The collapse of Mankind, a post apocalyptic RP

[Mercurio123]

The end of the world happened suddenly and not in a way anyone would have expected, apart from those locked up in asylums perhaps. Though humanity had the power to blow itself of the face of the earth many times over it was a supernatural reason that caused humanities downfall.
Overnight 99% of the planet's population of humans disappear in to thin air as if they never existed. Their belonging the only thing left to prove they existed, no bodies littering the streets. Large cities have become eerily quiet overnight. In New York cars stand empty, engines still running as if the driver has just nipped out to pick up a donut or a hot-dog. a phone booth has the phone hanging on it's cable, a brief case standing inside without it's owner.
It wasn't long before fires would start breaking out. A house with a pot still on the fire would cook dry and  small fire starts and quickly spreads, without any fire brigades to stop the spread it wasn't long before entire districts went up in flames. In Japan where the Nuclear plants were still recovering from the Tsunami not that long ago the infamous Dai Ichi went in to meltdown once again and this time nothing stopped it. Deadly radiation spread out and leaked in to the environment making the country a poisoned waste. Surprisingly it was the only reactor that went ballistic, even the Russian ones went in to shutdown mode stopping the powerful chain reactions.

Animal life so far seems to be unaffected. Rats, always flourishing in humanities footsteps seem to be abundant for now. But new predators arrive on the planet, from the depths of the earth unnatural creatures arise. The worst of them are the Reapers, humanoid in shape but by someone with a twisted idea of what a human should look like. These creatures have mottled skin, gray yellowish colour with dark spots and patterns. Their eyes are large and yellow, long arms that seem to be double jointed and containing long dark talons for nails. These creatures are fast and hungry. There are only a few now but these creatures will look for the remaining humans for sport.

In this world Marcus Ericson awakes, a Swede from origin he immigrated to the states to try and make it big. Ironically he managed to do just that only for the world to collapse around him. Being an IT bod he picked up a job with HP, worked his behind off for just enough to pay the rent and survive and keep up his archery hobby. In between he certified himself and played about with computers.
Doing a bit of White Hatting he ended up tapping in to a big server in Wall Street. Instead of making a mint messing with the figures he kept his white hat firmly on and passed on the holes and how to fix them. This in turn landed him a well paid job which he just started 6 months ago. He bought himself that cool recurve bow he had his eye on, got a new car and just moved in to his own apartment as he could now get a mortgage.
Unfortunately just like so much of New York it too burned down.
Now he is holed up in a basement, alone, distressed and paranoid. It's been 2, 3 months now since he last saw another human and there are sounds at night.. "Why do you bother.... everyone is gone... just give up... find a gun shop and end it..." he mutters to himself " No no no no... no one is unique... even in silent earth there were others.. I will not give up!" He paces round in his small space "Suit yourself.... but you won't find anyone holed up in here, plus you need to get some food... raid a store, get some twinkies, they last.. "
Plucking up his courage he carefully exits his hideout.
Marcus is but a shadow of his former self, usually clean shaven and wearing an office suit he now sports a beard of a month, his hair is a mess and in need of a trim and a wash. He couple of days ago he took some clothes out of an outdoors store so his equipment is more than fit for the cold weather. He grabs his Recurve bow and quiver, he really should get a gun but they are so noisy... not that he would have the guts to shoot the bow at anyone let alone a gun. Still... the noises at night are worrying...
Slowly and carefully he traipses through the snow. It's been months now and it's still seeing a city that was bustling with humans be eerily quiet. As he walks towards a corner shop he notices a sound... foot steps? Nervously he notches a sporting arrow on to the string. "..h.Hello?... Anyone there?.... Come out..slowly... I'm armed and not afraid to shoot..." His voice slightly trembling.. and probably not of the cold.

