hear the sounds of animals or something. Shrimpy's got you totally paranoid now. You really weren't worried until he mentioned psycho hillbillies. You look back at the truck. "Goddamn it Suzy, you need to brave through some of this shit yourself. You survived your serial killer uncle for Christsake. Nothing is going to happen, probably just some kindly old farm couple that lives here." You mutter to yourself and walk up the stairs and knock on the door. You knock several times with no answer, but just when you're about to give up it opens. "WHO YOU!?" a large disfigured man exclaims completely scaring the shit out of you and causing you to fall backwards. You're in a state of utter fear as this large freak approaches you with his hand outstretched towards you... Even in your fearful condition, you're still able to react to a dangerous situation. You pull the pistol that you had on you and shoot the disfigured man. You hit him twice in the body and he reels backwards bellowing loudly as his body hits the front door and then the house's front room floor. "WHHHHHHY!? GOING TO HELP YOU!" the man shouts. "Junior? What in tarnation is goin' on down there? I hope you didn't shoot yourself in the foot carrying your father's rifles again, you know how he hates a waste of ammo." An older female voice shouts from inside. "MAMA! MAMA! HURT A LOT! BAD GIRL HURT ME!" the man cries. "If you've been fightin' with you're sister again...oh my god...JUNIOR! CLEM SOMEONE SHOT JUNIOR!" you hear the older female voice scream. By this time you're running back to the truck, which Shrimpy has gotten out of. Lifto and Klepto are also both awake and shouting at this point. "Get back in the fucking truck! We gotta..." you start yelling and then a shot from one of the farmhouse windows rings out. You hear it whiz by your ear causing you to drop to the ground immediately. You continue to crawl towards the truck where you hear more gunfire behind you and the sounds of an assault rifle returning fire. You hear someone trying to start the truck, but a few more shots hitting metal seem to put an end to that causing the engine to make a less than operational sound. "Fatty get out of the front seat!" Shrimpy shouts. You hear more gunshots followed by Fatty crying out, though you don't know if he's actually gotten hit severely since you just hear "OW MY ASS!" The whole time you're praying that you don't get shot in the back, but you're the lucky one... Ever the white knight, Klepto attempts to go "rescue" you. "Klepto get out of the open!" you hear Lifto shout. "Suzy's out there I can't..." Klepto's words are cut short when a bullet to his skull drops him. In fact he drops about a few feet in front of you. You try to put the sight of his death out of your mind as you continue to crawl towards the truck. "YOU FUCKERS AREN'T TAKING THIS FARM! THIS FARM IS MINE! ALL OF YOU SONSOFBITCHES ARE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY BOY!" a male voice shouts. You finally reach your destination where the rest are hiding behind the back of the truck, though Fatty's having a hard time of it due to his size and the fact he's got a bullet in his ass. The shooting on both sides for now has stopped though. "Shit, shit, shit, Klepto's dead! That redneck bastard says that we're going to pay, no fucking way, HE'S gonna fuckin' pay!" Lifto says which is a bit surprising considering that he was ready to kill Klepto himself just yesterday. "Fuck, my ass...ah! Shit...wish I had a gun, I'd shoot that fucker in the ass. Not the cheek either, the fucking HOLE!" Fatty says who is normally calm, but given he got shot his anger is a bit understandable. "Well luckily I picked up a few extra clips back at the carnival and Suzy's probably still got a few shots left. I say we can probably take out the shooter with a bit of strategy. Just as soon as we come up with one of course." Shrimpy remarks. You don't know how to feel about all this. Maybe it's all the increased violence over the past few days along with losing Klepto, but your clown crew is starting to become a lot more vicious, though events haven't exactly been encouraging a peaceful life lately. You can't help but feel a little responsible for this current situation though. The retard was just trying to help you up from your fall, but you couldn't have known that...you just reacted to your fear. You were the one who harmed the farm inhabitants first even if the rest of your clown friends think you were being attacked. Part of you wants to just run from this place, but where would you go? Staying of course means doing more things you don't necessarily want to do...but then you think if you can put yourself in the "right" frame of mind you'll be able to do it. The farmer HAS tried to kill all of you and did succeed in killing Klepto who attempted to save you, surely revenge for that isn't totally wrong? > You get revenge If you ran, you doubt if the rest of them would follow and despite the feeling that this isn't the greatest idea, you're tired of running. You've got nothing to run to anyway, if you can deal with the inhabitants inside, you'll at least have a place to catch a breather from the ever-growing chaos in your life. You hope at least. "Shrimpy can you get inside the truck without getting hit and put it in neutral?" "Yeah I think I could." Shrimpy says. "Good, give me the rifle and the clips, get in the truck and when it's in neutral Lifto and Fatty I want you to start pushing it forward. We should be able to get close enough to the house using this thing as a large shield." "What are you going to be doing?" Fatty asks. "I'm going to be crawling around in the truck bed taking shots at that bastard firing at us when I can. Hopefully the closer we get the more likely I'll be able to hit him. Now you want to avenge Klepto or what?" This statement gets a nod from everyone. "Let's do this." Lifto says and all of you enact your plan. It goes well, or about as well as a plan can when someone is shooting at you. Another person soon joins the farmer the closer the truck gets to the front of the house. Presumably the farmer's wife. The pair of them unleash a torrent of curses at you, but nobody is hitting each other yet. Bullets tear into the truck and while you're all safe, when the two front tires get blown out, it makes Lifto and Fatty's pushing a lot harder. "Goddamn it. (Wheeze)" Fatty gasps. "Fuck." Lifto grunts. Still crawling around in the truck bed, you head over towards the back and speak to Lifto and Fatty. "Okay, stop pushing, no point in straining yourself, because you're going to need to save your energy. I don't think the shooter on the left is quite as skilled so run to the left and around the back of the house, there's got to be a back door. I'll provide cover, I still got a half a clip left in this thing and one more full one, so when I go full auto, start running. Here take the pistol." You say tossing the pistol over the back end of the truck. Honestly you'd rather have Shrimpy do this since he's a much smaller target, but the little guy is probably hiding in the leg area of either the driver or passenger's side of the truck hoping not to get hit. You take a deep breath as more bullets tear into the sides of the truck. You grip the rifle and exposing only a bit of your hands, you blindly fire and spray the left area of the house where the second shooter is. Luckily through the gunfire a small cry is heard, you think you've hit someone again. In any case it allows time for Lifto and Fatty to crouch run towards the house, hug the wall and then crawl around the corner. Fatty sure is fast when he wants to be, you just hope he doesn't suffer a heart attack. Meanwhile you hear shouting within the house. "Clem! I'm hit! Ohhhhh...(sob)" "Honeypie?! Honeypie? No no no..." With the gunfire completely stopped Shrimpy takes the opportunity to get out of the truck and run behind it. "Suzy? You still here?" you hear him ask. "Yeah, I'm still here. Just stay behind the truck I'm gonna..." you start to say before you're interrupted "NO! GODAMNIT! NOOOO! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU ALL!" Clem the farmer shouts and now the sounds of gunfire start up again, except this time he's not firing a rifle anymore, the booming sound indicates a shotgun of some kind. As you try to reload your last assault rifle clip, the truck continues to suffer the impact of shotgun rounds. In fact they are starting to damage the truck enough that one of them going through and hitting you is a very real possibility. You roll over to the other side of the truck in an attempt not to get hit. "I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" you hear him bellow. You're too busy keeping down and redloading. And then you hear nothing, followed by a pistol shot and then another. You take the opportunity to quickly climb out of the truck bed altogether. "Suzy, did they get him?" Shrimpy asks "I don't know..." you say and peek your head out hoping that this isn't a mistake. You soon see Lifto standing in the front doorway with the pistol in hand. "We got all of these bastards. It's safe." He says. You and Shrimpy both step out from the cover of the truck and make your way to the house. First thing you notice is the first man you shot near the entryway, apparently he tried to crawl away soon after the shoot out started and died shortly afterwards. Given his disfigurement and from what you could tell of his voice, he might've been mentally retarded. You remember hearing "junior" being said, so you're guessing he was the son. You don't exactly feel great about shooting him. It really was an accident. Seeing the other two bodies don't exactly make you feel any better. The farmer's wife lies dead in the dining room area. She's actually bigger than Fatty which means she's indeed quite on the large side. She has several gunshot wounds to her upper body. You knew you hit her, but you just didn't know where. Your stomach begins to feel slightly bad when you think about it. Finally you see the farmer himself, or Clem as you heard being shouted. Lifto mentions that Clem was so focused on you that he realized too late that someone was sneaking up on him. Lifto mentions that he shot him in the back and then while Clem was still flopping about on the floor trying to turn over with his shotgun, Clem put one in his skull. You didn't even kill Clem and you still feel weird about it. You don't understand why you're feeling slightly sick about all this. Or rather you've got an idea why, but considering the little creature rampage at the carnival it isn't like you haven't seen gruesome death before, but this is somehow different. The adrenaline and survivalist mindset you put yourself into has disappeared now that the danger has passed so you are left with the grim aftermath of your actions. The realization that you've killed an entire family that was really just defending their home is what is getting to you. That and the fact that you feel like this whole incident is your fault. Adding Klepto's death to the mix and you're directly and indirectly responsible for four people's deaths. "Toilet." You say in a daze. "What?" Shrimpy asks. "I'm gonna be sick..." "I think I saw one over towards the back of the house, it's..." You don't wait for Lifto to finish you just run in the direction. Trying to keep from throwing up and you just manage to make it to the toilet where upon you promptly vomit your guts out. Your fellows come to see how you're doing. "Suzy, are you alright?" Shrimpy asks. "Yeah, you aren't sick are you?" Lifto asks. It takes you awhile to answer, but eventually you manage it. "Uh...(pant)...I just...I dunno...yeah I'll be fine. I think the stress of all this just got to me. Uh..." You say. "Well, it's understandable. Look, why don't you go lie down somewhere? You've done enough for today. The rest of us are gonna drag these bodies out of here. It'll take all of us, lord knows what the hell they were eating on this farm, but everyone here seems to be Fatty's size or bigger. Probably should look around the rest of the farm as well. Make sure nobody is hiding in the barns or something." Lifto remarks. "Yeah...okay..." you say walking past Shrimpy and Lifto. As you slowly walk back towards the front of the house, Fatty comes down the stairs. "Well the upstairs is clear from what I can tell. Nobody up there. Hey Suzy, you okay? Could hear you retching from up there." Fatty asks. "Yeah, just need to lie down." You say. "You and me both, but I suppose Lifto is going to need me to help him move out these bodies. Anyway, there are some nice beds upstairs, probably should take one of them." At this point you feel so wobbly that you wonder if you can even make it up the stairs. > You use the upstairs bedrooms Given that everyone is going to be making a bunch of noise, moving bodies and such downstairs, you decide to head upstairs. You think you could really use the solitude anyway. You think you've spent more time in the close company of people this week than you have in your entire life and that includes when you had a boyfriend. With everyone else doing a bit of cleaning up, your mind goes a bit numb as you go up the creaky stairs. You put everything that you've experienced this week out of your head. All you want to think about right now is resting from this ordeal. You reach the landing and look to your left and see a room which is fairly messy to the point of being disgusting. You hear flies buzzing in there and it smells like something died in there, which doesn't improve how you're already feeling. You guess that this was probably the son's room. You close the door so as to keep the odor in and move on. Across the hall you find a much better room with a big bed. You guess that Clem and his wife slept here, or maybe just his wife, given her size. Unfortunately that smell from Junior's room is still strong enough for this room to catch a bit of the fallout. You can't rest here either so you move on again. You pass another bathroom and then at the far end you find another bedroom. This one is free of a bad smell and has a comfortable looking bed so you immediately go to it. You collapse on the bed, with a deep exhale. You lie there in silence for a moment trying to wrap your mind around the situation. "(Sigh) Ohhhh...shit...never should've left the basement." You say. You think about what might've happened had you actually stayed home earlier this week rather than going with the idea to go join the circus. You also wonder what would've happened had you gone to live with your younger sister or even made up with Bobby. You then remember of how the National Guard were stationed in your town and then there were those creatures (Still don't know what that was all about or if Lifto is out of the woods as far as that's concerned) so chances are things might've still turned out hectic. "I was fucked no matter what." You laugh as your eyes start to close a bit. In fact you laugh quite a bit. You laugh at this entire hell week. It may be your mind trying to cope and a combination of being tired, or you may have snapped a little but in any event you can't stop quietly giggling to yourself. And then as you're in your minor giggling fit, your eyes stay open longer when you begin to realize your surroundings. This room. This is the room of a young female. There is a whole area dedicated to make up and such. The walls have a flowery print. You even see a few feminine undergarments sitting on top of a dresser. You then remember back when you first shot Junior, his mother telling him that he had better not be fighting with his sister again. Funny what you remember during intense situations. There were only three dead bodies, which means the daughter of this family is still alive and possibly hiding somewhere. Fatty said he searched upstairs, but he could've missed something. And a quick glance to your left you see a closet door slightly askew, which then begins to open further. Feeling a sudden burst of energy brought on by danger, you manage to sit up and get off the bed just in time for the owner of this room to reveal herself. Apparently she thought you were going to be easier pickings than Fatty, she finds out how dreadfully wrong she is. You immediately rush at the woman who holds a large knife in one hand. It's enough to catch her off guard and she fails to hit you with the knife or rather fails to hit you in a meaningful way since the blade does slice your upper arm. The pair of you fall to the closet floor where she slams her head against the wall. You grab the hand holding the knife and smash it on the doorway until she drops it. You feel a punch to your face by her other hand, but you ignore the pain and with all your weight you slam your elbow into her nose. You stop her from crying out by following that up with a punch to her mouth. You repeatedly punch her in the face to a point where she temporarily stops resisting entirely. Clothing is falling on the pair of you and you grab a shirt and wrap it around her throat and pull tightly. Your mind goes into a very dark place. "Shhhh...it'll all be over soon, just let the darkness take you" you whisper. The woman gasps for air and tries to punch and scratch at you, but you manage to pull your head back just enough for her to miss. She tries to wiggle and squirm away, but you're sitting right on her stomach and there's nowhere for her to go. The woman continues to choke and tries to pry your hands away, but she's unable to do so and her struggle becomes less intense. "...there we go...now you'll be with your family forever..." you say and watch her face turn unhealthy shade due to lack of oxygen and her eyes roll up into her head. The woman stops breathing and the deed is done. You don't even feel tired anymore, it's like killing her energized you or something. You don't have the sick feeling either. You just went into a kind of trance. Like this woman was garbage that needed to be disposed of. You wonder if this is what your Uncle Ed felt when he killed whores. If you were in your old frame of mind, you'd know how fucked up that is. In your current state of mind you still know how fucked up that is, however you no longer care. Something may very well have snapped within you, whether it was a combination of the entire week, or just this one bad day, the damage has been done and you're not quite the same person that you were anymore. She was going to kill you and you stopped her from doing so, that's the important thing. Nothing else. You survived. There are no limits to what you're capable of, you realize that now. "Suzy!? Hey are you okay up there?! I heard some noise!" you hear Lifto shout. "Yeah, I'm fine, just looking through a closet before I get some rest. Some shit fell, no worries!" you shout back. "Okay then." With that interruption out of the way you turn your attention back to your situation. You start looking around the room and find lots of make up. You also go through her clothing and notice a lot of it is about your size though a bit on the slutty side. Oddly enough after going through some more personal belongings you find out her name was Susie too. Or Susie Mae to be precise. After pulling out some of the clothing from the closet you shove the rest of Susie Mae's body into it and shut the door. "Hmm, yeah I think I could make a new outfit out of this stuff." You remark. You then grab the scissors and sewing material that lies nearby. It's been awhile since you've done any seamstress type stuff, but you remember when your mother taught you to do it when you were in your elementary school plays. Hopefully you've retained enough of the knowledge. You spend the rest of the day in Susie Mae's room on your own personal project. It's the most solitude you've had in a long time and you happily enjoy it. The rest of your compatriots are busy searching the rest of the farm for the most part though at one point Shrimpy comes up and asks if you're okay. "Suzy? Hey thought you'd be asleep...what are you doing?" "Well I don't exactly have any extra clothes anymore. Even my clown stuff was left back at the carnival, so I'm making a new wardrobe, what's up?" you ask not looking up from what you're doing. "Um, well just wanted to let you know that we've checked out this entire farm and the place seems all clear and well stocked too." Shrimpy remarks. "Are Fatty and Lifto okay?" you ask. "Heh, yeah Fatty's fine, wasn't fun digging that bullet out of his ass though. As for Lifto he seems fine too. Don't think Klepto biting him did anything and he's cleaned out the wound at this point so I guess he's in the clear. Speaking of Klepto, we uh...were thinking we should at least bury him. We already dug the hole in a nice spot. Maybe we should have a small funeral tomorrow?" "I think that sounds like a fine idea...guess I better finish this thing if I'm attending a funeral." You reply. Shrimpy pauses for a moment. "Suzy are you really okay? You seem different somehow." "I'm just fine Shrimpy. Just fine. I really need to focus on this though." "Um, okay sure. We'll let you know if anything important pops up." Shrimpy says and leaves you. You aren't disturbed for the rest of the day or night; in fact they all must sleep downstairs which gives you free reign of the upstairs bathroom to wash up a bit. After washing up you try on your now finished project. Your outfit is a patchwork of colorful chaos since you just cut up lots of clothing and sewed bits of them together, but you're pleased with your work. In fact you're so pleased with it, you fall asleep in it figuring that it'll save you a bit of time to get ready for Klepto's funeral tomorrow. > Next day… "Suzy? You up?" Shrimpy asks and knocks on your door. Normally you wouldn't be this early, but in this rare instance you actually are. "Yeah, I'm awake. I'll be ready in a moment." You say applying make up on your face. "Okay, we're all about as ready as we're going to be, Lifto and Fatty have already put Klepto's body in the hole we dug, so we're all about as ready for this thing as we're going to be. See you downstairs." "Hey Shrimpy can I say a few things at this event?" you ask before he walks away from the door. "You mean like a eulogy? Sure I mean if you've got something to say then by all means go for it. Really we were all trying to come up with something formal, but I think we're all still a little exhausted. Lifto actually broke down in tears yesterday about Klepto's death. I think he's upset that he tried to kill him just the day before and wishes their last moments were on friendlier terms." "Well, tell Lifto that the time for tears and regrets will soon be a thing of the past. I'm almost done, see you downstairs." "All right." You look at yourself in the mirror and finish applying lipstick. Not the exact shade of red you wanted, but it was the only lipstick that the previous owner hadn't used yet. You're just glad the girl had as much make up as she did so you could paint up your face proper. Satisfied with your face, you stand up and look at yourself in the nearby full length mirror. "Well it's not my old carnival outfit, but yeah... this is definitely me now. Now and forever." you say and walk towards the door. Before leaving you stop and look towards the closet. "Thank you for letting me borrow your make up and clothing." You say and then giggle a bit. You skip down the stairs and meet up with the rest. They're all a bit more somber than you and are quite surprised to see your slightly energetic temperament. "Suzy? That's a uh interesting outfit." Fatty remarks. "Isn't it though? Made it myself. Nothing like a new set of clothes to put you in a different mindset! In fact given that all of you have been running around in the same clothes for day on end, I'd say that all of you could use new clothes too. Those rags must be really filthy by now; you'll all probably feel a lot more positive about things once you change. I'm sure we can gather up enough of this family of deadnecks' clothing and I can make you all something. Anyway, we can talk about this later let us be on our way." Everyone is a unsure of how to react to your new chipperish behavior especially given the circumstances, but they all just lead the way to Klepto's open grave which has been dug out in the backyard of the house. Klepto still looks about as dead as he did that last time you saw him, though someone has arranged his body in a respectful way. He even has some freshly pulled flowers in his hand. "The flowers are a nice touch." You remark not knowing who did it. "Thank you." Lifto says wiping away a tear. "Shrimpy probably told you all that I was going to do a bit of a eulogy, but does anyone have anything else to say?" "No, we were all trading Klepto stories last night. We'll probably be doing it for a while. None of us are really good for formal speeches though, probably best if you do it. Besides, it means a lot that you want to do it despite not knowing any of us that long." Shrimpy says. "Glad you feel that way because what I'm going to say is going to be towards all of you..." And before you can finish that thought. Your eyes (and everyone else's) catch sight of something quite spectacular in the distance. A mushroom cloud. You're not feeling any tremors or aftershocks, a wave of fire hasn't engulfed you, so you're guessing that it wasn't excessively close, maybe it was even a small one. Still, you can't help but wonder if you're in some sort of deadly radiation radius though. If so there isn't much that can done about it. "Well I'll be damned, the world finally went and did it..." you say to yourself. Lifto, Fatty and Shrimpy all at the same time begin to swear and react to the situation as most people would, namely panic, fear and hysteria. You think in the old days you probably would have too, but not anymore. If anything this is excellent timing for your new outlook on life. You quickly call everyone to attention. "Hey! Listen up! This might be the end of civilization as we know it, but it isn't the end of the world! Sure life is going to be harder now, but look at we've already survived. Just this damn week we suffered through a military occupation, an internal civil war, an attack by freaks, and took down a bunch of rednecks trying to murder us." At this point they're all listening to you intently. "We'll survive this and as long as we stick together there isn't anything we can't do. This is a new beginning and it'll be us against the world if necessary. We are a family and I love you guys." You say. These words are met with a pause and then of course positive approval by all and everyone goes in for a bit of a group hug. Feelings run a bit high and some more tears are shed. While your words are genuine and do have feeling behind them, but your mind is still in a dark place. You do see them all as family, but you also can't help see them as useful "tools" in the chaos that's going to come. Even now you're sizing them all up on their weaknesses and strengths. In any case, you and everyone finish up by completing the burial of Klepto and gathering all the supplies from the farm that will be needed. You all know you'll run out eventually, but for now you've got enough supplies to ponder a long range plan of your future. No longer are you the shy "good" girl who hid away in the basement, harassed by your family and living as one day blurred into the next. Far from it. Very far from it. It's a brand new day and this is just the beginning of your brand new life. > Karnival of Karnage The Future... You sit comfortably in your modified jeep watching yet another small settlement burn before you. Not the first time, and certainly won't be the last. The screams and gunfire are starting to die down which means today's raid is nearly over. Still, it isn't completely over yet and there's always something fun to see. "Woo hoo! Looks like that new recruit has got the right attitude!" you say watching a young man wearing an outlandish green wig and novelty nose glasses swing his machete into the skull of another young man who was previously begging for his life. "Hrm. Wasn't too sure about him at first, but I guess he's proven himself on this raid. Speaking of which, looks like we've made a good haul. Lots of food, water, even medical supplies." Lifto remarks sitting next to you. "Wheeee! Gimme that map, I want to see where we should hit next." You say. "I believe Captain Howdy has it." "Well, call that pierced freak over here then." You say. Lifto nods and calls for Captain Howdy via bullhorn. Eventually a heavily pierced man wearing a beat up pilot's cap, black face make up and carrying an assault rifle over his shoulder appears. "Black face today? Isn't that a bit unPC?" you say with a smirk. "Eh, fuck'em if they can't take a joke." Howdy says apathetically. "Truer words my friend. Lifto says you've got the map of this area." You say. "Oh yeah, I do. Here let me get it out of my pack." Howdy takes off a small backpack and opens it up to give you a well-worn map of the area. "Let's see...okay...we hit that place...and that one..." you start to say looking for a new target. "How about Redemption? I hate those religious types." Howdy says. "While I have no doubt that town of pious zealots is well stocked, they're also very well armed. In fact I've been hearing rumors that they've been launching their own little crusade against neighboring settlements." You say. "I heard that they went complete Spanish Inquisition on one town. Crucified most of them and burned the rest alive. That was of course after they already had tortured the shit out of all of them." Lifto adds. "So? We could take those assholes." Howdy remarks. "That may be, but not in the near future. It would be a very dangerous undertaking and we are not doing this for the risks and to prove how badass we are. We're doing this for survival...well that and to have a little fun in the process." You say with a smile, though Howdy is still one of your more "macho" members and still wants to prove he's got a dick by killing something. You reach out to his face with a gentle touch and soothing voice. "I know you like to kill things, but I don't want you to get killed in the process. Just because we tend to pick easier targets just means I really don't want you or any one of us to get killed. We're all family and I don't want to see any one of you die, you understand? That's why our mode of operation is to go for low risk, high reward and I'd say its work for all these years wouldn't you?" "Yes, I suppose it has." Howdy says. "That's right. Anyway it's looking like we have hit every place that's worthwhile around here. We should start heading east and raid merchant caravans coming out of those city-states. They're all fucked up after that big war they had with the Ground Zero Corporation so they're lacking in the defense department now. Okay, let's start shutting down this circus and move on." You say and take the bullhorn from Lifto. "Alright you clowns gather up all the shit we've looted, pile it in the vehicles and let's get this freak show on the road! We're heading east! Flammo! HEY! That doesn't mean start another goddamn fire, it means let's go!" you shout shaking your head and throw the bullhorn in the back seat. Lifto starts up the jeep and you stretch a bit waiting for your family to finish packing up. Lifto waits in silence, but you feel like talking. "A Pennywise for your thoughts." You say which causes a snort from Lifto. "Oh nothing, I suppose I was just thinking about how much things have changed. The past. Sometimes I miss it." "Oh that. Well I don't miss it. Glad that part of my life is over." "Not just the old days, but people as well like Fatty, Shrimpy... Klepto." "Well that's different. I do miss them. They were family and I'll never forget them. We sure had some fun times back at that farmhouse remember?" "Heh, yeah. Shame what happened; maybe we could've made a more stable life there rather than doing this raider thing." "Perhaps, but we can't dwell on what if in the past. Just have to focus on today and if possible, the future. That's what's kept us alive and allowed us to build our new family." You say and touch Lifto's hand. Lifto looks and smiles at you. You aren't sure if he's ever completely agreed with how you've gone about things, but he loves you enough that he'll stand by your side no matter what and that's enough for you. To be honest you did latch on to Lifto a bit in the beginning because he was obviously a big guy that could definitely protect you in a time of trouble, but it's a bit more than that now. Given that you're both the only two left from the original group, your ties have naturally grown quite a bit. You've done a lot of bad things since your new life began, but it's a harsh world and you're just living in it. Sometimes you have bouts where you wonder if you should feel bad about doing the things you do, but then you just laugh and remember to not dwell on the past. "I love you Kenneth." You say using Lifto's real name, looking at him and touching his hand. "I love you Suzy." He replies back and leans over to kiss you. With this exchange of affection, you, Lifto and your gang of clowns drive off in search of new prey.

[Themes: modern, horror, humor] If you ran, you doubt if the rest of them would follow and despite the feeling that this isn't the greatest idea, you're tired of running. You've got nothing to run to anyway, if you can deal with the inhabitants inside, you'll at least have a place to catch a breather from the ever-growing chaos in your life. You hope at least. "Shrimpy can you get inside the truck without getting hit and put it in neutral?" "Yeah I think I could." Shrimpy says. "Good, give me the rifle and the clips, get in the truck and when it's in neutral Lifto and Fatty I want you to start pushing it forward. We should be able to get close enough to the house using this thing as a large shield." "What are you going to be doing?" Fatty asks. "I'm going to be crawling around in the truck bed taking shots at that bastard firing at us when I can. Hopefully the closer we get the more likely I'll be able to hit him. Now you want to avenge Klepto or what?" This statement gets a nod from everyone. "Let's do this." Lifto says and all of you enact your plan. It goes well, or about as well as a plan can when someone is shooting at you. Another person soon joins the farmer the closer the truck gets to the front of the house. Presumably the farmer's wife. The pair of them unleash a torrent of curses at you, but nobody is hitting each other yet. Bullets tear into the truck and while you're all safe, when the two front tires get blown out, it makes Lifto and Fatty's pushing a lot harder. "Goddamn it. (Wheeze)" Fatty gasps. "Fuck." Lifto grunts. Still crawling around in the truck bed, you head over towards the back and speak to Lifto and Fatty. "Okay, stop pushing, no point in straining yourself, because you're going to need to save your energy. I don't think the shooter on the left is quite as skilled so run to the left and around the back of the house, there's got to be a back door. I'll provide cover, I still got a half a clip left in this thing and one more full one, so when I go full auto, start running. Here take the pistol." You say tossing the pistol over the back end of the truck. Honestly you'd rather have Shrimpy do this since he's a much smaller target, but the little guy is probably hiding in the leg area of either the driver or passenger's side of the truck hoping not to get hit. You take a deep breath as more bullets tear into the sides of the truck. You grip the rifle and exposing only a bit of your hands, you blindly fire and spray the left area of the house where the second shooter is. Luckily through the gunfire a small cry is heard, you think you've hit someone again. In any case it allows time for Lifto and Fatty to crouch run towards the house, hug the wall and then crawl around the corner. Fatty sure is fast when he wants to be, you just hope he doesn't suffer a heart attack. Meanwhile you hear shouting within the house. "Clem! I'm hit! Ohhhhh...(sob)" "Honeypie?! Honeypie? No no no..." With the gunfire completely stopped Shrimpy takes the opportunity to get out of the truck and run behind it. "Suzy? You still here?" you hear him ask. "Yeah, I'm still here. Just stay behind the truck I'm gonna..." you start to say before you're interrupted "NO! GODAMNIT! NOOOO! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU ALL!" Clem the farmer shouts and now the sounds of gunfire start up again, except this time he's not firing a rifle anymore, the booming sound indicates a shotgun of some kind. As you try to reload your last assault rifle clip, the truck continues to suffer the impact of shotgun rounds. In fact they are starting to damage the truck enough that one of them going through and hitting you is a very real possibility. You roll over to the other side of the truck in an attempt not to get hit. "I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" you hear him bellow. You're too busy keeping down and redloading. And then you hear nothing, followed by a pistol shot and then another. You take the opportunity to quickly climb out of the truck bed altogether. "Suzy, did they get him?" Shrimpy asks "I don't know..." you say and peek your head out hoping that this isn't a mistake. You soon see Lifto standing in the front doorway with the pistol in hand. "We got all of these bastards. It's safe." He says. You and Shrimpy both step out from the cover of the truck and make your way to the house. First thing you notice is the first man you shot near the entryway, apparently he tried to crawl away soon after the shoot out started and died shortly afterwards. Given his disfigurement and from what you could tell of his voice, he might've been mentally retarded. You remember hearing "junior" being said, so you're guessing he was the son. You don't exactly feel great about shooting him. It really was an accident. Seeing the other two bodies don't exactly make you feel any better. The farmer's wife lies dead in the dining room area. She's actually bigger than Fatty which means she's indeed quite on the large side. She has several gunshot wounds to her upper body. You knew you hit her, but you just didn't know where. Your stomach begins to feel slightly bad when you think about it. Finally you see the farmer himself, or Clem as you heard being shouted. Lifto mentions that Clem was so focused on you that he realized too late that someone was sneaking up on him. Lifto mentions that he shot him in the back and then while Clem was still flopping about on the floor trying to turn over with his shotgun, Clem put one in his skull. You didn't even kill Clem and you still feel weird about it. You don't understand why you're feeling slightly sick about all this. Or rather you've got an idea why, but considering the little creature rampage at the carnival it isn't like you haven't seen gruesome death before, but this is somehow different. The adrenaline and survivalist mindset you put yourself into has disappeared now that the danger has passed so you are left with the grim aftermath of your actions. The realization that you've killed an entire family that was really just defending their home is what is getting to you. That and the fact that you feel like this whole incident is your fault. Adding Klepto's death to the mix and you're directly and indirectly responsible for four people's deaths. "Toilet." You say in a daze. "What?" Shrimpy asks. "I'm gonna be sick..." "I think I saw one over towards the back of the house, it's..." You don't wait for Lifto to finish you just run in the direction. Trying to keep from throwing up and you just manage to make it to the toilet where upon you promptly vomit your guts out. Your fellows come to see how you're doing. "Suzy, are you alright?" Shrimpy asks. "Yeah, you aren't sick are you?" Lifto asks. It takes you awhile to answer, but eventually you manage it. "Uh...(pant)...I just...I dunno...yeah I'll be fine. I think the stress of all this just got to me. Uh..." You say. "Well, it's understandable. Look, why don't you go lie down somewhere? You've done enough for today. The rest of us are gonna drag these bodies out of here. It'll take all of us, lord knows what the hell they were eating on this farm, but everyone here seems to be Fatty's size or bigger. Probably should look around the rest of the farm as well. Make sure nobody is hiding in the barns or something." Lifto remarks. "Yeah...okay..." you say walking past Shrimpy and Lifto. As you slowly walk back towards the front of the house, Fatty comes down the stairs. "Well the upstairs is clear from what I can tell. Nobody up there. Hey Suzy, you okay? Could hear you retching from up there." Fatty asks. "Yeah, just need to lie down." You say. "You and me both, but I suppose Lifto is going to need me to help him move out these bodies. Anyway, there are some nice beds upstairs, probably should take one of them." At this point you feel so wobbly that you wonder if you can even make it up the stairs. > You use the downstairs couch You're so tired, you don't want to be bothered with stairs right now. You collapse on the nearby sofa and close your eyes. "Try to keep it down please." You say. Everyone agrees, but the act of moving bodies out isn't exactly quiet work. Especially when they try to move the farmer's wife, which even with Lifto helping, isn't an easy task. "Damnit Fatty get her fucking leg, I'm losing my grip." Lifto says. "This bitch is bigger than me! I'm having a coronary just trying to move her." Fatty replies. "Don't look at me, I'm doing the best I can with this leg, we should just drag her out." Shrimpy adds. "Okay, okay, drop her." A loud thud of a dead body hitting the floor fills your ears. Them trying to drag her doesn't go too much quieter, Fatty ends up knocking over a table lamp and at this point you know trying to sleep on the sofa is a losing proposition. You don't get mad since it really isn't their fault, but you do get up in silence and make your way up the stairs. Really you're still a bit wobbly from your tiredness and your eyes are half sleepy, but thanks to the railings, you're able to maneuver yourself to the top without falling. Unfortunately, that isn't the danger. When you get to the top of the stairs, you see a young woman standing before you holding a knife. It looks like she was sneaking to one of the other rooms when you appeared. The woman is a bit surprised when she sees you and you're just barely awake enough to realize that you're in danger, you're not quite awake enough to react in time. With a short rush towards you she stabs you in the right tit, causing you to fall backwards. The knife wound wouldn't have killed you since it didn't hit vital organs, but breaking your neck falling down the stairs sure does. The rest of your friends come running back inside from the noise and will probably avenge your death, but obviously you won't be alive to thank them.

[Themes: modern, drama, science fiction, female protagonist, serious] "...don't delay, buy a Ground Zero shelter today!" "Fatty turn that radio off, there hasn't been anything on it of importance for hours. It's just those damn Ground Zero ads. Christ, you'd think someone would be reporting about oh you know a zombie apocalypse?" Shrimpy says. "I still say those things are still alive. The ones we saw didn't look like they came back from the dead or anything." Fatty remarks. "Well whatever, still seems like reporting SOME sort of outbreak would be of importance." "Maybe its local and not happening anywhere else?" At this point your eyes open and you completely rouse from your sleep. "(Yawn) What's going on?" you ask. "So you're finally awake." Shrimpy says. "We've been driving all night?" you ask. "Somewhat. Fatty here pulled over at one point and we both slept a little. If you're wondering about the gruesome twosome back there, we checked on them and from what I can tell both of them feel fine. In fact I think they're both still sleeping. Guess all that bite drama yesterday really exhausted them. Dunno if that means they're okay or not, but right now we do have another problem." Shrimpy says. "What's that?" you ask. "Well Fatty here managed to get us fucking lost." "Hey it's not my fault, I couldn't see shit in the night and I thought we were on a main road. Damn GPS." Fatty says. "Told you that it was broken and hasn't worked correctly for years. Anyway, I know you're native to this area so I'm hoping you know your way around." Shrimpy says. A brief glance of the practically non-descript landscape to the left and right of you leaves you at a loss. "Sorry, but like I said, I never was a big traveller. Never left the basement if I could help it." You say. "Oh yeah, that's right. Well any suggestion regardless of that fact?" Shrimpy asks. You don't really have any, though you probably should be near some sort of farmhouse as you do know there are some out this way. You could get your bearing by stopping at one and asking for directions. You also remember Fatty's comment about supplies. "There should be some sort of farmhouse nearby. Just keep driving along this road and we'll probably hit one where we can ask for directions and possibly get supplies." "Sounds like as good of an idea as any." You really don't know if that will be the case, you're just hoping at this point. Fortunately, your hopes come true this time. "Well, there's a house. Can't tell if anyone is home or not though." Fatty says pulling up to a large traditional looking farmhouse. "Okay, so how are we doing this?" "Well...I suppose I'll go up to the front door and see if anyone's home and the rest of you guys stay in the truck." You say. "You nuts? This place looks like it's out of a horror movie! Might be a bunch of psycho rednecks living in there! They see a pretty young thing like you and they'd grab you before we could even do anything." Shrimpy remarks. "Right like arriving at a door with a group of clowns isn't straight out of a horror movie. I'm currently the only one dressed in regular clothing and not covered in blood, I think it would be best if I just asked for help at first." "Hey what are we going to do with Klepto and Lifto?" Fatty asks. "Well check on them again and if they seem to be well unchain them I guess. I mean they could use a stretch. Anyway like I said I'm going to the door. I'm taking the pistol with me and I'm confident that if something does happen you'll be able to react in time to save me from getting chopped up or whatever you think is going to happen. We need help getting back on track and looking at the gauge we might even need gas so hopefully they got that here too. Don't worry I'll be fine." You say and get out of the truck. You make your way towards the front porch looking around the entire time. This place is creepily quiet. Seems like you should at least hear the sounds of animals or something. Shrimpy's got you totally paranoid now. You really weren't worried until he mentioned psycho hillbillies. You look back at the truck. "Goddamn it Suzy, you need to brave through some of this shit yourself. You survived your serial killer uncle for Christsake. Nothing is going to happen, probably just some kindly old farm couple that lives here." You mutter to yourself and walk up the stairs and knock on the door. You knock several times with no answer, but just when you're about to give up it opens. "WHO YOU!?" a large disfigured man exclaims completely scaring the shit out of you and causing you to fall backwards. You're in a state of utter fear as this large freak approaches you with his hand outstretched towards you... Even in your fearful condition, you're still able to react to a dangerous situation. You pull the pistol that you had on you and shoot the disfigured man. You hit him twice in the body and he reels backwards bellowing loudly as his body hits the front door and then the house's front room floor. "WHHHHHHY!? GOING TO HELP YOU!" the man shouts. "Junior? What in tarnation is goin' on down there? I hope you didn't shoot yourself in the foot carrying your father's rifles again, you know how he hates a waste of ammo." An older female voice shouts from inside. "MAMA! MAMA! HURT A LOT! BAD GIRL HURT ME!" the man cries. "If you've been fightin' with you're sister again...oh my god...JUNIOR! CLEM SOMEONE SHOT JUNIOR!" you hear the older female voice scream. By this time you're running back to the truck, which Shrimpy has gotten out of. Lifto and Klepto are also both awake and shouting at this point. "Get back in the fucking truck! We gotta..." you start yelling and then a shot from one of the farmhouse windows rings out. You hear it whiz by your ear causing you to drop to the ground immediately. You continue to crawl towards the truck where you hear more gunfire behind you and the sounds of an assault rifle returning fire. You hear someone trying to start the truck, but a few more shots hitting metal seem to put an end to that causing the engine to make a less than operational sound. "Fatty get out of the front seat!" Shrimpy shouts. You hear more gunshots followed by Fatty crying out, though you don't know if he's actually gotten hit severely since you just hear "OW MY ASS!" The whole time you're praying that you don't get shot in the back, but you're the lucky one... Ever the white knight, Klepto attempts to go "rescue" you. "Klepto get out of the open!" you hear Lifto shout. "Suzy's out there I can't..." Klepto's words are cut short when a bullet to his skull drops him. In fact he drops about a few feet in front of you. You try to put the sight of his death out of your mind as you continue to crawl towards the truck. "YOU FUCKERS AREN'T TAKING THIS FARM! THIS FARM IS MINE! ALL OF YOU SONSOFBITCHES ARE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO MY BOY!" a male voice shouts. You finally reach your destination where the rest are hiding behind the back of the truck, though Fatty's having a hard time of it due to his size and the fact he's got a bullet in his ass. The shooting on both sides for now has stopped though. "Shit, shit, shit, Klepto's dead! That redneck bastard says that we're going to pay, no fucking way, HE'S gonna fuckin' pay!" Lifto says which is a bit surprising considering that he was ready to kill Klepto himself just yesterday. "Fuck, my ass...ah! Shit...wish I had a gun, I'd shoot that fucker in the ass. Not the cheek either, the fucking HOLE!" Fatty says who is normally calm, but given he got shot his anger is a bit understandable. "Well luckily I picked up a few extra clips back at the carnival and Suzy's probably still got a few shots left. I say we can probably take out the shooter with a bit of strategy. Just as soon as we come up with one of course." Shrimpy remarks. You don't know how to feel about all this. Maybe it's all the increased violence over the past few days along with losing Klepto, but your clown crew is starting to become a lot more vicious, though events haven't exactly been encouraging a peaceful life lately. You can't help but feel a little responsible for this current situation though. The retard was just trying to help you up from your fall, but you couldn't have known that...you just reacted to your fear. You were the one who harmed the farm inhabitants first even if the rest of your clown friends think you were being attacked. Part of you wants to just run from this place, but where would you go? Staying of course means doing more things you don't necessarily want to do...but then you think if you can put yourself in the "right" frame of mind you'll be able to do it. The farmer HAS tried to kill all of you and did succeed in killing Klepto who attempted to save you, surely revenge for that isn't totally wrong? > You run away You might not know where you're going to go, but staying around here seems like it will definitely lead to more death, namely yours. "Guys, I'm making a run for it. I can't do this." "Suzy, that asshole killed Klepto! We can't just let these rednecks get away with that!" Lifto says. "And they shot me in the ass!" Fatty adds. "And I killed one of them, granted it was an accident, but that's probably why they're shooting at us! They aren't completely at fault for thinking we're here to hurt them. In fact they're completely correct in that assessment given that you all want to get revenge. Look, I'm getting the hell out of here, and I hope the rest of you are with me on this. It sucks what happened to Klepto, but if we stay here, we're going to end up like he did!" you exclaim. Lifto and Fatty are both unmoved by your words and tell you quite colorfully how disappointed they are in you. Shrimpy however is silent, and then passes his assault rifle to Lifto. "Here. At least lay down a bit of covering fire while we run for it." Shrimpy says. "You're... you're leaving? Wow...Shrimpy. I could've understood if you had stuck with the rest of the dwarves back at the carnival, but looks like you were just following Suzy's ass the whole time." Lifto remarks. "Think whatever you want. Just cover us." "Fine. But given everything we've been through, I'm starting to think this girl is a fucking jinx and following her is just going to get you killed." Lifto remarks. "Well then you should be successful in blasting those farmers then, you ready or not?" Lifto reloads the rifle and without another word begins firing on the farmhouse. You and Shrimpy both sprint away from the truck as fast as you can hoping that you don't get hit. Fortunately it seems that the farmer is focusing on the immediate threat, which is Lifto. You don't look back you just continue running and try to keep as low as possible. Eventually you get yourself lost in some high grass. You hear someone still running close behind. "Shrimpy?" "Yeah, its me. (Whew) I think we're far enough now. Hold on, (pant) let me catch up to you. Damn grass is too high for me." you hear him say. "Follow my voice. Wait, I can hear you, let me just..." you begin to say and turn around to walk in the direction of his voice. Unfortunately you don't notice the bear trap on the ground. You must've just missed it when you ran this way before, but you don't miss it this time. The device springs and your left leg is suddenly crushed by a forty pound snapping jaw made of metal. Your leg is most certainly broken, and you are most certainly in more pain than you could ever imagine. Before you start to go into shock from the pain, you scream loud enough that Shrimpy definitely hears you and runs in your direction. "Oh my god, oh Suzy, oh shit!" he exclaims. "I...I...(sob) I...(sob)" you can't even form a coherent sentence; you're on the verge of passing out and crying uncontrollably. Shrimpy attempts to pull the trap open, but he isn't quite strong enough and just causes you more agony. "NO! (sob) Just...(sob) I...(sob)" you cry out. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll get help! Just hang on!" Shrimpy says and runs back in the direction of the farmhouse. You don't stop him and between the crying and wishing that you never left the basement you soon fall unconscious from shock and pain. You don't know how long you're out for, but when you come to, you wish you hadn't. "Knew it would be a good idea to lay dem traps out here. Never know who might be sneakin' through this tall grass." You see a large man in overalls carrying a shotgun say as he prods you with the barrel of the weapon. "Please...help..." is all you can utter. "Help? Like you and your evil clown friends helped each other in killing my boy and tryin' to kill the rest of my family? I dunno what sort of fucked up psychos y'all are, but you messed with the wrong family this day. Say hi to your friends in clown hell, bitch." You weakly put your hands in front of your face and then the farmer pulls the trigger.

"...our shelters are all equipped with the latest in state of the art technology, order now and..." Click. You fell asleep watching tv again. Seems like they're playing those damn commercials all the time now. Nothing like praying upon people's fears due to recent world events. You look at the time and see that you've slept for most of the morning, but given that you're going to the circus to apply for a job you figure they will be open all night. You also check your phone and see that Bobby's been trying to reach you, but you can't let yourself get distracted today. You need to focus on your goal of becoming a clown! You take Peter's car and head towards the circus. The drive is fairly uneventful though one thing you notice is the increase in police cars and police in general. Apparently there's been some civil disturbance in multiple locations. You swear this one of the reasons why you never like leaving the basement in the first place. You hate the chaotic nature of people. But then, if you have any hope of being a clown, you're going to have to get used to dealing with crowds and people. In fact you're going to have to get used to a lot of things, but you can't let yourself get a panic attack about this. You have to go through with this. Eventually you arrive at your destination. Or at least you assume it is. Peter wasn't joking when he said it resembled a gypsy camp as opposed to a proper circus. You see a lot of little tents and some trailers, but nothing like a "big top." Most of the people here are dwarves and last time you knew there wasn't a large population of little people in your town, so you can only assume that they're part of the circus. In fact from what you can tell there aren't actually any customers, just carnies. As you wander a bit, you start getting a lot of looks, you aren't sure if they're staring at you because you're an outsider or if they're just gawking at you. Might be a bit of both. Doesn't take long before you're surrounded by a lot of the little people and you start to feel like Dorothy. "Hey goldie with the legs, what're you doing around here? We're not open yet." One of their numbers says. "Oh, well I wasn't here for that. I'm here because..." you take a deep breath. "I want to be a clown!" That certainly wasn't the response that they were expecting. You hear a few whispers before the one that was talking speaks again. "A clown? Heh, well I'm not sure how successful that's going to work out for you, but luckily for you the owner of this fine circus is also a clown, so you'll need to speak with him either way. He's in the tent over there. Roofie is probably still hung over so try to speak quietly." "Roofie?" "Yeah, that's his clown name... actually it mean be his real name as well. Anyway, don't worry he's not a rapist or anything like that, he's just a drunk. In fact he's probably the most mentally stable clown that we've ever had in this circus!" Taking the dwarf's directions, you head over to Roofie's tent. The smell of booze is strong and when you enter you see a balding older man in oversized pants and suspenders sitting at a table holding his head in both hands. Beer and whiskey bottle are plentiful enough that you make yourself heard just by tripping over some. "Goddamn it, it isn't fucking showtime and nobody's been coming anyway! Leave me alone, shit!" Roofie shouts not even looking up and continuing to hold his head. "Uh Mr. Roofie, I was told to speak to you." Roofie turns and looks at you. A big red nose still on his face. "Huh? Wbo the hell are you? You look way too damn classy to be any whore that I'd be able to afford." "My name's Suzy and I want to be a clown." At this point Roofie slowly gets up from his seat kicking a few bottles aside. You continue to stand there starting to wonder if this was such a good idea. "A clown? Now why the hell would a cute blonde like you want to be a fuckin' clown. Doesn't make sense. You playin' some sort of angle honey, because I assure you I'm in no mood and I ain't got any money for you to grift anyway." "No, it's always been a life long dream ever since I was a little girl!" you say and then start to go into detail of how you enjoyed circus clowns and a bunch of other life story shit that doesn't really interest Roofie. In fact he's just struggling to stand up and listen right now. "Alright, alright, enough! Shit. I get it. (Sigh) Look honey I dunno what to tell you, we're not exactly the Ringling Brothers here. I'm also not exactly looking to hire and I barely keep this place running as it is." "Please let me be a clown! Just give me a chance!" "Argh, too fucking loud! Fine show me your clown stuff, just keep your voice down." "Clown stuff?" "Uh yeah, like can you juggle? A little magic maybe? Some slapstick? Do you have a character like being a hobo or something? What you think it's just easy as putting on white face make up, jumping around and laughing like an idiot?" "Well sort of..." "Sheesh. That's the kind of thinking that makes us look creepy rather than amusing. You do realize that most people hate clowns right? Doesn't help that we're constantly vilified in horror movies nowadays. Yer wastin' my time and yours if you don't even know the basics." Roofie isn't exactly inspiring your confidence in this anymore. You feel like just heading home, but can't run from this like you do with everything else, you've got no other options! You start to break down in tears. "Maybe I don't know the basics, but I'll work hard! (Sob) I'm serious about this! (Sob) I've tried to get a job everywhere else and if I don't get this, I'll get kicked out of my house! This is my last chance! (Sob)" you exclaim in between the tears. "Last chance? Darling, if bein' a clown is your last chance, then you've got some major problems. (Sigh) I dunno even know why I'm entertaining this save for the fact that you're easy on the eyes even without the need for alcohol and I'm a sucker for a damsel in distress. Besides if the news is any indication, we're all gonna be dead by nuclear fire soon anyway, so fuck it. All right, stop yer weepin' an maybe we can do something with you." You clear up your eyes a bit completely oblivious to Roofie's brief doomsday expectations. "So you'll help train me?" "Well, hopefully you'll pick up something in time, but I'm not going to bother with regular training, you're going to learn trial by fire which all good clowns do anyway. Now the greatest thing going for you is that you're cute, so I'm thinkin' we create a character for you that utilizes your, shall we say natural talent." "Wait, I'm not going to have my breasts exposed while wearing nothing but red clown noses on my nipples do I?" you ask with concern. "(Snort) Jesus girl. No, nuthin' like that." Roofie chuckles "You'll be fully clothed, though you'll still be cute lookin'. Kinda like that one girl. Y'know in the funny books? The one with that rich vigilante. Anyway, the key thing to remember is you need to act cutesy. That's going to be your character. You'll be a cute clown while all the other clowns around you hilariously fail to try to win you over, hit each other with mallets and all that sort of shit...hmmm, this is actually sounding like a pretty good skit. I'm going to go round up the others and have a run through. In the meantime there's a bunch of clown outfits in the trunk over there. Fairly certain we got a bunch of unused girly ones that should fit you. Some make up over and a mirror over there. Don't worry about getting that just right for now since I know the lighting sucks in this tent. And uh, I dunno try to practice acting demure and shy." Roofie leaves the tent and you're left realizing that you might just succeed at getting this job! You quickly go through the trunk and find some pink and black-checkered leotard thing with a mini-skirt attached around the waist. It fits and fortunately while form fitting, it isn't excessively tight, though your legs are still exposed so you put on some knee high purple striped leggings. You feel sort of vulnerable undressing in a tent that someone could just enter at any time, but fortunately there's at least a privacy-screen you can dress behind. You complete your look by putting your hair in girlish pigtails and applying a bunch of white face make up on and making your eyelashes and lips stand out with black eye liner and red lipstick. You haven't had time to practice when Roofie returns with a bunch of other men in various clown outfits. One of them is even a little person like you met out front. "Goddamn Roofie, I think I'm gonna have to rethink my plans of leaving your shitty carnival." One of them says. "Leave? Hell, I think I'm in love." Says another before Roofie speaks up. "Holy shit girl, I said cute clown, not harlequin seductress! You might need to tone it down in the future we're still trying to run a family show more or less. All right never mind, let's run through this and you guys TRY to remember to keep your tongues in your mouth on occasion." So you run through the routine while Roofie gives everyone directions. At first you naturally feel a little unready and uneasy what with everyone flirting with you, but soon you start to get into the swing of things. In fact it starts to come easy, you bat your eyes, give a few girlish giggles when someone slips and falls trying to give you a balloon flower and similar things. Eventually Roofie stops everyone and says the skit needs to be refined a bit, but it should work. He then tells everyone to leave since he wants speak with you privately. This seems to disappoint the others who all continue to stare at you while leaving. "Well, other than the fact that I could tell some of them were having a really hard time in not actually groping you, I'd say that went well and even you seem to have gotten into character quickly. Maybe you do have what it takes after all. You still seem a little nervous though, which sort of helped your performance, but I'd rather you remain at ease. Anything that can help with that?" Roofie asks. "Well its like you said, I partially felt like one of them was going to jump on me at any given time. I mean is that something I'm going to have to worry about?" "Nah, that won't happen. We carnies have a rule against hurting each other. I mean I won't lie that they aren't going to stare a lot at you and most likely a few are going to make crude comments, but that's about as far as it is going to go if you decide to join and stay with us." "You want me to join?" "If you're still interested, sure. I think you've got something to offer. Though like I said, I'm still not sure why someone like you would want to join a broken down circus like this one. I still think someone like you would be a model or something." "Well, I'm wearing an outlandish outfit, my face is all painted up and a bunch of guys are falling over themselves just to get a look at me. Seems like I'm doing the same thing as a model save for the eating disorder." Your comment causes a laugh from Roofie. "Ha ha! That's pretty good. I think I'm making the right decision. Okay, so about your sleeping arrangements, I might have to re-arrange some folks and that's always going to cause problems, so you might have to sleep in your car for tonight..." "Wait you want me to move in here?" "Well yeah. I mean I told you we weren't going to be staying here too much longer and you have to know that circus' do tend to travel right?" "Yeah, right. Of course. It's just, heh, I guess when I jumped into this I didn't think all of it through. Though that's probably obvious." "Hrm, well it's your choice. I'm not gonna lie and say this life is the easiest and if you feel more comfortable at home or have loved ones you don't want to leave that's understandable." "I dunno if I'd say all that, but the concept of leaving my home...well it's a bit of a big change for me. Like a VERY big one. And oddly, this opportunity has me seriously considering it." "Well you do what's in your heart. Anyway, we aren't leaving today or even tomorrow, so I mean if you want to go back home and pick up some stuff, say goodbye to whoever, then you've got time. But even though we're not leaving tomorrow we are going to be open for our last show and I'll need you here. I'm hoping we'll at least get some people here and make at least a bit of money before picking up stakes and all that." You aren't sure what to do. The logical thing to do would be to go back home and gather some belonging, say a few goodbyes and try to convince Peter to drive you back up here so he gets his car back. But there's something within you that wonders if you shouldn't just make a clean break immediately and stay. You know yourself and if you get back home you're likely find some reason to stay and back out of this opportunity. You think about Bobby and how he'd be one of those reasons. You still haven't called him back. > You head back home You should head back home to gather your things and you at least should return Peter's car back. You're confident that he'd drive you back here. You still aren't sure about calling Bobby. If he finds out your intentions, he might do something crazy...well other than the usual craziness he participates in. Might be best to still not return his call. "I appreciate this opportunity Roofie. I'll be back later today or tomorrow morning at the latest." "Hm, okay. See you later then." Roofie says and you leave the tent to quickly make your way back to your car. You realize that you're still in your clown outfit as you're driving off. Oh well it hardly matters. Well other than Peter is probably going to get freaked out when he sees you. You head back towards town and halfway there you suddenly hear the sound of a tire blowing out. "Oh what the fuck!?" you exclaim, in your attempt to keep the car from swerving. You pull over to the side of the road. You get out and see your front driver side tire is completely fucked. While you don't have any experience in changing one yourself, you go and check if there is a spare anyway. You open the trunk and of course there is nothing in there. Or rather nothing that can help you. You do find a bunch of your old clothes that Peter probably stole a long time ago.. While its possible someone random might try to help you on this road, you don't hold out a lot of hope. Or rather the element that usually traverses this area usually consists of trailer trash types that you definitely don't want to put up with. Lacking any better options, you decide to call your younger sister Donna and hope that maybe she's not bust partying. No answer, but you leave a message. You also call Julie, but have the same amount of luck. You then try to call Peter, since he'll definitely want to know about his car. Again, you get no answer, so you leave a message. Some cars pass you on the road, so far its looking like nobody is helping you. You wonder if it might be the clown costume though. You have the temptation to call Bobby, but you resist. "Great. I finally start to get something going with my life and fate decides to kick me in the face for it." You say sitting in the car. It starts to get dark and nobody has returned your call yet. Tired of waiting around for help you come to a decision. You go back and grab your old clothes from the trunk of the car and start walking back to the carnival. It'll be a long walk, but given how everyone in your family has failed spectacularly in even returning your call you figure you'll be better off just making a clean break and not go back home after all. At least you've got a few extra clothes. You walk for quite some time and a couple vehicles pass you, but once again nobody offers you a ride. Looks like the clown outfit might be warding off people. As they say, there is nothing funny about a clown in the moonlight. There is also nothing funny about two rednecks in a pick up truck at night either... And that's exactly who rides up along side you. A fear wells up within you, but you try to ignore it. "Woo weee! Look at chu'. You from dat carnival a few miles up dah road?" one of them shouts from the passenger side. "Something like that." "Mm, yeah I don't usually go fer clowns...but damn are you fine. You fill out that outfit something fierce! You remind me of that girl from the funny books. Y'know that crazy guy's girlfriend who fights that bat guy." You continue to try to ignore him and step up your pace. "So, you need a lift back to your carnival sweetheart? We got room." "No, the back of your truck looks full of scrap metal." "Oh honey, you wouldn't ride back there. You'd ride up here with us. Maybe you could even sit in my lap." You're starting to get worried now. "No, I'm okay. Thanks though." "I don't think yer understandin' me missy, this ain't a fuckin' request! Hugo stop the goddamn truck, this one's gonna give us shit!" the hick says and you don't even waste time, you start running before he even gets out of the truck. It's a long dark lonely road and you're a young woman screaming and running from psycho hillbillies. It would sound like a bad horror movie if it weren't actually happening. So far you're out pacing them so you figure if you stick to the road you'll be fine and maybe even be lucky enough to have someone pass by to help you. You look back and see the one from the passenger seat still far behind you, in fact you don't even see the other one. But you do hear shouting by the one chasing you. In a few moments you hear the sound of an engine see the glow of headlights right behind you. They're not going to bother chasing you so much as they're just going to run you down! At this point you get off the road and you do, but the truck just follows you into the high grass and at the speed it's going it succeeds in hitting you at a good speed. You go flying several feet way into the field. You still live, but your body is broken in several places. You cry out followed by several whimpers of someone to help you. Of course there is no one and all it does is let the two hicks know where you've landed. You can't even crawl away. In a few moments the truck pulls up near your area and your fear and anguish is overwhelming you. This is it. This is how it's going to end. "Heard that bitch scream, she's gotta be here somewhere...got her." The hillbilly says shining a flashlight in your bloody face. "Sheet. You ain't much now are ya bitch? If you'd gotten in when I told ya, We might've even let ya go after we were done havin' our fun. But noooo, you stuck up pretty bitches always gotta do things da hard way. Fuck it. I don't care if you are all broken, I'm getting' a piece of this." During the last agonizing moments of life are thoughts of how you should've stayed in the basement.

