The Rapture: First Years -- (IC)

[guinness]

The streets were mostly barren as a macabre of corpses lay strung out on what had once been a freshly paved road. It was the work of the gangs around here who beat, raped and killed anyone that dared to challenge their authority in the territory. This of course led to many either hiding indoors or joining out of fear for their own safety. Such was the mentality of humanity, out to save your own neck above all else. It was always me, me, me and perhaps that's why all of this started in the first place. Perhaps humanity deserved to rot, in the end were we not hamsters running around a never ending wheel for god's amusement?

Her ears perked up as a crack of a bottle skittered across the pavement. Fading into the darkness of an alley way she waited, her breathing slowing to keep from detection. Soon she could hear voices as two men rounded the corner clad in a mix of riot police gear and gang banger bandanas. She couldn't make out much of the conversation though she did catch the bigger of the two bragging, “You should of seen this gal. She was a perfect ten I tell ya. Bitch was feisty too, had to crack out a few of her teeth before I could push it in.”

The conversation faded away as the pair moved away from her position. Was it even a question that humanity got what they deserved or were we merely the result of poor research? Can't blame the creation for the faults the creator inherently gave us could you? In the end it didn't even matter as life always had two constants for even angels, you are given life and one day life is taken from you. Death is something not even the divine can escape.

She continued her journey once the pair seemed a safe distance away. Five to ten minutes later she stopped in front of an abandon looking old apartment complex. Squatters or those hiding from the gangs often took residence in such buildings given the multiple exits if danger came knocking. This particular one however was all hers for the time being at least, was never a good idea to stay in a location for very long. Movement was always key to avoiding detection of demons, angels or other humans alike. Her work could not afford the interruption.

Sliding through a slightly ajar window she carefully maneuvered around a wooden two by four situated on the ground, blood stained nails jutting out of the top. Letting out a soft cough she delicately tied string from the now closed window to the wooden weapon. One could never be too careful, even a demon would feel a spike to the head. Satisfied with her alarm system she tossed a small bag onto the floor of a darken bed room. Pushing open the door to the bathroom she smiled at a half naked man who sat chained around a rusted toilet seat.

“How are we feeling thith afternoon?”

“Go fuck yourself psycho,” the man spat at her, his face looking strained from the mere effort. His body looking flabby as his bones began to dominate his mass.

“Now there ith no need to be tho rude to thomeone here to help you,” she said kneeling down looking at him with a look of concern on her face.

“You know my friends will find you one day. Nothing goes unpunished in our territory you bitch, nothing!”

“Ith funny you thay that. You thee punithment ith twofold. You are not the law dethpite what you may think. Have you ever read the bible my dear boy? If you have perhapth you have heard an old proverb I find very fitting,” she cleared her throat as he turned his head attempting to ignore her.
“He who walk with the withe grow withe, but a companion of fool thuffer harm. Do you underthtand what it mean?”

The man gave her a condescending look, “The bible? Really you think the bible is going to save you? Your god abandoned you when he left you here.”

Matilda started laughing uncontrollably as she clutched at her gut. Holding her hand up she tried to catch her breath before responding. After a few moments she composed herself, “God only reprethent one thide of the coin. God can not exitht without my work, life and death are one.”

“It is sad that you don't know how crazy you are,” the man shook his head at her, a flab of skin around his neck flapping back and forth.

Matilda let out a deep sigh as she moved toward the bedroom her voice rising with each step she took, “Ignorance ith one thing man can not theem to overcome. The ignorance of your companionthip hath branded you a fool. Ignorance to the true world around you ith the defining trait of your humanity and what you will be judged upon in the next life. My job ath a guide ith over.”

She walked back into the room with a small iron rod in her hand, “Ath iron tharpen iron, tho one man tharpen another.”

[SebasChan]

Clarissa stood up quickly as she looked at the monster, running forward and ducking to avoid a flailed arm. She grabbed the knife and twisted it as sharply as she could before tugging it out and darting away as quickly as she could, her gun drawn the entire time. She threw the dagger at the fellow who had just literally broken his ass, watching the metal slide across the asphalt and stop just at his feet. Her breath came quicker as she looked around for somewhere to hide.

Think, Clari, think! You can do this! she thought desperately, panting then smiling wickedly as she saw a building with a fire escape. Kicking her shoes off toward the man, she quickly scurried her way up the iron ladders and stairs. She didn't stop moving until she reached the roof of the building, relieved at now literally having an upper hand. She looked down at her sidearm then took a deep breath before firing off two shots at the base of the demon's neck, working to try and sever the spinal cord, or perhaps hit an artery. She was well aware of the location of the jugular vein, and hoped that just maybe the bullet would go far enough.