[AnaBellaJade]

Annalisa slept heavily, trying to slightly adjust to the change in time zones, she was in the big city New York, New York and had come from the west coast where she lived. She woke some time around 3 o'clock in the morning as her body signaled to her it was time to get ready for work. As Annalisa stretched her arms and looked around the lavish hotel room, the school had gone all out for the kids trip to New York. She looked around the room noticing the 6 empty cots, she began to worry, where were her students? Maybe they had woken up early and went next store to the boys room to get Mr. Ricken, the Science teacher she was shadowing over until she had her full year of training. She swung her legs over the side of the queen bed and hoped down barefoot on the plush carpet. She wiggled into her slightly too small jeans and tennis shoes, keeping on the socks and tanktop she slept in. Heading out the hotel room door she grabbed her brown leather jacket off of the chair sitting next to the door which held the key cards to both of the rooms. Walking three doors down she knocked on room number 325. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, she was slightly overweight but her 5 foot 7 inches held it well and with her long red hair and blue eyes, the men she met never seemed to mind the few extra pounds. She stood there for a few minutes knocking repeatedly, finally she called out "I am coming in" towards the door and swiped the key card quickly opening the door once the small light on the silver toned handle turned green. Swinging the door open and stepping inside she was greeted with the same empty cots she had found in her own room her blue eyes shone with worry as she raced around the one room hotel suite not sure where she expected them all the be hiding but she didn't know what else to do. Running back out of the hotel room and down the hall she started smashing the elevator button with an urgency she couldn't describe, she wasn't sure why she was so worried, they were probably all downstairs asking the concierge where the nearest 24 hour diner was. The elevator made a slight ding sound as the doors opened accepting her inside. Breaking her trance she pressed the "L' button to go down to the lobby to find her class. The ride was only about 40 seconds but it felt like years as the doors opened up showing off the elaborately decorated hotel lobby she strode up to the front desk, why was no one here? The hotel phone sat of the hook on the desk asking the missing person to hang up and try their call again. Annalisa was terrified, where could everyone be? Since she had woken up she had seen not one person in one of the most frequented hotels in one of the busiest places in the world. Looking out the glass doors she saw that the sun was just now starting to peek around the skyscrapers and once again not one person strolling past the hotel on the way to work, or home from the bar. She walked over to them and pushed the door wide as she stepped out, it was then she knew something was wrong, some of the windows near by were bright with fire, car alarms went off in the distance, vehicles piled on one another and purses and briefcases littered the city's sidewalk.
3 months later
Annalisa strode down the walkway towards the shop she had spotted the day before, instead of the same cubby cute young woman she appeared to be before she had become extremely thin, living off of a diet of canned fruits, beans, and dried meats. Her long red hair wrapped messily in a sloppy bun on the back of her head, she still wore her Brown leather jacket, but now it was layered on top of a gray zip up hoodie and pink tanktop, she had stolen a pair of smaller mens cargo pants from one of the shops she had passed in the city and upgraded to top of the line running sneakers that were already showing the signs of extreme use. She had walked 2 blocks everyday towards the residential area hoping to find a place to stay for a while, in her backpack she had a flannel blanket, a blow up pillow, an extra pair of clothing, a carton of menthol flavored cigarettes, a stun gun, and some feminine products. As she was rounding the corner towards the entrance of the shop she had found she heard a voice, no, wait, she couldn't of heard a voice she must be finally using it. Slipping her hand into her pocket she pulled out a small handgun, she really wasn't willing to use it, she had about 24 shots left and was not willing to waste them. She walked up and looked around and that is when she saw him the first thing she noticed was how scruffy he was, the demons she had seen didn't have beards, he must be real. Her heart started racing she wasn't sure if she should shoot or talk. She just stared at him unsure of what to do.

[Hazel]

It was so cold this time of year. He never thought this would ever happen, let alone at this kind of scale. It wasn't until the first night that he realized that it wasn't safe in the dark, and ever since then he'd tried staying in shelter whenever it even got cloudy. Supplies from the stores that were close by were starting to run low, so he had started searching in a wider area. It was a bit of a pain since the snow had started to pile around doors, and sometimes froze them shut. He gathered a black jacket and some boots from the store, though he didn't want to wear a hat and miss an important sound.

It was easy to find shelter at times, though, put a few boards or move some furniture in place where there were no tracks around and you at least had a place to get out of the weather. It had worked so far, but the things at night had started to come closer it seemed. He started to lose his grip on reality when he woke up from his sleep, after his dreams with the sounds coming from the walls. He needed to find somewhere else to stay that they wouldn't get to so easily.