"Are you worried about these uncertain times? Do you..." Click. You're so damn sick of these Ground Zero commercials you think as you turn the TV off. If you older brother Ben hadn't shot his family and himself in a tragic paranoid breakdown you can only imagine he'd be going on about how right he was in building that underground bunker out in your backyard. You look at the time and realize you've spent most of the day procrastinating watching TV even though there's not much on that interests you on TV anymore. All the channels you used to watch that had interesting shit on them now all have shallow reality shows and quite frankly you've got enough dysfunctional family drama going on in real life without needing to watch it on TV. You remember a time when you could avoid most of the mess by hiding out in your basement. Unfortunately you can't even do that anymore. Ever since dad drank himself to death, the gravy train of living at home for free came to an end. Without the help of your dad's pension checks anymore, your older Amazonian sister Kelly said there was no way in hell that she was going to keep supporting the house on her own unless she was the only one living in it. Seeing as she's a roller derby bitch as well as an illegal fight club brawler, it isn't like you or any of your siblings were in any position to argue with her. Your younger brother Peter, having given up his lofty dreams of being a famous movie director now spends a lot of his time in the garage making amateur porn with various guys he picks up at the clubs. He makes enough money through his website that it keeps Kelly off his back. He seems to enjoy what he's doing and at least he's not stealing your clothes anymore. Your younger sister Donna simply moved out and moved in with your best friend Julie who is still the eternal party girl. Really you're surprised Julie hasn't caught every STD known to man at this point. To be honest Donna's had more in common with Julie than you have for many years now. You're sure Donna's a lot happier at a "party house." As for you, you didn't have much in the way of options. Trying to get a job has failed spectacularly in this economy. Though your..."unique" and reclusive personality doesn't exactly help in that department. Given some of the junk that's laying around the house you sometimes wonder if you shouldn't try to sell some of it over the Internet to support yourself. Seems like a lot of work though and you're no wheeler and dealer. Donna suggested that you move in with her and Julie, but that whole scene isn't for you. As much as you hate dealing with Kelly, you'd also hate having to put up with drunk horny guys (and girls) trying to get into your pants every five minutes, not to mention the loud music, crowds and the ever growing possibility of the cops busting the place for illegal drugs. Which brings you to your boyfriend Bobby Morningstar who naturally has suggested that you move in with him on several occasions. This would be the ideal solution if it weren't for the fact that his own family consists of like a million siblings that all live in his cult compound. There's also the fact that his ex-girlfriend/sister Diana is wicked pissed at you for stealing him away from her. It's been an ongoing source of tension between you and Bobby and you wish he'd just leave them all behind and you two could make a life together elsewhere, but his duty to family is strong, as is his faith to the Babylonian Goddess of Chaos, Tiamat which still involves human sacrifices. Right now you're having a period of separation with him. Sometimes you think about breaking up with him completely, but then you can't just dismiss the good times you do have with him. You have that special bond that only a couple could have when one warns the other about their serial killer relative lying in wait for them in the woods. Thank god Bobby took care of your uncle Ed. That had to be the scariest moment of your life dealing with that situation. Of course none of this delightful recap of past events really helps you. Kelly is starting to get very impatient with you and you fear that your months of stalling are coming to an end. Kelly's currently not home, but she'll be back in a few hours to get a bit of sleep before heading off to her fight club stuff. Continuing to enjoy the time you have to not have to deal with her you go back to procrastinating, which mainly involves goofing off on the Internet, "stumbling" upon a porn site and then using battery powered means to relieve yourself of stress. Eventually you hear the familiar slamming of the door and stomping around upstairs, which signifies that Kelly is indeed home. "SUZY! Stop splittin' the kitten and get yer bony ass up here!" you hear Kelly shout. You were afraid of this. You clean yourself up a bit, mentally prepare yourself and then head upstairs. "Hey Kelly..." you start to say, but are interrupted. "Shut up. I've got exactly a couple hours to get some rest before I have to drag my ass to my other job to support this fucking house and it's a fucking mess! You can't even clean up around here? Did you even look for a job today? Let me guess you spent the whole day fucking around on the Internet and masturbating didn't you?" "Well uh..." "Jesus fuckin' Christ Suzy, you're goddamn useless you know that? The only reason I'm not kicking your ass right now is because I need to save my energy and it would be too fucking easy." Before you can even speak, Kelly continues her rant. "GET A FUCKING JOB! I don't care what kind! Just be a contributing member of this household like Peter or get the fuck out like Donna!" "Kelly I'm trying, but I'm just not having any luck in finding anything, can't you help me out?" you say. "Help you out? I'm helping you out right now by supporting your ass! I've been helping you out for quite some time! In fact I originally suggested that you could probably become a ring girl at the fights, but you said no because you didn't want to dress up in skimpy clothing and parade around in front of a bunch of drunks." "Kelly, you know I don't want to dress like that in public, especially not after what uncle Ed made me wear that night..." "Oh here we go, crazy old uncle Ed! How long you going to keep using that as an excuse? Sheesh, the way you go on about it, you act like he raped you. What happened instead? He got killed, you weren't even touched and you got a fucking boyfriend out of that deal! Some of us should be so lucky to be in a fucked up situation and STILL come out ahead! You know what I deal with on a regular basis? Steroid freaks trying to break my fucking neck that's what! You think I'd be making a living trading punches with fucktards if I LOOKED like you Suzy? You got the biggest advantage and you're just wasting it! What the hell is your goddamn problem?" You can see that Kelly is in full-blown jealousy mode and shows no signs of stopping. Attempting to walk away will only result in her getting physical with you so the only thing you can do is endure the verbal assault. "This is sink or swim time sis. You either get your shit together by the end of this week or you're out on your ass! This sheltered girl act is really fucking OLD! You're a grown ass WOMAN. Start acting like one! Now get out of my fucking sight." You meekly slink back to the basement and leave Kelly alone. You silently mope for a while pondering what the hell you're going to do next. You then notice that your phone has been under your couch cushions and on silent all day. Bobby apparently has been repeatedly trying to contact you. Even left multiple texts saying that he really wants to talk, but the mood you're in right now, you don't want to deal with it. You don't want to deal with anything. You just want to be safe in your own little world in the basement. How you miss those days... Well today isn't completely over yet. You've still got time to salvage some of it. Hell, maybe you can even make a major change in your life. > You move in with Donna and Julie Even if you did manage to find a job, it wouldn't change the fact that you'll still have to put up with Kelly's abuse. She'd just bitch at you for something else. She will always find an excuse. With that in mind, you realize that your options are limited. You're going to have to move out and go live at the only place available to an unemployed bum like yourself, your friend Julie's house. Chances are she's either passed out, hung over or in the middle of yet another one of her seemingly never ending parties, so you figure calling her will be useless and call your sister Donna instead (who might only be slightly more available) Ignoring Bobby's calls, you speed dial Donna and surprisingly she picks up after only a couple of rings. Even more surprisingly you don't hear any music or noise in the background. Must've caught a rare in between party time. "Hello? Suzy?" Donna asks. "Yeah, it's me." You answer. "Hey haven't spoken to you in awhile! How are things? Not too bad I hope?" "Well...yeah they are kinda. I just got my ass chewed out by Kelly. (Sigh) She's saying I have to find a job by the end of the week or she's throwing me out." "Yeah sounds like her." "You know how hard it is for me to find a job. I just don't think it's going to happen by the end of the week and in any case I don't think I can take her abuse any longer. I'm done." "Well you shouldn't have to put up with her shit. She's a fucking bullying bitch! I mean that's certainly why I left." "Yeah so I was wondering, could I move in with you and Julie?" There's a bit of a pause. "Well...I mean sure you could come here. I wouldn't mind and I mean you know Julie would be fine with it, but I know you're not exactly miss fun and excitement and I think you're aware of how wild things can get over here." Donna says. "Yeah, but anything is better than continuing to live with Kelly right now, and given how big Julie's home is, I'm sure I can still find a quiet corner to not bother anyone in." you respond. "Okay, well as long as you don't because a buzz killing party pooper, you're more than welcome to stay here. So are you coming today?" "I think I need to pack up quite a bit of stuff before doing that. I also have to have some way of transporting the stuff over. I dunno, maybe I can borrow Peter's car or something." "What about Bobby?" "Uh, no, I'm still not speaking with him at this time. Besides, he'd probably just try to convince me to live in his compound and I'm just not in the mood to deal." "Hrm. I certainly understand that. Well, since you said you're going to have to spend a little time packing up your stuff, I can come pick you up tomorrow. I'd do it today, but the vehicle situation isn't ideal right now. Got someone repairing my car right now and Julie's vehicle... well let's say it's going to be even longer before . It was quite the part last Friday." "I'll bet. Well that sounds like it'll work for me. When will you get here?" "Oh probably sometime in the afternoon. I'll call before hand." "Okay, well I guess I'll see you then." "I'll let Julie know, she'll be pretty excited." At this point you say goodbye to your sister and you hang up. You get to packing up as many of your vital things as possible. Really it doesn't take you too long at all. You didn't own too much stuff, and stuff like furniture or a bed is going to be provided at Julie's house though you wonder if you shouldn't move your bed over there if only because the beds over there are probably like petri dishes. In any event, you spend the rest of your night in the basement, which will probably be your last night ever here. It seems weird and scary, but on another level you are a little excited. Maybe it was time for a change. Who knows, maybe you'll indulge in a little partying yourself when you get to your new home, hell if anyone deserves to let loose a little its certainly you. > Next day... "...act now and Ground Zero will provide a..." Click. As you groggily wake up, you're wondering if you should bother even taking your TV with you considering the stations just play Ground Zero commercials half the time. You look at the time and see that you've slept for most of the morning, but it doesn't matter considering your sister isn't going to pick you up until the afternoon. You just hope that she remembers to come get you period. While your sister isn't as flaky as Julie, she still doesn't have the greatest sense of responsibility. You also check your phone and see that Bobby's still trying to reach you, but you still don't feel like dealing with him. MAYBE later, right now you want to focus on one major decision at a time and moving out of a place where you've lived your whole life certainly qualifies. All your stuff is packed and ready to go, and since you can't do much more until your sister gets here, you just wait. As you continue to wait, you start to get anxious. You start to worry if you're making the right decision or not. You start to pace in your room weighing all the pros and cons of what you're doing. "Ugh, this is so stressful...I need to calm down..." you say and start unzipping one of your packed bags to get old reliable to relax you. 20 minutes later... "Hey Suzy?! You down there?" you hear Donna call from upstairs. "Huh? Uh what?! Yeah! Hold on!" you exclaim and stop your stress relief session. As you hurry to get dressed, Donna continues to call down to you. "I called you know, why didn't you answer?" "Uh, I guess I didn't hear it. Sorry about that. Be up in a minute." "I thought you were ready. What were you doing? Splittin' the kitten down there?" Donna laughs. You don't answer; you just finish dressing and grab your bags. When you get upstairs, Donna greets you. She's wearing a shirt that is obviously trying to call attention to her small breasts and pants that are one size too tight to make her ass look like its more filled out, but she's dressed fairly conservative all things considered. "Were you just taking what's in your bags? Because we could probably put more into the car." "Nah, I need to get out of here now. I mean maybe later I could get someone to come get my couch or some of my furniture though." "Okay, but really I don't think you'll need to, Julie's got spare beds and such. Plenty of space you know." "Yeah I know. Let's get going." You and Donna leave the house and after throwing your bags in her car you and her are soon on your way. Along the way Donna puts on some music. She takes mercy on you by not listening to that techno dance crap that you hate so much, but instead listens to the bubble gum pop crap that you hate slightly less. "So...I found an area of the house where I think you'll be happiest at yesterday." Donna says. "Oh? Is it the basement?" "Hah, nah. That's being used for other things. I was thinking of Julie's dad's old office on the far left of the house. I mean Julie never uses it, and besides a few people wandering from the main party to have a quickie in there it's never used anymore." "Gee, you make it sound so appealing." "Well it's either that or one of the upstairs bedrooms and I can't promise you won't be disturbed on regular basis there. At least with the office you can lock it and it's far enough away from the usual party grounds." "I guess it's the best I can hope for, thanks I guess for thinking ahead." "No problem. You know I'm glad you're coming to live with us. I mean I know you probably don't believe it, but I missed talking with you. Julie's fun and all, but even I get tired from partying ALL the time." "Well thanks Donna...hey this is like the twelfth police car I've seen pulled over and cops arresting someone." You say looking out the window. "Yeah, I dunno if you've noticed since you tend to hang out in the basement most of the time, but there's been an increase in crime which also means an increase in the cops using that as an excuse to be assholes... like this. Shit!" Nothing like talking something into existence. A cop car puts on its siren and a bullhorn tells you to pull over. You briefly worry that your sister isn't going to pull over, but she does. Swearing and sighing the whole time. Doesn't take long before a policeman approaches the vehicle. "Alright where are you going in such a hurry?" the cop asks. "Nowhere. I wasn't even speeding!" "Is that right honey? Not according to my radar you weren't. Besides, you ignored a stop sign back there. I think you need to step out of the car." "Are you kidding me? There wasn't a stop sign!" "Aren't you supposed to ask for her license and registration first?" you add. The cop suddenly points his finger at the both of you. "The both of you need to shut the hell up right, before I run you both in for obstruction of justice. Now both of you out of the car now!" Your sister looks at you like she really wants to just try to turn the car back on and try to drive away, but you both know that wouldn't do any good save for getting yourselves in a whole lot of trouble. The cop calls over his partner who looks equally uncompromising. He tells him to search you, while he starts searching the car while he puts Donna up against the car and starts patting down Donna. "Getting a good feel, you bastard?" Donna remarks. The cop frisking you is slightly better, since you don't get your girl parts molested, but he certainly comes close. He snickers a bit as you tense up from this indignity. After you and your sister have been frisked. They tell you both to go sit on the curb with your hands locked behind your heads while they search the car. This is a bad situation anyway since you're obviously dealing with two asshole cops, but who knows what the hell Donna's got in her car which will give them even more of an excuse to march you off to jail. Speaking of which, Donna whispers to you. "We need to run." "What?" you ask in a whisper. "Those two fuckers are going to find something in the car." "You're driving with illegal drugs in the car?" "Not that much, well at least I don't think I am...hell I'm not even sure, but I can't take that chance! We gotta run!" "And where the hell are we gonna go?" "I dunno! We could probably still hide at Julie's house." "You're joking right? That place is probably the first place they'll look! Shit, Donna! I knew I shouldn't have left the goddamn basement today!" "Look...they're pretty involved in searching right now. If we ran we could probably at least lose them until we came up with a better idea." You get the impression Donna is going to run no matter what and you can't see how that's going to be a good idea in any way. You're also concerned that if she runs and you stay, these two cops will just pin everything on you (whatever that may be). Still, if she sees that you're determined to stay, maybe she'll keep to her common sense and won't run too. > You Run It's really not what you want to do, but if Donna does have drugs in her car like she thinks she does, it's going to be bad for you whether Donna runs or not. You knew you shouldn't have left the basement! "Alright, alright, let's do this, but I don't think we should run to Julie's house. I just don't see it being a safe haven." You whisper. "Okay, okay, I know where we could run to and hide out for awhile. Got a friend by the name of Tina, she works over at the strip club." "Great. Which one?" "Kitty City, you know where it is?" "Why the hell would I know where a strip club is?" "Because we're going to meet up there! If we run, we can't run in the same direction! We'll get caught for sure!" "We're probably going to get caught anyway!" you say. Your voices start to catch the attention of the officers. "Hey! Quiet down the pair of you...HEY! COME BACK HERE!" one of the officers shouts as Donna runs off! You're so surprised about her deciding that was the time to start running that you don't even get the opportunity to stand up from the curb before one officer is already chasing Donna and the other has already pulled out his pistol and commanded you to stay put. You meekly put up your hands and lower your head in an attempt to show you have no intention of running. "I'm not going anywhere. Don't shoot." You say nervously. The officer sees that you really aren't a threat puts his gun away, pulls you up roughly by the arm from the curb and throws you into the back of the police car before calling in on his radio about Donna being a runner. While you're breaking down in tears and worrying about the worst, the officer who threw you into the back of the police car finishes searching Donna's car. Eventually the other officer comes back as well looking a little worn out. After talking a moment, one of them opens the car door. "Alright, I didn't find anything in the car, so why the hell did your friend run?" "I...I really don't know...officer..." you say. "Don't fucking lie to me or this is going to go very badly for you!" the cop warns and its enough to cause you to yelp a little in fear and begin to cry again. "(sob) My sister...thought you were going to...(sob) find drugs in the car...so she thought it would be better to run. Please I was just driving with her (sob) to find a new place to live! I've never done anything (sob) wrong in my life! I've..." "Alright, alright, shut the hell up and stop your crying. Shit. (Sigh) Well what do you think?" the officer asks his partner who is still trying to catch his breath. "Did you call in about the bitch running?" "Yeah, but I dunno if anyone's going to bother chasing down some junkie whore, since it sounds like everyone's got their hands full especially now that a riot's broke out at the mall. In fact we're supposed to go down there and help." "Another fucking riot?! What the fuck is going on in this town? Someone put something in the water?" "Seems like it. So what do we do with this one? I mean she's clean and the car's clean so..." "(Sigh) I dunno. I could think of a few things, but we probably don't have time for that right now." The officer that chased Donna looks into the backseat at you. He's being as intimidating as possible and despite him being red in the face and winded it's working. "All right blondie, this is your lucky day. Due to the rest of this town seemingly losing its goddamn mind right now and the fact that you're clean, we're letting you go. You can take whatever belongings you have in the car, BUT we're still impounding it if only because your junkie sister made me fucking run several blocks trying to catch her ass." "Got it. And thank you." You say and start to get out of the car. Both of the officers help you out...but it isn't out of kindness. The pair of them take the opportunity to grope your chest and your ass as you step out of the car. "Now I suggest you gather your shit, and take your pretty little ass home." One of the cops says with a leering grin while other laughs. You really aren't in any position to argue, fight or anything else. You hate the fact you just got molested, but you know that if you give them any sort of lip, they're going to do much worse. You quickly get your bags out of Donna's car and run away from the scene without looking back. When you're far enough a way, you find some place to sit down and reflect on your situation. You try to think of the positive first and that's namely things could've been a lot worse you. You have no doubt that those cops would've done more than just feel you up had they been in a less generous mood. So you're glad you didn't get jailed, raped or worse. But then you think about the negative. First off is your sister who fucking LEFT you there. No hint, no "Now!" no clue at all that she was going to choose that particular time to run. Granted you froze up when it came time to run, but she didn't even look back. You don't exactly have the best opinion of her right now putting you in a situation like that. Second of all you don't have a new place to live now or at least you aren't where you were going to go. As far as you know the offer to live at Julie's is still open, but it would quite the walk to go there now. A walk that you don't particularly want to do given the day you've had, in fact you'd rather just go back home. Of course the problem with going back home is you can't stay there so you're going to have to go someplace else eventually. Of course maybe Peter would let you borrow his car, but so far your track record with your siblings this weeks hasn't been great. > You walk to Julie's house You might as well continue to Julie's house. Going back home is just prolonging the inevitable. Also if your sister shows up at Julie's, you'd like to give her a piece of your mind about her just ditching you like that. Your walk to Julie's slowly starts to become a worrisome endeavor. You see several fights along with a number of other officers arresting folks. You also see a couple of bad car accidents. While you try to avoid large groups of people, you're still in the danger zone of what almost seems like chaos on the streets. Those two asshole cops weren't joking when one of them said it seemed like the entire town had lost its mind. As you quicken your pace to Julie's in an attempt to get through this madness quicker, a large teenager that's running from something runs right into you while he's turning a corner. The pair of you fall on the sidewalk. You're a little dazed, but before you can even recover the teenager is upon you. "You stupid fucking bitch! Gimme yo' shit!" he shouts and punches you in the face and then proceeds to attempt to rip your backpack from you, though he's having a hard time seeing as it's firmly strapped to your back. The teenager gets frustrated and stops trying to rob you and then just seems to be focused on abusing you. You feel several kicks going into your side and then your face. You plead for him to stop and curl up into a ball, but he's not even listening, it's like he's possessed or something because he actually starts laughing. "There's that motherfucker!" A voice shouts. You don't see who it is due to you being curled up and having your eyes closed wishing you were elsewhere, but you soon feel the weight of several someones stepping and falling all over you. The pursuers of your assailant have caught up to him and you are now unfortunately being crushed in the resulting dogpile. You desperately attempt to crawl away feeling the pain of several fists, elbows, knees and feet randomly hitting you in the process. You just want to be home. You manage to crawl out from under the pile and then scramble away as fast as you can only to stumble on your bruised wobbly legs in the middle of the street. It is then where your luck only gets worse when a speeding truck slams into your body which goes flying a few feet in front of the truck only THEN to be run completely over by the same truck which doesn't stop at all. Your misery is put to an end under the heavy weight of the truck's tires causing the innards from your mangled body to squeeze out like a tube of toothpaste and painting the street red.

It's really not what you want to do, but if Donna does have drugs in her car like she thinks she does, it's going to be bad for you whether Donna runs or not. You knew you shouldn't have left the basement! "Alright, alright, let's do this, but I don't think we should run to Julie's house. I just don't see it being a safe haven." You whisper. "Okay, okay, I know where we could run to and hide out for awhile. Got a friend by the name of Tina, she works over at the strip club." "Great. Which one?" "Kitty City, you know where it is?" "Why the hell would I know where a strip club is?" "Because we're going to meet up there! If we run, we can't run in the same direction! We'll get caught for sure!" "We're probably going to get caught anyway!" you say. Your voices start to catch the attention of the officers. "Hey! Quiet down the pair of you...HEY! COME BACK HERE!" one of the officers shouts as Donna runs off! You're so surprised about her deciding that was the time to start running that you don't even get the opportunity to stand up from the curb before one officer is already chasing Donna and the other has already pulled out his pistol and commanded you to stay put. You meekly put up your hands and lower your head in an attempt to show you have no intention of running. "I'm not going anywhere. Don't shoot." You say nervously. The officer sees that you really aren't a threat puts his gun away, pulls you up roughly by the arm from the curb and throws you into the back of the police car before calling in on his radio about Donna being a runner. While you're breaking down in tears and worrying about the worst, the officer who threw you into the back of the police car finishes searching Donna's car. Eventually the other officer comes back as well looking a little worn out. After talking a moment, one of them opens the car door. "Alright, I didn't find anything in the car, so why the hell did your friend run?" "I...I really don't know...officer..." you say. "Don't fucking lie to me or this is going to go very badly for you!" the cop warns and its enough to cause you to yelp a little in fear and begin to cry again. "(sob) My sister...thought you were going to...(sob) find drugs in the car...so she thought it would be better to run. Please I was just driving with her (sob) to find a new place to live! I've never done anything (sob) wrong in my life! I've..." "Alright, alright, shut the hell up and stop your crying. Shit. (Sigh) Well what do you think?" the officer asks his partner who is still trying to catch his breath. "Did you call in about the bitch running?" "Yeah, but I dunno if anyone's going to bother chasing down some junkie whore, since it sounds like everyone's got their hands full especially now that a riot's broke out at the mall. In fact we're supposed to go down there and help." "Another fucking riot?! What the fuck is going on in this town? Someone put something in the water?" "Seems like it. So what do we do with this one? I mean she's clean and the car's clean so..." "(Sigh) I dunno. I could think of a few things, but we probably don't have time for that right now." The officer that chased Donna looks into the backseat at you. He's being as intimidating as possible and despite him being red in the face and winded it's working. "All right blondie, this is your lucky day. Due to the rest of this town seemingly losing its goddamn mind right now and the fact that you're clean, we're letting you go. You can take whatever belongings you have in the car, BUT we're still impounding it if only because your junkie sister made me fucking run several blocks trying to catch her ass." "Got it. And thank you." You say and start to get out of the car. Both of the officers help you out...but it isn't out of kindness. The pair of them take the opportunity to grope your chest and your ass as you step out of the car. "Now I suggest you gather your shit, and take your pretty little ass home." One of the cops says with a leering grin while other laughs. You really aren't in any position to argue, fight or anything else. You hate the fact you just got molested, but you know that if you give them any sort of lip, they're going to do much worse. You quickly get your bags out of Donna's car and run away from the scene without looking back. When you're far enough a way, you find some place to sit down and reflect on your situation. You try to think of the positive first and that's namely things could've been a lot worse you. You have no doubt that those cops would've done more than just feel you up had they been in a less generous mood. So you're glad you didn't get jailed, raped or worse. But then you think about the negative. First off is your sister who fucking LEFT you there. No hint, no "Now!" no clue at all that she was going to choose that particular time to run. Granted you froze up when it came time to run, but she didn't even look back. You don't exactly have the best opinion of her right now putting you in a situation like that. Second of all you don't have a new place to live now or at least you aren't where you were going to go. As far as you know the offer to live at Julie's is still open, but it would quite the walk to go there now. A walk that you don't particularly want to do given the day you've had, in fact you'd rather just go back home. Of course the problem with going back home is you can't stay there so you're going to have to go someplace else eventually. Of course maybe Peter would let you borrow his car, but so far your track record with your siblings this weeks hasn't been great. > You walk home Really after the day you've had so far, all you want to do is go home and hide out in your basement, so back home it is. Your walk home isn't entirely uneventful. You see several fights along with a number of other officers arresting folks. You also see a couple of bad car accidents. While you try to avoid large groups of people, you still are paranoid about someone to try to rob you or accost you in some way, but fortunately you manage to keep your head down and look as unassuming as possible. It isn't quite chaos on the streets, but those two asshole cops weren't joking when one of them said it seemed like the entire town had lost its mind. By the time you get back to your own neighborhood, it's starting to get dark, though your area is actually rather quiet compared to most places you passed through. You just hope Kelly isn't home because you don't really feel like dealing with her right now. When you get home, you see Peter's car in the driveway. Kelly's vehicle isn't here though, so it looks like you won't have to put up with her and that's at least one good thing that's happened to you today. (Besides the not getting raped part) Upon entering the house, it's in same condition as it was when you left, though now you're hearing a lot of grunting and sounds of ecstasy coming from the garage connected to the house. You imagine Peter is in the process of filming one of his shows again. Not wishing to hear your brother squeal like a pig as he gets fucked for the pleasure of his viewing Internet public, you waste no time in heading down into the basement and settling back into your usual routine in your room. You know this isn't going to be permanent, but for now at least you can not worry about the pandemonium that's going on outside. You just wish the TV wasn't playing so many Ground Zero infomercials. Hours pass as they do and just as you're getting ready to fall asleep, you suddenly get a phone call. It's Donna. You almost don't even bother answering, but you're curious to see if she's calling from jail and if she's delusional enough to think you'll actually bail her out. "Hey sis, where you at?!" Donna asks. Sounds like music in the background so she must not be in jail. "I'm at home, no thanks to you just ditching me like that!" you say. "You said you were going to run, like I was! Didn't you do it?" "No, because by the time you took off without at least giving me a signal, one of those assholes was ready to shoot me. So I had to suffer through getting threatened, thrown in the back of a police car and groped a lot more severely than the first time they patted us down." "Oh geez...they didn't...um..." "No, they didn't do that. Though I suspect if that had happened I wouldn't even be alive to talk to you right now. Your car didn't have any drugs in it by the way, but they have impounded it and I'm pretty sure they still have you on a watchlist or something for evading arrest." "Shit. Figured something like that might happen." "Hm, Yeah and I'm an idiot for nearly going along with your plan, but hey I guess everything went okay for you, I hear the party music in the back so I'm guessing you're whoring it up with Julie so I'll let you go so you can have your fun." "Hold on Suzy. First of all I'm not at Julie's. I'm at Kitty City like I said I would be. Second, I can't even get a hold of Julie. She's not answering her phone. Now of course she could just be busy, but if I got some sort of warrant out on me, then maybe going back there isn't the best idea right now. I'm thinking maybe I should stay with my friend Tina instead. She's a stripper that's entertained at some of Julie's parties in the past. She's got room since she kicked her boyfriend out of her trailer." "Uh huh, well that's great for you. Glad to see you've once again landed on your feet despite evading arrest. Goodbye." "Suzy, wai..." You hang up. You half expect Donna to call again, but she doesn't which you're glad because you've run out of patience with her for the day. You settle down for the night and get some sleep, trying to put this horrible day behind you. > Next day… "...if you act now you'll get a free..." You groggily grab the remote to shut off the incessant noise of the Ground Zero commercial on the TV screen. You grab your phone to check the time and see that once again you've slept through the morning as usual. You also see that Bobby tried to call you, but you're still not in the mood to call him back. Though if you don't secure a place to live you might not have a choice. Still as far as you know the offer to live at Julie's is still good, you're just not sure about how well that's going to go over now. While you're trying to ponder your next move, you get a call. It's Donna again. Might as well get this over with. "Donna, this better be good, because you're not exactly my favorite person right now." You say answering the phone. "Whoa! Hold on Suzy! Don't hang up!" Donna exclaims. "Say what you got to say." "Okay, look first of all I'm sorry about what you had to go through. I know that had to suck for you. I shouldn't have convinced you to run anyway. It's obvious now that was a stupid plan in the first place since I didn't even have anything in the car. (Sigh) Last night when I was sleeping on a beer soaked couch in a trailer hiding out from the cops I sort of had a revelation of how my choices in life had lead me to that point. I also sort of realized that if I probably continue on this path it's only going to get worse." That's rather philosophical of your sister, and it's enough to keep your attention. "So I've decided that I need to do something with my life and make it better, so I got a job." Donna says. "A job? How the hell did you get a job so quick? Doing what?" you ask. "I'm going to be a stripper at Kitty City! The owner was offering me a job yesterday and I already was getting tips from guys who mistook me for one of the strippers here anyway. So I figured why not? In fact I'm on break right now." Why are you not surprised? Donna continues before you can even speak again. "Now before you judge, starting a new life takes money and let's face it, I don't have exactly many useful skills that are going to earn me a lot of cash in a quick amount of time. I figure I can earn enough to save and figure things out as I go." "Hm, well that's great and all, but why are you telling me all this?" you ask. "Because this is my new start and like I said I feel bad about convincing you to go along with my plan yesterday. Besides, don't you still need a place to stay? You can come live with me!" "I thought I was already going to do that by moving in to Julie's." "Nah, I'm not going back to Julie's. Too much temptation to go back to my old ways there. I'm moving into one of the trailers at the trailer park." "Wait. You just started working as a stripper. How the hell did you manage to get a trailer already?" "I secured one after...um talking with the park owner this morning. Look, that's not really important right now. What is important is I got a deal on a fairly good one and it's big enough for two of us. It might be a little rough going at first, but I anticipate after a few weeks of teasing these degenerates here, we'll be living fairly comfortably, if not in the lap of luxury." "I dunno. While I'm still pissed about yesterday, it does mean a lot that you're making this pretty generous offer. I don't know about living in a trailer park though. I mean aren't you worried about the kind of people there? In fact I can imagine a lot of the type that Kelly associates with come from there, do you really think its safe?" "Safe as opposed to what? Growing up in our household? We had a fucking paranoid psychotic older brother, a sadistic bullying older sister and at one point a goddamn SERIAL KILLER uncle living in our house. At least the hostile rednecks around here won't be living under our roof! Besides, it really isn't as bad as you hear." You find that a little hard to believe considering you've heard more than enough stories about the trailer park outside of town. Donna might not think its bad, just because she was living there overnight. "I just don't know Donna. I mean I wasn't exactly looking forward to dealing with the non-stop partying at Julie's, but I'd at least feel a little safer there than I would at the trailer park." "Huh, don't be so sure of that. Julie pretty much has gotten to the point where she has an open door policy to let any creepy weirdo that walks in off the street in the house. It's actually amazing someone like Uncle Ed hasn't come in and killed us all. Are you heading over there sometime today?" "Well if I can secure a ride over there I will." "Okay, well if you do get over there could you let Julie know that I'm moving out? She's still not answering her phone. I'm going to have to make arrangements to get my bigger things, but maybe you could help me get some of my smaller items when I get over there tonight?" "Well, I suppose I could." You say. "Great. I knew I could count on your Suzy. (Sigh) You really are the good one in the family sis. It's so unfair that life hasn't been better to you. Once again I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday. It's nearly time for me to go out there and shake my ass again so I gotta go. Just...think about what I said okay? If you change your mind about your future living arrangements just come with Tina and me when we go over to Julie's tonight, or I guess if you're really feeling adventurous you could always go over to the trailer park yourself. Just go to the owner's trailer with the big signs around it and mention my name and he'll let you in my new place. He's sort of letch, but he's old so he mostly confines it staring and making the occasional comment. Don't worry about it." After another sincere apology about yesterday, Donna finally hangs up leaving you now with a new option. Donna seems to be genuinely trying to change her life in her own way. You almost can't believe it was Donna on the phone at all. Maybe some sort of pod person replaced her. She also seems to be really making an effort to make things up to you, which is surprising as well. It's always a rarity in your family when you actually try to help each other out. Still, you're not sure about this whole living in a trailer park business for several reasons, but you suppose you could give it a little thought at least. In any case, you need to get a ride to wherever it is you're going to be heading to and that means seeing if your brother Peter is going to be just as accommodating as your sister currently is. You head upstairs and knock on the door to the garage. "Hey, um Peter? You busy?" You don't get an answer right away, but eventually you do after more knocking. "Yeah, yeah, hold on!" Peter says before answering the door. He's only peaking his head out, so it's very likely he's naked. "Um, sorry to interrupt whatever it is you're doing, but I need a ride to my new place." "I thought you moved out yesterday." "Yeah, there was a slight hiccup in the plan yesterday. Anyway, can you give me a ride over to my new place?" "(Sigh) I'm kinda in the middle of recording something. I'm assuming you're going to Julie's?" "Yeah...I think." You say. "You think? You don't know if you're going to live over at Julie's place or not?" "Well...Donna got a new place of her own and I'm still not sure if I should just move in with her yet." "Donna got a new...look you know what? I don't give a shit about any of this." Peter says and then closes the door. You think that's the end of it, but he opens it up again, but this time only his hand with some keys in it are coming out. "I'm not your personal taxi service. Here, take my car and return it tomorrow or at least by Thursday. Now don't disturb me again!" You take the keys and Peter slams the door. This is probably the most helpful he's been in...well ever. You go back and repack some of your bags and drag them to Peter's car. After loading everything up in the backseat you pull out of the drive way and wonder which way you should go. > You drive to Julie's house While you haven't quite ruled out the possibility of living with Donna, you don't think you're quite ready to go driving over there yourself and putting up with some old guy perving on you today. If you do decide to go over there, you'll do it later tonight. Besides, you want to see just how bad it might be over at Julie's before making a decision. A few minutes of driving to your destination and you're sure of one thing being pretty bad, the roads! Once again there are cops everywhere, but also ambulances and fire trucks racing to their various destinations too. You nearly turn around and head back home, but eventually you make it to Julie's neighborhood, which is thankfully not in the midst of anarchy. You pull up to the driveway and get out of the car. You figure you'll assess the situation before making a decision of whether you're going to stay or not. You sort of expected to see a few people drinking on the porch or at least hearing loud music as you walk up to the door, but so far it doesn't sound like any sort of party going on or at least not an overly rowdy one, which is odd considering how people have been acting in this town for the past few days. You knock on the door, but get no immediate answer. After a few more bangs you finally get an answer, but it isn't Julie. "Hello." A man says in a flat tone and almost seems to be studying you. He looks like he might be around your age, but he doesn't look like the sort that would be at one of Julie's parties. He's very "ordinary" looking. "Hey. Where's Julie at?" you ask. "Julie? Oh yes, the owner of this house. Well, I don't really know. I remember seeing her yesterday, but then she left with some guy and I haven't seen her since. Of course this being her house she has to return sometime right? Would you like to wait?" the man asks opening the door further to invite you in. Something about this guy feels a little "off" to you. "Wait, who are you?" you ask. "Oh I'm sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Johnny. I was at Julie's party yesterday. Guess you could say I got a little tipsy and decided I shouldn't go home in that condition, so I flopped out in the basement. I'm not the only person who did that apparently considering some of Julie's other guests are still here as well." You peer inside and see that Johnny is indeed speaking the truth. A couple of people are on the couch playing some sort of video game. "So now that you know who I am, I have to ask who you are." Johnny says. "I'm Suzy and I'm Julie's friend." You say. "I see, well come on in, I'm sure when Julie gets back she'll be pleased to see you." You enter the house and the place is in a lot better condition than you would've thought for a party house. Johnny quickly closes the door and locks it. Causing you to immediately look back. "You never can tell what weirdo will show up with unlocked doors and all, right?" he says. "Indeed." You say still getting an uneasy feeling about this guy. "So, you're one of Julie's friends. Guess you're a real party girl, just like she is huh?" Johnny remarks almost in an accusing fashion. "Hardly. Are these all the people in the house?" you ask, pointing to the stoners playing video games and completely ignoring you and Johnny. "Yeah, I mean there were some other people here earlier, but these lot are all that's left, beside myself. Julie's pretty cool about letting people just crash here even if she's not around." With Johnny creepily hovering near you and the stoners babbling about inane shit, you already realize that this is not going to work for you. "Alright, everyone get out." You say, but the only one who even hears you is Johnny. "What?" Johnny asks. "Look I hate to be rude, and you probably didn't know this, but I'm moving in here. Now when Julie is here, she can have all her little drug addled party friends over as much as she likes, I mean its her house after all. But I'm not going to put up with them while she isn't here! So I want everyone out, you all can come back later when she's here. Whenever that is." Johnny's still the only one who is even paying attention and his facial expression on your stance hasn't changed. "But if it's Julie's house doesn't she have final say in what goes?" Johnny asks. "Yeah, well when I see Julie, I'm going to have a little discussion with her about our new living arrangements." You remark. Once again Johnny just stares at you, it almost feels like he's staring through you. It makes you uncomfortable to say the least. "All right. You've got a point. I wouldn't want a bunch of strangers just wandering around in my home either. I'll get out of your hair, as for these guys, I can get 'em to go." Johnny says and then suddenly shouts at the stoners that everyone has to get out of the house and starts ripping controllers out of their hands. "Hey!" "Not cool dude!" "You dick!" "Sorry guys, but as the old saying goes, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. Come on, let's move it." Johnny says and eventually the stoners grudgingly shuffle off to leave. Johnny follows behind them. "When you see Julie, tell her it was an excellent party last night." Johnny says and flashes a brief smile, which comes off more creepy than friendly. You don't even reply, you just shut the door and lock it, glad to be rid of everyone. Remembering that your sister said that if you did live here, you'd be sleeping in Julie's dad's old office. You explore that room first. When you get there it looks pretty much like the same office you remember being in a few times when you played over here. It's definitely convenient that it has a small private bathroom leading from it as well as a couch that apparently folds out into a bed. After assessing your possible new digs, you decide to go retrieve your bags from the car. You unpack your bags and haul them into the house and head on into your new room. After getting a little bit settled, you figure since you're all alone in the house, you might as well do something that usually puts you in a better mood. (and you sure could use it) While you're in the middle of it, you suddenly think you hear something. You call out thinking that maybe Julie is finally home, but when you get no reply, you just check to make sure the door to your room is locked. If Julie does come home, you don't want her suddenly walking in on you. After getting back in the mood and taking care of your needs you wash up a bit and return to your usual routine of...well doing nothing at all. Hours pass and eventually you start to get hungry so you head to the kitchen in the hopes of finding food. You manage to find a few bags of junk food and some unopened drink in the fridge. Once again while you're doing this, you swear you think you hear noise. You call out again to see if anyone is here, but there is no answer. Given that it's now nighttime you're a little on edge. You know its probably just the house making creaking sounds, but with all the bullshit that's been going on out in the streets lately you're just a little paranoid. Just as you're heading back to your room, the front door suddenly opens! It's Donna and some other young woman who looks a bit on the trashy side. "Shit! You scared me." You say. "Why didn't you pick up your phone? I tried calling you before I got over here." Donna asks. "I...I guess I had it on vibrate and didn't hear it." You say. "Hm. Well I see this place is practically a tomb. I take it Julie isn't home?" "Nope, I haven't heard from her either." "That's really odd..." Suddenly the trashy young woman speaks up. "Hey Donna are we picking your shit up or what? You know how fucked up it is out there right now and I'd like to get home before it gets worse." "Oh yeah, better get to it. Suzy, this is my friend Tina." Donna says and heads upstairs. "Hello." You say to Tina, but she just grunts at you and heads back outside to her car. Remembering that Donna wanted you to help her move some of the stuff, you head upstairs to her room. "Your friend Tina isn't very friendly." You ask. "Yeah, well if you were a horny guy with a hundred dollar bill, she'd be really friendly towards you. Anyway, she's always been cool with me ever since I've known her, plus she helped me get the current job I have." Donna says as she packs away items. "You need anything for me to carry down?" "Yeah, but not yet. Really I'm thinking I'll get most of this stuff later when I have a day off. Right now I just want to get the hell out of this town, it's getting nuts out there!" "Yeah, it was pretty chaotic out there earlier on my drive here. So how was your first day?" "Not bad. As strange as it may seem, it actually was calmer in the club than it was outside. Though having bouncers helps in that area I suppose. Still a couple of fights did break out." "Shit. You okay? Are you sure the job is safe?" "Oh I'm safe. Like I said, there's good protection there. Honestly I'm more concerned with the drive TO the club, but I imagine whatever is going on will die down eventually." "Hope so." Donna finishes packing a bag and starts to pack a new one and you stand there silent until you hear a noise from downstairs causing you to jump a bit. "Are you okay?" Donna asks. "Yeah, what the hell's that noise?" you ask, briefly stepping out of Donna's room to look over into the living room. "Probably Tina." "No, she's not down there and besides she went back to wait in the car." "Well maybe she wandered back in briefly...you seem a little stressed." "I dunno. The shit's that's been going on in town and I guess being alone in the house at night has got me a little jumpy. Sort of concerned that Julie hasn't come back either." "Mmm, well that IS odd. I tried calling her again earlier too with no luck. Have you thought anymore about coming to live with me? I told you it would be fine and I know you think the trailer park isn't safe environment, is this town really any safer right now?" > You go with Donna While you're still not entirely sure about the trailer park, you have to admit the since you've been here in the house you've felt a little nervous at times. Almost like you feel someone is watching you. Silly of course, but maybe leaving town is a good idea if it's getting as chaotic as it has been. You just hope you're making the right decision. "Yeah, okay. I'll come with you." You say. "You will? Great! Seriously, things will be better between us. I'm still really sorry about yesterday Suzy, here." Donna says and hands you a bunch of money. "What's this?" "It's some of what I made today. Oh don't worry, I still got a lot. I'm telling you with the money I'm making, we might even be able to find some place better to live in a few months! Okay, well I think I'm all packed, go grab your stuff and meet me in Tina's car. Oh wait, I saw Peter's car out there. Are you going to follow us in that instead?" "I suppose so, it will probably be less cramped." You say and head downstairs to your room while Donna follows and heads out the door. It doesn't really take you long to throw your stuff in your bags since you didn't really unpack that much. Just as you're loaded up, you once again feel like you're being watched. You spin around and see nothing. "You're giving yourself the creeps Suzy. Nobody's here." You mumble. Just as you are exiting your room, it's a minor miracle that Donna comes back in through the front door. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" you hear her scream from the living room. This causes you to pause just long enough that the assailant who was going to ambush you when you left your room losses his advantage. However, he's still intent on killing you though and nearly succeeds in grabbing you, but you manage to back away in time. As you back away you get a good look at him now and he's not unfamiliar to you. It's Johnny, but this time his face displays an utter hatred towards you. "Fucking whore! You think you could get away? I heard what you did in here earlier! I got something I can shove up in there to make you feel like you've never felt before and never will again!" Johnny screams and swing his knife at you. You continue to back away, but there isn't much room so you go around the desk for temporary relief, but even if you make it into the bathroom and lock the door you'll just be trapped in there. You're so busy trying to survive, you completely forget that Donna is still in the house, but you soon remember when she runs in the room and clobbers Johnny in the back of the head with a small lamp. "Fuck...shit..." Johnny says crumpling to the floor. He's not dead, but Donna's too busy calling to you to run to finish him off. "Suzy! Come on! Get out of there!" Donna shouts and you waste no time in doing so. Just as Johnny struggles to get back up, Donna throws the lamp at his head and follows you. In all the excitement you forgot if you have Peter's keys, but Donna just shouts at you to get into Tina's car as you exit the house. As you both pile into the car, Tina is more than a little surprised. "What the fuck? Why are you two..." "Just drive! Drive! Drive!" Donna shouts. You're squashed a bit in the backseat with all the bags and panting heavily, but you're glad you got out of there. Thought you're understandably still shaken up. "We need to tell the cops!" you shout. "Tell them what? Have you seen this town Suzy? You think we're going to get any help? Shit, I probably still got a warrant out on me!" Donna says. Meanwhile Tina is getting annoyed about being out of the loop. "Will one of you bitches tell me what the fuck is going on?! I mean this is my car and I'd like to know if we're planning on getting shot at!" Tina snaps. "We're fine. Well not fine, but nobody's shooting at anyone. Some nut case with a knife was in the house and tried to kill my sister." Donna replies. "And you didn't kill him?" "No, I mean maybe. Shit, I dunno. I smacked him in the head twice with a lamp, but I don't think I killed him." Donna says. "(Sigh) You should've finished him off. I would have." Tina says. "Tina, I'm not in the mood right now okay?!" Donna shouts. "Fine. Fine. I'm just saying you better watch yourself in the future. Anyway, I need to focus on getting us through this bullshit going on in town, because we could still be getting shot at." The rest of the drive is in relative silence, broken up periodically by Tina swearing at the road situation and your sister asking if you're okay since you're so quiet. Your quietness is due to still being shaken up by what just occurred and also because you just don't have anything to say at the moment and are just hoping you get to where you have to get to in peace and in one piece. After a long drive, you eventually reach the trailer park. You look out the window at the various rundown trailers in the darkness and think "So this is what my life has come to." Finally you stop at one towards the further end of the park close to undeveloped land and just regular wilderness. One thing you sort of were expecting was the drunken revelry of several hillbillies, and while you did see a few sitting around with some bottles in hand, it's actually pretty quiet. "This is your place right Donna?" Tina asks. "Yeah, thanks Tina." "Hm, well just be ready to go in the afternoon tomorrow. I'm not waiting around for you." Tina replies. As the pair of you get out and unload your bags from the car, Tina studies you a bit. "Y'know blondie, you're not bad lookin'. If you ever loosen up a bit, you could easily get a job at Kitty City too. I think the school girl look would work for ya pretty well. You kinda got that innocent look." "Yeah I don't think so." You say. "Hm, suit yerself. I'm just tryin' to help YOU out. Whatever." Tina remarks and backs the car up and swings it around to head back to her own trailer. "I still don't like her." You say. "Heh, well I'm not surprised. Come on, let's get inside. I'll give you the grand tour." Naturally being a trailer, the "grand tour" doesn't take long. Donna tried to make the place sound better than it is, but it's better than you thought it would be, so it's not awful. She points out the couch which will have to do for your sleeping accommodations. "Well Suzy, I know this is kind of a weird way to end the night given all that went down, but I'm really tired and I need to get some sleep, but before I do, did you need to talk about what happened?" Donna says. "Probably, but what good would it really do? I mean I'm starting to wonder if I'm a magnet for serial killers at this point. Uncle Ed, my ex, this asshole we just barely got away from...Oh shit! Julie!" you suddenly say thinking about the grim implications of what might've happened to her. Donna's face drops a bit too. "Fuck. You said you haven't been able to get a hold of her at all?" Donna asks. "No. Shit, that sick fuck probably killed her!" you exclaim. "Now we don't know for certain. She could be..." "I KNOW for certain. That creepy fucker told me a story involving her leaving the house when I met him earlier today. He probably lied and actually killed her. Oh fuck this is bad. I mean I know I grew apart from Julie...but goddamn it..." you say getting a little teary eyed. Donna tries to console you, but she's starting to get upset too. Really you haven't seen her get sad for quite some time. Your sadness over the very likely loss of your friend is almost like a bonding experience. In between the tears you thank Donna for saving your life. "(Sniffle) Hey, you might've saved mine had you not called me to move out in the first place. I mean without you, I might've been very partying with that sicko and he could've killed me as well as Julie. (deep breath) Okay, tomorrow you come with me. I'll try to convince Tina to drop you off at the police station. Hopefully you can make a report or something and we can at least get those corrupt fucks to look into it. Assuming things have settled down in town that is." "Things have been really fucked up lately." "Yeah, I dunno Suzy. I don't place much stock in end times bullshit, but I guess those Ground Zero commercials they're constantly blasting on the radio is starting to make me think something big is going to go down, though maybe it is already." "Seems like it with the way my luck is going." You say. "Hey, don't worry sis. We're going to get through this, no matter what comes our way. You and me. This is a brand new start for us, remember?" This uncommon optimism does make you smile a bit at the fact you don't have to deal with all this yourself. "Okay, Donna. (Yawn) I guess I better get some sleep. It'll be a big day if I'm to make a report tomorrow. Thanks again for saving me, I'm never going to forget it." "Hey, like I said, you probably saved mine as well. Good night Suzy." "Night Donna." Donna heads off to her bed and you eventually fall asleep on the couch. > Next day… "...act now and spend your life in the comfort of..." "Oh shut the hell up...I already know the world is going to hell in a hand basket." You hear Donna say while she turns off the TV as you groggily wake up from the couch. "What time is it?" you ask. "It's past noon that's for sure. Still a few hours to go before we have to get ready to leave." "Oh. How long you been awake?" "Hm, not long. The shower's all yours though, I've already used it." You sit up still getting used to your new surroundings "Hm, you were right, it really isn't what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting to hear the sounds of drunken hillbillies arguing and shooting off guns when I woke up. It's actually pretty quiet." You say gathering so clean clothes. "Heh, well I can't say that probably won't happen around the holidays, but like I said, I think you'll find that even the trashiest of people aren't acting like stereotypes all the time." Donna replies. You nod and head off to take a shower. While you wash up, you try to mentally prepare yourself for your trip to the police station today. Part of that involves relaxing yourself and relieving yourself of tension in the usual way that hasn't failed you yet... A few minutes later... "SUZY! SUZY! GET DRESSED WE GOT A FUCKING SITUATION OUT HERE!" you suddenly hear Donna say as she beats on the bathroom door. As startling as that is, what you hear next is even more so due to a loud bullhorn. So much for putting your mind at ease. "Alright! Alright! I hear what's going on! I'm getting out!" you shout. "Hurry!" Donna says. You stop your shower, grab your clean clothes and start getting dressed as quickly as possible. Tina is looking out one of the windows when you exit the bathroom. "There are a couple of military trucks with a bunch of guardsmen out there. I don't know what's going on, but this is really bad. Shit. This has gotta have something to do with what's been going on in town." Donna says. "They want us to go out there too." You say not being enthusiastic about that idea. "Yeah, fuck that. It's probably just so they can kill us easier if we're all huddled up in a group or worse, maybe they want to round us up in those trucks for some sinister purpose." Odd that Donna always thought your older brother was a kook for talking like that on regular basis, but she sounds more like him than ever right now. To be fair though, this is all pretty strange and you're not exactly trusting of the situation yourself. "Well what are other people doing?" "Some are coming out and some are staying in. In fact more are staying in than coming out, but that's hardly surprising. The folks around here aren't exactly fond of the government." You and Donna look at each other. "This isn't going to end well. Maybe we should run." Donna suggests and you nearly laugh. "Yeah, because the plan to run worked SO well for me last time!" you say. "Okay this is different, we really would be running off together. Come on, do you really think those soldiers out there are any better than those cops that pulled us over? In fact they sound worse!" "Well you got a point there, (sigh) okay so what's the plan? We just step out the trailer and run? They already said they're going to open fire on anyone who does that." You say. "Yeah, but we're lucky since we have a trailer at the end of the park. We could probably make a run for it and hide in the wilderness behind the park." "That simple huh? How long are we supposed to hide out there? I don't know how to survive in the wild and unless you been secretly reading up such things, I don't think you do either." "Well I don't fucking know! I'm just trying to come up with suggestions here! Fuck Suzy, I'm trying to help YOU out as usual." "Thanks. Thanks for that Donna. Real helpful right now." You look out the window briefly and see the few people that have exited their trailers are being shoved roughly in the center of the park. Some of the guardsmen stand nearby pointing their rifles at them, but nothing more yet. A few more of the guardsmen are starting to spread out and move about the park. It looks like they're preparing for combat. And then suddenly you see one of the locals kick their door open and yell something at the top of their lungs while blasting one of the soldiers with a shotgun before getting riddled with bullets. Then all hell breaks loose. "Get down!" you shout and you and Donna are both getting as low as you can on the floor. Gunfire, shouting and screaming is all you can hear and you're praying that a stray doesn't go through the wall and hit you. Donna apparently has the same idea. "Suzy, we gotta get the fuck outta here!" "Donna we go out that front door and we risk an even bigger chance of getting our asses shot off! We need to just stay low and behind as much shit as possible! Maybe your bedroom or the shower in the bathroom would be..." A couple of bullets go through the windows overhead and small shards of glass sprinkle to the floor. "That's it, I'm not fucking staying here!" Donna yells and starts to crawl to the door of the trailer. > You run with her While it didn't work out the first time, there really isn't any reason to not hesitate to run now. The soldiers are obviously out of control and it's possible they'll just line you up and start shooting you. You stand up from your crouching position and run over to the trailer door. "Suzy, what the hell, keep the fuck down! They're still firing out there!" Donna exclaims as you step over her. "Donna, you're the one who said you wanted to get out of here quickly, well we can't waste time! Now get up and let's go!" you shout and grab the door handle. You open the door, which to your surprise reveals a soldier who was just about to open the door. Startling the soldier, he loses balance backwards a bit, but he doesn't lose his trained instinct to defend himself unfortunately for you. The guardsman fires and you take several bullets to your body. You're dead before you even hit the floor of the trailer as your sister screams at this sight.

