Behemoth (IC)

[Penny Royals]

I’m starting this journal on March 24th, 2014, at 12:52. This journal is/was the property of Angel Marie Dantes, age 20, daughter of Sergeant Andrew Dantes with the NYPD, if you find this without me, congratulations! You’ve found the journal of a dead civilian who has no idea what’s going on.

I guess I’ll try to explain what’s going on to the best of my abilities, and I’ll try to not get scared writing this all down… about two hours ago, the city erupted into panic. I didn’t have a class today, but I went off to Starbucks while Papa went to work, and I was in line when a crowd of people started running past the shop – a LOT of people. People started to leave the shop to figure out what was going on – someone grabbed my arm and pulled me out with them into the street, people were shouting about monsters and conspiracies and there was a mob of people crowding and pushing and shoving and there was blood all over the sidewalk where people had fallen, I didn’t want to be caught up with them in case I fell but I didn’t know how to get away at that point because the lady who had my arm was really strong and I got pulled in with them. But I was able to look back at one point, to just see the skyline far away rising with smoke and an orangeish glow. All I could think about was, what if this is another attack? What if 9/11’s happening all over again and any second now the dust clouds are going to flowing through the streets and we’re all going to die? Where’s my father? Is he okay?

We kept running, but the lady and I were at the edges and were able to break off into another alleyway. Other people had the same idea, there were about ten of us total running down the side ways. We couldn’t see anything, but some of the people were saying they had seen more than I had, that they had seen flames over the bay. Some of them got the idea to go into one of the buildings, to gain height to see what was going on. The whole of us got into one of the taller buildings, a white man with a burly mustache said he worked here and we could get up to the top flood and look through office windows. We took an elevator, despite the warnings of a thin, lanky latino who rushed over to take the stairs. The man with the mustache directed us to an unlocked office, and we crowded in to see Her (next page) on the horizon, in the water.

I don’t know how long we stood there and watched her. It seemed like centuries past of her just standing straight, before one of her arms lifted and her eyes opened.

Her eyes were the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I’d draw them, but I fear I won’t be able to do her justice at all. I’m not even sure I can describe them with words – ethereal, monstrous, awesome, striking, terrifying, Elysium – nothing fits them or the feeling they gave me properly.

My party didn’t share my sentiment. Her gaze pulled out sheer terror from even the man with the mustache. Some of them screamed, and the lady vomited, and a man was shouting things I couldn’t understand, and one person rammed their head into the wall and others run o I shouldn’t go into detail. I didn’t understand why they went crazy, but I ran away from them anyway, I ran down the stairs by myself. I wasn’t scared by Her, I was shared by THEM. There were more people on the streets now, flooding through, everywhere, bolting past each other. And the screaming.

I didn’t live far from here. That was the good part. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, I ran into our apartment and I closed the blinds and I hid underneath my bed and wrapped myself up in my blanket until I could drown out the voices in my own head, echoing back the screaming I kept hearing over and over and over again. The phone rang, the next room over, and then again. I finally answered it – it was my brother, far away from here, down in Massachussets. He had heard what was going on, and he told me stuff I didn’t know – like a massive monster was in Times Square and it was all over the news. He asked me if I was safe, he was glad I was – but where was Papa? I didn’t know.

I still don’t, not right now. I don’t want to turn on my TV. I don’t want to see anything more. I don’t want to hear any more screaming. I don’t want to imagine what Papa’s doing. I can’t bring myself to think about anything more than writing this journal. I want Papa to come home and hold me.






For the Andersons, the day had started like any other, for the most part. It was a Monday, and April had no work for today. She slept in, woke up at 8:00, brushed her teeth, fixed her hair, and got dressed before heading into her son’s room to get him up. He didn’t usually sleep this late into the morning, but he’d been sick for the past few days. She sat down next to him on his bed, nudging him for a few seconds until he rolled over to look at her, rubbing his eyes.

“Good morning, Sunshine. Did you sleep well?”

“Mmm… mhm.”

“That’s good. You have school today. You wanna get up and pick out an outfit while I go make us breakfast?”

He nodded sleepily, and she helped him off of his bed, going to the kitchen while he toddled over to his dresser. She didn’t want to have them take too much time, so she toasted them some waffles, spreading nutella on his and butter on her’s before he came out of his bedroom dressed for the day, in jeans and an Iron Man tee shirt.

“Well don’t you look nice?” She commented, handing him the plates to set them onto the table while she got them butter knives and forks.

“It’s my favorite shirt!” He replied, sitting down and eagerly taking the utensils from his mother. “And plus, he was in my dream last night.”

“Hmm?”

“Yeah. There was this big crocodile at the playground, and we couldn’t get down from the jungle gym because it would eat us, but then Iron Man flew in and beat it up!”

“That sounds like an awesome dream, Baby.”

They finished their breakfast with similar banter, putting their dishes into the sink and heading to the front door.

“Can I wear my red one today, Mama?”

“It’s starting to rain, sweetie, we don’t want it to get wet.”

“Oh… but can’t I wear it underneath?”

“Your raincoat won’t fit over it. If it’s not raining tomorrow, I promise you can wear it, okay?”

“Okay…”

He pulled on a yellow rain jacket, taking his mother’s hand as they left their home, starting off to his kindergarten. It was usually a somewhat lengthy walk for them, but they never really minded it – and there was always something new to see as they passed parks and vendors along the way.

It was 10:40. They were close to the school now, and she was letting him run along the side of the fence. People jogged past them, and she made sure to stick closer to him, to not lose sight of him. The horizon, where most of the chaos was at that point, was behind them.

April wasn’t sure what happened from one second to the next. She had rushed forward and reached down to grab her son’s hand as he slowed down, looking up and past her into the sky while a shadow grew around them, and she’d blinked. The reverberations knocked her over, and by the time she opened her eyes again, her son and the fence were no longer right next to her, and she couldn’t breathe.