The building he was in now wouldn't do at all, it was an apartment and easily had several openings that they could get in. "Maybe there's a nice place where the foods a plenty, and there's always company," he thought with a smirk. He hadn't seen a fellow person since that Broadway show. Guess it gives a whole new meaning to being bored to death. Sighing, he turned and strolled to the window of the apartment. It was on the 3rd floor so it had a pretty good view of the other side. Opening the window he listened as the wind howled by, making sure that there wasn't anything outside.

Straining against the wind, he thought he heard a voice. It was being carried by the wind towards him, so he slowly poked his head out to see where it was coming from. It was a man with an arrow notched, he looked quite well clothed for the situation. "I wonder where he got those from, might have to ask him if he comes this way" he thought. He watched as the man stood his ground waiting, when he saw a woman come around the corner. She was armed, so he hastily withdrew into the room. "What is even going on right now?" He thought. Going towards the door, he quickly ran down the stairs, careful to watch out for ice on them."I hope this doesn't end with that guy getting hurt, it'd be great if we could all help each other." He thought, reaching the door and slowly peeking out."Seems like a long shot though."

[Mercurio123]

Marcus seeing something move from the corner of his eyes pulls the drawstring back, his index finger pointing with the arrow at the humanoid shape. His voice loud but nervous "sStop!... ddon't move... I'll shoot I practiced...." muttering to himself "shut up they don't need to know that!"
He pauses a moment seeing that the person is holding a gun... "Wait.. gun.. person.. human... person..." His voice becoming louder again... "Are.. are you real?...and.. human?" His internal monologue is kicking him once more "What do you expect a figment of your imagination to say? No I'm not? fuck if it's imagination then at least you will have company in the asylum"
He keeps his eyes on the... girl? it's a woman. Well if he is going crazy then at least he didn't get stuck with some bullying jock.

The drawstring is starting to bite in his fingers, even with the cold he can feel that. Really need to buy a compound bow when the next paycheck comes in.

"Listen.. my fingers are going numb so I'm going to lower this bow... like don't shoot kay?"... "I'm Marcus"
He slowly lowers the bow and gently eases the drawstring before removing his fingers from it and flexing them to get some blood back in to it. The arrow remains notched for a quick pull and release but seeing as his potential adversary has a gun.. it probably wouldn't do much. Still if she shoots at least his misery will be over.

Unbeknownst to Marcus and Annalisa something else has also heard their voices. In the alley next to John's apartment a squat gray and white figure emerges. Standing about a meter tall (3ft and a bit for you imperial types) It has snow-white bristling hair running from his head down his spine. A thick skin seems to protect it from the cold. Large eyes and leech like mouth give this... thing an unusual look. It's legs are framed with thick muscles ready for jumping on it's prey. Unfortunately for it, the bright light reflected of the snow is causing it quite some grief as it is squinting. It's large pointy ears swiveling this way and that to locate the source of the two voices. Being at the right angle it does mean that the only person capable of seeing it is John at the moment.

Following the noise the creature moves silently through the snow to it's prey. It's white hair giving it some camouflage in the snow.

[Vill]

Three months earlier:

Fleeting images of blurry faces above navy-blue uniforms milled about a flight deck at different paces. Some seemed to move at an alarmingly unnatural speed while others drifted far too slow for casual movement. It was impossible to identify any individual by their appearance, yet each figure evoked a sense of familiarity. The sun sat too high above the horizon for how dark the sky had grown. The silence was nearly audible: it seemed to lend a sense of density to the air that embraced that open space in an almost gelatin substance. A crowd of shadowed figures sat huddled in one corner of the open hangar bay, and while each of their expressions were shrouded in shadow, he could feel their accusing gazes pierce right through him. A deep breath was drawn through his own flared nostrils, and with it his surroundings swelled in imitation of his lungs.