[Themes: modern, science fiction, drama, serious] "...act now and spend your life in the comfort of..." "Oh shut the hell up...I already know the world is going to hell in a hand basket." You hear Donna say while she turns off the TV as you groggily wake up from the couch. "What time is it?" you ask. "It's past noon that's for sure. Still a few hours to go before we have to get ready to leave." "Oh. How long you been awake?" "Hm, not long. The shower's all yours though, I've already used it." You sit up still getting used to your new surroundings "Hm, you were right, it really isn't what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting to hear the sounds of drunken hillbillies arguing and shooting off guns when I woke up. It's actually pretty quiet." You say gathering so clean clothes. "Heh, well I can't say that probably won't happen around the holidays, but like I said, I think you'll find that even the trashiest of people aren't acting like stereotypes all the time." Donna replies. You nod and head off to take a shower. While you wash up, you try to mentally prepare yourself for your trip to the police station today. Part of that involves relaxing yourself and relieving yourself of tension in the usual way that hasn't failed you yet... A few minutes later... "SUZY! SUZY! GET DRESSED WE GOT A FUCKING SITUATION OUT HERE!" you suddenly hear Donna say as she beats on the bathroom door. As startling as that is, what you hear next is even more so due to a loud bullhorn. So much for putting your mind at ease. "Alright! Alright! I hear what's going on! I'm getting out!" you shout. "Hurry!" Donna says. You stop your shower, grab your clean clothes and start getting dressed as quickly as possible. Tina is looking out one of the windows when you exit the bathroom. "There are a couple of military trucks with a bunch of guardsmen out there. I don't know what's going on, but this is really bad. Shit. This has gotta have something to do with what's been going on in town." Donna says. "They want us to go out there too." You say not being enthusiastic about that idea. "Yeah, fuck that. It's probably just so they can kill us easier if we're all huddled up in a group or worse, maybe they want to round us up in those trucks for some sinister purpose." Odd that Donna always thought your older brother was a kook for talking like that on regular basis, but she sounds more like him than ever right now. To be fair though, this is all pretty strange and you're not exactly trusting of the situation yourself. "Well what are other people doing?" "Some are coming out and some are staying in. In fact more are staying in than coming out, but that's hardly surprising. The folks around here aren't exactly fond of the government." You and Donna look at each other. "This isn't going to end well. Maybe we should run." Donna suggests and you nearly laugh. "Yeah, because the plan to run worked SO well for me last time!" you say. "Okay this is different, we really would be running off together. Come on, do you really think those soldiers out there are any better than those cops that pulled us over? In fact they sound worse!" "Well you got a point there, (sigh) okay so what's the plan? We just step out the trailer and run? They already said they're going to open fire on anyone who does that." You say. "Yeah, but we're lucky since we have a trailer at the end of the park. We could probably make a run for it and hide in the wilderness behind the park." "That simple huh? How long are we supposed to hide out there? I don't know how to survive in the wild and unless you been secretly reading up such things, I don't think you do either." "Well I don't fucking know! I'm just trying to come up with suggestions here! Fuck Suzy, I'm trying to help YOU out as usual." "Thanks. Thanks for that Donna. Real helpful right now." You look out the window briefly and see the few people that have exited their trailers are being shoved roughly in the center of the park. Some of the guardsmen stand nearby pointing their rifles at them, but nothing more yet. A few more of the guardsmen are starting to spread out and move about the park. It looks like they're preparing for combat. And then suddenly you see one of the locals kick their door open and yell something at the top of their lungs while blasting one of the soldiers with a shotgun before getting riddled with bullets. Then all hell breaks loose. "Get down!" you shout and you and Donna are both getting as low as you can on the floor. Gunfire, shouting and screaming is all you can hear and you're praying that a stray doesn't go through the wall and hit you. Donna apparently has the same idea. "Suzy, we gotta get the fuck outta here!" "Donna we go out that front door and we risk an even bigger chance of getting our asses shot off! We need to just stay low and behind as much shit as possible! Maybe your bedroom or the shower in the bathroom would be..." A couple of bullets go through the windows overhead and small shards of glass sprinkle to the floor. "That's it, I'm not fucking staying here!" Donna yells and starts to crawl to the door of the trailer. > You stay in the trailer Running or rather planning to run didn't work before so you're not even going to entertain the idea now. "Donna, get the fuck back here! You might be about to outrun cops, but you can't outrun a bullet!" you shout crawling backwards towards the bathroom. "Suzy, you need to stop being so scared all the damn time! NOT running before is why you had to suffer through what you did last time! If you're smart, you'll come with me!" "Donna, I'm telling you, it's going to be bad if you go out there!" "It's gonna be bad if we stay...AAAH!" You're already inside the bathroom when you hear Donna scream, at first you think she got shot, but it's something equally as bad. The moment she was opening the front door, so was a soldier, trying to look for respite from the shooting. You peak around the corner and see him barge in and pick Donna up by the hair. "Get up! Get up you fucking trailer bitch!" you hear the soldier shout. Donna whimpers and begs to be let go. You think you hear a slap followed by another. You slink back into bathroom as panic wells up inside you. "Fucking trash, you got a weapon on ya? Where the fuck is your boyfriend? He in the back waiting to ambush me? Well fuck that! Come on out you goddamn redneck! Got your bitch here or is it also your sister? Fuckin' inbreds!" You hear Donna continue to plead and exclaim she lives alone and that she has no weapons of any kind. The guardsmen doesn't sound completely convinced and you hear him pushing Donna and exclaiming for her to head towards the bedroom swearing the whole time about his shitty assignment, you know its only a matter of time before he discovers that you're here. You hastily look around the bathroom, but there isn't much here in the way of weapons except a can of your sister's hairspray. Maybe you can blind him, though you'd need to time it just right. Taking a deep breath, you get near the entryway of the door prepare the can... Your sister passes by and sees you out the corner of her eye, but makes no indication that she's seen you. "Just keep going. If there really is nobody in the bedroom, then we're just going to hide out in the back for a while and then...ARGH! SHIT!" the soldier exclaims as you unload the hairspray in his eyes as he starts to pass the bathroom entrance. Fortunately he drops his rifle in the process of his sudden blindness, which you quickly snatch up. Donna is still scrambling to get up and get out of the way, meanwhile the blind soldier is backing up trying to fish his pistol out of his holster. "Fucking...shit...I'm gonna kill all of you inbred trash! I'm..." You don't wait around for him to possibly carry out his threats; you don't think about it, you just shoot. The rifle kicks a bit and you hurt yourself in the process, but your assailant with several new holes in him is in even worse condition. He drops his pistol and slumps backwards in a bloody heap. For a moment you just stand there in disbelief on what you've done. You just killed a man. Even if it was life and death, you still killed someone. "Suzy! Get down, they're still shooting out there!" Donna shouts from the bedroom entrance. You get down on the floor still clutching on to your killing tool and crawl to the bedroom. You feel a bit weird, but not sick. You and your sister hide behind her bed, huddled close to each other as the shooting and general mayhem out there continues for what seems like a very long time, but in reality it's only about fifteen-twenty minutes. As the gunshots die down, you can hear the victory hooting and hollering outside which is then followed by more gunshots probably fired in victory. For a moment you and your sister stay down for a little while longer, but eventually the pair of you get up. You just sit on the edge of the bed trying to wrap your head around everything that just happened. Donna on the other hand peeks out one of the windows. "Well, I guess our side won." Donna says. "Not sure if that's going to be a good thing in the long run." You say. Donna doesn't pay much attention to your statement, but instead heads to the main room of the trailer. After a few moments, you gather your strength and follow her. She looks at the dead soldier on the floor and you do as well. "Well, I guess it's true what they say, you never know if you can kill someone or not until you have to." Donna remarks. "Or want to." You add. "Well anyway I'm glad you did. Shit, that was fucking intense. The weird thing is how well worked together in the situation I mean I lured him to the back and you ambushed him." "Yeah, well I suppose we already had several run-throughs of dealing with hostile assholes this week. We were bound to get it right eventually." You remark. "Heh, I suppose so...well no point in letting this asshole stink up the place, let's drag him outside." Donna gets his legs and you get his upper body and drag the soldier out of the trailer. As you do so, you notice his rank is that of a high-ranking NCO. You wonder if he was the one in charge of this detachment. When you get him outside, Tina is just walking up with a scruffy looking man wearing a cap and clothing that doesn't look like its been washed in days. He carries a shotgun over his shoulder. "Well fuck Donna. Did you actually kill one of those fuckers?" Tina asks. "Not me, my sister did. This asshole barged into our trailer and Suzy shot his ass." Tina looks a little impressed. "Is that so? Well maybe I misjudged you blondie. Maybe you're not the innocent wallflower I thought you were." "I didn't take any pleasure in it, if that's what you're implying." You say defensively. "Of course you didn't. You saw a threat to your family and home and you took care of business. It's what any right thinking American SHOULD do when the fucking government tries to impose its will on folks. They tried to do it here, well they didn't fucking succeed. We showed them that, but I reckon there's gonna be a lot more trouble comin'. Believe it." The man suddenly says. "Who are you?" you ask almost in an accusing tone. Mel doesn't really look offended, but Tina speaks up before he can. "This is Mel, my...significant other." Tina says. "Significant other? What the fuck are we fucking faggots? Life partners and all that shit? Just say I'm your goddamn boyfriend. Shit, I'm practically your husband with as long as we've been together." "I hesitated to call you my boyfriend because I don't know where we exactly stand right now and until you buy me a fucking ring and propose, you're definitely NOT my husband!" "Pftt, I told ya, I see no reason for a piece of paper handed out by some bean counter to tell me how I feel about ya, let alone some piece of jewelry. Besides, we fight all the fucking time and always get back together, so stop bein' a fuckin' drama queen." At this point Tina and Mel start to argue and not wishing to get in the middle of it, you and Donna start to walk back to your trailer. When you get inside Donna starts finding bags and begins putting away clothes. "What are you doing?" you ask. "What's it look like? I'm packing up my shit and getting ready to get the hell outta here. It's apparent that you were right again, about this place. It's not safe here." Donna says. "At this point, I don't think its too safe anywhere. At least the immediate threat here has been eliminated." You say. Donna stops packing. "Wait a minute. Are you serious? This can't be happening. I mean YOU of all people. Are you seriously considering staying here?" "I don't know. I mean would I like there to be a better option? Yes! But what options do we really have Donna? We don't even have a fucking car to leave in and I doubt very seriously anyone is going to let us borrow a vehicle now. We're going to be on foot, heading to god knows where. I mean WHERE are we going to go? Back to town? With all the bullshit going on there? Into that wilderness where we can slowly starve to death due to our lack of survival knowledge? Further down the road where we'll run into who knows what? I mean everything seems so chaotic right now and I want at least a stable chance of survival. Your plan has always been to run and so far it hasn't worked out very well either for me or you. Maybe we need to dig our heels in and tough it out if only for a bit." Donna sits down on the couch processing your words. She probably can't believe you're even thinking this way, and to be honest you can't either. Maybe killing another human changed something within you and you're not willing to just sit around and be a victim anymore. You're going to DO something to improve your situation. Anything. "Okay, I get what you're saying. And yeah you're right that it's going to suck walking to wherever our unknown destination is going to be and we don't know where we would go, but I'm just saying it HAS to be safer than staying here. I mean if we do stick around, what if the government sends another group of soldiers here? It's going to look mighty suspicious that the last group they sent isn't here and will probably be really bad for us. If we leave, we can at least distance ourselves from this mess. I dunno, I mean at this point I'll stick with you no matter what you decide, I just think we oughta get the fuck outta here." Donna advises. > You leave the trailer park It isn't going to be pleasant to leave, but Donna does make a good point about the foolishness of sticking around here after the massacre of military personnel. "Okay Donna, I guess maybe you're right. I'll pack and we'll head out." "Well maybe it won't be completely hopeless. Maybe some of the others here will be leaving too, we might be able to go with them or catch a ride for awhile at least." "Hm, I don't hold out too much hope, but I'll let you take care of that, just let me know when you're ready to go, because I'm going to have to figure out what I need and can take with me without collapsing from exhaustion." While you struggle with what clothing you can do without and what items you're going to need, Donna finishes packing and leaves the trailer to presumably go charm a ride from someone. A half hour passes and Donna returns just as you're finishing up packing and she doesn't look in the best of spirits. "I take it, it didn't go well?" you ask. "I can't believe at least ONE of these rednecks isn't so damn stupid to want to stay here! But no, everyone of these dumb fuckers are insisting on sticking around trying to make this place into a fortress or some shit." "Not one fell for your charms?" you ask. "What are you getting at?" "Well I figured you were offering something in return..." "Offer?...Oh yuck! Suzy! Seriously? Do you think I'm just that much of a whore?!" Donna asks. "Well I mean I know you're free spirited enough not to give a shit about that sort of thing. I mean that IS how you got this trailer up front isn't it?" "Okay, first that was different. Second that was REALLY unpleasant! Anyway, looks like we're walking. Even Tina wasn't willing to help out." "Hardly surprising. So which direction are we walking?" you ask. "What do you mean? There's only one way to go. I mean you aren't suggesting we head back to town do you?" "Well the other direction will eventually lead to Security City and I can't imagine it'll be any better there." You say. "That's still a very long way off Suzy, I mean maybe we can find refuge somewhere else first, like a truck stop or something." "I just hope we aren't rounded up by passing military on the road. Oh well I guess we'll find out. At least we got a couple weapons from that asshole who tried to kill us earlier." You say. And with those words, you and Donna leave the trailer, which was once to be your new home and make your way out of the park. Seems like ever since you left home, you're doomed to not stay anywhere for very long. You hope this isn't a sign of things to come. As you leave, you see that Donna was right in that the park residents are indeed trying to barricade this place up by putting vehicles in strategic locations. You don't see how such a plan can possibly stand up against a real attack by the military, but they're determined not to be run off. "So you're leaving Donna?" Tina asks on your way out. "Yeah, I don't think this place is for me and my sister. You sure that you want to still stay here?" "No point in doing so yet. Besides, Mel is actually getting everyone's ass in gear to prepare this place for more potential trouble. It's the most motivated I've seen him in...well since he first sweet talked me into spreading my legs for him and that was ages ago. Really I dunno why y'all are leaving. It's only going to be worse out there, but suit yerselves. Good luck I guess." Tina says and leaves the pair of you. Leaving the trailer park behind, night has already begun to fall as you walk along side the road. Ten minutes in and Donna breaks up the silence. "The road is pretty deserted. There hasn't been any traffic in either direction since we started walking." Donna says. "Hopefully it stays like that, seems like every time more people show up more problems crop up." You answer. "Yeah, I guess it does seem that way. Bet you're wishing you were in the basement right now." "Got that right. No use wishing it was so though. Those carefree days are long gone now." "Heh, as are my own carefree days of partying everyday. A few days ago I was just starting to think that maybe I had been wasting my life and needed it to get back on track to do something productive. Now? Looks like I didn't waste anything seeing as the world appears to be going to shit." Donna adds. You agree and the pair of you continue walking. The stars are a lot brighter without the streetlights of the town around. You look up at them on several occasions never really admiring the "heavens" before. You get the impression even Donna is starting to admire them. Really until this walk, you've never really realized just how rural of an area you lived in before. Hours pass and both of you are tired, not just from the walking though, it was an "action packed" day earlier for the pair of you after all. In the far distance though you see the shape of what looks to be several structures. "Hey Donna, looks like something is up ahead. It's really dark, but I think those are tents or something." You say. "Yeah, wonder what that is." Donna says. "Maybe we should hang back until morning." You say. "Why?" "Because who knows who the hell is over there. I mean maybe that's a military encampment. We go walking in, and soldiers could suddenly surround us. Or worse, they see us stumbling in the darkness and shoot us on sight believing we're intruders. Both of us are pretty tired anyway, I think it would be best if we approached this with clear eyes and in the daytime." You say. "Hm, okay you might be right about that. Where are we sleeping though?" "Looks like the great outdoors. Come on let's get off the side of the road. We don't need someone running us over in our sleep. You and Donna head off the road and deeper into wilderness, though not too much. You try to find a spot that seems "good" and then you realize you're in the damn wilderness without even a sleeping bag, there is no where to sleep that's going to be "good." "Well I guess here will do. Use your back pack as a pillow and try to get comfy." You say laying down. "Ugh, I can only imagine the things that are going to be crawling on me in the night." Donna says. "Yeah, things suck all over. Hey why are you getting so close?" "You got both weapons! I'm not sleeping too far from you. Besides, it's fucking cold out here. We'll stay warmer if we sleep near each other. Did that with Julie once when her heating system was broken for a week." "Yeah, well you better not start cuddling or worse grinding on me." "Geez Suzy, that's sick! You're my sister for fuck's sake." "Good, glad we understand each other." As you attempt to get as comfortable as possible Donna keeps moving so she's partially touching you, despite the fact you're trying to keep apart. Eventually you give up and just try to focus on sleeping. "Suzy?" Donna says. "What?" You answer. "I'm glad we left and are seeing this through together." Donna says in such a way that you haven't heard her speak before. Almost like a little kid. "Yeah, I'm glad we're seeing this through together too." You say. And with those words, you drift off. > Next day... "SUZY! WAKE UP! GET UP NOW!" you hear Donna scream followed by her pulling and shaking you. "Wha...the fuck?!" you utter completely confused. You're even more confused when Donna grabs the rifle near you and fires it, succeeding in smashing her shoulder due to being unprepared by the kick back and not holding it right in the first place. She cries out an obscenity and drops the rifle. While you still aren't completely sure of what's going on, you do look in the direction that Donna was firing and see what she was firing at. Several people are loping in your direction snarling and generally making unpleasant sounds. You don't know who they are or what's wrong with them, but you follow Donna's lead and pull your pistol to fire at them. You aren't exactly the best shot in the world, but after a couple shots you clearly hit the closest one in the chest, who stops temporarily, but then recovers until you hit him again, at which point he falls. It doesn't deter any of the others though and they just continue to run at you. Meanwhile Donna gets off another shot, but misses wildly. Seeing their numbers and knowing you don't have the skill or the ammo to deal with these obviously insane people, you tell Donna you and her need to run and you don't need to do it twice. You and Donna run towards the group of tents still in the distance. You still don't know if it's a military encampment or what, but the key thing is it's in the opposite direction of those things chasing you. You're about half way towards your destination and your sister becomes a horror movie cliché by falling behind and then tripping and falling on her face. "Suzy!" you hear her scream and you turn around to see several of those things almost on her. You run back and shoot a couple of them, but by the time you grab her hand to help her up, one of them manages to grab her and bite her shoulder. Donna screams pierce your ears and you blast the thing in the head splattering its blood on you and Donna. The two that you shot (but failed to obviously kill) at this point have recovered and are already attacking you and Donna. You're tackled to the ground and you just barely manage to keep the thing from biting you by putting your forearm against its throat as it desperately tries to bite your face off. You get a good look at the thing at this range, while its dirty, crazed and making the animalistic growling noises, it looks completely human. Rabies perhaps? In any case you manage to get your pistol arm free of the thing's grip and bring your weapon to its temple and blow its brains out. It slumps on top of you and you're quick to get out from under it. Meanwhile, Donna is on the ground again screaming for you to help her and her assailant chewing on her leg. You wonder helping Donna's even an option at this point. Donna's badly wounded and there are still several of those things coming at you, not counting the one currently munching on Donna's leg. You don't know what these things are except they look like dirty rabid humans. And maybe that's all they are, but if there's anything you've learned from situations like this is those same clichéd horror movies is when someone is bitten... Donna's eyes widen as soon as she realizes that you're aiming at her. You don't give her time to do anything else before you pull the trigger. Having done the grim task of putting your sister out of her misery, you run back towards the tents though you're in a bit of a daze at this point. The noise you and those things have caused, start bringing out the occupants of the tents, or at least whoever is using them. You see a few figures with rifles, possibly in uniforms. It's apparent that they've caught sight of you and your pursuers and are yelling something at you, but again your brain has partially "shut down" after killing your sister so you're stilling running towards them, ignoring the fact that they're ready to open fire. It wouldn't matter anyway, since it isn't like you can run backwards with those things chasing you. Bullets whiz in your direction missing you; at first maybe they AREN'T actually aiming at you and are aiming at the creatures chasing you. Maybe your luck is changing. But then you catch one in the head. You don't even feel it. You just drop like a sack. The military wasn't taking any chances.

Running or rather planning to run didn't work before so you're not even going to entertain the idea now. "Donna, get the fuck back here! You might be about to outrun cops, but you can't outrun a bullet!" you shout crawling backwards towards the bathroom. "Suzy, you need to stop being so scared all the damn time! NOT running before is why you had to suffer through what you did last time! If you're smart, you'll come with me!" "Donna, I'm telling you, it's going to be bad if you go out there!" "It's gonna be bad if we stay...AAAH!" You're already inside the bathroom when you hear Donna scream, at first you think she got shot, but it's something equally as bad. The moment she was opening the front door, so was a soldier, trying to look for respite from the shooting. You peak around the corner and see him barge in and pick Donna up by the hair. "Get up! Get up you fucking trailer bitch!" you hear the soldier shout. Donna whimpers and begs to be let go. You think you hear a slap followed by another. You slink back into bathroom as panic wells up inside you. "Fucking trash, you got a weapon on ya? Where the fuck is your boyfriend? He in the back waiting to ambush me? Well fuck that! Come on out you goddamn redneck! Got your bitch here or is it also your sister? Fuckin' inbreds!" You hear Donna continue to plead and exclaim she lives alone and that she has no weapons of any kind. The guardsmen doesn't sound completely convinced and you hear him pushing Donna and exclaiming for her to head towards the bedroom swearing the whole time about his shitty assignment, you know its only a matter of time before he discovers that you're here. You hastily look around the bathroom, but there isn't much here in the way of weapons except a can of your sister's hairspray. Maybe you can blind him, though you'd need to time it just right. Taking a deep breath, you get near the entryway of the door prepare the can... Your sister passes by and sees you out the corner of her eye, but makes no indication that she's seen you. "Just keep going. If there really is nobody in the bedroom, then we're just going to hide out in the back for a while and then...ARGH! SHIT!" the soldier exclaims as you unload the hairspray in his eyes as he starts to pass the bathroom entrance. Fortunately he drops his rifle in the process of his sudden blindness, which you quickly snatch up. Donna is still scrambling to get up and get out of the way, meanwhile the blind soldier is backing up trying to fish his pistol out of his holster. "Fucking...shit...I'm gonna kill all of you inbred trash! I'm..." You don't wait around for him to possibly carry out his threats; you don't think about it, you just shoot. The rifle kicks a bit and you hurt yourself in the process, but your assailant with several new holes in him is in even worse condition. He drops his pistol and slumps backwards in a bloody heap. For a moment you just stand there in disbelief on what you've done. You just killed a man. Even if it was life and death, you still killed someone. "Suzy! Get down, they're still shooting out there!" Donna shouts from the bedroom entrance. You get down on the floor still clutching on to your killing tool and crawl to the bedroom. You feel a bit weird, but not sick. You and your sister hide behind her bed, huddled close to each other as the shooting and general mayhem out there continues for what seems like a very long time, but in reality it's only about fifteen-twenty minutes. As the gunshots die down, you can hear the victory hooting and hollering outside which is then followed by more gunshots probably fired in victory. For a moment you and your sister stay down for a little while longer, but eventually the pair of you get up. You just sit on the edge of the bed trying to wrap your head around everything that just happened. Donna on the other hand peeks out one of the windows. "Well, I guess our side won." Donna says. "Not sure if that's going to be a good thing in the long run." You say. Donna doesn't pay much attention to your statement, but instead heads to the main room of the trailer. After a few moments, you gather your strength and follow her. She looks at the dead soldier on the floor and you do as well. "Well, I guess it's true what they say, you never know if you can kill someone or not until you have to." Donna remarks. "Or want to." You add. "Well anyway I'm glad you did. Shit, that was fucking intense. The weird thing is how well worked together in the situation I mean I lured him to the back and you ambushed him." "Yeah, well I suppose we already had several run-throughs of dealing with hostile assholes this week. We were bound to get it right eventually." You remark. "Heh, I suppose so...well no point in letting this asshole stink up the place, let's drag him outside." Donna gets his legs and you get his upper body and drag the soldier out of the trailer. As you do so, you notice his rank is that of a high-ranking NCO. You wonder if he was the one in charge of this detachment. When you get him outside, Tina is just walking up with a scruffy looking man wearing a cap and clothing that doesn't look like its been washed in days. He carries a shotgun over his shoulder. "Well fuck Donna. Did you actually kill one of those fuckers?" Tina asks. "Not me, my sister did. This asshole barged into our trailer and Suzy shot his ass." Tina looks a little impressed. "Is that so? Well maybe I misjudged you blondie. Maybe you're not the innocent wallflower I thought you were." "I didn't take any pleasure in it, if that's what you're implying." You say defensively. "Of course you didn't. You saw a threat to your family and home and you took care of business. It's what any right thinking American SHOULD do when the fucking government tries to impose its will on folks. They tried to do it here, well they didn't fucking succeed. We showed them that, but I reckon there's gonna be a lot more trouble comin'. Believe it." The man suddenly says. "Who are you?" you ask almost in an accusing tone. Mel doesn't really look offended, but Tina speaks up before he can. "This is Mel, my...significant other." Tina says. "Significant other? What the fuck are we fucking faggots? Life partners and all that shit? Just say I'm your goddamn boyfriend. Shit, I'm practically your husband with as long as we've been together." "I hesitated to call you my boyfriend because I don't know where we exactly stand right now and until you buy me a fucking ring and propose, you're definitely NOT my husband!" "Pftt, I told ya, I see no reason for a piece of paper handed out by some bean counter to tell me how I feel about ya, let alone some piece of jewelry. Besides, we fight all the fucking time and always get back together, so stop bein' a fuckin' drama queen." At this point Tina and Mel start to argue and not wishing to get in the middle of it, you and Donna start to walk back to your trailer. When you get inside Donna starts finding bags and begins putting away clothes. "What are you doing?" you ask. "What's it look like? I'm packing up my shit and getting ready to get the hell outta here. It's apparent that you were right again, about this place. It's not safe here." Donna says. "At this point, I don't think its too safe anywhere. At least the immediate threat here has been eliminated." You say. Donna stops packing. "Wait a minute. Are you serious? This can't be happening. I mean YOU of all people. Are you seriously considering staying here?" "I don't know. I mean would I like there to be a better option? Yes! But what options do we really have Donna? We don't even have a fucking car to leave in and I doubt very seriously anyone is going to let us borrow a vehicle now. We're going to be on foot, heading to god knows where. I mean WHERE are we going to go? Back to town? With all the bullshit going on there? Into that wilderness where we can slowly starve to death due to our lack of survival knowledge? Further down the road where we'll run into who knows what? I mean everything seems so chaotic right now and I want at least a stable chance of survival. Your plan has always been to run and so far it hasn't worked out very well either for me or you. Maybe we need to dig our heels in and tough it out if only for a bit." Donna sits down on the couch processing your words. She probably can't believe you're even thinking this way, and to be honest you can't either. Maybe killing another human changed something within you and you're not willing to just sit around and be a victim anymore. You're going to DO something to improve your situation. Anything. "Okay, I get what you're saying. And yeah you're right that it's going to suck walking to wherever our unknown destination is going to be and we don't know where we would go, but I'm just saying it HAS to be safer than staying here. I mean if we do stick around, what if the government sends another group of soldiers here? It's going to look mighty suspicious that the last group they sent isn't here and will probably be really bad for us. If we leave, we can at least distance ourselves from this mess. I dunno, I mean at this point I'll stick with you no matter what you decide, I just think we oughta get the fuck outta here." Donna advises. > You stay in the trailer park Honestly you don't know if it's a good idea or not, but you're staying at least for now. "I still think running on our own is a bad idea. I say we stick around at least for the rest of the day, I mean it's no good walking off now with the sun about to go down. If it looks like things aren't going to be too good for us here, I mean we can leave sometime tomorrow. I doubt if the military is going to send anyone else here THAT quick." "Okay, ugh. I still think this is a bad idea, but I suppose I could use that time to try to find someone who would let us borrow their vehicle. That would at least save us from walking." "Borrow? Didn't know if we were leaving that we were planning on returning." You snicker. "Well, maybe other people will be getting ready to leave too, and maybe we can catch a ride with them at least." "Well that would make leaving at least more of an appealing prospect." You say and start to leave. "Where are you going?" "If we're going to stay, I should find out what the game plan is with the rest of these folks. If it looks like they don't have their shit together, well that's another mark in favor of leaving." "Hm, well I suppose I'll go see if Tina's done arguing with her boyfriend or whoever he is to her, maybe I can see if she's receptive to the idea of leaving." At this point you and Donna split up. You mainly wander the trailer park a bit where you occasionally get some stares and a few cat calls, but mostly everyone is busily running around cleaning up or holding various weapons or building supplies in their hands. Mostly all the men. While there is a lot of shouting in general going on, one of these trailer folk is standing around seemingly barking orders at the rest. It's Mel, Tina's boyfriend from earlier. "Get those vehicles to block the main entrance to this place and drag those fucking dead to the field behind this place. We'll bury their remains there in a big ass pit. After getting everything useful out of those military trucks, we're going to need to start stripping them down...hey you...blondie, this ain't no place for ya, I'm tryin' to get some fuckin' work done an' I can't have you here." Mel exclaims. "What? I'm not in anyone's way and I live in this place! Why can't I be here?" you ask. "Because like I said, I'm TRYING to light a fire under these fuckers' asses, and I can't do that, if half of them are staring at YOUR ass or are you so dainty that you haven't noticed?" Mel says. "Yes, I've noticed that I've been attracting a lot of attention. I can't really help that though, all I'm just trying to do is assess the situation here and if it's worth staying or not. So are you in charge here now?" "Well considering the old bastard that owned this place got his fucking head blown off during the firefight, we are now officially free of any sort of authority whatsoever. However, since I'm only one that realizes what we just did was fucking treason to the highest degree even if it was necessary, I suppose I'm charge of trying to get us all out of this shitstorm. My first goal is to try to get rid of all traces that these soldier boys were even here and attempt to barricade this place somewhat. To be honest though, with all the shit that I've been hearing on the news and from what Tina told me yesterday, sounds like the whole world is going to shit and I doubt the government is even going to investigate one shitty little trailer park right away. Assuming if there even IS a government left after all this is over." "So you really think this place will be safe?" "Fuck if I know. Probably safer than what's going on in town right now. All I know is I ain't running from my home unless I really have to. Look darlin' I ain't got the answers for ya as to whether or not you should leave. That's on you. All I CAN say is I hope you've got some sort of useful skill if you intend on stickin' around because if you HOPE to remain semi-independent and not sucking dick for supper, you're going to have to pull your weight around here in a meaningful way. Well either that or hook up with one of many fine bachelors round here." At this point Mel smirks and raises his hand towards the many slovenly looking guys walking around as if he's presenting them like they're a prize on a game show. Except none of them are prizes and this isn't a game show. You desperately think about your skills and unpredictably you find them lacking, however you do think of one thing that you haven't done or even thought about in years. "Well, my mom taught me how to sew when I was little. Haven't done it in a long time though." "Mm, seamstress might be useful, but can you do anything else?" "...uh...I killed a man. That's gotta count for something." "Mm, well in some places it might, but it isn't like you're the only killer here especially after today. Shit, some of these guys here probably killed before today anyway. But I suppose if worst came to worst, you COULD potentially help out as a guard in a pinch when we get all set up seeing as I know you have the capacity to kill something or someone threatening if need be. Lord, I can just imagine how all these fucktards will be wanting to be paired up with you though. (Sigh) Look seein' as you're a friend of Tina's..." "Actually Tina's my sister's friend. I don't think she really likes me at all." You interrupt. "Well she's going to like you even fucking less if she sees me speaking with you considering she's a jealous type, but we're getting off track. Fuck, what was I sayin'? Oh yeah, look since you're the sister of Tina's friend and don't seem like a complete stuck up cunt, I'll try to keep the boys from harassin' you too much. Can't speak for any of the ladies though. They're probably going to hate you just as much as Tina...well except for Butchie Billie, who'll probably be harassing you right along with the boys. I'm just glad Jed and his retarded giant ass brother aren't here. I think those fuckers were rapists and they would've LOVED the likes of you. Anyway, now could you please fuckin' leave so some work can get done?" At this point you leave Mel and return to your trailer where you find Donna. "I thought you were scouting for a potential vehicle." You say. "Apparently none of these hicks are leaving and neither is Tina. Nobody is willing to let me borrow one either." "None? Didn't you offer anything?" you ask hintingly. "Offer?...Oh yuck! Suzy! Seriously? Do you think I'm just that much of a whore?!" Donna asks. "Well I mean I know you're free spirited enough not to give a shit about that sort of thing. I mean that IS how you got this trailer up front isn't it?" "Okay, first that was different. Second that was REALLY unpleasant!" "Well you'll be happy to know that old dude is dead now anyway. Mel seems to be in charge of this place now, or at least he alpha male here. Good thing you're friends with Tina, he said he'd keep the sexual harassment to a minimum while we stay. He's actually a lot smarter than he appears. He's currently trying to eliminate all traces of the military being here and making this place more fortified." You say. "So, where does that leave us?" "Well in the long term I don't know. In the short term, we need to pull our weight around here to be useful. So far I've secured two possible jobs as a seamstress or a guard." Donna looks a little surprised. "Seamstress huh? You talking about how mom taught you how to sew when we were little? Thought you hadn't done it in a long time and didn't care for it." "I haven't and I don't, but I don't relish the idea of blowing anyone here for food and water if things get bad. I'll probably end up being a guard though. Seems a lot easier to potentially shoot people." "Geez Suzy, you're starting to sound like a completely different person." "Yeah well a lot of shit has happened. Anyway, I'm done for today, I'm just going to relax for the rest of the night, since I'm guessing I'll be doing a lot of work in the near future. It appears I've found a job at last, gotta love the irony." You say. The remainder of the night is fairly uneventful if somewhat noisy at times. Donna doesn't say too much to you and eventually goes to bed, but she once again thanks you for saving her from that soldier. The pair of you bailing each other out of trouble seems to be a reoccurring theme this week. You can only hope it isn't a necessary theme tomorrow. > Next day... "...your family will feel right at home in one of our..." "Agh, shut the hell up." You instinctively groan at the Ground Zero ad. You call out for Donna to turn her tv off, but considering she doesn't, you assume that she must not be here. You look around for your phone to check the time, but you can't find it. You can only assume that you dropped or misplaced it somewhere. Hardly matters, you don't have too many people to contact anymore at this point. Your relationship with Bobby is over. Julie's probably dead and who the hell knows what's happened to the rest of your family in town. It isn't like you need to call anyone or anyone needs to call you. You're more pissed about your laptop, which apparently somehow caught a bullet during the mayhem yesterday. So much for keeping up on what might be going on in the world. In any case there's a clock in the trailer and the time indicates that you've slept through the morning as usual. Weird, since you fell asleep fairly early. You wonder where the hell Donna could've went to, but you're guessing she might be with her friend Tina. After turning the TV off in Donna's room, all you're left with is the noise that's going on outside. Sounds like the good ol' boys are still at it. You take a look out one of your windows and see several men in the field taking apart the military trucks, or rather severely altering them. It almost looks like they're going to build a whole new vehicle out of them or something. Since there isn't anyway to entertain yourself with your laptop being shot up, you aren't in the mood to watch Ground Zero infomercials, and you don't want to risk the possibility of Donna suddenly walking in on you with your vibrating boyfriend (Thankfully nothing happened to that form of entertainment, though you do worry about batteries for the future) your only option is to head outside and try to find Donna or find something productive to do. You never thought such a day would come where you'd be leaving the comfort of a couch to potentially do some work, but here you are. After going through your routine of washing up and changing clothes, you decide to take the rifle and pistol with you, just in case. You exit the trailer and head on over to Tina's place. You knock on the trailer door and hardly recognize Tina without all her makeup on. Not that she's ugly, in fact she's actually less trashy looking without it on. "What the fuck do you want blondie?" Tina asks. "Um, is Donna here?" "No, she's not fucking here. Try a few trailers over, I think she took a shine to Jimmy Ray and is over there." "Oh. Okay then." You say. "If you see her, tell her, she better not be distractin' him all fucking day with her pussy, cause Mel wants him to be workin' on somethin'. I dunno what, exactly, but I don't wanna have to listen to him bitch to me about it." "Got it." You answer and begin to leave, but Tina calls out to you. "Hey, you ain't after, Mel's dick are ya?" Tina asks which completely catches you off guard. "What?" "He told me yesterday, you and he spoke and said you were sweet on him and he had to tell you to stop flirting so much." Tina looks at you as if she's detecting if you're going to lie to her, but you have no intention of doing so since you're defending yourself from a horrible lie! "Uh, with no disrespect, but Mel is NOT my type and I did not flirt with him." You answer. "See, I knew that bastard was delusional. I didn't even believe him when he told me that shit. Any retard can tell that a girl like you would have nothing to do with the likes of him in that way." Tina says. "Did I do something that he could've mistaken for flirting? "Yeah, you were talking to him. He probably told all his friends that you were flirting with him. Hell, he might've even said he fucked you, but he tends to keep his tall tales a little more realistic nowadays. Whatever, he's getting old and likes to think he's still some sort of chick magnet. Still, I love the sonofabitch despite everything." As you're about to finish your illuminating conversation with Tina, you suddenly hear gunshots and yelling. "Oh shit!" you say believing that the military has returned already. Several of the trailer park crew start running towards the noise with weapons in hand. Tina calls out to a skinny one who looks like methhead. "Hey! Hey Dan, what the fuck's goin' on?" Tina shouts "A bunch of fuckin' zombies or some shit are attackin' us! Mel's called almost everyone to defend the east and south part of the park. Looks like a shitload of them are comin' from town!" "Wait, did you just say fuckin' zombies?" Tina asks. "Yeah. I mean shit, I dunno what they are, I just know Bobby Ray got all bit up by one of them. Maybe they're just cannibals or high on bath salts. Remember like that one time I..." "Dan, whatever! Just go! Go! Go! And you, get inside here, quick!" Tina says waving away Dan who continues to his destination. "But I gotta find my sister." You remark "She's probably safe with Jimmy Ray." "Didn't Dan say he just got bit by zombies?" "That was Bobby Ray! Now get yer ass in here, we'll bar the door and hunker down inside here until Mel and the boys take care of this." You're not going to leave your sister's potential fate in the hands of some redneck who you know nothing about though. You're going to make the effort to at least find her; besides, you'd rather not barricade yourself in anywhere unless you have to. "Where is Jimmy's trailer again?!" you ask. "You're a damn idiot blondie. (sigh) it's more towards the entrance and has a badly spray painted picture of a naked woman on the side of it. I suggest you get a move on." Tina says and slams her door shut. You follow the advice and start heading towards your new destination, which has considerably more gunfire and shouting coming from that direction. You feel like you're in one of those video games that you played on your computer sometimes, except this is unfortunately very real. With your rifle held in front of you the whole time, you continue to move at a quick yet cautious rate. You keep half expecting one of those freaks to suddenly jump out at you every time you pass one of the trailers. You catch a glance of people peeping out their windows of said trailers, sometimes you hear one of them shouting at you to "find some damn shelter." Eventually you hear a voice calling at you from above. "Hey blondie, what the hell are you doing down there?" you look up and see a shirtless young man with a shotgun standing on top of the trailer. "Suzy?! What the hell are you doing?!" another voice shouts, but this one is coming from inside the trailer. Sounds like Donna. You glance back down and look at the trailer itself and notice that this is the one you've been looking for. You're guessing that's Jimmy Ray standing on top of his trailer. You can sort of see Donna going for a guy like him. He's got a rugged handsome look rather than a grizzled, unkept or outright disgusting appearance that some of the other guys around here have. "Donna?! I was looking for you, that's what I'm doing out here." You say while swiveling your head in several directions to keep an eye on your surroundings. "Well now you've found me, now get inside!" Donna shouts and starts to open up the door. "Donna, don't leave that door open too long, I'm watching the main fighting at the front of the park and it's not looking good. The east side is doing better though." "Aren't you suppose to be helping Mel?" you ask. "Pfft, yeah right. I mean I don't hate him or anything, but I'm not riskin' my life for that asshole. Oh fuck! More of them are getting through, and I mean a shitload! Get your asses inside!" Jimmy Ray shouts and starts aiming his shotgun. You look and see a couple of the...things Dan was talking about. This is insane. Here you were worrying about the military and some unexpected threat like...zombies shows up? They can't be zombies, they just can't! Whatever they are, four of them are flailing about wildly and growling. They notice you and begin loping at you. The mere sight of them is troubling, but you quickly point your rifle at them and start firing. Jimmy's shotgun gets one of them in the leg which he then shoots again in the body. Another gets its head blown off. You use up the remainder of the clip to kill the two remaining. One of them didn't even drop down dead until he almost reached you. They don't look rotten (though they do look dirty and disheveled...which isn't unlike some of the hillbillies here) and you didn't even shoot one in the head, so while they may NOT be zombies, they're certainly inhuman enough for you to be scared. (Some sort of sickness perhaps?) Meanwhile Donna's at the door and calling to you. You see now that she's not wearing her own clothes, but rather a robe of some sort. Certainly not hers. "Suzy, please! Get inside NOW!" she shouts as more of those things come running in your direction. "Goddamn it, the pair of you need to get inside!" Jimmy shouts as he snaps off another shot. While the freaks are definitely advancing, they're also splitting up to attack several trailers. You wonder if you shouldn't just get Donna and make your way out of here since it looks like this place is going to be overrun. > You get in the trailer As tempting as it is to just run, once again, you don't really have anywhere viable to run to and now you'd have a horde of those things possibly dogging your steps if you did, so you're going to just be satisfied with short term safety and keep optimistic that things aren't as hopeless as they seem. You run up the stairs and into the trailer. Donna slams and locks the door, and then you both shove a couch in front of it. You look up at the ceiling of the trailer and see the sun roof open which naturally explains how Jimmy Ray got up there. You can hear him firing and swearing. "Okay, I think we should be safe now." Donna remarks. "I wouldn't count on that. I mean yeah, they'd have a hell of time breaking through the door, and granted the windows are high enough that they might have trouble breaking and climbing into them, but I still don't feel safe cooped up in here." You say and start looking around for more furniture and start moving a table under the sunroof. "Suzy, what're you doing?" "I'm going to go help your boyfriend if I can. You got a weapon down here?" "There's Jimmy's bat and some knives in the kitchen, but he really doesn't need your help. You should stay down here, I mean what if they try to break in like you said?" "Well I'll be able to shoot them from above a lot better from the roof. Climb up if things start getting grim." You say and start climb through the roof. When you reach the roof, Jimmy notices you as he's in the middle of reloading his weapon. "What the fuck are you doin' up here, get back in the trailer with your sister!" he says. "I'm here to help." You say scanning the area. "I don't need any help, now..." You interrupt Jimmy, when you look over the other side of the trailer, see one particularly sneaky freak skulking near it and shoot him. "You aren't even paying attention to the other side of the trailer. You need to be aware of your surroundings!" you say. "Aw, he couldn't have gotten up here, and I would've heard him had he tried." Jimmy remarks. "Fine, stay up here, but don't get in my way!" he then adds realizing that you aren't going anywhere. From on top of the trailer, you can see a good deal more of the park in general. You and Jimmy actually aren't the only ones standing on a trailer, you see several women with guns doing their best at fighting off this horde. You even see Tina when you look back towards her trailer. The situation isn't quite as grim as it once appeared as you see a group of hillbillies from the east side of the park making their way back and soon start helping out with mopping up the freaks that have infested it. Jimmy and yourself mostly keep to picking off the ones that come too close to his trailer. He actually compliments you or your shooting at one point. To be honest, it's sort of weird to you how much of a natural you are at it. After few more bloody minutes, it's mostly over and the...well you still don't know WHAT they are exactly, but they're no longer the threat they were. "Whew, I think we got the last of those sons of bitches." Jimmy says. "Yeah, well I'm not in any hurry to check. I'm out of bullets anyway, so I'm just going to go back into the trailer with my sister." "Okay, I'm gonna keep an eye out from here. Um... I wasn't sure about you at first, but thanks for yer help." Suddenly Donna's head pops up from the opening in the roof. "What's going on up here? The shooting has mostly stopped, is it over?" Donna asks. "It's over in the sense that I'm guessing we aren't in any danger of being overrun. Was everything okay down there? We were trying to keep them from clawing at the trailer too much." You say. "Yeah, a few got as close as the door and then one of you guys shot them." Donna says. "Shit, let's get back down in the trailer." Jimmy suddenly says walking over to where you and Donna are. "Did you just see more of those things?" "No, I see... "There you are, ya slackin' piece of shit! Where the fuck were you when we needed help over on the east side of the park. Nearly got my ass eaten and not in a good way!" Mel shouts from the ground as he walks with a couple of other men behind him. "Aw Mel, I didn't even know about it until it was too late, I was uh..." "You were thinkin' with yer dick as usual. Is that...is that blondie there I see? Holy shit, didn't think you were fool enough to fall fer this idiot's charms." Mel says. "I didn't...I was looking for my sister and I helped her and Jimmy out here." "Is that right?" Mel asks. "Yeah, it's true! I was with her sister...and um, by the time I knew what was goin' on I couldn't leave this trailer because it was surrounded by those things! I was pickin' them off with the shotgun and then Suzy came here and helped out. Good thing too. There were a shitload of them, as you can tell by the bodies!" Jimmy says and begins pointing at them. Mel stares at the bodies that Jimmy's pointing to and doesn't seem impressed. "Jimmy, yer so full of shit right now, yer eyes are brown. By the number of bodies here and their various distances from the trailer, it wasn't THAT surrounded. Whatever, doesn't matter, come on down, you're comin' with us." "Where are we goin?" Jimmy asks. "We're gonna go try to fetch some medical supplies from town. We got some people hurt pretty fuckin' bad an' other than a few half used basic medical kits that a few people scrounged up, all else we got is a shitload of alcohol. You'd think those military trucks woulda had some medical shit in them, but no. I suppose SOME people here got some meth, crack and a few other unconventional drugs, but last thing we need is more goddamn junkies runnin' around here." Mel says glaring at Dan. "Town? Um...don't ya think it'll be pretty fucked up there?" Jimmy asks. "Of course it's gonna be fucked up there, but it needs to get done. Or we at least need to try. So come on Jimmy, get yer ass down here, what about you blondie?" Mel asks. "What about me what?" you ask. "You gonna come with us? Obviously you're good enough with a weapon to take care of yourself an' we're a little short on that at the moment." As Jimmy kisses Donna on the cheek and tells her something about coming back to her, you briefly consider Mel's offer. While you've certainly "grown" past being the wallflower you tended to be, you know you're not some action heroine badass. "While I appreciate the offer Mel, I think I'd be better off staying here, I'm still not as skilled as you guys are when it comes to shooting. I wouldn't want to be a liability." You say. "Hm, I guess that's an honest assessment of yourself. Alright then, keep an eye out on things here. As for the rest of ya, come on let's round up a few more folks and then let's see just how fucked the town is." Mel says and he and the rest walk off leaving you and Donna who duck back inside Jimmy's trailer. "I'm really glad you didn't go with them. I mean that's gotta be a suicide mission." Donna says. "Well it will certainly be dangerous that's for sure." You say. "So you still think it's a good idea to stay here?" Donna asks. "Still want to leave huh?" you say. "Don't you? I mean we just went through TWO major attacks at this place now! Who knows what the hell is gonna hit us next! More of those freaks probably, but I'm thinking that we got a better chance if we do leave this time." "How's that?" you ask. "Well Jimmy Ray's got a truck that he parked between his trailer and the next one as a poor man's barrier of sorts and he didn't take his keys with him. In fact they're over on the table over there. That suggests to me that we can easily take his while he's gone. In fact, Mel and most of those redneck assholes will all be gone and the others are nursing their wounds, so now would be the perfect time to get the hell out of here." "I used up all my ammo fighting off those cannibal things. What about weapons?" "I guess we'll have to get by on close combat ones for awhile, but Jimmy's probably got another gun in his bedroom somewhere. Look, I'll search this place and you go grab your bags from our trailer. I still got a bag packed near my bed from yesterday, so you can grab that one too." You chuckle a bit at Donna's suggestion of completely robbing Jimmy Ray blind and take her plan into consideration. > You leave the park Given that you've been attacked by military, as well as a bunch of cannibal freaks... well sticking around here is looking a lot less desirable now and Donna's idea is looking a lot more enticing. Plus if you were planning on ripping off this place and running off, this would be the best time to do it while everyone is a bit disarray and Mel and the better defenders of this place are gone. "Okay Donna I'm with you on this, but we really gotta do this shit quick." You say. "Well of course. Like I said, you run over to our trailer and grab my bag and your own and rush back over. By the time you're done, I should have found Jimmy's keys and whatever else he's got here that looks interesting." Donna replies. You and Donna nod at the agreement of this plan then you slip out of the trailer and try to keep a low profile. It really isn't difficult since the few people walking around don't even know you and seem to be busy cleaning up the dead freaks lying on the ground. You do spot Tina, however and deliberately avoid her since if anyone is going to attempt to hold you up for any reason, it would likely be her. When you get to your trailer, you pack what items and clothing you can in your bags, zip 'em up and then sling one over your shoulder then with your free hand you go into the bedroom and grab Tina's bag. You leave your trailer and try to make it over to Jimmy's as quick as you can. You get half way there and then you hear a familiar voice... "Hey blondie! Knew you survived, where the hell ya been, there's fuckin' work to do. Need all the help we can moving these fuckin' bodies." Tina shouts. You silently say "shit" to yourself and slowly turn around thinking up a lie that won't attract too much suspicion, while at the same time is going to allow you avoid whatever work Tina had in mind for you. "Oh hey Tina. I've been...um just trying to recover from that recent attack just like everyone else. It was all sort of discombobulating you know?" you say. "Discom...what the fuck? Whatever, you don't look hurt, so yer ass is needed to help move some bodies...and what's with all the bags?" Tina asks. "Well, my sister Donna..." "Yeah where the fuck is Donna? She ain't bit is she? Cause they put all those fuckers in a separate trailer. Even though I think they should just shoot the infected bastards. We all know how those movies go!" Tina interrupts. "Uh, no. She's fine. Well not fine..." "Speak fucking plain blondie!" "My sister isn't hurt physically, but she hasn't handled the recent attack very well...she's a wreck actually. Hysterical one moment, silent shock the next. Took me awhile to calm her down. She says she'd feel safer staying with Jimmy Ray, so that's why I got all these bags with her stuff. I'm taking them over there." "Donna broke down? Always thought she was miss cool, calm and collected and got over shit fairly quickly...hmmm, guess a few days sober in the face of brutal reality might break someone normally living in a drug, alcohol and sex fueled fantasy realm. I don't remember her having all that shit. In fact aren't some of those your bags?" "Yeah, she never brought that many clothes and I figured she could borrow some of my stuff. Figured I'd let her choose while I continued to talk with her. I mean I can still help with body moving thing, but I just really need to go help my sister first." "(Sigh) Fine. No point in having a hysterical bitch making life miserable with bouts of screaming. Do what you need to do, but as soon as yer done, you help out with moving these bodies." "Got it. I'll really try to be quick." You say. After parting company with Tina, you continue to head over to Jimmy's as quick as you can where Donna is sitting on a chair waiting for you. "Would've been quicker, but I had to talk my way out of moving dead bodies with Tina." You say. "It's fine, here." Donna says and takes her bag while thrusting a pistol into your hand. "It's the only one I could find. You might as well take it, since you're obviously more experienced with shooting than I am by now." "Well thanks I guess. You got the keys too I trust?" "Yep, truck's right next to this trailer. Though getting out isn't going to be as quick as I'd like due to the way its parked, but we'll just deal with that as it comes. You ready?" "Let's do it." You and Donna run out of the trailer and turn the corner where Jimmy's truck is parked. Donna was right about how it's parked. Somehow he managed to wedge it between his trailer and the neighboring one pretty good. Donna's going to have to do a lot of reversing and forward driving to get it out, but you're wondering if you're going to have time for all that. Throwing the bags in the back of the pick up, Donna gets into the driver's seat and quickly unlocks the passenger sider before starting up the truck. DOesn't take long before Donna's bashing the hell out of the front end AND the back end of the truck against the trailers, attempting to get it out of it's parking space. It also doesn't take long before several people hear this noise. "HEY! THOSE TWO BITCHES ARE TRYING TO STEAL ONE OF OUR TRUCKS!" a voice shouts. Several of the trailer park residents attempt to rush at the truck at first, but after you fire a few shots at them, they retreat and re-think that plan. "Donna come on! We ain't got much time before they go and get their guns and start firing back!" you shout. "I know! I know! Fuck! Shit! This truck is really wedged in!" Donna shouts. The scraping of metal and the continued destruction of the truck's front end is in full force as Donna decides to just give the truck a hard turn in an attempt to escape. It works and you're soon free, now you just have to drive out of the vicinity of the trailer park altogether because now bullets are damaging the truck. "Shit!" "Just get to the road Donna and drive west!" you shout. "It should be just a little, oh fuck!" Donna shouts as suddenly hits one of the rednecks with the truck. In fact she ran right over her. "Go! Go! Just fucking go!" you shout ducking your head down as another bullet breaks the back window. Soon, Donna manages to get back on the road though there are a few more shots fired in your direction. "Goddamnit, I think they hit the tires! This thing's getting hard to control!" Donna shouts. "Well we're going to have to ride the rims, because we're not out of danger yet." You reply. "Got that right bitch!" a voice suddenly says and then a large arm with a hook comes through the broken back window. You're startled enough by this unexpected event that you fumble with your pistol and drop it on the floor. As you scramble for the pistol, Donna screams and attempts to simultaneously keep control of the vehicle as well as not get impaled with a large metal object. When you finally get the pistol, an elbow goes into your face and a hand tries to grab your weapon. Donna slams on the breaks, which causes this unwanted hitchhiker to lose her grip on you and fall backwards a bit though she manages to hang on by embedding her hook into the front seat of the truck. Still, it's just enough time for you to gain the advantage. You swing around to turn to your attacker and see an angry looking woman with a buzz cut before you shoot her. At this range you don't miss and half of her face is blown off before she releases her grip from the hook and her body falls backwards towards the tail end of the truck bed. "She's dead, get us the hell outta here before the rest catch up!" you shout seeing a few people coming from the trailer park. "Holy shit, who the hell was that and how the hell did she sneak into the truck bed?!" Donna says flooring the gas. "Dunno, doesn't matter, like I said, get us the hell outta here!" Donna's a little shaken up from all this, but keeps her cool and by the time you put a lot of distance between you and the trailer park she's a lot calmer. Still, you're concerned that someone is going to give chase in another vehicle. "Fuck, that was intense." Donna exclaims. "Yeah, well I knew it wasn't going to be easy when you suggested it." "Still, we did it though. When me and you work as a team we seem to overcome all odds." Donna says in a slightly upbeat tone. "Well so far things have worked in our favor. Sort of worried about how far we're actually going to get in this truck though. We've got at least one damaged back tire and who knows if they're going to pursue us in their own vehicles." You say. At this point you continue to look behind you to see if anyone is following, but happily you don't see anyone. You and Donna don't say much for the next few miles. Maybe it's because neither of you really knows what's going to come next. You're in a rural area with a truck that may or may not be drivable for very long. Neither of you has any money or anything really to barter with if you needed to fix it in someway. Well there is ONE thing you both have, but you're not exactly willing to do that. (Though you imagine it wouldn't be a problem for your sister) If anything, your mindset has gotten a bit on the darker side of things due to the past few days. If the world is indeed going the way of chaos, you're starting to think why not embrace it? You have a gun, and so far you've come to the conclusion that they've been solving a lot of problems for you. As you dwell on these thoughts, your sister suddenly speaks. "Hey Suzy, there's a group of tents up ahead. Looks almost like a circus or something. I thought I heard someone mention at the trailer park about one up this way. Should we stop and see if we can get help there?" Donna asks. "Hmm, nah. We should keep going. We still need to put more distance between us and that damn trailer park. Besides, I doubt if a bunch of carnies is going to be much better than a bunch of rednecks." You answer. Donna nods and continues to drive. Leaving you to your thoughts, which are now starting to envision improving your situation by robbing some idiot of their belongings. You turn the radio on in an attempt to find something to keep your mind occupied, but its mostly Ground Zero commercials. You get a few doomsday religious preachers too, which is even worse. You turn off the radio in dismay and return to your introspection until Donna speaks up again. "Hey Suzy?" Donna asks. "Yeah?" you reply. "Do you think the world is going to end?" "I dunno. Maybe. Though as far as I'm concerned, it already ended for me when I had to leave my basement." "Yeah...I suppose it would. Hey, if you want we could turn around and go home. You could take back your basement and shoot Kelly in the face." You chuckle a bit at that suggestion. "That's definitely a tempting idea. I think we're better off driving into the unknown though. Like you said, when we work as a team, it somehow works out for us." You say which Donna returns your sentiment with a smile. Eventually the day starts turning to night and you start to get tired. The stress of the day has finally caught up with you. Surprisingly Donna's still alert. So far the truck hasn't given any problems though you know you're riding on a flat (or at least low) back tire by this point. You honestly don't know what you're going to do next, but for now you're going to try to get some rest as you drift off to sleep... > Next day… "Suzy...hey Suzy...get up." Donna remarks. "Huh? What's going on? What time is it?" you answer half asleep. "I dunno, I think it's getting up for the afternoon. Really I'm sort of surprised you didn't at least stir a little since you fell asleep last night. You really are a deep sleeper." "Guess yesterday's cannibal killing and grand theft auto really took it out of me. Hey we're not moving." You say looking around and seeing that you're parked off the side of the road. "No, I pulled over to sleep sometime after midnight." "What? That was dangerous! You should've woke me up then! I could've kept a look out or even taken over with the driving! I mean we could've been attacked by who knows what during the night!" you exclaim. "We were fine. While I've seen a few abandoned vehicles, I haven't seen a single person driving on this road since we started yesterday. Nobody behind us, and nobody coming from the other direction either." "I don't care if we were driving in a fucking desolate wasteland, we've got cannibals running around, a break down of society and there's still the potential of angry rednecks coming after us! Next time THINK!" "Okay...okay...sorry Suzy." Donna says rather meekly. You give Donna a dirty look, but tell her to forget it. Actually you're sort of surprised she didn't put up more of a fight since it's not like her to back down from an argument, but maybe she's becoming a little afraid of you. "Well, seeing as things are deader than a tomb around here, we might as well take this opportunity to dump our passenger in the back." You say. "Oh, yeah." Donna replies. As you step out of the truck, you look at her to do likewise to help. "Oh. Wait, you wanted me to help?" "That was the idea." "(Sigh) Alright." You and Donna go to the back of the truck and open up the tailgate. The redneck woman's head that was propped up on it slumps in front of you. Flies have already begun gathering on her face. "Ugh. She's already beginning to rot." Donna says and chokes a bit. "She was pretty tall that's for sure. It is sort of amazing she managed to jump in the truck bed without us realizing it. Maybe it was when you ran over that other girl." You remark. "She fucking attacked us with a hook too. That's like something out of a horror movie." "Everything about what's happened to us this week is like something out of a horror movie. I saw Tina with one of those hooks yesterday, I think they were moving bodies with them. Y'know, I never officially met her...but I think this was the infamous Butchie Billie I'd hear about every so often. Anyway, let's pull her dead ass out." Grabbing one arm and Donna grabbing the other, you pull what you believe to be the corpse of Butchie Billie out of the truck. Donna doesn't have that great of a hold on her and drops her end causing you to nearly fall to the ground too. "Goddamnit Donna, you can't...argh. Fuck it. I'll do it myself!" you say in exasperation. You proceed to kick and roll the body further away from the road and into the brush. "Good enough." You say breathing a little heavy. "Whew, open up one of my bags, I'm fairly certain I packed a few bottles of water in there." Donna gets in the bed of the truck and starts unzipping bags. Eventually she finds the water and passes you one and takes one for herself. As you drink, you notice both of your back tires are completely flat. You knew one of them was, but you guess the other one gave up during the night. "Our tires are fucked. I mean we could still drive on them, but it wouldn't be a pleasant ride." You say. "Doesn't matter really, judging by the gauge last night we're almost out of gas too. Jimmy apparently didn't keep this truck gassed up in case of an emergency." Donna says. "Great." "I mean I suppose we could just keep driving until we can't anymore or we possibly find an auto shop." "Auto shop? Out in the sticks?" "Well I dunno, don't they usually have those last chance gas mechanic things along roadsides like this? Besides I think we're starting to get past the farmland and should be hitting more populated areas soon. Security City is this way after all." Donna says. "Given what happened to our town, that might not be a good thing. We still don't know what the fuck is going on. All we do know is the government declared martial law and there are rabid people running around." You say. "Well I wasn't suggesting we go to Security City, I was just saying we should be hitting more populated areas due it being close by. Look, obviously I don't have a good idea of what to do next, so if you got a long term plan, then by all means let's follow it." Before you can reply, you hear the sound of vehicle. You peek your head out from behind the truck and see a car heading in your direction. It's going at a good pace, but MAYBE you can stop it. "Donna, a car's coming. Quick, tear your clothing and go out in the road and look like a slutty damsel in distress!" you say. "What?!" "Just fucking do it!" you say and check to see how many bullets you have. Donna, gets the picture quickly, though you can tell she's not entirely happy with this arrangement. You hide behind the truck's side away from the road, while Donna gets in the middle of the road and waves her arms. You can't believe you're actually enacting a plan you thought up in your head just yesterday. You just hope whoever the driver is; they actually stop and don't try to do something like say run over Donna instead. The car approaches and actually starts to slow down and then eventually stops, but it does so at a distance. Someone then steps out of the passenger side armed with a sub-machine gun. "Alright honey, if you want to live, I suggest you don't move." He says. "Don't shoot! I'm completely unarmed! This isn't some sort of trick! Please, I just need help, my truck has flat tires and I don't have any way now to get to Security City!" Donna exclaims. "Security City? Hah! You don't wanna go there trust me. The whole place is fucked! If the military doesn't round you up and kill ya, the cannibal freaks running all over the place will." The man shouts. Well you know that place is definitely off the list now. "Oh no! I don't know where to go then! I'm just so lost by myself! Where are you guys going? Can I come with you?" Donna asks. "Come with us? Look, I dunno if that's a good idea. We're pretty full up with shit and there isn't much room in this car..." "That's okay, I won't take up much room. I mean I'll sit on your lap if I have to." "Sit on my..." "Look I'll do anything you and your friend want! I'll suck your cocks and fuck you if I have to! Just I can't be alone! Not after those things tried to kill and eat me yesterday!" Donna screams and starts to rub her eyes and sniffling. At this point the man with the sub-machine gun pauses. "Hold on." He says and then converses with his driver buddy for a moment. You continue to wait patiently hoping they take this bait. "Alright honey, you can come with us, but that payment you just offered? Well we'll be taking it now, so I hope you're ready to back up your promises." The passenger shouts and then gets back in the car, which slowly drives up closer to meet Donna. When they drive up near the other side of the truck, you wonder if you should wait a little longer to make sure they're completely vulnerable or sneak around the truck and open fire now. > You open fire now You sneak around towards the front end of the truck and then see Mr. passenger get out of the car. "Okay baby, where are we doing this? The back seat of the car is pretty full as you can see. We can do it in your truck if you want. Front seat or the bed of it. Doesn't matter to me." He says and then you come out from your hiding spot to blast him in the head. "OH SHIT MITCH GET BACK IN THE FUCKING CAR!" the driver shouts. He must've seen you in his rear view mirror and it's distracting enough that you miss your shot allowing Mitch to duck and scramble for the cover of the car. At this point Donna screams and runs off and you start firing into the car. You aren't sure if you hit the driver or not, but the car starts going in reverse. Not at an excessively fast speed, but you barely get out the way. Falling back on your ass you watch as the car continues rolling past you with the driver slumped over the wheel. Unfortunately you aren't able to celebrate this good fortune because while you were falling and trying to get out a rolling car's way, Mitch ran around the front of the rolling car and around your truck to get the drop on you. You recover just in time to see a sub-machine gun pointed at you and then the muzzle flash of multiple bullets ripping your skull apart.

