Last One Standing

[NavyGuy7]

"Gah!" Nick screamed, rounding a dark corner. He was about to run when he realized he'd just bumped into a wheelchair... and empty at that.
Nick had been reading the signs, and so far had been making progress. Since the elevators were out, he had to take the stairs to reach the ground level. Apparently, this was the secret part of the hospital his father had paid money for, and now with all the power out, security was useless other than a door using an actual mechanical lock. He was one floor away from the lobby...
... and opening the door, he saw light pouring into the main lobby of the hospital, and turning off his flashlight he ran like there was no tomorrow into the sunlight.
He nearly wept with joy at being out of the dark... but then he looked around him. His spirits crashed even farther this time, as he discovered why there was no noise.
There was no one for miles. The city was completely empty.
"What the--" he began to say, before fear got the best of him.

 

[NavyGuy7]

Nick had been wandering for hours now. He had been looking for a working car, but all he had found was a motorcycle. Not surprisingly, the gas was too old, so he ended up taking a nearby bicycle instead. He might come back for the motorbike later, if he could find some gas for it.
Nick had deduced by now that at the very least a year or two had passed. Maybe more. He wasn't feeling the side effects his father had discussed with him about staying under for too long, so he figured it couldn't be more than three years. The newspapers gave some hints, and he had not found any later dates... the date was 60 days after he had been put under cryostasis, indicating some crisis had befallen the people to not have another paper with a later date. Exactly waht happened the Day after it had been published?
"I'm guessing something bad has happened to everyone," Nick said, stating the obvious. Still, it was comforting to hear someone's voice, if only his own. He was used to talking to himself when solving difficult problems.
"I suppose... if there's anyone alive, they might not be too friendly... then again, they might just be glad to see I'm alive, as well..."
He then spotted a gun store... so he pulled over.
Entering the store, he picked out a pistol very familiar to him.
"Don't worry, good sir. Just fill out these forms and you'll have your gun in about two months..." he said, playing the part of the storekeeper. He then got a holster for his belt, and several clips of ammunition. He had already found a backpack on the bike... and emptied it of school textbooks and homework. The kid wouldn't need them anymore, and was most likely dead anyway.
Nick's need for survival came before his remorse over taking the things. Though he still felt like he was "stealing".
"I'm hungry," he muttered. But he wasn't sure if there was any other food, except maybe some canned goods, so he just got on the bike and kept pedaling.
"Well, on the bright side, I'll have some thighs of steel!" He didn't find his joke as funny as he'd thought.

 

[jelly_bean]

((OWEN IS NOT SCRAWNY. And yes, I fail at life. ;_; Not sure what to do but here I go.))

Owen had contemplated simply taking off but after considering his situation for about a minute, he changed his mind. Before he could read into anything any more, he collapsed onto the sofa and slept soundly.

It was the dim light of the sun that woke him up a few hours later. He felt disgruntled from lack of sleep, but his body had grown accustomed to rising with the sun. Cautiously sitting up and stretching, he ran a hand through his mussed hair. He blinked and looked around, not recalling where he was.

"Where am I?" He asked aloud simply to hear the sound of a voice. "How did I get here? Oh... oh. Right. I wonder where that guy is?" Owen stood up and began looking about, listening for the sound of voices... footfalls... anything. After searching the small space for ten minutes, he frowned.

"I give up! Forget it!" He snapped. "If he wants to disappear and forget all about me, fine! But I gotta get back on the trail! I can't sit around here waiting for Mister Congeniality." Opening the door, he only hesitated a moment before leaving the building. Walking out into the alley, he was relieved to see no signs of strange creatures.

"Now, which way do I need to go?" Owen asked himself, before he did a double take at a very strange sight.

A man, a different one from the night before, pedalling a bike down the street. What the heck? He wondered. Before he knew what he was doing, he called out, "Hey! You! Stop!"

 

[NavyGuy7]

"Gah!!!!"
Nick jumped at the voice, and as a result jerked the handlebars the wrong way. The bike went down and sideways, as he slid on a pile of loose gravel.
"Ack!" he said, after he stopped.
"My leg! But... who was that?!?" Nick shouted, half to himself. He was in a sort of shock, after his recent shocks earlier.
And he nearly wept with joy. He had begun to give up hope of ever finding anyone.