And suddenly, the world sat still. An unearthly, muted howl sounded somewhere in the distance. Its voice rasped with a metallic shrill as it continued to grow steadily in pitch and volume. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and just as that howl became almost too much to bear ---

SLAM

Petty Officer Aiden Reaux collided with the bunk across from his own before landing face first on the deck. That howl had chased him out of his nightmare. Only now, that metallic scream was accompanied by the wail of alarms and buzzers sounding from the level below: the engine room. He pushed himself up with a groan that failed to compete with the chaotic sounds echoing throughout the vessel.

The berthing area was pitch black -- even the soft red lights ment to preserve night vision had been extinguished. Extended hands met with the cold metal of rows of coffin racks as Reaux pushed his way towards the exit. The sound of of the door slamming into the bulkhead as he kicked it open was punctuated by the passe’s wildly flickering overhead lights. His black, steel-toed boots carried him towards the next hatch. He had fallen asleep fully dressed after the mid-watch he had stood only hours ago.

Hatch after hatch exposed empty pass after pass, and suddenly the Petty Officer could feel his stomach drop to his knees. Where the hell is everyone? The heel of his hands began to bang against the bulkheads of neighboring berthing areas as he continued to lumber forward. “GET UP, GOD DAMNIT! EMERGENCY WATCH STATIONS, EMERGE--” Another violent shutter caused his body to slam against a door leading into rec-deck 3. A quick grab at the door’s knob kept him upright, but the sight nearly knocked down again: empty. A quick shake of the head forced him back into reality and he quickly made his way up the stairwell leading to the main pass.

On his right sat a large, bright red hatch that lead directly to the engine room. The back of his hand pressed against it for only a moment before retracting with pain: its surface was hot enough to sear human flesh. A string of curses were swallowed up by a deafening groan resonating off the of port bulkhead. His knee hit the deck as he scrambled to pull up on the lever meant to discharge the Halon fire extinguishing system directly into the ship’s main turbines. Another jolt to this vessel's interior caused the lights to shut off again. The sailor pushed through the dark towards the hatch that would open up to the starboard’s exterior.

The night air was warmer than expected, but a clear sky allowed a full moon to reflect its beams across the ship’s white paint. The Atlantic Ocean lay dead ahead, but the sight to his left caused him to stop dead in his tracks. The Hamilton, his vessel, was colliding with a massive, concrete bridge -- a bridge that was in no way capable of allowing the ship to pass unscathed. The howling he had heard was the portside bulkhead being ripped open by its massive pillars.

76 mm cannon shells, fuel and more 50. rounds than I can cou-

The crunch of the wheel house’s glass windows being pulverized by the low lying bridge yanked him out of his thoughts. The dual smoke stacks would be next on the chopping block if the bridge didn’t come down right on top of him. Time slowed to a crawl as he turned to make a full blown sprint towards the fantail. More collisions and their audio aftermath caused his ears to ring until muffled silence held his sense. His right foot kicked the capsule containing the inflatable life raft overboard before diving in after it.

It took most the night for BM2 to finally reach shore. The Hamilton had blazed for hours like a beacon in the darkness. They had been steaming in excess of twenty-eight knots an hour, even the bridge and the termination of engine power couldn’t stop its momentum. The first grey of dawn was heralded by a roar and a flash of light in the distance.

Long Island.

They had been moving East along Long Island’s South shore when he had been relieved from his watch. The finger of land was all but foreign to him. He knew there were small boat stations along its coast: two of his buddies from A school had been stationed there. It was time to find someone -- anyone -- with a higher rank than his own, and figure out what the hell had happened.

[Hazel]

Peeking around the corner, he could hear them slightly easier. From the angle he was at he could only see the man with the bow. He listened to him as he told her about his fingers. "Poor guy, he must not have picked up those gloves with the tips that can be folded back." he thought, as the man shook his arm. "What are the chances of this, three people coming together at once. Must be luck."

Then he heard something slightly. It was just barely there and he only heard it because the wind had died down slightly, like a slight crunch of something moving. The man and possibly the woman hadn't moved at all since he could see. He turned slowly scanning the snow from the curb of the street, he was on to the other side. "Where did that sound come from?" He thought, looking again just to make sure. Then he saw it just barely, a few feet from the alley across the street. He just briefly saw something small moving, so he continued to watch that spot. Then something moved again, also very small, and again. It was incredibly low to the ground,"What the hell is that," He thought. Watching as he saw something ever so slowly move in front of the two small objects, it was much longer and was pointed at the end. There's no way one could be out during the day, they hate the daylight. He thought, starting to sweat slightly.What am I supposed to do? If that gets the jump on bow man, he's dead. Looking around He found a small block, heavy but maybe he could throw it a good distance.