She pushed herself to her feet, glancing around to see a massive creature looming only a mile away. Buildings had collapsed under it and around it, and debris had scattered. People were running towards her through the streets now, and children were pouring out of the school building. Where was her son?

Her heart sank as she looked at the debris scattered through the park and the streets. A few yards away was the side of the fence she’d been close to – trapped beneath masonry. She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and rushed over.

Her son was here, intact, curled up beside the masonry and unconscious. She let out a breath of relief, going to pick him up – before seeing the blood pooling underneath him and the slab of concrete. She turned him over slightly and gently to get a good look – his arm was caught. Now she was in a new mode – she grabbed the slab with all her strength, lifting it just slightly enough to scoot it off of her son and away. His lower arm was mangled, bones split and sticking out through the skin, still bleeding. She immediately applied pressure to stop it, before scooping him into her arms and running home.

She was inside the door within minutes. She held him close as he was starting to come to, going to the bathroom to grab towels and taking him into her bedroom to lay him down on them and on the bed.

“Mama…”

“Shh.” She smiled at her son – he wasn’t looking so good at this point. “You’re going to be alright, okay? Mama’s got you.”

He nodded, his expression not changing. She lifted him up slightly, tugging down the jacket from his good arm, and starting to ease it off of the other. He groaned, closing his eyes – but she got it off with minimal injury, able to see now the full extent of the damage, and her worse fears realized.

She left him for a moment, rushing to the kitchen to put their oven on the highest setting before going down to the basement, skipping steps. There were pipes down here, pipes that didn’t really do much of anything, and didn’t take much strength to rip off. She came back upstairs and put one into the oven before going back to her son.

“You have to stay awake, okay?” She told him, picking him up gingerly, starting to carry him downstairs. “Can you talk to me?”

“I don’t wanna…”

“It’s okay. But you have to let me know you’re awake, okay? Can you hum?”

“Mmm…”

“It’s okay, keep going. Mama has to set you down for a second.”

She set him down on a table down there, moving through the room to rifle through different stations of medical equipment she had, before finding what she was looking for. She grabbed it and set it down next to the table, listening to him humming weakly while she jogged back upstairs to check on the pipe. The pipe was burning, but it wasn’t white yet. She still had time. She went back down to her son, and ran her hands through his hair.

“Okay, Sweetie, this is gonna hurt, okay? But I’m doing it to keep you here with me. I promise, you’re going to be alright.”

He didn’t reply, watching her while she went about her business. She grabbed the item from beside the table – a bone saw. He shut his eyes, and started sucking down air. In just a few seconds she was running back upstairs again, and had come back with a white-hot pipe…

By 11:15, their ordeal was, mostly, done. She was cradling her son to her chest, telling him how brave he was. She held him tightly, going back upstairs with him in her arms. She took the towels from her bed, put them in the hamper, and the two of them settled into her bed and turned on the TV.

She watched cartoons to try to forget what just happened, and he drifted off to sleep.







The alarm went off at 10. Damien didn’t want to wake up, clinging to the pillows, the blanket wrapped around his waist. He felt Will’s arms around him tighten and release in a yawn, turning off the alarm clock before nuzzling his mouth into the corners of Damien’s neck. He shuddered, still smiling and cuddling up against Will, laughing, “You know I’m ticklish there.”

This was met with a heavier breath against his skin. He squirmed away from Will then, pushing himself to sit up and run his hand through his short black hair.

“You want coffee?”

“’Course Babe.”

Damien smiled, crawling out of the bed and going into the kitchen to start the coffee before heading to the bathroom to take a much-needed shower. As much as he loved Will, he didn’t want to smell like him all day.

He came out to Will making breakfast, fully dressed and standing in the half-kitchen. Will’s younger sister, Haylee, was sitting on the couch on her phone; she and Damien waved to eachother before he went back into the bedroom.

He deeply regretted the fact that he didn’t pack any real clothes last night – so stuck with the club get-up it is. He pulled on the outfit, putting the wig on the couch with Haylee and going to the kitchen to peep over Will’s shoulder.

“Watcha makin’?”

“Just some toast and eggs, Babe,” Will replied, turning his head to kiss him.

“Eggs are gross,” Haylee called from the living room.

“Whatever, you can have cereal.”

Damien gave a small laugh, grabbing a piece of toast and heading over towards the front door closet to grab his bag and shove his wig into.

“I’ve got to get home. Nana’s probably worried sick, after all.”

“Alright. Hey, call me later, okay?”

“Of course!”

“Hey, Damien, can you bring me your pink lipgloss tonight? I really need it for tomorrow.”

“What’s tomorrow?”

“We have a dance, I guess. It’s really dumb but I want to look decent or something.”

“Anything for my sis. See you two later!”

It didn’t take too long for Damien to descend the stairs of the apartment building and start heading to his home, music playing in his ears. He didn’t really pay much attention to the people around him until he turned the corner, and was caught in the middle of a mob of people running down the street. There were cars, too, rolling off and onto the sidewalks, smashing into people and buildings and other cars, trying to get away. He wasn’t sure what was going on at first, until he looked up.

Just beyond the throng of buildings and people was a massive creature. He stared, transfixed for a few seconds as it moved towards another set of buildings – back toward where he had just come from. It reached down past somewhere he could see, lifting a person -

He started running, before he was grabbed by someone else who was shouting something he couldn’t hear and dragged in the opposite direction of the monster’s path. He felt dizzy and sick and unsure about his footing, so by the time, many blocks away and closer to his own home than the monster, that the person had left him, he tripped. He took a second to just sit there and think. Will and Haley were okay; they had to have heard what was going on before it had come close. He didn’t need to worry.