 

[Locket]

Justin could no longer smell bleach. When the white liquid poured from the jug, the acidic smell faintly registered with his nose and then disappeared. It soaked into the ground and trickled across the concrete outside the bunker, glistening in the sunlight. The car from the night before gleamed off to the side, freshly washed and cleaned in ammonia. He had woken up several hours before and had immediately set to work. Coffee, one of those few comforts, warmed his stomach even as his muscles burned. The sound of an axe hacking through wood echoed through empty inner Bronx. What once would have seemed incongruous now merely meant survival. Justin never faltered, even as his shirt grew soaked and the woodpile to his right grew.

Owen had contemplated simply taking off but after considering his situation for about a minute, he changed his mind. Before he could read into anything any more, he collapsed onto the sofa and slept soundly.

It was the dim light of the sun that woke him up a few hours later. He felt disgruntled from lack of sleep, but his body had grown accustomed to rising with the sun. Cautiously sitting up and stretching, he ran a hand through his mussed hair. He blinked and looked around, not recalling where he was.

"Where am I?" He asked aloud simply to hear the sound of a voice. "How did I get here? Oh... oh. Right. I wonder where that guy is?" Owen stood up and began looking about, listening for the sound of voices... footfalls... anything. After searching the small space for ten minutes, he frowned.

"I give up! Forget it!" He snapped. "If he wants to disappear and forget all about me, fine! But I gotta get back on the trail! I can't sit around here waiting for Mister Congeniality." Opening the door, he only hesitated a moment before leaving the building. Walking out into the alley, he was relieved to see no signs of strange creatures.

"Now, which way do I need to go?" Owen asked himself, before he did a double take at a very strange sight.

A man, a different one from the night before, pedalling a bike down the street. What the heck? He wondered. Before he knew what he was doing, he called out, "Hey! You! Stop!"

((Awwww, I was gonna keep him trapped and dependent on Justin for awhile))

"Hey, you! Stop!" For a moment Justin had forgotten he was not alone in the world any more. The axe, which had a moment before been slicing through the air towards a log, now flipped backwards, held high over the man's shoulder in a defensive position. His stance relaxed ever so slightly as he recognized the voice of the man he accidentally rescued last night.

This man was now, by the sound of it, either crazy or trying to fetch his breakfast from one of the mutts that roamed around the city. Sighing, Justin plunged his axe back into the block of wood and left it there. He felt in no way responsible for the man... but neither did he want him chasing the mutt into a dark building. No... no, the scrawny man was standing, meaning the man on the ground was someone new. Oh.

Justin jogged down the driveway, following the curve of the narrow alleyway until he was out in the street. There, sprawled on the ground, was the scrawny man tangled up in a bicycle.

 

[NavyGuy7]

((Scrawny? LOL... I guess he would be, being in an induced coma for a couple years...))
Nick stood up carefully, realizing his injuries weren't too severe.
"Owowowowow...." he hissed and muttered, testing his leg. Other than a severe bruise on his knee, he seemed to be fine. But he was going to be sore for a little while.
Turning to the man who had called out to him, he was shocked to see another standing there.
For a while no one said anything.
Then, Nick gestured around him.
"What happened here.... it's a ghost city around here. You're the first two I've seen since I... woke up today. Why isn't anyone else around?"
Nick figured he'd keep it a secret until later.
He looked at their... faces. They seemed hardened. He'd seen that before. It was the face of hardship, that he'd seen on many of his father's business trips to poverty stricken communities.
"Something bad happened, didn't it? Something REALLY bad..."

 

[jelly_bean]

((You scheming Locket-o you. HE ISN'T SCRAWNY!! My Owen is buff and macho!! He's rugged!!!! ))

Owen blinked his eyes several times. He rubbed them. No... way. The odds of meeting two people after not having met one in three years were astronomical. Involuntarily, he began slowly walking towards the figure on the ground. Gaining momentum, by the time he reached the person he was running.

Once he stood only a few feet away, Owen just stared at the man. Another person? How on earth did I manage to meet two people in the course of 24 hours? Owen did not subscribe to coincidence, usually, but he was beginning to wonder.

When the person started talking, Owen was taken by surprise. His tone was completely different from Justin's; he sounded insecure and nervous, while Justin sounded solidly confident. Thank goodness this guy is more normal!
"What happened here.... it's a ghost city around here. You're the first two I've seen since I... woke up today. Why isn't anyone else around? Something bad happened, didn't it? Something REALLY bad..."
"Since you woke up today?" Owen sputtered, completely taken aback. "How long have you been asleep? How... never mind that. Nobody else is around because nobody else is left... exists. Until last night I thought I was the only human being left on Earth--thought that for three years. I don't think that's really bad, humanity has been the most destructive force in history, you know." He said, getting on his soapbox.