[Themes: modern, humor, romance, female protagonist] "Suzy...hey Suzy...get up." Donna remarks. "Huh? What's going on? What time is it?" you answer half asleep. "I dunno, I think it's getting up for the afternoon. Really I'm sort of surprised you didn't at least stir a little since you fell asleep last night. You really are a deep sleeper." "Guess yesterday's cannibal killing and grand theft auto really took it out of me. Hey we're not moving." You say looking around and seeing that you're parked off the side of the road. "No, I pulled over to sleep sometime after midnight." "What? That was dangerous! You should've woke me up then! I could've kept a look out or even taken over with the driving! I mean we could've been attacked by who knows what during the night!" you exclaim. "We were fine. While I've seen a few abandoned vehicles, I haven't seen a single person driving on this road since we started yesterday. Nobody behind us, and nobody coming from the other direction either." "I don't care if we were driving in a fucking desolate wasteland, we've got cannibals running around, a break down of society and there's still the potential of angry rednecks coming after us! Next time THINK!" "Okay...okay...sorry Suzy." Donna says rather meekly. You give Donna a dirty look, but tell her to forget it. Actually you're sort of surprised she didn't put up more of a fight since it's not like her to back down from an argument, but maybe she's becoming a little afraid of you. "Well, seeing as things are deader than a tomb around here, we might as well take this opportunity to dump our passenger in the back." You say. "Oh, yeah." Donna replies. As you step out of the truck, you look at her to do likewise to help. "Oh. Wait, you wanted me to help?" "That was the idea." "(Sigh) Alright." You and Donna go to the back of the truck and open up the tailgate. The redneck woman's head that was propped up on it slumps in front of you. Flies have already begun gathering on her face. "Ugh. She's already beginning to rot." Donna says and chokes a bit. "She was pretty tall that's for sure. It is sort of amazing she managed to jump in the truck bed without us realizing it. Maybe it was when you ran over that other girl." You remark. "She fucking attacked us with a hook too. That's like something out of a horror movie." "Everything about what's happened to us this week is like something out of a horror movie. I saw Tina with one of those hooks yesterday, I think they were moving bodies with them. Y'know, I never officially met her...but I think this was the infamous Butchie Billie I'd hear about every so often. Anyway, let's pull her dead ass out." Grabbing one arm and Donna grabbing the other, you pull what you believe to be the corpse of Butchie Billie out of the truck. Donna doesn't have that great of a hold on her and drops her end causing you to nearly fall to the ground too. "Goddamnit Donna, you can't...argh. Fuck it. I'll do it myself!" you say in exasperation. You proceed to kick and roll the body further away from the road and into the brush. "Good enough." You say breathing a little heavy. "Whew, open up one of my bags, I'm fairly certain I packed a few bottles of water in there." Donna gets in the bed of the truck and starts unzipping bags. Eventually she finds the water and passes you one and takes one for herself. As you drink, you notice both of your back tires are completely flat. You knew one of them was, but you guess the other one gave up during the night. "Our tires are fucked. I mean we could still drive on them, but it wouldn't be a pleasant ride." You say. "Doesn't matter really, judging by the gauge last night we're almost out of gas too. Jimmy apparently didn't keep this truck gassed up in case of an emergency." Donna says. "Great." "I mean I suppose we could just keep driving until we can't anymore or we possibly find an auto shop." "Auto shop? Out in the sticks?" "Well I dunno, don't they usually have those last chance gas mechanic things along roadsides like this? Besides I think we're starting to get past the farmland and should be hitting more populated areas soon. Security City is this way after all." Donna says. "Given what happened to our town, that might not be a good thing. We still don't know what the fuck is going on. All we do know is the government declared martial law and there are rabid people running around." You say. "Well I wasn't suggesting we go to Security City, I was just saying we should be hitting more populated areas due it being close by. Look, obviously I don't have a good idea of what to do next, so if you got a long term plan, then by all means let's follow it." Before you can reply, you hear the sound of vehicle. You peek your head out from behind the truck and see a car heading in your direction. It's going at a good pace, but MAYBE you can stop it. "Donna, a car's coming. Quick, tear your clothing and go out in the road and look like a slutty damsel in distress!" you say. "What?!" "Just fucking do it!" you say and check to see how many bullets you have. Donna, gets the picture quickly, though you can tell she's not entirely happy with this arrangement. You hide behind the truck's side away from the road, while Donna gets in the middle of the road and waves her arms. You can't believe you're actually enacting a plan you thought up in your head just yesterday. You just hope whoever the driver is; they actually stop and don't try to do something like say run over Donna instead. The car approaches and actually starts to slow down and then eventually stops, but it does so at a distance. Someone then steps out of the passenger side armed with a sub-machine gun. "Alright honey, if you want to live, I suggest you don't move." He says. "Don't shoot! I'm completely unarmed! This isn't some sort of trick! Please, I just need help, my truck has flat tires and I don't have any way now to get to Security City!" Donna exclaims. "Security City? Hah! You don't wanna go there trust me. The whole place is fucked! If the military doesn't round you up and kill ya, the cannibal freaks running all over the place will." The man shouts. Well you know that place is definitely off the list now. "Oh no! I don't know where to go then! I'm just so lost by myself! Where are you guys going? Can I come with you?" Donna asks. "Come with us? Look, I dunno if that's a good idea. We're pretty full up with shit and there isn't much room in this car..." "That's okay, I won't take up much room. I mean I'll sit on your lap if I have to." "Sit on my..." "Look I'll do anything you and your friend want! I'll suck your cocks and fuck you if I have to! Just I can't be alone! Not after those things tried to kill and eat me yesterday!" Donna screams and starts to rub her eyes and sniffling. At this point the man with the sub-machine gun pauses. "Hold on." He says and then converses with his driver buddy for a moment. You continue to wait patiently hoping they take this bait. "Alright honey, you can come with us, but that payment you just offered? Well we'll be taking it now, so I hope you're ready to back up your promises." The passenger shouts and then gets back in the car, which slowly drives up closer to meet Donna. When they drive up near the other side of the truck, you wonder if you should wait a little longer to make sure they're completely vulnerable or sneak around the truck and open fire now. > You wait a little longer You decide that it would be best if they were completely pre-occupied. If you shoot now, the driver could either manage to drive off or the passenger could start spraying the place with bullets. Still, you sneak around towards the front end of the truck so you can at least ambush from behind when you do strike. "Okay baby, where are we doing this? The back seat of the car is pretty full as you can see. We can do it in your truck if you want. Front seat or the bed of it. Doesn't matter to me." The passenger says getting back out of the car. "Uh, no not the truck. It got all shot up yesterday, back window broke and there's broken glass everywhere. Don't want to potentially get cut up." "Hmm, well the hood of this car then?" At this point Donna walks up to him and starts to do what she does best. Namely act like a slut. "How about I do the both of you at the same time? That way you both get off and we can be on our way a lot quicker." she says and starts rubbing up against Mr. passenger. "Well now. That's an interesting suggestion...how were you proposing the logistics of this?" "Oh that's easy... you see, first I take off my clothes..." Donna says and quickly takes her clothing off until she's completely naked. "Next, I just get on my knees in this front seat here... and start to unbuckle your friend's pants..." You can't see the driver from your position since he's never moved out from his seat, but he's obviously okay with this since you hear a couple of moans of pleasure. "And now...well don't just stand there silly. My ass is right in front of you, start fucking!" Donna commands. "Wait, you want me to fuck you in the ass?!" Mr. passenger asks. "Well it's not gonna fuck itself. Do what you want. I gotta concentrate on wrapping my lips around this nice hard cock...mmmmm..." Holy shit, talk about taking one for the team...hell taking TWO for the team. At this point Mr. passenger can't err on the side of caution any longer. He places his gun on the roof of the car and presumably starts taking your sister in a way that you imagine many men have taken her before. With one dick in her mouth and another in her ass, you're fairly confident now that Donna's distracted them both to the point that you have the complete advantage. You step out from the front of truck and walk towards the car parked near it. Mr. passenger's eyes aren't watching as he's focused on thrusting into your sister. His head is a perfect target and with a single shot, you end him as a threat. "Oh shit! Oh shit! ARGH! MY DICK! FUCKING BITCH!" you hear the driver shout. You rush over to the driver's side and point the gun at his head before he can start beating on your sister's head in an effort to get her off his dick. "You move to your hands to hit my sister and you die. You try to start up the car and you die. If you want your life AND your dick to stay intact then I suggest you follow my orders. First thing, car keys." "OKAY OKAY! ARGH! JUST TELL HER TO STOP BITING MY DICK!" the driver shouts and hastily hands you his car keys. "Okay, that's a start. Alright, Donna, you can release his dick now, I'll take it from here." Donna complies and then spits in the driver's face before he staggers out of the car with his pants half down. You tell her to grab your bags from the truck and put them in the car. "Okay, we're going to be taking this car and everything in it. In exchange, you can take our truck. Granted it has two flat tires and is low on gas, but if you're lucky, you might just reach a trailer park that has lots of people willing to help you. You ready Donna?" "Almost." Donna remarks. You turn back to the driver who is still mostly holding on to his dick wincing in pain. "Okay, well I guess this is where we part ways. Thanks for the info about Security City. We'll be sure to avoid going there...and uh...bye. Oh, and watch your head." "Wha...?" is all the driver says before you shoot him and get in the car. "I thought you were letting him live." Donna says. "What? And let a man who defiled my poor sister's mouth walk away to brag about it? Not fucking likely." You say and start the car up. As you spin the car around to head back in your original direction, you ask Donna if she's okay since she's fidgeting a bit in her seat. "So...um, are you okay?" you ask. "I'm fine. It's done. We worked together and we succeeded. I think we both know our established roles are in this team. We all have our talents. Let's not talk about it." Donna says. She doesn't exactly sound angry, but she obviously isn't leaping for joy about what she did. You almost want to talk more about what just happened, but given that your sister doesn't you don't press the issue and just drive. As you're driving, Donna suddenly speaks up again. "Next time, don't fucking kill the guy while he's still inside me. Tell him to move away or something first. I had a dead man's dick shooting cum in my ass for a split second before he fell. I'll admit to being a free spirited gal comfortable with my sexuality, but I didn't want to include necrophilia in my list of things I'm willing to do." Wow. You didn't really expect to hear that graphic detail. It's actually a bit nasty and you can see why Donna's in the mood she's in. "Okay Donna. Damn, sorry about that. I wasn't thinking." You say. "Well like I said, it's done. Let's just not speak of it again. (Sigh) Probably for the best he didn't go the traditional route or else he might've impregnated me when he shot his load and I might've given birth to zombie babies or some shit." Donna remarks. The situation is pretty fucked up, but you're having a hard trying not to laugh now. "I don't think it works that way Donna. Pretty sure you would've given birth to a normal baby." You say with a stifled chuckle. "Yeah, well that would be just as bad." You decide not to make any more comments even though there's a really twisted part of you that is finding this all pretty amusing and wants to make jokes. It's almost like you're sort of getting a kick out of Donna's discomfort. Maybe it's pent up hostility you've had for her due to how she's acted towards you in the past. Maybe it's some sort of sadistic side you've always harbored and it's just recently come out due to this week's events. In any case, it's slightly worrying to you, since you're starting to wonder how far you're going to start abandoning "civility." You've already committed murder on several occasions, and while the first time was in self-defense, the ones following it have been getting progressively more predatory. A few more remorseless murders and you're going to be just like your Uncle Ed. (Now you're wondering if it's genetic) You and Donna continue to drive. A couple of other cars do pass you on the road. You imagine they must be coming from Security City or fleeing it from your previous information. You're just glad you haven't come across any military trying to block the road. You continue to drive for about a half hour before you see something of interest in the distance. Namely a truck stop, which apparently has been converted into a minor fortress. "Well that's interesting." You say. "Is that a truck stop?" Donna asks. "Yeah I think so. Looks like whoever is there are trying to block the place off by putting trucks around it. They even got people standing on top of the trucks with rifles as lookouts. " you say. "Are we stopping there?" "I dunno. Whoever is there probably isn't going to be too trustful of anyone. Though, we still don't have that much of long term plan. A place like this might be a safe haven of sorts. I mean it already looks way better defended than that trailer park." "Well, it's up to you. But I think we're going to have to be more careful at a place like this." "We might as well chance it if only to catch a breather and maybe get some directions because I can honestly say I don't know where the fuck we are or where we should be going. That's assuming they even let us in." You and Donna drive to the truck stop, which immediately causes the lookouts to point and raise their rifles in your direction. When you stop in front of it, there are a lot of shouts for you to stay in the car. "We're not just letting anyone in here. Who are ya, and state yer business!" the lookout from above shouts. "Just a couple poor souls trying to escape the chaos out there! Our home town was overrun by military and crazy people. We've also been attacked by others who would try to take advantage of us. Please, we're just looking for some sort of refuge even if it's temporary. We got some supplies in our car." "Hrmmm, well whatta you got?" You turn your head to look in the back seat to actually see what you "inherited" since you never looked before. You see a first aid kit on top of a pile of bags. "Um...we got some medicine. Maybe that could help?" you say. There is a long pause and he tells you to wait before climbing down the truck and disappearing from sight. Eventually you hear his voice again which is now coming from behind the truck barricade. "Okay, we're gonna move this truck, but one funny thing happens and you're the first one getting a bullet to the head. Alright, we're letting this one in, everyone keep extra look out for those rabid bastards!" As soon as the truck is moved out your way, the man who was barking orders at you waves you in and motions you over to a parking spot with some other cars. As soon as you drive in they put the truck back. Either they're really safety conscience or they don't want to risk having you get away. "Well let's hope these people are just normal people trying to survive and aren't a gang of rapists." You remark. From this distance you see several more people in the building part of the truck stop. Looks like it's a general store/diner combo. Most of them are watching you from the windows, though a few of them come out, one of them is an older man with a cane who walks directly towards the car. "Okay, I want the two you in that car to exit it slowly. I don't care if you got weapons, but don't point them at me or anyone else in a threatening manner." The old man shouts. You take your pistol and shove it in the front of your pants. As for your newly acquired sub-machine gun, you just leave it in the car when you and Donna exit it. Naturally rifles are pointed at the pair of you, but the old man with the cane shouts telling them to calm down. "You lot, stop pointing your guns and start unloading the car. Sorry about that, everyone's a little on edge. Name's Henry. I own this place." He says. "My name's Suzy, and I get it." "So what are two pretty young girls doing driving around in this mess?" "Long story, but I'll just say, my sister and I are grateful for the shelter if only for awhile." "Hm, think nothing of it. Really though, if you two are willing to pull yer weight around here, yer welcome to stay as long as you like. Right now we've got plenty of supplies and whatever useful supplies you have can be considered payment for your way in here." "Well, that's certainly an offer to think about, but I'm not exactly sure what we'd do around here." You answer. "We can find something I'm sure. Anyway, I just mention it because I've been trying to contact various places on my Ham Radio, and all I can gather is what's been going on is pretty serious and I'm not sure if there's any place I could direct you where to go that would be as safe as this place right now. Security City is completely overrun and the closest military Fort around here, Fort Timons doesn't even know what the fuck is going on other than the obvious. Besides, I don't think you'd get in there anyway, not being military and all." "This place is really safe huh?" you ask. "Well not to brag, but we just fended off a big horde of those rabid freak things that I imagine wandered from the city yesterday. Didn't even lose anyone either. Wasn't fun though and I'm glad no more of those things have popped up, but yeah, I think we're doing good job of keeping this place safe. Anyway, you're good to stay for the night, unless you let me know you want to stick around longer and we'll find something for the both of you to do. Okay, I'm going to go make sure these boys don't take EVERYTHING of yours in that car." Henry says and then walks over to oversee his people unloading your car. Well it's a similar situation you had in the trailer park. Pull your weight or get the hell out. Funny how that worked out. Maybe you could try to do the "community" thing again. The trailer park wasn't exactly filled with welcoming people, maybe things here could be different and you could actually feel safe here. This place does seem a little better organized and definitely better defended. Really, the only reason why you left the trailer park to begin with was at the insistence of your sister and the fact that it was getting pretty dangerous there. Then again, this place could turn out to be just as bad where you don't get along with anyone and everything eventually turns into a cluster fuck. Maybe you might as well save yourself the bother by leaving tomorrow. > You make long term plans While this place might very well not work out, you decide you need to at least make a go of it. Given that you turned to murder and banditry fairly quickly you think you need some semblance of law and order to keep yourself from becoming a complete savage, but more importantly you think Donna needs this more than you do. This whole week, Donna's been flip flopping a bit on the whole "trying to get her life together" thing. Granted she hasn't had a great foundation, but if you stay on the road and just drift, about the only thing she's ever going to be useful for is...well bait for whomever else you decide to rob in the future. "Hey Donna, I think we should stay here and by that I mean try to do what we were doing in the trailer park until we ran out like a pair of thieves." "Suzy, you know that place wasn't turning out good for us." "Yeah, I know, that's why I ultimately agreed with your plan to leave it...but I can't help think that if we'd done things a little differently...well doesn't matter. My point is, I think we BOTH need some structure." "Structure? You're joking right?" At this point you grab Donna by the arm and go to speak to her away from the earshot of those nearby. "No Donna, I'm not fucking joking. Thursday, we stole a truck and killed two people who were just trying to stop us. Earlier today, we basically did the same thing except it was premeditated. You see a pattern emerging?" "Hey, I didn't mean to run over that woman at the trailer park and I didn't know you were going to kill those two guys with the car." "Donna, don't play the babe in the woods routine. Granted I'LL take the blame for murdering those guys in cold blood, but you knew damn well that it was a possibility. You went along with it." "I went along with it, because you were practically shoving me in the road, telling me to strip to get those guys attention in the first place. It wasn't YOU who had to role-play a pig on a spit to distract them. Besides, we had to do it for survival." "And that's my point. First we're doing it for survival, how long before we start doing it for fun? I mean...(Sigh) I don't know about you, but for the past few days, my mind has been going to a dark place. Quite frankly a place I didn't think I had. I mean I've killed several people at this point and I don't feel particularly bad about it. Like I don't feel anything." "Geez, Suzy..." "Yeah, I'm apparently more fucked up than I ever realized, but what about you? I mean you've relied on your looks and sex to get what you want for the most part. Do you really think that's a great way to go through life? I even used you as slut bait so we could rip off someone a lot easier. Hell, I pretty much pimped you out and I think it's the only thing fucked up thing I've done recently that I HAVE actually felt bad about doing on some level. You shouldn't have to be taking random dicks in the ass and mouth just so we can get by. And I'm really sorry for that. We both NEED a better plan for our future and drifting from place to place isn't it." Donna's silent for a moment. "But what would we do here? How would we contribute?" "I dunno, but I'm going to go talk to that Henry guy about it." You say and then head over back to Henry who is overseeing his people taking all the shit out of your car. "Oh hey there...Suzy wasn't it?" Henry remarks. "Yeah." You answer. "Well Suzy, you'll be happy to know we haven't taken much, save for the couple of first aid kits you had. We got tons of food and water, so we really didn't need any of that. Oh, didn't take your weapons either. Got enough of those too." "Um...thanks, but I wanted to talk to you about staying." "Good, we could use the help, so what skills do you have?" Henry asks. "Well, I killed a lot of those cannibal freaks. I also had to kill a few regular psychos as well this week. Guess you could say I've become a fast learner in the ways of the gun...so do you need another lookout?" "Wouldn't turn one down if you're feeling up to the task. Not many here actually want to do it. Anyway, I'll make sure to get you a rifle, but what about your sister? What's she do?" Before you can answer, your sister Donna has come up to speak for herself. "I'm a people person! I used to plan parties and other similar social events. Made sure people had a good time. Now while that might not sound very useful, I think given our current situation it could be. I mean I can't imagine spirits around here are very high. And when spirits aren't very high, everything else goes to shit. I think I could help out in making sure people stay positive." Donna says with a chipper tone and a smile. Henry scratches his head and returns a brief grin. "Well now, that is an interesting proposal and I have to say you do have a pretty cheery attitude. You're right in that everyone has been on edge and not in the best of moods. I'm really not sure how you propose to change that, but if you can do it, well that would be pretty helpful. Though you're still going to have to do something else in the meantime, I think the wait staff in the diner needs help with going through the inventory. Go see Anne in the diner; she'll be able to direct you. Okay, well that's settled. You ready for your assignment Suzy?" "Yeah, hold on. Just want to talk to my sister for a moment." "Sure." Once again you take Donna aside away from earshot. "Donna, what was all that about planning parties and shit?" you ask. "What? I did used to plan parties over Julie's house remember?" Donna says. "I didn't think you guys actually planned them so much as you just invited a bunch of people over." "Well okay, yeah most of the time that was the case, but really I was the main one that got those parties going to be more exciting than they actually were. I also curbed the more destructive elements that actually occurred at those things by keeping people positive and happy." "So...what? You're going to turn this place into a rave orgy?" "No...well I mean I wish, but all I have to do is take my interpersonal skills and channel them in some way that will work here. Look, you said we need to try to start over. Well, I'm going to improvise with what I can so we can make a go of it here." "You're right Donna. Okay, well I'll leave you to it." Before you leave, Donna moves in to hug you. You weren't expecting it, but you return the hug. "Be careful Suzy, don't get eaten." Donna remarks. "Don't worry about me, you just focus on what you need to do." You say. With those parting words, Donna heads towards the diner and you go back to Henry for your assignment. Henry apparently has already told some of his people that you'll be joining them on the truck tops keeping a look out and hands you a rifle. Henry also mentions that this decision was met with mixed results. Some were happy since it meant they could take more breaks, others didn't like the idea since nobody really knows who the fuck you are and don't see why they should trust you yet. Still, Henry is pretty well respected you guess around here, because other than some grumbling nobody is outright making a major case out of it. Henry takes you to the far back end of the truck stop. He says he hasn't really put many guards up here since its away from the road and borders the wilderness and so far nothing has come out from there yet, other than the occasional wildlife. "Now I don't think anything actually will be coming up this way, since I imagine if we did have another cannibal attack they'll be coming from one of the other directions, but hey we shouldn't just keep our back completely undefended. Now you'll be here until about midnight, I hope you're up for that." Henry remarks. "That's what I'm here for." "Hm. Well like I said, there probably won't be much going on and about the most likely thing you're going to have to fight off is boredom. Um, if you need to go bathroom, there are some port a johns nearby, though suppose if you REALLY need to, you can go run over to the diner if you're a little more concerned with cleanliness, but whatever you do make sure you at least tell Larry over there so he can keep extra watch while you're gone." Henry points to a man over on top of a truck on the far side of where you are before continuing. "Anyway, that's about it, and if you see anything that looks dangerous, yell your head off and warn us." "Okay, got it." You answer. You climb up the ladder propped against the eighteen-wheeler and take you place as a guard. A few hours pass and just as predicted, nothing happens. You're not really bored yet though since you're taking a mental count of the number of rabbits you see hopping around in the field and making up little bunny names and little stories about their little bunny lives. Every once in awhile while you're walking back and forth along the truck, you wonder how your sister is doing. You also wave to Larry once in an attempt to be friendly, but he doesn't return the wave and ignores you. Eventually he has to pay attention when nature calls. "Hey Larry!" you shout. "What?!" he answers in an annoyed tone. "I gotta pee!" "So? Go over the side of the truck, its what I do when I gotta piss." "Yeah, I'm not a guy and I don't have the luxury of the world being my toilet. I need to use a proper bathroom. Henry told me to let you know so you can keep an extra eye on things until I get back." "(Sigh) Fine, don't fucking take all day though." With Larry's acknowledgement of your bathroom needs, you go down the ladder and run to the diner. (You sure as hell aren't going to use those disgusting port a johns) When you enter the diner, you find a variety of people singing songs and joking around. You then see Donna dressed in a waitress uniform wave to you. "Hey Suzy! You done with protecting all of us?! This is my sister Suzy folks! She's the one that saved my life more than once this week!" At this point everyone says hi to you. "Um...hey. I actually just came in to use the bathroom" You reply caught a little off guard. "That's Suzy, always the social one." Donna laughs and then goes back to talking to the crowd. After taking care of business in the bathroom, you wash your hands and see Donna entering the room. "Gotta hand it to you Donna, it hasn't been a few hours and already you've got the people here in a good mood." You say. "Yes, and I didn't fuck all of them to get them that way in case that's what you were thinking." Donna says. "Sheesh, I saw some children out there. I know you're not a degenerate Donna." "Well, I'm glad you don't think I am. Never thought I'd say this, but your opinion of me has started to matter more this week. So how's guard duty?" "It is what it is. I'm not quite the people person you are though, so all I've managed to do is piss off the one person assigned near me. On the bright side, I've managed to stave off boredom by making up stories in my head about the bunnies bouncing around in the fields." "Heh, well you always were the imaginative one. Well I'll see you later." You leave your sister and return to your guard duty, which continues to be uneventful. As the night comes your stories about rabbits give way to stories about wandering possums and raccoons instead. Thankfully no cannibals though. Eventually someone comes to relieve you of duty. Some guy you haven't seen before, but at least he's a little more cordial than Larry. You return to the diner where you find most people now asleep. Donna is still awake and sitting behind the food counter playing solitaire. She waves you over. "Suzy, there you are. I waited up for you so I could show you where we'll be sleeping. Come on." Donna whispers and takes you through the back kitchen. "Hey you didn't eat today did you? There's a lot of food here you know. There's also a shower in the waitresses' private bathroom if you need." Donna says. "Nah, I'm good for now. I'll worry about that stuff tomorrow." You reply. "Okay, well here it is." Donna says and opens up a small storeroom, which doesn't have much space. "I tried to make it as comfortable as possible with a few blankets I borrowed. There are our bags of clothing. I figured those might work as pillows of a sort." Donna says. "Well I guess it will have to do." You answer. You lay down on the make shift bed on the floor and try to get as comfortable as possible. Donna does likewise and you drift off. > Next day... You wake up to a body spooning you, and an arm holding you tightly around your mid-section. "Donna! Hey! Wake the fuck up!" you shout pushing your sister off of you. "Huh? Wha? The hell are you pushing and hitting me for?" she exclaims groggily. "Because you were about to commit incest that's why!" you exclaim. "Oh. Sorry. It wasn't intentional I assure you. I probably was dreaming about Julie." "Excuse me?" "Well one time over her house her heating system broke down and we had to sleep together for warmth for a week." "Okay, I don't want to know anymore about your little lesbian encounters with Julie." You say. "Oh geez Suzy don't be so heteronormative, we weren't lesbians. We just had some fun on occasion. (Sigh) I wish she was here with us." Donna says getting a little tearful. You pat Donna on the shoulder. "I wish she was here too Donna." You say. After that moment of silence to remember your friend, the both of you get up. "You know what time it is?" Donna asks. "No, but I know it's time for me to take a shower. You said I can use the waitresses' private one?" you say. "Yeah, but you might have to wait for other people." "Damn, speaking of waitresses, what's with the uniform?" "Oh this? Well I needed to change my clothes yesterday and I was offered one of their uniforms. I figured I'd wear it to fit in a little better, besides its kind of cute don't you think?" Donna asks. "It's kind of stripperish if you ask me. The skirt barely covers your ass." You reply. "Well I think that's the point. This is a truck stop remember and they probably want the waitresses to look a little more on the sexy side." "Hm, well I'll stick with my old non-stripper clothes." "Prude." Donna snarks. As you and Donna leave the storage room to start the new day you both suddenly hear a loud noise and a faint rumble. You then hear some screams and shouting from the front of the diner. "Oh my god that was a fucking nuke!" you hear someone shout. You and Donna just look at each other. Maybe its due to the week you've had, you're not entirely phased by this. "(Sigh) I guess they finally went and did it." You say. "Perfect way to start the day." Donna replies and the pair of you head to the front of the diner. When you get there, you see a waitress trying to calm her children down. A couple people are arguing. A few are just sitting in a silent state of shock. Henry is actually outside the diner looking in the direction of where the bomb must've gone off. You can see the lingering remnants of a mushroom cloud in the far distance even from inside the diner. "Well I can only hope we're far enough away that we aren't suffering from horrible radioactive fallout." You say. "Yeah, I suppose not much can be done now if we are, just um...shoot me if my hair starts falling out okay?" Donna asks. You briefly wonder if this bomb was the result of the nuclear war those Ground Zero ads kept harping on about or if this was just some internal thing to take care of those rabid people. Either way, you suppose it doesn't really matter, life is going to be severely different from now on. At this point Henry steps back in the diner and after calming some of the arguing truckers. He begins addressing the situation and stating that nothing has changed and that the situation is still the same, namely if people help, then they are welcome to stay. If not or if they don't want to stay then they are free to go. A couple of the truckers who apparently have families elsewhere do leave. Everyone else stays and the work towards creating a permanent new "home" is begun. After washing up and having something to eat, you head out to do your guard duty rounds. Donna comes to see you before you leave. "Hey, Suzy." "Yes?" You answer. "Whatever happens next, I just want to say...I'm glad we're dealing with all this together." "I'm glad we're seeing this through together too." You say. And with those words, you and Donna hug and go contribute in your various jobs in this new community. Funny that it took the collapse of society before you re-connected with your family again. > Sisterhood The future... "Hey, those trailer park rednecks had been fucking assholes to us for years. It was high time that we burned that whole heap of trash to the ground like it deserved. It's just too bad we couldn't do it when we were temporarily stuck in that hell hole." You exclaim. "Yeah, I know I just sort of wish there had been another way to deal with them. Wiping out entire communities isn't really something that is particularly popular you know. I mean there were children and other innocents there too." Donna says. "Well that's why we can blame that shit on the Cult of Tiamat. They're the crazies that took things too far, or whatever...I dunno, you know how to spin this shit, you're the politician not me." "Oh yes, the alliance with the cultists. That's going to be an easy spin...(Sigh) I can't believe you convinced me THAT was a good idea." "Hey look, if we had gone head to head with those trailer park assholes by ourselves, it would've been a bloodbath for us. Considering the cult was also their enemy, it was a good opportunity to re-establish an old contact as it were. Besides, Bobby's bitch of a sister Diana wasn't around anymore so I knew I'd have more clout. Not to mention we've got a peace agreement with them now so that's TWO less enemies in our immediate area now." Donna gets up from her desk and pours herself a drink. She downs the whole glass in one gulp and pours another shot. It's funny; she used to drink for enjoyment at one time. Nowadays she drinks to keep herself from being overwhelmed with all the shit she has to deal with. That party girl is long gone and when she took over New Security from Henry she disappeared completely. Popularity was always her specialty, but you've always been the stronger one. Without you Donna probably would've failed at this community leader thing a long time ago. Of course without Donna, you probably would've gotten lynched by an angry mob a long time ago. That "good girl" that once hid out in the basement is long gone too. While you didn't become the "outlaw savage" that you worried about becoming, you still lost that "civility" and over the years as you had to deal with shitty things in this shitty new world, well it was just easier to be the cold bitch that would kill someone without hesitation. And that's why you're a team. "So Suzy. You and Bobby rekindle something?" Donna asks putting down her glass. "Hah, no. Bobby's one true love nowadays is his blessed Tiamat. Followed by his sister Helen. Still, it doesn't hurt that I was an ex that I imagine he still has the occasional fond memory." "You think he'll leave us be?" "Sure. I mean we'll always keep an eye on his group, but now that those rednecks are gone, more territory has opened up for Bobby. He'll be satisfied in the foreseeable future." "Okay...(Sigh) ugh, I don't feel like going out there and giving a fucking speech right now..." "Look, I know you're stressing about this, but I promise you the people of this town aren't really going to be that upset by the destruction of a bunch of hostile trailer trash. Some of them will probably throw a party. This isn't the old world anymore where you got the U.N. or some shit waggling their finger at you for war crimes. People are back to the mindset that their tight knit communities come first and fuck everyone else. Besides even if you do have some idealistic fools screaming about injustice or some shit, you've still got the support of our militia of which I am currently head of. I'd say you're not in any danger." Donna smiles and shakes her head. "Jesus Suzy. I'm sure glad you're on my side." Donna says. "Hey, sisterhood forever right?" you say extending your hand. Donna nods and grips your hand followed by a hug. "Sisterhood forever Suzy." And with those words, Donna straightens her clothing and heads out of her office to address the public and you follow close behind. A few winks, a few smiles and a few lies later and Donna has the public in the palm of her hand just like you knew she would. She just needed your support for that extra boost of confidence. Not bad for a party girl and a basement dweller.

[Themes: modern, female protagonist, science fiction, horror] You decide that it would be best if they were completely pre-occupied. If you shoot now, the driver could either manage to drive off or the passenger could start spraying the place with bullets. Still, you sneak around towards the front end of the truck so you can at least ambush from behind when you do strike. "Okay baby, where are we doing this? The back seat of the car is pretty full as you can see. We can do it in your truck if you want. Front seat or the bed of it. Doesn't matter to me." The passenger says getting back out of the car. "Uh, no not the truck. It got all shot up yesterday, back window broke and there's broken glass everywhere. Don't want to potentially get cut up." "Hmm, well the hood of this car then?" At this point Donna walks up to him and starts to do what she does best. Namely act like a slut. "How about I do the both of you at the same time? That way you both get off and we can be on our way a lot quicker." she says and starts rubbing up against Mr. passenger. "Well now. That's an interesting suggestion...how were you proposing the logistics of this?" "Oh that's easy... you see, first I take off my clothes..." Donna says and quickly takes her clothing off until she's completely naked. "Next, I just get on my knees in this front seat here... and start to unbuckle your friend's pants..." You can't see the driver from your position since he's never moved out from his seat, but he's obviously okay with this since you hear a couple of moans of pleasure. "And now...well don't just stand there silly. My ass is right in front of you, start fucking!" Donna commands. "Wait, you want me to fuck you in the ass?!" Mr. passenger asks. "Well it's not gonna fuck itself. Do what you want. I gotta concentrate on wrapping my lips around this nice hard cock...mmmmm..." Holy shit, talk about taking one for the team...hell taking TWO for the team. At this point Mr. passenger can't err on the side of caution any longer. He places his gun on the roof of the car and presumably starts taking your sister in a way that you imagine many men have taken her before. With one dick in her mouth and another in her ass, you're fairly confident now that Donna's distracted them both to the point that you have the complete advantage. You step out from the front of truck and walk towards the car parked near it. Mr. passenger's eyes aren't watching as he's focused on thrusting into your sister. His head is a perfect target and with a single shot, you end him as a threat. "Oh shit! Oh shit! ARGH! MY DICK! FUCKING BITCH!" you hear the driver shout. You rush over to the driver's side and point the gun at his head before he can start beating on your sister's head in an effort to get her off his dick. "You move to your hands to hit my sister and you die. You try to start up the car and you die. If you want your life AND your dick to stay intact then I suggest you follow my orders. First thing, car keys." "OKAY OKAY! ARGH! JUST TELL HER TO STOP BITING MY DICK!" the driver shouts and hastily hands you his car keys. "Okay, that's a start. Alright, Donna, you can release his dick now, I'll take it from here." Donna complies and then spits in the driver's face before he staggers out of the car with his pants half down. You tell her to grab your bags from the truck and put them in the car. "Okay, we're going to be taking this car and everything in it. In exchange, you can take our truck. Granted it has two flat tires and is low on gas, but if you're lucky, you might just reach a trailer park that has lots of people willing to help you. You ready Donna?" "Almost." Donna remarks. You turn back to the driver who is still mostly holding on to his dick wincing in pain. "Okay, well I guess this is where we part ways. Thanks for the info about Security City. We'll be sure to avoid going there...and uh...bye. Oh, and watch your head." "Wha...?" is all the driver says before you shoot him and get in the car. "I thought you were letting him live." Donna says. "What? And let a man who defiled my poor sister's mouth walk away to brag about it? Not fucking likely." You say and start the car up. As you spin the car around to head back in your original direction, you ask Donna if she's okay since she's fidgeting a bit in her seat. "So...um, are you okay?" you ask. "I'm fine. It's done. We worked together and we succeeded. I think we both know our established roles are in this team. We all have our talents. Let's not talk about it." Donna says. She doesn't exactly sound angry, but she obviously isn't leaping for joy about what she did. You almost want to talk more about what just happened, but given that your sister doesn't you don't press the issue and just drive. As you're driving, Donna suddenly speaks up again. "Next time, don't fucking kill the guy while he's still inside me. Tell him to move away or something first. I had a dead man's dick shooting cum in my ass for a split second before he fell. I'll admit to being a free spirited gal comfortable with my sexuality, but I didn't want to include necrophilia in my list of things I'm willing to do." Wow. You didn't really expect to hear that graphic detail. It's actually a bit nasty and you can see why Donna's in the mood she's in. "Okay Donna. Damn, sorry about that. I wasn't thinking." You say. "Well like I said, it's done. Let's just not speak of it again. (Sigh) Probably for the best he didn't go the traditional route or else he might've impregnated me when he shot his load and I might've given birth to zombie babies or some shit." Donna remarks. The situation is pretty fucked up, but you're having a hard trying not to laugh now. "I don't think it works that way Donna. Pretty sure you would've given birth to a normal baby." You say with a stifled chuckle. "Yeah, well that would be just as bad." You decide not to make any more comments even though there's a really twisted part of you that is finding this all pretty amusing and wants to make jokes. It's almost like you're sort of getting a kick out of Donna's discomfort. Maybe it's pent up hostility you've had for her due to how she's acted towards you in the past. Maybe it's some sort of sadistic side you've always harbored and it's just recently come out due to this week's events. In any case, it's slightly worrying to you, since you're starting to wonder how far you're going to start abandoning "civility." You've already committed murder on several occasions, and while the first time was in self-defense, the ones following it have been getting progressively more predatory. A few more remorseless murders and you're going to be just like your Uncle Ed. (Now you're wondering if it's genetic) You and Donna continue to drive. A couple of other cars do pass you on the road. You imagine they must be coming from Security City or fleeing it from your previous information. You're just glad you haven't come across any military trying to block the road. You continue to drive for about a half hour before you see something of interest in the distance. Namely a truck stop, which apparently has been converted into a minor fortress. "Well that's interesting." You say. "Is that a truck stop?" Donna asks. "Yeah I think so. Looks like whoever is there are trying to block the place off by putting trucks around it. They even got people standing on top of the trucks with rifles as lookouts. " you say. "Are we stopping there?" "I dunno. Whoever is there probably isn't going to be too trustful of anyone. Though, we still don't have that much of long term plan. A place like this might be a safe haven of sorts. I mean it already looks way better defended than that trailer park." "Well, it's up to you. But I think we're going to have to be more careful at a place like this." "We might as well chance it if only to catch a breather and maybe get some directions because I can honestly say I don't know where the fuck we are or where we should be going. That's assuming they even let us in." You and Donna drive to the truck stop, which immediately causes the lookouts to point and raise their rifles in your direction. When you stop in front of it, there are a lot of shouts for you to stay in the car. "We're not just letting anyone in here. Who are ya, and state yer business!" the lookout from above shouts. "Just a couple poor souls trying to escape the chaos out there! Our home town was overrun by military and crazy people. We've also been attacked by others who would try to take advantage of us. Please, we're just looking for some sort of refuge even if it's temporary. We got some supplies in our car." "Hrmmm, well whatta you got?" You turn your head to look in the back seat to actually see what you "inherited" since you never looked before. You see a first aid kit on top of a pile of bags. "Um...we got some medicine. Maybe that could help?" you say. There is a long pause and he tells you to wait before climbing down the truck and disappearing from sight. Eventually you hear his voice again which is now coming from behind the truck barricade. "Okay, we're gonna move this truck, but one funny thing happens and you're the first one getting a bullet to the head. Alright, we're letting this one in, everyone keep extra look out for those rabid bastards!" As soon as the truck is moved out your way, the man who was barking orders at you waves you in and motions you over to a parking spot with some other cars. As soon as you drive in they put the truck back. Either they're really safety conscience or they don't want to risk having you get away. "Well let's hope these people are just normal people trying to survive and aren't a gang of rapists." You remark. From this distance you see several more people in the building part of the truck stop. Looks like it's a general store/diner combo. Most of them are watching you from the windows, though a few of them come out, one of them is an older man with a cane who walks directly towards the car. "Okay, I want the two you in that car to exit it slowly. I don't care if you got weapons, but don't point them at me or anyone else in a threatening manner." The old man shouts. You take your pistol and shove it in the front of your pants. As for your newly acquired sub-machine gun, you just leave it in the car when you and Donna exit it. Naturally rifles are pointed at the pair of you, but the old man with the cane shouts telling them to calm down. "You lot, stop pointing your guns and start unloading the car. Sorry about that, everyone's a little on edge. Name's Henry. I own this place." He says. "My name's Suzy, and I get it." "So what are two pretty young girls doing driving around in this mess?" "Long story, but I'll just say, my sister and I are grateful for the shelter if only for awhile." "Hm, think nothing of it. Really though, if you two are willing to pull yer weight around here, yer welcome to stay as long as you like. Right now we've got plenty of supplies and whatever useful supplies you have can be considered payment for your way in here." "Well, that's certainly an offer to think about, but I'm not exactly sure what we'd do around here." You answer. "We can find something I'm sure. Anyway, I just mention it because I've been trying to contact various places on my Ham Radio, and all I can gather is what's been going on is pretty serious and I'm not sure if there's any place I could direct you where to go that would be as safe as this place right now. Security City is completely overrun and the closest military Fort around here, Fort Timons doesn't even know what the fuck is going on other than the obvious. Besides, I don't think you'd get in there anyway, not being military and all." "This place is really safe huh?" you ask. "Well not to brag, but we just fended off a big horde of those rabid freak things that I imagine wandered from the city yesterday. Didn't even lose anyone either. Wasn't fun though and I'm glad no more of those things have popped up, but yeah, I think we're doing good job of keeping this place safe. Anyway, you're good to stay for the night, unless you let me know you want to stick around longer and we'll find something for the both of you to do. Okay, I'm going to go make sure these boys don't take EVERYTHING of yours in that car." Henry says and then walks over to oversee his people unloading your car. Well it's a similar situation you had in the trailer park. Pull your weight or get the hell out. Funny how that worked out. Maybe you could try to do the "community" thing again. The trailer park wasn't exactly filled with welcoming people, maybe things here could be different and you could actually feel safe here. This place does seem a little better organized and definitely better defended. Really, the only reason why you left the trailer park to begin with was at the insistence of your sister and the fact that it was getting pretty dangerous there. Then again, this place could turn out to be just as bad where you don't get along with anyone and everything eventually turns into a cluster fuck. Maybe you might as well save yourself the bother by leaving tomorrow. > You just stay the night You and Donna have been through this song and dance once before, no point in doing it again. Still there's no reason to not take advantage of an opportunity here. You pull Donna aside away from earshot of everyone. "Hey Donna, I think we should only stay the night, but I'm also thinking we could gather a few more supplies here." "Wait, really? This place isn't like the trailer park. We won't be able to get out so easily." "Well that's why we're going to case this place. Or rather I'M going to case this place and YOU are going make friendly with the guards." Donna looks at you like "really?" "What? You said I had my talents and you had yours. You know the drill." "Yeah, I guess. Teamwork and all that...whatever. Just let me know who needs to be fucked and when." "I'm going to go talk with Henry again and try to assess this situation. We can make a better plan soon." You leave Donna and head back to Henry who is overseeing his people taking all the shit out of your car. "Oh hey there, Suzy wasn't it?" he says. "Yeah. Decided we're only going to stay the night Henry. We've got family in another county and we should at least try to reach them to see if they're okay." You lie. "Well I can understand that...hmmm. Tell ya what; you can keep everything in your car. Actually we were just going to take the first aid kits, but I was sort of hoping you'd stick around to help out. Since you aren't I don't think it would be right for us to take what little medical supplies you do have. Especially since you'll have a dangerous journey ahead." At this point Henry motions one of his people carrying the medical kits to put them back in the car. And with this act of kindness, you think you see your opportunity. "That's really generous Henry. Thank you. Hey is there any place we can wash up?" you ask. "Well there is a small shower in the waitresses' private bathroom. Just tell Anne I said you could use it. As for your sleeping arrangements, well I guess one of the booths or floor will have to do. Of course you could sleep in your car if you want." Henry replies. "Hey, it's better than we could've hoped for. Thanks again." At this point you part ways with Henry and return to Donna. "Okay, new plan. An hour from now I want you to grab one of those medical kits in the car and go see Henry. Tell him a story about how you really think we should pay to stay here and you insist that he take a kit." "Wait, you want me to fuck that old guy?" "Well if you have to, but I'm thinking he's probably got a key to where he keeps all the medicine locked up. Find out where that is, steal the key and later on in the night we can raid it. Then when the morning comes we leave before anyone finds out." "I dunno Suzy, that sounds pretty risky. In fact it sounds pretty dumb. Shouldn't we just, I dunno pilfer the kitchen during the night? Seems like it might be easier." "Yeah and there's going to be a shitload of people sleeping in that diner too. Talk about your dumb ideas." "Maybe we shouldn't steal anything. I mean that old guy didn't even take our medkits as payment and is letting us stay here for free. I mean that's pretty cool." "(Sigh) Fuck Donna, how the hell are you ever going to survive in this world if you don't seize opportunity when you see it? Fine, you know what, fuck the plan. Why don't you just go blow as many guys as you can and hand me what you manage to steal off of them okay? That seems like it might be your speed." You say angrily and begin to walk away. However you've pushed Donna a little too far this time and she pushes back, literally when you feel a heavy shove causing you to nearly fall over. "Oh fuck you Suzy! FUCK YOU! You think you can look down upon me like I'm some sort of gutter whore? You're no fucking better than I am! You're a goddamn murderer!" At this point Donna's yelling loud enough for others to hear and now people are looking. "Tell the whole fucking world Donna. And if I'm a murderer then you're one right along side with me! Who's idea was it to steal that fucking truck in the first place? You ran over someone, you stupid whore!" you laugh. "Stop calling me that!" "Fuck you, it's the truth. It doesn't matter where you go or where you are, you'll always be a goddamn cum guzzling slut trying to fill some void that can never be filled." At this point Donna is screaming and tears are running down her face as she starts going on a tirade about your own shortcomings. You aren't really listening though, it's like your mind is going to a different place. A dark place that's telling you to shut her whore mouth shut. And so you act upon this feeling and pull your pistol shooting Donna. At first she looks down at her body wound and then back at you in shock. There are no last words she just falls backwards dead. You stand there for a moment in a little disbelief of what you've done. You look at your pistol and then Donna's body. Meanwhile several of Henry's people are pointing their rifles at you, telling you to drop the gun. You aren't really listening to them either though. When you fail to comply, one of Henry's people decides to play it safe and drops you with a shot to your head.

[Themes: modern, science fiction, humor, horror] As tempting as it is to just run, once again, you don't really have anywhere viable to run to and now you'd have a horde of those things possibly dogging your steps if you did, so you're going to just be satisfied with short term safety and keep optimistic that things aren't as hopeless as they seem. You run up the stairs and into the trailer. Donna slams and locks the door, and then you both shove a couch in front of it. You look up at the ceiling of the trailer and see the sun roof open which naturally explains how Jimmy Ray got up there. You can hear him firing and swearing. "Okay, I think we should be safe now." Donna remarks. "I wouldn't count on that. I mean yeah, they'd have a hell of time breaking through the door, and granted the windows are high enough that they might have trouble breaking and climbing into them, but I still don't feel safe cooped up in here." You say and start looking around for more furniture and start moving a table under the sunroof. "Suzy, what're you doing?" "I'm going to go help your boyfriend if I can. You got a weapon down here?" "There's Jimmy's bat and some knives in the kitchen, but he really doesn't need your help. You should stay down here, I mean what if they try to break in like you said?" "Well I'll be able to shoot them from above a lot better from the roof. Climb up if things start getting grim." You say and start climb through the roof. When you reach the roof, Jimmy notices you as he's in the middle of reloading his weapon. "What the fuck are you doin' up here, get back in the trailer with your sister!" he says. "I'm here to help." You say scanning the area. "I don't need any help, now..." You interrupt Jimmy, when you look over the other side of the trailer, see one particularly sneaky freak skulking near it and shoot him. "You aren't even paying attention to the other side of the trailer. You need to be aware of your surroundings!" you say. "Aw, he couldn't have gotten up here, and I would've heard him had he tried." Jimmy remarks. "Fine, stay up here, but don't get in my way!" he then adds realizing that you aren't going anywhere. From on top of the trailer, you can see a good deal more of the park in general. You and Jimmy actually aren't the only ones standing on a trailer, you see several women with guns doing their best at fighting off this horde. You even see Tina when you look back towards her trailer. The situation isn't quite as grim as it once appeared as you see a group of hillbillies from the east side of the park making their way back and soon start helping out with mopping up the freaks that have infested it. Jimmy and yourself mostly keep to picking off the ones that come too close to his trailer. He actually compliments you or your shooting at one point. To be honest, it's sort of weird to you how much of a natural you are at it. After few more bloody minutes, it's mostly over and the...well you still don't know WHAT they are exactly, but they're no longer the threat they were. "Whew, I think we got the last of those sons of bitches." Jimmy says. "Yeah, well I'm not in any hurry to check. I'm out of bullets anyway, so I'm just going to go back into the trailer with my sister." "Okay, I'm gonna keep an eye out from here. Um... I wasn't sure about you at first, but thanks for yer help." Suddenly Donna's head pops up from the opening in the roof. "What's going on up here? The shooting has mostly stopped, is it over?" Donna asks. "It's over in the sense that I'm guessing we aren't in any danger of being overrun. Was everything okay down there? We were trying to keep them from clawing at the trailer too much." You say. "Yeah, a few got as close as the door and then one of you guys shot them." Donna says. "Shit, let's get back down in the trailer." Jimmy suddenly says walking over to where you and Donna are. "Did you just see more of those things?" "No, I see... "There you are, ya slackin' piece of shit! Where the fuck were you when we needed help over on the east side of the park. Nearly got my ass eaten and not in a good way!" Mel shouts from the ground as he walks with a couple of other men behind him. "Aw Mel, I didn't even know about it until it was too late, I was uh..." "You were thinkin' with yer dick as usual. Is that...is that blondie there I see? Holy shit, didn't think you were fool enough to fall fer this idiot's charms." Mel says. "I didn't...I was looking for my sister and I helped her and Jimmy out here." "Is that right?" Mel asks. "Yeah, it's true! I was with her sister...and um, by the time I knew what was goin' on I couldn't leave this trailer because it was surrounded by those things! I was pickin' them off with the shotgun and then Suzy came here and helped out. Good thing too. There were a shitload of them, as you can tell by the bodies!" Jimmy says and begins pointing at them. Mel stares at the bodies that Jimmy's pointing to and doesn't seem impressed. "Jimmy, yer so full of shit right now, yer eyes are brown. By the number of bodies here and their various distances from the trailer, it wasn't THAT surrounded. Whatever, doesn't matter, come on down, you're comin' with us." "Where are we goin?" Jimmy asks. "We're gonna go try to fetch some medical supplies from town. We got some people hurt pretty fuckin' bad an' other than a few half used basic medical kits that a few people scrounged up, all else we got is a shitload of alcohol. You'd think those military trucks woulda had some medical shit in them, but no. I suppose SOME people here got some meth, crack and a few other unconventional drugs, but last thing we need is more goddamn junkies runnin' around here." Mel says glaring at Dan. "Town? Um...don't ya think it'll be pretty fucked up there?" Jimmy asks. "Of course it's gonna be fucked up there, but it needs to get done. Or we at least need to try. So come on Jimmy, get yer ass down here, what about you blondie?" Mel asks. "What about me what?" you ask. "You gonna come with us? Obviously you're good enough with a weapon to take care of yourself an' we're a little short on that at the moment." As Jimmy kisses Donna on the cheek and tells her something about coming back to her, you briefly consider Mel's offer. While you've certainly "grown" past being the wallflower you tended to be, you know you're not some action heroine badass. "While I appreciate the offer Mel, I think I'd be better off staying here, I'm still not as skilled as you guys are when it comes to shooting. I wouldn't want to be a liability." You say. "Hm, I guess that's an honest assessment of yourself. Alright then, keep an eye out on things here. As for the rest of ya, come on let's round up a few more folks and then let's see just how fucked the town is." Mel says and he and the rest walk off leaving you and Donna who duck back inside Jimmy's trailer. "I'm really glad you didn't go with them. I mean that's gotta be a suicide mission." Donna says. "Well it will certainly be dangerous that's for sure." You say. "So you still think it's a good idea to stay here?" Donna asks. "Still want to leave huh?" you say. "Don't you? I mean we just went through TWO major attacks at this place now! Who knows what the hell is gonna hit us next! More of those freaks probably, but I'm thinking that we got a better chance if we do leave this time." "How's that?" you ask. "Well Jimmy Ray's got a truck that he parked between his trailer and the next one as a poor man's barrier of sorts and he didn't take his keys with him. In fact they're over on the table over there. That suggests to me that we can easily take his while he's gone. In fact, Mel and most of those redneck assholes will all be gone and the others are nursing their wounds, so now would be the perfect time to get the hell out of here." "I used up all my ammo fighting off those cannibal things. What about weapons?" "I guess we'll have to get by on close combat ones for awhile, but Jimmy's probably got another gun in his bedroom somewhere. Look, I'll search this place and you go grab your bags from our trailer. I still got a bag packed near my bed from yesterday, so you can grab that one too." You chuckle a bit at Donna's suggestion of completely robbing Jimmy Ray blind and take her plan into consideration. > You continue to stay Once again, you can agree that it isn't the safest place, but you still see no viable alternative of where to go because you're getting the impression that it's going to be fucked up no matter where you go. "Still probably safer than getting on the road right now. I think we need to stay just a little bit longer." You say. "Jesus Christ I can't believe you're still willing to stay. (Sigh) Well, at this point I guess I've got no choice, but to stay too. I mean I think it's pretty obvious by now that I can't go it alone. I'm just not adapting well to this series of events like you seem to be." Donna remarks. "I dunno if I'm adapting or just so overwhelmed by what's been going on this week that I'm just going with what my instincts are." "Well you're a far cry from the wallflower you were." Your sister says. "Yeah, I suppose, but I'd actually rather be on my couch in the basement back home." "At this point, I'd rather be on that couch right next to you." Donna laughs. You and Donna leave Jimmy Ray's trailer and head back to yours. Along the way you bump into Tina who is carrying two big meat hooks. "So, you and blondie survived, glad to see it, because there are a shitload of bodies that need cleanin' up." Tina says. Tina looks at you as if that's the last thing she wants to be doing. "Um..." Tina starts to say. "Uh, my sister is still really shaken up by the attack, nearly got eaten an' all you understand. She needs to lie down in the trailer, but I'll be glad to help." Tina shakes her head at Donna and turns her attention to you. "Come on then blondie." She says and you tell Donna you'll see her later. You follow Tina where there are more than a few dead bodies of those things and two other women are standing by with meat hooks. One of the women is a little bigger and taller than everyone else and has short hair like a buzzcut. The other one is similar to Tina except with curlier hair. "K, this is Mary Lou an' the giant over there is Butchie Billie. An' this one here with me is our newest addition to our wonderful community, blondie." "It's Suzy, actually." You say. "Yeah, whatever. Let's start moving these dead fucks before Mel gets back an' bitches about it. Nevermind, the fact that Mel and the rest of his fuckin' friends should be here doing this instead of traipsin' off to town." Tina says as she digs a meat hook into a body "Well they said they were going for medical supplies." Billie says following suit. "Damn fool thing to do really, I told him so too. I told him that right now he should focus on rebuilding the barricades around this place. I mean yeah I know more medical supplies would be useful, but really we got enough to get by for now and for those that got all bit up...well..." Tina trails off, but you know what she's getting at. "You...think we should kill them?" Mary Lou asks, shoving her own meat hook in. "I didn't say that. I'm just sayin' that perhaps wastin' medicine on them isn't the best idea because they're probably goners anyway. I mean don't you think so? I mean those crazy fuckers biting people had to have been sick with something right? How do we know it isn't spread through biting or even worse just being close to 'em? At least Mel had the sense to put all those folks in one trailer though." You're having a little difficulty putting in your hook. It isn't like you've done this before. "You need help there blondie? You're holding us up." Tina asks. "No, I...got it. There." You say as the hook sinks in. "Okay, lift everyone." Tina says and all four of you do so. Billie's probably doing the majority of the work though. As you carry/drag the body to the open field behind the trailer park, Billie continues the conversation. "Well I admit, them possibly bein' infected is a concern for me too, but I'm sort of surprised Mel didn't shoot them just to be safe, I mean we all know he isn't excessively compassionate." Billie remarks. Tina laughs a bit. "Well that's true, in fact I almost guarantee if they were anyone else he might've just done that, but one of Mel's few endearing traits is he's got a sense of loyalty. And I know he feels like he should at least try to help those that watched his back during the recent battle. Not to mention he is drinking buddies with most of 'em, despite the fact he doesn't think very highly of 'em. Oh well, hopefully he'll be successful with his trip." You almost ask, but then stop yourself. Tina however has already noticed your stifled attempt at continuing the conversation. "If you got somethin' to say blondie, say it." Tina remarks. "Well, I was just gonna ask, do you think he'll even come back?" "Shit blondie, that's a pretty fuckin' grim ass question. And if I were anyone else I'd probably be pretty upset by the implications, but I'm not worried about Mel. He'll get back here some how. Everyone else might be dead, but I'm confident he'll come back." "Hey didn't Jimmy Ray go with them? I hope he comes back too!" Mary Lou remarks. "Heh, guess you're a little late on the update there Mary, but blondie's sister Donna currently has her own hooks in Jimmy right now." "What!? That asshole told me how I was the only one for him last week!" Mary Lou exclaims. "Hey blondie, tell your homewreckin' cunt of a sister to keep her hands off my man!" You briefly wonder why Mary Lou who also having blonde hair is calling you blondie. (Granted hers is out of a bottle unlike your natural magnificence) "Yeah, I'll pass it on to her." You remark apathetically. At this point you reach your destination where a few other bodies have been placed and the four of you unhook the body and make your way back to the park to presumably get another body. "Hey, Suzy isn't it?" Billie suddenly pipes up. "Yeah?" you ask turning your head a bit to look at Billie who is walking behind you. "Do you have an older sister by the name of Kelly who participates in the fight clubs in town?" "Yes, I do. How did you know?" you ask. "Because in the locker room she used to constantly bitch about having a pretty blonde sister by the name of Suzy that didn't do shit around the house and another one by the name of Donna that was a complete whore. I took a shot in the dark that you and this Donna were the same ones that might be related to her." "Oh. Well you got it right. Wow, didn't realize she complained about us at...her work." "Eh, she mostly complained about you. I mean ALL the fuckin' time. Most of us were sick to death of hearing her bitch. So where is Kelly anyway?" "Dunno. Don't really care either. Knowing her she's probably surviving this bullshit somehow though. Were you and her an item or something?" you ask. "Fuck no! I hated that cunt. That bitch knocked out three of my teeth in our last match! I almost had her, but I know that cunt spiked my drink with something before the match! Anyway she was straight, but I figured you knew that." "Hm, sort of surprising. Just figured she was a lesbian. My whole family did actually." You say. "Nah, she tried to get with so many of the guys at the fight club it was actually kind of pathetic. She actually would've been a whore like your sister Donna had she actually been successful. As it stands she was more like a rapist since she'd routinely intimidate some of the scrawny audience members into having sex with her." This revelation about Kelly is pretty interesting, but you don't think you need to know too much more. "Yikes, is all I got to say about that." You remark. "Yeah, but I will say this, her physical description of you doesn't do you justice. You're much prettier." Billie says and them smiles with a couple of missing teeth. You turn your head back away and close your eyes in horror at such a thought. Tina glances over at you and smirks. "Kinda disturbin' to think she's been starin at yer ass this whole time isn't it blondie?" Tina says. "Now that's not true, I've been starin' at yours as well." Billie laughs. "Pfft, honey, EVERYONE stares at my fuckin' ass." Tina says puffing up slightly in pride. When you get back to the trailer park, Mel and the rest have already returned. In the distance you see him slamming his truck door and hear him swearing. "I guess it didn't go well. (Sigh) Let me go see what happened. As for the rest of these bodies, you can keep moving them if y'all want, but as far as I'm concerned Mel and whoever survived their trip can do it instead. I'm done with this mess." At this point Tina leaves and seeing as you don't particularly want to move any more bodies you head back to your trailer. Eventually you arrive and collapse on your sofa. "Suzy?" Donna asks coming from out of her room. "Yeah, it's me. Man, I'm tired. I think the stress of the day is really catching up to me. Oh Mel's back, guess it didn't go as planned if he's back already." "Is Jimmy Ray with him?" "Dunno, I just saw Mel getting out of his truck and cussing up a storm." "I guess I'll go check. Hope so..." "Wait a minute, weren't you just ready to rob the guy blind a moment ago?" you ask. "Well that was a different situation. I mean if we're going to stay here, it's best I latch on to the best looking guy here right? Isn't that what you said?" "Actually I said becoming self-sufficient, but I suppose grabbing one of the guys so you're only sleeping with one as opposed to several works too. Well good luck. Oh there's a girl with a bad bleached blonde job by the name of Mary Lou that's got her eyes on him, so you might have some competition." "Pfft. They haven't made anyone that can compete with me. Let alone around here. I mean come on, it's not even a contest." Donna remarks. "Well glad to see your confidence still remains strong in all this. Have fun and be careful. I'm going to get some rest." And with that you leave Donna to her own devices and turn over on your side to get some sleep. As you drift off you figure you'll only get a few hours before someone wakes you up to do something, but as it turns out, you sleep through the entire night. > Next day... "HEY BLONDIE! GET YER ASS UP!" you hear as someone pounds on the door waking you up. It sounds like Mel, but at least it isn't those awful Ground Zero commercials. You groggily get up and through bleary eyes you see that it's actually still morning. You haven't been up this early in a long time...and it's a horrible thing. You hear more banging and yelling causing you to respond in kind. "Alright! Alright! Goddamnit, I'm up! I'm up!" you say and go to the door. "What?!" you ask though Mel doesn't look too happy that you're even asking that question. "What? Whadda ya mean what? Yer fuckin' sister and that cowardly motherfucker Jimmy Ray just skedaddled outta here with a perfectly good truck that was also actin as a temporary barrier! That's what!" This remark isn't quite comprehended by you in your current groggy state. "My sister fucked Jimmy Ray in his truck and what?" you say. "Jesus fuckin'...I said...bah, I'm not fuckin' repeatin' myself! Shit!" Mel shouts and walks away banging on the door one more time. You briefly step outside and see Tina standing nearby. "I'm guessin' you didn't know nothin' about it anyway considering you're still here." Tina remarks. "Okay, someone tell me again what happened? What about my sister and Jimmy Ray now?" "Apparently your sister convinced Jimmy Ray to leave this place in the middle of the night. Guess she really laid it down good, but then Jimmy Ray's always had a tendency to get stupid over a gal who knows how to work it." "Wait. Wait. Wait a minute she's gone?!" "Yeah, she's fuckin' gone with a perfectly good truck! I actually don't even give a shit about Jimmy Ray, he was more useless than tits on bull, but we could've used that fuckin' truck for..." Mel says. "Oh for fuck's sake Mel, we got a shitload of trucks here and aren't you converting those army trucks into some sort of road warrior deathmobile anyway?" "Yeah, but it's the fuckin' principle of the thing! Not to mention we still gotta find some medical supplies! Goddamnit, Dan was supposed to be keepin' a look out and..." You leave Mel to rant and head back inside trying to process this new information. You can't believe that Donna would just leave you like that. There was no indication she was going to just take off like that. You check her bedroom and see that her bag is gone. You don't know if she took that just after you fell asleep, or if she came back for it before leaving or what. Was she planning it right from the start or did she just see the opportunity? None of it matters you suppose, she just ditched you and didn't even have the courtesy to let you know. So much for "sisterhood." While you're thinking about this, someone enters the trailer and calls out to you. It's Tina. "Oh there you are. I'm guessing you're pretty upset right now, but I found this in Jimmy's trailer. Figured you should have it." Tina says and hands you a note. Dear Suzy, Sorry, I just couldn't stick around. Good luck to you in this shithole. Sincerely, Donna You actually chuckle a bit and crumple up the note. "What's so funny." Tina asks. "Oh just thinking that she was the one that convinced me to come here in the first place. Anyway, it's done and she's gone. We were never really close to begin with, though I thought that was sort of changing this week, but I guess not. Still, at least it felt like someon