His grandparents were outside by the time he came home. His grandfather rushed over to pull him quickly into the house, turning off the lights and closing the blinds and keeping them in one of the closets with the news on.

He didn’t pay any attention to it, and let himself black out instead.

It was now two days after the attacks. Not much had changed. The Collosus had disappeared, but in its wake were many other, smaller monsters. Many people were still too afraid to leave their houses, many had left, and still many more were dead – but then there were others who felt it was their duty to keep up with society as best as possible in the wake of the attacks.

[Adlai Stevenson]

Elam Avon's apartment was a mess.

Now, this did not mean it was, by any means, messy. It was neither trashy nor even remotely dirty. It was mostly due to the fact that he spent more time up on the roof than inside his own place. Certainly more bottles up there, at least, he allowed himself to muse for a moment. He was sure that at least seventy-five percent of his apartment had a fine, light coating of dust, given that he spent most of his time in the kitchenette or crashed on his couch (if he made it that far; many a night had been spent halfway sprawled over the cheap shag rug just in front of it). Beyond the cracked bottles and crushed cans, nothing fell out of its respective place in his abode, and things remained largely the same. It wasn't like the rest of the burning city. Twenty-first century ruins.

He wanted to be out there. He needed it. He could lie and say it was for the city, and the people in harm's way that could fend for themselves, but he'd be a liar. He could say it was for the Colonel, but it never really was, was it? Never provided the necessary incentive, when it all came down to this. It was for himself; he needed to be that vessel again, that tool, that utility to serve his purpose and do what needed to be done because fuck you if you think it's gonna be fucking you, dickshine, this is the real deal, and it's all or fucking nothing and he didn't even care if they'd toss him back into his shithole apartment in Greenwich, because he could live or die knowing he did what needed to be done.

Titanium prosthesis could practically turn glass into dust, he found. Especially when he stomped on a beer bottle as hard as he could, sending shrapnel and debris like the kind still embedded as high as his belly button scattering across the kitchen floor in shards and splinters.

For a moment, he diverted his hard, dry-eyed glare out his window toward the smoke and debris to pick up a crumpled piece of paper. Unfolding the ball, he read for what would be the seventeenth time that day.

UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

Sergeant Elam Avon,

We regret to inform you that your physical impediments, as well as your psychological evaluations for your law enforcement and military applications have returned negative. You are unfit to return to any kind of active duty, police officer or Marine, and will not--

The letter fell to the floor. He wished he could stomp it into shards and splinters, too.

He'd received no word from the Colonel since the day of. He knew he was there. At least he knew the day after the day of. The Corps was mobilizing - everybody fucking was - around the harbor; Army, Navy, National Guard, Air Force, every able-bodied man and woman with the proper credentials and two legs under their privates was marching off to deal with whatever the hell they were dealing with.

Christ alive, he hated being sober this long.

After sweeping the debris of his tantrum into a neat pile with his foot, staring out the window for another ten minutes, and having a brief go at the refrigerator door (he'd dented it many a time before; he was sure it was used to the abuse), Elam took a few lukewarm brews that had been stewing over the sink and lurked out of his door, moving down the hall toward the stairs. A few doors were open, most were closed and locked up tight.

[Alastor]

It was always the lazy days that something happened, wasn't it? Especially ones where you were home alone. Such was the case with Alicia, who had stayed home for the day- her mother said something about the maintenance man bringing a new dryer before leaving to... Florida, she thought.

The dryer was supposed to arrive on Monday. Or was it Tuesday? Either way, it was early in the week, so Alicia didn't think it'd hurt her grades too much if she just stayed home for a day or two while waiting. Besides, someone else could translate for the exchange student for once.

So she did the usual morning routine- breakfast, shower...

...and, since she was ditching school, directly to the DVR box. She had missed several episodes of Teen Wolf and dammit, she was seizing the chance to catch up.

She managed to get through a single episode before the power went out.

'That's weird.', She thought for a second, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up for a moment. 'Fuze must've gone out.'

The ground began shaking then- not as steady as an earthquake, yet very much localized. It was almost like a greater being was taking its first steps, perhaps for the first time in its life.

Alicia didn't get a look at what was causing it, not a good one at least. She only saw a hazy view as she dove under the kitchen table, the beast barely in her view from the window.

Her father used to own a boat, before they moved to Greenwich. Something left to him in his father's will. She didn't remember much about it- she was much too young to, for the most part. But what she did remember, that precious little, was the statue on the hull. A lovely, serene thing- crafted by a local artist, and it had a good sense of heart.

The beast, to the teenager hiding under her kitchen table, seemed to be less like something alive and more like such a statue, brought to life. Alicia stared, transfixed by the majesty of it, as it moved by.

Even after the earthquakes had died down, she still hid under that table for a fair deal of time. She wasn't going to be leaving her house, after this.

[Fiery Firefly]

It was the AM hours and Wyn was making steak.

It felt so silly, even though she knew why she was doing it, it's "best by" date was the next day, and her father had said, "We don't know when we'll be able to buy groceries again, and we've never been doomsday preppers. We got to eat all of the perishable things first, and then we can get started on the stuff that won't expire until next year."

She had burned the food, partly because she'd never been that good at using the indoor grill, and also the fact she had a Siamese cat, yowling at her and rubbing her legs the entire time, eager to have a bite of that streak itself.

"Sasha no" Wyn scolded at the cat, gently moving her aside with her food as she left the kitchenette and walked to her father's room, "Dad needs this more then you."

She cracked open the door, "Dad?" she said,

"Come in..." he said softly, and she saw a figure shift in the bed.

"Dad you need to get up, you have to-" she felt a crack under her feet, and she lifted her foot up to see a beer bottle barely beginning to cave in. Good thing she was wearing slippers.

"Dad were you drinking last night?" she asked incredulously.

