The Changed World
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: LittleKitten on 15-04-2011, 04:23:30</h2>
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				Title: <strong>The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LittleKitten</strong> on <strong>15-04-2011, 04:23:30</strong>
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				<sup><strong><tt class="bbc_tt"><tt class="bbc_tt">side note</tt></tt>I am not sure where to put this so I placed it here since it seems the best bet. It's not really NC but it is certainly not light. If someone has a better location then please let me know</strong></sup><br><br><br>The day begins like any other. Alarm clocks chime, dogs bark and people start their day. It's normal and slightly boring in its predictability. <br>Classes at the local college are the usual mix of conservative teachers preaching to liberal students and liberal teachers preaching to conservative students. Boring, bland. <br><br>The sun moves across the sky and the day passes. Classes end and, for students at least, the fun can begin. <br><br>It's just starting to get dark out when the dogs start barking. It's a frenzied howl that echos through the city. From end to end the pack howls and growls, throwing themselves against doors. Something....something is happening<br><br>The street lamps flicker, then go out. There's no dramatic pop to signal a blown bulb and no desperate flicker like there is before the power cuts out. The lights just flicker once then silently go out. <br>Odd, has there been a city wide power outage?<br><br>From the streets, screaming is suddenly heard. Breaks have suddenly quit and while cars are no longer propelled forward, their momentum is more then enough to cause accidents. The screaming grows louder, deafening, as panicked bystanders find their phones aren't working!<br><br>One man, a popular teacher, is pinned between a building and an overturned pick up. The driver, a young student, stands screaming next to him. Her phone is out but no matter what button she presses, the screen remains black. <br>The teacher is choking on his blood, coughing it over the windshield before, almost suddenly, going limp.<br><br>The cops on beat begin to scream instructions. “go! Go home! Stay inside!” One fires his gun to get the students attention, then stares at it in confusion as nothing happens. He fires again and again, then finally throws it down in disgust. “piece of shit” He mutters as he draws his nightstick. <br><br>“go indoors and stay there!” He advances on a group of students, standing in shocked horror on the side of the road. “Go inside!” The large cop pushes them forward and the group disperses, stumbling towards the dorms. <br><br>There's an odd crackle pop on his radio “r...p....rt....w..wh.....pp...” then nothing. He looks down and presses the call button “please repeat base” A second later “base, repeat”<br><br>The cop shrugs it off, he has bigger worries. Already there's looting. College students and local teens throw rocks in windows and make off with the electronics and diamonds. The cop wants to stop them but knows against such a large group....<br><br>He turns and ambles towards the station “Inside!” He barks at each stunned group. “Go inside and stay there!”<br><br>He promises to send aid, making a note of each wounded in his notepad. He knows that many of the friends and loved ones will not survive the night. <br><br>The hospital is en route and he slips in, looking around at the chaos. Wounded are being dragged in and the staff has no where to put them. Wound sink to the floor, collapse on chairs and wait. Doctors curse and nurses rush blindly about. <br><br>“nurse! Morphine!” One doctor orders then curses as the nurse replies. “we're out! I've tried calling....but I can't get through! Everything's dead. We have 5 patients open on the operating table and we can't SEE! The generator didn't kick in! We have no power at all!”<br><br>The doctor glances up, spits out a curse, then returns to stitching up the pregnant woman. “If you're able to walk you should go home. This place is only going to get worse. Lock yourself inside”<br>He finishes and stands, moving to the next patient. <br><br>The cop watches for a moment, silent then leaves. He can't help here and they won't be saving any of the wounded on the street. His grip tightens on his nightstick, this is an unheard of attack. But that is the only explanation. Someone hit this town with a massive EMP. <br><br>He spits on the ground, the continues walking. He spots someone he knows, an aspiring cop by the name of Jonathon Melre. “Mr Melre!” He calls out, walking towards him “You should be inside.”<br><br>It's fully dark out and the cop seems to realize this for the first time. He reaches for his belt and pulls free the flashlight. It clicks, then clicks again. “No light either. Fuckers”<br><br>The cop, Peter Bennet looks at Jonathon “I need your help. There's rioting and looting. My radio isn't working so I can't call for backup. I want you to help get the students inside ok? I don't want innocents caught up in the violence”<br><br>Bennets normally jovial face is lined with worry and fear darkens his eyes&nbsp; “I can't find other cops, I've seen a few dead. I wouldn't be asking for your help but....” He shakes himself&nbsp; “you're a good kid and you'll make a good cop. Get others to safety and keep them safe ok?”