e was on my side. I imagine I'm not too well accepted around here." "Meh, I think you're about as accepted as anyone else around here. I mean I think the general assessment of you is that you're a big tease that thinks she's better than everyone else, but I mean its not like you're a nigger or something." Tina remarks. You give Tina a strange look. "Um, lucky me then I guess. Just out of curiosity what do you think about Donna leaving? She kept going on about how you two were friends." You say. "Me? Eh, I don't really care. I mean I knew your sister on and off for a few years when I use to do strip jobs over at the parties at the place she was livin' at before. An while she was a funny girl that made that particular job a lot more enjoyable, so I didn't mind helping her out with a job when she asked, but it wasn't like I ever considered her a real friend. Hell, I didn't even know she had a sister until a few days ago. Anyway, always knew she was flakey. To be honest I didn't even see her lasting long as a stripper and living here either. She probably would've latched on to first sugar daddy she could find and ditched everything." "Sounds about right." You say and toss aside the note. "Well I'll leave you alone blondie. And I wouldn't worry about your status here or lack there of. Quite frankly so many folks here have died or are wounded that nobody's really in any position to antagonize someone who actually has been making an effort to contribute around here. Speakin' of which I need to go talk to this crazy man that's probably still ranting about a fuckin' truck." Tina says and leaves. You take a shower as you're thinking about how you're going to proceed next. You go back and forth on whether to do what your sister did, but knowing your luck, you'd end up getting caught so you ultimately abandon the idea. As you're getting dressed and figuring out what your next plan of action should be, you suddenly hear banging on the door of your trailer again. You go to the door and see it's that methhead Dan. "Hey blondie! You're needed for a vote!" Dan exclaims. "Vote? Vote for what?" you ask. "We need a tie breaker to shoot the ones that got bitten or not. Billy Ray in particular ain't lookin' too good." Dan remarks. "So what are we doin' if we don't shoot 'em?" "Guess we're goin' back to town to try for medical supplies again. If that's the case, I hope we have better luck, cause it was a cluster fuck last time." Dan says. As you walk with Dan, he's looking at you a lot and while some of that is predictable ogling, he's also doing a lot of twitching and it's making you nervous. "Dan, I know you have to take a glance at me every now and then, but between the staring and the twitching it's making me uncomfortable. Makes me think of those things that attacked us yesterday. It doesn't help that you're about as clean as they were too." You say. "Oh. Sorry blondie. I just...I need a fuckin' fix. Just to put me at ease. The shit that's been going down for the past couple of days has really made me scared y'know? I went through most of my shit after the National Guard showed up and then I used the rest up immediately after the freak invasion." "So where's the meth lab? Don't places like this usually have one?" you ask. "Hah, I wish. I mean we used to have one years ago, but it blew up and caused a lot of damage. After that, the old owner sort of cracked down on that sort of thing." "Well there's no law anymore, you could just start making it again." "Hah, yeah. But again with everythin' that's gone on, isn't like there's been time to do that. Not to mention Mel's been ridin' everyone non-stop. He's already pissed at me for fallin' asleep yesterday. I didn't catch Jimmy Ray an' yer sister taking off in the night. Guess he figured if anyone would stay awake all night it would be me, but I just sort of crashed because like I said I didn't have my shit anymore to keep me alert." "Yeah, well it's tough all over." You say unsympathetically. Before you even get to the meeting, you can hear the arguing, which is mainly consisting of a lot of shouting and swearing. By the time you arrive, you're met with mixed glances. "These are our friends, we can't just fuckin' kill them!" "We need to fuckin' kill 'em before they infect us all!" "You're one cold hearted sonofbitch you know that? What if I just decided to kill you?!" "Try it bitch!" "SHUT THE FUCK UP ALL OF YOU!" Mel shouts. At this point all eyes are on you. "As you can see blondie, we're involved in the democratic process and are in need of a tie breaker." Mel says to you. "Aw Mel what the fuck we need her vote for? She ain't one of us and her sister fucking stole a truck!" some redneck woman says. "I said shut it! The only reason why I even entertained this process is so you fuckers would quit bitchin' about me bein' a so-called tyrant even though I'm the only one around he trying to do anything at all! So however blondie votes, will break the goddamn tie and we can move on. So what's your vote?" Not that you're especially close to any of these people, but if you vote to shoot you know it's going to cause a lot more problems and you being an "outsider" are going to catch all the hell for it. Besides, last you remember Mel was trying to keep these folks alive, best you vote on his side. "Well I vote not to shoot because..." you start to say before Mel interrupts again. "That's all I need to know. Didn't need the reasons. Hear that folks? We ain't shootin' any of them! I dunno why you pussies are scared anyway, we got 'em all locked up and barricaded inside a trailer. They ain't getting out even if they do turn into something." At this point there is more grumbling, but democracy has won this day and nobody gets violent about it, though you have a question. "Um, has anyone actually looked in on these bitten folks since they got thrown in together?" you ask. "Yeah, I did. Like I said, Billy Ray ain't lookin' too good. Neither are some of the others. They're all mostly just lying there not doing much though." Dan says. "Well was any first aid actually applied to them? I mean maybe they're not infected, but just really wounded. Any aid might help." "I threw in some bottles of whiskey an' pain killers to ease the discomfort. I threw in some bandages in there, but I wasn't gonna get close enough to actually bandage them." Dan replies. "And that's it? Nobody else has seen to them since they've been shoved in a trailer?" "Nope." This is nuts, these people that have been bitten could very well be DYING due to neglect more than anything else! Nevermind the fact that the reason some might not be moving is that they might've very well ODed from the alcohol/pill combo. In any event Mel breaks up your question period. "Alright what we're gonna do is fetch us some more medical supplies an whatever else we might find. Thinkin' we should hit up that carnival a few miles from here." Mel remarks which sort of takes most by surprise. You especially since you weren't even aware there was a carnival in the area. "If the National Guard stopped here, chances are good they stopped at that carnival too. Maybe that detachment had more supplies and I also figure it's gotta be easier than tryin' to go back into town again." Mel reasons. Mel's suggestion is met with mixed results, but the people seem to be okay with it. Probably because a carnival does sound a lot less dangerous than going back into town, which they assumed would be the case. "Okay, we're taking three trucks an' y'all that came with me last time are comin' with me this time as well an I'll be pickin' a few more so don't nobody go too far. That means you blondie." "Wouldn't it be better if I stayed here and looked after things? I mean you don't want to leave this place totally undefended." You say. "Oh it never is. I'm sure you saw that everyone is fully capable of defendin' themselves here when those freaks attacked. But I can't just be takin' mothers ya know? I mean it's bad enough most of the snot nosed bastards round here that survived ain't got fathers and that's before all this shit went down. Can't hardly deprive 'em of mothers as well can I? Someone needs to keep 'em out of my way and look after them." "Well isn't someone like Butchie Billie better suited for something like this than me?" "Butchie Billie is probably our best welder and mechanic. I'm not gonna risk taking her. Besides, she still needs to work on converting our newly acquired army trucks. And some of the other guys I'm not takin' are better at workin' on the generators or digging some extra outhouses." "I don't have a weapon or least not any with ammo. I ran out of bullets during the last attack." You say. "Oh don't worry about that, if there is one thing we've got a lot of, its weapons and ammo." As you struggle to think up another excuse. Mel stops you. "Look blondie, you knew you were gonna have to start paying yer dues. And since I KNOW you were tryin' to avoid bein the new fuck toy around here, it's either this or you can just fuckin' leave." You don't see yourself making it on your own...at least not yet. You still need to be in the safety of numbers, so that means you're going. However you question if Mel's plan is even a good one. You could very well get to this carnival and not find anything, you sort of wonder if it wouldn't be a better idea to actually head back to town. You figure the town is probably already half looted and lawless by now, so you might well go in and get the best stuff you can before its completely gone. Not to mention you might know the town a little better as far as which side streets to take to get to certain locations quicker. Like say small pharmacies and other stores near where you live. Of course putting yourself in more danger isn't necessarily desirable either. > You go with Mel's plan No need to make this more dangerous than it needs to be. "Alright I guess we're going to the carnival." You say. "Good. be ready at the trailer park entrance in a few minutes. Someone there can probably hand you a weapon as well." When you arrive at your destination, a group of rednecks are already there checking various rifles and handguns. It really does look like they got enough to take on an army. Their attention turns to you. "Well now if it isn't blondie. I'm surprised Mel is riskin' his piece on the side like this." One of the sleazier rednecks says. "I know that's right Ray. If she was mine, I'd be wantin' to keep her safe." Another says. "Piece on the side? Is that what Mel told all of you?" you ask which is followed by a lot of snickering. "Not in so many words honey, but we ain't the idiots that he thinks we are. Why else would he tell us to lay off of ya if he wasn't stickin' ya? Sonofabitch already has Tina, don't see why he gets ta have TWO fine pieces of ass while some of us ain't got none." Ray remarks. "Could I have one of those rifles please?" you ask ignoring Ray's comments. Ray snorts at your request. "Don't think so blondie. Maybe you think yer warrior princess or some shit cause you got lucky shootin' a couple of those freaks, but I ain't impressed and you ain't getting any of these rifles. Here, take one of these instead. Should be more than enough for you seein' as all yer gonna be doin' is hidin behind Mel the whole time anyway." Ray says and hands you a smaller pistol. "Fine, I don't need a big weapon anyway. I don't have to over compensate for something." You say taking the pistol. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ray asks. "It means she's sayin' you probably got a small pecker Ray, now quit givin' the girl a hard time and let's all get goin'." Mel sudden remarks as he walks up with a couple more people. Ray doesn't say anything and just glares at you before leaving for one of the trucks. Everyone else does likewise. Predictably, you have no wish to ride with any of them, let alone in the back of one of the pickups with a bunch of them so you ride up front with Mel especially since you want to address something. As the trucks pull out from the trailer park, Mel fiddles with the radio, but he doesn't get anything except Ground Zero ads. "Goddamn Ground Zero shit. I'm tellin' you like I've said to everyone else, it's a fuckin' conspiracy goin' on with them. In fact all of this shit goin' on is government related." Mel says turning off the radio. "Yeah, probably. Hey Mel, is it really necessary for you to lie and tell everyone that we're having sex?" you ask. Mel starts chuckling a little bit. "Who said I did that?" Mel asked. "Well first of all a few days ago Tina flat out asked me if I had any intention of fucking you, and I had to clarify that I wasn't. She believed me, but she said you told her that I flirted with you. Then Ray just said that I was your piece on the side. Everyone else seems to believe that as well." You say. "Okay, first off I'll admit that I might've said you were flirtin' with me to Tina, but there was a good reason. We're just makin' up from one of our many bad fights and I figured it might be good to get her a little jealous. Y'know so she doesn't take me for granted and that she could possibly lose me if she isn't careful. Knowin' Tina she probably thought it was bullshit anyway, which is probably why she just flat out asked you as opposed to just clawing yer eyes out if she thought it was remotely true." "Well she did say that she didn't believe it." "Exactly. She knew a girl like you wouldn't be interested in someone like me. Still, it was a good gesture on my part to show her I still care." At this point you're not going to decipher hillbilly love life logic. You just continue to listen to Mel explain himself. "Now as for Ray an' the rest. All I told them is to lay off of you a little bit since you were new to the trailer park an' you were doin' your best to contribute. I really can't help it if everyone jumps to conclusions." "But you're not exactly dispelling those conclusions either." Mel laughs again. "Well, I suppose yer right about that, but think of it this way, if they all think you're my squeeze on the side, they're actually all less likely to try anything because they won't want to answer to me. I mean right now all they do is stare a lot and make the occasional cat call. Now I could tell them that we're really not doing anything, but after interactin' with Ray, do you really want him or some of the others sniffin' around on a regular basis?" "Ugh, I suppose not...just wish there was another way." "Man's world, blondie, deal with it." "Trust me, I am. I just don't like it." You and Mel continue to drive in relative silence until you get to the carnival destination. "This should be coming up to it soon." "Didn't even know there was a carnival nearby." "Yeah, set up shop I think last Saturday. Most of us from the trailer park went there earlier in the week. I didn't go mainly because I was too busy fightin' with Tina at the time and I didn't wanna run into any clowns. Hate those creepy fuckers." Me; "Really? I always liked clowns. I even briefly thought about wanting to be one when I was little. Oh well, guess that will always be the dream." You say causing Mel to give you a look like you just creeped him out a little. You drive up to the carnival, which looks like it was in the middle of being packed down, but other events got in the way and given the ones you suffered, you can sort of imagine what those were. The place looks like a warzone and there are several bodies lying on the ground "Looks like I was right, the Guard was here." Mel says pointing to a military truck near a dilapidated tent. "Don't think they're still in charge here either." You say. In the distance you see a few small figures near a large tent and then they run into it when they see you pull up. "Well looks like whoever is still in charge here is going to be meetin' us real soon." Mel says and stops the truck. The other trucks following stop as well. You see several people now step out of the big tent. Some of them are armed, but then again so is your side. "Get ready, but stay in the truck. I'm gonna actually try to handle this without a gunfight, but I'm not hopeful about that." Mel remarks and gets out of the truck. You see him motioning and shouting to the rest to hold fire and then he addresses the carnie crowd who seem to mostly consist of midgets and the main one addressing Mel is dressed in clown clothing, though he doesn't seem to be wearing the makeup. "It's okay, it's okay. Ain't nobody lookin' for a fight." Mel says. "Doesn't look that way, given that you've come with three trucks full of armed men." The midget clown says. "Heh, well I'm sure given your own heightened state of awareness, you know things are getting' dangerous nowadays. Anyway my name's Mel, I'm guessin' since you're the one talkin' you're in charge here. Ringmaster or something like that?" "Look, we don't want any trouble." "And you won't get any trouble. You...uh...got some military gear here too I see. That truck over there." "Yeah, what of it?" "Oh nothing, but that brings about the question of where are the guardsmen...heh yeah they tried to tell us what to do too. Didn't work out so well. The second amendment says you got the right to pack it after all. Government can't just do what they want." At this point more people come out of the tent, which in turn makes more people get out of their trucks. You get out too, though you're taking cover behind the door. Your people and the carnies are both starting to eye each other waiting for someone to fire a shot. "Look let me cut to the chase shorty. I'm assumin' you might know by now what's been happenin' back in town. Besides the government tryin' to pull their shit, there's a bunch of freaks runnin' around tryin' to eat people. A bunch of them attacked us last night and while we fought them off, some of us got badly hurt and are in need of medical supplies. Now of course we did try goin' into town first, but was just too fucked up there an' we didn't make much head way what with the freaks AND the guard all over the damn place. Then it occurred to me today that your circus might still be around and the National Guard probably would've been here as well so we decided to investigate. Now the group of weekend warriors at the trailer park had shit for medical supplies. So I'm hoping your detachment had more in that department." "We ain't got anything! Just go away or we'll open fire!" the midget clown says. Mel isn't convinced and in any case he has no intention of backing down now. "Now you might get a few of us, but I'm bettin, most of us are better shots than y'all, so if you give us what medicine supplies you do have we'll leave here in peace, if not well..." While Mel is probably doing the best he can in trying to resolve this without a gun battle, but you know how this is going to go down. It's just been that sort of week. Suddenly someone fires a shot and then another from one side and then it's a full-blown shoot out. (You mainly hide behind the truck, firing every once in a while) The carnies aren't holding back, but your side does indeed have much better aim and midgets are falling like flies until they all fall back into the big tent again. After some more shooting which is completely one sided now, Mel calls a halt to it. "We can fire all day into that big tent, but we can't be sure if we're actually hitting anyone since we ain't got x-ray vision an' I don't want us wastin' anymore ammo. We gotta do something else." Mel says. "Why don't we just throw grenades at it? We got some from the Guard that was fuckin' with us." Ray asks. "Because they might have medical supplies in there ya idiot. We start blowin shit up, an it defeats the whole purpose of the trip. I think we need to spread out an creep up then just rush in." Mel says. "So your solution is to go in there like a SWAT team an' possibly get our asses shot off? Fuck that. I'm blowin' that motherfucker up." At this point Ray and a couple others look and nod at each other and start heading towards the big tent with grenades in their hand. Mel tells them to stop, but his orders are ignored and met with a couple of swear laden sentences of being tired of him always telling them what to do. Mel is visibly angry; though you're surprised he isn't doing more to stop them from disobeying his orders. As much as Mel isn't exactly your favorite person, you'd hate to see this as the first sign of a "change in leadership." Especially if it's going to be Ray. > You let them blow up the tent Opening fire on anyone other than carnies probably isn't a good idea, at least not on your own. Maybe if Mel gave the order it might be different, but again he surprises you and doesn't do such a thing. "Ray, you're a goddamn idiot." Mel shouts and just watches as Ray and the two others quicken their pace towards the tent. All three of them get half way to the tent and then prepare to throw, which they do. Two of the grenades hit the tent, but one manages to roll inside it. Unfortunately for them one of the carnies steps in the tent entrance and throws it back! "Holy fuck! Run!" is all Ray manages to shout which is then followed by a bit of gunfire from the carnie who threw the grenade. He's hit the leg, but that's not the worst of it since he's not that far from the grenade when he falls to the ground. Mel, you and everyone else take cover behind the trucks in preparation for the explosions soon to follow, all three of them. When the smoke clears and everyone slowly looks out from behind their cover. It's a devastating mess. The big tent is partially gone, though surprisingly still sta

nding. One can see inside most of it now though and there are a lot of bodies... Speaking of bodies, Ray's is in pieces since he failed to get away from the blast in time. A crater now exists where the grenade fell and Ray's body parts aren't too far from it. The ones who followed Ray faired better and managed to get away from the blast. "I fuckin' knew something like that was gonna happen. Come on spread out and head towards what's left of that tent. Careful though, they might still have some fight left!" Mel shouts with nobody really mourning the loss of Ray. You all cautiously proceed forward with weapons raised and taking cover as much as possible. While it's always better to be safe than sorry, there isn't much fight left in any of the survivors who are now a mixture of wounded, dying or just plain scared. "Please! We surrender! Take whatever you want, just don't kill us!" one of the midgets shouts from amongst the carnage. "Goddamn right we will be! None of this woulda been necessary had you just given us whatever medical supplies or medicine you had! Now besides this fuckin' big top, is there anyone else lurking around that we should know about?" "Uh...um..." "That's not a fuckin' answer!" "I dunno! I mean yeah, maybe! There might be a few people hidin' in the trailers, just don't kill anyone else, please!" "Some of you search the rest of this place, but keep an eye out for more carnies! If anyone gives ya too much trouble, you know what to do." Mel shouts. The remainder of your time is mostly spent looking through what remains of the tent which actually did hold some medical supplies though not many and some of them were obviously destroyed by the grenades. As their belongings and supplies are looted and they are "herded" into group, the carnies, the carnies make no attempts at resistance and if there were any hiding in the trailers, they must've ran for the wilderness or were really good at hiding, because nobody finds anyone else. Several make an attempt to beg you to leave something, but these are met with verbal commands to shut up before they suffer further. Another pleads to Mel to think about their own wounded, but this is met with smash to the gut with Mel's rifle. It's the only physical abuse that occurs before they realize they're receiving the only mercy they're currently experiencing. Your own personal feelings on the current situation is that it's certainly not "right" but what can you do? After looting the carnival of what useful stuff they have, you leave the demoralized carnies and head back to the trailer park. "Well that went better than expected, just lost Ray, I'm sure you're really broken up by that." Mel says. "Crushed. Surprised you didn't shoot him for directly challenging your authority though." You say. "I was more concerned with the carnies than Ray at that point. Any other time I might've given him a beat down, but I wouldn't have fucking killed him. Sheesh blondie, haven't you learned by now that just because I'm an asshole to everyone, doesn't mean I'm some fuckin' heartless killer? I mean the whole point of this fuckin' endeavor was to get medicine for folks who are bitten. If I was that cold, I woulda just shot 'em like some people wanted me to do. Shit, I didn't even enjoy any of what I had to do to those carnies. I mean I know they had their people to look after, but so did we an' I ain't sorry for it." "Hm, well I suppose you're right. Guess we're all a little more complex than appearances would seem." "So, you see us all a little more than stupid trailer park trash now blondie?" Mel asks. "Actually I've more or less discarded that view since I've been staying here besides I'm hardly in a position to talk seeing as I'm living with you all." "So K' blondie, we needed someone to fill out the snobby tease role in the community anyway." You chuckle. "I'm really not though. I'm just selective about my standards." You say. "Don't need to justify anything to me. I got a woman." Mel replies. "The thing is despite it all, so far you lot have been at least been cordial with me as my own family was. Dunno if that's funny or sad." "Well depends. Stick around long enough blondie an' you might just become part of our family." You start to outright laugh. "See, you should fuckin' laugh more around the others. It makes you seem less snooty." Mel replies. "I guess anything's possible. Doesn't look like I'm going anywhere anytime soon." You remark. You and Mel continue to converse on the way back to the trailer park. It's mostly about nothing of major importance, but eventually he goes on about how the next step on the agenda is to contact his cousin Clem who apparently owns a farm further past where the carnival was located. "Figure we're gonna have to do something about our food soon and instead of riskin' killin' ourselves going into the town for whatever scraps are left, it might be best to enlist my cousin's help in that matter." Mel says. "So you really think order won't be restored by the government?" you ask. "Pftt, fuck no blondie. Considerin' how the National Guard came in last time, I'd just as soon not want government assholes around anyway. But my guess is things are gonna be fucked up like this for a long time so self-sufficiency is gonna have to be a priority. Pretty much the assessment you and most others have had. Still, it's a good sign that Mel's at least thinking ahead with the food situation. Eventually you get back to the trailer park where things appear to be running smoothly. The bitten folks are finally seen to properly. The good news is the bites don't seem to be infectious at least not in the "zombie bite" sense. The bad news is not all of them make it and Billy Ray dies of his wounds, depriving the trailer park of yet another member with "Ray" in their name. As for other things of importance, mostly everyone who is able is pitching in to help in some way. Still realizing you've got to work with these people now, you volunteer to keep look out near the entrance for the remainder of the day and part of the night (Which is thankfully uneventful) until eventually some guy named Bob tells you that they're taking over the graveyard shift. Having been relieved of your duties, you return to your trailer, which is starting to feel more comfortable to you. It's no basement, but it's home. > Next day... You groggily awaken to the sounds of a bunch of giggling outside, a few bangs on your door and what sounds to be a thumping sound on the side of your trailer. You look out the window and see a bunch of children playing outside. While you knew there were kids here it was weird that you never really saw them grouped together until today. Making sure you're decent, you step outside where upon one of the smaller kids suddenly stops bouncing his ball against your trailer. "See, I told ya that Tina said that pretty blond lady lived here." One of the boys says. "Why the hell are all you kids doing around my trailer?" you ask. "Tina said we should come over here where we were out of the way since most of the adults are either workin' on the new barricades or that tank lookin' thing in the field over there." One of the kids says and points in that direction. "I don't understand what that all has to do with me." You ask. "Tina said you'd look after us." At this point you drop your head in defeat. It's too early in the day for this. "You okay lady?" "Yeah I'm fine kid. Just re-evaluating what my position is in the community here." "Um...yeah anyway, I told Tina that we didn't need some baby sitter, but then Mel shouted at all of us so we ran over here, before he got madder." "Huh, I wasn't scared. I just didn't feel like helping that ol' asshole anyway." A slightly older kid says attempting to puff up his chest. So you've been assigned to baby-sitting. You aren't sure if that's bad or good. On one hand you're tempted to take it as a good sign since the folks here are obviously trusting enough for you to look after their offspring. Then again they may just not give a shit and these kids could be little hellraisers that their parents want nothing to do with. "Hey lady, did you kill any zombies a couple days ago?" one child asks you. "Tommy, they weren't zombies ya moron! They were just crazy people!" a girl shouts. "How do you know Jenny?" Tommy asks. "Cause my mama shot one in the chest and it died! Zombies only die if you hit 'em in the head!" "Yeah, an' the people who got bit didn't turn into zombies either, not even Billy Ray an' he died!" another kid exclaims. At this point the children begin arguing about zombies until you interrupt. "Okay quiet down kids, but to answer your question Tommy, yes I did kill a few of those...well whatever they were." You say. "Were you scared?! I was scared when they attacked! I hid under my mama's bed!" the kid with the ball admits. At this point the oldest boy, who was claiming he wasn't afraid of Mel, boldly comes up to you. He looks like he might be thirteen at most "Hah, I wasn't scared. I even shot one of those things right in the face! Pow! See, I'm not a scared little kid like the rest of them here." The boy says puffing up again and making gun gestures. "Hmm, I see. Back up boy." You say. "Why?" "Because you're invading my personal space." You answer. "I wanna invade more than that." The boy says laughing at his own innuendo. One of the boys laugh along with him; the Jenny girl rolls her eyes. All the rest of the kids look confused on the matter. Considering you're used to hearing similar from the older knuckle draggers around here, you're hardly surprised to hear it from this snot nosed brat. "Well, better save that idea for your wet dreams boy, cause that's never going to happen." You remark frankly, which causes Jenny to laugh a bit. "What are you some sort of dyke like Butchie Billie? Come on I like older women..." the teen says and at this point tries to grab your chest, but you easily grab his wrist. "What the fuck do you think you're doing you little shit?! Have you lost your fucking mind?" you say and start digging your nails into his flesh. "OWWW! Lemme go you crazy bitch!" the boy cries and then you twist his arm behind his back. "That's right I AM a fucking crazy ass bitch! My uncle was a goddamn serial killer, my ex-boyfriend was a cultist, and I killed several of those fucking cannibal freaks without blinking. Now get the fuck outta here before I do worse to your little ass!" you say in his ear and kick him off the steps of your trailer. The boy goes face first into the dirt and while he quickly picks himself up, he just glares at you and runs away. It's obvious he's going off to cry somewhere. "Hahahahaha! That was so cool what you did to Alan! Can you teach me to do that?" Jenny asks. "Was your uncle really a serial killer?" Tommy asks. Before you can answer a bright flash followed by a loud noise in the distance grabs everyone's attention. A couple of the kids scream about their eyes, fortunately you weren't looking in the direction at the time, but it was still really bright. You then look to the west and in the far distance you see it. A mushroom cloud. You're not feeling any tremors or aftershocks, a wave of fire hasn't engulfed you, so you're guessing that it wasn't excessively close, maybe it was even a small one. Still, you can't help but wonder if you're in some sort of deadly radiation radius though. If so there isn't much that can done about it. "So...they finally went and did it." You say. Oddly you don't even feel any fear. You're a little anxious you suppose, but the events of this past week have probably helped in putting you in a "doomsday" mindset already. At this point several of the children huddle together a bit, a few run off to presumably find their parents. A couple of them are visibly crying. "Are we going to die soon?" Jenny asks. "Eventually perhaps, but not today." You answer. At this point you see several women running towards your direction presumably the mothers of these children (oddly you see no fathers, you don't know if that's because they're busy or none of these children have one). After the various mothers either scream at you for not looking after their child "properly" (Never mind the fact that they should have been doing it) or are actually pleasant and thank you while they calm down their child, you see Tina briskly approaching, she waves at you. "Hey blondie, we've got an important meeting. Your presence is required." Tina remarks. "Glad to see I'm being included in these major decisions unlike this morning." You say walking towards Tina. "Hey, you got to sleep in late and barely had to look after all these brats due to nukes, I'd say you got off easy as far as work is concerned." As you walk with Tina, you can already hear the shouting from the crowd gathering around Mel's trailer. "So how bad off are we?" you ask. "Well if Mel's cousin ends up helping on the food and water front, like Mel thinks he will, I suppose we'll be fine. Just need to travel up to his farm. Mel's thinking we'll probably still have to make another attempt into town though for shit. Might as well give you a heads up blondie, but I think you'll be going on one or the other of these trips today." Tina says. "Figured as much. Honestly, I think I'd rather do that than be a baby sitter." With Tina chuckling at your remark, you briefly think about your past life and realize it was just as well you enjoyed your "good girl" basement dwelling years as much as you did. If you'd actually done anything with your life, it would've likely been for naught anyway considering current events. You sort of wonder what happened to your siblings and even your ex-boyfriend. Are they all dead now? Are they alive? Do you even care at all? Not really, though you're pretty sure that you're going to beat the shit out of Donna if you ever see her again. You also wonder if you'll ever leave this place eventually since you can't really ever seeing yourself being "one of the crowd" here. Still, you'll have see how things play out. In any event, this is all stuff for a possible future and you'll worry about it then, right now you have to worry about surviving the day. > Trader of TRASH The Future... "So that Bobby guy was really your ex-boyfriend? He was fucking creepy." Jenny remarks as you drive away from the compound. "Yeah, well being head of a cult will do that I suppose. He wasn't quite as creepy when I met him though. In any case it's good that his sister Diana's not in the picture anymore. I guarantee if she was still alive, this little peace between us and the Cult of Tiamat wouldn't even be possible. Mel should be pleased about that." You say. "Yeah, we even got some good stuff from them. I'm surprised he gave us as much clean water as he did....you think he still likes you?" You laugh. "No, I'm fairly sure Tiamat is the only love of his life, with his sister Helen trailing behind, though maybe he did remember the good times we had together and decided to be generous with the supplies...or maybe this is all a trick and he actually poisoned the water with something hoping it'll kill everyone." "Oh shit! I didn't even think about that! You think so?!" Jenny remarks. "Nah, I'm just joking. I mean I suppose it IS possible, but that's not the cult's style. Besides, if Bobby DID do that, he most likely would've secretly warned me so I don't drink it at least." "So you think it's safe?" "I dunno. Doesn't matter anyway since I'm going to go trade it to New Security for their fizzy soda. Can't get that anywhere else and it's not like we need anymore water, we currently have a good supply." "See that's why I like coming on these runs with you. It's more interesting than just staying home listening to people argue all the time." Jenny remarks. "Hm, trust me if I could, I'd rather stay home all the time, but unfortunately that's not the way the world currently works that allows me to relive the days of my more carefree youth." You say. At this point Jenny asks you again about your "former life" but like you always tell her, there isn't much to it. You didn't do much, but you get the impression she's just fascinated by the fact that you went from your humble beginning to what you currently do now along with all your survival skills you've acquired. Maybe it's a bit inspiring for her, you don't know. Though sometimes when you think about it, it is a little impressive. "Hey you ever think about revisiting your old house just out of curiosity?" Jenny asks. "Actually when all the crazy shit in town died down and there weren't crazy cannibals running around everywhere, I did. I sort of made a detour there during one of my solo runs." "Really? I never heard about that." "Why would you? I never told anyone about it before. Anyway, I sort of went there partially out of curiosity, but also because my brother Ben built an underground shelter in the backyard of the place. Probably nothing the scale of one of those Ground Zero shelters like they used to annoyingly run ads for in the old days though." "Yes, but didn't you tell me your brother killed himself?" "Yeah, but knowing him, he probably still had that thing well stocked, so I figured it was worth a shot to look for. Unfortunately I looked and looked and looked in that backyard for hours and I couldn't find the fucking entrance. I don't know how the hell he moved it around and hid it like he did, but he did and like I said, I couldn't find it. Who knows? Maybe it's completely collapsed now anyway." "So nobody was squatting in your house?" "Not that I could tell. There were a couple times where I felt like someone else was there, but nobody ever showed up. While there were some signs of natural decay and some things had obviously been looted everything else was mostly intact. My own room was completely vandalized though. I mean it looked like someone even tried to set the place on fire and there was some graffiti with the usual vulgarity on the walls. Sort of weird really and I didn't stick around too long there. Guess it's like they say, you can't go home again." "Well you have a new home anyway." Jenny remarks. "Eh, I have a place to put my stuff and sleep, but I dunno if I'll ever feel at home at the trailer park. I mean I get along better with everyone there now than I did, but I still just don't fit in. The further I travel on these trading runs, I sometimes wonder if I shouldn't just strike out on my own. I certainly have horded enough shit to be a travelling trader if I wanted to." Jenny at this point gives you a concerned look. "But you wouldn't just suddenly leave like that would you?" You look back at Jenny and you think about telling her that you don't really have much attachment to where you live. It's not even your long lost basement that you once loved so much. You also think about telling her you have even less attachment to most of the people who live there. Sure some of them are okay, and some you even get along better with than you did with your own family, but it's not enough to keep you around. But then you think, maybe that isn't entirely true. Jenny is about the same age you were when Donna just suddenly abandoned you. You remember when that happened you were a bit numb. Some of it wasn't surprising, but nevertheless you did feel a great sense of betrayal due to believing you were building a new and stronger relationship with her at that time. You got over it pretty quickly mainly because there were so many other fires to put out at the time, but you didn't ever forget. Whatever happened to Donna you suppose you'll never know. Maybe she died, maybe she's living well. Who knows? What you do know is over the years Jenny has sort of followed you around mainly due to her own mother basically not giving a shit about her and then later dying in an explosion due to Dan's failed attempt to create a new "meth lab." You suppose she probably believes the pair of you have a bond too. Probably a bit more of misguided "hero worship" on her part and her ties to you are probably stronger than yours to her, but you aren't going to do what Donna did to you. "Nah, I just think about it sometimes that's all. I'm a bit too old to go traipsing across the nuclear wasteland, sleeping in a truck and worrying about fuel and the like on an everyday basis. However, if I ever do decide to leave, I'll be sure to let you know." You say. "So I could come with you?" "Yeah I suppose it would help to have someone watching my back if I was going to do it." "I think that would be great adventure! And I don't think you're too old. If my mom was still alive you'd only be like a couple years younger than her. In fact sometimes I think of you as my..." You tense up. You don't want to hear that... "Stop. Just stop right there Jenny. Don't even finish that sentence. I am NOT your mom." You say with a stern look. "I wasn't going to say that. I was going to say I sometimes think of you as my big sister that I never had." Jenny remarks. You cease being tense. "Oh. Well...okay. Yeah. I suppose that's okay. I guess in some ways you're like the younger sister I never had." You respond with a smile. "But you did have a younger sister." "Yeah and she was a slutty and ultimately selfish cunt. Like I said, you're the younger sister I NEVER had." With a couple of minor chuckles from you and Jenny about this comment, the pair of you begin speaking about various things as you drive to your next destination. You never imagined you'd wind up as a trader/scavenger for a trailer park community, but in the scheme of things it's not that bad of a life in this new harsh world.

No need to make this more dangerous than it needs to be. "Alright I guess we're going to the carnival." You say. "Good. be ready at the trailer park entrance in a few minutes. Someone there can probably hand you a weapon as well." When you arrive at your destination, a group of rednecks are already there checking various rifles and handguns. It really does look like they got enough to take on an army. Their attention turns to you. "Well now if it isn't blondie. I'm surprised Mel is riskin' his piece on the side like this." One of the sleazier rednecks says. "I know that's right Ray. If she was mine, I'd be wantin' to keep her safe." Another says. "Piece on the side? Is that what Mel told all of you?" you ask which is followed by a lot of snickering. "Not in so many words honey, but we ain't the idiots that he thinks we are. Why else would he tell us to lay off of ya if he wasn't stickin' ya? Sonofabitch already has Tina, don't see why he gets ta have TWO fine pieces of ass while some of us ain't got none." Ray remarks. "Could I have one of those rifles please?" you ask ignoring Ray's comments. Ray snorts at your request. "Don't think so blondie. Maybe you think yer warrior princess or some shit cause you got lucky shootin' a couple of those freaks, but I ain't impressed and you ain't getting any of these rifles. Here, take one of these instead. Should be more than enough for you seein' as all yer gonna be doin' is hidin behind Mel the whole time anyway." Ray says and hands you a smaller pistol. "Fine, I don't need a big weapon anyway. I don't have to over compensate for something." You say taking the pistol. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ray asks. "It means she's sayin' you probably got a small pecker Ray, now quit givin' the girl a hard time and let's all get goin'." Mel sudden remarks as he walks up with a couple more people. Ray doesn't say anything and just glares at you before leaving for one of the trucks. Everyone else does likewise. Predictably, you have no wish to ride with any of them, let alone in the back of one of the pickups with a bunch of them so you ride up front with Mel especially since you want to address something. As the trucks pull out from the trailer park, Mel fiddles with the radio, but he doesn't get anything except Ground Zero ads. "Goddamn Ground Zero shit. I'm tellin' you like I've said to everyone else, it's a fuckin' conspiracy goin' on with them. In fact all of this shit goin' on is government related." Mel says turning off the radio. "Yeah, probably. Hey Mel, is it really necessary for you to lie and tell everyone that we're having sex?" you ask. Mel starts chuckling a little bit. "Who said I did that?" Mel asked. "Well first of all a few days ago Tina flat out asked me if I had any intention of fucking you, and I had to clarify that I wasn't. She believed me, but she said you told her that I flirted with you. Then Ray just said that I was your piece on the side. Everyone else seems to believe that as well." You say. "Okay, first off I'll admit that I might've said you were flirtin' with me to Tina, but there was a good reason. We're just makin' up from one of our many bad fights and I figured it might be good to get her a little jealous. Y'know so she doesn't take me for granted and that she could possibly lose me if she isn't careful. Knowin' Tina she probably thought it was bullshit anyway, which is probably why she just flat out asked you as opposed to just clawing yer eyes out if she thought it was remotely true." "Well she did say that she didn't believe it." "Exactly. She knew a girl like you wouldn't be interested in someone like me. Still, it was a good gesture on my part to show her I still care." At this point you're not going to decipher hillbilly love life logic. You just continue to listen to Mel explain himself. "Now as for Ray an' the rest. All I told them is to lay off of you a little bit since you were new to the trailer park an' you were doin' your best to contribute. I really can't help it if everyone jumps to conclusions." "But you're not exactly dispelling those conclusions either." Mel laughs again. "Well, I suppose yer right about that, but think of it this way, if they all think you're my squeeze on the side, they're actually all less likely to try anything because they won't want to answer to me. I mean right now all they do is stare a lot and make the occasional cat call. Now I could tell them that we're really not doing anything, but after interactin' with Ray, do you really want him or some of the others sniffin' around on a regular basis?" "Ugh, I suppose not...just wish there was another way." "Man's world, blondie, deal with it." "Trust me, I am. I just don't like it." You and Mel continue to drive in relative silence until you get to the carnival destination. "This should be coming up to it soon." "Didn't even know there was a carnival nearby." "Yeah, set up shop I think last Saturday. Most of us from the trailer park went there earlier in the week. I didn't go mainly because I was too busy fightin' with Tina at the time and I didn't wanna run into any clowns. Hate those creepy fuckers." Me; "Really? I always liked clowns. I even briefly thought about wanting to be one when I was little. Oh well, guess that will always be the dream." You say causing Mel to give you a look like you just creeped him out a little. You drive up to the carnival, which looks like it was in the middle of being packed down, but other events got in the way and given the ones you suffered, you can sort of imagine what those were. The place looks like a warzone and there are several bodies lying on the ground "Looks like I was right, the Guard was here." Mel says pointing to a military truck near a dilapidated tent. "Don't think they're still in charge here either." You say. In the distance you see a few small figures near a large tent and then they run into it when they see you pull up. "Well looks like whoever is still in charge here is going to be meetin' us real soon." Mel says and stops the truck. The other trucks following stop as well. You see several people now step out of the big tent. Some of them are armed, but then again so is your side. "Get ready, but stay in the truck. I'm gonna actually try to handle this without a gunfight, but I'm not hopeful about that." Mel remarks and gets out of the truck. You see him motioning and shouting to the rest to hold fire and then he addresses the carnie crowd who seem to mostly consist of midgets and the main one addressing Mel is dressed in clown clothing, though he doesn't seem to be wearing the makeup. "It's okay, it's okay. Ain't nobody lookin' for a fight." Mel says. "Doesn't look that way, given that you've come with three trucks full of armed men." The midget clown says. "Heh, well I'm sure given your own heightened state of awareness, you know things are getting' dangerous nowadays. Anyway my name's Mel, I'm guessin' since you're the one talkin' you're in charge here. Ringmaster or something like that?" "Look, we don't want any trouble." "And you won't get any trouble. You...uh...got some military gear here too I see. That truck over there." "Yeah, what of it?" "Oh nothing, but that brings about the question of where are the guardsmen...heh yeah they tried to tell us what to do too. Didn't work out so well. The second amendment says you got the right to pack it after all. Government can't just do what they want." At this point more people come out of the tent, which in turn makes more people get out of their trucks. You get out too, though you're taking cover behind the door. Your people and the carnies are both starting to eye each other waiting for someone to fire a shot. "Look let me cut to the chase shorty. I'm assumin' you might know by now what's been happenin' back in town. Besides the government tryin' to pull their shit, there's a bunch of freaks runnin' around tryin' to eat people. A bunch of them attacked us last night and while we fought them off, some of us got badly hurt and are in need of medical supplies. Now of course we did try goin' into town first, but was just too fucked up there an' we didn't make much head way what with the freaks AND the guard all over the damn place. Then it occurred to me today that your circus might still be around and the National Guard probably would've been here as well so we decided to investigate. Now the group of weekend warriors at the trailer park had shit for medical supplies. So I'm hoping your detachment had more in that department." "We ain't got anything! Just go away or we'll open fire!" the midget clown says. Mel isn't convinced and in any case he has no intention of backing down now. "Now you might get a few of us, but I'm bettin, most of us are better shots than y'all, so if you give us what medicine supplies you do have we'll leave here in peace, if not well..." While Mel is probably doing the best he can in trying to resolve this without a gun battle, but you know how this is going to go down. It's just been that sort of week. Suddenly someone fires a shot and then another from one side and then it's a full-blown shoot out. (You mainly hide behind the truck, firing every once in a while) The carnies aren't holding back, but your side does indeed have much better aim and midgets are falling like flies until they all fall back into the big tent again. After some more shooting which is completely one sided now, Mel calls a halt to it. "We can fire all day into that big tent, but we can't be sure if we're actually hitting anyone since we ain't got x-ray vision an' I don't want us wastin' anymore ammo. We gotta do something else." Mel says. "Why don't we just throw grenades at it? We got some from the Guard that was fuckin' with us." Ray asks. "Because they might have medical supplies in there ya idiot. We start blowin shit up, an it defeats the whole purpose of the trip. I think we need to spread out an creep up then just rush in." Mel says. "So your solution is to go in there like a SWAT team an' possibly get our asses shot off? Fuck that. I'm blowin' that motherfucker up." At this point Ray and a couple others look and nod at each other and start heading towards the big tent with grenades in their hand. Mel tells them to stop, but his orders are ignored and met with a couple of swear laden sentences of being tired of him always telling them what to do. Mel is visibly angry; though you're surprised he isn't doing more to stop them from disobeying his orders. As much as Mel isn't exactly your favorite person, you'd hate to see this as the first sign of a "change in leadership." Especially if it's going to be Ray. > You shoot at Ray You'll be damned if you're going to let this spiral into a power struggle with the possibility that Ray could be in charge. If Mel isn't going to do anything about it, you sure as hell will if only to assert that you aren't someone to be fucked with. Ray and his buddies approach the tent and you shoot Ray square in the back. He howls and slumps to the ground. Ray's buddies at this point believe themselves to be under attack and react accordingly. One wisely runs for cover and returns fire, while another foolishly fumbles with his grenade still out in the open. Mel shouts at you, but everyone is now shooting. Most are shooting at Ray's buddies, but the carnies are now taking advantage of the minor infighting your side is experiencing and have come back out to fire upon everyone again. The one fumbling with the grenade gets hit several times, but not before he throws the grenade in your direction. You run away from the truck that you were taking cover by, but in the crossfire you're hit in the leg. You fall to the ground and try to crawl away from the grenade. You don't get far though and it goes off destroying the truck. You would've survived this since you were far enough away to only lose most of your hearing from the blast. What you don't survive is the flying piece metal from the truck that hits you when the grenade exploded. With a hot piece of twisted metal embedded in your skull, your struggle is over.

"HEY BLONDIE! GET YER ASS UP!" you hear as someone pounds on the door waking you up. It sounds like Mel, but at least it isn't those awful Ground Zero commercials. You groggily get up and through bleary eyes you see that it's actually still morning. You haven't been up this early in a long time...and it's a horrible thing. You hear more banging and yelling causing you to respond in kind. "Alright! Alright! Goddamnit, I'm up! I'm up!" you say and go to the door. "What?!" you ask though Mel doesn't look too happy that you're even asking that question. "What? Whadda ya mean what? Yer fuckin' sister and that cowardly motherfucker Jimmy Ray just skedaddled outta here with a perfectly good truck that was also actin as a temporary barrier! That's what!" This remark isn't quite comprehended by you in your current groggy state. "My sister fucked Jimmy Ray in his truck and what?" you say. "Jesus fuckin'...I said...bah, I'm not fuckin' repeatin' myself! Shit!" Mel shouts and walks away banging on the door one more time. You briefly step outside and see Tina standing nearby. "I'm guessin' you didn't know nothin' about it anyway considering you're still here." Tina remarks. "Okay, someone tell me again what happened? What about my sister and Jimmy Ray now?" "Apparently your sister convinced Jimmy Ray to leave this place in the middle of the night. Guess she really laid it down good, but then Jimmy Ray's always had a tendency to get stupid over a gal who knows how to work it." "Wait. Wait. Wait a minute she's gone?!" "Yeah, she's fuckin' gone with a perfectly good truck! I actually don't even give a shit about Jimmy Ray, he was more useless than tits on bull, but we could've used that fuckin' truck for..." Mel says. "Oh for fuck's sake Mel, we got a shitload of trucks here and aren't you converting those army trucks into some sort of road warrior deathmobile anyway?" "Yeah, but it's the fuckin' principle of the thing! Not to mention we still gotta find some medical supplies! Goddamnit, Dan was supposed to be keepin' a look out and..." You leave Mel to rant and head back inside trying to process this new information. You can't believe that Donna would just leave you like that. There was no indication she was going to just take off like that. You check her bedroom and see that her bag is gone. You don't know if she took that just after you fell asleep, or if she came back for it before leaving or what. Was she planning it right from the start or did she just see the opportunity? None of it matters you suppose, she just ditched you and didn't even have the courtesy to let you know. So much for "sisterhood." While you're thinking about this, someone enters the trailer and calls out to you. It's Tina. "Oh there you are. I'm guessing you're pretty upset right now, but I found this in Jimmy's trailer. Figured you should have it." Tina says and hands you a note. Dear Suzy, Sorry, I just couldn't stick around. Good luck to you in this shithole. Sincerely, Donna You actually chuckle a bit and crumple up the note. "What's so funny." Tina asks. "Oh just thinking that she was the one that convinced me to come here in the first place. Anyway, it's done and she's gone. We were never really close to begin with, though I thought that was sort of changing this week, but I guess not. Still, at least it felt like someone was on my side. I imagine I'm not too well accepted around here." "Meh, I think you're about as accepted as anyone else around here. I mean I think the general assessment of you is that you're a big tease that thinks she's better than everyone else, but I mean its not like you're a nigger or something." Tina remarks. You give Tina a strange look. "Um, lucky me then I guess. Just out of curiosity what do you think about Donna leaving? She kept going on about how you two were friends." You say. "Me? Eh, I don't really care. I mean I knew your sister on and off for a few years when I use to do strip jobs over at the parties at the place she was livin' at before. An while she was a funny girl that made that particular job a lot more enjoyable, so I didn't mind helping her out with a job when she asked, but it wasn't like I ever considered her a real friend. Hell, I didn't even know she had a sister until a few days ago. Anyway, always knew she was flakey. To be honest I didn't even see her lasting long as a stripper and living here either. She probably would've latched on to first sugar daddy she could find and ditched everything." "Sounds about right." You say and toss aside the note. "Well I'll leave you alone blondie. And I wouldn't worry about your status here or lack there of. Quite frankly so many folks here have died or are wounded that nobody's really in any position to antagonize someone who actually has been making an effort to contribute around here. Speakin' of which I need to go talk to this crazy man that's probably still ranting about a fuckin' truck." Tina says and leaves. You take a shower as you're thinking about how you're going to proceed next. You go back and forth on whether to do what your sister did, but knowing your luck, you'd end up getting caught so you ultimately abandon the idea. As you're getting dressed and figuring out what your next plan of action should be, you suddenly hear banging on the door of your trailer again. You go to the door and see it's that methhead Dan. "Hey blondie! You're needed for a vote!" Dan exclaims. "Vote? Vote for what?" you ask. "We need a tie breaker to shoot the ones that got bitten or not. Billy Ray in particular ain't lookin' too good." Dan remarks. "So what are we doin' if we don't shoot 'em?" "Guess we're goin' back to town to try for medical supplies again. If that's the case, I hope we have better luck, cause it was a cluster fuck last time." Dan says. As you walk with Dan, he's looking at you a lot and while some of that is predictable ogling, he's also doing a lot of twitching and it's making you nervous. "Dan, I know you have to take a glance at me every now and then, but between the staring and the twitching it's making me uncomfortable. Makes me think of those things that attacked us yesterday. It doesn't help that you're about as clean as they were too." You say. "Oh. Sorry blondie. I just...I need a fuckin' fix. Just to put me at ease. The shit that's been going down for the past couple of days has really made me scared y'know? I went through most of my shit after the National Guard showed up and then I used the rest up immediately after the freak invasion." "So where's the meth lab? Don't places like this usually have one?" you ask. "Hah, I wish. I mean we used to have one years ago, but it blew up and caused a lot of damage. After that, the old owner sort of cracked down on that sort of thing." "Well there's no law anymore, you could just start making it again." "Hah, yeah. But again with everythin' that's gone on, isn't like there's been time to do that. Not to mention Mel's been ridin' everyone non-stop. He's already pissed at me for fallin' asleep yesterday. I didn't catch Jimmy Ray an' yer sister taking off in the night. Guess he figured if anyone would stay awake all night it would be me, but I just sort of crashed because like I said I didn't have my shit anymore to keep me alert." "Yeah, well it's tough all over." You say unsympathetically. Before you even get to the meeting, you can hear the arguing, which is mainly consisting of a lot of shouting and swearing. By the time you arrive, you're met with mixed glances. "These are our friends, we can't just fuckin' kill them!" "We need to fuckin' kill 'em before they infect us all!" "You're one cold hearted sonofbitch you know that? What if I just decided to kill you?!" "Try it bitch!" "SHUT THE FUCK UP ALL OF YOU!" Mel shouts. At this point all eyes are on you. "As you can see blondie, we're involved in the democratic process and are in need of a tie breaker." Mel says to you. "Aw Mel what the fuck we need her vote for? She ain't one of us and her sister fucking stole a truck!" some redneck woman says. "I said shut it! The only reason why I even entertained this process is so you fuckers would quit bitchin' about me bein' a so-called tyrant even though I'm the only one around he trying to do anything at all! So however blondie votes, will break the goddamn tie and we can move on. So what's your vote?" Not that you're especially close to any of these people, but if you vote to shoot you know it's going to cause a lot more problems and you being an "outsider" are going to catch all the hell for it. Besides, last you remember Mel was trying to keep these folks alive, best you vote on his side. "Well I vote not to shoot because..." you start to say before Mel interrupts again. "That's all I need to know. Didn't need the reasons. Hear that folks? We ain't shootin' any of them! I dunno why you pussies are scared anyway, we got 'em all locked up and barricaded inside a trailer. They ain't getting out even if they do turn into something." At this point there is more grumbling, but democracy has won this day and nobody gets violent about it, though you have a question. "Um, has anyone actually looked in on these bitten folks since they got thrown in together?" you ask. "Yeah, I did. Like I said, Billy Ray ain't lookin' too good. Neither are some of the others. They're all mostly just lying there not doing much though." Dan says. "Well was any first aid actually applied to them? I mean maybe they're not infected, but just really wounded. Any aid might help." "I threw in some bottles of whiskey an' pain killers to ease the discomfort. I threw in some bandages in there, but I wasn't gonna get close enough to actually bandage them." Dan replies. "And that's it? Nobody else has seen to them since they've been shoved in a trailer?" "Nope." This is nuts, these people that have been bitten could very well be DYING due to neglect more than anything else! Nevermind the fact that the reason some might not be moving is that they might've very well ODed from the alcohol/pill combo. In any event Mel breaks up your question period. "Alright what we're gonna do is fetch us some more medical supplies an whatever else we might find. Thinkin' we should hit up that carnival a few miles from here." Mel remarks which sort of takes most by surprise. You especially since you weren't even aware there was a carnival in the area. "If the National Guard stopped here, chances are good they stopped at that carnival too. Maybe that detachment had more supplies and I also figure it's gotta be easier than tryin' to go back into town again." Mel reasons. Mel's suggestion is met with mixed results, but the people seem to be okay with it. Probably because a carnival does sound a lot less dangerous than going back into town, which they assumed would be the case. "Okay, we're taking three trucks an' y'all that came with me last time are comin' with me this time as well an I'll be pickin' a few more so don't nobody go too far. That means you blondie." "Wouldn't it be better if I stayed here and looked after things? I mean you don't want to leave this place totally undefended." You say. "Oh it never is. I'm sure you saw that everyone is fully capable of defendin' themselves here when those freaks attacked. But I can't just be takin' mothers ya know? I mean it's bad enough most of the snot nosed bastards round here that survived ain't got fathers and that's before all this shit went down. Can't hardly deprive 'em of mothers as well can I? Someone needs to keep 'em out of my way and look after them." "Well isn't someone like Butchie Billie better suited for something like this than me?" "Butchie Billie is probably our best welder and mechanic. I'm not gonna risk taking her. Besides, she still needs to work on converting our newly acquired army trucks. And some of the other guys I'm not takin' are better at workin' on the generators or digging some extra outhouses." "I don't have a weapon or least not any with ammo. I ran out of bullets during the last attack." You say. "Oh don't worry about that, if there is one thing we've got a lot of, its weapons and ammo." As you struggle to think up another excuse. Mel stops you. "Look blondie, you knew you were gonna have to start paying yer dues. And since I KNOW you were tryin' to avoid bein the new fuck toy around here, it's either this or you can just fuckin' leave." You don't see yourself making it on your own...at least not yet. You still need to be in the safety of numbers, so that means you're going. However you question if Mel's plan is even a good one. You could very well get to this carnival and not find anything, you sort of wonder if it wouldn't be a better idea to actually head back to town. You figure the town is probably already half looted and lawless by now, so you might well go in and get the best stuff you can before its completely gone. Not to mention you might know the town a little better as far as which side streets to take to get to certain locations quicker. Like say small pharmacies and other stores near where you live. Of course putting yourself in more danger isn't necessarily desirable either. > Suggest going back to town If you're going to risk your life, it might as well be worth it and you're not seeing a carnival as being worth it. "I'm more than willing to be a productive member of this community, and far be it from me to question your orders Mel, but I don't think the carnival is the right way to go. Assuming the carnies didn't already pull up stakes and assuming the military even bothered to send a detachment to a carnival, I can't believe that the detachment would've been any better supplied than the one sent here." "So what are you saying exactly, blondie?" "I'm saying that it would be a better plan to go back into town. I know my area alone has a couple of pharmacies and even a grocery store. I could easily direct you to them." "Town? That was a clusterfuck the last time we tried that! Besides, how do we know those places haven't already been looted?" "It's a risk, but I believe if you want a better chance at getting medicine and medical supplies, it would be better bet to go back into town. You're better equipped and prepared for what to expect in town now too. It's up to you though, you're in charge after all." You say. Mel looks at you and then looks at Tina. "Don't look at me. I voted to shoot them." Tina remarks. "Yeah, yeah, you're never fuckin' supportive. (Sigh) Fuck it. You make a good point blondie. We'll head back into town, nobody's gonna like it, but like I said, fuck it. You go head over to the entrance, I'll be over there soon." As you're about to go over to the trucks by the entrance, Tina grabs a hold of your arm with a semi-forceful grip. You spin around and see that her face isn't one of friendliness. "So, you managed to change Mel's mind. Pretty impressive. I have a hard time doing that at the best of times. Maybe he is fuckin' ya." Tina says. "What?! Tina I swear I'm not doing anything with Mel!" you exclaim. "Oh no, I don't think you are, but you're not exactly adverse to usin' yer natural attractiveness to get yer way. Yer doin' it to keep the rest of the slugs off of ya. I get it, but if Mel does some fool thing because it was his idea, I can handle that. He does it on a regular basis. Hell, if he does some fool thing cause one of his drinkin' buddies thought it was a good idea, I can handle that as well since it doesn't even happen that often and he usually realizes it before it gets too out of hand. However, Mel goin' to do some fool thing because some tease fluttered her eyes at him is something else entirely. "Tina, I..." "Shut the fuck up blondie, fore I pull that pretty golden hair from your head by the roots. Now listen to me close, this is the LAST time you EVER influence Mel to do something ever again. Got it?" While you've certainly "toughened up" this week and Tina's actually shorter than you, but even now you doubt that you'd be able to physically take a trailer park girl like her that's probably gotten into more fist fights than the number of years you've been alive. "Got it." You meekly say. Tina doesn't even acknowledge your compliance; she just shoulder shoves you out of the way when she heads back to her trailer. With that unpleasantness out of the way, you head over to the trucks. When you arrive at your destination, a group of rednecks are already there checking various rifles and handguns. It really does look like they got enough to take on an army. "Well now if it isn't blondie. I'm surprised Mel is riskin' his piece on the side like this." One of the sleazier rednecks says. "I know that's right Ray. If she was mine, I'd be wantin' to keep her safe." Another says. "Piece on the side? Is that what Mel told all of you?" you ask which is followed by a lot of snickering. "Not in so many words honey, but we ain't the idiots that he thinks we are. Why else would he tell us to lay off of ya if he wasn't stickin' ya? Sonofabitch already has Tina, don't see why he gets ta have TWO fine pieces of ass while some of us ain't got none." Ray remarks. "Nothing is going on between Mel and I." you say. "Oh? Is that right blondie? Well how about you get something going on right HERE!" Ray remarks while grabbing his crotch causing everyone to laugh. "Sorry, I'm not a lesbian and I don't eat pussy." You remark dryly. Your insult doesn't quite sink in immediately, though Ray gets the idea he has been insulted. "What the hell's that mean?" Ray demands. "It means she doesn't think you got a dick and that you ain't a man. Something we all knew a long time ago Ray, not stop givin' the girl grief and hand her a pistol." Mel suddenly says as he walks up with a few more people behind him. After Ray grudgingly hands you a pistol and then Mel breaks the bad news to everyone that they're heading back into town. There is predictably a lot of protesting and grumbling, but after shouting everyone down everyone complies with Mel's orders. Everyone gets in their vehicles and you ride up front in Mel's pick up truck. As the trucks pull out from the trailer park, Mel fiddles with the radio, but he doesn't get anything except Ground Zero ads. "Goddamn Ground Zero shit. I'm tellin' you like I've said to everyone else, it's a fuckin' conspiracy goin' on with them. In fact all of this shit goin' on is government related." Mel says turning off the radio. The rest of your drive to town is mostly a quiet one. Mel doesn't bother speaking to you and you're a little too pre-occupied by what you're going to do about your current situation because between the incident with Tina and the one with Ray you can't help but think that you're never going to fit in or be comfortable there. Your sister might've just ditched you, but you're starting to think she had the right idea about leaving. When you do finally get to town it's predictably a warzone. A war in which it appears the military did NOT win. You see overturned vehicles, dead bodies and destruction, but there is no semblance of organized order anywhere. The only thing that is "organized" are the cannibal freaks and there are large groups of them roving the streets or already feasting on the dead. They naturally start attacking whenever your group drives through an infested area. Shooting and running them over becomes the order of the day as you direct Mel to the best way to get to your own neighborhood area. When you finally do get to your area, the number of freaks severely decreases. It's sort of odd, but where you lived seems relatively safe. There are still signs of devastation here and there are certainly dead bodies to be seen, but so far it's a lot safer than the rest of the town. "Guess the military cleaned up this area, before they got their asses kicked. How much further is our destination?" Mel asks. "Just make a left up here and you'll be there." You remark. Following your directions Mel makes a turn and then pulls into the parking lot of what looks to be a completely deserted pharmacy with a few broken windows. The other two trucks park nearby. The pharmacy across the street looks deserted as well. No telling what's inside either of them, but you sort of get the impression the noise of the vehicles would've attracted freak attention if any were lurking about. "Where's the grocery store?" Mel asks. "That's a few blocks up the street." You reply. "Okay guess it's time to tell everyone the next phase of this plan." Mel gets out of the truck and calls attention to everyone. "Alright, we got three locations to search, which is good because there are three big groups of us. I'm gonna search this pharmacy. Ray, you go search the one across the street. Dan, your group can get back in your truck and search the grocery store up the block." Mel says. "What? Aw Mel, why I gotta drive all that way?" "Goddamnit Dan it ain't that fuckin' far! Just fuckin' do it! Besides, I know you. If you're searching one of these pharmacies, your junkies ass is gonna pocket all the med for yourself and claim you didn't find anything." While Dan is in the middle of protesting, you're coming to the conclusion of your earlier thoughts on the ride over here. Namely, you're tired of this group and you're going to risk going it alone. You figure you're already close to your house, you could probably sneak away and head there for temporary relief to plan your next move. Though if you went with Dan you'd be even closer to your home. When Mel finishes ordering everyone about, you go up to talk to him. "Hey Mel, I think I should go with Dan." "Huh? What the fuck you wanna go with that junkie asshole for?" "Well grocery stores do tend to carry a small supply of medicine too, I figure I can keep an eye on him if he decides to not be in a sharing mood." "Hmm, good point blondie...hey Dan! Don't go yet, blondie's comin' with ya so make room in the front!" Mel shouts before Dan pulls away. You hop into Dan's truck and you're soon on your way though Dan's attention is half on the road and half on you. "Sort of surprised you wanted to come with me blondie." He says scratching himself. "Well, Mel doesn't entirely trust you. He thinks if you find any medicine in the grocery store, you'll just keep it for yourself. So he's sent me to keep an eye on you." "Oh." Dan says. "Don't worry Dan, I'm not gonna rat you out if you take some things for personal use. I know it's not really your fault and that you're just sick." You say in an empathetic tone. Dan smiles at you revealing his horrible dental conditions. "See that's what I've told people before! I'm glad you understand darlin'. I mean I've really tried to quit before, but..." At this point Dan goes on with his pathetic sob story about how he's tried to kick his drug habit, but you're not really listening. Your thoughts of escaping these ignorant redneck assholes are filling your mind. When you get to your destination, the grocery store is in much the same condition as the pharmacies were. Dan, you and the rest get out of the vehicle. "Seems like this place could be clear, but keep alert anyway. Could be somethin' as big as a Butchie Billie, or it could be as small as Wade's dick!" Dan laughs causing Wade to swear at Dan and others to chuckle. Still set on your plan of escape, you think about how you're going to do it. The easiest way would be to just sneak away at the earliest opportunity and run home. You're fairly confident you could do it. Of course you're also wondering if you shouldn't just get away from these assholes, but the whole forsaken town in general. Staying here even in the "safety" of your home still isn't going to eliminate the problem that you're going to be located in cannibal central. Of course if you want to leave town the safest way to do that is by vehicle which means you're going to have to engage in the riskier endeavor of stealing Dan's keys. > You sneak away You're likely going to get shot or worse if you try to steal the keys or the truck. There are too many rednecks around and they're probably better with their weapons than you are. It'll be much easier to just sneak away. At best they might call out and search for you, but eventually Mel or their own common sense will tell them that you aren't worth risking their lives sticking around for. Your group goes into the grocery store, which must still have on some sort of emergency lighting where upon everyone begins to carefully search the place. While there has been some looting and even signs of fighting that went on here, the place is in better shape than anyone thought. You grab one of the hand baskets and gradually start distancing yourself from the rest. You start loading up on some nearby cans, which you aren't really paying much attention to since you're more focused on what the other members of your group are doing. When you see that you're far enough away from them and they seem preoccupied with other things, you take the opportunity to head back outside. Still making the effort to not look suspicious just in case, you put the handbasket into the bed of the pick up truck and then when you're sure nobody is watching that's when you run. You run from the grocery store and don't even look back. You half expect to hear some shouting telling you to stop, but you don't hear any. When you get far enough away you keep a quick pace, but slow down a bit since you're losing you're breath. You're really going to have to get used to exercising on a regular basis to boost the endurance you think. The one thing that sticks out as you're walking through your neighborhood is how eerily quiet it is. You still see signs of destruction and even dead bodies, but you're not seeing a living soul. On one hand it's great that you aren't being assaulted by cannibal freaks, but on the other hand it makes you wonder what the hell happened in your neighborhood to result in it being such a ghost area. At this point you're worried that maybe somebody hidden is watching you. Despite all your concerns, nothing attacks or otherwise hinders you by the time you get home. You're anxious to get in as well. You know it's only going to be a temporary respite, but at least you'll get a bit of peace while you ponder what to do next. Maybe you can look for that hidden shelter your brother built in the backyard. As your tired feet hit heavily on each front step, you briefly wonder if either of your siblings are home. Peter's car isn't in the driveway, but then you did leave it at Julie's. If he's still here, you suppose you'll have to explain what happened on that front. Kelly's vehicle isn't here either, so maybe your home has been abandoned. The front door of course is predictably locked, but fortunately you still have your key to it in one of your pockets. It's amazing how you instinctively put it in there despite you not really ever expecting to come back here. You open the front door and find that your home has not been abandoned, you also see your sister Kelly standing front of you holding a shotgun. "I heard you clomping out there on the steps. Figured you might be one of those psychos or something. Didn't expect to see you though. While I'm a little impressed that you obviously managed to survive this fucking chaos, you never should've come back here sis. I told you before this is MY house." Kelly says. Your eyes widen as she aims the shotgun at you. "Kelly, I'll just...go...okay?" you say holding your hands up and start to back up. "Now Suzy...what sort of big sister would I be if I let you stay out there to potentially get raped, killed or eaten? You underestimate my mercy." Kelly says with a smile and that's when you know this is going to end badly for you. You attempt to go for your pistol, but Kelly already has the advantage. Kelly fires and a slug hit your chest, shattering bones and vital internal organs like your heart. Your lifeless body flies backwards off the porch and onto the concrete walkway.