"No, Sasha was, thats how that fucking bottle got there," Kurt said gruffly.

"Dad come on. You almost never drink"

He sighed, "I...I can't sleep alone Wyn."

Wyn put the plate of steak on the foot of his bed, "Come here," she said, making him sit up and embracing him in a hug, "I miss her too. But I know she's okay."

Kurt smiled, "You're right, knowing your mother, she's the one who drove the monster off in the first place."

Wyn giggled, "It wouldn't surprise me!"

Suddenly they hurt the sounds of chewing, and turned around to see Sasha on the bed, helping herself to Kurt's steak.

"Sasha no!" Wyn scolded, "That was supposed to be for Dad!"

Kurt laughed, "Give her the part she's already got her saliva on. It'll delay that terrible decision we'll have to make if the streets still aren't safe when she runs out of cat food."

[JW%]

Gwen sighed as she got ready to go to work, wondering what the point of it all was. She wasn't even sure if she needed the money as badly as the risks seemed to be. True, she had no idea if her roommate was ever coming back, or what had happened to them, and without their half of the rent she would have a hard time affording the apartment. Assuming that the building wasn't going to be demolished anyway. The shaking had been pretty bad, and a wall at the far end of the building was missing. She'd been in the shower at the time, spending what was probably an hour shivering naked in fear for her life when the first Collosus had gently brushed against the building on it's way to... wherever.

But despite further anxiety attacks the world would go on. So she strapped on her bowie knife underneath her jacket, wrapped her head up in a hijab, put on her steel toed hiking boots and locked the six heavy locks on her door before heading out onto the streets.

[Alkonost Storm]

So far, so good.

The escape had gone without a hitch and now Trivia was currently wandering through the streets. A part of her was surprised it went so well, given all the commotion.

That had been the easy part, however; now it was time for the actual trial. She needed to survive, hopefully long enough to get herself and Bastet out of town.

[Alastor]

Sirens could be heard through out the city, from neighborhood to neighborhood. Should anyone peak out of the window, they would see various emergency vehicles patrolling the city- some rescuing civilians, other shooting down wandering beasts left in the wake of the original. The sound was followed by the sound of a voice, amplified by a megaphone system.

"To all people who have yet to evacuate the city, please leave for the subway stations underground in two hours. If you or any others require transportation or medical assitence, several patrols are being made, city-wide to assist."

[Penny Royals]

It hadn't been the best few days. The power had gone out, and things were being put to their use sooner than they should have all over.

Since that first day, April hadn't left the house, and kept her son at her side at all times. Even now, the window was opened and she was cooking steaks on a grill she pulled inside, and her son was playing with his cars just a few feet away. Or he was, until he suddenly fell silent.

She glanced over. He was holding his cars, and staring at her.

"Baby? What's wrong?" With no answer, she moved to kneel next to him, and glanced over back at the grill as she started to pick him up - and immediately dropped his arms.

A... something, dripping with slime and looking like the fat off of steak or ham, was bulging its way inside. She stood up, rushed over to the window and started to slam it down. The thing moaned, forced back outside. They could see it better now, a massive blob-like creature with black holes for eyes and a mouth.

Her son let out a whimper, pulling her back down to earth. She turned off the grill and patted his head to tell him everything would be fine.

About thirty seconds later she was hanging out her bedroom window, handgun down the throat of the slug-like beast as it writhed in pain, shrinking from the ball of lead now lodged somewhere in its mass. She almost felt bad as she headed back into the kitchen, resuming the grilling. After all, that creature was probably just hungry, but hey - there was no telling if it wanted to eat humans at this point.

That was shortly before the sirens started sounding in the neighborhood, right after she was done. She peaked out of the living room's window out into the street in front of her, and after a moment relaxed. This was good - this meant that they were DOING SOMETHING to keep their citizens safe. Two hours. That gave them some time.

Her son stood just behind her, confused and looking generally startled. She smiled, picked him up, and went to start packing.



The subway systems were finally running. It had taken a surprising amount of time, and help from several trained soldiers whom the military was starting to dispatch, to get the power up and running throughout the entire route they would need to take to get people out of the city. Monsters roamed down here, but they were all small, and were all trying to stay away from the massive crowd that was now filling the tunnels, pushing into cars.

Damien was down here, waiting. His grandparents, along with many other people, had been in the first subway car sent off. They hadn't felt comfortable with leaving their little boy here all alone - but he assured them he would be fine. He had to wait down here - after all, this is the area where Will and Haylee would be. He needed to find them and stick with them. They were probably worried even sicker than he was, after all.

He stood in the fringes of the crowd, at the back and jumping, calling out Will's name. Lots of people would turn, of course, but none of them were the person he was looking for. He smiled apologetically at one older man who gave him a sour look, and stood back with his hand on his luggage, sighing, hoping, and waiting.


Angel was in one of the police cars, sitting next to her dad. A green binder, overstuffed with blank paper, was tucked underneath one arm, and a rattling satchel was tossed over the other.

She glanced over to her father after they pulled into the area. They were going to be stationed at the very back of the crowd. He had tried to have her go earlier, with some friends - but she didn't want to. She wanted to stay with him - especially if anything happened. Lots of things were weighing on her mind right now, and she wasn't sure how to get them all out. She looked around at all the buildings, and the people starting to peer out as their sirens and alarms went off.

"Daddy," She asked, after a while, "Why DOES your troupe have to be at the back?"

Might as well start with one question.

[lovely corte]

In another lifetime in another country he was called the 'Eisen-Riese', or for those of the English speaking tongue, the 'Iron Giant'. Standing in the crowded train assembly, it was easy to see why. Well over six foot, broad shouldered and with chiseled features, he cut an impressive figure.