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>15-04-2011, 05:40:55</strong>
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				<strong>-- Hester Valdenor - Marty's Auto Repair -- </strong><br><hr><div class="floatright">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/rcburner/Astrid1-1.jpg)</div><br>"Try it now!"<br><br>Hester wheeled herself out from under the dusty, dented crimson Jaguar that some punk out-of-towners had pushed down off the freeway, the engine completely overheated and the axles completely knocked out of place.&nbsp; The <em>shitheads</em>, as she had not hesitated to call them to their faces, had likely been joyriding damn near across the whole damn state without checking the coolant levels and treating the once-pristine vehicle like an off-road tank instead of giving it the proper loving tending care that it deserved in her eyes.&nbsp; Two of them didn't even look old enough to drive, and all four dressed like they were the hottest shits to ever pop out of their rich mother's twat.&nbsp; <br><br>It had taken most of the day to deal with their ineptitude and the extensive damage, and the normally mellow young woman was wound up as tightly as a feral alley cat staring down a quadriplegic rat stuffed with catnip.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>The car groaned like an old man having an asthma attack as Gerry, the mechanic that actually worked there full-time, turned the key in the ignition.&nbsp; <br><br>"Again," she said, glaring fiercely at the car as though it could be willed to life with a concentrated dose of irritation.<br><br>The engine puttered, coughed, and died again.<br><br>"Again!&nbsp; C'mon man, really jam that fucker in there!" she cried, at this point about as desperate as she was angry.<br><br>"It ain't a two-dollar woman, Hessy," the young ginger said wearily, attempting to lighten the mood with a trademark grin that fit his angled trickster of a face just perfectly.&nbsp; "This right here is a classy dame!&nbsp; Y'gotta treat her gentle-like, ease her into it.&nbsp; Otherwise she'll just bleed everywhere and it'll be a damn mess all over the sheets-"<br><br>"Speaking from experience?" she shot back, wiping the sweat from her tanned brow with the clean patch of her oil rag.&nbsp; <br><br>"Hey, I don't go prodding into <em>your</em> sex life.&nbsp; Though I gotta say, I've been tempted once or twice," he added, waggling his caterpillar brow.&nbsp; <br><br>Hester rolled her eyes, puffing out her cheeks before heaving a sigh and forcing a tired smirk.&nbsp; "For the sake of your sanity <em>and</em> mine, I implore you to reconsider."<br><br>"Hey, I'm not paying you guys to put on a fucking comedy act here!" the eldest of the four punks blurted, taking time out of his not-so-busy schedule of pacing around and plugging the air outside the garage up with cigarette smoke.&nbsp; "Get back to work!"<br><br>Looking at Hess, Gerry could almost <em>hear</em> the final straw snapping just behind the dark look worming its way onto her face, a sound like a fire cracker going off.&nbsp; He glanced between her and the rich kid, perhaps gauging whether he'd be able to get out of the car in time to prevent a class action lawsuit, when she suddenly turned on her heel, lifted one combat-booted leg nearly 90 damn degrees in the air, then brought it down furiously onto the hood of the Jaguar.<br><br>The cigarette fell from the kid's mouth as a look of complete dumb shock came over him.&nbsp; Gerry covered his eyes and groaned in a way that suggested this wasn't the first time something of the like had happened.&nbsp; Hester slowly turned towards the latter, jabbed a finger at him like a knife, and hissed in the lowest, deadliest voice she could manage:<br><br>"Turn.&nbsp; The.&nbsp; <strong>Fucking.</strong>&nbsp; Key."<br><br>The man's fingers flinched on reflex, and after what seemed like an eternity of silence, the proud engine suddenly roared to glorious life, then slowed to steady purr that would put even the fattest feline to shame.&nbsp; Hester threw her hands in the air, as if to receive the applause of some invisible audience, grinning like a damn maniac.<br><br>It was just at that single exultant moment of success that the lights flickered off, the radio in the next room fizzled out, the phones the rich boy's friends were busying themselves with went utterly silent, and the car gave one last mournful rumble before dying with an ugly note of finality.<br><br>They sure as hell couldn't see each other in that blackness, but they could all tell which direction Hester was in by the stream of some of the meanest, foulest, and possibly utterly fabricated spitting out of her mouth.<br><br>"What the hell just happened?"<br>"The shit?&nbsp; I paid for global service on this piece of crap!&nbsp; Anyone else lose their signal?"<br>"Somebody turn on a light!"<br>"You bitch, you killed my fucking car!"<br><br>"Shut it!" Hester snapped, blindly attempting to shove the nearest punk and only managed to send a cart full of tools clattering to the ground with a resounding crash.&nbsp; "Everybody just shut it!&nbsp; It's just a damn blackout, not the end of the damn world.&nbsp; Hey jackass, you've got a lighter, right?"<br><br>Silence, then the sound of shifting cloth.&nbsp; "Yeah yeah, <span style="font-size: 6pt;" class="bbc_size">bitch,</span> I got this."&nbsp; There was a click, a flash of sparks, then nothing.&nbsp; The boy cursed, then tried a dozen more times in quick succession.&nbsp; "The hell?&nbsp; Was working fine just two minutes ago.&nbsp; Must be out of oil."<br><br>"Of course it is," she grumbled, rubbing the space between her eyes to ward off an increasingly painful ache.&nbsp; "Gerry, where do we keep the flashlights?"<br><br>There was the dry noise of creaking upholstery and the slam of a door as the man got up out of his seat and felt his way around to her side.&nbsp; "You had a cart on your end, right?&nbsp; Should be one on the middle shelf."<br><br>"You mean the cart I just smashed the fuck out of?"<br><br>"That'd be the one, klutz."<br><br>"Shit." <br><br>The next few minutes were spent scrabbling about the floor in the dark trying to discern vague outlines while the four boys decided to be completely useless and whine to one another.&nbsp; Hester uttered a momentary cry of triumph upon finding one of the torches, only to find that the switch did absolutely nothing no matter how angrily she flipped it.<br><br>"Hell of a damn time for you to forget to change the batteries on this thing, Gerry!"<br><br>Gerry blew her off, getting uneasily to his feet.&nbsp; "You were the last one to use it, as <em>I</em> recall.