If you're going to risk your life, it might as well be worth it and you're not seeing a carnival as being worth it. "I'm more than willing to be a productive member of this community, and far be it from me to question your orders Mel, but I don't think the carnival is the right way to go. Assuming the carnies didn't already pull up stakes and assuming the military even bothered to send a detachment to a carnival, I can't believe that the detachment would've been any better supplied than the one sent here." "So what are you saying exactly, blondie?" "I'm saying that it would be a better plan to go back into town. I know my area alone has a couple of pharmacies and even a grocery store. I could easily direct you to them." "Town? That was a clusterfuck the last time we tried that! Besides, how do we know those places haven't already been looted?" "It's a risk, but I believe if you want a better chance at getting medicine and medical supplies, it would be better bet to go back into town. You're better equipped and prepared for what to expect in town now too. It's up to you though, you're in charge after all." You say. Mel looks at you and then looks at Tina. "Don't look at me. I voted to shoot them." Tina remarks. "Yeah, yeah, you're never fuckin' supportive. (Sigh) Fuck it. You make a good point blondie. We'll head back into town, nobody's gonna like it, but like I said, fuck it. You go head over to the entrance, I'll be over there soon." As you're about to go over to the trucks by the entrance, Tina grabs a hold of your arm with a semi-forceful grip. You spin around and see that her face isn't one of friendliness. "So, you managed to change Mel's mind. Pretty impressive. I have a hard time doing that at the best of times. Maybe he is fuckin' ya." Tina says. "What?! Tina I swear I'm not doing anything with Mel!" you exclaim. "Oh no, I don't think you are, but you're not exactly adverse to usin' yer natural attractiveness to get yer way. Yer doin' it to keep the rest of the slugs off of ya. I get it, but if Mel does some fool thing because it was his idea, I can handle that. He does it on a regular basis. Hell, if he does some fool thing cause one of his drinkin' buddies thought it was a good idea, I can handle that as well since it doesn't even happen that often and he usually realizes it before it gets too out of hand. However, Mel goin' to do some fool thing because some tease fluttered her eyes at him is something else entirely. "Tina, I..." "Shut the fuck up blondie, fore I pull that pretty golden hair from your head by the roots. Now listen to me close, this is the LAST time you EVER influence Mel to do something ever again. Got it?" While you've certainly "toughened up" this week and Tina's actually shorter than you, but even now you doubt that you'd be able to physically take a trailer park girl like her that's probably gotten into more fist fights than the number of years you've been alive. "Got it." You meekly say. Tina doesn't even acknowledge your compliance; she just shoulder shoves you out of the way when she heads back to her trailer. With that unpleasantness out of the way, you head over to the trucks. When you arrive at your destination, a group of rednecks are already there checking various rifles and handguns. It really does look like they got enough to take on an army. "Well now if it isn't blondie. I'm surprised Mel is riskin' his piece on the side like this." One of the sleazier rednecks says. "I know that's right Ray. If she was mine, I'd be wantin' to keep her safe." Another says. "Piece on the side? Is that what Mel told all of you?" you ask which is followed by a lot of snickering. "Not in so many words honey, but we ain't the idiots that he thinks we are. Why else would he tell us to lay off of ya if he wasn't stickin' ya? Sonofabitch already has Tina, don't see why he gets ta have TWO fine pieces of ass while some of us ain't got none." Ray remarks. "Nothing is going on between Mel and I." you say. "Oh? Is that right blondie? Well how about you get something going on right HERE!" Ray remarks while grabbing his crotch causing everyone to laugh. "Sorry, I'm not a lesbian and I don't eat pussy." You remark dryly. Your insult doesn't quite sink in immediately, though Ray gets the idea he has been insulted. "What the hell's that mean?" Ray demands. "It means she doesn't think you got a dick and that you ain't a man. Something we all knew a long time ago Ray, not stop givin' the girl grief and hand her a pistol." Mel suddenly says as he walks up with a few more people behind him. After Ray grudgingly hands you a pistol and then Mel breaks the bad news to everyone that they're heading back into town. There is predictably a lot of protesting and grumbling, but after shouting everyone down everyone complies with Mel's orders. Everyone gets in their vehicles and you ride up front in Mel's pick up truck. As the trucks pull out from the trailer park, Mel fiddles with the radio, but he doesn't get anything except Ground Zero ads. "Goddamn Ground Zero shit. I'm tellin' you like I've said to everyone else, it's a fuckin' conspiracy goin' on with them. In fact all of this shit goin' on is government related." Mel says turning off the radio. The rest of your drive to town is mostly a quiet one. Mel doesn't bother speaking to you and you're a little too pre-occupied by what you're going to do about your current situation because between the incident with Tina and the one with Ray you can't help but think that you're never going to fit in or be comfortable there. Your sister might've just ditched you, but you're starting to think she had the right idea about leaving. When you do finally get to town it's predictably a warzone. A war in which it appears the military did NOT win. You see overturned vehicles, dead bodies and destruction, but there is no semblance of organized order anywhere. The only thing that is "organized" are the cannibal freaks and there are large groups of them roving the streets or already feasting on the dead. They naturally start attacking whenever your group drives through an infested area. Shooting and running them over becomes the order of the day as you direct Mel to the best way to get to your own neighborhood area. When you finally do get to your area, the number of freaks severely decreases. It's sort of odd, but where you lived seems relatively safe. There are still signs of devastation here and there are certainly dead bodies to be seen, but so far it's a lot safer than the rest of the town. "Guess the military cleaned up this area, before they got their asses kicked. How much further is our destination?" Mel asks. "Just make a left up here and you'll be there." You remark. Following your directions Mel makes a turn and then pulls into the parking lot of what looks to be a completely deserted pharmacy with a few broken windows. The other two trucks park nearby. The pharmacy across the street looks deserted as well. No telling what's inside either of them, but you sort of get the impression the noise of the vehicles would've attracted freak attention if any were lurking about. "Where's the grocery store?" Mel asks. "That's a few blocks up the street." You reply. "Okay guess it's time to tell everyone the next phase of this plan." Mel gets out of the truck and calls attention to everyone. "Alright, we got three locations to search, which is good because there are three big groups of us. I'm gonna search this pharmacy. Ray, you go search the one across the street. Dan, your group can get back in your truck and search the grocery store up the block." Mel says. "What? Aw Mel, why I gotta drive all that way?" "Goddamnit Dan it ain't that fuckin' far! Just fuckin' do it! Besides, I know you. If you're searching one of these pharmacies, your junkies ass is gonna pocket all the med for yourself and claim you didn't find anything." While Dan is in the middle of protesting, you're coming to the conclusion of your earlier thoughts on the ride over here. Namely, you're tired of this group and you're going to risk going it alone. You figure you're already close to your house, you could probably sneak away and head there for temporary relief to plan your next move. Though if you went with Dan you'd be even closer to your home. When Mel finishes ordering everyone about, you go up to talk to him. "Hey Mel, I think I should go with Dan." "Huh? What the fuck you wanna go with that junkie asshole for?" "Well grocery stores do tend to carry a small supply of medicine too, I figure I can keep an eye on him if he decides to not be in a sharing mood." "Hmm, good point blondie...hey Dan! Don't go yet, blondie's comin' with ya so make room in the front!" Mel shouts before Dan pulls away. You hop into Dan's truck and you're soon on your way though Dan's attention is half on the road and half on you. "Sort of surprised you wanted to come with me blondie." He says scratching himself. "Well, Mel doesn't entirely trust you. He thinks if you find any medicine in the grocery store, you'll just keep it for yourself. So he's sent me to keep an eye on you." "Oh." Dan says. "Don't worry Dan, I'm not gonna rat you out if you take some things for personal use. I know it's not really your fault and that you're just sick." You say in an empathetic tone. Dan smiles at you revealing his horrible dental conditions. "See that's what I've told people before! I'm glad you understand darlin'. I mean I've really tried to quit before, but..." At this point Dan goes on with his pathetic sob story about how he's tried to kick his drug habit, but you're not really listening. Your thoughts of escaping these ignorant redneck assholes are filling your mind. When you get to your destination, the grocery store is in much the same condition as the pharmacies were. Dan, you and the rest get out of the vehicle. "Seems like this place could be clear, but keep alert anyway. Could be somethin' as big as a Butchie Billie, or it could be as small as Wade's dick!" Dan laughs causing Wade to swear at Dan and others to chuckle. Still set on your plan of escape, you think about how you're going to do it. The easiest way would be to just sneak away at the earliest opportunity and run home. You're fairly confident you could do it. Of course you're also wondering if you shouldn't just get away from these assholes, but the whole forsaken town in general. Staying here even in the "safety" of your home still isn't going to eliminate the problem that you're going to be located in cannibal central. Of course if you want to leave town the safest way to do that is by vehicle which means you're going to have to engage in the riskier endeavor of stealing Dan's keys. > You steal Dan's keys If you're going to escape, you might as well escape it all. You can worry about what comes after later. You already got an idea of how to get the truck keys from Dan, but it's not something you're looking forward to... Mustering up your mental fortitude you prepare yourself for the unpleasant task ahead. Your group goes into the grocery store, which must still have on some sort of emergency lighting where upon everyone begins to carefully search the place. While there has been some looting and even signs of fighting that went on here, the place is in better shape than anyone thought. "Hey Dan, the medicine aisle is over this way." You say while gently grabbing his hand. Dan is more than a little surprised by this gesture. "Oh. Okay, lead the way then. Everyone else keep stockin' up on whatever food you want. " He responds. When you lead Dan over to the aisle you remind yourself of what your goal is... "Damn darlin' it looks like this aisle is mgh!" Dan is interrupted when you kiss him directly on his meth rotten mouth. It tastes horrible and it's only due to your strong gag reflex that you don't puke. Dan is flabbergasted; he literally is at a loss for words. "I gotta suck your dick right now Dan. It's all I've been thinking about since we were ridin' in the truck together. Shit, I woulda went down on you right then had there not been an audience in the back of the truck. Come on we can go into the bathroom of this place." You whisper in his ear. Dan is still tongue tied, but at this point he's not arguing and passively follows you as you lead him to the women's bathroom in the back of the store. You make sure nobody has seen the pair of you enter and then lock the door. "I...I...I can't believe you felt this way about me darlin'. I mean this is gotta be a dream." Dan says. "Ain't no dream, now back against that wall, pull 'em down and let me get to suckin' what's gotta be a big ass dick. Gotta have it. Gotta have that juicy hot throbbing cock in my mouth." You say. Dan's fantasies of an insatiable cock hungry hot blonde have probably been fueled for years by endless amounts of porn he's no doubt watched. So it's predictable that he doesn't even question the unlikelihood of any of this at all. He wastes no time in putting down his rifle and unzipping his pant. It's an unimpressive sight. It's even more unimpressive when you're on your knees, eye level to it. "Oh my god, this is gonna be better than drugs!" Dan says even closing his eyes as if preparing himself for the glory that is your mouth. Unfortunately for him he gets none of that and instead receives a FALCON PUNCH to his balls. Dan's reaction causes him to practically crumple onto you. He manages to wheeze a few swear, but you then shut him up by smacking his head against the bathroom wall, he groans a bit and still tries to grab a hold of you, but you stop him completely by pistol whipping him in the face until he's no longer moving. You aren't sure if he's dead, but you're not really paying attention to see if he's breathing by this point, you're too busy looking for the keys...jackpot. Then you hear some banging on the door and you freeze with your pistol in hand. "Hey, who's in there? I heard some noise. Is that you blondie?" you hear a voice exclaim. "...uh yeah it's me! I had to take a shit and there were just some big ass rats in here that scared me so bad I almost dropped a load in my pants! No big deal though!" you shout. "Oh...um okay." The voice says. "Um, hey you seen Dan?" "Thought I saw him still over by the drug aisle." "Yeah he's not..." the voice starts to say before you interrupt. "Goddamn it I'm trying to take a shit that feels like I need a goddamn midwife for this thing! I'm not Dan's personal fucking shadow, go look for him yourself!" you shout. "Okay! Okay! Sheesh, you don't need to be a goddamn bitch about it." The voice says and then you hear some footsteps leaving. Well that will have bought you a little time, but when you leave, you need to make a beeline for the truck and hope that nobody is lingering around it at the time. Since you get the impression you're going to be shooting it out with the rednecks anyway, you take Dan's rifle over your shoulder. You exit the bathroom and look around to see a few of the rednecks still stocking up on some more food. You quicken your pace towards the entrance of the grocery store while attempting to keep your head down so nobody immediately sees you. When you get to the entrance there's one of the rednecks loading up something in the back of the truck. You think its Wade from earlier. "Everything come out all right?" he asks meaning he must've been the one talking to you from outside the door earlier. "Yeah, yeah." you say looking around if there are any others you need to deal with. "Y'know, maybe you wouldn't be so backed up if you tried anal." Wade says with a smirk. "Excuse me?" "Ass fuckin', sweetcheeks. It'll loosen you up back there. I'd be more than willin' to help you out in that department honey." Wade says with a grin. And at that point, you're done with stealth. "And here's a new hole to loosen up your useless brain matter shithead." You say pulling your pistol blasting Wade in the head. You don't wait for the body to fall, you run into the truck. You get the truck started and you already hear the shouting and sounds of the rest from the grocery store. These sounds are soon followed by the sounds of bullets hitting your truck as you drive off. You keep your head down as much as possible as the back window is blown out and several sounds of bullets hitting the metal parts of the truck. While you're glad none of them had the forethought to aim for your back tires, you just hope nobody hit the gas tank. Your drive through your war-torn town is pretty stressful. Between trying avoid large groups of freaks and abandoned military blockades you are also constantly looking in your rear mirror thinking that you're going to see Mel's truck and the rest in pursuit, but that doesn't happen. You don't really relax a bit until you manage to get out of town. "Holy shit, I made it. Fuck yeah I made it!" you shout in triumph as you continue to drive eastward. You continue to drive for quite sometime. Maybe its because you never really left your basement, but you never really realized what a rural area you lived in before, a lot of wilderness on either side of you. The roads are pretty clear of traffic; you don't see anyone else driving in the opposite direction or your direction for that matter. You do see a few abandoned vehicles, but nobody around them. You don't even see any of the cannibal freaks. Maybe that's a good sign. You pass by a few gas stations, diners and the like and while you do think you notice evidence that there are probably folks at these locations, you're not exactly in a trusting mood right now and quite frankly you don't want to deal with anyone. If anything you're sort of enjoying the solitude that you haven't had for a few days. Soon, the day starts to become night and you're getting pretty tired. You have had a long day of escaping cannibal freaks and rednecks after all. You pull off to the side of the road near the edge of a "wall of trees." You clear off the broken glass from the seat of the truck and lay down to get some sleep, hoping that something doesn't try to attack you in the middle of the night. > Next day... You wake up to a noise in the distance. At first you think it's something trying to cause you harm and you sit up with pistol in hand, but then you realize there isn't anything near you. However upon looking around you do notice something in the sky when even with your half sleepy eyes. You step out of the truck and stare towards the westward sky in the distance and see the remnants of a mushroom cloud. "They finally went and did it..." you say to yourself. You guess that it might've hit Security City (Good thing you drove east). Who and why it was dropped is unimportant at this point, but you're not really surprised given how things seemed to be going to shit here and the world in general. Probably was a small one, since you're not feeling any aftershocks or anything, but you are somewhat concerned if you're within a lethal radiation zone. You suppose you'll find out in the days to come, but that leads you to your more immediate concern of survival, namely you're hungry and thirsty. You check what those rednecks managed to load up on the back of the truck and hope that not all of it needs a can opener. You see that a lot of it is cans, but fortunately some of them already have ring pulls on them. Other cans have suffered damage from the bullets that went through them. You suppose if you got desperate you could always suck out the remaining soup through the bullet holes. You do find a couple bags of beef jerky, which is as quick of a meal as anything. You look to see if they loaded up anything to drink, but all you're finding is cheap beer. You've actually never drank alcohol before, but beggars can't be choosers so you sit on the tailgate eating your jerky, drinking your beer and pondering your potentially grim future. While it's good you have some sustenance, it's not going to last long. Your truck only has around a half a tank of gas and the ammo you've got is what's left in your respective weapons. Hell you don't even have an extra set of clothes anymore. You have no idea where you're going to go. You suppose continuing east might be your best bet, but. this isn't even taking into consideration the sort of people you're possibly going to run into and if those infected freaks aren't running around elsewhere. With all these variables weighing on your mind, things aren't looking so good right now... "Hey! Hey miss! Did you hear a loud noise?" a voice shouts. You spin your head to your left with your hand instinctively reaching behind you to pull your pistol, but you see a male and female couple probably a little younger than yourself wearing large backpacks. They've just come out of the "wall of trees" and they don't look threatening, but you never know. In any case they don't seem to realize you've got a pistol behind you, though the fact that you're partially covered by the pick up truck's walls along with some bags might help. "Sure, it woke me up. Where are you coming from?" you ask. "Oh, we got a campsite nearby. We've been sort of roughin' it for about a week. No technology like cellphones or laptops. It's been sort of liberating in a way." "Hm, yeah you never know when you might need to know how to get along without the creature comforts. Where's you vehicle though, you couldn't have walked all this way and I don't see any roads leading off into the wilderness nearby." "Sure there is, look in front of you a few feet away." You look and sure enough the man is correct, there is a little dirt road that leads into the trees. You probably didn't notice it last night because you were tired and you didn't notice it this morning because you were more focused on the nuke that went off in the distance. "Yeah, it doesn't go very far in, but it was a good place to pull into so as not having to park on the side of the road. Anyway we're going to be heading back to Security City soon, we both got classes starting on Monday." The guy says. You take another bite of jerky and drink of beer before breaking the unfortunate news to them. "Yeah well I don't think that's going to happen. That noise you heard? A nuke just got dumped on Security City." You say flatly. At this point the couple look at each other in disbelief. "Bullshit, that didn't happen." The guy says. "Look, you don't need to believe me, but I've got no reason to lie about something like that to two complete strangers. You said you've been fairly isolated from the world for the past week, well there was some serious shit going down this week. I should know I had to deal with it. Trust me, if things had been different I wouldn't be stuck out here in the middle of nowhere eating jerky and drinking beer. I'd be in the comfort of my basement." You say. At this point the guy still isn't sure whether you're telling the truth, but the girl starts to break down a bit. "Oh god...every time we tried to listen the car radio, all we got was those fucking Ground Zero shelter ads! She's probably telling the truth! Oh shit! No!" she exclaims and begins hyperventilating. "Honey, calm down we don't know..." At this point the girl begins to cry about her friends and family while her boyfriend attempts to console her. It isn't working. "Well look at it this way, you avoided getting nuked and you've probably got still got some supplies left over and you've got all that really useful wilderness gear right?" you say eating the last bit of jerky. "Huh? Yeah, look just don't talk to us anymore." The guy says still trying to calm his crying girlfriend. You throw away the bag and down the remaining beer from the can. "How much gas does your vehicle have?" you ask. "WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP?! This is a fucking nightmare!" the man says while his girlfriend continues to be weak. You crush the can and toss it in the middle of the street. You briefly think about not doing it, but then you think this is survival. "Yeah, well it's about to get a whole lot worse for the both of you." You say and pull your pistol and shoot the man in the chest. He falls to the ground and the girl now goes from crying to screaming though she's so terrified she doesn't attempt to run. "Bitch, stop your goddamn screaming RIGHT NOW before I shove this gun in your mouth and shoot a load so hot down your throat that it'll be the last time you ever give head again." You say walking towards the scared girl. Your colorful threat works and the girl just stifles her screaming to annoying whimpers. You look down at her boyfriend who is most certainly dead. You don't feel anything about it either. You don't feel joy, but it's just nothing. "Okay, you're going to take your backpack and throw it in the truck, then you're going to take his pack and toss it in the truck too. Then we're both heading to your campsite where I'm going to take whatever I think I'm going to need. And if you're lucky, you might come out of this alive. Now come on." As you bully your new captive into doing your bidding, you think if this is how things are going to be from now on. In your mind you justify your actions as ones of survival, though you were still pretty quick to shoot her boyfriend. Maybe you're just having a bad week and something had to give. In any case things are starting to look up... or at least for you they are. > Wanted: Bandit Blondie The future... "Give it up Blondie, you got nowhere to go and you're surrounded! Come out peacefully." Justice shouts from outside. "Justice" Why do these bounty hunters always have such silly names? "Yeah I come out and then you lot take turns bending me over and horse fucking me before you just shoot me in the head anyway? Don't fucking think so." You shout back from the abandoned house you're taking cover in "Don't nobody here wanna fuck your sandy STD ridden wasteland pussy bitch!" you hear someone shout. "Holy shit is that Mary Liberty out there? How's your husband doing? Oh right, he's a charred corpse. Guess I saved you the trouble of a cremation..." Your taunt is interrupted by machine gunfire causing you to take cover. "Mary, stop it! You're just wastin' ammo!" you hear another voice shout. "I hear Bounty Bill out there too. I gotta say I'm really touched that you came all the way out from the Iron Union just for me. Guess those teeth marks on your dick really left a lasting impression." You laugh remembering how you got away from him last time. "Keep laughing Blondie. I'll soon have more fond memories of you when that pretty golden mane of yours is detached from your scalp and is hanging up on my wall." Bill replies. "Alright enough! This isn't about personal vendettas! This is a Ground Zero job and we're going to act like fucking professionals. Now Blondie, I counted how many shots you fired and you got exactly ONE left. You can't win this and you're not getting away. If you come out peacefully however I can assure you that you will not be harmed and you will get a fair trial." "Fair trial before a GZ Board? You must be huffing gasoline if you actually believe that. They're more likely going to throw me in a cell and perform whatever fucked up experiments they do on me like they do with anyone that pisses them off. You're working for the most amoral entity in the wasteland Mr. Justice. Your name has never been more hypocritical." You shout back "Yeah, yeah, look this is your last chance Blondie. You coming out or not?" You look at your pistol and stand up near the window yet still remaining in cover. "One bullet is all I need. Come and get my body bitches." You yell, fire your pistol in the air and then fall backwards so they can see your body fall in the view of the window. "Goddamn it, she offed herself." Someone shouts. "Move it, but remain alert! It could be a trick!" Justice shouts. Well at least Justice is still thinking a bit, but he's still severely underestimating you if he thinks he's got you trapped. You wouldn't have run in here had you not had a plan. This isn't just some random abandoned house, it's one of the many places you store supplies. Some of which are fully loaded weapons. Several bounty hunters cautiously enter the front entrance of the house, but it doesn't do them any good when you cut down most of them with an assault rifle before they can take cover. Hearing more pour in from the back, you throw a smoke grenade to cover yourself and retreat elsewhere into the house where you have a trapdoor that leads under the house. "Goddamn fucking smoke. Can't see shit!" someone shouts. "Fuck this, burn it all down." Another says and you hear footsteps starting to exit the house from above you. Meanwhile you continue to crawl under the house, eventually making your way under the backsteps. There you see in the area is Bounty Bill and a few other hunters. "Shit, she's right there!" Bounty Bill shouts before you riddle him and his buddies with bullets. Doesn't take long before more hunters run around from the front to the back to flank you. You barely manage to escape unscathed, but fortunately luck is still with you this day. You notice the house is starting to emanate black smoke from the front and the distinct smell of fire is now in the air. You also hear a vehicle revving up. You pick up a couple of the pistols off the dead and cautiously head around the front of the house. You get there just in time to see Justice driving away like a little bitch. However, revenge is still very much here and Mary Liberty opens fire. You feel a painful sensation of a bullet going into your left leg. "Fuck!" you exclaim and dive for cover and crawl behind one of many now abandoned vehicles. "You're a dead bitch Blondie! You hear me!?!" Mary shouts while spraying your cover with bullets. You and Mary have an old fashioned run and duck shoot out for several minutes, however unlike what happens in old movies, it does not ultimately result in some physical catfight with lesbian undertones where upon you proceed to rip each other's clothes off. You just manage to get lucky again and shoot Mary in her right tit causing her to go down with the utterance of swears coming from her mouth. You limp over to where she fell and see she's still trying to grab her pistol that she dropped. You shoot her in the hand blowing off a few of her fingers and causing her hand to recoil and she screams in pain. You pick up the pistol and train your own weapon on her. Already having a hard time breathing from the hole in her chest, she clutches her bloody hand with the other. The look in her eyes display a hatred you've seen many times before. "I...I ...I'll see you in hell Blondie." She utters, spitting blood. "Probably." You say and then end Mary's life with a shot to her dome. With all your enemies dead you sit on the trunk of a nearby car and watch your stash house burn down while you ponder what to do next. The bullet wound in your leg will have to be seen to, so you'll have to make a run to another location where you've stashed some medical supplies. The bullet went through so at least you don't need to worry about digging something out. You're just glad she wasn't using hollow points and tie off your leg with your over shirt. In any case, you're sure Justice will be back to chasing you around when he manages to scrounge up some more mooks. Honestly you'd like to catch a break where you don't feel like you have to look over your shoulder every other day, but this is the path you chose and as they say there ain't no rest for the wicked. Didn't start out that way though you think. You honestly were just trying to survive, just like you continue to do today...but you suppose you really did start having a bit too much fun in doing what you did and still do. You wonder if it's genetic. Your uncle was a serial killer after all. In any case you're a far cry from being the "good girl" that once hid in the basement. All this self-reflection does give you an idea for your next destination after you patch up your leg. Home. It's been years since you've been anywhere near there. You've deliberately avoided it for several reasons, but you figure since you seemingly have more and more places where you're wanted dead nowadays you figure hiding out back in the old hometown might be worthwhile or at least interesting. You loot Mary's body for her vehicle's keys and leave the dead and burning behind you. As you drive you wonder who is in charge of the town, is it still in shambles infested with those freaks (Though you haven't seen any of those in years now), did someone actually rebuild it, and is that redneck community still around? "Well doesn't matter who's there or in charge, but they all better hide in THEIR basements, because Suzy's coming back home." You say to yourself.

[Themes: modern, drama, science fiction, female protagonist, horror] "...your family will feel right at home in one of our..." "Agh, shut the hell up." You instinctively groan at the Ground Zero ad. You call out for Donna to turn her tv off, but considering she doesn't, you assume that she must not be here. You look around for your phone to check the time, but you can't find it. You can only assume that you dropped or misplaced it somewhere. Hardly matters, you don't have too many people to contact anymore at this point. Your relationship with Bobby is over. Julie's probably dead and who the hell knows what's happened to the rest of your family in town. It isn't like you need to call anyone or anyone needs to call you. You're more pissed about your laptop, which apparently somehow caught a bullet during the mayhem yesterday. So much for keeping up on what might be going on in the world. In any case there's a clock in the trailer and the time indicates that you've slept through the morning as usual. Weird, since you fell asleep fairly early. You wonder where the hell Donna could've went to, but you're guessing she might be with her friend Tina. After turning the TV off in Donna's room, all you're left with is the noise that's going on outside. Sounds like the good ol' boys are still at it. You take a look out one of your windows and see several men in the field taking apart the military trucks, or rather severely altering them. It almost looks like they're going to build a whole new vehicle out of them or something. Since there isn't anyway to entertain yourself with your laptop being shot up, you aren't in the mood to watch Ground Zero infomercials, and you don't want to risk the possibility of Donna suddenly walking in on you with your vibrating boyfriend (Thankfully nothing happened to that form of entertainment, though you do worry about batteries for the future) your only option is to head outside and try to find Donna or find something productive to do. You never thought such a day would come where you'd be leaving the comfort of a couch to potentially do some work, but here you are. After going through your routine of washing up and changing clothes, you decide to take the rifle and pistol with you, just in case. You exit the trailer and head on over to Tina's place. You knock on the trailer door and hardly recognize Tina without all her makeup on. Not that she's ugly, in fact she's actually less trashy looking without it on. "What the fuck do you want blondie?" Tina asks. "Um, is Donna here?" "No, she's not fucking here. Try a few trailers over, I think she took a shine to Jimmy Ray and is over there." "Oh. Okay then." You say. "If you see her, tell her, she better not be distractin' him all fucking day with her pussy, cause Mel wants him to be workin' on somethin'. I dunno what, exactly, but I don't wanna have to listen to him bitch to me about it." "Got it." You answer and begin to leave, but Tina calls out to you. "Hey, you ain't after, Mel's dick are ya?" Tina asks which completely catches you off guard. "What?" "He told me yesterday, you and he spoke and said you were sweet on him and he had to tell you to stop flirting so much." Tina looks at you as if she's detecting if you're going to lie to her, but you have no intention of doing so since you're defending yourself from a horrible lie! "Uh, with no disrespect, but Mel is NOT my type and I did not flirt with him." You answer. "See, I knew that bastard was delusional. I didn't even believe him when he told me that shit. Any retard can tell that a girl like you would have nothing to do with the likes of him in that way." Tina says. "Did I do something that he could've mistaken for flirting? "Yeah, you were talking to him. He probably told all his friends that you were flirting with him. Hell, he might've even said he fucked you, but he tends to keep his tall tales a little more realistic nowadays. Whatever, he's getting old and likes to think he's still some sort of chick magnet. Still, I love the sonofabitch despite everything." As you're about to finish your illuminating conversation with Tina, you suddenly hear gunshots and yelling. "Oh shit!" you say believing that the military has returned already. Several of the trailer park crew start running towards the noise with weapons in hand. Tina calls out to a skinny one who looks like methhead. "Hey! Hey Dan, what the fuck's goin' on?" Tina shouts "A bunch of fuckin' zombies or some shit are attackin' us! Mel's called almost everyone to defend the east and south part of the park. Looks like a shitload of them are comin' from town!" "Wait, did you just say fuckin' zombies?" Tina asks. "Yeah. I mean shit, I dunno what they are, I just know Bobby Ray got all bit up by one of them. Maybe they're just cannibals or high on bath salts. Remember like that one time I..." "Dan, whatever! Just go! Go! Go! And you, get inside here, quick!" Tina says waving away Dan who continues to his destination. "But I gotta find my sister." You remark "She's probably safe with Jimmy Ray." "Didn't Dan say he just got bit by zombies?" "That was Bobby Ray! Now get yer ass in here, we'll bar the door and hunker down inside here until Mel and the boys take care of this." You're not going to leave your sister's potential fate in the hands of some redneck who you know nothing about though. You're going to make the effort to at least find her; besides, you'd rather not barricade yourself in anywhere unless you have to. "Where is Jimmy's trailer again?!" you ask. "You're a damn idiot blondie. (sigh) it's more towards the entrance and has a badly spray painted picture of a naked woman on the side of it. I suggest you get a move on." Tina says and slams her door shut. You follow the advice and start heading towards your new destination, which has considerably more gunfire and shouting coming from that direction. You feel like you're in one of those video games that you played on your computer sometimes, except this is unfortunately very real. With your rifle held in front of you the whole time, you continue to move at a quick yet cautious rate. You keep half expecting one of those freaks to suddenly jump out at you every time you pass one of the trailers. You catch a glance of people peeping out their windows of said trailers, sometimes you hear one of them shouting at you to "find some damn shelter." Eventually you hear a voice calling at you from above. "Hey blondie, what the hell are you doing down there?" you look up and see a shirtless young man with a shotgun standing on top of the trailer. "Suzy?! What the hell are you doing?!" another voice shouts, but this one is coming from inside the trailer. Sounds like Donna. You glance back down and look at the trailer itself and notice that this is the one you've been looking for. You're guessing that's Jimmy Ray standing on top of his trailer. You can sort of see Donna going for a guy like him. He's got a rugged handsome look rather than a grizzled, unkept or outright disgusting appearance that some of the other guys around here have. "Donna?! I was looking for you, that's what I'm doing out here." You say while swiveling your head in several directions to keep an eye on your surroundings. "Well now you've found me, now get inside!" Donna shouts and starts to open up the door. "Donna, don't leave that door open too long, I'm watching the main fighting at the front of the park and it's not looking good. The east side is doing better though." "Aren't you suppose to be helping Mel?" you ask. "Pfft, yeah right. I mean I don't hate him or anything, but I'm not riskin' my life for that asshole. Oh fuck! More of them are getting through, and I mean a shitload! Get your asses inside!" Jimmy Ray shouts and starts aiming his shotgun. You look and see a couple of the...things Dan was talking about. This is insane. Here you were worrying about the military and some unexpected threat like...zombies shows up? They can't be zombies, they just can't! Whatever they are, four of them are flailing about wildly and growling. They notice you and begin loping at you. The mere sight of them is troubling, but you quickly point your rifle at them and start firing. Jimmy's shotgun gets one of them in the leg which he then shoots again in the body. Another gets its head blown off. You use up the remainder of the clip to kill the two remaining. One of them didn't even drop down dead until he almost reached you. They don't look rotten (though they do look dirty and disheveled...which isn't unlike some of the hillbillies here) and you didn't even shoot one in the head, so while they may NOT be zombies, they're certainly inhuman enough for you to be scared. (Some sort of sickness perhaps?) Meanwhile Donna's at the door and calling to you. You see now that she's not wearing her own clothes, but rather a robe of some sort. Certainly not hers. "Suzy, please! Get inside NOW!" she shouts as more of those things come running in your direction. "Goddamn it, the pair of you need to get inside!" Jimmy shouts as he snaps off another shot. While the freaks are definitely advancing, they're also splitting up to attack several trailers. You wonder if you shouldn't just get Donna and make your way out of here since it looks like this place is going to be overrun. > You run away This is different than the police or the military, these things are mindless, possibly crawling with disease and seemingly without end, you really do need to get out of here! "Donna, get the hell out of there! These things are gonna overrun the place!" you shout and begin pulling at her arm. "Wha...Suzy, lemme go! It's not safe out there!" Donna says attempting to pull away from your grip. Jimmy Ray is doing his best at blasting the cannibal freaks, but he's not exactly using the quickest of weapons and those things are definitely picking up their own speed. "OH MY GOD! SUZY!" Donna exclaims pulling away just in time for one of those things to suddenly lunge upon you which you don't see due to it jumping on your back and tackling you to the ground. You hear snarling and gnashing in your ear and somewhere between that, you hear Jimmy Ray yelling at Donna to lock the front door. The next thing you hear is the crunching sound of teeth going into your flesh. You cry out, but the freak is placing all its weight upon you, preventing you from struggling too much. With your face in the dirt and blood spurting out of your neck you're not going too far, though when you're partially hit with buckshot from Jimmy Ray's shotgun you're at least put out of your misery from the thing eating you alive.

While you haven't quite ruled out the possibility of living with Donna, you don't think you're quite ready to go driving over there yourself and putting up with some old guy perving on you today. If you do decide to go over there, you'll do it later tonight. Besides, you want to see just how bad it might be over at Julie's before making a decision. A few minutes of driving to your destination and you're sure of one thing being pretty bad, the roads! Once again there are cops everywhere, but also ambulances and fire trucks racing to their various destinations too. You nearly turn around and head back home, but eventually you make it to Julie's neighborhood, which is thankfully not in the midst of anarchy. You pull up to the driveway and get out of the car. You figure you'll assess the situation before making a decision of whether you're going to stay or not. You sort of expected to see a few people drinking on the porch or at least hearing loud music as you walk up to the door, but so far it doesn't sound like any sort of party going on or at least not an overly rowdy one, which is odd considering how people have been acting in this town for the past few days. You knock on the door, but get no immediate answer. After a few more bangs you finally get an answer, but it isn't Julie. "Hello." A man says in a flat tone and almost seems to be studying you. He looks like he might be around your age, but he doesn't look like the sort that would be at one of Julie's parties. He's very "ordinary" looking. "Hey. Where's Julie at?" you ask. "Julie? Oh yes, the owner of this house. Well, I don't really know. I remember seeing her yesterday, but then she left with some guy and I haven't seen her since. Of course this being her house she has to return sometime right? Would you like to wait?" the man asks opening the door further to invite you in. Something about this guy feels a little "off" to you. "Wait, who are you?" you ask. "Oh I'm sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Johnny. I was at Julie's party yesterday. Guess you could say I got a little tipsy and decided I shouldn't go home in that condition, so I flopped out in the basement. I'm not the only person who did that apparently considering some of Julie's other guests are still here as well." You peer inside and see that Johnny is indeed speaking the truth. A couple of people are on the couch playing some sort of video game. "So now that you know who I am, I have to ask who you are." Johnny says. "I'm Suzy and I'm Julie's friend." You say. "I see, well come on in, I'm sure when Julie gets back she'll be pleased to see you." You enter the house and the place is in a lot better condition than you would've thought for a party house. Johnny quickly closes the door and locks it. Causing you to immediately look back. "You never can tell what weirdo will show up with unlocked doors and all, right?" he says. "Indeed." You say still getting an uneasy feeling about this guy. "So, you're one of Julie's friends. Guess you're a real party girl, just like she is huh?" Johnny remarks almost in an accusing fashion. "Hardly. Are these all the people in the house?" you ask, pointing to the stoners playing video games and completely ignoring you and Johnny. "Yeah, I mean there were some other people here earlier, but these lot are all that's left, beside myself. Julie's pretty cool about letting people just crash here even if she's not around." With Johnny creepily hovering near you and the stoners babbling about inane shit, you already realize that this is not going to work for you. "Alright, everyone get out." You say, but the only one who even hears you is Johnny. "What?" Johnny asks. "Look I hate to be rude, and you probably didn't know this, but I'm moving in here. Now when Julie is here, she can have all her little drug addled party friends over as much as she likes, I mean its her house after all. But I'm not going to put up with them while she isn't here! So I want everyone out, you all can come back later when she's here. Whenever that is." Johnny's still the only one who is even paying attention and his facial expression on your stance hasn't changed. "But if it's Julie's house doesn't she have final say in what goes?" Johnny asks. "Yeah, well when I see Julie, I'm going to have a little discussion with her about our new living arrangements." You remark. Once again Johnny just stares at you, it almost feels like he's staring through you. It makes you uncomfortable to say the least. "All right. You've got a point. I wouldn't want a bunch of strangers just wandering around in my home either. I'll get out of your hair, as for these guys, I can get 'em to go." Johnny says and then suddenly shouts at the stoners that everyone has to get out of the house and starts ripping controllers out of their hands. "Hey!" "Not cool dude!" "You dick!" "Sorry guys, but as the old saying goes, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. Come on, let's move it." Johnny says and eventually the stoners grudgingly shuffle off to leave. Johnny follows behind them. "When you see Julie, tell her it was an excellent party last night." Johnny says and flashes a brief smile, which comes off more creepy than friendly. You don't even reply, you just shut the door and lock it, glad to be rid of everyone. Remembering that your sister said that if you did live here, you'd be sleeping in Julie's dad's old office. You explore that room first. When you get there it looks pretty much like the same office you remember being in a few times when you played over here. It's definitely convenient that it has a small private bathroom leading from it as well as a couch that apparently folds out into a bed. After assessing your possible new digs, you decide to go retrieve your bags from the car. You unpack your bags and haul them into the house and head on into your new room. After getting a little bit settled, you figure since you're all alone in the house, you might as well do something that usually puts you in a better mood. (and you sure could use it) While you're in the middle of it, you suddenly think you hear something. You call out thinking that maybe Julie is finally home, but when you get no reply, you just check to make sure the door to your room is locked. If Julie does come home, you don't want her suddenly walking in on you. After getting back in the mood and taking care of your needs you wash up a bit and return to your usual routine of...well doing nothing at all. Hours pass and eventually you start to get hungry so you head to the kitchen in the hopes of finding food. You manage to find a few bags of junk food and some unopened drink in the fridge. Once again while you're doing this, you swear you think you hear noise. You call out again to see if anyone is here, but there is no answer. Given that it's now nighttime you're a little on edge. You know its probably just the house making creaking sounds, but with all the bullshit that's been going on out in the streets lately you're just a little paranoid. Just as you're heading back to your room, the front door suddenly opens! It's Donna and some other young woman who looks a bit on the trashy side. "Shit! You scared me." You say. "Why didn't you pick up your phone? I tried calling you before I got over here." Donna asks. "I...I guess I had it on vibrate and didn't hear it." You say. "Hm. Well I see this place is practically a tomb. I take it Julie isn't home?" "Nope, I haven't heard from her either." "That's really odd..." Suddenly the trashy young woman speaks up. "Hey Donna are we picking your shit up or what? You know how fucked up it is out there right now and I'd like to get home before it gets worse." "Oh yeah, better get to it. Suzy, this is my friend Tina." Donna says and heads upstairs. "Hello." You say to Tina, but she just grunts at you and heads back outside to her car. Remembering that Donna wanted you to help her move some of the stuff, you head upstairs to her room. "Your friend Tina isn't very friendly." You ask. "Yeah, well if you were a horny guy with a hundred dollar bill, she'd be really friendly towards you. Anyway, she's always been cool with me ever since I've known her, plus she helped me get the current job I have." Donna says as she packs away items. "You need anything for me to carry down?" "Yeah, but not yet. Really I'm thinking I'll get most of this stuff later when I have a day off. Right now I just want to get the hell out of this town, it's getting nuts out there!" "Yeah, it was pretty chaotic out there earlier on my drive here. So how was your first day?" "Not bad. As strange as it may seem, it actually was calmer in the club than it was outside. Though having bouncers helps in that area I suppose. Still a couple of fights did break out." "Shit. You okay? Are you sure the job is safe?" "Oh I'm safe. Like I said, there's good protection there. Honestly I'm more concerned with the drive TO the club, but I imagine whatever is going on will die down eventually." "Hope so." Donna finishes packing a bag and starts to pack a new one and you stand there silent until you hear a noise from downstairs causing you to jump a bit. "Are you okay?" Donna asks. "Yeah, what the hell's that noise?" you ask, briefly stepping out of Donna's room to look over into the living room. "Probably Tina." "No, she's not down there and besides she went back to wait in the car." "Well maybe she wandered back in briefly...you seem a little stressed." "I dunno. The shit's that's been going on in town and I guess being alone in the house at night has got me a little jumpy. Sort of concerned that Julie hasn't come back either." "Mmm, well that IS odd. I tried calling her again earlier too with no luck. Have you thought anymore about coming to live with me? I told you it would be fine and I know you think the trailer park isn't safe environment, is this town really any safer right now?" > You stay at the house "I'm still not sold on the trailer park, Donna. I think I'll be fine here. I just need to get used to the new living situation." You remark to Donna. "Hm, okay then. Well my offer will always still stand as long as I live there." Donna replies. "Okay. Thanks Donna. So you said you're good? You don't need my help with anything?" "Nah, not tonight anyway. Like I said, I'll come back and get all of my stuff proper, another day. Hopefully when the mess in town dies down." Saying a few more goodbyes, you leave Donna to finish her hasty packing and you head back to your room and close the door. A few minutes later you hear the slam of the front door indicating that Donna has left, leaving you by yourself again. You try to call Julie again, but once again there is no answer. Giving up on that particular concern you go back to amusing yourself on the Internet until you start reading erotic stories which puts you more in the mood to amuse yourself with your battery operated boyfriend again. Having no distractions this time, you orgasm twice before having enough fun for the night. As you lie there in your afterglow, you briefly think about Bobby and how you sort of miss him, or rather his dick. Masturbation is fun and all, and it definitely gets the job done, but your time with Bobby has made you appreciate the human touch a little more. You really liked some of the tricks he did... Since you still aren't one hundred percent sure about living here, you decide that you'll call Bobby tomorrow and see if you can't talk some sense into him and possibly make up. With that goal for tomorrow decided, you call it a night and roll over on your couch to sleep. At some point in the middle of the night, you hear a noise close by. You groggily open your eyes and see a figure standing over you with a large knife. Before you can scream or do anything, the person is on top of you and choking you with one hand. You can see his face right up to yours and he's recognizable now with your eyes wide with fear. It's Johnny. "Fucking whore! I heard what you did in here! I heard the dirty thing you did! I'm going to punish you like I did your friend!" he snarls with a look of pure hatred upon his face. You punch and struggle and just as you think you're having some success, Johnny proceeds to actually use his knife and stabs you repeatedly with it. With a last bit of strength you manages to push Johnny off of you and roll on the floor yourself, but your attempts to crawl away are short lived due to the combination of your wounds and the fact Johnny quickly recovers and begins stabbing you in the back. As the life starts to fade from your body, you hear the heavy breathing of Johnny who is apparently starting to get aroused by your condition and begins ripping at your clothes. Fortunately you die before you feel the pain of being raped on top of being murdered.