Yet, even then, he too was having to struggle to make it through the sheer congestion that was the mad rush for safety. People were bringing their whole lives with them into the train carts, often having to decide at the door whether food was more important than family photos or the dog. Most people chose the dog.

Most.

The man, Kitter, considered himself lucky in this regard. While in his life, people considered him lonely and distant, here he was now, only having to look out for himself. No child, no dog, no girlfriend or wife. He had the sole responsibility of seeing himself to the light.

Shit, all he had on him was a revolver, tucked neatly into his woolen overcoat that stretched painfully over his form, a backpack slung over his shoulder, a lighter intended for cigarettes long smoked or discarded and torn up in a fit of rage and the golden cross tucked carefully underneath the magnitude of his layers, pressed into his chest.

He had been early to the call, mustered himself to the subterranean safety, yet even then he was still at the rear of the assembly. In fact, he was close to the newest arrival of police officers, bumping dangerously close, shoulder-to-shoulder, with New York's Finest and Most Corrupt.

For now, however, all he could do was wait, patiently at that, all too calm to watch the chaos around him, for a man who had seen the herald of his faith sandblast his adopted city, who had seen creatures of nightmare tear apart his clergy and who had seen what stalked the night come alive.

[Fiery Firefly]

Jun 17, 2014 22:22:40 GMT -8 Alastor said:

Sirens could be heard through out the city, from neighborhood to neighborhood. Should anyone peak out of the window, they would see various emergency vehicles patrolling the city- some rescuing civilians, other shooting down wandering beasts left in the wake of the original. The sound was followed by the sound of a voice, amplified by a megaphone system.

"To all people who have yet to evacuate the city, please leave for the subway stations underground in two hours. If you or any others require transportation or medical assitence, several patrols are being made, city-wide to assist."

Kurt had gotten himself out of bed, and fully dressed, and eating the remainder of the steak in the living area of their apartment.

And then he heard the patrol.

"Wyn!" he called out, "Come here,"

"Hmm?" she came into the room, earbuds blaring music in her ears, loud enough he could hear every word. (that goddamn snow princess movie or whatever had come out months ago, why was she still blaring the soundtrack)

"Wyn, pack whatever you need, we need to get you to the subway station."

"Excuse me? What about you?"

"...I have to stay behind. I'm a doctor I'm needed here."

"Dad no, I'm not leaving without you!"

He sighed, "Wyn I just want you to be safe. I already lost your mother..."

"She's not dead!" Wyn said.

"I just- Wyn this might be our only chance to get you to safety." Kurt said.

"I don't know..."

"This isn't somethign you can just be "I dunno" about, Wyn you need to leave within two hours!"

Her lip began to quiver, and tears fell from her eyes, "But-but"

Her father quickly embraced her, trying to hold back crying himself.

[Alkonost Storm]

Jun 17, 2014 22:22:40 GMT -8 Alastor said:

Sirens could be heard through out the city, from neighborhood to neighborhood. Should anyone peak out of the window, they would see various emergency vehicles patrolling the city- some rescuing civilians, other shooting down wandering beasts left in the wake of the original. The sound was followed by the sound of a voice, amplified by a megaphone system.

"To all people who have yet to evacuate the city, please leave for the subway stations underground in two hours. If you or any others require transportation or medical assistance, several patrols are being made, city-wide to assist."

Trivia frowned at the announcement but promptly began to head down this self-same direction, soon mingingling with the large crowds heading to the subway.

~Elsewhere~

There was a short tapping outside Dante's car window. It was a man nearing or at middle age, with long platinum blonde hair and incredibly light grey eyes contrasted by a tanned complexion. He was accompanied by a pale woman whose coiff was the deep colors of the ocean, standing out despite being styled into a messy bun with chopsticks jammed through to keep the hair in place. Both were dressed casually, the man in jeans and a black short-sleeve shirt while the woman was in sweats and a tank top.

"Officer, if I may trouble you for a moment of your time?"

[Alastor]

Jun 18, 2014 13:34:31 GMT -8 Penny Royals said:

"Daddy," Angel asked, after a while, "Why DOES your troupe have to be at the back?"

"Because someone's gotta be in the back." He sighed. "There's another up front. Act as kind of box, in case anything happens, y'know?"

Jul 12, 2014 13:05:23 GMT -8 Alkonost Storm said:

There was a short tapping outside Dante's car window. It was a man nearing or at middle age, with long platinum blonde hair and incredibly light grey eyes contrasted by a tanned complexion. He was accompanied by a pale woman whose coiff was the deep colors of the ocean, standing out despite being styled into a messy bun with chopsticks jammed through to keep the hair in place. Both were dressed casually, the man in jeans and a black short-sleeve shirt while the woman was in sweats and a tank top.

"Officer, if I may trouble you for a moment of your time?"

Dantes nodded at the man, rolling down his car window.

"How can I help you?" He said calmly.

[Adlai Stevenson]

Elam, however inebriated he could be at any given point in a day, knew the sound of a gunshot when he heard it; it brought back a great deal of feelings and memories that he'd have rather drowned under a bottle of Jack, but it was forever a part of him and his psyche.

He turned on his heels when he reached the stairwell at the end of the hall, whipping down the steps in a swift and orderly manner until he reached what was sure was the source of the sound - first floor.

Stalking down the halls with his now awkward, noticeably uneven stride, he listened in through the walls of the corridor; with a great deal of the creatures prowling the ground-level of the city, generally speaking, most of the lower-story residents in the brownstones and high-rises of New York City fled to higher ground as soon as they could. Those who lived in the lower levels did so out of rational necessity - or defiant insanity.

Recognizing the number on the door, he surmised had been the source of the gunshot, Elam knocked on the door, quick and urgent. "Doctor Anderson?" he called, audibly. "Everything alright in there?"