"I need to distract that thing until I can get their attention without getting myself killed." He thought, taking the block into his hands, getting a feel of the weight. "If I can throw this to behind it, and hit something like a trash can or a window and distract it, I could tell them." He suddenly wished that he played more base ball as he found a target, a pretty big window that was from a shop, and threw it with all his might. Hoping that it would hit it and break it.

[AnaBellaJade]

Annalisa watched the man in front of her lower the bow he had previously aimed at her. Relief flooded her body, she had no idea what she would of done if he had attempted to hurt her. Annalisa lowered her gun, the one she had obtained from a briefcase she found on the way here. She could hold her own in a fist fight, a valuable skill she acquired living with her foster parents but she had never shot off a gun and the only reason she knew the basics was from watching TV.

"Hello Marcus, I'm Annalisa. Unfortunately yes, I am real"

She frowned, of course the first face she had seen in months turned out to be a nutter. She turned headed back towards the store, she was still hungry no matter who she met. Her fancy shoes soaking in the wet from the snow, she made it only a few steps before coming to a halt and going to turn back to Marcus, he might be hurt, she couldn't just leave him. It was then Anna caught the slight movement in her peripheral vision. Adjusting her eyes not far from where Marcus was standing was a large creature was moving slowly, it's sound muffled by the snow.

"Marcus!" She yelled out to him, the ugly gray and white rabbit altering it's path coming straight for Annalisa. Now shaking she raised her right arm, already loaded and ready to go, she focused it on the creature. Anna inhaled deeply and pulled the  trigger, the bullet gazed the gray fur on its paws and disappeared under the snow. It was now angry and she could tell, it picked up the pace bounding toward Anna, she shuffled backwards not willing to take her eyes off of it. As her numb foot slipped on a patch of the ice shielded by the snow, she fell her bottom landing in the snow. She glanced at Marcus her eyes pleading for help.

[Mercurio123]

She is real... is she really real... am I real? His face changing from relief to concern back to relief. As Annalisa turns to walk away he is about to call out to her to wait but suddenly two things happen in rapid succession. Annalisa once again raising her gun and shouting his name, and a loud crash as a shop window gets smashed by a thrown rock. Marcus's already shattered nerves cause him to jump to the side out of the way before coming back up raising his bow only to find that the notched arrow has come off in the jump.

Our rabbit from hell is briefly distracted by the shattered glass only to turn to the loud bang of the gun. It jerks it's front paw as the bullet grazes it, causing it to give out a gurgling yelp. Crouching down the creature halves the distance in a single leap.

Marcus Noticing the weird creature desperately pulls another arrow out of his quiver, notching it. Drawing back the string he follows the creatures jump, releasing it just at the right time to hit the creature full in the ribs. "Yes!" Unfortunately for Marcus his exultation is rather premature as the hell rabbit has thick skin and Marcus is using target practice arrows. Good for punching soft targets but only causing the rabbit to be more annoyed.
Snarling it now turns to Marcus.
Marcus's grin freezes as he notices he is now the prime target, "Oh Förbannad!" Scrambling to his feet he drops his bow and runs towards the apartments, past the broken window screaming "Jääävlarrrr!!"
The creature seems to have trouble turning, making a couple of hops to do so which gives Marcus a bit of a head start. His shouting also means that the rabbit is focused on him so it's being led away from Annalisa. However if she decides to lose another shot she may accidentally hit our intrepid Swede.
As it stands now Marcus will need a lot of luck to survive this one unscathed. Or at all.

[Hazel]

The brick hit the glass a split second later, making a loud noise and causing the bunny to turn. A gunshot went off, causing John to flinch. "She must have taken a shot at the thing." he thought as he poked out his head again, taking his chef's knife from his pocket. He was going to need it if she didn't put it down. Looking out, he saw the man jump away, and the woman falls onto her butt. A second later the bunny is going after her, but seems to have just been grazed. "I guess I could help." he though watching the man pop up, notch an arrow and let it fly. It just seemed to bounce off, but the thing seemed to get angrier.