[Themes: modern, female protagonist, romance] "...if you act now you'll get a free..." You groggily grab the remote to shut off the incessant noise of the Ground Zero commercial on the TV screen. You grab your phone to check the time and see that once again you've slept through the morning as usual. You also see that Bobby tried to call you, but you're still not in the mood to call him back. Though if you don't secure a place to live you might not have a choice. Still as far as you know the offer to live at Julie's is still good, you're just not sure about how well that's going to go over now. While you're trying to ponder your next move, you get a call. It's Donna again. Might as well get this over with. "Donna, this better be good, because you're not exactly my favorite person right now." You say answering the phone. "Whoa! Hold on Suzy! Don't hang up!" Donna exclaims. "Say what you got to say." "Okay, look first of all I'm sorry about what you had to go through. I know that had to suck for you. I shouldn't have convinced you to run anyway. It's obvious now that was a stupid plan in the first place since I didn't even have anything in the car. (Sigh) Last night when I was sleeping on a beer soaked couch in a trailer hiding out from the cops I sort of had a revelation of how my choices in life had lead me to that point. I also sort of realized that if I probably continue on this path it's only going to get worse." That's rather philosophical of your sister, and it's enough to keep your attention. "So I've decided that I need to do something with my life and make it better, so I got a job." Donna says. "A job? How the hell did you get a job so quick? Doing what?" you ask. "I'm going to be a stripper at Kitty City! The owner was offering me a job yesterday and I already was getting tips from guys who mistook me for one of the strippers here anyway. So I figured why not? In fact I'm on break right now." Why are you not surprised? Donna continues before you can even speak again. "Now before you judge, starting a new life takes money and let's face it, I don't have exactly many useful skills that are going to earn me a lot of cash in a quick amount of time. I figure I can earn enough to save and figure things out as I go." "Hm, well that's great and all, but why are you telling me all this?" you ask. "Because this is my new start and like I said I feel bad about convincing you to go along with my plan yesterday. Besides, don't you still need a place to stay? You can come live with me!" "I thought I was already going to do that by moving in to Julie's." "Nah, I'm not going back to Julie's. Too much temptation to go back to my old ways there. I'm moving into one of the trailers at the trailer park." "Wait. You just started working as a stripper. How the hell did you manage to get a trailer already?" "I secured one after...um talking with the park owner this morning. Look, that's not really important right now. What is important is I got a deal on a fairly good one and it's big enough for two of us. It might be a little rough going at first, but I anticipate after a few weeks of teasing these degenerates here, we'll be living fairly comfortably, if not in the lap of luxury." "I dunno. While I'm still pissed about yesterday, it does mean a lot that you're making this pretty generous offer. I don't know about living in a trailer park though. I mean aren't you worried about the kind of people there? In fact I can imagine a lot of the type that Kelly associates with come from there, do you really think its safe?" "Safe as opposed to what? Growing up in our household? We had a fucking paranoid psychotic older brother, a sadistic bullying older sister and at one point a goddamn SERIAL KILLER uncle living in our house. At least the hostile rednecks around here won't be living under our roof! Besides, it really isn't as bad as you hear." You find that a little hard to believe considering you've heard more than enough stories about the trailer park outside of town. Donna might not think its bad, just because she was living there overnight. "I just don't know Donna. I mean I wasn't exactly looking forward to dealing with the non-stop partying at Julie's, but I'd at least feel a little safer there than I would at the trailer park." "Huh, don't be so sure of that. Julie pretty much has gotten to the point where she has an open door policy to let any creepy weirdo that walks in off the street in the house. It's actually amazing someone like Uncle Ed hasn't come in and killed us all. Are you heading over there sometime today?" "Well if I can secure a ride over there I will." "Okay, well if you do get over there could you let Julie know that I'm moving out? She's still not answering her phone. I'm going to have to make arrangements to get my bigger things, but maybe you could help me get some of my smaller items when I get over there tonight?" "Well, I suppose I could." You say. "Great. I knew I could count on your Suzy. (Sigh) You really are the good one in the family sis. It's so unfair that life hasn't been better to you. Once again I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday. It's nearly time for me to go out there and shake my ass again so I gotta go. Just...think about what I said okay? If you change your mind about your future living arrangements just come with Tina and me when we go over to Julie's tonight, or I guess if you're really feeling adventurous you could always go over to the trailer park yourself. Just go to the owner's trailer with the big signs around it and mention my name and he'll let you in my new place. He's sort of letch, but he's old so he mostly confines it staring and making the occasional comment. Don't worry about it." After another sincere apology about yesterday, Donna finally hangs up leaving you now with a new option. Donna seems to be genuinely trying to change her life in her own way. You almost can't believe it was Donna on the phone at all. Maybe some sort of pod person replaced her. She also seems to be really making an effort to make things up to you, which is surprising as well. It's always a rarity in your family when you actually try to help each other out. Still, you're not sure about this whole living in a trailer park business for several reasons, but you suppose you could give it a little thought at least. In any case, you need to get a ride to wherever it is you're going to be heading to and that means seeing if your brother Peter is going to be just as accommodating as your sister currently is. You head upstairs and knock on the door to the garage. "Hey, um Peter? You busy?" You don't get an answer right away, but eventually you do after more knocking. "Yeah, yeah, hold on!" Peter says before answering the door. He's only peaking his head out, so it's very likely he's naked. "Um, sorry to interrupt whatever it is you're doing, but I need a ride to my new place." "I thought you moved out yesterday." "Yeah, there was a slight hiccup in the plan yesterday. Anyway, can you give me a ride over to my new place?" "(Sigh) I'm kinda in the middle of recording something. I'm assuming you're going to Julie's?" "Yeah...I think." You say. "You think? You don't know if you're going to live over at Julie's place or not?" "Well...Donna got a new place of her own and I'm still not sure if I should just move in with her yet." "Donna got a new...look you know what? I don't give a shit about any of this." Peter says and then closes the door. You think that's the end of it, but he opens it up again, but this time only his hand with some keys in it are coming out. "I'm not your personal taxi service. Here, take my car and return it tomorrow or at least by Thursday. Now don't disturb me again!" You take the keys and Peter slams the door. This is probably the most helpful he's been in...well ever. You go back and repack some of your bags and drag them to Peter's car. After loading everything up in the backseat you pull out of the drive way and wonder which way you should go. > You drive to the trailer park Well Donna would know better than you how fucked up it is at Julie's house. You don't particularly care for the idea of her just leaving her doors open for any potential nutjob to come in. You'd at least have some more control over that, if you lived in the trailer with Donna who will probably be gone most of the time anyway. And perhaps Donna's observations of the trailer park are correct; maybe it isn't as bad there as you've always believed. A few minutes of driving to your destination and you're sure of one thing being pretty bad, the roads! Once again there are cops everywhere, but also ambulances and fire trucks racing to their various destinations too. Fortunately it seems to thin out as you leave town. Maybe this was a better idea after all. You soon reach the trailer park, but you pull up near the entrance rather than inside it. You don't know which trailer she lives in, so you figure the owner knows and you imagine he lives in the trailer up front with the signs on it saying "Inquire about trailers here." You get out of the car and go knock on the door. "Goddamnit stop fucking knockin'. I'm comin'!" you hear an old crotchety voice shout. The door opens up and your eyes are "greeted" by the sight of a little old man wearing nothing but an open robe and boxer shorts. His body is wizened and wrinkled and he obviously has no modesty at all. "What the hell you want blondie? This ain't a fuckin' whorehouse." He exclaims. "Uh, my sister Donna got a trailer from you the other day, I was just wondering where it was." You ask. The old guy looks you up and down, squinting the entire time. "I don't know nuthin' about no girl named Donna. All I do know is some whore yesterday sucked me off as down payment for a trailer. I don't normally trade property fer pussy, but goddamn if that girl wasn't lying about giving the best head ever..." While you sort of had an inkling of how Donna got a trailer so quickly, you didn't really need to know the gruesome details. And now after seeing who she serviced to get it...you just want to change the subject. "Okay, anyway which trailer does she live in?" you ask. "She lives in the trailer at the far end of the park. Now unless you gonna rent a trailer wit money or yer lips too, get the hell outta my face an don't bother me!" the old man shouts. As you leave the old bastard he slams his door shut. You get back in the car and drive into the park. The first thing you notice that you didn't expect is how quiet the place is. You were expecting a lot more drama going on like on a bad daytime talk show, but you get none of that. You don't even see anyone really around. Eventually you approach the far end of the park, and there you see a trailer, which seems to stand out near a large open field. You're guessing this one is it. You park and approach the trailer and when you try the door that when you realize that you don't have a key for this place. Donna apparently didn't develop the bad habits of Julie either since the door is firmly locked. "Damn. (Sigh)" you say to yourself realizing that your choice is either wait all day in your vehicle, or maybe go back to to the manager who might have a spare key, though you'd rather not deal with him again. "Hey darlin' never seen you before here! My name's Jed!" a voice says. You turn around and see a lanky redneck who has seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "Oh. Hey." You say. "Hmm, you sure are beautiful. Yer even prettier than that girl that just moved in this trailer. You a friend of hers?" "Sister actually. Does the manager have spare keys to the trailers?" you ask. "That mean old bastard? Yeah, but if you need that open, you don't need to go all the way back to him, here I can open it." Jed walks past you and pulls out some sort of tool and starts fiddling with the lock. "Hey, wait a minute, are you picking the lock?" you ask. "Well I ain't ticklin' it honey. Letssee...yeah...easier than breakin a virgin." Jed says as the door easily opens for him with a click. "There you go sweetheart. So said that girl livin' here now is yer sister? Guess good breedin' runs in yer family." "Uh...yeah guess so. Thanks, but I really want to just get all my stuff in and rest." You say and turn to your car and there you see a huge man just staring at you like a gargoyle. It actually startles you, which Jed notices. "Oh don't be afraid of him honey, that's just my brother Hugo. He's dumber than a bag of rocks, but he's strong as hell. In fact he can carry yer bags in for ya." At this point Jed is getting uncomfortably close to you as he speaks and you're starting to feel on edge with these two. "Look I thank you both for your help, but I really would like to be alone please." You say firmly. Jed looks at his brother then at you. "Whatever you say honey. Let's go Hugo." Jed says and the pair of them slowly leave and eventually disappear behind another trailer. No longer being gawked at by the locals, you grab your bags from the car and haul them into the trailer. When you get inside, you see that it isn't that bad. It's definitely cheap looking, but it's serviceable. You drop your bags by the sofa and quickly check the other areas like the bathroom and what you guess is a bedroom where Donna will sleep. Just as you're turning around to check the kitchen at the other end, the door opens up and your heart sinks when you see Jed entering with what looks to be duct tape. He looks at you and a deranged smile is across his face. "Now I already know what's goin' through yer head blondie, cause I've done this a million times. Yer first instinct is gonna be to scream and make a fuss. Well lemme tell ya right now. Ain't nobody gonna help yah. Most of 'em are at the carnival, an the few that ain't are either still passed out or ain't gonna give a shit. Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Despite Jed's warnings, you do the opposite of what he says and scream as loud as you can anyway, while running back into the bedroom in an attempt to look for anything to defend yourself. Jed wastes no time in following. Unfortunately there isn't anything in the bedroom for you to immediately use since Donna doesn't have any of her stuff here. You attempt to pick up the trailer's TV in desperation, but Jed grabs you and throws you to the bed. You struggle, but it's no use. Jed is a dedicated murdering rapist with a mean streak a mile wide. After giving you a few punches to the face, you start to drift in and out of consciousness. "HUGO! HUGO! You can stop watchin' the fuckin' door and gimme a hand over here with this bitch. I reckon we both got time to have some fun with this one before handing her over to ol' doc." Jed exclaims while ripping your clothes off. "See Hugo? Told ya sticking around here would be better than the carnival." In your haze, you feel the violations at first. Pain, humiliation and anguish are all abundant at first, but then you go numb and then nothing when you pass out altogether. During your state of unconsciousness you have a brief dream of when you were much younger. When your mother was still alive and she was praising you about how good you are and how she anticipates great things in your future. It's more of a distant memory than a dream in fact though in any event, it's a nice "escape" from your horrible reality. When you wake up, you're groggy, naked, incredibly sore and firmly strapped to a medical gurney of some sort. You also have a ball gag in your mouth. The room you're in looks to be some sort of basement with a bright light hanging overhead. The stench of chemicals fills the air and to your left in a darker corner of the room you see a man in a doctor's coat hovering over another gurney with a body on it. Naturally in such a state you start to panic and ineffectively struggle to get free. The "doctor" hears you and walks over to you. "Oh, you're up. I'll have to give you more sedative. When Jed and Hugo brought you in, you weren't in the best condition, though I'm glad they showed a little more restraint than usual." As you continue to try to struggle and make muted sounds to cry out, the doctor begins fondling you and moving his hands to roam all over your body. "Mmmm, nice. Though I appreciate a pretty face and I get the impression yours would've been a lot prettier had they not beat you up so much. Not to mention they both completely wrecked your rectum...I swear what the hell is it with rednecks and their pre-occupation for ass rape? Anyway, if I had the time, I'd probably still shove it in your vertical smile for a while, but sadly I don't." The doctor goes over to a tray and grabs some sort of syringe he fully intends on use on you and you've gone from mere panic to sheer terror. "Really, you're luckier than most that come through here. Normally I keep 'em awake when I do my work, but I need you unconscious to take out those pretty eyes and other vital organs of yours. Wouldn't want you thrashing about or blinking to cause me to cut them all up and making them useless." You watch helplessly as the needle goes into your arm. The tears run down your cheeks. "There we go. Won't be long now. (Sigh) I swear it seems like I never get to enjoy my work any more though. I really would've liked to have fun with you. Oh well, I've got some other things to still look forward to." You drift into unconsciousness again and your life ends where you ironically spent most of your time. A basement.

"...act now and Ground Zero will provide a..." Click. As you groggily wake up, you're wondering if you should bother even taking your TV with you considering the stations just play Ground Zero commercials half the time. You look at the time and see that you've slept for most of the morning, but it doesn't matter considering your sister isn't going to pick you up until the afternoon. You just hope that she remembers to come get you period. While your sister isn't as flaky as Julie, she still doesn't have the greatest sense of responsibility. You also check your phone and see that Bobby's still trying to reach you, but you still don't feel like dealing with him. MAYBE later, right now you want to focus on one major decision at a time and moving out of a place where you've lived your whole life certainly qualifies. All your stuff is packed and ready to go, and since you can't do much more until your sister gets here, you just wait. As you continue to wait, you start to get anxious. You start to worry if you're making the right decision or not. You start to pace in your room weighing all the pros and cons of what you're doing. "Ugh, this is so stressful...I need to calm down..." you say and start unzipping one of your packed bags to get old reliable to relax you. 20 minutes later... "Hey Suzy?! You down there?" you hear Donna call from upstairs. "Huh? Uh what?! Yeah! Hold on!" you exclaim and stop your stress relief session. As you hurry to get dressed, Donna continues to call down to you. "I called you know, why didn't you answer?" "Uh, I guess I didn't hear it. Sorry about that. Be up in a minute." "I thought you were ready. What were you doing? Splittin' the kitten down there?" Donna laughs. You don't answer; you just finish dressing and grab your bags. When you get upstairs, Donna greets you. She's wearing a shirt that is obviously trying to call attention to her small breasts and pants that are one size too tight to make her ass look like its more filled out, but she's dressed fairly conservative all things considered. "Were you just taking what's in your bags? Because we could probably put more into the car." "Nah, I need to get out of here now. I mean maybe later I could get someone to come get my couch or some of my furniture though." "Okay, but really I don't think you'll need to, Julie's got spare beds and such. Plenty of space you know." "Yeah I know. Let's get going." You and Donna leave the house and after throwing your bags in her car you and her are soon on your way. Along the way Donna puts on some music. She takes mercy on you by not listening to that techno dance crap that you hate so much, but instead listens to the bubble gum pop crap that you hate slightly less. "So...I found an area of the house where I think you'll be happiest at yesterday." Donna says. "Oh? Is it the basement?" "Hah, nah. That's being used for other things. I was thinking of Julie's dad's old office on the far left of the house. I mean Julie never uses it, and besides a few people wandering from the main party to have a quickie in there it's never used anymore." "Gee, you make it sound so appealing." "Well it's either that or one of the upstairs bedrooms and I can't promise you won't be disturbed on regular basis there. At least with the office you can lock it and it's far enough away from the usual party grounds." "I guess it's the best I can hope for, thanks I guess for thinking ahead." "No problem. You know I'm glad you're coming to live with us. I mean I know you probably don't believe it, but I missed talking with you. Julie's fun and all, but even I get tired from partying ALL the time." "Well thanks Donna...hey this is like the twelfth police car I've seen pulled over and cops arresting someone." You say looking out the window. "Yeah, I dunno if you've noticed since you tend to hang out in the basement most of the time, but there's been an increase in crime which also means an increase in the cops using that as an excuse to be assholes... like this. Shit!" Nothing like talking something into existence. A cop car puts on its siren and a bullhorn tells you to pull over. You briefly worry that your sister isn't going to pull over, but she does. Swearing and sighing the whole time. Doesn't take long before a policeman approaches the vehicle. "Alright where are you going in such a hurry?" the cop asks. "Nowhere. I wasn't even speeding!" "Is that right honey? Not according to my radar you weren't. Besides, you ignored a stop sign back there. I think you need to step out of the car." "Are you kidding me? There wasn't a stop sign!" "Aren't you supposed to ask for her license and registration first?" you add. The cop suddenly points his finger at the both of you. "The both of you need to shut the hell up right, before I run you both in for obstruction of justice. Now both of you out of the car now!" Your sister looks at you like she really wants to just try to turn the car back on and try to drive away, but you both know that wouldn't do any good save for getting yourselves in a whole lot of trouble. The cop calls over his partner who looks equally uncompromising. He tells him to search you, while he starts searching the car while he puts Donna up against the car and starts patting down Donna. "Getting a good feel, you bastard?" Donna remarks. The cop frisking you is slightly better, since you don't get your girl parts molested, but he certainly comes close. He snickers a bit as you tense up from this indignity. After you and your sister have been frisked. They tell you both to go sit on the curb with your hands locked behind your heads while they search the car. This is a bad situation anyway since you're obviously dealing with two asshole cops, but who knows what the hell Donna's got in her car which will give them even more of an excuse to march you off to jail. Speaking of which, Donna whispers to you. "We need to run." "What?" you ask in a whisper. "Those two fuckers are going to find something in the car." "You're driving with illegal drugs in the car?" "Not that much, well at least I don't think I am...hell I'm not even sure, but I can't take that chance! We gotta run!" "And where the hell are we gonna go?" "I dunno! We could probably still hide at Julie's house." "You're joking right? That place is probably the first place they'll look! Shit, Donna! I knew I shouldn't have left the goddamn basement today!" "Look...they're pretty involved in searching right now. If we ran we could probably at least lose them until we came up with a better idea." You get the impression Donna is going to run no matter what and you can't see how that's going to be a good idea in any way. You're also concerned that if she runs and you stay, these two cops will just pin everything on you (whatever that may be). Still, if she sees that you're determined to stay, maybe she'll keep to her common sense and won't run too. > Don't run Regardless of what your sister does, you're not going to get yourself into more trouble by running. "Look Donna, I can't stop you from running, but I'm staying here." "What? You can't do that. You're supposed to be supportive!" "I'm not going to be supportive in your resisting arrest attempt! Now like I said, I won't stop you, but if you're going to do it, you'll be doing it alone." "(Sigh) I should've known you're still the same old goody two shoes that follows all the rules. You're a goddamn idiot Suzy, one of these assholes just felt me up when he frisked me. You really think if they're just going to arrest us when they find something? Chances are they're going to drive us to some secluded area and make us suck their cocks and god knows what else! I'm getting the hell..." Just as Donna is starting to get up, both cops have taken notice of you two again. "HEY! I told you to stay put! Don't give me an excuse!" one of them shouts nearly going for his gun and it's enough to cause Donna to rethink her actions. "Despite the pair of you acting mighty suspicious, you appear to be clean and so does the vehicle. Don't think you're getting out of a ticket though!" the cop says and shoves a ticket at your sister who takes it. Looks like Donna had a drug free car after all. At this point the cop's partner says to him that they're needed at the mall since apparently a small riot has broken out there. You are left with another verbal warning and they drive off. As for you and your sister, the pair of you get back in the car without another word and continue your drive to Julie's house in silence. When you arrive, the place is much more subdued than your used to. You don't even hear loud music coming from inside. "No party going on?" you ask. "Probably will be some folks coming over later. I dunno, even I don't keep up on it all the time. Anyway, I'm sure you'll be wanting to hide away before that happens, so like I said your room will be Julie's dad's old office. Julie also wants to talk with you as well, so if you're actually feeling social you could go speak with her before heading off to planet Suzy." Donna says coldly. "...what the hell? Donna, I know you're pissed, but I really don't know why. If it hadn't been for me stalling you from running, you'd be in for a lot more trouble than just a ticket. I'd say it worked out much better." You say. "Right. Your plan worked. Following the rules always works for you. Your life is so great and that's why you had to beg to move in here." "Uh, you're living here in JULIE'S house too with no means of support either. I wouldn't start pointing fingers." "Fuck you Suzy. I thought things were going to be different, but I can see that you're still the stuck up bitch that thinks she's better than everyone else." Donna exclaims and storms off leaving you in the car. So much for "sisterly bonding." This is really an unfortunate turn of events, but not completely unexpected. Donna's always been a bit bi-polar with you. One moment she's saying how much you should hang out and bond and the next minute she's calling you a stuck up bitch that doesn't know how to have fun. The girl has some serious self-esteem issues. Really you have no idea why she still acts the way she does. Mom is dead and so is dad. Who is there to rebel against anymore? From some of what she said earlier it almost seems like she parties out of habit more than great desire anymore. You pull your bags out of the car and head on inside. The front room is messy, but not overly so. Your sister is nowhere to be seen, but there are a couple of people you don't know sitting on one of the couches playing video games. Another one is asleep on the floor. The place smells of spilled beer and none of the people even acknowledge your presence. "Suzy! You're here!" a voice suddenly calls out. You look up and see Julie waving from the second floor. She immediately runs down the stairs to greet you close up, nearly tripping in the process. When she gets to you, the years of partying are really starting to take their toll. She's your age, but she's starting to look like one of those trashy strippers that wears too much make up. "Suzy, it's been too long! Give me a hug!" she exclaims and before you can even react, she gloms on to you and gives you a tight squeeze. "Mmmm, you smell so nice. Like strawberries." She says while rubbing her hands across your back. "Uh, yeah. Probably the shampoo I used." You say. "You've been keeping in shape too, guess Bobby was keeping you busy physically. Ha ha ha ha." Julie laughs and now she starts getting a little too touchy feelie for you. You've already had unwanted touching once today, you don't feel like more. "Yeah, okay good to see you too. Back up there now. I need some space." You say and start pulling away. "Hah same old prudish Suzy. What you think I'm gonna just start sexually assaulting you right here in the living room? Please, I know a girl like you needs to be romanced first!" Julie jokes, but she's probably somewhat serious with her playful advances. Shortly after you got with Bobby, Donna told you that Julie spent a couple days crying because she wanted to tell you how she's always loved you. (You of course weren't sure why she ever thought you'd be into such a relationship, but apparently before Bobby, everyone just assumed you were a big lesbian.) Of course she quickly went on with her hedonistic life, but you've always wondered if she really ever "got over" you. "Okay Suzy, I hear you're planning on sleeping in my dad's old office. You remember the way right?" "Yeah I think so." "Oh, I'll just walk with you, we need to catch up on so much. I've missed you, you know!" Resigning yourself to the fact that you're going to have to at least be friendly to Julie, you walk with her to your new room. Julie of course is very talkative. "So Suzy, speaking of Bobby, did you make up with him yet?" "No and I doubt if it's going to work out anyway." "Ohhhh, that's so sad. You two did make a cute couple in a creepy shut in way." Julie says and begins rubbing your shoulder. "Hm, thanks." You answer. "Well, not to worry, you could meet a new boyfriend right here! Contrary to what you might think, I don't just have mindless party animals coming over here. There's actually a wide variety of people that come here to hang out. You could meet that special guy tonight in fact! Or girl...you know whatever..." Julie says trailing off and nervously smiles at you. "Well I'm not really thinking about that right now, I think I'd rather be by myself for awhile." You answer. "Oh yeah sure. I understand. But I just want you to know that my house is your house okay? And all the fun that goes on here, well you can have some of that fun too you know?" "I know Julie. Thanks for letting me stay here." "No problem, you were always welcome. Okay well here it is. I'll leave you to get settled and remember you can always come out and join us later." At this point Julie hugs you again though it's a quick one this time and briskly walks off. You enter the office and see that it is indeed much neater and cleaner than most of the house. Even better that it has a small bathroom attached to it as well, but you knew that since this actually isn't the first time you've been in here. You remember playing tag with Julie when you were in elementary school and you both ran in here. Julie's dad wasn't angry though. He even gave you a lollipop from a jar on his desk. Come to think of it anytime he saw you, he was always giving you lollipops. He was pretty nice that way. Shame he died in a car accident just as Julie was starting to get wilder, since even if he did work most of the time, you get the impression Julie might at least had some boundaries during her late teens and onward. It doesn't take long for you to rearrange some things and make yourself at home on the fairly comfortable couch in there. It also doesn't take long for you to get back to finishing what Donna interrupted earlier today. (Making sure to lock the door of course) After finishing up and washing up a bit, you hear some music. Sounds like the party is getting started. Continuing to be the introverted personality you usually are, you don't leave your "safe zone" and go back to playing games on your computer and looking up random shit on the Internet. The more things change the more they stay the same, time passes and it's almost like you've never left the basement! Eventually you get bored doing that and you start looking around the office a bit more. It's sort of snooping, but then Julie's dad is dead and you're sure Julie doesn't care. You start going through the filing cabinets and find that all the paperwork is mainly business files dated back to before Julie's dad died. Looks like nobody ever bothered to clean any of this stuff out or even go through the stuff. The bookshelves aren't filled with the most interesting of topics. Mostly about economics, business practices, legal things, though some of the books are historical in nature. You don't see much fiction though. The desk just contains regular office supplies. You actually aren't surprised to find a pistol in there (along with bullets) but after rummaging around a bit you notice a secret compartment in one of the drawers. You find a black box and you waste no time in opening it. Inside you find pictures. Pictures of little girls...in fact there are some of YOU! By the looks of them, these were all taken in secret. Nobody is naked in the photos, but given that nearly every single picture of you involves you either sucking or licking a lollipop it's pretty apparent what the purpose of these were. Some of these girls are other kids you knew from school and hung out with Julie as well. In fact one of them went missing. Nobody knew who did it, but it was a big deal in town and it probably lead to your mother being even more overprotective of you. And you're really glad she did since you're starting to get a sinking feeling about what you've uncovered here. "Christ..." you say going through the photos. You start to wonder now if Julie's behavior is caused by years of sexual molestation. It would certainly explain a lot. Then you get a knock on the door. "Hey Suzy, it's me Julie, I've got something for you." "Uh, hold on. Just a minute!" you exclaim as you quickly put the photographs back. You have no idea if you should tell her not, but you open the door. Julie appears with a bottle of soda and a pizza and walks in. "I figured you'd stay in here all night, but I thought you might get hungry or thirsty so here you go!" Julie says and places her gifts to you on the desk. "Oh. Thanks Julie." You say. "You're welcome...so why'd you take so long in answering the door? You splittin' the kitten in here or what?" Julie asks. "Hah, yeah well busted I guess." You say with a fake chuckle. "Suzy, if you came out and had some fun with the rest of us, that wouldn't really be necessary you know. I know you probably still miss Bobby on some level and you've got needs, but he's not here and you'd be better off moving on with your life and getting some free dick out there...or pussy...you know whatever..." Julie says obviously still hoping. Given how unstable Julie is at times, you almost wonder if you should address what you found at all. Maybe dredging up bad childhood memories isn't the best thing right now. > You talk to Julie about what you found Quite frankly, you'll still not sure if this is a good idea, but you can't stay silent about what you know. "Julie, I'm about to tell you something very important and I think it's going to cause a lot of emotions, but please bear with me." You say and then when you see Julie's eyes light up you quickly clarify your statement. "Uh...not that." "...oh..." Julie says disappointed, though she's going to be even more upset when you reveal what you know. You start and stop a couple of times, but eventually you tell her you better just show her. You open the desk back up and hand her the box of photos. Julie goes through them silently for a moment and sits down. "Julie, I dunno what to say." You remark. "What's to say? It is what it is. (Sigh) I thought I got rid of all this stuff though." Julie responds. "You...you knew? Why didn't you ever tell anyone?" "Wasn't like I really knew until after he died and by then I didn't see the point and I thought it might even fuck up the inheritance he left me. Most of the stuff I found when I did go through it weren't photos like these, but actual magazines or little girl pictures on his computer. I didn't even know that he was taking photos of you and other friends." "Wait. So you never knew until after he died? Are you saying he never touched you?" "Nope. Never touched me. Never paid much attention to me at all really, he was usually gone on business or otherwise busy as you well know." At this point Julie starts to laugh. "You wanna hear something really fucked up?" "Um..." "After I found out my dad was a sicko pedo I got angry and cried as you might expect, but I think a small part of me did so, not because of the horror of such a revelation, but because I thought why didn't he ever show me as much attention? Why these other girls? I was his daughter. Why wasn't I...(sob) good enough..." Julie starts to break down. You've never been one to deny how fucked up your family is and you probably have your own set of "daddy issues" on some level, but right now you don't think you could have such a twisted way of thinking. To be fair to Julie, she probably doesn't really have some fucked up desire to want to fuck her dad, its just her being fucked up in general. She's always been so starved for a positive father figure in her life that her mind is bound to go to places that are a little... well fucked up. Julie goes into full blown sobbing mode and you realize you're going to have to be the one to console her now. "Um...there. There, there now. You don't mean that." You say sitting down next to her and patting her on the back. She then of course takes to hugging you while crying. "I mean in his own...incredibly twisted way he did care about you." You say. "What do you mean?" "Well he left you a shitload of money when he died for one thing. He definitely wanted you to make sure you'd be taken care of if he died. I mean that's more than my dad did." "Your dad wasn't a fucking pedo." "No, but I mean...look your father obviously must've known what he was was incredibly wrong and he tried to shield you from it by NOT molesting you. His love for you overwrote his sick lust for little girls. It might've even been why he was distant. I mean things could've been A LOT worse for you if he had taken an unhealthy interest in you." "I...I suppose you're right. But I just wish...someone could've been there for me growing up. I wish my mom hadn't died when I was little. Maybe it could've made the difference of me actually not squandering my youth and acting like brainless whore. All I fucking do is live a shallow existence of hedonism. I don't even feel good about it anymore. It's just a never-ending void. I could've applied myself to SOMETHING and now the inheritance is starting to run out and I have absolutely no goddamn skills whatsoever." This is pretty heavy stuff coming from Julie. She rarely if ever takes about anything deep, and given how personal all this is it's a bit out of character. Still, you aren't entirely surprised she's coming out to you about it. Crushes aside, Julie probably has always felt a bit of a bond with you due to both your mothers dying early and having distant fathers. True your sister is more in line with her lifestyle, but you grew up with her and were friends with her first and its obvious that deep down she'd like to have something stable in her life. In a weird way you both have also shut yourself in from the outside world. Julie may be fucking strangers and partying all the time, but other than that, she barely interacts with the real world in any meaningful way. She was just a "basement dweller" with a shitload of cash. In any event you continue to speak with Julie who reveals more about what she knows. She keeps apologizing for her dad taking pictures of you, but you tell her to forget about that now. She goes on to say she doesn't know anything about Vanessa, the little girl in one of the pictures that went missing later. She says she barely remembers ever playing with her. (And to your knowledge you never played with her either). "So you don't think he had anything to do with her disappearance?" you ask. "I don't know. I don't know everything about my father's sick habits. I mean I know he looked at pictures obviously, but I can't say if I found anything more than that. Like I never found any hardcore kiddie porn involving actual sex. Though to be honest, it got to a point where I'd found so much that I didn't want to look anymore. Hence why this office has never really been touched." Julie says. "Hrm. Well I didn't find anything else other than these photos." You take a glance through the photos again and shake your head realizing that this is probably just going to be one of those dark mysteries of what really happened to Vanessa. Since neither one of you are really willing to play great detective and don't want to dwell on this anymore, you and Julie destroy the photos. Afterwards you figure Julie will want to go back to her party since she'll want lose herself in an alcohol and sex filled night as usual, but this situation has put her out of the mood. "I'm sure whoever is out there will have fun whether I'm there or not. I just don't think I'm in the mood. Can I just spend time with you? We could eat this pizza and just talk like how we used to remember?" Julie asks. "Well, I suppose that would be okay." You answer. So you and Julie spend the remainder of the night talking. It really isn't all that bad. It doesn't even get weird with Julie trying to push for something more, she just maintains a friendly demeanor and nothing more than that. Her spirits are certainly brighter. Eventually you start to get sleepy and even Julie begins to get tired. "I hate to stop our discussion, but I'm really getting sleepy. It was sort of an eventful day for me." You say. "Sure, I understand, but um...could I ask just one little favor?" Julie asks. 'What?" "Well, other than the situation that lead to our talk, I really feel like this was a very positive experience for me. I mean like in a long time. I feel like I've reconnected with a friend again. I mean REALLY reconnected." "Julie..." "I know. I know where you think I'm going with this, but can I just sleep here tonight? I just enjoyed our time together that I don't really want it to end yet, even if we'll both be asleep." "I dunno...where are you going to sleep?" "Oh, that couch folds out into a bed. I'll just sleep with you!" You give Julie a look of disapproval and disbelief. "I mean...oh you know what I mean! I'll just take one side of it! Please! I really won't try anything honest!" You can't believe you're actually considering this... "(Sigh) All right, but ONLY because this is all my fault for dredging up bad memories in the first place and you're a bit emotional right now. You can sleep on the left side, but DO NOT expect this to be a regular thing and DO NOT think that your hands or any other parts of your body are going to just roam over to my side in the middle of the night. I don't think I need to tell you what will happen if that happens." "No, and I swear I won't try anything! Okay, this is gonna be fun! Like a sleep over! Why didn't we ever have one of those when we were little?" "Because my mother was overprotective and I'm starting to think things could've been a lot worse for me if she hadn't been." Wasting no time, Julie helps you fold the couch out and gets into the bed. You hesitantly get in on the other side and remind Julie not to touch you. Julie though just seems to be thrilled you're in the same bed together. Despite your concerns, you eventually fall asleep... > Next day... "...Suzy..." you hear a voice whisper. "Mgh." You answer. "Suzy...get up...I have to go pee!" the voice says again. Your eyes are still closed, but you recognize it as Julie's. "Guh. Well go! Why do I have to get up?!" you say angrily with your eyes still closed. "Well because you arm is wrapped around my waist and your leg is intertwined with one of mine that's why!" Now you open your eyes and realize what Julie has just described is true. Julie looks at you over her shoulder. "Hey don't blame me, I stayed on my side of the bed. I'd enjoy this longer, but I really gotta pee!" "Shit." You say and remove yourself from your entanglement from Julie's body. Julie smiles at you and then heads to the bathroom. Great, now she's going to read something into it. Though you do wonder how the hell you got into a spooning position with her. Maybe you were dreaming about Bobby. Speaking of Bobby, while you're checking the time on your cell phone, you see that he's left messages again. After you recent "night cuddling" with Julie, you think it might be best if you do call Bobby if only to deter Julie from getting any ideas. "Hello? Bobby?" you say. "Yeah." Bobby answers. He sounds pretty flat. "Well you called me, so I assume you wanted to talk to me." "Yeah I did, I wanted to talk to you yesterday about something else, but I've changed my mind about some things since then. So I've got something new to tell you, and given that you didn't bother to talk to me yesterday I think you'll be fine with it." "What are you talking about?" "I'm talking about us. Breaking up for good. It's obvious that this isn't working. I tried to bring you into my world, but you just refuse to meet me half way." You can't believe you're hearing this! "Meet you half way? You want me to be one of your wives in your fucked up religious cult compound that's what you want! Face it, you're not going to give up your sister Diana and that bitch would kill me as soon as I stepped foot in that place!" "Well...you obviously have valid points, so why are you arguing with me on this?" "Because you're trying to make out like I'M the bad guy here! I'm not the human sacrificing cultist Bobby and yet I looked past that because I loved you! You say I didn't try to meet you half way? I proposed long ago that we BOTH leave our fucked up families behind and start a new life together! I was willing to change, YOU weren't!" At this point there is a long pause. "Well? Don't you have anything to say?" you ask. "No, except...it was just too much. Guess I take after my dad after all. I'm sorry, but my God and family come first. Even before you. I'll always remember...the good times we had. May Tiamat's Chaos take mercy on you." "Oh fuck you and Tiamat!" you exclaim and hang up. Its weird, but you start to sob a little bit. You sort of knew your relationship with Bobby was on borrowed time anyway, but it still hurts now that it's officially over. He was your first love after all and now that's gone. Meanwhile Julie is standing in the bathroom door watching you. "Suzy, I heard some of that...and I'm truly sorry about you and Bobby. Really, I mean that. You're a kind and decent girl with many wonderful qualities. He had a treasure in you and he doesn't know what he's lost." Hard to tell if Julie's just trying to flatter you or she really does mean it, but either way it's still nice to hear right now. "Did you want to talk about it?" Julie asks. "No, not really. It's over and that's that. Best to not dwell on the past and move on right?" you say. "Probably. Well I should probably see how much damage my home is in from last night and see who's still lingering around. I'll leave you alone." "Wait, I'll come with you. I mean I live here too now, I might as well help you clean up. Besides, for the first time I think being alone might be a bad idea. I'm just going to end up dwelling on Bobby. I need to keep my mind on other things right now. I probably should try to make up with Donna as well. We kind of argued yesterday." "Yeah, I wondered what happened about that. When she stormed in yesterday I asked about you and she mumbled something about you being a bitch. Then later at the party I asked again about what happened and she still never answered." "Nothing really happened, she just jumped down my throat for a perceived insult, but I guess I should make the peace being the older sister and all." "See? This is why you're so wonderful!" Julie smiles and the pair of you exit your room. The house actually isn't in bad shape. Julie remarks that usually the parties only get really out of hand on Saturday and Friday nights. She also remarks that she thinks this the first time in quite awhile that she woke up without a hang over since she didn't really drink as much since she was mainly with you the whole night. "It's a bizarre feeling, but I have to say it isn't an unpleasant one." Julie says. From the living room you hear the sounds of a vacuum as well as a TV. "Who the hell would be vacuuming?" Julie asks. "Donna?" the moment you say that, you and Julie both look at each other and say "Nah." When you arrive in the living room, you see a man probably about your age calmly vacuuming as he periodically looks at the TV screen, which is one of those Ground Zero infomercials. There are actually a couple of other people in the room flopped out on the furniture or on the floor still asleep, but the man merely vacuums around their sprawled out legs or bodies. You and Julie find the sight to be quite the peculiar one. He notices you both and turns off the vacuum. "Oh hey. You...you're the owner of this house correct?" he asks. "Yes I am, who are you?" Julie answers. "Oh I'm Johnny. Sorry if I woke you and your girlfriend up, but I couldn't in good conscience leave your house in such a mess. So I found your vacuum and tried to clean up a bit. Sort of a wild party last night huh?" Johnny says. "Eh, had wilder. Never had a guest actually clean up though. Kinda weird, but hey I won't turn it down. I don't remember you from last night; though I have so many people at my parties I never know half of them anyway." "Oh, I'm not very memorable anyway. I've always kind of just blended in with the crowd. I heard about this party from a friend and figured I'd come since I don't get out much. Did you want me to leave?" "Doesn't make difference to me. Like I said, I'm not going to turn down a guest that helps clean up." Johnny nods and returns to cleaning up, while Julie turns back to you. "Hrm, he's an odd one, but at least he's helpful. Anyway, let's go check and see if Donna's upstairs." Julie says. You and Julie leave Johnny to his cleaning to go find your sister. After checking the bedrooms, you don't find her (Though there are a couple of people still sleeping in said bedrooms) you wonder if she passed out on the lawn or something. You and Julie start descending down the stairs. "I dunno, while I've certainly passed out on the lawn, Donna has never gotten that bad. She's more likely to be in the basement." "Well I guess you could look outside and I could look down there for my sister..." Suddenly Johnny interrupts. "Excuse me. Sorry for overhearing, but did you say you were looking for Donna?" "Yes, she's my sister." You say. "Oh...so you must be Suzy. Heard her talk about you last night." "Nothing good I'm sure. You know where she is?" you say. "Unfortunately I don't. I mean I remember seeing her leave with a couple of guys and another girl last night, but I didn't know them either. I was under the impression they were going out to get more beer or drugs or something, but they never came back." You shake your head and sigh. "Great, she probably got herself fucking arrested by the cops last night." You say. "Well we don't know that." Julie remarks. "Maybe. I guess I'll know if I get a call from the police station. Whatever, I know she's like a cat and always lands on her feet, so I can talk to her later." "You sure you don't want to still look around the house for her?" "Well if she's here, she'll probably turn up while I'm cleaning this place a bit." "Okay, well I'm heading back upstairs to get those assholes out of my bed and clean up whatever mess is up there." Julie heads back upstairs nodding to Johnny who is now picking up garbage by hand and putting it in a bag. He nods to you briefly and continues his work. Well mind numbing clean up work should certainly help keep your mind off Bobby (and the possibility of Donna being in jail) you're just wondering if you should help Julie or Johnny. > You help Julie While Johnny seems okay, you don't know him and you're not in the mood to make new acquaintances, so to prevent the risk of him suddenly becoming more talkative to you, you pass Johnny and head upstairs to help Julie. "Hey! Not cool Julie, we were asleep!" you hear a voice say. "Yeah and nobody has sex in MY bed unless I'm actually in it!" Julie says. "Well, you can still join us like last time..." another voice says. "Get out!" This order is followed by the sounds of something falling on the floor, and then followed by some complaints. Soon you see a disheveled man and woman both putting some clothes on as they exit the room. They walk past you, grumbling the whole time about Julie not being cool about the situation. As they walk out the front door, they end up waking up another guest who was sleeping in one of the chairs downstairs. He looks at his watch and exclaims "Shit!" and rushes out the door as well. Johnny briefly looks at them and then looks up at you with a faint smile and continues to quietly clean up. You enter Julie's room and see her stripping the bed. "Well, could've been worse I suppose. I thought you were cleaning up downstairs." Julie asks. "I figured I'd help you up here." You answer. "Oh, well thanks." "Plus, I dunno, but that Johnny guy is sort of weird." "Heh, yeah, but no weirder than some of the other people we've both known." "I suppose, but there's something about him...I can't place my finger on it. I'm just not getting the best of vibes from him." "Well he did say he didn't get out much. Maybe he's just awkward around people. I think you know a little about that." Julie says smirking. "Heh, very funny. So did you want me to get started on the other rooms?" "Yeah just pick up any trash you might find and throw that away in a trash bag. There should be some up here in the hallway closet. Don't worry about the bathroom, I'm sure its suitably disgusting, but I wouldn't dream of asking you to clean it. Hey, maybe I can get Johnny to do it. Ha ha!" "What about Donna's room?" "Well, normally I leave her shit alone so she has the privacy of cleaning it herself if she so desires. Of course I don't think picking up a few beer cans that might be in there to be an invasion of privacy. So use your judgment." So you do exactly what Julie says. You start picking up cans and other refuse into a trash bag. Despite Julie's warnings, you check the bathroom anyway and it isn't quite that bad so you do a little cleaning up there as well. Eventually you make your way back to Julie's room where she's still straightening things out there. "You know normally I never bother to do this much cleaning, but I guess that's one of the advantages of not being hung over when you wake up in the afternoon. You finished already?" Julie asks. "Just about, even worked on the bathroom a little. Wasn't that bad in there." "Glad to hear it, did you clean up Donna's room?" "No, decided to stick with your policy of non-interference." "Okay. (Whew) I'm used to playing hard, but not working hard. I'm taking a break." "Yeah I think I'll join you." Julie lies down on her now fresh-sheeted bed, while you sit in a chair. "Why don't you come over here, you could stretch out." Julie says. "Hm, I'm good. And I think we've spent enough time in beds together for a while." You answer. "Afraid you might get the sudden urge to spoon me again huh?" "Look, I dunno how I got in that position, but I probably was dreaming or something." You say. "Mostly or something." Julie continues to prod. "You had me in a pretty good grip and I didn't say this before, but I was wide-awake for a good ten minutes enjoying it before I had to really pee. And during that time, you were also grinding your body into mine and you even gave me a peck on the ear." "What?! Get out of here! You're making this up!" you exclaim. "I'm serious!" "...I like guys!" you protest. "I never said you didn't. I'm just saying that on SOME level, you might like the female form as well. It's okay you know." "The only female form I like is my own." "So you really mean to say you've never fantasized about another woman? I'm not even talking about me, I'm talking about any woman." "Nope, can't say that I have." "You've never found any woman attractive?" "Well that's different than wanting to fucking another woman. I mean sure, if you want an example I always thought my older brother Ben's wife Moonshadow had pretty eyes." "Hmm, interesting. She was part black wasn't she? Maybe you just got a thing for dark meat." Julie laughs. 'Fuck you Julie. Just fuck you." "Hey, whenever you're ready. And given how much you were aggressively holding on to me and grinding your body into mine, I at least I know you're a top now. Didn't get that vibe from you before. That's kind of hot really." At this point you can't help but laugh though it's a semi-nervous laugh due to feeling a little weird about Julie's suggestions about you. You attempt to change the subject. "Well at least this has gotten my mind off other things. Still need to smooth things over with Donna though. No call yet, so I'm guessing she didn't get arrested. I'm just hoping it isn't something worse. I might call her soon; even if she is pissed at me at least I'll know where she is. Has she ever disappeared like this before?" "Oh sure. I mean she goes over to hang out with other people; she's probably over at one of their houses. I'm sure she'll be back later today...is that Johnny guy still downstairs?" "Dunno. I can check." You exit Julie's room and look into the living from the second floor. The TV is still on (And still playing an infernal Ground Zero infomercial) but Johnny isn't anywhere in sight. Looks like the living room is clean though, even the last of the sleeping "guests" are gone. You call out his name, but there is no answer. "Nope, he's gone. Looks like everyone is gone." You say entering Julie's room again. "Oh well. With as helpful as he was cleaning up I hoped I could get him to drag these dirty sheets and blankets to the washing machine. You gonna help?" "I suppose I could, but I probably should be searching for a job. I have a terrible habit of not focusing at the best of times on that." "Heh, I don't even think I've ever looked for one...and I probably should start doing so. Like I said yesterday, my inheritance isn't going to last forever. I won't keep you though, you've been a big help already and I can handle taking some sheets down to the washing machine." You suddenly get the idea that maybe the task wouldn't seem quite as bad if you did it together. To be honest you wouldn't mind her with you while you look if only because you still don't want to be by yourself where you can start dwelling on Bobby again or worse trying to call him. Of course you might end up just goofing off with Julie if she's around thus procrastinating and making the goal of searching for a job pointless. > You search for jobs yourself "Well, if you want to look for a job, just come in and see me and we can look together." You say. "Okay, maybe. First, I'm going to take these sheets and blankets and throw 'em in the wash though." Julie replies. The pair of you head downstairs and part company as you head into your room and she goes into the basement. (It still feels odd to NOT go into the basement when heading to your room) You lay down on your bed/couch, open up your laptop and prepare for the unfun task of looking for a job. Ten minutes in and you've already gotten off track. You're playing some flash game, but your mind keeps occasionally thinking about Bobby. You start to get upset again and think about calling him. You pick up the phone and think of how you really shouldn't do this, especially since you fully believe that he was being the asshole in this situation, but you can't just let it end the way it did. You don't know why, maybe its because he's the first guy you've ever seriously been with and you can't quite let go yet. "Hey." Bobby says on the other end of the phone. You're sort of surprised that he picked up after only two rings. "Bobby... I just want to say a few more things..." you say. "Suzy I don't want to fight with you. So..." "No, it's not that. Look I just want to say, I'm sorry I insulted your religion. I know how important it is to you." "Well I appreciate that. Thank you." "I just don't want things to end like that last conversation we had. Our time together was special to me and I don't want those memories to be completely soiled because we had a bad break up." "I agree as well...I know I probably shouldn't say this, because it only makes this break up even harder, but I ALMOST came close to abandoning everything for you...it just...just..." "I know. It was just too much." Bobby on the other end of the phone is silent, but you think you hear sniffling. Of course this makes your eyes water too. "I think... (sniffle) I think I'm always going to love you Suzy." Bobby says. "I have to go....bye." Bobby says and abruptly hangs up. Now you're really upset. You knew you shouldn't have called. You almost think it was better when you parted thinking he was a complete asshole. He sounded so sad, you wonder if maybe, just MAYBE you could convince him if you went and saw him one more time. You get the idea. You're going to do it, because what you had with Bobby is worth fighting for! You leave your room and start shouting to Julie as you go down the basement stairs "Hey Julie! I know you'll probably think this is a bad idea, but I want to go talk things out with Bobby one last time. He and I have so much history, so do you know if Donna has an extra set of keys to her... Aaaaaaaahhh!" you scream when you see Johnny standing over Julie's bloody body with a knife in hand. Johnny doesn't even flinch, he just smiles at you like nothing is wrong. "Bobby? ...you have a boyfriend? Your sister didn't tell me that...oh well..." he says flatly. Panic and fear fill every inch of your body and you instantly turn and run back upstairs. You get to the top step and open the door just before you feel a sharp pain strike hard into your back. You manage to keep from falling backwards and instead fall forward so that you're half way on the basement steps and half on the ground floor. Trying to fight through the pain, you attempt to stand back up and stumble in the process. Attempting to grab the knife in your back doesn't help either. You manage to get partially down the hallway before Johnny catches up to you again. You are grabbed roughly and then thrown face first into the floor as he twists the knife in your back. You scream out for help, but there is none to be had. "Stop screaming you fucking bitch! Why do you always scream!? I'm doing this for your own good! I can be your boyfriend! I can be a better boyfriend!" Johnny shouts as he attempts to strip off your clothes. The only consolation to your final fate is that you struggle so much that Johnny cuts your throat before he can rape you. Not that it stops him from doing so after you're already dead of course.

[Themes: modern, female protagonist, romance, science fiction, humor] While Johnny seems okay, you don't know him and you're not in the mood to make new acquaintances, so to prevent the risk of him suddenly becoming more talkative to you, you pass Johnny and head upstairs to help Julie. "Hey! Not cool Julie, we were asleep!" you hear a voice say. "Yeah and nobody has sex in MY bed unless I'm actually in it!" Julie says. "Well, you can still join us like last time..." another voice says. "Get out!" This order is followed by the sounds of something falling on the floor, and then followed by some complaints. Soon you see a disheveled man and woman both putting some clothes on as they exit the room. They walk past you, grumbling the whole time about Julie not being cool about the situation. As they walk out the front door, they end up waking up another guest who was sleeping in one of the chairs downstairs. He looks at his watch and exclaims "Shit!" and rushes out the door as well. Johnny briefly looks at them and then looks up at you with a faint smile and continues to quietly clean up. You enter Julie's room and see her stripping the bed. "Well, could've been worse I suppose. I thought you were cleaning up downstairs." Julie asks. "I figured I'd help you up here." You answer. "Oh, well thanks." "Plus, I dunno, but that Johnny guy is sort of weird." "Heh, yeah, but no weirder than some of the other people we've both known." "I suppose, but there's something about him...I can't place my finger on it. I'm just not getting the best of vibes from him." "Well he did say he didn't get out much. Maybe he's just awkward around people. I think you know a little about that." Julie says smirking. "Heh, very funny. So did you want me to get started on the other rooms?" "Yeah just pick up any trash you might find and throw that away in a trash bag. There should be some up here in the hallway closet. Don't worry about the bathroom, I'm sure its suitably disgusting, but I wouldn't dream of asking you to clean it. Hey, maybe I can get Johnny to do it. Ha ha!" "What about Donna's room?" "Well, normally I leave her shit alone so she has the privacy of cleaning it herself if she so desires. Of course I don't think picking up a few beer cans that might be in there to be an invasion of privacy. So use your judgment." So you do exactly what Julie says. You start picking up cans and other refuse into a trash bag. Despite Julie's warnings, you check the bathroom anyway and it isn't quite that bad so you do a little cleaning up there as well. Eventually you make your way back to Julie's room where she's still straightening things out there. "You know normally I never bother to do this much cleaning, but I guess that's one of the advantages of not being hung over when you wake up in the afternoon. You finished already?" Julie asks. "Just about, even worked on the bathroom a little. Wasn't that bad in there." "Glad to hear it, did you clean up Donna's room?" "No, decided to stick with your policy of non-interference." "Okay. (Whew) I'm used to playing hard, but not working hard. I'm taking a break." "Yeah I think I'll join you." Julie lies down on her now fresh-sheeted bed, while you sit in a chair. "Why don't you come over here, you could stretch out." Julie says. "Hm, I'm good. And I think we've spent enough time in beds together for a while." You answer. "Afraid you might get the sudden urge to spoon me again huh?" "Look, I dunno how I got in that position, but I probably was dreaming or something." You say. "Mostly or something." Julie continues to prod. "You had me in a pretty good grip and I didn't say this before, but I was wide-awake for a good ten minutes enjoying it before I had to really pee. And during that time, you were also grinding your body into mine and you even gave me a peck on the ear." "What?! Get out of here! You're making this up!" you exclaim. "I'm serious!" "...I like guys!" you protest. "I never said you didn't. I'm just saying that on SOME level, you might like the female form as well. It's okay you know." "The only female form I like is my own." "So you really mean to say you've never fantasized about another woman? I'm not even talking about me, I'm talking about any woman." "Nope, can't say that I have." "You've never found any woman attractive?" "Well that's different than wanting to fucking another woman. I mean sure, if you want an example I always thought my older brother Ben's wife Moonshadow had pretty eyes." "Hmm, interesting. She was part black wasn't she? Maybe you just got a thing for dark meat." Julie laughs. 'Fuck you Julie. Just fuck you." "Hey, whenever you're ready. And given how much you were aggressively holding on to me and grinding your body into mine, I at least I know you're a top now. Didn't get that vibe from you before. That's kind of hot really." At this point you can't help but laugh though it's a semi-nervous laugh due to feeling a little weird about Julie's suggestions about you. You attempt to change the subject. "Well at least this has gotten my mind off other things. Still need to smooth things over with Donna though. No call yet, so I'm guessing she didn't get arrested. I'm just hoping it isn't something worse. I might call her soon; even if she is pissed at me at least I'll know where she is. Has she ever disappeared like this before?" "Oh sure. I mean she goes over to hang out with other people; she's probably over at one of their houses. I'm sure she'll be back later today...is that Johnny guy still downstairs?" "Dunno. I can check." You exit Julie's room and look into the living from the second floor. The TV is still on (And still playing an infernal Ground Zero infomercial) but Johnny isn't anywhere in sight. Looks like the living room is clean though, even the last of the sleeping "guests" are gone. You call out his name, but there is no answer. "Nope, he's gone. Looks like everyone is gone." You say entering Julie's room again. "Oh well. With as helpful as he was cleaning up I hoped I could get him to drag these dirty sheets and blankets to the washing machine. You gonna help?" "I suppose I could, but I probably should be searching for a job. I have a terrible habit of not focusing at the best of times on that." "Heh, I don't even think I've ever looked for one...and I probably should start doing so. Like I said yesterday, my inheritance isn't going to last forever. I won't keep you though, you've been a big help already and I can handle taking some sheets down to the washing machine." You suddenly get the idea that maybe the task wouldn't seem quite as bad if you did it together. To be honest you wouldn't mind her with you while you look if only because you still don't want to be by yourself where you can start dwelling on Bobby again or worse trying to call him. Of course you might end up just goofing off with Julie if she's around thus procrastinating and making the goal of searching for a job pointless. > You ask Julie to search with you "Maybe we could look together." You say. Julie looks a bit hesitant at your proposal. "I...I dunno...I'm just not in the mood right now..." "Come on Julie, I'll help. The cleaning can wait." "Well... I guess it would be good to know what to do and where to start at least. Why don't you grab your laptop and come back up here and we can get to it." You head downstairs and back to your room where you pick up your laptop. Upon exiting the room, you scream out when you literally bump into Johnny. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" you scream and nearly drop your laptop in the process. Johnny doesn't do anything except stand there. "SUZY! What's going on down there?!" you hear Julie shout. "Johnny what the fuck are you doing creeping around like that?! You scared the shit out of me!" you exclaim backing away into the living room still in a bit of a panic. Johnny doesn't move he just continues to stand there in the hallway. "I'm not creeping. I just finished cleaning the basement, it was a real mess down there." Johnny says. "I called your name earlier and you never answered!" you say. "I guess I didn't hear you. What're you getting so excited about?" "Because you're fucking creeping around the house like a psycho! I think you need to leave!" you say with authority, but you're really scared deep down inside. At this point Julie has come down the stairs and arrived. "Johnny, I thought you left. What're you still doing here?" Julie asks. "Nothing, I just finished cleaning your basement. You know I feel like my efforts aren't being appreciated and you're not being a good host." "Good host? Alright fine, I thank you for your help, but you're obviously scaring my friend and the party's long been over anyway, so get the fuck out." Julie orders. While you half expect Johnny to show some sort of anger or even get violent, fortunately it doesn't come to that. He remains completely calm. Like dead featureless expression calm. Which is almost scarier. "Okay. Sorry I caused distress." He says and walks past you and Julie (you both give him a wide berth) and goes out the front door. You immediately start locking it up. "Julie, go lock your back door." You say busily putting the chains on the door. "Wow, that guy really got to you..." "Julie, please just go check your fucking back door!" "Okay, okay!" Julie leaves to go just that, but you only end up following her anyway. The backdoor is actually already locked though Julie rechecks it just to be sure. "See, we're safe...shit, Suzy, you're actually shaking." "Of course I'm fucking shaking! I just had a goddamn flashback to when my Uncle Ed caught me finding the body parts of his victims! I'm telling you there was something wrong with that guy!" you say still looking around like Johnny is still lurking about. "Shhh...it's okay now. He's gone, and if it makes you feel any better he won't be allowed in here anymore. Hell we probably won't see him again anyway." Julie says placing her hands on your arms in an effort to sooth and calm you down. "I think I need to lie down." You say feeling wobbly and unable to catch your breath. Julie escorts you back to your room where you lay down on the bed. "I...don't think I'm in the mood to look for jobs with you right now Julie." "That's okay Suzy, I wasn't really in the mood to look for one anyway." Julie says with a smile. "God, my heart is really racing...I feel like I'm going to pass out." "You want me to get you some water or something?" "No, don't go. Stay with me." You say grabbing on to Julie's hand. "Okay. I'll stay here. Whatever you want. I'm here for you." Julie says squeezing your hand while sitting on the edge of the bed. You slowly begin to calm down and eventually you stop hyperventilating. Julie stays with you saying nothing, but just being supportive by sticking with you like a friend should. You start to feel safer and close your eyes since the stress has still made you a bit weary. Before you know it you've fallen back to sleep. Hours later... You wake up and find yourself alone. You grab your cell where you left it by the bed last time and see that it's only a few hours to midnight. (Nobody has tried calling you either.) The odd thing is you don't hear any music or the sounds of people. Normally Julie would have a gathering by now, and it's odd that you're not hearing it. You then start to worry if something has happened. Still thinking about your incident with Johnny earlier today, you rush to the desk and grab the pistol you found before and load it up. Your older brother Ben showed you how to handle a gun once, you weren't exactly very good with it, but you feel safer with it. Cautiously, you open the door and slowly walk out into the hallway looking around you. You then hear a male voice coming from the living room. "Shut the fuck up bitch and take it!" "JULIE!" you scream and run into the living room with your pistol draw and pointed in front of you. "HOLY FUCK SUZY!" Julie shouts and falls off the couch, dropping her console controller and ducking for cover. You then see on her TV screen the origin of the male voice. It's her character. She's playing some sort of crime simulator. Now Julie's the one with the heart palpitations! "Goddamn Suzy, you scared the shit out of me! What the fuck are you doing with a gun anyway?!" "It was in your dad's desk. Sorry. I just woke up alone and...I guess I'm still a little scared." "Well I was a lot scared when I saw that shit pointed at me! Especially with the game I'm playing, I thought I unlocked some sort of 3D mode for a second." Julie says with a very small chuckle. You apologize again and sit down next to Julie who has recovered and is busily trying to get her bearings again on her game. "Shit, some fucker robbed me while I was distracted. Gonna have to find and chase his ass down now. Wanna help? Got another controller." Julie says. "No, I think I'll just watch right now... so no party tonight?" you ask. "Nah, I mean there were some people that showed up earlier tonight, but I told them all to go back home since I cancelled it tonight. I figure after what happened earlier today with you, you could use the peace." "Thank you Julie, that was really thoughtful." "Don't mention it. Besides, I figure this would be a good opportunity to start that life change like I mentioned before. Still didn't look for a job though." "Hah, well one day at a time...so is Donna here somewhere?" "Nope, still hasn't come home yet. I actually tried calling her, but no answer. I guess she's got it turned off or the battery's dead. Probably at a club or something ." "I hope so...I'm starting to worry now." "I told you she's probably at a club or something. Like I said before, she doesn't always sleep here." "Maybe so, but given that that creepy fuck said he saw he last, well it makes me a bit suspicious." "You still worried about him? Told ya, that guy was just an awkward aspie. Probably just didn't know how to talk to girls. Here, why don't you join my game? You're obviously already in a shooting mood, it'll take your mind off things." Trusting that it couldn't hurt, you grab a video game controller and start committing virtual homicide on a grand scale. Oddly, it does make you feel a little better and you both play a little past midnight. "Well, that was fun, I think I'm going to bed." Julie says yawning. "Really? Seems early for you." "Well unlike you I haven't slept, plus I'm not hopped up on designer drugs like I sometimes am when I'm partying. Amazing what being clean for a whole day does to you." As Julie gets up to go to head off to bed, you aren't exactly tired yet, but you're still a little nervous about being by yourself. You can't believe you're going to ask this... "Julie?" "Yes?" "Can you sleep with me tonight?" Julie's expression to this request says it all. "Well okay, but stay on your side of the bed and if anything of yours touches anything of mine, you better respect me in the morning." She says with a big grin on her face. You head back to your room Julie taking the pistol with you, which Julie really disapproves of, but doesn't protest too much since she's just happy you're spending yet ANOTHER night in the same bed with her. After locking the door and placing the pistol where you can easily reach it, you get into bed with Julie who to her credit does keep to one side of the bed and quickly fall asleep. You're up for a little while longer, but eventually you feel safe enough to let your guard down and fall asleep as well. > Next day... "Remember, if you act today..." "Ugh! Shut up! I don't care about your stupid shelters!" you hear Julie remark. You open your eyes and see Julie to the left of you messing around on your laptop. (And clicking off on one of those annoying pop up audio ads) "Hey...when did you get up?" you ask. "I dunno, about an hour ago I think. Didn't really feel like leaving the bed though, so I just figured I'd stay here and entertain myself on your laptop. Hope you don't mind." "Eh, it's fine. Don't mess with my bookmarks and setting though." "Don't worry, I'm not going to accidentally delete anything. I must say though with the extensive number of porn links in your history, I think you might have a real problem." Julie mocks. "Mm, bold words coming from a woman who has popped up in several amateur videos on those sites." You answer. "Hah. I don't doubt it, but that brings up the question of why would YOU be watching those?" Julie asks. "Who said I did? I can't help it if I'm browsing through the videos and suddenly your ass pops up in a still." "If it's just my ass, how do you know it's me? Either you don't or you've watched them enough that you know what my ass looks like without even seeing my face!" "Argh! I don't mean literally! I mean YOU pop up, and I've seen your face in the stills though once I almost couldn't tell because it was covered in cum!" you exclaim starting to get agitated. "Hmm, nice save." Julie says a little unconvinced. Already having expended more energy than you wanted to, you start to sit up and realize you've been wearing the same clothes for the past couple days. "Christ, I really need to take a shower and change these clothes." You say and get out of the bed. "Yeah, I think I need to go do that too." Julie says. "Well you can go use your own shower. I know we've been sleeping in the same bed for the past two days, but that doesn't mean we're going to be re-enacting a women's prison shower scene from a movie." You say laying down boundaries again. "Hey I think you had that one bookmarked!" Julie says jokingly. You shake your head and grab some clean clothes before heading into the bathroom to take a shower. After washing up and changing your clothes, you feel refreshed. When you exit the bathroom, you see that Julie has left, presumably to go wash up as well. You check your phone and once again see nobody has called. You dial up your sister's number and still no answer. You certainly hope Julie is right about her just sleeping somewhere else. But surely she couldn't be so pissed at you that she's moved out could she? All her stuff is still here after all. You then hear a loud noise or more like a voice, but you aren't sure if its coming from inside the house or outside the house. Still paranoid from yesterday, you grab the pistol and cautiously exit your room. When you get to the living room, you deduce the noise is indeed coming from outside. A quick peek through the window and you see several military men and a couple of military trucks and even an A.P.C. "Hey Suzy?! You hear that noise!? You got the TV up loud?" Julie shouts from somewhere up on the second floor. "No! The fucking National Guard is out there in force and it looks like we're under marshal law." "National Guard? Hold on, I'm coming down..." Julie says. You turn the TV on to see if there's anything about this, but you're not exactly having any luck. You're getting a lot of Ground Zero infomercials or news about shit going on elsewhere in the world. Local stations seem to be off the air with an "emergency test" beep but nothing more substantial than that. "What the fuck is going on?" you say to yourself. "Yeah what the fuck IS going on?" Julie asks coming down from taking her shower. "I dunno, I might need to check the Internet, not having much luck with the TV. Do we have enough food and water?" you ask. "Well we certainly got some food. Dunno about water though. I mean you can get some from the taps I suppose, but as you might expect I got tons of alcohol. Why?" Julie says. "Why? Because the National Guard just said if we try to leave we'll probably get shot on sight that's why! (Sigh) We're basically prisoners here." "Suzy, you need to calm down. You've been on edge since yesterday. You just said there isn't a whole lot we can do, so we might as well just relax in the house. I mean really how much different is the day going to be for either of us?" Julie remarks. "I'm just...its Donna. I mean she's still out there. I mean I HOPE she's still out there. I mean the last thing I did was argue with her. Shit, I'm even a little worried about Peter and Kelly now and I never got along with them either. Still family though." You say. "You tried calling either of them?" Julie asks. Oddly you haven't. You didn't really have a reason before, but given what's going on right now, maybe you should. "I think I'll do that Julie. I can't believe I didn't think of it." You say. "Sure, you go check on what family you can and maybe find out more about what's going on. In the meantime, I'm going to go get a drink." "Thought you were turning over a new leaf?" "You just said we were prisoners here. Not much else for me to do is there? Besides, I'm not going to get bombed out of my skull." While Julie goes and deals with this situation in her own way, you head back to your room to get your cell phone to start calling up your other family members. You try Peter first since you figure he might at least answer. You start to call Peter and then you hear a loud clatter from the kitchen. What's odd to you is that you don't hear a series of cursing following it; you do think you hear a stifled yelp though. Panic wells up inside you and you once again head towards where the disturbing sound came from with your pistol pointed in front of you. "Stop fighting me, bitch!" you hear a voice say. This isn't a video game this time. You enter the kitchen and see Julie being held captive by someone you KNEW was no good right from the start. Johnny. He's got one arm around her waist and another hand with a knife to Julie's throat. He isn't calm anymore. His face is displaying a rage and hatred you remember seeing a glimpse of in Uncle Ed when he looked at you during that horrible night with him. Julie's face is one of absolute terror and tears run from her eyes. "Let her go you fucking psycho!" you exclaim pointing the gun in his direction. "Oh look, it's your dyke lover come to rescue you! Fucking whores the pair of you! You think I'm scared just because you got a gun pointed at me? Pfft! Look at you, you're so scared right now, you can barely aim that thing properly." He's right. Despite having the gun in your hand, you're incredibly scared. "Mmm, think I'll have some fun with you two after I'm done cleansing you whores. Just like I did with your sister." Johnny exclaims. Your worst fears are now a reality and it shows in your face. You feel ill and start to shake a bit. "Guess you two have been so busy rug munching that you haven't been in the basement lately. Told you it was a mess down there." Johnny laughs cruelly. Between this revelation, Julie's desperate expression of wanting you to do something, and your own fear, you're having a very difficult time concentrating. You feel like if you shoot, you're either going to miss Johnny completely and then he'll kill Julie, or worse you'll kill Julie for him by accidentally shooting her instead of him. You can't fuck this up. > You just shoot now You remember something your brother Ben said once when he was trying to teach you how to use a gun, "If you're going to shoot, don't think about it. Just shoot." Probably not exactly best thing to tell someone, but nevertheless you remember it and so you do it. You shoot. And it's all over so quickly you didn't even have time to blink. You hit Johnny in the forehead killing him instantly. His grip on Julie is dropped as he collapses backwards to the floor. You're still standing there in disbelief with the pistol still in hand, but now dropped to your side. Julie stands sobbing looking at Johnny and then begins to curse at him. "You motherfucker! (Sob) You sick fuck! (Sob) Goddamn you!" she exclaims. You go up to her in an attempt to calm her down. "It's over. It's over. He's dead." You say and she stops to hug you tightly. Really you're having a hard time keeping it together yourself, this psycho just admitted to killing Donna and stuffing her body in the basement. You still need to deal with that. "Oh my god Suzy, (Sob) you saved my fucking life! I'll never forget this! (Sob)" "Okay, okay, just take it easy. (Exhale) Okay normally we'd just call the cops about this, but considering we're under fucking marshal law right now I don't think that's an option. So we need to get rid of this body ourselves. Julie. Look at me." You say staring into her eyes. "I'll take care of most of this, but I need your help. Besides trash bags do you have any tarps or large sheets of plastic? What about a shovel?" "...(sniffle) I don't know. If there is, they might be in the basement. I know there's a shovel down there." "Well, I guess that's where I'm heading since I'm going to have to go down there anyway. Julie, why don't you go lay down in your room? We're going to get through this okay?" Julie seems still very shaken by this experience, but nods and believes you. She gives you another hug and then walks off to go lay down. As for you, you've got an unpleasant trip to the basement. You try to prepare yourself for what you know to be down there, and fortunately the adrenaline of the situation has given you the fortitude and clarity to carry out what needs to be done, but as you're walking down those stairs, it still doesn't give you an enjoyable feeling. When you reach the last step, you fully expect to see a floor full of blood and gore, but you don't see any of that. In fact you don't even see a body. You can only guess he must've hid it down here somewhere. As you proceed with the grim task of looking for your sister's body, you notice that there is an open window down here, which explains how Johnny managed to sneak in here again. You find the shovel and take it. You don't find a tarp, but you figure you can always wrap the body using garbage bags. Then you notice the washer and dryer... "Oh god...no...Donna..." you say looking away with tears already forming. You can't tell without getting closer and opening them, but both of the door windows to both are covered in blood. You know he must've mutilated her body and shoved the pieces of her in both machines. A blood stained axe is also propped up next to them. You can't help but get sick and vomit nearby at the thought of this. You then break down and cry for a moment. You weren't the closest with her, but you just wish the last moments were at least better. You can't imagine what her real last moments were like. Or rather you have an idea, but you'd rather not dwell on it. You don't quite have the strength to proceed with the grisly task of cleaning up your sister's remains right now. You stagger back upstairs with the shovel in hand trying focus on dealing with the body of the murdering fucker who killed her. You get back to the kitchen and just stare at Johnny's body, getting angrier and angrier about how light he got off. Who knows how many others he killed before your poor sister. "Someone should fucking chop you up." You say. Remembering that you saw some duct tape in the desk in your room, you go back and grab it and then a trash bag from the kitchen. You put the bag over Johnny's head and then tape it around his neck, so more blood doesn't smear all over the floor when you're dragging him back to your room. From there, you take him into the bathroom and get his body into the bathtub. You then head right back down into the basement and grab the axe. As you're heading back to your bathroom to repay mutilation with mutilation, Julie has come back downstairs to check on you. "Suzy, what are you doing with that axe?" "Julie just go back upstairs, I told you I got this." "Are you going to chop up his body? Is...is he in your bathroom right now?" "Julie I said just go back upstairs, you don't need to deal with this, I'll do it." "Suzy, I thought you were going to just dig a hole and throw him in it." "Yeah well that was before I found my sister in fucking pieces in your goddamn washer and dryer!" Julie places her hand over her mouth and staggers back propping herself up against the wall. "Oh god..." "Yeah. This whole day sucks and maybe that dead motherfucker won't be able to feel the pain of me chopping him up alive, but it's the only satisfaction I'm going to get...besides with the National Guard out there right now, going outside to dig a hole probably isn't the best idea now. Better I should wait to do that at night." Julie has no words right now, but she's starting to look at you a little differently. Maybe the combination of killing someone and the emotional trauma of finding your sister chopped up has caused a bit of a snap in your personality. In any case, you're definitely taking a darker turn here. Suddenly there is a loud bang on the front door. "Oh shit! Who the hell is that?!" Julie says. "Fuck. That's probably that government rep the loud speakers outside were saying was going to visit all the homes in the neighborhood. Someone probably heard the gunshot and sent someone here a lot sooner. Shit...shit...gotta think..." you say. "Suzy?! What're we going to do? Maybe we should just tell them everything that happened! I mean it was self defense, surely they'll understand that!" "Julie, we're under marshal law. I got a man laying in my bathtub with a bag over his head and my sister is in pieces in the washer and dryer. At BEST we might be able to convince them of this entire outlandish series of events AFTER they arrest us, put us into whatever fucked up military cell they have, suffer hours of interrogation and god knows what else. At worst? They'll just think we're a pair of murderesses and execute us immediately without a trial." You say and then exhale. "Or...we could try to cover this up and get them the hell out of here as quickly as possible." You add. "Don't you think they're going to search the house?!" "Well that's why we're going to try to prevent that from happening. Distract them some how so they don't bother. I mean I suppose we could try to run out the backdoor and over the fence, but I don't know how are chances would be with that." you say. Julie has no answer for you. At this point she's so scared that whatever you decide, she'll follow. > You run out the back door There's no time to talk, you just have to get the hell out of here! "Julie come on, we're going out the back and climbing over fence." You say and the pair of you make your way towards the kitchen. The banging on the front door gets louder, but you've already left and are in the backyard running for the fence. You manage to get to lift yourself up, but not quite over the back fence before you hear several people shouting at you to halt. You also hear Julie screaming. You turn your head quickly and see one soldier with his knee in Julie's back, her face in the grass and a gun pointed at her head. Several other soldiers are pointing their rifles at you and walking towards you. You panic and see no good way for this to end if you let them capture you, so you attempt to pull yourself over the fence to continue your escape. Several of them fire and you land on the other side of the fence with several fatal bullet holes in your body.

