Status: It's happening
New Years Explosions
Kayne
I was in the middle of navigating myself around a fairly large pile of rubble, pieces of metal framing protruding ominously from the destroyed structure, the menacing look of it being the reason I was heading around it, not through it. If I got wounded making my way over the pile, which was easily above fifteen feet tall and forty feet in diameter, I had no idea what would happen -maybe one of the newer, mutated creatures would smell my blood and come after me (Who knew how hungry they'd be so soon after the mutation?), or maybe it'd be too deep a wound to leave ignored, leaving me prone to any number of other things while I tended to it. I shivered at the thought of dying after surviving the thing -whatever it was that had caused all this.
After nearly twenty minutes of climbing over the smaller mounds of rubble on the outskirts of the fallen structure, I finally made it to the other side. This side was shadowed by the large, ash covered pile, the sun being on the other side, to the east. From what I'd learned in books, by the position of the sun, it was about eleven in the morning.
I looked around me, squinting when the sun behind me reflected off of something and into my eyes. There was little to no difference in the landscape for miles, as far as I could see. Aside from some of the mounds of ash and ruins being bigger than others, everything was the same dull, gray, ruined landscape
I decided to take this time to think about other things other than the obvious landscape. The air was different too -instead of the clean, slightly polluted and marginally cool wind that would normally occur this time of year, the wind was filled with ash and dust motes, and blew in such a way that I could feel it in my bones. Creepy.
I was still looking around me when I caught sight of something just on the edge of the horizon. It was moving, albeit very slowly. I couldn't quite tell what it was from here, but it looked extremely similar to a... Yes! It had to be! There was no mistaking it -this was another person, a human being, another survivor. I began to make my way quickly over to it, keeping my eyes trained on it so as not to lose sight of it, going as fast as I dared without running (The risks in doing so were phenomenal in number).
I was breathless by the time I came within earshot. The figure was silhouetted, now half-concealed by more ruins, so I couldn't tell what they looked like or even their gender or age. Their feet dragged as they moved, pushing loose pebbles and dirt out of the way as they went.
I cleared my throat, which was dry from the quick move I'd just made and the fact I hadn't consumed anything since last night, before the incident. It would have been loud enough for the person to hear, but apparently they didn't. It seemed like they were more focused on something in front of them. Frowning, I went around the pile it was concealed by, going the other direction so as to meet them face-to-face. I slowly, cautiously, poked my head around the fairly small mound, and I managed to get a clear view of them.
They looked fairly unharmed, their dark hair hanging in dirty clumps around his face. He was caked with dirt, and his clothes were mostly torn. He looked just like I would (I couldn't see myself, so I assumed I was somewhat similar) aside from the deranged, hungry look in his eyes.
I took a sudden little intake of breath, pulling myself back around so as not to be seen. What was that thing? Had he just gone insane because of what happened? No, I'd never seen that look in any human being before (And living in a hospital, I saw a large range of people).
What was wrong with him? Was it curable? Was he hostile? Did he- My thoughts were cut short by a growl from the broken man, his lip lifting ever so slightly, enough for the sound to carry across the wastes.
I shivered slightly, hating the sound. I shifted my position, climbing up the pile as quietly as I could to peer over the edge, watching him. I heard somebody up ahead, and glanced up to look. It was another boy, about my age. He was holding a metal pole and holding it up in front of him, looking in this direction. I gathered he was watching the deranged man, which I now noticed was focusing on him.
"Stop or I'll hit you!" I heard the younger boy yell, and the man started running towards him, snarling and growling at him. I gasped, and hid back behind the mound, putting my hands over my ears and closing my eyes, waiting for the moment it would tear him apart.
After nearly twenty minutes of climbing over the smaller mounds of rubble on the outskirts of the fallen structure, I finally made it to the other side. This side was shadowed by the large, ash covered pile, the sun being on the other side, to the east. From what I'd learned in books, by the position of the sun, it was about eleven in the morning.
I looked around me, squinting when the sun behind me reflected off of something and into my eyes. There was little to no difference in the landscape for miles, as far as I could see. Aside from some of the mounds of ash and ruins being bigger than others, everything was the same dull, gray, ruined landscape
I decided to take this time to think about other things other than the obvious landscape. The air was different too -instead of the clean, slightly polluted and marginally cool wind that would normally occur this time of year, the wind was filled with ash and dust motes, and blew in such a way that I could feel it in my bones. Creepy.
I was still looking around me when I caught sight of something just on the edge of the horizon. It was moving, albeit very slowly. I couldn't quite tell what it was from here, but it looked extremely similar to a... Yes! It had to be! There was no mistaking it -this was another person, a human being, another survivor. I began to make my way quickly over to it, keeping my eyes trained on it so as not to lose sight of it, going as fast as I dared without running (The risks in doing so were phenomenal in number).
I was breathless by the time I came within earshot. The figure was silhouetted, now half-concealed by more ruins, so I couldn't tell what they looked like or even their gender or age. Their feet dragged as they moved, pushing loose pebbles and dirt out of the way as they went.
I cleared my throat, which was dry from the quick move I'd just made and the fact I hadn't consumed anything since last night, before the incident. It would have been loud enough for the person to hear, but apparently they didn't. It seemed like they were more focused on something in front of them. Frowning, I went around the pile it was concealed by, going the other direction so as to meet them face-to-face. I slowly, cautiously, poked my head around the fairly small mound, and I managed to get a clear view of them.
They looked fairly unharmed, their dark hair hanging in dirty clumps around his face. He was caked with dirt, and his clothes were mostly torn. He looked just like I would (I couldn't see myself, so I assumed I was somewhat similar) aside from the deranged, hungry look in his eyes.
I took a sudden little intake of breath, pulling myself back around so as not to be seen. What was that thing? Had he just gone insane because of what happened? No, I'd never seen that look in any human being before (And living in a hospital, I saw a large range of people).
What was wrong with him? Was it curable? Was he hostile? Did he- My thoughts were cut short by a growl from the broken man, his lip lifting ever so slightly, enough for the sound to carry across the wastes.
I shivered slightly, hating the sound. I shifted my position, climbing up the pile as quietly as I could to peer over the edge, watching him. I heard somebody up ahead, and glanced up to look. It was another boy, about my age. He was holding a metal pole and holding it up in front of him, looking in this direction. I gathered he was watching the deranged man, which I now noticed was focusing on him.
"Stop or I'll hit you!" I heard the younger boy yell, and the man started running towards him, snarling and growling at him. I gasped, and hid back behind the mound, putting my hands over my ears and closing my eyes, waiting for the moment it would tear him apart.