The next thing John knows is the man running by, yelling some kind of moon speak. He didn't seem to notice him, but the bunny was starting to turn and jump after him. The bunny seemed to take a while though, letting the man get a head start for what it meant. He was going to wait a few seconds to take the bunny on.

He noticed the bunny seemed to need some time between jumps to go again, it was only slight though. He would have to be out in the street mid jump if he wanted to even get close to where it landed. Waiting till it had jumped so that it could get a beeline to the man, he waited for another jump preparing himself to run out. He had to get the thing in the neck or eyes, or else he wouldn't survive the attack himself. The next jump right before it launched he started to move, the bunny getting through the air and landing near where he was going. He jumped into it as the bunny landed, knocking both of them over. The bunny lets out a mangled cry, almost shocked that something had actually hit it. His arms had wrapped around it, and he was going for the neck stabbing it in the few seconds it seemed stunned.

The bunny was kicking, and one of them hit John. Sending him into the snow around him. Well, I fucked up." He thought trying to catch his breath, as the bunny tried to right itself.

[Mercurio123]

The rabbit on steroids squeels in a high pitched tone. It's circular mouth oozing blood as the knife enters it's throat. It wildly kicks at it's assailant, it's powerful hind-legs strong enough to crush someone's chest. Fortunately for John his padded clothing absorbed some of the blow but hey will be lucky if he hasn't got a cracked rib or two. That will smart tomorrow.

Mercurio meanwhile trips and falls face first in the powder, quickly turning on his back to ward of the expected blow only to see that the rabbit is wounded but trying to get back to his feet to face down the new threat.

[AnaBellaJade]

Anna's eye were wide, staring in disbelief at the events unfolding. Marcus had distracted the large rabbit from her, and from no where it seemed another man came and tried to attack it. The odds of them all getting together after all this time was not good, she wondered what brought them together. Watching the insane rabbit bleeding and the men fallen in the snow. She had a chance to fix this, she stood, ignoring the numbness overwhelming her body. Readying her gun she pulled it up aiming for the gash in its throat, it's weakest point. She closed her eyes and pulled the trigger hoping for the best.
"Please God" She prayed as the bullet released from the gun, hearing a yelp and moan she opened her eyes and focused on the rabbit, she missed its throat but got it in the eye, as it squirmed she could see where the bullet exited in the back of its head near the neck. Watching the animal crumple to the snowy ground, its flesh and bones started to melt into a pitch black sort of goo as it died, Anna would never get used to this, it was so unnatural and terrifying. Looking over to the man in the snow, she spoke,
"Thank you, but who the hell are you?"

[Hazel]

"I could have stayed in today, what would a few cans of food be gone to the vast amounts out there." He thought as he tried to catch his breath. The pain in his chest was intense, mostly on his right side though. He tried to crawl back, but the pain stopped him short. The rabbit was squealing in pain as it tried to right it self and turn towards him, blood flowing from the wound he had caused. "If this really is rapture, does this mean I'm coming back to earth when I die?" He thought watching the bunny.

A crack rang out from the side, causing the bunny to scream shrilly. The bunny had been hit in the eye it seemed, and started to convulse. He saw that the woman had recovered from her fall, and made the shot. He looked towards the bunny again, watching as it turned into a black goo. Well, that's a lot worse then pellets." He thought. "Thank you, but who the hell are you?" He heard her call out. "My names John. I was looking for food, but found you guys." Sitting back in the snow he relaxed for a second. "That kick really packed a punch." He thought as he struggled to stand up.

"You okay? I thought you were gonna shoot that guy. Where'd he go any way?" he asked holding his side and turning to look for him.