She had learned through being in the force, that being the smaller person was only helpful if you were small enough to run beneath the target's legs without touching any bit of them. With men, this became more difficult. With demons? Hell, she didn't even want to find out. Taking a deep breath, she waited to see if the demon would drop or turn to face her, readying her aim to take another shot if necessary. She watched as everything seemed to slow, the black liquid dripping and the crazy ass fools who joined her and broken-ass-man seeming to run like lover's in a movie.

[Callthecops]

The Jester slid to a stop and threw has bag to the ground by the bike while dismounting at the same time. “Anyone steals my shit and I will make them BLEED!!!” Jack roared, yanking off his helmet and throwing it to the side, shaking his head clear as he started moving towards the demon. On one knee, it didn’t look nearly as intimidating, now that it was down at a normal height. Watching the woman rip the knife from the beast’s gut he was gaining more and more confidence. They could do this.

Seeing the woman move towards the fire escape, Jack knew he had to keep the beast’s eyes on him, so he pulled out his Desert Eagle and pointed the huge pistol at it’s face, pulling the trigger three times, closing in with each shot. Suddenly the demon threw his hands to his spine and Jester looked up, realizing the woman had started shooting down on it. However effectual the bullets to the face ended up being, shots to the spine, two gushing legs, and a leaking gut had to be taking it’s toll on the thing. Jack doubted it could defend itself much longer, much less fight back.

Picking up the pace, the Jester ran at the demon, figuring he could end it with a few more good hits. Swinging his axe at the side of the beast’s face one handed, Jack didn’t do much more than knock it’s head around a little, making a shallow dent in it’s hide. But, taking the shaft in two hands, Jack started hacking away at the demon’s face and neck with bloody, brutal, blows, continuing to smash away until the thing was dead, or he was thrown back. "THAT'S RIGHT SHIT-PIG!!! Get fucked! Get fucked! How you like me now bitch? How you like me now?!"

[Katelyn]

Elizabeth caught her breath and stood, looking over at the shadow. The sounds of fighting and screaming were echoing in her head and she felt the need to get into the room beyond the shadow like nothing she’d ever felt before. There were people in there, and she was fucking sick of being alone. She narrowed her eyes at the wispy black substance and bared her teeth.

“I’m getting in the goddamn room…” She braced herself as the shadow shimmered across the door. She ran full speed and at the last minute, dropped to her knees, sliding below its corporeal substance to catch a glimpse of the macabre scene before her. She gasped as her hand flew to her mouth, only turning momentarily at the sound of the shadow hissing.

It raced past her, barely brushing the side of her cheek, cutting it open. She stood quickly and watched as the shadow raced toward the beast and slipping into his mouth. He turned what was left of his bloody head and their eyes met up. He was hells spawn, but for a moment something almost looked human in his gaze – guilt was the language of all living things.

Before she could move the large beast gave a cry of anguish that caused her to drop to her knees and cover her ears. The most hideous screeching she’d ever heard. She screamed along with the beast at the feel of blood dripping down from her ears.

She rose to her feet on shaky legs as the large beast stopped, his body collapsing and almost taking out three of the humans near him. She touched her ears as blood continued to trickle down the side of her face, her golden hair streaked with the color of life and death.

“Are you guys ok…” she never got the words out of her mouth.

The shadow erupted from the fallen beast, its form like tar as it raced in the air toward her. She started to back up, but it reached her too quickly, slamming into her with all of the force of a freight train. She tried to scream, but hadn’t to air to complete the taste. She landed in a sickening thud on the ground, the shadow melting around her and vaporizing.

The last thought she had before she passed out was seemingly important.

What happens to those who God rejected when they die?

[101 Scout1]

Riley crouched in disgust as the cry of pain and defeat and shame erupted into the air. People for miles would hear it, a few would recognize it as the death of a demon and calm those who wished to rush toward the sound. He panted once it had finished, having been able to cover his ears in time. He hadn't suffered as poorly due to a lifetime of shooting gun and, as a police officer, having to fire without ear protection in some situations. However, it was still like nothing he'd ever heard... It made his blood boil.

The beast coughed and sputtered while on the ground, pools of tar-like blood coming forth from his mouth as he drowned in it. Once it was clearly void of life, a soft whisper moved around the air nearby, it said no words, as if it were a final breath, before it seemed to sink into the ground, settling the area around them. Riley stared in horror at the demon as it began to dissipate into the ground, full of regret and damned for eternity. He was not gone forever, he was not so petty, but he would respawn in Hell in more anguish than he had been in before reaching the surface.