&nbsp; That old geezer Jacob's junker of a car had a leak underneath, remember?&nbsp; Didn't you notice the light was getting low then?"<br><br>"Shit.&nbsp; It seemed fine to me at the time."<br><br>Hester paused, running a hand across her chin and glancing around through the murk before making her way out towards the blanketing grayness just outside the building.&nbsp; The scattering of stars at least made it possible to discern one face from another, and hers was taut with steadily mounting concern.&nbsp; It was only then that she noticed the distant baying of dogs and the faintest hints of screaming over the hill.<br><br>"It's not the end of the world, you said," Gerry said as he came up behind her, only half-joking.&nbsp; Even a wise-ass like him looked a little shaken.&nbsp; <br><br>"Well, wouldn't be the first time I was wrong," she muttered in reply, more to herself than anything.&nbsp; <em>'Just what the fuck is going on in this town?'</em><br><br>The two deliberated in hushed voices for a moment, then turned to the four boys.&nbsp; Their two phones were just as dead, and the landlines likely hadn't fared much better.&nbsp; Out-of-towners could stay in the break room for the time being, while the two mechanics would make their way to the police station to try and figure out just what the hell was going on.&nbsp; From the looks of it Marty's place had been spared whatever chaos was going on elsewhere due to being apart from the rest of the town, so it would likely be safe for the time being.<br><br>Unfortunately, they wouldn't have any of it.<br><br>"Like shit we're going to stay here!" the eldest one said.&nbsp; He seemed to speak for the rest of them, who were all too cowed by the situation to do much more than echo him.&nbsp; "You wrecked my damn car!&nbsp; I'm not letting either of you assholes out of my sight."<br><br>Hester, too exhausted to argue, gave up without a fight.&nbsp; "Fine.&nbsp; We'll play babysitter for you idiots.&nbsp; Just try not to get lost in the dark, because I sure as shit ain't going to come back for you."<br><br>Gerry grinned at her in the dark.&nbsp; "Have I ever told you how much I love how that New York accent comes through when you're being all hospitable?" <br><br>One hard punch to the shoulder later and the unlikely gang of confused survivors were on their way down the road back into town, completely unprepared for what lay in wait for them.&nbsp; It was eventually decided that they'd stop off at Marty's house since it wasn't too far out of their way and had called in sick, thinking it best to check in on the big lug.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>SpiralSpider</strong> on <strong>15-04-2011, 09:40:58</strong>
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				It had been a lazy day for the Abez'iana twins. Afanassii didn't have class and Kasumi skipped hers out of boredom. As usual they convened in the campus park and practiced songs but eventually she grew tired of it and fell asleep on the blanket they spread for their picnic lunch. She slept hours away while Nassii wandered the park with his guitar, pausing briefly at high-traffic areas to see if he could garner some cash. <br><br>Really, the pretty boy was paid more with cat calls and bedroom eyes so he took the eventual financial loss with ease. <br><br>Eventually he sauntered back in the direction of his sister and sat in the late-afternoon shade of the tree next to her. Nassii was just about set to dose off himself when he heard some shrieks nearby. A split-second later there was a terrifying scrape of metal and the unmistakable sound of shattering glass. <br><br>Kasumi had been laying on her stomach and suddenly raised her head with a sharp intake of air. "What was that?" She turned slowly towards her brother and he made a strange face, shrugging. There were clear sounds of commotion and confusion out toward the main road so Nassii ran off. When he returned 5 minutes later he told her all he knew. "Some kind of black out..." he started, scratching at the back of his head. "And for some reason... even cars aren't working. It's weird... have you ever heard of something like that?"<br><br>She shook her head and dragged her laptop out, switching it on as usual. Her laptop was her best friend and her "go to" man so to speak. So when the light popped up and power quickly zapped back down she did a double-take. "Nassii- I just charged the damned battery. What the fuck is going on?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Brandon</strong> on <strong>16-04-2011, 02:08:35</strong>
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				He stood at the sidewalk, watching the chaos and the cause of it. Even as a witch he had a logical mind and much of the attack didn't make sense. EMP? No, that didn't effect simple chemical reactions like gunpowder. An Attack? No, that didn't make sense either. There weren't any signs of troops, no missile delivery systems, and no vehicles. There wasn't a logical answer that he could think of except for one: Magic. <br><br>Whatever the case was he knew out on the street probably wasn't the best place for him, or anyone really. "Figures, and I was just passing through to take a girl out to dinner." he said aloud as he walked toward the back of his car, taking a minute to pop the trunk open and grab a backpack and his old black leather duster. <br><br>The cop didn't really pull his attention away from gathering his things, he had already made the decision to stay in the school till things calmed down. Though his requests made him nod, paying him one look as he closed the trunk of the car. "Don't kid yourself, this isn't a job for cops. It <em>is </em>a job for the national guard but you're gonna do what you want to. Just don't get yourself killed. When it gets too rough get somewhere safe to hole up." With that he walked past, giving the mans shoulder a pat. He didn't think the cop would make it the night, few would. <br><br>Still as he passed he noticed the pistol lying on the ground in the middle of the chaos. It hadn't gone off before, but did <em>everyone </em>know that? The thought made his lips curl as he scooped it up and stuck within his coat, at least it could give him some form of authority. The threat of Violence was the oldest means of control after all. <br><br>He walked into the crowd easily enough, spying other, his voice raising into a shout. "Get the fuck inside!" That would cause the more submissive kinds of people to run in and hopefully it would cause the guys wanting a fight to stand against him. That was exactly what he needed, after showing a bit of strength and competence in a fight only the stupid were still going to go against his commands.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LittleKitten</strong> on <strong>18-04-2011, 20:19:31</strong>