[Mercurio123]

Marcus having seen it all from his prone position breaths a sigh of relief before letting his head fall back in to the snow. His eyes staring at the sky for a moment. What a day.. one moment you are having a happy conversation with the voice in your head and the next real people show up and a rabbit worse than what Monty Python dreamed up. But what the fuck happened to it? And more importantly what was it? Are these monsters... did these things make the sounds in the night?
Groaning a moment he gets to his feet gathering his arrows before heading for the others.
"you showed up at a fine moment sir..." he says to John " I'm Marcus... and unless either of you two have any objections.. might I suggest we gather some food and do some chatting elsewhere?
If there are more of these beasts, the shots may have warned them and I don't think I want to become rabbit food."

[AnaBellaJade]

"Hello John, yes I suppose we should keep moving, but we need to fast, I'm freezing and would like something to eat"
She glanced at the corner store we planned on visiting, Anna wondered if it was safe to still go there of if they were better off looking for a different one. Hesitating for only a moment she numbly scrambled inside, she didn't care of the risk at this point, they were relatively safe inside and if she didn't get out of these wet icy close she would get horribly sick. She unzipped her bag and most of the contents were still dry, she grabbed a nice bra, she didn't care so much about the looks but she heard this brand lasted a long time, a pair of fresh panties, purple leggings, boot cut jeans, a pair of mens wool socks and a gray long sleeved shirt. Slipping in the stock room, she peeled her wet clothes off, drying her self with some industrial paper towels she grabbed she thought she heard the men enter the store, quickly she pulled on her dry clothes, leaving her old ones in a pile on the concrete floor. Stepping back into the main shopping area she was already beginning to warm up, she grabbed a pack of beef jerky, a bottle of water, and some fancy vitamin C cold medicine, better be prepared if she did get sick. Heading back to the stock room she climbed onto of a unpacked box and rested her back against the wall waiting for Marcus and John.

[Hazel]

He shook the rest of the snow off him, making sure not to hit his side. "Hey Marcus", he said giving a smile and a slight wave. "Food sounds good about now, and a good retreat from this wind." They started walking towards the store, the woman making a beeline for it, almost running. "All this excitement, and I didn't even ask what her name was." he thought as they approached the store.

He trudged through the snow, looking at the store as he got closer to the store. The woman slipped inside quickly, disappearing. he turned his head toward Marcus, "So.. uhhh...What were you yelling back there when the rabbit was chasing you? I couldn't understand a word." He said as he slipped into the store the same way the woman had gone. It was snowy and vacant, of people any way. There seemed to be plenty of food and various things around. He grabbed a bag of chips and opened it, pulling some out and eating them. Wow, they don't even taste stale at all. So much food and the things we'll have left are high salted cans. He thought, opening his bag and shoving various things into it. It didn't really matte to him, he just wanted something to eat that he could take with him.

[Mercurio123]

Marcus gathers up his bow checking for damage and the arrows too before following John in. "I think I need to get some different arrows.. If there are more of these creatures these sporting ones will not be useful at all"
He blinks a moment as John talks to him ending his monologue "ah hehe" He looks a bit sheepish as he scratches his head "I'm Swedish.. I guess when I get stressed I fall back in my.. what do you call it.. milk tongue?" He shrugs "I was swearing..."
Walking in to the store he too starts to collect various things. Water bottles, first aid kit, some canned food. The place is starting to smell with the perishables doing what their name implies.
All the while he is talking "Oh man you don't know how good it is to see the both of you.. I was convinced that the Rapture actually came and took everyone except me." "But what the hell was that creature? And did you see how it died? I mean I was kind of hoping for Mutant Rabbit stew or something but it was just some weird black goop that it turned in to."
"I'm sorry am I talking to much? I've like been alone for months, I've not seen a soul for ages.. even the internet is dead did you know? probably lack of electricity. core routers dead all that stuff"
Grabbing some shampoo and other toiletries "What I wouldn't give for a hot bath right now.. "
"So like where should we go next? Get some more weapons by chance? it's not like we have to wait for the paperwork to be returned hehe"
He finds a pack of mini swiss rolls that are suprisingly still in date and throws one to both Anna and John "Let's celebrate with cake! or well. chocolate anyway, I mean what are the chances right? Not just one person but two!" He finally pauses realising he's been rambling.. and for some time too

[Tyrhung]

One, two, three, four.... one, two, three, four....