Riley panted, looking around. The one man had beaten it so hard in the face... And the woman who had climbed the fire escape had landed one bullet in the monster's neck and another in its spine, paralyzing it. Its face had become extremely mangled and disgusting from one man's brutal assault. The officer would have been extremely surprised at the man, but he understood adrenaline and pure hatred, so he let it go. The demon was gone now, his blood still pooled about on the ground.

The officer looked over to the new woman who was approaching and nodded, holding up a hand to wave as he got back on his feet, leaning against the car for a moment. He watched something... A shadow, blast directly into her and vaporize into the ground. The hell was that..? He wondered, she seemed to have passed out.

"Oh, crap, you alright?!" He called out, pushing from the car and tiredly jogging over to her. He scooped his machete from the ground as he ran by, sheathing it behind him before kneeling beside the woman, flinching at the pain in his tailbone. Must be bruised... He thought to himself, gritting his teeth for just a moment. He looked the woman up and down, "Hey, you okay?" He asked, shaking her carefully.

[Callthecops]

One moment, the Jester was hacking away at the demon’s face, breathing hard, and grimacing as the black blood splattered in his face; the next, he was reeling backwards, clutching at his ears and falling to the ground, leaving his axe stuck in the large opening he had beaten into the beast’s skull. The demon had let out the most awful noise Jack had ever heard in his life, and having been so close to the thing, it was brutal. He remained on the ground clutching at his head for a short while after the scream had subsided, when the second worst sound he’d ever heard came in his ears. The haunting whisper, though it said absolutely nothing, creeped him out to no end.

Carefully rising to his feet, the Jester stumbled over towards the demon, placing his foot on it’s head and grabbing his axe and tearing it free. Leaving the thing to dissipate in peace, he started to make his way back towards his bike and the other man who had been fighting the demon earlier. If anyone called out to him though, Jack wouldn’t have noticed, the ringing still so loud in his ears. “The fuck just happened?” He grumbled to himself, wavering back and forth a bit. He had made sure to pick up his helmet on the way back, but then promptly dropped it again by his bag.

Jack took off his jacket and started cleaning it as he slouched down next to his bike and tried to collect himself. God damnit was he tired… But he couldn't stop now, for all he knew these people could try to rob him next and he had to be prepared to kill them. Pulling out three bullets from his bag, the Jester ejected his clip and loaded it back up to full. Nine bullets in the magazine, and one in the chamber. He loaded the gun and cocked it, before returning it to his holster and letting out a sigh.

[Katelyn]

Elizabeth looked up with blurred vision at a rather handsome man leaning over and shaking her. His words were thick and inaudible to her. He seemed friendly enough, but she was taking no chances. She rolled away and stood her legs wobbly as she lifted her hands to fight. The world spun with vertigo and she dropped to her knee, her eyes never leaving his face.

“Give me a second and then I’ll be happy to fuck you up.” She growled, her long blond hair streaked with blood and black sludge. She watched him closely as the world slowed down and she gathered her bearings. She tried to stand again and realized by his stance that maybe he wasn’t a bad guy per sae.

After he spoke, she lowered her hands and a small smile lifted her pretty mouth, “I’m sorry. I’ve been in several fights just getting here today. Trust no one and stab everyone seems to be the newfound theme of this existence.”

She extended her hand, “Elizabeth Parker.”

Before he could respond one of the chicks from behind him started to choke… the sound filling up the air. They both ran to her aid and stopped as the crowd gathered around her. She was beautiful, but rather masculine in her appearance. The deep cuts of her muscles vibrated as she clenched in an effort to cough up whatever was blocking her airways.

“Oh my God…” Elizabeth dropped to her knees and grabbed the girl’s shoulders, “I’m going to do the Heimlich on you, okay?”

The girl said nothing, but as Elizabeth moved toward the back of her, the girls mouth opened wide and she projectile vomited blood by the buckets full. Elizabeth stopped and just stared in horror. Sometime was dangling from her mouth as she bent over on all fours and continued to heave. Elizabeth had to look away, but heard the plop as one of the girls organs dropped from her mouth. She dropped to the ground dead and the sound of her last exhale reverberated in the room.

A black shadow poured from her mouth, bumped Elizabeth where she stood and moved out the opened door. Elizabeth wiped a tear from her eyes and ran toward a dumpster, empting the contents of her own stomach, organ withstanding.

[kimkyok]

"Not bad at all" Cheri said to herself.

She walked over to the girl that had yelled out to her to move. She looked at her face, realizing that this woman was actually her past lover from a few months ago. Her father had introduced him to his team that was working on a mission here in NYC. She had met her first and for some odd reason she had clicked with her. And then the clicking had moved onto some other feelings and emotions, then that turned into things a little boy could easily find on the internet.