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				The cop nods and ambles off, still shouting his commands.&nbsp; Many of the students do heed the orders and scatter, obedience of the law has been ingrained in society. One can't help but suppose that's a good thing. It will keep the looting down until things go back to normal.&nbsp; The gun must have gotten wet and black outs happen. Strange set of coincidences, that's all.<br><br>Jonathons walk back to campus is mostly uneventful. Most of the survivors are focused on getting home or helping the wounded. Many people will die tonight. Many of the wounded will not survive long enough to make it to the hospital and the hospital has no power, no operating room. <br><br>Still, it should fix itself soon, so whoever survives the night should be saved.<br><br>A few tough guys posture at Jonathons orders but quickly disperse inside at the sight of the gun. They spit insults at the man but lock the door behind them, preventing him from getting inside. Yea, real tough guys. <br>They peek out behind the curtians, waiting until Jonathon leaves....<br><br>Nassii and Kasumi see the leather duster, they can easily hear his shouts to "get the fuck inside!". He hasn't noticed them, for the moment no one has. The park is mostly deserted at this point, most of the students had left before the event. Their alone and confused as the sounds of the change wash over them. Metal shrieks and rends as cars hurtle into buildings, wounded howl their pain to the heavens and feet pound the pavement as others rush to help.<br><br>In the distance Kasumi can see a lumbering figure. It's male and rocking with each slow step, his soft moans fill the air as he approaches the twins.<br><br>Chaos greets Hester and her group. Mangled cars line the road, crashed and wrecked beyond repair. A few burn, popping and hissing in the dark night. In the distance, there's a sudden flare of brightness as one explodes. In the flickering light, the group can see blood stains on the pavement, deep splashes of red. A woman lies half out a car windshield, her body too broken for her to live.<br><br>"oh god!" A man wails, clutching a child in his arms. Blood is splattered over his clothes but he doesn't seem to be wounded "oh god!!!"<br>He rocks, wailing as he clutches the wounded child. <br>Hester can see lines of wounded the grass, citizens trying to stabilize them as others desperately fiddle with their phones.&nbsp; <br>A panting teen rushes towards the group "t...they...c...can't help...! Too....full....it's....everywhere. No...power!" The boy pants, doubling over "I am so sorry....the hospital won't send help"
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>18-04-2011, 20:49:01</strong>
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				<strong>-- Hester Valdenor - Road Into Town -- </strong><br><hr><br>Though the darkness seemed to press in from all sides scarcely a few meters from the street, here the crackling flames billowing from totaled cast strange and unnatural shadows.&nbsp; It feels like their small group is walking into some surrealistic hellscape, the faces all around muddled and warped in that uncertain orange light.&nbsp; It's the reds that stick out the most, slick shiny patches splattered every which way or dripping like melted plastic from mangled limbs.&nbsp; <br><br>"One helluva pileup," Gerry muttered, his smirk forced and short-lived.&nbsp; "Looks like the whole damn area got hit."<br><br>"Hit by <em>what</em>?&nbsp; It's like the whole damn world just had its switch turned off, for Christ's sake!" Hester furrowed her brow, trying her damnedest not to look at the occasional glass-impaled body.&nbsp; <br><br>They didn't have the expertise to help these people, nor the luxury of time.&nbsp; If the hospital was too busy to send anyone that likely meant things were even worse in town.&nbsp; The two glanced at one another and picked up their pace.&nbsp; Marty was once a prize fighter back in his hay day and could damn well take care of himself, but that didn't mean they couldn't worry about him.&nbsp; <br><br>"Leo, what are we gonna do?" one of the youngest punks piped up from behind, addressing their de facto leader.&nbsp; "Are these people gonna be okay?"<br><br>"How the h-hell should I know?" he snapped back, clearly shaken.&nbsp; The rich city boys were certainly getting far more than they'd bargained for.&nbsp; <br><br>"We should get some guns, right?" another suggested nervously, flinching away from the licking flames of a nearby car.&nbsp; "To defend ourselves, y'know?"<br><br>The second oldest, fully bearded and the only one whose fashion sense didn't seem to be restricted to obnoxious polo shirts, hocked a glob of spittle into the nearest engine just to listen to it sizzle.&nbsp; "All I know is, if I see one motherfuckin' zombie then I am fucking <em>out</em>, man."<br><br>"Will you shitheads stop whining?" Hester said calmly, as though she'd just asked them the time.&nbsp; "Save your breath for later, because I have a feeling we're going to need it.&nbsp; That, and I'd rather not have you painting us as a nice big target for whatever scumbags are tearing through the town now that the power's out."<br><br>The four went silent after a bit of muted cursing, but the woman clearly had a point.&nbsp; Unease set in as silence overtook them, as though all their talking had been a desperate distraction to keep from listening to the screams and crashes echoing far off in the distance.&nbsp; The world seemed to come into focus again, and none of them liked what they were seeing.<br><br><hr><br>Marty's house didn't take long to get to at a brisk pace.&nbsp; It was set off the main road down a winding side street, a bunch of old Cyprus trees lining the gravel path that his family had supposedly planted generations back.&nbsp; A simple raised ranch for a man of simple tastes and simple pleasures, and an old blue 1990 Honda Civic in the driveway that had been tooled up and repaired so many times over the years that one could scarcely say it was even the same car anymore.<br><br>Hester cautiously made her way to the front door, signaling Gerry to keep an eye on her back.&nbsp; Everything was dark of course, and they could scarcely see two inches in front of their faces now that the stars were blocked out by foliage, but at least that'd likely keep anyone else from spying on them either.<br><br>"Oi, Marty!" she yelled, banging on the wood paneling with a balled up fist.&nbsp; "Your ass better not be in bed, old man!"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Greg MD</strong> on <strong>19-04-2011, 08:02:59</strong>