[Penny Royals]

April had gotten halfway to the room to pack by the time Elam came down. She recognized the voice - albeit barely, she did know her neighbors. Still carrying her son, she sidled up to the door, putting on the chain before opening it slightly.

"We're fine, Mr. Avon. Thank you. Just... had a run in with something outside, is all."

She repositioned the child on her hip, shifting her weight.

"Do you want to come inside? Maybe eat something, before we have to leave."



Angel nodded, falling silent as the man and woman came to knock at their window. She shrunk down in her seat, burying her face back into her journal, sketching. She glanced out at the duo, trying to memorize them and jot down a rough outline of their faces. She figured, after all, that anything that happened should be documented. And this must be a something.



Damien had stopped shouting for the moment, resting up against his luggage. He still kept himself removed from the crowd, trying to save energy and find them by looking.

Though, all things considered, he was probably a sight. He wasn't the only one outside of the crowd, obviously, but he may have been the only one wearing a fur half-coat and sneaker heels...

[Alkonost Storm]

Dantes nodded at the man, rolling down his car window.

"How can I help you?" He said calmly.

"I understand you and your fellows will probably be busy overseeing the evacuations but could you possibly keep an eye out for our daughter? She's been missing since the attack happened and we've been worrying ourselves sick over her."

While he spoke, he handed out the most recent photo they had of her, featuring a fifteen year old girl dressed in dark clothes, boots and with a kitten perched over her head. She took mostly after her mother but had her father's strange eyes.

[Fiery Firefly]

"Dad NO I'm not leaving without you!"

Wyn was trailing after her father in the halls of the apartment complex.

"Wyn go back to our apartment and pack your thing. This isn't up for discussion anymore."

"Where am I even going to go dad? Mom's gone, most of our other relatives hate us, where am I supposed to go?"

Kurt stopped in his tracks, having not realized that, "Anywhere is better then here," was all he said.

"Dad I-"

Kurt stopped at a door and knocked on it, "April?" He was on first names term with his coworker.

[Adlai Stevenson]

"Something outside," Elam repeated, not so much a question as much as an affirmation. He leaned in a bit to eye the nearby window, adorned with a spiderweb of cracked glass and a bullet hole at the center of it.

"I, uhh," Elam ran a hand through his tangled mess of black hair, which then reversed its motion down his shabby, unshaven face. If he was going to be going anywhere through downtown soon, he'd better get something solid in him to fight the urge to heave up all that cheap liquor. "Sure, Doctor Anderson. Thank you."

Elam had been sitting at the table adjacent to the young Ryan when he heard the frantic knocking at the door. The neighborhood had mostly been barren since whatever happened happened, so he was sure it wasn't a looter or intruder of any sort. Either way, he grew tense, pushing back in his seat and eyeing the door as April went to answer the call once again.

[Alastor]

Jul 16, 2014 16:24:00 GMT -8 Alkonost Storm said:

Dantes nodded at the man, rolling down his car window.

"How can I help you?" He said calmly.

"I understand you and your fellows will probably be busy overseeing the evacuations but could you possibly keep an eye out for our daughter? She's been missing since the attack happened and we've been worrying ourselves sick over her."

While he spoke, he handed out the most recent photo they had of her, featuring a fifteen year old girl dressed in dark clothes, boots and with a kitten perched over her head. She took mostly after her mother but had her father's strange eyes.

The man nodded in reply. "I'll keep an eye out, see if I can get this picture to others." Dantes replied. "Is there any number we can contact you by if we find her?"

[Penny Royals]

The girl squinted at the photo. The girl looked vaguely familiar - though she couldn't tell where. They probably had been at the same school the previous year, or - now she remembered; this girl would hang around outside the storefront sometimes, lingering on her way to school. Jeff, the boy she worked with, always guessed the morning kids stole things, but he thought that about Angel too, before he knew her. So these were her parents... maybe, that is. They could just be crazy stalker murderers looking for their next victim.

"What's her name?" She piped up. Then, much quieter, "And her kitty's name?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

April sat Ryan down at the table, going back to the kitchen to bring out what they'd made to the table before the knock occurred. She sighed, taking a moment to compose herself before opening the door once more.

"Yes, Kurt? Come in, if you want."

The little boy was watching Elam, and saw him tense up. The man would then hear a tiny voice reassure, "Mama's tough. If that's a monster, she'll get it."

[Fiery Firefly]

He stepped inside, "I need to know if you're leaving or not." he said cutting to the chase rather quickly, "You know how short we are on people who can do our job."

Wyn stepped inside after him. "Hello Mrs. Anderson," she said sweetly. She waved at the little boy, "Hi Ryan!". When she noticed Elam, she suddenly blushed "...Hi Elam, whatcha doing here?"

[Alkonost Storm]

The man nodded in reply. "I'll keep an eye out, see if I can get this picture to others." Dantes replied. "Is there any number we can contact you by if we find her?"

---

The girl squinted at the photo. The girl looked vaguely familiar - though she couldn't tell where. They probably had been at the same school the previous year, or - now she remembered; this girl would hang around outside the storefront sometimes, lingering on her way to school. Jeff, the boy she worked with, always guessed the morning kids stole things, but he thought that about Angel too, before he knew her. So these were her parents... maybe, that is. They could just be crazy stalker murderers looking for their next victim.



"What's her name?" She piped up. Then, much quieter, "And her kitty's name?"

"Yes, of course." Apollyon started dictating both his and his wife's cell phone numbers, even repeating them until he was certain Dantes had gotten them right. While he was doing this, his wife caught Angel's question and smiled.

"Her name's Trivia. The cat is Bastet. She's always been very interested in Egyptian mythology."

[Adlai Stevenson]

Elam, nodding curtly in Ryan's direction, wasn't exactly the best-equipped to humor children. "I'm sure," he replied simply.