A tear dropped from her eye, but her weakness could not be displayed now, especially in the presence of these new people and a dead demon. Her weakness would be the death of her, but luckily she dressed up like a boy in order to evade situations that would make girls more, vulnuerable. Walking away from the body she heard a whisper, hissing almost. It was coming from the sewer drain in the middle of the street, oddly it was open. Kneeling down she put her ear closer to the opening in the ground, trying to make audible the voice she was hearing. Join us .

She quickly stepped away from the drain and shook her head, removing any belief of what she had heard. She stood up, looking to the girl spilling her guts out into the dumpster. At least there was another woman on the playing field, someone that she could relate to but she still couldn't let her know she was a woman as well.

"He---" she coughed to make her voice deeper "hEY!! You okay?"

[guinness]

Her arms ached, it had been quite some time since she had to exert that much upper body strength. The man had proved to have a much tougher exterior than she imagined, but he still broke in the long run. On the plus side this at least made what was left of him nice and tenderized. Nothing was worse than chewy food, well perhaps dry was worse not that mattered since we all came doused in a nice thick sauce. The thought made her lick the edges of her lips, metal clanking against metal. Sadly that would have to wait as she heard a loud roar ring through the streets. Someone had injured a demon and a large one at that. It was rare to find quality entertainment in this day and age so she jumped at the opportunity to watch the show.

Carefully undoing her alarm system she slide out the window she came in and worked her way through the streets. The key to movement was always to utilize your surroundings to your advantage. If you had darkness to shroud you it would be unwise to never use it. On top of that it allowed you time to observe your prey before making yourself known, knowing more than your opponent was just common sense to combat. Not many people really made use of that fact even the demons just relied on brute strength over all else. Cursing under her breath, “Thothe dumb brute don't detherve to win thith war.”

Sticking her back to the wall she could make out a group of what looked like four people, possibly more. The smell of sulfur and ember permeated in the vicinity. It seemed she missed the show, would have been nice to see how they dealt with the beast. Was it teamwork or were they simply a bunch of lone wolves who happen upon each other? The answer to that would be key to how she played this yet she couldn't gain the answer without first making a move. It was quite the conundrum indeed. On one hand if they were a team they could very easily overpower her and on the other if they were splintered they could be manipulated quite easily. Why was she even worried? The chance to do some good always outweighed the risk of rebirth.

Keeping her hands at her side she tried to look as nonchalant and nonthreatening as possible. Approaching with even a hint of malice often resulted in a long drawn out confrontation of words that she simply didn't have time nor the desire to deal with. Giving a quick glance around she stopped on the corpse of what was most likely one of theirs, her kidney or perhaps her lung was laying on the ground outside her body. Her eyes stared longingly at before she snapped back to her senses, now was not the time.

Feeling it rude to simply walk up and not introduce herself she took a bow, “Evening lady and gentlemen. Is it thafe to prethume you are the fine people that took out the demon? You have no idea how great it ith to thee upthtanding citizen thill live in thith world.”

[101 Scout1]

Riley panted as his eyes glazed over a woman. She appeared very masculine, but something was wrong... What was..? Oh GOD! "What the fuck?!" He called out as she began to puke, an organ of some sort hanging from her mouth before she puked again and fell to the ground. A shadow left her body and he felt himself black out for a moment, nausea welling up inside of him. He shook his head, after years on the NYPD... Nothing, nothing, had ever been like that.

"Holy fuck... What was... Why?!" He called out, doubling over as he felt himself ready to release his own last few meals. Now was not the time though, so he fought the urge and it went away. Forget it, just... Don't look at her. The smell of death and vomit permeated the air and he looked up to the newcomer. She had a lisp, but that wasn't something to judge her for, it could have been any number of things that gave it to her and underestimation would be a bad move.

"Thanks... But without all of this help... I'd have been a goner, there was nowhere to run from that fucker..." Riley didn't care that she must have just been watching, he didn't blame her either, most people wouldn't join a fight like that. He looked around, raising his voice, "Alright... We can't pretend this never happened and just go on with our lives, everybody c'mon, get over here." His voice was full of... leadership, it wasn't bossy or overbearing, but it held a certain commanding quality to it.

"Look, now's not the time for introductions, but most of you had a part in saving one another's life today... And that's not something in these times to just let go, so where do you guys propose we go? I'm not letting you all just walk out as if we didn't just fight Hellspawn, and there's not a doubt in my mind that something big is going to happen soon... Those things don't just go after people, especially not alone..." What none of them really knew was that the demon was a mercenary and a hitman, he was hired for something... But what?