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				Randy sat upon the swivel stool at the register in Al's Comix---a stupid name if you asked Randy; his boss had only opted for the horrible typo because he thought spelling comics with an 'x' would be considered hip by the student patrons who frequented the place---rereading Preludes and Nocturnes from Neil Gaiman's Sandman series for the dozenth time, intermittently dousing his dry throat with ice water from his Vitamin Water bottle. The familiar hum of the old rusted oscillating fan nearby and a few regulars arguing over the same old timeless comic bullshit they bantered about each time they entered the shop were seriously distracting from his enjoyment of the Silversun Pickups playing over his iPod speakers.<br><br>"The Amalgam series all sucked, you prick," groaned a scrawny bleach haired teenager Randy knew as Philip, as he turned away from the other three boys he'd walked in with almost an hour ago. It wouldn't have been so bad to endure the broken record of conversations that took place while Randy sat behind the counter if anyone ever bought anything. Making a sale was a rarity and it was a wonder the shop stayed open what with the head manager hardly ever being present in business affairs.<br><br>"No way, Phil--hello? Bruce Wayne Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Where else can you read an epically cool crossover like that?" an unknown acquaintance of Philip's demanded.<br><br>"Let's see," Philip sighed, obviously becoming way to passionate about his stance on comic books, "Fanfiction.net? And the writing's far better. Is epically even a word?" Phillip kept walking, his back remained to the other boys as they paced right beyond the rack holding mint condition copies of Lucifer. Randy boiled underneath at another reminder that the new generation had no disregard for classics. Who cares if the images weren't as flashy and bright? The story lines had far more depth than the more popular Civil War series marvel had shat out a couple years earlier. He was just about to make an obscene remark that could have likely ended his stint at the shop when the bell jingled above the front door, signaling someone else had entered. It was Kristoff, his manager.<br><br>"Jesus cripes, Randy" he shook his head when he walked behind the counter, "It's no wonder we don't make a profit the way you smell. Why don't you try showering after practice for a change?" He set a new shipment of comic books on the floor near the register. "Catalog these when you've got a minute, will you?" He grunted, speaking like he always had, as if Randy never did anything but read comics during his shifts.<br><br>"Yeah, yeah, ya old shitbag. Nice of you to actually stop in and check nobody's burned us to the ground," Randy shot back casually, flipping a page.<br><br>"Watch it boy. I'm not afraid to fire your crippled ass."<br><br>"You couldn't afford it," Randy was defensive now, but still didn't look away from his reading material, "Reason I didn't have time to change was your precious fuck buddy faked being sick again. Any idea what that's about?"<br><br>"Haven't got a clue, halfie," and with that, the oily pony tailed, shabbily dressed old man had disappeared into the storage room.<br><br>The four kids had left during that colorful exchange of words, leaving the shop empty. Randy glanced over at his iPod screen to check the time, knowing he could close soon when every light and appliance in the shop went out. A loud crash came from the storage room.<br><br>"Ah fuck my wrinkly balls," Kristoff hollered.<br><br>"No thanks. You alright?" Randy joked, though a hint of concern emerged in his question.<br><br>"Yeah, I'm alright, kid. You?" Through the pitch black Randy could tell his boss had found his way back out of the mess that was the storage room, "Kid?" Kristoff asked again.<br><br>Silence.<br><br>"Oh shit, you didn't fall off the stool did you?" Kristoff knelt to the ground, carefully groping around for Randy's brains to be splattered on the tiled floor.<br><br>"No---I'm alright, Kristoff. I think we need to get out of here though," Randy muttered in a nearly inaudible tone.<br><br>"What'samatter? You afraid of a little dark?" Kristoff relaxed and shook the swivel stool Randy sat on to get a rise out of him, "Power should be on in a few minutes. And if it's not, we'll close up shop early.<br><br>"Cut that out!" Randy quickly grabbed hold of the counter to brace himself from the shaking, dropping his book to the ground, "This doesn't make sense, Kristoff," he insisted, "My iPod isn't even plugged in. It's fully charged, and the speakers run on batteries. My cell's out too," Randy held it up toward Kristoff which was pointless since neither could see more than an inch in front of his face, "And the lamps in the student center are out---so is the rape siren right outside the door. Those things have backup systems, and their backups have backups. They shouldn't have gone down for more than 15 seconds, tops." Kristoff said nothing for a long moment as he processed everything the younger man had just alerted him too.<br><br>"My cell's out too..." Kristoff finally observed, his voice also much less confident and boisterous now, "So what do we do, cowboy? Need your chair?"<br><br>"Nah, I got it," Randy had already hopped down into his seat expertly in the dark, and spun around on his wheels in the small space behind the counter, "But like I said. We need to get outside."<br><br>Less than a minute later the two had scrambled clumsily around the counter and through the narrow aisles of the shop toward the chilly evening air, Randy stupidly donning only a tank top and the shorts he'd worn to practice. They looked around, trying to assess the situation. Kristoff had seen a pretty good sized crowd of people scattered about the courtyard in the student center on his way into the shop just minutes before but now it appeared ghostly and empty in the dark.<br><br>"Where to, chief?" Randy thought Kristoff had asked that in a more than slightly mocking way, as if to pretend to give Randy a feeling of authority.