The entrance of the Renza's was something of a relief, as Kurt immediately concerned himself with his fellow medical practitioner. Once again, he was unprepared to deal with the doctor's daughter.

"Uhh, long story, I guess," he lied vaguely, with a bit of a shrug. He was just as confused as she apparently was.

[Penny Royals]

The boy smiled brightly and waved back at her, kicking his feet and waiting patiently for his mother to be done.

April sighed.

"You already know my answer, Kurt. I'm sorry."

~~~~~~~~~~

It took a second for Angel to return the lady's smile.

"Those are nice names. Especially one for a kitty."

[Fiery Firefly]

Kurt sighed, "Fine I-... then can you do me a favor. Can Wyn join you with leaving the city?"

"What?" Wyn yelled, "I am not leaving!"

"YES YOU ARE!" Kurt basically roared at her.

Wyn began immedietely crying, she had never seen her father so angry before.

"Dad you've been a WRECK, since we lost Mom, I CAN'T leave you by yourself, you'll drink yourself to death. If I go, you go too. Or we both stay."

"This is not negotiotable Wyn, you are LEAVING, I will not let those things hurt you. I-"

He looked around at the present company and sighed, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't come into your home and demand you to do things and then ahve an episode"

[Penny Royals]

April had migrated to her son, who had fallen still as Wyn was being yelled at. She squeezed his hand, letting him know it was okay while staying straight.

"If she wants to come with us, then she can come. You're in the same situation I'm in right now, and I hope that if the situations were reversed you'd take Ryan with you - but I can't make her go, and I'm not sure you can, either." She sighed. "I know it's probably hard to think about, but she IS old enough to make her own decisions. If she decides that she wants to leave like you want her to, I'll be happy to look after her."

[Fiery Firefly]

Wyn wiped a tear from her face,"F-fine. I'll go get my stuff and Sasha."

"You're not taking a goddamn cat with you," Kurt said frustrated, "Just get some clothes and essentials together, don't take anything unnessecary. Keep your cellphone on you."

"Yeah cause that worked so well for Mom." Wyn retorted.

The look of hurt in her father's eyes made her immedietely regret saying that, "F-fine, I'll get the stuff." she said leaving the apartment.

[Penny Royals]

Two hours had passed. More people had been loaded onto subway cars, a policeman in each to lead them along to their destination in southern Maine; more people had been evacuated into the subway stations.

Though the cars were running, the lights were mostly out. Some were busted, others flickered, giving just enough light to see the drop off and where the tunnels turned. In addition to the hundreds of people down here, there were monsters - all of them small, and keeping to themselves. The doors were now shut and locked - blocking anything else from entering after everyone had gotten in. It was a very real fear that this many people gathered would attract another beast from above.

The remaining few squadrons of policemen were stationed all along the route, waiting for the cars to come back to load more people on. Those from Greenwich were stationed with Dantes and a few others, close to one of the stairwells. There were many parties of people, huddling together like small animals looking for safety. Some people jumped at some of the smaller monsters crawling around them, crowds would part for them to get past. Policemen's hands were on their guns, ready to shoot if need be.

Angel stayed close to her father. He didn't really like that - he would have preferred her to be with the others - but she refused to budge from his side. She still clung her journal to her chest. Her fingers were starting to go numb.

April had sort of tuned out everything at this point. Her son held her hand, giving the usual child fussing - it was too hot, how long would they be standing here? and other such things. The suitcases were beside her, Wyn was somewhere close by, and she had been able to see a few other people from their building in the crowd. Right now though, she was just sort of dead on her feet, staring at the black nothingness of the tunnel wall, and waiting.

Rows of people shuffled.

Something echoed down the tunnel. It was faint enough that at first nobody questioned it, but as the tone grew louder, more people grew deeply uncomfortable.

It sounded like a baby's cry.

The noise sirened somewhere above them, growing more and more deafening. There was a harsh thud, and the ground above them shook. Everything went silent, and everyone breathed.

One of the pairs of doors, those nearest the people from Greenwich, were thrown open then, and a colossal, hard mass jutting in to replace it. Light coming in around it shone onto a small monster lying unseen on the steps - the thing opened, closing around the beast and dragging it back out.

Those in the line of sight were able to see a massive egret, standing as high as neighboring buildings, toss the creature into the air and swallow it whole before squawking and taking back off in flight.

Dantes shook his head. He was getting too damn old for this - it wasn't like monsters were in his job description, and he never watched those movies his son was obsessed with that people around him kept talking about.

Where were the other damn cars, anyway? The first one had left hours ago. It should have been back by now, shouldn't it?

He grabbed the communicator in his jacket, flipping it on.

"Brian, any word back from Grayson yet?" He had called the man in the last car, hoping information had just been passed down the way. There was a few seconds of static. He tried again. "Brian. Are you getting these?" Nothing.

He broke away from Angel, and sidled wearily to the edge of the station. He phoned in one last time, trying another person. "Gabe, I can't get a hold of Brian - are you getting these?"

Further annoying silence. He unhooked his flashlight from his belt, and shone it down the tunnel.

Something glistened and moved.

"...Everybody out, now!"

People were confused, and that probably made things worse. The other policemen stared for a moment, before shining their lights back down the tunnel as well. Whatever it was was coming closer - and fast.

Doors were hauled open, and people were moving out into the streets. At first everyone was cautious, but once the creature came into sight of the flickering lights, panic set in. People poured up the stairs and into the streets, running to buildings for safety.

The policemen hung back, the monster bounding towards the area, they were firing shots at it to keep it preoccupied as best they could - the goal was to have as little civilian death as possible.

Angel still waited for a few split seconds for her father, her heart racing. She stayed up against the wall, standing on her tiptoes to try to see him before falling down. Most of the people had gotten out before he turned to see her, shouting at her to go.

A young, blonde female officer shot a round up against the far wall, clanging against stone. The monster turned to look at it, which gave those inside - the policemen, Angel and a few other stragglers - more time to get out.