Aleksei stepped in time to the beat of the noise the reactor nearby made.  It was his sole companion inside of the power plant, and the only source of noise that, to him, was not disturbing.  He made a game of dancing to to the reactor's softly humming song, which wafted through the many protective layers of material to where he waltzed now.  With the judicious application of a very highly contrived imagination... he perceived the dull, monotonous thrumming as beautiful music.

Food and drink were simple enough to find here; the power plant, somewhat less well-known than other power facilities due to the degree of controversy placing a reactor inside of a metropolis could cause, was well-stocked in the event an emergency should occur and evacuation was not possible right away.  There were redundant blast doors, a more than adequate number of panic rooms, and emergency supplies to last a full crew of personnel for a week or longer.

Of course, there was not even a skeleton crew here anymore.  There was only Aleksei, and his siren companion, the reactor.  He had been here for a very long time, running on emergency power ever since what he perceived as all hell breaking loose outside.  He had kept careful track of the days in a large three-ring binder full of paper, and had gone through more than one pen in the process of writing in it.  Despite the advent of paperless communications within the power plant, the glory of having an office job is knowing where all the office supplies are.

His initial, panicked flight to the relative safety of the power plant had been only the beginning of a new brand of suffering for Aleksei, one the likes of which he had never had to endure; isolation.  He had learned to cope with the cold in his youth, and hunger all throughout his life, but within the secure walls of the reactor's cradle, neither of these were a challenge.  The fact that no one else was here with him, however, was.  He had tried a dozen things to pass the time pleasantly, until the signal he had been waiting for since he arrived in New York would arrive... he played computer games, he sang songs while listening to music, he exercised, he wrote in his journal.  As the weeks wore on, however, the boredom and isolation challenged his mind, and he found himself forced to try strange and new things such as painting - on the walls, with packages of ketchup and mayonaise.  He talked with the reactor at the computer terminal, imagining its subtle changes in readings to be a form of conversation with him.  He fancied the reactor a strange and beautiful woman, eventually perceiving her song to which he now danced.

He knew the time for war would soon be upon them, however, so he turned his mind to take the proactive approach to the situation.  There were not proper weapons within the power plant, at least not where he was; the armory for security was in a separate building in the facility.  While it was heavily guarded and fortified, said guards and fortifications made it a tremendous target.  It had long since been ransacked - first by the security forces who had legitimate access to it, and second, third, and forth by any number of scavengers that managed to overcome them in one fashion or another.  While the power plant was a target for the simple fact that it produced power, Aleksei had turned down the reactor's output to give the appearance of its having failed.  The ruse seemed to work, whether for the fact that the place appeared to be dormant, or the fact that it would be a difficult breach, or the fact that there were radiation signs all over the building.  It would only be a matter of time, however, before someone - or something - was curious and powerful enough to breach the reactor's walls.  He devised a way to weaponize lightbulbs, and created traps with tools and replacement parts.  The effectiveness of these devices was questionable to a sane man, but by Aleksei's estimation he had seen no such thing in months.

He glanced to the exit door, which was one of many he would have to open in order to step outside into what he hoped was the sunlight.  He had not been outside, or seen outside for a very long time.  Had everything settled down?  Was anyone else alive?  He frowned, turning back to the reactor.  He could always come back for her... but if everyone else was dead, he would simply have to know.  A glorious nation cannot rise again if all of its fair people lie in ashes.

[Mercurio123]

While Marcus is rambling on, a humanoid creature is stirring, coming out of the same alley where the werebunny came from earlier. The shots and noise must have lured it. It's humanoid in shape but definitely not in appearance. covered in rags its skin is leathery, its hands do not appear to have fingers other than a thumb, the other digits fused together. However the inside of its hands are covered in small suckers like a squid. Large eyes make it obvious that this creature too is used to do its hunting in the night but perhaps the noise has woken it up.
The creature doesn't appear to have a mouth, or a nose. instead two slits are where a nose should be. The lips too appear to be fused in place. No ears to speak of. The creature sticks its head up and sniffs the air, smelling prey.
It squats a moment before loping towards the shop and stopping in front of the window, its large eyes peering inside before it makes a high keening sound.
In the alley shadows begin to stir to the call.