<br><br>"I'm heading to Mickey's dorm. He may have a working phone, a way to get through to an operator, maybe access to a news channel." Mickey was a childhood friend of Randy's and a frequent visitor to the shop. The man prided himself in being among the sure survivors in the event of a Zombie apocalypse, or if terrorists decided Oregon was a worthy target of a massive attack. He supposedly had rented an underground cellar near campus, stocked it with food, first aid kits, gas masks, devices ranging from GPS to a satellite phone, spare batteries, clothes, iodine pills, entire volumes written on hysteria at an international level---the list went on and on. Kristoff knew of Mickey and had always thought him a nut case, but right now it seemed like a viable option.<br><br>"What do you think could have caused this? Terrorists I think," Kristoff swallowed hard. Randy had never known the man to be a conspiracy theorist, or scared of a wide scale attack of any kind, "Some sort of EMP device no doubt," He continued, fumbling with the keys to lock the shop behind them.<br><br>"No, it couldn't be EMP," a voice called from several feet away. Footsteps came near the guys, as the new comer explained, "Lighters aren't working. Cars. Mopeds. Motors of every kind are shot out. I just came from the parking lot. Police say their guns aren't even firing. My guess is some sort of Nanotechnology." As the man spoke a slow rumble echoed through the air, gradually becoming louder. Screams came from the distance.<br><br>"Shawn? Dude!" Kristoff and the other man shook hands, half embraced in the darkness nearby to Randy who interjected.<br><br>"I doubt it could be nanotechnology. Not on that grand a scale."<br><br>"Sure it could," Shawn argued, "Ever read the Plague Year series?"<br><br>"Yes," Randy sighed, annoyed, "I have, but first off, that nanotech killed off living organisms, not lighters and guns. Second--"<br><br>"Okay, brainiac, calm down," Kristoff interrupted as the three moved away from the shop, attempting to find an exit out of the courtyard.<br><br>"Shit, this isn't gonna work," Kristoff grumbled, "I've got some glow sticks back in the shop. I'm gonna go grab them."<br><br>"I'll tag along," Shawn offered.<br><br>"I'm gonna keep going," Randy didn't seem to have much of a problem peering through the darkness, his eyes having adjusted to low light through years of reading comic books by flashlight or watching TV in darkness so as not to tip off his parents, "You know how to get to Mickey's, right Kris?"<br><br>"Suit yourself, wheels. We're heading to the police station," Kristoff called over his shoulder, a little louder, barely being heard over the strange rumbling noise now. It seemed to be coming from every direction.<br><br>"Do you know how many people have got the same idea as you, genius?" Randy warned them, but they didn't answer so he kept going. Seconds later he'd found an exit to the parking lot which was packed with cars, but no bodies in sight. Starlight gleamed off the vehicles which made it slightly easier to see---of course. He should have realized the rumbling was a plane that had lost it's engines. Instantly Randy darted with as much power as he could muster in his tired state, heading away from the student center. The plane was still pretty far away, but not far enough that he could warn Kristoff. That idiot.<br><br>The plane disappeared over Randy's head as he pumped harder into the opposite direction. Maybe it would overshoot the courtyard? Maybe Kristoff and Shawn would escape unscathed? No such luck. Curiously enough there was no sign of any blaze behind him upon impact, just a thunderous boom as the aircraft collided with the ground just yards behind him. The wind knocked him out of his chair, his face slapping the side of an SUV, leaving him unconscious on the pavement, blood pooling from his forehead, his chair tipped over, quite some distance away.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>SpiralSpider</strong> on <strong>21-04-2011, 04:19:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Afanassii shook his red-topped head but didn't look his sister's way. In stead he surveyed the nearby area with a furrowed brow and a stern eye. Neither twin had the slightest clue what might have happened to the area, but as Nassii looked around more and more a terrible feeling sunk into his gut.<br><br>After a few more urging shouts from the authorities, he was torn away from the horrific scene on the road where several accidents seemed to suddenly have happened. He came back to Kasumi and nudged at her shoulder with one of his dainty hands. She was busy inspecting her laptop from every possible angle and pushing down on the keys, angrily.<br><br>"Sis..." Nassii started, nudging her again. She turned to look at him through narrow eyes, a pout apparent on her oval face. She was quite used to getting her way at times - particularly with him - and was in a foul mood whenever she had even the slightest computer problems. This unexplainable business only angered her further, because she couldn't explain it. "I think we'd better do as the man says." Afanassii threw a thumb out in the direction of the man swearing at the other students to get back inside.<br><br>Kasumi sighed and ran a hand over the top of her head. "Fine..." she was quiet and collected with her single word response, but the serious look on her face showed a certain amount of annoyance. Kasu saw the strangely moving man but her honest thoughts were that she could do nothing for him since she had no experience with medicine. She gave another look in the cop's direction and gathered up her things in succession and then moved to follow as her slender brother led the way back to their dorm room. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Brandon</strong> on <strong>21-04-2011, 14:40:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				John stood there, once again his eyes scanned the streets that seemed dying before his very eyes. People fell and soon the life of the city, what seemed like an inatimate set of objects, fell with them. He was about to say something to the few remaining students outside when they came toward him and he breathed a sigh of relief. At least these two had sense enough to get away from the danger, not so much could be said for a lot of the student life that would sneak out tonight and likely never return. <br><br>As Nasrii and Kasumi came toward him he paid them a smile of both relief and welcoming before he turned back to the door, giving a good turn before he remembered that some of the idiot students had locked it behind him. For a moment he wondered if that was significant, locks were small mechanical devices as well, why would they work and a gun or a street light not? An answer didnt come of course, this was a mystery and mysteries were never meant to be solved easily. Still he gave it another turn, this time forcing it a bit but when it didnt pop open he looked back at them with a sheepish smile and asked calmly "Does one of you have a key or know another way inside? I would hate to kick down a good door if I can avoid it."