Dantes hauled his daughter up, running up the stairs with her. She cried out, and he felt tension on her before it loosened, letting them continue up. The other policemen were running for the other doors when they reached theirs - the monster now following the officer who had distracted it. He pushed Angel further outside, and fired a round at the monsters head. It turned to look at them, crawling their way. The officer was now out, and he stepped out of the doors, pulling them shut and securing them as best he could.

The monster they had fought was now stuck in the subway system. While no lives had officially been lost that day, it was greatly disconcerting that they had lost contact with half of New York City's population.

Policemen chose different rally points to go attend to. Dantes was assigned to the one at Greenwich village, where he'd been stationed earlier. Everyone was outside their homes, huddled together in a massive crowd in front of him. Great, he had to be somewhat charismatic.

"A setback has been made. But this is not a cause of concern- I promise you, we will protect you. So long as the police force stands, and as long as it takes to get you all to safety, no harm will come to you."

It was short and simple, people liked that. They seemed content with this, at least, dispersing back into their homes to unpack and unwind.

It wasn't until Angel went back up to him to hold his hand that he realized the tension he'd felt earlier was her bag, carrying all her medication, hooking onto the railing of the stairs.

And now it was gone.

((Thanks Al for the speech. Now we're out of the prologue, it's a bit more of a 'free range' world now. If you guys have trouble figuring out something to do, I'll make another hook later.))

[Penny Royals]

((Here's the hook. I'm going to let those I put as leaders start off the first two, if that's okay - those are the only two that NEED responding to, the third one is only a possible hook for some of our friends on the streets (Trivia, Kitter, Risto).))

The military had caught wind of the situation in New York when none of the subway systems arrived as scheduled. Through careful planning, they had decided on a plan to evacuate smaller groups, to be put in place several weeks later - much to the outrage of surviving city officials and policemen, who decried the lack of action that SHOULD have occurred the day of the first attacks. The military declined an initial response, but a week after the first attacks, four days after the failure to evacuate, supplies were airlifted near various neighborhoods. Groups would be sent out with policemen to retrieve these supplies - those assigned for this trip being Dantes, as a policeman, Elam Avon, Gwendolen Wallcrest, and April Anderson. All set off in the morning after being informed, armed and ready to face monsters and people attempting to steal their supplies.

The others in the apartments, however, were left with strict orders: go through abandoned apartments in building that people haven't been in lately, and salvage whatever supplies they could. Kurt and Lena were placed in charge of this expedition, as some of the eldest (and friendliest, in the Swedish girl's case) in the building at this time. They started this at the same time the first group left, and would find that many of the apartments in the building were now abandoned, their neighbors having vanished.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where am I?

Angel had been sitting in her bed for a good few minutes, staring at the room. Everything seemed foreign to her - the blinds, the bedspread, the color of the walls, the half-opened dresser. She didn't feel scared, but she didn't really feel anything except for the eeriness of it all.

The pink cat clock above the bed read 10:53 when she finally stood up, but she couldn't read it, not right now. She rested her hand on the dresser, slowly pulling it open to inspect the clothes inside before picking out something to change into and leaving the room.

The resulting hallway was probably just as confusing as anything else. She went through each door, looking through them before finally reaching the outside labyrinth of dead-silent streets with cars parked all along them.

So she walked. She didn't know where she was going, or what she was looking for. She just assumed that if she kept walking into the depths of the city, she'd find out who she was and what was going on sooner or later.

[Alastor]

Aug 11, 2014 11:40:16 GMT -8 Penny Royals said:

The military had caught wind of the situation in New York when none of the subway systems arrived as scheduled. Through careful planning, they had decided on a plan to evacuate smaller groups, to be put in place several weeks later - much to the outrage of surviving city officials and policemen, who decried the lack of action that SHOULD have occurred the day of the first attacks. The military declined an initial response, but a week after the first attacks, four days after the failure to evacuate, supplies were airlifted near various neighborhoods. Groups would be sent out with policemen to retrieve these supplies - those assigned for this trip being Dantes, as a policeman, Elam Avon, Gwendolen Wallcrest, and April Anderson. All set off in the morning after being informed, armed and ready to face monsters and people attempting to steal their supplies.

Dantes was not an idiot. He didn't think it was a very smart idea to drive him and three civilians, with no back up, to the middle of an area likely infested.

Of course, he couldn't muster up any back up- the force was already far too stretched as-is to spare anyone. In response, he did something probably incredibly illegal- he mustered up as many firearms as he could, from the smallest pistols to at least two flame throwers, to supply the four of them.

He'd sort out the paperwork later.

[JW%]

Gwen's hands were trembling by the time Dante handed her the pistol, but she took a few moments checking the slide, sighting it, and popping the clip and checking it before saying anything. She apparently had at least minimal training in this kind of weapon. "Need more ammo." Was all she could say about the handgun, which wasn't all that small to her hands, and she clutched like some kind of teddy bear or security blanket.

"They don't seriously expect us to make a supply run, do they?" She asked, looking over everyone else who was getting a weapon. "I'm... I'm just a bank teller. I went to art school. I can't... I can't handle this. Whoever is in charge doesn't know what the hell is going on in here. That evacuation? We were a buffet line for any of those things! And a supply drop? Who's to say that those monsters aren't going to take out the helicopter or whatever they're dropping the stuff from, let alone not getting to the supplies well ahead of us. I don't want to die out here because somebody who doesn't know what's going on thinks things here are normal!"

There was more in the rant, and her voice was getting high pitched as sobs were starting to form. She was working herself up into a breakdown and crying jag, and now it was a breakdown with a loaded pistol clutched with a death grip in her hands.