"What with cars and factories and pollution, I'm not surprised the Big Man upstairs decided it was high time to clean house! Things are back to how they should be, man to beast. Fighting for your life. It's so refreshing... of course, there is a new species of creature that's out to do away with the remainder of us, but... it's an adventure!" He proclaimed with a dreamy smile. Snapping out of it, his eyes narrowed.
"You seriously didn't know about this? It's not like this happened recently. As I said, it's been this way for three years."

 

[NavyGuy7]

((You scheming Locket-o you. HE ISN'T SCRAWNY!! My Owen is buff and macho!! He's rugged!!!! ))

Owen blinked his eyes several times. He rubbed them. No... way. The odds of meeting two people after not having met one in three years were astronomical. Involuntarily, he began slowly walking towards the figure on the ground. Gaining momentum, by the time he reached the person he was running.

Once he stood only a few feet away, Owen just stared at the man. Another person? How on earth did I manage to meet two people in the course of 24 hours? Owen did not subscribe to coincidence, usually, but he was beginning to wonder.

When the person started talking, Owen was taken by surprise. His tone was completely different from Justin's; he sounded insecure and nervous, while Justin sounded solidly confident. Thank goodness this guy is more normal!
"What happened here.... it's a ghost city around here. You're the first two I've seen since I... woke up today. Why isn't anyone else around? Something bad happened, didn't it? Something REALLY bad..."
"Since you woke up today?" Owen sputtered, completely taken aback. "How long have you been asleep? How... never mind that. Nobody else is around because nobody else is left... exists. Until last night I thought I was the only human being left on Earth--thought that for three years. I don't think that's really bad, humanity has been the most destructive force in history, you know." He said, getting on his soapbox.

"What with cars and factories and pollution, I'm not surprised the Big Man upstairs decided it was high time to clean house! Things are back to how they should be, man to beast. Fighting for your life. It's so refreshing... of course, there is a new species of creature that's out to do away with the remainder of us, but... it's an adventure!" He proclaimed with a dreamy smile. Snapping out of it, his eyes narrowed.
"You seriously didn't know about this? It's not like this happened recently. As I said, it's been this way for three years."

Nick nodded. "I've been asleep that long. I had an incurable disease and was placed in a secret cryo-stasis program. I guess I was cured, but.. whatever happened must have happened just before they would have found it safe to revive me. My father would have.... my father.... oh....."
Nick sighed.
"I guess he's dead, too. Everyone I know is dead."
He kicked a loose rock aside.
"But why is everyone... dead... gone, whatever you said? I don't think this happened due to "God's wrath" alone. There has to be a scientific reason behind it."

 

[Locket]

((Not compared to my freaking awesome G.I. Joe ))

((Not sure what to do with him, btw. I guess he'll walk off unless someone notices him))

 

[NavyGuy7]

((I thought Nick saw BOTH of you. And you can always invite him inside, or explain what happened, sheesh))

 

[Locket]

((Good grief, no. Justin hasn't said more than two words to Owen and he saved the guy's freakin' life.))

 

[NavyGuy7]

((Well, I'd like to get the story rolling somehow... grrr..... JELLY! IT'S UP TO YOU!!!)

 

[Locket]

((Mellow, please. I know you're rip-roarin' to go, but real life always comes first))

 

[NavyGuy7]

((Meh, I know. I'm pretty busy too.))

 

[Locket]

((Uh... poke?

I really liked Justin ))

 

[Ellesar]

((I'd be willing to continue this))

 

[Locket]

Sierra had finally fallen asleep with her back against the wall, and her chin on her chest. She was woken up by Wylie's movements, and she slowly opened her eyes and looked up, wincing at how stiff her neck had gotten during the night. Rubbing the back of her neck, Sierra offered Wylie a small smile and said, "Morning."

((We can try. I just never liked Wylie all that much and I'm afraid you got the short stick of things))

"Thank you for not prefacing that with a 'good'," Wylie replied with a melancholy smile. She stretched once more and stood to unlock the door. "I'd better go check the damage. You can stay and eat if you wish."

 

[Ellesar]

((if you want, you could always drop Wylie and I could have Sierra run into Justin or someone else's character if anyone else is still in this...))

Sierra only nodded and said, "I'll come with you if you want."

 

[NavyGuy7]

((I think I'll drop out. I have other commitments on my RPG forum. Specifically, a superhero thread, but not everything turns out all right like in the comics. Innocent people can die. And they do. This, and a combination of bitterness and distaste for the rest of this forum, has led me to quit this. Sorry.))