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Greg MD</strong> on <strong>22-04-2011, 00:40:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Randy awoke, practically hacking up a lung. The world was spinning around him. He ached in every part of his body that wasn't paralyzed, and felt like he ached everywhere else too. He tried to open his eyes but they seemed to be caked shut, likely with blood he assumed.<br><br><em>Man I hit the ground hard. I probably look like shit</em> he thought to himself as he peeled his face away from the pavement slowly, painfully. He assessed the damage quickly and decided his left eye was probably badly swollen and his cheek on the same side might be torn to some degree. He was certain he had cuts and bruises on his exposed arms, especially the elbows, and shuddered to think of the shape his legs might be in, what with the lack of feeling in most of his lower half.<br><br>He tugged with considerable effort until his cheek came off the ground, probably having gotten stuck with blood as well. He knew it must have taken a while for the blood to have dried that hard, but it was still dark so he calculated he might have been out for up to 7 hours.<br><br><em>At least I woke up at all. That's a start.</em><br><br>He forced a deep breath into his sore lungs as he pressed the ground with all his might, powering himself up into a sitting position. He was seriously dizzy, and worried about internal bleeding judging by the excruciating level of pain he was experiencing in his head and torso.<br><br><em>It's okay. You've been worse of before. Maybe,</em> he reminded himself of the mangled car wreck he'd been pulled from at the age of 16. The paramedics had thought he was a goner back then, and this time he could at least feel his arms when he came to. That had to count for something.<br><br>He looked around but could see even less than before---before what? What had happened? His memory was hazy at best. How did he end up on the ground in such agony?<br><br>Something shiny gleamed in the moonlight several feet away. His wheelchair, tipped on it's side. He willed his aching joints to pull himself along the harsh surface of the parking lot toward it, then gradually managed to turn it back upright, a task that would normally have taken a split second, one handed. After steadying his labored breathing he eased himself off the ground carefully with his stiff arms and finally landed himself back in his seat. He tried to roll forward but ended up going sideways. Was that due to damage suffered by one of the wheels? Or the fact that his head was vibrating like a jackhammer? Probably a bit of both. He paused for some time, attempting to gather his bearings, and finally chose a random direction and went that way, hoping to find assistance eventually.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LittleKitten</strong> on <strong>26-04-2011, 23:19:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A nearby student produces a key to the dorm, handing it to John with trembling hands <strong>"I..."</strong>He stammers <strong>"whats going on? Are we under attack?"</strong><br><br>The group crowds around John, seeing him as a source of information and safety. Their questions clammer around him, is it safe? Who's attacking us? Why? What do we do?<br>They've seen his gun and try to pull him into the building, thinking he'll be able to protect them. They can hear looters in the distance but it's unlikely any will come to this part of town.<br><br>The diamond stores are a more attractive target. Things have to resolve themselves soon. There's no way this could be permanent!<br><br>When Randy wakes the flickering fires have died. There are a few faint glows in the distance but the fire in this section of city has been put out. He can hear people talking, just out of sight behind a car.<br><strong>"what the fuck man? What the fuck?? This shit don't just happen! Cars, TVs, power...It don't just turn off! Flashlights don't even work! Emp wouldn't do all this. </strong><br><br><strong>"It's freaky shit I know! But at least the fires out!"</strong><br><br><strong>"yea, and we go away from that fucking gang! Damned looters. Can't believe they got my laptop!"</strong><br><br><strong>"does that matter...? It's not working anymore"</strong><br><br>The voices fade as the two men walk away, still bitching about the looters and the gangs. Perhaps it'd be best to get inside where it's safer. <br>Across the street, next to the campus park, there's a dorm. Randy can hear voices, he can hear them in the front lobby. The students are hungry. Without working stoves or microwaves, their not sure how to fix food or even how to keep their frozen pizzas from spoiling. <br><br>They seem inept but safe.<br><br>Hester and her group arrive at Martys house without incident. They saw plenty of carnage but, aside from questions and requests for aid, where allowed to travel unmolested. The city is in ruins and groups are frantically trying to get the fires under control. A plane, a fucking plane!, fell from the sky. That burned itself out quickly at least, though it did fall on an apartment complex. <br>Hopefully, most of the tenants were out.<br><br>After a few knocks from Hester, she hears a shout of pain. <strong>"motherfuckin'!!</strong>Marty yelps <strong>"who the fuck moved my chair?! where's the power?"</strong><br>The door is wrenched open and the man glares at Hester. He doesn't look good. He's pale and sweating, likely he has the bad case of the flu. <strong>"I called in..."</strong>He snaps, then trails off as he catches sight of the city on fire <strong>"what the fucking hell.....?"</strong><br><br>Marty steps back and motions for the group to come in <strong>"what happened?"</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>09-05-2011, 02:19:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>-- Hester Valdenor - Marty's House -- </strong><br><hr><br>Hester's face spread into a relieved smile as the old man jimmied the door open, but it quickly faded the moment she saw how completely worn out he looked.&nbsp; "Christ, Marty, y'look like shit!" she said bluntly, waving impatiently for the others to barge on in one after the other.&nbsp; The gaggle of brats seemed a bit hesitant to just enter the home of some stranger whose arms were thicker around than their heads, but the combination of darkness and whispering trees outside managed to persuade them.