[Themes: modern, science fiction, romance, female protagonist, humor] You remember something your brother Ben said once when he was trying to teach you how to use a gun, "If you're going to shoot, don't think about it. Just shoot." Probably not exactly best thing to tell someone, but nevertheless you remember it and so you do it. You shoot. And it's all over so quickly you didn't even have time to blink. You hit Johnny in the forehead killing him instantly. His grip on Julie is dropped as he collapses backwards to the floor. You're still standing there in disbelief with the pistol still in hand, but now dropped to your side. Julie stands sobbing looking at Johnny and then begins to curse at him. "You motherfucker! (Sob) You sick fuck! (Sob) Goddamn you!" she exclaims. You go up to her in an attempt to calm her down. "It's over. It's over. He's dead." You say and she stops to hug you tightly. Really you're having a hard time keeping it together yourself, this psycho just admitted to killing Donna and stuffing her body in the basement. You still need to deal with that. "Oh my god Suzy, (Sob) you saved my fucking life! I'll never forget this! (Sob)" "Okay, okay, just take it easy. (Exhale) Okay normally we'd just call the cops about this, but considering we're under fucking marshal law right now I don't think that's an option. So we need to get rid of this body ourselves. Julie. Look at me." You say staring into her eyes. "I'll take care of most of this, but I need your help. Besides trash bags do you have any tarps or large sheets of plastic? What about a shovel?" "...(sniffle) I don't know. If there is, they might be in the basement. I know there's a shovel down there." "Well, I guess that's where I'm heading since I'm going to have to go down there anyway. Julie, why don't you go lay down in your room? We're going to get through this okay?" Julie seems still very shaken by this experience, but nods and believes you. She gives you another hug and then walks off to go lay down. As for you, you've got an unpleasant trip to the basement. You try to prepare yourself for what you know to be down there, and fortunately the adrenaline of the situation has given you the fortitude and clarity to carry out what needs to be done, but as you're walking down those stairs, it still doesn't give you an enjoyable feeling. When you reach the last step, you fully expect to see a floor full of blood and gore, but you don't see any of that. In fact you don't even see a body. You can only guess he must've hid it down here somewhere. As you proceed with the grim task of looking for your sister's body, you notice that there is an open window down here, which explains how Johnny managed to sneak in here again. You find the shovel and take it. You don't find a tarp, but you figure you can always wrap the body using garbage bags. Then you notice the washer and dryer... "Oh god...no...Donna..." you say looking away with tears already forming. You can't tell without getting closer and opening them, but both of the door windows to both are covered in blood. You know he must've mutilated her body and shoved the pieces of her in both machines. A blood stained axe is also propped up next to them. You can't help but get sick and vomit nearby at the thought of this. You then break down and cry for a moment. You weren't the closest with her, but you just wish the last moments were at least better. You can't imagine what her real last moments were like. Or rather you have an idea, but you'd rather not dwell on it. You don't quite have the strength to proceed with the grisly task of cleaning up your sister's remains right now. You stagger back upstairs with the shovel in hand trying focus on dealing with the body of the murdering fucker who killed her. You get back to the kitchen and just stare at Johnny's body, getting angrier and angrier about how light he got off. Who knows how many others he killed before your poor sister. "Someone should fucking chop you up." You say. Remembering that you saw some duct tape in the desk in your room, you go back and grab it and then a trash bag from the kitchen. You put the bag over Johnny's head and then tape it around his neck, so more blood doesn't smear all over the floor when you're dragging him back to your room. From there, you take him into the bathroom and get his body into the bathtub. You then head right back down into the basement and grab the axe. As you're heading back to your bathroom to repay mutilation with mutilation, Julie has come back downstairs to check on you. "Suzy, what are you doing with that axe?" "Julie just go back upstairs, I told you I got this." "Are you going to chop up his body? Is...is he in your bathroom right now?" "Julie I said just go back upstairs, you don't need to deal with this, I'll do it." "Suzy, I thought you were going to just dig a hole and throw him in it." "Yeah well that was before I found my sister in fucking pieces in your goddamn washer and dryer!" Julie places her hand over her mouth and staggers back propping herself up against the wall. "Oh god..." "Yeah. This whole day sucks and maybe that dead motherfucker won't be able to feel the pain of me chopping him up alive, but it's the only satisfaction I'm going to get...besides with the National Guard out there right now, going outside to dig a hole probably isn't the best idea now. Better I should wait to do that at night." Julie has no words right now, but she's starting to look at you a little differently. Maybe the combination of killing someone and the emotional trauma of finding your sister chopped up has caused a bit of a snap in your personality. In any case, you're definitely taking a darker turn here. Suddenly there is a loud bang on the front door. "Oh shit! Who the hell is that?!" Julie says. "Fuck. That's probably that government rep the loud speakers outside were saying was going to visit all the homes in the neighborhood. Someone probably heard the gunshot and sent someone here a lot sooner. Shit...shit...gotta think..." you say. "Suzy?! What're we going to do? Maybe we should just tell them everything that happened! I mean it was self defense, surely they'll understand that!" "Julie, we're under marshal law. I got a man laying in my bathtub with a bag over his head and my sister is in pieces in the washer and dryer. At BEST we might be able to convince them of this entire outlandish series of events AFTER they arrest us, put us into whatever fucked up military cell they have, suffer hours of interrogation and god knows what else. At worst? They'll just think we're a pair of murderesses and execute us immediately without a trial." You say and then exhale. "Or...we could try to cover this up and get them the hell out of here as quickly as possible." You add. "Don't you think they're going to search the house?!" "Well that's why we're going to try to prevent that from happening. Distract them some how so they don't bother. I mean I suppose we could try to run out the backdoor and over the fence, but I don't know how are chances would be with that." you say. Julie has no answer for you. At this point she's so scared that whatever you decide, she'll follow. > You talk your way out this Even if you do run, you could easily bump into more military outside. "We need to distract them. Julie, go run up stairs and try to clean up your face a bit and then doll yourself up with make up. Put on something sexy, like lingerie." "Wha...what?" "Just do it. I'll call you when I need you." "Suzy...I don't know..." "Julie, just trust me okay?" You say. "Okay." Julie says with a nod and runs off back to her room. You run into your bathroom and toss the axe and shovel in there with Johnny's body and then draw the shower curtain closed. Grabbing some scissors from the desk, you take your pants off and quickly cut the legs off of them so they resemble shorts and put them back on. You then tear your shirt and tie it up so it's really accentuating your breasts and exposing your midriff. You then grab some rubber bands and tie your hair in two ponytails on either side of your head. More banging on the front door and you run into the kitchen. You quickly put the pistol in a half full box of cereal, which you then put back into the cupboard. There isn't much blood on the floor, but what little there is, you easily wipe up with some water and soap. "OPEN UP BY THE ORDER OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT!" you hear a voice shout followed by more banging on the door. "Hold on! Hold on! I'm coming! I'm coming!" you shout, running to the front door. Looking through the peephole, you see two soldiers and a man dressed in a business suit. "I really hope these guys are straight." You say and open the door. You open the door and you lean forward a bit and to the side hoping you look seductive rather than ridiculous (It isn't like you do this a lot). Judging by the brief pause and the stares, you gather that you achieved seductive rather than ridiculous. "Miss, didn't you hear us knocking on the door?" the man in the suit asks. "Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't answer right away, I was just so busy with something and I had to make myself presentable. So how can I help you today?" "You can start by letting us in; we heard a gunshot coming from this direction. Granted that hasn't been an uncommon sound in other parts of this town, but this neighborhood has been fairly quiet and peaceful otherwise, so we'd like to know if you know anything about it. We already got soldiers searching around your backyard and the immediate area." "Oh. I see. Well, you boys come on in and I'll try to serve you in any way I can. My name is Suzy by the way." You turn around and attempt to put a little swing into your walk. You then you're your head to look back at them and flutter your eyes a bit. You actually feel really silly doing so, but the grinning expressions you see on the two soldiers suggest that you seem to be doing better than you'd believe. The man in the suit tells the two soldiers to stand by the door and he sits down on couch. You then sit close to him. "Okay, Suzy. You may refer to me as Mr. Zoll. Now you're aware this town is under marshal law correct?" "Yes, we heard loudspeakers outside earlier. It sounded so frightening... should we be worried?" you say. "I can't tell you specifics about such things, however I'm sure you're aware that this town has experienced a vast increase in criminal activity and rioting. More than your police force can handle. So until we get the situation under control again, we're here to stay." Actually you weren't really aware of that, or at least not to the great extent that it was bad enough to call in the National Guard, but you nod and cross your legs and rub your hand over one of them in a manner that catches the attention of Mr. Zoll. "So um..." "You were saying Mr. Zoll?" you ask. "... yeah anyway...so while this is a state of emergency, we don't want the citizens to feel uncomfortable. We don't want to just send in soldiers here to search every house for potential troublemakers. I mean this is still a free country and contrary to popular belief, the government is here to help. At least that's how I have always approached these situations. Much better to work with people than forcing them against their will. Still, as I said, gunfire was heard from this house and we have to investigate. So I'd like to at least ask you questions before deciding if we need to search this house further, you understand." "Oh yes, of course I understand. You have such a difficult job trying to keep our wonderful country safe, I will comply will all your wishes and desires." You say and then place your hand on Mr. Zoll's knee in the process. This is enough to cause him to smile nervously, but takes your hand off at which point you smile and giggle in return. "Okay first of all you keep using the term 'we' is there someone else here?" "Oh yes. I'll call her down. Julie! Could you come down here? There is a man that wants to ask us some questions about the gunshot earlier." you say standing up from the couch. Julie appears and thankfully the girl has pulled out all the stops. She's wearing purple lingerie underneath and her legs are covered by purple stocking with garters. She's also wearing all the usual makeup that makes her look like a cheap whore and that's definitely a plus right now since everyone is looking at her. Julie walks down the stairs in such a manner that continues to keep their eyes on her. While she probably knows what some of your plan is by now, the rest of it is probably going to surprise her. "Mr. Zoll, this is Julie, my life partner of many years. Come over here and sit sweetie." You say taking a seat in a chair. Julie is indeed surprised by this, but quickly knows to play along. The two soldiers meanwhile can barely keep their mouths from hanging open. Mr. Zoll is better at keeping it together, but he's unsure of whether to stare at you or Julie and where! "Julie. Don't sit all the way over there baby. Come over here." You say and pat you hands on your lap. Julie now has a bigger smile than anyone as she hops into your lap and puts her arms around you. You then give Julie a kiss on the lips; Julie however gets a bit overzealous by slipping you the tongue and grabbing one of your breasts. "Now, now, honey, we have company." You say smiling and putting her hand back. "I apologize Mr. Zoll, but we plan on finally getting officially married soon, now that it's become legal and we were sort of celebrating before you knocked on the door. We've been friends and lovers for so long that its so liberating to long at last have the freedom to do what everyone else does. Did you know we came out to each other when we were sixteen? It was almost magical how we just knew it was so right in that high school shower room... " Now Mr. Zoll crosses his legs because he's probably hiding a big boner. The soldiers at this point are unsubtly "rearranging" but it looks more like they just want to whip it out and start whacking it. Zoll manages to get back on track. "Ladies, I really need to ask about this gunshot so let's get to it." You and Julie say you heard a gunshot behind the house and not much else. Julie then mentions that she saw someone through the window jumping over the back fence, but couldn't make out what they looked like. Then she describes what they look like they were wearing from the back. "All I know is I was so scared that I hopped right back into bed and held on to my Suzy." Julie says and hugs you a little tighter. "There, there, it's over now. These big strong men are here to protect us from lawless scum like that." You say looking at Julie and rubbing her legs. You turn back to Mr. Zoll. "So that's all we know Mr. Zoll. I hope it was helpful. As I said if you must search this house we understand, but I as a law abiding citizen of this country I do hope it isn't necessary." You say to Mr. Zoll who looks like he's trying to scan you for deception. "Nah, I don't think that will be necessary. You two seem like a nice couple that just wants to live your lives and be free to do... whatever you want to each other in the privacy of your own home. Whoever is dumb enough to run around in this neighborhood firing off guns is bound to fuck up soon and we at least know a partial description now. Okay anyway, onto the second reason for my visit. Do you need anything? We're not just here to keep order, but to help out as well. While you're quite aware that you can't leave your home, we could bring some basic supplies like food to you. So anything?" Any other time you might take them up on the offer, but right now you just want them gone. "Perhaps another time. Nothing right now thanks." You answer. "Well hopefully for all of us, this will all be over soon. Okay, I leave you two ladies." Mr. Zoll tells his men that they're leaving (who seem very disappointed). A few more glances back at you and Julie and soon they're out the door. It's over and you're safe. "Holy shit, I can't believe we pulled that off." You say slumping a bit in your chair and breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh Suzy, that was fucking genius!" Julie says who is still in your lap and hugging and kissing on your face. "Stop, it's over now, get off my lap. I still got a body to chop up and to dispose of." Julie ceases her affection and gets off your lap, though she looks a little hurt. Not wishing to cause more distress for her you apologize. "Look, sorry. I just...I still lost a sister and that's been going through my head since I found out today." "No, I understand. She was my friend. I don't think I've even processed her death fully due to my own near death experience and the National Guard coming in here. I'll leave you to it." Julie heads back upstairs and you return to your bathroom where Johnny's body still awaits your destruction. The thing is now; you don't feel like it anymore. The rage and sadness are still there of course, but what is chopping his body up really going to do for you? Nothing except more work and you refuse to expend any more energy than you have to on this scum. You get more trash bags and cover his upper half with one and his lower half with another. Then you duct tape them around him until he's wrapped pretty tightly. You then wait until dark and head outside in the backyard with the shovel. Luckily Julie's fences are high enough that nobody is going to immediately see you. (It's a big yard anyway and the neighbors aren't very close either) The night is actually pretty quiet, though you do hear the occasional rumble of what sounds like trucks or some sort of military vehicles driving on the nearby roads. It isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world digging in the ground at night, but luckily Julie's yard also has some pretty soft soil and it only takes most of the night as opposed to all of it. You then return back to retrieve Johnny's body and see Julie waiting nearby. "You could probably use the help in carrying this asshole right?" Julie asks. "It would welcome." You say. The pair of you lifts Johnny and carrying him outside and dump him into the hole you dug and then proceed to fill up. You and Julie then return inside the house. "Well that's that." Julie says. "Yep. And I'm going to bed." You say. "Suzy?" "Julie, I know. Donna still needs to be taken care of. I just don't have any more energy today. I can't deal with it now, I'm so drained it's taken all my energy not to just break down and cry." "I know today has been rough for you and I wasn't talking about Donna. I just wanted to say I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been here to take care of all this. You really went above and beyond today Suzy. I'm never going to forget it." Julie says and goes to hug you and kisses you on the cheek. She then faintly smiles and walks away. You don't know what's going on with you, and honestly you're too tired to sort out all the cocktail of emotions you've been bombarded with lately, but right now you do know Julie doesn't really want to be alone. "Julie, you don't need to got to you room, come on into my room." "Are you sure?" "Yeah, I'd hate for the National Guard to suddenly show up and expose us as liars." You manage to joke which causes a bit of a smile from Julie. As you drift off to sleep all you can think is "How can this week get any worse?" > Next day… You wake up and find that Julie is still fast asleep with her head nestled against your body and one arm draped over you. The funny thing is this sort of thing doesn't even bother you anymore. But your increasingly odd relationship with Julie isn't excessively important at this time. Right now you're dwelling more on the grim situation you're still in and the event less pleasant task you still have ahead of you. Not quite disturbing Julie yet, you reach over and grab your cell phone to check the time. Slept most of the day as usual. Just as well, since you won't have long to wait for nightfall again when you have to dig another hole out back. "Julie, get up I have to go." You say tapping Julie on the head. "Hgm,.. no..." she utters. "Have to, I've got to take care of something and I think you know what it is." Julie slowly and reluctantly moves off of you and repositions herself on a pillow. "I wish you could just stay in bed with me all day." She says. "At this point, I wish that too." You say and get up to leave to go get your sister out of the washer and dryer. You grab your seemingly never-ending supply of garbage bags, cleaning products, some towels, a bucket of water, some rubber gloves and go down into the basement. Once again approaching the washer and dryer you open up them up and are bombarded by a horrible smell. You end up coughing and hacking up again. "Ugh...(pant) ugh...goddamn it, I can get through this..." you say. You empty the washing machine first, putting Donna's dismembered legs and arms in trash bags. You then dump some cleaning products into the washing machine and turn it on figuring that it will least wash most of the blood out. The dryer on the other hand is not going to be as easy to clean. Johnny threw Donna's torso and head in there. While he didn't exactly eviscerate her, there are definitely some or her insides coming out. It's a horrible task (You try not to stare at her head for too long), but between the gagging you manage to get through it. Her body, her left over innards and her head all up into bags and tied up. You then spend time trying to clean the dryer. Even with using bleach, you can't get rid of that horrible smell. You wonder if it'll ever go away. "Ugh, that's a really horrible smell." Julie says causing you to turn your head and see that she's come down to check on you. "What are you doing down here? I told you I'd take care of this." You say. "You were down here awhile and I decided to check on you. Besides, your brother Peter called." "Is that right?" "Yep, he was returning your call from yesterday. Didn't realize you called him." "I was in the middle of calling him when that psycho attacked. Anyway, you talked to him?" "Yeah, but I didn't tell him about what happened here, save for the National Guard coming in and telling us to stay indoors. I didn't want to tell him about Donna, I figured you'd want to do that." "Thanks. Peter and Donna weren't exactly the closest either, but I think he'd be pretty upset to hear about her death. So he didn't want to talk to me?" "Well I told him you were really busy cleaning up an awful mess elsewhere in the house. He actually said he didn't want to talk long though because he was worried that the government was monitoring the phone call what with the marshal law and all." "Huh, sounds almost like something my brother Ben would've said." "Yeah, that's the other thing. He mentioned he was busily trying to locate Ben's old hidden bunker in your backyard. He said he wants to wait this out in there because he's scared shitless and feels vulnerable just being stuck in your house by himself." "Well I can see him being scared since this isn't the most relaxed of situations." "Yeah, but he said its more than just the National Guard. He said he saw a few of your neighbors acting nuttier than a shithouse rat in the streets for no apparent reason. Like they were rabid animals. He mentioned some of them was trying to bite someone." You stop cleaning for a moment. "What? Crazy people trying to bite others? That almost sounds like something out of a horror movie. You sure he wasn't exaggerating?" "He sure didn't sound like it, I mean it sort of makes sense. People have become more aggressive and hostile. The crime rate in this town has gone up so bad that the National Guard had to come in. I mean maybe everyone in town is going crazy from some sort of secret military experiment!" "If that's true, then how come we aren't running around biting people?" you ask. "Well maybe it hasn't affected us yet, maybe we're immune, I don't know! Maybe it spreads by bite like in a zombie movie! I'm just saying maybe we should start blocking the windows and doors." "Julie its entirely possible Peter saw some people just high on bath salts! I mean the people who live in my neighborhood aren't exactly the most morally upstanding. Let's wait and see for a moment. I mean I'm still cleaning up here, so it'll be awhile and..." Suddenly several machine gun shots are heard. "Oh my God!" Julie says and instinctively ducks. You on the other hand get up off your knees from cleaning and start to head upstairs. "Are you insane, where are you going?!" Julie asks. "Julie, while at one time it would've been unthinkable for me to head TOWARDS the sound of gunfire, I've left a pistol and an axe upstairs. If nothing else I'd like to retrieve to viable weapons if an impending zombie apocalypse is indeed coming." "Well hold on I'm coming with you, I don't want to be by myself!" Julie says. And like that you're cautiously going upstairs towards potential danger with Julie touching one of your arms and hiding behind you. Now you really do feel like you're in a horror movie. When you get upstairs, you and Julie keep your heads down. The gunfire doesn't sound like it's immediately out in front of the house, but it's definitely nearby. You go and get the pistol first. "Why is the gun in the cereal box?" Julie asks. "Because I was desperately trying to find a place to hide it yesterday. Julie, I think you better go put something a little more protective on. If we need to suddenly leave in a hurry you're not going to want to be running around in your underwear." "I suppose you're right. Where are you going to be?" "I'm going back to my room to retrieve the axe from the bathroom, wash this blood off and change my clothes as well since I obviously ruined these by cutting and ripping them yesterday in the first place." You and Julie part ways briefly to go take care of your short-term goals. After washing up and changing your clothes again you start to ponder what your next move might be. You don't quite get to do that since once again you're interrupted by the breaking of glass coming from the kitchen followed by snarling and grunting. "Shit!" you exclaim and run to the kitchen to see a bloody arm through the window of the backdoor attempting to unlock it. The thing on the other side gets more excited when it sees you and starts pounding the glass with its other hand cracking more of it. It seems completely oblivious to the fact that it's severely cutting itself in the process. It looks like a regular (if a bit wild) human. It doesn't look rotten (Could be fresh though) and maybe it isn't a zombie, but you know damn well you can't let it get in! You shoot at it through the glass completely shattering the rest of the window. The bullet hits it in the face and the thing falls backwards making one last death growl. You cautiously move to look through the broken window and see that you've killed it. Meanwhile Julie has come running to see if you're okay. "Suzy! Oh thank god! Are you okay?!" Julie asks. "Yeah, but I apologize for doubting you and Peter. One of those... things, guess I'll call them the rabid just attacked. Look what one did to this door, I'd hate to think what more of them might do in a group." You say. "Oh shit! We need to start blocking the doors and windows!" "I'm wondering if we shouldn't just get the hell out of here while we can." "I really think we we'd be safer if we stayed put! I mean we have more than enough furniture and items to barricade ourselves in here. If we leave, we run the risk of bumping into hordes of them and that's not counting the military who are still shooting people on sight, maybe even more so now. Where would we go anyway?" "I admit, I haven't figured that part out yet, but I think you're hoping to ride this thing out until shit gets back to normal and I'm wondering if that's even going to happen. We aren't exactly well supplied here for a long-term stay even if we do barricade this place. Now I'll give you that it's probably going to be dangerous out there, but at least we'll have more freedom to move around." Julie of course will follow you no matter what you decide, but she really wants to stay in. As much as you think it might be better to leave now, you probably would be safe if you barricaded yourselves in the house properly. Things do sound hectic out there right now with all the gunfire, it might even be best if you waited until things died down a bit and sneak out later. > You leave now Things aren't going to "calm down", they're just going to get worse if anything. You've already had too many intruders inside this house, staying here obviously isn't safe even if you do barricade it. You need to get out now. "Julie get some bags and start packing items like flashlights and the like because we're getting the hell out of here." You say. "But again, where are we going to go?" she asks. "And I still don't know, but I'm thinking we need to at least get out of this town though. From there I guess we'll play it by ear. Your car is still at the shop so we're going to have to use Donna's. Do you know if Donna had a spare set of car keys? When I had to...clean up, it wasn't like she was clothed at the time so there wasn't anything on her." "She probably left her keys on a dresser in her room when she first stormed in the house on Monday. I'll check. Speaking of Donna, what are you going to do about her? I mean you were going to bury her, but now?" "Yeah, I'm sort of wishing I'd buried her first instead of the asshole that killed her now. I dunno, I mean there just isn't time. (Sigh) Fuck it, she's just an empty shell now, the person that she was is gone and we need to make haste if we don't want to end up like her, so let's start getting a move on." Julie and you both split up to pack your bags. One of your bags that you brought hasn't even been opened and is still full of clothing. You fill your other bags with more useful items like some of the non-perishable snack food Julie has, the duct tape you were using, a few of the bigger kitchen knives, loose batteries, some of the medicine in the bathroom, etc. You then finish up with packing a few more of your personal items and are ready to go. "Julie, are you ready yet and did you find the keys?!" you call up to her. "Yeah, yeah I'm just making sure I got everything!" she calls back. You hear more gunfire coming from outside which sounds like its right outside the front door. A quick look out the window and you do see several guardsmen firing on those crazy people running at them. It looks like the National Guard have set up a bit of a "base" in one of the houses further up the street. You just hope you can drive off without too much problem. You're going to have to be quick that's for sure. Julie comes running down the stairs with two bags and a big luggage case. "Julie, what the hell, I told you to just focus on the essentials!" "I did! I need all this...shit!" Julie says and trips down the stairs due to all the stuff she's trying to lug around and going at a fast pace. You attempt to keep her from breaking her neck by getting in the way of her fall. You're partially successful though getting crushed by a tumbling body and heavy bags isn't fun. "Fuck...shit...goddamn..." you utter as you feel the pain. Surprisingly Julie doesn't seem any worse for wear. "Wow. That was lucky. Thanks Suzy." She says in a bit of an animated tone. You look at her eyes and see that her pupils dilated. "Julie are you fucking high right now?" "Uh...I don't know..." "Goddamnit Julie, really?" "I needed a little to take the edge off! I mean I've been practically sober for the past few days and I needed something to keep myself from breaking down completely! I've already proven I'm no good in these high stress situations and now we're going to enter a whole new level of fucked upness by leaving this house! I'm sorry if I'm not as strong as you!" You don't really have time to argue with Julie about this right now, but she might have a point. If drugs are going to keep her from melting down into a quivering mess then maybe it is for the best that she's a little high. The funny thing is before all this happened you were the one that was a bit more of a worrywart and Julie tended to have a more laid back approach to life. Just goes to show how one can never tell how people will react in an emergency situation. "Alright fine, but we're going to deal with this later and where are the car keys? I'll be damned if I'm going to let you drive in your condition." Grabbing the keys from Julie, you pick yourself up and grab your own bags and cautiously open the front door. "Alright we need to throw these bags in the back of car as quick as possible and then drive off equally as fast. These weekend warriors are patrolling all over this neighborhood and who knows where those rabid things are." You and Julie run over to the car and open up the doors and start throwing in your bags. Takes a moment for Julie to shove in her big luggage case, but she gets it in. The pair of you then get in the front seats of the car and you start up the car. You actually manage to swing the car out into the street before you hear shouting and then fired upon. Julie screams as the sounds of glass shatter behind you from the bullets. You keep it together and just drive hoping that there aren't too many of the guard in front of you. It's a false hope as you do indeed bump into more than a couple patrols with itchy trigger fingers. Some you try to avoid by going down other streets. Others are actually busy fighting off others. How you and Julie aren't hit by any that do shoot at you is something of a minor miracle, but the car certainly doesn't come through unscathed since by the time you manage to make out of Julie's neighborhood, it's making rattling sounds. "Oh god! I knew we shouldn't have left! The car's gonna die and then so will we!" Julie shouts. "Julie take some more of your happy pills or calm the fuck down, I'm trying to think! Shit! There's some of those things!" you say as you smash the car into two insane looking individuals that just jumped out of nowhere. One goes flying off to the side and the other falls backwards in front of your car, which then promptly runs over him entirely. You continue to drive and try to keep off the main streets though with your car now making several clattering sounds you're not exactly keeping a low profile. "We're never going to make it out of this town! Not with the car in this condition! We need to go back!" Julie exclaims. "We can't go back now Julie! I told you to take some more of... whatever it is you take and let me try to fucking think!" you say while trying to keep an eye on your immediate surroundings. "Okay. I'm thinking that we're currently not too far from my house. I suppose we could go there and try to help Peter look for my brother's shelter and hold up in there. At the very least we could exchange cars there. I'm sure Peter isn't going to have any intention on using his. Julie doesn't really answer you, she's too busy digging in her pockets for pills. You decide to just go ahead and head to your house. Your drive there isn't quite as eventful as your escape from Julie's house, but it isn't without peril. The National Guard isn't quite as in control in your part of the town and there are far more of the rabid roaming around either chasing down normal people or attempting to break into houses. Most of them don't attempt to attack you, or if they do, you just continue driving fast enough that they don't get the chance. By the time you get to your own house, your neighborhood is eerily quiet. There are definitely signs of past conflict all over the place, but there is nobody on the streets and most homes are not lit either. (Though you do see broken doors and windows on a lot of them) Fortunately your own house doesn't look damaged (At least not from the front) You half expect to get swarmed by crazies as soon as you park in front of your house, but instead your only major concern is herding Julie's high ass to the front door and getting inside with all the bags you're both carrying. "PETER?! Are you here?!" you call out when you get in the door since you saw his vehicle in the driveway. There is no answer though. You dump all your bags on the floor while Julie practically just collapses on the floor with her bags. You help her up and lay her down on the sofa and see that she's feeling quite numb now, though she still tries to grip on to you when you pull away. "Suzy, don't leave me...please..." "Julie, I have to see if Peter's in the house or if it's just us. I won't be that far away." "Suzy...I'm sorry I'm so fucked up...I don't know what...I would've done if you weren't around..." "Julie, just rest right now." With this last bit of reassurance Julie faintly smiles and closes her eyes. The first thing you do is search the ground floor. Amazingly it doesn't look like your house has been attacked at all. Even looking out into the backyard things look fairly untouched. Then you search the connected garage and that's when you wish you hadn't. You find Peter and another unknown man both not quite entirely dressed, but that isn't the disturbing part. The fact that they're both dead is the disturbing part. The garage itself is a bit of a mess, like there was definitely a struggle, and your brother's body and the body of who you presume is his lover or client both show signs of blunt trauma. Looks like their necks were both broken to ultimately kill them though. You aren't sure what to think. You feel like you should be more upset than you are, but given what you've already experienced you've become desensitized. You're actually more concerned with how this happened. There isn't anyone else here to your knowledge and if it had been one of those things, the bodies would probably have bite marks. You suppose it could've been regular bandits or robbers, but you'd expect gunshot or even knife wounds and neither have that. Also if it was bandits that killed them, you wonder why they wouldn't take Peter's car since his keys are still sitting on a dresser nearby. Whether Peter was planning on leaving himself or still looking for Ben's hidden shelter (And if he found it or not) you'll never know you suppose. In any event you have the means to leave immediately if you so desire which given the uneasiness of this situation might not be a bad idea, but then again it's starting to get dark so it still might be best to bunk here for the night at least. > You leave in Peter's car After pondering it several times over, you think it would be best to just get the hell out of this town. You're not wasting your time looking for Ben's hidden shelter, and after finding your brother's body in here, you don't think this would be a safe place to stay the night. "Julie, come on get up, we're not staying here." You say jostling her. "Mgh, can't we just rest here? I'm so tired and it's safe here." She says. "No it isn't, I just found my dead brother in the fucking garage along with his boyfriend or whoever that guy is..." "Holy shit, seriously?" Julie says waking up a bit. "Yeah, so let's get the hell out of here! Come on, grab your bags." With some effort, Julie rouses herself from her drug induced exhaustion and grabs her bags. You get your own and make your way to Peter's car. After loading it up as quickly as possible, Julie slumps into the passenger seat and you get into the driver's seat and start it up. So far nothing has come running to attack you, but certainly don't want to stick around for it happen. You make your way towards what you believe is going to be the quickest way out of town, but instead you come across more National Guard barricades. Naturally they tell you to stop, but you don't and once again you're making U-Turns under a hail of fire. "Holy shit Julie! We just got out of being shot at once before, do we really have to do this again?! Can't we just go back..." "JULIE SHUT THE FUCK UP I'M TRYING TO GET US THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!" you scream and serve down a side street. Julie of course starts crying. You're so harried and frustrated that you barely even know where you are. This town might not be the largest, but it seems like a maze when you barely leave the house for years. You drive into an area that is literally swarming with the rabid. From the abandoned military vehicles it looks like the National Guard lost its battle here. A crowd of rabid see and hear your car and start immediately running towards you. "Julie we can't run them all over! The car will overturn! Turn back! Turn back!" Julie screams, but you don't listen. You slam the gas pedal and go full speed ahead. You run over several of them and then their bodies begin to get stuck in the wheels causing the car to skid and spin. You attempt to maintain control, but you fail to do so and the car flips over lands against the wall of a building upside down. You're hurt, but since you had your seatbelt on, you're still able to move, but unfortunately, you can't open the door on your side because it's crushed against a wall. You look over to Julie and she's not moving. In fact she's half way through the windshield. She's obviously dead, but that isn't what concerns you at the moment. What concerns you is the rest of the rabid running over to the car. After a few moments of struggling, the rabid eventually pull you out of the car and sink their teeth into you and gnaw straight through your bones. You die screaming as they eat you alive.

[Themes: modern, humor, female protagonist] Things aren't going to "calm down", they're just going to get worse if anything. You've already had too many intruders inside this house, staying here obviously isn't safe even if you do barricade it. You need to get out now. "Julie get some bags and start packing items like flashlights and the like because we're getting the hell out of here." You say. "But again, where are we going to go?" she asks. "And I still don't know, but I'm thinking we need to at least get out of this town though. From there I guess we'll play it by ear. Your car is still at the shop so we're going to have to use Donna's. Do you know if Donna had a spare set of car keys? When I had to...clean up, it wasn't like she was clothed at the time so there wasn't anything on her." "She probably left her keys on a dresser in her room when she first stormed in the house on Monday. I'll check. Speaking of Donna, what are you going to do about her? I mean you were going to bury her, but now?" "Yeah, I'm sort of wishing I'd buried her first instead of the asshole that killed her now. I dunno, I mean there just isn't time. (Sigh) Fuck it, she's just an empty shell now, the person that she was is gone and we need to make haste if we don't want to end up like her, so let's start getting a move on." Julie and you both split up to pack your bags. One of your bags that you brought hasn't even been opened and is still full of clothing. You fill your other bags with more useful items like some of the non-perishable snack food Julie has, the duct tape you were using, a few of the bigger kitchen knives, loose batteries, some of the medicine in the bathroom, etc. You then finish up with packing a few more of your personal items and are ready to go. "Julie, are you ready yet and did you find the keys?!" you call up to her. "Yeah, yeah I'm just making sure I got everything!" she calls back. You hear more gunfire coming from outside which sounds like its right outside the front door. A quick look out the window and you do see several guardsmen firing on those crazy people running at them. It looks like the National Guard have set up a bit of a "base" in one of the houses further up the street. You just hope you can drive off without too much problem. You're going to have to be quick that's for sure. Julie comes running down the stairs with two bags and a big luggage case. "Julie, what the hell, I told you to just focus on the essentials!" "I did! I need all this...shit!" Julie says and trips down the stairs due to all the stuff she's trying to lug around and going at a fast pace. You attempt to keep her from breaking her neck by getting in the way of her fall. You're partially successful though getting crushed by a tumbling body and heavy bags isn't fun. "Fuck...shit...goddamn..." you utter as you feel the pain. Surprisingly Julie doesn't seem any worse for wear. "Wow. That was lucky. Thanks Suzy." She says in a bit of an animated tone. You look at her eyes and see that her pupils dilated. "Julie are you fucking high right now?" "Uh...I don't know..." "Goddamnit Julie, really?" "I needed a little to take the edge off! I mean I've been practically sober for the past few days and I needed something to keep myself from breaking down completely! I've already proven I'm no good in these high stress situations and now we're going to enter a whole new level of fucked upness by leaving this house! I'm sorry if I'm not as strong as you!" You don't really have time to argue with Julie about this right now, but she might have a point. If drugs are going to keep her from melting down into a quivering mess then maybe it is for the best that she's a little high. The funny thing is before all this happened you were the one that was a bit more of a worrywart and Julie tended to have a more laid back approach to life. Just goes to show how one can never tell how people will react in an emergency situation. "Alright fine, but we're going to deal with this later and where are the car keys? I'll be damned if I'm going to let you drive in your condition." Grabbing the keys from Julie, you pick yourself up and grab your own bags and cautiously open the front door. "Alright we need to throw these bags in the back of car as quick as possible and then drive off equally as fast. These weekend warriors are patrolling all over this neighborhood and who knows where those rabid things are." You and Julie run over to the car and open up the doors and start throwing in your bags. Takes a moment for Julie to shove in her big luggage case, but she gets it in. The pair of you then get in the front seats of the car and you start up the car. You actually manage to swing the car out into the street before you hear shouting and then fired upon. Julie screams as the sounds of glass shatter behind you from the bullets. You keep it together and just drive hoping that there aren't too many of the guard in front of you. It's a false hope as you do indeed bump into more than a couple patrols with itchy trigger fingers. Some you try to avoid by going down other streets. Others are actually busy fighting off others. How you and Julie aren't hit by any that do shoot at you is something of a minor miracle, but the car certainly doesn't come through unscathed since by the time you manage to make out of Julie's neighborhood, it's making rattling sounds. "Oh god! I knew we shouldn't have left! The car's gonna die and then so will we!" Julie shouts. "Julie take some more of your happy pills or calm the fuck down, I'm trying to think! Shit! There's some of those things!" you say as you smash the car into two insane looking individuals that just jumped out of nowhere. One goes flying off to the side and the other falls backwards in front of your car, which then promptly runs over him entirely. You continue to drive and try to keep off the main streets though with your car now making several clattering sounds you're not exactly keeping a low profile. "We're never going to make it out of this town! Not with the car in this condition! We need to go back!" Julie exclaims. "We can't go back now Julie! I told you to take some more of... whatever it is you take and let me try to fucking think!" you say while trying to keep an eye on your immediate surroundings. "Okay. I'm thinking that we're currently not too far from my house. I suppose we could go there and try to help Peter look for my brother's shelter and hold up in there. At the very least we could exchange cars there. I'm sure Peter isn't going to have any intention on using his. Julie doesn't really answer you, she's too busy digging in her pockets for pills. You decide to just go ahead and head to your house. Your drive there isn't quite as eventful as your escape from Julie's house, but it isn't without peril. The National Guard isn't quite as in control in your part of the town and there are far more of the rabid roaming around either chasing down normal people or attempting to break into houses. Most of them don't attempt to attack you, or if they do, you just continue driving fast enough that they don't get the chance. By the time you get to your own house, your neighborhood is eerily quiet. There are definitely signs of past conflict all over the place, but there is nobody on the streets and most homes are not lit either. (Though you do see broken doors and windows on a lot of them) Fortunately your own house doesn't look damaged (At least not from the front) You half expect to get swarmed by crazies as soon as you park in front of your house, but instead your only major concern is herding Julie's high ass to the front door and getting inside with all the bags you're both carrying. "PETER?! Are you here?!" you call out when you get in the door since you saw his vehicle in the driveway. There is no answer though. You dump all your bags on the floor while Julie practically just collapses on the floor with her bags. You help her up and lay her down on the sofa and see that she's feeling quite numb now, though she still tries to grip on to you when you pull away. "Suzy, don't leave me...please..." "Julie, I have to see if Peter's in the house or if it's just us. I won't be that far away." "Suzy...I'm sorry I'm so fucked up...I don't know what...I would've done if you weren't around..." "Julie, just rest right now." With this last bit of reassurance Julie faintly smiles and closes her eyes. The first thing you do is search the ground floor. Amazingly it doesn't look like your house has been attacked at all. Even looking out into the backyard things look fairly untouched. Then you search the connected garage and that's when you wish you hadn't. You find Peter and another unknown man both not quite entirely dressed, but that isn't the disturbing part. The fact that they're both dead is the disturbing part. The garage itself is a bit of a mess, like there was definitely a struggle, and your brother's body and the body of who you presume is his lover or client both show signs of blunt trauma. Looks like their necks were both broken to ultimately kill them though. You aren't sure what to think. You feel like you should be more upset than you are, but given what you've already experienced you've become desensitized. You're actually more concerned with how this happened. There isn't anyone else here to your knowledge and if it had been one of those things, the bodies would probably have bite marks. You suppose it could've been regular bandits or robbers, but you'd expect gunshot or even knife wounds and neither have that. Also if it was bandits that killed them, you wonder why they wouldn't take Peter's car since his keys are still sitting on a dresser nearby. Whether Peter was planning on leaving himself or still looking for Ben's hidden shelter (And if he found it or not) you'll never know you suppose. In any event you have the means to leave immediately if you so desire which given the uneasiness of this situation might not be a bad idea, but then again it's starting to get dark so it still might be best to bunk here for the night at least. > You Stay Chances are, you'd not only have drag Julie's ass to Peter's car, but you'd also have to load up all the bags yourself as well. Since you don't particularly want to spend much time outside at night, you figure you'll stay here, rest and figure out exactly what you're going to do tomorrow. Besides if you still want to leave, you'll have time to pack more supplies you can get from here too. In the meantime, you still have to search the rest of the house because it's still entirely possible that it isn't safe here. You exit the garage and check on Julie again. She's not quite asleep yet, but is heading in that direction. Fortunately you don't have as many windows in this house and your doors are a lot stronger so you're confident that if something tries to break in, you'll hear it and be able to react in time. You head upstairs and cautiously search with your pistol drawn. Much like the downstairs though, you find that there isn't anyone lurking up here. You even manage to find the courage to peek your head into Kelly's room, but given how messy her usually room is, you don't know if she's ever returned here. You get the idea to call her up, but predictably there isn't any answer. Who knows what's happened to her. Finally you end your search of the house by heading to the place where you started from, the basement. Again, not much looks different and fortunately there isn't anyone down here either. Your own room is about the same as you left it. You shake your head that the though of all the bullshit you went through this week, only to end up back here. Makes you wonder why you bothered. Still, there is a part of you that realizes that it's probably best that you did break your habit of hiding out in the basement. Chances are you wouldn't have developed the courage to do some of the things you are able to do now. You also saved Julie's life and while she's certainly been needy and a bit of a wreck during all this, you're a little glad you don't have to go through this crisis entirely by yourself. After a bit more perusal of your room, you head back upstairs to secure the ground floor as much as possible. Still not risking turning the lights on, you put chairs in front of the front and back doors. (As well as the one leading to the garage) You also move a bookcase in front of some of the windows. It's not the most fun thing to do in the dark and you bump and bang knees and elbows in the process, but it's secure enough that you're confident that if someone does try to get it, they'll make such a loud noise in the process that you'll at least wake up first. "Suzy? What's going on?" you hear Julie ask in a sleepy tone. You figured she'd be fast asleep by now. "Nothing, just securing the area. Nothing for you to worry about, go to sleep." You say. "I'd like to, but I want you with me on this sofa. "Julie...(sigh). Look I'm not sure if there's room for both of us to stretch out on that sofa. I'll be right here you know. I'll be in the recliner." "No, I'll move over as far as I can, and you can squeeze in next to me. Please, I just want your body next to mine. You make me feel so safe." Julie says. You put your hand to your head and start to wonder why you're becoming more comfortable in even entertaining ideas like this especially with all that's going on right now. Though maybe that's the reason. This is the end of the goddamn world for all you know and at this point you've lost everyone that's been remotely close to you. All of your family is dead (or in Kelly's case missing). Your boyfriend is also gone. They were all dysfunctional, but it's what you knew and you still miss it. So maybe even as dysfunctional as Julie is, you still feel that need for her companionship because it's familiar. You have no one else close to you except Julie and she's going to be "it" if the dark future is any indication. "Okay, Julie, scoot over." You say placing your pistol on the table in front of the sofa and start to squeeze in on the edge of it. There actually is enough room, it's snug, but you aren't quite in danger of falling off the edge. Julie puts one arm and leg over your body almost in an attempt to make sure you don't fall off, but it's just her being affectionate as usual. "Suzy..." she says and she starts to drift off. "Yeah?" you say still trying to get comfortable. "I love you..." "I know Julie. I know." You answer in a non-committal way. You sort of wonder exactly when she began to feel that way. Adulthood? High school? Middle School? Whenever it was, you guess it makes sense since even when you were little you were helping her out of trouble when you could. You probably were the one constant in her life that was genuinely a friend and also not looking to fuck her. You still haven't quite sorted out all your "feelings" yet on this, but you do realize that if you didn't care somewhat about Julie, you wouldn't have been making the effort to save her as much as you have. You guess at least someone is appreciating you and that's definitely been a rarity in your life. You're up for a little while longer so you just lie there in the dark going over in your head some of your possible choices of what to do tomorrow. The more you think about it, the more you think that probably leaving is the best solution. You'll gather some more items from here and load up Peter's car and tomorrow you and Julie will be heading somewhere else. You still aren't entirely sure where though. You eventually do get sleepy and slowly drift off. > Next day... "I got your call. Wakey wakey sis." You hear a voice say. You slowly open your eyes and at first see what looks to be a man standing in front of you holding a shotgun. Then after the blur of your eyes clears a bit, you see that it's your sister Kelly. Unfortunately it looks like not all your family is dead after all and of course it had to be Kelly that survived. Judging by the fact she's pointing a shotgun at you she's still hostile as well. You don't know why, but then has she ever needed a reason? You look at the pistol on the table and Kelly just shakes her head. "I guarantee you wouldn't make it sis. I suggest you don't even try...heh I doubt you'd have the balls to go through with it anyway. I have to admit when I came up here to get something from my room, I didn't expect to see you here." At this point Julie wakes up. "Suzy what's going...oh my god..." she says upon seeing Kelly. "Shhh, it'll be okay." You say trying to reassure Julie. "So when did you turn dyke Suzy? Always sort of figured you might be down for the rug munching. Guess that's why things didn't work out with Bobby eh? Still though, Julie? I have to say even I think you could do better than some used up party whore. Now the pair of you lesbos sit up." At this point you and Julie move and shift on the couch until you're both sitting upright. In the meantime Kelly grabs your pistol from the table and places it in the front of her pants. She continues to focus the shotgun on you. Given that you barricaded all the doors and searched the entire house last night you wonder how the hell Kelly got in. If she had been lurking inside, she definitely would've made her presence known and ambushed you yesterday and if she broke in, you definitely would've heard something before now. You're also a little concerned not just because Kelly's pointing a shotgun at you, but you think back to what you saw in the garage. Peter and the other man's body. Their bodies were beaten and their necks were broken. Kelly certainly has the strength and the skill to do such a thing. Kelly's always been hostile to you and barely civil to your other sibling, but to actually kill one... "Kelly, our siblings Peter and Donna are dead." You say. "Peter's dead?" Julie says. "Oh? Didn't know that about Donna. Can't say I'll shed any tears. The spoiled little whore wasn't much better than your girlfriend here." "She was fucking chopped up by a goddamn serial killer, you bitch!" Julie exclaims. "Hm, interesting. So how did you two survive?" "I shot him." Kelly's a little taken back. "Wow, I'm impressed. Guess you would have the balls to use this pistol then. Tell me, was that the only person you killed this week little sister?" "No... I shot one of those rabid people too. Ran over a couple as well." "Well, well, well aren't you the bad ass now? Heh. Funny what an extreme situation like this can do to folks isn't it?" "Yes." "Yeah...so I'm guessing if you know about Peter, you've probably figured out by now what happened or at least have a strong suspicion. You're a lot of things Suzy, but I'd never call you an idiot." "I appreciate that. So why'd you do it?" Kelly chuckles a bit before answering. "That little faggot found out where Ben's old shelter was and thought he was going to hide out from the current shitstorm in it with his boyfriend or whoever that other faggot he was with. Had to convince him that he had to go, he didn't listen and tried to resist and well you saw how that turned out." "So you know where Ben's old shelter is then." You say. "Oh yeah. I've always known where it was. Crazy old Ben thought he was being so sneaky moving the goddamn entrance around all the time, but I knew where the fuck it was nearly every time. He had just moved the entrance again a few days before he blew away his family and himself. I'm just surprised YOU never accidently found it given that you lived practically right near the fucking thing for years. If the entrance was any closer you would've been sleeping in the damn thing." Well that explains how Kelly got in without alerting you. Still, if she's actually admitting the entrance to the shelter is somewhere in the basement and what she did to Peter, then that pretty much confirms she has no intention of sharing. "So what's next Kelly? You gonna kill us too?" "Don't know sis...don't know...severely thinking about it. I've never like you. You've been a thorn in my side since you crawled out of mom's vagina. Always having to be compared to how good and pretty you were and how bad and rotten I was despite the fact I was the one who was shouldering most of the responsibility in this fucked up family. What did you ever do except hide in the goddamn basement? Even now you left the house only to come crawling back here. Yep, I've thought about killing you on many, many, MANY occasions." "Actually that wasn't my initial intention. My initial plan was to drive out of this forsaken town. I only stopped here because our own car was badly damaged and I had hoped to maybe get Peter's car and some extra supplies before heading out again." You say. "Oh? Hmm, you're just full of surprises today aren't you? Well if that is true, you may have just bought yourself a bit of a reprieve sis...okay. What the hell, I'm in a good mood. I'm gonna let you and your whore walk outta here alive and you're going to be thankful." "I don't suppose you'll allow us to gather our bags or give me the gun back will you?" You say. "Heh, no I don't think so. Wouldn't want you getting any ideas of attempting to come back here. Leave with what you got on you or die, those are your choices sis. I'm being very generous here. Take my offer." You stare at Kelly, but it's not with fear. It's with anger. Anger at all the past abuse you've had to endure from her. While she may have a minor point that you were the favorite and she did a lot for the family, she still had no right to bully and torment you for the majority of your life and she certainly had no right to murder Peter. "Come on Suzy, let's go..." Julie says wanting for the both of you to be out of danger. > You leave now As angry as you are, making some foolish attempt to stand up to Kelly while she's holding all the advantages is not going to help anyone. You'll have to re-supply elsewhere, at least you have a better car now. "Okay, okay, we're leaving Kelly. You got all the advantages and you win." You say. "Damn straight I win." Kelly snorts. Julie removes the barricades the front door and cautiously looks around. "Come on, come on, if any of those crazy fuckers were out there, they would've been beating down the doors and windows by now." Kelly says motioning the pair of you to leave quicker. Julie exits and when you step up to the entryway, Kelly speaks up. "Hey Suzy." "Yeah?" you answer turning around. "Changed my mind. I fucking hate you too much." And with those words Kelly blasts you in the chest with the shotgun. Julie screams and Kelly laughs, but you make no more sounds at all other than your body falling backwards on the cement.