<br><br>Gerry was pretty quick to echo her concerned sentiment, having known the man damn near all his life.&nbsp; "You look like a damn ghost, Mart!&nbsp; I thought this was just a case of the sniffles or something, but you look like you've got one foot in the grave."<br><br>"And to answer your question, the power is fuckin' <strong>gone</strong>," Hester interrupted, running a hand through her spiky hair and just barely managing to keep her breathing under control.&nbsp; "Whole damn city is fuckin' out.&nbsp; Not only that, anything with a <strong>battery</strong> is out.&nbsp; Phones, flashlights, you name it.&nbsp; Got any candles around here?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LittleKitten</strong> on <strong>15-05-2011, 05:34:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marty coughs softly and looks at the group "alrit. No power is no big" He shrugs "rolling black out or so fucktard run into a pole and severed a line." He gets a smirk and ambles to the door, looking out a moment "wait...oh no! It's....ZOMBIES" He shrieks and pretends to be pulled outside by some unseen force, leaving the door banging open.<br><br>A few seconds later, his chuckling can be heard "Geez hester, it's just a black out. and clearly I need to teach you about charging a battery...." He reappears and moves to the kitchen. "There's a charged flashlight back here. I keep it next to the sink." <br><br>Hester can hear him rummaging around and finally he holds it up. He flicks a switch and...nothing. Marty frowns and shakes it "yea, have some birthday candles in the cake next to you" He points to the counter "Amber's turning six. I'm to damned young to be a grampy to a 6yr old" He grumbles as he fumbles for matches
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Greg MD</strong> on <strong>19-05-2011, 04:50:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Again, an unknown period of time passed as Randy sought help. The pain in his arms, chest and head had subsided, and the double vision had gone away---or had it? Finally, for the first time since he heard a crowd rush by him in the parking lot long ago, up ahead in the distance he spotted what looked like a group of eight to ten people huddle through the doorway of a house.<br><br>"Hello!" he gasped through his dry throat, his voice hardly traveled more than a few feet, "Hey! Help a guy out?" he gasped as the tiny crowd disappeared into the dark house, the only one that seemed to have any activity for at least the last mile or two.<br><br>Through labored pants of air he managed to make it on to the property. Two identical Civics in the driveway. Could that be right? Randy reached out toward one and touched air. He was still seeing in twos, not a good sign. Also, that meant the crowd of folks who disappeared into the house was half the size he thought it had been. He rolled up to the doorway of the house of a stranger named Marty and cautiously knocked on the door hoping it's inhabitants would take kindly to a new visitor.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Shihong</strong> on <strong>19-05-2011, 05:48:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>-- Hester Valdenor - Marty's House -- </strong><br><hr><br><em>"Arxidi!"</em> Hester swore loudly, knocking the old man none-too-lightly in the arm as he started laughing.&nbsp; "Nearly gave me a god damn heart attack over here, ya geezer!"<br><br>They couldn't see one another's faces in the dark, but her lips were drawn into a steadily tightening scowl.&nbsp; Her dark skin paled all the more when the futile flicking of the flashlight produced no light.&nbsp; She hadn't expected it to in the first place, but more and more she was coming to realize that this was far from any ordinary blackout.&nbsp; It was like God had just flipped a switch and turned off all the damn power in the world, all at once.&nbsp; She shuddered at the thought that other cities might have been affected.<br><br>Thankfully striking one of the matches from her pocket actually managed to produce a flame, casting strange shadows across the gathered faces and making their nervousness blatantly apparent.<br><br>"Six already?" Gerry said conversationally, hoping to lighten the mood.&nbsp; "Christ, I remember when she was still the size of a grapefruit!"<br><br>"Yeah yeah, adorable," Hester muttered irritably.&nbsp; She loved Amber as much as everyone else in town, but she wasn't in the mood for small talk.&nbsp; "Marty, say hello to Assholes #1 through #4.&nbsp; Assholes, Marty."<br><br>The oldest of the assholes just shot her a glare.&nbsp; "The name's Richard, bitch!"<br><br>"Dick?&nbsp; Figures."<br><br>Richard looked just about ready to tackle her over the damn cake when the second oldest grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, muttering something about the size of Marty's biceps.<br><br>"Look," Hester said.&nbsp; "Something's fuckin' wrong here, and I aim to find out what.&nbsp; Marty, there were people bloody and cryin' in the damn streets all the way over here.&nbsp; We haven't been to town yet, but the way the screams are carryin' I doubt they're faring much better over there either.&nbsp; Are Amber or her folks here?&nbsp; There's no telling what those scumbag looters and rioters might pull."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Changed World</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>LittleKitten</strong> on <strong>25-05-2011, 19:19:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Marty looks at the group and shakes his head "fine bunch you got here, Hester" His heavy footsteps clomp into the back room and he rummages around. "What do you think happened? If there's screaming and crying out at town it could just mean we lost a game or summot" He grunts loudly as he finds the box and lifts it. The thing thuds dully as he drops it onto the counter "never thought I'd use these candles again...." His voice tears up slightly as he thinks of Betsy, the wife long dead. <br><br>He pulls one out and strikes a match to light it "there, better. Now, what happened Hester?"<br><br>Marty starts as a knock sounds and curses under his breath at his jump. "keep the Dick and assholes 2 through 4 in line" He mutters as he uses the candle light to make his way to the door. He opens it and looks out, then down at the man in a wheelchair "uh....hi" <br><br>He hesitates, not wanting to turn him away but not wanting him to come in either. If things are as bad as Hester says he needs to go get his daughter and granddaughter. "can I help you son?"
			</dd>
		</dl>
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